Disclaimer: I do not own Assassin's Creed.


Chapter I

Love at first sight

There were some things, Edward had noticed, that did not change over the centuries. One thing were the haystacks, which were always located at the most convenient yet totally impossible places. Another one was that the guards would always fall for the stupidest of tricks. An also common occurrence was people making funny comments about his sanity. And finally, there would always, always be problems with drunkards.

It was a fairly ordinary day for Edward up until that point. He was heading towards a tavern where he was a regular customer, "The Auld Shillelagh", a small place just outside Bristol. Edward quite liked it there. He had his drinking buddies and a lot of alcohol along with quite a few women; one who did not know Edward would say that he, at the age of seventeen, was too young to hang out in such a place. But hey! It was a nice and pretty effective way to forget his problems and release some tension. Perhaps he was like that because of Ezio; that guy was always spending his money on women and wine when he was in the same age. But at the same time Ezio had lost half his family in that age, and since Edward could recall the memories of his ancestors easier when they were around the same age, that affected him too.

However, Ezio's traumatic experiences were only part of the problem. Edward was now seventeen and that was old enough for him to worry that there was fat chance he never gets out of Bristol. His father, Bernard, was a sheep shepherd, his grandfather was a sheep shepherd, his grandfather's father was a sheep shepherd, and now it seemed like Edward would be a sheep shepherd as well. And he did not like that at all. He had more important things to do, darn it! Or more like, he felt like he had more important things to do.

A good enough reason to head to his favourite tavern when his parents were out.

He had just gotten in the tavern when he noticed that something was wrong. You see, Edward was used to keeping track of every girl in town, and that was one that he had never seen before. More importantly, this tavern was most definitely not the kind of place a girl like her would hang out at. She had the modest appearance of a housemaid in some rich household, and such servants were only seen in town when they were to purchase supplies and other goods. Yet it was very much obvious that groceries were that last thing that the maid had in mind right now. She was yelling – very loud and in complete contrast to her modest appearance – and she was surrounded by three other guys; all older that she was.

Three guys who Edward knew all too well; Tom and Seth Cobleigh, and Julien somebody – he never bothered learning his surname. All three of them assholes; one pointed look and it was enough for them to take it personally, like you were looking at them down your nose or something. Well, they certainly did look Edward down their noses, and that had resulted in quite a few fist fights. And there was no hiding their lecherous looks as they ate the drunk girl with their eyes.

It did not take a genius to put two and two together; those three had "invited" the lass for a drink, she accepted the offer, and now they were waiting – impatiently – until she was drunk enough for them to take advantage of her. Edward's morals were loose in more than a few places, but this was not one of them.

True to Edward's suspicions, the three lads were ready to "escort" the young lady out. "You've had too much to drink, Lovely. Let's get you Home, shall We?".

"To Bed.", added Seth, obviously thinking that nobody would hear him even though the whole tavern did – no better than a toddler, honestly. "Let's be getting you to Bed.".

Oh, they were asking for it. Edward signaled to the barman and another patron; both refused. Cowards. Not that Edward could not take those three assholes on his own with ease, but he really wanted to see who would be willing to put some boundaries to the liberties of the customers in the tavern. If the tavern's very own owner was not willing to put his foot down… Oh well.

Edward stepped outside the dark tavern and into the sunlight; he blinked by the sudden change. As expected, the asshole trio and the girl had not gotten too far. In fact, they were just outside the road. Perfect. Now everyone who paid attention would see what followed.

"Well, Tom Cobleigh.", started Edward, knowing it did not take much to rill them up. "The Things you see on a fine Afternoon. Why, just you and your Cronies are getting drunk, and getting a poor defenseless Woman even drunker.".

The girl finally seemed to realize that something was wrong with her company, as she released her arm from Tom's grip. However Tom did not seem to really care at the moment as he had already raised an accusing finger towards Edward. "Now, just You stay out of This, Edward Kenway, You young good-for-nothing. You're as drunk as I am and yer Morals just as loose. I don't need to be given a talking-to by the Likes of You.". By the time Tom had finished his little speech Seth and Julien had already turned towards Edward as well and the girl seemed to had entered some sort of sleep-walking state.

"Well, loose Morals I might have, Tom Cobleigh, but I don't need to pour Ale down a Girl's Throat before taking her to Bed, and I certainly don't need two Friends to help me with the Task.". Edward said that with a smile; he really was more drunk than he thought. He was always trying not to drink too much alcohol as he knew it was unwise, but it was so easy to lose track.

Apparently that little insult did its work too well. Tom had turned an interesting shade of red. "Why, you cheeky little Bastard, you. I'm going to put her on my Cart is what I'm going to do, and take her Home.".

"I have no Doubt that you intend to put her on your Cart and take her Home.", replied Edward smoothly. "It's what you plan to do between putting her in the Cart and reaching Home that concerns me.".

"That concerns you, does it? A broken Nose and a Couple of broken Ribs will be concerning you unless you mind your own bloody Business.".

Absentmindedly, Edward noticed a lone figure, half-hidden by the trees, heading towards their direction, but he paid no mind to it. All his good humor from earlier disappeared, and his voice showed a steely edge that would make any man less drunk to think twice before challenging him. "Now you just leave that Girl alone, Tom Cobleigh, or I won't be responsible for my Actions.".

The three men did as he said, and the girl seemed almost relieved that they finally let her go. Guess she was not sleep walking after all.

Edward in the mean time calculated the odds. Three against one. He had to admit that while Altair and Ezio had fought dozens of times with much worse odds than that, Edward himself had never really gotten in such a fight. Nobody wanted anything to do with the most abnormal lad in town. Also, all of them were more or less just as drunk – which was quite a lot – and Edward was not at the very prime of his strength right now. From the other hand, Tom was old enough to be Edward's father – heck, he was the same age with Edward's father! – Seth was Tom's son – and the fact that he was helping his father get a young girl to his bed said quite a lot about what kind of people they were. Seth was most likely to back off when fists started flying. However Julien might prove trouble; he certainly looked like he could handle himself.

And yet… Edward remembered the lone rider who was still approaching. Worst case scenario, if he could not handle those three bastards alone, he could hold them off until said rider showed up. More than likely he would decide to help. Plus, the trio would not be so brave in front of an audience.

"So,", Edward continued, looking for a fight. "even if you end up leaving me a bloody Heap by the Side of this here Road, and carry that young Lassie off anyway, I'm going to have to do all I can to make it as difficult for you as possible. And perhaps see to it that you go on your Way with a black Eye and maybe a pair of throbbing Bollocks for your Troubles.".

Tom had obviously lost his patience by then. His eyes had become slits when he spoke next. "Well, are you going to stand there talking about it all Day, Edward Kenway, or are you going to attend to your Task? Because Time waits for no Man…", he grinned after that "I've got People to see, Things to do.".

"Aye, that's right, and the longer you leave it the more Chance that poor Lassie has of sobering up, eh?".

"I don't mind telling you, I'm getting tired of all this Talk, Kenway.". Tom turned to Julien. "How about we teach this little Bastard a Lesson? Oh, and one more Thing before we start, Master Kenway,", he added, turning back to Edward "you ain't fit to shine your Mother's Shoes, you understand?".

Tom had hit the Jackpot. That one was a heavy blow to Edward. Others would dismiss it as unimportant, but Edward could not. Not when his own family life was as shitty as it was. Saying that his father did not treat his mother well would be a lie, but every family had its problems, and his father's closed off attitude to the point of almost abandoning them once was still a very deep wound. And to think that it was that bloody mongrel who had driven that rusty knife in that wound and twisted it just to see how much it would hurt… That bastard was a dead meat.

Julien, being the most confident, took a fighting stance and swung his right fist towards Edward. Obviously he was either not as good as Edward thought, or he had underestimated the blond. Edward had noticed right away that his opponent was right handed. Edward pared the incoming fist with his left hand and drove his right one right into the man's throat, causing him to choke out air, saliva, alcohol, and not just a little bit of blood. His throat instantly had turned into a red angry bruise which bled from here and there. A very violent strike, that had it had a little bit more force behind it, it would have killed the man. But Julien was still alive, and Edward could feel his heartbeat in his fingertips as he caught the unconscious man from the neck and threw him on a very surprised Tom, who was intending to sneak at Edward from the side. Obviously he did not expect Edward to notice him.

However Edward had fallen into the same trap, for as he did that, Seth had grabbed an empty bottle from somewhere and slammed it into Edward's head. Edward felt his head throb and his vision blurring, and he turned around to drive his left elbow in Seth's nose as retaliation. However, Seth was an idiot. He could have already been one step away from his previous spot and Edward would have missed, but instead he had stayed in his place to gloat and now he paid the price with a bloody nose. Edward let out a satisfied grunt at the strike.

And then someone jumped on him. Tom had managed to get Julien's unconscious form off himself and now had Edward pinned on the ground, his head throbbing at the sudden force.

This was bad. Very bad. Tom had toppled him. And he fell. The worst thing that could happen to you when you are outnumbered is fall. Once you fell it was over.

Or it would be over. With a sudden move, Edward rolled like a barrel and now it was him who was on top and Tom who was at the bottom. The blond performed a back-roll and freed himself from his adversary's clutch. Victory was his!

Except that Julien had regained his conscious.

With an angry fist, the struggling man punched Edward straight on his head, making his vision go blind for more than a few seconds. By the time his vision returned, both Tom and Seth Cobleigh had gotten up.

What followed was brutal. The three men brought Edward down and started kicking him, showing no mercy. Somewhere between the pain, Edward was astonished that some common street thugs could be so ruthless. This was not normal. If the kicking continued, sooner or later a rib would break.

And in that exact moment, the lone rider arrived. Edward managed to take a look at her. Oh. Her. Shite. The rider was a woman, and obviously a lady of class. She was riding astride the horse, like a man, and not sidesaddle like it was the usual for women. That only showed confidence. And even through the kicks of the three that were now raining, he managed to form one thought. "She is beautiful…".

Too bad that beauty cannot save his life.

"Hey.", Edward heard her calling out. "You three Men. Stop what you're doing right now.".

The three of them reluctantly backed off, and he tried to get back on his feet, unable to stop his coughing. Now that the beating had stopped, Edward managed to take a batter look at her. She was young – perhaps a little older than him? – and while she was not high society, she was definitely raised in a rich household. No woman of her status was making trips with her horse alone. And Jeysus, she was twice as beautiful as he had first thought.

"We were just teaching this young Man here some Manners.", Tom excused himself, obviously out of breath. How exhausting it must be to kick a fallen man to death! Though Julien was still spitting blood… That filled Edward with a vicious satisfaction.

The young lady was not having any of that. "Well, it doesn't take three of you to do that, does it?", she retorted, sending a glare to the three men who now looked like little kids scolded by their parents. She got off the horse. "More to the Point, what are you doing with this young Lady here?". Wait, that drunk girl was still here? What was she doing, that idiot, and had not run away yet!?

"Oh, Ma'am, this is a young Friend of ours who had too much to drink.".

The woman's posture darkened and her gaze turned into a death glare. Something the lad had said was the wrong thing to say. "She is most certainly not your young Friend, she is a Maidservant, and if I don't get her back Home before my Mother discovers she is absconded then she will be an unemployed Maidservant.". Ooh, now they were doomed. "I know you Men, and I think I know exactly what has been going on here. Now, you will leave this young Man alone and be on your Way before I am of a Mind to take this further.".

The threat was obviously very effective, for before he knew it, these guys were bowing, apologizing and fleeing. With them gone, the woman kneeled to the ground in front Edward. "My Name is Caroline Scott, my Family lives in Hawkins Lane in Bristol, let me take you back there and tend to your Wounds.".

A very generous offer that surprised Edward. Not many people of class would aid a peasant like him. "I cannot, my Lady", replied Edward with a grin, his mood greatly uplifted by the rescue and the politeness of the rescuer. "I have Work to do.", he said, managing to sit up. He had to act at least a bit dignified in front of a lady. No woman would be happy with a man who was acting like a dirty asshole.

She – Caroline – stood up. "I see. And did I assess the Situation correctly?".

Edward started to brush the dirt of his clothes. "You did, my Lady.".

"Then I owe you my Thanks and so will Rose when she sobers up. She is a willful Girl, not always the easiest of Staff, but nevertheless, I don't want to see her suffer for her Impetuousness.".

"God.", decided Edward in his head. "I was saved by an Angel.". He finally got up, and he helped Caroline mount the still piss-drunk Rose, who was oblivious to the rest of the world. As Caroline would mount a sudden thought occurred to Edward and he blurted it before he could stop himself. "Can I see you again, my Lady? When I look a little more presentable, perhaps?".

She gave him a regretful look. "My Father would never approve.". And with that, she was off.

Edward Kenway at that moment knew that this would not be their last meeting.


All he could think that night was her. Not his condemned future or the struggles of the world. Not even the somewhat surprise on his father's face when he saw him coming home all beaten up – and that was worse than disappointment. No; all he could think of was her.

How beautiful she was in the summer sun, with her red hair glistening in the light, and her peach colored skin giving off a healthy glow. How confident she had been, riding on her own the same way men do and stop that fight without doing as much as raise her voice. How kind she had been to him…

A horribly cliché line, but he had never met anyone like her. An angel had come to save him when he was at a pinch. Three drunkards had managed to corner him, honestly… Then again, he was quite drunk himself. "I seriously need to cut down the Ale. Easier said than done.".

She was amazing. Everything about her was remarkable; he could tell from the first already meeting. She was not just a pretty face – though her beauty was plentiful. She was also confident and gentle, she had stood up in a situation when any other women of her status would have avoided like the plague, and she had shown kindness not only to her maidservant, but to him as well. Him, Edward Kenway, who had nothing but his parents, a cottage which was owned by his parents, and a few sheep. And a whole bunch of memories that were not his, but that would never count.

One thing he knew: he would see her again. He felt like had to. But where could he find her? Wait; she had given him her address. Hawkins Lane in Bristol, right? All he had to do was go there and search for the gold target. It would not be hard; his Eagle Vision was much better than Altair or Ezio's – something Edward took pride in. He could climb through her window- no. She would not like that. A complete stranger climbing through her window in the middle of the night? He had not even given her his name!

Then during the day, perhaps? "My Father would never approve.". Right. Her father. If Edward did not want to get Caroline in trouble, he had to find her in a time when her parents would not be around. But that also meant he would have to find out who her parents were. And that could take a while.

Patience and information gathering. He could do that.


The next two or possibly three weeks were spent on precisely that task. Edward had his ears open for any word on the surname Scott, as he had not dared to venture around their house yet. However, all that time Edward heard nothing, and he did not want to start questioning people; a rumor mile was the last thing he needed. Also, summer was close to an end and it would not be long before his parents had finished their long-hours business outside Bristol. A visit to the Scott house seemed to be the only option left.

The next morning, instead of going to "The Auld Shillelagh", Edward went to Hawkins Lane. He had to go through this carefully. He put on mundane clothes – nothing attention catching – but he made sure that his shoes were suitable for climbing. He also took his hat with him – a passable substitute for the Assassin hood and much less suspicious during summer. And last but not least, his Hidden Blade.

It was not a true Assassin Hidden Blade. Edward had merely used a very thin knife and fixed some strings and wires inside a leather bracer he had made himself with the money he had saved. It was nowhere close to the quality of an original Hidden Blade, but it could be easily hidden under his sleeve and it answered just fine. He was certain that he would not need it, but better safe than sorry.

As soon as he was done with the preparations, he went to the road in front of "The Auld Shillelagh" where he had met Caroline for the first time. And after that, he closed his eyes and opened his senses.

Edward's Eagle Vision really was much better than Altair or Ezio's. Even with his eyes closed he could see through his eyelids. The sky had turned black like the dead of the night but starless, getting rid of all sunlight and thus any shadows that may prove a hindrance to noting the details. The noises became muted as if underwater, but they were as clear as a bell to his ears. All vegetation glowed yellow and green, the bushes around the road white – an indication for a hiding spot. Small animals that were unseen later where now visible at the edge of his hearing – most of the grey and see-through like ghosts, but there were a few that glowed red. The trees and bushes were no problem; he could see through them as he could see through walls – another advantage to his sixth sense.

But that was not enough; not yet. So he pushed further, deeper, where he could sense the spirit behind his Eagle Vision, the jackdaw. Edward at first had not understood why his spirit animal had to be this dark little creature. But it was a sly bird that he loved, good at sneaking, stealing and searching, even though it looked unimportant at first glance – just like Edward himself. He could smell it now – the path that Caroline had followed, glowing golden. Edward opened his eyelids slowly and carefully, so he would not lose the trail. And after making sure that nobody was following him, he followed the path.

It was not long before he found himself in front of the house in Hawkins Lane – even without his Eagle Vision, it was a hard place to miss. And that was because it was not a house, it was a mansion. A beautiful, two floors white mansion, not too large but it showed wealth, with the chambers of the apparently few servants and the stables at the side in separate buildings. By all accounts, it was the kind of house a wealthy merchant would have.

Edward climbed up a nearby tree to hide himself and get a good view of the building. Climbing and free-running on threes was a skill Edward had taught himself. He had found out the hard way when he was a boy that doing so was completely different to climbing and free running buildings. All things made by man are more or less the same when it comes down to stability and the like. Every single tree branch is different.

Once on the tree, Edward dropped Eagle Vision, and rubbed his temples, hoping to get rid of his headache. He had never used his sense for such lengthy amounts of time before. Even the jackdaw in his head seemed to be exhausted, not that Edward could blame the poor bird. He just lied on the branch taking a break, and waiting until both he and the bird felt a little better.

Once he got the signal that "Yes, you can use me again", Edward gave another go in Eagle Vision to scan the building, unhindered by the walls. Inside the building he could see the various chests and closets glowing white, but he paid them no mind. That door there looks a little strange… He dismissed the thought. Caroline was on the second floor, alone in her room, glowing gold as she was his target. There were a few more inside the house. The two servants were colored in the grey see-through of the people whose presence always was dismissed. The same could be said for the middle aged woman that was apparently Caroline's mother. She would not have any objections with her daughter accepting a proper thank you from Edward.

Edward was about to climb down the tree and meet Caroline when something in the edge of his Vision stopped him. A man had entered the house – and he was glowing a bright red. Edward stopped in the middle of the motion and examined the man carefully. He was dressed as wealthily as Caroline did, and had a proud bearing that showed that the man considered himself to be of a higher social class than he actually was. "He must be Caroline's Father.", thought Edward. And then he picked something else on the man – an object that was glowing white somewhere on his person. Edward stared bewildered for a second; why would his Vision render a small object as important?

Edward shook his head and focused on the matter at hand: meeting Caroline. Her parents and a couple of servants seemed to be getting ready to go outside – no doubt in order to attend business. However Caroline was obviously not going anywhere. And neither was the maidservant he had tried to rescue the other day – Rose, was it? Perfect. All he had to do was wait until Caroline's parents were out of the house, and then he could properly thank the two women.

And perhaps, investigate the mysterious object that Mr. Scott was carrying on his person.

As it turned out, he had to wait for a whole hour until Caroline's parents were out. Edward could only scowl – how long does it take for a couple of people to put something appropriate on and go out? Even in Ezio's family, which was high class nobility with six members, in formal meetings it did not need more than half an hour before everybody was ready; and that included the time that Maria needed to convince Federico to move his lazy ass.

Anyway. Time to meet Caroline.

Edward switched his position from the well-hidden tree branch to a bush very close to the front door, and waited for Rose to get close to it. It would not be proper for him to climb through Caroline's window, and Edward was sure he would get both himself and her in trouble should he approach any of the other servants. His patience was rewarded when ten minutes later the glowing white form of Rose approached the door. Edward dismissed his Vision – he knew that the glowing gold eyes looked a little creepy – got off his hiding spot and knocked the door, loudly enough so Rose would hear but not too much so not to alert the rest of the servants.

Rose seemed definitely surprised when the blond lad she vaguely remembered through her drunken stupor suddenly showed up on their doorstep. "Oh. Good Afternoon, Mr…?".

"Just Edward.", he replied. He took a deeper breath. "I came to properly thank Caroline.".

For some reason, as soon as she heard that, Rose smirked. "Just a Second.". And with that, she was off.

Edward blinked. "Okay…".

Seconds later, Rose was down the stairs with Caroline on her tail. She was even more beautiful than Edward remembered her, with her hair slightly messy and wearing an in-house robe. Caroline seemed to almost take a stunned step back as soon as she saw him. "You!- Oh. Good Afternoon.".

Edward could not help his smile; her surprised expression looked cute – wait, what? "I came to properly thank you, Miss Caroline.".

Said woman scoffed slightly as soon as she heard that. "Please, you can just call me Caroline. And what is your name?".

"Edward James Kenway. You can call me Edward.", he replied.

"Oh.", she blinked. "This is unusually… fancy.". Edward knew why she said that. Both Edward and James were usually names that were given to kings and princes. But there was more in it than Caroline possibly knew. Edward knew by the knowledge on the Old English that he had acquired from Altair and Maria that his first name meant "rich guard", James "the one who follows", and Kenway meant "royal war".

"I know it's fancy.", he replied with a shrug.

An awkward second passed. "Both Rose and I thank you for Aid, Edward.", said Caroline. "I don't want to think what could've happened to Rose had she stayed with those Men.".

"I thank you, Caroline", denied Edward. "Those Jerks could have killed me if they continued.".

"It was Nothing.", she replied embarrassed.

"I… should go.", said Edward, not understanding why he was so embarrassed by the woman's mere presence. Rose struggling to hide her giggles was decidedly not helping. "I have Work to do, and I'm already late.".

"Goodbye, then.".

"Goodbye.".

And with that, Caroline retreated and Rose closed the door, but not before sparing him a wink. Seriously, what was wrong with her!?

Edward shook his head and started walking away from the small mansion. It was true: he had to get home before his father- wait. Caroline's father. The mysterious white object.

The jackdaw in Edward's head was waving its wings up and down, jumping on the spot, trying to tell Edward that something was off about the man. And Edward was not one to ignore his gut feeling. For some, reason, he was suddenly glad he had brought his Hidden Blade with him.

For a moment that seemed too long, Edward just sat under a tree close to Caroline's house having an inner debate. On the one hand he had a feeling that he should go after the man; this feeling of offness was not something that could be shook off easily. On the other hand he – and who knows who else – could get in a lot of trouble if he was caught tailing a man. "But you will not get caught.", said his jackdaw.

The bird was right. Edward could not get caught.

If he could follow a three weeks old trail, he could definitely follow one that was not even half an hour long. For once again Edward dug deeper into his sixth sense and tracked the golden trail. But this time around it was not Caroline who was his target. It was Mr. Scott.

Edward hid on the trees and bushes, and followed the trail. The small path that Mr. Scott's carriage followed seemed to be united with the main road that was used by riders and carriages. Nothing unusual up until now. And more importantly, there was no-one in Sight.

Edward flew through the trees. The freedom of free running was something he cherished greatly. Run with small and fast steps on the tree brunch. Jump – catch yourself on the branch of the other tree. Play the monkey for one or two branches. Land on a third. Jump to the next one. Skip the tree trunk onto the next branch. Continue running.

It was amazing. The feeling of the wind on his heating face, the slight ache of the muscles, the lightness of his body as he made his way on the trees… If anyone was to see him right now, they would only catch something like a large shadow. Flying along with the wind.

After a while the trees became fewer and more sparse. Edward was forced to the ground. With a leap and a practiced roll that felt like second nature, Edward landed on the ground without as much as a scratch and brushed a little dirt off his clothing. He was just outside a small and busy merchant point out of Bristol – close enough to grand an easy access to the harbor, but far enough to be somewhat secluded. Edward felt a slight dread as soon as he saw the place; he knew it like the back of his hand, but only because his father used to take him here all the time. It was where his family traded their wools and dairy products. In other words, there was a very good chance his parents were here. Well, better be safe than sorry.

Edward found a high spot on a building and scanned the area with his Eagle Vision. No blue spots – good. That meant that his parents were not here. He would be in a lot of trouble once he got home, but this was not important. As for his target… there.

He once again dismissed his Eagle Vision and with a Leap of Faith Edward landed in a haystack, thankfully not attracting much attention. He got out of it, brushed any remaining hay off his clothes, and with satisfaction he noted that he could still see the yellow form of Mr. Scott, even through the countless walls. And that was without his Eagle Vision.

Edward swiftly moved to the place where he had spotted the man, and saw that he had a conversation with some other rich bloke. He blended with a small crowd that was busy talking about the increasing prices of wools and fabric, and eavesdropped the conversation.

The other guy looked quite young – around his twenties – and that struck Edward as odd, especially considering the fact that it was the young one that was doing the scolding. "Listen here, Mr. Scott. It does not matter that you are older and wealthier than I; you have fallen from the Grandmaster's good Graces. So right now, it's you who has to answer to me, not the other Way around.". The Grandmaster!? They could not possibly mean…

"The Grandmaster is way too hopeful with this Plan. What he needs in Order to achieve success in the West Indies is Anarchy, and with the War that now begins between our Crown and the Spanish, all Ships and Soldiers, as well as their comings and goings are carefully traced and recorded. And to make Matters worse, there are no People among the higher Ranks that he can trust!". A war!? Did they talk about the whole "crown" thing with the French and the Spaniards, and the Portuguese and who knows which other countries?

"The Grandmaster said that all we be in due Time. What we need to do right now is get enough Privateers to work for the King.". Privateers?

"Do you truly believe that Something like that will work? Only a Fool could not see the Advantage of a competent Navy over a rowdy and inexperienced Row of… "legal" Pirates!".

"Yes, but the King doesn't have enough Men for that. Which is why he has no other Choice but to turn to the Privateers. And besides, there are some Gentlemen in the King's Council who consider this Option, and it is likely that he will approve.".

"But are they our Gentlemen?".

"Only the Carrols, but that's not important. What we need you to do right now is keep pressing Bristol. We will need as many of those "legal Pirates" around as we can get. And if you succeed, then slowly but surely, you will start to gain back the Grandmaster's good Graces.".

"I understand. But I still hope he would tell something more about his Plans to the Rest of us…". Apparently the young one was as clueless as Mr. Scott, for he had no answer to that pondering.

Once more – and hopefully for the last time today – Edward called upon his jackdaw. As he had half-expected, the other lad was glowing a bright red just like Mr. Scott had earlier that day, and had on his person a white glowing object as well. He then turned his gaze to Mr. Scott. Surely enough, the white object was still, there, and now that he was closer, he could see that it was a ring. Edward sharpened his eyesight – he could sense that the ring for some sort of reason was important. He took a more careful look to the piece of jewel that hanged from the man's left ring-finger. It was not his wedding ring, that was for sure.

Edward had to take a second look once he saw that ring. It was silver, with a red ruby cross on it. The Cross of the Templar Order.


Author note: This is the first chapter of the re-written version of "The Seeker"! The ones who have read the original version, you must have noticed that this is basicaly the original story's chapters two and three combined, with some slight edits. I have included the Bristol harbor as I did not know that there was one when I first wrote this fanfic. Also, some future events will be more cannon compliant, but be ready for some crazy twists! If you want spoilers, check out the original version. But you should know, things will change more as the story progresses.

Another thing, all future fights will be much more graphic than this one. I have not much experience in writing fight scenes, but descriptions is what I do best.

The question still stands: is anyone interested in a fanfic featuring Adam and all the First Civilization? Do you know such fics? Let me know!

Read and Review! I LOVE reviews!