I had a plan.

I was Annabeth Mynes, and I had a plan.

I had quite a few plans, many plans, but I could only toil and wait for things to change so I could go forward with them.

All of them, except one.

Saphine had gone off with a Sprite on a quest to save a Sprite queen. If I were someone else, I might have gotten angry or annoyed, but I wasn’t. If Saphine was going to run off and try to keep her word, how could I do anything less than try my best to do the same?

I wasn’t about to let Saphy do my work for me just because she decided to shoulder the burden of an entire region on her shoulders without thinking about it.

It had all started with two things, each directly coming from Saphine bumbling into my life. Potatoes, and the tip-off from the [Guard Captain]. I didn’t know if Saphine would live up to her claim, but she had certainly caused ripples even in the short time she had been with me.

She had a straightforward attitude, seemed to wear her heart on her sleeve, and encouraged me to be more greedy.

So I was going to be greedy for her, if for nothing else.

Part one was simple in theory: give people food. Obviously, that was a bit hard with a coming famine.

What would they eat? How would I get the food, and where from? How would I deliver it or pay for it? Saphine likely thought I was dirty, stinking rich, and relative to most people I was. But not to the same level as a wealthy lord or powerful merchant.

So. Where would I get the food if I couldn’t buy it out right. It had to come from somewhere, right?

Well, Saphy had delivered to me a plant that I believed could do some major work.

The Potato, unlike the crops we grew normally, was incredibly hearty. Most of what we grew was grain, and very sickly grain at that. Time in the poor soil, the bad mana, or Tenebra, or whatever its technical name was, and the year on year of fertility treatments I had done had left them as the next best thing to dead tall grass.

I didn’t think the grains we grew were suited for the environment, the soil, the weather, or the slope. They wanted more than we could give them here, and they couldn’t produce enough because of it. To top it off, they would often rot if they weren’t dried right and were prone to infections that could kill or poison people, which by all accounts was a really bad time.

But the potatoes just… didn’t care.

Bad soil? Not a problem.

Bad weather? It’s a root vegetable.

And the best part?

It grew like a weed.

It grew like a plague in my Grove, sprouting up like a green shrubby carpet of doom for any plant that got in its way.

But that had been in my Grove, a literal place of power that nurtured plants, so when Saphy had gotten me to share it with a neighbor, I had, but I had also made a test out of it.

It grew slower but still fast. And that was with only a few skills used on it.

I swore them to secrecy immediately; they would earn a nice stack of coins for helping me stockpile them, but I needed the information to stay quiet.

Neighbor, by neighbor, I spread them.

I had been growing them, massing them, storing them up for a few weeks’ time when I would go out for my yearly jaunt down the northwestern valley to the parcels of land where we grew the most food.

I didn’t have enough to save the valley, not as it was now.

So I just had to have more.

With, say… a few hundred fields of them? Using the trick Saphine did where she cut them, I could get most of the fields planted with a little bit of potato, then they could be cut again and spread. By summer's end, there might be enough to let the valley not starve to death over winter, it may even be enough to avert a famine.

It might be a bandage on the gaping mortal wound we were living through, but it was what I could do right now. And I was going to darn well do it.

But somewhere along the way, my brain had crossed two roads, and something occurred to me, and plan part two grew, germinating from the seed of greed Saphine told me to act on and the information from the guard station.

The lords were not good people.

They were crafty and clever, greedy and not great people. And, like most people with similar skill set, they looked out for themselves first and everything else second.

They saw the bad crops, they saw the decline, they knew what was coming, and like rats on a sinking ship, they were going to run. They would run to second cousins and jump ship for whatever they could. Sell everything they could get away with and run as long as it looked like a sound decision.

They would do things like haphazardly train their peasants and sign them up as [Hunters], for example. They would run and take their coin with them. They were losing gold on their land; they knew it, which weakened their position.

And I was giving them an out.

I had written to twelve different lords, and like a gullible fool, I told them I couldn’t help with crops this year, an unfortunate thing, but assured them that I was sure the problems would be a passing fad.

They lept on it, like the Avarice worshipers they were.

I had been writing so many letters.

A word here, an idea of what I was doing that kept me away there. I used every trick, technique and form of manipulation my mother had taught me as a kid.

All I needed was to slip the idea of needing to buy assets with my unfortunately limited gold. I was, after all, an aging woman, how else could I attract a suitor at my age?

And so back and forth, I had led them by the nose to the idea of land, then buying land, and why I would love to buy it, but I have so little money as an unmarried woman, and why, yes, that is within my budget. Indeed, it was a fine purchase that would surely impress a suitor, assuming they were a normal [Noble], I kind of doubt Saphine cared.

They bought it, hook, line and sinker.

After all, I was just a single, youngish woman.

I didn’t have a man to stop me from doing something rash in the heat of the moment. For the more misogynistic of them, I played into it. For others, I didn’t, playing into me being just some dumb [Baron]’s daughter who was about to be swindled for a fortune, a small fortune that would let a [Lord] get a small parcel of land somewhere else. All in all, it was most of my ten years of earnings, but it was worth it.

I would be sweeping out, just in time to make some headway too, Clause had put out a call for the [Lords] to gather. I would ride out, signing documents and ride back to Clause with more land under my belt than almost any single [Lord] in the valley.

And all those [Farmers] and [Field Hands] would get potatoes, what little boost I could give them, and start growing enough food, fast enough to get two or three harvests in depending on the summer. Two on that land would sustain the population just enough to get by without mass starvation and get us to next year, three would give us enough to live out winter and plant properly next year.

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I could help save people by focusing on the issues Saphine couldn’t hit. I couldn’t just sit on my hands if Saphy was going to run off to fight undead. I didn’t need the land or the wealth that would come with it, I made more than enough money all on my own. So I would invest it in growing the valley, countering the other lords that predated their own people.

And when I died, it would, well, if we ended up together, go to Saphine.

Inheritance went to spouses first, and as much as I wanted one, I doubted I was going to end up with a child anyway. Unless Saphy had some equipment I didn’t know about, which would have been quite the feat considering how we slept.

It was strange thinking about Saphy, I had seen her just a while ago. But even the short time away from her was a strain, compounded by my feeling of guilt that had been growing in me since I saw her [Status].

It was a mix of emotions that danced through me whenever I thought about her, she gave me something I craved: the understanding I got when I was near her. And while she was a bit of a dope, she would sometimes encounter something and go, ‘Oh yeah, I know what this is,’ and uproot my view of her. She recognized a part of my heritage I was unaware of and knew things about me I hadn’t put together myself, and having someone who understood and was willing to look out for me like that made me feel good, both to be understood and cared for.

But the guilt of what I was doing ate at me. I was trying to court someone who would live forever. I could see the consequences of my actions already, where this would end up going, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn her away.

It was the greediest thing I could imagine. It would be kinder to shut her out and never talk to her again. Things were bound to go bad, and I knew it, and I was willing to let it go bad if I could spend my time with her. I could only hope she would forgive me when the time came for it to be an issue.

But there was no time to think about it too much, today, I was busy.

Saphine had gone off with the Sprite, who had tried to run us down, off to save her queen. So, instead of spending time on a picnic, I headed into town with one last letter in hand. That way, I could pass it off to a courier, one final letter for one final property. I had the money ready but didn’t have all the pawns lined up yet, so I needed to finish that up.

I had requested a special dress to help sell it to them and everything.

I decided to go straight to the courier, which was just outside the inner nobles' district, a few minutes walk from the gate. It was a slightly larger building compared to the shops next to it, the sign on the front marked it as one of the places that catered to merchants and the nobility, with writing on it instead of a picture.

I pulled the door open on its stiff hinges and quickly got to signing a form for where my letter would go before paying the two silver to deliver it and leaving the office back onto the street.

I was only wearing my work clothes, so I wouldn’t be seen dead going into the noble's quarter. They would no doubt see it as scandalous, and more importantly, it could ruin my plan.

I suppose… I’ll go buy some food and maybe order a book or two on managing land. That would probably be best. God’s look at me, I’m confused about what I should be doing. Ten years of being my own boss, and I’m suddenly out of Ideas on what to do with my free time. What am I waiting around for? I can… go do some painting and spend time relaxing.

Or I suppose readying some lessons for Saphy. She is my apprentice… Yeah, I’ll do that. It’s been a while since I did apprentice stuff, I’ll have to crack a book or two open to jog my memory… It was [Identify] next… then template spells? No, there was a bit in between the two… there were specific questions I needed to get her to think about, right?

I’ll need to get the book out.

I can do that when I get home.

I would have to go to the temple quarter again to get my book ordered. I doubted people would pay attention to me as I was, and I doubted even more that they would remember me. I didn’t stand out all that much. It was still a bit unsettling to think about. The last time I had seen it, there was still a little blood on the cobbles as I had fixed the street up, it stayed even through the rain and wind, a thin film of orange-brown that held on like a bad stain.

The memory of it gave me the willies, a series of goosebumps and a shiver accompanying it as I walked around and past the gate toward the temple’s district. I was going to go my own way and sort out my day when things began to switch up on me. I was brought short of power walking to my destination by the shout of a familiar voice.

“Hey, Beth! Wait up.”

I stopped, turning to find who was calling out to me, only to see a goofy grin and a hairline that needed to be registered as a deadly weapon in city limits.

Strause pushed on through the crowd, each person moving around him like minnows before a shark— an unconscious decision to move around him by dozens of people, each deciding to go around for their own reasons and just so happening to line up like a group. I immediately pulled mana around me in a barrier, though it wouldn’t help me all that much.

Whatever passive skill he had that used mana was a normal [Lord] skill as far as I could tell and couldn’t penetrate it. While it could be a variety of things, from something like [Calm tone] to [Voice of Authority]. For all I knew, it could have been [Dominating Presence], passively making him seem more authoritative than he otherwise would be while making me more passive and docile.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him to not take advantage of me somehow, but more that I didn’t like being affected by the skills I expected him to have at all. My mind was my own. And it would be good practice if I was going to meet less scrupulous [Lords] and [Nobles], who would delight in using those same skills to meet their greedy ends.

He winced a little, though I didn’t know why.

I didn’t understand what my brother could do, not really. He had something that reminded me of enchantment magic, at least in passing. The only problem being that, from what he had indicated, that was only part of the truth. He supposedly didn't use mana, which meant that it could be anything.

Saphine had seemed to understand what he was talking about, but I had no idea what he was capable of, and Saphine might as well know everything until proven otherwise.

I didn’t want to be afraid of Strause. He was my little brother, but I was slightly wary of him, and I didn’t think that would change until he explained what his deal was.

I waited for him to make it through the crowd towards me, and once he was close enough, I started walking towards the temple district again to purchase some books.

“I’m glad I caught you. I was hoping to talk to you, but you’ve been held up in your cabin in the woods, and I couldn’t get any time to myself,” he told me, keeping pace with his longer legs in a casual stride.

“Oh? Are the [Guard] that busy? I wouldn’t have expected that, it’s seemed to be rather tame, do tell,” I told him, trying to mask my emotions behind the boring, small talk.

“Well…” he hedged, “It’s not so much the [Guard] as Clause. Do you know how much of a handful he is? I can’t get a day off. He’s not having a good time right now, I think he might die of a heart attack in his office, it’s seriously bringing down the mood,” he gripped.

I looked at him.

Clause, being emotional? I somehow didn’t believe it to the extent he suggested. Clause being anxious was normal, Clause being so anxious that he might die? I couldn’t see that happening. He had been preparing for his job all his life, literally.

“What, is he panicking about the tax? He can use last year's tax with a little off the top,” I said, not believing a single word that came out of his smiling face.

“It’s not just that Beth. With everything going on? It's getting to him, I know it is,” he told me, tapping the side of his head.

“Oh, I forgot. You have whatever it is you have going on. I suppose it’s just you and yourself that can confirm it, Mr. Omniscient.”

“Hey,” he griped, “That’s not fair. First of all, I’m not the only one, and secondly, if I was omniscient, I would know what to say to get you to trust me, which I obviously don’t,” he told me, one part off-handed, one part defensive.

I snorted to myself. I wanted to chuckle a little. Strause was a dumb ass, as most men were when it came to women. I swear it was like we spoke two languages sometimes. He could read minds but not body language.

Honestly.

“I have no doubt,” I told him, crossing my arms and glaring over at him, trying to make my displeasure well received I followed it up with, “Forget your hairline, the bigger threat to your love life is how to get any woman to spend time around you, let alone get a woman to agree to spend her life with you,” I jibed.

“Rude, I can totally get women to spend time with me. I’ll have you know I’ve spoken to six women today. We had deep and interesting conversations on the nature of life, and emotions and stuff,” he groused, mock offence and a bit of what I thought might be truth in his voice and posture.

“Prostitutes don’t count,” I told him deadpan.

He scoffed mock offence in his voice.

“I’ll have you know that only two of them were prostitutes. I pay them to keep tabs on stuff for me. The rest of them were friends and a merchant.”

“Female friends? Strause, are you in denial? Men don’t have female friends, just failed love interests.”

“Ouch, I can prove it. I wanted to talk to you about some stuff, but you seem busy. I would be willing to do it over dinner. We could do a potluck of sorts, and I could clear my name.”

“A potluck? With your female friends? You know what, why not, it would be fun to mock you with them, though it would have to be at my place. Saphine is out fighting undead with a sentient insect and is probably going to come home covered in blood, and I should be there to make sure she comes back.”

Strause looked at me, and I had the feeling that he was stuck in a moment of disbelief, even if I couldn’t see it on his face. He opened his mouth, lifted a hand to gesture, aborted the motion and generally made fish-like motions with his mouth.

It took him a good thirty moments to pull himself back to composure, and I enjoyed every moment.

“I would say you were lying, but I know your not. Do I even want to know? No. Don’t answer that. I swear you and Clause are going to be the death of me. Dinner, your place, I’ll be there and bring some friends. Is that good? Good, I need a drink to work through your statement. See you later, Beth.”

And just like that, he walked off, blending into the crowd for a few moments before simply disappearing into the crowd.

I stared off into the crowd for a few moments before getting on with my day. I had a schedule to keep, Strause, coming by wouldn’t ruin it.

I finished up and headed back, picking up some food and got to cooking. I had finally finished setting my plans in motion.

Finally, after all these years, I could bring some real good to the valley, I just hoped Saphy would get home in one piece.