This is a little tribute to what is probably my favorite scene in the entire Uncharted franchise. This one little moment is so rich- all the history, the intrigue of the pirate's story, the excitement at unraveling more of the mystery of Libertalia, but also I think this is the moment where Elena started to realize that something needed to change in their lives. I love the little exchange between her and Nate here, and the depth of emotion it conveys. It may not be my best written- I kind of rushed it a bit- but I just had to get this out in writing, I love it so much!
Elena looks up at the bookcase as it edges out over the broken balcony and hears her husband shout down to stand clear. She takes a step back as the cumbersome piece of furniture tips and falls, landing with a crash propped up against the wall, then she climbs up the shelves and follows Nate through a crumbling doorway and down a hall that is slowly being reclaimed by the relentless growth of lush tropical foliage. Another marble bookcase- ludicrously heavy and covered in moss- lays across the next door, one end resting on a pedestal and the other on the floor. She gets under it along with Nate, and together they strain every muscle fiber in their bodies to lift the damn thing up high enough to duck under. Nate wedges himself under it as she slips underneath, then he jumps out of the way and lets it come crashing down again.
"Ok!" he says, his voice sounding winded from the effort.
They notice the sigil of Thomas Tew as they keep walking, and that eliminates one question ("Whose house are we in now?), though plenty more questions still remain. Then Nate throws open a set of huge double doors, and the sight that meets them takes Elena's breath away.
A once plush and decadently furnished dining hall is before them, showcasing the perks of being Avery's second in command, though now the room is suffering the same decay as the rest of the mansion. Sunlight streams down on the table through a hole in the ceiling, and around the table sit a host of skeletons, some still sitting upright while others slumped on the table, but all of them still sitting. There's no sign of a struggle, no sign they even had the chance to move before death took them. Heck, some of them even still clutch their goblets with bony fingers. It all looks so suspicious, and Elena finds her reporter's mind kicking into overdrive.
She's the first to connect some of the dots, and she points out the sigils painted on little squares of wood that lie on the table, then she offers the idea of bad drinks being the cause of the ill-fated pirates death. Only a little sarcastically, she asks the question of whether it might be a pirate cult committing a group suicide. Then she finds the letter from Tew.
Nate thinks, and Elena watches him with increasing interest. She's been married to him long enough she can almost hear the cogs turning as he strings together a narrative in his head like a scientist proposing a new theory. He points and expounds on the scene, sometimes squeezing his eyes shut as he fishes for elusive pieces of the colorful story of the pirate captains demise.
Let us abandon our animosities...
For God and liberty...
He begins to lose himself in the history as he continues, taking on the tone and mannerisms that Elena knows are reserved for great historical finds, and damn if Elena doesn't start to lose herself in it, too, laughing at his corny little charade of Henry Avery leading the toast. Then Nate leans forward, palms flat on the table, and becomes suddenly serious.
"These are," he gestures at the deathly figures around the table, "some of history's greatest pirates, and they all perished- in an instant- right here!"
It's spoken with such an awe, a reverence, and a passion that it jolts Elena, tearing her out of the moment and forcing her back into thinking about the circumstances that brought them here. He seems to sense her sudden change of mood because he looks up, his countenance falling, and then his head hangs low.
"I'm sorry, I..." he looks at her with guilt, and on his face Elena can see the strain of tryng to shut out the things he loves- for her sake. "I'm sorry," he repeats, looking almost ashamed that's all he can manage to come up with.
I'm sorry... Words that he's spoken many times since she's known him, and for many different reasons. Sorry for what- the initial lie he told? For never telling her about his brother all these years? For going off on another treasure hunt after they had promised themselves they weren't going to anymore? Probably for getting caught up in the moment and being overtaken with the intrigue and excitement of the current hunt, like he's been caught indulging in a guilty pleasure. Suddenly, though, she can't bring herself to fault him, at least not entirely.
A twinge of something like guilt strikes in her own heart as she looks at him- Nathan Drake, the great treasure hunter, historian, adventurer, and thrill-seeker- who still tries his hardest to be a decent husband despite his glaring faults. Who gave up everything he loved to give them the life he thought that she'd be happy with, and in the process almost lost himself. Was it right for her to expect him to give it all away? He had been the one to propose the idea of settling down and living a normal life, but should she have seen the signs of a knee-jerk reaction that would leave him unfulfilled and unhappy? Had they in fact over-steered, and could there be some middle ground between living continually on the edge of life or death, and working a regular nine-to-five in the suburbs?
I'm sorry...
She knows she needs to say something, but her mind is a swirl of thoughts that she's not sure if she can sort out right now. One thing that she does know is that this is who her husband is- Nathan Drake, eyes alive with excitement, and a love not just for treasure but for history itself- and now she knows more than ever that if he's going to be happy, he needs that side of himself. Even if it's not hanging from cliffs and being shot at, there has to be a compromise somewhere that makes a way for both of them to be who they are. After all, this is the man she fell in love with.
So she looks at him, smiles bitter-sweetly, and says the only thing she can think of to say right now. "It's okay."
After a moment, they leave to keep exploring, both of them made richer by another piece of this forgotten story they're caught up in, and Elena made richer by a whole lot more to think about.