The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Crag lay to the north of Casterly Rock, roughly 150 kilometers away, also nestled along the coast.

The sigil of House Westerling was six white seashells arranged in a triangle on a field of yellow sand, three shells at the top, two in the middle row, and one at the bottom.

The seashells on sand symbolized Crag's location by the Sunset Sea.

House Westerling's words were Honor, Not Honors.

Once a noble house of ancient lineage in the Westerlands, the Westerlings were descended from the First Men and bore the legacy of a proud and noble bloodline. However, over the generations, the silver and gold mines within their lands had long since been exhausted. Their territories had gradually shrunk under pressure from more powerful lords and wealthy neighbors.

By the time the house passed to Lord Gawen Westerling, all that remained of their glory was the prestige of an old name and noble blood. Their true strength had completely faded into decline.

For generations now, their primary source of income had shifted from mining precious metals to harvesting seafood from the sea.

Just beyond the Westerling lands lay territories rich in gold, but none of it belonged to them. Those golden lands had two names that sent shivers down the spines of Westerland lords: Castamere and Tarbeck Hall.

These lands belonged to the two once-powerful houses of the Westerlands, House Reyne of Castamere and House Tarbeck of Tarbeck Hall. Both grew incredibly rich and powerful thanks to the abundant gold in their lands, to the point where their strength rivaled that of their liege lords, House Lannister.

Seeing that Lord Tytos Lannister, Tywin's father, was weak and indecisive, the Reynes and Tarbecks grew arrogant and defiant, daring to ignore the authority of House Lannister entirely.

Eventually, the two houses crossed a line.

In 261 AC, the nineteen-year-old Tywin Lannister led thousands of Lannister soldiers and utterly eradicated both houses.

Every man, woman, and child of the Reynes and Tarbecks was slaughtered, none were spared. Not even livestock survived. To send a clear message to the rest of the Westerlands, Tywin left both Castamere and Tarbeck Hall in ruins, and to this day, he has never granted those lands to any noble under his banner.

The famous song The Rains of Castamere, sung across the Seven Kingdoms, tells the story of this brutal campaign.

When Tywin could not storm Castamere, which was built underground, he diverted rivers and flooded it, drowning everyone within. The "rains" in the song's title symbolize that flood.

House Westerling's lands bordered those very ruins. Though they were surrounded by mountains of gold, they dared not claim even a speck. They could only watch their once-proud house fall further into decline, year after year, while the wealth of Castamere remained untouchable.

...

A year earlier, Ser Gregor Clegane had seen Jeyne Westerling, the eldest daughter of House Westerling, with his own eyes during a visit to Casterly Rock.

Her beauty had stunned the entire court.

Having come from another world, Gregor was well aware, Jeyne Westerling's beauty far surpassed that of any actress from the television series.

She had come to Casterly Rock with her father, Lord Gawen Westerling. Gawen had brought his eldest daughter, groomed with the utmost care, full of confidence and ambition, to propose a marriage alliance with House Lannister.

Tywin Lannister had a younger brother, Kevan Lannister, who served loyally as his right hand and devout admirer. Kevan had a son named Lancel Lannister, born in 283 AC, the same year as Jeyne Westerling.

Lancel was handsome and served in King Robert Baratheon's court as a personal cupbearer. Gregor remembered him clearly: the striking young man who always stood beside Robert, wine jug in hand, in the show.

Jeyne, born with rare beauty and elegant grace, had been further refined by the careful instruction of her noble house. She was not only dignified and charming but also intelligent and well-mannered. Lord Gawen had invested years of effort and wealth into shaping her into a perfect bride, hoping she would elevate their fallen house through marriage into a great one.

However, Kevan Lannister was a practical, worldly man, he valued wealth over talent or beauty. In this, he was very much like his brother Tywin. Though Jeyne was flawless in appearance and accomplishments, House Westerling was simply too poor, too far gone.

Kevan understood that marrying her would come with constant appeals for aid from her desperate father.

And so, Kevan Lannister refused.

The rejection was a bitter humiliation for Lord Gawen. Powerless against House Lannister, he could only return to Crag in disgrace, his hopes shattered.

While word spread across the Westerlands of the failed proposal, so too did tales of Jeyne Westerling's stunning beauty and refined bearing. Suitors from all over came calling, but none met Lord Gawen's lofty standards. He rejected them all.

Now sixteen by Westerosi, Jeyne Westerling remained unmarried and unbetrothed, which, in this world, already marked her as a woman nearing old maidenhood.

The reason was simple. House Westerling's bloodline was ancient and noble, and Lord Gawen disdained lesser lords. Yet the powerful and wealthy great houses viewed the Westerlings as far too impoverished to consider.

...

As for Ser Gregor Clegane, known as the most feared man in the Westerlands, and indeed, the most feared brute in all Seven Kingdoms, his deSere to marry Jeyne Westerling was pure delusion.

It was absolutely impossible.

With Lord Gawen's towering pride and fragile honor, he'd likely faint from rage if he even heard of such a match.

Everyone in the training yard, knights and lords, found the idea of Gregor marrying into House Westerling laughable... but not one of them dared laugh out loud.

Lord Tywin finally spoke: "Ser Gregor, since you've taken the initiative to raise your own household troops, I will grant you permission to legally sell snow-salt in the Westerlands, provided you pay the proper taxes.

As for marriage... I will keep an eye out for a suitable noblewoman on your behalf."

In the Seven Kingdoms, only kings and great lords had the right to trade salt. To common folk, salt was nearly as valuable as gold.

Though King Robert's rule was lax and turned a blind eye to salt smuggling, granting someone like Gregor the legal right to openly trade salt was still astonishing.

The knights, soldiers, and servants all thought they'd misheard.

Maester Pycelle was so shocked he stood completely stunned.

But Gregor stood firm and said coldly,

"No, my lord. I only want to marry Jeyne Westerling. I have no interest in any other reward."

He was as coarse and rude as ever. But Tywin had long grown used to it, Gregor was the only man who dared speak so boldly in his presence.

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