The chapter describes the preparations and first steps in Drustina's campaign to recover her homeland.

The Angry Mermaid 116
Or
Y Morforwyn Dicllon 116.

Drustina starts to assemble the main battle fleet prior to circumnavigating south and western Britannia. The chapter describes her journey and assorted minor adventures as she accumulates reinforcements at every juncture.

The Angry Mermaid 116
Or
Y Morforwyn Dicllon 116.

Carl’s heart almost melted with emotion as his eyes drank in the scene. There was his beloved partner fulfilling a role that only a mother could. Sat in her gown with her two pairs of twins around her while her sister Tara, the children’s aunt shared the pleasure of sitting the two youngest ones on her knee. Carl felt a lump rising in his throat as he stood mezemerised by the vision. He had heard the word ‘Madonna’ bandied about by the Christian holy men but this was the first time he had been intimately acquainted with the concept. He stood smiling stupidly before a tear of delight forced its way to his eye.

“That’s just so beautiful.” He croaked emotionally.

Drustina looked up and smiled as she put her finger to her lips then whispered aside.

“The babies have just gone to sleep.”

The two older twins looked up to censure the invader of their special moment and Carl immediately crouched down to make himself smaller.

“What’s the story about?” He asked.

“It’s a story Tara wrote.” Morgan the older twin boy explained.

“It’s about a warrior who fought a sea monster to save a family stranded on an island.” Amethyst elaborated.

“Now please Uncle Carl. We want to hear the end.”

Carl grinned and fell silent as Tara smiled a gentle censure.

“Consider yourself told Saxon, carry on sister.”

Drustina patted the large cushion beside her and invited Carl to cuddle up to her. He did so and Drustina was secretly glad that her older twins showed no sign of possessiveness or fear as the huge Saxon settled on the cushion with his back against the wall. Drustina nestled into his arm and the twins tucked in tighter as Tara slid in with the younger twins to complete the huddle.

When the story was completed, everybody was reluctant to untangle themselves and eventually Carl was persuaded to relate a Saxon saga from memory and when he’d finished both sets of twins were fast asleep. Drustina and Tara bedded them while Carl boiled up some raspberry tea and settled in for a quiet family night. They talked at length about various things until finally bed called.

~o00o~

Thus the remainder of the winter spent in Winchester was passed essentially as a family break except for the betrothal of Symone to Udris and then Udris’s departure back to his tribe to resume his leadership duties. When early spring returned, Drustina, and her naval commanders started preparations for the voyage of the combined fleets around Dumnoniia and Demetae to prepare for Ethelred’s defence of Chester. In those winter months, various intelligence gathering efforts by both Ethelred and Edrinor, had all served to reinforce the idea that Harald Cold-blood was intending to invade via the north-west.

Prior to the main fleet sailing from Sotona, Heliox the Gaulish commander was despatched to gather the Irish ships and bring them back around Southern Hibernia to rendezvous with the main fleet somewhere in Demetae. The large natural harbour of Aberdaucleddau (Milford Haven) was the favoured location but while Heliox was engrossed in gathering the Hibernians, Drustina’s fleet had to capture the haven port at the western extremity of Demetae. For this she had a substantial force of Dumnoniian soldiers in addition to all the sailors who had joined the fleet as it overnighted in the River Val. She felt a deep satisfaction the following morning when she counted nearly a hundred ships of Saxon, Celtic, Breton and Gaulish flags plus her own tiny flotilla sail purposefully out of the Val to confront the oceanic seas around Dumnoniia (Land’s End). The anticipated battle to capture Aberdaucleddau would be a useful precursor to the forthcoming war and a testing ground for Udris’s army.

With her intimate knowledge of the entrance dangers to Aberdaucleddau it proved an easier than expected night-time passage right into the haven. Even before the dawn sun was risen, the Viking occupiers found themselves being attacked as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the clouds. The Viking main base at Pembro proved a hard nut to crack but they were hopelessly outnumbered and overwhelmed after a short but bloody fight. It gave the uninitiated a deep insight into Viking martial skills and left many of the younger novitiates in a sober mood as they contemplated the loss of their comrades. Nor was there any levity amongst them as they picked over the Viking corpses who had died to a man. The main sense of victory was conveyed by the sight of the six captured Viking longships that had been the main emblem of Norse supremacy and dominion until that day. That night as each man gave silent thanks for his own survival the mood in the camp was one of quiet reflection.

As Drustina walked her rounds that night she spoke with many initiates and she was not surprised to hear them all express their realisations that this was not some sort of exciting adventure but the start of a long, bloody and traumatic campaign. She offered advice and support where she could and ensured that each man was as comfortable, fed and warm as he could be. The good news of course was that the oppressed Demetaens were overjoyed to be rid of the Viking oppressors and all Drustina’s warriors were treated royally. There was to be no drunken revelry however for Drustina’s first lesson to her new recruits was that preparedness was all. As night fell the guards were doubled around the camp and all the ships were put to patrolling the haven to ensure that no Viking longships escaped from the haven. The last thing Drustina wanted was to have Vikings escape to warn their comrades in ports all around the Celtic sea. One of her main strategies was to keep her advance northwards as secret as possible until or unless they met with a substantial Viking force.

A week later, while Drustina concentrated on training the Demetaens to sail the six captured Viking ships, Heliox appeared with over a score of Hibernian fighting ships plus some fast merchantmen best suited to carrying supplies and land soldiers. That afternoon as Drustina contemplated the morrow she climbed alone to the top of Pembro rock and looked down to reflect upon her multinational armada.

‘If this bloody lot cannot give enough account to supporting Ethelred then we deserve to live or die under the Norsemen’s yoke.’

Privately she made one of her rare prayers to her gods

‘Oh Cnab, God of war , be my guide; Nodens, god of the sea, be my protector but if I am to die, then Ankou, god of death, come for me quickly.’

Having calmed her fears, she turned to rejoin her commanders and looked sheepishly at them, for to a man, they had all realised their leader was privately praying for success. Then to further her embarrassment, Carl drew his sword and stepped forward to hold it up in salute. All the other commanders joined him and then gave one huge shout of ‘LIONESS’.

Drustina simply did not know how to respond for the sense of responsibility threatened to overwhelm her and she croaked hoarsely.

“Thank you gentlemen, might I suggest we all get a good night’s sleep?”

Her advice was not taken too seriously and a party atmosphere developed as men anticipated their last chances before they encountered the Viking patrols, possibly around the Lleyn Peninsular. As the party gathered momentum the noise became raucous.

Drustina wanted only to sleep that night so instead of quartering in the settlement of Pembro, she took her own advice about getting a good night’s sleep. She slipped away from the crowd to find greater comfort and privacy for contemplation by sleeping onboard The Angry Mermaid with Seripatese. The spare sail served as a mattress while the mare’s bodily warmth kept her comfortable as the berthed vessel gently rocked the pair of them so sleep. She was one of the first to wake with the dawn and before the dew had risen she and her mare stepped ashore to enjoy a brief gallop before breakfast was being served in the main camp.

“Where were you last night darling?” Carl asked when she appeared in the queue for breakfast.

“I was sleeping aboard the ship with my mare for comfort.”

“What was wrong with my company?”

“You were drunk and you were farting. “

A collective snigger rippled down the queue but Carl smirked dismissively.

“I would have thought your mare would have farted far worse than me.”

“That was in the open air!” Drustina smirked back. “Now are you going to get your squadron ready or are we going to wait another day?”

“It’s been ready since dawn. I saw you galloping your horse and decided I had plenty of time to come down here and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Happen I was right cos you’re behind me.”

Drustina fumed impotently and poked him in the belly. They chuckled and kissed then finished their food and joined their individual squadrons. Drustina still found it hard to credit when she set eyes on the combined fleets.

‘You’ve come a long way little girl!’ She told herself thoughtfully. ‘Now don’t go and mess it up’!

They left in a prearranged formation that favoured each vessel’s characteristics and everybody had agreed that they would put into Abergwaun that evening to discuss any changes deemed necessary if any problems revealed themselves. The main fleet passed between Y Graig Bach and the mainland while Drustina and her fellow mermaids slipped through the treacherous narrow passage of Geg-y-Ddraig to scour each and every inlet for evidence of Viking occupation. Having found none they rendezvoused off Pen Daffydd and entered Abergwaun as the sun was setting.

Ever cautious of the need for secrecy, Drustina set a score of vessels to patrol further north and west during the night to ensure no strangers happened upon the fleet. It also gave her several commanders some experience of night-time operations and a chance to learn more of the Celtic Sea. She was pleased to learn that Udris and Heliox had set excellent examples to the other ships by patrolling as far north as the tip of the Lleyn peninsula. They actually returned to meet the fleet sailing north the next morning and were pleased to report that only a couple of peaceful merchant ships had been encountered. This served to reinforce Drustina’s view that the Vikings were gathering their longships either in Ynys Mann or Bail-ar-y-Claith. More probably Mann, because there the Scots and the Hibernian Vikings could rendezvous conveniently en-route for the Wirral.

Drustina hoped desperately that this was the case because Harald Cold-blood’s navy had no reason to suspect the existence of Drustina’s fleet.

That night the fleet anchored behind the Lleyn while Drustina took the Angry Mermaid and several of her senior commanders to reconnoitre Madog’s arse and Afon Menai. (Menai Straits). When they failed to locate any longships it looked more and more certain that all the Norse forces were gathering at some as yet unknown location. They returned to rejoin the fleet and Drustina decided to stay hidden behind Lleyn peninsula while the fast mermaid ships were put into pairs and sent searching for evidence of the Viking fleet. Her reasoning being that two ships being sighted without further company would not be construed as the harbinger of some greater force.

While her patrols were gathering intelligence, Drustina landed a few discreet Celtic spies ashore on the peninsula to firstly determine the mood of her native compatriots and, if possible, enlist some more volunteers. She kept her own presence a secret for if the news got out amongst the Cambrians of her own country, the news would travel like wild fire. The Vikings would learn very quickly of the threat and act accordingly. It was not until any volunteers were inducted into the fleet that Drustina revealed herself to them and then they were not allowed ashore again. When it was explained why, they readily accepted the impositions. Additionally, two modest Cambrian merchant-men voluntarily joined the fleet to act as supply ships and also travel incognito under the pretence that they were just ‘simple sailors’ about their lawful occasion.

Drustina herself anticipated travelling on these ships if and when circumstances favoured such action. The ships had just that month traded to Hibernia and Mann with slate for the roofs of the new stone built Viking castles. When the Vikings had learned of the fire-resistant nature of the slate roofs in Lleyn they were quick to adopt the expensive but durable stone sheets. Furthermore the local stone cutters were travelling freely between the high hills of Cambria and the two Norse building sites in Mann and Bail-ar-y-Claith. They would serve as excellent spies for all of them had suffered at the hands of the Norsemen, just at Drustina’s family had.
The very next morning the two merchant ships were loaded with modest amounts of slate and despatched post haste to the two sites. If they returned, Drustina knew she could be fairly confident of the news brought back for every Cambrian crew-member would be their own eyes and ears. Not every Cambrian could be a traitor to their cause. If the ships were detained, Drustina would know to doubly cautious not for fear of betrayal but for lack of hard intelligence. She did, after all, have a huge and powerful fleet to wield a massive blow against the Vikings whether she met them at sea or on landing on the Wirral peninsular.

Four days later, the merchantman returned from Ynys Mann to report that there were a dozen Longships stationed at the Island but no sign of the anticipated main fleet. Only one Viking patrol ship had been encountered north of Ynys Fon. Drustina decided to hold a meeting with her commanders for her overriding need was communication with Chester and news of Ethelred’s progress north from Wessex to Chester.

Her ideas met with a very mixed and dubious reception. Carl voicing the loudest objections.

“What happens if you get captured trying to penetrate the Norse blockade. There has been no trade or traffic between Chester and the sea for several years.”

“So who else can I send?" Dr4ustina countered. "Nobody here knows those waters better than I! My brothers and I were possibly the last people to sail freely up and down the Aber Dyfrdwy. (River Dee Estuary.) The sand banks and quicksand’s are legendary.”

“It’s still too dangerous, can we not send riders overland?”

Drustina snorted dismissively.

“You’d have to cross Y Wyddfa! The mountains are over one thousand metres and still topped with snow. It would take weeks to reach Shrewsbury which would be the most obvious place to gather news then weeks to get back. A ship could complete the voyage to Chester and back in under a week, ten days at worst!”

Carl’s jaw set stubbornly as he emphasised his point.

“Listen Dru! You are too bloody valuable to lose; especially now we are almost there. Who else knows these waters?”

Drustina could see the silent concurrence amongst her other commander’s expressions so she tried another tack.
“What about an armed sortie? If the merchantman’s information is right, we are unlikely to encounter a large force until the Norsemen commence their invasion. And by the way they did confirm that Harald is attacking Chester, not Nottingham. I was right on that count, I believe I’m right on this count. If we take six mermaids with a healthy levelling of experienced crews we can defend ourselves whilst teaching six commanders the local navigations.”

The uncertain silence continued amongst the commanders but Drustina sensed a weakening in their objections. Carl also sensed the doubt but he was loath to see his beloved Lioness put to such great risk. He offered one last alternative.
“Make it eight mermaids and a couple of Udris’s captured longships. That way we have a chance of bluffing any patrols until they are too close to escape whilst we are well able to defend ourselves and you!”

At this suggestion the Hibernians joined in. Queen Marag and Prince Dorvan suggested that perhaps six Viking ships would make it look like a Norse combat patrol making a routine sweep to maintain Norse control of the Celtic sea. Marag argued forcibly.
“Come now Lioness, we have over a hundred ships here, of which more than two score are mermaids and another three score are captured longships. A powerful armed patrol would look completely normal. Say eight mermaids and perhaps six longships. Could we not disguise the mermaids to resemble escorted merchantmen until push comes to shove? That is if push comes to shove and it’s a big if, based on the intelligence we have.”

Dorvan added his weight to the argument.

“It would look like some sort of armed logistical convoy re-supplying one of their bases on the north Cambrian shore.”

Drustina considered the idea and the more she thought about it the more plausible it became. She voiced her thoughts.

“That would work as far east as the Aber Conwy. After that there are no large ports until Aber Dyfrdwy and that’s inside the
blockade. , Oh wait! There’s one, Aber Clwyd but the offshore sand banks stretch for several miles offshore and the tidal window is nought but a couple of hours, I suppose it could work; on second thoughts it could certainly work. Good thinking Hibernia!”
She turned to face Carl who looked considerably happier. He nodded slowly then shrugged and capitulated. Even he knew that this day was bound to come; the day his beloved Lioness had to really lay her own life and the lives of all her men on the line. It was war after all!

~~oo000oo~~