Ch12. Obtaining Kingdom? It could not be easier!

Thomas woke up, his lips curled up at the sight in front of him. He saw Bellatrix's back as she was curled up in a ball, cutely pressing her cheek into the pillow of the massive king-sized bed she conjured last night after the massacre. He turned around and frowned when Irene was nowhere to be found.

Standing up, he donned his clothes and left the room, in search of Irene. It didn't take him long and he found her in the throne room as she set up a make-shift table there as she studied various documents.

Thomas walked closer and kissed her on the cheek and sat down on the empty chair next to her.

"Good morning."

"Hi." She greeted him back. "Bella?"

"Still sleeping." Thomas told her.

Just then a chubby man walked into the throne room, his legs shaking, and his expression twisted in fear. He cautiously approached the table and put a few more documents there.

"Here, Lady Irene." He said in a shaky voice as beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. "May I inquire who is your companion?"

"Maester August Klern, this man is my beloved husband, Thomas Cair." Irene carefreely informed him as the man's eyes widened. He looked as if he was deciding between keeling over or kneeling and begging for forgiveness so Thomas stopped him short.

"Hello, Maester. It is a pleasure." He politely greeted the man.

Maester Klern sighed in relief and slightly smiled.

"Likewise, Lord Cair."

Before Thomas could roll his eyes, the door behind him creaked and he could see Maester Klern freeze, his face twisting in horror.

Turning around, he was surprised to see a lethargic, sleepy Bella wearing her black lacy nightgown coming towards them barefooted, clutching her black teddy-bear to her chest, trying not to yawn. Her black curly hair was a disordered mess as she tried to rub her eyes while getting the hair out of her narrowed eyes.

As she was a few feet from Thomas, she let her teddy uncaringly fall onto the floor and snaked her arms around his neck, pushing her chest onto his back, clutching him in substitute for the teddy.

Maester Klern sucked in a deep breath and grew pale as he finally got a clear look at the woman, no, the girl who single-handedly massacred most of the forces of this castle while laughing like an insane maniac. She did not look even that old! Her appearance was barely above the marriageable age and it quite honestly spooked the Maester to no end.

While studying in the Citadel, he always laughed at the topic of magic but yesterday his eyes opened to the truth. He saw explosions, fire, people cut to half by seemingly nothing, people die when touched by a green bolt, and the landscape changing itself out of sudden, preventing anyone to leave the castle. He was never one to believe in magic, witches, and demons but yesterday...

Yesterday he saw all three in the sleepy messy-haired young girl in front of him. He saw her kill, maim, and relish at the screams of her victims. The innocent and delightful expression her face showed as she hugged the man in front of him was something he suddenly felt was almost full sinful. He just could not accept it as anything more than a facade! Not after what he witnessed yesterday.

But he is still alive. He likes being alive. He can stay alive by being obedient. He only hoped the monsters in front of him...

"You know, it is rude to call people monsters." Bella sleepily said and Maester Klern flinched, his complexion paling further.

"Yes, I can read your thoughts." She yawned and turned to Irene. "Do you have any way to prevent him from talking?"

"You can always make a Contract of Confidentiality." Irene shrugged and Bella nodded.

"Fair point." She relocated to Thomas's lap, took a parchment, and started to leisurely scribble onto it as Irene continued to read the documents. Thomas leaned forward, resting his forehead in the back of Bella's back, closing his eyes, just enjoying the moment. The Maester, however, did not know what to do. Too afraid to just up and leave but even more frightened to open his mouth and unknowingly offend the... people in front of him. Like a trapped animal he just meekly observed what will happen next.

"Here," Bellatrix pushed the parchment towards the Maester after she finished inscribing a Contract of Confidentiality and making a copy through a Copying spell. "Sign." She ordered lightly but her tone betrayed no hopes for him if he refused.

With a heavy resigned heart, Maester Klern signed the parchment, hoping his future will not be so horrendous.

"So, to explain what you just signed." Bellatrix started. "You won't be able to reveal any of our secrets to anyone who is not in the know. Even using loopholes like talking to someone in the know while a third party is present won't be possible. You can't write, gesture, indicate, nor even draw it. There are no penalties, of course, but the contract is pretty much iron-clad."

Maester Klern nodded, the weight in his heart somewhat lessened when he understood the contract was nothing too harmful.

"Now," Irene continued in a carefree tone. "since you already know about us, you will serve as our Maester after we take command of the Iron Islands."

"Okay... wait, what!?" He exclaimed loudly.

Irene chuckled and showed him a document.

"Here is stated that Iron Islands do belong to The Seven Kingdom and do fall under the Crown... but they are even more of an autonomous kingdom than the North. We do not need to ask the opinion of the king if we want to change the local overlord. It is all done internally and the king can't do shit about it. At least not legally."

"But, but for that, you would need the approval of Balon Greyjoy!" The Maester disbelievingly uttered. "He would never..."

Before he could end that statement, Bellatrix rolled her eyes and Imperiused Balon walked into the room.

"What do you need of him?" She asked Irene boredly, ignoring the Maester's horrified gaze as he contemplated what sorcery this was.

"Just make him write a letter for each noble household of Iron Islands stating he gives his Nobility and the position of Lordship over the Iron Islands to Thomas. Do not forget to add some barely veiled threats bluntly stating anyone trying to do anything funny will be executed on spot. There is really no better way to get through to idiots and rapists like Iron-islanders. The Lords are currently exhausted due to the previous rebellion and have no strength to fight a civil war so soon. It shouldn't be very hard to get the reins over the region. I am ninety percent sure they will fall in line." Irene mused. "And after we get the reins..." She giggled.

"Sure." Bella answered and Lord Greyjoy started robotically writing the letters.

"Now, you Maester, will gather the people scattered through the castle. The natural barricade I imposed upon this castle," His eyes widened at hearing it was the polite girl in front of him who raised the tall walls outside the castle. "won't disappear until every single person signs this." She waved the copy of the Contract of Confidentiality in front of him and handed it to Bella who started making more copies with the copying spell.

"And don't even think about skipping some of them, I will know." Bellatrix told him with a mysterious smile that sent freezing shivers through his spine.

"As you say, my Lady." He quickly accepted and bowed.

Standing up he was about to leave when he turned around and gazed at the trio with a difficult expression.

"What is the matter?" Thomas asked.

"Ah... my Lord. I just... I don't know if it is my place but... what do you want to do with Yara Greyjoy?"

"Hm? She is still alive?" Thomas asked bewildered. "I assumed she would be among the first who tried to jump at Bella with a sword, getting cleaved in two."

Before the Maester could respond, Irene snorted.

"Give her accommodation in the castle when you approach her due to the Contract. Tell her we will be meeting her at our leisure. I am sure we can find a fitting position for her that will ensure her life won't be affected much." Irene ordered, not even raising her head from the book in front of her. "Make sure she understands that and won't try to run away at the first opportunity."

Thomas looked at a few lines in the book and smiled. While Irene was distracted by giving orders he gathered the general topic of the book. He did not understand much of the magical theory jargon but he knew some words.

Fidelius and Unplottable being the most telling among them.

His heart warmed at Irene's hidden attempts to help him.

"Yes, will do!" The Maester ran away quickly, taking a stack of Confidentiality Contracts with him.

"So, what next?" Bellatrix asked after a while.

"Next we will become the total authority around these parts and start to develop the islands while heavily training in magic. We have a few years until something major happens after all." Thomas said and pressed his lips to Bella's.