Watch Duty

Summer of 836 AD

Uí Mhaine, Connacht, Ireland

Ronan swatted another mosquito at the back of his neck as he tried to sleep in the watch tower. Stupid Cathnia… was the only thought he could muster before dozing back to sleep. Cathenia, Son of Segan, had been a pain in the butt. He was from a poor family who worked for Ronan’s father, Orthanach Dunnucan – the chaplain for Uí Mhaine. In order to separate himself from his four brothers, Cathania wouldn’t spare any chance that could show how good he is at any job he is given. Sometimes he didn’t mind crossing certain lines – like complaining to his employers about their son’s laziness and unwillingness to do the job “properly” or letting them know how they could better discipline their son.

The Island of Ireland showing The Kingdom of Connacht

(This image is a modified version of this image on wikipedia.org which was uploaded by The Ireland Story. The dimensions on the map might not be not accurate to scale.)

“Wake up”, yelled someone as Ronan felt the side of a shoe strike his lower left half. I am going to kill this guy… There was no mistaking that skinny figure in front of him. Cathania… He was smirking for some reason this time. As Ronan sat up, he saw Bran standing behind him looking at the waves – not particularly interested in him. This weasel… he has brough Bran with him as well… what is he cooking this time… Ronan got up and looked around for his helmet. He could hear Cathania making fun of him, pretending to whisper to Bran who isn’t even listening to you … ugh… Ronan saluted Bran, senior in rank to both Ronan and Cathania, as he approached him. “You, ok? Anything interesting to report?” asked Bran. “While you were not sleeping?” added Cathania. Ronan ignored the comment, “No Sir. Just the usual.” “Ok, resume your post at the same time today evening. You are dismissed.” Ronan saluted Bran again before taking his leave. As he walked, he could still hear Cathania’s laughter and Bran trying to calm him down. That bastard!!! Ronan hated him, but he also knew Cathania wasn’t wrong. He hated this post. What a waste… but if this is what it took to climb up the ladder in being a proper soldier… I’ll do it… sigh… there has to be a better way…

Ronan’s father wanted him to study theology and become a chaplain like himself. Ronan on the other hand was not for the intellectual pursuits. He wanted to fight and make his name doing something great for his country. The last few years had been tumultuous to say the least. The last King of Uí Mhaine, King Diarmait mac Tommaltaig had passed away only a few years ago and the new king had asked Ronan’s father, Orthanach Dunnucan to watch over the short stretch of coastline that belonged to Uí Mhaine against the threat of Viking attacks. Although important, Ronan’s father knew that this extremely mundane and tiring work – just watching the coast; looking at the horizon, day in and day out - could spur anyone to walk away after doing it for a couple of weeks. Ronan stuck with it and tried to use it as an opportunity to give himself the free time to get better. After his shift he would have his breakfast and then practice fighting till noon. At noon he would go back home, and sleep till evening, wake up, have his dinner and then go back to his post for the night watch. His mother worried for him to be up all night since she knew he hadn’t got enough sleep, but Ronan couldn’t tell her that he would get a couple of hours before dawn. He knew she wouldn’t like it if he told her that. He didn’t want to disappoint her. She believed he would be great one day and he would show it to her.

Ronan liked to practice his skills on the beach, not too far from the watch tower but still not a short walk or in direct line of sight. He could get there quickly, had the cool breeze from the sea when he wanted to rest and was far enough that people like Cathania wouldn’t bother him.  There he would practice his sword on a cut down stump of a tree planted in the sand. He had created a small course with trenches dug in sand and natural rock face bordering the coast. He practiced his movement skills, both close-to-ground as well as climbing and jumping. He would always try something different every day and the practice always refreshed him.

Today was no different. Ronan’s tired body came down on the sand with a thump. Drops of sweat forming wet streaks on sand on his chest. He sat with his head hung down and his eyes on the waves. He wanted to go for a dip, but he was too tired. In a few moments… Foam, debris and dead kelp from the sea bobbed up and down on the waves. Further away there was nothing… endless sea… how can they just keep watching it… just standing there… what do they think all this time… sigh… even if they see something, will they just run back ???… they would need to be ready to fight… these guys are useless... they cant even take a punch…his brain gave up. Last night’s problems with the mosquitos, the workout and the hypnotic waves were making it very difficult for him to keep his eyes open. Gentle breeze came in like a soft blanket and turned floating debris into colored things that moved with a sound that drowned out everything into gentle slumber.

Hot sand stung his fingers as he regained consciousness. It must be noon… The smell of sweat filled his nostrils as he opened his eyes. Mother wouldn’t even let me in if I went home like this! He took a quick dip in the sea and started for home.

By the time he reached home, he was starving. His father’s position meant that they had the best selection of meat, cheese, and wine at their place. Like everyday, he chose to eat less and sleep peacefully rather than satiating himself and having a hard time falling asleep. Even then, his seaside nap made him toss and turn in his bed for a while. Then he heard his mother calling him. Mother’s calling???!!!… that is strange… His mother never woke him up. She would have him sleep a bit more before he heads out for night watch. He opened his eyes to see his mother standing at the door. She looked worried. “Father’s calling you.” She almost whispered. Ronan’s eyes saw outside the window behind his mother. It was evening but still too early for dinner. Father… at this hour…!!!??? His mind raced with theories as he dressed up in a hurry.

As he reached the courtyard, he saw a familiar face. Cathania!!! What is this rat doing here… as he took a few steps he saw Bran behind him. Cathania was doing most of the talking as his father stood still. Then his father looked at Bran who seemed to have nodded at something. What the hell is he plotting!!! I am going to kill this guy!!! His footsteps quickened as he hurried to hear what was being said and his father heard him coming. His father seemed to be pondering a difficult question as he turned towards him. His arms were crossed, and his eyes followed Rohan in a narrow gaze as he came to rest a few steps in front of him. Ronan had not seen him this serious since the time the last King had passed away. What have these guys told him…???!!! “You asked of me Father?”, he spoke as softly as he could. His father turned away from him and took a deep breath. “I am hearing some reports that are very concerning.” His cheeks swelled at times as he moved his tongue inside his mouth, pensive in thought he kept looking at the ground. “There are reports of Viking attacks in Munster” he said and continued thinking. It was as if Ronan was struck by a lightening. He had heard how brutal the Vikings were. He felt the hair on his arm stand up…  hot blood rushed in his arms… he tried to rub off the tingly sensation on his cheeks… yet he did not know how to respond… his brain was frozen. His father seemed distracted by his reaction and looked at him. “Calm down. We need to think how to take care of this.” It was as if a reverie was broken. He realized he needed to take a long breath. “And in all this what is this I am hearing…” What???... his father continued, “that you are sleeping during your watch?!!!” CATHANIA!!! Ronan felt his teeth grinding against each other. “Don’t look at him! He had nothing to do with this. Answer me. Were you sleeping during your watch?” Rage blurred his vision but instantly a fear froze him still. He could lose his chance to become something other than a chaplain. “Answer me.” “Yes father.” His voice broke. “Yes, Father” he repeated. He saw Cathania’s eyes narrow with glee… Anger became Rage… but he stood. Set in stone. Waves of molten fury lashed against his skin… But he held himself. “From tomorrow you will not be given night watch. You are on watch during daytime. If you want night watch, you will have to earn the trust to get there all over again.” Rohan’s face was embers. He knew he wasn’t crying but he felt his eyes getting wet.  “Yes father” “Bran, do you have someone for the night watch?” “Sir, for now Cathania can take care of that.” Waves of hotness washed over Ronan... sweat trickled behind his ears. “Starting tonight?” “Yes, sir, it would be hard, but I will do my best” “Good lad. Bran, Ronan will report for duty for the day shift tomorrow.” “Understood sir.” “Now go. You two.” Ronan was burning. That snickering bastard… now we shall see when this son of pig goes to sleep on duty… and god swear he will… by gods he will… and th… “Calm yourself.” He felt a hand on his shoulder. “It’s ok” Sweat stung his eyes. “Look at yourself. All mad about something so small. I would rather have you help me plan against any future attacks.” He knew where his father was going. “You could just do away with all this nonsense and work with me while the attacks are dealt with…” …there it is… he was waiting for this… for me to break… I was so stupid not to see this… what an ass I was… He was not sure how to respond to his father. “I shall report to duty tomorrow morning.” “…Sir… I mean father…” His shoulder slowly flinched back as he refused to take the pity his father was throwing at him. “Permission to leave… Sir” His father nodded. Ronan did a salute and walked back to his room.

Back in his room thoughts came from all sides. I need to do better… I need to manage my time well… too much training is what caused me to sleep… wait, when will I train now… I cannot train before my shift… I need to be fresh… I need to reach early to catch this bastard making a mistake… no leave him… don’t go down that path… you are just wasting your time… many moments pass… I hate him… I will never forgive him for this… focus on your path… silence… I need to be on time and fresh for my shift… Bran needs to trust me again… forget Bran, I could always join another company somewhere else… be a real soldier… not these slackers who just play wannabe soldiers all day long… no one’s going to attack Uí Mhaine anyways… our coastline is a fraction compared to Iar Connacht or Muaidhe… there is just so much place to land in one of those kingdoms… these guys are worry about useless things… even our cousins laugh at us trying to watch that small piece of coast… what we should be preparing for is an army that can counter a land invasion… even if there is a coastal invasion, what use would a warning be if we don’t have a strong army… even a farm boy can guard a watch tower… what a waste… waste of life… resources… I should ask another company if they would take me… where I could be a real soldier… the new captain would ask what I was doing before this… they would ask Bran… argh…. He thought of another way, but he couldn’t hide. Everyone knew his father here… Existence became self-hate… He wanted to burn… forever… harder…

The door creaked. “Come, food is ready. You have been sitting here for hours now.” He couldn’t look at her. She knows… how can I ev… “if you don’t eat now, you won’t be able to sleep and then you would have trouble waking up.” She is right… “Just come. I know you are angry. Just eat something so that you can sleep on time.” Ronan forced his limbs to move. She is right… I need to plan… I need to go to sleep early… He didn’t care what was on the table. …Do you really need to go to sleep early???... why do you need to wake up early??? Your shift starts near noon… forget about him… THAT BASTARD !!!!... Stop it!!!… just eat… EAT!!!… Chewing took effort. …no… I need to act respectfully… honorably… till now all I’ve been is a pampered kid… there was nothing left in his bowl. A servant moved forward to refill it, but it was too late. Ronan was moving towards his room already… there is no point wishing anyone good night… they know I am a fake… sigh… He blew the candle in his room and tried to sleep but after sleeping all afternoon he was wide awake. He tried to think of something but at once found his mind was blank. He knew he could think about of the things he thought before, but his mind was tired. No use doing that now… He noticed he hadn’t opened the window in his room for a long time. That night Ronan spent many hours staring mindlessly at the night sky before realizing he is too tired to stand and going to sleep.

He woke up to his mother’s voice. Its too early… why is she waking me up this… then reality from last night hit him. He forced his eyes open and sat upright. He could see his mother was concerned. “Don’t worry mother, I will be alright.” She was not expecting him to make such a statement. “My dearest. You will always be my hero.” She gently lifted his chin and looked in his eyes. “You know I will love you no matter what. Right?” He nodded but felt it hard to maintain eye contact. He smiled and pretended he needed to get up to take her eyes off of her mother. “Go get ready. I’ll have breakfast out soon.”

Ronan had been a stranger to mornings for a long time but today it felt refreshing. Maybe because of how much I’ve been able to sleep since yesterday! Time seemed to stretch today morning. It seemed like he had been not particularly quick about anything, yet he was ready to go to his shift well in advance.

It was a fairly long walk from the city to the watch tower. First, he had to get out of the city and cross the adjoining fields. He particularly liked this part as he came across a couple of girls who were smiled at him. Well… morning has its own advantages… Then he walked over some hilly pastures and then through the dark section of the forest following that small rivulet that led to the sea finally getting to the beach. Ronan enjoyed the fact that each of these sections smelled different from their usual nighttime smells.

He saw the watch tower in distance and Cathania’s head poking above the wooden wall. Something bitter stirred inside him but he chose instead to enjoy this morning. Let this weasel guard at night… they will regret their decision… As he neared the tower, he saw Bran walking towards him. He had a kind smile on his face. As Ronan tried to salute him, he greeted him informally. “Hey, I am really sorry about yesterday. Cathania made a big stink about you and started talking about how I am not doing my job if I am not reporting you to your father. He then let me know that he is going to report me to your father as well and then started walking towards your place.” …what a bastard… “I had to chase him down to make sure he only talks about the morning incident and not some made up story when he gets to your place. I also tried to soften the blow by letting your father know about the attacks. Otherwise, that news was supposed to be delivered to him today evening as part of the regular update. Hopefully it got him thinking about other important matters than what this guy was talking about. I am sorry I could only do so much to lighten the blow.” Seeing the honest confession from Bran, Ronan instantly felt guilty for thinking bad about Bran. “It’s ok. Really. Thanks for trying to help me. I am not going to lie. I am not too pleased to be demoted to day watch, but I hope now you know what sort of person that bastard is.” Bran looked back at Cathania watching the two of them talk and gritted his teeth. “Yes, let’s get back. Your shift is about to start.”

Soon after he was the lone soul in that area. He tried not to think about Cathania although he felt happy to find that Bran hates him as well. He thinks he has a future in the army… but he doesn’t really have one… at least with this kind of attitude… Ronan was not used to day shifts. There were lot more boats out than in the night. Most of these guys are probably coming home now… they need to get ready for the evening market… He watched the horizon till no other boat remained. He didn’t know what to do next. The thought of getting bored and sleeping again and then being caught froze him for a moment. I need to make this interesting… maybe I can practice right here… He swung his sword, but the watchtower was too small for practice and the sword got caught in the wood. This wouldn’t work here… its kind of chilly up here anyways… He climbed down and started to practice. He liked it. He had the whole place to himself, and he was having a good time. A couple of hours passed, and it was getting close to high noon. He found himself some shade under the watchtower and rested. He was hungry and, in his mind, he decided it was a good way to stay off of sleep… although right now… all I can think about is food… sigh… A couple of hours and the day would be over anyways… He went for swim and even caught a few fish. Too small to cook though… Later he sat on the warm sand below the watchtower again. The sun had started to come down a little and the shadows were getting longer. He noticed all sorts of wooden debris on the beach. …so much clutter here!!! … these people don’t clean this place at all… he noticed pieces of jute bags wash up on the beach and tried to guess where they must have come from… fishing boats probably… his eyes started spotting all manner of floating debris as it slowly made its way to the beach… He looked even further as he started counting every piece he could spot. Slowly his eyes landed on the horizon and immediately he tried to look at something closer. He knew, watching the horizon made him sleepy. He stayed at the region just before the horizon… watching waves form there and end up on the beach in front of him. The usual floaters only added to the enjoyment as he could track how long it took for something to land on the beach. I like this…He tried to track one of the floaters he just noticed on the horizon. Another wave in front of it caused it to disappear. That would be a big wave when it reaches the shore… when the floater became visible again, it looked different. It was more like a group of floating things… He tried to focus but another swell hid all that from his view… for the next few times he saw it he still wasn’t sure if that was a couple of broken barrels, rafts, or something else. The next time it came up, he saw it… A figure of a man reached out of the wooden shapes. Ronan tried to make sure what he was looking at. On the next swell, he saw seven boats. His mind racing to find out if he has seen a fishing boat like that before. He was drawing a blank. His heartbeat was getting faster. He knew in his heart what his might be, but he wanted to be sure. He tried to make sure he counted right before he did anything else. On the next swell, he saw more dark floating things behind the seven in front. His hand slowly reached out for his sword. He was surprised how fast they were rowing now. They were coming towards him. They have not seen me… its just a clearing… that’s why… maybe the watch tower… He knew what he had to do… His mind was racing… he saw flashes of every pothole he needs to jump over… every turn he needed to take… every sharp edge he needed to avoid… he thought of the shortest path to the barracks… there is still time… they have not seen me… An arrow landed in sand a few steps from him and broke his thought… from so far… how can they…. He rolled to the side to take cover under the watchtower but realized he needs to get up… and run… their boats cut through waves like sharp sword through meat… they were converging on his position fast… he saw rows of sweaty bodies… muscles rippling… churning water in their wake… Madmen !!!… they brought their oars down like a single being… A Mighty Dragon!!! … he saw flaming arrows go up in the sky… He knew he had to run… his eyes refused to tear away from the approaching storm… he was in a thrall… this concert of death in front of him …. he forced himself to turn around and leaped… he saw forest and he ran towards it… he wanted to look back… he didn’t…. he was moving too fast… his heart beat to the sound of war-drums behind him… he knew… the time has come.