Chapter 23: Foreign Relations

“When diplomacy ends, war begins.” – Adolf Hitler

Hull, Great Britain. April 1073

Luke looked at Marion and laughed. She was staring at the York and turning green. It was time to leave and travel to Norway, then the Holy Roman Empire. Luke had never been one to get seasick, a good trait for a Marine and even better when fishing in a small boat off the south coast of Alaska.

With much trepidation and teasing from Luke, Marion boarded the York to find none other than Admiral Ewing standing at the top of the accommodation ladder. Now Marion was feeling green and simultaneously annoyed with Luke. Somehow, she knew Luke had arranged it, so Admiral Ewing commanded the task group that would take Marion across.

It made sense to have Admiral Ewing in command at a practical level since she had a relationship with Queen Ingegerd. However, like generations of leaders before her, Marion sometimes let her emotions get in the way of reality. This was where Luke would step in and call her on it. Occasionally, he could be extremely blunt in informing Marion of her misstep.

As Marion stepped on the ship’s deck, a band off to the side struck up and played God Save the Queen. The Marine honor guards were crisp in their movements and looked proud in a way only Marines could. Luke smiled when he saw the look on Major Salomon’s face. Like most Household Guards and the army in general, she didn’t think too highly of the Marines, considering them second-rate soldiers at best. Luke knew the Marines thought the same about the army. Much to Luke’s amusement, interservice rivalry was alive and well in the British military. At least the rivalry didn’t extend to budgetary turf ... yet, and with any luck, Luke would be long dead before that happened. At least the British Marines would use the same general equipment as the grenadiers; Marion had made it law with Luke’s urging to keep the equipment cost down.

After attending to all the pomp, Marion and Luke retired to the bridge to watch the task force slip their moorings. In addition to the HMS York, there were the HMS Eel and HMS Trout. The distance was close enough that none of the three would need refueling.

Marion didn’t even make it out of the Humber before she had to rush to the ship’s side. Every sailor who saw her was grinning when she turned around, but seeing the look on her face, they quickly decided they needed to be somewhere else. Luke was left to deal with Marion but had problems as he couldn’t look at Marion without grinning.

“What the hell are you so happy about?!?!”

“Nothing. Nothing at all,” Luke said with a shit-eating grin. Marion stared daggers at him until he doubled over laughing. “The queen of a major naval power gets seasick in calm water. What will you do when we hit the rougher waters of the North Sea.”

“Blame you for everything bad.”

“Well, thank you for the warning.”

The first few hours were smooth sailing, and Marion was able to stand on the bridge with Luke as he watched the sea go by; he felt at home on the sea. When the task group reached the area of the Dogger Banks; however, the shallower sea pushed up the waves from a nearby storm, and Marion had to go to their cabin to lie down. Luke smiled as he drank his coffee and watched the waves. Admiral Ewing shook her head when she saw the general’s calm demeanor; it was no wonder why he was the nation’s leading officer.

Admiral Ewing had to change course with the rough sea to keep the ships from rolling. The new course would add several hours of steaming time, which made Marion moan when Luke told her. It wasn’t bad since they would arrive in Niðaróss in a few days. Marion laid on Luke as she tried to settle her stomach.

Feeling Luke’s powerful body under her woke up feelings Marion was sure wouldn’t show until they were on land. The new feelings swept her seasickness aside, much to Marion’s relief. When Marion impaled herself, her body began using the ship’s roll to help increase the pleasurable feelings coming from her core. Marion wasn’t even aware her body was moving differently; Luke noticed right away and, after figuring out what was happening, also used the ship’s roll to enhance the experience for both of them.

By the time they finished, the ship’s rolling had increased, and Marion ran to the bathroom. Luke threw his uniform on and went to the bridge to see what was happening. The ships were quick enough to catch the trailing edge of a storm that had stalled over the North Sea. Admiral Ewing banned anyone on deck unless they were tethered and wore their life jacket. It was bad enough that almost all the Household Guards and some of the green sailors were experiencing seasickness.

The ship’s petty officers had a cure for that, and the sailors were put to work. Hearing what the petty officers had done, Luke approached Admiral Ewing to see if she had enough work to get the guard’s minds off the sea. She did, and orders were quickly given, putting a petty officer in charge of a group of ten guards. Admiral Ewing also saw the chance for some payback and asked Luke. When he heard what the admiral had in mind, he fell to the deck and rolled around laughing.

With Luke’s approval, Admiral Ewing gave a unique set of orders, and soon, the queen was dragged out of her bathroom to be put to work. When Marion complained, the petty officer in charge of the section gave her a mop and ordered her to get to work. Marion continued complaining, and the petty officer got in her face, dialed the volume up to 12, and started crewing her out in no uncertain terms.

“WHAT’S WRONG? HER MAJESTY CAN’T DO ANY WORK. DOES SHE KNOW SHE MOVES LIKE A FAT MONK? NO? WELL, I KNOW SOME WORK THAT WOULD STRAIGHTEN THAT RIGHT OUT AND GET YOU IN SHAPE!”

Luke watched from a partly hidden bulkhead and chuckled; he would have to congratulate the admiral later. Her petty officers sounded just like some of the drill instructors from Luke’s Marine days. They were tough enough that the Household Guards and Marion didn’t think to challenge them. The constant hard work kept their minds off the sea, sparing them from seasickness. By evening, many guards and Marion were beginning to grow sea legs.

By dinner time, Marion moved so slowly that Luke carried her back from the captain’s mess. In their stateroom, Luke turned the shower on and helped Marion strip. The hot water helped loosen her sore muscles and flush the dirt from her skin. When she was done and dry, Luke had her lay on her stomach so he could massage her. Marion moaned with pleasure as Luke’s powerful hands worked the knots out of her back muscles. The moaning increased when he worked her arse and thighs. She would have loved to take things further if she weren’t so tired, but Marion was almost asleep. As Marion fell asleep, Luke kissed her forehead and crawled behind her to cuddle her tightly.

When the sun rose, the seas were calm and the air warm. Luke stood at the ship’s bow and enjoyed the sea spray hitting his face as he stared at the horizon. Luke returned to join his wife once the sun was off the horizon. When Luke walked in, Marion rolled out of bed and wondered where he had been.

“I was on deck watching the sea.”

“You really like watching the sea, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do. I find it relaxing, and it helps clear my mind.”

“I have another question for you. Yesterday, why didn’t you interfere to keep them from working me so hard?”

“Umm, I might have helped arrange it.” Luke looked anywhere but at Marion.

“WHAT?!?!”

“You were seasick, and a good cure is to be kept so busy you don’t have time to think about it. Admiral Ewing also saw it as a chance for some cheeky payback for when you beached her,” he replied guiltily.

“YOU AGREED WITH THAT!”

“Marion let it go. You are obviously feeling better, and the admiral had some fun. I knew what was happening, and I kept watch over you since you’re pregnant. In the end, no harm was done, and your working under the petty officer boosted the morale of the entire crew. It also cemented their loyalty to you. Everyone knows you’re pregnant, yet you were performing physical labor while “under the command” of a petty officer. Never underestimate the power of those simple things, as people will remember them for a long time.”

“Oh. You know you’re still a bastard, right?”

“Nope, my parents were married when I was conceived.”

“Shut up,” Marion snapped, but couldn’t keep the corners of her mouth from curling up.

Marion hadn’t thought of any of that. She had been pissed she had been forced to work, and it never occurred to her that Luke was working behind the scenes to continue building her support among the ordinary personnel. Still, Marion was thrilled when a bridge lookout sighted land late in the afternoon. Admiral Ewing ordered the ships to reduce speed to be a few kilometers off the coast by morning. The last thing she wanted to do was navigate a fjord in the dark.

When the morning sun broke, Marion was on the bridge with Admiral Ewing and Luke. Marion got her first glimpse of the Norwegian coast and wondered,

“Why would anyone want to live in such a cold, depressing place?”

“Good question, Your Majesty,” replied Admiral Ewing. “At least it’s April instead of mid-winter like the last time I was here.”

Marion looked at Luke and saw unconsciously that he wanted to contribute, but he held back because of the nature of what he wanted to say.

“Go ahead and spit it out, General.” Luke looked at her and shook his head slightly. “Now, General.”

“Very well. The only reason I would have lived here in my world was that the nation was wealthy because of its energy reserves. That, combined with a small population, benefited most of the people. The cold doesn’t bother me. I lived in Alaska for years, and it gets as cold there as it does here.”

Admiral Ewing looked at Luke and shrugged. She knew his story, but many sailors on the bridge didn’t. It didn’t take long for one to ask.

“General,” Luke looked at the sailor, “permission to ask a question.”

“Granted.”

“What did you mean when you said “your world?”

“I do not come from this world. The world I came from was almost 1,000 years further in the future. I came into this world in 1065 in your time. In my time, it was 2021. A ship like this wasn’t developed until the late 1800s, and this ship is in many ways more advanced than those were. Before you ask, Marion has known for years. I told her not long after I met her.”

“Wow. I guess the Lord acts in mysterious ways since I have never heard of the Devil having such power.” Luke looked at the man with curiosity. “My father was one of the main priests in London, and instead of abandoning my mother and me, he cared for us and ensured I had an education. It pissed him off when I went into the Navy. So, you changed the world; what would the world have been like if you hadn’t come into ours?”

“William of Normandy would have been our king, kicking off almost 800 years of Anglo-French rivalry. Slavery wouldn’t be eliminated in Britain until the late 1700s. It would continue in some of her colonies for another 100 years, although Britain would try to stamp out the institution in the early 1800s. We had machines that flew, and we even sent men to the moon. Still, with all our advancements, we were just as stupid as people are in this world, despite what the people thought. Of the two worlds, I would rather be here since Marion is here, and it is far less crowded. Also, here I can make a difference; where I came from, I was just another engineer.”

A lookout sounded before the sailor could say anything: “SAIL HO! Sails off the port bow! 0-3-3 degrees. Distance 10 clicks.”

Luke put his field glasses to his eyes and found the ship that had been sighted. It was a Norwegian warship flying a white flag above the Norwegian colors. Admiral Ewing spoke up;

“It looks to be your welcoming party, Your Majesty.”

“What worries me, Admiral, is how they knew we were here. There’s no way they could have spotted us.”

“This ship burns coal, Your Majesty,” pointed out Admiral Ewing. “The smoke is visible from beyond the horizon.” Marion nodded.

“Makes sense. General, when we return to Britain, I want you and General Babbit to build a propulsion system for my heavy cruisers that doesn’t emit the heavy black smoke.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Soon, the Norwegian warship came alongside and sent across a pilot who knew the fjord. That way, there would be less chance of the British ships running aground. The Norwegian warship alongside them looked positively ancient compared to the sleek, all-metal HMS York and even older when compared to the HMS Eel or Trout. Still, it was more advanced than the Viking longships King Hardrada took to York for his last visit.

Once the pilot was on the bridge, Marion introduced herself in Norse, and the pilot kneeled. When he did, Luke laughed and introduced himself and Admiral Ewing, who didn’t speak Norse. Marion acted as the interpreter between the pilot and the helmsman, which didn’t help the pilot’s nervousness. He was already nervous about guiding such a strange ship into Niðaróss’s harbor, and now he had the Queen of Great Britain as his interpreter. Somehow, the pilot didn’t have a nervous breakdown by the time the York dropped her anchor in front of Niðaróss.

Back in York, Gabriella was lonely without Marion. This was the first time they had been separated since right after Marion had been crowned queen. At least then, Marion was queen, and Gabriella was just a pregnant guard. Now Gabriella was acting queen of Great Britain until Marion returned, which wasn’t soon enough for Gabriella.

If it was any consolation, Alice was just as lonely even though they kept each other warm at night. It wasn’t difficult to tell Gabriella and Alice weren’t lovers even though they had slept together for years.

However, both women had enough on their plates to keep busy. Alice was getting ready to give final testing to her expanded class of doctors, and Gabriella was trying to be queen. She hadn’t fully appreciated all the work Marion put in until she had to do it all. Over time, Marion had become a champion multitasker, which allowed her to work more productively. She wasn’t at Luke’s level, but he had over 15 years more practice.

Gabriella was happy that Marion took her spy chief with her. Gretchen habitually got on Gabriella’s nerves, although she never bothered Marion, and Luke liked her. Gabriella got along much better with Gretchen’s second-in-command, Wigberht Wootton. He was from West Sussex and the son of a collier.

Two days after Marion left, Wigberht brought disturbing news to Gabriella. Toirdelbach was back and stirring trouble in Ireland. It seemed he had stolen some British uniforms and was raiding Irish settlements. This put suspicion on the British. After the raid, he would return and tell the remaining villagers he would protect them from the evil British if they supported him. So far, he had gained the support of three villages and ordered out of four more. Some Irish saw through his trick and reported him to the British authorities. Marion’s trick of buying off the locals with good-paying jobs was paying off.

The problem for Gabriella was what to do. If she tried to crack down, they would alienate more villages, but if they did nothing, Toirdelbach would eventually gain enough support to challenge Marion. Also, by doing nothing, the British would seem weak. Gabriella thought about the problem and sent orders to the British commanders in Ireland to exercise extreme caution in who they arrested as rebels. If they were seen as overbearing, the Irish would turn away from them. In addition, strong cavalry patrols were to be sent out with scout snipers to lead them. They had a reputation for moving through the thickest forest without a trace. If anyone could catch the rebels, it was them.

Thankfully, Luke and Marion would only be gone for a month, and when they returned, they could handle the problem. Still, Gabriella wrote her daily report to Marion and included the reports from Ireland. The reports would be sent to Marion by mail ship, which could make the journey in only a day and a half.

When Gabriella turned in, she found Alice sitting on the bed, half undressed. It looked like she had just stopped what she was doing.

“What’s wrong, Alice?” When Alice looked up, Gabriella knew something terrible was bothering her by the haunted look in her eyes.

“I had to tell a young wife today that she would never be able to have children. She hadn’t been able to conceive, so she came to me. When I examined her, I found she had been born without a womb. You would have thought the world was ending when she heard the news. The poor woman began wailing. I didn’t think it could get any worse, and then the poor woman’s husband got up and walked out without saying a word to her. Fucking bastard.”

“Wow. Fuck. I don’t know what to say.”

Just then, Makayla decided she wanted to be fed, making Alice cry even more.

“It wouldn’t be so bad if we weren’t so fertile. I mean, it seems like one of us is always pregnant, and that woman would have killed to be pregnant once.”

Alice stood up and went to get Makayla, leaving Gabriella alone to think. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do outside of giving the woman some support. Even then, it didn’t count for much, being that in society, most of a woman’s worth was tied to her being able to have children. Alice walked back in with Makayla attached to a nipple.

“What would you like to do for the woman?” asked Gabriella.

“There’s nothing we can do,” Alice sighed. “Even if we supported her, I doubt it would do any good. Then what about all the other men and women in Britain who can’t have children? Look at Polly’s husband; he’s infertile due to mumps, and if it wasn’t for Polly already having children, I doubt he would have been willing to marry her.”

“Hey, that’s not fair, Alice, and you know it. Osbeorn is a fine man and a perfect fit for Polly. He accepted his infertility and got on with his life. If that woman and her husband want children, they can adopt any number of orphans.”

“Except adopting isn’t near as good as having a child share your biology, and you know it. Look at your children. Would you want to adopt?”

Gabriella sighed. Alice had won, and they knew it. “No. If they weren’t children of my blood, I don’t know if I would want them. In that way, Luke and Marion are far better people than we are.”

“If Luke hadn’t already adopted Edhida, Marion wouldn’t have anything to do with her. She loved Edhida because Luke loved her.” Gabriella sighed again. Alice was on a roll, but thankfully, Makayla distracted her.

After Alice finished nursing Makayla, she took her back to the nursery, where a wet nurse was finishing with Mark. Gabriella had stopped nursing Mark two weeks before, so a wet nurse would feed him until he was ready for solid food. Gabriella knew when she filled in for Marion, she wouldn’t have time to nurse.

Gabriella met Alice in the bathroom to shower, which they usually did. It’s much easier to get clean when you have someone to scrub your back or check to ensure you are clean underneath. The shower was more business than usual, but since Alice was depressed, that wasn’t surprising.

Now clean, the women laid down to go to bed. Gabriella figured she would frig herself before going to sleep. Like a lot of people, she always slept better if she got off before going to bed. To her surprise, Alice moved and buried her tongue between Gabriella’s lower lips. Marion might be an expert at pleasing a woman, but Alice was tied with Luke for second. Gabriella scored Luke higher than he should be because he didn’t have a pussy to know what felt best. She also knew Marion and Alice rated him higher than her, but they were straighter than Gabriella. Gabby would be happy if she could only make love to a woman for the rest of her life, while Marion and Alice wouldn’t. They needed a man to feel fulfilled.