The intense pain made me react quickly,the damp grass and dirt felt slippery and gritty beneath me, with sharp twigsprodding and wet slimy leaves slur...ing across my skin. He pulled my arms roughly behind my back and loosed my hair as he croucheddown behind my head. I felt a coarse rough rope looping around my wrists, bindingmy arms, rendering them useless and me partially helpless. As he got up tomove around to my front, I glanced over to where Sam was receiving the sametreatment from Col and. All I could see was a flurry of white petticoats and a pair of flailing arms in the grip of a dark-coated man nearly my size. I ran into him full tilt, putting my head and shoulder into his ample gut. I heard him oof out air and also heard cloth tearing as he spun away. We traded a few blows before he decided to flee and leave me with a furious young woman who was sadly examining what was left of the bodice of her homespun dress and the torn top of her linsey-woolsey shift."Look what ya done,. She smiled. “Mine may have too”“I hope I may have had a little to do with that,” he quipped.“Maybe,” she said before quickly leaving the room.A few minutes later, they bumped into one another in the hallway. She was gathering a few last-minute things before taking advantage of a brief break in the action. He was busy putting his ambulance cot back together but took the time to smile and watch as she passed. She loved the attention and he loved getting caught looking.She knew he was watching her. He had been cowardly enough about fire in the past and fled at Blackwater Bay. He would not dishonor himself like that again. Not here. Not now. Even so, even now, it was fire that most horrified him, most unnerved the warrior as well as the man. No blade frightened him, no arrow, nothing but an open flame, particularly ones that spread like wildfire.Wildfire ... no, don’t think of it, Sandor. You cannot afford the disgrace of fear this time. Your men look to you for courage. You must give it.