Chapter 44: I missed you!

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Sandor, on the other hand, had already become an expert rider. He was astride a large, fierce-looking black destrier.

That stallion must have been a young Stranger If not, he had to be either his father or brother. Gregor made a note to inform the stableboys to be mindful of that beast.

As the Clegane procession was granted entrance into the moat, Gregor, Dacey, and Maege made their way down to the courtyard. They met up with his family at the stables.

Gregor was able to warn the stableboys in time. His timing was perfect; the stableboys were tasked with handling the unruly animal just a few seconds later.

Dacey and her mother were almost as eager to see Gregor's family as he was. They was hardly surprising, given that they would all soon be related by law. At any rate, Gregor was all too pleased to oblige them.

Gregor gave his family a warm greeting. He kissed his mother on the cheek, patted his brother on the back, and hugged his sister affectionately. A few words were exchanged, mostly along the lines of "I missed you so much."

After this reunion, he introduced the Mormonts and the other Cleganes to one another. The six of them spent the entire day together.

Gregor's fiancée took a quick liking to his younger brother and sister, and they to her. Interestingly, Sandor and Dacey were approximately the same age. They were roughly the same height, as well. Gregor wondered which of them would make the better warrior.

They must have wondered the same. Around midday, the two of them went a few rounds in the training yard with each other. Gregor knew what to expect from Dacey, but he had not seen Sandor fight in three years.

Evidently, the younger Clegane boy had not neglected his brother's teachings. He had practiced them and improved upon them greatly. It appeared Ser Wallis Peckledon had taught him a few more advanced techniques, as well.

It turned out Sandor and Dacey were equally proficient combatants, just as Gregor and Lady Maege were. That was an intriguing outcome. If either of them sparred with his future mother-by-law, Gregor would technically know if their skills were superior, inferior, or equal to his.

Sandor was not the only one who had changed. Ellyn had grown more than either of her brothers had in the last three years. She had to be the tallest girl of ten Gregor had ever seen.

Six more inches, and she would have towered over Lady Daliah. Her feminine features were starting to come in, as well. She still bore a child's face, but she would not have a child's body for much longer.

While he was happy for his sister's forthcoming transition into womanhood, Gregor was a little stunned that it was happening so early in her life. It could have just been a product of her Clegane genetics, but still…

'Why is everyone so damn precocious in this universe?'

He could not be blamed for thinking that. Ever since the first book, he had noticed that the children in the franchise grew up very quickly. Dany married at thirteen, pregnant at fourteen.

Jon joining the Night's Watch at fourteen. Robb being crowned King of the North at fifteen. Sansa having her moon's blood at twelve. Arya killing a boy at nine. Bran able to climb a tower at seven.

Then again, in order to survive in a world like this, children would have to mature faster than they would in Gregor's first life.

So maybe there was more realism in their early rise into adulthood than there initially appeared to be. As it happened, Dacey was not yet seventeen. But in every aspect other than age, she was a woman already.

In the fortnight before Gregor's family reached Moat Cailin, Lady Maege Mormont had been primarily responsible for making all the preparations for the wedding. In the fortnight after, Lady Daliah assisted her greatly. The two women shouldered the burden in equal amounts.

Food and drink were not major concerns. Moat Cailin was stocked well enough to feed an army on a regular basis (and did). Of course, they would need more than the Legion's standard rations to satisfy the wedding guests.

Luckily, the moat was stored with enough provisions to last the current occupants an entire decade. Furthermore, many of the guests would be bringing dishes of their own to the feast.

Providing accommodations for all the guests was a little more challenging. By this point, eleven of the moat's towers had been rebuilt, bringing the total up to fourteen.

Even so, most of the new rooms were currently occupied by the Legionnaires. Either some of would have to share lodgings, or the guests would have to take up residence in the towns or camp outside the walls.

It was considered rude to force a guest to sleep outside, so Maege and Daliah were leaned towards the former option.

The decorations and entertainment were relatively modest. The banners of House Mormont and House Clegane (both of them) would be hung from many of the walls.

A few elaborate tapestries would be put up, too. Additionally, a score of singers had offered to provide musical accompaniment for the feast.

After interviewing them, Daliah and Maege selected the five most talented among the twenty and hired them for the occasion.

The hardest detail was the ceremony itself. Specifically, which faith it would be done in.

Like all Northern families (except House Manderly of White Harbor), the Mormonts were devout followers of the Old Gods. Gregor Clegane, however, had been raised to believe in the New Gods.

Despite the Mountain's relocation to the North, he still practiced his faith of the Seven. Publically, at least. Privately… he had never really followed them.

Although Gregor was a recognized practitioner of that faith, he had never really admitted any belief in it to himself.

To him, the hardest thing to grasp about this world was all the different religions. Of course, he was aware that religion would always been a sensitive subject in every world.

In his previous life, Gregory Welch had been a Catholic, but he had still accepted and respected all other religions and those who practiced them, as well as atheists.

All throughout elementary, middle, and high school, he had been a firm believer in his family's religion. After he left home to start college, his beliefs had begun to diminish.

Being in a new environment certainly had that effect on people.

During the final years of his life, Gregory had considered himself more of an agnostic. He still liked to entertain the idea of a higher power, but he had put more conviction in science and discovery. Even so, in the back of his mind, he never lost his faith.

Gregor was unsure if he still believed in God in this life. In any case, some divine being must have been responsible for bringing him to this universe. Because if not that, who or what else could have been responsible?

Strictly speaking, if there was a god of this world, it would most likely be George R.R. Martin himself. With that in mind, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss may have been lesser gods.

Regardless of who the real god or gods may have been, Gregor was just glad they had allowed him to form a union with someone as marvelous as Dacey Mormont.

After discussing the issue with their mothers, Gregor and Dacey decided to have a ceremony that mixed both of their faiths. It would be conducted by a septon, but it would take place before a heart tree.

That way, the marriage would be legitimate in the eyes of both the Old Gods and the New.

During the first year of his occupation of Moat Cailin, Gregor had planned to give the moat a godswood. Growing one naturally would have been impossible.

So Gregor had a group of Northern Legionnaires go to the Isle of Faces and uproot a cluster of weirwood trees. The trees were then replanted in the eastern section of the moat. One of them was a fully grown heart tree.

In order to conduct the ceremony properly, Gregor would need a cloak bearing the sigil and colors of his House.

Obviously, he could not use the cloak Ser Tarrence had draped over Lady Daliah's shoulders at their own wedding. That cloak belonged to the Cleganes of Clegane's Keep.

Daliah Clegane took the time to make a new cloak for her firstborn son. He could have commissioned a team of seamstresses for the job, but his mother insisted on doing it herself.

Lady Daliah started with a large piece of purple cloth (Purple was the color that represented prosperity. For that reason, Gregor had adapted it as the official color of his own house).

After fashioning the material into a cloak, Daliah had sewn the image of a large mountain on the back of it.

She reproduced the image exactly as it appeared on Gregor's banners, right down to the nine small figures at the base of the mountain.

The final product was absolutely stunning. He spent ten whole minutes praising his mother's handiwork. The sight of the cloak made Gregor long for the moment when he would wrap it around Dacey's shoulders.

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