Henry disembarked at the port of Perth, Scotland after noon was already past.
He was at the front of the ship, he loved that feeling, the wind on his face, that sense of power.
The sky above him was a few shades lighter in color than the North Sea below him.
For a winter season, he imagined the sea was very cold, he could perceive it, as in the movement of the boat small droplets of water coming from the sea had ended up on his face, reddened by the cold of the wind that beat on it.
Everything had been fine up to that point.
He had set sail at four in the morning from the French port of Calais and only then, ten hours later, he was docking at the Scottish port of Perth.
On the sea journey they had passed directly alongside the territories of England, but luckily for him none of the ships of his sister's empire had approached the set of Scottish ships that accompanied him.
They were too afraid, on the other hand, Scotland, despite being only a barony, covered almost the surface of Great Britain and despite the fact that the Scots were not as numerous as the British they always continued to be formidable adversaries.
As the ship advanced in the cold waters of the North Sea and the cold wind continued to blow, the prince's soft, golden hair was pushed to the side of his back.
They were finally landing.
As he was still on the boat the huge and verdant lands of Scotland had begun to extend before his eyes.
Obviously Perth, being a peripheral port of the Scottish lands, did not seem to have evolved his lands as much as other large cities such as Glasgow or Edinburgh.
In any case, that rural view of a small village did not displease the prince at all, who, accustomed to living in large cities and surrounded by the luxury that the crown had always provided for him, was curious for the first time to approach simple villagers who lived there.
However his cousin, the Baron of Scotland, Juniper Whiteblossom was there.
He looked at him carefully, his pale face, the blond curls on his head, his gaze, his blue eyes, which although full of affection had acquired a different pride.
There was no doubt that it was him, even if in the eyes of Henry, who had seen his younger cousin grow up, that still remained the shy little Juniper, without a land and whose family history was as tragic as his.
They embraced warmly, and their hug lasted more than a few minutes, after all those five years away, the two cousins could finally see each other again.
They concluded the embrace with the strong slaps, which one with the other clapped on their backs, it was a sign of affection and mutual respect that each other felt.
-It's nice to see you again, Juniper- the prince smiled enthusiastically returning his gaze to his cousin -the last time I saw you you were only a seventeen-year-old boy, without lands and a specific goal in life, and now look at you, you are a baron of enormous lands...-.
The Baron pulled on his pale face a smile of joy and embarrassment at the same time, Juniper lowered his gaze from that of the prince, he was also happy to meet him again after all that time, after all that the two had been through.
-I can say the same about you, dear cousin- Juniper started speaking -look at what you have become, free, independent, a real prince, with a real family...-.
Both had the dominant genetics of the Hannovers and as a result they also looked quite similar.
Both had "golden" blond hair and the pale face of the royal family.
Henry was the son of the late king, while Juniper was the son of the king's younger sister, for this they were cousins and for this reason they resembled each other.
But the Baron was slightly shorter than the prince and just as Juniper's hair was curly, Henry's was straight.
Anyway, the prince noticed that on either side of the cousin two other people were present near him.
On the right side, there was a child.
He didn't look like Juniper at all, being Gilbert's son biologically, but on the other hand the boy also didn't look like his deceased mother at all.
Rudolph had straight, neat hair on his head of a dark, coppery red color inherited from his father, but his pale face dominated by two large dark grey eyes and freckles, which, scattered around his nose, seemed be the only detail inherited from his mother.
For the age that the child might have at that time, Henry would have given him about seven years.
However, something seemed to be strange in that child, because despite that age his peers seemed to have their craziest experiences, that little boy seemed not to smile and was mostly attached and close to his adoptive father.
Henry dropped to his knees, almost as if it were difficult for his height to be able to talk face to face with such a small child.
He understood it in a way, Rudolph had grown up without a mother, if not in portraits, in memories and that was more or less what had happened to the prince too.
He too was eight years old when his mother was sentenced to the guillotine and so he understood what kind of complicated emotions were mixed in the child's body.
Henry caressed the soft hair of the child, smiled at him as he used to do with his son, in a manner so informal that it almost did not seem royal.
The little one, however, huddled around his father's body in such a tight and frightened way that he almost seemed to fear, outside his friend's sphere, any other person who existed in that world.
Although those kind of closed reactions were harshly tolerated by a lord's son, Juniper seemed to be kind to him, letting him behave shyly, although biologically he was not his father.
It did not matter, he had partially assisted Rudolph's birth, the Baron had raised him as if he were his son, although he and Gilbert had been enemies and rivals from the beginning.
-It is completely right that you feel this way, believe me Rudolph, I can understand you...- Henry tried to cheer him up, returning to a straight and composed position -always be yourself, this is the best of virtues you can have-.
He saw the child nod several times, although he was still hidden next to his father, he felt he was starting to understand the man, what he was saying, what he meant and he liked it very much.
-May I introduce you to Lady Annalise Dustin?- the Baron spoke as if he were trying to get his cousin's attention back to something different.
-Glad to meet you, after so long, my prince- said the lady bowing down.
Henry was flattered, as no one before this woman had appealed him in such royal mannerisms.
It had always been his younger half-sister, the most important, the legitimate princess, who every day by her servants was referred to as "your majesty" or "your highness".
Anyway, even knowing that Isabelle was a potential enemy, Henry was in a way curious to find out how in those five years his younger half-sister had changed, grown.
He recognised however, after all that time Lady Dustin, in those five years she hadn't changed at all, she had not lost a modicum of her distinct beauty.
She kept her dark red hair tied in two strands behind her head, although the rest of her other hair fell over her shoulders to the length of her breasts.
She had a pale, gaunt face, quite similar to that of her Dustin twins, spotted with a thousand small freckles, which still in her forty-five years, gave her a youthful appearance.
Highlighting her pale face were two felines and almost slender green eyes, the color of forests and emerald.
Annalise looked quite like Abigail, being her aunt, but anyway, she seemed to bear a strong resemblance to William and Dickon Dustin, her children.
Henry gently took her hand which she held out to him, leaving a gentle kiss on her knuckles, which was a gesture of kindness from the lords towards the ladies.
Immediately, when he kissed her hand, it was clear to Henry that that woman, that mother had a very gentle and sweet side, but on the other a remarkable strength and decision.
-Pleased to meet you again, Lady Dustin, I see in recent years you have not lost a minimum of your beauty...- commented the man trying as much as possible to show respect for that woman.
-I see you haven't lost a shred of your shrewdness, prince Henry- smiled the woman, making fun of him -I'm grateful to have you at the council this year-.
-The plan is the following- Juniper interjected- trying to get the two allies back to the facts -we will return to the fortress of Glasgow, this evening, with the arrival of the representatives of the Duchy of Northern Ireland, the Viscounts of Man and the Lords of Wales, we will begin to discuss the terms of our alliance-.