On her way to contact the Celtic peoples of Corgheig in Munster, Drustina encounters a graphic example of monotheist misogyny disenfranchising women. Marag's castle is on the little island at the south western end of Lough Mahon.

The Angry Mermaid 96
Or
Y Morforwyn Dicllon 96.

Back aboard the anchored longships several of the Local villagers had prepared maps of the whole of Cork Harbour from the Sea at Pen Cionn tSá¡ile (Kinsale Head) all the way up to Corgheig and including the Belvelly Channel which separated the great Island and Cobh from the mainland. This circumstance gave Drustina considerable room for thought as she learned that the channel was tidal and navigable at high water. Shallow waters and tidal variations made for useful traps for ships being navigated by the unwary. She shelved the information away in her memory and after a quick snack she invited the other girls Brigit and Gisela to join her in the bow cuddy where they were safe from any uninvited attentions of any newcomers who had not experienced the anger of Drustina’s sword or dagger.

Several pairs of Irish eyes followed the trio as they made themselves comfortable inside the bow cuddy but Carl and Althred quietly enlightened the hopeful bucks.

“Firstly the blond lioness is my wife and you’d have to get past me to get to her. Secondly, I would warn you now; she’s deadlier than a viper and would certainly kill any idiot who presumes to force themselves upon her or the other two. My advice boys, is don’t ... don’t even think it or you’ll be dead before you realise it.”

One of the Irish villagers then asked Carl; “What’s a viper?”

For a moment Carl was baffled at the man’s ignorance until Brigit explained from inside the cuddy.

“Carl, you may not know it but there are no snakes in Ireland. Those boys don’t know what a viper is ... they’ve never seen a snake or heard of one except in old legends.”

After recovering from this startling revelation, Carl simply replied.

“A viper moves faster than your hand when it strikes at its enemies. Drustina’s dagger is equally as fast; you won’t see it until it’s stuck in your belly or chest if you try to have your way. Just be warned. She’s not called The Lioness for nothing.”

A murmur of disbelief rippled through the Irish ranks but Carl left it there. ‘If the idiots were too stupid to take a warning they’d find out the hard way.’ And they did!

Carl was not a watch-keeper that night and he slept just as most others did; enough to fail to notice the fool who decided to sneak past his sleeping bulk.

In the small hours of the morning there was a howl of agony from the flap that covered the cuddy entrance. Carl lurched to his feet and stumbled to where the howling was growing in volume. He finally came upon a young Irish villager still on his knees where he had crawled along the keel towards the bow. Once past Carl, he had silently peeled the flap back and ever so gently felt inside until his hand landed on a warm body covered in a thick blanket. Pleased with his first contact he had carefully established the position of the sleeper then he had reached further to cover the mouth that belonged to the body. His efforts were in vain. He had unfortunately touched the shoulder of the Lioness and instead of finding a petrified girl too scared to shriek he had encountered the worst possible nemesis for any potential rapist.

Once woken by the inquisitive fingers, the owner of the warm body had studiously feigned sleep as she slowly extracted her dagger from the lateral sheath beneath her breasts. Then, as the impudent hand delicately traced its way across her ear and towards her mouth, Drustina had casually grasped the wrist then jammed it against down against the keelson before pinning the hand with her dagger. The force and speed of her dagger strike had totally phased the interloper and he had started howling the instant he realised he could not free his hand. As he reached out to yank the dagger free from his hand and the heavy timber keelson, a second dagger had appeared in Drustina’s hand and in an instant the potential rapist’s other hand was similarly pierced and pinned. By the time Carl and some other of the men had arrived on the scene, the man was truly stuck fast like some insect pinned to a display board. Drustina was now sat up and calming Brigit while Gisela was simply gasping with disbelief.

The man was un-pinned then bandaged by the very woman he had foolishly attempted to ravish and he looked a woeful specimen when he was finally secured at the foot of the mast while order was restored. Carl decided to take station outside the cuddy just to deter any further would-be night-time paramours. The rest of the night was peaceful.

At dawn Drustina slid arse first out of the cuddy and backed into Carl’s somnolent bulk. He grunted appreciatively until she farted deliberately to deter any uncalled for gropes.

“You dirty bitch,” he grumbled.

“Just keep your mind on the task ahead. We’re going to have to meet with the denizens of Corgheig today and we’ve no idea what sort
of reception we’ll get.”

“You don’t have to remind me. Food will be up shortly. I refuse to do the diplomatic stuff without a full stomach. Are those to other lazy cows awake?”

“A chorus of ‘We are!’ came from the cuddy.

Carl growled.

“Well hurry up and eat, it’s an early one this morning. There’s water for washing down aft. I know what you women are like.”

Drustina grinned as she was already stepping aft then two petulant faces emerged and realised the whole ship’s crew was abroad. Self-consciously they picked their way aft and availed themselves of what little modesty the crude lavatorial arrangement provided. At Drustina’s insistence they washed their hands before they were allowed to pick hot food from the pot that Edburg Supplied. As the girls ate, Carl finished his ablutions and joined them to discuss the plan for meeting with the people of Corgheig.

“D’you think they’ll be pleased to see us?” Carl wondered.

“Not when they learn we’re not staying. They’ll have to answer to the Vikings after we’ve gone.”

“Suppose we leave some sort of Calling card.”

“Like what? Write them a letter?” Drustina mocked.

“I dunno, but it seems a bit unfair to leave them to their fate for something they haven’t done.”

“Well we’ll sort that our after we’ve met them. I’m betting that somebody has got the message to the city that something is afoot and Brithonic Celts have arrived.”

Udris grinned as he stepped across from the other longship.

“Yeah, that news alone will be causing some sort of storm amongst the city dwellers. I’m betting the majority of them will be fat, greedy merchants and traders and they’ll be more concerned for their own profits than everybody’s freedom.”

“We’ll see,” Drustina shrugged, “I’m not going to judge until we get there. We’d best be weighing anchor and making our way with just the Mermaids. We can leave both Viking longships as decoy guard ships. Though I suggest they be ready to slip their anchors and make a break if things prove too dangerous and a Viking flotilla arrives.”

“Where would they go if it did?” Carl wondered.

“I dunno, we’ll have our work cut out up in Cork if things turn nasty. Anyway, Althred is going to pretend to be fishing off the Roche point and if he see’s any ship resembling a Viking, he’ll hoist a red sail so that the two longships have plenty of time to weigh anchor. How they handle any visitor is up to Althred, we’ve got other fish to fry. Come-on, the sooner we move the sooner we find out.”

Within ten minutes three of the four Mermaids were making their way up the inlet whilst the fourth set course southwards to make a pretence of fishing in the narrows of the Roche.

Once Drustina, Udris and Carl were through the narrows they made swift westing towards a settlement that boasted a stone castle no less. The battlements could be seen from the northern exit of the narrows. As they approached they could make out more detail and Udris suggested they tie up at the pier by the gate to the castle. After consulting with the local volunteers they learned that a Celtic queen held the castle though several local chieftains were disputing her claim. When Drustina asked for more information concerning the disputes, the volunteers proved less willing to explain and she was left mildly bemused. Having learned that there now seemed to be some underlying discontent in the region, Drustina became doubly cautious but slightly more optimistic. If there was strife amongst the local tribes, it could sometimes be exploited to her own end.

Carl stood off a goodly distance out of bowshot, while Udris accompanied Drustina to within a hundred metres. Finally, Drustina and her most trusted companions kept their shields close to hand in case they needed to form a rapid turtle then they landed The Angry Mermaid against the stone jetty. There they waited for long minutes wondering if there would be any response from the castle but in this they were disappointed. Finally Drustina shouted as loud as she could.

“Helloo-oo the Castle. Are we to receive a welcome or not?”

The silence continued for another tense minute then finally a woman’s head appeared between two of the castellations above the gate.

“Who are you?”

“I am Drustina, the Lioness of Carthage child of Caderyn who is child of Erin of Lleyn!”

“Lleyn you say. That is Viking land, yet you speak Brithonic.”

“I am Brithonic; a Celt just like you.”

“How did you get here? Only Vikings travel freely in these waters.”

“Not any more. I and my companions travel where we will, and when we will.”

“What of the guard ship at Cobh? How did you bypass her?”

“We didn’t; we captured her.”

A pregnant silence settled as the woman on the battlements digested the information. Drustina thought she could see her consulting with another who was hidden behind the castellation. Eventually the woman called again.

“If you are the Lioness of Carthage, it is rumoured that you are really a man.”

Drustina snorted while Gisela struggled to contain a squawk of laughter. Drustina replied.

“Why, would that be a problem? Is that a hindrance to our meeting ... and talking?”

“Men are not welcome here!”

“Why? Is it a convent or a castle?”

After another pause the woman spoke again.

“Come alone to the gate. I will speak through the grill!”

Gisela wagged her head and Heliox added his opinion.

“It could be a trap Lioness.”

“My thoughts entirely,” Drustina agreed, “but we’ll get nowhere shouting across a jetty and a castle wall. Lend me your long shield Heliox, the one with the fancy insignia. Don't say you haven't got one because I saw you take it from the spoils of the guard ship.”

“Damn!” Heliox cursed with a grin. “And I thought nobody noticed.”

“Don’t worry; you’ll get it back if I get back ... alive.”

“They might mistake you for a Viking.”

“Not if I place my own Celtic dragon shield over it like this.”

“You won’t be able to swing your sword.”

“I don’t intend using my sword; except as a last resort.”

Heliox shrugged and passed the long shield up to her after she had stepped onto the jetty. Anybody watching from the battlements could see that she had placed her own Celtic fighting shield over the long tapered Viking ‘wall-shield’ and she turned to face the castle. The voice from the castle responded accordingly.

“Do you not trust us?”

“No!” Drustina replied bluntly. “These are dangerous times and we have just killed a score of Vikings. Who knows what lies behind your castle walls?”

“Will you come to the gate?”

Drustina scanned the battlements and whispered to Heliox.

“Cover me and if you see the slightest movement at any of the parapet or castellations, warn me. If you think somebody is lining me up, don’t hesitate to unleash your arrows.”

“You didn’t have to tell me that Lioness.”

Drustina grinned but her smile did not reflect her uncertainty. Hers eyes scanned constantly as she paced gingerly towards the gate that more resembled a heavy spiked door. When she reached it a small panel was opened and the woman from the battlements faced her.

“Can you prove you are a man?”

“Why should I have to?” Drustina demanded.

“It is said the Lioness looks like a woman but is really a man.”

“It is also known that the Lioness is a woman as well as a man.”

“You talk rubbish! That cannot be!”

“Who said?”

“There can only be men and women!”

“I ask again; who told you that?”

“The priests; they say that the new god is the creator of all things and he created men and women separately. It is not possible for a man to occupy a woman’s body, nor a woman a man’s.”

“Oh,” Drustina replied ironically, “if that is so then it must be true, unless your priest is lying.”

“They do not lie; they are servants of the new God.”

“Then we have no more to discuss. It seems I am wasting my time here. I shall proceed further up the inlet to the city.”

“Wait! If you go there, they might attack you.”

“Why?” Drustina asked almost as an afterthought.

“You are bearing arms and you are a woman. Women are not allowed to bear arms in the new religion.”

Drustina stopped and turned again.

“And how are they to protect themselves?”

“Their men protect them.”

“It is often the men who attack them, rape them and kill them. You amaze me woman!”

“That is because the women provoke them and tempt them. The women are the temptresses who brought calamity in the Garden. The serpent corrupted them and they lead men astray!”

Drustina had heard enough drivel. She was not prepared to listen to anymore. She knew what to expect next. The priests it seemed had already spread their poison and the process of demeaning women was already well under way. Then she remembered that one of the volunteers had said the owner of the castle was a Celtic Queen. She turned and asked the woman behind the grill.

“Who are you anyway?”

“I am Marag, high Queen of Munster!”

Drustina stopped short; her knowledge of the Celtic Irish tribes told her that the king or queen of Munster was a sovereign in their own right and all the southern clans’ owed allegiance. The woman behind the Grill would surely have an army garrisoning her castle and yet Drustina had not seen a single man at arms. She returned to the grill in the heavy wooden gate.

“If you are queen of Munster, where are your soldiers?”

The woman’s lips pursed tightly and white spots of anger appeared on her cheeks.

“Go away woman, you don’t know what you’re up against here!”

For a moment Drustina was prepared to take umbrage but she realised she had other fish to fry and she could not stand all day outside a castle talking or arguing with somebody who seemed unprepared to explain the situation or even offer hospitality. The heavy gates remained firmly closed. Drustina studied the gates but it took her several seconds before the realisation struck her like a thunderbolt. The gates were also barred on the outside!

‘By the gods! I’m a dumb bitch! The woman is some sort of prisoner ... in her own castle!’

At first Drustina could not believe her own eyes but she tested the sturdy timber gates and the bars that secured them. Still doubting her senses she demanded of the queen behind the gates.

“Dammit woman, will you not offer any hospitality. However do you open these gates? If you do not want me here, I’ll go.”

“Go then Damn you! Do not meddle where you cannot mend.”

Drustina stared disbelievingly at the castle as she slowly realised it was not a fortified residence; it had become some sort of prison. Then the next thought struck her.

‘Where were the prison guards?’

She cast about angrily but saw nothing that suggested supervision or containment. Baffled by what she had discovered, she offered to break the bars that secured the gates from the outside.

“D’you want me to open these bloody gates?” She called.

“It would do me no good; only put me in greater danger!”

Drustina snorted as she signalled to Udris and Carl who were still standing off out of bowshot. She shouted her message so that the occupants of the castle could hear her.

“Heliox, take the Mermaid and collect three pagan men each from Udris and Carl’s ships. We’ll smash this gate and I’ll know the truth!”

Having shouted this for all within earshot to hear, Drustina expected some sort of response from within the castle. The lack of any response simultaneously unnerved Drustina and angered her. She waggled her sword angrily to make a signal that Carl and Udris instantly recognised as urgent. Within minutes six strong men were battering away at the stout wooden bars with axes and a heavy war hammer. Soon the gate was splintering but still there was no response from behind the gate. Drustina stopped the men momentarily and paused as puzzlement took root. Once more she scoured the approaches to the castle and the immediate waters but there was no sign of either a response or any intended resistance. She peered cautiously through the splintered woodwork fully expecting a sword blade to come lunging at her but still nothing. Satisfied that there seemed to be little or no obvious resistance she motioned the men to continue. Soon the door was no more and they dragged the splintered wreckage clear of the archway.

“Any takers gentlemen?”

Cautiously they entered the empty archway and found themselves in the abandoned courtyard that, in any properly defended castle, would have been seething with defenders. Across the yard they saw the only obvious doorway and stairs into a hall and after looking up at the battlement parapet they satisfied themselves it was the only way forward. Fearful still of a trap they continued cautiously until two of the men and Drustina found themselves at the top of the stairs inside the hall. Two others followed them and stepped out onto the battlements parapet while two remained guarding the hall stairs and door. Drustina and her two waited while the pair circuited the parapet and confirmed there were no soldiers lying in wait. The conclusion was that Queen Marag was somewhere inside the hall. With the two searchers now joined with the trio Drustina and four men entered the hall. Several doors led off and it was obvious that each would need to be searched. The men stepped forward as if to batter the doors down but Drustina stayed them with her hand.

“Easy now gentlemen. So far there has been no indication of violence or aggression. Let’s try the courteous approach first.”

So saying, she stepped forward and tapped softly on the nearest door. There was no response so she moved to the next and tapped again. Queen Marag’s voice answered.

“You are not allowed here. The council requires me to be chaste!”

Drustina paused and shared a smile with her men before replying.

“And who is going to un-chaste you?”

“You have men with you!”

“Of course I have men with me woman! You don’t expect me to attack a castle all by my bloody self do you?”

“You did not have to attack my castle!”

“I needed to find out what was afoot! You showed no co-operation and it was obvious you had something to hide. I need to know what that something is.”

“Why?”

“If I’m going to visit the city of Corgheig, I need to know as much as I can. Why are you alone and unprotected in your own castle?”

“You had best take that up with the council.”

“What council?”

“The council of bishops.”

“If you are Marag, what have these bishops to do with your imprisonment, are you not the sovereign queen in Munster? Where are your arms-men?”

“They are obeying the bishops and follow the one true god!”

Drustina snorted and her men laughed. When silence returned, she tapped again on the door to reinforce her peaceful intent.

“If you allow me to meet with you, I can promise you, you will come to no harm.”

“But my reputation will be besmirched.”

“Who is there to make that charge?”

“The bishops. I must be chaste when I am to be married.”

“To whom?”

“I don’t know.”

Drustina dropped her calm demeanour and almost screeched.

“What d’you bloody mean, you don’t know. You are the queen and you choose whomsoever you wish, provided he is agreeable.”

“No. It is different now. The man chooses his bride and the bishops wed the couple. My dowry is my kingdom.”

“Dowry? What’s a bloody dowry?”

“My bride price.”

“Bride price. By the god’s woman you are not some sort of cow in a market, you are a queen and a free woman in your own right. Besides, your kingdom is yours, you are the sovereign!”

“It used to be that way, but the new order ordains that a woman is wedded to her husband and must obey him.”

Drustina turned to her companions and cursed.

“You see what this new order brings. Oppression and cruelty. What free woman can accept that offence to her dignity?”

She turned to the closed door again and sighed.

“If that is the new order then I will likely change much and offend many when I visit this city. Be assured woman, this woman, the Lioness of Carthage no less, pays homage to no man. Methinks the crimes you have suffered need addressing.”

“What can you do?”

“Well I can sort out these bishops for a start. I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again.”

The door opened a fraction until a heavy chain stopped it and a pair of tearful eyes peered around the door.

“Can you? Can you really defeat these bishops?”

Drustina stepped sideways so that the queen could see the powerful men at her back.

“I have a whole army of men like these at my back. Together we have just defeated your Viking oppressors. D’you think a few bishops can stop us?”

“They are powerful men and they have the one true god on their side.”

“And I have got plenty of swords on my side. We’ll soon see who gains mastery. Get your travelling clothes woman, there’s work to be done if you are to regain your station. Have you a lady in waiting to help you?”

Marag wagged her head so Drustina despatched two of the men to call in the other two ships and to tell Gisela to join her. This done she spied a chair at the end of the hall and chose to sit on it while waiting. Marag howled an objection.

“That’s my throne! How dare you, a commoner, bespoil it!”

Drustina snorted and grinned.

“Commoner indeed. You’ll learn lady, you’ll learn.

~~oo000oo~~