Reine des Anglais

Stay quiet.

ᛁᛊᚨᛒᛖᚢ

Isabeau leaned forward against the edge of the ship as they began to enter the Vejle Fjord, she had never been to Denmark before so seeing everything was so beautiful to her even in the cold of late September.

"Your highness," Floki said as he walked over to her. "His highness is awake, and we're about to dock. It'll be a short horse ride to reach Jelling."

"I'm excited to see what the Danish countryside is like." Isabeau remarked as she walked over to Canute as he walked to the front of the ship. "I never imagined growing up that I would see so many places."

Canute looked down at his wife and smiled. The look in her eyes reminded her of when they had first met, the gentleness and brightness. She had carried the memory of it through much of their first campaign, and it made him happy to see it again. Even if it were just for brief moments like this, when he was tired or quiet- when he was her Canute again.

"If you need to rest before we reach Jelling, let me know." Canute said to her, lifting her chin gently. "We can stop for a little while if you need."

She nodded and took his hand, smiling at him.

Things weren't the same between them- absolutely everything in their lives had changed, so to an extent it made sense that they had as well, but it wasn't back to the togetherness they had felt before Richard and Emma had forged that note to drive a wedge between the two of them.

Canute was slowly remembering that he could trust his wife, that she loved him and was devoted to him in the exact way he needed her to be.

Or at least- she had been.

Isabeau was happy that they were back on good terms, that their bedroom life was returning to what it had been, that he was consulting her again at least some of the time, and that he was showing her the care he hadn't for months. Those months were what she couldn't forget.

How alone she had felt, how afraid, how she felt at any moment she could've been dragged away from her children again.

How little he had even seemed to care.

He kissed her quickly as the boat pulled into dock. They walked off, the sounds of children in the village playing happily.

Canute let out a small sigh. "I haven't been back since I left for England so many years ago..."

"I've never even been this far north." Isabeau remarked, looking around at the shoreline village curiously. I wish we had time to explore it a bit, but I know it's important we reach Jelling quickly. I'll ask about exploring it when we leave to go back home.

"I came to Denmark once with Father." Richard said as he came off the boat, holding his nephew's hand gently. "He was trading goods with Sweyn- Sweyn actually asked about Mother, if Father was still entertained by her. You had just been born, actually."

Isabeau looked over at her brother. It was odd to remember that their father and Canute's had gotten along so well. If Father had lived... I wonder what would be happening now.

"Where are we?" Frederick peered around nervously, hurrying from his uncle to his mother.

"Denmark, my darling. Canute was born here, like you were born in Luxembourg." Isabeau pushed his hair off his face and smiled. "We're here to see Canute's family."

"Oh." He looked around again, his eyes wide with curiosity.

A ball came rolling towards them, and Floki moved to chastise the playing children.