The Westerlands had three notable features.
First, its wealth in gold. The Westerlands were rich beyond measure, with Lord Tywin's fortune standing as the greatest in the realm.
Second, its mountains. To the north, east, and southwest, mountain ranges stretched for thousands of miles. The capital, Casterly Rock, was built inside a massive stone mountain nearly twenty miles long.
Third, its miners. Because of the abundance of mountains and gold, mining was the Westerlands' defining occupation, surpassing even farmers, hunters, and fishermen combined.
….
A banner bearing the sigil of three hunting dogs fluttered in the morning breeze as it slowly emerged from the lion's mouth carved into Casterly Rock. The standard-bearer was a cavalryman from the Crag lands, leading a perfectly aligned troop of mounted soldiers advancing in formation.
Behind the cavalry rode a tall, luxurious carriage, its curtains embroidered with six white shells, the crest of House Westerling.
Riding beside the carriage were Ser Gregor and Lord Gawen Westerling.
Inside the carriage sat Lady Jeyne. Following behind were eight Westerling knights in two orderly rows, acting as her personal guard.
Not far behind them marched dozens of professional miners whom Gregor had personally recruited in Casterly Rock. The Goldleaf Bay, once the property of the Serrett family, now belonged to Gregor Clegane. Recruiting skilled miners to work the gold mines was now perfectly legitimate, no need for secrecy.
….
After Lord Tywin adopted Jeyne as his ward, he had her remain in Casterly Rock. Before her marriage to Gregor, she was not allowed to return to Crag. Lord Gawen, unwilling to part from his daughter, decided not to travel back with the northern neighbors. Instead, at Gregor's invitation, he brought Jeyne to visit Gregor's lands.
Unbeknownst to Lord Gawen, Gregor had already begun efforts to reclaim lands that Gawen had foolishly sold or mortgaged. Threatening nobles who had taken advantage of the situation to return what they'd greedily seized, Gregor's actions completely changed Gawen's opinion of him.
Though the neighboring lords had quickly sought to appease Gawen after Gregor's threats, convincing them to willingly give up their gains was unlikely. Their humble smiles hid guarded minds, and Gawen suspected he would need Gregor's muscle to take back the ancestral lands.
Negotiations with each noble might go smoothly individually, but if they conspired together, Gawen doubted any would sell their holdings back at original prices without force. Without hurting one or two of these lords to send a message, regaining the lands seemed impossible.
Gawen resolved to discuss the matter seriously with Gregor. Naturally, he hoped to pay as little as possible, ideally just the original, ridiculously low prices. But behind the polite words of these "neighbors." their true intentions were far less generous.
If it came to using force, the combined forces of Casterly Rock and Clegane Keep were insufficient. This was a concrete and pressing problem.
Yet despite all the doubts and speculations, Gawen knew reclaiming his lands was impossible without Ser Gregor Clegane.
When Gregor invited Gawen and Lady Jeyne to visit Clegane Keep, Gawen sought Tywin's approval, which was promptly granted.
Letting his adopted daughter explore Gregor's smaller lands was a good idea. Otherwise, a whole month cooped up in Casterly Rock with no one to talk to would be dull indeed. Tywin himself was an extremely boring man who went days without speaking to Jeyne. Her sister Cersei and brothers Jaime and Tyrion were guests far away at Winterfell in the North with House Stark, leaving her with no companions.
A month might not seem long, but without even a single conversational partner, time dragged on painfully.
So after recruiting the miners, Gregor set off with Lady Jeyne and Lord Gawen back toward Clegane's Keep, which was not very far.
From Casterly Rock's lion's mouth, three roads branched out: the Riverlands Road to the east, the Goldroad to the southeast, and the Searoad heading south.
Gregor's men could have taken either the Goldroad or Searoad, they were roughly equal in distance, both turning into Clegane's Keepl lands midway.
This time, they chose the Searoad.
The Searoad passed through Lannisport, the largest city in the Westerlands.
Two hours later, the cavalry and carriage reached Lannisport, with the miners Gregor had hired trailing far behind, out of sight. Gregor had not sent knights to oversee them. He wasn't worried about miners sneaking off, losing some prepaid wages was a small price to pay, but if any ran, their entire ancestral line would suffer at the hands of Gregor's men.
No miner who accepted wages from Gregor in Casterly Rock dared to run away.
The troop stopped outside Lannisport for a break, eating dry rations and drinking wine. Soldiers in this world always drank wine, rarely just water. The alcohol wasn't very strong by Earth standards but was a staple nonetheless.
Jeyne stepped out of the carriage for some fresh air, cradling her white cat Angela. The sight of the beautiful girl and her gentle feline was a picture-perfect moment.
….
"Dunsen!" Gregor called out.
Dunsen, laughing and joking with his comrades, immediately ran over.
"You lead the men back. Jeyne, Lord Gawen, and I will go into Lannisport."
"Yes, my lord. When will you return?"
"This afternoon, for dinner. Tell Mrs. Ellen to prepare a feast for our guests."
"Yes, my lord."
With Raff left behind in Casterly Rock to train and teach military signaling, Dunsen took command of the troops, with Polliver as his deputy.
Jeyne was surprised by the sudden plan. She glanced at her father, who shrugged as if to say he didn't know either.
Neither Jeyne nor Gawen had been told beforehand that Gregor planned to visit Lannisport.
"Ser Gregor, we're going to Lannisport?" Jeyne asked.
"Yes!" Gregor's booming voice dropped eight tones, as if naturally lowering volume out of courtesy.
That small detail warmed Jeyne's heart.
Though they had only known each other a short time, Gregor's every word and action showed thoughtful care for her. This constant kindness was a growing comfort, shifting her impression of him little by little.
"Ser, may I ask why we are going to Lannisport?"
Lord Gawen had the same question.
"We're going to see someone important to both you and me, Lady Jeyne." Gregor said softly, with the polite tone of a well-bred nobleman.
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