I'm back! I'm so sorry for the long wait, my exams are over and I should be uploading more chapters from now on. To see what you should be expecting of me, check out my profile and feel free to message me with ideas and questions.

With this chapter, I had huge help from RedTitanAlpha who has a vast knowledge when it comes to ships so I was able to present this part of the story in so much detail, much more than I could. Thank you!

Now, on with the story, enjoy!

Before long, despite Eleanor's best efforts, Abigail and Connor had passed away. What made the Assassins nervous was that Achilles did not just weep and hide himself away but he became angry. He requested to be alone, slamming the door behind him before shouting curses and breaking anything that wasn't nailed down. He mourned by becoming a creature of rage.

After the funeral, where the mother and son were buried by the homestead, Shay and Liam took Edward aside.

"We'll be setting off before long," Liam told him, nodding to Shay's ship, the Morrigan that was docked by the shore. "Will you join us, now that Achilles has shut us all out?"

Edward paused.

"The man needs time alone to heal." Shay insisted. "Come with us. Stop wasting your time training and put it to some use!" He grinned. "We could use a proper English chap like ye."

Convinced, he nodded. There was something in the back of his mind that was pressing him forward, to fight. To try.

"Alright. I will."

"Good lad." Liam patted his shoulder. "You'll be living an adventure before you know it."

That clear, breezy morning, Edward said goodbye.

"It's a good day for sailing," his wife remarked, looking up at the blue sky. She held his arm as their daughters stood either side of him, clutching his coat.

"Aye, 'tis." Liam agreed as he passed by the pair, a bag over his shoulder as he boarded the Morrigan. "Come on now, Edward, you'll be back before they know you've gone." He grinned, patting his back.

"We don't want you to go!" Mary whined, tugging on his coat.

"I won't be long, Mary. I'll be back soon." He grinned, picking her up and kissing her forehead.

"Off with you now, before I change my mind." Eleanor said, kissing her husband.

"I'll miss you." He told her, passing Mary over to her.

"I'll miss you too."

Edward stepped aboard the ship, waving to his family. The crew set about setting sail and with orders from Shay, they pulled out of port and into the open waters. The wind was caught up in the sails and the Morrigan pulled forward, sounds of whistling wind billowed around them and the waves began to lap at the side.

"I love you!" A voice called out, nearly lost in the morning air.

Edward turned and shouted back to the woman who would wait for his return.

"I love you too!"

"I have to say, Edward," Liam remarked as he stood beside Shay, watching the Englishman stand strong, despite the Atlantic winds whipping at his face, "you've got quite the sea legs. Have you sailed before?"

"Twice, that I can remember." Edward replied, turning his collar up and pulling his hood over his head to protect him from the chill.

"Only twice? I find that hard to believe."

"I probably inherited it from my parents."

"Your father was a sailor, was he?"

"Pirates. My parents were pirates." Edward grinned at Liam's taken aback expression. "I hear I was born on a ship as well, so I'd say that counts for something."

"I'd say." Shay chuckled. "So, how does England compare to the Americas?"

"It's different, that's for sure. More dangerous too."

"In what way?"

"Well, if I was to wander into a forest in England, the most I'd be worried about bumping into was an angry badger."

"That's true." The men laughed. "We heard about your daughters' run in with the grizzly, your first day, wasn't it?"

"Yes, I tell you, not quite the greeting I was expecting when we arrived."

"I bet. How are the girls getting along?"

"Well, they've made a few friends in Lexington but... They were very close with Achilles' son." Edward bowed his head.

"It's so grim about the homestead now that Miss Abigail and little Connor have passed." Liam said, his arms folded, watching the horizon with a sullen expression.

"Aye, I've seen Achilles crying." Shay told them.

"Why shouldn't he?" Liam asked, turning his attention to the captain.

"It's just that..." Shay paused, turning the wheel as he searched for the right words. "He doesn't look sad. He looks furious. It's unsettling."

"He's struggling with the loss." Edward said, his voice monotone. "We all are."

"I know." Shay nodded. "But it's been months... And we've done little but search for this blasted Manuscript and Box!"

"Le Chasseur has a lead on the Box." Liam informed them. "We're to meet him and Chevalier in Saint John's."

"Chevalier too?" Shay rolled his eyes. "No hope of cheering me up, then." There was a pause, the memory of Abigail and young Connor still set in their minds. Shay broke the mournful silence, changing the subject. "When Achilles said whoever had the artifacts could access sites of great power, what did he mean?"

"I'm not sure I understand it myself, Shay." Liam shrugged. "I had a long talk with Adéwalé about that. He believes the Box can be activated to, well, project words or images..."

"Like a magic lantern?" Shay asked.

"What do you mean?" Liam frowned.

"You know, the magic lantern shows Father Connolly put on in the church basement. The box had a candle in it, I think." Shay explained. "He put these little glass plates in front. Then we'd see images projected on the wall, like cathedrals in Rome, bright and near as big as life!"

"Ah, yah. I suppose it is..." Liam nodded. "Except that it interprets the strange language of the manuscript too. If the plate were of a banner in Latin, we'd see it in English."

"How is that possible?" Edward asked, curious.

"Who knows." Liam shrugged. "I fear we might never truly understand how any of the Pieces of Eden work."

"It must be wondrous to see them in action, I hear some burst with light like no other." Edward thought aloud, watching the islands that they passed by.

"Aye, I tell you what though," Liam took in a deep breath of air, "I'd trade all this hunting artifacts and fighting Templars to settle down with a beautiful woman."

He gave a wistful smile and Edward counted himself lucky that he had already down so.

"Got anyone in mind?" He asked the Irishman who shook his head.

"No, not as such. I suppose I'll know when it feels right. When your heart has that peace, you know?

Shay laughed.

"I'm the last person to know anything about peace, Liam."

"What about you, Edward, do you have that?"

"Yes, I do." He smiled, thinking about Eleanor. "I feel so content, so blissful whenever I'm in her presence."

"You're a lucky man, Edward. I hope I can have what you've got someday."

Shay chuckled again, shaking his head. At this, Liam rolled his eyes.

"Ah, yes, I forgot." He said to Edward. "Shay doesn't believe in love, he just believes in fun."

"Where in the world has the most beautiful girls?" Shay asked them both, a wicked grin across his face.

"I suppose it depends on your vision of beauty." Liam suggested. "A damsel from Corfu and one from Oslo are as different as chalk and cheese, but both can be lovely."

"Or, it could be the faces he sees every day, the ones he couldn't live without." Edward smiled, thinking of his wife and daughters back home.

"You see, opinions like that give a man a reputation for wisdom." Shay shook his head, chuckling.

"Uh, thank you."

"I would have just said Havana. The girls there have lusty buttocks and bosoms and feel no shame in putting them on display!" He laughed. "But that's no slight against our lasses from home."

"I suppose." Liam shrugged.

"I think Galway has the nicest ones, fair and modest, always willing to spot you a penny for an ale."

"You don't say."

"And then there's the maids I met in Lisbon." Shay continued. He sighed as Liam and Edward reluctantly listened. "Destined for the convent they were, dark-eyed and kindly-dispositioned. If only I spoke Portuguese... Not that we spent much of our nights talking." He gave a cheeky grin and a wink and Liam rolled his eyes.

"We're almost there, Captain." Liam distracted Shay from his lusty thoughts of women to his destination. "Le Chasseur will be expecting us."

"And Chevalier." Shay groaned.

"Ah, a small price to pay for a lead on the Precursor box."

As they pulled into Saint John's, Shay tapped the wheel as the Morrigan halted, saluted with a wink and jumped off onto the docks.

"Is he always like this?" Edward asked Liam as he leant against the side of the ship, watching the young Irishman go.

"He's just a silly fool, pay no attention to him." Liam sighed, folding him arms. "He's yet to meet a girl that'll keep him in one place. I see you've already found that special someone."

With a smile, Edward nodded.

"Yes, and with two beautiful daughters, I wouldn't be anywhere else."

"I feel a monster to tear you away from them."

"Don't be, I've spent two years training as you lot had fun without me. I miss my family and I can't wait to return, but I want to have some adventure before I do so."

"That's the spirit!" He laughed, slapping his shoulder.

Shay had returned, crates in tow, and the crew set about installing the puckle guns, granted by Le Chasseur. As they made ready to sail again, Chevalier stepped aboard and stood beside Edward, nodding briefly to the men in a form of greeting.

"Captain?" Shay addressed the man.

"I will join you on this voyage." Chevalier informed them as Shay guided the Morrigan out of the docks and onto open waters.

"Then shall we, gentlemen?" Shay signalled.

"You are in a jovial mood, Shay." Chevalier remarked, amused.

"Why shouldn't I be?" He grinned. "I have a new weapon, and we will soon have a chance to use it. Besides, Templars are usually well guarded. And I'm sure that Smith fellow is no exception."

"I took the liberty of ordering some improvements." Liam told them. "The Morrigan now has a ram that can cut through ice itself."

"I have heard of such technology, but never witnessed its operation." Chevalier said, curious to see the ram in action.

"What about Smith then? Is he close by?" Edward asked, scanning the icy seas for any suspected ships.

"Aye, he sails these very waters. And he may have the Precursor box." Shay replied.

"Then, let's find him!" Liam punched the palm of his hand.

"Edward, take this." Shay passed him a spyglass. "See if you can spot the ship we're looking for."

"What's the name of it?" Edward questioned, squinting through the spyglass, trying to focus his sight.

"The Equitas."

Edward searched the horizon for the ship, trying to differentiate between an iceberg and a vessel. But soon, he had caught sight of it.

"There he is!" He called out, pointing to the distance.

"Most fortunate timing." Chevalier nodded. "Lady Luck never ceases to smile on you."

"He's seen us! Give chase!" Shay called out as he saw the ship turn sharply.

"But hold your fire. We must not damage the Box, or risk losing it to the sea." Chevalier commanded.

The Morrigan began to speed up, but the Equitas was making sure the gap between them stayed as it was. Chevalier growled and gripped the edge of the ship, almost willing the Morrigan to fly.

"Can this bucket go any faster?" He asked, his frustration getting the better of him.

"At least my ship is still sea-worthy, Chevalier." Shay grinned, ignoring the man's growing hysteria.

"You!" He turned on Edward, not knowing his name.

"Sir?"

"Go below decks and find me a bottle of something!" He waved him away.

Edward exchanged a glance with Liam and Shay, who shrugged. There was no point arguing with the man.

He jogged down to the Captain's quarters below, the sounds of gun fire, shortly followed by Chevalier's abrupt voice, snapping through the air as he reprimanded Shay for shooting, calling him a 'cabbage farmer'. With a faint smile on his face, Edward wondered what it would be like if he were with English men instead of two Irishmen and a Frenchman.

Pushing the door open, Edward took a moment to gaze at the quarters. It had been laid out tidily enough; charts and maps were organised and weapons and clothed were displayed on the wall or on a stand. However, what stayed out of sight, was any sort of drink.

"Bugger." He groaned and went about searching for the 'bottle of something' for Chevalier. It was well known that the French and the English do not usually make the best of friends, to say the least, so he obeyed to keep their metaphorical sea calm. He didn't want to anger the man before he even knew his name.

"Ah ha!" Edward cried triumphantly as an unopened bottle of wine rolled into view. He stopped it with his foot and picked it up, making sure its contents weren't replaced with anything else.

He opened the door, bottle in hand and looked out to see the Equitas cut through the sheet of ice before them. The Morrigan chased after the vessel and didn't slow, instead greeting the ice like the Equitas had.

"It seems you are not the only one equipped with such a ram, Shay." Chevalier said as Edward rejoined them. He gave a nod to him, a thanks for the drink, then pulled out the cork with his teeth before taking a swig.

"Let us hope ours fairs just as well." Shay said and pressed forward, waving for full sail through the ice.

"It worked! The way is clear." Liam observed, looking over the edge to see the ice sheets crumble and shift away from the Morrigan.

"Once more your fortune hold. But do not waste time congratulating yourself. Smith is getting away." Chevalier pointed out, watching the fleeing ship as they cleared through the ice with ease.

Suddenly, the crew began to yell. They pointed behind the ice caps and what was obscured at first, soon became clear. Three ships waited for them around the corner.

"It's an ambush!" Shay roared, spinning the wheel to face them.

"Envoyez ces diables en enfer! (Send these devils to hell!) Smith must not escape!" Chevalier yelled, but too late, the Equitas had disappeared from view.

"Ready the carronades, all broadside cannons wait on my mark!" Shay barked while he veered the Morrigan to port and facing the attacking schooner on the left.

"Bow canons! Fire!"

The four carronades belched their projectiles and crippled the enemy's sail. Meanwhile, Edward noticed that this manoeuver also brought the Morrigan broadside to bear with the other two schooners.

"Starboard side, fire!"

Quick and successive shots were fired against the enemy ship who returned fire with equal fervour.

"Brace!"

The crew gripped whatever they could as the impact could be felt against the Morrigan's hull followed by a stronger blow. Once secure, the crew rose from their hiding position, and began cheering, which Shay received with a wave and a cheeky grin.

Edward turned his gaze to the starboard side. One of the attacking ships were also sinking with the other in flames, attempting to manoeuver away from the Morrigan's broadside.

"It looks like the ram is just as efficient against ships as it is with ice," Edward commented to Shay.

"Perhaps against small vessels, but I wouldn't rely too much on it against a warship de première ligne (first rate man'o'war)." Said Chevalier, maintaining a stony expression.

"Reload the canons! Puckle gun! Fire at will on the last ship and I want a damage report!" Shay barked his orders to the crew that rushed about like disturbed vermin, scattering from their nests.

Edward, Shay, Liam and Chevalier saw for the first time the puckle gun in action. For the casual eyes, it looked somewhat like a swivel gun but the difference couldn't be more obvious as the canon fired quick successive shot against the last enemy ship which exploded when the fire found its mark in the ship's powder reserve.

Edward was about to join in the cheers that filled icy air when a movement in his preripherical vision caught his attention behind the Morrigan.

A brig was bearing down full sails in a collision course against the Morrigan.

"What the-?!" He breathed. "Where did that ship come from?"

His gaze landed on the drifting iceberg behind the brig.

"Ship at six o'clock!" Edward shouted. "She's been using the damned iceberg as cover!"

"Merde!" Swore Chevalier as he caught sight of the approaching brig.

"Brace!" Shay yelled, spinning the wheel as fast as he could.

Edward gripped the edge of the railing as he felt the Morrigan yaw hard to port. The ship managed to turn about thirty degrees before the enemy brig crashed into them. The Morrigan jolted and the crew were thrown off their feet from the impact. Shay lost his grip on the helm and flew to the ground, clutching his side as he tried to breathe, winded by the fall.

Edward had caught the mast, squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth from the blow. When he looked up, he saw multiple grappling hooks thrown against the Morrigan's railing.

"Chevalier!" He called to the Frenchman, who spun, seeing the boarding soldiers.

"Leave it!" Chevalier commanded as Shay attempted to recover his position at the helm. "We have company."

They turned to see the crew from the enemy ship, armed soldiers, swinging down onto the Morrigan, roaring curses and threats

"Take this ship and no mercy!"

"Paint this deck with their blood!"

"Leave no survivor!"

The shouts came from soldier and sailor alike, their words of destruction where hardly distinguishable between them.

"Arrière misérable chiens! (Away you miserable dogs)" Chevalier yelled, kicking out at the nearest man to him.

"Let's put those years of training to some use, shall we?" Liam grinned, tossing Edward a sword as the man stood on the defensive, his wrist blades extended and raised.

He snatched the blade from the air, giving the Irishman a brief smile of gratitude before swinging, slicing deep into an attacker's neck. He kicked the body aside and pushed the blade into a second's chest. As someone ran at him from the other side, Edward plunged his hidden blade into his neck. With a growl, he pulled his arms in and the bodies fell to the deck. He twirled the sword, spraying blood, as he set his sights on the next victim. Block, parry, thrust, dodge, slice and finish him; that was the technique to this bloodbath. Edward fired his pistols against the enemy crew before he was forced to switch back to his sword to fend off more attackers

"Not bad for an English bastard!" Liam called over the noise, hardly looking as he blew off the head of an attacker with his pistol.

"Not bad yourself!" Edward called back.

At first, the battle seemed to be on the enemy brig's favour due to the sheer number of enemy crew, however, due to the superior training of the Assassins, they were slowly turning the odds back in their favour as they began to push the invaders back toward their ship.

But it still didn't stop the bastards from fighting back.

Edward's eyes flicked from soldier to soldier, at least a dozen of them, closing in on him. He rolled his wrists and bared his teeth. He could take them.

"Edward!" Shay called. "Catch!"

He spun, snatching the small metal ball from the air before pulling the tag and tossing it into the midst of the soldiers. With a hiss, dark smoke poured out, encasing them in a thick fog. They coughed and choked, blinking against the fumes. Doubled over, they were easy target for the Assassin, his scarf around his mouth as a mask, his wrist blade slicing into the soldiers' necks.

When the smoke cleared, Edward was the only one left standing. He tugged his scarf down and took a gulp of air before giving a quick salute to Shay, thanking him for the smoke grenade as he resumed battle, stepping over the litter of bodies.

Soon, the surviving enemy dropped their weapons in defeat and dropped to their knees in surrender. Shay walked along the line of the miserable soldiers while directing his crew to repair the Morrigan. They threw the corpses overboard, checked the cannons and jumped aboard the enemy ship,

"You have won this battle, my life is in your hands." The captain of the brig said, his head bowed.

"This is your choice, Shay." Chevalier told the Irishman who was caught off guard by the captain's words. He was used to his opponents yelling threats and promising to kill him before his blade went through their throats. This man surrendering... This was new.

"Your life is spared. If you join out fleet, you won't die by my sword. Not today." Shay said to the captain.

The man nodded and held a strange look that Shay had rarely seen before.

"It's called respect." Edward said, patting his shoulder, as if reading his thoughts.

"I wouldn't know." He grinned, shrugging as the captain called his crew aboard the brig to repair it and reissue its loyalties.

An inspection of the Morrigan's hull and a few emergency repairs were made but it was mostly superficial damages. One hour later, the newly claimed brig sailed away, its name displayed to the Morrigan's crew as one of their own.

"It's a good thing you saw that brig Edward. Had that ship hit directly at the stern and we would have lost the rudder." Shay congratulated his fellow assassin as he set the Morrigan back on course.

"But it was your quick reaction that deflected the blow against the side hull." Edward returned, taking his stand beside the captain.

By turning the ship- as Edward observed- the brig had smashed in a sloped angle against the side of the Morrigan, instead of hitting straight at the stern, reducing the strength from the blow of the now defeated enemy ship. The storied Adé had told him about his adventures with his mother and father began to play on his mind. It had been a valued lesson that how a critical hit on a ship could change the tide of a battle.

One of the tales he could recall was of an encounter in the southern Caribbean with what looked like a ghost ship. Adé had entranced the girls and him as he had described the battle, how it had turned quickly against them until the Jackdaw managed to out turn the ship, evading their broadside and ram its rudder.

"Edward, are ye awake?" Liam asked as the Morrigan pulled into shore.

"Oh, sorry. Daydream." He shook his head, laughing to himself as Shay disembarked with a quick wave to his crew.

"Thinking of your girl back home?" Liam grinned.

"Every day." Edward sighed.

"Ah, don't fret, mate." Liam put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be back with her before you know it."

"That day can't come soon enough."