Portrait// Sandor Clegane (1)

12. Incentive

'Your grace.' Avalon said as she entered.

'Avalon,' Cersei said waving away her handmaiden.

'I have this for you.' Avalon said handing over the sketch. Cersei looked over the sketches.

'Beautiful.' Cersei said holding them to her chest. 'Thank you Avalon.'

'Of course your grace, your children are very easy to sketch, such beautiful children you make.' Avalon told her.

'Thank you... there was a reason for my calling you.' Cersei went on. 'we are headed to Winterfell and the king has requested you come with us. To paint the stark family as an incentive of sorts.'

'Of course. I would be honored your grace.' Avalon had wanted to go to winterfell, she was so excited, when Jon Aryn died she wondered who the new hand would be. 'Is Ned Stark to be the new hand?' Avalon questioned.

'that is Robert's goal.' Cersei admitted.

'He sounds like a good and honorable man.' Avalon remarked.

"yes...' cersei agreed but she didn't sound to pleased. 'it's a long journey, to winterfell, make sure you have all the supplies you might need, there are not many stops once we get out North.' Cersei informed her.

'Of course, of course.' Avalon said happily.

'in fact, best stock up, just in case. I know how you are. You will fill up a booklet within the first week.' Cersei remarked. 'I will have a trunk filled for you with extra supplies.'

'Thank you, your grace.' Avalon said curtseying before her.

'Oh, Avalon?' Avalon turned back to the cersei. 'Do you have more, of my children? That I could have?' cersei questioned.

'A whole book or two. I will bring them up for you.'

'Thank you Avalon.' Cersei ran her hands over the lion and the stag, again the lion was bigger, bolder. She watched Avalon leave, Avalon was everywhere, silently working but surely she didn't know... the girl just liked lions, lions were beautiful, cersei pushed the thought from her mind. Avalon was ignorant to her affairs, cersei declared as the door shut.

'We are going to winterfell!' Avalon said sitting down next to sandor at lunch. He smiled over at her. 'One of these days I'm going to have your smile memorized.' Avalon told him confidently.

'well you are the only one that sees it.' Sandor remarked.

'A smile reserved just for me!' Avalon exclaimed leaning into him.

"It's a moon of travel.' Sandor reminded her. 'I don't know why you are so excited about it.'

'I have been traveling for years. I love it. I love meeting new people-'

'stalking them and sketching them, you mean.' Sandor corrected and Avalon looked at him appalled.

'No, I did not stalk you.' Avalon corrected. 'I was simply admiring you... from afar.' Sandor grinned down at her. 'So what?' she exclaimed 'it worked out quite well for the both us in the end, wouldn't you say?' she teased leaning in and peaking his cheek with a kiss.

'Yeah... it did.' He agreed.