Chapter 10: The Sun Still Rises in the East

"Connor ... Connor!"

Water on his face, a slap on his cheek and red light. Red light which turned out to be the sun shining through his eyelids. He was lying at the edge of a dock, surrounded by crates and barrels. The late spring morning's sun had dried his clothes and now was stroking his face. It was the only good feeling right now, for just as he opened his eyes a horrible pain hit his head. His whole body was weak and hurt, and he felt like throwing up.

He looked at the figure kneeling next to him.

"Valley?!" he gasped as he recognized her.

"Aye, it's me," said Valley, the rosy-cheeked daughter of the innkeeper Johann Meisser. "Thank goodness, you're alive! It took me ages to find you!"

"Meggie ... Where is she?"

Valley only took his hand and lay it on something soft. Connor turned his head, realizing that Meggie was lying right next to him. The ruffled, ginger hair covered half of her face, her lips were slightly opened, and the skin beneath her freckles was deathly pale.

"She's still unconscious ... or sleeping ... I don't know," Valley explained. "But she's alive, don't worry." Then she suddenly gave Connor a piercing stare. "Please don't tell me you were on that ship as it exploded!"

"We were," Connor replied.

"Ach du meine ..." Valley whispered, forgetting about her perfect skill with the English language. "Nein, nein! I won't tell you what I found out for you now. First you need a doctor."

Yes ... He had asked Valley to provide information for him. But what could she have found out? Connor knew where the papers were. That they most likely had already left. Whether Nathaniel lived or not. Yet it was worth a try ...

He grabbed Valley's arm just as she was about to stand up and go to find a doctor.

"No. Tell me now."

She looked puzzled as her clear, blue eyes widened.

"A doctor would be a better idea. But as you wish ..." She took a breath. "Shortly after you left some sailors arrived, and I understood from their conversation that they were from the Ophelia. I talked to them a little, and they mentioned your lieutenant colonel. They said he was going to meet some guard officers or something like that. Then suddenly one of their own officers arrived and commanded them to return to the ship. He said that they had to bring all the supplies to another one called Cesare and that they were going to sail with her in future. Then he looked at me very strangely ... and asked the sailors whether they had talked to me. I kind of ... Well, I don't know. I realized that helping you might be more dangerous than I thought, but ... Do you know this feeling when you know that you should be afraid, but you just ... aren't?" She suddenly paused, shaking her head. "Sorry, I shouldn't get distracted ... Well, I was in this strange state, knowing that something would happen, and I was almost disappointed as nothing happened for the rest of the day. Until ... the explosion. My father ran outside to see what happened and told me to stay at home. Shortly after he left a man came. I don't know who he was. He just stood there with the hat hiding his face and told me that Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Cross instructed him to tell me that I was a stupid little girl meddling in affairs I don't understand. That I had to carry on now and deliver you a message from Cross. I was told to give you his best regards and ... this."

She reached into her cleavage, pulling out a small bundle of paper. Was it what Connor thought it was? His fingers were trembling as he grabbed the papers and unfolded them. He still felt ill, and his aching head blurred everything, but at least he didn't think about throwing up anymore. He was too busy with realizing the whole horror of the situation: Nathaniel was still alive, he most likely had left for the Caribbean on board of the Cesare, and he had sent Connor - yes, it were the papers showing the location of St. Robert Island. He knew that Connor was alive, and he wanted him to come to the Caribbean. He knew that Connor would follow. It was actually asking the victim directly to walk into the trap, knowing that the victim was aware of it, but would go into it nonetheless. Meggie was right. Nathaniel had planned everything, and he didn't even try to hide it.

"He told me that I would find you somewhere around here at the docks," Valley continued. "Then he left. And I started looking for you. For hours. Ages! I told you already. Really, you could have found a better place to lie around ..."

"I ..." The words, the things he had to say were fighting a fierce battle against each other. "I shouldn't have drawn you into this."

Valley only waved her hand. "This is the least thing you should worry about. Really. I was even about to ask you to make me your constant ally. To accept me into ... Whatever you're in with this entire conspiracy thing. As payment, remember? You promised ..."

She wanted - what?!

"You do not know what you are asking for," he said once he regained his speech.

"That's true," she said with a firm voice he didn't know from her. "But consider that I'm already part of this, that I'm useful for information, and that a woman who deals with drunken men - women-starved sailors! - all the time knows how to defend herself in case anything happens. To be honest, I was waiting for this opportunity for as long as I can remember. Someone like you can't be with the bad guys, and everything is better than serving beer and offering my boobs for gazes for the rest of my life."

She was really serious about it. And she was right. She had passed the point of no return already.

"I will think about it," he sighed. "But as for now, I have a request for you. Over there ... There is my ship. The Aquila. Ask for Robert Faulkner, my first mate. Tell him that it is me sending you and bring him here. Show him this, so he will believe you."

Connor removed the Shard of Eden from his finger, handing it to Valley. Her eyes started to sparkle curiously as she touched it.

"What about the doctor?" she asked, suddenly returning to the here and now.

"I am going to see him later," Connor said, and, facing her suspicious expression, added: "I promise."

"Alright then," Valley said, finally smiling with satisfaction. "I'll go and call Robert Faulkner." Then, without any warning, she laid her hand onto his chest. "Being so handsome should be forbidden," she chuckled. "You make me forget I'm already engaged."

Silence. And somehow ... It actually wasn't the first time he heard this. - Why?!

Valley stood up, completely ignoring him being dumbfounded. Yet before leaving she turned to him once again.

"In case your friend wakes up before I return say hello to her for me. Or is she more than a friend? You should take more initiative. Shy guys are cute, but we don't like too much hesitation."

"Well, she's still a woman."

"But she's the captain's."

"She's on this ship for a week now. - No, even more: She was already here when we sailed from Boston to New York. So it's about one and a half weeks by now. If she'd be the captain's he would've lost his virginity to her already."

"How do you know he didn't?"

"Honestly, lads. This is a small ship, and, with due respect, the captain's too honest to be a good actor. If he would've lost his virginity we'd know."

It took Connor all his might to move his fallen down mandible back in the right position. Of course, except for hardships like storms and battles and joys like seeing new places sailing was the dullest thing in the world. Many people jammed together on a small boat, nothing but sky and water as far as the eye can see, almost nothing to do for the most time and extraordinary bad food. Paradoxically, this strange contrast between adventure and absolute dullness for many sailors was one of the most important reasons to love the open sea. And, apart from that, nothing made a man happier than feeling solid land under his feet after ages of rocking on water, and nothing felt so refreshing like salty air and the blowing and howling wind of the Atlantic Ocean after staying on land for weeks and months. But for the most time, when nothing happened, sailing was boring, so Connor used to keep his men busy by making them clean the ship every day, just like any other captain did. Yet the size of the Aquila had its limits, and she had been cleaned today already. Sadly, it was quite unwise to put the sailors in a bad mood by making them clean the ship too often. They needed these little intervals of sweet idleness to tell each other stories about sea devils, to play dice, and, well, to gossip. Seriously, no one who claimed that gossiping was something only women did could have ever been on a long sea journey with dozens of sailors having nothing better to do than discussing their captain's virginity.

What made things worse was Meggie's presence. The Aquila didn't happen to have female passengers very often, so it was hardly surprising that she had grown the main object of the crew's interest. Some men simmered with excitement whether their captain was going to finally lose his virginity or not whereas others claimed that it wasn't going to happen, that the captain probably wasn't interested in women at all, and that they should try and win her heart themselves, so the journey to the Caribbean would be more ... entertaining.

Sometimes ... Yes, sometimes Connor just lacked ideas for proper punishment.

"So what are you up to, Johnny? She rejected Bill yesterday, and women like him actually."

"Well, it's still worth a try, isn't it?"

"Do whatever you want. I still disagree. She's the captain's, and she isn't even beautiful."

"Seriously? You care about beauty? You have at least three weeks of nothing but ocean ahead, a vagina on board, and you care about beauty?"

"C'mon! It's only four weeks of open sea, and one has already passed! Not the worst we went through."

"It's so useless to talk to you," Johnny grumbled as he turned away and walked towards the hatch leading to the main deck.

Connor sighed, stepping out from behind the stack of crates which had kept him hidden from the eyes of the sailors whose conversation he accidentally had happened to eavesdrop.

"Women on board make some men restless, sir," said Dan Morgan, the helmsman who was standing next to Connor. "But as for your request, here it is."

He passed a little wooden figure into Connor's hands. The captain nodded with satisfaction as he examined it.

"You made it well. Thank you," he said.

"Ah, that was nothing, sir. Just make her happy this night."

Well, this was just as bold as the other sailors' conversation, and somehow it even disabled him to get angry.

"I ... It is not my intention ..."

"You can do it, captain! I believe in you!"

Connor couldn't remember having ever been so helpless towards his own subordinates. Just where were they getting these incredible amounts of impertinence from?! They had never allowed themselves to talk to him like this earlier.

He was about to say something, but Dan was already heading towards the main deck. He had had a little free time as yet, but now he had to take up his station at the wheel, leaving his poor, overwhelmed captain to his shock. So instead of punishing the helmsman Connor hurled his angry stare at Johnny's former collocutors who shrank back as they realized that the captain had been listening all the time. Satisfied with this little victory, Connor followed Johnny and Dan to the main deck, manoeuvring between crates, barrels, nets, cannons and swaying lanterns.

Once his head slipped through the hatch and bright sunlight fell upon his skin he saw that Meggie was sitting cross-legged on a crate, leaning her back against the mainmast and reading one of the books she had bought in New York. Or rather: She obviously had been reading until she got interrupted by Johnny who had drawn himself up to his full height in front of her.

"Well, I have to admit, ma'am, you look a little bit lonely," he was saying as Connor approached.

"Oh, is that so?" Meggie raised her eyes at him. "May I ask what you're getting at?"

Johnny smiled. "My only intention is to offer you my company. I promise I'll do my best to make this journey as enjoyable as possible for you."

Meggie only furrowed her brow.

"Did our Lord bless you with legs, sweetheart?" she asked after a short pause.

"I think so, ma'am."

"Then use them."

This appeared answer enough. Johnny sighed, shrugging and then walking back in the direction of the hatch. He nodded respectfully to Connor as he passed. Apparently, he had no idea that the captain had been listening as he gossiped over his virginity.

"You inherited something very British from your father," he suddenly heard Meggie addressing him.

Connor looked at her quizzically.

"You queue," Meggie grinned. "Just like the others. This ship is full of restless cocks."

"I am sorry for the behaviour of my crew," Connor said, stepping nearer.

"That's alright. They're not rude or something. Just ... restless."

Connor felt a little relieved. Meggie seemed quite annoyed by all the attention towards her, but thankfully she wasn't angry with his men. She had to endure them for three more weeks after all.

"I did not queue to keep you company, and I do not want to distract you from reading," he said, holding the wooden figure out to her. "I only wanted to give you this."

A surprised smile spread on Meggie's face, and her cheeks flushed. His men may say what they wanted - for him, there was beauty in those freckles.

"In New York you asked me for a donkey."

"So you ..." Meggie grabbed the figure and examined it with an even childish excitement. "Oh, these tiny eyes and these ears! And the tail! It's lovely! Thank you! You didn't make it yourself, did you?"

"No, I did not," Connor admitted. "It was Dan Morgan, the helmsman. Mr. Faulkner and I used to steer the ship ourselves, but when I got wounded as I chased Lee I was not able to do it for a long time, and Mr. Faulkner is a mortal man who needs food and sleep and also has his obligations as first mate. So I decided to hire a helmsman. A little bit later we discovered that Dan has one more talent." He pointed at the wooden donkey.

"So you accept me as your Sancho ..." Meggie blushed even more as she suddenly stood up, laying her hand on his left cheek, kissing the right one.

Sheep and gunpowder ... A turkey wearing an Assassin hood ... Turkey ... Turkey ...

"Tell me ..." She whispered, still standing close to him, and without removing her hand from his face. "What shall I think of a man who pounces on me with kissing after knowing me for not more than a week, and then avoids me?"

Assassin turkey ... He laid his hand on hers, forcing it to stay on his cheek - despite knowing that he shouldn't do it.

"The same, I guess, as I shall think of a woman who claims that she would never seriously try to come closer to me, but ends up overwhelming me with compliments, kissing me in return and touching my face like this."

Just why had Meggie to look at him with these eyes, standing so close to him, pressing her breasts against his chest ... More than anything else, this should be forbidden!

Assassin turkey ... It was like a conspiracy against him. Certain parts of his body were very serious about taking revenge for being neglected for so many years. Even the smallest stimuli had an enormous effect now, so the absurd image of an Assassin turkey wasn't enough to get other thoughts anymore. He shouldn't have kissed her, for it had been the beginning of all this ... It wasn't like his body hadn't reminded him of being a grown man earlier, but it never had been so hard to suppress. Apparently, his body had interpreted the first kiss as kind of an encouragement.

Living with Meggie in the same cabin made the situation even more difficult. Not only that she was around more often than it was bearable, but he also remembered that incident when he entered it, finding her stripped to the waist. Since then he knew about the parrot tattoo and the scar of a graze on her back, as well as about the scratch on her right upper arm and the rosiness of her nipples. Of course Connor had seen bare female breasts earlier, since Mohawk women used to leave their upper bodies uncovered during summer, but ... Meggie's pink breasts and her rosy nipples had kept his mind occupied for the past few days nonetheless. It was so pathetic ... Connor felt like the greatest idiot of all times.

"I did not avoid you ... I ..."

What was he trying to say? He had been avoiding her.

"I see," Meggie said, letting her hand slide down onto his chest. "Your little Connor has developed a will of his own ... Or is it rather a little Ratonhnhaké:ton?"

Hearing his real name, Connor looked at her in surprise.

"Did I pronounce it right?" she cheered. "I never thought I could learn it. But don't expect me to use it often. It's still too difficult. So ..." She turned serious again. "What's the matter? You're a healthy man, so it's only natural. And I told you already that I couldn't say no to someone like you, didn't I?"

"It is still ..." Connor paused, searching for the right words. Just why ... It was such an awkward conversation! "It is wrong. I cannot ... I am an Assassin. I am not a man who can have a ... love ... relationship ... to a woman."

Meggie only smiled. "Then I have to destroy your illusions. I'm afraid that love, intercourse and relationship have nothing to do with each other. You can love somebody without ever coming close to that person. You can fuck someone without even knowing this person's name. And you can be even married to someone without loving this person and, yes, also without carrying out your duty as a husband. Fortunately for you, I'm not a woman who would like to have a love relationship. I had a few, and I'm sick of it for reasons perfectly known to you. So as I understand this situation we both have a certain desire, we both don't want it to become anything bigger and we have at least three weeks ahead. Maybe even more if we survive the trap. Upon our return I'll take the next ship back to Europe - England, France, Spain - doesn't matter. You'll continue chasing your unfulfillable dreams. We have a consensus, you see."

Connor opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say. 'I would not have come far if I always would have done what I should.' His own words ... And still, it was wrong!

"Think about it," Meggie said. "I could try and seduce you, but I don't think you're the type for this. So I'm telling you directly: Think about it. I'll accept any answer of yours. Just don't forget one thing: three weeks. If we survive one month more. After that we'll never see each other again, keeping only memory. The decision is up to you: Something nice to remember or ... dying a virgin. I know you well enough to know that this is what's going to happen. And holy shit, what is this slutty crap I'm saying!"

She gave him a pat against his chest, turned around, picked up her book and the donkey, and walked towards the captain's cabin. She knew what to say. She always did ... Not about dying a virgin but about never seeing each other again. He liked her; he couldn't hide it from himself anymore. He should enjoy the little time he had with her as much as he could without being afraid of the consequences, for there wouldn't be any, since they would part forever either by death or the ocean ...

"Bloody hell, what was that?"

Connor spun around, finding himself looking in the face of Robert Faulkner.

"You heard everything?"

"Aye, accidentally," Mr. Faulkner grumbled. "There's need to talk about our water supplies, but I'm afraid you have more urgent business right now. See? This is why a woman on board brings bad luck. The crew is twitchy, the captain is distracted ... What's happening to you, boy? I've never seen you like this before!"

Connor bit his lip, being perfectly aware of his fault. After all those years failing like this ...

"You know what to poke into what, do you?"

Mr. Faulkner hadn't really said this, had he? Connor stared at him, for the first few moments unable to understand the words. Then, slowly, they crept into his consciousness, pressing his brain together with their cold hand.

"I - I know that!" he replied, feeling his ears getting hot.

"Good," the first mate nodded. "You still have wine in your cabin to sterilize your water, don't you? Take a swig or two if you're nervous. And when we meet again I expect to see a fully operational captain."

And with this he jogged Connor in the direction of the captain's cabin. Even Mr. Faulkner was part of this conspiracy ... However, his 'little Ratonhnhaké:ton' liked it. Very much even. In his head one Mohawk curse plopped after another, words of which he had thought he would never use them. This was ... This was the end of all things.

In this moment of desperation something even more horrible happened: The cabin's door opened, and, having stored her things inside, Meggie was about to step out, but remained in the doorframe, stone-still. Her deep set green eyes and those crimson lips ... The freckles and the reddish shade on her cheeks. Ginger strands and the straight nose.

Whatever she had planned to do with the afternoon had to wait. He twined his arms around her body and sealed her mouth with his lips, pushing her back inside.

"You savage," said Meggie, breathing against his chest. "No flowers, no corny poems comparing me to an angel, no moonlight serenades under my windows and no senseless duelling to win my heart. Just brutally taking what you want."

Connor sighed. It may have been him who had pushed her into the cabin, but it had been her who had pushed him onto the bed. Yet he knew her well enough by now to not feel insulted by being called a savage, knowing that it was meant as a compliment. And even if it wouldn't have been her ... There were too many people calling him like this, so if he would get mad at everyone who called him names the United States would be an empty country by now. So one day he had decided to just ignore such comments. As for now, however, he even smiled.

"Look at yourself," he replied, getting an understanding for her game little by little.

Strange. All of this. There had been so much talk about him being a virgin, but now, having lost his virginity, he was still the same man he had been before, the Aquila was rocking on the waves as always, and he expected the sun to rise in the east the next morning, just as it used to. Some things, however, had changed. Meggie had turned more beautiful than before, even though Connor couldn't name the cause for this; the whole world suddenly felt much more friendly, and the hard, narrow bed had turned surprisingly comfortable. Everything was strangely peaceful.

The only thing that interrupted this beautiful feeling was Meggie sliding from his chest in order to lie down next to him, and dismissing him from her warm inside into the cold.

"A nice round," she said, grinning. "We both needed it, I guess. But now, that we handled the emergency ... I warn you: Don't expect to get any sleep this night."

There was something friendlily evil about her smile. Her head was obviously busy with plotting some kind of another conspiracy, making him feel torn apart between curiosity and nervousness. Surely he would need his wine ...

Wine ... Mr. Faulkner ... Water supplies. All at once reality lashed into him, and he made a silent grumble.

Meggie's face appeared above him again. "What's wrong?"

"Water supplies," he said. "I have to talk to Mr. Faulkner about them. I am sorry I cannot stay."

"I understand," Meggie sighed. "You're the captain, and you have responsibility. Go then, go, my gliding eagle."

Connor gazed at her. 'Gliding eagle?' Surprising, but definitely not the worst thing a man could be called ... He gave her a last smile, stood, and started to pick up his clothes lying everywhere about the room.

To be continued ...

I admit, imagining and describing Connor being flooded with hormones was just as hard as it was fun. ;) So this was it, the 10th chapter, the end of the second third of the story. Not much happened, but ... Let's say: Enjoy horny Connor for as long as you can. In the next few chapters there will be some bloodshed. ;)

Thanks for reading, faving and everything! *hug*

PS: I know that the stereotype of the queueing Britith didn't exist in the 18th century. I just couldn't hold it back, since it's one of my very favourite stereotypes. So I'm sorry. ;)