Drustina Briefly kidnaps the Bishop Brendon and his two theological supporters but she avoids using actual force or sword to cenvey her message that Queen Marag should be reinstated to her throne.

The Angry Mermaid 97
Or
Y Morforwyn Dicllon 97.

Because Drustina failed to stand as Queen Marag stepped towards her, the Celtic Queen rushed the last few steps and raised her arm in anger. Even before Carl, Udris or Gisela had realised she was threatening Drustina, the Lioness had anticipated some sort of attack and her sword appeared in her hand pointing straight at Marag’s breasts. The furious queen just managed to stop herself from running onto the blade. She screeched with fearful anger as she just managed to throw herself to the side and avoid impaling herself.

“Damn you! You presumptuous bitch, you have no right to sit there!”

With her sword slowly turning in her hand to reflect the sunlight and dazzle the queen, Drustina replied softly.

“I’ll sit where I damned well like and with whoever I like.”

Marag hesitated as she struggled to counter Drustina’s words.

“You have no right; that is a royal throne!”

“Then why weren’t you sitting on it when we entered this hall?”

“You have no right to ask that?”

Drustina shrugged.

“Why not?”

“You have no authority here!”

“Oh. Who does?”

Marag hesitated then spoke slowly.

“The ... the Bishops.”

“I see no bishops, in fact I saw nobody. Is this castle empty but for you?”

Marag stared transfixed at the sword as she admitted with a nervous swallow.

“Ulp! Yesss.”

“So why haven’t you tried to escape. Surely you could have used a rope or something and gone over the walls.”

“And where would I go? My face is known throughout the kingdom and there is a price if I try to escape.”

“A price! What crime have you committed?”

“None save that of being a woman and refusing to bow to the bishops’ power.”

“But you are the queen. This much I know. They have no authority over you. You are their sovereign. What did your soldiers do to protect you?”

“They fear the bishops’ god. They fear eternal damnation in the fires of hell.”

“But they are sworn to protect you, with their lives if they have to!”

“They are more afeared for their souls and the after-life. Eternal damnation in the fires of hell!” Marag repeated the sentence as though to emphasis the horror of such a fate.

Drustina snorted her disgust as Carl and Udris wagged their heads in disbelief. Gisela just stood gaping in puzzlement. The Lioness decided it was time to move forward and she saw a useful angle. If she could reinstate this disenfranchised sovereign on her throne she could win a good ally to her cause. Drustina knew from way back in her childhood that Munster was one of the richest and largest kingdoms in all Hibernia. It behoved the Lioness to move quickly and discover just how much power the bishops had accrued unto themselves and more importantly, how they had managed to do it.

She stood up and flipped her sword around to slip it easily into its scabbard with a well practised precision that once again told Marag that the Lioness was a swords-woman of some notable skill. The action also told Marag that this woman, this ‘Lioness’ was not somebody to be crossed or contradicted, leastways not with a sword.

‘If not a sword’ thought Marag; ‘then words perhaps’. Marag wondered hopefully.

‘Perhaps this warrior queen might yet listen to argument and reason. Perhaps she might yet persuade the Lioness woman that the bishops were very powerful and not to be messed with for they had supernatural powers.’

The Irish queen had yet to learn what powers the lioness possessed but she was right about one thing, Drustina always listened to reason. To move the issue forward, Drustina asked Queen Marag another question.

“Would you be prepared to accompany me to Corgheig and confront these bishops?”

“I have tried that, my men would not support me, they fear the bishops’ god.”

“Be assured lady. My men will support me. I have that certainty.”

“How can you know that? How can you possibly know what goes through the minds of your retainers? I thought I could trust my men.”

“Firstly dear lady, my men are not retainers, they are companions and they fight with me, beside me and behind me. We have been through many battles together and I know I can trust my men.”

“And what of the Viking girl, how can you possibly trust that brat?”

Gisela seethed at the term ‘brat’ but Drustina gently restrained her as she replied.

“Patience princess I’ll enlighten her presently and she will apologise for that insult... not now, not at the point of a sword, but later, willingly, voluntarily when she learns who her true friends are.”

Gisela glared at Marag and spat.

“She’d better or she’ll learn I can swing a sword as well. Not as well as you Lioness but well enough to split her royal belly.”

Marag squinted thoughtfully at the Viking girl and noted she spoke Brithonic though with the strange accent.

“If you have no Celtic blood why do you work with your sworn enemies?”

“I have my reasons! Yes; I am Viking, and royal Viking at that! Harald Cold-blood is my father! But I have my reasons for honouring this woman, this Lioness. Her title is well earned Irish Queen and you had best remember that... as I do!”

Drustina gently squeezed Gisela’s shoulder as both Carl and Udris chuckled softly.

“Thank you for that laurel Gisela but I can speak for myself if or when I have to. Now Queen Marag, your answer please. Would you be prepared to return to these bishops and argue your case again? This time with proper swordsmen and women at your back? Your case will be argued in words and law, not deception and cowardice but, the law will be enforced as needs be... and by me if necessary.”

“If law is to stand, my case is won. Can you enforce the law?”

“Yes. Of that you can be certain. I believe the law must stand as it did, or at least until an All-thing is called and the law mooted.”

“Those are Saxon words. Brethon law used to run here.” Marag lamented.

“In my land, Brithonic law was hammered out much the same as Saxon law. Wise elders thrashed out the law and scribes noted them down. However the law is made, it must be made with consent and agreement. Freely by both men and women. That was always the Celtic way.”

“It is not the way of these bishops. They bring customs as the Romans did and women are treated like so many cattle.”

Drustina nodded slowly. She knew all about Romans. The time had come to move on ... push had come to shove. She asked Marag again.

“Are you prepared to re-open your arguments with the bishops?”

“If you keep your promise to support me, how can I refuse?”

“Do you have a sword and have you any idea how to use it?”

Marag paused thoughtfully.

“I was shown some rudimentary strokes as a young woman but I was never required to use one in anger. My father’s law held the peace. I was only on the throne for a year before the bishops moved against me. I was not properly prepared.”

“So you appeared weak.”

Marag nodded disconsolately. “Yes.”

“And the Vikings were threatening.”

“Yes.”

“And the bishops blamed you for offending the one god simply by being a woman on the throne; I’ll wager they claimed the Vikings were a scourge sent by their one god.”

“Yes! How did you know that?”

“I didn’t have to,” Drustina replied, “I know how their twisted reasoning is bent to their advantage. They have ten rules and they break every one of them, even the fifth rule.”

Marag looked up startled by Drustina’s knowledge.

“You know of their commandments then? Their holy book?”

“Of course I do. ‘Know thine enemy’, and I count such bishops amongst my enemies. Come woman, if we are to resolve your injustices, we’d best be moving.”

Marag needed no more encouragement, she returned to her chamber and emerged buckling a very decorative but impractical sword around her slender waist. It lay awkwardly over Marag’s curvaceous hips and Drustina exchanged a grin with Gisela.

“Now you see girl why I use my shoulder scabbard. Look how her sword bounces with each swaying step. I see your hips are growing like that and that is why I taught you to use a shoulder scabbard. Queen Marag’s sword is little more than a fancy jewel but it will serve its purpose as a badge of office when we meet with these covetous bishops.”

Gisela grinned back and made a good fist of whipping her own sword out of its scabbard and brandishing a couple of capable strokes to demonstrate her newly learned skill. Her return was not as accomplished as Drustina’s but it served enough to enlighten Marag that the women in Drustina’s force were all expected to have skill with weapons. Having satisfied her own self esteem, Gisela approached Queen Marag and explained.

“I am here to serve as your lady in waiting and I will do that because the Lioness has asked me. I do it out of respect for my leader not out of servility to you. I am of royal blood in my own right!”

Drustina stepped in to stop further argument or delay.

“Right ladies, the tide does not wait for man or woman so we have to leave; NOW!”

The bickering stopped at Drustina’s shout and the two women did as required. There was no brooking the authority in Drustina’s order.
Drustina smiled and nodded to Carl who led the band back to the ships. Just as the sun passed its zenith Drustina’s flotilla landed against the stone jetty that served the city of Corgheig. Everybody noticed that the trading ships had been moored further up the quay; it was obvious Drustina’s arrival was anticipated. Drustina smiled with some satisfaction, if things went wrong, the bishops had played right into her hands by moving the Irish ships upstream to leave the main jetty clear. They had also revealed that they had some sort of plan in place otherwise they would not have moved all their ships up the quay to a place of relative safety.
As the moorings were secured, three men in red and white cloaks and mitred hats emerged from an unfinished church that was being erected on a prominent hill immediately behind the quay. They betrayed their intent by immediately approaching Carl on the obvious assumption that the largest man with the biggest sword was the obvious leader. The middle bishop spoke up.

“Welcome Saxon may the love of God go with you. What is your business here?”

Carl spoke softly as he nodded towards Drustina.

“You’d best speak to The Lioness gentlemen. She is the commander here.”

The three bishops turned as one with contemptuous sneers that quickly faded when they met a level pair of unflinching, cold grey eyes. The woman behind those eyes obviously had no intention of showing modesty or submission.

“Who are you?” Demanded the middle bishop who obviously appeared to be the spokesman.

“Who are you?” Asked Drustina.

“You do not question a man of the cloth woman, tell me your name.”

Drustina answered softly but the unflinching stare continued.

“My name is Drustina.”

“Drustina who?”

“I have given you my name, give me yours.”

“We work in the name of almighty God. “

“I gave you my name, now give me yours.”

While Drustina’s gaze never flinched or strayed, Carl, Udris and Heliox were casually casting about and they soon spotted several armed men seemingly watching casually. To a trained eye however they were readily betraying their function. They were glancing to their right and left obviously conveying some unspoken messages to more men hidden from site. Casually, Carl and Udris moved to positions that put the bishops in easy sword reach whilst blocking any potential arrow flight from the hidden ambush. Drustina noted the move and casually stepped to the side to also put the bishops between her and the same marksmen. Once the three were carefully repositioned, Heliox casually appeared to check a mooring rope as he cleverly positioned himself beside an upturned rowing boat thus rendering himself invisible to the observers. Drustina casually lowered her eyes as she asked for a third time.

“Your name Bishop; or I’ll have to force it from you.”

“How so woman. Do you think you have the strength?”

“Yes.” She replied as the gaze returned as hard as ever. “I do.”

The bishop gave a loud snort of contempt and stepped forward as if to seize the disrespectful wench before him. Drustina stepped back and the man readily presumed she was backing away in fear. Naturally he lunged forward to grab her and beat her but to his amazement a sword appeared in her hand and she swiped him flat-bladed across the shin as the blade then tripped his following leg and he tripped into the Angry Mermaid. He cursed loudly to his henchmen to attack but Gisela had already tossed Drustina’s bow and quiver of arrows up to the Lioness who immediately knelt behind the same upturned rowing boat. By now the other two bishops had recovered from their shock at their leader’s affront and they were drawing their swords in anger.

This fatal mistake gave Udris and Carl legitimate cause to strike like lightening as the two bishops stepped forward to punish the disrespectful bitch who had so humiliated their leader. Before they had even stepped either side of the upturned boat, they felt sword points jammed painfully into their backs and they immediately desisted. By this time Both Heliox and Drustina had bows drawn and pointing at the gathering crowd. On the three ships, many more bows were also drawn and covering various other avenues of approach or attack. On the quay it was a stand-off.

From her position behind her rowing boat Drustina ordered the other two bishops to join their leader in The Angry Mermaid. They readily obliged as the sword points encouraged them and soon all three bishops were gathered at the foot of the mainmast. Drustina joined them and once it was obvious the three bishops were captive, Carl, Udris and Heliox joined their respective ships. Within minutes all three ships were proceeding back down stream whilst the bishops’ arms-men were left seething with frustration on the quay. The ploy of mooring their own ships further up the quay served to compound their problems as they dashed upstream only to find their pursuit hampered by the falling tide. Several ships managed to get away before the tide fell too far but to do so they were carrying few men to pass clear of the upstream shallows. Once again Drustina’s foresight had won the day.
As she reflected on her success she smiled at Marag while the bishops gave her surly glares. Soon they were through Lough Mahon, through the narrows and out into the main harbour where they met with the rest of her force. The bishops stared uncomprehendingly at the two captured Viking longships and the fourth ‘Mermaid’ class vessel seemingly fishing just inside the Roches Point. Drustina followed their gaze and nodded towards the fourth Mermaid crewed by Althred.

“That’s our lookout gentlemen. We are ever alert!”

“How did you capture the guard ship?” demanded the leading bishop. It was the first time he’d spoken since being captured.”

Drustina smirked contemptuously.

“My mother told me never to speak to strangers.”

For a moment the bishop gaped uncomprehendingly then it filtered through that he still hadn’t declared his name.

“My name is Brendon!”

“Oh; a good Irish name. So how did you come by the power to dethrone a legitimate queen in her own realm?”

“She has no right to rule, she has not the power to rule. It is writ in the ...”

“Hold it right there holy man,” Drustina stopped him. “That first statement, ‘she has no right to rule’. I am quite familiar with Celtic law and Marag is fully entitled to rule. Firstly she has no brothers because her father sired no sons and secondly she is the first born. By Celtic law, be it Brethon or Brithonic law even Saxon law for that matter. Marag is the queen and can only lose that right if she is defeated in battle or killed, that is murdered or dies naturally.”

“Not according to holy scripture. St Paul says...”

Once again Drustina stopped him dead.

“I’m not interested in what St Paul says. Your prophet was a man called Jesus. What did Jesus say about women and their rights?”

Brendon fell silent. In his holy book Jesus said very little about women’s rights. Drustina waited a full minute for Bishop Brendon to elaborate but nothing was forthcoming. Eventually she pitched in herself.

“What does he say about earthly rulers, emperors and kings and things?”

Brendon remained silent. The only thing he could remember about his Lord's words concerning earthly rulers were the words Jesus had used to address the Jewish holy men who were trying to trap him. Drustina was also considering the same words and after Brendon had remained silent again Drustina pitched in.

“Didn’t this Jesus say something to those Jewish holy men when they were trying to trap him? What was it now; oh yes! ‘Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s’”

“That was about money!” Brendon protested.

“Uuhhm no. In the next sentence he says ‘Render unto God, that which is God’s.’ Was that about money?”

“Partly, you are twisting things!”

“No I’m not. Did he not also say it is easier for the camel to pass through the eye of the needle than it is for a rich man to enter heaven. Seems to me that this prophet wasn’t the least bit interested in money or any other earthly things if I remember rightly.”

“He is the saviour of souls if you follow him your soul will be saved.”

“Your soul, you say?”

“Yes. Eternal damnation awaits those that deny him.”

“What about the body.”

“Jesus is not concerned about the body.”

“What? Not at all.”

“I just told you he is the saviour of souls. Follow him and you will join with the one true God in heaven.”

“So he’s not interested in material things or the body, earthly things that is.”

“Only insofar as you follow his teachings.”

“And those teachings are to follow him, follow his teachings and your soul will enter heaven.”

“Yes.”

Can a dog’s soul or a horse’s soul enter heaven?”

“Of course not, God gave us souls that we would understand and follow Jesus’ teachings.”

“Do women have souls?”

Brendon could see where Drustina was going but he was already falling into the trap.

“Why I ... yes.”

“Of course they do,!” Drustina reinforced the Bishop’s words to nail the lie. “Of course they have souls, how can a woman give birth to a boy, or a man if she cannot translate his god-given soul via her body from God to her own baby? If this God of yours gives a man a soul, he must give it sometime at birth or when she is carrying the baby. If this holy spiritual thing you call a soul has to pass through the woman’s body then it stands to reason she must have her own soul to direct her baby’s soul.”

Brendon tried another desperate tack.

“The soul is passed via the man’s seed.”

“Oh, but I’ve heard you people preaching time and again that the joining of a man with a woman is a sinful act. ‘Conceived and born in sin I think you describe it.’ Do you think this God of yours would use a sinful act to convey such an all important gift. The very gift that you say is all important in separating men from the beasts. The very gift that enables them to understand, to know and therefore to worship this god of yours. Surely such a priceless and pure gift would not be granted through a sinful act.

Your God uses the UNION of a man and a woman to create life and endow it with a soul. That Godly union, clearly implies that your God considers both partners are EQUAL in that union. Your God has ordained it by creating this way of making life. Your prophet simply tells you to follow his example by loving one another; nowhere in your book, does your prophet discriminate against women.”

Brendon fell silent, the damned woman was turning all his theological interpretations on their heads. Drustina twisted the theological knife one more exquisite turn.

“I suggest you do as your own prophet says and follow him by rendering unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, ipso facto, render unto Marag, that which is Marag’s; namely her throne and her realm!

If you won’t, then I will for once, heed your prophet’s words, and do it for you, with the sword if necessary.”

“You have not the men to do that!”

“No but I have the serpent’s head, the unbeliever right here on my ship and at the mercy of my sword. If you preach blasphemy by your own tongue in contradiction of your own scriptures, I could easily defend myself using your own theological reasoning. What is it I hear your kind constantly screaming in hate ... death to the blasphemer! I can readily show that your have been spreading blasphemy by both thought and deed in denying this queen her right to her throne, her crown and her realm.”

She paused and waited for Brendon’s response. Nothing came immediately but eventually a grudging acceptance of the new status quo escaped reluctantly from his lips.

“You are a cunning bitch but I will accept your arguments. Where did you learn so much of our scriptures?”

Drustina wagged her head and turned to Carl.

“Tell him husband. I must go and speak to Althred, he must be tired of bouncing around off Roches point.”

While Drustina left, Carl patiently and somewhat patronisingly explained to Bishop Brendon that during her extensive travels, the lioness had spent time in the holy land discussing Holy Scriptures with both Christian and Jewish scholars. His narrative proved to be of interest to everybody aboard for the many adventures were every bit as interesting as the theological discussions he and his wife Drustina had shared.

When the Lioness returned the look-out duties were swapped and Udris had to take his turn rolling and pitching on the endless Atlantic seas while Drustina and the rest returned to Corgheig to re-instate Queen Marag.
The Populace as a whole were tired of the cant and subsequent corruptions ensuing from the theocratic oppression and Drustina’s act proved hugely popular. Needless to add that in so doing, Drustina achieved her own aims; namely to create a powerful ally to help when the time for war came.

~~oo000oo~~

Below is the Character list.

http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/44661/angry-mermaid-ch...