The Confederacy
Nassau, September 1715
"By God, you're a sight for salty eyes! Come you in and have a drink," Ben Hornigold called out when he saw Edward approaching what passed for Nassau's tavern.
"Morning all," Kenway said as he climbed the stairs to the balcony at the front of the pub.
"Ahoy, Kenway," Ed Thatch handed him a tankard of ale and gestured to the bartender to pour more. Nodding to Adewale, he asked, "Who's this?"
Clapping a hand on Adewale's shoulder, Edward replied, "This is Adewale, the Jackdaw's Quartermaster."
Thatch's eyes twinkled with humour. "Jackdaw? You named your brig after a poxy bird?" He laughed loudly and shook his head.
Ignoring the rub, Edward said, "Ade, these lads are the better part of our growing Confederacy here. Ed Thatch, Ben Hornigold, James Kidd."
Several feet away, seated at the sunny end of the balcony with his back to the wall, a young man raised his tankard in response.
"Get yourself a drink, Ade."
"You let him carry a gun, do you?" Ben asked as Adewale walked away.
Edward frowned. "Peace, Ben. Ade saved my life and now we're looking for a crew to fill out the rest of my ship."
"Well, there's scores of capable men about. But use caution," Thatch warned, resting his arms on the balcony's railing, his keen eyes scanning the scene below. "A shipload of the King's sailors showed up a fortnight back, causin' trouble and knocking about like they own the place."
Edward had always looked up to Thatch as a mentor of sorts, and took his counsel seriously. Nodding, he quaffed back the rest of his ale. "Right. I'll see who I can muster." Turning to face Thatch, he said, "I have a hold full of cargo to sell, Ed, and a ship in need of repairs, new guns and cannons."
The older man nodded. "And you need a captain such as myself to help you with that, I suppose?"
"Aye, until you see fit to give me a flag of mine own." Edward grinned. "Perhaps you'd like to take some treasure from my personal collection in return for the favour?"
Thatch snorted, a hint of affection in his gruff voice. "Save that charm of yours for the women, Kenway. Come see me when you've got your crew and we'll talk."
Clapping a hand on Thatch's shoulder, Edward nodded to his friends. "We'll catch you up later."
Adewale finished his ale and followed Edward back down into Nassau's streets. "Send any men you recruit to me, Captain, and I'll put them to work."
Most of Edward's first day in Nassau was spent rescuing from the King's men sailors who had been arrested on one charge or another and were likely to hang. One actually did have the noose 'round his neck when Edward freed him. When Kenway returned to the Jackdaw that evening, he was happy to see that every single man he'd freed had turned up for a bunk on his ship and was working on a task assigned by his Quartermaster. Satisfied that he had a good sized crew, he retired to his cabin for some rum and was soon lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves slapping against the ship's hull.
x ~ X ~ x
The Jackdaw's repairs took a week, but when they were done, Edward and Adewale were very pleased with the results. The crew was happy as well, as Edward had arranged for their quarters to be expanded and outfitted with new mattresses. As had become their custom, the men met at the tavern for a drink at the end of the day.
Ben handed Edward a tankard and nodded toward the ocean. "Now you'll want to sail somewhere rich with plunder."
"Have you heard of a place called the Observatory?" Edward asked, happy to finally have a chance to talk about this mysterious place with his mates.
James Kidd pushed himself away from the bar and joined Ben and Edward. "Aye. It's an old legend, like El Dorado or the Fountain of Youth."
"What have you heard?" Edward asked, trying not to sound too eager.
The lad shrugged. "It's meant to be a temple or a tomb, hiding a treasure of some kind."
Edward reached into his jacket and pulled out the document he'd taken from Governor Torres, handing it to Kidd. "That's it. You see here."
Ed Thatch stood closer, looking over Kidd's shoulder as the younger man unfolded the parchment. Kidd's eyes widened ever so slightly when they fell upon the strange drawings and symbols, and Edward sensed that the lad knew more about this place than he was letting on.
"Ah, rot! It's fairy stories you prefer to gold, is it?" Thatch snorted.
"It's worth more than gold, Thatch. Ten thousand times above what we could pull off any Spanish ship."
Behind him, Ben sighed. "Robbing the King to pay his paupers is how we earn our keep here, lad. That ain't a fortune, it's a fantasy."
Kidd handed the parchment back to Edward and clapped a hand on his shoulder, giving him a look he couldn't quite figure. Was it pity? Understanding? Did the boy know something about this Observatory? Before he could say anything, James muttered, 'good night all', threw back what was left of his drink, and vanished into the crowd. The lad was down the street and at the next corner before Edward set eyes on him again. Sighing, he put the parchment into his pocket and turned his attention back to Hornigold and Thatch.
The two men had settled on a course of action. Ben would sail with Edward, teach him how to take a prize the 'proper way', as the older man suggested. It was hardly necessary, Edward thought, but it was the fastest way to get a flag of his own, and so he agreed to meet Ben the following morning and sail out under his tutelage.
x ~ X ~ x
Kenway impressed Hornigold with his skills at sea and the way he managed his ship and crew, and he quickly earned himself a black flag. He had to admit, however, that Ben did teach him a few new tricks, the least of which was how to find the right person to bribe when he had drawn too much attention to himself. As was their custom, the two men enjoyed a tankard of rum in Edward's cabin at the end of the day. They sat at the round table, looking through the collection of maps there.
"You did well today, Kenway," Ben said. "Half a dozen scores of that size and you'll be set for a year. Let's sell this cargo and fix up your Jackdaw with a few more trinkets."
Edward took a drink and shook his head. "Sod a year, Ben. I'm looking for a prize that will set me up for life. I'll be King of the West Indies then."
It was Ben's turn to shake his head. "We came to Nassau to get away from the likes of kings."
Edward leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling, watching the candlelight dance there. "Well, I'll be a man of property and promise, anyway."
"Jaysus, let that dream go, lad. Nassau's the place to be, not England."
"Have you never dreamed of the big score, Ben?" Edward asked, leaning forward to hunch over the table, his eyes fixed on his friend's. "A ship so full of gold and silver you could just split it and sail home?"
"Sure I have, but it's only a dream. Every man hopes to find a dozen chests of gold with no owner, but they're as rare as an honest king. You'd best get to sleep before your addled brain conjures up any more flights of fancy, Edward." He stood and finished his rum. "I'll leave you to your dreams, lad. See you in the morning."
"Aye." Edward replied, shifting his gaze to the flickering candlelight before him.
He fell asleep in his armchair, imagining himself with wealth, nice clothes, a home, and a family. In this dream, he and Caroline wanted for nothing, they were respected, and their children were healthy and well educated.
x ~ X ~ x
Edward and Ben arrived at Salt Key the following afternoon. After they paid a local official to make their notoriety disappear, they welcomed Thatch aboard and began the task of unloading and selling Edward's cargo and making arrangements to have more work done to the Jackdaw.
Ed Thatch was impressed. "You're a wonder, Kenway. You've a knack for this kind of work."
"It ain't work if you love it," Edward said, handing a case of rum to a crew member.
Thatch laughed and scratched his chin. "Ah, tosh!"
Pulling bottles of rum from another case at his feet, Edward passed one to Thatch and then to Hornigold. "But I ain't doing this forever, lads. Only until I get enough coin to buy some land and influence back home."
Ben rolled his eyes and Thatch shook his head. Both men were by now well acquainted with Edward's talk. Again, Ben scoffed.
"Will you listen to that tripe? Still dreaming on about that strumpet back in England when you can have any Betty you wanted, here and now."
Thatch groaned and took a swig of rum, shooting a disapproving glance Ben's way. He knew from experience that taking jabs at Edward's relationship with his wife would make the man dull company, and indeed Edward's smile faded.
"Ah, such lofty goals for you gents. And here I thought I was in the company of scoundrels."
Corking the bottle he'd been drinking from, he put it down and climbed up to the quarterdeck where Adewale stood, watching the goings on. Edward held his tongue for a moment, trying not to let Ben's words sully his mood much. He often wrestled with feelings of guilt when it came to Caroline. He hadn't returned home when he'd promised, he hadn't sent for her, and he'd only written to her twice since leaving England. As far as husbands went, he knew he was no prize catch, but he couldn't let go of her or his dreams of being a successful sea captain. To return home now would be to abandon his dream and admit defeat, and he had to wonder if she'd take him back anyway. He hadn't been faithful to her and he hadn't sent her so much as a single coin to support her. Trying to shake the gloomy thoughts from his head, he turned to Adewale.
"What's the crew's mood, Ade?"
"All smiles and no teeth, Edward. And there's a few talking about meeting with Master Kidd to steal from a nearby plantation."
That caught Edward's attention and fully pulled him back to the present. "A plantation? That's ambitious."
"Profitable, too, if we can manage it," Adewale said.
"Aye, it's a good idea."
A successful plantation job would be a good start toward building his fortune, and if he knew Kidd, the lad would be willing to let Edward in on it. Feeling merry once again, and determined to get on with making something of himself, he rounded up Ben and Ed and went ashore to have some supper and find James Kidd.
A/N: Thank you Ubisoft for the playground and dialogue. A shout out to my friends, Zute and Zevgirl, and to everyone who is tagging along for the ride. Thank you for following! Feel free to drop a line, I do enjoy hearing from you. Cheers, Biff.