From the Ashes (ASOIAF) (Sandor Clegane x OC)

Chapter 15: Sandor

Sandor pulled his hood down tighter around his face. He felt so much more conspicuous here in the West. This was where he was born, where he'd grown up. He wagered people would know his face here even without the scars, and on this particular day, it was more important than ever that he remain as inconspicuous as possible. He heard the creak of the wheels as the cart rolled into his line of sight.

"Excuse me good sir? Are you looking for a ride?" Tess looked down at him from the seat on the front of the cart. The back was packed with twenty large casks of oil.

"Did they give you any trouble?" He asked as he pulled himself up into the seat beside her and took the reigns, urging the big horses forward.

"Of course not." She said, "Merchants are easy. As long as you have the coin up front, they don't ask questions."

She looked sideways at him from under the hooded velvet cloak she was wearing. It was a deep blue that made her eyes seem even brighter.

"By the way," she said, smiling her coy smile that drove him crazy, "this look." She gestured to his wool overcoat and hooded cloak, "is definitely working for you. I'm a fan."

As they passed the boundaries of the small village they'd been staying in and made their way out into the hilly countryside she slipped her hand into his, intertwining their fingers. They didn't have to be as careful when they were out here alone, and after a moment she rested her head on his shoulder. He leaned over to press his face to the top of her head and inhaled the sweet smell of her hair. Tess was more than he ever could have dreamed of wanting. There were moments, when he would catch her eye and she would give him that knowing smile, that he could hardly believe that she was his. She was his. Sandor had never truly had anything in his life that he valued, nothing precious. He looked down at the woman resting her head on his shoulder, he felt he could live a thousand years and never earn the happiness she'd given him in just these few weeks.

"How are you feeling about today?" She asked him.

"I have no fucking clue." He answered, which was the truth. The night she'd proposed this insane plan he hadn't taken it seriously. There were many more pressing matters at hand, but once Tess had gotten better, the idea had stuck in his head like a splinter. He decided that if an opportunity presented itself naturally, he would take it. Who the hell could have known within the next moon turn Tyrion would be presenting them just that opportunity? They'd been on the road for four days so far, and they were on schedule to make it to Lannisport by evening, then Casterly Rock the next day. Sandor wasn't sure what excuse Tess had given for their little excursion, but Tyrion and Bronn must have believed her because they were set to meet up with them at the inn in Lannisport by sun down.

Sandor had to let go of Tess's hand to steer the horses around a sharper turn. She didn't seem to mind though, she simply moved her hand down to his knee and began tracing small circles across it. Sandor shifted slightly in his seat. Gods she made him crazy. Sandor wasn't at all used to the way Tess made him feel. The idea that he could adore her completely and want nothing more than to see her smile everyday of his life, but she also made him feel like a young man barely of age again every time she got close, his blood pounding, trying to think about anything besides how badly he wanted to tear her clothes right off her body. What made it worse was that she made no effort to hide that she was feeling the same way. He honestly had no idea how the people around them were still ignorant, he felt like since the night he'd told her how he felt, it was nearly impossible for him to be in her presence without touching her in some way. True to her word she was still taking things slowly and he respected that. He understood her point, he knew something as simple as her rubbing his knee would not have given him the same kind of thrill if they'd jumped immediately into bed together, but it was going on two weeks, and he was still a man.