Bride To Be // Sandor Clegane

43. Hogs

'He's such a splendid fighter.' Sansa said as they watched Loras duel with another knight Margaery smiled over at her 'do you have any idea when we might...'

'I'll plant the seed as soon as Joffrey and I are married it should go quickly.'

'Joffrey won't let me leave he's got too many reasons to keep me here.' Sansa muttered.

'And only one to let you go,' Margaery told her 'because it will please me.' but little finger, Varys and Cersei herself had his spies and to speak so openly was stupid of them.

+++

'I would much rather have Loras married off to Sansa.' Olenna informed Tywin. 'Cersei is old, loras is young. I don't want him tied down to her. to the Lannister name.' olenna hissed out.

'No.' Tywin said simply and utterly annoyed.

'You may have the stomach for blood shed but this is a completely other matter,' olenna assured him.

'My stomach remains quite strong the only thing that might turn it could be the details of your grandsons nocturnal activities,' tywin countered. 'do you deny them?'

'Not at all.' Olenna admitted. 'a sword swallower through and through.' olenna told him, sipping her wine.

'His affliction, when a boy with his affliction should be grateful for the opportunity to marry one of the most beautiful woman in the kingdoms and remove the stain from his name.' tywin told her calmly.

'Did you grow up with boy cousins, lords sons, sons of your fathers Bannerman, Squires, stable boys?'

'Of course' tywin answered

'And you... Never...'

'No' he assured

'Not once?' She said disbelieving 'not in anyway?'

'Never.'

'I congratulate you upon your restraint but it's a natural thing to boys having a go each other underneath the sheets.' Olenna said nonchalantly.

'Perhaps high garden has a high tolerance for unnatural behavior.' Tywin suggested.

'I wouldn't say that, we didn't tie ourselves in knots over discreet bit of a Buggery but brothers and sisters... Where I come from that stain would be very difficult to wash out.' Olenna countered.

'I will not breathe more life into a malicious lie by discussing it.' Tywin spat.

'Lie or not I must admit many people find it quite convincing. Convincing enough to put sword in your hand and send them off to kill Lannister's and Tyrells thanks to a new affiliation.'

'I don't care what people believe.' he said offering her more wine but she covered her hand over her glass 'and neither do you.'

'As an authority on myself I must agree.'

'No if the rumors about my children were true then Joffrey is no King at all and house Tyrell is throwing its prized flower into the dirt.' Tywin reminded her.

'And if cersei Is too old to give Loras children... We are throwing another prize flower into the dirt it is a chance we simply cannot take-'

'Don't make this difficult.' Tywin sneered.

'Im not throwing away both my grandchildren on corrupted lannisters.' Olenna informed him.

'The uncertainty makes you uncomfortable.' He said it was a statement not a question. 'All right I'll remove it for you. If you refuse to marry loras to cersei, I will name him to the Kings Guard. I'm sure you're familiar with the kings guards vows. He will never marry, he will never have children, the Tyrell name will fade-'

'I have two elder grandsons.' She reminded him.

'Garlan, yes he has married a barren woman and Willas is a cripple, who is to say if anyone wanted him he could produce after his accident.' Tywin reminded her and Olenna hissed in outrage. 'and high garden will go to the children of Joffrey and Margaery.' Tywin informed her.

'You would have your grandson protected by someone who disgust you?'

'I will have my grandson protected by skilled warrior.'tywin correct. 'Who takes his vows seriously.' He smirked over at Olenna. 'so shall I draw the order? Or do you consent to this marriage?'

'It's a rare enough thing for a man who lives up to its reputation.' she said breaking his quill pen.

++

'no ones going to believe you are a hog farmer if you eat them all.' Arya spat as sandor munched on hog feet.

'best part of the animal.' He offered Thea a bite but she declined, 'don't worry they are still there' sandor told them. Her stomach was in knots she walked back and forth stretching out her legs and arms, her spine crunching as she moved. Tyrell's were flowers for a reason they were fragile and she liked the finer things of life. But she wouldn't dare complain. Not after sandor previous comment about money, she was tough, she was brave and she was skilled. She just liked real beds and warm baths... so what if she was spoiled? She liked nice things she didn't give a damn she wasn't helpless though she was just tired and wanted to get out of westeros. Start over.

'I know they are still there.' arya snapped.

'you check every five minutes. Like you are afraid they are gonna move.' Sandor grumbled.

'I'm not afraid.' Arya told him confidently.

'of course you are. they are there and you are afraid we wont make it. The closer we get. The closer the fear gets. No use hiding behind that face. I know fear when I see it.' Sandor told her 'seen it a lot.'

'I knew fear when I saw it in you. You're afraid of fire...' arya sneered, arya didn't know when to shut up. 'when berics sword went up in flames you looked like a scared little girl.' They stared at each other for a moment, Sandors eyes fixed on arya, his jaw tense his eyes filled with hate. 'and I know why too.' Arya said slowly moving closer.

'arya..' Thea warned. 'shut the fuck up. Everyone has fears, you are not invincible.' Thea reminded her but she ignored Thea.

'I heard what your brother did to you. Pressed your face to the fire like you are a nice juicy mutton chop...'

'that give you some ideas?' sandor scoffed

'might do.' She said with a smirk.

'ARYA!" Thea shouted.

'Go ahead then. You might get away. you might even make it there on your own.' Sandor told her as he picked up another hogs foot. 'just over the river, closest you've been to family since Llyn payne snapped your daddys neck...'

'some day I'm gonna put a sword through your eye and out the back of your skull' she told him and marched away to look at the twins once again.

'She's much worse than I remember,' Thea told sandor as Arya grumbled.

'Little shit she is.' Sandor agreed.

'We are almost done with this trip right?" Thea groaned.

'As soon as we get rid of her, your family will pay good money for her and that will buy us passage away from this place for good love.' Sandor assured her.