Spring 1340, en route to London, England

Joan and Philippa's time in Flanders was brief. Philippa explained that England's alliance with Jacob van Artevelde, the leader of Flanders, had been secured. More alliances needed to be made, and they needed to move on. So all of their things were packed, and mother, daughter, the new baby, and the horse Red Arrow made their way to the Flemish coast and then took a large ship back to England.

Back home. Was it her home any more?

The boat lurched in the sea, and baby Prince John screamed the whole time. The royal family sailed below deck as Joan closed her eyes to keep from being sick. She was never so grateful as when the ship arrived at port in Dover, England. A long carriage ride took them from the coast to the capital.

The countryside looked as she remembered it. The slanted-roofed thatched buildings in the smaller towns, and then the stone buildings in London so close they seemed to be on top of each other at times, the cobblestone street teeming with people and horses. The smells of a bustling street made Joan cover her nose with her handkerchief. London wasn't like the Rhine Valley in the Holy Roman Empire. It was filled with so many people shoulder to shoulder, Joan felt cramped in a wall of people as they made their way to the royal castle.

The Tower of London was massive, strong, impenetrable, wondrous, and memories of being there melted over her. It was also where Joan was born, but she had only stayed there briefly as she when she was old enough to remember. Philippa reminded her of the fact, saying how easy her birth was on a cool winter day and how particularly easy her birth had been.

"Your brother Prince Edward was the hardest, but he was first, and I was very scared. I wasn't scared with you. Winter is a nice, comforting season to have a baby. I could snuggle with you under a big pile of blankets," Philippa said.

As the family of three was announced to the Tower, the procession made its way over the moat through the main entrance. They entered a long hallway leading to the throne

Joan approached the King as everyone else did -- seeing a tall, broad, bearded man on the throne in the finest silk and velvet garments in Christendom and a weighty gold and silver crown upon his head. For a moment, Joan couldn't catch her breath. It felt like she was in the presence of her heavenly Father and her earthly Father all at once.

"Ah, beloved wife!" Edward exclaimed upon seeing them. He stood. "And darling Joan! How you've grown. Welcome home, my loves, I."

Despite not a single letter to her in two years, Joan melted at his voice -- rich, charming, and welcoming. She ran up to him for a deep embrace. His arms enveloped her and lifted her off the ground. She was whole again. She was in her family again.

"Father! Oh, I've missed you!" Joan exclaimed.

King Edward explained that Prince Edward and Princess Isabella now had their own houses now with their own staff and tutors. They were old enough they were learning to run their own households because one day they would run their own countries. Joan understood, but she ached to see her best friend again.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"Joan, You shall live with your sister Isabella," the king instructed. "You will also learn how a royal household is run. And you shall both become the grown ladies who will be queens your new lands as I find the right suitors for you."

Much like a die rolling across a game board, Joan tumbled from one location to the next. She has finally reached her parents but would not be staying with them. She also was just reunited to abruptly hear about marriages and alliances and leaving someday.

"I've brought your horse back to you," Joan said. He looked confused. She reminded her father how she rode the large horse with her throughout Europe.

"Oh yes," the king said. "Red Arrow, a handsome stallion. Thank you for ensuring his return, daughter. I hope you've become an equestrian. It's a great skill."

"Oh, yes!" Joan beamed. King Edward patted her head.

"You are truly my daughter," he said. And once more, she felt like she was.

After a few days in London to reorganise her belongings and adding new items she would need, she was moved to Rochester Castle in Kent, less than one day's carriage trip away. The parting with her parents wasn't as sad as she expected it to be. She knew her parents would go back and forth from England to mainland Europe many times in the upcoming months. At least she expected to see them sooner than two years' time.

The castle in Kent was smaller than the Tower of London but still grand enough for her station. Her carriage passed beyond the high walls to the castle entrance, and a familiar face waited there.

"Welcome," her sister Isabella said when she met Joan again. Her hair was neatly tucked back under her headdress. She had matured a lot and was more focused on the refinery of royalty than the affection of sisterhood.

Joan wanted to leap forward and hug her but did not. Their reunion was formal but unfeeling. Joan followed suit, much like in her card games. The only way to win was to play along by the rules, so if Isabella chose a cool greeting, Joan did as well, knowing when they were alone, they wouldn't need to be so formal.

But soon Joan settled into her role again as English princess. Isabella was still quite rigid during the day in front of servants and guests. At night, the princesses shared a room and slowly over the first week of their reunion, they began to confide in each other by candlelight and were true sisters again.

Joan talked about how she now missed the Empire and her German cousins. Isabella talked about how often the King and Queen went overseas for their campaign and how she was glad to have a household away from the regent Prince Edward.

"His head is as big as all of England," Isabella said, and they both giggled.

To make the royal household reflective of princesses of England and France, their parents spared no expense. They had an extensive staff of maids and tutors as well as a minstrel for their entertainment. The Queen sent gifts of new clothes made of silk, fur, and velvet.

Joan sank into the life of a pampered princess. She enjoyed spending free time on needlework by the windows beaming in the best afternoon light. Her life felt carefree in a way she hadn't when abroad.

"Were you scared when you left England?" Isabella asked her one night.

"No," Joan said. "But I hadn't known how long it would be until I returned. Maybe it's better that I didn't know so that I wasn't scared until after Father left."

"I sometimes have a dream where I am to get on a boat but there is nothing but blackness beyond the shore," Isabella said.

Joan shrugged. "We'll both have to leave on a ship when we have husbands."

"Perhaps," Isabella said, blowing out their candle.