JEFFERSON

The Black Rose Tavern in Highgarden was full with the hungry customers waiting for Jefferson Tyrell to lose. They had been playing dice now for over three hours and he had cleaned out most of the takers with any spare coin. Jefferson was a dab hand with the dice (he didn't tell anyone that he had a specialist in King's Landing to make them loaded) and everyone groaned as he won a whole dragon from the landlord.

'You can't throw a seven four times in a row! That's impossible!' The gap toothed landlord whistled at him. Jefferson gave him one of his signature smiles and shrugged. This had been his most successful haul to date the night was not yet spent.

'I'm dreadfully sorry is that the sound of a man who can't afford to lose?' He teased flicking the dragon in the air and catching it in his palm. 'How about another go?' He offered but the man glared at him before retreating back behind the bar. Everyone then turned as a hooded man sulks into the tavern, a hood pulled over his head and scarf around his face so you couldn't see it at all. Someone who didn't want to be noticed. Hard luck for him.

'Ah a new challenger!' Jefferson called out seeing the bulging purse at his hip. The figure turned swiftly and at first Jefferson was a little taken a back. He was rather menacing... It seemed though that the man couldn't turn down a challenge and without saying anything put the two dragons on the table before him. 'Are you sure mate? I mean I am unbeatable in this town,' He laughed but the figure just sat opposite him and grabbed the dice. 'Roll an eight.' Jefferson said knowing that number wasn't possible with those dice. The gloved hands shook the dice and rolled them across the table, the whole room watched as they spun manically across the splintered table. It was an eight. 'That's impossible!' he shrieked.

'Oh aye? How is that then Tyrell? Unless you've been cheating us all night?' The landlord barked starting to rile up all those he had beaten. As most of them were smiths and all kinds of working men they were twice his size. A single hook with one of those fists and he would be singing like a maid for a long time.

'No! No! That's not what I meant at all.' He looked back and forth the landlord and the expectant winner and without a second thought grabbed his winnings and bolted from the table.

'Get after the cheating bastard!' The landlord hollered but Jefferson was quick and already out of the door before anyone knew what was going on. However, what he didn't know was that someone was also as quick and as he panted behind an alley a figure pounced on him knocking him into the mud. He would never be able to get these stains out! When he looked up he gulped. It was the man who had beaten him.

'Please forgive me, I- I have a daughter.' He pleaded as he saw the figure brandish a dagger. His attacker lifted him up and pushed him against the slimy wet wall and pulled down the hood and scarf. 'You...You're a…' He stammered.

'A monstrous beast that has come to feast on your flesh? No. Now I think you owe me some money don't you?' said his attacker whose long blonde hair tumbled down her shoulders with two smaller braids either side. It was dark but he could still make out the blue of her eyes that glinted like sapphires.

'A girl?!' He exclaimed struggling against the dagger that she pushed at the naked flesh of his throat. He couldn't die, he just couldn't! There was so much to live for and his daughter would forever make the top of that list.

'Woman.' She corrected him and she reached down at the drawstring at his side she rumbled inside and took out a dragon and then let it drop back.

'Wait? You're not going to take it all?' He asked, now utterly confused.

'I've coming for what I won, nothing more.' She handed him back the dice. 'You should be careful who you challenge.' She winked and released him before turning to leave. Jefferson smirked at the challenge of such a feisty female and run up to her.

'So where you off to now, you wondrous dice player?' He questioned, the fear that he had now replaced with curiosity.

'None of your business m'lord.' She said with a mock bow of her head. 'Shouldn't you be getting back to your fancy house?' she said.

'The Tyrell blood runs thin in me I'm afraid, in fact I would be a bastard if the King himself hadn't reinstated my name. Your name though… I would do a lot to find that out.' He teased rushing to stand in front of her.

'I suspect that you would, not that I'm going to give it to you. As you can see I'm trying to keep a low profile and I don't need some jumped up Tyrell knowing my business.' She quipped moving around him.

'Jumped up Tyrell, that is absurd. Maybe fanciful Loras is but me? Well that would be ridiculous.' He scoffed in pretend offense.

'You said you had a daughter?' The woman asked quietly carrying on as it started to pick to rain.

'Hang on how can you ask questions and you won't answer mine? Seems highly unfair,' He protested but he loved Grace. He could talk about her for hours upon end. His wonderful little girl. 'Yes I do, her name is Grace... but her mother died in childbirth.' He said hesitantly, the pain of her death was still rooted in him.

'You're obviously in some kind of debt.' She said a little saddened at the odd man's tragedy. Jefferson was startled by that quick summation.

'Yes, but I would like to know how you came to that conclusion.' He mused with a pointed finger before pulling back the collar of his shirt that was sticking to him as it dampened.

'Oh please, a wealthy man gambling with loaded dice in a tavern? You're more foolish than I thought.' She scoffed but that was when Jefferson got slightly angry. Not at her but with the frustration of his own situation. He had gotten his broken family into such a horrid mess and it wasn't a pleasant thing to grasp.

'You know I don't want to be gambling, I'm only doing it so Grace and I can stay in Highgarden! If I don't make up the coin of my debt then my house are making me re-marry.' He shouted at her but was shocked at his own outburst. He felt the need to impress her or to at least make him seem a decent fellow. Why had he told this strange assassin woman about that? The woman stopped and looked at him pitifully.

'I'm sorry; I know what its like to be forced to marry someone who you don't love.' She said and then clambering up onto a rooftop she was out of sight within minutes. Jefferson sighed, he didn't get her name after all.

Jefferson made his way back to his house. He had been moved out of the Tyrell estate after his debt problems became increasingly embarrassing. Although he couldn't complain, the house wasn't that demeaning. It still had over four bedrooms and Grace had been given a maid but it was more the shame of being here than anything else. He remembered the words of Olenna before he was moved.

'You come back either with a wife or with no debt it is simple Jefferson.' She had scorned him. She had hated his antics and his complete disregard for their house. He called out when he walked into the house that was still warm even after the sun had set.

'I'm home.' he said titling his head up the wooden stairs. He waited for a moment before he heard the creaks of wooden floor boards and Grace was running down the steps toward him.

'Papa!' She cried out and jumped into his arms. 'You've been gone all night.' She said with a frown but it quickly turned into a smile. 'I missed you.'

'I missed you more.' He told her carrying her back up the stairs. She looked up at him biting her lip as if she were debating on whether to tell him something. 'Go on,' He said drawing the words out playfully. 'What do you want to tell me?' He asked with a smile.

'Papa, I don't mind if you have a new wife.' She said innocently.

'Well I do Grace, what happens if she was old and mean and had an eye patch?' He didn't want to tell her that having to marry again was probably what was going to end up happening. He wouldn't be able to go gambling again to get the dragon he lost back and the rest of it was just pittance with the great amount of money he owed.

'You are silly.' She giggled and she bounced back into her bed. He watched her drift off to sleep and his thoughts wandered over marrying. Did it have to be a rich wealthy woman who would probably despise him? Or could it be someone like that woman he had met earlier?