Chapter Five

…..

Ser Meric Roote massages his temple feeling the familiar start of the headache that seems to be plaguing him ever since last week.

Things had been bad to say in this part of the countryside in the past few days or so. They came out of nowhere, hundreds of fat giant long headed birds squawking and honking like a demented tide. They are like nothing he had seen before. Originally he thought they were just giant chickens. Unfortunately they became honking, loud giant chickens that developed a taste for vegetation. Vegetation precisely that were the farm fields of House Roote. Farmers had abandoned fields in a panic as the tidal wave of giant chickens ravage farm after farm like a plague eating everything they can get their beaks on.

His young son, Lucas led a valiant charge against the overgrown birds with Ser Andrey Charlton and fifty men. He learned the hard lesson that fighting oversized angry chicken by the hundreds if not thousands is not a wise plan at all. No matter how much covering you had in plate, those nasty beaks and claws tend to find the softest part of you that they can reach once you riled them. The fifty of them returned covered in feathers, claws and scratches with Ser Charlton missing an eye. Jousting a tidal wave of them was apparently not the brightest idea.

Ever since then, the rampaging horde had only been delayed by dozens of his men-at-arms with crossbows and bows. The only weakness of the giant chickens was that they move slowly from place to place and the men of House Roote can take them down from afar before they were swarmed. Still it was not enough. There were too many giant chickens and too little guardsmen (And arrows in storage for that matter).

"And just in time for the Harvest Feast too," he mentally wails. Lord Tully would not be happy that their current quota is half…..less than half of what they usually send.

He mentally groaned as he can feel his age while leaning on his chair. He was up to his neck literally by complaints of the smallfolk about the sudden bovine invasion on their land. Seeing that the majority of the livelihood of the Riverland smallfolk was farms, he had literally a large number of them waiting for him to do something.

It was not happening to him alone. At his table were two pieces of paper delivered by Raven. Apparently Houses Darry and Wode were also suffering the same chicken infestation. The former had tried burning them out by using riders with torches, but what they accomplished was to simply burn their own fields on the effort. House Wode had adapted his tactics also on delaying the "enemy" and like him had small amounts of success.

Of course he can always ask for help from the Lord Paramount in order to rally the other Lords for aid. However explaining to them that he is being defeated by chickens is to large a blow to his pride. Problem solved or not, his house would be a laughing stock for generations to come. No, that is his lost resort only if he cannot find other alternatives.

Said alternative however leaves a bad taste to his mouth. Of course other than martial strength, he had also consulted with the Maester of his house about a probable solution for this animal invasion. His Maester unsurprisingly is less than useless about it. Not only didn't he know how to deal with the overlarge bovine invaders, he also had no idea what they were. Now that he thinks about it, so did the other Maesters of Darry and Wode.

Thus the reason why he, Ser Raymun Darry, and Ser Willis Wode are here at his welcome hall sitting together as they await their guest and only probable solution. He spared a glance at the other two lords and winced. Their armor and clothes had seen better days and Ser Willis even had grains clinging to his hair. He, like him must had also tried saving his grain personally from the unending tide.

With the knowledge of the Maesters and the Citadel useless, and a heroic charge can do more ill than good, Ser Meric Roote turned to their last option, the brilliant legitimate bastard of House Tully. Of course like everyone else in Westeros, he knows who the girl is. It is not every day after all for the Citadel to sing praises of someone not a Maester, much less a girl of six. He might not have believed it also if not for the confirmation of his own Maester.

Now here he is awaiting for her after receiving her confirmation to solve their problem and promise of silence in the matter.

It galled him of course and Ser Raymun Darry in particular to ask for help from the former bastard of Tully. Brilliant or not, she was a bastard after all and history had made it clear as day that associating with bastards always ended in tragedy in the long run. Of course for the latter, any Darry simply hated the Lord Paramount of the Riverlands. Not surprising since House Darry supported the Targaryen Dynasty during Robert's Rebellion and lost a lot because of it.

Still, despite their grievances and personal opinions, they are lords and it is their duty to put their feelings aside in order for the improvements and survival of their houses. Of course it is doubly important when said houses are in danger of being bankrupted. Agriculture is the primary resource of the Riverlands and it just won't do when your granaries are being drained dry by animals.

The sound of a horn sounding and the call of his herald brings Ser Meric Roote out of his musings as the first of the riders enter the wooden palisade of his home. Like all Riverlanders, the riders wore a combination of hard leather and pieces of steel. The first of them however carries the familiar Yellow and Black of House Whent. To his surprise though, he found among the riders a tall young girl with light reddish pink hair tied to a bun riding a white horse. She is wearing a comfortable riding attire, loose brown pants on her long legs and a white undershirt with a light chainmail cuirass for protection. A cloak of green also covers her upper body and protecting her modesty beneath. It is an attire men normally wear, not noble ladies.

Ser Meric blinks as he watches the girl being helped down by one of her escorts off the saddle. He knows of course that this is the Tully bastard. No family in Riverrun has that familiar trace of red on their hair. However his brain spins inside his skull. Last he heard, the Tully bastard is six namedays old, not looking like twelve. Yet, here she is looking like in the early stages to being a young woman instead of her original age. He can clearly see that she will be a beauty in the future though and frankly, Ser Meric is not surprised. Lady Catelyn and Lady Lysa are beauties in their prime, and it seems the Tully bloodline once more did not disappoint.

He can hear Ser Raymund beside him grinding his teeth at the sight of her. He stomps on the knight's foot to keep him quiet. The last thing that Ser Meric wants now is for him to ruin this. They need the bovine infestation gotten rid of and if the bastard girl has a solution, he will damn well swallow his pride.

"Lord Roote, Lord Darry, Lord Wode," she greets them as she stands in front of them. He frankly notices that she neither curtsied nor bowed to them. Beside him he can hear once more the Darry turning his teeth to dust.

"Lady Tully," Wode thankfully has a better political sense than the Lord of Darry. "It is a pleasure to have you here; and the help you have promised,"

"Of course and I do want my promised fair compensation of course," she replies with her own smile. Ser Meric can literally feel his face struggling to smile. Of course the help of the bastard does not come for free.

In exchange for getting rid of the weird looking chickens, the bastard had asked in payment that she be able to set up money lending booths on their lands and main towns alongside with a market stall on each location, tax free. He almost said no. The last thing that he wants is to be plagued with angry protests from the local merchants about the new competition. However of course, two granaries were overrun and Ser Meric was forced to acquiesce to the demand.

"So, shall we get inside then to discuss as to how exactly you are going to get rid us of our plaguing problem?" Ser Meric begins only to be surprised as the young girl laughs out loud.

"No need Ser Meric. On my way here, I have already sent the wagons and the traps with the lure that would bring all your turkey issues out of your hands and lands. Come tonight, your lands would be free of them. You can tell the farmers and smallfolk that took refuge in your towns and villages that they can once more return to their homes.

Ser Meric blinks at that temporarily speechless at her declaration. "You…..resolved it, already?" he asks. Judging by the disbelief on Lord Darry and Wode's face, they are also doubting her words. "It took us a lot of effort to slow them down and you say, you've killed them all already?" He has been expecting a poison solution from her at least.

"And what the hell is a Turkey?"

"That's where you're wrong Lord Roote. I never said I'd killed them. I've redirected them," says the Lady Delianah. "I've sent wagons at the edge of your territories with some of my trusted aides. I've invented some potions that will draw the out from your lands to the wagons where they will be caged and escorted out,".

"I-I-How did you-,"

The bastard simply smiles at them with that ever present smile as if she knows something they don't (which she probably does). "How I learned about them is simple my lord. I read….. a lot. And besides, my purpose here is to solve your problem and I do it discreetly, is it not? I never promised exactly that I need to share or tell of my methods on doing it,"

Ser Meric Roote can literally say no words as his brain tries and fails to make sense of what he is hearing. The girl arrived here and not less than five minutes, solve the issue that is literally taking the combined efforts of three houses. Judging by the gobsmacked expressions of the Lord Whent and Wode, they are also suffering on the same boat as he is.

"Of course I do expect your hospitality Lord Roote. It has been a long ride and I'm famished. Tonight, we'll discuss the payment agreed before," she declares heading towards his home with her guards following her with every eye looking at her in disbelief and awe.

"Now where's that bread and salt? I'm tired and I'm hungry already!" she declares loudly making Ser Meric sweatdrop as she stomps on her grounds feeling more at home than he is right now.

…..

Halls of Harrenhal

Three and a half months before the Harvest Feast of the Riverlands.

Delianah cackles in glee as she throws herself on her newly improved feather bed, a small courtesy of the smallfolk in exchange for the prosperity she is leading them. To say the least that she is happy is an understatement.

"Now I know why most Puffs prefer doing hardwork instead of using magic as a shortcut. There is that feeling of success that only comes when you put effort on something instead of cheating your way through it,"

Of course everything is orchestrated by her. It took her nearly her entire power summoning all the Turkeys north of the Wall to an abandoned patch at Harrenhal. Seeing the fact that the entirety of anything North of the Wall remains unexplored (for plenty of obvious reasons like weather, animals and the cannibalistic wildings), and very few South of the Wall has an interest in it, the region remains a mystery to many.

Fortunately not for her.

The diary and pseudo-encyclopedia left behind by Sirius to the Green Men is a major source of information for Delianah when it comes to the Lands North of the Wall. It is an untapped land and one she plans to take full advantage later.

For now though, she'll settle for Turkeys.

Suffice it to say that it worked like a charm, literally. A double dose of fury potion coupled with thirst draught poured on their watering troughs and you've got rabid hungry turkeys wanting to eat everything in sight. It is a simple matter then on dropping them on the lands of Roote, Darry and Wode. A week later and their Lords are sending her desperate messages for help about dealing with the infestation of their lands after the failure of their Maesters on finding a solution. She is after all, the genius of the Citadel and probably their nearest (and only) option.

Now here she is with three written writs at her hand with their signatures as a reward that she can establish her loaning booths alongside market stalls that would be selling some of her precious Delianite in their raw form.

Now one might ask why did she ask for so little after so much an effort about the turkey scheme. Let it not be said that Delianah isn't one without a plan always. She can after all sell jewels made of Delianite directly instead of simply in its most basic form. There's a reason for that.

You see, her true aim is not to simply gain money or gold (she can get that easily in the long run later), nor is it her purpose to simply put a competition against the markets of the three houses, no. What Delianah needs most of all is the entirety of their lands. Sure Harrenhal is already widespread and large in terms of land tract, however it has no natural defenses and one can literally march an army straight through its plains without worry. Once she controls these three houses, not only does she will have buffer territories against the Vale. She would gain access through the sea by Maidenpool and high River access. She would also be controlling a main part of the Kingsroad that passes through.

She does not want however to have any direct hand in her plans to control the area. The most efficient way of bringing down your enemy is stabbing through the heart. However the most elegant of executions does not target the obvious, no. Sometimes one must need to target the veins that lead to the heart. The heart will be dead all the same.

The purpose of the market area she requested is because it would be the main trading area for Delianite. Of course unsaid would be the small fact that the most avid gossipers of her small folk (and completely fed misinformation beforehand) would be manning the stalls. It would not be a long shot for the Lords of the Three Houses to know that Delianite can be mined at the Hills of the Riverlands which many of them had. After the rather high amount of damage that the Turkey invasion in their lands made, it would not be a long shot for them to be trying to find the mineral for themselves on their own lands in order to recuperate from their previous loss. Of course they would not find any, but the point is they would be borrowing a lot of money on the nearest source which is her loaning offices. They are after all adamant that they keep the damage of the Turkey invasion a secret in order to save face and reputation. Mining is a risky and money consuming business and one always need a good start up investment if he plans to gain any success. Seeing that they obviously have little money and prefer that no word gets out, her loan offices would be their only choice, their last choice.

Of course there is absolutely no Delianite on their hills, but it would be fun watching them desperately claw for any income to recover from their losses. Once they declare bankruptcy (which would be obvious in another month he expects), the Lord Paramount would auction their lands off after their incompetence and Delianah already having an interest in the area would be there to reap the harvest. It would be such a waste if she does not create Delianite mines with transmutation on already available open holes on the hills right? She has big plans and like it or not, she plans to fulfill them no matter who gets trampled along the way.

Of course she is not dumb and willing to leave everything to chance, no. The raw Delianite she is soon about to sell are laced once more with compulsion charms and attracting charms. It would be her little nudge in order for them not to deviate on their road to self-implosion. Might is magic after all.

"What to do at the moment though," she wonders to herself. The daily improvement of the lives he control under Harrenhal is being handled step by step by the Green Men. No need for her to step in unless some kind of emergency arises. The farm and mine productions of Harrenhal are also ongoing and needs time to bear fruit. The renovation of Harrenhal's main supports for the creation of the new seat of power is also ongoing alongside her steady supply line of cement and stone. The aqueducts are also being built heading to the five towns. All in all what she needs to do now is to sit and wait her ass until her projects finish themselves.

Delianah is never one to sit still though. Better find a reason to keep growing while she still can without the judgemental and observing eyes of some of the more important people in this continent. Once she emerges from her shell and declaring herself to the world, it would be in a position of strength, not a still improving one.

A bird squawking as it flies over the air makes Delianah remember something that she almost forgot due to the focus she's putting on the three houses she's about to gain. Currently she's still got thousands of turkeys in wagonloads north of Harrenhal. She mentally groans, she has almost forgotten them. Of course now that their main purpose is done, she can always put them back to the North via portkey.

Why however waste a resource when it literally is simply sitting there? She is already investing Harrenhal to be trading exotic food and agricultural products after the Harvest Feast. Maybe it's high time she includes the startup of husbandry alongside it. The North of Harrenhal is empty plain lands with many winding small streams and rivers. She can start up her pens and coops for the turkeys there. She mentally groans though. This means that she would need to be enticing small folk with skills among chickens to come work for her. She's got the gold but what she needs are workers that have a brain cell that can learn. Raising turkeys after all is a lot different from raising chickens. At least they would not be strangers to it. The last thing that Delianah needs is for some idiot to accidentally cause a plague that might ruin her magical work (seriously transporting that large amount of turkeys are no easy task).

Yes, she can spend her time on this. It beats simply sitting around doing nothing at the moment though. She will take her break once things start to go her way.

It is not today however.

Today she'll work and tomorrow, she'll celebrate.

…

Author's Note: Soo one more chapter before the Harvest Feast then we can finally gain traction for our dear Delianah.