Update 6: Domestic Life
Winter 1418
Henri and his queen had been received majestically into their Kingdom. In the month since their return from Auvergne, Marie had become the darling of the public. Support for independent Normandy among its own people soared, and there was a strong feeling that should an enemy come with conquest in mind, they would inherit only land after having to kill every last Norman.
Jacelyn and Marie were growing close as well. Henri’s sister had been only five when their parents died, and now that she was eleven, the support of an older woman was important. Soon she would be entering the realm of womanhood, and everything it entailed. The way politics were, that would probably mean marriage to one of the major noble families. Henri would not force her into that, but his sister was as practical as a young girl could be, and would do what was best for their people.
Normandy was swiftly growing into a merchant empire. Their merchants were trading in every exchange in Europe, and even one in Muslim Africa. They would have to find even more markets to expand their influence. Normandy was far from rich, but the income from taxing their own merchants (and the prosperity brought back by foreign goods in their own markets. That would attract attention from the bigger power in Europe.
That thought kept King Henri awake at night. By the light of a stub of candle, he looked over ledgers and reports from his advisors. The situation was grim. As long as France remained an ally, then he had only England and Burgundy to worry about. Brittany was a threat as well, but a minor one. Other nations in Europe posed a threat, but they were more distant than the immediate problems of England, France, and Burgundy. Normandy needed breathing room desperately, but there was no means to gain it.
”Husband, you do yourself and our kingdom no good by depriving yourself of sleep. Is there anything in those papers that will not wait until morning?” Marie said, opening her eyes. It was clear to Henri that she had not been sleeping either, but hadn’t wanted to disturb his thoughts until now.
”There is so little good news that it could wait until Judgement Day and it would make little difference.” The King said darkly. He set the papers aside and snuffed the candle. He wrapped Marie in his arms and whispered in her ear. ”Should God continue to bless me with providences such as you, Normandy will survive long into the future.”
December 1419
”Long live the King! Long live the Queen!” A group of thoroughly drunk men cheered. One of them, a merchant whom Henri did not know personally added: ”And long live Prince Henri VII!”
Henri waved the group to silence. ”I will bring your well wishes to the Queen and Prince, good friends, but both are in need of rest, so perhaps it would be best to take this celebration to the dining hall.” The gathered assemblage of new nobility, the wealthy, and foreign ministers shambled out the door. Plenty of fine wine and other liquors had been consumed, often toasted to the newly expanded royal family. Henri only wished his wife hadn’t insisted on naming their first child after him.
”You have quite the ego, my King, to assume I named him after you. Perhaps it is an honorarium to your father,” she had said with a smirk. With her countenance and humor, a man could easily assume that childbirth was no more hard or painful than sitting too long in an uncomfortable chair. That man would be a fool, but Marie wasn’t the kind of woman that let on her discomforts and pains. Henri was a mindful husband, and the combination made a happy couple.
”Good to know that the succession is safe, milord,” the newly appointed Earl of Cherbourg said to Henri. Upon Marie’s suggestion, he had appointed from the best and brightest men in the Kingdom a new class of nobility. Because of the nature of the forming of the Kingdom, the King and Queen had been the only nobles, save for Jacelyn, who was now the Duchess of Caux. Most of those that were assembled were new nobles, as this was the most important event among the nobility since their induction.
”I am more pleased that the Prince and his mother are healthy. Given the swiftness of my father’s death, having an heir is something of an ease on my mind, but I will be happy if he remains heir for a very long time.”
The drunk Earl seemed unsure if this was a joke or not. ”Indeed, milord. May the royal family be longer lived than all of us.” He drained his glass. ”If you will excuse me, your Highness, I think I should sit down before I fall over.” The Earl stumbled off, and Henri just sighed. The King did not drink much, but always made the pretense of it. Courts did only as the King did, a fact that weighed heavily on him. As the celebration wound down, he was glad to be able to announce he was retiring to his chambers.
Henri crept into his bedroom. Kissing his sleeping wife and child gently, he wrapped them in his arms. The malicious world outside full of war and threats could not penetrate the sphere of familial love.
Summer 1420
The carriage rode hard towards Paris. The roads were very rough, often little more than dirt packed by years of wear and thousands of peasant footsteps, but nearer Paris they turned into paved remnants of Roman road networks. Somehow Prince Henri slept soundly in his mother’s arms through the entire trip. The Royal Family soon arrived at the King of France’s summer palace on the outskirts of the capital. Servant women and maids descended on Marie as soon as she stepped down from the carriage, and she almost had to shove them away.
”I require no assistance, thank you, I shall keep the Prince with me.” She said diplomatically. Henri recognized in her eyes the words she would have preferred to use, but she was a Queen, after all, and had to have some propriety, especially in a foreign court.
They walked into the throne room and were announced. The herald hesitated before calling out ”Presenting King Henri the Sixth, Queen Marie, and Prince Henri of Normandy.” Henri was pleased by the glare King Jacques gave them, as much as he was by being announced as a King in the French Court.
”We welcome you, noble cousins, to our palace. We trust your journey was well?” Henri made a note to tell Marie to kill him if he ever started talking like this sort of fool.
”Quite well, the Prince was rocked to sleep by the gentle moving of our carriage.” Henri replied. ”I trust that things are going well with the fighting in the south?”
”It is of that matter that we have asked you to come.” The French King seemed to stumble over the word ‘asked.’ He was not used to asking anything, but demanding it and it being done without question. He had been ‘asking’ for their presence for months, but Henri had the convenient excuse of his heir’s young age to keep him from this unpleasant task. ”You will remember that we agreed to mutual support in this war. Yet no Norman troops have been seen outside of your Kingdom. We are fighting in the south to keep your lands safe from English interference, so why do you not contribute to the effort?”
Henri remained calm, even if the King was a pretentious git. ”Good King, I recall my father outlining the strategy of the last war with the English. King Charles, may God rest his soul, ordered our Norman soldiers, who were few in number, to guard against invasion from the sea. It is this action that we are taking. Our lands are far closer to England than any French holdings. Surely it is no tactical error to protect Paris by preventing the English from landing at all in the North.”
The French King thought for a moment, and then smiled. ”Perhaps we should meet more frequently to discuss strategy, for you have inherited your father’s ability in that area.” The thought of more meetings chilled Henri’s heart. ”We must insist that you, and the Queen and Prince, stay to enjoy a fine supper. The hunt was very successful this morning, and the cooks should be done with it soon.”
”It would be our pleasure, good King.” Henri said through gritted teeth. Marie was definitely better at being diplomatic than he was. Still, suffering through one meal with the French King was far better than having his troops march through Caen.