The Angry Mermaid 78 or Y Morforwyn Dicllon 78.

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This chapter describes Drustina's battle with Harald Cold Blood during his attempt to invade and occupy Wessex. I have included a map with a Gazeteer to help illustrate battle sites and locations.

The Angry Mermaid 78
Or,
Y Morforwyn Dicllon 78.

Map of latter-day Solent with list of locations pertaining to the battles described hereinunder.

Solanta = The Solent from the Needles to the Nab and including Southampton Water.
Sotona = Southampton.
Hamble equates approximately to the River Hamble where Althred’s squadron waited.
Dibden shallows is on opposite bank to Southampton.
Cws(Celtic) equates to Cowes (Saxon)
Porsea = Portsmouth Harbour
Beulah = Beaulieu.
Whitecliff Bay = Nab point. (Eastern most point of Isle of White (Ynys Wit in Caltic)
First Battle commenced due east of Bembridge then a running battle/pursuit continued up the West Solent and Southampton water to finish off at Dibden Shallows where Harald finally landed.

7-solent-area-plan.png

If anybody wants more information, I suggest they Google’ Solent’ on Google Earth.


The Angry Mermaid 78.

As Carl enticed the Viking invasion fleet further up the Solanta, Hengis pushed the Angry Mermaid to the very limits of her endurance as he dashed for the shelter of Cws creek. Immediately after Hengis landed Drustina’s disfigured and wounded body ashore in Cws, he engaged in a row with the local Saxon commander of the Squadron Guarding Cws creek.

“Why didn’t you come to our assistance, you could plainly see the battle from the Nab point? It’s high enough and prominent enough to give your lookouts a clear view of the whole eastern approaches to Solanta. You must have seen that we were outnumbered!”

“I wasn’t ordered to by Althred.”

“How could Althred have possibly ordered you to sally forth and engage? He is waiting in Hamble inlet and totally invisible to us. He would have no idea of how the battle was progressing; he would not even know there was a battle! That’s a stupid excuse; you are supposed to use some initiative you know?”

“But King Ethelred requires us to be cautious. He cannot risk losing the first sea battle to the invaders or that would leave the whole realm of Wessex open to Viking predation.”

“The battle that is not engaged is most certainly lost, how the hell can you hope to win a battle if you’re too afraid to go forth and fight. You’ve lost before you’ve even begun!”

The Saxon commander seethed at Hengis’s censure and his eyes blazed as he tried to defend his action or more correctly, his inaction.

“So what would you have me do? How can we venture forth at the moment with the whole Viking fleet passing the mouth of the creek as we speak? Where are they going, why are they ignoring Cws?”

Hengis wagged his head with despair; it seemed the Saxon commander had no appreciation of strategy, only tactics; tactics that were only plainly obvious if and when he actually found himself in battle. Hengis grew impatient.

“Listen you stupid fool. The Vikings are not concerned with Cws or Ynys Wit. This whole island is little more than a pimple on the arse of Britannia! Harald Cold-Blood seeks a final big showdown with Ethelred. He seeks the Kingdom of Wessex to add to his realm. Ynys Wit is just a mopping up exercise if he beats the Saxon king!”

Having received a simple insight into the Viking’s strategy, the commander finally acknowledged his shortcomings and reluctantly agreed with Hengis’s arguments.

“So what would you have my squadron do? To set forth now would be suicide. We have to bunch together to exit the creek and the Vikings would easily encircle us. I have only fifteen ships to their hundred.”

Hengis wagged his head scornfully.

“It’s only sixty two. We have already sunk four of their horse transports and disabled sixteen longships. It’s only cost us two ships up until now. At this rate we can beat them, for the further up the Solanta they go, the more confined they become and more vulnerable to shore based trebuchets. Obviously we won’t sally forth just yet, but we will wait until they have passed the entrance to Cws creek. Then we can harry them from the rear.

The Saxon could not fault Hengis’s arguments so he ordered his fleet to make ready. As the buzz of activity filled the Cws creek the town healer made herself known to Hengis. She spoke quietly so as to not spread alarm as she explained to Hengis about Drustina’s wounds.

“She’ll live but she’ll not be fighting for month at least. I’ve dressed the burns with honey but she’ll be badly scarred for the rest of her life. Up the left hand side of her back and shoulder-blade, the nape of her neck to the back of her scalp and her ear is badly burned. The flesh is melted but I don’t think she has lost her hearing. Fortunately the burns to her left arm and hand are superficial, so the hand will by useable when she is recovered. She won’t be a pretty sight from the left and back but she’ll be able to hide the ear and the neck scars with her hair by combing it over. Women can do wonders with their hair.”

Hengis sighed with relief that Drustina his leader would live but he did not relish telling Carl. He could not however, stifle the internal smile as he pictured them trying to listen to one another with each of them having a missing ear. The healer left to attend to Drustina’s wounds and Hengis turned his attention to accompanying the Saxon squadron out of Cws creek and attacking the rear of the Viking invasion. As he emerged from the mouth of the creek he was relieved to note that Carl must have also despatched a messenger to the Porsea squadron because that was also emerging from the Porsea harbour and attacking the Viking leeward quarter. The trap was sprung.

As Harald cast about him in the afternoon sunlight he realised he was now being progressively matched ship for ship by the added Saxon forces. Finally, as Drustina’s battle-weary squadron retreated past Hamble Spit, Althred’s main force of about twenty ships emerged at speed from the Hamble creek. Harald roared his disappointment as he realised his ships were now mightily outnumbered. He decided his best tactic was to land immediately and unopposed at the Dibden shallows and thus get the remainder of his land invasion forces ashore. Once he had a beach-head, he could decide what plan of action to take.

It took but a moment for Carl to realise that Harald had given up pursuing him up the Solanta. The Viking warships were manoeuvring into a protective circle while the clumsy supply ships were driving themselves hard up to the west bank of Dibden creek in order that landing planks could be deployed to disembark the remains of Harald’s cavalry. The warships created four defensive rings around the supply ships and the landing was too far south of the trebuchets. The Saxons had arraigned the huge slings further up the Solanta. For long moments Carl was forced to watch the Viking landings going ahead as he debated what best to do. Finally, he noted that Althred, the Saxon commander was trying to fight his way between Hamble Spit and the outermost ring of Viking warships. This action enabled Carl to decide. It was obvious that Althred was trying to squeeze past the semicircles of Viking guard-ships, to reach Carls ships. Carl decided to meet him half way and promptly flung the whole weight of Drustina’s squadron at the other side of the choke point. The Viking perimeter finally distorted inwards enough to let Althred’s ships join Carl’s. They quickly discussed the situation. Carl was very distressed for Drustina’s words were ringing in his ears.

‘If he lands his cavalry ashore in force, he will be hell’s own devil to stop’.

Carl was mightily disturbed that Harald had successfully landed but Althred was able to put his mind at rest.

“Fear not fellow Saxon. Yes, he has landed his horse, but he has done so in the worst possible location.”

“Explain!” Carl urged.

“Can you not see, but a mile back from the shore; the thick forest of trees stretching from end to end of the Solanta.”

Carl stared and shook his head despairingly.

“I see them but what use are they, save to build trebuchets and ballista? Or perhaps reinforce his landing with some sort of wooden fort.”

Althred grinned.

“You don’t understand. That is the great forest; it stretches many miles to the north, south and west. That forest will swallow up an army and Harald’s horse will be almost useless. The forest is almost impenetrable in most places and a man on a horse will be totally disabled. The undergrowth is thick with brambles and briars almost as thick as a man’s wrists. Harald’s horse will be trapped like stags in thickets. The only usable roads are well known to the local people and they know every ambush point from here to Sotona. A few thousand archers will soon destroy his cavalry.”

“But what of his axe-men?” Carl pressed. “Viking axes are notoriously destructive; they’ll make short work of a few brambles and briars.”

“Not if there’s a bowman hidden in every thicket and bush.”

“Have we got that many?” Carl wondered aloud.

“We will have by tonight. We can ferry my own bowmen across the Solanta tonight and let them spread out throughout the forest. The Viking horsemen won’t know what hit them. If we despatch some of our ships up to Sotona they can ferry down reinforcements from King Ethelred.”

Carl didn’t reply. He didn’t have much faith in the Saxon King though at least some of the Saxon earls were good generals. He had a lot of confidence in Althred.

As they made their plans, they were interrupted by Udris who had raced his own ship up the north shore of the Solanta from Porsea whilst the bulk of his fleet had kept pace with the rump of the Viking invasion force going north-west up the same inlet. Udris had taken some risk by separating from his fleet and he explained his actions.

“I got the message about Drustina’s wounds and the Viking’s going up the Solanta but I wasn’t sure what to do. I hope I’ve done right by departing Porsea and shadowing the Vikings. Several of their warships had a pop at me as I squeezed past their picket ships but I’ve made it here. I’m just so short of information, we’ll have to organise some sort of signal system. My forces were in the dark! If I’d known Drustina was attacking them so far out, I could have gone to her assistance from the north. I’m sorry I’ve been of so little use, communications are just too dammed poor.”

Althred nodded agreement.

“You’re right about signals, I didn’t know about Drustina’s first engagement until too late. Fortunately, her wounds are not fatal, but she’s been badly burned and scarred by fire.”

Udris cursed partly with frustration and partly with anger. After venting his feelings he bent to more practical matters.

“So what’s to be done?”

Carl nodded with satisfaction at Udris’s willingness to go into action.

“There are two things. Firstly you will have to close your ring with Hengis’s ships that left Cws Creek. We must keep the trap closed. Secondly, I’m going to ask you to ferry as many bowmen as you can to join Althred’s forces to the north of the Viking landing. It will mean keeping close to the north east shore of the Solanta and thus squeezing past the Viking picket ships, but the more men we can place in the forest, the more ambushes and surprises we can effect. Althred thinks the best way forward is a process of attrition. Harald’s only got a limited number of men and he will have hell’s own delight getting reinforcements past our ships. “

Udris paused thoughtfully.

“If I ferry any men to join Althred’s warriors it’ll mean splitting my fleet. I’ve only got three fast ships; those are the Viking ships that Drustina helped us capture long ago when Blueface was killed. They are getting a bit long in the tooth now.”

“We can lend you a couple of Althred’s ships. Now Harald has started landing his forces at Dibden he is committed. I am thinking of splitting my forces anyway. There’s no need to keep so many of Drustina’s ships up here in the Solanta. I can release several ships to help you with ferrying duties. Will that help?”

Udris nodded and they immediately commenced re-positioning their forces. Before evening, Udris had ferried some five hundred bowmen to reinforce Althred’s forces. Althred had taken control of the northern section of the allied ships and he was simultaneously organising the ambush platoons ashore whilst keeping tabs on Harald’s activities. He watched with satisfaction as Harald had concentrated his cavalry in anticipation of advancing up the west shore of the Solanta with a view to marshalling his forces for an advance on Winchester. Harald’s preoccupation with consolidating his forces at his easily won beach-head had given Althred time to deploy his forces throughout the forest during the summer night. He had the added advantage that each platoon contained a scout with detailed local knowledge of the forest. By the following morning Althred and Udris were satisfied they had prepared as best they could for the expected Viking onslaught.

In the meantime, Carl had not been idle.

After the salutary lessons provided by his floating trebuchet catamaran barge during Drustina’s first battle with the whole Viking armada, Carl had managed to reach Sotona where Ethelred’s main army was gathered. After some reluctance, Ethelred had released two old merchant ships and during the night, Carl and a couple of his ship’s crews had worked like Trojans to fashion another floating twin-hulled trebuchet. At noon the following day, it was towed down the Solanta and anchored within range of Harald’s invasion fleet. Althred and Udris stared askance at the seeming abortion but they were quickly enlightened of its formidability when the first salvo of stones was launched into the concentrated Viking ships.

Having already been exposed to the murderous barrage during the Battle with Drustina, the Viking fleet quickly descended into chaos as ships desperately started to move willy-nilly in their efforts to firstly avoid the trebuchet’s lethal bombardment. Once out of range the Viking ships then tried to attack the twin-hulled barge from another direction. Drustina’s men however were also well versed in this new kind of warfare and they resolutely defended Carl’s powerful but vulnerable weapon. The water at the beach head quickly became a killing ground for ships. By the evening of the second day the Viking fleet had been reduced to some thirty ships but even at this desperate stage, Harald was more preoccupied with organising his now safely landed but much reduced land forces.
Althred and Udris had debated sending an emissary to The Viking King Harald to possibly discuss terms but Carl had dismissed the idea. He explained that the Viking philosophy of always dying in battle was too deeply ingrained and that they would have no success. Despite Carl’s forebodings, an emissary was sent but when his decapitated head was returned, Althred and Udris ruefully conceded Carl’s point. It was to be a fight to the last man.

And so it was that the final stage of the Viking invasion was played out in the heart of the great forest. There was to be no great pitched battle with ranks of Vikings pitched against ranks of Saxons, no spectacular cavalry charges, no crash of shields or thunder of hooves.

Instead it was a silent deadly attrition that persisted for several days as deadly arrows whispered out of countless thickets and bushes where Viking after Viking met his lonely, un-witnessed end.

No matter how much the Viking horsemen thrashed about between thickets and copses their chances of wreaking revenge were almost nil. No sooner had they turned to attack the thicket where the arrow had been presumed to come from, when another arrow would strike another cavalryman from another thicket. Very quickly, the cavalry were reluctant to approach anywhere near any thickets or bushes; not for fear of death but for the certain knowledge that flushing out a single hidden bowman would probably cost them three or four horsemen. The figures just were not adding up.

After four days, Harald was compelled to concede that his invasion had failed. He could not even concentrate what few longships he had left and break out from the encircling allied fleet. Instead, he was compelled to retreat through the forest to a small creek called Bulah where he and his remaining men stole some fishing boats during the night and escaped to the south around Ynys Wit and home up the Britannia Channel back to his winter base in Yorvik.

The Saxons knew nothing of this. Such was the size and secrecy of the great forest and so stealthy the fighting, they had no idea what had happened to the Viking king. It was not until the frozen days of mid-winter that they finally received hard confirmation that Harald was back in Yorvik and that he had given up his hopes of defeating the Saxons in Wessex and the Mercians in Essex.

The Saxons did however realise quickly that they had won the battle that year even if they had not killed or captured the Viking king. Not one Viking ship had escaped the trap and the Saxons thus knew at least that there was no threat of another invasion until Harald could build another fleet. There would peace at least for two or even three years.
By the month of August, the Saxons were able to stand down their state of readiness and Drustina had learned she was pregnant. There could be only one father... the man who had raped her in The Havre. Harald, the Viking king!

Drustina knew with a sickening certainty that her pregnancy would cause her to fall foul of the ever increasing influence of the church in King Ethelred’s court. Firstly her child would be declared a bastard by the bishops and secondly, she was not prepared to reveal the father’s identity to the bishops or indeed any of Ethelred’s court because that would endanger her child as well as herself. It was known that Harald had no sons so if the baby she was carrying proved to be a boy; there was no knowing how its birth might be greeted.

She decided to say that she had been forced to lie with some unknown man in The Havre to trick some information out of him in the bed-chamber.

To avoid too many questions, Drustina decided to spend her recovery from her various burns and wounds in the relative peace and anonymity of Cws. She could use her recuperation as an excuse for avoiding the seemingly endless rounds of celebrations of the Saxon victory and she could avoid King Ethelred’s entreaties for her to attend his court. Drustina knew full well that after the first flush of celebration and congratulation, religious attention would come to bear on her druidic beliefs and unwedded pregnancy. She had long bitter experience of Christianity and its misogyny

She had also developed a good relationship with the healer in Cws for the woman had proven to be the epitome of tact and compassion, not to mention her very real skills with medicine.

Both Symone and Gisela had remarked that Drustina’s burns had healed remarkably well and they all put it down to the honey. They had also decided to continue accompanying Drustina for it was by her side they found the most safety. For Symone, it was the primordial revulsion of the rapes she had endured in Honfleur that persuaded her to keep close to one of the few swords she could
trust. For Gisela the common knowledge that she was Harald’s daughter was almost an open invitation for every Saxon or Celtic male to try his luck at assaulting her or raping her, or even murdering her. Gisela had learned to her bitter cost that her safest place was also at Drustina’s side. Naturally that realisation had also served to sweeten Gisela’s relationship with Drustina. She was beginning to see Drustina less and less as her jailer and more and more as her only trustworthy protector. Thus when Drustina chose to remain at length in Cws and absent herself from Ethelred’s court, the girls naturally chose also to stay in Cws. In that small community everybody at least knew that Drustina was the girls’ protector and provider. Thus the pair could live a reasonable existence where Drustina’s acknowledged authority ran true.

Some weeks after the defeat of the Vikings and after Drustina had several times tactfully refused to attend King Ethelred’s court, Drustina suddenly experienced an obvious sign of her now certain pregnancy. Up until then she had said nothing about her suspicions to anybody but on that fateful morning the healer had entered to find Drustina retching violently. The woman had immediately recognised the symptoms of ‘morning sickness’ and she gasped as she broached the subject.

“Are you with child mi-lady?”

Drustina nodded grimly and signed a caution for the woman to be silent. The two girls Symone and Gisela were just in the next room and Drustina did not want her condition spread abroad.

The healer immediately reduced her questions to an almost inaudible whisper.

“Who is the father?”

Drustina shrugged expressively thus implying that she didn’t know; though in fact she knew with absolute certainty. Already, Drustina was anticipating the problems that would almost certainly arise if and when Ethelred’s court learned of her condition... as they inevitable would. If she simply shrugged her response to the healer then her reply could be open to several interpretations. If the healer were called to give evidence and confirm Drustina’s pregnancy she could easily and legitimately say she misinterpreted Drustina’s reply. In any event neither Drustina nor the healer could not be called liars at any juncture when the bishops demanded to question either of them. As she knew they invariably would. Already this new one god faith was beginning to reduce women to the status of property ... baby-making property... belonging to men and serving no other purpose but to produce children. Drustina knew she would be hard put to avoid their stigmatisation even if she declared her pregnancy to be the consequence of rape.

Unfortunately this ‘rape’ defence was nullified in her case because everybody knew her to be a skilled warrior and well able to defend herself in the close quartered intimacy of rape. Drustina made her feelings known to the healer in no uncertain terms.

“Not a word of this until it is obvious I’m with child!”

“Would you not want to abort the thing; I mean if it was a rape ... well.”

“Definitely not! I am not a murderer!”

Murder was not the real excuse however. Drustina knew full well that the Father could only be Harald Cold Blood and since learning that Harald cold blood had no sons, only daughters. There might be some potential to use her baby as a bargaining counter if it turned out to be a boy and so far, she had only ever experienced ‘morning sickness’ when she had carried boys. The healer gently examined Drustina’s burns as she nodded and whispered her last observation about the pregnancy for several months.

“Very well ma-am, not a word. Now let’s see how your wounds are doing.”

Thus Drustina’s secret remained undetected until the ‘bump’ became obvious.

It was finally in the midwinter that Symone eventually realised her beloved protector was with child. At first she had mentioned her suspicions to Gisela and after the two had spent a couple of days studying Drustina’s seeming ponderousness, they eventually dared to approach her. Drustina was bent over rubbing her back as the two girls entered her chamber.

“Haven’t you girls learned to knock?!” Drustina scolded them.

Symone made an apology which fooled nobody then she asked outright.

“Your belly is swollen! Are you ill?”

“Of course I’m not bloody ill!” Drustina snapped back irritably.

“But you are in some discomfort are you not?” Gisela added. “What ails you?”

Drustina had decided she could hide her ‘bump’ no longer.

“I’m with child you idiots. Did your mothers teach you nothing?!”

Both girls gasped and started to squeal excitedly. So much so that the healer came running from her house in the Market square.

“Dammit! I thought you were aborting!” She cried. “Stop that stupid noise you silly girls! I thought mi-lady was losing her baby?”

Both Symone and Gisela stared at the medicine woman then chorused in surprised union.

“How long have you known mi-lady’s been with child?”

“Long e-bloody-nough!” Drustina cursed. “Now go and prepare lunch. It’s about time you silly bitches earned your keep! And don’t go shouting about it around Cws. They’ll realise soon enough!”

Symone stepped forward and peered at the bump.

“You can’t hide that anymore. Every woman in the town will know!”

“So; what’s it to them?” Drustina snapped again.

“You know they’ll gossip then it will reach King Ethelred and he is bound to summon you to his court.”

“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Now go and make lunch! Do something useful for once!”

Gazette of Characters etc.

Mabina.... Ch 1 The youngest daughter and Twin to
Drustan.... Ch1 Her twin brother.
Grandpa Erin.... Ch1 The twin’s grandfather.
Giana.... Ch1 The twin’s grandmother.
Caderyn.... Ch1 The twin’s father.
Herenoie.... Ch1` The twin’s wise and beautiful mother.
Morgaran.... Ch1 The Twins oldest brother.
Aiofe.... Ch1 The twin’s oldest sister. Famous for her beauty.
Tara.... Ch1 The twin’s second oldest sister. Famous for her grace.
Feidlim.... Ch1 Twins aunt (Caderyns’ beautiful sister.)
Mogantu.... Ch1 Twins uncle (Married to Feidlim.) Chief of the Gangani tribe.
Brun.... Ch1 Twins 2nd cousin and the Acaman clans’ blacksmith.
Feorin.... Ch1 Twins second brother. Also training to be a blacksmith.
Rhun.... Ch 2 Feidlims’ son and Feorins’ favourite 1st Cousin. (Both red-heads.)
Arina.... Ch 4. Child of a Demetae fisherman, (rescued by the three siblings.)
Penderol.... Ch 6 Dumnonii Minor chief.
Udris.... Ch 6. Young Dumnonii warrior. Ch 6
Dryslwyn.... Ch 7 High chief of the whole Celtic nation. Dwells in Brithony. Ch 7
Bronlwyn.... Ch 7 Dryslwyn’s wife (and queen.)
Magab.... Ch 8 The moor who taught numbers.
Eric.... Ch 9 Saxon galley slave rescued from Corsair pirates.
Carl.... Ch 9 Another Saxon galley slave rescued by Drustan.
Torvel.... Ch 9 Celtic galley slave rescued from the same captured corsair ship
Arton.... Ch 7 Turdetani Chieftain Holder of Gibral Rock.
Carinia.... Ch7 Arton’s wife.
Isobel... . Ch 7 Arton’s adopted daughter.
Appotel.... Ch 9 King of the Turdetani Tribe. (Southern Iberia.)
Bramana.... Ch 9 Queen. (Wife of Appotel)
Pilus.... Ch 10 King of the Capetani.
Shaleen.... Ch 10 Pilus’s queen and sister to Bramana.
Pedoro.... Ch 10 Lord Marshal of the Southern border region.
Lady Shulaar.... Ch 10 Lord Pedoro’s wife.
Taan.... Ch 11 The scullery maid.
Isaar.... Ch 11 Pedoro’s oldest son.
Ferdie.... Ch 11 Pedoro’s 2nd son
Sular.... Ch 11 Pedoro’s 3rd son
Gontala.... Ch 11 Pedoro’s youngest son.
Shenoa.... Ch 11 Pedoro’s only daughter.
Portega.... Ch 14 Tyrant King to the west.
Portua.... Ch 14 Portega’s grandson.
Jubail.... Ch 15 Old Fisherman.
Mutas.... Ch 16 Magab’s younger brother and usurper.
Walezia.... Ch 18 King of Malta.
Alviar.... Ch 21 Megalomaniacal bishop of Carthage. (Hates Drustina.)
Ethelia.... Ch 21 Female healer who treats Drustina during her pregnancy.
Seripatese.... Ch 21 Drustina’s faithful horse.
Astos & Amitor.... Ch 26 Minor royalty who govern Alexandria. King and Twin Queen.
Meronee.... Ch 28 Nubian Queen of Nobatia The northern Kingdom of the Nubians.
Horam.... Ch 30 The Egyptian master Boat builder.
Muraa.... Ch 31 King Astos’s male partner.
Tuk.... Ch 35 Makurian general.
Fantu.... Ch 35 Makurian Captain.
Irene.... Ch 41 Emperor Leon’s only child.
Leon.... Ch 41 Byzantine Emperor.
Zano.... Ch 41 Byzantine general who defeats the Bulgars with Drustina’s help.
Oraxyis Ch 42 Supreme commander of the Bulgar forces.
Urthos.... Ch 46 The Gaul elected captain of the 4th ship. Ex Barbary galley slave.
Horus... . Ch 46 Horam the boat-builder’s son.
Sister Catherine.... Ch 47 Leader of the pirate nuns.
Guthrun.... Jarl of Bornholm.
Etheline.... Guthruns’ wife the countess of Bornholm.
Capenda.... Taras’ mare.
Athun.... Gay king of Dark Age Denmark.
Queen Elthorn.... King Athuns’ Consort.
Iselda... . Athun and Brendigan’s, younger (middle) sister.
Heingist or Hengis..... Drustina’s loyal Danish pilot who becomes her 1st Mate
Brendigan..... Athun’s older sister and consort queen of Svenland.
Bjorn.... . The captain of the Palace Guard. King Athun’s gay partner.
Morgan and Amethyst..... Drustina’s twin children.
Dalcimon..... Queen of West Friesia.
Andrar..... Prince of West Friesia (Dalcimon’s son.)
Jupus..... Carl’s stallion.
Heliox..... Drustina’s second mate and deputy navigator (Ex Belgiie fisherman)
Gisela..... Viking princess captured after the Battle of Godwin Sands.
“Althred..... Young Saxon Naval commander who allies his fleet with Drustina
Symone.... Young teenaged rape victim who join’s Drustina’s band.
Edburg.... The Angry mermaid’s cook.
Harald Cold Blood.... Ch 69 The Viking King, father of Gisela

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Comments

maybe it's time

To move on.

This would be logical

Perhaps it is time for Drustina to gather her forces and ships and move westward towards her home land.

I guess we shall see.

Bev, you continue to keep us guessing and often guessing wrong. Good writers do that, don't they?

Much Love,

Valerie R