We'll be leaving in a while, but for now I'll be helping my mother, making sure that everything will be fine before and after we leave the Scottish court. The castle will be taken care of by Uncle James, as he is the former regent of Scotland. The queen is sure that it'll be well guarded.

Lord Darnley is here with us, but he will also be leaving afterward. He asked the queen for permission to allow him to visit the chateau of Lennox in Scotland. He is allowed to sleep or stay there at times, but must still report back to court for safety reasons in case of harm to the union.

We checked everything and stated that Uncle James needed to do the responsibilities expected to be done by him. We left the castle and got aboard our ship for France. I do hope nothing bad will happen in Scotland as we leave. I'm sure that Uncle James will do his best to keep our country safe.

When we got on board, my mother and I stayed in our assigned rooms on the ship. She slept for awhile as I was looking out the window, checking the view. I'm excited to see France and to be back in the French Court. I hope I get to see Casper again somewhere in France. Just like when we first met in Paris.

I went out to have a clear view of the sea. A young man, maybe the same as my age, came up to me and gave me a beautiful flower with a long lasting scent.

"Your royal highness, I am Lord Marcus" he introduced himself.

"Ah, thank you for the flower. How nice of you to give me this" he smiled.

"You seem to be enjoying the view" he said.

"It is beautiful." I said

"You are beautiful too." he bluntly replied.

"Oh thank you, Lord Marcus. You don't have to. "

"No, Princess. You're beautiful. It is true. " I smiled. Oh my god, I think I even blushed.

"That's really sweet. Thank you for the compliment, so by the way, Lord Marcus, why are you here? "

"Ah, I'm one of the mercenaries hired by the castle to guard you on your travels to France."

"Oh, what a tough man. Do you live in Scotland or are you hired from another country?"

"I'm a Scot, your highness."

"No need to call me that in private. Please call me Alexandra. It's fine. " I laughed. "So you're a Scotsman? I'm glad to have a new Scottish friend "I added.

We smiled.

"You seem like a good man. So what do you do for a living? "

We continued talking. I am grateful that he was there to talk to me. I'm getting a little bit bored here already.

"My father is a Scottish lord. We are both mercenaries."

"Oh, tell me more about him"

"He worked for your grandfather when he was young. He is not currently assigned in court, but he is always willing to assist the Queen. He is a loyal servant of the House of Stuart."

"What a nice man. I bet you got your politeness and loyalty to Scotland from him. Tell me more about you "

"Sometimes I also help with our trading business. I have two other siblings-- a boy named Michael and a girl named Christina. I am the eldest"

"Oh"

"I'm sorry, your highness. I might have been talking too much"

"No, it's fine. I just don't know what to say anymore because I guess you already know things about me like all people do. "

"I do know you speak French fluently." I laughed at what he said

"No, not really. Well, not that fluent anymore."

He made me speak French as he stared at me. I laughed after that.

It was a great conversation, though I had to cut it off.

"Apologies, Lord Marcus. I had a great talk with you, but I need to go back to my room. "

"It was a pleasure to talk to you, your highness."

I left him there and went back in. When I walked in, I saw my mother was awake and looking at me.

"Who's that guy? I bet he likes you!" She said

"I thought you were asleep, mother."

"I was, but I woke up when you left, so I had to check where you were and there I saw you talking with a young man." She teased me with him.

"Who is he?"

"Lord Marcus, a son of a loyal mercenary to the House of Stuart"

"Oh! How nice. A loyal mercenary Let's change the topic. Tell me, are you bored?" I nodded.

"It's a good thing he spoke to me. Why? "

"You want to go fishing?"

"Oh yes, of course, mother"

So we went fishing and let our people eat as well, and later we'll be back on track to France. At least I'm having a good time with my mother right now. My boredom has lessened. After fishing, we now eat our dinner before sailing again.