An Inconvenient Flame [Sandor Clegane]

Chapter 52 - The dead are comming

The Goodswood had become my escape just like it had been when I was younger. This was the only place I could find any peace. Sansa had taken on the responsibilities as Lady of Winterfell, she had the Vale behind her, and it wouldn't be long before she would have the entire north as well.

More than once had she tried to talk me to my senses, and remind me that I was the oldest Stark child and not her, but I didn't want those responsibilities. They had fallen to her after Bran had refused them and I was believed to be dead because no one had known where I were.

My thoughts were a mess, but so were my emotions. Nothing had gone the way I wanted it to since we left Dragonstone and especially since last night in the library where I had finally told Sandor how I felt. Tears threatened to spill again, and I pushed myself away from the Weirwood tree with an angry groan. I had been resting on my knees in front of it with my forehead resting against the trunk.

I got back up onto my feet and turned away from the tree after I had pulled the shawl tighter around my shoulders. I left the Weirwood again but when I stepped into the courtyard, I accidentally bumped directly into someone else. Someone much larger than myself.

A soft gasp left me as I took a step back, stumbling but when something wrapped around the upper part of my arms and steadied me, I came to understand who it was I had bumped into. "Watch where you're going, little bird." Sandor's voice reached me before I found his brown eyes.

I must have carried a scared expression because his softened quite quickly again. "You did this the first time we met." Sandor added once he had taken his hands back. His words made me smile because he had remembered the first time we met. I didn't have a hard time remembering it either.

The careful smile which had erupted on my lips, remained there when I corrected on the shawl around my shoulders again. "Yea, I did, but I was smaller then. And you wouldn't budge so I ended up on the ground instead." I couldn't stop myself from chuckling a little when remembering. Sandor returned my smile with one of his careful ones. Once again, my chest tightened, and my heart began to ache. It was one of his rare smiles that was only meant for me.

"Sandor-" I had already raised my hand to his cheek when speaking his name. For once he didn't recoil at my touch, instead he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before his own hand was placed over mine. It was much bigger and it almost looked like it swallowed my own hand. Tears flooded my eyes when he did it and before either of us could speak, he had already moved my hand down and placed a kiss on the palm of it.

A soft gasp left me when he did, but nothing else happened because someone yelled behind him. "Riders coming in!" We both spun around to face the riders that came in through the open gates. People had doubled up on the horses, it was both men of the watch and wildlings, their clothes gave it away.

Sandor quickly lowered my hand from his cheek, however, I didn't let him release my hand completely. I held onto it and surprisingly he allowed me to. Some people already knew, others had properly guessed already so I didn't care who saw us. I wanted to savor this moment because he had not allowed me to touch him at all, for so many days, if I didn't count yesterday.