Drustina gets involved with affairs of state because she is unable to easily travel and re-embark upon her quest to reclaim her homeland.

The Angry Mermaid 87

Or

Y Morforwyn Dicllon 87

Even after Drustina had finished Amethyst’s hair Carl did not waken. Both mother and daughter crept over to the bed and studied the Saxon.

Amethyst touched his hair lightly.

“Why is his hair gold and mine red? Yours is gold as well.”

“Carl is not your father darling. Your father was a Celt like me. He had red hair and he was a partner of Carls in the slave galleys.”

“What was his name?”

“He was called Torvel and he stayed behind because he found a wife in another land. As far as I know, he’s still there.”

“So why has Morgan got yellow hair.”

“Well I’ve got yellow hair so that explains why he has yellow hair.”

“Why is that?” Amethyst persisted.

“I don’t know darling. Sometimes we follow our mothers and sometimes we follow our fathers. I don’t know.”

“I wish I had yellow hair. If Carl had been my father I’d have yellow hair then, wouldn’t I?””

“Possibly darling, don’t worry about it, yours is a lovely golden red not the carroty red that Picts and Scots can sometimes have. I think there was some Roman blood back in my or your father’s past. The Romans call your hair Titian. It’s very unusual in Britannia and your hair will be much thicker and lustrous than yellow hair when you grow up.

“Will I always have to comb it?”

“Yes, but don’t you enjoy it? When it gets longer, you will always need a friend to do it because it will be so thick and lustrous. Titian hair can be one of the most beautiful of all hair colours.”

“Will you do it mummy, when I’m older that is?”

“As long as you’re my daughter darling; yes. Don’t you like Auntie Tara doing it?”

“Yes, but you’re my mummy. I wish you were around more often.”

“I’m a busy lady darling, so much to do so much to be done. Come on; let’s go down to the great hall. Dinner will be ready soon. You’d better wake Carl.”

Having been given a licence to tease the giant Saxon, Amethyst immediately bounced onto the bed and set about tickling the sleeping warrior. Carl woke and retaliated by tickling his step-daughter and she squealed with delight. Drustina was secretly pleased to see that her older daughter seemed to accept Carl as her father. The three of them accompanied Tara down to the great hall where Morgan joined them. He had been watching a snowball fight amongst the older boys in the city. The thaw was now spreading over Wessex and the snow was nearly all gone; it seemed as if the older boys were seizing one last chance to play with the snow. With the coming of the thaw, the business of the city was returning to normal.

~o000o~

A few days later, Drustina learned that her beloved mare Seripatese had come into Season so she and Tara took it upon themselves to accompany Solana down to the stables. Carl was busy attending his stallion Jupus when the ladies appeared. He turned to them.

“Morning girls, what brings you down here on such a bright and sunny morning?”

Drustina grinned.

“Oh I just came to see if my mare Seripatese was alright.”

Carl grinned.

“Well Jupus seems to think so. He’s making all the right noises. I’m just about to introduce them. As soon as the primary business is sorted’ I‘m turning them loose in the paddock.”

“Oh good, we’ll stay then.”

Carl smiled knowingly but said nothing. Drustina had previously mentioned Sonala’s naivety so he held his tongue. Now was not the time for any ribald remarks. Instead he opened the gate between their adjoining loose-boxes and stepped back. Normally Jupus and Seripatese ran together all the time in a big paddock but the snow had curtailed this freedom, however they were still well acquainted with each other and Carl foresaw no problems. Until the thaw, the horses had been stabled and the warmth might have precipitated the onset of Seripatese’s receptivity. The mare’s coming into season had provided an ideal opportunity for Sonala to broaden her education.

With Jupus being well familiar with Seripatese, the preliminary ‘courtship’ rituals were naturally adhered to. Jupus already considered Seripatese to be one of ‘his’ mares so the mating was not an equine rape. The stallion had the wit and temperament to cosset his mare and neck her for long minutes before nosing and nudging her to bring her into receptivity. Drustina was secretly relieved by Jupus’s behaviour because it illustrated to Sonala that most Mammals indulged in some sort of ritualistic ‘courtship’ before coupling eventually took place. In fact the ‘courtship by the horses took so long that Sonala murmured softly to Drustina.

“When does the deed get done Dru?”

“When she is ready and agreeable. See how he constantly necks her and sides her to make her submit.”

“I hope King Ethelred doesn’t treat me like that!” She giggled.

“Indeed my princess, but you’ll note Jupus doesn’t use force or violence such as he might if he was fighting another stallion. What you are seeing is actually very gentle for a horse. It is each species to their own princess, each to their own mores and habits.”

Even as Sonala grinned, Seripatese let out a loud whinny and started paralleling Jupus as he sniffed her rear. The stallion then took his measure and mounted the mare to commence the coupling. The act was simultaneously powerful yet delicate and Sonala watched fascinated as Drustina asked.

“Have you seen enough now?”

“I’ll watch it through to its conclusion.”

“You’ll have a long, cold wait my girl,” Drustina grinned, “he’ll mount her several times and guard her before she is definitely put with foal. The whole process will be completed out there in the paddocks, it might take days. All you’ve got to do is see that the stallion enters the mare just as a man would enter a woman. Though I must admit, we humans are a lot quieter and sensuous about the act. If you’re going to stay all morning, I’ll have to leave you with Tara. I’ve got business with Ethelred and Cardinal Craklow. Are you coming Carl? Those two seem as happy as they usually are.”

Carl secured the loosebox doors then opened the loosebox double door out to the paddock before accompanying Drustina back to the great hall. Sonala stayed with Tara as they watched horse and mare obviously savouring their newfound shared liberty. Jupus was constantly galloping parallel to Seripatese and generally demonstrating his dominance. Sonala found herself secretly squeezing her thighs together as her body responded to her secret and deeply suppressed fantasies.

~o00o~

In the great hall preparations were afoot for the consecration of the great church. Drustina was not seriously interested in this ceremony but she had received an invitation to attend from Cardinal Craklow and she wondered if it was to do with some things that she had been pushing for.

Sister Catherine had occasionally let slip that she was still bitter about her ex-communication after the Polanda piracy affair. Drustina had never admitted that she felt Sister Catherine had been unjustly treated but she saw the issue as an opportunity to advance her own secret agenda to get better treatment for women as a whole. There was also another question that Drustina wanted to address, namely the date of the wedding between Ethelred and Solana.

Drustina and Carl entered to find Ethelred and Cardinal Craklow discussing the ceremony sheet that listed the various elements of the consecration. They looked up as the couple entered and Drustina asked.

“You invited me here Cardinal. Surely you don’t want me involved in this consecration thingy.”

“Uuuhm no Lioness; it’s nothing to do with that. I’ve just received a letter from his holiness. The roads are open again at last.”

“A letter Cardinal; from the pope!? Surely not for me, a dyed in the wool pagan.”

A flicker of irritation crossed the cardinal’s brow as he wagged his head.

“No, not you directly, but it’s something that you’ll be pleased about. I know you’ve touched upon it a couple of times.”

Sister Catherine’s issues had long since slipped from Drustina’s mind and she looked somewhat at a loss. Cardinal Craklow reminded her.

“Sister Catherine. She never married; unlike the rest of the nuns after the piracy thing.”

Drustina became cautious and Craklow sensed her suspicions as the Lioness explained.

“She chose to be my secretary and quarter-mistress. She’s proving to be a first class administrator. So what would the Pope want with her?”

“Do you not remember? You expressed your distaste at the way the nuns were treated.”

Drustina frowned uncertainly. She wondered where the Cardinal was taking this.

“Well ... yes I do but it’s over and done with now. All the nuns have found partners and lots of them are settled in Frankish lands. Anyway, as to their trial in Gdansk, you were there as well. I was only too pleased that you managed to persuade the Polska Cardinal then to be lenient. Surely they’re not coming back at her after all this time? If they are I must warn you, I’ll fight any threat to Catherine with sword, tooth and nail!”

Craklow smiled and wagged his head.

“There you go again Dru, always the distrustful one; always ready to draw your sword.”

“Are you surprised Cardinal, without my sword I’d be long dead.”

“Indeed, indeed Lioness. Well for once this should please you.”

“Oh, go on.”

“The Pope has agreed to re-invest Sister Catherine back into the mother church.”

Drustina pursed her lips thoughtfully as she nodded slowly. Eventually she replied.

“I think that might please her.”

“You think! You only think! I should have thought the lady would be overjoyed.”

“She’s pretty bitter about how she was treated Cardinal. Let’s not forget how the priests and the bishop of Gdansk treated her. They moved heaven and earth to hide the truth, to shut her up. Many of her friends are lying in un-consecrated graves on that peninsular. Innocent, elderly women no less.”

Cardinal Craklow reflected briefly before replying softly.

“Yes Lioness. I must confess I was not happy with that business but you must remember I was but an Archbishop then and my hands were tied. When I was elected as a Cardinal I was granted an audience with his holiness before my investiture and amongst other things, I discussed Mother Catherine’s situation then. You may be surprised to know this decision was made by his Holiness last summer. It has taken six months for the letter to reach here. “

“That would be before I met you here in Wessex then, so this is none of my doing.”

“Not recently, not directly but I agreed with your arguments way back in Gdansk; as I said, my hands were tied then. The old Cardinal was something of a conservative.”

“Yeah and somewhat tyrannical if I remember rightly, I know the King was wary of him.”

“Well that’s water under the bridge Dru. The good news is that Mother Catherine is reinstated.”

“So why are you telling me and not her?” Drustina asked.

“I just thought you’d like the pleasure of telling her. I know you and she are close friends.”

“We are, very close. What if she refuses the indulgence?”

Cardinal Craklow and Ethelred gasped in disbelief.

“Are you serious Lioness?” Ethelred asked.

“I don’t know your majesty; she was very distressed and very hurt by the whole business. I know she enjoys working with me; it gives her plenty of opportunity to right any wrongs ... especially when she sees women and children suffering. She may be excluded from this one god thing but she’s still a caring and courageous woman. I find her invaluable in helping to clear up the mess left by soldiers after a battle ... the wounded, the widowed, and the orphaned. She has become expert at that.”

“A true Christian then Dru, not some preaching hypocrite.” The cardinal observed hoping to win Drustina’s approval.

Drustina was cautious with her reply.

“Yes, perhaps, if you like. Your church’s loss was womanhood’s gain.”

“I’ll go with that Lioness. What would you have me do to please her?”

“Don’t ask me, ask her. She’s an able woman and she can express her own wishes.”

“Yes, she is, but I feel if I summoned her here she might take it as a threat.”

“Summoned her!” Drustina almost screeched her anger. “Summoned her!! What right have you to summons her? She is my companion and a free woman; you have no suzerainty over her! If you want to speak to her, I will do you the courtesy of conveying your REQUEST to meet her but you have no right to summons her. I think it’s obvious she would think a summons is a threat. Better still, on second thoughts, I will convey the news to her about this Pope’s decision then she can think on it until she is ready to decide.”

Cardinal Craklow sighed patiently. ‘The lioness was certainly a prickly customer when it came to the state of women and womanhood.’

He found himself wondering if her having this unique dual state of manhood and womanhood gave her some sort of deeper insight ... and therefore some greater cause for her discontent and dissatisfaction with his church and the faith.
One thing was certain though; ‘the Lioness could certainly argue her point and defend her corner both verbally and physically’. He was still secretly relieved and glad that wholly accidental circumstances found his church and Drustina on the same side when confronting the Norse threat.

Having brought the first issue to a satisfactory conclusion, Drustina then tackled the second issue. She turned to Ethelred.

“Your wedding, to the Princess Sonala. Is the date fixed?”

“We thought the Summer Solstice, the month of June; the twenty first being the best day.”

“Oh ... you thought. What does Princess Sonala say?”

“She should be agreeable. She has a good marriage, she will become a queen.”

“Oh really.” She turned to the Cardinal, “and what has the church to say about this date?”

Cardinal Craklow sensed some issue brewing but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He answered cautiously, thinking Drustina was about to raise some issue between the church and the Summer solstice date; an important pagan festival.

“I think the day of high summer would be an auspicious day. The mother church would have no quarrel with such a day for such a celebration. God created the moon and sun and stars, they give us our seasons so it is no disrespect to our lord to follow their perturbations.”

“Oh; so you too can see no problem with your choosing that day.”

“Well ... no. Can you?”

“Have either of you asked Princess Sonala?”

“No.” They answered in unison.

“Ethelred, have you spoken to your mother?”

“No. It is my choice. It is a simple day to remember, the whole country will be glad that the King’s wedding will become a feast day to replace the pagan solstice.”

“And what if the Princess is not agreeable? To that particular day I mean?”

“Why should she not agree?”

Drustina shook her head in disbelief as she leaned forward and spoke softly. This forced both men to lean inwards and she gently reached out and thumped their heads together. Not so as to hurt but enough to shock them as she spoke.

“If you are both that stupid gentlemen, I suggest that you Eth, speak to your mother!”

“Why?”

“Just speak to her you stupid man!”

“What are you driving at?”

“Why d’you think it is always the bride who chooses the wedding day?”

Ethelred frowned.

“But that is for ordinary commoners and earls. This to be a royal wedding, the King’s wedding, my wedding!”

He finished, ‘somewhat conceitedly’ Drustina thought.

Drustina smiled and even Carl grinned as he suddenly realised what Drustina was alluding to. He caught her eye before turning aside to stifle a snort of amused disbelief. Drustina continued in the same subdued tone but this time the king and cardinal stood back, they did not want another ‘head knocking’. Drustina smiled as she gave the king her parting shot.

“Listen Eth. It’s not your wedding you stupid man, it’s Sonala’s wedding; it’s always the bride’s wedding and If you can’t think why, I repeat my earlier words. Ask your mother!”

With this advice, she turned on her heel and stalked away. Ethelred frowned and turned to Carl who was of lower rank and therefore bound to be more informative.

“What is the lioness on about Saxon?”

Carl wagged his head and suppressed the belly laugh that was bursting to escape. He managed to reply between suppressed snorts.

“I respectfully suggest you do as she says your majesty. Speak to your mother the dowager queen.”

With this reply he excused himself and finally exploded into roars of laughter as he escaped into the long corridor that connected the great hall to the living apartments. Once back with Drustina in their apartments the pair could not contain their mirth. It seemed that this new one-god faith thing had so disconnected women from men through the spiritual divisions that the celibate priests and the pious, Christian king had ceased to understand the biology of womanhood and marriage. Between tears of laughter, Carl begged his partner.

“Promise me Dru, you’ll never become a Christian, well not before these idiots understand about women and their cycles.”

Drustina simply shook her head in disbelief.

“By the Moon goddess Rhiannon; the Princess Solana is going to need help teaching these dummies the facts surrounding babies and their begetting.”

Carl nodded agreement as he replied whilst looking down from their apartment window onto the paddock..

“Well she will have learnt another lesson today; she’s still there in the paddock watching Seripatese and Jupus.”

Drustina stepped up to look through the window and Carl reached out to hug her to him. She melted into his embrace and murmured in his ear.

“If those horses can do it so can we. Get on that bed!”

Carl glanced askance at his partner then grinned. He always liked it when the lioness made it abundantly clear she was ‘up for it’. If this was a bi-product of Drustina’s duality; if this is what set her aside from the plethora of simpering, fatuous dizzies that plagued Carl’s leisure time when he was beset by predatory hopefuls, then this was a girl Carl could live with ‘til death did for them.'

He settled easily onto the bed and Drustina clambered over him as they urgently undressed together. Once they were naked, he relished her soft silky tresses that brushed across his chest before they embraced again and ‘tested’ their mutual burn scars before indulging their passions.

That evening they were late for dinner but neither one cared.

~o00o~

At the meal table, the dowager Queen and Princess Sonala looked up and grinned as Drustina and Carl entered the great hall late. King Ethelred also gave the pair a rueful look as he dug sheepishly into his meat. Obviously he had taken Drustina’s advice and spoken to his mother. Drustina and Carl quickly deduced the situation and Drustina teased the king.

“When’s the date of the wedding then your majesty?”

“It’s a week before the Summer solstice.”

“Ah, planting by the moons now are we?”

This elicited a snort of amusement as Sonala and her future mother-in-law immediately connected the lunar allusion to early agriculture comparing ‘planting by the moons’ and a woman’s cycle. The two women struggled to contain their mirth while Ethelred remarked testily.

“All right Dru! Point taken!”

Between hiccups of laughter Drustina managed to reply. “That’ll be Sonala taking your point I fancy.”

“All right Lioness; don’t rub it in.” Cardinal Craklow protested.

The nature of the early minutes of the mealtime conversation prompted Drustina to whisper a request to the Cardinal for an audience the following morning.

“What do you wish to discuss Lioness?” Her friend the Cardinal replied in a like whisper.

“Your church Cardinal, your church and women. I have not yet told Sister Catherine about her re-investiture.”

He looked somewhat askance at Drustina.

“Then you’d best hurry Lioness. She is to be an important part of the wedding proceedings.”

“Oh. In what capacity?” Drustina asked.

“I’ll l speak of that also tomorrow Lioness. We have some important business I see.”

Then the mealtime conversation turned to other matters.

~~oo000oo~~

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