The Knight's Daughter

Chapter 13

We've been following the brotherhood without banners for a while now. The sun is at the horizon and the beauty of the sky almost covers my frantic thoughts. Arya has been staring down the carriage that hold my father. Fury and vengeance radiate off of her. I remember saying my fathers name on her kill list when we were in Harrenhal, but for reasons that are unknown to me.

The trees split to reveal a cave entrance. Gendry stands close to me as we walking to the dark cave. The damp walls glisten from the light of the fire that I eagerly want to get close to. All of the men form a large circle around the fire and my father.

"What is this place?" Gendry asks while looking around and Thoros replies.

"Somewhere neither wolves nor lions come prowling." He walks closer to my father and removes his hood. He stumbles back and bit while taking everything in, but after a few moments he begins to laugh.

"You look like a bunch of swine herders." He says with a chuckle. 

"Some of us were swine herders," Anguy retorts with all seriousness. "And some of us were tanners and masons, but that was before." 

"You're still  swine herders and tanners and masons. You think carrying a crooked spear makes you a solider?" He asks sarcastically. 

"No." A mysterious voice says from behind men. The men part as a man with an eye-patch moves forward. "Fighting in wars makes you a solider."

"Beric Dondarrion," My Father says with surprise. I've never seen this man before, but to me he looks threatening. "You've seen better days."

"And I won't see them again." Beric states plainly.

"Stark deserters, Baratheon deserters." My father points out. "You're not fighting in a war, you're running from it."

"Last I've heard you were King Joffrey's guard dog, but here you are a thousand miles from home. Which of us is running?" A question I myself was wondering.

"Untie these ropes and we'll find out," Everyone remains silent. "What are you doing leading a mob of peasants?"

"Ned Stark ordered me to execute your brother, in King Roberts name." Beric responds. He speak graciously and like a leader.

"Ned Stark is dead. King Robert is dead. My brother's alive," He spits on the floor next to Beric. "You're fighting for ghosts."

"That's what we are, ghosts. Waiting for you in the dark. You can't see us but we see you no matter who's cloak you wear, Lannister, Stark, Baratheon. You prey on the weak, the brotherhood without banners will hunt you down." Beric says calmly.

"You found God, is that it?" 

"Aye. I've been reborn in the light of the one true god. As have we all as of any man who've seen the things we've seen." He says mysteriously. 

"If you mean to murder me than bloody well get on with it." My father says boldly. Only then do I realize what they have planned for them. I will not watch as my father dies.

"You'll die soon enough, dog, but it wont be murder only justice." Thoros interjects, having an obvious distaste for him.

"The kind of fate that you deserve." Anguy continues, "Lions you call yourselves. At the mummers ford, girls of seven years raped, babes still on the breast were cut in two while their mothers watched-".

"I wasn't at the mummers ford," He shouted. These accusations also make my blood boil. My emotions must be visible because Gendry takes my hand into his. "Dump your dead children at some other door."

"House Clegane was built upon dead children." Thoros snapped, "I saw them lay Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaenys before the Iron Throne." The two children that my Uncle murdered. 

"You take me for my brother? Is being born a Clegane a crime?" He yells, his voice carrying throughout the cave. He looks around and makes eye contact with me.

"Murder is a crime?" Anguy exclaims.

"I never touched the Targaryen babes. I never saw them, never smelled them, never heard them bawling. If you want to cut my throat, get on with it! But don't call me murderer and pretend that you're not." He spat angrily and everyone fell into silence.

"You murdered Micah." Arya yells drawing everybody's attention. I can feel breath escape my body and all hope lost.  "The butchers boy, my friend. He was twelve years old, he was unarmed and you rode him down. You slung him over your horse like he was some deer."

"Aye, he was a bleeder." He says casually.

"You don't deny killing this boy?" Beric questions and my father responds. 

"I was Joffrey's sworn shield. The boy attacked the Prince-"

"That's a lie!" Arya exlaims. "I hit Joffrey, Micah just ran away." It takes all my will from covering Arya's mouth. 

"Then I should've killed you. It's not my place to question Prince's." I understand what he says. He cannot question the Prince's authority, he is not to blame, Joffrey is.

"You stand accused of murder but no one here knows the truth of the charge, but it is not for us to judge you. Only the Lord of Light may do that now. I sentence you to trial by combat."

"So who will it be? Will you find out if your fire god really loves you, priest?" He says to Thoros. "Or you archer? Or are you worse with a sword in your hand? Or is the little girl the bravest one here?"

"Aye, she might be. But it's me you'll fight."

I subconsciously place my hand around the dagger Gendry forged for me. I'm going to watch as my father fights for his life, if could fight my Uncle, surely he could defeat Beric?

"What do we have here?" A random man from the brotherhood taunts me as he goes to grab the dagger that's attached to my belt. 

"It's not yours." My hand grabs his wrist in effort to draw it away from the dagger, but his other hand instantly punches me across the face. I groan as my body hits the solid cave floor. The man casually takes the dagger from the sheath and looks at the handle. 

"Thoros," The man gives a slight smile as he picks up the dropped dagger. "Take a look at this." Thoros walks up to the man as I stand up. He looks at the dagger and a sudden feeling of hopelessness fills my body causing me to feel lightheaded. 

"What is a girl like you doing with a Clegane dagger?" He looks at the carved image of the three dogs on the handle. I quickly fumble for an excuse.

"I stole it." 

"You stole from who? The Hound or the Mountain?" He chuckles and everyone else laughs in response. I look at my father who is also looking at me. Thoros spins the dagger in his hand and places the blade underneath my chin to tilt my head upwards. 

"Who are you?" I search my thought for another lie but before I could say anything else I hear a response.

"She's my daughter."