When Lana and Clegane were sitting around a fire, with Arya off in the distance training with Needle, Clegane said, "Tomorrow we should hit that fork you mentioned. One way takes you to the Eyrie, and the other takes you north. If you still want to go on your own, you better tell the girl. She doesn't like change."

Lana wouldn't comment on it, but she appreciated how much he quietly cared about the girl. "We could always skip her aunt and just go to Meereen. The three of us, I mean," Lana said. She thought long and hard about that decision. Dany would always be grateful for a Stark, Arya would get to avoid her aunt, and Lana would get her warrior.

"Gotta admit, I want Arya out of my hair just as bad as I want to fuck you, but I don't want to leave the wolf girl somewhere dangerous. The only people a lady like her can trust is family, and pretty much all of them are dead. I trust you, but I don't trust your sister. I don't even know her. Arya's aunt will take care of her, and if the little shit decides to run off to Bravos, at least it won't be on my watch."

Lana took in a long breath, looking back at the fire, breathing in the smoke of it. Lana knew that Dany was a good person, but in truth, Lana couldn't assure anything for Arya. When would they really sail for Westeros? It could be years, and that was a long time to trust that Dany would succeed when the Masters were so angry, and her dragons so small. As much as Lana believed in her sister, Clegane was right. Arya was safe with an established family in lands that knew her name.

And yet, Lana still didn't want to leave him and go on her own. She looked over to him and said, "You know these people better than me, Clegane. Should I trust her aunt Lysa? Or go on my own? I obviously can't wait around, as I'd be a sitting duck."

He repositioned his legs and stared at the fire for some time. Eventually, he said, "I wouldn't trust her. She lived in King's Landing before her husband died, and that bitch has a real crazy streak. Word of the Lannister bounty would have reached her ear by now. I'd say I'd protect you, but I can't take on a whole fucking castle. It's not worth the risk. If I were in your shoes, I would go on your own."

"And Arya will be safe?"

"She will be fed, clothed, and with a nice roof over her head. She'll hate it, but her aunt hates the Lannisters. Aye, she'll be safe."

"Will you be safe?"

He glared at her, the fire gently illuminating his face. "What kind of question is that?"

"If she is crazy, how will she feel about the Hound walking right through her doors?"

"Guess we'll find out."

"Well, I don't like that answer."

"It's the only one I got," he said, holding his hands to show he had nothing to offer.

She slunk back into her tree trunk and picked at her nails. She didn't want to leave. She didn't want this to end. They struggled a lot out here, but she enjoyed being away from everything.

She enjoyed that she didn't have any job, mission, or real responsibility out here

Despite that, Lana knew that time had finally caught up to them, and now they needed to go their own ways.

Arya eventually came back over, and they shared bread and cheese from the Inn. Lana finally said to Arya, "I am leaving when he hit the fork."

Arya stopped eating, and Lana's eyes were on her, waiting for the upheaval. "What, why?"

"I have to go to Meereen."

"But what about seeing me to my aunt?" Arya asked, brows furrowed, and her hair in her eyes.

"I can't trust your aunt or any of her men. Without one of my sister's dragon, or an army, I can't be running around telling people who I am. I got lucky before, but I know not to push it. And with a bounty on my head, I don't know how she will feel about that," Lana said, lightly wincing as she dug too deep with her dagger under her nails, although she did her best to pretend it didn't happen.

"I will tell her that if she hurts you, I will run away," Arya pressed.

Lana smiled, pinching her finger that was gently bleeding now. "You know I can't go with you, Arya."

"Where are you going, then?"

"White Harbor, then to Bravos, then to Qohor, then Meereen."

"How are you getting there? White Harbor is far."

"On my new fresh horse," Lana said, nodding to the brown horse she stole from the dead Lannisters.

"You are shit with directions," Arya said, her tone terse, an evident distress in her voice. Lana thought back to Sedona and how she told her that she had a role to play. Lana knew she needed to get back to Essos more than she needed to comfort Arya.

"I'll figure it out," Lana said.

"I'm not ready to say goodbye," Arya quickly retorted.

"We may still see each other yet. And know that if everything falls apart here, you can always find me in Meereen."

"If I go anywhere, it will be to Bravos first," Arya said with a grumpy defiance.

"Then we were bound to part ways eventually."

Arya looked down to needle, swiping it again and just stared at the dirt. Then she looked up at Clegane and asked, "Why aren't you abandoning me and following her?"

Clegane curtly sighed, his jaw gently jutted out. "Because I need to get paid for all the shit you put me through."

"Of course. That's all you care about."

In the rare moment of concern, Clegane softened his tone. "Lana has a better chance to survive than you, and she actually has a place to go, with family waiting for her. The only family you got is in the Eyrie, so that's where you go."

"Thanks for reminding me."

"It's just the fucking truth. And I can't change that. Can only make decisions based on it. No point in hating me for that."

The rest of the night was quiet with crickets chirping and owls hooting as the only sound around. Arya went to bed early. Lana was playing with the tips of her hair, looking at the pale blonde and thought of Dany. Her sister's silver hair was striking, along with her purple eyes. Lana couldn't wait to see how the lords and ladies would react to seeing Daenerys.

She looked up when she felt Clegane's eyes on her. He was leaning his elbows on his knees, breaking a twig in his hands, watching her with a furrowed brow. Despite that, his eyes weren't mean. When she didn't let up on her gaze, he looked away.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"Don't gotta say shit," he said, throwing the stick down. "Need to piss."

She sighed. She hated when he was this crabby. It was hard to tell if it was because of her, or something else. Then again, maybe he was just mad that she was leaving him to deal with Arya on his own. But Lana saw no other way around it. Clegane said it himself that Lysa was not to be trusted.

Lana got up to go to her new horse, rummaging through her bag. Inside a leather holder, she found the handkerchief. She found it a bit funny that out of everything that had happened, it managed to survive. Then again, when things like that occurred, she found it best not to question.

The Lord of Light always shone light in the oddest of places.

Lana trusted Clegane. She wasn't even paying him yet, and even though there was a definite tension, she hadn't so much as touched his dick. And yet he was protecting her.

Yes, she'd leave him with the handkerchief. Men liked that sort of thing, right? She wanted him to think of her, tempting him to come for her when he was free to choose what he wanted. She knew all of this flirting and tension might be for nothing in the end, as she'd have to marry one day. But she worried that hardly any lord would compare to Clegane.

He once said she was refreshing, like a whore on the first day of the job. He was refreshing too, with his brutal honesty and proving his worth as a warrior.

She sat back down. When he walked by her, she held it out, the fire shining on the gloss of the silk. He stopped with his side still facing her, his hand and face the only thing not covered in armor. "The fuck is that?"

"The handkerchief. Take it. You don't have to find me, but if you do want the job, I'll tell the soldiers to be on the lookout for a man with this. It should guarantee your way in."

He looked at it, then at her. He squatted down, took it from her, and examined it with his dirty hands before moving his eyes to her.

"If I do go to Essos, and fight for you, I don't promise that I will remain there. I still need to kill my brother. Once you're safe and Gregor is dead, I might want to go my own way."

"You won't stay with me?"

"I've decided that after telling Joffrey to fuck off that I don't want to grow old shielding another. Also, I got no interest in watching another lord fuck you every night. But I'll help you and protect you before then," he said with a nod.

She leaned forward, closing in the space with a sly smile. "Would that really bother you?"

He darkly snickered. "You know, once, I would have done it. I would have fucking put up with it. But I am done doing that shit. I live for me now, and for what I want in this world. And I know that I won't die happy unless Gregor is dead, and I'll probably end up gutting the bastard that gets to share your bed, especially once I have to watch you walk around in a pretty dress, smelling like a lady. In the meantime, however, I wouldn't mind watching over you to get some gold. Could use that new armor and weapons you mentioned to fight him."

"And what of what I want? What if I want you?" she asked, imploring her real intent of that question with her eyes, not able to finish the sentence out loud. What if Lana and Clegane continued to bond, and she preferred him over a lord?

Nothing about his expression changed, although the way his eyes vibrated told her that he was truly considering her words. "That doesn't work in Westeros."

"That's unfortunate," she said with a grave expression.

He took in a deep breath; his eyes betraying him until he steeled himself again. "What's your real goal? In all of this? You're more like Arya than Sansa, and yet you want a castle. Doesn't align."

"I want to get away from being an assassin. They don't live to old age often. And I got a potential castle waiting for me, so why the fuck not? I honestly have no idea what I am doing. I am just winging it and hope I land on some peace and quiet at some point."

He mulled that over, their gazes not breaking from the other. It made her realize he had some significant decisions to make. Did he keep this freedom, or keep going in the line of work that he knew? She knew, and figured that he did too, that there was no way that if he worked for her, that they wouldn't fuck at some point. What would a future lord husband think of that?

Wouldn't that just make things more complicated for them?

He blinked and stood back up, walking back over to his area and tucked the fabric away.

The night had passed with no more conversation. In the morning, Lana rode off on her new horse and already missed sitting with Clegane. When they reached the fork, Lana and Arya both dismounted to give each other a hug, to which the wolf girl nestled a bit into Lana's shoulder. "I am so sorry, Arya, for the shit you've been through. Your life has truly been hard. I admire you for even being able to make it this far," Lana said, pulling back. "You are resilient, like a true wolf. I hope you get to get revenge, but don't forget to live for yourself at some point."

"I can't live for myself until a Stark sits at Winterfell," Arya said grimly. "And there are no more Starks to sit there."

"There might be one day. When Dany comes, things will be different. You or Sansa could take it."

"I look forward to that, if that's true. Until then, I have some names on my list," Arya said, a new hardness about her. Lana nodded and smiled to her before moving back to her horse.

Clegane was still on Stranger, and Lana didn't expect him to see her off properly. She mounted her horse with her good ankle, settling into her saddle as Clegane rode over. "Don't sleep at night. Not at an Inn, unless it's in White Harbor," he cautioned, his tone entirely without his usual bite.

He was close to her, gently towering over her. She didn't know what to do or say, and realized she was actually going to miss him.

"Is it weird that I might miss you?"

"It's definitely not fucking normal," he said, the bite in his tone coming back, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"I really do hope I see you again, Clegane. You keep things a lot less dull than most," she said gently before looking ahead, but not before she caught that his eyes had softened.

She kicked her horse, riding off. She didn't like long goodbyes.

As soon as they were behind her, something felt wrong. She didn't want to leave them, but she couldn't trust any lords or ladies now.

The sun fell behind the horizon, and she slowed to a stop. She thought of Clegane telling her not to sleep at night. She looked around at the dark forests and mountains, her horse breathing between her legs as a reminder that no one else was out here except for her steed. Lana felt her loneliness then.

She kicked the horse again and decided to ride through. She might not trust many people in these lands, but she did trust Clegane, and if he cautioned sleeping at night, then she wouldn't do it.

A fear trilled in her heart at knowing that there was no way to ensure she'd see either one of them again.

She wondered if she should turn around. Surely, she'd be able to find them before the sun came up? But she thought to Dany in Meereen. To Sedona, and the Lord of Light. Lana recomposed herself. Yes, she was doing this for something larger than herself.

She desperately hoped she'd see Arya and Clegane again.