When the Longships Came
Kendra gazed out from the shadow of the oak tree that she was sitting under. Damn, Molly the sheep was heading over a nearby rise! If nothing was done, all the monastery sheep would follow and disappear down the other side. Kendra rose, grabbed her hooked stick and scrambled up the slope and across to cut the flock off. She reached the top to where a view of the ocean to the north stretched away in the distance.
Usually the expanse of ocean was empty with only a fishing boat or two from the village a few leagues up the coast wallowing in the waves. Now though, the sight was far more ominous. There, less than a hundred paces from shore sailed, not one but three dreaded Viking longships that were used to attack places such their monastery along the coast. The ones before Kendra were massive ships under full sail with their oars held horizontal out of the water. The sails were black with a stylized eagle painted on them.
She gasped for these dreaded raiders were the Hævne Ørne or Avenging Eagles in English. Rumours that filtered through to the monastery by traders were that these were particularly ruthless warriors who had a personal grudge against Britons on these shores. Apparently during the summer before, they had attacked three other monasteries and slaughtered the monks. Coastal villagers found the few nuns who survived one attack on a female monastery like their own weeks later. They were all with child and abandoned by their captors, Details had been hushed up but it appeared that they had become sex slaves of the Vikings until their condition had made them a hindrance. They were abandoned to fend for themselves. Neglected by the orders that ran the monasteries because they had sinned, they now lived in the poorest hamlets with their children.
Kendra stopped, sat down and tried to control her terror. What could she do? It would be cowardly to just hide and do nothing but how could she help if she was captured and … oh hell, tears formed in her eyes as she watched the three longships turn and move seaward. The sails on the three vessels were rolled up and she saw the oars dip in the water. The thirty or so oarsmen, behind the shields pulled each longship forward in a line just as the flotilla the rounded the peninsular.
She brushed away the tears sliding down her cheeks and attempted to slow her racing heart and shaking arms. If it was any consolation, the enemy would now be in sight of the observers who manned the monastery’s front balcony. If there were any plans about how the nuns would protect themselves in an emergency such as this, she had not heard of it. Of course as only a guest she was not informed about anything not related to her personal life. She had though, heard of secret vaults and tunnels beneath the building where retreats could be made.
Something was happening! She saw a line of people walk onto the beach from the base of the stairs that led down from the monastery. It took her a moment to recognise that the people were the nuns, guarded on each side by Viking warriors with axes being used to probe any nun who stumbled. The nuns wore no headgear so their hair mostly cut short but a few had long hair that reached their shoulders. They wore no habit and were dressed only in their white undergarments of fascia, the long binding material that held their breasts, and loincloths. Even their legs, arms and bare feet were exposed. Several had their fascia unravelled. As they walked forward one attempted to hide her body but was yanked aside by a Viking who forcibly held her arms to her side so her breasts were exposed. She was allowed back in line but only after her fascia was removed. The unfortunate woman wore only loincloths to cover her lower body parts.
Kendra uttered a cry of dismay and made a move further down the hillside. It was a risk but by staying off the track and dodging between the large rocks that dotted the hillside she ended up reasonably close to the beach. The sound of breaking surf hid any voices but the view told her almost everything.
The women were lined up and stood facing the ocean while an officer walked along behind them and touched several on the shoulders. These were forced under threat of axe probes to step forward and remove their remaining undergarments. Kendra could see their bare posteriors and when ordered to turn around, their whole bodies. Even in the monastery, she had never seen more than her closest friends with no clothes. It was a sin to expose your body to others and unforgivable to allow males to see even your knees or elbows let alone everything... absolutely everything!
Three nuns resisted. Vikings stepped forward and in one violent move swung axes into the unfortunate women who collapsed on the sand in pools of their own blood. Kendra felt ill and almost retched at the sight.
But more happened. It appeared that the Vikings only wanted the young women with blonde hair for twelve nuns who were older or had dark hair were forced to kneel on the sand with their heads back. Vikings drew knives from their belts and bent over each of them. Kendra had seen sheep having their throats cut in the monastery abattoir and knew what was happening. The Vikings slit the women's throats as if they were animals. The bodies were all dropped back in the blood that flowed on the sand and ignored by the enemy.
Three redhead nuns were also made to crouch down but an officer stepped forward, said a few words to the would-be assailants and they were allowed to stand. The man ran his hands over their bodies while they stood obviously terrified but not daring to move as he walked around them, pulled each one back by the hair and slashed it half off with his knife, He appeared to laugh, held the red hair up for all to see but allowed the three to return to the line.
Out of the original nuns, girls and other workers in the monastery only twenty-eight, Kendra counted them, remained alive in that line on the beach. She swallowed more bile and continued to watch as something else unexpected happened. A Viking warrior with long blonde hair arrived on the beach. This warrior was different for it had no beard and was shorter and more petite than the others, Of course, she could see now. This Viking was a female! The woman walked along the line of prisoners and prodded a few with a stick she carried, again like a trader would do with a line of sheep or cattle,
Afterwards the women were marched to the third longship that came in close to the beach and forced aboard. A score or more Vikings also clamoured aboard and it appeared that the women were being lashed back to back along a central isle. Afterwards, oars slid out and the craft moved away from shore. When it was beyond the waves, the longship turned, the square sail was raised and it moved quite quickly out to sea. Within moments it was like a toy in the distance before it disappeared from view.
The Vikings on the beach ignored the bodies and, except for now four guards beside the two remaining ships, returned to the steps and back out of sight up to the monastery.
Now Kendra could not stop her body reacting. She vomited on the grass and sat back, crying, shaking and covered in perspiration. Her friends and the only family she had ever known were gone; either killed or had been kidnapped as slaves to grow Viking babies within their bodies.
She broke into uncontrolled sobs and, unable look at the massacre on the beach again, made her way back to the cave. The sheep were there, waiting patiently for they did not know what had happened. Still sobbing, she moved the stones and allowed the flock to wander out into the afternoon sunshine to munch the grass,
Was she the only one to survive this slaughter and this small flock her only remaining family?
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Usually the expanse of ocean was empty with only a fishing boat or two from the village a few leagues up the coast wallowing in the waves. Now though, the sight was far more ominous. There, less than a hundred paces from shore sailed, not one but three dreaded Viking longships that were used to attack places such their monastery along the coast. The ones before Kendra were massive ships under full sail with their oars held horizontal out of the water. The sails were black with a stylized eagle painted on them.
She gasped for these dreaded raiders were the Hævne Ørne or Avenging Eagles in English. Rumours that filtered through to the monastery by traders were that these were particularly ruthless warriors who had a personal grudge against Britons on these shores. Apparently during the summer before, they had attacked three other monasteries and slaughtered the monks. Coastal villagers found the few nuns who survived one attack on a female monastery like their own weeks later. They were all with child and abandoned by their captors, Details had been hushed up but it appeared that they had become sex slaves of the Vikings until their condition had made them a hindrance. They were abandoned to fend for themselves. Neglected by the orders that ran the monasteries because they had sinned, they now lived in the poorest hamlets with their children.
Kendra stopped, sat down and tried to control her terror. What could she do? It would be cowardly to just hide and do nothing but how could she help if she was captured and … oh hell, tears formed in her eyes as she watched the three longships turn and move seaward. The sails on the three vessels were rolled up and she saw the oars dip in the water. The thirty or so oarsmen, behind the shields pulled each longship forward in a line just as the flotilla the rounded the peninsular.
She brushed away the tears sliding down her cheeks and attempted to slow her racing heart and shaking arms. If it was any consolation, the enemy would now be in sight of the observers who manned the monastery’s front balcony. If there were any plans about how the nuns would protect themselves in an emergency such as this, she had not heard of it. Of course as only a guest she was not informed about anything not related to her personal life. She had though, heard of secret vaults and tunnels beneath the building where retreats could be made.
Something was happening! She saw a line of people walk onto the beach from the base of the stairs that led down from the monastery. It took her a moment to recognise that the people were the nuns, guarded on each side by Viking warriors with axes being used to probe any nun who stumbled. The nuns wore no headgear so their hair mostly cut short but a few had long hair that reached their shoulders. They wore no habit and were dressed only in their white undergarments of fascia, the long binding material that held their breasts, and loincloths. Even their legs, arms and bare feet were exposed. Several had their fascia unravelled. As they walked forward one attempted to hide her body but was yanked aside by a Viking who forcibly held her arms to her side so her breasts were exposed. She was allowed back in line but only after her fascia was removed. The unfortunate woman wore only loincloths to cover her lower body parts.
Kendra uttered a cry of dismay and made a move further down the hillside. It was a risk but by staying off the track and dodging between the large rocks that dotted the hillside she ended up reasonably close to the beach. The sound of breaking surf hid any voices but the view told her almost everything.
The women were lined up and stood facing the ocean while an officer walked along behind them and touched several on the shoulders. These were forced under threat of axe probes to step forward and remove their remaining undergarments. Kendra could see their bare posteriors and when ordered to turn around, their whole bodies. Even in the monastery, she had never seen more than her closest friends with no clothes. It was a sin to expose your body to others and unforgivable to allow males to see even your knees or elbows let alone everything... absolutely everything!
Three nuns resisted. Vikings stepped forward and in one violent move swung axes into the unfortunate women who collapsed on the sand in pools of their own blood. Kendra felt ill and almost retched at the sight.
But more happened. It appeared that the Vikings only wanted the young women with blonde hair for twelve nuns who were older or had dark hair were forced to kneel on the sand with their heads back. Vikings drew knives from their belts and bent over each of them. Kendra had seen sheep having their throats cut in the monastery abattoir and knew what was happening. The Vikings slit the women's throats as if they were animals. The bodies were all dropped back in the blood that flowed on the sand and ignored by the enemy.
Three redhead nuns were also made to crouch down but an officer stepped forward, said a few words to the would-be assailants and they were allowed to stand. The man ran his hands over their bodies while they stood obviously terrified but not daring to move as he walked around them, pulled each one back by the hair and slashed it half off with his knife, He appeared to laugh, held the red hair up for all to see but allowed the three to return to the line.
Out of the original nuns, girls and other workers in the monastery only twenty-eight, Kendra counted them, remained alive in that line on the beach. She swallowed more bile and continued to watch as something else unexpected happened. A Viking warrior with long blonde hair arrived on the beach. This warrior was different for it had no beard and was shorter and more petite than the others, Of course, she could see now. This Viking was a female! The woman walked along the line of prisoners and prodded a few with a stick she carried, again like a trader would do with a line of sheep or cattle,
Afterwards the women were marched to the third longship that came in close to the beach and forced aboard. A score or more Vikings also clamoured aboard and it appeared that the women were being lashed back to back along a central isle. Afterwards, oars slid out and the craft moved away from shore. When it was beyond the waves, the longship turned, the square sail was raised and it moved quite quickly out to sea. Within moments it was like a toy in the distance before it disappeared from view.
The Vikings on the beach ignored the bodies and, except for now four guards beside the two remaining ships, returned to the steps and back out of sight up to the monastery.
Now Kendra could not stop her body reacting. She vomited on the grass and sat back, crying, shaking and covered in perspiration. Her friends and the only family she had ever known were gone; either killed or had been kidnapped as slaves to grow Viking babies within their bodies.
She broke into uncontrolled sobs and, unable look at the massacre on the beach again, made her way back to the cave. The sheep were there, waiting patiently for they did not know what had happened. Still sobbing, she moved the stones and allowed the flock to wander out into the afternoon sunshine to munch the grass,
Was she the only one to survive this slaughter and this small flock her only remaining family?
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