Today was a perfect day to do my Christmas shopping for Shay. He was called away for something important, said that it would take all day. Gist left with him as well, Geoffrey and the others had their day off today, so I had the entire house to myself. Geoffrey and Dorothea were in upstate New York, running errands. William was food shopping. So, I grabbed my belongings, got some money from my stash I kept hidden under my bed and left immediately.

Sera and Hunter were at the bookstore and library, straightening up the place, organizing books, getting rid of old ones, the usual stuff Sera normally did by herself. As I was walking through town, I came across the marketplace. Dozens of shops and booths were open. The baker, butcher, some farmers, some men selling their best ales and hard liquors and someone that sold jewelry. Looked very nicely handmade.

A few rings with gemstones caught my eye, but none really suited for a man. Shay didn't wear jewelry. So, I got myself a pair of earrings, a necklace and pair of bracelets and moved on to the next booth. I kept looking and looking until I did several circles around the market. I want to get something practical for him, something he would use every day. Maybe a new weapon for his arsenal. Then I remembered my family's crest that was made for us. It had a mermaid holding a pearl in a clam. Shay is part of my family now, why not show it that way and make it official? Everyone in our family or close to our family had a crest. I should have thought of this before I left the house.

I stopped by Sera's bookstore and wrote a message for Artemis to take to the Colonel. I had important business to discuss, so I wrote:

Colonel George Monro,

I apologize if this letter finds you on short notice, but there is no one else I trust more to share this sensitive information with.

As you well know, James Locke Macintosh has taken my ship and I intend to take back what's mine. What I have left to tell you cannot be told in detail in this letter. So I will need to speak with you in person.

Please meet me at my house just outside of town at your earliest convenience. Geoffrey and Dorothea Steele will be there to welcome you into our abode. I look forward to your visit post-haste.

Thank you and take care.

Yours Truly,

Elizabythe Annabell Freya

As I walked out of town and started to delve into the woods, I whistled for Artemis and she found me within a few minutes. She made a high-pitched call before she perched on a nearby tree stump.

"Artie, take this and deliver it to the Colonel quickly."

I took the hard, cylindrical case and detached it from Artemis's harness. Then I tucked my letter into it and reattached it to her. And then she took off back into the sky.

As I watched my eagle soar away, I heard an unfamiliar voice behind me.

"That's a beautiful bird you got there."

I turned around and, about 15 feet away from me, I saw a tall man dressed in a gray hooded coat, leather gloves, white shirt, dark pants and leather boots. He took off his white hood and the man had an oval face of light complexion with a square jaw and bald head.

"Uuuhh…thank you, mister…"

"Are you alone out here?…Hmmm, that's not good. You should never walk home alone." He kept walking closer to me.

"I think I can handle myself….how do you know I'm alone? Were you following me home? Tell me who you are right now before I slit your throat." I kept a firm grip on my sword and pair of daggers.

"I don't think so." The man managed to slap me forcefully, throwing me off balance. I tried to reach for my daggers, but he gripped my dominant left arm, squeezed it tightly and folded it behind my back. He took his other free hand, grabbed my throat and held me against a tree behind me. "You're in no position to be making threats, lady."

"You're not dealing with a mere lady, you bastard." I gasped. "I am Elizabythe Freya, daughter of Allistair Freya and captain of the Siren's Wrath."

He inched his face closer to mine with an evil smirk.

"Aaaha, so you are his daughter….Why would he entrust a Piece of Eden to a mere child?"

"Well, you are shit out of luck today. I don't have this "Piece of Eden" you're looking for."

"Don't lie to me, you bitch!"

He tightened his grip on my neck, choking me for a few agonizing moments as I struggled to pry his fingers off my throat. I saw him divert his attention from me down to my breasts, then diverted again to my waist, where I kept my journal bound to my belt.

"Hmmm, what have we here?"

He then clenched his other fist and then, I really started to panic. It was a hidden blade. He was an Assassin.

"You're an Assassin…." I said hoarsely.

He smirked at me while cutting my journal free from my belt.

He squeezed even tighter, making me reach for his arm with both my hands. "STOP! Don't! PUT THAT…DOWN!"

He managed to flip to my most recent entry. "Hmmm, Shay is in love with you. He LOVES you…? Oh, this changes everything…."

"GIVE. ME. THAT. RIGHT NOW!"

"Not until I get what I came here for."

"I told you already. I DON'T HAVE IT!"

"Then either you tell me where you put it or Shay will find you with your throat sliced from ear to ear."

"NEVER!" I pushed off from the tree and nailed the man in his groin, making him lose his grip on my throat. I finally drove my dagger into his shoulder, making him fall to the ground. I took my journal and made a run for my homestead.

"You will pay for this, ELIZABYTHE!"

I heard gunshots go off and a loud groan. He must have been in too much pain to shoot any more. Then I heard one more shot go off and felt something graze my abdomen where James's pistol shot me during the mutiny.

I looked back for a split second before I tripped over something and fell over a hill, rolled downwards and splashed into a small river that ran through the woods. I felt my leg hit the rocks at the bottom of it. I got soaked up to my abdomen, so I quickly scrambled out of the water and onto the dry grass.

I gripped my side in agony as I tried to get to my feet, but I felt like I was being weighed down with something heavy. I knew that feeling all too well. I was losing blood.

I looked at my hand and it was drenched in dark red blood, dripping from my hand and abdomen into the grass and dirt.

I started to breathe faster as my panic and anxiety overwhelmed me. It was still about an hour until I got to my homestead. I was completely alone.

All I could do was let out a loud, long, excruciating scream and hope that someone would find me in time.

3rd Person Omniscient POV

After the Colonel received Artemis's letter from Elizabythe, he took a couple soldiers and horses and made a beeline for Elizabythe's homestead.

But his trip to her home was interrupted by a terrified, bloodcurdling scream that slightly spooked their horses.

"Who is that?" One of the soldiers asked.

"I do not know, private." Colonel replied. "But I'm going to find out. Let's move now!"

The Colonel urged his horse to head eastwards, hurrying more as the screaming got louder.

"Colonel, down there!" The left soldier said. "There's someone by the river."

"Looks like it's a woman, sir." The right soldier added.

The Colonel had his horse stop at the top of the sloped hill.

"Elizabythe Freya?"

His worst fear was realized when she rolled on her back and her body went limp and still. "Oh, dear God…"

The Colonel got off his horse and ran down the slope and across the shallow river. The other soldiers tied up the horses and followed after him.

"Elizabythe!?" Monro shouted to get her attention.

She sat up feebly and reached for her daggers.

"At ease, Miss Freya…" He held her hands and moved them away from her weapons. "It's just me."

She managed to open her eyes enough to see him clearly. "C-Colonel Monro, i-is that you?"

"Yes…it is me." Monro helped her to sit up against a nearby tree. "What in God's name happened to you?"

""I…He…came and…attacked me." She groaned. "He wanted my…."

As she sat upright more, she let out a painful cry and clutched her graze from the man's gunshot wound.

Monro placed a hand on her shoulder and held her back against the tree calmly and gently. "Take it easy, Elizabythe…."

"But, Colonel…." Her eyes were starting to roll as she struggled to stay awake. "He…wants…m..." She let out one last moan before passing out.

"Elizabythe….Elizabythe!?"

"Sir, the woman needs medical attention post-haste." The left soldier said.

"You're right….Don't worry, Miss Freya; I'll take care of you."

Colonel Monro wrapped one arm around her back and the other arm under her knees and picked her up off the ground. Then he carried her to his horse and handed her off to a soldier. He got on his horse and had his soldiers put her on one of the horses while they escorted him and Elizabythe out of the woods and back to his abode in New York.

After a hasty trip to his home, he tied up his horses and brought Elizabythe inside on his bed in the guest room he had set up.

"Corporal, you stay here with me. Private, I want you to seek out Shay Patrick Cormac down by the docks. Do not stop until you find him. Tell him to drop what he's doing and come to my home immediately. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. Right away, sir." Private saluted and ran out of the house.

"Corporal, make yourself useful. Bring me a first aid kit."

"Yes, Colonel."

Once he brought Monro the things he needed, he took out some milk of the poppy to numb her pain. "Elizabythe, here. Drink this…."

She parted her lips slightly and sipped it until it was empty.

"That should help with the pain…" Monro said.

Elizabythe took in a deep breath. "Where am I?"

"At my home in New York. You're safe now, Miss Freya."

"Thank you, Colonel…."

"Corporal, hold her upright so we can bandage her wound."

After the soldier sterilized the wound with alcohol, he wrapped the gauze around her waist, covering the gunshot wound and securing it tightly to stop the bleeding.

"Sir, it looks like this wound was here before her incident." Corporal said.

"That was…from my mutiny." Elizabythe muttered.

"James shot you, didn't he?"

Elizabythe nodded. "Yes….Now its been…reopened."

"Don't worry, Elizabythe. I take care of my own, you're in good hands."

"What were you doing out in the woods?" She said, pushing past her pain and utter exhaustion.

"I was actually on my way to see you." Monro said. "I got your letter from your eagle, you said you needed to see me immediately."

"Yes, that's…right. I'll have to talk to you once I am feeling better."

"Not a problem, Elizabythe."

The Private he sent off to find Shay came pounding at the door. The Corporal quickly answered it. "Good job, Private."

"I came as soon as I heard." Shay said hastily. "Where is she?"

"She is in the guest room with Monro. Come inside and make yourself at home. I'll inform him that you're here."

"Thank you."

The Corporal walked briskly through the door and stepped quietly. "Colonel, he's here."

"Send him in, Corporal."

"Yes, sir." He walked back out and showed Shay to the door.

"Elizabythe…?"

"Hmmm…?"

"You have a visitor."

"Who is it…?" Elizabythe asked, sitting up and looking towards the door as Shay walked in briskly.

"Elizabythe…!" Shay hurried to her bedside.

"Shay!" She moaned, gritting her teeth through the pain as he hugged her gently and gave her a kiss. "I thought you had an errand today."

"I finished early," Shay said. "I was on my way back to your homestead when the Colonel summoned me."

"Well, I am glad that you're still in one piece."

"Master Cormac, we have some things to discuss."

"What is it, Colonel?"

"I got a letter from Artemis to meet Miss Freya at her home when I found her near a river. She was bloody and nearly unconscious."

"Who's done this to her?" Shay growled vengefully.

"She hasn't told me yet." Monro replied.

Suddenly, Elizabythe let out a painful grunt as she sat upright in bed. "Colonel, Shay, I was running an errand and heading home. Artemis sent my letter and that's when I heard him compliment on my eagle. I questioned why he was following me and threatened to kill him if he didn't and he started to choke me. He knows who I am and he was looking for my….my…"

Elizabythe glanced at Shay. She hadn't said anything about her Apple to him yet, but the Colonel sighed; he knew exactly why this man attacked me.

"Your what?" Shay grew impatient and anxious. "What was he looking for?"

"I….uh, I cannot tell you, Shay. I'm sorry."

"Elizabythe, please! Please tell me. Don't you trust me?"

"I do, but this is really important. I don't want to drag you into this."

"Miss Freya." The Colonel held my other hand and held my gaze. "Shay is genuine. It is obvious that he loves and care for you more than anyone else he knows. I trust this man with my life, Miss Freya. You should tell him now…."

She moaned fearfully and sighed, nodding her head. "Shay….this man attacked me because he wanted my Apple. My father entrusted me with a Piece of Eden that's been in our family for several years. My father hid this Apple somewhere on his ship, with someone on his ship. I told this man I didn't have it and he thought I was lying. So he choked me even more until he got a hold of my journal. He read it….He knows about you, Shay. He knows you're in love with me. He knows that you love me, Shay. I told him to let me go and he threatened to slit my throat if I didn't tell him where the Apple was. He was an Assassin."

"That bastard…." Shay cursed.

"I finally kicked him and stabbed his shoulder before running away. He shot me, multiple times. His last shot grazed my wound from the mutiny. Then I fell down a hill and into the river. I screamed as loud as I could before I passed out….I'm just glad you found me, Colonel. Thank you for saving my life."

"Of course." Monro nodded.

"Do you know the name of this Assassin?" Shay asked.

"No….But he wore a gray coat with a white hood. Fair skin, bald head, square jaw, oval face. Oh, he wore a red plaid tie and sash."

"Liam O'Brien…?!" Shay's eyes lit up with fury.

"Wasn't he your friend and your first mate?" Elizabythe asked.

"Yes, he was. But not anymore….!" Shay slammed his fist angrily into the wall. "He lays a finger on you again, I swear, I'll kill him!"

"This Liam must have been told about the Apple from someone that's already looking for it." Monro pointed out.

"James…!" I growled. "He switched sides. He's sided with the Assassins. He doesn't have the resources to hunt me down anymore, so he went to the Assassin Order, seeking help and vengeance…..Monro, that's what I needed to talk to you about. James is actively hunting me down now. I need to acquire a ship and a hard-working crew to get my ship back and find the Apple before James finds it and takes it to the Assassins."

"I would be happy to assist you, Elizabythe, however, I don't think James will be on the Siren's Wrath when you find it."

"W-w-what do you mean, he won't be on my ship?"

"I am afraid that something bad has happened to your Father's ship."

Elizabythe quickly stood up and asked him again. "Colonel, what are you talking about?"

He just stood silent and stared at her. Her mind wandered aimlessly until she realized what he was implying. The worst fate her Father's ship could have…."My Father's ship is….gone?!"

"Shipwrecked….there was a terrible storm this morning in the Northern Atlantic Ocean. James abandoned ship and so did his crew."

Elizaythe gasped and started to hyperventilate. "No, not the Siren….No, no, no! It cannot be, it cant be! Its not true. No, Colonel. That's impossible."

"Miss Freya…"

"No, no, no, no, no, no…! It's my fault…"

"It's not your fault, lass," Shay consoled her. "There was nothing you could've done. Don't condemn yourself. It'll be alright…."

Suddenly, Elizabythe erupted into loud cries and a river of tears. She buried her face in his coat and muffled her sobbing.

The Colonel walked slowly up behind Elizabythe and laid his hand on her back. "I am sorry for your loss, Miss Freya."

Elizabythe stopped crying for a moment and turned to face Monro. "Thank you, Colonel…."

"I know it'll be awhile before you go sailing again. Your Father loved his ship very much."

"Yes, he did. It was a great frigate."

"Did you still want my assistance, Elizabythe?" The Colonel asked.

"Oh, yes….Do you think you could take me to my ship?" She asked. "My Father hid my Piece of Eden on his ship somewhere. I need to find it before James does. If he takes it to the Assassins, it's all over."

"I would love to, but unfortunately, I have important business to attend to at Fort William Henry. My men are fighting a losing battle if I do not go there and assist them."

"Oh, I see. Well, about finding me another ship, feel free to take your time. If you find something worthy of replacing the Siren's Wrath, let me know."

"Of course, Elizabythe."

"I'll help you find your ship." Shay said, causing Elizabythe to turn back to him again. "Come with me on the Morrigan. You can sail with me."

"Shay, no. Please, I-I couldn't-"

"I insist." Shay said calmly, grabbing her waist and bringing her in close.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded silently.

"Alright….Colonel, I'm ready to return home. Think you could give us an escort?"

"Absolutely." And with that, the Colonel walked out of the room and said something to his men, causing them to turn and walk out the front door….

Later that same evening….

Elizabythe's POV

Our house looked abandoned. The horses were silent as death. The livestock we had were missing. The crops were gone. The lights weren't on inside the house and there was not a soul to be found.

"Oh, no…." I had a bad feeling something was wrong.

"What is it, lass?"

I took off running towards the front patio. I ran around the perimeter of it and William was not at his usual chair. So I quickly ran inside, barely leaving enough time for Shay to catch up with me.

I threw the door open. It was completely dark.

"HELLO?! ANYONE HOME?!" I screamed as loudly as I could.

"Miss Freya? Is that you, dear?"

It was Geoffrey, jogging as he came in from the kitchen.

"What happened here?" I asked him frantically. "Where is everyone?"

"It's a long story, Elizabythe."

"I'm sure I can keep up, Mister Steele."

"Firstly, Hunter was working as usual. Then, a woman came in and asked him about you. He told her that he didn't know where you were since he left before you did. She asked where she lived. Then Hunter saw her necklace had an Assassin symbol. Hunter refused to tell her anything. She pulled a knife on him, he pulled a gun on her and threatened to shoot her down if she hurt you. She shot him with her gun and told him that he would regret turning down a lady like her and poisoned him with something unusual. Luckily, the missus and I were at the pub, getting a bite to eat when we saw this unfold. He's been at the doctor's since this afternoon."

"Is he going to be alright?" I asked.

"Fortunately, yes. The apothecary didn't have an antidote that could reverse it until he found some charcoal. It's doing wonders for him."

"If you don't mind my asking, Geoffrey, what did this woman look like?" Shay asked my guardian.

"Hunter told me she had red hair and a lavish, purple dress."

"Hope Jensen!" Shay gritted his teeth.

"One of your other Mentors?" I asked.

"Yes, my love." Shay said.

"They all know about my Apple of Eden. It gives power to the Precursor sites. If they get their hands on this, then-"

"They're not going to." Shay cut me off. "They leveled Lisbon. I won't let them do it again."

"That goes double for me." I said.

"There's something else, too." Geoffrey interrupted us. "Sera's hurt, too."

"And what happened to her?"

"She said that some man in a blue coat with a french accent confronted her about Elizabythe and her Piece of Eden. He threatened her, too, but she ended up fighting him off for a short time. Gist heard her screams and got her to safety. Anton and Gideon took the french man away."

"Chevalier," Shay growled.

"You mean Captain Louis-Joseph Gauthier assaulted my sister?"

"You know Chevalier?" Shay asked her.

"My Father had a few close calls with him. My Father hated his guts. Chevalier saw me a few times. He is an arsehole."

"Gist helped get her to the Morrigan for help." Geoffrey said. "She had some bad cuts on her back, arms and legs. She's with Hunter, recuperating. Her bookstore and library are closed until further notice. Guards are protecting it."

"It's obvious that I am a high-priority target now." I said to myself. "We stay here anymore, we'll be sitting ducks to them. We need to pack up."

"I'm on it, Miss Freya." Geoffrey replied. "Anton and Gideon have gathered our livestock, crops and our food and had it taken to our summer house by the lake. The Colonel sent a group of men to give them an escort. A few neighbors and friends from town have helped to pack us up. We can get our belongings out of here first thing in the morning."

"I didn't ask the Colonel for that kind of help." I mentioned.

"He said to thank 'Master Cormac'." Geoffrey winked at me.

"You asked him to do this?" I turned to Shay.

He nodded. "Yes, I did."

I threw my arms up around his neck and hugged him. "Thank you, Shay."

"Anything for you…Elizabythe."

"Thank you so much, Mister Steele." I said to him. "Now would you go into town and look after Hunter and Sera? Shay and I will stay here for the night."

"Of course." Steele said, nodding. "Did you hear anything about your Father's Piece of Eden?"

"My ship has been wrecked in the Northern Atlantic. The Siren's Wrath is gone. But Father said that he hid the Apple on the ship for me to find, so that's where I will be headed tomorrow. Monro gave me the location."

"How do you expect to get there without another ship?"

"Elizabythe will be with me, Mister Steele. I'll take my ship to find hers before the Assassins do."

"Thank you for assisting her, Master Cormac….Keep her safe."

"I always do." Shay pulled me in and hugged me close to his body. "She will be in good hands."

As Geoffrey opened the front door, he looked back at us one more time.

"Goodnight, Elizabythe. Goodnight, Shay."

"Goodnight, Mister Steele." I said, waving to him. "Sweet dreams."