Chapter 49

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Through them, the Keep had been refurbished, the household had been expanded, and their knights had multiplied in number.

They had also succeeded in gaining favor with Lord Tywin Lannister. Apparently, Sandor had been taken on as a squire by the liege lord of the Westerlands.

Lord Tywin had plans to knight Sandor soon. Furthermore, during his time at Casterly Rock, Sandor got along very well with Tyrion Lannister. That was what really caught Gregor's interest.

Sandor claimed that recently, he and Ser Jaime had helped Tyrion save a young girl from a group of rapists. That must have been Tysha.

Sandor recounted how he had prevented Lord Tywin or Ser Jaime from discovering Tyrion's relationship with Tysha. He had also talked Tyrion out of his idea to marry Tysha.

He had argued to the dwarf that if the marriage was discovered, not only would Lord Tywin have it annulled, but he would have his own men treat Tysha like a common whore just to teach his younger son a lesson.

Gregor was impressed that his brother had given such superb advice. However, Sandor admitted that it was mostly Gregor's advice that he had given to Tyrion.

Thanks to his brother's guidance, Sandor had developed a more practical and realistic view of the world. So indirectly, Gregor had spared Tyrion a dreadful instance of his father's cruelty.

There was even talk of raising House Clegane of Clegane's Keep to lordly status.

Gregor was surprised that he had not heard any of this yet. He also found himself more than a little concerned. Before he moved to Moat Cailin, Lord Tywin had forced the Mountain to sever all his familial connections to the Westerlands.

Tywin was infamous for judging an entire family on the actions of each member. Gregor had lost Lord Tywin's trust, and maybe his respect, too. As such, his sudden interest in Gregor's family was as startling as it was unsettling.

Perhaps Tywin was merely using them as insurance against Gregor in case the Mountain became too powerful.

Maybe if the Legion without Banners clashed with Casterly Rock for whatever reason, Tywin would order Sandor to be killed. The lion lord certainly had the means to execute his brother.

He also had the means to wipe out the occupants of Clegane's Keep if he wished.

He had brought about the downfall of House Reyne and House Tarbeck without any hesitation or remorse, and both of those houses had been much larger than House Clegane.

In any case, Gregor decided to push all his qualms about Tywin Lannister's motivations to the back of his mind. Instead of preaching worries, he expressed his happiness for his family's endurance and prosperity.

Gregor also learned that his parents were trying to forge marriage contracts for Sandor and Ellyn.

Currently, Lady Daliah was considering making a match between her daughter and Raynald Westerling. Gregor was very displeased by that idea, and he let his mother know it.

He pointed out that House Westerling was one of the smallest houses in the Westerlands, and its power and influence was lesser than House Clegane's had ever been.

Gregor contended that his parents could do much better for his sister than the heir of the Crag.

When Gregor asked Sandor if he was involved in any potential betrothals, all the younger Clegane boy told his brother was "Not as of now." He actually seemed unwilling to speak on the subject.

That made Gregor suspicious. The way he saw it, there could only be one of two reasons for his brother's avoidance of the topic.

Either Sandor did not wish to talk about marriage in general, or he was secretly considering a match for himself but did not wish to talk about it for fear of rejection.

Whatever his motive, Gregor agreed to drop the issue.

Sandor was the first one to finish his meal. Once his plate was clean and his goblet empty, he rose from his chair, climbed down from the dais, and remarked "If you'll excuse me."

"Where you off to?" Gregor queried.

"The training yard," Sandor answered him.

Gregor nodded at that and offered "I can join you, if you need a partner."

"Thanks, Greg," Sandor said appreciatively, "But I already have one. Two, actually."

The younger Clegane boy then left the Great Hall without another word spoken. There was a smirk on Sandor's face which did not go unnoticed by Gregor. Dacey had worn a similar expression last night, just before the bedding.

Gregor watched his brother leave, and then he asked no one in particular "What did he mean?"

"Not long after the bedding ceremony, I saw Sandor with a couple of girls," Ellyn explained, "I think they were Dornishwomen."

"Is that right?" Gregor asked his mother.

Lady Daliah nodded and apprised her firstborn "He talked with them for the better part of an hour. When he finally rejoined us, he said that he and those girls would be meeting in the training yard after breakfast today. Evidently, they share a fondness for combat. Isn't that quaint?"

"Well, in Dorne, men and women are equals in everything," Dacey disclosed, "Including the ways of war. That's one thing the North has in common with the Dornish."

"I already knew the Legion accepted women," Daliah stated, "But these Dornishwomen must be quite proficient if they're willing to spar with Sandor."

"Did he say who they were?" Dacey inquired.

"No, but they looked like sisters," Ellyn recounted, "Half-sisters, at least. They were a little younger than Sandor, but a few years older than me."

That information was enough for Dacey and Gregor to figure out who Ellyn had seen with Sandor. The Mountain pronounced "I know them both. Their names are Obara and Nymeria Sand."

Ellyn simply nodded at that, but Daliah frowned. She assumed "You mean they're baseborn?"

"Yes," Gregor professed, "But as it happens, they're the two eldest daughters of Prince Oberyn Martell."

"His two eldest bastard daughters," Daliah remarked with a grimace.

While Daliah Clegane was normally a very tolerant person, she held the typical Westerosi disdain for children born out of wedlock.

Especially when such individuals interacted with her unwed teenage son. Gregor could forgive her that bias; everyone had at least one flaw.

Still, he did not need that form of prejudice in Moat Cailin. Gregor sighed and stated quietly "Mother, a person's birth may denote their place in this world, but it should not influence how they are judged or treated. It certainly does not matter in the Legion without Banners. Bastards are just as valuable and useful here as people of legitimate birth. Besides, Sandor is just clashing steel with Obara and Nymeria. Just because he's exchanging blows with them, that doesn't mean he'll want to exchange vows, too."

Daliah reflected on her son's words. After a few seconds of silence, she murmured "I suppose you're right, Gregor. If I offended anyone, please know I am sorry."

"You needn't apologize, Mother," Gregor asserted, "I cannot fault you for your speaking your mind, or for believing what you were raised to believe. All I ask is that you respect what I believe. And I believe everyone – baseborn and trueborn – should be given a chance to prove themselves."

Daliah smiled at her elder son. Even if she did not share his ideals on the issue of one's birth, she was proud of Gregor for having them.

When breakfast was finished, the Cleganes and the Mormonts headed downstairs as a single group. By this time, all the drunken guests had regained consciousness.

Many could be seen clutching their foreheads or retching on bare patches of grass. The Mountain, his wife, and their families made sure to avoid any such individuals.

Ser Jorah went to check up on those of his men that had accompanied him to the wedding. Lady Maege led Alysane, Lyra, and Jorelle back to their quarters. Lady Daliah and Ellyn got the idea to explore the fortress. Gregor offered them a guide, but they assured him that they could find their own way around the moat.

So Gregor and Dacey were on their own once more. Or alone as they could have been whilst outside and surrounded by scores of guests and fellow Legionnaires.

They had nothing on their immediate agenda. They decided to go on a short walk around the moat. They passed a number of different areas, including the kitchens, the arsenal, the barracks, and the harbor.

About twenty minutes in, they stopped by the training yard. Gregor expected to find his brother there.

Sure enough, Sandor was still in the training yard. He was armed with a longsword. Obara Sand and Nymeria Sand were there with him. They carried their trademark spear and whip respectively.

Obara and Nymeria were too young to be fully inducted into the Legion without Banners. Obara was fourteen; Nymeria thirteen. In a sense, they were mostly Legionnaires-in-training.

So for the time-being, Gregor had them serve as squires to the other top officers of the Legion. Sometimes they even squired under their father.

Despite their youth, both girls were very adept in combat situations. Gregor and Dacey said nothing as they entered the training yard.

They merely stood by and observed the skirmish between the heir to Clegane's Keep and the two eldest Sand Snakes.

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