Chapter Two: The Inevitable

A few days later, Gregor's mother informed him, Sandor, and their father that she was with child again. Initially, Gregor was surprised. Then he remembered; in the first book, there was a chapter that mentioned that the Clegane brothers had a sister. So this must have been her.

From what Gregor recalled, the sister had died under "mysterious" circumstances. Just as his father had died turning a hunt "accident." Come to think of it, a number of servants and residents of Clegane's Keep vanished "suspiciously" during the original Gregor's tenure. He was not about to let those rumors take root. As long as he was around, even the dogs in the Keep would all remain accounted for.

While Gregor's greatest strengths involved a sword and a suit of armor, he had not spent all of his childhood in the training yard. Often, he took private lessons with Maester Velix. He had a bit of an innate desire to learn anything that could be useful. Perhaps that was a trait that had lingered from his previous life. The original Gregor Clegane certainly never gave much thought to education, after all.

Velix was relatively young for a maester, but he was full of wisdom and eagerness to teach his young charge.

Gregor already knew that his house had been created when his grandfather Alyver – the kennelmaster of Casterly Rock – saved Lord Tytos Lannister from a lioness. Three of his grandfather's dogs had died fighting alongside their master; those were the same three dogs in the Clegane family's sigil.

House Clegane was not run by a lord. It had attained knightly status, but not masterly or lordly. Basically, it was a house of landed knights. All the "milords" Gregor and his father received were mere courtesies.

Clegane's Keep was not very large or alluring. It had already been in a sorry state when Ser Alyver and his wife had settled into it. So far, the Keep had not fared much better under the command of Gregor's father, Ser Tarrence. If anything, it had gotten even more unpleasant to look at. Gregor hoped that whenever he became the lord of the Keep, he would be able to refurbish it or make it look less foreboding. He had proposed the idea to his father, but Ser Tarrence seemed to care very little for the building's cleanliness or appearance.

At the very least, Ser Tarrence had a better marriage than his own father. Ser Alyver's wife, Lady Tessia, was not a lady by birth. She had been one of the kitchen wenches of Casterly Rock who simply had the fortune to be wed to Lord Tytos' one-time savior.

As for Ser Tarrence, his wife – Lady Daliah – was born a Lydden of Deep Den. She was the youngest daughter of Lord Lewys Lydden. That was something of a special privilege for House Clegane. It was not often that lords of noble houses married their children into newly-formed knightly houses.

Strangely enough, even though that had been an arranged marriage, there was now more love between Ser Tarrence and Lady Daliah than there had ever been between Ser Alyver and Lady Tessia. That was demonstrated quite well by how Alyver and Tessia only had one child, yet Tarrence and Daliah had two, soon to be three.

Lady Daliah's third pregnancy went by without incident. Maester Velix tended to her every need, and her husband and sons were very mindful of her well-being.

Throughout the nine months leading up to his sister's birth, Gregor was fearful that Lady Daliah might die in childbirth. Neither the books nor the show ever specified how Gregor and Sandor's mother died, and the miracle of birth was not without risk. Gregor had actually come to love Daliah as much as he loved his mother from his previous life.

His worries turned out to be unfounded. In fact, this time, the birthing process for was much more straightforward than Gregor's or Sandor's had been. As before, Maester Velix oversaw the procedure. Ryna, sadly, had perished during the last winter. The role of midwife went to Gregor and Sandor's wet nurse, Bernice.

After two hours of labor, Ellyn Clegane came into the world. She was rather small, compared to the sizes her brothers had been. But she was by no means frail or weak. Maester Velix declared that she would grow up to be strong. Her parents and her brothers were elated by that news.

Gregor had a fairly decent family in this world. However, he knew that he would not be able to stay within them in Clegane's Keep forever. It would have been naïve and foolish to have assumed so. Also, if he never went anywhere, his new life would be full of nothing but wasted opportunity.

He spent the first dozen years of his life contemplating what he would do when he left the Keep and saw more of the world. So far, he did not even know if this universe followed the events of the books, the show, or if it was a combination of both. As a precaution, he made plans for all three. Of course, things rarely ever went according to plan in any of the franchise's worlds. Luckily, he got around this by having a backup plan to almost any possible scenario.

On his thirteenth name day, Gregor decided he had spent enough time planning. It was time for him to get out and start making a name for himself. After all, if he was to get anywhere, he had to have a reputation.

A month after he turned thirteen, Gregor rode to Casterly Rock and offered his sword to Tywin Lannister. He had forecasted that his first encounter with Lord Tywin would not be a pleasant one. It was not. Tywin was every bit as cold, calculating, and wary as he had been in any medium. He was less than receptive of Gregor, despite knowing that his grandfather had rescued his lord father. Or maybe that was why he was so unwelcoming. Lord Tytos' eldest son had held little affection for him, after all

Still, had he not stood a whole foot higher than Lord Tywin, and had he not been aware of Lord Tywin's ultimate fate, Gregor probably would have been intimidated by their first meeting. But he was careful not to let his apprehension show. That would have been seen as weakness, and the last thing he needed was to be seen as weak.

Tywin Lannister was impressed by Gregor's prowess, swordsmanship, and resilience. However, he was never one to render a judgment from appearance alone. So Lord Tywin gave Gregor an assignment to prove his usefulness.

A couple days earlier, three of the Rock's servants had stolen a hundred golden dragons from the vault's treasury and killed two of the guards in their escape from the city. Gregor's job was to go after the thieves and bring back the gold.

Gregor left Casterly Rock with a promise that he would return. Less than twenty-four hours later, he did. He presented Lord Tywin with two chests. The first one held all one hundred golden dragons. The other one contained the heads of the three thieves.

Those were the first men Gregor had killed in this universe. But they were not the first ones he had ever killed. He had been forced to use his firearm on several occasions in his previous life. Killing brought him no personal pleasure in either of his lives. But at least in this world, whenever he killed someone, he would not have to fill out an excessive amount of paperwork to explain why.

At any rate, Tywin Lannister was satisfied with Gregor's performance. He granted him the right to function as a keeper of his peace, and he tasked him with maintaining order in the Westerlands.

The next four years of Gregor's life witnessed a fair amount of excitement. Many times, Lord Tywin Lannister called on him to bring renegade criminals to justice. Every time, Gregor delivered.

It did not take long for his name to be recognized beyond the Westerlands. He had successfully developed a reputation. It was not stained as heavily with blood as the original Gregor Clegane's, but it was still fearsome.

Gregor was ruthless in his dispensing of the King's justice. Thieves lost their hands. Rapists lost their cocks. Murderers lost their heads. He did not allow any guilty party to sway him. Anytime a crime was committed in the Westerlands, the perpetrator was punished severely and harshly. Oftentimes, Gregor saw to the chastisement personally. He made it quite clear that no breaches of law would be tolerated.

Gregor did, however, have standards. For instance, he went out of his way to ensure that all innocent parties were left unmolested. He would not have guiltless blood be spilt on his account. He also gave every criminal he captured alive the option to take the black. Anyone who accepted that option was sent unharmed to the Wall.

When he worked for the CIA, regulations required him to give a suspect the chance to yield. In this world, offering mercy was viewed as a weakness. Instead, the suspect had to voluntarily surrender, or his life was forfeit.

Overtime, Gregor formed his own platoon of men-at-arms. Some of them, he easily recognized. Polliver. Dunsen. Rafford the Sweetling. Eggon. Tobbot. Chiswyck. Even Shitmouth and the Tickler were among them.

Most of them lived in the towns adjoining Clegane's Keep. The majority of them were natives of the Westerlands. All of them were at least a few years older than Gregor. Yet they all looked up to him (both literally and figuratively), and they respected his authority and his orders without question.

Their biggest defect was their notable lack of intelligence. By himself, Gregor was smarter than the lot of them combined. But interestingly, being so stupid also made them rather impressionable. It turned out that most of the Mountain's men were not actually cruel and sadistic by nature. Almost all of them must have been that way because they had so devoutly followed the original Gregor's actions and temperament by example.

Never one to waste a resource, Gregor decided to take advantage of how dim-witted his men-at-arms were. He laid out the fundamental guidelines of his squad. Mainly, they could be summarized in four points: no harming the innocent, no using excessive force, no showing too much leniency, and no allowing crimes to go unpunished. To his good fortune, nearly all of his men seemed to understand and accept those rules without question. Anyone who could not comply with them was dismissed from the unit.

Normally, Gregor would have felt guilty for being so manipulative. Then he remembered what these men could have been capable of under less favorable guidance. So he quickly set his mind at ease.

Amazingly, a few of The Mountain's Men were actually capable of exhibiting compassion and empathy. Like Gregor, they could be merciless towards the guilty, but tender towards the innocent. That gave Gregor hope that he really could instill some form of positive change in Westeros.

During his travels throughout the Westerlands, Gregor had the opportunity to become acquainted with members of many of the region's noble houses. He actually managed to make a few friends along the way. Chiefly among them were Forley Prester, Flement Brax, Addam Marbrand, Lyle Crakehall, and Jaime Lannister himself. The six of them became a tight circle of friends. Whenever Gregor was not with his men-at-arms, he was almost always in the company of one or more of those men.

Gregor was unable to prevent Jaime from entering the Kingsguard. As Gregor knew, the only reason Jaime ever wished to join the Kingsguard was because Lord Tywin was so certain that Mad King Aerys would choose Cersei as Rhaegar's bride. Even after Aerys refused the betrothal, the idea of naming Jaime to the Kingsguard had not died. This time, the Mad King planned to appoint Jaime to that position with the sole intention of depriving Tywin Lannister of his heir. In response, Tywin had resigned his office as Hand of the King.

Gregor had his fifteenth name day in 280 A.C. That was the year before the infamous tourney at Harrenhal. It was also the year the tourney was announced. Rhaegar Targaryen had gone to Casterly Rock to invite Lord Tywin personally. Frustrated by the upcoming loss of his heir, Tywin refused. Jaime, however, was looking forward to go. It was at the tourney that he would be knighted and added to the Kingsguard.

Gregor had been at Casterly Rock when Rhaegar arrived. He had the pleasure of meeting the Crown Prince in person. As a reward for all his hard work with keeping the peace in the Westerlands, Rhaegar himself knighted the Mountain, making him Ser Gregor Clegane of Clegane's Keep.

Although Lord Walter Whent was hosting the tourney at Harrenhal, Gregor knew that the tourney was actually Rhaegar's idea. He also knew that Rhaegar was plotting to remove his insane father from power, and that the tourney was just an excuse for him to speak privately with the great lords in the realm. What really concerned Gregor was the scandal that would result from the tourney. He doubted he would be able to prevent it, but he had to try, all the same.

Gregor was not about to invite himself to the tourney at Harrenhal. One did not request an invitation from a royal. So this may have been his only opportunity to speak with Rhaegar. He used his time and chose his words carefully.

Basically, he advised the prince to be careful, and to consider all the possible repercussions of all his actions. He subtly suggested to Rhaegar that he not do anything impulsive before, during, or after – especially after – the tourney.

Unlike his paranoid father, the Crown Prince was not one to ignore words of caution. He willingly listened to the Mountain's counsel. However, Gregor's anxiety was not hard to notice. During their conversation, Rhaegar ask the younger man if there was a reason why he seemed so restless. Gregor claimed he was merely concerned for the prince's welfare. He pointed out that anything could happen at the tourney, especially since all the great houses would be represented.

Ultimately, Rhaegar just gave Gregor his assurance that he would be mindful of his actions, and that he would do nothing hasty or irrational. Gregor saw no reason to mistrust the Crown Prince, so he took him at his word.

Alas, Rhaegar's word turned out to be insufficient.

Soon enough, the year 281 A.C. arrived. The weather of that year was erratic. At first, it appeared as though the current winter would end. But just when the snows seemed to completely recede, the temperature dropped substantially. For that reason, it was known as the Year of the False Spring.

The tourney of Harrenhal was held, and it happened exactly as it was supposed to. Rhaegar Targaryen ended up naming Lady Lyanna Stark his Queen of Love and Beauty over his wife, Princess Elia Martell.

Everyone in the Seven Kingdoms was reveling in that bit of gossip for months after the tourney ended.

The year after the Year of the False Spring, the already fragile balance of Westeros was finally shattered by a tragic chain of events:

Lyanna Stark being supposedly abducted from Winterfell by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and three of the Kingsguard. Brandon Stark riding all the way to King's Landing, publicly demanding for Rhaegar's head. Brandon's arrest and subsequent murder (or execution, as some called it), along with that of his father, Lord Rickard Stark. The Mad King demanding the heads of Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon from their mentor, Lord Jon Arryn. Lord Arryn's refusal to comply and calling of his banners.

The country was officially at war then.

The Vale, the North, the Riverlans, and the Stormlands (save for House Connington) were all in open rebellion against the crown. The Crownlands could only rely on support from the Reach and Dorne. The Iron Islands and the Westerlands stayed out of the fighting.

The Iron Islands' neutrality was no surprise; the Ironborn cared little for the politics of the Seven Kingdoms. The Westerlords' refusal to choose a side was a little more astonishing.

The Westerlords knew that their liege lord was merely bidding his time and waiting for the opportune mount to call his banners. He would not do so until he could determine with absolutely certainty which side would be the victorious one.

Some may have called that a craven's tactic. Lord Tywin Lannister cared not; this course of action would ensure his peoples' survival.

So while the rest of the realm bled, the Westerlands stayed whole. There were some houses who would have been content to join either side, but out of fear for what Lord Tywin would do to them, they stayed home. If it had been up to him, Gregor would have sided with the rebels without question. Still, he was hoping to avoid losing favor with Lord Tywin.

Lord Tywin kept the Westerlands neutral throughout almost the entire Rebellion.

It was not until the Battle of the Trident, when Robert Baratheon killed Rhaegar Targaryen in single combat, that he finally called his own banners.

The Westerlords were quickly and deftly assembled. In his father's place, Gregor himself commanded the soldiers of House Clegane. Including his contingent of men-at-arms, there were less than a hundred men, but each and every one of them was fierce, hardened, and loyal to the bone.

As the Westerlords began the long march to King's Landing, Gregor became increasingly worried. The most atrocious thing the original Gregor had ever done took place during the Sack of King's Landing. Even though Gregor would never do that horrible thing now, he had no reassurance that someone else would not do it in his stead. His own men, he could trust not to harm Princess Elia and her children. But they were less than a hundred men among twelve thousand. Their numbers were far too few to protect the royal family.

This was the first occasion where all of Gregor's planning paid off. The solution to this dilemma could be found through a means other than fighting. All he had to do was search for a certain spider.

If the spider proved to be elusive or stubborn, Gregor would just have to rely on himself to rescue Princess Elia and her children. One way or another, he was determined to get them out of that shithole of a city.