Alwilda III

“Now that’s a woman I want to meet. Sounds like you had a narrow escape. What did you do after you surrendered anyway?”

“They looted us, took our food, clothing, weapons, anything that they could use. They even shredded our sail so we couldn’t go after them right after they left.”

“So they were even professional, impressive. You better not tell father about this, I don’t think he would be as happy with this story as I am. He doesn’t look for entertainment so much as success, don’t worry I won’t tell him. You can go back to your ship now.”

Alwilda had changed over the months since she had left her fathers castle to sail the seas. She was now rougher, as was the rest of her crew but that was only to be expected. They were fighters now, hardened, scarred, and battle ready. Alwilda still hadn’t lost her regal air; she still spoke and acted with great authority, something that became very useful when ordering around prisoners on captured ships. Being able to speak with authority was a life skill now. They had nearly destroyed the shipping of Denmark now, when they sailed next to another ship the crew sometimes surrendered without putting up any fight at all simply because of what they had heard of the all female crew. A lot of the stories were very overblown and Fastvi had spent a few days sulking because she had heard a crew talking about how she killed children and ate them. It was a mental picture that Alwilda and the rest found very amusing in connection to their most proper member and they still brought it up every once in a while.

It was therefore without fear that they approached a ship on the ocean one day. It wasn’t baring any mark of being from Denmark but Alwilda had long since decided that any ship sailing in Denmark waters was a target, whether it was actually from Denmark or not. Alwilda and the rest of her crew, other then the ones who were sailing the ship, lined the side of the ship, heavily armed. They had discovered long ago that intimidation right from the start helped a lot. It was a dejected scene that met their eyes however. Not one person on the other ship so much as stood, or picked up a weapon to defend the ship even though they looked like they had been through many fights.

“Hey, ship, we’re coming aboard, if you value your lives you won’t resist,” Alwilda called halfheartedly. It was formula now for her to yell that but in the face of the enemies’ despondency it lost a lot of its edge. Alwilda looked at the others and shrugged.

“Standing here won’t do us any good,” Runa said, shrugging back. “But I don’t feel much like robbing them at the moment either. Can’t we at least ask them what is wrong and then make a choice?” Alwilda nodded and sheathed her sword.

“I’m curious as well,” she admitted. “Everyone wait here for me; make sure they don’t attack me. I’m going to go over to the other ship and see what’s what.”

Alwilda would have been more happy had she been walking into a trap, it was what she expect. As it was she felt almost let down when no one even moved a muscle to respond to her stepping onto their ship. Everyone on the entire ship seemed so sunk into depression that even being attacked by as odd a crew as Alwilda’s couldn’t move them from their gloom.

To be continued...