She put her arm around him as he carried her out of the stream.

Half of her wanted to make a clever retort about him being her knight in shining armor, and the other half was genuinely touched that he was so quick to help her. The anger on his face told her he was in no mood for such banter. Before she could decide on what to say, Arya stated, "She can ride on my horse."

Clegane growled. "She is going to have to ride on Stranger, with me," he said, placing her down on the grass. Their eyes connected for a short moment before he turned around. He did not look pleased, and she wondered why exactly that was. "Look her over and see if she's injured," he said to Arya.

Arya hopped down and looked over Lana, mostly on her backside where Lana couldn't see. "You have some nicks and some red spots, but nothing is gushing or broken. That must have really hurt, though. Are you alright?"

"Thanks, I'm just going to be hurting for a little while. My ankle is the worst thing, I think," Lana said, barely able to put weight on it.

"Well, you can ride my horse, like I said," Arya said.

"No, idiot child," Clegane yelled as he pulled out his sword and cut clean through the screeching horse's neck on the spinal side. Lana grimaced, hating to see that. Killing animals always rubbed her the wrong way, which she knew was hypocritical, since she killed people with ease. Plus, she actually liked Clemmy. As Lana examined the scene, she could see that Clemmy's knee was blown out, her left leg wholly broken. She would have never been able to stand up again.

The poor horse was dead as soon as it hit the water.

"Yours is nearly half the size of Stranger," Clegane said, cleaning off his blade before grabbing the goods that were attached to Clemmy, her blood befouling the river in a gentle stream of red. "Yours will be broken within a week if we tried that."

"But the men in the Inn weighed more than both of us combined," Arya said.

"That's not the issue," Clegane said, grabbing Lana's bags and carrying them over to Arya's horse. "It's where you sit on a horse. You either sit on its kidneys in the back or sit in front on its neck. Stranger can take the weight in the front with his size, coupled with how light and small you both are. Your horse is too small," he said, securing the wet bags on Arya's brown horse. "Stranger is a warhorse; he's built for it. You'll just carry her things. We'll have to find a horse soon, however. I'm tired of wearing Stranger out like this."

Lana limped over to Stranger in silence, waiting for Clegane. She'd have a hard time getting up on that giant beast, as she was shorter than the back of the horse. As she stared at the dark, powerful stallion, she fully realized what she was doing.

She was going to have to sit with Clegane on it.

"Your legs go over the side," he said from behind her. He grabbed her and hoisted her up before she could say a word. She grabbed the horn of his saddle for balance, sitting sideways on Stranger. Clegane grabbed the horn himself, put a foot in a stirrup, and mounted the horse like it was an ordinary sized beast. Lana slid down on the horse's spine, nestling against the saddle and leaning into Clegane's body for balance.

The aches she felt were momentarily numbed by her proximity to him. She put her arm behind him as she had seen Arya do. One of his arms wrapped around her to grab the reigns, her back leaning into it. Next thing she knew, she was basically huddled into him, close enough that she smelled the metal of his armor.

She stole a small glance up at him and could see nearly every hair on his face. This is going to be a close ride . As Stranger moved, Lana leaned harder into Clegane, their combined weight making it easier. She looked back ahead at the dirt road that was covered in moving shadows from the trees above. As they rode, her breath periodically hitched, never quite getting used to being so physically absorbed into Clegane.

Arya eventually trotted off at a quicker speed, but Stranger moved slowly with two bodies weighing him down. Clegane's turbulent demeanor helped cool Lana's desires, which made the ride more comfortable, for as pleasant as it could get.

"It's far easier the other way, with one of my legs on either side," Lana softly suggested, wanting him to take her seriously. She'd enjoy this conundrum much better that way.

"I know you want to put your ass against my cock, but I'm not torturing myself for the next few days," he said, his tone more terse than playful.

And just like that, everything ignited again, despite how much her ankle throbbed, and how uptight he was. She laughed, rubbing the front of her teeth with her tongue. "This is going to be a tumultuous ride," she said, although her tone wasn't as stormy as his.

He snickered. "You won't even deny it."

She thought back to his comment, about his dick against her ass. "NO, that's - ugh." She curtly sighed. She wanted to turn her head and look at him, but she figured that would just make things worse. "I can't smack you, I can't tell you to fuck off, I can't do anything to counter you."

"Good. That's just how I like it," he said arrogantly.

Gods did she want to smack him. So, she switched her tune. "You don't have to be so mean, you know."

He barely missed a beat as he said, "Coming from the person that is trained to say whatever she has to say, to get whatever she wants."

"You know, sometimes, I actually say things that I want to say. I know, it's a wild thought."

"I don't have any way to prove that."

Fine, she'd go there then. If he were going to be an ass, she'd annoy him back in the only way that she could. "But you'd fuck me without any issue? Even if you don't trust me?"

A low rumble came from behind, a pleasant shiver rippling down her spine, which nearly doubled in intensity when he leaned in. All the pain in her body vanished, her heart fluttering as she was drowned in a rush of hormones. His voice resounded in his chest, and she could feel it vibrate into her, his breath hot on her ear. "If the wolf girl weren't here, then aye, I'd have fucked you already. Again, and again...and then again. Don't need to trust you to fuck you. Could use it right now, to help blow off this steam about your fucking horse being an idiot."

She eyed the scenery around, flabbergasted, aroused, and amused. The road itself was treeless, although they stood strong in the distance around them. She tried to keep her wits about her, "Well, glad I got a say in what happens there. Didn't know I was so willing."

He chuckled and pulled away. "Don't pretend like you don't want it. We're far past that by now."

If he didn't have armor on, she'd have pinched him. "You are so cocky," she said, an angry smile on her face.

"Unlike most men, I am that way for a reason."

She partially rolled her eyes. "And arrogant."

He laughed. The genuine amusement surprised Lana, and she appreciated the distraction while her ankle dangled about.

Arya interrupted them as she slowed her horse and looked back to them. "Sorry you have to deal with his stench, by the way," Arya said.

"At least there's fresh air. It's worse when you're crammed into a room," Lana said.

Arya laughed, and with her presence next to them, Lana and Clegane momentarily tucked away whatever heat was burning between them.

They rode like that for a few more hours, and it was mostly silent. Although Lana rarely relaxed. Her heart rate was permanently elevated by being so close to him, wondering when the next bout of exchanges would be. She hoped her ankle healed soon, as the pain was getting harder to ignore. Once the sun was behind them, she could finally relax the muscles in her face, releasing her near-constant squint. At times, she got used to Clegane holding her in his arms, concerned and curious that he was able to contain himself. That just wasn't like most men that she knew. What made Clegane so salacious, and yet so controlled?

To further make it worse, she never seemed to be able to predict his demeanor. It was so frustrating to her.

She was pulled from any thoughts as men wearing Lannister colors approached them on the road.

Lana gripped Clegane's armor tighter, not interested in a fight with her bruised body and lame ankle. The men eyed them, and one of them was keen on Lana. One of Clegane's hands dropped from the reigns and laid over her lap. Lana watched the one who eyed her, his eyes now above her head, as no doubt he and Clegane were locking glares.

That was a new experience for her.

She wondered what it must be like to be able to intimidate someone by just existing? There were plenty of times in her past where she could have used that. She smirked to herself as they continued on past. She could definitely get used to having someone like Clegane around.

Lana looked around Clegane's body to see that the men were indeed riding on, none of them bothering to look their way. The afternoon sun struck their armor, which shone brilliantly as they swayed on their horses.

"They're not going to get you," Clegane said with a patronizing tone. He lifted his hand to grip the reigns again. She racked her brain for something to say, but couldn't think of anything. It didn't help that her pain was getting worse, not aided by this awful position.

"Cat got your tongue? You're usually yammering on by now."

"Oh, I am trying to come up with something witty. But the pain is distracting," she said, a bite in her tone that she didn't anticipate.

He was quiet for a moment before he asked, "What else hurts?"

"Elbow, shoulders, hips, then, of course, my ankle. It's nothing to worry about though. Just a bitch to deal with," she said, re-gripping Stranger's coarse hair.

"We'll stop early so you can rest."

"Well that's thoughtful," she said, pleasantly surprised.

"It's practical," he said, his curtness returning.

She scoffed. "Sure, we'll call it that."

He sighed. "This would be a lot easier if you quit being so fucking difficult."

"Was that advise for yourself, or for me?"

He laughed with a dark tone. "Bout to fucking stick you Arya's horse and put her back on here, if you keep up like this."

"You two get along worse," she pointed out, her brows furrowing. She looked to the Stark girl, watching her swat something off her leg.

"Aye, but I've lived among Joffrey for years, and he was the biggest cunt alive. I can deal with little shits. It's the waning restraint I have to use with you that's going to become a problem. I warned you not to toy with me."

She took in a slow, deep breath, enjoying her effect on him. "Oh, do I make things complicated for you, Clegane?"

"You already know the fucking answer. Was a lot easier to deal with when you weren't sitting between my fucking legs."

"I can't help that poor Clemmy was an idiot," she said, re-gripping her hand on his armor this time. This was truly not a comfortable position.

He chortled. "The fuck kind of name is Clemmy?"

"A fitting one."

"Dumb name for a dumb horse."

"Well then, I guess, by your own definition, it was a fitting name," she said with a winning smile.

"Oh fuck off, thinking you're so clever."

"It's more of a fact," she said.

"You're as arrogant as me."

She chuckled. "Then you're right, this will be a long ride."

And just like that, a new sensation arose between them as he genuinely laughed, once again. It was an actual moment of humor, not marred by any worn attitudes on the world. She was not used to interacting with him on a more pleasant level. Perhaps they were both in too much pain to be shits to the other.

They stopped not long after that. Lana realized she was stranded up there until Clegane helped her down. When he turned around, she placed her hand in his, her other on his shoulder. As she dropped down, Stranger lightly bucked, pushing her off. She wrapped her arms around Clegane's neck for dear life, lest she land on her ankle. She hated that kind of pain. He held her with one arm, the other touching the warhorse.

"You're like a damned cat," he said with aggravation, quickly peeling her off of him. "He's getting tired of carrying two," he said with a tenderness for the horse and discarding her. As annoyed as she was about that, she appreciated the hidden meaning under there. He was capable of tending to something if he respected it enough.

As she stood there, she felt the aches and pain in her body, specifically her left hip, her left shoulder, and a knot she could feel growing on her thigh, pulling her attention from him, and she decided to get over it.

It wasn't long until she and Arya walked over to an area that would work for the night while Clegane tied their horses. Arya was kind enough to let Lana lean into her so as not to use her ankle.

They dropped their bags, and Lana sat on the grass, groaning as she did so. She eventually just lied down and stared up at the leaves above. Her body felt broken. "I can gather some logs and wood. Let me know if you need anything," Arya said.

"Thank you, Arya. I am sorry I can't help."

The Stark girl went into the woods to pull out logs that they could sit on, and Clegane eventually helped her in finding some firewood. He picked up a large log all on his own, carried it over, and threw it on the ground with a deep thud. He got an ax from Stranger and began to chop at it. Lana felt utterly useless and knew she should try to gather twigs, at the very least. She sat up, gritting her teeth and squinting as she could tell she'd be feeling this pain deep in her bones for a few days.

She rolled to a knee, the pain so strong that she felt it in her chest. She ignored it, tired of it, knowing she couldn't just lie there.

"The fuck you going?" Clegane asked before chopping another piece of wood.

"Trying to help," she said breathlessly.

He snorted. "An aging cunt is more useful than you," he said and began to gather the logs together. "Stay down. No point in injuring yourself further. You took a hard fall."

She wasn't going to fight that. She sat there and watched him place the wood together before going into the woods to gather kindling. Arya came back with a nice pile of twigs that she carried in both arms. Lana kept her gaze on where Clegane went until he turned around. She looked down at her hands that needed cleaning and smiled to herself. Just whenever she thought he went too far, he found a way to prove he wasn't a complete monster.

As Clegane and Arya finished getting their area prepped, with a log for Lana to lean on, Arya grabbed some of the salted meat and said, "I am going to sit by the stream for a little bit."

"Be back before sundown," Lana said, cleaning her nails with a small blade, periodically glancing to the fire that was mostly smoldering logs. Arya leaving didn't really heighten any tension between Clegane and Lana, but their solitude was still there, and she was aware of it. As she racked her brain for something to say, he grunted, moving his armor with agitation from around his neck.

"How is your shoulder," Lana asked.

"It's just a flea bite, like I said," he grunted.

"It was a nasty bite."

"Don't act all concerned," he warned.

Lana sighed. She remembered the goods she got from the Inn and decided he could benefit from them. She rose in one motion, accepting all the pain that came with it. When she touched her toes on the ground, and her ankle barely held it, she decided to hop over to the horses.

"Where you hobbling off to? If you need something, just ask."

"To get something to help with your wound," she said. "Take your armor off, at least the shoulders. We need to look at it."