Chapter 24: Face-to-Face

“Politics are not a science based on logic; they are the capacity of always choosing at each instant, in constantly changing situations, the least harmful, the most useful.” – Otto Von Bismark.

Rome, Papal States. April 1073

In Rome, tragedy struck when Pope Alexander II died on 15 April. The pope’s death meant many things to many people. To Sextus, it meant he would have to be extremely careful of the new pope, or he might end up dead. At least Alexander realized he was dying and released all the whores he kept locked away in the Vatican. That was one less thing Sextus had to deal with. The last thing either wanted was for Alexander’s kinks to become public. Information like that would be buried in the deepest hole to be found, so it may never see the light of day. To the people of Rome, it was “meet the new boss, the same as the old.”

On 22 April, the new pope was elected and took the name, Pope Gregory VII. He was born Hildebrand of Sovana from Sovana, in the county of Grosseto, which Luke would call southern Tuscany. Being the son of a blacksmith, Gregory was no stranger to hard work and had his work cut out for him.

In Iberia, the Christian kingdoms began pushing the Muslims back, although it would be a long process because when the Christian kingdoms were not fighting the Muslims, they were fighting each other. While the Christians were winning in Iberia, the church in the Frankish kingdom had taken a beating. First, Guiscard raided the church’s wealth to pay for his constant war with Britain. Then, the British invaded and swept through the kingdom. Every monastery near their path was raided and stripped of its wealth. That wealth wasn’t limited to coins and precious metal objects; the books in storage were also taken and shipped to Britain. The British raid weakened the church and destroyed the nobility. In the vacuum came a mentally stronger Philip I, who solidified his rule and turned the Frankish kingdom into France.

The situation was the same but different in the Holy Roman Empire, where Henry IV was gaining power. His nobility had been tamed, and the church had tight limits placed on it. Making the church’s plight worse was the people in the empire were becoming fluent in their reading, and one of the most popular books was the Bible, translated into German. This made it impossible for the church to alter its teachings to gain power. Poland was barely Christian and was in a war of survival with the Holy Roman Empire.

At home, Gregory oversaw an expanded Papal States that possessed an army armed with rifled muskets and cannons. The sound and smell of firearms scared Gregory so severely that he forbade them from being used in his presence. If he had a choice, he would have banned their use, period. Unfortunately, everyone seemed to drink from the same devil’s soup, so all the powers that might threaten Gregory used firearms. Outside the army, the economy was recovering from years of fighting, and priests had been dispatched to Sicily to convert the Muslims.

Alexander had reached an uneasy peace with the Byzantines after Papal troops captured Bali. That task had been made easier because the local Byzantine commander attacked Rome without orders. Still, one of Gregory’s first tasks was to negotiate a formal trading treaty with Constantinople. He also hoped to fix a border between the two branches so they wouldn’t fight over the territory between them. Then, there was Britain.

Gregory’s other problems paled compared to his issues with Great Britain and its queen. He didn’t even know where to begin listing his issues with them. Marion had placed tight restrictions on the church in Britain, banned them from commercial enterprises, and allowed competition to the church. Many competitive churches bordered on heresy as far as the pope was concerned.

Alexander hadn’t been able to do anything about them, but Gregory was determined to break Marion’s grip on the British church. All he had to do was figure out how. Aside from the church, Marion’s Britain was progressing quickly with new technology that seemed to run on the devel’s power. From everything Gregory heard, only Marion’s husband truly understood how the technology worked. Her husband was so far from Gregory’s experience that he didn’t know what to think. Some people thought Luke was Satan, while others thought Christ returned. New rumors from Britain said he was of another world and another time. The rumor Luke was from another world was proof enough for Gregory that Luke was an agent of Satan and should be disposed of as soon as possible.

Niðaróss, Norway. April 1073

Queen Ingegerd was more nervous than her harbor pilot and paced back and forth in her Great Hall. Coastal lookouts had reported the smoke from the British ships as soon as it was light enough to see. This triggered the Norwegian flagship, HMM (Hennes Majestets Marineskip) Haraldsdotter, to sail out and meet them.

As the ships traveled up the fjord, Ingegerd got regular reports. Finally, the British ships dropped anchor since none of the Norse docks were large enough for the British ships. With that, Ingegerd left her small castle and headed to the pier. When she got there, the shore was packed with the citizens of Niðaróss. They had heard rumors the British queen was on board, and everyone wanted to lay eyes on her.

Ingegerd stood on the pier and shaded her eyes as she watched. It didn’t take long for a small steam-powered boat to be lowered into the water and begin heading to the pier. Above the boat, Ingegerd could see a pennant baring Marion’s coat of arms.

When the boat tied off to the pier, Ingegerd didn’t need to guess who the queen was because her golden blonde hair shined like 24k gold in the morning sun, and one of the largest men Ingegerd had ever seen was standing next to her in his dress uniform. What surprised her was that Magnus was also standing by the queen.

“Welcome to Niðaróss, Your Majesty. I trust you had a pleasant trip over. Welcome home, Magnus.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, but it’s Marion, and no, I did not have a pleasant trip. I was sick most of the way over. I have never liked being on boats, and being pregnant didn’t help.”

“Ingegerd. I am so sorry about your trip. How about you, Magnus? What are you doing here anyway?” Magnus laughed.

“Anna is studying for her final exam to become a doctor and wants all the distractions out of the house. Our daughter is still on board the York. I don’t blame her for kicking us out since she has more study material than I have ever read. I highly doubt I could remember everything she needs to know. But once licensed to practice medicine, she will earn almost more money than I do.”

“Wow. Any chance the two of you will return once she is licensed?”

“No. She loves living in Britain, and our daughter only speaks English. Britain is home for us.”

“Oh. I was only thinking of the difference she could make in people’s lives here. I would happily pay for you and your family to move back.”

“Ingegerd,” Marion interrupted. “I want to introduce you to one of the most important people in the world to me. This is my husband, General Luke MacDougall.”

“Wow. Hello, general.”

“Good morning, Your Majesty,” Luke replied with a bow.

Ingegerd was confused. She felt a tingle between her legs that she thought died with Gandálfr, but it was back and stronger than before. It was bad enough that Ingegerd was worried she would embarrass herself. Marion noticed Ingegerd’s reaction and smiled. She had seen that reaction many times before and again was thankful she wasn’t the jealous type.

As with men throughout history, Luke was oblivious to Ingegerd’s reaction to him; he thought she was nervous about meeting Marion. Ingegerd greeted Admiral Ewing warmly since it was easy to remember the woman who was responsible for getting Ingegerd onto the throne in the first place. Marion finished the introductions, introducing Ingegerd to Major Abigail “Abbi” Salomon and securing accommodations for the guards. A minimum of a squad would accompany Marion wherever she went.

Marion and Ingegerd talked as they walked to Ingegerd’s castle. Nothing much was said since people would hear if they discussed sensitive matters, and Marion knew it wasn’t the right time to ask about Ingegerd’s attraction to Luke.

The trip to the castle only took about five minutes, but by the end of the walk, Marion knew they could come to some arrangement, although she didn’t know what it would cost yet. Ingegerd had some disturbing thoughts when she watched Luke walk through her door. She could almost see his blue eyes looking down into hers and feel his strong back muscles under her hands as she held on for dear life. Before anyone else noticed, Ingegerd shook her head to clear it of that line of thinking. She was about to face one of the sharpest political minds of their age, and she couldn’t afford to have her mind wander.

Ingegerd led the way to her study. She wondered what Luke carried in the case but figured she would find out soon enough. Magnus knew he didn’t need to be part of the following discussions, so he excused himself to catch up with some old friends. At least he didn’t need to worry about getting a room since he had a standing invitation to stay with Ingegerd when he visited.

After she looked over the room, Major Salomon posted two guards at the study door. Like her boss, Major Salomon took the security of Queen Marion seriously; there had been too many close calls. Abigail knew her life wouldn’t be worth anything if anything terrible happened to the queen.

With guards at the door, Abbi attended to the rest of her company and their other passengers. Traveling with Marion was Gretchen, although her identity wouldn’t be revealed. Abbi was also responsible for Magnus and his daughter’s security. While Abbi took charge of the safety of Marion’s party, Admiral Ewing was responsible for task force security. Fortunately, she had plenty of Marines and a couple of cutters to row around where her ships were anchored to prevent anyone from getting a crazy idea about attacking one of the ships.

Waiting in Ingegerd’s study was her companion and close advisor, Sunnifa. After further introductions, the four got down to business. The first item of business was Luke’s gift to Ingegerd. When she saw what Luke was presenting her with, Ingegerd’s voice caught in her throat; it was the most beautiful weapon she had ever seen as she carefully ran her fingers over the polished walnut stock. Luke had included enough ammunition for Ingegerd to practice with.

“Luke, would you teach me how to use this?”

“Of course, Your Majesty. Just let me know when you want lessons.”

The gift set the tone of the meeting, and it turned out to be highly productive as Marion and Ingegerd ironed out several minor disputes that, left to fester, could lead to war. After the ladies ironed out their conflicts, it was time for dinner. Luke’s request would have to wait, although Marion did lay the groundwork for his request.

To Luke’s dismay, dinner was a choice of salted or smoked fish. Marion saw Luke’s look and laughed even though she wasn’t thrilled with the dinner choices either. It was far better, though, to stay silent than possibly insult their host. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Ingegerd didn’t have much money to spend, and what she did have was spent on improving people’s lives.

“I am sorry about the lack of variety in the food,” apologized Ingegerd. “I cannot see spending money on my household when many of my subjects cannot afford to eat.”

It hadn’t occurred to Luke or Marion just how spoiled they had become living in Britain until that moment. They looked at each other with guilty looks since neither liked the choices; it had been a long time since either had to scrimp on food.

“Please do not let our reaction offend you, Ingegerd. It has been a long time since we had to scrimp on food. If Luke didn’t insist on us doing physical training with the army several times weekly, I would probably be as round as I am tall.”

“Why do you insist your wife exercise with the army, Luke?”

“If you become overweight, it will lead to health problems later in life. By keeping fit, you avoid many potential problems. Running with the army also helps build loyalty in the military. It also reduces the soldiers’ complaints; they can’t complain about physical fitness programs when the queen joins them and outperforms them. A fat soldier is a dead soldier, and I aim to get every soldier home alive. The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in war.”

Marion reddened with Luke’s praise. In reality, Marion enjoyed running with the army and wouldn’t give it up unless she had to. She wasn’t about to tell Luke because she couldn’t complain then. Marion had already talked with Major Salomon about laying out a course to run while they were away. The major smiled and shook her head.

“I asked Major Salomon to lay out a course for us to run while here. Ingegerd, you are invited to run with us, although I must warn you that it will probably be a 20-kilometer run, rain or shine.” Ingegerd didn’t need to consider it since she ran with her army.

“I accept. When do you want to start?”

“Tomorrow morning at 0600.”

“0600?” asked Ingegerd.

“My beautiful wife means 6 in the morning.”

“But the sun isn’t up yet.”

“So. Stop by my quarters before you go to bed, and I’ll get you set up with proper boots and clothes,” Marion replied.

“But I have running gear,” Ingegerd said, but Marion just looked at her with the “don’t argue with me” look. Having stubborn children had honed this look to one that was always obeyed.

Marion didn’t take kindly to people saying they would do something but balked at what they had to do to do what they said they would. Luke smiled at her, and the look in her eyes promised him an interesting evening.

During the rest of the evening, Marion and Ingegerd talked to get to know each other better. Ingegerd was impressed with Marion’s mental strength. She didn’t think she could have trusted Luke or killed her remaining family with her bare hands. Marion liked Ingegerd, although she thought the Norse queen was still a bit naïve. While Marion and Ingegerd talked, Luke returned to the fleet to read and write reports. Admiral Ewing brought some wine for Luke when he finished his reports. Luke and Admiral Ewing had become good friends and often shared a glass of wine when they had time.

Finally, it was time for Luke to return to the castle, although truth be told, he would rather spend the night on the York since it was more comfortable. Still, being away from his wife wasn’t worth a better night’s sleep. Walking back to the castle, Luke watched the locals go about their business. In many ways, civilians in Niðaróss were the same as in York, Paris, or anywhere else.

Luke smiled when he entered their temporary quarters and found Marion lying on the bed without clothes. Smiling wider, Luke slowly stripped to join his wife. Once in bed, the pair quickly became entangled, but they forgot one thing until there was a knock on the door. Marion had forgotten about Ingegerd coming to get outfitted for their morning run.

Marion hopped out of bed and threw on one of Luke’s shirts since they were long enough to hide everything. Luke lay on his side and pulled the cover over his waist. Ingegerd walked through the door when Marion opened it and stopped in her tracks when she saw Luke lying in bed, obviously naked. He was far more muscular than she thought and bore more scars than she could imagine.

“Sorry about this, Ingegerd. I forgot you were stopping by to get your running gear. I was naked when Luke walked in, and things went the way they usually go. We rarely get time to only ourselves because, at home, either Gabriella or Alice will join in.”

“No, Marion. I am sorry. I waited too long to see you for outfitting. I should have known you and your husband would be busy.”

“Well, don’t worry about it. We are used to being interrupted, so we’ll pick up where we left off once you leave.”

Marion began pulling the gear Ingegerd would need for her run in the morning. But when she went to try everything on, the bootlaces were hopelessly tangled. Without thinking, Marion gave the boots to Luke since untangling bootlaces was one of his specialties. Again, without thinking, Luke sat up and showed Ingegerd everything. Ingegerd felt her face get hot as she blushed redder than Alice’s hair at seeing Luke’s member.

Ingegerd might have been naïve in ruling, but she had grown up with older brothers and in an era before the Puritans contaminated thought about sex, so she was no stranger to the male anatomy. But nothing could have prepared her for seeing Luke’s member besides seeing them on livestock. Luke was still hard and wet from being inside Marion. Marion heard Ingegerd suddenly get silent, so she looked over to see what was happening. When she saw what was happening, she barked out a laugh.

“Luke darling. Would you mind covering Little Luke? You don’t want him scaring people.”

Luke looked down and blushed slightly. He was used to being at home where everyone interrupting them in the evening had seen his cock.

“Sorry, Your Majesty,” Luke said sincerely.

“There is no need to be sorry, Luke. If I had access to something as magnificent as that, I would always want to have it in me, too.”

“Would you like access?” Marion asked.

Luke and Ingegerd looked at Marion like she had grown two heads. After talking with Ingegerd, she knew Luke’s gift, while helpful, wouldn’t get what he wanted; however, giving Ingegerd a good time and possibly getting her pregnant would. If Luke knocked Ingegerd up, Marion believed she would give Luke anything he wanted. Luke stared at his wife, and she winked at him, which Ingegerd didn’t see because she was staring at Little Luke.

Marion stepped up behind Ingegerd and untied the dress she was wearing. Slowly, the dress was allowed to slide down the Norse queen’s body until it pooled on the floor around her feet. Looking her over, Luke had to admit the Norse queen looked good, which made sense since she was only 26. With her pale skin and pink nipples, her dark hair was striking, showing her mother’s heritage.

Once Ingegerd was nude, Marion slid Luke’s shirt off and guided Ingegerd to bed. Ingegerd wasn’t sure what she was doing; her brain refused to engage, not that it would have mattered since her body was running the show now. For the first time in her life, Ingegerd felt a nude man against her skin, which was divine. What confused her was her reaction to feeling a naked female. Ingegerd wasn’t interested, but her body wasn’t revolting against feeling Marion.

After Marion got herself situated, she took one of Ingegerd’s hands and guided it in exploring Luke. Luke laid still while Marion took Ingegerd on a guided tour of the male anatomy. As Ingegerd began playing with Little Luke, Marion coached her on the best ways to do it and what not to do. Once Luke was hard as steel and leaking pre-cum, Marion had Ingegerd lay on her back.

If Ingegerd thought she was at the main event, she was mistaken. Luke began nibbling on her body, and Ingegerd started giggling when Luke found a ticklish spot. The giggling disappeared when Luke’s mouth found a nipple and was replaced with a gasp followed by moans of pleasure. To keep things even, Marion took the other nipple.

Luke didn’t move on until Ingegerd was withering in the throes of a powerful orgasm that threatened to consume her. It was the most powerful orgasm she had ever experienced. That was until Luke’s mouth found her slit. At first, Ingegerd was confused by what Luke was doing, but once he started, she didn’t care as long as he didn’t stop.

When Luke found her clit, Ingegerd arched her back as she grabbed his head to pull him in deeper. What followed caused Ingegerd to see lights in her tightly closed eyes as every nerve in her body seemed to fire at once. Marion held her hand to Ingegerd’s mouth to keep her scream from waking the whole town.

Luke swallowed every drop of juice he could, but some ran down his chin. When Luke lifted his head, Marion grabbed his head and licked Ingegerd’s juices off his face. With Luke clean, he climbed over Ingegerd’s still recovering body, and Marion did the honors of lining Luke up with the royal Norse tunnel.

In one slow thrust, Luke entered Ingegerd and shredded what was left of her hymen. Once in, Luke kept driving until he was buried to the root. Looking into Ingegerd’s eyes, he saw she was going from one orgasm to another, so Luke began thrusting. It wasn’t long before Ingegerd’s hips pushed back, thus entering into the most ancient of human dances. Ingegerd and Luke were able to link spiritually, and the two went higher together. Finally, they erupted; Luke painted Ingegerd’s cervix with his seed while Ingegerd soaked the bed with her juices.

Watching, Marion had two fingers working her clit; she had released Ingegerd’s nipple to give Luke more room to work. Seeing her man make another happy woman made Marion so horny. As soon as Luke rolled off of Ingegerd, Marion had his cock in her mouth. She had been sucking his cock for years and knew how to get him hard. Before he could say anything, Marion straddled him and sunk down on his cock. She might not have been able to see it due to her expanding belly, but she knew exactly where it was.

Marion might not have been as tight as Ingegerd, but her well-trained muscles knew what to do. With vigor, Marion rode Luke while twisting a nipple with one hand and rubbing her clit with the other. Luke took over rubbing her clit, and Marion entered orbit when she stiffened and arched her back. Now Luke took control and flipped them over as Ingegerd watched.

To keep things comfortable for Marion, Luke flipped her again so she was on her elbows and knees. Having Marion’s arse pointed at him, Luke figured he would introduce Ingegerd to another form of intercourse, anal. Using Marion’s juices, Luke lubed his cock and her rear hole with his fingers. Once Marion’s rear opening was ready, Luke pulled his cock out of her vagina and gently pushed into her arse.

Feeling Luke enter her rear, Marion’s head whipped around, and Ingegerd saw the glazed, lustful look Marion gave Luke. Marion grunted with Luke’s every thrust, and soon, they had a good rhythm. All too soon for Luke, Marion’s tight rear took its toll, and he felt the swelling from a rapidly approaching orgasm. Knowing Marion hated it when he pulled out, Luke buried himself deep inside her bowels as he erupted.

Luke slid off Marion and lay beside her as he tried to catch his breath. She smiled and laid against him, snuggling tight against his body, one arm under her head and the other wrapped around her with the hand cupping one of her breasts. There was no doubt in Ingegerd’s mind that Luke and Marion loved each other deeply. Their love was something from myth, with depths rarely seen by mortals.

Eventually, Luke had to get up to wash his member and take a leak. Marion got up with him and giggled when she felt cum leaking from her anus. Ingegerd watched with interest as the others cleaned up and checked each other for cleanness. Satisfied, they crawled back in bed, only with Luke in the middle so Marion could take one side and Ingegerd the other.

The next morning came too early for Ingegerd, and she tried to stay in bed, but Marion pulled her from bed and threw some cold water in her face. Ingegerd yipped, causing Luke to laugh. When Ingegerd looked at Luke, she found him in battle dress, complete with helmet and sidearm. Marion matched him in dress and had an extra set for Ingegerd.

At first, Ingegerd didn’t want to wear pants, but Marion gave her no choice. Soon, Ingegerd was dressed in a British combat uniform, which she found comfortable, to her surprise. Before they left the room, Ingegerd turned to Marion and asked,

“Marion, what is that necklace you’re wearing?” Marion pulled out the necklace she was wearing; only it was Luke’s old USMC dog tags.

“These once belonged to Luke; he gave them to me because they are as much a part of him as an arm or leg. When Luke was a United States Marine, he wore these in case he was killed or badly wounded. That way, they could identify his body or, if he was unconscious, tell what blood type he is so they could give him a blood transfusion if necessary.”

“Oh.”

Outside their room, Major Salomon was waiting with an escort. Half the escort was made of Norse troops whose commander had volunteered for this run. Outside, the entire company of Household Guard was ready to go, with some Marines sprinkled in.

The run started easy enough for the Norse, but soon, the British went to double time, leaving the Norse breathing hard. The Norse thought they were in shape, but the British proved them wrong. As soon as the Norse were getting up to double time speed, the British slowed down and began singing. Soon, the British increased speed, leaving the Norse even worse off. So went the entire run; run at double time for five minutes, then slow for five.

It didn’t surprise anyone when the Norse began falling out and collapsing from exhaustion. Somehow, Ingegerd made it through, only collapsing when the run ended. She wasn’t happy when two British guards picked her up and forced her to walk around. They did this to keep her muscles from tightening, but she didn’t care. All she wanted to do was lie down. So, it really annoyed her when Marion appeared before her fresh as a daisy; even her hair was neat where Ingegerd’s was drenched with sweat despite the cool morning.

After the run, Gretchen pulled Marion, Luke, and Major Salomon aside to give them the morning’s “Spook News.” Since no ships had arrived from Britain, there was no news from that front, but Gretchen had word from her local spies. Ingegerd was being cautioned not to give the British anything and to force them to leave. Some of her generals hated Queen Marion; a number of them were at The Battle for York in 1066. So far, Ingegerd was ignoring them, but Gretchen didn’t know how long that might last.

Ingegerd soon took her leave so she could change and recover some energy. She had her first official meeting with Luke in the afternoon and wanted to be fresh. While Luke and Marion waited, they bathed. One of the things they sorely missed was a hot shower. After their bath, Luke walked around their room and checked it out. It didn’t take him long to find several places where someone could hide and listen. Marion shook her head; they would have their important discussions on the York.

It wasn’t until 1500 that Ingegerd sent for Luke and Marion. When they saw Ingegerd, she still looked tired, but neither Luke nor Marion said anything. Before the talking commenced, Luke spread a map on the table. The map showed Scandinavia in far more detail than Ingegerd was used to.

Once everyone was settled, Luke began his presentation on why he wanted access to Lapland and what he wanted from Queen Ingegerd. The presentation was unlike anything Ingegerd had heard before and had piqued her curiosity about how Luke knew what resources were there. She was also curious about the Marine comment Marion had made that morning.

When asked, Luke told Ingegerd his entire story, which took the rest of the day. Once Luke finished, Ingegerd didn’t know what to say. Many parts of what he told her frightened her, while others excited her. Taken in balance, Ingegerd couldn’t consent to the shipping concessions Luke requested; they would cost her too much in fees. Instead, she offered a compromise of only about half of what Luke requested. Then, the haggling began, and Luke managed to cut the rates to 65% of what he initially requested. Watching, Marion knew Luke’s initial request would be denied but knew Luke would get what he really wanted. The number they settled on was what Luke told Marion his goal was. It was low enough for him to make money and high enough to make the Norse feel they weren’t taken advantage of.

After the meeting, Ingegerd asked if she could sleep with Marion and Luke again. They looked at each other and smiled. Marion took Ingegerd’s arm and led her to the room they were using.

It was another long and exciting night for Ingegerd as she continued to learn the art of lovemaking. The next morning was longer when Luke and Marion woke her again for a run. If Ingegerd thought she would die the day before, it was nothing compared to this morning. Ingegerd developed a stitch in her side that kept her from catching her breath, but she forced herself to go on. The last thing she wanted to do was stop before Marion. If a Brit could do it, a tough Norse woman could, too.

Marion and Luke stayed another four days, but everything important had already been settled. They used their time to shop in some of Niðaróss’s shops and took Ingegerd shooting to test her new rifle. After shooting, Luke showed her how to clean it and emphasized how important it was to clean it after each use. By the end of the week, Ingegerd could run much better and had set up a course for her to run daily with her guard. Having guards in shape was driven home when Ingegerd’s guards challenged Marion’s. By the end, the Norse were beaten and bruised, with many so winded they couldn’t do anything the rest of the day.