Here it is loveliest readers! The finale to part one of my story :) I'm excited to get cracking on to part 2, but know there will be a bit of a delay. I will be reviewing these chapters, making small corrections to them and revising my plot. I like to be organized before I dive into it. I also have a picture of Adeline all sketched up to perfection. It turned out exactly how I envisioned her and I couldn't be more excited to share it with... But I am at a loss as to how to do it. Deviantart? Live Journal? Suggestions? Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this, drop me a line and let me know what you think. XOXOXOXO
Her eyes fluttered open, a light pounding beating inside of her skull. Upon glancing out of an unfamiliar open hatch she observed it was growing dark, around seven or so. She stretched the stiffness from her limbs and turned onto her side where Haytham lay still snoozing lightly from beneath his hat. He had his hands behind his head, the skin pulled tight across the muscles of his forearms. It was inevitable then that she should feel the need to touch him, just to see if the skin was as soft it it truly looked, and it was...
Her heart ached at his beauty that he kept so well hidden under his many layers. The only thing he lay in now were loosely bound trousers that had been untied long ago. Her finger trailed down the line of his arm to his defined ribcage, mapping every bump and ridge into her memory. Haytham chuckled sleepily, removing his hat to smile at her. She blushed, burying her cheeks into into the thin blanket and stared up at him through large playful eyes. He moved the blanket away from her face to reach her cheeks, strumming his fingers across their soft pink surface.
She closed her eyes against the sensation, attempting to shelter her heart from the insecurity that bloomed forth from his touch. With the new found love and adoration for her commander came the intense and bitter pain of vulnerability. Her heart was his to keep or crush and Adeline hated the fact that she could no longer control the outcome. Haytham could sense her turmoil, watching her eyes cast down to her knotted hands. He cupped her cheek and brought her lovely stare back up to him.
"Fret not little one, I will keep it safe..." He pressed his other palm against her chest, smiling at the strong thrums of her heartbeat as it picked up the pace. Did love happen this fast normally? He felt as if his perimeters now orbited the small woman laying next to him in bed, it was an incredible sensation. As if she were an anchor buried deep in the ground, he attached to her by a sturdy chain while the world spun wildly around them in a dazzling show light and colors...
"The maps?" She questioned out of the blue, breaking up his daydreams into confused fargments... Maps?
"Ah, right." The very thing they had set out to do from the beginning. "Give me a moment?" He jumped out of bed, tying his trousers shut and pulling his undershirt on, buttoning it at the neck. She watched from the cot as he buttoned his waistcoat up, it was her favorite piece of his wardrobe. Red looked incredibly sumptuous against his pale complexion. How dashing he was... She outwardly sighed, placing her chin upon her hand and openly ogling him. He took a seat at his desk and beckoned her over with a wave of his hand. She pulled the thin blanket over her bare chest and slowly made her way over to him, exasperating her movements slightly and enjoying the results it yielded.
She bent over the desk next to him, holding fast to the scanty blanket that just barely covered her chest and not much else. He gulped, attempting to focus on the objective here because it was rather important for Adeline to have some small amount of knowledge of the colonies.
"We will be arriving here," He pointed, "In Boston. The city is outlined by the small black lines you see here, the farmlands in red, beyond that are Native lands and wild frontier from my understanding." She leaned in to look closer, her back arching in a lovely slope down to her well built buttocks. He leaned back lightly in his chair, his vision trailing down the long lean planes of her legs and resting on her feet that were pointed up onto their toes. He cleared his throat,
"Something wrong Master Kenway?" She had her face rested in her fist, leaning on her elbow and looking over shoulder at him in a devious sort of matter.
"Perhaps it would be best, for this lesson anyway, if you had clothes on dear." Her eyebrows knitted together and she turned around, resting her behind on the desk and leaning back on her arms. Haytham gulped at the sight of the stretched out woman before him who seemed to be carved into perfection by Michelangelo himself.
"Why is that commander?" She smiled down at him, enjoying his slightly tortured expression. They were interrupted suddenly by a deep rumble of muted explosions. Adeline gasped, knowing in an instant what the sound belonged to.
"That was no doubt canon fire..." Her widened eyes met her commander's, "Investigate, I will join shortly." Haytham hesitated for moment, unwilling to leave her alone. "Quickly Haytham!" She shouted while rushing into her trousers. He nodded, bolting out of the door of his quarters and up to top deck. Adeline yanked her shirt over her head, tossing her waistcoat over it unbuttoned. She bolted quickly through the lower decks in search of Adeline and found her with the doctor looking out of the window with horror struck faces.
"My Lady!" She shrieked, "There is a ship-" Adeline cut her off, grabbing her shoulders tightly.
"You stay here with the doctor, do you understand? Under no circumstances will you go topside. Move to the other side of the ship and keep low!" she looked gravely into her maid's eyes before bolting out of the infirmary and up the stairs to topside, ignoring her maid's cries of protest. The entire crew was bustling madly about, preparing to return fire. She spotted the captain standing at the helm of the ship shouting orders to his men but her Master was nowhere to be found. She made her way through the raucous crowd of hustling men to the captain,
"Captain!" She shouted up to him, he looked down at her and beckoned her up urgently. "Where is Master Haytham?" She huffed,
"I sent him below decks! Adeline, can you man a swivel?" She nodded, confused and slightly frightened. War at sea was the worst kind, there was nowhere to run and hide if your enemy bested you. "I want you stationed port side stern. On the double!" She nodded, bolting down the steps to her station. A faint glimmer of sound distracted her for a moment, the muffled sheen of metal on metal... Swords. She stood confused for a moment, was she hearing things? There it was again, a wicked clash and hiss... She looked around wildly, nobody was armed with swords up here. The thought hit her like a strike in her gut as she realized the noises were coming from below deck. She ripped the hatch beside her open and dove down the stairs.
"Mills!" She gasped, he was at swords with her master and covered in small gashes, his eyes wild and fiery. Haytham took the momentary distraction to run him through, his blade piercing his lung and ripping out of the back of him. His body jerked as it accepted Haytham's blade and lurched when he withdrew it, dropping to the floor with a wet thump. "No!" She yelled, her commander's face twisted into a snarl. She ran to him, kneeling by his side while Haytham quickly made his way up to top deck.
"Adeline..." He gurgled and coughed as blood filled his lungs, "They'll take Haytham. You must remain on this ship... Abandon him... I won't be there to protect you against their wrath. You will be killed if you claim allegiance..."
"What?" She whispered, dangerously close to tears. "I don't understand..." He lifted a trembling hand, placing it gently in hers.
"Stay below deck, do not follow him..." His words became quiet and tangled, his eyes closing against the heavy weight of death.
"Louis..." She cried. His lips pulled into a faint smile as he gave her hand one final squeeze. She knew the exact moment when his soul left him, left her kneeling and crying into his chilling hand. "No, no no. What have you done?" She spoke to ears that no longer heard. Another shot from the cannons, it was enough to pull her from her grief and into quick action. She gave his forehead a kiss, murmuring a quiet blessing before picking him up gently and maneuvering his body through the small open hatch. The resounding splash as his body hit the water was enough to make her sick. Louis was behind this the whole time then, he wanted Haytham captured and dead... He had to be an assassin, it was the only logical explanation. The assassins were the only ones bold enough to organize and attempt such a feat, the only ones who would seek out a templar to such an extent.
The wind and rain seared her flesh as the ocean roared and swelled around them. It took all she had to keep her broken heart calm and follow orders from the captain. They had sailed straight into the oncoming storm at her master's command, it was the only way to lose their pursuers and avoid canon fire at the same time.
"Loose the sails! Bring down those riggings, we need more speed! Hand over fist men!" The captain shouted above the howling winds as the enemy ship closed in. Haytham was busy securing rigging, but he made time to glare icily towards her more than once. She knew he was upset by her affections for an assassin, felt betrayed to some extent, but how was she to know of his origins?
"Adeline! Secure these canons! On the double!" The captain interrupted their silent exchange, grabbing her by the shoulder and shoving her towards two struggling men. They leaned against the terrible wind and stinging rain in order to position the canons for tying. They grit their teeth against the biting cold and used all of their body weight until the massive beast was properlly aligned. Adeline snatched the rope from beside her and tossed it over to the other two, but before they could even get it looped around the butt of the canon she noticed the monstrous wave crashing into the helm of the ship.
"Brace!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, lunging around the canon to yank the two men from its path. The wave struck and swept her legs from beneath her just as she had torn the two men away. She felt the water carry her swiftly along with the canon, there was no strength that could best it's powerful force. Through the chaos she was able to spot her commander's horror struck face from the main sail's yard arms as he loosed a sail.
"Adeline!" He roared. She wanted to call out to him but was swept beneath the surface then. She felt a powerful blow to the back of her body as it hit a wall of cargo.
The wind rushed out of her lungs and was replaced with water as she subconciously gasped. Raging surf filled her ears and darkened her eyes as she desperately flung her body about, her left leg trapped by the crushing weight of the cannon. Finally, after what seemed an eternity the water drained over the ship and her body dispelled it from her lungs with a mighty retch. She hacked and coughed and gasped as air returned her to her senses. The two sailors yelled for assistance as they pulled and pushed against the mighty cannon that trapped her. Haytham flew down to the deck out of nowhere, barreling towards them as another wave encroached. All of the anger was gone from his face, replaced with a terror she had never seen before.
"Brace men!" She yelled at the two desperate sailors trying to rescue her. Haytham reached them just as the wave did, holding his body over hers as the water rushed around them. She gasped and heaved against his heavy skin, the scent of him intoxicating even in peril. Haytham used his back against the wall and his powerful legs to kick the cannon away from her once the water subsided. She gasped and kneeled down quickly to inspect it.
"Are you alright?" He huffed, thoroughly out of breath. She wiggled her toes and bent her knee before bolting up and rolling the cannon forward on its wheels, ignoring his sentiments completely. The other two men roped it in and steered it back to the main deck where they worked quickly to knot it in place. Haytham helped, his incredible strength keeping the cannon in place as another wave hit. Once it was secured tightly she bolted off to the next one, ignoring the blood on her hands and the ache in her leg. She gasped as a strong hand yanked her around and held her firmly in place.
"Adeline, get below deck! You're injured! " Haytham had her by the shoulders, bringing her body close to his and shaking it lightly. Water poured from the brim of his hat and over his tightly wound lips, they were both thoroughly soaked in the damnable stuff. She shook her head desperately against his order, needing the adrenaline in her veins, craving the commotion in her blood. It was what she lived for... It was distraction. Haytham's lips pulled into a snarl and he slammed her back against the mast and kissed her feverishly as another wave crashed around them. His lips were rough and demanding and filled her to the brim with butterflies aching pleasurably in her core. They broke apart as the water drained away from them, leaving her breathless and dizzy.
"You stubborn bull-headed woman! You try my patience!" He yelled over the roaring in their ears. She slammed her lips into his again and tangled her hands into his hair. They kissed with insane hunger at the center of the maelstrom and Adeline had never felt more alive and awake... After a moment though his grip loosened on her and she took the chance to slip away, hopping over the small stack of cargo and sprinting over to the port side cannons, turning her back on her commander once again. She worked quickly with the men to secure them, moving from one to the next until they were all tied down. They had lost their pursuers by now, they now only had to ride out the storm...
It was a long while before the waters calmed themselves fully, nearing midnight she guessed. The adrenaline had worn off by now and she was beginning to feel the ache in her leg. Her hands were raw and burned from the charring rope and she had a fairly deep cut on her forearm that had bled on her clothes. She looked like a mess... The two sailors that she rescued showered her in praise, regailing the captain of her many acts of bravery, it was all bullocks really. She opted for the quiet below deck, the ache returning to heart as she reached the foot of the stairs. His body was long gone by now, sinking somewhere to the bottom of the dark ocean. A breathe and an exhale was his life, to short and lived in vain...
She fought back tears as the singed edges of heart flared up again. It was a cruel and bitter reminder to her of what it was she really did, who she was. Her lifestyle was best lived at a distance, best lived in isolation... She stood at the foot of the stairs wondering if the pay was worth the price, if the excitement was worth the loneliness .. Her life suddenly felt like a fever, like a slow and painful sickness. Darkness clouded her heart and she felt herself sinking back into that place she so often found herself in. A place that she hated and loved, the familiar darkness that was a part of her...
"Adeline?" A dark voice emanated from the shadows.
"Commander." She replied, not bothering to look over her shoulders at the source.
"I know you are upset with me. I am sorry. He was an assassin though Adeline, he had to die... Forgive me for being harsh with you, his news put me in a rather sour mood." She nodded, business was businees after all. "Are you alright? You must be hurting..." A gentle hand turned her around to face it's owner. He had an open cut on his lip and a smaller one on his throat, the blistering pang hit her heart again at the sight of his injuries. She sighed and ran a thumb over his lip, her sadness dissipating slowly as he leaned into her touch.
"I'm alright, I promise." He sighed holding her hand in his own and pressing it firmly into his cheek.
"You had no idea how terrifying it was to see you swept away by that wave. Thank god there was something in the way preventing you from crashing overboard. I don't think I could bare another significant loss in my life Adeline, I couldn't bare to lose you. Not now..." She smiled weakly at his words, knowing the feelings he described. "You must be exhausted.. How is your head?" She nodded, words evading her at the moment. She was in a strange limbo between comfort and sorrow, hurt and love, forgiveness and forgetfulness... It was madddening, she wanted to lay her head on a pillow and forget all of her worries. Forget that today had ever happened...
"Come along little one," he sighed, "Let's get some cool bandages on your head and a warm blanket around you, your lips are paling." She only stood at her commander's suggestion, wandering if she had the energy to put one foot in front of the other, she certainly lacked the will power. Haytham took her silence as an invitation and swooped her up into his arm, making his way back to his quarters. She leaned her head into his chest, letting the long imprisoned tears fall freely down her cheeks. She wanted off of this damnable ship, she would pay a royal sum in fact for an opportunity in fact.
Haytham's chest cracked apart knowing he had caused her heartache. Silly woman, didn't she know it payed to keep her heart distanced? He found that out long ago of course, and yet here she was in his arms and there was no other place he would rather her be...
FIN