Chaoter 67: Congratulate?

Even though Gregor had been cut off from the Westerlands, Tywin Lannister seemed to have developed a keen interest in the Mountain's affairs. 

As such, Lord Tywin would have taken it as a slight if he was not given the news of Rickard's birth (or any similar type of news) straightaway. 

Gregor was well-aware of that.

While he personally cared little for the lion lord's feelings (if he actually had any), he knew that any wrong he had done Tywin would reflect badly on his family in the Westerlands. 

Plus, he needed to maintain good relations with the Westerlands so that its residents would continue to serve in the Leigon without Banners. 

So for the time being, Gregor strove to avoid giving Tywin any more reasons to dislike him or suspect him of foul play.

Even with all that said, Tywin Lannister was still not pleased by the news of how Gregor Clegane had fathered a son.

The raven carrying the message had arrived in the middle of the afternoon. After the letter was brought to Lord Tywin, he and his brother Kevan reviewed it together in the lord's solar.

In those days, Kevan was the only person Tywin could fully trust. Their brother Tygett had already died, their brother Gerion was serving in the Legion without Banners, and their sister Genna had a Frey husband. 

For those reasons, Kevan was the only one of Tywin's siblings that he could turn to for reliable advice.

After they thoroughly read the letter, the two men sat in awkward silence for a couple minutes

Kevan was the one who broke it. "I suppose we should write to Lord Gregor and congratulate him for siring his first son."

"The man should be congratulated for far more than just that," Tywin debated, "But I will not be the one to congratulate him."

'Nor shall I ever be.'

"I wouldn't expect you to be, Tywin," Kevan bluntly remarked.

"And why is that?" Tywin asked, genuinely interested.

"Clearly, this news doesn't please you," Kevan observed, "Nothing the Mountain has done in the last four years has pleased you."

"Perhaps not," Tywin admitted, "If so, the fault is his own."

"I will agree some of the fault is his," Kevan countered, "But you should share some of it. You're the one who allowed this… grudge to endure."

'How quickly he rises to defend the Mountain. Against his own brother.'

"Kevan, are arguing for Gregor Clegane over me?" Tywin mumbled, accusation evident in his voice.

"No, I'd never do that," Kevan reassured his elder brother, "I'm merely making a point. Amory Lorch was just one knight. He was easily replaceable. He has been replaced. Why can you not forgive the Mountain for killing him?"

"This is not about Amory Lorch," Tywin apprised his younger brother, "I cared nothing for him. He would have been executed or sent to the Wall for what he did in any case. It was also fortunate that Clegane stopped him before he could slay Princess Elia. He spared us a great amount of political turmoil with Dorne."

"Then why does the fact that he killed Ser Amory continue to upset you?" Kevan said inquisitively.

Tywin looked his brother in the eye and responded with "Because he should not have been anywhere near Amory Lorch during the Sack of King's Landing."

Now Kevan was baffled. "What do you mean?"

"I never told Clegane or anyone else about Lorch's assignment," Tywin revealed, "Lorch alone knew that I had sent him after Prince Rhaegar's wife and children. I know that because he was not the type to share his special orders with others, and I gave him the assignment when he and I were alone in the lords' tent."

Kevan thought on that for a moment, and he theorized, "Could it be possible Gregor overheard your conversation with Lorch?"

"Unless he had the hearing of an actual lion, I'm certain he did not eavesdrop on us," Tywin refuted, "No, he must have known of Lorch's task through some other means. If he did not know, he would have stayed out in the city until we had taken it. I had arranged beforehand for a number of our units to infiltrate and seize the Red Keep, but the Mountain was not one of the intended units."

Kevan lightly nodded his head in acknowledgment of those statements, and he muttered quietly "So what could he have been doing in there? Have you any theory as to why?"

"I have considered many," Tywin disclosed, "Most of them, I have rejected. But there is one that I believe is both conceivable and feasible."

"What might that be?" Kevan questioned curiously.

Tywin paused for a few seconds. He gazed around the room, as though he was checking for holes or openings in the walls or doors. 

After he was wholly certain no one was listening, Tywin shared his hypothesis with his brother.

He told him: "Gregor Clegane must possess a secret knowledge."

Kevan was still bewildered. "A secret knowledge of what?"

"The world at large," Kevan clarified, "Think on all he has done. He stopped Amory Lorch just in time to save Princess Elia, but too late to save her children. He encountered Lord Eddard Stark at the Tower of Joy right when Stark and his men engaged Aerys' Kingsguard in battle. Through simple words, he convinced Robert Baratheon to set aside his feelings for Lady Lyanna Stark; something the King's brothers and closest friends could never do."

"He formed the largest and most diverse fighting force in the Seven Kingdoms, and he knew how to appeal to all of his potential recruits. He has created and produced two new compounds which could revolutionize modern architecture. He married a woman from one of House Stark's most loyal vassals; he wed her after only knowing her a few months. Most of all… he and that woman now have a son together."

Kevan reflected carefully on everything Tywin just told him. He was being to comprehend the argument his brother was making.