I DO NOT OWN REIGN. I AM GOING OFF SCRIPT FOR THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS.

North Sea. A week later.

I had never really been one for sailing. I went out on a lake one time in France with my friend Tommy and his girlfriend and I promptly got sea sick within 27 minutes. The small row boat had been sturdy, the lake had been calm and the day sunny. So, you can imagine how worse it was when I was on an aged schooner on a huge sea with massive waves in the middle of a freaking storm. Despite our hopes to avoid it, the storm that had been predicted came down from the North Sea; as opposed to the English Channel like we'd believed. That meant we were taking the brunt of it as we went up around Eastern England.

For the past week, I had come to understand the true meaning of seasickness. I could barely keep food or drink down and I was puking my guts out on and off throughout the entire voyage. Thankfully, Mary, Bash, Kenna, and Leith were handling the choppy seas well enough. Unfortunately, that led to them having to basically nurse me around the clock.

"Fuck...I didn't think...it was going to be this bad..." I gasped for air during a break from my puking spells.

"I had no idea that the ocean made you this nauseous, Francis." Kenna said as she poured me a cup of water.

"It never used to before." Bash remarked as I shit him a look that said Shut up. The real Francis, from what they showed on season 3, probably loved to sail; considering that he built a boat for him and Mary to enjoy before his death.

"I'd be more adaptable if the seas...weren't so damn choppy." I replied as I took the water that Kenna offered as gave her a nod of gratitude.

"James said that the storm would be coming across the channel, not that it would come down from the North and gain traction." Mary replied in frustration as she kept rubbing my back; desperate to give me any kind of comfort.

"Another reason why I don't trust him, half brother or no half brother." I groaned because even though I couldn't tell her; I'd never cared for either James in the show. He had a habit of screwing over his allies; be it Mary, the Protestants, John Knox, and especially Emily Knox.

"Please Francis, you must eat something. Let me ask the cook to make you a steaming bowl of broth." Leith pleaded as Mary wiped my sweaty forehead.

"What's the point Leith?" I asked as the mere mention of eatables threatened to induce another round of throwing up. "Any food that I do manage to keep down...I just end up vomiting."

"You can't expect to aid Mary as her consort if you're weak from hunger." Bash remarked as he nibbled on a biscuit that he'd saved from breakfast that morning as the ship was hit by another nasty wave.

"You know he's right Francis...I need you strong to rule by my side." Mary reminded me as Leith got out of the cabin and went to the galley.

"Fine..." I groaned as I knew that I was going to lose the argument. Several minutes later, Leith returned with a nice bowl of chicken broth. Thankfully, I was able to keep it down as Mary fed me as many spoonfuls as I'd let her.

Firth of Forth. Edinburgh, Kingdom of Scotland. 3 days later.

After the nasty voyage, we finally arrived in Scotland a day after James and his crew. Speaking of the sketchy half brother, he was there in person to greet us as we disembarked from the Blanc.

"You said you were just bringing your consort, not more French." James remarked as he saw us behind Mary.

"I'm Mary's lady in waiting and I was born here." Kenna shot back as Bash gave his wife a smirk.

"These are Sebastian de Poitiers, Francis's half brother and Leith Bayard, a soldier and friend. They are loyal men who volunteered to protect me." Mary responded calmly.

"We have plenty of Scots who would kill for you." James pointed out.

"And Scots...who would kill her...like your footman..." I stuttered as i tried to keep balance after so long on the ship.

"Excuse me?" James asked in offense.

"My brother discovered that your footman was paid by the English to murder Queen Mary on her voyage home; he confessed to everything, do you deny knowledge of this plot?" Bash asked angrily.

"Of course I deny knowledge of the plot; if there was one." James answered with equal anger. "Whatever my footman did or didn't do is on him. I have written to Mary time and time again to warn her of plots that could have seen her dead and me on the throne. Why would I try so hard to get Mary on her throne if I meant to replace her?"

"James, I believe you." Mary said as she squeezed her brother's hands. "Francis is concerned because he loves me and I must admit, your footman being turned against me is concerning.

"I will make sure that all others in my employ are completely loyal." James promised as he tried to calm down.

"Thank you, I would prefer that we are taken to get washed up, a good meal, and rest so that we can prepare for tomorrow when I announce my return to Scottish court." Mary replied as she motioned for the crewmen to start unloading our luggage.

"After the voyage we hand, all I'm going to say is that we better not be eating seafood." I teased as that thankfully earned a laugh from my wife, my half brother, and my friends. I knew that now we were on Scottish soil, it might be a long while before we went back to France. I didn't know at the time that we would never return to France again.

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