Game of Thrones: Paladin of Old Gods

Chapter 33: 'Bets'

POV: Barbrey Dustin;

Torrhen's Square.

Twenty minutes before Ser Haymitch won the fight.

Lady Dustin, was in the stands of nobility. The woman was forced to change seats repeatedly over the course of the last two hours....

At least six lesser lords and eight knights tried to seduce her in every way that noble etiquette allowed.

She cursed inwardly, Duncan Tallhart, at least twenty times over the last two days. Ever since he had persuaded her to wear that dress and that perfume, she had not only been in the eye of the storm of: bachelor suitors looking for beauty, money and titles, but also of women....

They all wanted to know where she got that dress.

Finally, she caught a glimpse of possibility...

Lord Jorah Mormont, the only man she found 'tolerable'. Not only had Jorah been: 'the most gentlemanly' of the previous evening, but even after dancing with Lady Dustin, he did not return a second time to annoy her. It wasn't out of self-interest...Lady Barbrey, she could still feel his hidden glances...but it didn't bother her.

Barbrey approached the stand where Lord Jorah was seated and called to him:

"Lord Jorah." Said Barbery as he bowed.

The man, was dressed in a dark brown wool tunic, with the symbols of his House embroidered on it.

"My Lady, it is an honour and a pleasure to meet you again!"Lord Jorah said, springing to his feet to pay a bow.

"Lord Jorah...may I ask a favor of you?" Lady Dustin.

"Anything, my Lady." Jorah said as he began to focus all his attention on his next request.

"Could I...sit by your side...and pretend for a while that you are...yes in short that you are courting me, my Lord...I need some respite from the twenty noble lords seeking wives..." Lady Dustin said, a little embarrassed at the request she had just made.

"Ah...but of course, my lady...no problem...Do you want me to go talk to these lords in person, my Lady? I am afraid, that no matter how convincing I may be...the problem will come up again in short order." Said Jorah, glancing at the twenty straws of eyes aimed at the poor woman.

"No, my Lord. I thank you for offering, I know how to deal with these situations...it's just that I could use some 'air' for a few minutes before I lose my 'perfect noblewoman' armour." Said Barbery with a slight smile.

"Please! Have a seat, my lady. I promise to be as quiet as possible for as long as you need." Lord Jorah.

"Ahah, thank you my lord." Barbrey sat down. Indeed, the man in his early thirties and the 23-year-old woman remained silent for over five minutes as they watched the fray unfold.

"Of the remaining sixteen contestants, who do you think will win, Lord Jorah?" Barbrey asked spontaneously.

"Mmm, hard to guess, my Lady...If you had asked me 10 minutes ago, I would have said Lord Greajon Umber...but now I think there are two other very worthy contestants." Said Jorah, rubbing his chin lightly as he pondered.

"Who are the other two? I can't see anyone who particularly stood out...even I would have bet on Greatjon. The man has already defeated six men in a row." Barbrey asked curiously.

"Theo Knott, brother of Lord Knul Knott, is a very capable warrior. He doesn't waste his breath with unnecessary attacks and has a very good fighting style...fierce and unpredictable if I wanted to use adjectives to describe him." Jorah explained, pointing at the warrior.

"And the second one?" Barbrey asked, with an interested tone.

"That knight...unfortunately, I don't know his name, my Lady...but I think he has an even better chance than Theo." Jorah.

"That knight?...are you sure, Lord Jorah?...yes it should be Ser Haymitch...Ser Haymitch aka 'The Drunk'...putting aside the obvious prejudices due to his 'fame', he doesn't seem to have stood out much so far...in fact he's been hiding from his opponents all along." Said Lady Dustin, in a confused and incredulous tone.

Lady Barbery had many talents but did not understand much about fighting and fencing. However, at first glance, she would not have bet a penny on the man.

"...I think he has a real chance, my Lady...Might I propose a wager between us?" Jorah asked with a small playful smile.

"Mmm...and what would you like to bet, my Lord?" Lady Barbrey asked curiously.

"What would you like, my Lady?" Jorah.

"...I have a great passion for thoroughbred horses, after all I am a Ryswell...your Red Stallion, my lord." He tried to propose, Lady Dustin not believing the man could accept.

"Mmmm...all right, my Lady. I will bet my horse, that Ser Haymitch will at least make the top three winners." Jorah replied, thinking for a moment about the type of bet.

"...And in return? What would you like, my Lord?" Barbrey asked with curiosity.

"...The chance to dance with you again, my Lady."

End POV.

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POV: An accountant in the service of House Tallhart.

Torrhen's Square.

One hour after the end of the melee...

Zeugh, a former Volantis slave of nearly forty years, had been in the service of House Tallhart for almost a year. He had been purchased along with his family and taken to the northern lands. As soon as he, his wife and two children boarded the ship for White Harbor, they were stripped of their collars and given the choice of either joining House Tallhart, with benefits, protection and the chance to work under more than fair pay, or going their separate ways with a purse of 10 gold dragons...

Zeugh accepted the first offer.

By now, all the members of his family were living in a more than livable residence near Torrhen's Square. The man, who could read, write, speak 3 languages fluently and was familiar with numbers, was offered a salary of 9 gold dragons a year...plus production bonuses if he met or exceeded work targets...

Today, it was one of those days when the man would receive a raise....

He had been put in charge of running, along with other staff and guards, the tournament betting centre.

Since most of the bettors had placed their bets on the favourites of the melee, House Tallhart had earned over 900 gold dragons in that single competition...

The goal of the day was to achieve a profit of 800 golden dragons...and currently 909 golden dragons, 13 silver moons and 5 silvel stags were present.

The 10% of the surplus earned would be shared equally to Zeugh and his other four collaborators. They were all enthusiastic about the goal achieved. All of them would bring home at least 2 gold dragons, and they had earned them in a single day!

No one had bet on Ser Haymitch... no one except an eight-year-old boy, Young Lord Domeric Bolton, who had placed two silver moons on the underdog... and now the lucky boy had come to collect his winnings.

"Here you are, young lord. Thirty-six Silver Moons, congratulations on your winnings and your courage in betting your money on the underdog in the competition. Would you like us to exchange thirty silver for a gold dragon?" Zeugh asked, handing a bag to the pale child.

"No thanks, I'd like to put my winnings on tomorrow's competition instead." He said in a confident tone, Domeric Bolton.

"Ah...I see, my Lord. Who would you like to bet on? Tomorrow's favourite is Ser Hulrick Green, vassal of Lord Manderly. The knight is the captain of the archers in Lord Wyman's army...it is said that he has won four tournaments in the past and has shot down with his bow, over 30 men in the Trident...he is odds of 1.5 to 1." Explained Zeugh trying to steer the boy towards a less risky bet...he didn't want a child to lose all his possessions, after all he was still young and couldn't know the 'risks' of gambling.

"Mmmm, no thanks. I'd like to bet all 36 silvers on...yes this contestant." Said Domeric pointing his finger at a name on the black granite board.

"...My Lord...are you sure of your choice? Lady Josua of Jhala is given 13 to 1....might be a gamble, my lord." Said Zeugh trying to make the child understand that, betting everything on the underdog was too big a gamble.

"I'm sure. I'm betting it all on Josua of Jhala...could I have the receipt please?" Said Domeric placing the bag on the wooden table and holding out an open hand in anticipation of the piece of paper.

"...Of course, my Lord..." Zeugh replied, in a resigned tone...

Ten minutes later...

Five more noble children arrived at the betting centre:

Eddard Karstark, Daryn Hornwood, Smalljon Umber, Rodrick Forrester and Dayce Mormont.

They all wanted to bet on Josua of Jhala ... Rodrick Forrester, even bet on a golden dragon....

After those five more bets, Zeugh and the other accountants were forced to lower the archer's odds to 10/1...

End POV.

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POV: Ser Hulrick Green;

Torrhen's Square.

The day after an accountant accepted 6 odd bets....

Ser Hulrick Green, was staring down his three remaining rivals in the race:

a young captain named Henry in the service of the Tallharts, a senior archer of the Cerwyns named Duglas, and a woman...Josua of Jhala...

To the knight, it was an outrageous scandal that a woman should participate in an all-male competition...a woman was not supposed to fight or hold a weapon...she was supposed to remain in the hearth of the House caring for her children and warming a man's bed...

Ser Hulrick did not complain publicly...after all, the foreign contestant had been invited by the Tallhart family itself...

The thing that angered him most...was the bow in his possession...a GoldenHeart Bow from Summer Island...it was the second best bow around, very rare to find or buy. Only a bow made of dragon bone could exceed the range of the GoldenHeart Bow...

Josua of jhala, had barely reached the target range needed to participate in the next round.

Now that Ser Hulrick had seen the capabilities of each competitor, was certain he would at least be able to finish third...

The only thing he feared was that boy in his late twenties, Henry. The knight had to admit that the young captain had an innate talent for bows and arrows... In the previous round: Shooting at 90 feet, he had hit the target three times in a row... Ser Hulrick had also succeeded, but he couldn't shoot arrows as fast as Henry.

Ser Hulrick wanted that bow as a prize, the GoldenHeart. He had to make sure he could get as many as possible... he could even sell one in excess at a price of at least 300 Golden Dragons...

"Lady Josua, congratulations on the previous round." Ser Ulrich said as he approached the woman's side.

"Thank you." It was a cold and concise reply...

"...I hope you are not anxious about the next round...after all, 120 feet is a very long distance." Ulrick.

"It is." Josua.

"...My Lady...how about a little friendly bet?"... tried to ask Ser Ulrick, trying to express all the friendliness and kindness he was capable of.

"What would you like to bet, Ser?" Josua asked, turning for the first time towards the man's face. She had a look that expressed anxiety and concern....

'I have to go slow, she looks scared...I have to draw her gently towards the web...' Ulrick thought.

'Well, my lady...your archery skills are incredible...I'm sure you'll be able to achieve at least second place. I on the other hand, will certainly have difficulty in the next competition... my eyesight fogs up after a hundred feet, unfortunately. Age is the greatest of enemies. How would you like to bet your bow? Whoever among us gets the best result out of the three shots will be the winner...or the winner...in return I'm willing to bet 60..." Ulrick was interrupted.

"900 golden dragons. Are you in?" shot out Josua suddenly.

Ulrick was taken aback for a moment...900 Golden Dragons was quite a sum! He was at a loss on all fronts...over the course of his previous victories in competitions, he had managed to set aside about 1,100 Golden Dragons...but he also had a small manor to run.

Pondering carefully for a good minute, Ulrick thought back over the archer's previous shots... he hadn't noticed anything exceptional, he even thought that 2 of the 9 targets the woman had hit were due to pure luck...

"Agreed, Lady Josua. I accept."

End POV.

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POV: A concerned accountant...

Torrhen's Square.

Three hours after the end of the archery competition...

Zeugh and the other four accountants had spent the last three hours trying to calm down dozens of disgruntled and angry bettors...

The five managers of the betting centre had strongly recommended Ser Hulrick Green...but inexplicably the knight of renown came fourth in the last round of the competition...

After Josua of Jhala, had hit all three shots and even managed to split an arrow perfectly in the middle, in half, Ser Ulrick panicked ... and could not concentrate properly on the race ... of the three arrows shot only one hit the target two inches away from the centre ...

Many nobles and country squires accused poor Zeugh that this competition had been a complete cheat....

Lord Leobald Tallhart himself, had to come to calm the angry crowd...

"Zeugh, the five young nobles who had bet on Josua have already withdrawn their winnings... only the child 'kissed by the goddess of fortune' is missing. Berogh, the assistant manager under Zeugh, warned.

Zeugh's greatest concern was not the angry crowd...but that child...the young lord, Domeric Bolton...

The chief bookmaker had promised himself that if the child chose to bet his entire winnings on tomorrow's jousting champion again, he would be as elusive as possible... He would try to gather as little information as possible about the jousting candidates... If the 'third miracle' in a row happened, the bookmaker might even miss tomorrow's target and not make the profit he had hoped for...

Five minutes later, a pale child entered the betting centre...

Domeric Bolton, approached Zeugh with a confident step and placed a piece of paper on the wooden counter...

"My Lord Domeric, congratulations on your winnings... Yes, here it is...15 gold dragons and 18 silver moons (about 140,000 USD)... That's quite a sum, my Lord!" Zeugh said, trying to exalt the value of the money as much as possible.

He had just placed on the counter, a leather bag with almost Zeugh's two-year basic paycheck inside...

"Thank you...I would like to see the odds of tomorrow's jousting contestants, please." Said Domeric, almost uncaring of Zeugh's words. The boy had a determined look on his face.

Zeugh, hearing that sentence, visibly began to break out in a cold sweat....

"My lord...don't you think you should first...'discuss this with your father', Lord Roose Bolton?" Zeugh tried to ask, trying not to cross too much of the threshold allowed for a non-noble.

"No. Thank you for the advice, Mr Zeugh. I have full autonomy over the money I have earned personally." The boy replied politely...but he began to scan the man in front of him with a different gaze. He seemed colder and more calculating....

"Of course, my Lord...I apologise for my unsolicited 'advice'..." Zeugh, began to get scared seeing the face of the 'child' in front of him....

"Here it is, my lord...The list of tomorrow's contestants..." Zeugh, handed a sheet of paper with a list of names to the child, who promptly grabbed it and began to read...

"I would like an updated list with also the odds of the respective contestants, please..." Said Domeric handing the useless paper on the counter...

"...Of course, my lord.....here it is..." Zeugh.

"Thank you..." Domeric.

After about a minute, the young lord spoke up and said:

"I would like to make a double bet." Domeric.

For a moment Zeugh's heart resumed beating....

'Good thing, he wants to differentiate the bet...' He thought taking a breath of relief....

'Of course, my Lord. How much would you like to wager on each of these bets?" Zeugh asked with a friendly smile on his face.

"No, Mr. Zeugh...I would like to bet all my winnings on a double event. I'm betting 15 gold dragons and 18 silver moons that this contestant will come first in the joust and that this other will come second." Said Domeric, in a firm and determined tone.

Zeugh stared at the two names of the underdog competitors for about 30 seconds...

"My....my lord...I must warn you...that...that...this bet is very, very, risky...and that it's listed at 50 to 1." Said Zeugh stammering.

"I know, I'm all in. I'd like a receipt, please."