Lord Auren's foresight proved accurate. Captain of the guard, Garen Lannister, safely escorted Alik back to Clegane's Keep. Just as expected, Ser Gregor was accompanying Lord Tywin at the gold mining site in Goldenleaf Bay. That was fortunate, because when Alik found Lady Jeyne in the sanctuary, she was alone with the Witch of the Woods. No one else was present.
Alik remembered Lord Auren's stern warning: Keep a low profile. Do not boast about the noodle house's booming business in front of Lord Tywin, or he might raise taxes.
Following that advice, Alik humbly requested a private meeting with Lady Jeyne in her room.
Alik was excited. In just half a day, the noodle house had brought in over 400 gold dragons, a considerable fortune. He was genuinely happy for the lord and lady.
Since Ser Gregor's return to Clegane, his care for his people didn't require songs from bards or praise from maesters, everyone knew it in their hearts. They had their own sense of justice. They saw what their lord did, what he gave, what he enforced, and what he taught them. No one was blind to it.
Gregor had done a great deal for his people, and he never spoke of it. He never uttered a single word of self-praise. He remained fearsome in appearance, yet the villagers no longer feared him. Instead, they began to feel gratitude… and respect.
No matter how terrifying he seemed, even when a villager made a mistake, there were no more harsh punishments. Quite the opposite, whenever any villager faced hardship, whether it be financial troubles at home or humiliation by knights from neighboring lands, they could count on Julie Clegane and the Clegane cavalry to arrive by day's end and demand justice.
No matter the rank of the offender, lord, knight, or noble, they had to apologize and pay compensation. Otherwise, Ser Gregor himself would come knocking. This protection, once unheard of, filled the villagers with profound gratitude. In just a short time, no one, whether a knight, noble, or commoner, dared bully the people of Clegane's Keep again.
Alik, who once feared Ser Gregor, now respected him. It all felt so natural. Gregor did not speak, only acted, and the results were swift and tangible. Like water flowing quietly, where there is water, a channel will form.
Alik passed Lord Auren's message along to Lady Jeyne. She was pleased. Alik reported that word of the noodle house was spreading quickly throughout the city, and customers would only continue to grow. Lady Jeyne praised Alik's hard work and rewarded him with a copper star, making Alik even more delighted.
But then,
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Someone gently rapped at Lady Jeyne's door. The knocking was hesitant, timid. The sound was faint.
Alik opened the door. A young boy stood there in the robe of a maester's apprentice. His name was Andy Serrett. His mother, Lady Ellen, oversaw the kitchens. His father, Allen Serrett, had been poisoned by the Strangler.
"Andy, come in," Lady Jeyne said with a warm smile.
Her smile was gentle and kind, easing the boy's nervousness.
Andy stepped in, holding a wax-sealed scroll in his hand.
"Where is the letter from?" she asked.
"Casterly Rock," the boy replied softly.
Andy, a clever and studious seven-year-old, was shy and introverted, but he had an excellent memory, perfect for apprenticing under Maester Harry.
While Ser Gregor and Maester Harry had gone with Lord Tywin to inspect the mines at Goldenleaf Bay, the maester's chambers had been entrusted to young Andy, including the care of the ravens.
"Very well, you may go," Lady Jeyne said gently.
"Yes, my lady." The boy bowed, stepped back two paces respectfully, then turned and left.
"I must return to Lannisport," Alik said. "I'll take my leave as well."
"Go safely," Lady Jeyne replied with a nod and a smile.
Alik gave a deep bow, then exited the room, quietly closing the door behind him.
Lady Jeyne broke the wax seal and unrolled the letter. It was from her father, Gawen Westerling, who had returned to Casterly Rock. He asked when she and Ser Gregor would return for their family wedding. At the end of the letter, he reported troubling news:
After returning to Ashemark, Lord Damon Marbrand and his son Addam had rallied all the northern nobles and declared they would not return the lands they had bought and seized from House Westerling. More than twenty noble houses from the North had now united and refused to submit to Ser Gregor.
If Gregor tried to force them, they would not fear war.
Lady Jeyne read the letter in silence.
She knew most of the twenty houses posed little threat alone, and none dared oppose Gregor openly. But with the Marbrands at their head, the situation changed.
If the Marbrands bribed or coerced the others, a full northern alliance was entirely possible. Gregor would never be able to subdue the entire North by force.
Together, they commanded tens of thousands, many times the combined forces of Clegane and Westerling.
And in these peaceful times, Lord Tywin would never tolerate large-scale civil war between noble houses. A few dead guards was a trifle, but a war between lords was another matter entirely.
Gregor had been firm, brutally so. On the King's Road near Casterly Rock, he had slain four of the Marbrand knights with a single greatsword strike to send a message. But it seemed that the show of force had backfired. Rather than being intimidated, the Marbrands only grew bolder.
Lord Damon Marbrand clearly believed Gregor couldn't touch him. He had returned to Ashemark, a city protected by a river that flowed from the highlands, forming a natural moat. This river was the source of the Tenglestone, which joined the Red Fork downstream.
Ashemark itself had towering walls and a garrison of over a thousand. In the event of war, they could rally three thousand men in short order. With support from the twenty northern houses, raising ten thousand troops wouldn't be difficult.
Lady Jeyne mulled over the matter, realizing just how dire the situation was.
Gregor's words had already been made public. If they failed to reclaim the Westerling lands, both House Westerling's reputation and Ser Gregor's honor would be irreparably damaged.
And Gregor would never retreat.
But the last intimidation had failed, and the Marbrands were clearly not backing down.
Moreover, Lord Tywin's mother had been born a Marbrand. She was Lord Damon's aunt. By blood, Jeyne, an adopted daughter, could never compare.
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The next day, Ser Gregor and Lord Tywin returned from Goldenleaf Bay. Tywin planned to leave for Casterly Rock the following day.
That evening, Lady Jeyne lay atop Ser Gregor and read him the letter from her father.
Gregor was silent for a long moment after hearing it. Then he said, "Tomorrow, I'll have Sweetmouth Raff escort you with our knights back to Casterly Rock. Let your parents prepare the wedding. I'll arrive in ten days to marry you properly."
"Ten days?" Lady Jeyne's eyes sparkled like golden honey. "Where will you go? What will you do?"
"I'm going to fetch a grand gift for my in-laws."
"Our land?" Jeyne asked, clever as ever.
"Our land," Gregor said calmly. "Even if the heavens fall, I will take it back. I will not yield."
"But we don't have the army! Ashemark is too tall, and its walls are too thick!"
"To deal with a turtle," Gregor said softly, "you only need a hammer."
Jeyne wanted to protest, but Gregor drew her close. Passion surged between them, though he was the stronger, she yielded only in love. As Gregor entered her, Jeyne's breath turned ragged, and she let out a low, trembling moan.
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