More than a century ago, King Etherstein of the West Saxons twice marched north, when the English crossed Keysness, and after the decisive battle of Brunanburg, Constantine MacEda, the High King of Alba, who had lost his heir on the battlefield, had to swear an oath of submission to King Etherstein. After Etherstein's death, he was succeeded by his brother Edmund, who fought alongside him in Fort Brunan, and successively crushed the Danes in York-Dublin and the Britons in the north, and King Malcolm, Constantine's successor, could only discourage the invasion of Northumbria and became the "partner" (midwyrhta) of the king of England on land and sea.

Today, the Battle of Fort Brunan, known as the "Great War" by the British Isles, has become a legend, and the king of the West Saxons and the High King of Alba have once again resumed their ancient partnership, and the Gaelic who once fought side by side with the Danes in one battle and bloody in the next battle have long ceased to raid each other with the Northumbrians. The alliance between the two royal families of the North and the South has proven to be so effective that even the princes of Orkney no longer dare to rely on the power of the King of Norway to invade at will. Peace brought prosperity to towns and countryside, and a more developed court culture was encouraged by Queen Alba, who was born into the royal family of Wessex, and although the king would occasionally stay in Squind, the entire court had been completely transferred to the royal castles of Perth and Stirling.

When he first arrived in Perth, Henry in Normandy almost thought he was back in the south, and the nobles of the court, dressed in fine wool and bright velvet, went about in such a way that no one dared to meet the king and queen in rags. At the banquet, the queen dressed in peacock blue Byzantine silk decorated with griffin patterns was unexpectedly beautiful and moving, occupying almost the attention of the entire court.

Although Henry was born after the Battle of Hastings, he was still very aware of the grievances of the previous generation, so even with Edgar's promises and letters, he quietly curryed favor with his future father-in-law and mother-in-law with the most humble attitude, and even turned a blind eye to the daughters of the noble men in the court who were seductive.

But there was one thing he couldn't ignore, Edgar himself had warned him before he left: watch out for what Perth eats and drinks.

He was, after all, a Norman, in the midst of his old enemies, and the northerners who had slaughtered their relatives by his father might be watching in the shadows, and an old woman in the kitchen could accomplish what a samurai could not do with her withered hands like crow's claws.

So Henry had always eaten very little, and he never touched delicate dishes that had been dyed golden with honey or saffron, and whose ingredients were no longer visible.

He was the brother of the Duke of Normandy and should not have died in this place by the throat.

Henry had always looked to Edgar as his example and was happy to be a tool of the King of England: today is a tool, tomorrow is a weapon, and the day after tomorrow is the master.

These days, Malcolm is clearly soliciting, but Henry knows that this attitude is more due to the fact that he currently represents Westminster. Malcolm is a mediocre man who can never satisfy his ambitions, not to mention that this Alba Supreme King can't even control his own brother!

Obviously, the king wanted his son to inherit the throne rather than continue the ancient tradition of succession to the supreme king, but the king's eldest son was not born to the queen, and the king's brother Donald considered himself the only legitimate heir, and Henry did not even see the prince himself in court.

Henry did not have any ill feelings towards Donald, whom he had never met, but had some "sympathy", after all, he did not want to inherit his father's principality one day: Robert was still not married, but he had a large group of mistresses, so he could not think of this brother as a brother.

A month later, just after a long visit, Henry learned that the messenger from the south had finally brought the news he most desired. Guspatrick Jr.'s brother Uhtred was about to take over his duties in Scotland, and Henry himself had been tasked with defending the north.

The Earl of Lincoln, who had suddenly gained power, became even more popular, and before Henry left the court, he finally met Prince Donald, who had "returned from the hunt", but this handsome prince was accompanied by a lame man, carried high by a group of attendants.

Robert Fitzhamon, Henry's chief confidant, whispered, "This is the Count of Morley. ”

"Please forgive me, Lord Henry, I have been absent during this time, and I can't fulfill the friendship of the landlord." Donald spoke in a very kind voice, "Had it not been for the fact that Lord Marsnekta had 'happened' to be invited to Perth by my good brother, I am afraid I would not have had the opportunity to meet you this time." ”

The Count of Morley only bowed slightly, with a cold loneliness, as if unwilling to join the conversation.

"This place is full of ears, and I don't know how adults are boiling these days."

"Are we going to discuss some secrets?" Henry sneered slightly, he realized that he actually didn't like this person, and there was a feeling of looking in the mirror, which made people realize their imperfections.

"I have to go to the king." With that, the Count of Morley motioned for his attendants to move on, leaving Henry and Donald behind.

"This cripple has become more and more stubborn over the years." Donald commented in an unfathomable tone, "But I have heard that he slaughtered an entire monastery in the north, and that the abbots and monks were stripped like eggs and hung on the top of the tower. ”

"Really...... Barbarous. Henry replied involuntarily.

"Savage? No, it's in our nature to war, it's just not necessary to show it all the time. I think your father should be most familiar with this truth. ”

"So who do you want to go to war with?"

"Don't be nervous, I don't like southerners—except, of course, your noble majesty—but I'm not that madman from Morley, and now I have no idea of making war against anyone, and I'm very satisfied with the number of my cattle and slaves, and I'm not my good brother, and if I were to listen to a bunch of bards boasting about my exploits in this boring court in his place, I'd be mad in a few days."

"So, what do you want to say to me?" Henry tried to take the initiative, he didn't want this pretty guy to take advantage of his youth.

"You know, little Master Guspatrick has always been a little prejudiced against me, and I'm glad I can have a kinder neighbor in the future, and we don't have to be enemies, do we? Your Excellency is not an English or a Dane, and the grievances of these tangerine peels and rotten valleys in the north have nothing to do with you, God bears witness, and I have no ill will towards your master, and perhaps one day, we will become closer relatives......"

Henry didn't understand the other party's last words, but he knew that he had an obligation to know the person in front of him, and it was his duty as the new guardian of the North.

Donald wasn't really a very deep city, Henry felt that he knew this kind of person very well, and in essence, he was not much different from himself. But that Marsnekta, who looked like he was dead, was still gasping in humiliation, why did he have to live like this? Men are not women, men need a certain meaning, they need certain principles. For women, existence precedes essence, their nature is softer, and they are better at affection than men, but men always have to bear the burden of principles and always know what they "ought" to do, because those things are so contrary to what they "want" to do.

This lame count must have been tormented by some kind of "duty", and if it was by nature, why would a person "choose" to serve? Who has ever seen a man who dared to slaughter a monastery and serve on his knees every day?