He never used his true name. The name given to him at birth by his parents. A past that was not truly forgotten. Though time had different plans for him. Seeing what he could be now that he no longer sailed the open waters that will forever call his name. A place he called home because of his feeling of never returning to the place that raised him. His blood was forged by the sea and by the salt. The sea is a temptress and like the sirens of ancient tales, her sweet voice was calling to him.
And each time he heard her, he will never forget why he stopped listening in the first place. Far across the sea in a land so ancient, secrets were uncovered. Much blood had been spilled. Salty would never forget that day where the travel was a treacherous one. There was a desert between them and then the mountains.
Long ago, the land was fought over. A war had damaged its buildings and its people were still at war with one another. At the time, Salty cared not for what they fought for. There was bound to be war regardless and men were destined to kill each other. For a pirate like Salty, with war comes treasure. There was alliance. There were weapons. But these people were different. Something ancient that was coursing through veins.
He was intrigued at first with these people. Though, he did not know their history. These people had a code. Something to live by. Salty did not understand and when he crossed their territory, there was war and bloodshed.
Four months passed since he set foot in Boston Harbor. His surroundings were changed and life from the sea was something he had to get used too. Charles Lee was a man with ambition. A constant nagging at Salty's ear, trying to lure him with small talk. It seemed Lee knew his every move. Knew where he slept. People he contacted, but Salty always kept his eyes out. They were always lurking shadows and Salty never left his guard down.
When he found himself a home, something simple, something small, he mastered the craft of carpenter ship. His hands once held swords and pistols. He could cut a man's throat and feel their warm blood run down his fingers without flinching. He was taught to kill to survive. Never surrender. Do not become a prisoner. The sea always brings men to their deaths.
On the land, Salty no longer associated himself with that past life. His birth name long forgotten. The memory of his family and his home forever etched in his memory. Salty knew the years have passed since he last saw them. In a time of hardship, he had to find work. His family was struggling and with seven mouths to feed, his parents saw it best that he- being the eldest of five sons- would find work in the Spanish harbor.
Finding work and a ship willing to bring him aboard at sixteen, Salty's life would forever change.
Salty looked away from the harbor as the memory of a stormy sail was placed in the back of his mind. Those memories seemed to fade with the setting sun. His walk was lonely. The people were always eyeing him, knowing he was a stranger. Like the thieves that steal or the orphans that run and trick people into sympathy. Salty was not like those on the street and kept to himself.
But deep within his heart, Boston was no longer a haven for him. He had to leave. He had to get away from the prying eyes. Charles Lee had eyes that stalked him. Every pathway, every step, it seemed whatever Salty did one of Lee's men would be on him like a starving dog. But it seemed that Lee was not the man to be cautious of. There was someone who was of higher authority. He was someone who was more of a threat than Lee.
He met a man who did not look too friendly, not that Lee was a friendly character himself. He had eyes that were colder than his own, a tone that was low and threatening but had a simple charm to it if one was willing to step aside his own pride. He looked to be like any other English gentleman.
...
"I am beginning to wonder if this is considered stalking or threatening my own well-being." Salty had walked into an alleyway away from any who would want to stick their nose in their business. Being in Boston now for a week, he has been followed by a man in the shadows. It was becoming a game now and neither party wanted to either attack nor give themselves away from the shadows that hid them from the light.
Salty ignored the growing thoughts in his mind and focused on this man that had appeared like a demon from the darkness. The man walked slowly with hands behind his back. He had broad shoulders, long dark hair tied back behind his head, and his clothing was something that he has not seen before. He kept his eyes on Salty with no facial expression but that of a calm manner. His boots crunched the rocks below and his cape blew in the wind.
"We are not stalking or threatening you. I do not see it as the way you do. We do not threaten unless there is someone who gets in our way. It is simple really. Join our causeā¦" This ticked off Salty quickly like a fuse to a musket ready to fire.
"...I hear 'join our cause' one more time and you will no longer have a tongue to speak." Salty stated standing tall causing the man to sneer as he was interrupted. "What is it that you truly want from me? I hear that my skills as a pirate will be of use, but I do not understand. You are not pirate's nor do you know their code to which they live by."
The man paused just inches from him. The threatening posture Salty given off was that of danger. This was not going to be an easy task for the mysterious man. Salty was a stubborn man and pirates were never one to easily convince. If Charles Lee had failed to get this man to join than there would have to be drastic measures that needed to be taken. He was not a man that would easily give in nor give up. If Salty did not want to join them and their cause, then he was not who any of the Templar's thought him to be.
'Not much of a pirate.' He mused thoughtfully.
"Threatening me will not keep us away from seeking you. Our cause is far greater than anything you could ever dream of. A man that has a pirate instinct is something we could use. You are still young and thinking that this is what you want, it will be lost. I am scouting for men that will be of use to me and my order. Do not think that I do not know. You are the one that has attacked one of my ships."
"You talk as if you know me. How many men have you killed for this cause that I do not know of? Pirates are not what they speak of in legend. That life that I had I no longer want." Salty was growing aggravated while this man pestered him further and further and yet, he was not giving away his own secrets. These Templar men were shrouded in mystery, but they were also dangerous.
Putting trust in someone such as him would only bring Salty closer to the gallows. It was hard enough to get away from the pirate life and with this man edging him on there was only one option that was unavoidable. Temptation was a harsh mistress like that of the sea. The more she beckons, the more she will bring you forwards and goes in for the kill.
"Casualties are a constant in any cause whether it be in war or something simple as what is to happen. You see the unrest, you see the outcry of people; you are not blind to it. I am only trying to restore order in an unbalanced world."
"You do not need me, and I do not care for your cause. If you truly want to put order in this world, I give you the best of luck for it. I have told those of your group to leave me be and they have yet to step back. If you must kill me, by any God that hears me, I will not go without a fight. Leave me to live, do not seek for me for I will only give the same answer. No."
There was a small twinkle in the English man's eyes and a crooked smile on his lips. There was no pulling in this man and a hard-headed one at that. Men such as Salty would be of more use but with stubbornness running in his veins it was the way of the pirate. No matter how much Salty wanted to cover his tracks, his past, his pirate ways it will always be with him whether he be on land or on sea.
"Then we will not pester you any further than we already have. I will not give up on any man with skills such as yours. Killing you will only be a waste. Do not take this as a warning but as a promise: I will not kill you but if you threaten any of us, we will not hesitate. I cannot convince you but in time I see you will come to join us."
Salty and the man kept silent letting the sea air blow. The sounds of the sea birds were distant, and the barking of dogs echoed. Both men did not move for a long while.
"What is your name?"
The English man did not want to answer but he was curious as to why. Why would Salty care? Why would this man ask? Will they seek each other or simply run into one another in the future? No one was certain but if the man was right, Salty will seek out the Templar's. If he seeks the Templar's to kill or not it is up for the man to decide on his own.
"My name is Haytham Kenway."
'Kenway?'
...
Salty seemed to be encountering Templar's in hiding but it was not on purpose. They sought him out trying to get the man to be a part of theircircle. Haytham seemed to leave him be yet, Salty had a sickening feeling. The man, this English man, he always had a close eye on the former pirate. He did not threaten nor even attempted to talk to him again, but somehow Haytham knew exactly what Salty was going to do.
Each time he was not interested but it wasn't till a year later that they stopped seeking him. Haytham has not been lurking in the shadows. Something has caught the man's attention leaving Salty to finally feel a bit of fresh air. Within that year he has traveled out of Boston under his new name without anyone noticing. It was not like anyone cared for a stranger that was living among them for a year. He made no close friends and lived alone. It was time to move forwards to the unknown where he no longer lived in the past. The sea will always remind him of that day and the sea will always call to him to come home.
1756: New York
Salty was still adjusting to living life on the land and has yet to make peace with himself. The guilt followed looming in the distance, but he did not weigh it down upon his shoulders. Life was still worth living even though no one knew his secret. He owned his own business but for two years he noticed some unrest within the towns. He kept away from trouble that most of the citizens of New York began to respect him as one of their own.
Red coats were the law under the king and when they were tampered with from anyone who did not want to follow either they would go missing in the night never to be heard from or meet their fate in the gallows. Most were threatened which put people back in their place. Whatever was happening, he would not investigate it.
It was a warm day in New York for this time of year. The streets were crowded once more and Salty was finishing the last touches on a chair for a customer that was to be picked up at the end of the day. Focused on his craft he heard something crash on the outside. Life outside was noisy but when he heard the splinters of what sounded like a crate, Salty could also hear a small shriek come from a woman. Maybe even a tiny curse from her lips.
Looking away from the chair, Salty got himself up and walked towards the window. On the outside there was a carriage with dropped goods on the ground and a woman picking up the items. No one seemed to notice or walked passed her. Not wanting to be rude he took a step outside and walked over towards the woman.
"Need help miss?" He asked politely.
The woman looked up from the crate of what looked to be apples and inside the carriage was crates filled with fruits and vegetables in large or small crates. It did not take long for Salty to realize that this woman was traveling from one place to another. His eyes looked to hers where she had a smile on her face. Straight black hair, hazel and almond shaped eyes, skin tanned as if she came from the deserts, and Salty wondered where she was from. Could she be a native or could she have come from a different realm? She did not speak to him and it seemed that she did not speak the English language, but his thoughts changed when he heard her speak.
"I do not need help, but I give my thanks." She said with an accent that was thick and heavy. She seemed to be in such a hurry.
She had no time to be in small conversations when she had to make schedule for her long trip back to the manor. She should have made New York her first stop but since Boston was close and had what she needed, she would regret it. Using the stars for navigation and trying to keep away from bandit country, not to mention keeping track of red coat activity, this young woman was going to be in a hurry back. This place was not her native home, but she wanted a change in scenery.
'Maybe I should have had a second convoy to make it easier.' She mentally kicked herself.
"Do you always travel alone?"
Coming to reality, she has forgotten that the man was standing in front of her. She blushed from having to have this man look to her with a gleam in his eye.
"If you are asking to be my guard, I can handle myself." This woman had some attitude, Salty noticed.
Salty chuckled lightly amused by this woman whom he just met. She was in such a hurry to travel and it did not offend him that she wanted to get away. It was as if she was moving too fast for his eyes but Salty found this to be more amusing now. This woman was something. She was babbling and ranting about being late and such. Still, he was curious of her origin.
"I can see that you can with the musket hiding underneath some rugs. It is out of my own curiosity for I do not see women travel alone knowing that places such as the frontier can be a danger. You cannot be from here for the food looks as if you will be traveling for some time. May I ask where it is that you are going?" Salty was blunt but he wanted to understand where this woman was going. Hell, he did not even ask for her name nor did she ask for his.
"You are observant for a carpenter. I only travel to places for food, supplies, not for the frontier but for an old friend. I bring him what he needs."
"Then I shall not keep you from your business. If you need any help my name is Eloy and I work at the building behind me. Do not be afraid to ask for help if you need it." And with that being said he turned his back with a coy smile but not without bowing a bit to the woman in respect. Walking away back to his shop the woman smiled but quickly noticed that she did not give 'Eloy' her name.
"My name is Adolfa!" She exclaimed making Salty turn back to her.
It did not come to mind to Salty about this woman. He did not think that she would have any importance in his life besides being just another person whom he tried to help. They did not know what the future will hold for them.
Where there is light darkness does not fall behind for eyes keep close watch suspecting my father to be the man, they have been watching for two years hidden within the shadows. Soon they will approach him. Soon, my father will know what secrets and what lies inside of the shadows. A world that had been hidden away for so long until it was rediscovered.
