Bride To Be // Sandor Clegane

9. Never tell the truth

'These knights stretch around like roosters out here, even those who have never seen battle.' Ned said riding around the town with Jory

'We shouldn't be out here you don't know who has eyes where.' Jory noted nervously, looking around.

'Let them look.' Ned said confidently dismounting from his horse, as he approached the welder.

'Lord Stark?' jory questioned unsure of why they were here.

'yes he did call on me, my Lord.' The welder told ned.

Why did lord Arryn come to see the boy?' Ned questioned.

'I don't know.' He admitted.

'I would like to see him as well.' Ned informed him.

'As you wish my Lord... Gendry,' he called 'here he is strong for his age and works hard show the hand the helmet you made.' He instructed. Gendry begrudgingly began rummaging through the metals and grabbed his helmet that he had made handing it over to Ned.

'This is fine work.' Ned told him looking it over.

'It is not for sale' Gendry informed him

'This is the Lord hand if he wants the helmet-'

'I made it for me.' Gendry informed him.

'Forgive me my Lord' the welder said looking over to gendry annoyed.

'There is nothing to forgive.' Ned assured 'when Lord Arryn came to visit you what did you talk about?'

'He just asked me questions is all, my Lord.' Gendry admitted.

'What kind of questions?' Ned pondered

'About my work first... If I was being treated well if I liked it here. Then he started asking about my mother.' Gendry went on.

'Your mother?'

'Who she was what she looked like....'

'What did you tell him?' Ned questioned

'She died when I was little. She had yellow hair. She would sing to me sometimes.' he said nervously looking around

'Look at me.' ned requested and Gendry's eyes went up to him. Ned looked his face over taking in the details his eyes his hair. 'Get back to work' he said handing back the helmet to Gendry. Gendry went back to work, as instructed.

'If there's a time with that boy would rather wheel the sword then make a helmet you send him to me.' Ned said walking off.

'you find anything?' Jory asked

'Roberts bastard son.' Ned added quietly.

++

'This place is gross.' Thea remarked as she and Willas walked through town. 'Why are we here? What do you need so badly?'

'I need a new brace, a few latches broke on our journey.' Willas told her using her as a cane as they walked.

'And you couldn't like-' she leaned in closer to him. '-tell someone to get you one?' Willas had been crippled when he was younger and his leg never healed properly, him and Garlan although the eldest were not the favorites. Margaery and Loras were, Thea was just another middle child to be pawned off.

'No I want to see the welder myself.' Willas told her. they walked up to see Ned stark talking with the welder. 'see he must be good, the Hand uses him.' Willas told her as they walked up.

'Lord Stark.' Willas said when he turned to them.

'Lord Willas, Lady Theadora.' Ned said tipping his head to them.

'Thea, please.' She said offering her sweetest smile.

'Thea,' he agreed, 'what brings your all the way out here? It is not the safest.' Ned remarked.

'Willas needs a welder and I am disgusted.' Thea told him immediately.

'Yes it is a bit unsavory down here.' Ned agreed. 'Allow me to guide you back, once you are done.' Ned offered.

'That would be lovely.' Thea admitted. 'Go talk,' Thea said glancing at the black haired man staring at her. she offered him her sweetest of smiles and Willas pinched her hip. 'Ouch.' She said slowly.

'Come on Thea.' Willas said pulling her along.

"I will wait here for you.' Ned said turning back to Jory.

'Be quick Willas I don't like this place. Half these people look like they could eat me.' Thea informed him.

'and the other half?" Willas teased.

'Look like they would eat me.' she told him.

'Fair enough...' will turned to the smith. 'Hello, I am hoping for a replacement brace.'

'Gendry!' Togo shouted. 'you take this one.'

'I like this style,' Willas was telling gendry, 'it seems to work well,' he moved his leg back and forth.

'I could make something better,' Gendry offered. 'I have been working on some moving parts. If you don't mind me asking how much movement do you have in your leg?' Gendry questioned cautiously.

'Very little.' Willas admitted he kept pinching Thea to stop flirting but she was desperate to find someone that was not Tyrion Lannister. She didn't care how low she was going to have to stoop. Gendry the smith was tall and handsome and her smile was working on him, her flinching at willas pinching her was less sexy.

'I can back and –'

'Maybe Gendry would like to deliver it to the palace?" Thea offered. 'get out of this... lovely place.' Thea forced a smile as the smell of the lower city filled her nose as someone dumped a bucket of dung behind them. 'I'm not coming back.' Thea said quietly.

"I could bring it.' Gendry agreed.

'Wonderful.' Willas agreed. 'Payment now or-'

'Upon delivery is fine.' Gendry told him.

'Wonderful, see you soon then.' Willas said pulling thea along.

'Good bye Gendry.' She coed.

'Theadora,' Willas hissed.

"I'm not fucking marrying Tyrion Lannister!' she hissed right back.

'Ready?" Ned questioned helping Thea onto his horse as Willas was helped onto Jory's.

'Cozy,' Thea said glancing back at her brother as she wrapped her arms around Ned. Ned smirked back at her shaking his head.

'Tyrion Lannister is... an interesting man.' Ned told her as they rode.

'I'm sure he is.' Thea muttered.

'He might surprise you,' Willas added. Sandor was in the stables when they returned. He stared up at Thea her arms around Ned.

'Sandor, if you would help me, please?" Thea said and he reached up for her, his hands on her hips as he guided her to the ground. 'thank you,' she said softly. 'Willas might need some help too. He is not much of a rider.' Thea remarked glancing back at her brother.

"This was why we walked.' Willas reminded her.

'That place was disgusting, never again.' Thea told him. Thea moved to help her brother down. 'Thank you Lord Stark for your assistance.' Thea called after him.

'Of course my lady.' Ned told her glancing back at her, thea was certainly pretty and a huge flirt. She was going to be disappointed when Lord Tyrion got here, Ned thought as he stabled his horse.

'Thea rides through breeds.' Willas told sandor. 'she doesn't need help, she just likes the attention.' Willas warned him. Sandor nodded a tight lipped stare as he heading off.

'My lady,' Sandor whispered as he passed.

'What did you say to him?" Thea spat at her brother.

'The truth.' Willas told her.

"You never tell a man the truth!' she exclaimed 'the truth scares them away!'