Fffc Bingo Card - Hard lessons

[m_findlow]

Title: Hard lessons
Fandom: Game of Thrones
Characters: Sandor Clegane, Sansa
Author: m_findlow
Rating: M
Length: 500 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Bingo Card Prompt - Innocence at fffc
Summary: Sansa needs to learn quickly if she is to survive King's Landing.

Clegane grimaced as he came to stand in front of Sansa, delivering the hard blow to her face with the back of his hand. He hated himself for doing it, even if he had done it harder than he could have, leaving her with a small dribble of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

At least the girl had the good sense not to yelp when he struck her, nor to do more than let the tears well in her eyes. Don't let them fall, girl, he thought. Joffrey will only enjoy that. As it was he looked bored by the action, as if ordering his dog to strike his betrothed was nothing more than like asking someone to serve him a goblet of wine when he wasn't even thirsty. That little cunt of a prince deserved a good slapping across his face himself, one where Clegane might be wearing a gauntlet of sharp steel.

Ned Stark must have been mad to bring his girls here to King's Landing. They had no concept of the politics here, and just how dangerous it was to play this game of thrones the lords and ladies enjoyed so much.

Joffrey had already wandered off, leaving his bride to be to lick her wounds. Clegane wandered over and stood over her where she had collapsed down onto the edge of the fountain, using the inside of her long sleeve to dab at the bloody lip.

'You should learn to keep your mouth shut, girl,' he said, keeping his tone gruff. He couldn't afford to sound sympathetic, even for one as innocent and stupid as Sansa.

All she had to do was smile and pander to Joffrey, something she hadn't had a problem with doing before he'd gone and lopped her daddy's head off. She'd been completely besotted with him, looking forward to any attention her selfish betrothed might give her. She'd have walked over broken glass for Joffrey, which only proved how foolishly blind she was. Even a blind man could see Joffrey was an awful little shit who took pleasure only in delivering misery to others. Clegane enjoyed killing people, but those people were cunts who fought on the wrong  side of a battle. Joffrey was a sadistic little shit of the highest order. It took a special breed of person to enjoy inflicting harm for no other reason, and Clegane knew exactly where that came from. All Lannisters were vicious dogs and the inbred kind were the worst. Small wonder Joffrey turned out the way he was. Now Sansa couldn't even pretend to be happy, no matter how much it would save her own neck to do so. No one was that stupid.

'Get up, girl,' Clegane demanded.

'Why should I listen to you?' she snapped back. 'Going to hit me again?'

He grabbed her by the arm and squeezed it hard. 'Little birds who sing sweetly are looked after in their cages. Those who can't sing end up dead.'