Note to reader: This chapter may be disturbing or a trigger to some readers. If you or someone you know has ever been a victim of sexual assault, then you may not want to read this chapter in its entirety. I wrote this because I believe it's relevant for the tone of this story. Sansa has always believed there's some good in everyone and she's been in denial for a long time of the evil that lives in men. If you want to read the chapter in its entirety, then continue on without reading the recap below.

A quick recap for anyone who chooses not to read the entire chapter: Mal is infatuated with Sansa. He believes Sandor and her are having an affair, and he doesn't believe an "ugly" man like Sandor deserves to have a beautiful woman like Sansa. He wants to claim her for himself but knows he's no match for Sandor, so he is plotting a plan to take down Sandor with some of the other men to get to Sansa. Mal attacks the women and three of the men rape Cara, but Sandor comes just in time to save Sansa from the assault and kills all the men including Mal.

Chapter 12

Mal

Mal was seething. He had been wanting to test out the Hound's sentiments towards the girl for weeks now and he never had a more perfect opportunity than just now with only him and the stupid green boy, Jamie there. He had wanted to get his reaction to Mal exposing the true nature of the lady and the dog's relationship. Mal knew a man like Sandor Clegane in all his viciousness wouldn't leave a highborn maid like Sansa Stark untouched after all these weeks. It sickened Mal's blood to think of the man's cock buried in her cunt every night. He was the one who should be writhing between her milky thighs night after night. Since he first saw the girl when they boarded the ship, he had known she was the woman he'd been waiting for to claim for himself. Mal had claimed many women during his travels. Some women were plump and dark while others were slim and fair-skinned. Some were willing and others played harder to get but Mal always got what he wanted from them. He enjoyed an easy fuck from a whore sure but the best women were those who resisted his charms. Those who tried acting as though they were better than him and he didn't have any right to what was his. No matter a woman's class or status, they were all the same. They all wanted a man's cock like any common whore, they were just taught not to express their desires. Those women pumped up his blood and made him desire them even more. He'd fucked plenty of maidens who clawed and screamed at him as he took what was his. He enjoyed being on top of a woman trying to act as if she didn't want it as much as he did then finally, she would stop resisting and allow him his pleasure. Sometimes he had to slap her around some before she would finally allow him to get what was his but eventually they all submitted to him. Mal had found each time he was able to get a writhing woman to submit to him he felt an exciting, powerful jolt travel up his body which made his release that much stronger.

Mal hadn't ever desired a woman like Sansa Stark though. When she had come on board, he had been captivated by her beauty and her delicious figure. Though she dressed modestly like any highborn maid would, he could see the feminine curves and luscious breasts under her gowns. She was at a much higher class than Mal had ever had which means she had been taught all her life to resist the advancements of any man, and he wanted her that much more for it. Mal had seen her with the Hound and knew it would be no easy feat getting to her, but he figured he could convince the man to share his spoils. When Mal and the other men had been having their dinner, the Hound had marched in without the girl their first night there and Mal knew the dog was trying to keep her to himself. Thankfully, Quin, the idiot had inquired about the girl, but the Hound's reaction wasn't one Mal had been expecting. The Hound, enraged, had grabbed the man by his collar with his hideous, snarling face and essentially told him and the rest of the lot to fuck off or else he'd take care of their interest. Mal had known then that the Hound must have tasted his bone and wasn't willing to share. The Hound kept her hidden away for weeks before Mal got another glimpse of the girl again. She and the other female had come up on deck that day and Mal had stopped what he was doing to watch her. She was like some radiant beacon in the sun with her flaming red hair and milky white skin. He had devoured her with his eyes but then he had seen the Hound close to their backs, so he had made himself discreet as he continued watching them. To his delight, the captain had announced that night that two ladies would be joining that evening for dinner, and he expected all the crew to conduct themselves chivalrously to not make the women uncomfortable. Mal had smiled to himself knowing he would get to see his fair maid again and about came in his britches when she strolled into the room. He watched her all night and couldn't tear his eyes from her lovely face and delicate continence. He fantasized all he was planning to do with her once he got her alone and he could get her body under his. Mal had looked back at the Hound and saw he was glaring at him menacingly. He would admit that the man's face itself could entice terror in anyone and he knew of the Hound's reputation enough to keep a distance. He had looked at the Hound straight in the eye knowing that he knew their little dirty secret. He was going to get rid of the Hound one way or the other so his path to the girl would be a straight shot.

Mal and some of the other men were growing restless now that they had been at sea for several weeks with no warm cunt to curb their lust. Every night had become torturous for him and his cock as he watched her from a distance at the captain's table. Some nights he would stare at her, hidden from the line of sight of the Hound, and his erection would grow painfully hard imagining everything he wanted to take from her. He looked forward each night to have the chance to watch her smile and laugh but he never got too close to draw attention to himself. One night when she nor the Hound joined them, he had raged inside knowing the Hound was keeping her to himself again. He knew the man was probably buried in her cunt at that moment while he was sitting in wait. When the woman, Cara, had come on deck to inquire of the whereabouts of the Hound the next day, he knew there was more to her story than she was letting on. He knew something was amiss. When the woman and her husband left in a rush, he immediately left to stand outside the cabin the girl and the Hound shared. He stood outside their door for what felt like hours trying to listen for any noise from within. When he had heard someone approaching the hall, he immediately made himself scarce on the back wall covered by darkness. To his utter dread, a few minutes later he saw the Hound caring the sleeping form of Sansa in his arms down the hall then he had disappeared with her in their room. Mal had decided then that he would hatch up a plan to claim her for himself.

Mal and three of the other lust-filled men talked each night on how they would distract or get rid of the Hound to get to the girl. A few of the men were willing to take the other woman but Mal only had his eyes set out for the one. Even with the four of them, they couldn't overpower the infamous Hound they were sure but if they could distract him enough then maybe they would be able to catch him off guard and dispose of the ugly bastard. The perfect night had come during the storm. When the men had seen the Hound on deck with everyone else trying to wrestle the storm, Mal and one of the men went down to the living quarters while the other two men took watch on deck to warn them of the Hound's approach. When Mal had reached their cabin and creeped inside, he was disappointed to find the room empty. He knew then she must be hidden away in one of the other cabins but without knowing which one she was in he would have had to enter each one. He surmised then that the plan had gotten too risky, and they departed before anyone had noticed the four men missing.

Mal had been furious his opportunity had been missed so he decided he needed to approach the Hound about the girl to see if he might get him talking enough to share her with him. What Mal hadn't expected was the raw, brutal rage the man had when Mal made the insinuation he had fucked the girl. A quake of utter fear had gripped him when the Hound had hoisted him in the air by the throat and swore his demise if he ever made such an insinuation again. Mal realized then that the Hound's feelings towards the girl ran deeper than he thought, and Mal also realized the Hound hadn't claimed her as he had thought all this time. What was the deal with that? Was he afraid her lordly brother would find out and take his head? He presumed that was reason enough as any to not take what he wanted. Then Mal wondered if the Hound actually cared for the girl and her precious maidenhead. Could it be possible that the infamous Hound had stayed his hand for this girl? The notion was too good for Mal to resist. He knew then that he must have her at all costs knowing she was in fact still a maiden.

That night, Mal and the other men gathered again to come up with a better thought-out plan to get rid of the Hound. Mal was listening to the ridiculous suggestions from each. He was surrounded by complete morons and knew he was going to have to be the mastermind behind their assault. As he thought on what the best path forward, he remembered the man Hamish had become quite fond of the Hound since he saved his life. The Hound didn't find the man as much of a threat, Mal surmised after watching him with Hamish all these weeks. With that Mal knew what he would do.

Mal entered the mess hall by himself nonchalantly and approached the table where Hamish sat with the other men after sneaking a peek at his prize at the cabin's table. When he saw the Hound sitting next to her looking a complete terror as he scanned the room, Mal ducked behind Hamish as he sat down next to him from across the hall. Mal peeked at the Hound who hadn't seemed to notice him enter. Hamish hadn't acknowledged Mal yet, but he found that Hamish and some of the other men in their group didn't seem quite trusting of Mal which only made his blood run higher.

As Hamish was finishing talking to the idiot boy, Jamie, who was looking at Mal with contempt, he turned to address Hamish, "How fortunate you were, Hamish, for being rescued by Sandor last night. Not many men would have risked their lives for a man they barely know."

Hamish looked up to peer at the Hound then and nodded his head and he answered, "Aye, the man saved my retched life. No idea why he did it, but I suppose he's a good man to have in a sticky spot."

"That he is…" Speaking a little louder now for the rest to hear he added, "Why we ought to do something for Clegane for being so brave and selfless, aye? We need to let the man know how much we all welcome a man such as him being on board with us." The other men turned to Mal then with some interest in his declaration and some were already nodding their heads.

Hamish looked appealed by the notion as well. "Aye… aye you're quite right! Aye, we ought to do something for the man!" Some of the men were getting animated now as Mal had anticipated. "But what should we do? The man rarely comes to drink anymore and he won't leave that girl's side unless he's working during the day."

"You're quite right." Mal stated. "We ought to surprise him tomorrow before the end of the day with a toast just to him. One drink surely wouldn't cause any harm."

"Aye, aye! Mal's quite right. It's planned out then boys, we'll surprise him tomorrow before we retire with the best wine we have in stock. We all know wine is Clegane's drink of choice."

Mal smiled to himself then as the men continued to talk together. Jamie was looking at Mal suspiciously, but he didn't seem to want to disappoint Hamish by voicing any objection for celebrating the man's savior.

The next day as the men were preparing Sandor's celebration by discreetly bringing some wine into the mess hall, Mal and the other men stood back to make sure the event went according to plan. The Hound was being ushered into the room now looking irritated at being bothered by Hamish pulling him along. When he saw all the men in the hall, the Hound stopped to peer at them suspiciously. Hamish took a step infront of the Hound then and declared proudly, "Sandor Clegane, the man who risked his own life to save mine and gained the respect and trust of all men on board. We're here to toast to your braveness and selflessness!"

The Hound looked increasingly irritated at all the attention and was about to turn away from the scene before Hamish stopped him, "Come now, Clegane. We know you don't like all the fuss but damnit you saved my life and I've never had anyone give enough shits about me to lend a helping hand to me at their own peril. Have one drink with us and we'll let you retire."

He looked about ready to object but stated simply, "Aye." The whole crowd gave a loud holler at that then one of Mal's men approached him and handed him the flagon of wine which Mal had already laced with an elixir. The solution neither tasted nor smelled. Mal always carried the stuff in case he was in a sticky spot and given the amount he had put in the flagon, it should have the man knocked out within a few minutes of consuming it. Mal suspected the Hound wouldn't just have one sip of the wine, but he laced it potent enough in case the man was cautious with his drink.

As soon as Mal and the others saw the Hound tip the flagon up and take a big swallow, they left to claim their prize.

Cara

Cara and Sansa were sitting together in Cara's room chatting and mending some clothes for their men. Hermes and Sandor had been working hard each day for weeks and their clothes were becoming tattered with the laborious work. Cara had chastised her husband for coming in one day with a giant hole in his tunic and he had been exasperated with her for not comprehending the work he had started doing with the other men. He had been hateful to her, and she had begun getting teary-eyed by his hatefulness. Hermes has immediately stopped his tirade with her and apologized while giving her soft kisses to ease her distress. The days were beginning to morph together for Cara, and she began getting anxious about reaching the land of the unknown. The entire ordeal was making her more emotional each day. Hermes had smoothed her worries and made sweet, passionate love to her to calm all her thoughts and worries. She was smiling now thinking of their frequent coupling in these past few weeks. Hermes and Cara had spent more time together these past few weeks than they had in the past year in King's Landing. They had just about fallen in love all over again and acted like newlyweds once more.

Sansa peered at Cara then and smiled at her expression, "What's on your mind, Cara? Thinking about Hermes again?"

Cara chuckled to herself then, "I suppose so, yes. I was just thinking about how much closer we've grown together in the last several weeks. We've grown as close together now as I suppose you and Sandor have now." Sansa had shared with Cara that Sandor had sworn an oath to her to be his sworn shield. Sansa had been completely shocked at the notion since Sandor didn't believe in oaths, but Cara had been shocked that Sansa had kissed him! When Sansa had told her, Cara had looked at her like she had grown a second head. She warned Sansa of the dangers and desires of men, but Sansa just simply nodded her head and assured Cara that Sandor would never hurt her. Of that, Cara was sure as well. Sandor, though he was an idiot brute, would never raise his hand in anger at Sansa or ever demean her in such a way to take her innocence. Though Cara wasn't sure she very much liked the man, she could appreciate him for what he did for her friend.

Sansa smiled then and blushed some at Cara's statement. "Yes, we have become quite close… I worry though where this path might take us. Once we reach the Free Cities, I know not where we will go. Sandor will be by my side of course but we don't know of the dangers out there or who might still be looking for us once we reach our ultimate destination. Sandor assures me no harm should come to me as long as he's by my side but what happens if something were to happen to him while he's trying to protect me?"

She seemed to be truly distressed by the notion that Sandor would be hurt protecting her. "Sansa, he is your sworn shield now. His duty will be to protect you at all costs. If he should fall, it will be in the service of protecting the one thing he cares about." Sansa nodded and gave Cara a small smile. To lighten the moment, Cara added, "Besides, have you seen your sworn shield? It would take an army full of well-trained warriors to bring a man like him down."

Sansa laughed at that, and they continued chatting and chuckling together when Cara suddenly heard men talking outside in the hall. She raised her hand to Sansa to indicate they should keep quiet. Sansa suddenly looked quite fearful, and Cara's heart was beginning to beat in her chest at hearing several men talking just outside the door. Cara rose quietly and latched the door, but she knew if they were determined to enter, the latch wouldn't hold them back. Unfortunately, she was right of course.

From the other side of the door, someone was trying to turn the handle. The men were continuing to talk together outside then Cara heard one address them. "Lady Sansa, please open the door. Sandor requires your presence in the mess hall." Cara looked to Sansa and raised a finger to her lips to let her know to be quiet. The men couldn't know for sure they were in the room so keeping quiet would be their best option until Hermes or Sandor came. Where were they? "Lady Sansa, we know you and your friend, Cara are in there… Open the door." That statement was said with more forcefully and when neither woman responded nor made a sound, the man began banging against the door.

Cara immediately went to Sansa and stood in front of her to shield her from any assault. No, this can't be happening now. Where were Hermes and Sandor? They should have been here by now. Cara's heart was beating out of her chest and when the door slammed open and a man came in, Cara allowed her instincts to take over. She charged the man and began wailing on his face and body, but he just laughed at her and threw her against another man who slapped her hard across the face and put his hand around her mouth to keep her quiet.

The man, who Cara now recognized as Mal, looked down at Sansa who was sitting on the bed and looked terrified. Mal continued staring at her before saying to her, "Lady Sansa, why didn't you let me and my friends in? We've been up and down these halls for about ten minutes looking for you and when I finally find you, you won't even acknowledge me. I figured you highborn ladies were raised with better manners than that." The other men laughed at that. "Come now, we've come to rescue you from that brutish, hideous Hound." Mal raised a hand as if in invitation to her and Cara thought the man had lost his damn mind. The man holding her started caressing Cara's breasts and she fought back the tears in her eyes at the assault. When Sansa never gave a response or motioned towards him, Mal snarled at her then reached down to grab her hair roughly at the top of her head. Sansa gave a yelp as he brought her up to his face. "What is it? I'm not good enough for you, hm? The ugly brute is good enough to be by your side each night by I'm not?"

Mal suddenly slapped Sansa hard across the face then put his hand over her mouth as the men dragged them along with them. Cara was terrified and she knew what would happen to them both if no one came to their aid. Cara had never been raped and she was terrified at the reality of her situation, but she was horrified for Sansa. She was a maiden and other than her kiss with Sandor, she had never been intimate with a man. Cara looked across her shoulder to Sansa who had tears streaming down her face as Mal had his head lowered whispering in her ear. The girl wouldn't survive this, Cara was sure. Sansa was a strong woman for surviving her time under Joffrey's torment, but Sansa wouldn't survive being raped. It would break her. As the men continued groping her and dragging them down the steps to the lower decks, she thought of how she might save the girl and buy Sandor enough time to get to them.

When they evidently reached their destination in the lowest part of the ship, one of the men went for Sansa in Mal's arms. "Get the fuck away from her!" He yelled as he pulled her away from the other man's outstretched hands. "This one is mine!" Cara realized then that Mal must only want Sansa and he didn't want any of the other men having her. She could use that to her advantage.

As the other three men were tearing at her dress and groping her wherever they could get their hands on, she yelled to Mal without thinking. "Don't you want a real woman!" As Mal tore at Sansa's dress, he stopped briefly to look back at Cara. She swallowed her fear and continued hurriedly, "That's only a girl you have there! You could take her maidenhead like the sick bastard you are, but don't you want a real woman first? I've had my fair share of men in my life so it should be easy for you, and that girl's cunt will be so tight you'll spend yourself before even truly enjoying it." Gods, she loved the girl so much. Looking at Sansa now with her breasts almost completely exposed and a bruise marring her cheek, her heart broke. She didn't deserve this.

Mal seemed to contemplate that for a moment before looking back at Sansa. The other men were waiting on Mal evidently to make his decision as they had slowed their groping while looking back at him. Mal looked back at Cara menacingly then turned back to Sansa to give her a sloppy kiss on her mouth. "Don't you move. I'll be back for you." Mal rose then to approach Cara, and she closed her eyes so she wouldn't see the assault coming. She felt him tear open her dress completely and she could hear the other men laughing in encouragement as he pulled up her skirts. Cara didn't fight him as he continued his assault and when he invaded her, she felt like her soul had been split open and was bleeding inside her chest. She gave a tortured groan knowing the unwanted invasion was happening and there was nothing she could do to take it back now. She tried to block out of her mind the laughter and voices around her as he violated her body. Instead, she thought of her husband. As she pictured her husband making love to her it was almost enough to bear the humiliation and demeaning assault happening to her now. She thought too that Cara had been right to think that Sansa wouldn't survive this. Cara wasn't sure she would survive this when the others got done with her. As the man finished, he breathed heavily above her for a moment then rose. Cara felt the cool air hit her breasts and thighs, and when she heard another man fumbling with the laces on his britches, she opened her eyes to look for Sansa.

Sansa was crouched in a corner with her arms around her head to not bear witness to what was happening before her. Cara could see the shake of her shoulders to know she was sobbing. Cara continued staring at Sansa for something to hold onto as the next man continued to violate her. When Cara saw Mal approach Sansa after the second man was done with her and another one was getting ready to hop on, she knew she had failed her.

Sandor

All day Sandor had felt an uneasy feeling deep in his gut, but he couldn't identify the source of his uneasiness other than knowing from yesterday's event with Mal and the accounts from Jamie that Sansa was potentially in danger. He passed his feelings off as just being on guard for any threat to come. He thought of her all day; he thought of his oath to her and the kiss that came after. He had been shocked she had kissed him, and he wasn't sure if he was thrilled at the prospect or if he felt more tortured. Sandor could never claim her as his own, but he had gotten a taste from her last night that was like tasting his favorite wine for the first time; he couldn't get enough.

That night, when they had finished their dinner and returned to their room, she had tried to kiss him again. She had been sitting next to him on his bed and was reading to him one of her silly books when she had stopped to look up at him to give him a small smile. He grinned at her in return, and she reached out to hold his hand in hers. She moved her fingers within his hand, and he gently caressed his fingers against the palm of her small hand. He had enjoyed the simple gesture but went he felt her rising next to him to presumably kiss him again, he had to stop her. He gently placed his hand against her shoulder and told her gently that kissing him while they were both sitting on the same bed wouldn't be wise. She had blushed and seemed disappointed by his denial. To appease her some and give her some comfort, he put his arm around her shoulders to hold her and she laid her head against his shoulder. They sat like for a long time talking about what they would do once they reached land. He had told her he thought it would be the best option for them to travel with Cara and Hermes to the Hills of Norvos. Sansa had been delighted by the news and even though Sandor was still skeptical about Hermes and maybe even Cara herself, he didn't fear the couple meant them any harm. They had gone to bed in separate beds that night but as he slept, he could feel the heavy presence of her all around him.

As Sandor was finishing for the day, Hamish approached him and asked him to come to the mess hall with him. Sandor snarled at him that he needed to get back to his own room, but Hamish was insistent that he needed Sandor's help in the mess hall. Being suspicious, Sandor reluctantly followed Hamish to the hall and the sight before him puzzled him. Standing in the hall was most of the crew and as he looked around the men were all beaming at him. Fuck. Evidently, the men got together to give him a "toast" for jumping overboard to save Hamish during the storm. He almost stormed out once he knew what they were up to, but Hamish was insistent, and Sandor reasoned that one drink wouldn't do much harm. He took a long swig of the wine, and it tasted like heaven. The men encouraged him to drink more but he knew he needed to keep his mind sharp, so he passed the flagon off to one of the men to his left. Sandor reluctantly stayed for a few moments to talk with the other men, but he suddenly started feeling dizzy.

Sandor felt like he was about to go to sleep standing right there with the exhaustion blanketing his body, but he fought back the urge to pass out. The man Sandor had given the flagon to suddenly passed out. The other men laughed but Sandor's heart dropped to his stomach. No.

"Who filled that flagon?" Sandor nearly growled the question and the men looked at him suspiciously.

Jamie stepped forward and stated proudly, "I did, Clegane. I got the best wine available on the ship for you to have." Sandor knew Jamie wouldn't have been the one to spike the drink but then who the hell would have done it. As he continued fighting the urge to pass out, he looked around for a face he was hoping to see here. When he didn't see the bastard, he knew he had been dupped.

"Who did you give that flagon to once you had filled it?" He asked Jamie insistently.

Jamie looked at him puzzled and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't remember his name but he's one of the hired hands… Hey, you don't look so good, why don't you sit down for a while."

Jamie began approaching him as if to help him, but Sandor abruptly left while on shaking knees. He had to get to Sansa before it was too late. As he approached the living quarters, Hermes rushed to his side. At seeing the state Sandor was in he asked anxiously, "What's the matter, Sandor? You look awful and like you've seen a ghost."

"I think the women are in danger Hermes. We need to get to your room now."

Hermes immediately became alarmed at that then turned from Sandor to run the rest of the way down the hall to their room. Sandor was slowly making his way down the hall when he heard Hermes let out a mournful moan that almost brought Sandor to him knees. No, not this. Hermes came running down the hall and his eyes were bulging as he approached Sandor. "They're gone. Someone's broken down the fucking door and they're gone!"

That almost did bring Sandor to his knees. Gods, no not Sansa. He couldn't fail her, not now. He put his hands on his knees to try to clear his foggy mind. Godsdamned bastards. Sandor never even saw it coming. Fucking cowards. Poison was a woman's weapon. Mal must have been working with someone else to get the elixir in the flagon that would be given to him. Fuck. He never should have been distracted by the damn "honorable" toast in his name. He knew he hated such occasions for a reason, and this was one of them. It was just a distraction to prevent him from performing his duties and protecting that which he loved. After several moments, the feeling of lethargy was slowly dissipating, and he rose slowly to his full height. He closed his eyes to allow the calmness to return to his extremities and his core. He knew he was only efficient when he was calm, and his mind was clear. He thought about where a coward like Mal would take a woman and knew he would want it to be in a secluded spot away from everyone else. A place where almost no one could hear or chance someone coming up on them. With that thought, Sandor knew where they might be.

Without a word to Hermes, he snapped his eyes open and ran down the steps that would lead him to the lowest part of the ship. It was the same part of the ship where Sandor had disappeared to only a week ago during his drunken stupor and he just hoped he would get there in time. Hermes was on his heels as they descended down and when Sandor heard a woman's cry below him, he allowed his trained skills to take over.

As they reached their target, the scene before them stopped Sandor and Hermes dead in their tracks. Laying there to their left completely exposed and beaten with a man between her legs, was Cara. The woman's face was swollen, and she had blood smeared across her face. When Sandor's eyes landed on Sansa, he felt his stomach drop to the floor. She lay there underneath none other than Mal with her dress opened all the way to her waist and her skirts up as Mal was between her unlacing his britches. Sandor saw red then and gave a bone chilling roar that made all the men turn to him. The man between Cara's legs immediately scrambled away while trying to pull up his britches then two of the cunts charged Sandor with raised blades. Sandor advanced on them. He cut the arm that was holding the blade off the first man and in the same stroke severed the arm off the second man. Hermes was attacking the other man who had been violating his wife and figured he would get what was coming to him.

As all the men were howling in pain, Sandor charged Mal who was standing before him with a wicked grin and a long dagger at his side. Without much effort, Sandor cut off his hand holding the dagger with one swift motion. The man howled in pain as he fell back while clutching his severed arm. Sandor slowly stalked towards the man as he gripped the handle of his sword itching to kill the bastard but not knowing exactly how he wanted to watch his death just yet.

"Wait, wait! Please, Clegane. I just wanted a taste of her is all, you can understand that. Men can only go so long without the warmth of a woman before they lose their heads. I didn't even touch her! She is still a maid so there's really no harm done." Sandor just continued stalking toward the man as he was scrambling away. He felt that same calm now when he realized what he would do to the man.

Sandor sheathed his sword then and picked up the dagger Mal had been holding. He growled lowly to the man then, "I told you I would rain down hell on you and gut you while watching you descend into hell… and I'll forget your fucking face when I'm done with you."

He grabbed the man then and dragged him behind some barrels so Sansa and the others wouldn't see. The man let out a horrified wail as Sandor began slicing and slashing at his body inflicting as much pain as possible while holding his hand over his mouth to muffle his screams. When Sandor was done with him, he was just a bloodied, crimson corpse left without his genitals. Sandor realized then that he had the man's blood splattered all over his face and torso. He used the back of his arm to wipe as much blood off his face as he could before exposing himself to Sansa.

When he returned from the cover of the barrels, Hermes was holding a sobbing Cara in his arms and was staring in amazement and horror at Sandor for what he knew he had just done. Sandor slowly approached Sansa then who was clutching her dress together with one hand while covering her mouth with the other as she continued to sob. When he was before her, he slowly lowered himself to his knees then tentatively raised his hand to her face. She looked right at him then and he felt his heart constrict in his chest. Her lovely face had blood smeared from all the way from under her nose where the bastard had struck her to left cheek. He could see a swollen bruise beginning to form around her left eye and her eyes were rimmed red from her sobs.

"Sansa…" He whispered to her. "Sansa, I'm so sorry I didn't get to you sooner."

She let out a sob then and threw herself in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her small frame and pulled her in his lap while he held her sobbing form. He felt a tightness in his chest and lump in his throat knowing she must be traumatized at being attacked and having to witness her friend being violated. Sandor should have asked Hermes to keep one of the men alive so he could butcher one all over again. He placed light kisses on her forehead and whispered to her that she was safe now and the men wouldn't be hurting her ever again. Hermes had left with his wife by now and Sandor knew the man must be in more torment than even Sandor was knowing what had happened to Cara. Sandor put his arm under her knees and lifted her with him as he rose. He took her away from the bloody scene and brought her back to their room while continuing to kiss and whisper reassuring words to her.

When they got back to the room, he sat her down on his bed and began slowly removing her dress. Though in any other situation this would be highly improper and probably make his arousal rock-hard, now he just needed to get her back to herself and removing her tattered dress was a step in the right direction. He could see she had become tense knowing what he was intending. As he removed her dress, he looked her directly in the eyes without watching what he was beginning to expose in front of him. Sansa stared in his eyes as well knowing he was trying to assure her he wouldn't take this opportunity to roam his eyes across her exposed body in such a vulnerable state. Once he removed her dress and underdress, he grabbed for her nightgown next to her bed without removing his eyes from hers. Once the gown was over her body, he rose to grab a cloth next to the wash bin. He submerged it in water and returned to Sansa to gently wipe the blood from her face. She winced only once when he had to wipe from blood from under her left eye where the bruise was becoming more and more pronounced.

Once he was done taking care of her, she laid down in his bed and he rose to remove his tunic. He went to the wash bin to wash all the blood from his body, face, and hair. By the time he was done, he was secretly pleased the water left was murky with blood. Sandor decided not to put on a tunic so he could feel as much of her against him as possible knowing she was safe now. He blew out the candle next to them then pulled the covers back to pull her body flush against his chest. He placed his chin on the top of her head as he wrapped both arms around her.

He kissed her forehead again and whispered to her, "You're safe now, Sansa. You are alive… You are whole. I told you once before no one would harm you again or I'd kill them. I'm your shield and no one will harm you again whilst I still have breath in my body. Those bastards are dead, and they can cause you no more harm." He felt her nod her head beneath his chin. She pulled away from him slightly to place a light kiss against the underside of his jaw. He moved one of his hands under her chin and kissed her gently on her lips. This kiss was different than their last. This one wasn't filled with lustful intent but instead was giving them both the comfort that they needed while holding each other. He pulled away from her after a few moments and placed his chin on top of her head again.

He stroked her back hoping it would comfort her. He continued holding her to him until her sniffling seized and she eventually began breathing deeply and evenly indicating she had finally fallen asleep. He continued running his hand up and down her back as she slept to prove to himself that she was in fact alive and whole right here with him.