Gregor twisted his sword around and muttered angrily "Just fucking die already, you worthless pile of shit."
Amory Lorch slowly moved his left hand to the blade, as though he was thinking of pulling out the blade.
Just before he could wrap his fingers around the cold steel, his endurance gave out. His left hand dropped to his side, and his eyes stared into oblivion.
Gregor withdrew his sword from the false knight's chest. He continued staring down at Amory Lorch's remains, breathing in and out rapidly.
By then, Gregor's men-at-arms had reached the bedroom, too. Polliver, Dunsen, and Tobbot stepped through the threshold; the others remained out in the hallway.
"Ser, what's going on?" Dunsen asked in confusion.
Gregor elected not to answer him straightaway.
He focused his attention instead on Princess Elia.
Princess Rhaenys had picked up Balerion and rushed over to her mother.
The Dornish princess now had one arm wrapped around each of her children.
Her gaze, however, was fixed on the massive figure in front of her. She did not know whether to be afraid or relieved.
Gregor slowly approached Elia.
When he was within a meter of her, he placed his sword on the ground between them, fell to one knee before her, bowed his head, and said solemnly "I am sorry you had to be a witness that, Your Grace."
"My daughter lives because of it, Ser," Princess Elia told him, suddenly seeming less terrified, "You have no reason to repent. Might I know your name?"
Gregor looked up at her and removed his helm. Holding it under one arm, he replied "I am Ser Gregor of House Clegane. I once had the honor of making your husband's acquaintance."
"Yes, Rhaegar did mention you," Elia recounted "He spoke highly of your principles. He even referred to you as a 'guardian of the innocent.'"
Gregor momentarily grinned at that and gave a light nod of his head. Then he stated "For that reason and others, I am here."
He then adorned his helm again and picked his sword up with his right hand.
He extended his left hand to Princess Elia and told her "You must come with me. You and your children are still in danger."
Both of Elia's arms were full at the moment. She briefly let go of Rhaenys long enough to take Gregor's hand so he could pull her to her feet. Then she picked Rhaenys back up.
"Do you have a travelling cloak, Your Grace?" Gregor inquired.
"Yes, in my wardrobe," the Dornish princess replied.
Gregor looked over his shoulder and called out "Eggon, get the princess's cloak."
The bald man nodded in acknowledgment and made his way over to the wardrobe. He opened it up and searched through the contents.
While most of his men-at-arms had little to no sense of fashion, Eggon at least could tell a cloak from a dress.
When he found the cloak, he fished it out and brought it over to Princess Elia, saying "Here you are, Your Grace."
Once more, Elia had to set her daughter down. That enabled her to take the cloak from Eggon and fasten it around her shoulders.
As she reached down to pick Rhaenys back up, Gregor interceded and observed "This is not going to work. You are going to need one hand free, Your Grace."
He looked over his shoulder again and called out "Rafford, get over here."
The Sweetling approached the Mountain and asked him "Yes, ser?"
"Look after Princess Rhaenys," Gregor ordered him.
Raff saluted the massive knight, turned to the little girl, and lowered himself to her level. Initially, Rhaenys hid warily behind her mother's skirts.
Gregor could not fault her for being cautious. After all, children felt an innate mistrust of all strangers.
Some would say they were wiser than adults in that regard. Even so, that mistrust would be an obstacle in this situation.
Gregor turned to Elia and claimed "I would trust this man with my own child. If I had one. So, if you have no objection…?"
Princess Elia thought it over, and she lightly shook her head, meaning she had none.
She looked down at her daughter and gestured for her to come out of hiding.
Rhaenys tentatively emerged from behind her mother and hesitantly approached Rafford.
When she reached him, he gently picked her up in her left arm and told her softly "Don't be afraid, dear one. I'll keep you safe."
Somehow, Rhaenys brought herself to trust this man. She still held her kitten Balerion in her small hands.
The little tom stretched out one of his paws and lightly patted Raff's shoulder. Rhaenys giggled and proclaimed "He likes you."
"So he does," Raff concurred, scoffing a little.
Gregor could not help but smile at the scene. This would never have happened in the original universe.
Here, the Sweetling was not an entirely inaccurate or scornful moniker for Rafford.
Certainly, at times, Raff could be as vicious and hardhearted as anyone else who served under Gregor Clegane.
At other times, he could be surprisingly gentle and affectionate. Gregor actually found it hard to believe that under different circumstances, this very same man could casually stab a child in the throat.
"I have a task for you, gentlemen," the Mountain told his men-at-arms, "You must escort the princess and her children to safety. Kill anyone who tries to stop you or harm them. Anyone. Do not stop until you are out of the city. Is that clear?"
"Aye, Ser," Rafford declared, "We won't let anyone lay a finger on them."
Everyone else gave murmurs of agreement.
The massive knight, the princess, and the twelve men-at-arms exited the bedroom. Gregor murmured in a candid tone to "Here, we must part ways."
That made Chiswyck ask "Where will you be, Ser?"
"I have some business here I must attend to first," Gregor notified them, "When it's over, I'll rejoin you all. Polliver, you will be in command until we regroup."
The black-bearded man nodded and muttered "As you say, Ser."
All twelve of the men-at-arms drew their swords.
Polliver went over to Elia and softly placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him, and he used his sword to gesture down the corridor. He beckoned her "This way, Your Grace."
Elia nodded her head and let the tall man lead her down the hallway. Dunsen, Chiswyck, Rafford, and the others all followed close behind.
Gregor was not concerned that his men would fail him; he knew they would not.
They had a talent of slipping unnoticed through enemy and ally lines alike, and each of them was worth ten soldiers from any other house in the Westerlands.
Plus, he had already informed his men of the secret passageway that led out of the Red Keep by way of the sewers.
That was how they would be getting the princess out of the city. Even Lords Lefford and Lannister would not have sighted them during their getaway.
Gregor was not worried that Elia and her children would be in jeopardy outside of the city, either.
He had seen to it that the soldiers of House Clegane set up their camp a little way away from all the other houses.
That would guarantee that Elia and her children would not be exposed, as it was very unlikely that anyone would go wandering through the camp of a knightly house when its commander was away.
Of course, Lord Tywin would expect Ser Amory Lorch to have the bodies of Elia Martell and her children on hand when he entered the city.
Now that Ser Amory was… indisposed, Gregor had to see to that matter himself.
Luckily, he had a plan to make the Old Lion believe that Rhaegar's line had been wiped out successfully, but for the moment, that could wait.
While his men were preoccupied with moving Elia, Aegon, and Rhaenys to safety, Ser Gregor Clegane busied himself with other matters.
It turned out he did not need the aid of a certain spider to rescue the Princess and her children. However, this spider could still be of use to him.
He was fairly certain that this spider would be willing to cooperate with him.
That was not just because of the five-foot piece of steel in his right hand. It was also because he could be equally useful to the spider.
After all, the spider was never one to squander potential resources, and at the risk of seeming vain, Gregor felt he was the greatest resource of all.
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