It had been six days since Rodrigo and the others left Toulouse, and they finally arrived in the city of Caen in Normandy at night, where they would take a boat to travel to Jutland. The journey would easily take another seven days.
The Vikings took over the northern region of the disintegrated kingdom of Charlemagne in the past century. Although the Norse living there had agreed to become a protectorate of the West Frankish kingdom and try to adopt its customs and traditions, the truth was that they still behaved as if they were Danes. As further evidence of this, there were direct merchant trips to Denmark, and people continued to speak Danish instead of French. Tania's multilingual skills were no longer useful in this region.
—I speak a little Norwegian, which is similar to Danish— Epona said as she stretched after the long journey from Tours.
—It's so cold here!— Rodrigo complained as he tried to warm himself by curling up.
Rodrigo had served as the pilot in the caravan since Anpiel had retired. It had been six days already, and there was no news of him.
—Don't worry, Rodrigo— Epona replied, —They have good wine here! You'll see how quickly you warm up— the blonde goddess continued as she got off the caravan.
Rodrigo looked around. Caen looked very different from the other cities they had visited. The houses were picturesque two-story structures made entirely of wood with inverted V-shaped roofs. There was a peculiar castle made of stone and wood at the highest part of the city. The streets were not paved, but the crossroads were notable because the carts constantly left a passage, and the people dressed differently. This was their first encounter with Danish culture.
—We need to find a place to stay— Tania said as she jumped off the cart.
At that moment, the sky thundered, and it started to rain.
—Yes, it rains all the time in this region— Ana said as she got off the cart. The rain didn't seem to bother her much.
After parking their wagon, they stayed at an inn near the port. Epona tried to speak in her 'Norwegian,' but no one understood her. Fortunately, the innkeepers understood Occitan, and Tania was able to rent a room.
—I thought you had been in this region before, Epona. I thought you had enjoyed your exquisite wine here. What the hell was that Norwegian of yours?— Ana asked annoyed.
—That was a long time ago! Stop bothering me! It wasn't called Normandy back then!— Epona frustratedly responded.
Finally, they entered the room. This time they only rented one room to have more conversation within the whole group.
—Do you still have no news of Anpiel?— Ana asked gloomily as she sat on the bed in the room.
—None— Tania replied. —I hope he's not in danger— she said.
—Well— Tania continued, —we have to board the ship to Jutland early tomorrow. Try to rest—
They first went out and sold their cart since they wouldn't need it anymore. To Tania's surprise, many people knew how to speak Occitan and French, so communication wasn't that complicated. After having a few drinks and dinner at the inn's tavern, they went upstairs to sleep as they were all tired from the journey.
That night, they all slept in the same room, each sharing a bed. Rodrigo slept next to Epona and was quite nervous. During the trip, the blonde goddess seemed more and more beautiful to him, and he couldn't get her out of his mind. Even Ana had made a comment for him to stop drooling over the goddess of the stables. But there was no way to avoid it. And now, she was sleeping right next to him.
Epona had her lips slightly parted as she slept, and Rodrigo couldn't stop thinking about kissing her moist lips.
—A true gentleman would never do that— he thought. So, he turned around and tried to sleep.
The next day, they set sail early for Jutland on a ship. The only ships that reached Denmark were long Norman merchant ships that didn't allow much privacy. They were quite spacious. The passengers placed their merchandise in the center of the ship, while the ship captain and two rowers were at the highest part. The passengers sat and waited on a small platform above the bow. It wasn't the most comfortable way to travel, and this caused Epona to curse several times.
The ships traveled in small fleets, although there weren't many on this occasion, only two. Not many merchants were willing to travel to Denmark because the region was in the midst of a civil war, so the ships couldn't reach the city of Aarhus, which was supposed to be their route. But they would be dropped off nearby, at the port of Horsens.
Rodrigo started feeling seasick and couldn't stop vomiting. He had never traveled by boat for such a long time, and the North Sea current was particularly turbulent. Ana was next to Rodrigo, trying to make him feel better.
—I'll never bring a country bumpkin out of a village again— Tania said angrily, seeing Rodrigo unable to control his stomach.
At night, Rodrigo continued vomiting and vomiting. Tania and Epona had fallen asleep on the center side under a tent, using a group of blankets the captain distributed so they could cover themselves from the cold and rain because it was pouring in that region.
On the other side, at the bow, Ana continued trying to make Rodrigo feel better, but poor Rodrigo couldn't stop vomiting. He had already expelled everything from his stomach, so he was only suffering from the discomfort caused by the nausea.
Suddenly, they both heard a voice shouting at them in divine language: —Well, what a small world it is!—
Ana turned around and saw Athena on the other ship, sitting on the bow. Since it was night, the ships had stopped rowing as they moved slowly with the evening breeze, and they were close enough for people to communicate from one side to the other just by raising their voices a bit.
—What the hell are you doing here?— Ana shouted, taking a defensive stance.
—What? Can't I travel to Jutland too?— the goddess asked with a smile. She jumped onto the ship where Rodrigo and Ana were and sat on the bow.