Bella of the Summer Isles, Master Bedchamber – Potter Manor

The manor was quieter than Bella could remember it being in years. The young and faithful servant of Lord Harrys walked with determination and graceful, measured steps toward her master's chambers, taking her time to gather her thoughts.

The morning was cold, and a gentle rain continued to fall beyond the warm walls of the estate. Everyone was still asleep, something she had expected, considering how late they had retired the previous night, although for very different reasons, of course.

While the royal visitors had celebrated the news of Lady Lily's pregnancy with joy, food, wine, and cider, Bella's lord had disappeared for the entire night, as had Gwyn, Princess Daella, and Shiera Seastar.

Bella didn't need to be the cleverest woman in Westeros to know where those three had ended up. But that was hardly the young servant's concern. If her lord wished to lose himself in the company of his three women, Bella certainly wasn't going to judge him for it.

Indeed, if he commanded it, the young islander would attend to them without the slightest hesitation. It had been far too long since her lord had invited her into his bed, and Bella had no difficulty admitting to herself how desperately she longed to feel his hands upon her ebony skin once again.

To feel herself been claim, bedded and breed, just as Lord Harrys loves.

However, Bella's mischievous thoughts were interrupted when she reached the main corridor on the third floor, the passage leading directly to Lord Harry's private wing.

Bella frowned upon noticing three serving girls, all dressed in their black-and-white skin thigh uniforms, whispering among themselves with conspiratorial giggles. None had noticed her arrival, so Bella simply listened.

All three were young. Bella recognized them as the bastard daughters of minor lords who had been driven from their homes in the aftermath of Ser Daemon's Rebellion. Young, beautiful, and destined to sell themselves in some brothel merely to survive, had it not been for the generosity of the Potter family. Lady Lily had taken them into her service, offering them protection and dignity, gifts the three young women had accepted wholeheartedly.

And, like everyone who served the Potters, they had become fiercely loyal to Lord Harrys.

"Did you see them? The lord absolutely wreck them out!" exclaimed the eldest, Sara Waters, with a giggle, while her two companions nodded in agreement.

"Aye, our master is overflowing with virility. Now I understand why he requested so much more food than usual," Dina replied, covering her mouth with the serving tray she had undoubtedly used to bring Harrys his breakfast.

"It's a shame we didn't get to see the lord himself. If we'd arrived a few minutes earlier, we might even have caught him naked!" the last girl remarked with a wicked little giggle that made Bella raise both eyebrows in disbelief.

At those words, Sara snorted in amusement before answering.

"Oh, come now, Cara! Don't say things like that. Someone might hear you!" the eldest of the bastards warned, prompting the young Cara to shrug and respond without a trace of embarrassment.

"Oh, please! Don't pretend you haven't thought about it. Every lord beds his serving girls, and we all know that every woman working here would willingly welcome Lord Harrys with her thighs open if he commanded it," the mischievous little brunette declared, earning an exasperated snort from her companions.

"If Lord Harrys were like other lords, we wouldn't enjoy the privileged lives we have now. We all remember what our lives were like before, the mockery and the insults. This place is our refuge, and Lord Harrys is our Master," Sara declared with conviction.

The other two nodded silently, at least until the precocious Cara decided she simply had to have the final word.

"Of course, if our powerful and virile lord ever wishes to satisfy his desires with us, I, for one, would welcome him with open arms," the young brunette announced before releasing another giggle and turning around.

Straight toward Bella, who had been watching them expectantly.

"AHHHH!" the girl screamed, a high-pitched, thoroughly startled cry, as the color drained from Cara's face.

"Be… Be… Hello, Bella," the young woman stammered with a nervous smile, her hands trembling as she raised the serving tray as though it might somehow protect her.

At her words, Sara and Dina let out startled squeaks of their own, turning around with alarm written across their faces. Both went pale when they discovered Bella watching them with her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised.

"Ladies," the islander greeted them softly, briefly enjoying the way all three squeaked before attempting to answer.

"Bella! Oh… what a surprise to see you here," Sara managed, swallowing nervously once again before embarrassment flooded her expression.

"Um… did you happen to… hear us?" she asked, releasing another little squeak when Bella nodded.

"Every word," Bella replied.

All three girls blushed furiously. The islander watched calmly as they exchanged mortified glances before turning back toward her and beginning to plead.

"Please… don't tell Lord Harrys. Please!"

The three bastards began begging in earnest, their faces filled with fear and desperation. Feeling a little sorry for them, the young islander decided to put their minds at ease.

"Calm yourselves, all three of you. Lord Harrys isn't going to dismiss you over something as insignificant as this," she assured them.

The three nodded tentatively, at least until Cara swallowed and spoke again.

"But what about Lady Gwyn?"

That was a concern Bella understood considerably better. She herself had harbored the same fear ever since Ashford.

Bella blushed, remembering that since that night in Oldtown, she had scarcely spent a single night sleeping alone, usually finding herself between the sheets with Lady Gwyn and Lord Harrys.

Attending to their every intimate wish with a devotion that knew few boundaries, been their loyal sex pet.

"You have nothing to worry about. Lady Gwyn is nothing like yours stepmothers. You have my word," the islander declared solemnly.

The three girls nodded quickly before hurrying away toward the kitchens, undoubtedly to begin preparing the day's meals.

Bella merely shook her head before continuing toward the enormous double doors guarding the entrance to Harrys's private apartments.

She had seen those doors more times than she could count. They were enormous and heavy, rising twice the height of an ordinary doorway, with ravens intricately carved across the magnificent wood. Under normal circumstances, Bella would have been utterly incapable of moving such a door.

But there was nothing ordinary about Potter Manor.

The wards Lord Harrys had erected around his chambers awakened. The carved ravens' eyes began glowing softly, and the great doors groaned as they slowly swung inward, revealing the entrance to Lord Harrys's private tower.

"I've entered this place countless times, and it still takes my breath away, just as it did the first time," Bella whispered to herself as she stepped into the Master Tower of Potter Manor.

Commanding a magnificent view of Blackwater Bay, the tower was both beautiful and imposing. It was certainly no Potter Hall, but it possessed a charm of its own, and it housed the less dangerous projects undertaken by Bella's lord.

The tower was divided into three floors, and Bella's destination was the uppermost level, where the private chambers and bathing room were located. With purposeful steps, she began her ascent, once again becoming lost in thought.

If she was being truthful with herself, Bella had absolutely no idea what her lord wished to discuss with her. The Patronus had instructed her to present herself in his chambers at dawn, and Bella had simply obeyed.

For a moment, she allowed herself to imagine that, having spent the night with his ladies, her master might now desire her company as well. But she dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it had appeared.

This was no time for daydreaming, she reminded herself as she opened the inner doors of the bedchamber.

Then she stopped dead in her tracks, utterly overwhelmed by the intimate scene before her.

The unmistakable scent of a night of passion struck Bella with all the subtlety of a dancing dragon, causing the islander's eyes to widen and an involuntary shiver to pass through her body.

It was intense, intoxicating, and impossible to ignore, stirring memories of the countless nights she had spent beneath her lord's sheets, attending to him and lavishing him with a devotion that bordered upon fanaticism.

The atmosphere inside the chambers was considerably warmer than usual, permeated by that distinctive fragrance the young islander recognized immediately. She had visited these rooms countless times, yet never, not even in her boldest and most shameless fantasies, had she imagined encountering such a sight.

The enormous windows stood open, allowing the pleasant sea breeze to enter the chamber and gently stir the delicate black curtains. Beyond them stretched Harrys's beautiful private balcony, overlooking the immense expanse of Blackwater Bay. Bella could even make out several merchant vessels loading and unloading cargo at Potter Pier.

She recognized several banners: Manderly, Darklyn, Grafton, even Redwyne and Hightower. All noble and proud houses, now bending to the demands of Bella's master, the islander thought with pride before shaking her head and returning her attention to the room.

Because her curiosity was entirely focused on the enormous bed.

Or, more precisely, on those resting upon it.

The young islander swallowed, feeling her cheeks grow warm as she approached with cautious steps. Three feminine figures lay among the silk sheets, all three unclothed, uncovered, and deeply asleep. Bella immediately recognized them, each beautiful, each familiar, and each belonging to Lord Harrys's most intimate circle.

All his, to cherish and command as he pleased, just as she was, Bella thought, her eyes widening in disbelief at what she was witnessing.

"By the gods…" she whispered, gently biting her lower lip as a restless warmth spread through her.

It was obvious that the three women had enjoyed an extraordinarily intense night. Their bodies lay relaxed upon the enormous silk bed, completely surrendered to exhaustion.

And totally naked, well-fucked and breed, considering the pearly and sticky seed leaking from the three of them.

"The lord must have kept them awake all night," Bella whispered, disbelief and envy mingling in her voice.

Their chests rose and fell with the slow rhythm of deep sleep. Their hair lay disheveled across the pillows, and faint reddish marks and delicate bruises adorned their skin, discreet reminders of the passionate hours they had shared and of the possessive bond they had embraced.

Marks a master leaves upon his pets, Bella thought, swallowing as she gently caressed Gwyn's delicate leg.

Gwyn merely released a sleepy murmur, muttered something unintelligible, and settled back into stillness, far too exhausted to move.

Bella contemplated the scene with a mixture of fascination, curiosity, and an increasingly difficult-to-conceal blush. None of the three showed the slightest inclination to awaken, sleeping with the complete peace of women who knew they were safe within their lord's chambers, secure in the knowledge that a hearty breakfast and a hot bath awaited them when they finally opened their eyes.

Probably followed by another long and vigorous session of lovemaking, Bella thought with a sigh before preparing to continue toward her master.

However, something else caught her attention.

Something she couldn't remember seeing before.

All three women bore a mark. It was discreet, even elegant, and unmistakably magical in nature, positioned upon the smooth, bare skin of their lower bodies.

Where their skin had once been unmarked, a golden symbol now glowed. It was neither jewelry nor an ornament resting upon the surface, but a tattoo perfectly integrated into their bodies, its delicate lines radiating a warm, supernatural light.

A mark of ownership, the islander realized, unable to suppress a small gasp upon discovering such tangible proof of their belonging to her master.

Bella was suddenly overwhelmed by envy. Had she not been loyal? She wanted the same thing: an eternal sense of belonging to Harrys, something that would identify her as his and no one else's.

The islander leaned forward slightly, narrowing her eyes to examine the design more carefully, studying it until she concluded that it was entirely unlike anything she had ever encountered.

It was important. That much was obvious. But Bella didn't understand its meaning, at least not yet.

A triangle, a circle within it, and a line dividing them down the middle. Bella had no idea what the symbol represented, but she knew it was significant. What the islander did understand was that these three women, a princess, a lady, and a bastard, now officially belonged to House Potter.

To Lord Harrys himself, to be precise, who had marked them with the symbol of his bloodline.

Bella remained there for several more moments, unable to tear her gaze away immediately. Her cheeks burned, and a strange agitation filled her chest, fueled as much by the intimacy of the scene as by the significance of the marks she had discovered.

Finally, she released a silent sigh and gently shook her head.

She had not come to her master's chambers to satisfy her curiosity.

She had a duty to fulfill.

Turning away from the three sleeping women, the islander straightened and continued walking as quietly as possible, careful not to disturb their well-earned rest.

Perhaps, with a little luck, Bella herself would find a place in that bed before long.

But all such thoughts vanished from the young servant's mind the moment she entered her master's bathing chamber.

Every time Bella passed through the doors of Lord Harrys's private baths, the same thing happened: her breath caught in her throat. By the gods, she would never grow accustomed to such magnificence, she thought, removing her sandals as protocol required and leaving them beside the entrance before proceeding into the luxurious space.

Built at the very summit of Potter Manor's tallest tower, the chamber resembled a sanctuary far more than a room intended for a man's bathing.

Bella knew perfectly well that this bath alone had cost more than the castles and mansions belonging to many of the realm's lords and knights.

The thought was… almost too surreal for the young islander to comprehend. How could something so extraordinary, so magical, have become so… ordinary to her, a common-born servant from the Summer Isles?

Immense columns of black marble, threaded with delicate golden veins, supported vaulted ceilings so high that the shadows seemed to vanish among their intricate reliefs.

At the center rested a rectangular bathing pool of almost absurd proportions, carved directly into the mountain stone upon which Potter Manor had been raised and surrounded by steps of polished marble. Its waters were crystal clear, flowing from the mouths of beautiful mermaid statues that sang a gentle melody for their lord's pleasure, while delicate tendrils of steam drifted from the warm surface.

Elegant enchanted braziers burned with golden flames that required neither wood nor produced smoke. Velvet-covered couches stood among statues of ancient goddesses, unfamiliar to Bella but evidently revered by the ancestors of House Potter. There were amphorae filled with perfumed oils, and small trees growing in bronze planters, their branches swaying in time with the melody sung by the statues.

"You took your time," said a masculine voice capable of making Bella shiver instantly.

The islander swallowed and directed her attention toward the enormous marble bath, or rather, toward the magnificent, unmistakably masculine figure of her lord within it.

The air smelled of jasmine, sandalwood, and warm water. Everything was so beautiful, so absurdly luxurious, that for a moment the lovely islander forgot why she had been summoned in the first place.

Then she quickly shook her head and bowed submissively before her lord, awaiting his instructions.

"You summoned me, my lord? Your loyal pet has come to serve you," Bella said in her velvety voice, taking a step forward until she stood at the very edge of the bath.

Only then did she fully appreciate the exquisite sight Lord Harrys presented. Her master was completely unclothed, immersed to the waist in the warm water, his back resting comfortably against one of the interior steps. His black hair was slightly damp, and upon the marble ledge stood a glass of wine that he appeared to have forgotten entirely.

Bella couldn't help frowning, speaking with tenderness and a hint of disapproval.

"You shouldn't be drinking wine so early, Harrys. You haven't even had breakfast," Bella admonished firmly.

Harrys chuckled softly, although he didn't take his attention away from whatever he was doing.

"Then why don't you do something about it?" he replied, amusement and challenge mingling in his voice as he regarded Bella with barely concealed desire in those beautiful emerald eyes.

The islander remained unruffled. Instead, she smiled sweetly and walked toward the table where her lord's breakfast tray had been placed. She picked it up carefully before making her way back toward the edge of the enormous bath.

The moment Bella approached closely enough, magic stirred around her. Without Harrys so much as raising a hand, the clasp and delicate ties holding her thin dress in place began undoing themselves. The enchanted garment slipped gently from her shoulders, leaving her unclothed before her lord.

Ready for him to takes her as he wish.

To the islander's mild annoyance, however, Harrys's attention remained fixed upon the elegant black wand he held between his fingers, or more precisely, upon whatever he was constructing with his new magical instrument.

Before him, suspended in the air, floated several miniature vessels that he was assembling through almost absentminded movements of his wrist. At first, Bella assumed they were toys, tiny reproductions intended to decorate a table in his study or library.

Yet as the ebony beauty stepped into the bath and slowly approached her lord, she couldn't help admiring just how… precise the vessels were. They looked almost real. She couldn't explain it, but an unsettling realization began forming somewhere in the back of her mind.

Those ships were… far too perfect.

She could distinguish the tiny wooden planks composing their hulls, the ropes securing their elegant, flawless emerald-green and golden sails, the minute steel rings, and even the little doors leading to the lower decks.

The sails stirred gently despite the complete absence of wind, and the islander could have sworn she heard the creaking of timber when her lord rotated one of the vessels.

What was this? the beautiful woman wondered as she settled beside her master and prepared his breakfast tray.

She released a soft, delighted sigh when Harrys, without the slightest hesitation, drew her close and began caressing her thigh with a slow, almost hypnotic tenderness.

A reminder that she belonged to him, the islander thought with a shiver. If there was one thing Bella adored, it was the possessive side of Harrys, that commanding confidence with which her master claimed her attention and affection without ever hesitating.

It was… an addictive feeling, and like every addiction, Bella found herself wanting more and more.

The ebony-skinned maiden swallowed as another realization dawned upon her.

Those vessels did not resemble a collection of toys.

Because they weren't toys.

They were genuine ships, complete down to the smallest detail, merely reduced to a miniature scale, small enough for Bella's lord to use them as playthings in his bath.

She watched as Lord Harrys created yet another vessel with a casual movement of his new wand. Various components flew from a chest near the bath, assembling themselves into a warship, something that would ordinarily require months, perhaps even years, to construct.

In five seconds.

"Whenever I believe I've finally discovered the limits of your power, my lord, you find another way to surpass them," the islander confessed, swallowing as she prepared a piece of bread with cheese and bacon and offered it to her lord.

Harrys raised an eyebrow before chuckling softly and opening his mouth to accept the offering, never taking his eyes from Bella's. His hand remained affectionately upon her, keeping her close as he continued his work.

"I'm building the invasion fleet. Once we're established at Sharp Point, I'll discreetly release the vessels. Everything will be ready for the invasion," he explained solemnly.

Bella simply nodded, offering her man another bite of breakfast and sighing as the mischievous Harrys drew her a little closer, his touch making it increasingly difficult for her to concentrate on anything beyond him.

"Then… the time is approaching, my lord?" she asked, a surprised gasp escaping her as he brushed a particularly sensitive spot, prompting her to lean against Harrys's strong body.

The lord merely nodded, assembling another ship and allowing it to float upon the enormous bath, where it slowly sailed toward the others.

Bella counted ten.

Ten war galleys.

Constructed in a single morning.

Sometimes, the young islander genuinely believed Harrys was a God, no matter how emphatically he denied it.

"Aye. We'll begin in the Stepstones. A hundred ships will depart Westeros after my mother's wedding," he declared solemnly.

He sighed and made an elegant movement with his wand, sending the remaining ships toward the opposite side of the bath. Then he placed the magical instrument upon the marble ledge and finally gave Bella his undivided attention.

The ebony beauty bit her lower lip before settling upon Harrys's lap, straddling him and letting out a quiet sigh as their bodies came together in the warm water.

"A hundred ships will require a great many people, Harrys," Bella observed, continuing to feed her lord his breakfast.

Harrys drew her into a more intimate embrace, his attention now divided between the serious matters they were discussing and the beautiful woman in his arms. Bella's breath caught, and she shifted closer to him, finding it increasingly difficult to maintain the composure expected of a faithful servant.

"Move our contacts in King's Landing. The Targaryens have neglected Flea Bottom for decades. We'll find people willing to emigrate. Make certain the process remains discreet. A few families aboard each ship won't attract too much attention. Howard already has orders to begin training new recruits."

Bella genuinely admired Harrys's ability to speak with such complete composure while she was becoming increasingly distracted by his affection. Although the islander longed to forget everything else and surrender to the intimacy of the moment, she knew perfectly well that she had to finish receiving her instructions first.

"Your wishes are my commands, my lord. Should our soldiers begin moving toward Sharp Point?" she asked.

Harrys nodded gently.

"Yes. I have no intention of hiding any longer. My mother made the arbitrary decision to reveal magic, so now Westeros can suffer the consequences," he declared.

As he spoke, his hand left Bella's shoulder and settled upon her hips, drawing her closer until the space between them disappeared. The islander shivered at the unmistakable shift in his attention, her breath catching as she surrendered to his embrace.

"Oh, Harrys!" Bella cried, clinging to his shoulders as the tenderness between them grew more passionate. Her thoughts threatened to scatter entirely, yet her lord continued speaking with the same commanding certainty.

"Not a single word to my mother. All of this concerns House Potter. She no longer has any say in what happens within this family. I'll assign Duncan as her personal guard and place a squad of soldiers at her disposal, but nothing more. Anything involving Potter business or the invasion is to be discussed directly with me or Gwyn," Bella's master ordered.

The islander nodded, holding him close, her voice trembling with emotion as she struggled to focus upon the importance of his instructions.

"Your wishes are my commands, my love!" Bella exclaimed, embracing him tightly as another wave of affection and longing threatened to overwhelm her composure.

"In a couple of days, we'll return to King's Landing. You know what to do," he commanded.

With those words, Lord Harry finally abandoned himself to the passionate reunion Bella had been longing for, drawing her into a fierce embrace that left little room for anything beyond the two of them.

And she would not have wanted it any other way. Although there was much to accomplish, plans to devise, and people to recruit, all of those concerns slipped from Bella's mind. Her attention belonged entirely to Harrys, to the strength of his arms, the warmth of his body, and the possessive tenderness with which he reminded her of the bond they shared.

"Oh, my lord! Ohhh!" Bella sighed, wrapping her arms and legs around Harrys as she clung to him, unwilling to let the moment end.

Everything else vanished from Bella's thoughts: the invasion, the future, business, and politics. At that precise moment, Bella cared about only one thing.

Pleasing Harrys.

Her man.

Her master.

Everything else was irrelevant, at least for now.

"Things in King's Landing are going to become interesting, aren't they?" Bella asked breathlessly, whispering into Harrys's ear as he held her close.

Her man simply growled, pressing a fierce kiss against her before answering.

"Oh, you have no idea. There are scores to settle, a raven to puck and most important, I have to find who the fuck messed up with Daeron Targaryen, he is my only lead to find what happened with Ser Daemon in the past" he declared furiously.

Bella began kissing his neck, attempting to draw his attention away from the anger stirring within him.

"Forget about that and make love to me. Claim what already belongs to you. Remind me that I am Harrys Potter's devoted woman, his servant, his whore and his bitch" Bella whispered, overcome by emotion.

But Harrys interrupted her, his voice severe and firm.

"Harrys Peverell," he corrected.

Then he drew her into another passionate embrace, leaving Bella too overwhelmed to offer a reply.

Interesting times lay ahead, and the coming visit to King's Landing promised to be thoroughly entertaining.

A wedding, an invasion… and schemes, plots, and plans everywhere.

The game continued to advance. The Dragon had made its move, and now it was the Thunderbird's turn.

Enemies of House Peverell, beware.