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Soon the sound of running water mingles with the laughter of children. It surprises Arya that people still bring children into the world. It seems like such a terrible risk.
She finds the source of the laughter easily, two boys playing by the side of a small stream. She is no expert on determining the ages of children but she would guess them to be six and four. The oldest has just released a small boat made from two leaves - the kind of thing she’d seen her father make for her younger brothers – into the stream while the younger one reaches into the water ready to catch it as it sails past.
The resemblance between the boys – their dark hair, pale skin, and grey eyes – is enough to tell her they are brothers. When he notices her the older one stops the game and hisses to his brother: “look it’s a lady.”
“Can I drink from your stream?” Arya asks, more to start a conversation than anything.
“It’s not ours. We just like to play here.”
“Where are your parents?”
“Our mother’s at home with our sister. Our father’s over there checking his snares.” The older boy points to a dense patch of trees. The younger boy is yet to speak yet. He has stepped closer to his brother and is looking at Arya with big grey eyes.
There is the sound of someone stirring in the trees the older boy pointed to and a voice calls: “Ned? Robb? Who are you talking to?”
The voice sounds oddly familiar to Arya but she can’t quite place it, or perhaps it’s the use of those two names together that pricks at her memory.
Yet, she recognizes the man the instant he steps out of the trees. He’s as tall and broad as ever and his scarred face is impossible to forget. The Hound is standing there holding two dead rabbits in his left hand. He wears no sword but there is a knife at his belt.
She knows he recognizes her too, despite all the years that have passed, despite the fact she is now a woman grown wearing a sword at her belt.
“It’s a lady,” the older boy finally says in answer to The Hound’s question.
“I see that. Ned, take your brother and go back to the house.” The Hound’s voice, harsher now, is more recognizable to her but it seems to surprise the boys as though they don’t expect harshness from him.
“But father, you said-” The younger boy speaks for the first time, his voice high-pitched.
“I know what I said Robb, but we need to go back to the house now. It’s late. Go with your brother. Take the rabbits too Ned, the lady and I will be right behind you.” He hands the rabbits to Ned and ruffles the boy’s hair with his free hand.
Once the boys have moved away The Hound lowers his voice and speaks to Arya for the first time. “Whatever you’re going to do, I probably deserve it but don’t do it in front of my sons. I know you and your sister had to watch your father die in front of you – don’t do that to my boys – they’re even younger than you were then; and at least let me say goodbye to my wife and my daughter.”
“You got married? You have children? And you named your sons after my dead father and brother?”
“I didn’t choose their names. Their mother did that, but yes she named them for your father and brother. Our daughter she named for you.”
“Who would -?” She stared at him. She remembered the time she’d spent travelling through the Riverlands with him. How he had spent all that time talking about her sister. How his last words when she left him for dead had been about Sansa.
Arya starts walking faster and for the first time she notices the unsteadiness of his gait – he has a limp. She could catch up with the boys and get to the house before him. That’s when she starts to run. It doesn’t take her long to catch up to the boys.
---
The house is located in a clearing near the top of a small hill, and would be better described as a cottage. Arya stops short as soon as she catches sight of the woman with long red hair. She is in the small garden bringing in washing from a make-shift clothesline. Her sister! Her sister who’d dreamed of being a fine lady, marrying a high lord and living in a castle!
“Mama! Mama!” The boys call out and Sansa turns in their direction with a smile, a smile that dies on her lips when she sees Arya.
“We found a lady,” Ned announces.
“Ned, where’s your father?”
“Behind us. He was walking with the lady, but then she came to walk with us instead.”
“Boys go in the house and play with your sister. I need to talk to the lady.”
Ned leads the way into the house, still carrying the dead rabbits, Robb trailing behind him.
“Arya, is it really you?”
“It’s me.” Arya is surprised by how flat her voice sounds. She supposes she is in shock. They all thought Sansa dead. Nothing has been seen or heard of her since Joffrey’s murder.
“Are you well? Where’s Sandor?”
“The Hound? He’s somewhere behind me.” Arya can't bring herself to answer her sister's first question, she isn’t sure whether she is well or not.
“Arya Stark, if you’ve left the father of my children to die in those woods I will never forgive you, never.”
“The Hound is fine.”
“Stop calling him that.” Sansa is all ready on her way down the hill towards the trees when The Hound steps out of them. Instead of slowing down or coming back Arya sees Sansa speed up and run into his arms.
She watches them, trying to make sense of this. The Hound seems to be trying to calm Sansa, holding her close and stroking her hair. Eventually they walk back up the hill together, Sansa clinging to his arm.
“So,” Arya says when she thinks they are close enough to hear her “I’m your sister, you haven’t seen me since we were children and your first thought is for him?”
“Given that the last time you saw him you left him alone to die I think my concern was justified.”
“I think you two should stay out here and talk. I’ll go in and see to the children.” The Hound kisses Sansa on the cheek as though it's the most natural thing in the world and moves away towards the house. His limp obvious.
“That’s the wound you left him with, you know? He healed lame.”
“Sansa. What happened? You married The Hound? The Hound? He was standing there when King Joffrey killed our father.”
“I know that Arya. I was standing there with him – where were you?”
Arya doesn't feel able to respond to that question either. So she asks her sister a question instead. “You taught him to make boats for your boys the way father used to for Bran and Rickon?”
“Yes, Sandor’s father was not-”
“Sansa, help me to understand. Tell me how this happened.”
“After father died; Sandor tried to keep me safe; protect me from Joffrey. When he left Kings Landing he asked me to go away with him but I wouldn’t. If you only knew how many times I wished I had. The worst things happened to me after he was gone; and then when he found me again I found out he had been in the Riverlands with you. If I had gone with him then you and I might have been together. We might even have seen our mother and Robb before-”
“If we had seen them, we would probably have died with them at The Twins or been forced to marry some wretched Frey. Did The Hound tell you that he and I were at The Twins when it happened? That we saw what they did to Robb after? He probably saved my life that night.”
“He’s saved my life more than once. I love him Arya. I love our children. I love our life. Sandor offered to take me to Winterfell, so I could claim my rightful place but I would not give him up. Sansa Stark is wed to the Imp, but here in these woods I am Alayne Clegane, who has never known another man. I am happy to see you Arya, truly I am. I have never forgotten you, or our parents, or our brothers. Every night I have prayed to the old gods for you all, but I have a new life now. A good life."