[Folwren]

Only a few minutes had passed since they had drawn in sight of the Pelargir and its Corsair attackers, but those minutes seemed to take hours even to the Captain, used to waiting and biding his time.

They could see the Corsair ships now, and they were fully manned and rigged, turning about and pulling out into the main stream, wheeling about swiftly and plunging upriver. A grim, very unamused smile pulled at Hereric’s mouth. The Corsairs. . .rash idiots. . .always flirting and playing with danger and taunting death. So be it. He and his men and all the ships behind him were ready. Men swarmed and stampeded across the decks of the Umbarian ships, and from this distance, Hereric could see little order. The men on his deck stood perfectly still, waiting, and longing, for an order to be given. Soon enough, but it wasn’t yet time.

The time was drawing near, though. The red light dimmed and paled. The first Corsair ship came abreast the Cuivië almost a furlong to their starboard side, but the Captain let her pass - she would be dealt with by the others behind him.

A second ship was coming up on his larboard side and Hereric set his attention on it. “Tack sheets and hard to larboard!” the captain called. The men at the sails instantly obeyed and the wheel spun beneath the skilled hands of Bregin. The Cuivië spun about and bore down suddenly on the Corsair ship. The water foamed at her bow beam and a murmur ran over the deck of the ship as they came closer and close to their quarry. The men gripped their weapons tighter and a tension and excitement rose.

“Let fly!” the captain shouted. Calls echoed across the decks and up into the rigging, and the arrows whistled as they left the string. But the Corsairs were no less prepared and they immediately answered with the same sort of volley, and some of their arrows blazed with fire. The captain nodded, as though his mind was made up and he turned his head slightly towards Bregin. “Take us straight at them. . .catch them on their larboard beam before the galley.”

“Aye, aye, sir,” Bregin replied.

This was not a difficult maneuver, for the Xebec turned towards them, as though also wishing to ‘catch them’ on their forward beam, too. The rams scraped and a shudder passed over the Cuivië. The Captain half winced, hoping his ship was spared a couple holes at least. But Bregin’s hand was steady on the wheel and though he missed his mark and both ships edged away from each other, they were near to their enemies side. The oars extending from the galley bristled before their bow now, and the next instant their was a crackling and popping as they snapped before her.

The arrows whined from one ship to the other. Men fell on both sides, wounded, and a few dead. But as the Cuivië drew beside the enemy ship, the men rushed to the side with a shout of excitement and eagerness. The grappling hooks were thrown and the ships brought side to side. The broken oars were still extended parallel above the water. The ship’s side met them, and for a minute, their progress was stilled.

In that moment, as the slaves’ oars kept the Cuivië away from the edge of the Xebec, a single Corsair, eager for battle and blood shed, swung across the empty air and water beneath to the Gondorian ship and dropped onto her deck. A roar of a mixture of anger and disgust met him and he was immediately assaulted on all sides. And at that moment, the oars gave in, some brok to useless stumps, and others receded, there was a surge as the Cuivië plunged sideways and game up with a shudder against the other ship’s side. Cheering swept over the decks and the men surged forward, their weapons in hand.

Hereric grasped a rope and with it, he steadied himself and leaped up onto the rail. The King stepped up beside him and a smile flashed between them. Menelcar joined them after half a second. They stood together, their swords drawn, and before boarding the Corsair, Captain Hereric turned to his crew, and raised his sword.

“Now men!” he cried, his powerful voice raising above the shouts and cries for battle. “Forward and across! For Gondor! And for your King!”

There was a rushing cry and the men surged forward. Hereric swung across and landing on the opposite rail, he descended into his enemies with a great sweep of his white sword.