A/N: Just a quick side note and or hint: Do not and I repeat under no circumstances listen to 'The Parting Glass' while reading any of this or just ever really. I made a grave mistake listening to it during the first flashback sequence and found myself in tears. This fucking game is ruining my god damn life.
So in all seriousness, thank you so much for following, favorite-ing, reviewing, and messaging me words of support. I'm so incredibly happy you like this story! It's been ages since I've written fan fiction and am a little rusty, so bear with me. This chapter feels slightly rushed, and I'm not sure how I feel about it but for now here we go!
"Keep an eye out boys! We've received word of a ship sailed up behind the bay and left, but a look-out spotted someone swimming up on to the shore. We can't be too careful, our prisoner is worth more in gold than any of your pathetic lives," A tall Englishmen shouted at his men, tugging on his red coat as Edward looked over from his cell in disgust.
"Do I get a bit of that gold than? It is my head you'd be delivering."
"Hush pirate, who would have the stomach to take on our fort to come save you? The more you help me the more I can tack on days to your life."
"Who me? I don't have much friends now do I? Pirates life is a lonely one save for them pretty whores waiting to lift up their skirts for you when you sail up in port. Don't you miss that man? A nice warm cunt to sink your ma-"Edward grinned as the commanders hand slammed against his bars, leaning up as he laid against the cool stonewall. "Ah should have known from your looks, you into men mate? Can't say I hate you for that, I accept everyone on my ship, and would you like to join me?"
"You are a vile heathen Edward Kenway. I will be the one putting you down into hell myself."
Edward supposed it had been unwise to not shut his gob when he had the chance, but the shadows around them had only grown and he had a feeling a certain someone was coming to rescue him. Distract the guards he thought, it will help them get you out. So when the pistol pointed at his face he sighed, rolling his eyes as he looked up into the commander's vivid green eyes and burst out into laughter when the pistol was lowered. "See can't go shooting your prisoner now can you," His voice faltered as the sound of a gun went off and a searing heat seared his right thigh so quickly he hadn't begun to feel the pain. Gulping he looked down from the redcoat's grin and down to the hole in his leg that was oozing with thick blood. Taking a deep breathe he ripped off the sash around his waist and pressed it into it and bit into his bottom lip as a scream threatened to pass through his mouth.
"Make sure you press it hard, can't have you dying before I collect my gold. Now men I need you to…men? Johnson!? Smiths!? Where did you go! You have orders to-"
"Tis a shame ya more greedy than ye are worried 'bout your men."
"Kidd," Edward's head fell back in soft chuckling as he winced in agony, watching the bars slid open and bit into the wad of cloth Mary shoved in his mouth.
"I know it 'urts. Lean on me alright? I ain't gona be leavin without ya. Ade sailed fast as he can, ya be lucky I hadn't left Port Royal yet," Mary leaned down, undoing the sash around her own waist and pressed Edwards hand against his wound none to gently, listening to him cry out through the cloth. Lacing her own under his thigh she took his hand and set it down, tying the cloth as tight as she could and helped lift him up, almost falling over from the weight of him. "Kenway, ya stay with me, listen to me breathing. My boats only down in the bay now, we'll be there in no time."
It may have only been a hundred meters but the weight of him was starting to test her, taking each stop down the tower and through the gate. They had to stop every few steps until he collapsed against into the sand, looking up at her with his eyes filled with water. "Tis fine Kenway, just a shot in the leg. Get up."
Edward spat out the cloth and shook his head, "Just leave without me, I think I'm bleeding out."
"Stop being so dramatic Kenway. Get up before I make ya."
"It hurts, you couldn't have killed him before he shot me?" A chuckle filled the air as Mary leaned down and cupped his face, leaning in and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. The air was unusually cool, and the water to still for comfort. Half the fort had been cleared out over the past two hours of plucking soldiers to their death but something didn't feel right.
"I know Kenway, been shot before. We only 'ave a bit to go now, see me boat? Just right there behind them trees. Get up now man, please." Her arms wrapped around his torso, lifting him up and began to half drag him until the boat was in sight and waved for her quartermaster to come down and help him carry Edward up into her captain cabin. "Gently now, he's been shot. Sails down, put us on course back to Port Royal."
"Course sir," He took his leave and Mary followed him, shutting her door and rushed over to one of the cabinets nearby, grabbing the closest thing to a medical kit she had on the boat. "Kenway talk to me now," A mumble came from across the room and she smirked, lifting up the damn kit and kicking a stool over by her hammock, and sat by him. "Speak louder mate."
"Your fault…"
"Oh it's my fault now? I do think I heard ya talkin like a right ass to the lad that shot ya. Maybe ya should shut your god damn mouth. Jaysus Kenway, you askin to be shot talken like tha'," Untying the sash she lifted the cloth over the wound and poured the bottle of liquor over it, shoving a hand over Edward's mouth as he screamed and glared to him. Grabbing a clean cloth she pressed down on it, "Lift it up a bit for me, good it went through, don' like fishin lead out anyways."
Edward's mouth was open, a silent scream ripping through him as Kidd poured more rum over his wound, grabbing at the rope he was laid on, stars coming into his vision. Was this what death would be like? Laying in agony waiting for it to end, and it would be over if Mary would just stop trying. His breathe hitched, a sob breaking through him as he looked over to her with watery eyes and his face contorted in pain. "I-I can't do this lass."
"Course ya can, shots hurt worse than being stabbed, ya haven't been shot before now 'ave ya? Kenway look at me," Mary set his leg down, firmly wrapping it up with a clean white cloth and tying it on tight. Tilting her head to look at him she smiled to him, reaching over and cupped his cheek, her thumb gently petting his blond scruffy cheek. "I'll be with ya, right here got it? Sleep now, it'll feel just as awful in the morn'in but I'll get ya through it now Kenway."
As she turned to leave a hand grabbed her arm and she raised an eyebrow, leaning down to him and sighed, seeing he had fallen asleep as quickly as a babe in its mother's arms. "Ya to pretty to be in me hammock sleeping."
Leaving him and setting her things away, she left the cabin to see a fog had started and a sailor was lighting some lanterns to light up the way forward. Everyone else was sleeping aside from her quartermaster who was sailing the boat and the two who were on look out. The night played out just as peaceful, between her constant checking in to make sure Kenway was still breathing and walking around her ship with the feeling of prey being hunted. "Jean, keep a firm eye 'round us as ya sail, 'm checkin in on Kenway."
"Aye captain," Mary nodded up to him and left back her cabin only to feel the boat slam hard to the right, falling over and into the wall. Hissing in pain she ran out, threw the lock board over the captain's cabin to prevent them from getting in to take him from her. She ran up to the lanterns throwing them into the sea, and began to scream, "GET UP LADS! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Even before she could finish her screaming, her men came pouring up from the deck screaming and hollering as they prepared the cannons.
Kenway shifted, something kept throwing him off, trying to knock him from where he slept. The sound of cannon fire caused his eyes to burst open, getting up and falling off the hammock and screaming as he held on to his leg, hissing in pain. "K-Kidd, god damn it Kidd you should have woken me up!" Grabbing the table he lifted himself up, wobbling his way to the door to find he couldn't get it open. His fist pounded against the wood as the smell of blood and gunpowder was everywhere, and his fear for what was going on was starting to make him sick to his stomach. This was all his fault, the reason her ship was under attack was all on him. How long had this been going on? Had he slept through it? Were they sinking and he had no idea?
Finally someone opened the door and what he saw shook him to the bone. Men were dead, moaning in pain, and some twenty or so were tied up at the far end, glaring at a person he hadn't even recognized. He leaned on Mary's quartermaster, staring at her in a mix of fear and respect. She stood there, covered in blood that didn't appear to be her own by the way she was walking through them, kicking some in the stomachs and screaming for them to tell her who sent them and who they worked for. Her sailors helped their own, but all kept distance from their captain.
"W-who, what happened Jean?"
"Hm? Fleet, two brigs and some little ones came up to get you back."
"Where are they? Sail off?
"What the fleet? Are you drunk man? This is Kidd's ship, we took 'em down before they could so much as run."
"So the stories were true aren't they? The Demon Kidd could take down a whole fleet of ships and sail away without a scratch," Edward said in awe, staring at the captain who finally turned and looked at him before smirking and going back to her interrogating. Edward was only assured of one thing with that look, with this scene: he was in love.
Mary Read lives.
Mary Read lives.
Edward Kenway read the line over, over, and over again, his fingers lifted and began to trace the words on the parchment. Ah Tabai knows. He's known for how long? Was this even true or something to get him to turn against the creed he had begun to follow? Mary Read was alive, the damn demon of a captain who had stolen his heart was alive and in these waters just like he was. This couldn't be true, he'd held her, and she had been still. No breath came from her lips, no movement just a doll like state, and he'd been to her gravestone to many times to count.
Slowly looking up he took the note and put it in his pocket and reached over, pulling Anne to his chest and held on to her, letting her have a good cry and moved to pull them up to stand. They couldn't talk about this now, to many people around and some of them were of course working for Ah Tabai, but wasn't he to? "Anne, listen to me. Let's get Jenny up to the manor and we'll talk about it together okay?"
"She's alive Edward! Oh god Edward we might, we might get someone back, we won't…feel so fuckin empty," She laughed, throwing her arms around his neck, holding on to her dear friend as he held on to her understanding the rush of emotions she was starting to go through. Edward wanted to rejoice, but he was so afraid this was going to be a plot or a joke to stop him from sailing back to England. He'd seen Kidd's ghost, sat with the rest of his old friends around the table as he'd said goodbye to Anne just moments ago. How the hell she was haunting him and alive was going to drive him mad.
"Tie her up, we'll sail in the morning to Kingston," Edward shouted to his boat, letting Anne go to collect Jenny and picked her up, kissing her sweet forehead. "Listen love, I have one more thing to do before we leave okay? I have to go see if I can find something I miss very much."
"Oh but can't I go with you daddy! I want to see a pirate so very badly!" Her smile almost made him reconsider it, but if this was all a plot to seek revenge on him and take him out he'd rather her be alive then die with him in Kingston. "I have to find a friend, she's been very lost for the past two years and the letter I just got told me where to find her, you understand don't you darling?"
"Of course daddy," Jenny smiled, yawning as she rested her head on his shoulder as he walked with a way to happy to be blending in with the crowd Anne. The evening was proving to be more complicated that he wanted, after all this time he'd decided to sail only to be given something he wasn't so sure he could trust. Edward hummed a shanty till Jenny was long asleep and tucked her in bed, closing her door and turning to see Anne coming from his room holding a crate of wine from the cave underneath his house. "What are you going?"
"What's it look like? Getting drunk. I'm not stupid, just took a moment to understand why you weren't crying like I was. Do you think they mean to kill you?"
"No. I don't think so, maybe to get me to give them information. I don't…did you touch her, on the boat?" Edward asked quietly pouring himself a glass of fine wine and watched Anne take the bottle and gulp a good half of it down, turning to glare at him.
"No. I, I could hardly even look at her. She was so pale but her cheeks so rosy and yet so lifeless. Ah Tabai held her head in his lap as we rowed back and I turned away. I had no interests in remembering her as a… as a body on a boat. Mary was so much more than that, so full of life."
"She whispered me something, and her head fell to the side. I didn't see her chest rising and when I lifted her she was, she was like a doll," Edward sighed, downing his glass and opened up another bottle, figuring out Anne had the best idea for tonight, a cup was not needed. "You're coming with me of course, as my quartermaster."
"Ah staying than for a bit? So you can leave me when we go to Kingston and find out what the hell is going on. I don't want nothin' to do with that prison you hear me? I'm not going anywhere near it. Look you're a good man Edward, told you so this morning but I think we're chasing a ghost. I haven't felt that happy in so long, and I do wish it were true. I miss her voice, the way she carried herself, and I mean she got me into all this. Taught me how to fight and use a pistol, I want her back as much as you do though I don't want to bed her," Anne grinned, leaning over and clinking their bottles together.
"Can we not talk about bedding our dead friend? This is turning so very morbid of you Anne."
"Let's stay positive, and we find her. What do you do? Going back to England then?"
"If we find her than I won't be going anywhere until I figure out why no one bothered to let us know she was walking around breathing, and better yet why it's been two years and we've heard nothing from her. She'd surely want to contact you."
"Ha! And you don't think she'd want to talk to you too?"
"Who was the father of her child Annie, you never did tell me lass."
"Aye, and I never will. She was a pirate Edward, not a little girl who stayed and waited for a man to swoon her. You never told her about your feelings, so I don't know what you wanted of her really."
"I don't ask out of jealousy, did he treat her alright?"
"You think she'd let herself be told by a man how to act?"
"I guess you're right, she'd have taken care of herself," Edward sighed, finishing up the first bottle and went to stand, catching himself on the table and smiled to Anne, grabbing her hand and pulled her to his bedroom as she giggled behind him. Falling on his bed with her next to him and sighed, reaching over and took her hand in his own. "To tomorrow then!"
"To Marry Read! May hell have given her back to us for a little while!"
The prison reeked of piss, shit, and decay as Edwards's feet slammed against the stone floor, tackling another guard and slicing his throat. Mary and Anne were in this section, they were so close. Edward shook his head, taking Ah Tabai's hand and felt himself be lifted up as the sprinted down the way. Mary, he hadn't seen her since she'd screamed she was pregnant, trying to show the judge she could care less about what he said. She looked worried, and he'd bet anything she was afraid as well: he knows he was. A Jamaican prison was nothing to play out, a cell stuffed with bodies was to his left as he ran, stopping as he heard a scream.
"That's Anne…Mary!" Edward turned the key and unlocked the cell, shoving the bars aside and bent down, cupping her face and feeling her skin was entirely too hot.
"Who is this man!?"
"It's okay Anne, he's a friend. What's wrong with Mary?"
"She's ill!"
That she was, her brown eyes looked up to him as he helped her to her feet, catching her as she almost fell over. "Lean on me lass, we're getting you out of here."
"I-I can't. Stop," She whimpered, leaning on to him as they took slow steps down the hall, hissing in pain with every shift in her legs, her head falling onto his shoulder. "Sh Mary, come on not too far now just keep moving. Remember? I'm not leaving without you, you didn't leave without me."
"Set me down Edward," She whispered to him and he did, laying her gently on the floor, leaning down and brushing her face. "Go on, I won't be the death of ya. You need to be a better man. Make amends, change ya course."
"I can't, maybe with you I can Mary. Please Mary, if you'd stay with me I could," Edward stared down at her as she smiled. "I'll always be with ya Kenway. I will."
His heart stopped, reaching over her neck and not feeling the steady, strong beat of a heart. His arms lifted her up, far lighter than he remembered her being. This was it: his last friend was dead in his arms and the weight of it on his chest was unbearable. As he carried her to the boat he nodded, setting her in it and looked up to Ah Tabai, ignoring Anne's sobs that soon filled the air.
"What are you going to do now?"
"Nothing sensible,' He turned slowly, feeling the sweet pain from behind to look down, a cutlass was skewered straight through him. Edward's mouth fell open, turning to find Ah Tabai smiling, "You don't deserve her." He whispered, leaning in and throwing Edward to the ground and turned to lift Mary up. "Edward, Edward…" His voice taunted him as his world turned black.
"Edward!"
He sat up panting, holding onto his stomach, turning to look to Anne. It had been a dream, the same dream that he had always had but with a different ending. Shaking his head he stood, shuffling his way over to the wash basin and splashed his face with cool water.
"Edward, it's going to be okay alright?
"It is ever alright? Annie, m'fine I promise." The sun looked as if had only just begun to rise above the cove, it was time for them to set sail. He wasn't sure if he was the drink or the letter that had given him that dream, but it was unsettling. Grabbing his coat he slipped it on, watching Anne run about to gather her things for the voyage. It was going to be a long emotional week until they landed at Kingston, and what he was expecting to find there would surely be worse.
But now he wasn't just a captain set to sail, he was a father. Edward opened the door softly to his daughters room and walked to her, picking her up and began to carry her, sleeping away on his shoulder, down to the women's whose children seemed to act the most respectful and she had always made sure to say hello to him. "Shh, Jenny love I'll be back before you know it okay? Keep an eye out for the cove, maybe you'll see a pirate."
"Yes daddy," She yawned, kissing his cheek and rubbed at her eyes as he set her down, waving goodbye and followed the woman into the home.
"Told you, you make splendid father Edward," Anne's voice came from behind him, giving him a kind smile. "Ready to go Captain!"
"Course you are, well let's go oh great quartermaster!" He grinned, walking with her hand in hand towards the sea.
Kingston still looked the same to Edward as the pulled up to dock his ship. Still stunk of shit, people were still crowded around the beaches laughing, and the tavern was still as full as ever. Anne and he had decided the best course of action would be to work on all this searching: after rum. No one seemed to know either of them which was the best thing Edward could have planned for.
"So she wasn't there to greet us as we pulled in, check that one off the list," Anne sighed, setting a bottle of rum down between them and two mugs to pour it into. "What's the next one you had down?"
"Eh, waiting to buy us a pint?"
"I feel so silly being here Edward. It was a nice dream, that we can have her back but now we're here I don't even know where to begin to search. I thought you said you had a list of ideas."
"I did, I still do just calm down Annie. So next up is to ask around by the market I suppose, I'll head up closer to the prison so you don't have to see it alright?"
"Alright, I'll see what I can wiggle out from the people around here," She reached across the table, taking his hand, shaking her head at him. "We have to be prepared to fight anyone too alright? We can't forget about watching our backs even while looking for her."
The pints were finished, coin was left and they parted ways, vowing to meet one another back here when the sun set over the horizon. Everywhere faces looked back to him but none were hers, and this city was large enough to take him days to search through it until he would find Mary. His feet crunched against the sand, making his way across the place to the outskirts of the prison and saw no signs of her though this had been a silly place to check. But it hurt, looking over the building he'd spent so much time in, and the place where he was certain she'd taken her last breath.
Whispers were abuzz about the local doctor being murdered in the night, stabbed in the throat and left to rot in an alley by the prison. But no one had seen who had done it, nor what they looked like. "Have you seen a lass, hair to her shoulders and a nice scar on her face? Dresses a bit like a lad?"
"Is she queer? Dressing like lad, ain't natural now is it?" A toothless man said, spitting on the ground near Edward's feet. Edward sighed, rubbing his temples as he turned and left, not having any luck with anyone he had asked around. As the sun set he stumbled his way to the windmill and looked up, no shadow of a person stood there: she was nowhere to be found. He'd known this was coming, but it didn't help the empty feeling in his chest that growing as he climbed up to the building.
It had been nothing but a cruel prank. No one among the island had seen a women with shoulder length dark brown hair with braids, ruby red lips, and probably dressed in trousers. Every single place he'd ran too had been empty. Edward sat on the top of the windmill, his head in his hands as he finally let it out. She was gone, he was chasing a ghost and a memory of someone he wouldn't ever forget. A hard scream broke through him, slamming his fist against the tile and throwing a piece of it down onto the ground. "Are you happy?! Is this what you wanted!? I'M HERE! COME ON OUT NOW!" His voice screamed into the night as tears fell down his cheek, waiting for the person who had sent the letter to appear to him. To laugh, to kill him, or just give him a damn reason as to why they did it.
His wish came as he heard feet land behind him, swiftly turning and standing to see an assassin dressed like the others, in that deep olive green with their hood up to cover their face. "Haven't I proven myself enough to your fucking creed lad? So you mock me, telling me Mary Read is alive to drag my ass back to this shit town. You know what, fuck you." Edward spat at their feet, stepping closer and standing there, fists clenched.
The figure merely shook their head, reaching up and slowly pulled their hood down. His breath left his body, his knees felt like water as he fell on them, staring up into brown eyes with a scar deep on the right one.
"I missed ya to Kenway."