The coastal waters were shrouded in mist as the long ships made there way through the choppy sea toward the village just beyond the fog. Five sleek ships raced through the water with a score of men each at the oars, trying to add speed to the striped square sails that billowed out with the wind. Rothgar, the chief, stood at the bow of his ship, his hand clutching the neck of the dragon head that rose in a great curve above him. His face, though handsome, was harsh and determined. And unlike most of his crew, he did not wear a long beard. As they approached the bay, his long, blonde hair whipped over his shoulders so that he had to hold his locks away from his eyes. Presently, he leaned forward a bit and squinted into the mist. The dense white cloud suddenly parted and Harald looked back at his men with a broad smile and waved his crew forward. Behind and beside them the other long boats raced each other to the shore. The captains of each boat signaled for their men to be silent in order to gain the most surprise. Still, it was not long before the clacking of the oars echoed across the harbor, and on the beach and higher ground, men and women could be seen running for the hills, or dashing to retrieve their weapons. Rothgar's face beamed with intense excitement as he prepared to leap from the ship when the hull came to a grinding halt in the sand.