Dear reader, I hope you enjoy my first bit of righting, as It is my first go at it. The characters speak a Scottish dialect so loosely read over the misspelled words and it will sound a bit more 'Scottish' in your head. I am pulling inspiration from the book 'Wee Free Men' by Terry Pratchett. ( I highly recommend that book ) I am a history buff, and a mythology fanatic so I'm going to try to bring light to a few of the beliefs of the Celtic people ( as this story takes place in a time before Christianity).
The sea foam jumped in the air at the bow of the boat .
It was scattered by the wind like the sea was torn by the bow of the wooden ship.
A woman stood at attention.
More steadfast then the wooden bear head that bit at the cresting waves,she looked on ahead.
Her shoulders square under a dark green cloak , the hood over her head.
A great red mane framed a pail face and wolf like eyes.
The chilling sea spray beaded on her face.
Her gaze forward searching.
Her emerald blue eyes hard on the fog as the wind swirled it around the boat.
Monstrous figures moved behind the vale of mists, like fish move under the water.
She was in every way the strong warrior her clan was known to produce.
Her father was the Bear King and it would be a grave mistake to believe she, even as the 'Cub' she was,would not be just as fierce.
The woman knew ,there, in the fog, lurking like eels in the loc's were laughing villain's.
Murderous armies , destroyers of families , villages. they slipped through the water with ease and silence like the great worms they were
This thought made her curl her top lip slightly like a wild animal.
she clenched her teeth and gripped the shield she held upright beside her.
The shield bore the same mark as the rest of the shields on the ship ; a great black bear.
Then listening to the groaning of the wood on the water she dropped her shoulders and gave out a sigh,
Unheard even to her own ears , as the winds whipped up a howl.
Someone was watching her and the woman turned from a warrior ready for battle to a calm commander once again.
Realizing she was tense in anger she forced her muscles to relax.
One of her brothers , who had his own red mane stepped out of the thick fog behind her.
He was watching her for some time and she was aware of it.
Arms crossed he leaned his hip on the side of the ship.
A dimple marked a side of his face as he gave her a half smile she could feel on her skin , though her eyes stayed forward.
They could scarcely see the masts in the suffocating fog, and it seemed like they were the only ones on this ship,
But the truth was the sailors were catching some sleep in unrecognizable lumps under thick furs Scattering here and there.
So the silence was betrayed by many listening ears.
The red haired woman leaned her head to one side and looked to her brothers direction slightly as if saying
' I know your there, what is it.'
All three of her triplet brothers had glinting eyes that gave away their intelligence, and without a doubt Harris knew what she was thinking.
" Goin' to defeat them all by ye'self , ?"
Harris watched his sister unmoved to his words .
He pushed off the wooden ship and arms still crossed he stepped beside her, hands grabbing the rail of the boat and looking up at the calm pillar of a woman.
Like a crow would with one eye he softly cawed up at her.
" Be care'ful what ye' wish fur "- that got a reaction
Harris knew just what to say to push her to a sharp word in retaliation.
Their mother would say that all the time.
She caved , she turned and looked into his eyes breaking her concentration with the sea.
It was enough to chill Harris to the bone, yet he smiled up at her.
Harris lacing his fingers like a man who played a good chess game, waited.
And he was rewarded , her voice was not that of a warrior ,for it was not harsh , it was always lyrical or full of emotion.
Today it played to him like a lullaby.
" Aye H'ardly wish for anything anymore brother, you know that."
She looked back at the waves distantly but not defeated.
"How can anyone be thinking about wishin' these days?"
Harris heard her and bobbed his head in non-confident agreement.
"Aye, I guess your right Princess "
He knew she hated that tittle , and his eyes spied another twin boat gliding beside them in the fog. Half of the best and bravest of Dunbroch were heading north , passing the lakes to the lands of Clan Dingwall, where there would be a clan meeting. From there they would go north still to clan MacGuffin.
" Tho' i don't h'av any doubt that a certain black haired laddie will be 'a wishin to see you , sooner then latter."
He could not contain his laughter and giggled at his own joke . The Princess gave him an un-amused look.
Many years ago it seemed, the Princess then 16 years of age, hosted three clans in order for a champion to bid for her hand. Unfortunately for the suitors she was her own champion and not only secured her freedom from marriage but her title of warrior. No doubt the bards would have plenty to sing about his sister, and a pang of jealousy sounded in his chest, but was silenced by his love for her. That was 8 years ago, Harris was only 7 then. But he remembered. He was the sharpest one out of the lot of triplets.
Thinking about that day of the tournament he looked upon the waves dreamily. The siblings stood in silence watching over the front of the ship. The red haired warrior beside him was 24 years of age now and she turned away any and every relationship since that day. Harris believed she would never tie a Knot with a man. Not because she was apposed to love.
'No', he thought , ' there just isnegh (is not) and man that can hold on to her.' He was very right as Harris always was. Even at 15 he was wise beyond his years.
Soon they would be in the Northlands , soon there would be a battle. But not today , today his sister stood at the helm of there ship as if it would carry them faster on their way.
'Soon' he smiled , looking at her. They would be shoulder to shoulder ; Harris, Hubert, Hamish and his sister ,but what would protect them then? The threat of the northern invaders was on all of their minds.
He sighed
"What do y'e think mum is doing? Your going to put her in an early grave making her worry the way you did , comming along on the ships. "
"Harris ," Merida turned to her brother
" Since you were small enough to swim in a soup pot I'av been lookin after y'e and the two devils you call your brothers. If you think i would let my brothers and Da' (dad) go..."
"She took his shoulder in her hand ,she was serious . Merida did not have to say any more , once his sister made up her mind you would seldom change it.
"We all know I ha've every right to be here, Mum can take care of Dunbroch I would only be 'a pacein a hole in the floor if i stayed , besides you wee devils are the ones who will put her in that grave, i h'av no doupt, come-on lets go find a meatpie for your gob. "
She cracked a half smile and pushed her brother in front of her though he outgrew her by almost a foot . The years made Merida's brothers grow tall as pines, though still, they all were shadowed by the Bear King.
It was a few hours before noon even though the weather made telling the time misleading. Men stirred from the boat and the sails filled, the fog lifted slightly and as Merida looked around her she saw the many ships that a few hours ago were hidden by the grip of fog.
For the first time in many years they moved to defend their lands,Bear headed ships sailing north.
150 yards out on another ship, a red headed beardless man gave a sly smile and gave a single wave over to her own ship. The Triplets were broken up among the ships, as no ship ( but mostly the crew ) could bare them all together or all at once.
Merida dusted off her hands covered in pastry crumbs on her cloak and held her hood up over her head against with winds tugging fingers. Her father was on one of those ships , and he, like her mother had no idea she was boarded.
The sky darkened...
Harris stood up , Merida looked into the darkened sky the fog making it very difficult to see even the clouds above them . It was noon ,something was wrong ,very wrong.
The men on the ships murmured and grew pale. Superstition ran rampted through the men. They wondered if the blue men in the waters had come to drown them.
Merida climbed the main mast as the men on the ship stood in awe , there was a glow on the shore bright enough to shine through the fog. Suddenly a stink filled the winds just as Merida saw that it in fact; was not a dragon sleeping on the shore , as the men whimpered on about.
It was a fire , more specifically, it was, what was left of a village.
Lumps of wood floated in the calm waters , the distant crackly of a great fire was more clear now .
as the wind, like the men on the ships , had held its breath. It was a scary silence.
Smoke was darkening the sky and looking down ,Harris grabbed at some of the debris from the waters, 'burned pieces of ships'.
Harris held it up silently to his sister as she stood on a rope ladder hanging above him about 20 feet in the air. Her free hand gripping her bow her heart sounding in her ears like war drums.
Merida looked at him wide eyed. Then at the shore.
The fog lifted.
The pieces of broken boats charred by fire gently bumped their ships hulls, making a dull knocking sound. All eyes viewed the pillars of fire. All the men were silent.
"It might as well should have been a dragon' thought Merida .
"To castle Dingwall! " It was a knife in the silence that sprang the men to life , as they scrambled to fill the sails in the low wind repeating what the Bear King commanded. They sailed on with new purpose .
The Norse men had beat them, they were here in the Dingwall lands..