Extreme violence at this chapter.
Storm's End
Robert could hear the wind rushing as he jumped off Obelisk in a freefall, Ra following him in case of something unforeseen. Laughter bubbled out of him, as he fell faster and faster. This was going to be so much fun!
He pulled the straps he was holding, deploying the wingsuit. The increased air resistance immediately slowed him down, his stomach droping in the process and he began to glide.
"Hah.. hahah ... HAHAHHAHAHAHAH" he began to laugh in thrill. It was one thing to jump off a cliff or a plane to do this, it was another thing to do it jumping off a dragon.
He whistled, signaling his dragons to join him.
To the people watching them from below, they cut a scene that would be remembered for ages to come.
A human, flying alongside dragons, rather than riding one.
They all watched as he jumped off his dragon for some ungodly reason.
Some hoped he would hit the ground and die, others were worried out of their minds, the rest simply watched.
It boggledd their minds, seeing him go from falling to his death to flying on his own. The King gritted his teeth and turned to head inside in a flurry, followed by his family.
Steffon Baratheon took a deep breath and sighed in relief. His son's antics were going to be the death of him.
The rest of the Baratheons watched, Renly jumping up and down in delight, Stannis and Cassana watching with bated breaths and Rhaelle was busy holding her laughter.
Robert went over the Storm's End, the Shipbreaker Bay, the Durran's Point and returned back to the castle, losing altitude and needing to land too soon for his liking. Deciding to be a daredevil he dived towards the Drum Tower, circling around it to the gasps of the audience, before gliding over them and landing in roll.
People surrounded him immediately, mostly Stormlanders and the Valemen present, looking at him in awe before Elbert Arryn shouted " To the Winged Knight of Stormlands!"
He was raised on shoulders to the chant.
The Stormlanders loved celebrating, and the Winged Knight of Stormlands was a good idea for celebration to many.
Wine flowed, though he made sure to drink in moderation, songs played, he made sure to join that, singing songs from Earth to the cheers and toasts raised to his honor.
Overall it was a good celebration, besides having to dodge some overeager hands from fawning ladies.
Seriously, how did the original ever liked this?
He was going out to get some fresh air, before Rhaegar, followed by his retunie came up to him.
"Cousin, your spectacle was quite impressive" he said, stopping midway to search for the correct word.
"What can I say, it's just a part of my greatness" Robert bragged, more to annoy them than anything else.
Rhaegar gave a strained smile " The King agrees to your request, if you can find the swords before us" he explained.
It was hard, convincing his father. He had raged, threatening to do everything from having Robert assassinated to setting him on fire with Wildfire, but he had managed to get him to see reason.
Robert nodded to this. He was halfway there anyway, finding Darksister wouldn't be a problem.
"Very well, they are waiting for us in your father's solar" Rhaegar turned back and he followed.
It wasn't just Aerys and his father waiting inside the solar, but most of the Royal family along with Ser Whent, Dayne and Hightower, his own family the and the Starks except Ashara.
"Wasn't expecting an audience like this but whatever" Robert commented, winking at the Stark heir who was busy glaring at him.
He sat down next to his father, not greeting the silently fuming King as he should have and put his legs on the table "Before I tell you everything I want you to say it in front of all these people"
Aerys looked as if he was going to say something else but gritted his teeth " If you can find Blackfyre and Darksister before us they are yours to keep" to the astonishment of everyone as they turned their heads at the King. What was so important about this prophecy that they would give away the swords that were sigils of the House Targaryen's royal lineage?
Steffon attempted to intervene, but Robert acted before he could "Thank you" giving his father a pointed look.
"Now tell me about the prophecy" ordered Aerys, getting impatient.
"Aegon the Conqueror had a dream about an impending darkness that will threaten Westeros, and that a king or queen would take the Iron Throne and defeat the evil to save the world. As it happens there is also another prophecy written down in ancient Assai books from over five thousand years ago claiming that Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt, to wake dragons out of stone. This will occur after a long summer when an evil, cold darkness descends upon the world and the red star bleeds. It is said that wielding Lightbringer once again, Azor Ahai will stand against the Others, and deliver the world from darkness" he explained in a single breath.
"More so the woods witch Jenny of Oldstones brought to the court that claimed the child of the prophecy would be born to Aerys and Rhaella's line was correct" he put down his legs and leaned forwards, to the anxious Targaryens.
"But contrary to what you think Rhaegar, the prince that was promised is not going to be your son with Lyanna" to the confused Prince.
"But the song of ice and fire" he began " The fire represents a Targaryen true, but not your son, and ice doesn't refer to a Stark"
"Then who do they refer to !?" spat out Aerys, getting impatient.
"The ice refers to the Night King and the White Walkers" he answered, getting doubtfull looks.
"Are you saying that the White Walkers are real?" asked Aerys, doubt creeping to his voice.
"Yes, they are very real" replied Robert
"Do you seriously expect us to believe that? They are mere stories" Rickard Stark joined the fray. To him, Robert's claims were ridiculous, most likely told to mock them as he was quite fond of doing.
"Honestly? I don't care whether you believe me or not. It's not like Stormlands will bear the brunt of the attack." he shrugged. He wasn't the original Robert, he didn't care about the North.
"Do you have any proof of this?" Rhaegar asked, curious rather than sceptical.
It wasn't surprising, what's with his obsession over the prophecy.
"Two things actually. First, there is a man named Craster living beyond the wall, a rather disgusting fellow that marries his own daughters who give him more daughters who he then marries. The boy's however, he leaves them in the woods and they are taken by the White Walkers, if you can catch him abandoning a child, you can see one for yourselves. The other, there is a bundle made from a Night's Watch cloak containing dragonglass weapons, buried beneath the Fist of the First Men along with a cracked horn that may be the Horn of Winter. Now, unless the Night's Watch, at some point in time, was so lacking in resources they decided to use dragonglass weapons against the Wildlings, they had another purpose, and it just so happens they are effective against the Others and their Wights. " he gave out the easiest leads they could follow to confirm his words.
The Starks and Targaryens looked at each other, while Rhaegar was lost in his thoughts.
"What is this Horn of Winter?" asked Aerys, not familiar with the stories of the North.
"It is a horn that wildlings believe can bring down the wall. Is there no way to be sure?" Lord Stark was beginning to take him seriously it appeared.
"You can blow the horn I suppose, though whether that can bring down the wall or do something else I can't say. Your grandson never bothered to try" he replied.
"My grandson?" Rickard and rest of the Stark's leaned forward at this.
"Yes, your daughter's son with Rhaegar" which snapped the said Targaryen out of his thoughts.
"Our son?" Rhaegar and Lyanna's eyes met with conflicting gaze. They had fought over their impending marriage. Lyanna was furious, thinking his claims of loving her were lies, while Rhaegar tried to assauge her concerns.
"While I would love to hear more about this, I believe we are sidetracked. You have yet to reveal who the fire represents" talked Queen Rhaelle for the first time. She had listened patiently so far, but wanted to know who the one to bring back the dragons would be. After all, her parents had wed her to Aerys for that reason.
Robert looked around the room, all eyes on him. "Well, I would just like to say that since I hatched the dragons your daughter would have, there is no guarantee she can still bring dragons back to your house, not unless she finds dragon eggs"
Good luck with that, he already stole the three Illyrio had, while managing to retrieve two more, one from another merchant who had sold the egg to him for a hefty sum, and another from following leads on Cannibal, having found the wild dragon's corpse along with another dragon,a female protecting her nest, and retrieved the sole remaining egg from the she-dragons nest.
He hoped at least one woud be female, otherwise there would be no more dragons after them.
Not unless he searched for more eggs in the Shadow Lands and beyond.
"My daughter?" all eyes turned to Shaena who turned to him in questioning manner.
Letting the misunderstanding go on would be fun but he wanted to go and rest " Not that one"
They all turned to him now, the Queen's eyebrow rising "I don't have any other daughter Lord Robert"
"You will, in a couple of months" indicating her pregnant stomach.
"Another daughter?" Aerys asked him, looking at his wife's stomach.
"Yes, Daenerys Stormborn Targaryen, born during a rather impressive storm, also called the Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons and other titles I can't be bothered to remember. The child of prophecy, the prince that was promised or Azor Ahai that would hatch dragons from stone or at least she would, had I not already done so" he finally revealed the name they were seeking.
"My daughter... mother of dragons?" Aerys looked at his unborn daughter with wonder, lost in his own thoughts.
"So my son with Lyanna is not the prince that was promised?" Rhaegar asked him, earning a glare from the said woman, and before he could answer "Is that the reason you wanted to marry me!? So I can give you a prophesized child?!" screeched Lyanna, beyond furious.
Brandon came into the defence of his sister, losing control again "You fucking cunt!"
"Why are you surprised?" Robert's voice, full of mirth, cut through before they started something.
"Robert" hissed his father, warning him to stay out.
"What? I am just asking" Robert raised his hands in a placating gesture.
"Lyanna, let us discuss this elsewhere and cousin, I would appreciate it if you can refrain from involving yourself in our matters" Rhaegar said placatingly, his face not betraying any emotion.
Robert shook his head " Do you have anything else to ask?"
"Yes, how did you figure out how to hatch the eggs?" Queen Rhaelle asked the question that was eating them away.
Everyone was curious about how he managed it, yet none had any idea.
"I thought about it and it was easy to figure out. I mean, it was so simple I am still baffled by how your house did not succeed yet"
"You, who only cared about wine and hunting and shirked from your duties, and were foolish enough to attack my brother, the crown price of the Seven Kingdoms, right in front of all those guards, just thought about it and figured it out?" Prince Daeron asked incredulously. He did not believe his claim for one second.
Robert snorted " I only cared about wine and hunting because nothing else interested me, and attacking Rhaegar? Honestly, the only reason I was stopped is because of Eddard"
Internally however, he was grimacing.
Thanks og for making a fool out of yourself.
"Not because of the Kingsguard, which include some of the best swordsman in all of Seven Kingdoms?" Daeron pressed on, to the immediate pleasure of his father and older brother.
"Far as I see only Ser Barristan has a chance of stopping me, I am not worried about the rest" he looked at the Kingsguard standing around the room, who gave him frosty looks.
Seeing as the three in the room died to Ned and his six companions, while Barristan Selmy killed dozens of Robert's friends in the Battle of the Trident?
He could take them, not all three at once of course, but one by one.
After all, Robert's strength and acumen for battle tempered by his control and creativity made for a deadly combo.
Failed at that though, he could always feed them to his dragon.
"And what makes Barristan Selmy so better than them?" Daeron wasn't going to give up so easily.
If it was another life, they might have become friends.
"In my dreams I saw Dayne, Whent and Hightower taken out by seven people, while Ser Barristan slew a dozen by himself while getting wounded by an arrow, spear and a sword and survive" he actually liked Ser Barristan, and always though his talents were wasted under the ineffective rulers of Westeros.
Too bad the context did not exist here, or he would be calling him Ser Barristan the Badass.
"If we could get back to the matter of dragons" Queen Rhaella urged them, joined by Aerys "Yes, enough with your bickering"
"As I said it was easy to figure out and well, either every single Targaryen born in the last century and a half were all too stupid to figure it out, including you lot, or I am a genius. Take your pick" Robert crossed his arms, daring them to admit to being idiots.
"Or maybe, you were just fortunate" Rhaegar did not take the bait.
"Then it is obvious, the Seven favors me and not you" he rebuked. Religion in this world was not a road he was too interested in, but if it helped him so be it.
Rhaegar's smile did not reach his eyes " If the Others and the Night King truly exist, should we not cooperate cousin?"
Robert tilted his head at the change of subject "I am open to suggestions"
He may dislike them but that did not mean he was against working with them for survival.
Aerys Targaryen, both as the King and as the head of House Targaryen " If you wed Shaena your first daughter with her will be promised to Rhaegar's heir"
Shaena's eyes widened ever so slightly and her gaze turned to her father sharply.
Either they didn't tell her for some reason about this and the King just decided on it and all things considered this was probably the best offer they could make.
"I am against incest, even if it's between second cousins"
Even beyond the genetic problems this presented, he found the very idea abhorrent, contrary to them.
He maybe in a different era and world, but that did not mean he was going to indulge in their practices.
"Then your first born daughter with whomever you wed as the Queen to my eventual grandson" Aerys counter offered.
"I am not really interested in marrying" he shrugged.
"Why not?" his father looked confused, mirrored by his mother.
"Having children is a big responsibility, and if not done right they ended up either idiots or worse, and I would rather spending my time adventuring out there than fathering children because people expect me to" he explained his reasons.
"What of your dragons? Who will have them when you die?" Rhaegar did not mince words for once, choosing to speak plainly rather than using the flowery and implication filled language nobles prefer.
"I have some ideas on that" Robert said, he would either leave them to any children Stannis has, or outlive his dragons.
Somehow.
"Then perhaps either Jaehaerys or Viserys can squire for you" That was a rather good offer actually, however " That soudns too much like raising a child.
No thank you.
"What do you want then? Surely there must be something you desire, some way for us to work together?"
Anything to get dragons huh Rhaegar?
"I'll let you know if I ever think of something"
They fell silent after that. Seems they won't be doing anything to cooperate for now.
"Any other questions?" he looked at the Targaryens, who all looked at each other "Yes, can I get a dragon?" his grandmother jumped in.
He ignored the cries of "What?!" and rose from his chair "Well, what are you waiting for grandma? Get dressed and let's go get you a dragon" to the dismay of the Targaryens and Starks.
Rhaelle looked delighted and left to get dressed, returning Aerys' glare with a grin.
Robert quickly followed before someone stopped him to whine.
His rest would have to wait.
Courtyard
He checked the saddle, as well as the cushioned bag on Obelisk's back, containing one of the two remaining eggs he had. It was a smooth obsidian egg the size of a rugby ball.
The other egg was on Slifer, after all you know what they say "don't keep all your eggs in one basket"
Or on one dragon in this case.
He was glad his grandmother wanted a dragon, he couldn't think of anyone better to give one to.
The said woman came out of the keep, followed by his father, the two talking rather animatedly. His grandmother turned around and looked at his father in the eyes, craning her neck to look at the taller man who took a step back. She said something to him he couldn't hear but his father sighed and turned back, his shoulders ever so slightly dropping.
The victorious woman turned around and soon enough she was talking to him " I was thinking about Ra, I rather liked him"
"No" he curtly replied.
" Since you ride Obelisk yourself then Slifer?" she reasoned.
"No" he said again and before she could say anything " We " he took out the obsidian egg and held it out " are going to hatch you a brand new one"
Had anyone seen their matching grins, they would feel a shiver down their spine.
Storm's End
Lannister Quarters
Tywin Lannister felt..
Angry.
As in, another Rains of Castemere could be written kind of angry.
But he couldn't kill the one of the causes of his current emotions, as it was his own daughter.
And he couldn't kill the other because he had dragons.
At least, that was the case, before he decided to fight for the life of a mere guard.
Gregor Clegane, the Mountain that Rides would be the end of him, and he would make sure it was a gruesome one.
No matter what.
There was a knock on the door "Yes?"
"Lord Hand, the King wishes to speak to you" called out Ser Dayne.
They had already talked about the broken betrothal between Cersei and Daeron and the large dowry they had agreed upon would be given as restitution to House Targaryen.
Tywin straightened himself and opened the door "Let us go then" and began to follow the Sword of the Morning.
Targaryen Quarters
Aerys was in deep thought, concerning his aunt Rhaelle and her grandson Robert.
He and his aunt had never liked eachother and it wasn't a secret. Their every interaction, she had mocked him and it was only because they were family and because she was Steffon's mother that he did not have her impudent tongue removed.
And now, Robert Baratheon, her grandson who he also detested, was not only a dragon rider, but was also going to give her a dragon.
The broken alliance with House Lannister would have to be remade.
"Your Grace, Lord Hand is here" approached one of his Kingsguard and he replied absent mindedly " Let him in"
"Sit" he ordered before Tywin could say anything. The Hand of the King sat down on the empty chair " The betrothal broken because of your daughter will be remade. Shaena will marry your son Jaime and Tyrion will be fostered at court" he decreed.
"Your Grace about my youngest..." Tywin began to object but the King dismissed him with a wave of his hand " Rhaella has been bothering me about it, now she can shut up and I won't hear anymore of it"
"Yes Your Grace" Tywin replied, seeing no need to push the issue further.
"That knight of yours, The Mountain That Rides, can he kill him?" If Robert Baratheon died to him that would solve many issues at once.
"Not even Robert Baratheon will be able to match his strength" Tywin was confident, after all just his size was enough to inspire fear in the hearts of most men.
"Hmmm, we shall see"
Now, all they could do was to wait.
Stormlands
Skies of Storm's End
"So, do you know where we can find bandits or other unlawfuls to burn?" he asked his grandma, having no idea where to find one himself.
"There is a small bandit camp somewhere in Felwood close to the Kings Road, they attack peddlers and merchants heading to King's Landing. Lord Fel is seeking them out but they are a small group and easily avoid them in the forest" Given time Lord Fel would eventually find them, but with the dragons on their tail, they would be dead soon.
"That man you spoke of, Illyrio, how did he manage to find five dragon eggs?" She was curious as to how a merchant from all the way out in the Free Cities had managed it, when her family couldn't find any after Summerhall.
"He only had three eggs, I found the other two elsewhere, and supposedly he got them from Asshai"
"You have two eggs? Any other secrets you care to share with your grandmother?" she pinched his cheek in fondness.
"I will tell you if anything comes to mind" he had secrets, just not ones he could share with her, or anyone for that matter.
"I was following leads on Cannibal. Turns out he went towards Valyria after the dance and was last seen flying off North-East of it. I found him and the corpse of another dragon on a small island unaffected by the Doom and there was one egg remaining in the nest. The other, I bought off a merchant who agreed to sell it to me after I did him some favours" Truly, the man had bargained hard but it was worth it.
His grandma hummed, not saying anything. They flew in silence for a while "Why didn't you tell me then?" she broke the silence.
"I wanted to gift you one for your name day but you asked for a dragon and I thought now was as good as any" he would have to find a new birthday gift now.
"Believe me my boy, the best gift you can give me was to come back unharmed. I don't think I can handle the loss of another family member" she remembered her husband, Ormund and how his loss, coupled with the death of her father and siblings, no matter how estranged they may be, broke her heart.
"Wow, you're going to make me cry at this rate. Though does that mean you don't want a dragon?" he teased to lighten the mood.
"Hah! No, I still want my dragon" she barked a laugh.
"You know, I am curious about something. You don't seem to like Aerys, any special reason for that?" he was curious about it, and they still had time.
"It was his parents Jaehaerys and Shaera. Rhaella never wanted to marry Aerys and I wasn't silent about my opposition to their betrothal. They never liked me because I got in the way of their destiny appearently and made sure Aerys felt the same too" she grumbled.
"Talking of destiny, I am glad you are not hung up on that girl anymore" She never approved of his betrothal to that girl, thinking they would have a miserable marriage.
"As I said, I just wanted to be good brothers with Eddard, nothing else. I mean, the dowry was nothing great, she isn't that beautifull compared to some others and and an alliance with the Starks would be problematic, seeing as we are at the opposite ends of the continent" which were all reasonable arguements.
The rest of the trip was spent in silence, and it was well into the afternoon when they were above Felwood, searching for the bandit camp. They surveyed the areas close to the Kings Road.
"There!" Rhaella shouted, pointing towards an opening. A dozen men at least were gathered, surrounded by wooden walls providing a rudimentary defence, laughing and drinking. There were also corpses at the outside of their little base, dumped in a hole waiting to be buried.
They heard her and looked up only to freeze in fear as they saw three dragons. Robert landed Obelisk right on the entrance to the make-shift camp, while Ra and Slifer landed at the back of the bandits.
"Hello there" he greeted, as if he wasn't here to kill them.
The bandits huddled together, each one trying to use the other as a shield, becoming one big target.
"You're supposed to say General Kenobi" The lack of anyone to banter with like this was terrible for his soul.
The bandits looked confused now, in addition to being terrified. "Anyway, don't you lot know being bandits is bad for your health? You may come down with a sudden case of death" he mocked the scared men. It was one thing to be Robin Hood, it was another to kill all those people.
The bandits began to stammer, to beg for their lives. Robert however just reached his bag and took out the egg.
"Catch!" he threw the egg at the bandit at the front, who caught it out of instinct, looking at the thing he was holding now.
"Ignis!" he ordered and the dragons let loose. Three streams of fire hot enough to turn bone to ash hit the bandits. Within mere seconds, their cries were silenced and not long after there was a POP! as the egg hatched.
A dragon of obsidian colour just like the egg leaped out of the fire. Robert leaned forward to observe it clearly.
It was bigger than his trio when they hatched, at least twice as big while the eggs were the same size.
If his dragons were the size of cats, then this one was like a young bobcat.
Did that mean more sacrifices meant a bigger and stronger dragon?
While he was busy musing, his grandmother dismounted, sliding off the dragon without even waiting for his help and rushed to the newly hatched dragon.
The dragon watched her with bleary eyes, cocking its head and chirping in curiosity. She held out her hand and the dragon sniffed it, eventually rubbing its head on her palm.
Giddy like a maiden, she went to scoop the dragon who squawked in surprise, before settling in her arms and nuzzling her neck.
They just stood like that for a while, him on the dragon, his grandmother on the ground, just marveling at her dragon. After several minutes she finally let the lizard puppy down "You will need a name"
She began to mull it over. There were so many names she could choose, she was unsure which one to pick.
"Any suggestions?" she turned to him since he was the dragon expert.
"How about Ancalagon?" He would suggest Smaug but the colour did not fit.
"Any significance behind that name?"
"Well, a book from the Shadow Lands spoke of a dragon called Ancalagon the Black, enormous as a mountain and capable of blotting out the sun when it flew" Damn it, if they made a movie of that he would never get to see it.
"I don't think he will grow that big" she dryly replied.
"But the name itself sounds great to the ear, and well it is black" basically saying the name was cool in medieval terms and reminding himself to check it's gender.
He landed with a thud and took out a handfull of beef jerky out of the saddlebag and handed them to his grandmother. She held out one to the dragon and after sniffing snapped it out her hand and swallowed it whole, asking for more.
He lifted the distracted dragon and ...
It was a male.
His dragons approached him, sniffing the hatchling who looked at them with wide and curious eyes.
Obelisk huffed in approval, blasting them with warm air. No sibling fight there at least. He put the yet-to-be-named dragon down and he went back to Rhaelle to be fed more.
"I was actually thinking of Ormund" she replied solemnly. She could not think of a better way for her husband's name to live than naming a dragon after him.
"If everytime you look at him you will remember the good times you had with him, sure. However, if all it will remind you is how he died and fill you with sorrow, then don't" blunt as he was, did not mean he was unfeeling. Robert might not have had any memories of his grandfather, nor did he know much about him from the books, he too had faced losses and understood her pain to a degree.
Rhaelle contemplated this for a while, eventually nodding " Ormund it is"
Before they left, Robert went to ditch dug by the bandits and did the only thing he could to help the deceased, burning the corpses rather than letting them be picked apart by scavengers and left to rot.
They left soon after, the hatchling safely secured on a saddlebag, sleeping contently.
Storm's End
It was well into the night when they returned, landing on the courtyard, greeted by the family.
"Goodness, another one?" his mother was the first to see the hatchling and the rest gathered around " Yes, meet Ormund my dear" his grandmother said, carrying the sleeping dragon.
"You had more eggs?" Steffon turned to him, crossing his arms.
"Yes"
"How many?"
"Between one and ten" No straight answer there.
"I am your father"
Ignoring the unsaid are you not going to tell me " Are we enacting the part where Vader tells Luke the truth?"
When you don't want to talk about something, just confuse them untill they give up.
"What?" his father was undestandably confused. "Who are you talking about?"
"No one you would know" his father just shook his head and went back to the dragon, too tired to deal with his antics.
He had the dragons fed first, then ate something himself and went to sleep.
The next two weeks went in relative peace. His grandmother spent a lot of time with her dragon, the flying lizard following her around like a puppy, curious about everything. Of course, she had great time watching Aerys fume.
Rhaegar and other Targaryens as well as Starks came up every now and then asking him questions about the Others and the prophecy.
Interesting news though, appearently Oldtown, seat of Hightowers as well as the home to Citadel was going to open a medical school, as a branch of the Citadel, teaching revolutionary treatments and researching new medicine for diseases of all kinds.
Now, he was pretty sure that didn't happen in the books, and if the pace of their research is anything to go by, there was someone there, who knew more about medicine than anyone else.
He needed to research that.
Fast.
However, he had more pressing matters. The ship carrying Gregor Clegane was sighted. Meaning his duel would be tomorrow or the day after that at most.
It wasn't long before the ship stopped midway and men began to load into the boats to row rest of the way.
And none of the actors in the show did him justice. The bastard was eight feet tall, and looked strong enough to crush a man's head with his bare hands.
Good thing he was going to cheat, fighting him in a honest duel would be a bitch.
He surveyed the rest of the men that came from the ship, and what do you know, there was a man, with the sigil of a manticore.
Since he was with Clegane, that meant Amory Loch. The bastard that killed Rhaenys in the books with half a hundred thrusts.
The though boiled his blood " You know I don't think this will be very fair fight" he commented to Tywin Lannister, the man looking at him with ice cold eyes.
"Scared?" the whole procession stopped to watch them.
"Scared that this will be a boring fight? Yes. I think Amory Loch should fight with him, to make it a bit more fair for the big ugly over there" His mother looked like she was going to faint and his father looked like a tomato.
Seeing an oppurtunity Tywin agreed " Very well, if that is what you wish for"
"Great" he turned back.
He needed to get Claymore ready.
Two Days Later
His family had raged at him, asking if he was suicidal, trying to talk him out of fighting the both at least.
He refused though, assuring them he would be fine.
And finally it was the day of the duel. They had gathered outside Storm's End so everyone who wanted to watch the fight could.
He had made sure Claymore was in working condition. He had one shot left with it after all, it wouldn't do to waste it because of a mechanical issue.
He was walking to the gate , only to Jaime Lannister was on his way, leaning on the wall with an apple in his hand.
"Fighting against Gregor Clegane was a bad idea to start with, but to fight against him and Amory Loch, all by yourself? You have outdone yourself my lord" he said mockingly with that arrogant Lannister smile on his face.
He approached the younger man and leaned in " Are you angry that your sister tried to fuck me and not you?" he whispered.
Jaime's smile was lost quick "I don't know what you are talking about" taking a more hostile stance.
"Sure you don't" he turned around to leave before turning back to him again " You know, I heard the King lusted after your mother, Lady Joanna, and since you and your sister fuck like Targaryens do, could he be your real father?"
Boy, was he furious at this. "You dare!?" he seethed, almost unsheathing his sword before Robert surged forward and clamped his hand on the pommel of the sword, squeezing Jaime's hand in a vice tight grip.
"Carefull kiddo, someone might think you are trying to kill me" he continued to squeeze harder, and Jaime finally relented, backing off "Gregor Clegane will make your death a painful one"
"Keep dreaming sister fucker" he finally left the Lannister heir to his own dread at having their secret known.
Robert Baratheon walked through the mass around the makeshift arena, wearing his Wild Hunt armor, carrying a hammer on his shoulder with one side was disproportionately large and a lot of sharp spikes at the end.
He walked slowly, looking like the Spectre of Death, his skull mask involuntarily sending a chill down the spines. Robert finally entered the arena. Clegane was at the front, while Loch stood at the back.
The larger man growled at him, obviously angry at him for saying a fight against him would be too easy.
"We gather here to witness a Trial by Combat, to see who the Gods decide as the guilty. Fighting for Davon of Stormlands, Lord Robert Baratheon.
Applause for him was great as expected, shouts of "Kill the Bastards!" "For the Stormlands!" "Long Live Robert the Dragonlord!" were the loudest and he basked in it.
"Fighting in the name of Lord Tywin Lannister, Ser Gregor Clegane and Ser Amory Loch" called out Maester Cressen as the neutral party.
Applause for them did not go beyond a few claps.
His father came forward, as the Lord of the Stormlands " Fight!"
Gregor Clegane rushed at him while Amory Loch circled around. He met the larger man's charge, swinging his hammer downward at his head. The man blocked the hit, his strength enough the stop the momentum of the hammer before "BANG!"
The hammer exploded to pieces, the sharp spikes at the end launched at the Mountain's face faster than eye can see, the sound and the concussion disorienting and sending the man sprawling.
He began to scream.
The shrapnel that got through the openings in his helmet, the only reason he wasn't dead, blinding him as well as mutiliating his face.
The sound effected him too and he shook his head "I should have controlled my strength better. Now my hammer is ruined" he lamented to the cow.
He looked at his ruined hammer, ignoring the screams of the man on the ground and threw it away.
Claymore had done it's job well once again.
But he needed a weapon now.
He went to pick the Mountain's sword, but it was warped and useless because of the explosion.
Time to be creative then.
He turned back at Amory Loch, who looked a lot less sure now that the mountain was out and walked slowly towards him, like a predator stalking a prey.
"Fight you witless fool!" ordered Tywin Lannister.
Seems Loch was more afraid of Tywin then him. A mistake he was going to fix now. He caught the sword with his hand, and wrenched it out of his hand before striking Loch's throat with his other hand.
Instinctively Loch's hands went to his throat as he gagged. Taking the oppurtunity he kicked the side of his knee, making him kneel with a cry and kneed his chin, snapping his head back and knocking him down. Pain blossoming on his face, he tried to crawl away.
Robert took hold of his ankle and began to drag him towards Clegane, his struggles and cries futile.
"I hate those two" he said with an emphasis on hate. "They are both horrible human beings"
He released Lorch, who tried to get up and run and kicked him in the face, and then stomped on his head.
"This bastard threw the last living Tarbeck, a three year old boy, down a well" he stomped on his elbows, breaking them to stop him from trying to escape, leaving him to scream in agony.
"Not only that, I had to watch in my dreams as he stabbed a defenseless girl of three over and over again"
He kicked him on the head again for good measure.
Leaving the rat to his misery, he turned to Clegane.
"This big bastard though, is arguably worse than Lorch. He killed his own father and sister" Sandor may have just suspected him, but knowing what kind of a bastard he is, he most likely did it" and beyond the atrocities he commited, I had to watch as he raped a woman, after killing her newborn son, then kill her"
He was lying of course, but not like he could say the truth about the books.
The said man was still on the ground, a puddle of blood around him. He kicked his mutiliated face, sending a fresh wave of agony coursing through him.
"You know what else? Our Prince went and knighted this monster, all because his master Tywin Lannister requested" he pointed at the mentioned men, who became increasingly uncomfortable at the judgemental looks they received.
Or in Tywins case, he became angrier, daring anyone to make eye contact with him.
He took hold of Lorch's ankles again, lifted the bastard and slammed him on Clegane as an improvised hammer.
Over and over again, untill his arms were burning.
Unsurprisingly, Clegane was still alive, though Lorch had died during his time as a hammer.
He tossed the dead man aside, and took hold of the wheezing and almost dead Clegane's neck, and through strength that even he didn't think he had, lifted him up with both hands, bringing him to his height.
He squeezed while all the Mountain could do was to gargle, too beaten to resist. He squeezed harder and harder till the Mountain That Rides died with a broken neck.
Robert released the corpse, having had enough.
Cheers began to rise from the crowd in his name and he removed helmeth raising his hand, screaming in victory.
Today was a productive day.