The Angry Mermaid 112 or Y Morforwyn Dicllon 112

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Drustina has to resume her voyage before the risk of winter storms compel her to stay in port. She sails for Dumnonia but is beset by fog that makes for an interesting skirmish when she encounters a single Viking patrol.

The Angry Mermaid 112
Or
Y Morforwyn Dicllon 112.

After the meal Drustina and her band took advantage of the hospitality offered by King O’Neill’s brother and they savoured a rare night in warm dry lodgings. Morning found them well rested but once again the autumnal weather had brought gales and rain so it was a reluctant band who stared out at the grey, dismal skies. Carl frowned and spat angrily at the increasing wind. It was a superstitious custom his people had long practised in the hopes of abating the cruel gale and rain.
Drustina smiled ironically.

“I’d have thought that custom would have angered the gods not pleased them.”

“Just getting my own back, you can’t beat the gods directly so you might as well get your own back another way.”

“I don’t see the logic in that but what do I know. Come on, let’s push on while the wind still has a westerly and northerly component, it’ll be the best wind for making southing in these waters. The faster we get past Bail ar y Claith and back into southern waters, the safer it will be. I’m gambling that this approaching gale will deter all but the most essential Viking activities on the waves.”

Udris looked up and grinned as he prepared to cast off.

“And what, pray Lioness would be deemed essential activities in this weather?”

“Well finding us might be somewhere up there high on their list. They’re bound to have warships patrolling off Baile ar y Claith and Ynys Fon. “ (Dublin and Anglesey in modern parlance.)

The three commanders turned to look expectantly as Carl remarked.

“Well Dru, we’re relying on your knowledge, these are your home waters.”

Drustina fell into a thoughtful silence as the three men waited. Finally she declared her provisional plan.

“The waters I know best are those around Ynys Fon. I was brought up sailing the waters of Menai and Mon, the tide rips around Madog’s arse and the stack rocks. The trouble is the Vikings will be well aware of this so I’m minded to avoid my own home waters because that’s where they will be expecting me to break through. On the Hibernian side there are many offshore sandbanks south of Bail ar y Claith, there is the Kish Bank and the Codling bank then further south there is the Arklow bank. However, it is a long time since I visited those waters and shoals when my father last sailed to Bail ar y Claith before the Vikings invaded the city after years of seemingly trading peacefully. It was one of the most blatant examples of Norse duplicity and it left us Cambrian Celts stunned. My objective is to try and slip through whatever preparations they’ve made using speed and stealth. I have one question that I must put to you however.”

The three commanders stirred expectantly as Drustina continued.

“Do we stick together or is it every ship for herself?”

A chorus of ‘Stick together!’ erupted not only from the three commanders but all the men as well. It gave Drustina a warm glow of satisfaction. Her own assessment had concluded that they stood a better chance of survival all together if they encountered a Viking patrol; the rest of her men obviously agreed.

With the strategy decided, the four ships made their farewells with the Ulster ambassador and set their sails to catch the favourable winds. The wind stood fair as they exited Belfast Lough and Drustina was relieved to clear the northern channel that served as the only northern entrance to the Celtic sea. Eventually the shores of Ulster and Scotia faded into the misty murk and Drustina chose to keep a middle course equidistant between the Isle of Mann and the Hibernian coast. To this end the rain proved helpful for it compelled the four ships to stick close together if they were to protect each other in the event of an encounter. Most of the time, the four ships were grouped in a circle less than quarter of a mile in diameter and able to pass audible messages. As long as the rain persisted and the strong wind held, the four could protect each other and continue relentlessly heading south. If men were not actively engaged in sailing duties or lookout, they sought shelter under the hooped leather skins that had become more or less permanent fixtures since rounding the Loop head, leaving Limerick.

When darkness fell on the first night the wind eased and a heavy fog descended. The four ships dropped their sails and passed long
ropes between each other to stay in touch. The first ship set a small trysail on her foremast while the last ship set a sea-anchor to keep the ships apart. During the night it rained and men were glad of the hooped leather skins that kept all but the lookouts dry. The much reduced visibility was a blessing though for it reduced the chances of being seen by Viking patrols. Conversely, the four ships could become separated if they were not tied together.

At the crack of dawn the fog persisted so the tie ropes were lengthened, the sails hoisted and the sea-anchor taken in as they resumed their journey south. Lookouts now had to listen as well as look for both Viking patrol ships and the booming of any breakers or surf. The fog was both a menace and a friend.

For Drustina the worries of command and leadership were never more onerous than the choices she now had to make. The fog had compounded problems because her initial choice of slipping down inside the banks on the Hibernian side was now a fearsome gamble. The Codling bank had rocky outcrops where a ship could smash herself to pieces if the sea was anything but glass calm. Making any sort of contact would be fatal. Further south however, the Arklow bank was all sand and it provided a good sheltered ‘inside’ passage all the way to the southern exit of the Celtic sea. Drustina was sorely tempted to take this gamble but the initial stages took them perilously close to the very heart of Baile ar y Claith and the Viking’s strongest base on the shores of the Celtic sea. If the fog cleared as they were level with the fortress, they would be exposed and certainly pursued. The Mermaids’ speed would be vital to escape pursuers but they could not risk racing blindly into any fog banks as they approached the Codling.

The option to pass by Ynys Mon was virtually a non starter for the Vikings almost certainly patrolled the North and South Stack headlands for any traffic hoping to slip by and enter the Saxon held stronghold of Deva. (Chester.)

The only other tactic was to consider the treacherous Straights of Menai but it would have to be done in fog or at night where Drustina’s unsurpassed local knowledge would give her a supreme advantage.

The decision proved too heavy a burden so Drustina finally hove to and had a long chat with her commanders. She laid out the risks and they took another vote. The result surprised even Drustina; the three commanders split three different ways. Carl favoured steering towards Ynys Fon and he pointed out they had three escape options, Sail south past the Stack heads, or sneak through the Menai or if it got serious they could dash east and take refuge in the huge Roman fortress of Deva.

Udris favoured slipping through the Hibernian offshore shoals and trusting to the fog to keep them hidden, the main advantage being that they could make fast progress once past the Kish and the Codling banks. With restricted sea-room and numerous shoals, the faster shallower mermaids would have a good chance of avoiding any Viking patrols.

Heliox favoured the direct route, straight down the centre. If the fog held there was a reasonable chance of simply slipping past any Viking patrols and then they would have an excellent chance of getting further south even faster than going inside the Arklow bank. The danger was that if they did meet a Viking patrol they would almost certainly have to fight and if the Vikings had sufficient sea room and sufficient ships, there was little prospect of Drustina’s flotilla surviving an encounter especially if the fog meant the contacts would already be close because of the restricted visibility.

Drustina’s shoulders sagged. The ball was firmly back in her court. The only benefit of a general consultation was that her options had been better delineated. She did a silent mental ‘harrumph’.

‘So much for the burdens of command!’ She mused. ‘Plenty of questions and no answers.

She kicked the mast pulpit in frustration and stumbled aft to study the wake as Gisela stood nervous and silent by the tiller.

“What’s your course?” She asked.

“Still heading due south Lioness.”

Drustina fell silent as she debated which option to choose. After a few minutes she looked up at the sail as though seeking inspiration. It bellied sharply even as she looked and the snap of the material scattered the condensing fog droplets over the cowhide covers as men sat huddled and expectant.


‘Wind due north and increasing
,’ she noted, ‘it will probably cause this fog to lift so we may as well take the third option that Heliox favours; wind straight up our arse and make a dash for it'.

She passed instructions to the commanders and settled to sit thoughtfully at the stern as Gisela tried not to become unsettled by the Lionesses’ close proximity. All business was conducted in whispers for though there was now a light breeze, the fog persisted unexpectedly. In the Angry Mermaid’s wake, the messenger boat skittered on the end of its painter. The noticeable wake warned Drustina so she passed a message to the boat.

“Warn the commanders I’m lengthening the tethers to their maximum and we’ll be invisible to each other. If anybody encounters a Viking ship, blow a short single blast on their signal their horn and we shorten up immediately to reinforce each other. Each ship is to make sure they can haul in their tethers.”

The small messenger boat loosed its painter and rode the snotter along the tether to drop astern of the angry mermaid and become invisible. A short while later, Drustina felt the tethers all soften as the catenaries absorbed the last of any shocks in the ropes. Eventually the messenger boat re-appeared astern as the two men hauled their way back along the tether to confirm to Drustina that the tactic was understood. Drustina tightened the sheets and gently the Mermaid gathered speed. Nothing as spectacular their normal service speed but they were making steady progress and every mile made undetected was a bonus.

Drustina watched with considerable satisfaction as The Angry Mermaid whispered easily over the modest waves. She was glad that the small breaking horses would deaden any noises the ship made cleaving the waves. Happy with their progress she curled up and slept. Gisela studied the foetal coil of graceful femininity and marvelled that anybody could sleep on so hard a deck with so many potential dangers around them.

Throughout the day, they saw nothing and as night approached, Drustina began to hope against hope that they might make it without having to swing a single sword or loose a single arrow.

Throughout the pitch-black night Drustina’s hopes continued climbing but eventually the dawn arrived and with it their worst enemy, daylight with the fog lifting. For Drustina, the only consolation was the distance won and the realisation that they had made southing without once hearing the sound of booming surf signalling dangerous reefs or cliffs. Gisela had long completed her trick at the tiller and Drustina spoke softly to the new steersman as she relieved herself over the stern.

She was glad to now have all four ships in visual contact so she ordered the steersman to steer South, south east in the hope of possibly spotting the rocky shores of Ynys Mon. In moderate visibility, the high, clearly defined cliffs of Ynys Mon were a much safer landfall than the uncertain offshore shoals of the Kish or Codling bank. Besides, she knew the coast of Ynys Mon like the back of her hand whereas she had only visited Bail ar y Claith but once as a fairly young child. As the fog thinned further, Drustina signalled to the others to release the tethers and each Mermaid was to come as close as was safe. Once the flotilla was clustered instead of being ‘strung out’, the whole band felt safer but free'er. It also made the lookout’s jobs easier because each lookout was able to scan different sectors and reduce the potential for surprise.

They adopted a ‘diamond’ formation with The Angry Mermaid at the front and settled down to making all possible speed. Unlike her lookouts constantly scanning the forward and beam horizons, Drustina spent her time watching her companion ships and constantly exchanged predetermined hand signals with her commanders.

It was mid afternoon when Drustina heard the sound she had been expecting but dreading. A soft call from her starboard bow lookout alerted her to his pointing arm. It led her gaze to the familiar sight of a Viking longship.

“Damn! I was so hoping!”

“Are we going to have to fight?” Gisela asked, her nervousness causing her voice to crack.

“I don’t know. It’s a numbers game. How many Viking ships are there?”

“I can’t see. So far there’s only one.”

Drustina smiled.

“No Gisela, it was a rhetorical question. If we are outnumbered, I’m going to try and run for it. If we outnumber them, I’ll have a look at it.”

Drustina raised her arms to catch the attention on Heliox, Udris and Carl. Once they signalled they had seen her she brought her hands to the top of her head to signal ‘close up’. Gisela watched and felt a sense of comfort at the thought of having so many battle proven men around her. She recalled the bickering, swaggering braggarts who had accompanied her on her first and only foray south. There had been no co-ordination, no co-operation and little if any effective communication. Their very first attempt to capture a prize, a single ship under the white cliffs of Dover had ended in utter calamity as Drustina’s squadron had unexpectedly appeared with a well organised, well executed attack.

Now again Gisela was free to watch and learn as to how exactly Drustina’s flotilla had become so effective. Within a couple of minutes, the formation was lined up with Angry Mermaid in the van while the others followed in close rear order in line with the sight-line between Drustina and the Viking longship. In the bow of Angry Mermaid Drustina’s lookouts strained to locate any other longships and failed. Suddenly the starboard lookout called.

“She’s altered course, she coming straight for us. I can’t see any others.”

Gisela turned to look back at the other three ships and realised they were trying to remain as invisible as possible. Drustina remarked scathingly about the Viking's unpreparedness.

“They weren’t keeping a decent lookout; they’ve probably been out on patrol too long. He didn’t even notice us until after we’d adopted our inline formation. What’s the betting he still isn’t sure how many ships we are?”

Even as she spoke, she gently levered Gisela’s hand off the tiller and turned the Angry Mermaid to steer straight towards the approaching longship. Running free enabled Drustina to set the sails to make the widest image and thus block any proper view of her three companions from the approaching longship. Gisela watched and felt her fingers unconsciously grip the rail as the Viking ship confirmed Drustina’s suspicions. The longship paid off in an attempt to get a good look behind the approaching trespasser. It was obvious by his give-away mistake that he wasn’t sure how many ships there were in Drustina’s formation.

“He’ll regret that move.” Drustina smiled evilly. “He’s brought himself even closer to the wind and he’ll be putting himself in Irons if he tries to turn away and escape once he realises how many there are of us. Now if I juu-uust come round a bit more to keep his view blocked we’ll get just that much closer before he realises he’s outnumbered.”

As she altered to starboard a bit more, she nodded to the line’s-man to slacken sail and keep the Mermaid’s profile as wide as possible. It was a fine line between slowing slightly whilst allowing the flotilla to get collectively closer whilst remaining invisible. The cat and mouse move repeated it’ self once more before the angles became impossible to cover and the Viking finally realised he was severely outnumbered. Drustina turned to catch Gisela’s grinning realisation. The Viking’s earlier inattention to his lookout combined with his arrogant assumption that he was the master of the seas had caused him to put himself at a hopeless disadvantage. As his ship finally cleared the obstructed vision line he realised he was trapped. If he turned to starboard he would sail straight into the jaws of the approaching Mermaids whilst if he tried to turn to port, he would have to bring his head through the wind and that would put him in irons and helpless to withstand any sort of approach by the enemy.

Forced to act quickly he chose the former option that would guarantee a furious fight and at least he would be able claim he had fought bravely when he came to the gates to Valhalla. Drustina sighed.

Why did the stupid bastards always have to prove they were brave?’

She signalled the other ships to prepare for combat and a well oiled machine quickly went into action.

Carl slewed out of the line to starboard and drew level with Drustina while Udris did the same to port. Heliox remained close astern in readiness to deal with any unexpected eventualities. All four ships had the weather eye and were free to take whatever course they chose. Gisela found herself looking at Drustina with a new respect.

Like wolves falling on a crippled deer the mermaids pounced on the longship and battle was over almost before it began. The Angry Mermaid came up on the steering-board side of the longship where she attacked the steersman and commander with bows. The steersman fell to the first salvo and Drustina offered quarter. The Vikings cursed her and called to their gods to alert them of their imminent arrival at the gates of Valhalla. Drustina shrugged wearily for it would be an easy victory. A second salvo of arrows whistled across the waves and the captain was struck in the leg. He let out a loud roaring challenge demanding that the cowardly bitch face him in single combat. Drustina was having none of it. A third salvo of arrows was complemented by salvos from Carl and Udris’s ships and the crew were decimated. The captain received a second arrow in the same leg but it only slowed his actions as he continued to show defiance. Drustina became impatient so she called for her precious bow. Gisela watched with curiosity as the Lioness took careful aim and sunk a shaft into the man’s belly.

“That’ll shut him up, but he’ll die slowly.”

“Why don’t you kill him quickly?” Gisela asked.

“I need him to take a message back to his king in Baile ar y Claith.

“What message?”

“A warning to tell him to get out of southern Britannia; that is Hibernia, Dumnoniia, Cambria and Mann.”

“That will require a battle.” Gisela mused.

“I’m nearly ready for that but for now my task is to return to Wessex and help prepare an army.”

A brief study of the long ship told Drustina that it was no longer a threat. Carl and Udris had boarded the vessel and were holding the last surviving Vikings as prisoners. All were wounded and Drustina wagged her head resignedly as she asked herself,

‘Would these Norsemen ever change their ways. There were some half decent young men amongst the crew and to kill them seemed a waste’.

She decided not to geld them because she had neither the time nor the medicine men to do it. Instead she started writing her letter to the Viking occupier of Baile ar y Claith ready to nail it to the longship’s mast. Then she had her men cut of the left little finger off each survivor to tell the king that she could have killed all the young men. Having explained this in her message she prepared to leave.

As her companions were gathering anything useful from the Longship Gisela suddenly gasped. The Lioness looked up from her writing and frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

Gisela pointed her finger.

“That one, the one with red hair! He’s a second cousin of mine, I know him. May I talk with him?”

“Be my guest; make sure he has not got a hidden weapon.”

Gisela stepped lightly across to the longship as One of Udris’s men stepped forward to ensure her safety. Drustina watched her talking earnestly then remonstrating with the young man. Eventually, she returned to Drustina’s side and asked.

“Can I add a note to that letter?”

Drustina handed the Viking princess a quill.

“Write in that corner. I’ve nearly finished. What were you arguing about?”

“He called me a traitor and a sorceress! I want to let my father know why I have joined your side.”

“How will you do that?”

“He is gathering his forces north of Yorvik and getting ready to pounce either on Nottingham or Deva.”

“How did you discover that?”

“My cousin was bragging that he’ll return and punish me and turn me into a real woman. When I scoffed at him he blurted out that Harald Cold Blood was already preparing and he’d be at his uncle’s side in the Van of the attack. He’s vowed to have your head.”

There was a snort followed by a chuckle that announced Carl’s appearance.

“You’ll need more heads than the Hydra Dru! That must be the hundredth warrior to claim your head.”

She giggled as she reached up to his outstretched arms and they hugged tenderly as their lips met. Despite her sapphism, Gisela felt a pang of envy. For all his size and power, Carl could show the tenderest emotions.

‘Why can’t all men be like him?’ She wondered.

Drustina caught her looking and smiled as she reinforced her claim on Carl by tightening her embrace.

“Aye and that’s a fact Saxon. Are we ready to resume our journey?”

“Yes. We’ll send these careless idiots back with their tails between their legs; weaponless and witless.”

After completing their letters, Drustina nailed her letter to the mast with clear instructions that it be handed to the Viking king of Dublin. Minutes later, the flotilla was speeding south but still keeping a sharp eye.

~~oo000oo~~

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Comments

Hmmmm......

So what did Gisela write?

I don't agree with just cutting off fingers. These men will still be able to fight and carry on their marauding. Drustina needs to do something a little more disabling. Maybe I'm a bit blood thirsty here but you don't just let enemies go back to the fight.

(Being of Danish and Norwegian descent I can't help but feel bad about how the Vikings are portrayed in this tale but unfortunately I suspect Bev is pretty accurate.)

I like Drustina's letter - tell the Vikings to get out of her homeland. Suspect they won't take the warning seriously.

Interesting to see Drustina getting tired of killing - seeing young men who could be productive and wishing they'd change their ways.

Thanks Bev.

Hi Woody,

Bit of disappointing news I'm afraid Woody; Joani just sent me an interesting Smithsonian Institute article shedding further light on the Vikings. It closes the circle as it were and goes back to the earlier portrayals of Vikings as blood thirsty marauders.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/The-Vikings-Bad-Boy-Re...

This is interesting reading and unexpectedly adds a lot of plausibility to Drustina's fictional existence and combative nature.

Bev.

bev_1.jpg

Somewhere down the road

Somewhere down the road, Harald will meet Drustina again and this time Harald will be the one who is taken and perhaps gelded. Now there's a thought.

Continuing to be a great saga, Bev.

Much Love,

Valerie R

Good updateAre we going to

Good update
Are we going to see some Dolphins or Porpoise on her way home?
If I were her on I would look or listen for Seagull to help spot Viking ships before she can see them.
Seagulls like to follow anything that might be a fishing boat.