Witte and Renly also attended the second royal council, as a formal chair would need to be added to the council table once the decision was made.
The royal council was held in Maegor's Holdfast in the Red Keep, in a small room close to the king's chambers. It contained a long conference table, with the king's chair facing it. Seven ornate chairs were arranged on either side of the table, and there were spare chairs nearby for temporary attendees. Witte and Renly currently had to sit on these temporary chairs.
After everyone was seated, Robert brought up the issue of adding a seat for everyone to discuss.
Prime Minister Jon Arryn spoke first:
"The royal council has seven seats because the Seven Gods' faith worships the number seven. Would adding a seat be disrespectful to the Seven Gods, and would it cause dissatisfaction among the faithful?"
"So, we should only send seven people to war from now on?"
Robert directly silenced the Prime Minister, but this was actually something the two of them had discussed beforehand.
"I agree with increasing the seats, but the Chief Magister's duties are mostly administrative. Shouldn't it be held by a respected noble?" Lord Varys, the Master of Whisperers, took up the topic. This was something he had discussed with the Master of Coin and the Master of Laws.
Increasing the seats was fine, but this seat should represent the interests of the nobles, not the mages. While Witte had both identities, he was essentially representing the mages. This new faction, which didn't have many members, shouldn't be allowed to divide up the power.
Varys himself hated both nobles and magic, but he mainly worked based on the exchange of interests. He hadn't had any real conflicts with Witte before, but this time, he chose to side with the nobles.
Witte's eyes emitted purple magical smoke, and he looked at Varys.
The people present saw Witte casting magic on Varys. The king remained seated, and they dared not move. They saw that although Witte didn't directly attack, Varys's mouth was wide open, his entire body stiff, trembling, and covered in sweat. Only after the purple smoke stopped coming from Witte's eyes did Varys return to normal.
"This is a Fear Spell from the Illusion school of magic. It can conjure the most terrifying things from a person's mind. I've reduced the magic to its lowest intensity. If I increased the magic, Lord Varys might have jumped out the window," Witte explained to everyone.
Witte had improved this spell, so it could be cast directly from the eyes without using hands. Those with strong wills would be scared to the point of weakness and cold sweat, while those with weak wills could be scared into wetting themselves and running away.
Varys took out a handkerchief and wiped his sweat, trying to look composed as he looked at the others. He had been forced to see images of his childhood abuse, his castration, and his secret assistance to the three Targaryen children in the East. Finally, he saw himself on the execution ground, about to be beheaded.
Conspiracy and trickery held no advantage against Witte's absolute power. He couldn't afford to reveal any information, not even while staying with the army, as it wouldn't guarantee his safety. Varys would become even more secretive in his dealings from now on.
"This is what a mage is! What nobility is worth anything in front of magic, they are just flesh and blood. Only the most powerful mages can lead mages."
The Baratheon brothers sat calmly, as Witte observed the others' shock.
"Don't look at me like that, I know what you're thinking. Mind control of a noble? Mages have valuable time, and I believe that every mage is too lazy to waste it. We'd rather burn our enemies to ashes directly."
He had only given Varys a taste of it, not wanting to completely offend him just yet, as he still had a use for him with Robert.
Prime Minister Jon Arryn rapped a spoon against a wine glass to bring everyone back to their senses. Ever since Robert became king, a wine glass was placed in front of each person at the Small Council. Robert liked to drink while discussing matters, and it was Jon Arryn who had to advise that only low-alcohol wine be served at the Small Council. Otherwise, everyone would get drunk every time they met.
"There's another problem. If the Small Council increases from seven seats to eight, then the vote could become a four-to-four tie, and no decision can be made."
"Doesn't the king count? My vote adds up to nine votes. If I'm not present, the Prime Minister will vote on my behalf, and the Prime Minister gets two votes." Robert gave the answer directly. This further increased the king's power, and Robert slammed the table, continuing to speak:
"Alright, let's proceed with the formal vote. Is it approved to add the position of Chief Magister to the Royal Council, with Witte Baratheon as the first Chief Magister? All in favor, signify by raising your hand. All opposed?"
The final count was nine in favor.
A few days later, in the Red Keep's great hall, Robert sat upon the Iron Throne. Beneath the throne, the seven white-robed Kingsguard stood in a line. Seated below were Queen Cersei and Prince Joffrey, still a few years old. Other officials present included the original seven Royal Council members, the kingdom's civil and military officials, and nobles who had been invited to witness the event. Hundreds filled the hall. This was one of the few major court sessions Robert had convened since becoming king.
Once everyone was present, Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, produced a document and began to read:
"Effective immediately, by decision of the King and the Royal Council, the Royal Council's seats are increased from seven to eight, with the addition of the position of Chief Magister."
"Buzz…" The news of Witte and Renly's magic had long spread throughout King's Landing. Now, upon hearing that Witte would directly gain a seat on the Royal Council, everyone was shocked, and a wave of discussion erupted around them.
"Silence!" Ser Barristan, the captain of the Kingsguard, stepped forward to restore order.
The Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, continued to read:
"And I have decided that the first Chief Magister of the Kingdom will be Witte Baratheon. The relevant documents have been signed by the King and the members of the Small Council, and copies will be sent to the entire country immediately." With that, he held up the original scroll for everyone to see.
In reality, everyone was standing so far away that they couldn't see anything. It was just a ceremonial process to demonstrate fairness and legitimacy.
"Witte Baratheon!" Jon Arryn called out.
Witte was dressed in a fire-red noble robe, his long black hair pulled back. Behind him, five magic orbs in the colors of fire, pure white, yellow, blue, and purple were arranged in a ring, spinning. They represented: Destruction, Change, Recovery, Summoning, and Illusion—the five schools of magic. The five colored lights of orange, white, yellow, blue, and purple mixed and shone.
He strode to the center of the hall, beneath the Iron Throne, and knelt on one knee, placing his right hand on his chest.
Robert stood up and walked down from the Iron Throne, going to Witte. He took the appointment letter from the Hand and handed it to Witte, who took it with both hands. Robert then drew the sword from his waist and tapped Witte's left shoulder with the blade.
"I, Robert Baratheon, by the grace of the Seven Gods, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm, hereby appoint Witte Baratheon as the Chief Magister of the Kingdom."
"Witte of House Baratheon, by your endless knowledge and magic, swear eternal fealty to the King, to serve the kingdom with magic, to eliminate the kingdom's enemies with magic. Should you break this oath, you shall be cursed by both knowledge and magic."
Robert patted Witte's shoulders with his sword, helped Witte to his feet, and threw the sword to the Prime Minister. Then, he gave Witte a bear hug. The nobles and officials in the hall immediately burst into enthusiastic applause. Witte couldn't move yet, so he just moved the Five-Color Magic Orb further away to avoid hurting Robert.
The Chief Magister didn't have any specific attire or insignia. Witte told Robert that anyone, besides himself and Renly, who could light up the Five-Color Magic Orb from behind, would be worth keeping, even if they sold King's Landing.
Witte just wanted to finish as soon as possible. Maintaining the balance between consumption and recovery was only possible with three magic orbs; five would drain his magical power.
The court session discussed some minor matters. Next was naturally Robert's favorite part: the feast.
Westeros had no such rule as children not being allowed to drink. Noble families started drinking sweet wine from a young age. And with Robert present, the first people he forced to drink were Witte and Renly. The other nobles didn't hold back; this was a good opportunity to build relationships. Today was also the first time Witte had gotten drunk since coming to this world.
.....
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(End of Chapter)