i eat trash

‘Must you be a walking nightmare? You can barely dress yourself that I’m left to ponder how possibly you could put one boot on in the mornings.’ He’d say but never take it to heart, he’s more then willing to help you straighten your clothes out or make sure your properly protected from the weathers you might endure. He’s been sleeping beneath hedges and trees longer then he’s actually slept under a roof, so he knows when a bad weather is on the horizon just by watching the movements of the clouds or how hard the wind was blowing that day and tell you to dress accordingly.

This does not stop him from throwing his own cloak over your own if he thinks that yours is too thin to keep you safe from a drizzle of rain or even a strong gust of wind. He did not give two shits, as long as your safe from the elements he’s more than okay with being drenched like a rat, even if he may mumble and complain about it, he’d rather catch cold then you yourself catch a cold.

He’s giving you his said beef without complaining when he sees your going without but not saying much, he’s handing you his rations and making sure you’re sleeping with something within your stomach rather than have you go without.

‘Dunk, no I can’t-‘

‘Eat. That’s all I ask of you.’ He would say without room for argument as his eyes lingered on the fire in front of you, him and a sleeping Egg tucked beneath his rough blankets.

‘It’s your last salt beef dunk.’ You tried to say but Dunk was quick to open your palm and put the salt beef there before closing your hand over it.

‘Just eat.’ And without another word you silently chewed the salty meat in silent thanks as your hunger was quelled and you slept with a full stomach that night. You do try to repay Dunk later down the line and you get the honour of seeing his ears become red as cherries when you do and how his blue eyes seemed to look everywhere but you as he accepts the salt beef you bough with your coin.

Egg is enjoying the material given to him to take the piss out of Dunk whenever he’s with you, he would never let the hedge knight live down his obvious state when it comes to you in the slightest, even if he gets threatened with being clouted in the ear it didn’t stop Egg from stating the obvious now and then whenever he caught Dunk looking at you for longer then he probably should.

His hugs are warmth, his hugs are comfort and grounding unlike anything you’ve ever felt before and once you’ve been in his arms, you never wanted to be let out of his arms ever again because no hearth, no inn nor house could compare to Dunk’s hugs and whispered words of sweetness whenever you, him and Egg find yourselves in a tight situation where you knew violence was the only response necessary to get through to people.

You hated it and Dunk knew that too but there wasn’t much choice in your situation and he was only doing so in hopes that you or Egg don’t come anywhere near the crossfire when shit hits the fan.

‘It’s not your fight.’ You would tell him.

‘It may not be my fight but if I don’t do anything, then who’s to say you won’t get hurt because I refuse to pick up my sword?’ He’d reply. ‘How can I call myself a knight after that?’

You don’t have much to say to him after that because once his mind is made up it’s impossible to get him to see otherwise.

His large hands splashed out against your back as he kept you close to his chest, rubbing up and down at a deliberately slow pace that as you placed your head on his chest, you didn’t wish to be anywhere else at all. Your mind had gone blank and all you could think and feel was Dunk holding you and whispering stories of how he almost got caught stealing a chicken once when he was under the tutelage of Ser Arlan, which earned him a heavy clout in the ear.

‘Does every story end with you getting hit?’ You asked with humour alight within your voice.

‘More or less.’ Dunk would reply and you’d couldn’t help but laugh, forgetting about everything you’ve both seen and only focusing on the here and now. The future could wait for just a night as far as you both are concerned.

He’s a wall of warmth and you would always find yourself leaning towards that warmth whether it’s consciously or unconsciously. Something that brought you safety and security even in the darkest of nights on dangerous roads. He’s keeping you close to him, shielding you with his back so that whatever was going to go for you -or egg- would have to go through him first.

He’s protective to a fault, always keeping you and Egg behind him when danger approaches you three, standing between you and the threat by standing at his full height and doing everything he can to keep you out of harms way by any means necessary. He didn’t care about being hurt in the slightest, it was his duty as a knight to protect the weak and innocent-not to say that you were weak in the slightest- and he was going to do just that even if it meant more punishment would inevitably fall to him.

‘You’re a fool Dunk.’ You’d say as you tended to his wounds, trying your hardest not to show how concerned you were for him, fighting off the tears that threatened to brim your eyes and the ache in your chest that threatened to consume you whole. ‘An utter fool.’

‘An utter fool who’s keeping you and that boy safe.’ He’d reply stubborn as a mule.

‘To the point where you’re incapacitating yourself!’ You’d cry, hating seeing him hurt all the time because you or egg had to step a toe out of line. ‘Are we really worth such troubles Ser Duncan?’

‘Always.’ He’d say truthfully as he looked you in the eyes the way he first when he’s serious about something that means a lot to him.

He’s not got much coin in his pocket but that don’t mean he won’t try to get you something in the slightest that reminded him of you, whether it’d be the wild flowers you’ve come across on your journeys of different shades of yellow, orange, pink and blue or the ripest apple he could find in any market and he would remove the skin if you didn’t like it, or boil the apples over a fire if you liked them softer to chew or just to drink the water.

He’ll do it all for you and more, just don’t ask where he got them from, he’s got a good slight of hand on him and can grab just about anything without anyone so much as seeing him as they were too busy on his tall stature to see what his hands were doing.

'i've had it handled,' you muttered, gripping the reins tight, 'the mud had grown to be like that of sludge overnight.' you heard Egg snicker behind you, and it took all your strength not to look over your shoulder at the little boy and give him a scolding, not when Dunk at his full height was all you could see within your periveral vision. You weren't lying when you were talking about the ground being more muddier overnight, the horses smelt more like horses this morning and damp from the rain that you could still smell alongside the morning dew.

Rain tended to amplify the smell of everything it touched, no matter if it was soil now made to a liquifid sludge underfoot or the pineneedles on the pinetrees, everything smelt like how their named implied.

'well we'll be getting more rain as far as we're heading.' Dunk told you as he gesutred to the dark grey clouds behind him that had clumped together to form a balnket of stormy grey that looked about as appealing as the blistering cold climate of the North. You groaned at the aspect of being face with even more rain, you thanked the gods that you and egg had stuffed your books and scrolls into a large leather bound bag, knowing that they'll keep in the rain but the same couldn't be said for either you, egg or Dunk as you were all wearing hooded cloaks across your shoulders that were made of enough wool to make two of the three of you -Dunk and yourself- sweat literal buckets.

'that's great.' You grumbled.

'scared of rainfall (name)?' Egg asked cheekily, you and Dunk look at one another as if to say; do you hear how he speaks? we're far too leniant with the boy for our own liking.

'it's not that,' you retorted, 'it's well and fine after the drought we've suffered this spring, but it's been raining for the past few days you'd think the streams and banks would be overfilled with it by now.' Dunk hummed in agreement as he mounted Thunder. 'they maybe overfilled but it's better overfilled then empty and desolate.' He said as he dug his heels into the horse's side, 'so we best be off now before the rain softens the mud even more then it already has in case someone can't get on their horse again.' he casted you a playful smile and all you could do was shoot him a halfharted smile back as you followed after him, hearing Egg snickered behind you.

It's going to be a long ride. you thought to yourself.

And the rain got to the three of you quicker then any of you would've liked as you stopped to set up the tent in a open clearing after passing Duskendale along the way, hoping to breeze pass Harrenhal on the Kingsroad and continuing the journey to the North and the Wall beyond that. However the rain had come down hard and fast that by the time Dunk, Egg and yourself were inside you were dripping with rain water and Egg's floppy straw hat was droopy and threatning to come apart at the seems, like it was paper slowly disolving within water. Your cloaks were no better then you were, heavy with rainwater and suddenly a thousand pounds heavier because of it, all lying in three wet heaps before you pathetically.

'i know you said it would rain again but this is riddiculous.' you said as you peeked out of the front of the tent, watching as the rain seeimgly fell harder and faster compared to when it first began as a couple of droplets hitting you on the head. Dunk and Egg joined you in poking their heads out of the tent to watch the rain, all of you were pratically squashed together but none of you seemed to mind as you were feeling a little warmer in thanks to Dunk next to you. That man ran warmer then most which proved to be an advantage in times like these as you fought the urge to not lean against him and soak in his warmth some more, no matter how tempting it might be and so you focused on the rain instead, and not about how nicely you'd slot against Dunk's side all the while pulling Egg and tucking him into your side to keep him warm as well.

You haven't known the pair long but they've grown on you in ways you'd least expected in such a short amount of time, their dynamic never failed to make you laugh and smile from afar when you first glanced them, and now you were journing with the pair and indulged in their antics by throwing in your thoughts and opinions to the point where the company of knight and squire had grown to include you into their comapnionship.

The pair had wandered into your small missable town for work about a month ago and the end of that month they left the town much after a conspiratorial conflict with you in toe. You had helped Dunk to keep Egg safe and out of sight while the hedge knight dealt with an unruly robber knight that targeted the bald boy. You had no real plans as to where you wanted to go, you just wanted to be out of your town and go wherever the wind took you and they were your only way to do so considering how dangerous the roads were for one to venture alone.

'my hat.' egg sulked.

'we'll get you a new one if it pleases, now quit sulking becuase we're going to be here for a while.' Dunk replied from beside you. egg only glared at him before muttering under his breath that he wasn't sulking, just merely mourning the loss of his favourite straw hat. 'that's called sulking boy, you do it often enough for me to know when you are.' Dunk shot back and You couldn't help but smile at the pair as they went back and forth with their insults and threats of being clouted in the ear that never come to fruition, save for the one occasion where Dunk actually did clout Egg on the ear, but that was a completely different story for another time.

'what's got you laughing and smiling then?' Dunk asked you as he heard your laughter in his ear like a melody he could never forget, he liked that despite the downpour slowing down your progress to the North you still found something to smile and laugh at, brightening the small tent and him, while the bittercold stayed beyond the tent and the horses tied to a neaby tree who'd surely smell even more like horses by the time the rain passes by. Dunk had a soft spot for when you smiled and he was the cause of it, whether directly or indirectly it don’t matter he’ll take what he could get and however he go it, and could never bring himself to speak to you the way he speaks to Egg but that don’t mean he wasn’t one to be above sharing lighthearted barbs with you now and then.

‘Oh nothing, just how silly the pair of you are within the company of another,’ you told him, ‘one wouldn’t think that you were knight and squire but more or less two brothers squabbling over who gets the last fish. It’s endearing and sweet in a way.’ You finished before looking over at Dunk. ‘That and you’re really warm and I’m still cold from the rain.’ Dunk almost choked on air, causing Egg to laugh from behind the book he had pulled out from the leather bound bag you hastily brought in off of your palfrey’s back, averting his eyes to the side or out towards the downpour of rain outside the tent before even thinking of looking back towards you.

‘Ser Duncan can keep you warm if the cold displeases you, I’m sure he’s ready and willing to keep you warm however way you may want to be warmed.’ Egg jested, his violet eyes filled with mischief and knowing as he looked over at Dunk, who looked back at him with warning within the depths of his blue eyes.

‘I ought to clout you in the ear for your loose tongue.’ Dunk said but Egg merely shrugged his shoulders and looked back at his book, though not before saying. ‘It’s not a loose tongue if it’s obvious as how eager you are to please (name) on a whim.’ Dunk flushed with embarrassment and was trying to find the words to dispute Egg’s claim but you merely put a hand on his to bring his attention back to you, his eyes wide at being caught and his ears as red as cherries. It was humours to see a near seven foot tall man such as Dunk reduced to a skittish little boy over a few comments that now you knew held some truth from the way he was squirming under your gaze.

‘He speaks with speculation.’ Dunk told you.

You raised a brow. ‘Oh really? That’s a shame I was hoping you’d be so kind as to hold me as we three watch the rain together, praying that it passes fast.’ You replied as you went back to watching the rain that didn’t seem to bother you as much anymore, not when you were in great company such as Dunk and Egg. You kept watching the rain but could clearly see Dunk at war with himself as he shuffled closer to you, his warmth already warming you and he was only pressing a shoulder against your own. It wasn’t long before you felt his strong arms cradle you to his chest like you were made out of porcelain or other delicate materials that required a gentler touch then that of the calloused hands of a hedge knight.

Dunk huffed a sigh once you were fully flushed to his chest, soaking in the warmth you’ve dreamed of having for yourself, hearing him mutter under his breath. ‘Warmth is best shared after all, it would be wrong of me to allow you to suffer further cold then you have already, I would’ve given you my cloak but mine as as damp with rainwater as yours and Egg’s. So my body will have to do if that pleases you.’

‘It pleases me greatly.’ You whispered to him before remembering Egg and opening up your arms to the boy. ‘Come Egg, you must be cold too.’ You said and the little boy stared at you and Dunk, taking in the sight of you with your back to his front with outstretched arms towards him. He was uncharacteristically quite for a while as though contemplating a complex situation within his head, only until the rain outside seemed to lessen to a regular downpour then the onslaught it was moments prior did he put aside his book and moved himself into your arms.