As Brienne and Podrick march towards the Bloody Gate (horseless, thanks to Pod), they find Arya practicing with Needle. Brienne strikes up a conversation with her, and they talk about their swords and learning to fight. Sandor eventually emerges from his morning deuce and Podrick recognizes him immediately, which causes Brienne to recognize Arya. She tries to explain that she swore an oath to Catelyn Stark to protect her. Arya doubts this, asking why she didnt protect her mother. Brienne says she was sent to bring back Jaime Lannister, which prompts Sandor to accuse her of working for the Lannisters. Brienne denies this, but with Oathkeeper at her side, she doesnt sound convincing. She implores Arya to come with her so shell be safe, but Sandor exclaims that with her family dead, safety doesnt exist anymore. Brienne and Sandor draw their swords, and the showdown begins. Brienne of Tarth vs. The Hound! Its a brutal fight, with both of them eventually losing their swords and fighting hand-to-hand. Sandor overpowers her at one point and, contrary to fighting etiquette, kicks her when shes down. Luckily, Brienne knows how to fight dirty as well, and once she regains her footing, she finishes the fight by biting off a chunk of Sandors ear and knocking him off a cliff side. After getting her breath, she and Podrick search for Arya, but the girl is nowhere to be found. Despite her complicated history with the Starks and Lannisters, Brienne takes her oaths seriously. Shes determined to bring Arya and Sansa back to safety. However, Sandor brings up a good point. It doesnt matter where she goes now, she wont be safe, especially with the Lannisters. At least Sandor is exposing her to the realities of life, although he wont be for much longer. As for Brienne and Podrick, they wont be finding Arya anytime soon. Their best bet is to track down Sansa, although with her new identity in place, she wont be easy to find either.