Crossing Worlds (A Sandor Clegane fanfiction.)

A New Daughter

By some miracle, Aurora had fallen asleep. She was awoken by the sound of the cell door opening. She shot upright and curled into a ball. "It is alright. I will not harm you," a voice said. Aurora looked up and saw the kind face of Ned Stark looking back at her. "The king has decided that you are not a danger to him. You do not seem to be here to harm anyone so he has bid me to take responsibility over you while you are here. You shall be my ward." Aurora nodded.

"I'm sorry for getting you into all this," she whispered and Ned smile kindly at her. "There is no need for that. Come. I will take you to meet my daughters." He offered a hand out for her to take. She slowly stood and stretched out her aching muscles before following Ned from the cell. "Are you alright?" he asked her and she shrugged. "I'm okay as I can be, I guess. I mean, this wasn't exactly what I envisioned when I left my dorm this morning, but I suppose it could be worse." The man looked completely confused at her words, but didn't ask.

The two hadn't been out of the cell long before they heard a small voice called out, "Father! Is this her? The mad woman?" Aurora suppressed a sigh, but rolled her eyes all the same. Ned looked over his shoulder with a stern gaze. "Arya..." Aurora smiled at him gratefully as she turned to face the owner of the voice. The little girl had the same shade of hair as her father and she was dressed as a boy. "This is my youngest daughter, Arya."

Aurora stooped to eye-level with the little girl and introduced herself. Ned Stark could have died of embarrassment at his daughter's next question. "Are you truly mad? Really?" she asked, looking between the woman and her father. "Arya!" Ned scolded. "It's okay. No, I'm not mad. At least, I'm pretty sure I'm not. I wish I was though." The little girl cocked her head to the side in confusion, making Aurora smile. "All the best people are," Aurora replied with a wink, causing Arya to giggle. "I like her, Father."

Aurora sighed in relief. At least there was someone on her side. "Where are your sister and Septa Mordane?" Arya shrugged a little and came to walk next to Aurora. "Why is everyone saying that you're mad?" The kid just wouldn't drop the subject, but luckily Ned told his daughter that he'd heard enough. Just as Arya was about to argue, two figures rounded the corner. Ned bowed slightly and Arya glared.

"Prince Joffrey," the girl muttered to Aurora who turned her green eyes on the young boy from the throne room. He still wore a grimace as if everything disgusted him. Trailing behind him was the man with the scarred face. "The Hound," Arya whispered in answer to Aurora's unasked question. Normally, Aurora was against staring, but she just couldn't tear her eyes off the giant of a man. "I see someone let the mad girl out of her cage. Mother says she should rot in there with other mad people," the prince's voice drew Aurora's gaze from the one Arya called the Hound.

Without thinking, Aurora said the very next thing that came to her mind, "You're an ass." Arya's face lit up in delight while Ned 's face looked shocked, but Aurora could see the amusement in his eyes as well as the Hound's. The young prince crossed his arms over his chest and pouted like a child. Aurora held her ground as he glared at her, but inside she was cringing. Starting something with a teenage prince was probably not the brightest of moves.

Joffrey stormed off with the Hound following close behind. "I'm not making a very good first impression, am I?" As soon as Joffrey was out of sight, Ned let out a laugh. "Perhaps not, but I suppose someone should put Joffrey in his place once in a while. Come. I need to find Sansa." Aurora followed Ned through the corridors of the Red Keep, answering Arya's never ending barrage of questions.

"There you are, Father!" another voice called out when Ned entered the room with Arya and Aurora. "Sansa, just in time for supper," Ned said. The girl peered around her father to look at Aurora, her bright blue eyes wide. "Who is she?" Before Aurora could speak, Arya answered for her. "This is Aurora! They say she's mad." Aurora took a deep breath and repeated in her mind, "She's just a child. Just a child."

"Oh, don't be rude, Arya!" Sansa chided her sister, earning a glare from the younger sister. Aurora had to stifle a giggle. They reminded her of when she and Cassandra were younger. "It's alright. I have to get used to it. It's not every day a woman appears out of nowhere, is it?" Sansa looked wary, but she gave Aurora a small smile anyway. "No, I suppose not." Arya was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, looking like she was going to start bouncing off the walls any minute.

"Arya? Maybe you could show me around and tell me about everyone here? I might as well learn my way around." Arya nodded happily. "Sansa and Septa Mordane shall accompany you," Ned told them, turning to look at Aurora. "Please do not go anywhere alone, Aurora. It is dangerous." His voice was low and full of warning. Aurora nodded and followed after Arya. Ned watched them all go, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He did not know what was to come, but he knew he was going to have to protect his daughters, including his newest one. 

(a/n: Yes, I took the quote "All the best people are" from Alice in Wonderland. It's one of my favorites.)