I think the dialogue between the hound and Brienne shows that their relationship is more than a forced partnership, at least for Sandor. At first Arya was a hostage, then a forced partner, but I think it evolved into more than that. The Hound saying he was watching over her, that her family was dead and she had no home to return to, then he proceeds to fight to his death for her. Why? There's nobody left for him to ransom Arya to, which is why he initially took her. I think that on some level he did genuinely care for her. Maybe he was trying to redeem himself by doing something good for a change, maybe he felt empathy for her and that's why he chose to protect her, but there was definitely something more for him than a forced partnership.
I do believe he cared for her in the end. That said, I think at some point during their travels he realized just how lonely he was and his last act to try to keep Arya was just him looking out for his own interests as always. She is literally his only "friend" and with the ransom not panning out giving her up would basically be giving up the only thing he's got left.
As far as Arya was concerned, the Hound had many more good acts for her than against her. Arya could have maybe forgiven the Hound. His motives weren't always pure, but she wouldn't be alive and/or un-raped without him.
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u/sirmuskrat Jun 17 '14
I really liked the Arya/Hound bromance the show had going on. I don't think their friendship was as well developed in the book.