Bride To Be // Sandor Clegane

39. Red woman

'Keep your back high.' Finn told arya adjusting her aim on the bow. 'you are holding never hold.'

'What?' arya questioned

'Your muscles tense up when you hold.' Arthur told her 'hold it back to the center of your chin and release never hold.' Arthur mimicked pulling back a bow.

'But I have to aim.' she told them

'Never aim.' arthur told her with a laugh.

'You never aim?'

'Your eye knows where it wants the arrow to go.' Finn told her very quickly he picked up his bow loaded the arrow pulling it back, he wasn't really paying attention he aimed for the spot right above Thoros head he pulled back and released it just barely touched his head

'Dammit Finn!' he shouted pulling the arrow 'what if I had moved?'

'I knew you weren't gonna move you lazy turd.' Finn remarked. 'Never aim.' Finn told arya 'just your eye.'

So again Arya loaded pulling back at the practice dummy

'There's someone there.' she noticed putting her bow down the brotherhood got ready for a fight as riders on horses came up to them.

'That's far enough.' Finn said pointing his arrow threateningly at them. Thoros stepped forward.

'We come as friends.' the red woman said pulling her hood back to reveal her face

'I beg your pardon my lady but we will be the judge of that.' Thoros told her getting closer

'Valar Morghulis.' The woman said.

'valar dohaeris ,' Thoros answered 'I don't see many priestesses of rhollor in the riverlands.' Thoros noted in a language arya did not understand, it was high valyrian.

'You are Thoros of myr.' the red woman noted 'the high priest gave you a mission turn king Robert away from his idols and towards the Lord of light.' again in a language that Arya did not understand, she looked between them confused. 'what happened?'

'I failed.' Thoros said simply.

'You quit you mean.' she clarified 'you heathen continue to slaughter each other and you continue to get drunk.'

'You worship him your way I'll worship him mine.' Thoros told her 'do you speak the common tongue? My friends don't speak high valyrian. Why are you here my lady?'

'I'm here to see your leader Beric Dondarrion.'

So they took her to Beric leading her back to the cave.

++

'Forgive my manners I don't see many ladies these days.' beric said standing up his eye patch discarded. he waved a hand where his right eye should be.

'Lucky for the ladies.' Thoros said. The red woman stepped forward towards them, as the red woman ran a hand over Beric's face and chest touching all of his scars and injuries,

'How many times has the Lord brought him back?' she questioned

'Six times,' Thoros answered.

'That is not possible.' The red woman muttered.

'The Lord has smiled upon me.' Beric informed her.

'You should not have this power.' she said looking back to Thoros

'I have no power' he answered speaking back-and-forth in high valyrian 'I asked the Lord for his favor and he responds at his will. I've always been a terrible priest drink too much rum,' he said speaking in the common tongue again 'fucked all the whores in Kings Landing did terrible things by the time I came to Westeros I did not believe in the Lord but I decided that he were just stories that we told children to make them behave but every damn day I said the prayers it was just for show, a spectacle for the locals until the mountain drove a lance through this one's heart.' The red woman looked back at Beric

'I knelt beside his cold body and I said the old words no one has ever believed in them but he was my friend and he was dead.' Thoros said miserably 'so I said the words and for the first time in my life I believed his eyes opened and I knew the truth,' Thoros grinned over at Beric. 'our God is the one true God. And all men must serve him.' Thoros told her confidently

'You have been to the other side?' The red woman asked

'The other side? there is no other side.' beric told her 'I have been to the darkness my lady he sent you to us for a reason.'

'You have someone he needs.' The red woman told him.

'Thoros, find our new guests.' Beric instructed and he left without a word.

+++

'It's got a good point can penetrate 200 yards.' Gendry was looking over the arrow head 'can you make it?' Finn asked.

'Nothing tricky about it just need some good steel.' Gendry told him

'I will get you the steel then, Thoros!' Arthur called seeing him immerge from the cave. 'he can do it, he can make it.'

'I don't like that woman.' arya told them as the red woman approached

'That's because you are a girl.' Finn said

'What does that have to do with anything?' Arya questioned as Finn and Gendry stood smiling over at her.

'forgive me lad.' Thoros said as they grabbed Gendry.

'what are you doing?' Arya tried to fight them off, 'let go of him! tell him to stop! he wants to be one of you he wants to be one of the brotherhood stop them!' Arya demanded but Thoros stood behind the red woman.

'we serve the Lord of light in the Lord of light needs this boy.' Beric told her.

'Did the Lord of light tell you that or did she?' Arya spat 'You're not doing this for your God you're doing it for gold.' arya said as they were handed two pouches of gold

'We cannot defend people without weapons or horses or food and we cannot get weapons or horses or food without gold.' Beric told her simply.

'You told me this was a brotherhood.' Gendry called 'he told me I could be one of you!' as they were putting him into a cage to be sent to another place

'You are more than they could ever be.' the red woman told Gendry 'they are just foot soldiers you will make kings rise and fall.' she informed him before mounting her own horse. Gendry screamed out as they closed the cage.