I'm still not sure whether to post this story as an ordinary story or a transgendered one.

Suggestions please.

So far I've written 17 chapters of None TG substance.

My gut feeling is to write Drustan up as intersexed insofar as he/she turns out to be a bilateral hermaphrodite.

Anyway, here goes nothing.

Beverly.

The Angry Mermaid.
Or.
Y Morforwyn Dicllon.
List of characters.

Mabina. The youngest daughter and Twin to
Drustan Her twin brother.
Grandpa Erin The twins grandfather.
Giana The twins grandmother
Caderyn The twins father.
Morgaran The Twins oldest brother.
Aiofe The twins oldest sister. Famous for her beauty.
Tara The twins second oldest sister. Famous for her grace.
Feidlim Twins aunt (Caderyns’ beautiful sister.)
Mogantu Twins uncle (Married to Feidlim.) Chief of the Gangani tribe.
Brun. Twins 2nd cousin and the Acaman clans’ blacksmith.
“Feorin. Twins second brother.

Drustan and Mabina followed eagerly in their grandparent’s footsteps through the cool glades of the forest. It was always a relief for the twin brother and sister to escape the arduous duties of the little village where their family had built boats for generations.

Normally they had to work as ‘go-fors’ to their older brothers and cousins as wood and tar was carried to the building shores where the wooden ships were built.

Today, Drustan was being taken by his grandfather deep into the forest to learn about timber while Mabina was accompanying her beloved grandmother to learn yet more about the many herbs the tribe used as medicines, food preservatives and in their particular family’s case, wood preservatives.

The grand-parents had been walking several hours while the twins skipped and gambolled through the glades occasionally stopping at some unusual specimen to ask either grandparent what the tree or herb was and if it was useful. Invariably the answers added to the children’s bottomless knowledge banks as grandmother or grandfather often demonstrated some property of the herb or tree that as often as not had some bearing on their family’s ship building skills or reputation as healers.

Theirs’ was the Acaman family of the Celtic Gangani tribe who occupied the Island of Mon and the peninsular that ran parallel to its Southern shore including the high mountains that isolated their little land from the main country and protected it from invasion by land. They were not a large family but they were a successful one for their skills brought them much respect. Many visitors came to their little village either to buy ships or seek treatment from the older women of the village. The family was well loved and well respected amongst the Celts of that ancient land.

Then the Romans had come with their war and their iron. Fortunately the family’s shipbuilding skills had enabled them to trade with the Romans instead of having to fight them. The lands the Gangani tribe occupied were mainly mountain and forest except for some flatter land on the Island of Mon. The Romans’ main objective had been to destroy the Druid priests and this they had done with brutal efficiency. When the Romans had come, the Acaman family had provided ships and men as best they could to help their Celtic king defend their land against the Roman onslaught but it was all to nought. The Romans were just too well trained and well armed. They were not interested in the Gangani tribes’ poor farmland but they were keen to destroy the rebellious druidic traditions and get their hands on the rich copper and silver lodes that lay under the Paris Mountain to the north. The miners of Mon were closely related to Drustan and Mabina’s family and they traded constantly between each other. Indeed the leaders of their tribes were brothers in law.

Drustans’ father Caderyn was brother to Feidlim the wife of Mogantu the mining chief. Drustan and Mabina had often sailed with their older brothers to visit their aunt Feidlim to deliver a new ship for trading the copper ore and metal far and wide. On these short trips both Drustan and Mabina had honed their seafaring skills as their older brothers indulged them. Indeed Mabina the nimble little beauty whom all the brothers knew would grow to be a great beauty like her Aunt Feidlim, and her older sister Aiofe, was treated like a little princes. Each time they arrived at the north shore of Mon with a new ship the two youngest twins were always made royally welcome by their cousins and their aunt while the older brothers celebrated with their uncle and older cousins. It was always a joyous occasion for the families to meet.

Now that the Romans had returned whence they came it was an idyllic life for the young twins. It was that brief period in Celtic British history after the departure of the oppressive Romans and just before the arrival of the brutal sea raiders from the north.
That particular morning however, it was an ‘open air’ school lesson for the twins.

Grandmother took Mabina under her wing and showed her the herbs and their properties while grandfather showed Drustan the secrets of the forest and the husbandry the family had used for generations to maintain secure and reliable sources of good wood. He showed him how and where to replant oak and pine and yew and ash to get the best yields of timber for future generations. He showed Drustan the secret map known only to the family that marked off the best soils for growing the right sorts of timber and what timber was planted where. Indeed the Acaman family probably knew more about trees and growing them than the few remaining druid priests who still secretly gave the family spiritual guidance despite the Roman efforts to inculcate the Celts with their supposed values of one god and some man who had supposedly died for everybody’s’ sins.

Even Mabina and Drustan could see that the spirits of the forest, (their forest,) had to be understood and nurtured to make the trees grow straight and true or curved and tough to provide wood for the splendid ships their family built. Provided the Acaman family nurtured the spirits and pleased Erecura the earth goddess, then the trees would continue to grow. Provided they also pleased Abanob the goddess of the rivers and the forests then their shipbuilding lifeblood would continue to flow. Forests, shipbuilding and herbs were the familys’ lifeblood. Provided the relevant spirits of the earth, the water and the forests were pleased, they believed they would prosper.

And prosper they did for another reason the Acaman clan didn’t understand.

As ship-builders, the family’s sons and daughters travelled far and wide in trade as they delivered ships and brought back brides and even the occasional groom. The Acaman family did not suffer the strictures of inbreeding caused by poor communications that afflicted some of the other inland tribes. The Acaman daughters were noted for their beauty, grace, wisdom and learning while the men were known as strong, tall, handsome and well travelled, which also meant well educated.

One could not visit the many parts of Britain and even Europe without learning much of others and bringing back new secrets through trade. Naturally they also brought back news and sadly the news of late had not been good.
Great ships had been seen coming from the north. Ships full of men seeking land and wealth; - men seeking brides and slaves, men seeking to better their lot and mainly by the sword.

The visits had started as trade at first. Single ships or sometimes two, had visited lands far from their own mountainous homes, men seeking to trade but also casting covetous eyes about them as they strutted through the rich markets.

Trade they did. Travellers from far places always had something of interest to the local populace. Indeed the Acaman ship-building family had learned many of their secrets through exactly the same instruments of travel and trade. An exchange of a copied sea chart for a new method of smelting iron or bronze was exactly how they had spread their ship-building reputation and brought those secrets and learning back to Lleyn and the Island of Mon.
Now two of the older brothers brought more disturbing news.

“I’m afraid war is coming father.” Morgaran reported to Caderyn.

“Then we must re-forge our alliances with the Deceangai and the Ordovice.”

“Yes, strong armies, but these raiders are clever father. They use fleets of ships and strike before defences can be ordered.
Smaller towns are overwhelmed, put to flame and our daughters taken while the few men fight. They destroy communities by killing the men but worse by stealing the women. Without women a nation cannot grow.”

“Well, the organisation of armies we must leave to the tribal chiefs, but none know better of ships than us. We can build ships to defend ourselves; we can meet them at the doors of Madog, front and back.”

“I’ve seen their ships father. Their warships are fast and powerful.”

“We could build better I’m sure.”

“Yes father. We could easily build better, bigger and faster ships, but who would crew them? And could we build enough of them in time. They arrive in fleets of sometimes forty or even more ships. My sources were refugees from the Corvani tribe far to the north. Their towns were smashed in a morning by a fleet of twenty who had sailed through a storm to do it. These raiders are wild but they are every bit as good as seafarers as we of the Acaman clan. And there are thousands of them, all armed for war. They are desperate men.”

“Desperate for what?”

“Land father,- and brides, - and slaves, then they don’t always return to their own lands. Sometimes they stay and enslave the men, while the women are taken, forcibly. The Robogdii and the Cruithin are arming for war.”

“Why should we help the Robogdii they are nothing but pirates themselves, charging taxes to pass the northern channel.”

“Yes, but it’s the lesser of two evils I’m afraid. If they can maintain a fleet large enough, they can perhaps deny the raiders passage into our waters. We will have to help them and build warships.”

“Warships!! By the sword of Cnab, who will bloody pay for warships?”

“If we don’t help them father we will eventually be next. These raiders are almost unstoppable.”
Drustan listened attentively at his father’s feet as the older men debated what to do. Even the women folk held court for they contributed their equal but different parts to the family’s commonweal. Mabina listened nervously at their grand mothers’ feet as the arguments washed back and forth. Eventually, after much heart searching, messengers were sent to the Robogdii and the Cruithin and the Epidii on the Caledon side of the North Channel. Asking for financial help and crews to man the ships that the Acamans were prepared to build.

Reality can be a great leveller of egos and the agreement was quickly reached. For a year the extra Cruithin, Epidii and Robogdiian men were sent to Lleyn to learn more of ships and sailing. They also cut the trees and Drustan’s Grandfather shed many a tear as he watched precious trees that he had been nurturing for the future cut down too soon to serve the desperate needs of the present. He turned tearfully to the boy.

“There my boy, there’s the lesson; those trees were to serve you and your children’s children but needs must or we are all done for. The wood must be cut before it is really ready to build warships which are a waste. War is ruinous!”

“I’ll plant some more grandfather. Mabina and I will plant the seeds tomorrow.” Durant offered.

The old man hugged the boy and wagged his head.

“Of course you will my child, of course you and Mabina will and it is an excellent thing that you and your sister do, but I’m a feared that all continuity is lost. There will be a dearth of good timber for a hundred summers. Where is Mabina by the way?”

“She’s with grandma in the herb glades.”

“And what will become of your sisters if we are overwhelmed?”

Durant shuddered, he had heard the elders talk of things but he did not understand the words. He had readily garnished the fear such words wrought amongst both his elders and his older siblings, especially his sisters. The grandfather looked down at Durant and wagged his head fearfully.

‘If all else failed, he must at least put these two safe. Of all his grandchildren, and there were many for the family prospered, Durant and Mabina had proven to be by far the sharpest and smartest in a family that survived and prospered by its skills and learning.

‘Yes’, the old man reflected nervously, ‘the twins were something special,’ both he and his wife had realised this as they took them on more and more ‘educational walks’ into the forest.

Later that afternoon as they returned to the village the old man turned to his beloved wife.

“Giana, these grand-twins of ours are special you know.”

“Yes dear I know. Even if Durant is so small he is clever and fast and light, he might not grow to be tall and strong like his brothers but he can handle a small sword every bit as well. While Mabina is so nimble and pretty. And they both understand letters and numbers already.”

“Who taught them letters and more importantly, who taught them numbers?”

“That Roman priest taught them letters when he stayed here two summers ago but the moor who stayed last summer for a full year to share mutual secrets taught them numbers. You remember Aoife brought him back from the Frankish voyage and he stayed the whole winter. Aiofe wants to marry him and he was very attracted to her. She was very impressed with his numbers but she didn’t have the opportunity to learn like the little ones. She understands some of them but the twins have much more.

I would say one of the moor’s greatest gifts was to teach the twins numbers, and I confess they are strange numbers. They are much more powerful than the priests’ Roman numbers. That old priest is a fraud for he calls Mabina and Durant’s numbers the devils work but they get answers much quicker.

“Well here’s a thought. If these sea raiders do break through, we could offer Aiofe’s hand to the moor. I was very enamoured of him for he was a scholarly man as well as a skilled swordsman. He would make a fine husband for Aiofe and she would be safe; far away from these raiders. Best of all they both like each other; I’m not blind dear Giana.

“If we are beaten by these raiders, these twins must become the repository of our family’s secrets you know, ships and herbs.”

“And so we must protect them, that is what you’re thinking isn’t it?”

Old grandfather Erin sighed and nodded as the children returned laughing from the stream whilst struggling to hold a huge, sparkling thrashing salmon that was almost their equal in strength and size.

“By Acamna’s hair! Who caught that?” Grinned Giana anticipating a delicious meal that evening. The water Goddess Acamna had obviously smiled on the twins!’

“We both did!” Squealed Durant as the huge fish thrashed violently again and bounced onto the bluebells of the forest floor as it escaped both children’s arm-locks.”

The twins squealed excitedly again and both dived on the fish. Grandpa Erin took a thick stumpy stick and beat the fish once on the head. It fell still and Mabina struggled to lift it correctly by the gills as she had been previously shown. The fish was so big she failed. Then she explained.

“We trapped it in a pool then moved some big stones and drained the pool.”

“It was easy. Mabina trapped it under her foot and I grabbed it by the tail. Then we both flung it onto the bank. Like Ur the bear.” Smiled Durant.

Mabina’s smile spread joyously. ‘It was nice of her twin brother to share the glory; her older brothers and even her older sisters would never have included her part for they rarely gave Mabina credit for anything.

Mabina loved her twin and he loved her for they shared everything.

Grandfather Erin fashioned a pole with his valuable iron knife and the twins proudly bore the huge fish back to the fortified village and shipyard.

The news in the village was dark. News had come that black sails had been spotted in the northern channel. They had already smashed their way past the Cruithin and Robogdii fleets.

Work stepped up apace to get the first four ships ready and within the week the Acaman clan were desperately trying to teach their northern Celtic guests to be sailors, they were already hardened soldiers. Their main problem was that which faced navies throughout history. How to find the competent captains for the ships without upsetting the sentiments of the nobles amongst their guests. In this they had one particularly potent device.

The Acaman daughters were every bit as skilled as their brothers in seamanship and ship handling. It was an ignominious training lesson for any pompous self important noble to have his ship outmanoeuvred by any one of the Acaman girls, including the girl child Mabina of but ten summers. The lessons were quickly learned after that and within a fortnight the little Acaman fleet of but eight ships put forth bravely to see what damage they could limit.

They joined with some allies from the Deceangli, the Setantii and the Novantae tribes but the other Celtic ships were little more than trading ships taken up for an emergency defence and there was no way that the little flotilla could ever hope to destroy the Norse raiding fleet. The Celtic trading ships were but bluff fat tubs whose sea-keeping qualities were paramount. The best they could do was to provide a sea train of logistics to supply the little Acaman ships as they played cat and mouse with the powerful Norse fleet. The Acaman ships being very much the mice.

The one good thing however was that they hampered the ambitions of the Norsemen who had expected little or no opposition throughout the Celtic Sea after having smashed their way passed the only perceived obstacle, namely the pirate fleets of the Cruithin and Robogdii tribes. Several small but very violent skirmishes taught the Viking raiders to respect the fast light craft who always kept a safe distance whilst shooting arrows down on the more heavily armed Viking ships and men.
In the only incidence of one of the Viking war ships actually reaching an Acaman ship they had the most unpleasant experience of meeting with a boat-load of angry bitter Cruithin and Robogdii men who had felt humiliated by the Viking breakthrough of the north channel and their not having been there to help their brothers. The Vikings suddenly found themselves confronted not by some frightened half-hearted crew of pressed men but a whole hornet’s nest of enraged Celts. The upshot was that because of the speed and manoeuvrability of the Acaman boats they managed to cut out this particular Viking longboat as night closed in. Because of their better local knowledge, dawn came to find the Norse fleet one ship short and not a Celtic sail in sight.

Forced to reconsider their strategy, the Vikings decided to cut short the Viking expedition for that summer and return the next year. For the Celts and particularly the Acaman family it had been a successful holding action but a concerted action was needed by all the tribes and the Roman occupancy had left bitter feuds amongst the Britons. Nevertheless, news of the modest success of the Gangani tribe, small as it was, at least brought some hope to the Celtic tribes who bordered the Sea. A modest force was gathering at the doors of Madog and six more ships were a'building while many lessons were being learned about the captured Viking Long-boat.

The Acaman family were reluctantly forced to conclude that despite having the skills to reproduce another like it, even better than it, they didn’t have sufficient wood. Tall pine trees were scarce in their lands but tough, oak grew in abundance. Their ships would have to continue being small, light and manoeuvrable. At least the oak timbers made their little ships much stronger and this would prove to be a rude awakening for the next Norse raiders. The little Celtic warships could put a lot more sail loading on the hard oak fittings and they could fight in a much rougher seaway. One thing they did learn from the Viking longship was that the Viking oars made the ships virtually invincible in calm summer seas and the high narrow prows were excellent for cleaving the waves. To address these clear advantages that the long ships had, the Acaman ships were out before winter was over, scouring the mountainous stormy seas for any sign of Norse sail. And this time they were prepared to fight.

Lessons had been well learned and meritous proven captains were now available from the first season of battle.

As the winter storms turned to spring gales and finally to summer breezes and zephyrs, the Viking war ships finally arrived from their northern lairs. It was time to gather the Celtic fleet and once again adopt the same tactics as the Norse raiders used, namely hit and run

In winds of any force the Celtic ships proved faster and handier so the Tribesmen knew they had the advantage when it came to maintaining patrols and possible attacking a Viking longboat on its own but the Vikings had learned their lessons as well. Although they split their fleets they never split them up too small. The Celts rarely encountered a Viking squadron of less than ten ships.

The only choice of battle the Celts had was to stalk the Viking fleets and monitor them until they attacked a town or city. Then, while the raiders were ashore, the Celtic ships could sweep in, attack the undermanned longboats and escape again but even this tactic was eventually nullified. The Vikings ceased going on small raids and only attacked in force. The massed ranks of the whole fleet would attack the town while the crews of only half the ships went ashore on the raids. Several longboats would stand off with oars at the ready to fend off any forays by the Acaman designed boats. The Celtic boats were reduced to ‘snapping at the heels’ of the Viking longships while there was always the terrible threat of a longboat breaking out of the defensive wall and snatching a Celtic boat that had strayed too close. Men with oars over a short dash could easily capture a sailing ship forced to work close hauled. However if a long ship did ‘break out’ it also ran the risk of falling foul of the ‘angry bees’. It was something of a ‘Stale mate’ but at least the patrolling Celtic ships enabled towns and cities under threat to garnish advanced warnings of the Viking proximity and get their women folk ‘into the hills.’