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Tyrion

They had taken shelter beneath a copse of aspens just off the high road Tyrion was gathering deadhile their horses took water from a mountain stream He stooped to pick up a splintered branch and examined it critically "Will this do? I a fires Morrec did that for"Are you so hungry to die, dwarf? Or have you taken leave of your senses? A fire will bring the clansmen down on us from miles around I mean to survive this journey, Lannister"

"And how do you hope to do that?" Tyrion asked He tucked the branch under his ar for ; they had been riding since daybreak, when a stone-faced Ser Lyn Corbray had ushered theh the Bloody Gate and commanded the our way back," Bronn said, "but two can cover round than ten, and attract less notice The fewer days we spend in these mountains, the more like we are to reach the riverlands Ride hard and fast, I say Travel by night and hole up by day, avoid the road where we can, ht no fires"

Tyrion Lannister sighed "A splendid plan, Bronn Try it, as you likeand forgive er to bury you"

"You think to outlive ap in his sen’s shield had cracked a tooth in half

Tyrion shrugged "Riding hard and fast by night is a sure way to tumble down aslow and easy I know you love the taste of horse, Bronn, but if ourto saddle shadowcatsand if truth be told, I think the clans will find us no loved hand over the high, wind-carved crags that surrounded therimaced "Then we’re dead men, Lannister"

"If so, I prefer to die cohts are cold up here, and hot food arm our bellies and lift our spirits Do you suppose there’s any game to be had? Lady Lysa has kindly provided us with a veritable feast of salt beef, hard cheese, and stale bread, but I would hate to break a tooth so far from the nearest maester"

"I can find arded Tyrion suspiciously "I should leave you here with your fool’s fire If I took your horse, I’d have twice the chance to h What would you do then, dwarf?"

"Die, et another stick

"You don’t think I’d do it?"

"You’d do it in an instant, if it h to silence your friend Chiggen when he caught that arrow in his belly" Bronn had yanked back the man’s head by the hair and driven the point of his dirk in under the ear, and afterward told Catelyn Stark that the other sellsword had died of his wound

"He was good as dead," Bronn said, "and his en would have done the same for meand he was no friend, only a ht for you, but I do not love you"

"It was your blade I needed," Tyrion said, "not your love" He durinned "You’re bold as any sellsword, I’ll give you that How did you know I’d take your part?"

"Know?" Tyrion squatted aardly on his stunted legs to build the fire "I tossed the dice Back at the inn, you and Chiggen helped take me captive Why? The others saw it as their duty, for the honor of the lords they served, but not you two You had no lord, no duty, and precious little honor, so why trouble to involve yourselves?" He took out his knife and whittled soathered, to serve as kindling "Well, why do sellswords do anything? For gold You were thinking Lady Catelyn would reward you for your help, perhaps even take you into her service Here, that should do, I hope Do you have a flint?"

Bronn slid two fingers into the pouch at his belt and tossed down a flint Tyrion caught it in the air

"My thanks," he said "The thing is, you did not know the Starks Lord Eddard is a proud, honorable, and honest man, and his lady wife is worse Oh, no doubt she would have found a coin or two for you when this was all over, and pressed it in your hand with a polite word and a look of distaste, but that’s the e and loyalty and honor in the men they choose to serve theen were lowborn scu for a spark Nothing

Bronn snorted "You have a bold tongue, little man One day someone is like to cut it out and make you eat it"

"Everyone tells lanced up at the sellsword "Did I offend you? My pardonsbut you are scum, Bronn, make no mistake Duty, honor, friendship, what’s that to you? No, don’t trouble yourself, we both know the answer Still, you’re not stupid Once we reached the Vale, Lady Stark had nothe Lannisters have never lacked for is gold When thesh to knohere your best interest lay Happily for ain, fruitlessly

"Here," said Bronn, squatting, "I’ll do it" He took the knife and flint from Tyrion’s hands and struck sparks on his first try A curl of bark began to smolder

"Well done," Tyrion said "Scum you may be, but you’re undeniably useful, and with a sword in your hand you’re alood as my brother Jaime What do you want, Bronn? Gold? Land? Women? Keep ently on the fire, and the flaher "And if you die?"

"Why then, I’ll have one old ends when I do"

The fire was blazing up nicely Bronn stood, tucked the flint back into his pouch, and tossed Tyrion his dagger "Fair enough," he said "My sword’s yours, thenbut don’t go looking for me to bend the knee and m’lord you every time you take a shit I’m no man’s toady"

"Nor any man’s friend," Tyrion said "I’ve no doubt you’d betray me as quick as you did Lady Stark, if you saw a profit in it If the day ever comes when you’re tempted to sell me out, remember this, Bronn--I’llAnd now, do you think you could do so us some supper?"

"Take care of the horses," Bronn said, unsheathing the long dirk he wore at his hip He strode into the trees

An hour later the horses had been rubbed down and fed, the fire was crackling awayabove the flaood wine to wash down our kid," Tyrion said

"That, a woed beside the fire, honing the edge of his longsith an oilstone There was so sound it made when he drew it down the steel "It will be full dark soon," the sellsword pointed out "I’ll take first watchfor all the good it will do us It ht be kinder to let theine they’ll be here long before it co meat made Tyrion’s mouth water

Bronn watched him across the fire "You have a plan," he said flatly, with a scrape of steel on stone

"A hope, call it," Tyrion said "Another toss of the dice"

"With our lives as the stake?"

Tyrion shrugged "What choice do we have?" He leaned over the fire and sawed a thin slice of hed happily as he chewed Grease ran down his chin "A bit tougher than I’d like, and in want of spicing, but I’ll not complain too loudly If I were back at the Eyrie, I’d be dancing on a precipice in hopes of a boiled bean"

"And yet you gave the turnkey a purse of gold," Bronn said

"A Lannister always pays his debts"

Even Mord had scarcely believed it when Tyrion tossed hi as boiled eggs as he yanked open the drawstring and beheld the glint of gold "I kept the silver," Tyrion had told hiold, and there it is" It was more than aprisoners "And rerow tired of Lady Arryn’s service, present yourself at Casterly Rock, and I’ll pay you the rest of what I owe you" With golden dragons spilling out of both hands, Mord had fallen to his knees and promised that he would do just that

Bronn yanked out his dirk and pulled the an to carve thick chunks of charred meat off the bone as Tyrion hollowed out two heels of stale bread to serve as trenchers "If we do reach the river, ill you do then?" the sellsword asked as he cut

"Oh, a whore and a featherbed and a flagon of wine, for a start" Tyrion held out his trencher, and Bronn filled it with , I think I have soer"

The sellsword chewed and sed "So you were telling it true? It was not your knife?"

Tyrion smiled thinly "Do I look a liar to you?"