75 Prussian the reach

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POV of Olenna Tyrell

I was a little worried, in most religions women are always left out, it is very likely that they know that for many years I was the one who controlled the politics in the reach and it would be expected a similar reaction to the one Lord Tarly has, if the Prussians are very religious, it would mean that we will have many problems in gaining influence because unfortunately most of the tyrell males are stupid or have no political tact.

I didn't want to think too much about that, I wanted to think that Prussian politics being so centered on their king, if Janna managed to win his heart, it would be possible that we could influence the young king and Janna was personally trained so that she could influence the men although I could never do much with her over weight affecting her physique.

Our continuous journey without many problems, this time the people we found on the road were inhabited and had a lot of difference, some houses were completely made of bricks.

Checking inside, they were very spacious, where a family of some not very wealthy knight would live, but if we consider that they were built for the small folks, the Prussians were spending their gold on senseless things, with that same material they could build fortresses to secure their new territories with Dorne that supposedly, although now there is peace there are still skirmishes between Prussians and Dornish on the river, which have ended with many casualties although always in favor of the Prussians because they rarely fight without having the advantage of the terrain as Lord Tarly likes to brag.

If we consider how the small folks live, if there is a big change in how they behave, as Erich had indicated the mayor of the town is a Teutonic knight who walked around the town giving orders that the small folks very happily obeyed, one could see in the eyes of most of the inhabitants the respect for the figure of the imposing Teutonic knight and his guards.

The next day our continuous travel and get a little surprised when we observe our old territories and how much they had changed since the last time I saw them.

Everywhere I looked I could see farmland in perfect condition, with irrigation canals, stretching across the countryside, with thousands of people at work expanding and caring for the farmland.

The fields were already showing the lush green color of the vegetation of whatever they were planting.

All along the way I saw groups of farmers moving about clearing brush, removing rocks, plowing the land and planting using some device that I had never seen that was moved by oxen

And as we moved along the road I noticed more wagons arriving carrying tools and people that were distributed throughout the countryside and how several Prussian guards were keeping a watchful eye on the work.

This makes no sense, the small folks who have animals to help in the work of plowing the land are extremely few, but all groups of ten people have at least two oxen with which they are expanding the fields, besides having new tools.

These lands were not in use when they were under our rule, they could not have changed so much in just seven moons.

''Lord Erich what is all this?'', ask the person who will tell you everything he knows.

''Well, this is one of the plantations of his royal majesty Wilhelm von Hohenzollern, we consider your farming techniques archaic and only looking for the subsistence of the peasants...they were not efficient therefore under the decree that I had explained to you before these plantations were created where we pay small folks to work the land for us. ...it is more efficient, with tools, animals and knowledge we are completely confident that we can increase the amount of grains produced each year, but this plantation... although what we plant specifically I can't say'' said Erich without looking away from the road.

''I see... so here are all the people you resettled?'', I said surprised to see thousands of peasants at work

''A good part of them, if they knew how to do anything else, were probably left under the care of some Prussian craftsman, they are constantly looking for helpers and apprentices to produce everything that is in short supply here'' Erich answered.

I understood that the Prussians liked efficiency... but this is taking it to the extreme, if they produce too much they won't find buyers and will have to store it where there is a great chance it will rot... selling it to other places is lucrative, but the transportation costs are also high without considering the risks that may be involved in any route they choose, by land the road is long and many possibilities' robbery, by sea there are the pirates of the iron born

They will be considering essos?, grain is quite expensive there due to the constant looting by the horse lords, but the journey is extremely long and danger is almost combining all the problems of land and sea transportation.

all the way I watched the fields as we continued to move through the kilometers and kilometers of farmland.

Until we reached the mander where the river was crowded with ships plying its waters, in the old days only barges sailed here for the enjoyment of the nobles and rarely commercial ships sailed.

We spent the night in a town like the previous one with many brick buildings, which the Prussians gave to the small folks and again the Teutonic knight who was in charge of the town hall was practically respected by all the inhabitants.

By the tenth day of our journey we continued along the road, observing the hundreds of wagons that passed by us transporting workers to the fields as well as the animals they used to help them.

I felt a tapping on my window, it was Erich trying to get my attention.

''Lady Olenna, we are about to arrive, do you wish to enter the city or go directly to Highgarden?'', asked Erich leaning towards me on his horse.

''What city?'', I asked incredulously.

''Oh... right, the city where most of the peasants live is completely of German architecture, according to Friedrich von Roon's last report the city is home to almost sixty thousand souls, although a good amount are sleeping in tents or makeshift houses due to the people arriving faster than the constructions are advancing'' said Erich pointing to some structures on the horizon

''I would like to visit the city'' I said trying to observe what Erich had pointed out.

We continued advancing and passed by one of the entrances of the city, the guards let us pass without inconveniences because Erich talked to the guards and without asking questions they opened the way

It didn't matter where I looked, everywhere there was the same construction almost without any difference, it was the same houses built over and over again, the only thing that could change was the color of the paint that each house had, but nothing else in everything else they were the same.

The streets were wide enough to allow the movement of carriages in both directions, they were also paved and very clean.

As we continued moving, we found that a large group of people were gathered in a white stone building.

I only had to pay attention to it for Erich to tell me what it was.

''It is a therma, public baths, lady Olenna, every inhabitant of the city can attend free of charge to the therma where you can find hot water to take a bath... ha, ha, ha, among us there was a big conflict between some officials about whether to make taking a bath a day mandatory, but finally, it was decided to make it voluntary because if it were mandatory probably the service would collapse with so many people, although this is one of four that are built in the city'' said Erich while laughing.

''Hot water?... but it must cost a fortune to maintain something like that... the Highgarden bath had to be maintained by several dozen servants to bring water and heat it'' I said very surprised.

''The truth is that it is not...it is quite cheap. if we share it with the costs that could cause an epidemic. the aqueduct brings all the necessary water from the river and it is heated by a fireplace underneath the pools, which allows us to have hot water for the whole city during almost the whole day. ... the expensive part is the wood... although if you want warm water and cold water they are also available... nothing better than taking a bath after a hard training or working day'' said Erich flexing one of his huge arms.

''That's the clock tower that's under construction... when it's finished it will show the hour to the whole city.''

''The church where every good Prussian must go to''

''The theater for people to seek entertainment delivered by local artists or traveling bards.''

''The printing press, where all the copies of the civil and penal codes that everyone should know and books on demand are produced''

''The hospital, healing available to all, a free service provided by the king.

''A small branch of the bank, if you wish to store your gold, there is no safer place than their vaults protected by Halbbrüder members of the Teutonic order''

Erich kept pointing everywhere, there were new buildings that deliver a service to the population... now it all makes sense... that's why all the servants that were still loyal to us only said positive things... who the hell would want to go back to serve a lord for nothing... the Prussians deliver many things that are only within the reach of a nobleman to all the small folks that's why they are so content

If this spreads all over the reach...it's only a matter of time before the Prussians will be impossible to remove...the small folks already respect the Prussians and only the seven know how long it will be before they will love them

Although I'm a little worried about where the hell they are financing all this from, they must be spending millions of gold coins, I don't think they can keep paying so many people to work... I hope Janna can give me a more profound explanation

When we finally got out of the city we arrived to the Highgarden vicinity

Nostalgia hit me when I noticed that the beautiful gardens were still here, although it seems that they look after them to cut flowers and a beekeeping area, even for beauty the Prussians look for them to do something productive.

The inner gardens of the castle were destroyed because the castle looked abandoned with very few guards who would open the gates to our escort.

Finally, Erich helps me to move my luggage to my room and he guides me to my daughter's room.

Accompanied by my twin bodyguards I went to see Janna so that she could talk to me about what she has learned during her time here.

Janna's room is guarded by four Teutonic knights who did not let my guards in but Erich did.

Entering the room I found Janna eating cream cakes with a group of servant girls

But there was a man inside the room wearing animal skins and a covered face who looked at me with terrifying eyes.

''Get out, I need to speak to my daughter alone'' I said to everyone in the room.

The maids quickly left the place, but the man wearing the skins of a wolf on his head didn't move in the slightest

''I need to talk to my daughter alone'' I said to the man.

His green eyes focused on me, but again he did nothing, he remained stuck in his position.

I looked at Erich and he raised his hand, but the mysterious man spoke.

''I remind you Erich that my name is secret, if you say it, I will cut your throat, no matter how good friends we are'' said the mysterious man in the Prussian language.

''I like my neck... friend'' Erich replied in his tongue.

''lady Olenna would like to speak with her daughter in private, if you could give her that privacy'' Erich said in the common tongue and then pointed at me

''King's orders... I answer only to the king and the officers he commands me to obey, neither you nor she nor her daughter can give me orders'' the wolf skinned man replied in the common tongue.

''You are talking about your future queen, do you think you can insult the king's family, without anything happening to you?'', I said with an annoyed voice.

The man came closer and moved Erich out of the way until he was in front of me.

''I am a tool... always have been and always will be... when my owner gets bored or considers that I did my duty he will get rid of me... you and your daughter are just a decoration, easily replaceable, any woman can give birth... few can what I do'' the man said drawing his dagger

''The Prussians may trust you because the ''family is strong'' and you will be the queen's mother, but with us, it is different, as Teutons we protect the king from knives in the dark... but also from intrigues and ''traitors'', the moment you try to do something against the interests of our just king, your life will be over'' said the man passing his dagger by the blunt side through my neck to stick it in the table

''Welcome to Prussian politics... you will find it boring for it is almost non-existent'' said the man as he left the room.

Erich left the room, leaving us alone.

Janna is terrified of what had happened because she had lost the color in her face.

''Who was he?'', I asked my daughter trying to calm her down a little bit.

''I don't know, they are always in my room and they don't say anything'' Janna answered while shaking.

I calmed my daughter for several minutes, but when we started to talk, I was not only angry with that wild man, but also with my lazy daughter.

''IN SEVEN MOONS, YOU HAVE NOT ONCE SEEN YOUR FUTURE HUSBAND?'', I shouted angrily.

''Sorry, mother, sorry'', Janna said crying.

This will be harder than I thought

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