Crossing Worlds (A Sandor Clegane fanfiction.)

A Tournament

For the next week or so, Aurora stuck close by the Stark family. More so to Arya or Ned than Sansa. It wasn't the girl herself, but Sansa was constantly going on about how wonderful Joffrey was and Aurora could only stand to hear so much before she felt the need to vomit. Aurora had had a few more run-ins with the bratty prince and found absolutely nothing wonderful about him. He was obnoxious, stuck-up and spoiled, but the worst part about him, was the way he spoke to Sansa, as if she were lesser than he was. As if she were stupid.

The Hound was always with the prince and Aurora found her eyes drawn to him each and every time. Although now, it was out of uncertainty. Arya had shared some stories about the prince's personal guard and they weren't pleasant. Stories of death and betrayal that made the young woman shiver. After that, Aurora had taken to avoiding Joffrey at all costs so she could avoid the Hound as well. That was easy enough if Aurora stayed in her chambers or with Arya. What she couldn't avoid was the staring.

By now, all of King's Landing knew about the woman that claimed to be from another place. It didn't help that Aurora stuck out like a sore thumb for the first couple of days until Ned had a few dresses made for her. It helped, but Aurora still preferred to stay inside the Keep. At least inside, there were fewer people to gawk at her like she was animal in a zoo. She was perfectly content to stay hidden away. She sat in the library of the Keep for hours on end learning the history of King's Landing and trying to figure out a means of returning home.

Her studies were interrupted by Arya one afternoon when she barged into the library. "Aurora! Sansa!" Aurora looked up from her book, her brows furrowed in confusion. "Father wants to see us right away! Come on!" she urged. Aurora rolled her eyes. She found herself doing that quite a bit these days. "Alright. I'm coming." She closed the book and followed the girl out of the library.

When they made it to where Ned was waiting, he gave them a stressed smile. He told them about an upcoming event. A tourney. He noticed Aurora's look of confusion and began to explain what he was talking about. "I know what a tourney is. I've just never seen one. They don't exactly happen where I'm from. We have other sports. Less...lethal." Ned chuckled softly and shook his head. "The tourney begins tomorrow and I expect the three of you to be on your best behavior," he warned, his gaze focused on Arya.

Sansa said nothing, but Aurora could tell she was excited, if not a little worried. Aurora herself was curious and a bit frightened. She'd read about tourneys in her Medieval History courses and understood them to be brutal things. "Can-"Aurora stopped when Septa Mordane glared at her. That woman insisted on proper ladylike manners all the time. Aurora hated it, but she didn't want to cause Ned any trouble. He did take responsibility for her after all. "May I go walk in the gardens?" Aurora asked and Ned nodded.

"I'm going too!" Arya called, running after Aurora. "Wait for me!" Sansa said, forgetting herself for a moment. The three young ladies walked with Septa Mordane close behind. "Aurora?" Sansa suddenly asked, causing the young woman in question to look over just before she tripped on her dress. "Oof!" she groaned when she hit something solid and bounced backward. She closed her eyes when she felt herself falling, but she never hit the ground.

Arya and Sansa were no longer giggling and Aurora opened her eyes. "Ya should be more careful," a voice rasped out. Aurora's eyes moved upward to see The Hound. He had a very firm grip on her waist. For a brief second, Aurora couldn't find her words, but her usual spunk returned quickly and she replied, "Well you should watch where I'm going. Geez, can't a girl trip around here without some guy thinking he's got to save the day?"

"Aurora!" Septa Mordane scolded while the Hound looked at her, only slightly amused but enough that Aurora temporarily forgot her fear. She gave him a quick wink before sidestepping him and heading for the garden. "I can't believe you talked to the Hound that way," Sansa said and Aurora shrugged. In her eyes, better the Hound than Joffrey or Cersei. She thought she might as well have a little fun instead of worrying about what would happen at the tournament.

*The last day of the Tournament*

Aurora sat on Ned's left, nervously biting her lip. That was where she'd been every day during the tournament. She'd seen more blood than she was used to. "Are you alright?" Ned asked her for about the third time that day. "Yeah. It's just different. It's one thing to read or study about something. It's another thing to actually see it," she answered just as the next round was to begin.

Ser Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers was to challenge Ser Gregor Clegane. Aurora thought her eyes would bug out of their sockets when she set eyes on the man they called "The Mountain that Rides." He was huge. Bigger even than the Hound and with a look twice as menacing. "That is the Hound's brother," Ned explained quietly.

The match did not last long. Before Aurora could really blink, both men were off their horses and Ser Gregor was attempting to beat Ser Loras to a pulp. Aurora bit her lip so hard, she was certain it would bleed. Aurora's hand flew to her mouth when a third man entered the fray. He immediately took on the giant, giving Ser Loras a chance to get away. It took Aurora a few moments to realize that the third man was the Hound and when she did notice, it confused her. Why was the Hound fighting his brother? Why was he helping Ser Loras?

The king's loud voice cut through Aurora's musings. "Enough!" Aurora jumped, but didn't take her eyes off the two brothers. The Hound sank to one knee just as his brother's sword passed through the air where his head had been. Aurora felt her eyes widen as Ser Gregor threw his sword to the ground and stomped off in a rage. Her gaze darted between the brothers and she began to ponder. Why was Ser Gregor a knight and his brother not? Which of the two was truly worthy of it? The one who killed his horse and attempted to beat a man to death or the one who stopped the beating and defended a man when he didn't have to?

"Did you enjoy your first tourney, my lady?" another voice brought Aurora out of her thoughts. She turned to see the man Ned introduced as Lord Baelish looking down at her. "It was barbaric. I don't see the appeal," she answered, standing. Aurora glanced back over at the Hound before following Ned back to the Red Keep. As they passed the field, Aurora could see the blood staining the dirt and, not for the first time, wondered just what lay in store for her if she remained there. 

(a/n: I'm trying to think of a good face claim for Aurora. Any ideas?)