Edward Kenway boarded his ship easily, jumping to the helm, his crew recognizing his arrival with a cheer. "Full sails, lads!" he shouted,watching in satisfaction as the sails all fell, wind catching them near immediately. The wind blew back at his hair, as he stared out at the open water.

"'tis a fine day out today, Captain." said Anne, who stood, leaning against the railing of the ship, watching as Edward handled the oak steering wheel with care. "Aye, That it is, lass. " He didn't say much else, any attempts at conversation with Anne- or anyone else on board really- were thwarted with vague answers. Something felt different about today. As if it weren't just another day.

The air was crisper- the sea smoother. He could feel it in his bones. He didn't know exactly why though. He thought fleetingly of young Haytham- who was holding down the fort in Great Inagua, keeping things running smoothly. He hadn't seen Haytham in nearly a month. On one hand, he thought maybe he should fix that. Spend a week with his son.

On the other hand, he didn't. Haytham was Mary's son. And you could see it. In his face, in his mannerisms. Edward liked to think he could hear it in his voice. Just the thought of Mary could throw Edward off balance. It felt like he was sinking when he thought of Mary, and naturally, as a sailor, that feeling didn't settle well with him. As he glanced out upon the horizon, shutting out the sound of his jolly crew's song, he saw a sailor making a commotion in the water; screaming and clinging to a floating chunk of wood for dear life.

He called for full stop, to stop and help the poor man. He deftly climbed down and jumped into the whaling boat, and held out a hand for the struggling sailor. Upon closer inspection, he realised it was a woman. She climbed aboard the small row boat, groaning. "What happened to you, lass?" he asked, and before letting her answer he asked "Are you fit to work?" He needed new crew, and he wasn't against putting a lady to work. She looked at Edward, and Edward was immediately rendered speechless, and when she spoke, Edward swore he was dreaming.

In a familiar voice she began to speak.

"I- I'm not sure- to be honest with you- and until I'm sure: no. I'm not fit for work. I saw your brig coming, I thought it was going to run me straight over. I thought for sure I was-" Edward cut her off, lunging forward, grabbing the woman in a tight embrace.

"Mary." he whispered, closing his eyes, and taking in everything about the moment. The smell of her salt skin, the feel of her greasy, wet hair. She gasped, but began pushing him off, near-hissing. "Get your grubby hands off of me!" he backed off quickly, his sudden movement rocking the boat.

"Wh-what?" he inquired. There was no mistake. In front of him was Mary Read. It was her.

"Don't touch me." she said, an eyebrow raised in disgust. Edward was speechless. "Who're you?" she continued, looking tired out- but as if she was getting ready to defend herself. " "Captain Edward Kenway. Captain of the Jackdaw." a certain arrogance filled his voice. A confidence of days passed; the confidence of an eagle. As he said that, he stood, ready to climb aboard. "Ladies first." he said, gesturing towards the ladder. She climbed aboard, Edward ran past her, to Anne. "Call me crazy, Annie, but look at her." Anne's eyes widened as she brushed her red hair out of her eyes.

"You're crazy Edward, but this has nothing to do with it." she said, watching closely as Mary closely inspected her surroundings. Her false bravado fell as she approached the helm of the ship, climbing the stairs. She looked scared. "So, I'd like to know exactly what's going on here." Edward and anne shared a look, and they escorted their soaking wet friend down into the captains quarters.

"What do you mean, Mary?" asked Anne, almost hurt that there was no touching reunion. No explanations.

"Is that my name?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. It was at this point that Kenway realized there was something horribly wrong. He stepped forward. "Look at me." he said, looking at her eyes, covering them with his hands, and then inspecting them once more, looking to see if her pupils dilated when they met with the light. "Yes, it is." he stated simply. "You didn't know?" asked Anne, confused and concerned. Edward felt hopeless. "We were going down- a hunter had us- and I went down hard." she said. That was the only thing that stuck out in her mind. Even searching she couldn't find anything. "Next thing I know, your 'Jackdaw' is barreling towards me." she said, speaking slowly, thinking about her words all she could.

Edward frowned. "She's concussed." he said, with a sigh, He'd seen her die, and yet she came back like an angel on the wind- and yet she didn't even know who he was. He wanted answers, this defied all logic he'd ever known. Yet she was here. A thousand words still left unsaid, he sighed. "We're going to get you help Mary.. just please... try and remember." he said, the words leaving felt like sandpaper on his throat. A wound most easily healed with rum. The easy way around is never the best, however. He reminded himself of this as he considered pouring himself a glass. He needed to be sharp.

He stepped outside quietly, leaving her with Anne and exiting the Captain's chambers, taking a shaky breath of fresh salty air. "Full sail!" He called out, returning to the helm of the ship.

He was full of a strange satisfying hope; but also a crushing realization. While it seemed he'd been granted a second chance; he didn't deserve it. An almost physically painful thought ran through his mind. All Mary had done the last times he spoke to her was beg him to change his course, and when she died, he just searched harder, to find that glory, to find that fortune, and now all he would be met with- if Mary ever recovered, was harsh disappointment. He decided their destination should be Great Inagua, his home- somewhere he could spend time and go under the radar, but at the same time get Mary the care she needed.