I finally got this chapter out. Really sorry for the wait, I was in India for two and a half weeks during my hiatus and had zero time to write. That you guys for being supportive and I hope you like it! You can now follow me on Instagram marykiddread
This chapter is broken up into quick scenes because so the amount of time that is passing between them.
-Mary's Time In Nassau-
Nassau is just as crummy as it's always been, even with the British having taken back our little squat. The sun not even peeking over the horizon behind the town.
The docks are just as lively as ever. Men running from side to side, carrying crates, talking with the harbor master, getting paid, all busy tasks given to the crews of the ships moored in the harbor. The harbor I once risked my life to call mine.
I've taken a small boat to shore with Keefer. The heavy weight of the oars in my hands as the wood splinters and croaks against the pressure.
Keefer looks on edge, whether it be over sneaking onto the now guarded island or the woman he hopes to find here is unknown to me. He hasn't spoken of Anne since we first talked about her and he's been distant since Edward's visit. I've given him his space even though I've told some of the men to keep an eye on him and help him out when needed so he adjusts well.
I jump off the bow into the shallow water, the sand sinking beneath the soles of my boots as the water laps at my ankles and pulls at my feet. I grab the splintered wood pulling it up into the dry sand as Keefer uses the oar for leverage. He jumps out, giving me a nervous smile as if asking what to do next.
"I'm thinking we go find Anne first?" I pose it as a question, enjoying his flustered look.
"Yeah... If that's what you want to do," he scratches the back of his neck, blushing like a bride.
"Some advice," I say, walking toward the tavern. "Get to know each other again. You both could have changed a lot from what the other one remembers."
"Thanks again, Kidd." He follows me attempting to keep up with my long strides.
Nassau may be under the control of the British but they don't hold it too heavily. For now it's just about boasting. None of the Pirates want it back is the problem. We realized what it was once the sickness took its people. It was a lost cause. We had no way of governing it and no one wanted to take that leap.
We stroll across the white sand. The tavern taking sight as we hit the dirt path I've walked enough times to be able to do it with my eyes closed. The wood stairs creak under my feet and I make sure to skip the sixth stair as I stride up two at a time. Keefer doesn't pay mind and steps on it. The distressed noise it gives off is enough to make the cat below the stairs screech.
I listen to the footsteps above, all panicked, running as far from the tavern as they can. It's been our sign for years wether a guard is entering. All the regulars know of it and avoid it every time, but this time it's just a smitten lad and not a guard ready to see them swing from the gallows.
I walk around the stairs to catch sight of the pretty redhead wiping down the bar innocently. She looks up and sees me, her brow furrowing. "You leave without a word for months and come back to scare all my customers away. What do you have to say for yourself?" She marched over to me, feigning anger and wraps her arms around my shoulders.
"Sorry about leaving but it wasn't me who scared away your patrons."
She lets me go, looking past my shoulder at the dark haired boy. "I know you," she says matter of factly, walking up to him. He looks slightly intimidated which isn't uncommon in Anne's presence.
"And I know you." He looks like he's going to melt, uncertainty, excitement, and fear all flash before his eyes in a fury of doubt. "You were the one that said you wouldn't forget me but you were Louis back then."
She stops in front of him, her hand going over her mouth and tears coming to her eyes. "I never thought I'd see you again." Her arms go around him and he hugs her back just as fiercely.
"It's been a lifetime," Keefer sighs.
"It really has," she laughs. "How did you find me?" She says as she lets him go.
"I heard rumors of the prettiest bartender in Nassau. An Irish redhead who took no shite from anyone and when I heard the name "Anne" I knew." His smile disappears as he pauses, leaving him to sound a bit sheepish. "The change in last name was a surprise."
She looks down at her feet, sighing. "Don't worry about him," she scoffs, putting on a smile. "I just don't know how you met Kidd."
"Just say it was fate," I interject. Anne doesn't need involved in our business any further than she is.
"You're one of those Assassins, aren't you?" She asks pointedly, grabbing his wrist and flipping in over. She rolls up his coat sleeve to reveal his hidden blade, sitting proudly in its sheath.
She turns to me, pissed off. "I know you're trying to get Edward into your assassins but Keefer?"
"Calm down lass. I met him after he was already an assassin. I had no hand in that, it was all him." I send Keefer a smirk, meeting his glare.
She turns back to him, looking ready to rip him a new one. "Keefer what are you thinking? What if you get killed?"
"Anne, I'm just as capable as any of the others. This isn't a spur of the moment thing. I started training a few years after you left me." He seems hurt deeply, as if he almost blames her for not being around.
"Do you really believe in all that? The stuff Kidd talks to Kenway about?" She still looks upset. It must be hard to be away from someone for so long and when they come back they're in danger.
"Of course. That's why I started"
"What did your father have to say about all this?"
"Anne... he d-died a year after you left," Keefer says quietly.
"I'm... so sorry," she says, stunned.
"He was an assassin and he'd want me to be one too."
She sighs, trying to rid herself of her worry. "I'm just glad I finally get to see you again."
"I am too. It was a miracle that Kidd knew you."
"Aye. Thank you James," she says to me.
"No need to thank me. I should leave you two to catch up. I have business to take care of anyway."
"If you start running from the guards you are not using my tavern to hide from them again, you hear me?" she asks playfully. "It wouldn't be the first time you've found your way into my room." She winks at me, her look sympathetic as a reminder we still need to talk.
I grab the edge of the roof and hull myself on top of it. "I'll see you lot in an hour or so," I call down to them, taking off into town without another glance.
"Kidd," Keefer says lowly, sounding pissed. It takes me by surprise. What is the problem now?
I take a puff from my pipe and wait for him to elaborate, chipping at the wooden bench I sit on with my free hand. I've been trying to lay low for a while as templars continue to scour the town for me over their dead slaver.
"Why didn't you tell me Anne fancies you?" He sounds like his heart has snapped in two and been stepped on.
"It's nothing to worry over. She's a good friend, Keefer," I attempt to ease him but it doesn't work, his expression one of betrayal.
"What did she mean by, 'it wouldn't be the first time you were in her room,' Kidd? You said it was only an attempt." His voice is raised and people around start staring at us which isn't smart, granted I've killed a man less than a half hour ago. That mans blood still fresh on a cloth I used to wipe off my blade. "And why did she send me to find you so you could talk?"
"Last time I was in Nassau, all of us got drunk together out on the beach." It hurts to think about. Thatch is gone, dead. Hornigold is on a mad attempt of appeasement. Vane is who knows where with Edward trying to find a man who doesn't want to be found and Rackham is a drunkard. Even still, Edward won't open his eyes. "I walked Anne home. She was drunk and tried to get me to bed her but I wasn't about to let that happen. She just wants to talk about it."
"So you don't fancy her?"
"She's beautiful, aye, but I don't have time for a relationship and I have too much respect for her."
It looks as if some of the weight of the world has been lifted off his shoulders. "Sorry for accusing you."
"Young love," I tease, his face reddening a bit. "Come back to the tavern with me?"
"Of course."
I walk through the groups of people walking down the street to draw minimal attention. Slipping quickly back to the tavern. Most of the patrons have found their way back, a new mug of rum in their hands.
Anne grabs my arm and motions for me to follow. "We'll be back in a moment, Keefer," she says sweetly.
She leads me to her room in the back of the tavern, the door squeaking heavily in protest as she closes it behind us. Giving us time and space to talk in peace.
"James, I'm sorry for how I acted that night."
"We all do stupid things when we're drunk."
"I just don't know why I did. I'm with Jack. I'm happy. You're just attractive," she shrugs, playing it off.
Those words make me insecure, my skin itch in a weird way. Would she think the same if she knew? But I suppress these feelings, opting for a reply that will sound more natural for the Kidd she knows. "Most of the women on this island think so."
"Aye but not many get the pleasure of actually speaking with you." She sits down on her bed, crossing her legs and looking up at me. "Then they'd realize you're not all smirks, intimidation, and snide remarks. You've got a heart of gold."
I nod, not knowing how to respond. I've never been one for compliments unless they come jokingly from Kenway and I can tease him back. Something sincere is harder to take.
"What are you looking for in a woman, James?" she asks, her expression quizzical, not a hint of an ulterior motive. It sounds more like genuine concern.
"I don't need a relationship Anne. I'm a master assassin and a pirate captain. I don't have time for anyone at-"
"Everyone needs someone just to take the weight off your shoulders now and again. I've considered you a good friend for a long time, James. Let me just be that for you. Not the relationship or the commitment but let me just be your friend."
"I... can do that, Annie," I sigh.
"Now I need to ask you something," she says looking down at her feet. "You and Keefer are close and he seems to look up to you. I was just wondering if he blames me for leaving Ireland." She speaks slowly, her anxiety leaking into her words.
"I just think he's hurt. Don't worry too much about it and let him brood. He'll come out of it."
She nods to herself, her red locks falling around her shoulders.
"How has Kenway been?" she asks. "I heard he was there when Thatch... was killed."
"I found him drunk and pissed at the world. He blamed himself for not being able to save him. Can you even believe that bullshite?" I say, sadly.
"I'm glad you found him when you did. You seem to be the only one who can get to him, anymore."
"If only he'd actually listen to me." She laughs softly at my remark, studying me. "What?" I ask.
"Nothing," she says shaking her head. "Let's go find Keefer, he was telling me about the time he almost got mauled by a jaguar."
"I remember that," I laugh. "I'll leave him to tell you what happened."
-two days later-
The sun set hours ago, a sign that my work for the day is done. I've been in contact with Ah Tabai, telling him of my plans to take a Templar fort not too far off the coast.
I shut the door of my small one roomed cottage behind me, turning in for the night. Keefer and I have already paid a visit to two of the family's we're going to take off the island, both relieved to hear that their families are safe and they'll see them soon.
I pull off my coat, the material snagging against the soft linen of my white shirt. I sling it over the back of my chair that is pushed up against the desk.
My chest aches, my corset tied too tight this morning but I've had no chance of loosening the ties when Keefer was with me. I pull my shirt over my head, laying it amongst the other dirtied fabrics in the basket beside my bed.
My hands reach around, grasping the ties and untying them with practiced grace. For years I've had to lace and unlace my corsets on my own out of fear of trusting another to do it, as if I'm incapable of doing it myself.
My fingers pull the ribbon out and I pull the corset off my chest, taking a deep, full breath. It feels good to not have the constant press of material against my skin, suffocating me. I run my hands over the irritated skin, the pressure leaving indentions from the corset that look angry and red.
I hear the footsteps before the person behind me can announce their presence. There is no turning back, whoever it is is dead. I engage my hidden blade and turn to the intruder, my other arm covering my bare chest.
Anne jumps backward, almost falling, in surprise. Her chest rises and falls quickly, her eyes blown wide. "James?" She asks, her voice quaking.
I turn away from her, pulling on a clean shirt. "Aye," I say, defeated.
"You're a woman," she states, not a hint of a question in her voice.
"Aye," I repeat.
"Look at me," she says softly, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I turn and look in her deep brown eyes as they scan my face, no doubt looking for some semblance of the man she knows. "You're a brave woman, you know that?" She smiles.
I don't know how to respond, feeling uncomfortable in front of her, so exposed. When I told Kenway I prepared myself for that but this is sudden. Too sudden for me to process how I want to go about this. But I'm nothing if not sharp.
"What's you're real name?"
"I was named Mary Read." I reach up to my bandana pulling it off and untying the small ribbon I use to hold my hair in a boyish bun. It frames my face, brushing my cheeks. "I was called Mark since I was four and I've been James Kidd since I was ten."
"Mary, this doesn't change anything," she reassures.
"I know." I nod, accepting this the best I can. For god's sake it's Anne Bonny. "You don't think I played you for a fool, letting you fancy me as such?"
"No and this doesn't change where we stand on that either. You're a beautiful woman, Mary." She watches me scoff her eyes showing deep affection. "God I just want to hug you."
She throws her arms around my waist, placing her head on my chest. "Not everyday you learn that one of the most feared pirates in the West Indies is a woman."
I remember Kenway saying something like that. "I almost killed you."
She rolls her eyes, letting me go. "I think it's worth it."
"Why are you here anyway?" I ask.
"You left one of your knifes in my wall." She gives me a glare. "I don't mind you throwing drunkards out but if you keep using my tavern as target practice, you'll be the next one I throw out."
She pulls it from her belt loop placing it in my palm.
"I enjoy how nervous it makes the ones that have a reason to be," I say with a smirk, putting the knife into the sheathe on my waist.
"My wall did nothing to you," she giggles, feigning irritation.
"It did the time Kenway shoved me against the wall during a bar fight when I tried to get him out of it. It was unforgiving to say the least."
"It's funny to me that you and Edward are close, yet he doesn't know you're a woman."
"It would be funny, if that were true." I cross my arms over my chest, looking down at the floor, not out of shame but out of a queer sort of embarrassment.
"I knew there was a secret kept between you two," she says slyly, smiling like she was just gifted a ship. "Does anyone else know?"
"My mentor knew the moment he saw me. Keefer and his mother also know."
"Keefer knows? How?"
"I was wounded and his mother was the one I turned to. Keefer came looking for her and found her tending to me. I looked much like I do now."
"He's never been good at keeping secrets... at least when we were younger." Anne almost sounds sour with herself.
"He's grown up a lot."
"I've noticed."
"Give it time Anne."
I watch as the Jackdaw slides into port. Something is wrong.
Kenway handles his ship with a sort of grace, knowing just how it will react to the wind snapping it's sails open or dying down without warning. The jackdaw is his pride and joy but the one captaining it not him. Indeed, something is very wrong.
I wait in the tavern, watching silently. This isn't Edward. It can't be. If it was, he would have alerted the entirety of Nassau of his presence.
The sight of the man who steps off the ship makes me visibly sick. I stand from my chair abruptly, the legs screeching against the wooden floor. I walk briskly to the docks, my steps too quick for anyone to think I mean good by them.
That damned drunken mans face when he sees me falls, his eyes wide with fear. Everyone on the dock stops to stare, seeing the gravity of the situation through the pure rage that is no doubt visible in my entire demeanor.
I stalk towards him as he shuffles backwards towards the edge of the dock. "Now... Kidd... calm down..." He puts his hands up defensively. They shake from what would appear to be withdrawal. It wouldn't be hard at all to kill him.
I grab his collar, whispering my words through gritted teeth so only he can hear but the heat of my rage is apparent to anyone on the docks. I turn around and meet the eyes of an older sailor, he drops his gaze immediately and walks away. Others follow by his example, no one sticking up for Calico Jack Rackham.
I turn back to him, meeting his glossy eyes. "Where is Kenway?"
"I... I don't know-"
"What in hell do you mean 'I don't know'?" I engage my blade and press it into his side, hard enough to fray the fabric of his shirt.
"We mutinied," he says, his voice shaking.
"And you lead that mutiny didn't you?" I press the blade harder, a blossom of crimson red appearing. I'm blinded by pure anger. "Tell me everything."
"He met Vane and I... I don't remember much," he stammers. "I remember rallying the crew, and once Vane shot the Spanish captain we forced them onto the Ranger. She was broken, had no way of sailing, and we left."
"And the crew that was loyal?"
"They're still in the hold all but that black fellow."
"What did you do with Ade?" I press the blade harder, a yelp escaping his lips.
"I took him to Kingston. He's been sold there."
"To who?" I growl.
"I..."
"I asked, to who!" I yell my face only inches from his.
"I don't know!" he yells.
"Kidd," Keefer calls from behind me.
"Get someone to tie him up. I need to write some letters."
I sent pigeons to every island in the West Indies in hopes an Assassin there could find Ade. My hopes had come to fruition.
One came in weeks ago. A letter from Tortuga speaking of a man who was asking for me, named Ade. Ade had escaped himself and turned to the assassins. He could be one of us someday. It'd be an easier transition than it would be for Edward.
My heart aches at the mention of his name. He's dead. I can't hope for anything else lest I'd be asking for a devastating disappointment.
Ade and I talked about what had happened. The mutiny. Edward and Vane being marooned and left for dead. He then told me of his time in Kingston and Tortuga. He never even made it to the plantation before he and the other men used their chains to kill the guards with them. That's when he found one of our coops and outside of it, an assassin.
"Anne, bring me a bottle of rum."
She places one in my hand, giving me a sympathetic look. "Are you going to set out to find him?" she asks softly, taking the seat across from me, beside Keefer.
"If he's alive, my best option is to go to Inagua and wait there. If he doesn't show up then he's dead."
"You think he's dead?"
"No I just... it's been two months Anne. If that ship never hit land they would have died of dehydration and starvation if they didn't kill one another first."
"You know him," Anne urges. "He's got some fight in him."
"You can't fight the sea." I tip back the bottle drinking deeply. "But Kenway is a devil."
Ade walks up beside me, placing his hands on the table. "What's left of the Jackdaws crew will be ready to set off by tomorrow morning."
"When that ship tries to leave the harbor, expect a fight. The navy has ships patrolling the area."
"Are you leaving, also?"
"Aye, my ship will be hidden on the west side of the island tomorrow before dawn. I'm smuggling a few people off the island but I can have Keefer take them aboard and I'll stay with the jackdaw to fight off the Navy."
"Wait a minute," Keefer interjects. "I don't want to just sit on your ship and hope you lot make it through."
"I want you to assume my position for a time. As soon as everyone is aboard, go to Inagua and wait for us there."
"Kidd, I can help-"
I stand from my chair, looking down at him. "You're a member of my crew, Keefer. If I let you question me the others will too. I trust you to get them back safe. Just be at the boat at 4am. That's all I need from you."
I feel utterly cold, broken. I walk down the stairs, not even sparing a glance at Rackham who sits tied to a chair.
The beach is the only place I can sit on my own so I go there, the sand sinking beneath my feet as I silently hope I could just sink into it. I sit down with little grace, bottle still in hand to keep me company.
He can't be dead. He just can't and it's for my own selfish reasons that he can't be dead. I remember my mum, telling me after Mark died, that we only feel grief because we wish for them back and she was right. I'm selfish.
I show the woman the spot on the map. The location where they will meet with Keefer to take the boat to my ship. "Leave when it's still dark out so you don't raise any suspicions with the guards. The dark haired lad from before will be waiting. Go to him and he'll get you to your family."
"Thank you again, James Kidd. My brother and I will forever be in your debt." She takes one of my hands pressing hers around it in gratitude.
Her brother is a good man and member of my crew. He does his job well and in good time, the least I could do is bring back his sister and her kids. "Don't thank me," I scoff. "Maybe now you can get him stop bitching and moaning. The others are thinking of throwing him overboard," I joke.
She laughs under her breath giving me a large smile. "Aren't you coming with us?"
"I have other business at the moment but I'll make sure to check with him when I arrive in Nassau. Have a safe journey."
"You too, captain Kidd."
She closes her door and I move onto the next house I have to visit.
I sit at the back of the ship, running my fingertips over the edge of my blade. Ade stands at the helm calling orders as we leave the docks.
Not too far out, I can see two ships; a man-o-war and a brig. So I sit silently and wait.
We approach quickly, meeting them in the middle.
"Ade, should we board or sink them?" One of the crew asks, a lot riding on the answer.
"Board them," Ade orders with a level head.
The crewman nods and takes off down the quarterdeck to alert the other men.
Ade knows I'm waiting for that. That's why I came.
The volleys of cannon fire fall on my deaf ears. The shot leaving the cannons in synchronization with one another. The ship rocks. Tosses as the side is battered with heavy shot.
I hear the side of the hull rake the side of the enemy ships. Boarding hooks are thrown and that's when I stand, using the rope swing to propel myself across the gap.
The moment of weightlessness puts my head in the right place, pure apathy, a cold blooded killer.
I engage my wrist blades, driving each into the neck of an unsuspecting soldier. The blood sprays into my face, splattering like heavy rain. I land on my feet and catch his friend in the neck before he knows I hit the deck.
I unsheathe my sword, piercing it through the back of a man who had turned to take on one of Edward's crew.
I lose sense of myself in the fight. The sounds of screaming men filling my ears. Final breaths. Pained moaning. I never stop moving, feeling... no not just feeling... enjoying the weight of a dead man on the end of my sword.
I feel the blood soak through my shirt, barely any of it mine.
My wrist blade is shoved through some poor saps eye, his shriek of pain louder than any I've ever heard before as the jelly like substance presses to my palm. I finish him off quickly with a blade through the heart.
The man I turn to next falls to his knees, shaking, his lip quivering. The others follow suit. In my traditional fashion I place my boot on his shoulder, knocking him onto his back and pointing my sword at his neck.
"What do you want me to do with him Ade?" I yell across the silence as the rest of the crew begin to tie the other remaining men up.
"Give them a choice. Piracy or a quick death."
"Well that's a shame. I was thinking about trying out one of their punishments. Maybe flogging them, drowning them, or tying them to the mast until their skin burns so bad it bubbles up and starts to fall out." I give him a dark smile, tears welling in his eyes.
I feel a hand on my shoulder and shrug it off. I don't look at its owner, just push past them and walk back to Edward's cabin. The floor is littered with empty bottles of rum.
I grab some of the bottles throwing them out the port holes. The sight of them makes me sick. I just have to know if he's alive. If he is I need to see him with my own eyes. If he's not I then I need to know so I can come to terms with losing another person I care about.
If I see him again I want to hold him, make sure he's real but as the days go on my hope has shrunk.
I climb into his hammock. Even after Rackham took this place as his own, it still smells like Edward and that's a scent I can't forget.
Like I would ever forget him.
At the docks a man comes running towards our docking ship with a letter in hand, demanding to find a Kidd to give it to.
He sees me and hands it over, leaving before I even open it. I keep my hands steady as I open the parchment sealed with the assassin symbol.
We found what is left of the ship Edward Kenway and Charles Vane were supposed to be on and they are no where to be found. It is unlikely that if they are on any civilized piece of land they wouldn't have contacted Inagua yet. There is no trace of any supplies aboard and there survival seems slim to none.
I hand the paper to Ade and walk up to the manor my head spinning and I feel like I'll lose everything in my stomach. Not to say I've been eating much.
"Kidd," Keefer says as I walk into the manor. He stops walking toward me when he sees all the dried blood. "Is everything all right?"
"I didn't have a change of clothes on, Kenway's... The Jackdaw." I almost said "Kenway's ship" like there is some possibility that he's still alive to have ownership. "But yes. We salvaged the ships and made it out fine."
"But are you okay?" he asks cautiously.
"I will be in a day or so. All we have to do now is wait," I sigh, the heaviness in my chest like a rock.
"I'm sorry, Mary. I truly am." His emotions start getting the best of him, his nose reddening from holding back tears. "I know how much his friendship meant to you."
By throat aches and my eyes burn. I nod to him and turn down the hall to my room, not looking back so he won't see the tear stream down my face.
I close the door to the room Kenway offered me. Laying down in the unwashed sheets. Silent sobs tear out of my chest, leaving me breathless and tired. My warm tears falling around my face as I wipe them away with my sleeve, irritated.
Crying makes me feel weak and petty. A victim of my own emotions. I slam my fist down into the mattress, in my grief.
He's my best mate. My confidant. He could have been so much more but this sage has gotten him killed or at least will.
It's hard to hold out hope when every person I've ever... cared about... leaves me on my own. It seems he won't be breaking that pattern.
Ade and I sit at the tavern, a bottle of rum in each of our hands as we wait for this day to end and the next one to begin.
"Do you think he's coming back?" I asks, my voice heavy.
"He has to," is the only response he offers.
A ship makes its way into the harbor, flying no flag. We both turn to stare at it as it docks and the captain steps off, his head held high with a sort of pride to him. Boasting.
His blonde hair, reflecting the bright rays of the sun and his smile, carefree and finally at peace.
God how I've missed him.
