A/N: Here, I decided to have Arya and Clegane already meet the man and his daughter and steal from him. To clear up some timeline, when Lana was taken by the Faceless is around the time the brotherhood took Clegane. The two months Lana spent in the cells is when Clegane took Arya, and they started their journey. I know that changes plot line up a bit. I will be doing the same for when he is bit by Rorge. This new arrangement works better, and changes very little.

Lana slowly trotted by, trying to look innocuous.

She grimaced as her stomach still ached from the wound, but happy that it was full of food, and her veins full of blood. On top of wanting to get away unnoticed, she didn't want whoever these men were to steal her new goods.

She realized how unsuited she was for this kind of warfare. It was only her first day out and she had already using blood magic, nearly died, and was coming up on her second group of strangers.

The Lord of Light had already shown her mercy with Lord Morton, then the Lannister men. She believed in her lord with all her heart, but without knowing what he wanted from her, she wondered if, after a time, saving her would grow cumbersome for R'hllor.

She sighed, figuring she needed to accept that she was probably going to die out here. If she accepted it, then there was no need to fear it. And moving forward with little fear would ensure that she made the right decisions.

Lana risked a glance at the group with the black horse, noticing there was a small boy that glared at Lana with a hardened gaze. He was dirty, and she got a sense that she wasn't welcomed.

That was fine, as she didn't want to mingle.

Then a large man with heavy armor exited the woods, tying up his trousers from no doubt either taking a shit or piss.

Lana kicked her horse to a stop.

A large man for a large horse.
There was no fucking way. It dawned on her that she only knew one man large enough to ride such a beast.

"Clegane?" Lana asked with incredulity, and his hand grabbed the pommel of his sword, his face contorting to scorn.

"Great, someone recognized you," the boy said, although Lana was now confident it was a girl.

Lana pulled her hood back. "What are you doing out here?" she asked, worried that maybe they were after her, for the bounty. That didn't make sense though, as Clegane was Joffreys' charge. And he looked dirty, along with the girl. They had clearly been traveling for some time.

He stared at her until he snorted. "What the fuck are you doing out here?"

"Why are you not at King's Landing? Why are you with this girl?" Lana asked, her horse stomping its foot. She had no way to rationalize this.

"You first," he said.

Lana pursed her lips, her eyes darting between the girl and Clegane. "I left during the siege," she said in a flat tone.

"And ended up wandering around out here? For three months?" he asked with ridicule.

"Got sidetracked," she said briskly.

"Whose house do you owe allegiance?" the girl asked with as much stiffness as Clegane. Seriously, who the fuck is that?

Lana thought about leaving them and not answering. She thought about lying and saying no one. She thought about saying it didn't matter. But then she realized that if Clegane was out here, then maybe he was no longer working for Joffrey.

If that was true, then she could use him. He had been gentle to Sansa those few times, so clearly there was some kindness in him she could manipulate into getting him to help guide her east.

Yes, I need to find what that was. I can use him. He was exactly what she needed to survive out here.

"Targeryen," she said with pride.

The girl's face fell and she said, more than asked, "What."

"Daenerys Targeryen in Meereen. The rightful queen of the seven kingdoms. That is my allegiance," Lana said, straightening her back on her horse, gripping the reigns tighter.

The Hound smugly smiled. "I always knew something was queer about you."

She tutted. "Me? You're the one who followed that idiot child of a king."

The girl let out a confused chuckle.

Clegane said through grit teeth. "I don't follow that twat anymore. Told him to fuck off."

Lana's opinion of him went up, just a bit, at those words. "Really?"

"You don't like Joffrey either?" the girl asked with hope, and for the first time, the stranger truly seemed like a little girl.

"That boy king is an embarrassment, and the sooner he is dead, the sooner this kingdom might actually prosper. But then again, it works for me. Makes the people want a new king, or queen," Lana said.

The girl smiled with approval while Clegane continued to glare. The girl asked, "Where are you going?"

"I was heading to the coast. Going to Essos," she said, trying to sound like she had any idea what that meant.

"I have friends in Bravos," the girl said. Lana slowly turned her head to her. "What kind of friends."

"Valar Morghulis."

"Valar Dohaeris."

"What does that mean?"

Lana chuckled. "That you don't know who your friends are in Bravos." Lana looked back and forth between the girl and Clegane. Something about this wasn't right at all.

"He is taking me to the Twins," the girl said, as if answering Lana's confusion.

"What's at the Twins?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

Clegane hit her shoulder. "Enough, girl," he scolded.

The girl sighed. "We can't tell you anymore," she said with a flat voice, rolling her eyes.

Lana looked at the Hound. "What are you doing? Seriously? You call me queer, but this is the oddest thing I have seen recently."

"Trying to make some gold," he said with impatience. "Now get the fuck away."

Manipulating him to help me is going to be quite a challenge.

Then it dawned on her, after considering everything before her. Lana laughed, looked ahead, and quickly assembled the thought in her head. This was too easy. "I'll pay you to come with me," she said.

His anger turned to confusion, then he scoffed at her. "With what? Got a bag of gold stashed away? You still haven't mentioned why you are out here."

"I don't have the gold on me now," she said, ignoring the part about what she was doing out here. "But I can pay you the Lannister's salary."

He laughed, genuinely amused, and the sudden break of hostility caught her off guard. This man makes no sense. "What, you the best whore in Essos, or something? Maybe you can just pay be by keeping my dick wet. I'd still take some gold though. A wet dick can only get me so far, but I'll take it as a discount," he said, his eyes even unfriendlier than before.

He wasn't buying it. The girl punched him. "Gross! I don't want to picture that!"

"I am not a whore," Lana said.

"The only women that don't cringe when they see my face are whores."

"The only women you know are ladies of Westeros who cringe if a man's hair isn't curly enough. And I am not from Westeros."

"Can she come with us?" the girl asked with hope.

Clegane looked offended. "No."

"Please. I am tired of your company. I like her so far."

"You'll be rid of me soon, wolf girl."

"Wolf girl?" Lana asked, narrowing her eyes. Yes, there was a smaller stark. All the play in Clegane's eyes disappeared as a coldness overtook him, his hand back on his pommel.

"If you don't get back on the road, you'll be a dead whore soon," he threatened, and based on the intensity of his gaze, she knew he meant it.

"Again, I am not a fucking whore. And I am not an enemy. I can truly help. Is that a Stark? Sansa had a missing sister."

"I am Arya Stark," the girl said.

The Hound slowly trained his gaze on Arya. "You clearly don't like her that much," he said, unsheathing his sword and walking in Lana's direction. "You can see why I have to do this?" he asked, feigning politeness.

"Wait! No, I am not an enemy. I promise I can pay you," she said, moving her horse along. She thought she didn't fear him, but the way he was nearing her made her want to trot away as fast as she could.

But damn it all if she didn't need someone like him to see her through this journey.

"I don't want to negotiate," Clegane warned with a growl, still moving forward. He was like a bull that was using its horns to keep the unwanted at bay.

"Is she a real Stark, as in the sister to Sansa Stark?" Lana pressed with wide eyes, turning her horse around to face them better after backing off.

"You know her?" Arya asked, coming forward.

"One more word, and I will knock you out," Clegane growled, and Arya backed away. Lana couldn't leave this girl here. If this was truly Sansa's sister, then this entire situation was too large for Lana to just ride away from.

Plus, Clegane had shown restraint with Sansa. Surely he wouldn't hurt Lana if she posed no threat, which she currently didn't.

Lana got off of her horse with her hands held up. "I do. I think she is still at King's Landing," she said, looking at Arya

Arya looked at Clegane, and then back to Lana, pressing her lips together.

Clegane took a step toward Lana. "If you think I won't kill you, then you haven't been paying attention to who I am," Clegane warned.

"I am not an enemy."

"You were a handmaid to Lady Hornley, the betrothed to Tommen fucking Baratheon. And now you are out here, wandering around on a fresh horse, clean hair and clothes. Now you're off your horse," he said, taking a step closer. "Stark girl has been needing a horse," he said.

"I ran from Lady Hornley. The thought of having to serve the Lannisters for the rest of my life made me want to bash my skull in," she said, concocting a story, his mercenary eyes narrowing just slightly. "I ran into some trouble, which brought me out here, and I recently bathed in a river, cleaned my clothes, and stole this horse. You kill me, and you will miss out on a very hefty bag of gold."

"Don't need your gold. That's what the Stark girl is for."

He hasn't killed me yet. Come on, Lana. Think of a way in. He doesn't want to kill you. "You really going to say no to more gold?"

"Where you getting it from?"

She swallowed thickly, looking at this man that towered over her and could probably cut clean through her. She couldn't tell him that she had a bounty on her head, or else he'd probably take it for himself.

"I have money back in Essos. A lot of it."

Her horse moved behind her, and his eyes darted to it, then back to her, then back to her horse with more stringency.

"There is Lannister weapons in your bag, and a Lannister flaggon." He looked at her, pressing his lips together. "You're a fucking liar." He took a step closer, and her heart hammered, as his steps were a lot larger than she initially gauged.

This is what desperation for a guard got her, and the thought that she could trust him. Now she was off her horse, and he'd catch her before she got to any of her weapons. This man was not the soldiers she killed.

She couldn't believe she was debating how to kill him, but here she was. And yet, the way he neared her made her truly fear for her life.

She reached for her blade, but he was large, and fast.

With her blade just barely in hand, the last thing that she remembered was the harshness in his eyes as he backhanded her so hard, the blackness consumed her.