Just then, a somewhat unfamiliar voice rang out.
Sesil and Henry turned around and saw someone on horseback. ’A Knight? No, a Monk, perhaps...’
A large contingent of Knights and retainers followed behind him.
Sesil paused for a moment, but she quickly remembered who he was.
But just as she was about to greet him, Henry beat her to it.
"Sir Eric."
Eric dismounted and immediately bowed to Sesil.
"Princess Sesil, Eric offers you his sincerest greetings. May God grant you eternal happiness and peace. I wish you good health and high spirits."
"Thank you." Sesil nodded, accepting Eric’s greeting.
"And Prince Henry." Eric looked toward Little Henry.
"Thank you, Eric... uh... I mean, Lord Gloucester."
"You seem to know quite a bit," Eric said, smiling.
"I’ve studied a little Latin. The title of Count is very important. Appointments are announced in all the shires and in Normandy. It’s a custom my father established. He wants to make sure everyone knows who his representatives are, so the Barons stay in line and submit... submit to the authority of the Counts."
"Am I talking too much?" Henry paused for a moment.
"You have, silly Henry. You’ve become very talkative lately." Sesil patted Henry on the head, then looked at Eric. "But it seems I’ve missed a lot."
"It’s just that my sister doesn’t often stay in Rouen," Henry said.
Little Henry seemed to be particularly talkative.
"Rouen... uh... maybe I should go there less in the future." Sesil sighed, suddenly remembering what Henry had just said.
’I’m supposed to be a devout person, aren’t I?’
She then looked at Eric. "You certainly look the part now. The last time I saw you, you were just a down-on-his-luck Monk."
"And yet, Your Highness is as impressive as ever," Eric shrugged.
"Is that so? I like the sound of that." Sesil straightened up, looking pleased. "Gloucester is a fine place, a very important one. It’s clear Robert trusts you a great deal."
Her father would travel to Gloucester every year. Plus, being on the Severn River Estuary, its town was prosperous and a very important Royal Domain.
"Every Christmas, Father would go to Gloucester to hold a Royal Court council, which both clerical and lay Nobility attended," Henry suddenly explained.
"I see. It seems I am quite fortunate, then."
Eric saw Guy approaching to ask why the column had stopped.
"It’s getting late. Allow me to escort you back to the Monastery. As it happens, my Knights and I may need to rest there. We’ve been on the road for a very long time."
Guy, who was mounted, was also leading another horse. Someone was tied to the back of that second horse, still struggling and spewing vile curses.
"Honorless, immoral fiend! Despicable wretch! Faithless bastard! You filthy devil!"
"Will?" Henry ran over.
"Haral? What are you doing here?" Rufus recognized his younger brother.
"It seems God has not smiled upon you, Will." Henry remarked, not answering Rufus directly.
"I didn’t lose! That bastard Eric betrayed all sense of morality! He has no honor! That’s... that’s why I’m here! O-originally, everything was going fine. E-everything was going so smoothly." Rufus began to stammer, knowing he must be a pathetic sight.
Sesil saw Rufus and walked over as well.
"Sesil, have you come to laugh at me too? Is that it? Now that Robert has won." Seeing Sesil, Rufus seemed even more distressed.
"I couldn’t care less about this mess between you boys. What does it matter to me which of you is King? It’s not like I’m the one being crowned. For me, it just means I go from being an older sister to a younger one. Besides, I’m a Nun now, a servant of God. Technically, worldly affairs have nothing to do with me.
And no matter what, we’re still family, aren’t we?" Sesil gently smoothed Rufus’s messy hair.
"B-but he took everything from me! Th-th-that was what Father left me! And that faithle—" Rufus continued to curse. Sesil just watched him quietly, neither scolding nor stopping him. Eventually, he was overcome with shame. "I’m sorry, sister Sesil."
"This is a good start, isn’t it, Eric?" Sesil looked toward Eric.
"Yes, of course." Eric nodded in agreement.
"What about me? To be honest, I don’t like it here, Sir Eric. Aunt Matilda is too strict," Henry spoke up again.
He was truly talkative today.
"I’m not sure. Your brother must have other arrangements for you. I am on my way to support Rouen. I wonder if His Majesty has arrived there yet."
"I hope it’s not too bad. Though I know our eldest brother isn’t one to hold a grudge. He’s always been merciful and magnanimous," Henry said, hands on his hips.
Although for the Nobility of that era, "merciful" and "magnanimous" were not always compliments, as they could also imply weakness.
"Aren’t you coming from Rouen?" Sesil asked, slightly surprised.
"No, I’ve come from Mann. Has something happened in Rouen?" Eric frowned.
’Don’t tell me Rouen has fallen.’
"I’m not entirely sure of the details, but Rouen is safe now. Robert is there, and the campaign is going very smoothly," said Sesil.
"What? So quickly?"
Eric had been the first to leave England, and barely more than half a month had passed. Considering it must have taken Robert four or five days just to make the landing in Normandy, it meant he had reversed the entire situation in less than two weeks.
That kind of Speed was astounding.
"I only heard it from others myself. Robert claimed to be the protector of the cities, promising to grant charters of self-governance to all Frank cities that pledged allegiance to him or were occupied by him. This caused serious rebellions in the cities of France Island bordering Normandy, forcing the King of France to divert troops to quell the uprisings.
Now, everyone is calling him Robert ’the Universal Lover’."
Sesil wasn’t entirely certain of the details; she had no interest in matters of war, but Robert’s success was still good news. And she rather liked his new title.
"Also, that Duke of Lorraine, Hunchback Godfrey, dropped dead. Our uncle recently managed to take control of Hainaut, freeing him up to support our eldest brother. They ambushed the army the King of France was pulling back," Henry added.
"In that case, my contribution seems rather insignificant." Eric looked at Rufus on the back of the horse, and the whole affair suddenly felt anticlimactic.
...
After learning from Sesil that the siege of Rouen had been lifted, Eric felt there was no longer any need to hurry. He decided to stay at the Caen Monastery for a day.
Why only one day and not more? Mainly because he was by himself now; he had sent Eleanor and Helia to Outville Town under escort.
He wasn’t quite used to the feeling of traveling alone.
This was Eric’s first time leading so many Knights and soldiers by himself, and it was an incredible hassle.
These men, who made their living by violence, knew only how to solve problems with violence. That very night, the Welsh and Normans in his army got into a brawl at a tavern over a barrel of wine. The tavern was completely trashed.
However, on the second day, a messenger arrived at the Caen Monastery from Rouen, bearing a letter for Sesil.
The letter was from Robert. Beyond the customary greetings, it contained more important news: in one week, Robert would be holding a funeral for their father in Rouen. He invited his siblings in Caen to attend.
Along with the invitation came a donation. The Monastery at Caen received a considerable grant of land, intended to atone for the soul of Conqueror William.
Caen was not the only Monastery to receive a donation; monasteries across Normandy and England had all received gifts of varying sizes. However, on account of Sesil, the Caen Monastery received the most.
Sesil spent the entire day in the confession chapel, praying for her father’s soul.