Drustina completes her 'Tour of Inspection' of the Saxon and Mercian realms then makes preparations to espy the western Celtic seas and realms to ascertain what can be done to thwart the growing Norse threat.

The Angry Mermaid 92
Or
Y Morforwyn Dicllon 92.

After Sonala’s wedding celebrations were eventually completed Drustina and Althred returned to Sotona where they commenced preparations for Drustina’s departure to the Celtic sea. The plan was to circumnavigate the toe of Dumnoniia and enter Celtic waters a few weeks after mid-summer, ideally before the 7th month of July was completed. Her plan was to call at as many Dumnoniian and Cambrian townships as the weather allowed. She was taking four of her fastest ships with Carl and Althred as her lieutenants. The more she could teach them of the Celtic Sea the better it would be for any plans or battles that would invariably ensue when she commenced her August Tactics against Viking traders up and down the Celtic sea and the Scottish islands. Her intention was to send a loud message to the Norsemen that the west was no longer theirs’ to treat as their own private fiefdom.

In preparation for Drustina’s expedition she spent a week with Althred out on the waters around Ynys Wit and demonstrated just what the Angry Mermaid was capable of. He was impressed and said so when they returned to meet Carl on the quay at Sotona. He had been in long talks with Ethelred and Edrinor about plans to deal with the Viking threat.
Althred was glad to see the Saxon and he leapt ashore to chat enthusiastically.

“Drustina’s ship, The Angry Mermaid, her speed is unbelievable and the punishment she withstands, ‘tis scarce to be described. Thrice I thought we were done for as she slammed into a wave at a speed that would have shattered the timbers of a longboat, Norse or Saxon!”

As Carl just smiled enigmatically, Drustina explained.

“It’s the wood Althred; ‘Derwen Cymraeg’ or Welsh Oak to you. The tree is very slow growing for the soil is poor, the climate harsh and the altitude high were the mountain winds test and bend and twist the tree even as it grows. The tree must compensate for this cruel treatment thus the grain of the wood is as close and tight as any you’ll find. Take a piece that’s been seasoning for five years or more and you’ll scarce drive an iron nail into it. Weight for weight it is one of the toughest and most enduring woods there is. The great irony is this, to work such wood a shipwright needs the hardest sharpest iron in the box and only in the very north of Svenland does the best such iron lie. The Norsemen are too dumb to realise they have the best iron right on their doorstep. So rich is the ore that even the very rock from which it is torn is attracted to the Norse goddess Freya whose wondrous lights set the northern skies on fire. I showed you that lode-stone that always pointed to Freya’s eye. The iron to work the Mermaid’s timbers came only from such a stone. There is magic we do not understand right throughout the Mermaid’s bones.”

“Such Magic must make men affeared.” Althred hazarded.

“Why should they be affeared? I worked with such magic as you call it when I built this ship as a child, it never harmed me. Once my land is returned to me, I’ll work with it again so do not call me a sorceress. There is no evil in this ship or her captain. Not all magic is evil.”

For want of better knowledge, Althred was forced to accept Drustina’s wisdom.

‘After all,’ he told himself, ‘she is half man and half woman herself. There could be no stranger being throughout all Christendom.’

In thoughtful silence he followed Carl and Drustina as they chatted about Ethelred’s ideas to meet the Viking invaders at a time and place of Saxon choosing. Drustina nodded then intimated that she would speak privately with Ethelred. She accepted Ethelred’s ideas about battle tactics but she had a strategy that was every bit as vital to victory as all of Ethelred’s training and preparation.

For the present, she kept her battle plan firmly in her own head. Even Carl and Althred were precluded until she had sounded out the degree of Ethelred’s commitment to fight a major battle outside his own kingdom. The Wirral peninsular technically lay in Edrinor’s realm while the giant fortress of Deva was almost a self-governing entity insofar as it survived essentially by denying Vikings sea-born access to the rich lush plains of the County Palinate of Cheshire. The garrison however was costly and thus required the farmers and peasants of those plains to contribute to the supply and support of the men in Deva. Fortunately the Mercians and Saxons who depended on Deva’s might for protection were more than willing to deal with the fortress city for it secured their peace from Irish and Norse attacks.

Realising that Deva was a lynch pin to securing victory in the North West Drustina had formulated her plan to repel the Vikings.
The Saxons and Mercians would have to trap the Viking Army in a small area like say the Wirral peninsular and force them to stand either with their backs to the sea on any one of three sides or trapped against the ramparts of the mighty Roman fortress of Deva. On these tactics Drustina had based her plan and it required good co-operation from Ethelred’s forces.

Two days after leaving Carl and Althred to supervise military training for all of Ethelred’s forces in Sotona, Drustina at long last managed to get the Wessex king alone in his Winchester palace.

It was the night that Edrinor had finally decided to return to Nottingham after drinking deep of Ethelred’s hospitality.
That evening Drustina found Ethelred in his chancery ruefully counting the cost of the royal wedding and the subsequent hospitality. She approached softly as he lay bent over the books; so softly that she startled him when she spoke.

“Costly business?” She asked softly.

Ethelred lurched backwards with fright before he realised it was his finest ally.

“God forbid Drustina! You startled me!”

Drustina chuckled as she apologised.

Sorry Eth’ I would have thought the cost of all these celebrations might have startled you more.”

Ethelred sighed and wagged his head.

“By god you are not wrong! Those Mercian’s know how to celebrate, just look at these figures.”

“I’ll wager your own Saxons can compare with them. I saw plenty of booze pouring down plenty of necks this last month or so.”

“Not down mine you didn’t. It wouldn’t have been fair on my new bride.”

Drustina’s eyes widened with admiration.

“Well I’m very glad to hear of that Your Majesty, it’s not many grooms who’ll consider their bride’s wishes even on the nuptial night.”

“My mother warned me, no bride likes her groom coming to the bed drunk and incapable.”

“Very wise words Eth and my respect for you has increased commensurately. But enough of your wedding night, you and I have other considerations, namely the Viking threat from the north.”

Ethelred sighed.

“Yes, I know, everybody knows they have designs on the south and centre of this island. I know that the inevitable war is going to cost me dear? Have you any further thoughts?” He asked.

Drustina paused as she debated how to put her ideas to Ethelred.

“Well, I don’t think they’re going to attack immediately; not for a year anyway. But I’m sure you will be facing a battle if not a war within two years.”

Ethelred nodded with a sigh.

“Aaaahhyye! On that I think we can both agree, what are your thoughts about dealing with them?”

Drustina smiled inwardly. ‘At least the man was prepared to listen’ she thought. After considering the way forward she presented her ideas.

“I think I have a plan that might firstly give you time to prepare and secondly spread the cost so as to reduce the financial burden.”

Having just lamented the cost of his wedding, Ethelred was more than prepared to look at any plan that might reduce the costs to his exchequer. he looked at Drustina quizzically.

“This sounds as though you’ve thought about things more than most. My earls and lieutenants just never seem to realise the cost of war. They are full of bombast and swagger but they never realise that these campaigns cost money.

It’s refreshing to hear ideas from somebody who has obviously had to count the cost of war. That is something of a relief for me because all my earls talk of is your military prowess; they never think of your other qualities. You are sensible Drustina and I need good advisors around me at this difficult time. So what do you propose?”

Drustina laid out her plan in stages firstly to allow the Wessex king to digest it all and secondly to elicit objections.

“Well firstly, we have to buy time. Edrinor might be our Ally but he is hopelessly ill-equipped to conduct any naval campaign so I’m afraid that is down to us. Basically, we can delay the Norsemen if we can weaken their holdings to the North of Deva. That is above a line joining the Deevus Estuary to the Umbre estuary.”

“Go on; I’m with you so far, how do you intend to achieve it?”

“We start a campaign of attrition and piracy in the Celtic seas. I choose that area because I know the waters well and I can expect good support from my fellow Celts; that is Cambrian, Hibernian and Manx.

Once we have disrupted trade, just as the Vikings did; then that forces Harald Cold-blood, King Constin of Scotia and Forden of Hibernia to act to defend themselves. If they don’t we will have re-opened the sea route to Deva down the estuary of the Deevus and that adds both to our economic and military capabilities.”

“Can you do that Lioness? Have we ships enough?”

“I don’t know yet. That is why I wish to sail to the Celtic sea now. I need firstly to assess their defences and preparations and secondly to evaluate what support the Celts can offer me. Any assistance they can give will ultimately help you.”

“Is this not a bit late in the year to start your campaign? I know it’s high summer now, but by the time you get organised in those waters, autumn will be upon us then you won’t have much time. The storms will seriously hamper your activities.”

Drustina nodded slowly and smiled knowingly.

“The storms are an essential part of my plan. The mermaid class of ships are infinitely better equipped to handle the western seas and their great waves. I have sailed those waters since childhood. The seaworthiness and seeking qualities of the Mermaid class ships will enable our campaign to outlast any longship activities by at least a month, possibly two. I’m depending on that to enable me to sail freely on the Celtic sea when the longships have difficulty setting sail from harbour. The weather will be rough I grant you, and conditions will be brutally hard for my crews but that’s something they and I will have to endure. Besides, it will make seamen of them.

If I fail and the storms overwhelm me, then I will be dead or captive; you will have to make your own alternative plans.”

“I’m not sure I can afford to lose you. Can you not send your commanders Carl and Heliox in your stead?”

“They have never sailed those waters. In truth Eth, nobody from my fleet has ever sailed those waters. I am alone in this for only I have the knowledge. Furthermore, whilst my Celtic countrymen would almost certainly follow me, I think they would be loath to follow a Saxon. You would be hard put to forge an alliance with the Celts, too much has gone before.”

Ethelred nodded resignedly. The Lioness’s words were simply too true.

Having mostly convinced the Wessex king that her plan was sound, she then set about beating out the details. The most important item being the establishment of good lines of communication. They spent an afternoon creating a code for locations, salient features, headlands, tidal conditions and other important aspects like weather conditions and conditions of readiness in various Viking strongholds like Bael ar y Claidd before finally retiring for dinner. The following day they completed their arrangements and two days later Drustina set sail to the west with four of her best Mermaid class ships and her most reliable commanders namely Carl, Heliox and Althred. She also took along Harald Cold-blood’s daughter Gisela after reasoning there might be some occasion when the girl’s presence might serve some advantage.

~~oo000oo~~