"Where are you taking us?" Arya asked after a while. Her question didn't come all to unexpected because we had been riding for quite a while now. Even I had wanted to ask the same question for a while now. Thoros chuckled in front of me. "And why do we need these hoods?" Arya added when Thoros didn't provide her with an answer.
"I do apologies little lady, but it's better for any of you if you don't see where we're going." Thoros continued to chuckle before he shifted in the saddle. I felt him move and released my hold on him. "Why? You think we'll tell on you? Sell you out to the Lannister's, maybe even the Mountain?" I groaned before shifting closer to the man in front of me. Thoros full on laughed this time. It was a barking laugher but now where near as strong as Sandor's.
"No, it's just a precaution. There are many who find that information valuable. So, it's for your own safety as much as it is for ours." Thoros laugh had faded into a small chuckle. I groaned as a reply before resting my head on his back. I was extremely uncomfortable sitting on the back of the horse.
It wasn't until someone yelled for the party to stop, that Thoros halted the horse. I felt it struggle against him before coming to a complete stop. I had lost track of where I believed we were hours ago. Thoros shifted in the saddle before he dismounted the horse. I had shifted backwards when he did, giving him more room.
When I felt hands on my waist, I jumped and tried to shift away but it was too late. I was soon pulled down from the horse. The surprise made me grab for whatever my hands could reach as my feet were planted securely on the ground. "Let's go home." Thoros chuckled in front of me as soon as my hood had been removed.
The sudden change in light made me squint my eyes, letting them slowly adjust to the light. "Where is this place?" The boy next to Arya asked. Arya had told me his name was Gendry. He had been helped down as well. The fat one had decided to stay at the inn, which meant it was only us three that had gone with the brotherhood. I looked around, trying to find something that would tell me where we were, but nothing was familiar to me.
We had apparently been ridding for most of the day, and now the night had slowly begun swallowing the land. Thoros placed a hand on my arm and guided me inside a large cave. Even though it wasn't completely dark outside, it was still dark and sinister inside the cave. A few fires were lit all around, the orange flames was dancingly reflected on the cave walls.
I looked around before I went to stand beside Arya and the boy named Gendry. He looked at me for a moment as if he hadn't seen a girl before but when the men brought Sandor inside, he looked away. Thoros moved to take off Sandor's hood. Sandor's eyes squinted together from the light change but when he noticed the fire not far from him on his right, he backed away from it. I was certain I had seen a hint of fear in his eyes. The satisfaction in Thoros eyes made Sandor scowl even more.
"Where is this?" I asked again after I had studied the room. It wasn't enormous but big enough to house quite a few people. There were a few large pieces of rocks lying around, it was clearly pieces that had fallen from the ceiling. It made me raise my gaze upwards, making sure there were nothing dangerous above my head.
When Sandor began insulting the people around him again, Thoros turned to me instead. Thoros smiled before he answered my question. "This is somewhere neither wolves nor lions come prowling." Thoros tried to sound mysterious but failed miserably.
Sandor continued his rant and tried to insult everyone who would listen to him. He even called the brotherhood a bunch of swineherds, traitors, and deserters. "Shut up, Sandor." I dared snap at him but only gained a death stare from him.
Then a new man stepped forth. "You're not right. Fighting in a war makes you a soldier." The words were a reply to everything Sandor had said. He had been adamant that none of them were proper warriors. I didn't think carrying a sword made you a soldier either.
"Beric Dondarrion." Sandor chuckled when the man stepped into the light. This man was older than Sandor, his outwards appearance was rugged and rough, he looked like one who had been though a lot. "You've seen better days." Sandor insulted, carrying a little to satisfied expression. Yet, it was as if Sandor spoke differently to this man, there were another kind of respect in his voice.
"And I won't see them again. Curtsy of your brother." Beric chuckled but Sandor's demeanor changed when he mentioned his brother.
"Stark deserters, Baratheon deserters. You lot aren't fighting in a war. You're running from it." Sandor insulted after he had recollected himself.
"Last I heard you were King Joffrey's guard dog. But here you are a thousand miles from home. Which of us is running?" Beric countered and it made Sandor go quiet.
I frowned and took a step forth, but Sandor turned his head towards me the instant I moved. "Shut up." He growled at me before I could even open my mouth. Sandor made sure I remained quiet before he turned his head back to Beric.
"What are you doing leading a mob of peasants?" Sandor asked, sounding genuinely interested. Beric raised an eyebrow at his question and wrapped his arms around his chest. "Ned Stark ordered me to execute your brother in King Roberts name." Beric answered, heaving a sigh as if the memory pained him. It made Sandor grimace at the mentioning of his brother, and it made me remember. I had been in court when it happened, but this couldn't possibly be the same man. I hadn't recognized him at all.
"Ned Stark is dead. King Robert is dead. My brother is alive." Sandor spat. "You're fighting for ghosts." Sandor added after his attention had been diverted to me. His eyes betrayed him once again, there were the same sadness in them as there usually was. I saw a glimpse of it when his brown eyes locked on me.
"But that's what we are. Ghosts." Beric chuckled, taking another step forward, closing the distance between Sandor and him. "We're waiting for you in the dark. You can't see us, but we see you. No matter whose cloak you wear, Lannister, Stark, Baratheon, you prey on the weak, the Brotherhood without banners will hunt you down." Beric explained. This gave me a new insight of the brotherhood. They truly believed in what they were doing.
"You found God, is that it?" Sandor mocked suddenly. He was certainly not believing the words coming from Dondarrion. I smiled again and lent back against a large rock behind me. I tried to engage my attention in the conversation, but it was hard because there were a lot of people who had joined us. They were all looking at Sandor in the middle of the space. I was sure I saw glimpses of hate on their faces.
"Aye. I've been reborn in the light of the one true God, as have we all, as would every man who's seen the things we've seen." Dondarrion replied to Sandor's insult. The way he shrugged it off almost rendered the insult invalid. It annoyed Sandor greatly. I could see it on his expression as he also rolled his eyes.
A silence then emerged but Sandor was quick enough to break it. "If you mean to murder me then bloody well get on with it." Sandor growled loudly. The sudden change in him made me redirect my attention to him. The bowman named Anguy stepped forth. "You'll die soon enough, dog, but it won't be murder. Only justice." The coldness in his voice made me shiver as a chill went down my spine. "A kinder fate than you deserve."
Sandor grew hostile and turned to the bowman. Anguy took another step forwards before he shifted his bow to the other hand. "Lions you call yourselves. At the Mummer's Ford, girls as young as seven years were raped, and babes were cut in two while their mothers watched." Anguy's voice grew colder by the accusation, and everyone grew quiet.
"I wasn't at the Mummer's ford." Sandor protested and tried to defend himself. "Dump your dead children at some other door." Sandor was getting agitated, his anger shining through which I couldn't blame him for. There were quite a few accusations flying around. "House Clegane was built upon dead children. I saw them lay prince Aegon and Princess Rhaenys before the iron throne." Thoros stepped forth and Sandor spun around to face him again, though still extremely vary of the fire not far on his right.
"Do you take me for my damn brother." Sandor growled at Thoros. "Is being born Clegane a crime?" Sandor snapped at no one in particular while he eyed everyone around him. I wouldn't blame the actions of his family on him, a family name was both a curse and a blessing. His was an old one, just like Stark, but House Clegane has always been cursed with dangerous people. Their actions still haunt the Clegane family to this day. And now Sandor had to answer for them, alongside his own crimes.
"Murder is a crime!" Someone else dared yell. Sandor spun around trying to find whoever dared speak up, but he never did. "I never touched the Targaryen babes. I never saw them. Never smelled them. Never heard them bawling." Sandor growled at no one before he turned to Beric again. "You want to cut my throat. Get on with it! But don't call me murderer and pretend that you're not."
In the same second I noticed Arya dash forwards from the corner of my eyes. She was quick enough to avoid the hand I stretched out after her. "You murdered Micah, the butcher's boy." Arya yanked her arm out of my reach. "He was my friend. He was 12 years old, he was unarmed, and you rode him down, you swung him over your horse like he was some deer." Arya spat at Sandor who only raised an eyebrow at her.
It agitated Arya instead. Sandor released a satisfied chuckle when remembering. "Aye he was a bleeder." Sandor mocked and it only made Arya angrier. When she tried to step forth, I caught her by the arm and forced her back. "What will you do? Hit him?" I groaned at her when she sent me one of her death stares. If looks could have killed, I would most likely have been dead then.
"You don't deny killing this boy?" Beric asked, breaking the moment between Sandor and Arya. Sandor straitened up before he replied. "I was Joffrey's sworn shield. The boy attached the prince." Sandor shrugged nonchalantly.
"That's a lie!" Arya screamed. "I hit Joffrey. Micha just ran away." Arya continued to scream at Sandor who didn't even look at her. It wasn't until she called him a monster, that he looked at her again. Arya was a ticking bomb and it surprised me she didn't say more to him.
"Then I should've killed you. Not my place to question princes." Sandor scowled at her. That was it for Arya and she dashed forwards with a loud scream. I caught her before she could even get within two feet of Sandor. I restrained her the best I could until she stopped struggling and Beric stepped into the light again.
"You stand accused of murder. But no one here knows the truth of the charge. So, it is not for us to judge you. Only the Lord of Light may do that now." Thoros spoke softly. His words were stern and serious. "I sentence you to trial by combat." Thoros informed to Sandor's great satisfaction. He was a brutal warrior just like his brother, and he might not be good with the tactical part of sword fighting, the mere strength of his swings would be enough to fear him.
"So, who'll it be?" Sandor grinned when the silence emerged again. Everyone had quieted down and gone silent. "Should we find out if your fire god really loves you, priest? Or you archer?" Sandor turned to them one at a time. "What are you worth 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." Dondarrion stepped forth. His words had been said with a certain amount of calmness that surprised me. He was not afraid of Sandor at all.
Sandor considered this new revelation carefully, but he was up for the challenge, he would not back down, that much I had already found out about him. He was not a coward in anyway when it came to fighting. The only thing that he truly feared was fire. I had seen the glimpses of fear in his eyes whenever he came to close to one.