Bride To Be // Sandor Clegane

66. Frozen Flower

Sandor kept a close hold of Thea as she tried to burrow into him. She hated the north, hated it. She missed the sun and heat of high gardens... high gardens. Her family. Willas could still be alive, he could still... Thea forced her family from her mind she didn't know if she was going to survive this winter, this war with the dead as it was. Once this was over she would go to high garden and find her brother and never see a fucking snowflake ever again.

When sandor woke the next morning he was the first one up. He stared at the father and daughter, his mind took him back to the stew, back to Arya shouting at him, back to Thea the look on her face staring up at him. He was supposed to protect her and he lost her, he found her again only to be leading her into the blizzard that was the north, the little flower was frozen. He turned his mind back to the father and daughter. He needed to bury them, help his conscience just a little bit.

'What the hell are you doing looking?' thoros asked as he came outside, sandor was digging in the freezing cold.

'Burying the dead,' Sandor told him as he huffed out an icy cold breath. His cloak still wrapped around Thea.

'You knew these people?' thoros asked

'Not really...' It was the girl and the father who took them in for the night she had made rabbit stew... he offered him work... who he had stolen his silver from and said they wouldn't survive the winter and they left. They didn't survive. Sandor knew they wouldn't but it hurt all the same. Thoros started to help him dig.

'We asked the father to judge us with mercy we ask the mother to... fuck if I remember the rest...' Sandor said looking down at the grave. 'I'm sorry you're dead you deserve better... the both of you' sandor said over the freshly dug graves before heading back inside.

When sandor came in he sat down next to a still sleeping Thea, he ran a cold hand against her leg. She shivered at touch, curling into a ball, waking up.

'Oh my goodness you're so cold.' she exclaimed laughing. Sandor just smiled down at her. 'I missed you.' Thea said as he leaned down pressing his lips to her. 'why are you so cold?" she questioned.

'Someone stole my cloak.' He reminded her.

'You're a big guy you can handle it.' Thea mused as he pulled her closer kissing her again.

++

So they headed off again and Thea was chattering soon enough. Sandor pulled her closer but she wasn't built for the snow, flowers died in the snow, she was going to die.

'hell, Trouble, you're making me cold just listening to you.' Thoros told her.

'n-not my fault!' Thea shouted back. Thea curled back into Sandor. The body heat, however little it was helped. Sandor nuzzled his face into her neck, she shivered his cold cheek hitting her skin.

They kept getting deeper and deeper into the north, colder and colder and Thea didn't think she was going to make it. She whole body felt numb she was sure she was going to lose a finger or two from frost bite. Definitely a few toes considering she couldn't even feel her legs, but Sandor kept riding with her, arms wrapped around her trying to keep her warm but she needed a real bed and a real fire, not a cave but she didn't see that happening. So night after night she curled up as close as she could to Sandor, not able to sleep her whole body shaking. When a wall scouting party found them.

++

The brotherhood had been waiting for the 'King' of the north to return to decide what to do with them for hours. They fell asleep shaking and smashed together but at least it was a roof over their heads for the night.

'You know the little cunt went to the wall to avoid marrying you.' Sandor recalled. Winterfell felt like forever ago.

"What?' Thea questioned.

'Yeah, the imp didn't want to marry you so he went to the wall, got himself abducted and was still an idiot.' Sandor told her.

'I can't see why,' Thoros remarked. 'I would marry you in a heart beat Trouble.'

'The feeling is not mutual.' Thea told him.

'If you were mine I would have married you the moment I stepped through the gates of the capitol.' Sandor told her.

"I am yours.' Thea assured and sandor placed little kisses on her neck, wrapping her up in his cloak, Thea curled into Sandor. He held her close until she fell asleep too.

++

'How many queens are there?'

'Two jon answered.

'And you need to convince the one with dragons or the one that fucks her brother?'

'I need to convince them all.' Jon told him.

'Your grace... we have some prisoners.'

'Prisoners?" Jon questioned

'your grace, scouts found them a mile south of the wall said they were on their way here...'

''Hey I know you,' jon said looking around the group. 'You're the hound..." he grumbled glancing over at Jon. 'I saw you once at winterfell....'

'they want to go beyond the wall to.' Tormund told jon. Sandor sat up, the rest of the brotherhood waking as well, Thea squinted up at him the light from outside, the snow blinding in the once darkened cell and the cold breeze sent a shiver through her spine.

'we don't want to go beyond the wall, we have to.' beric told them. 'Our Lord told us that the great war is coming.' Beric told him

'Don't trust him, don't trust any of them.' Gendry said stepping forward 'they are the brotherhood and the last thing their Lord told them to do was sell me to a red witch to be murdered!'

'Thoros, look who it is.' beric said in Thoros leaned forward

'Boy?' thoros grinned

'Last time i spoke to a fire worshipper i was sold to the red woman! They sold me!' gendry shouted.

'Boy? I hardly recognized you' Thoros said grinning at gendry, he shot him a glare.. 'Anything to drink down here I haven't been feeling like myself'

'You are a fucking mormont like the rest of them. Like the last Lord Commander.' Tormund was busy shouting at Jorah while gendry shouted at Beric.

'He was my father.' Jorah told him

'He hunted us like animals.' Tormund told him

'You returned the favor as I recall.' Mormont reminded him.

'your grace? King?' Thea questioned. 'Too many fucking kings and queens.' She muttered.

'OK we all are at the edge of the world at the same moment heading in the same direction for the same reason.' Beric spoke up.

'Our reasons are not yours' davvos said

'It does not matter what we think our reasons are.' beric told them 'there is a greater purpose at work and we serve it together whether we mean it or not we take the steps but the Lord of light-'

'Shut the fuck up' sandor said 'are we coming with you or not?'

'Don't you wanna know what we're doing?' jorah questioned.

'better than sitting in a freezing cell waiting to die.' sandor told them.

'He is right... we are on the same side.' Jon told them,

'how can they be?' gendry questioned incredulously.

'we are all breathing.' Jon confirmed opening the door.