Fix the Fields

I glared in annoyance as I watched him flop backward onto his chair. I really couldn't help but roll my eyes even as several of the other elders got to their feet, shouting and carrying on about his health and wellbeing. Sure, they were old, but if they were that frail, I imagine they wouldn't be on the elder's council.

And if Freddy had a heart condition, he shouldn't have been so damn rude.

When it seemed as though he would be fine and he started coming around, the commotion started settling down quite a bit more. Fredrick looked rather bleary but was definitely more polite.

And by that, I mean he shut his fat trap.

"I'd like to move on to agriculture if that's alright with everyone," I said, suddenly taking control of the conversation…not that there was one, anyway. Some of the elders looked a little nervous at first, but I smiled gently before referring to my notes.

Gharret nodded at me before I continued.

"From the information I gathered, it seems that production is starting to decline." There was a little murmur of concern before one of the elders – a hare beastman who had spoken last week – cleared his throat.

"And…where did you come by this information?" he asked, though he was being polite about it. Unlike Fredrick, who looked rather peeved. He looked as though he'd wanted to ask, but feared repercussions and I'm assuming this elder was simply doing him a favor by facing their new beast of a chiefess.

"Isabella informed me. While she doesn't have nearly the length of experience that you folks do, she's noticed a slight, but steady decline from childhood. I wanted to confirm the accuracy of this information with our farm bosses." I smiled in return. See what a little cordiality will get you, Freddy?!

The old hare smiled and bobbed his head slightly.

"My Isabella…," he said wistfully, then nodded again. "She's a sharp one, even at her age. Even without having a broader picture, she's been able to pick up on those changes easily. Just like me!" He started laughing and I blinked a little at him.

Could he be…?

"My daughter has a gift, dear Princess! You must be sharp to pick up on it!" He laughed again and I stared in disbelief.

This old fart was Isabella's father?! I figured he'd be her great-grandfather, at the very least! Holy shit!

Gharret pat my arm gently and I glanced over at him before catching myself and clearing my throat. Gotta keep decorum, after all. The more they see me as an impenetrable wall of badassery, the easier it will be to implement civil advancements.

"Thank you. I'm glad you agree with her views, as well. I was told that previous concerns brought forth about this issue were dismissed, however…" Fredrick grumbled and I focused my attention on him for a brief moment. He jumped and turned his head away, arms still crossed.

I waited for a good, long moment and watched the council grow awkward and start shifting before I smiled a little.

"Since there are no objections or disagreements to this complaint, let's address it, shall we?" I flipped through a few pages in my notebook before I landed on the one with the farming problems and solutions. Clearing my throat, I began to read.

"Rotate fields every season. Plant cover crops. Allow animals to graze cover crops prior to the next season's planting. Allow fields to rest in-between seasons-"

"I cannot hold my tongue any further! What do you know about farming, anyhow?!" Fredrick snapped. Ah. I was wondering when he would. I glanced at him, nonplussed.

"Evidently a great deal more than you."

He took that as a dire insult and jumped to his feet again, red in the face.

"We don't need all that! There's nothing wrong! Everyone's getting fed, no one's going hungry, so what's the big deal?!"

I sighed and rubbed my temple briefly. Gharret had been quiet this entire time, simply letting me lead this particular meeting. He seemed to have more than enough faith in me to keep his mouth shut and merely smiled in my direction. The weight of his hand on my arm, however, became slightly heavier, and I took that as a sign that I should go easy on our poor, idiotic Fredrick.

Well, fine.

"The problem lies in what will happen in the future," I began and the shock on Freddy's face said that he hadn't thought that far ahead. "What will happen when the village has 1,500 residents instead of 1,000? We won't be able to feed them. By that time, the harvest numbers will have dropped even further and a third of the village would starve, or at the very least, be nutritionally deficient."

I looked around to the other council members to see that many of them, aside from Caroline, Jack, and Vernon, hadn't considered that point, either. Then again, agriculture wasn't their wheelhouse.

"The crops wouldn't be the only things to suffer, however. We have to consider the livestock as well, as they often go hand-in-hand with each other. The way that you're doing things now eats away at the soil's nutrients and would continue to do so until there's nothing left. In my world, what many farmers did, was simply apply more and more fertilizer and other medicines to their fields in order to keep them healthy and producing. This, unfortunately, led to many problems with the environment and eventually made their fields unsuitable for growing. Not to mention the other ecological issues… The medicines that were applied to the fields would leech into the environment, killing key sources of nutrition for many species and starving the local wildlife. And with the soil, itself, lacking the things it needs, it would erode away into sand, and the forests, fields, marshes, and rivers nearby would die…"

By this point, looks of horror had crossed every one of their faces, and as I looked to Gharret, he seemed incredibly concerned as well. He slipped his hand into mine and gripped it fiercely, but I smiled gently and pat his hand. It's okay. I'm here, now.

"Which is why a change needs to be made," I said, looking back to the others. Jack nodded, looking fired up, and Fredrick looked as though he might faint again.

Serves the old prick right.