An Inconvenient Flame [Sandor Clegane]

Chapter 18 - You stand accused

          "Where are you taking us?" Arya asked after a while. Her question didn't come all to unexpected because we had been riding for quite a while now. Even I had wanted to ask the same question for a while now. Thoros chuckled in front of me. "And why do we need these hoods?" Arya added when Thoros didn't provide her with an answer.

"I do apologies little lady, but it's better for any of you if you don't see where we're going." Thoros continued to chuckle before he shifted in the saddle. I felt him move and released my hold on him. "Why? You think we'll tell on you? Sell you out to the Lannister's, maybe even the Mountain?" I groaned before shifting closer to the man in front of me. Thoros full on laughed this time. It was a barking laugher but now where near as strong as Sandor's.

"No, it's just a precaution. There are many who find that information valuable. So, it's for your own safety as much as it is for ours." Thoros laugh had faded into a small chuckle. I groaned as a reply before resting my head on his back. I was extremely uncomfortable sitting on the back of the horse.

It wasn't until someone yelled for the party to stop, that Thoros halted the horse. I felt it struggle against him before coming to a complete stop. I had lost track of where I believed we were hours ago. Thoros shifted in the saddle before he dismounted the horse. I had shifted backwards when he did, giving him more room.

When I felt hands on my waist, I jumped and tried to shift away but it was too late. I was soon pulled down from the horse. The surprise made me grab for whatever my hands could reach as my feet were planted securely on the ground. "Let's go home." Thoros chuckled in front of me as soon as my hood had been removed.

The sudden change in light made me squint my eyes, letting them slowly adjust to the light. "Where is this place?" The boy next to Arya asked. Arya had told me his name was Gendry. He had been helped down as well. The fat one had decided to stay at the inn, which meant it was only us three that had gone with the brotherhood. I looked around, trying to find something that would tell me where we were, but nothing was familiar to me.

We had apparently been ridding for most of the day, and now the night had slowly begun swallowing the land. Thoros placed a hand on my arm and guided me inside a large cave. Even though it wasn't completely dark outside, it was still dark and sinister inside the cave. A few fires were lit all around, the orange flames was dancingly reflected on the cave walls.

I looked around before I went to stand beside Arya and the boy named Gendry. He looked at me for a moment as if he hadn't seen a girl before but when the men brought Sandor inside, he looked away. Thoros moved to take off Sandor's hood. Sandor's eyes squinted together from the light change but when he noticed the fire not far from him on his right, he backed away from it. I was certain I had seen a hint of fear in his eyes. The satisfaction in Thoros eyes made Sandor scowl even more.

"Where is this?" I asked again after I had studied the room. It wasn't enormous but big enough to house quite a few people. There were a few large pieces of rocks lying around, it was clearly pieces that had fallen from the ceiling. It made me raise my gaze upwards, making sure there were nothing dangerous above my head.