To say everything was going well, would be an understatement. In fact, I would say that my presence here would be unneeded within the next month.
It has been around three months since I had started improving agriculture at Barrick's farm and progress was great, workers littered the land in the surrounding fields as well as their tents, overall the mood was good.
If I'm being honest, there is little need of me even being here really, my lack of experience with farming itself renders me to paperwork, which I could do within the confines of a warm keep instead of a barn, and the fact that everyone seems to have gotten on with the work makes my job many times easier.
I did try my hand at farming but between the difficulty of it and the fact that I would be pestered by my guards to stop, I conceded, It of course has nothing to do with the fact that Father would rain hell upon me if he found out I started farming with the Small folk.
Barrick had taken the unofficial role of head farmer or something similar, he basically was in charge of everything the farmers did in the field, I will admit that he took to the task well. He had been a tough nut to crack, a men of his age and experience in agriculture is going to find it hard to believe that a twelve year old has methods of improving farming, even if those methods come from experts (or so they think), However Lannister gold is quite persuasive.
He had accepted the idea of crop rotation after I had described it to him, he told me that he thought that it was ingenious and would possibly change farming for the better if it actually worked. Lynchets were another matter, Barrick explained to me that he it would probably be too expensive for such labour intensive work and that making lynchets throughout the West would take years, if not decades.
I fully agreed with his doubts and told him that it would be a gradual process, as well as the fact that the constant work would be good for a lot of the Small folk, the prospects of work and good pay might influence people to migrate to the West.
With that, I raise another problem. I know I said that I was expecting a couple hundred people to show up for work but I didn't take into account of the problems that come with a large group of unorganised, undisciplined people. Around 353 have shown up so far, at least according to my ledger, and with that I have to procure places for them to sleep, food for them to eat as well as soldiers to guard and maintain law and order within the camp.
Lord Falwell helped in any way he could, he managed to scrounge up a few tents for the farmers to live in and had loaned me a couple dozen of his men to oversee security of the camp. However this wasn't enough, with more workers arriving every-so-often the problems only grew, which led me to send a raven to father. I asked for more tents, food and any soldiers that he could spare, with most of these arriving a fortnight ago.
As I was writing a letter to Lord Falwell to inform him of a fight that had broken out between two of his men, the door to my room opened. Montford walked through holding a plate carrying food in both of his hands. "Your dinner my Lord?" obviously asking where to place it, I make a hand gesture towards my left on the table.
"Monty" I ask him, "Have a rider deliver this letter to your father for me will you" I said as I held out the letter for him." He responds with a 'Yes, my Lord' before he turns around and starts to leave.
At first I had my doubts about him being my Page, I wasn't really liking the idea of someone following me around all day.
However he has proven useful, with him ferrying letters and helping me with the more mundane, boring tasks. I find that he shares a lot of similarities with Tyrion, they both possess a sharp mind, are avid readers and lack any talent with a blade, Monty is more on the quiet side though.
"Fire..." I heard Monty mumble as he was about to leave through the door, I look up at him to see him looking through a small wooden window that overlooks the tents.
"Fire" I said as I look in that direction.
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