To Bleed for Ancient Gods

North Sea Storm: Chapter One

It had been five days since they set sail from the shores of Svithjod, three large dragon ships each manned by one hundred Norsemen. At the head of the bow of the lead the lead ship was the tall man with beard like fire, Rurik. He looked out across the waves, and in the distance he could almost make out what he thought to be the shores of Jutland. But overhead, the sunny skies had turned cloudy, and the wind had picked up with great intensity. The oarsmen rode hard on the waves, but those to thrashed and whipped at the ships like snakes. Rurik gripped the hammer-in-chain which hung round his neck, as if to ask the Thunder God to spare the weather just long enough for them to reach the shore. However, it seemed that Thor could not wait to ride cross the black clouds, as thunder crashed from the sky and lightening struck in the distance, Mjölnir surely did it's bloody work as the sky darkened so much that the Norsemen could not see each other's ships. In frantic panic, they quickly lit torches, though as the misty rain began to fall it seemed that hope of light might be extinguished as well. The waves now began crashing over the deck of the longships, the rain fell harder, and the wind became stronger. Rurik gripped the ropes that led to the mast, "Row brothers! The rest of you secure the cargo, tie everything down!" He bellowed, as waves rocked the ship, knocking a few barrels of mead into the waiting ocean. He hoped that the other ships could stay on course without causing a collision, which would kill them all, but with the occasional flash of lightening he could see the other ships and their crews, and that they seemed to be handling the confusion well. Then, with a strong gust of wind the striped sails were torn, and Ruriks' ship was blown asunder, now heading directly for the ship of Chieftain Hakon. Helplessly, the men yelled out in unison, as loudly as they could, trying to get the attention of Hakon's crew amidst the wind, thunder and rain. But it seemed then at the last moment, Njordr showed pity and the waves crashed against them again, now pushing them on a straight course. For what seemed like hours they battled the storm, before the rain ceased, the winds calmed, and the sun shown through the clouds. With cheers and hails from all three ships the sky above, thanking the gods for their mercy, not a man had been lost, but the ships had suffered some damage and some cargo had been lost. "Perhaps Njordr was thirsty for mead" said one man, followed by hearty laughter among the crew, Rurik simply smiled and looked to the coast that was now much closer.