A/N: Thank you to all who are interested in reading about Drake's Last Stand! I've had the idea for this kicking around for a while, and I even wrote a good portion of it before, and I have recently had the desire to finish it. I've got some more ideas, too, so expect some more fanfic in the Uncharted universe, and maybe some others.

This story takes place shortly after the events of Uncharted 3. I hope you enjoy reading about what I've got in store for Nate, Sully, Elena, and some newcomers! Please send me any feedback you have via reviews or messages, etc. I would really appreciate hearing what you think.

Elena Fisher looked out the window of the Boeing 737 that was currently carrying her over the British Isles. It was the first time in ages that she'd actually been able to ride on a normal, passenger airliner. She turned to her husband, Nathan Drake, and pointed out the window. "We're almost there!" she said with the utmost excitement.

The jet was nearing the Edinburgh airport, and the loving couple was about to begin a much-needed vacation. Recently, Nate and Elena had a bit of a falling out. They were separated; their marriage was on the brink of failure, but as it always had done in the past... love endured. Nate smiled at his wife. He tried to play it cool, but in reality, he was looking forward to this trip as much as she was. He loved Elena, and it was clear now that no force on planet Earth would be able to separate them. Many of them had certainly tried.

The pilot came over the in-flight intercom; his voice bore a traditional London accent. "Good evening, folks. We will be arriving in Edinburgh at 7:30 PM local time. It's been a pleasure having you here on..." Nate had stopped paying attention. All he cared about was checking into the five star hotel that he had booked for the week. He was exhausted, having just come off another fortune-hunting expedition, this one to the Arabian Desert, and he planned to do some serious sleeping that night.

The plane touched down a few moments later. Nate and Elena exited the plane quickly and grabbed their luggage. They found a nice cab driver who offered to take them swiftly to the nearby hotel. They arrived at the Balmoral and found it to be quite luxurious, especially in comparison to their usual lodgings. Once they were checked into their room, they both fell almost immediately to sleep.

The next morning, Nathan Drake rose early, as he usually did. He had plan to take Elena sightseeing that day, starting with Edinburgh Castle, a landmark that, despite all of his worldly travels, he had actually never seen. He contemplated going to get breakfast in the hotel restaurant, but he decided instead to order room service. Elena awoke just before breakfast arrived.

"Perfect timing!" Nate exclaimed as he heard the hotel staff calling from outside. It was just like in all the movies. There was a nice cart laid out with a dozen or so silver dishes, each of which contained wonderful-smelling food. He tipped the staff and pushed the cart over to Elena's side at the bed. "Rise and shine," he beckoned.

Elena forced a smile through her exhaustion. "Someone has an ungodly amount of energy this morning," she quipped.

Nate laughed a bit. "I've got to be excited enough for the both of us."

"Maybe I'm not as giddy as you, but believe me, I'm excited. It's going to be so nice to have this time together alone. I love you, Nate."

"I love you, too."

Elena took a bite of some eggs; they were not quite the same as in the US, but they sure were tasty. Nate grabbed something that was purported to be bacon, although it neither tasted nor looked like any bacon he had ever seen. Still, it was incredibly good. After Nate and Elena had gorged themselves, they got dressed and took the short, 15 minute walk from the Balmoral to Edinburgh Castle, arriving not long after it had opened to the public.

At the door, they were greeted by a man dressed in a kilt, delivering a welcome in the most stereotypical of Scottish accents. "Good day to ye, my good friends, and welcome to the fair city of Edinburgh! We are so honored that you have chosen to bestow your presence upon us!"

Nate faked a grin; he was slightly annoyed by the greeting, and he was eager to get inside. He tried, not very successfully, to ignore him respectfully. As the two of them finally entered, Elena gave Nate a look of disdain. "You know, Nate, he was just doing his job."

Nathan Drake shrugged. "But it was annoying… Where did they find that guy? He's probably not even really Scottish. He sounds like the guy from that Axe Murderer movie."

Elena looked incredibly confused. "What movie has a Scottish axe murderer in it?"

"No, the Scottish guy wasn't the axe murderer. It was a comedy. Oh, never mind. Can we just go experience history now, please?"

Elena rolled her eyes as they walked together into the main hall. The exhibits were breathtaking. History was never boring to Nathan Drake. As he meandered through the exhibits, something interesting caught his eye. "Hey Elena, take a look at this."

Elena came over to find Nate looking at a very old piece of paper. "What is it?"

"It's a note written by William Wallace."

"Oh, you mean the guy who fought for Scottish independence?"

Nathan nodded, "That's the one. Thank you, Mel Gibson for making my wife aware of that bit of history."

"Oh come on! I'm a reporter who searches out uncharted territories. I knew about William Wallace long before Braveheart." Nate gave her a look of disbelief. "The movie just taught me more; that's all..."

Nate ignored Elena's comment and started reading the letter. "This was written by Wallace when he was imprisoned by the English. These are some of the last words that William Wallace ever said, words he wanted the world to live by. He talks about how he was overwhelmed and... wait a minute. What's this?"

Elena's eyebrows dropped as she looked toward her husband. "Nate... You're getting that look on your face."

"What look?"

"The look that says that I'm about to regret your next words."

Nate let the remark slide off his back. "It says here that there was something unexplainable about how he was defeated. The man who betrayed him bore a weapon of unspeakable power that he used to overpower him and, get this... he says it's buried here in the castle!"

Elena shook her head furiously. "No, Nate, no. This is ludicrous. You really think that these guys had some magical weapon that they used against William Wallace? Even if they did, no one has ever mentioned finding it? Not in over 700 years?!"

Nate never appreciated it when Elena got this way. You know, logical. "But we don't have anything else to do. You don't even want to try? You know you love this stuff, Elena."

Bothersome as he was, Nate was right. Elena loved the hunt, and she especially loved the hunt when it was by her husband's side. She'd found more in her life then she'd ever bargained for, but it was what she lived for. And, in truth, what she loved Nate for as well. She feigned irritation, but she was secretly chomping at the bit when she responded. "Fine. Let's have a look around."

The two of them began to casually search the room for anything that seemed unusual. The Great Hall was full of tourists, and they did not want to draw any unwanted attention. After having spent decades perfecting that particular set of skills, it didn't take Nate long to find what he was looking for. He saw some strange indentions in one of the walls that appeared to be slightly discolored.

Nate walked over with Elena to a quiet corner of the room. "We'd have to be pretty dumb to go searching around at a time like this."

"Never stopped you before," Elena responded with a quip.

"Cute," Nate responded, rolling his eyes.

"I love you!" Elena said as she ensnared Nate with a silly, sheepish grin.

The two of them continued to tour the castle while Nate was scheming in his head about how to break into the supposed secret passage. There would be guards at night. He was never afraid to take a life if the situation called for it, but these guys were just run-of-the-mill security on a government payroll.

He was worried, though. Elena could generally take care of herself in a tough spot, but just the two of them would never have any chance of succeeding if they got caught. They would be overwhelmed in seconds. His best friend and mentor, Victor Sullivan, was back in the States resting up from their previous engagement. There's no way he would be able to fly to Edinburgh in time. His good friend Charlie Cutter lived in London, and he could be in Edinburgh in a few hours by train; however, Cutter had recently broken his leg during that last trip they'd been on, and he wouldn't be well again for weeks. Nate mentally thumbed through his contact list, and he eventually arrived on a name he had almost forgotten.

He took out his mobile phone once he was in private and he dialed a local number, "Fiona McAllister, it's Nathan Drake. We've got a job."