Assassin's Creed 1. Monster's Hunt

I Make My Own Luck

Chapter I

"_Monster's Hunt"_

POV: Shay

"Shanty!" I yelled at my crew members and turn the steering wheel of my ship all the way to the right. The man began to sing "_Drunken Sailor _"as Morrigan slowly turned around almost hitting an iceberg. My quartermaster, Gist, gave me a weird look as if questioning my sailing skills; I shook my head at him implying that everything was alright. The man shrugged and gave out a command to add more sail. The wind was on our side today. I half smiled embracing the cold breathe blowing behind me; the Templar sails were fully open and now demonstrating a big red cross in the middle. I tightly grasped the steering wheel feeling a huge blast wash over me as my ship increased its speed.

Our main course was New York where I was about to see the Templar's Grand Master for the second time. God, that man was unpredictable, he always had something going on in his head and you could never tell if he planned a murder. I glanced at Gist again; the explorer was standing near me and looking straight forward into the grey sea. His hands were crossed and pressed against his chest as if he was thinking about something. Not a long time ago, he told me that Master Kenway was a great man but with a bad habit of being devilishly honest and not keeping secrets for long. I took it to my consideration and promised Gist to watch my words when I get a chance to speak with Kenway again.

"Capitan Cormac," I blinked coming back to reality from my deep thoughts as I heard Gist call me. "There is a heavy wind approaching, should be lessen the sail?" I shook my head and smiled at him. I turned my head forward and yelled at the crew.

"Loosen all sail we've got, she'll take it." I exclaimed at my men turning the wheel again. Gist shook his head and repeated the command that the crew shortly followed. The ice around us started slowly disappearing as we left the Arctic waters and, after a long while, some green popped up on land here and there. The wind became gentler making Morrigan go steadier than before; I decided to not slow down and continue at the fast pace. The crew did not receive their expected command to halve the sail; it did surprise them a bit knowing how much I liked to go slower on the warm waters enjoying every view.

"I see you are unable to contain your excitement, Captain Cormac." Gist suddenly spoke interrupting me from looking around with my spyglass that I got out in order to see if the port we needed was close. I lowered the device and glanced at my quartermaster, he smiled at me waiting for me to speak.

"If you got a chance to shake a hand with a Grand Master for a second time, you would be as enthusiastic as I am, Gist." I said holding up the spyglass to my eye again. The man chuckled and shook his head at me. "I still do not understand your refusal to accompany me to his quarters; it is a great opportunity for you." I continued suddenly spotting a ship in the distance; I could not quite see what kind it was but decided to ignore it. We did not need any fights today, we-I have greater plans than capturing a pathetic ship, and then not knowing to either salvage it for some money or send to my navy. Besides, my hull armor was not perfected yet, and any big fight would cost me a lot of damage to repair.

"-and as I said before, I do not like him that much." Gist's words finally hit my ears as I woke up from the endless observing. I had no idea what the man was talking about, but judging by his last sentence he was mentioning his dislike toward Master Kenway. I chose to just shrug my shoulders and nod my head to make it seem as if I was listening attentively. Gist smiled wide and turned his face away looking forward again. "Thank you for understanding and letting me stay and guard Morrigan, Captain Cormac." He looked very pleased at the moment. I sighed as I figured out the theme of his topic that I casually skipped.

"Of course, surely." I rolled my eyes; suddenly one of my men started yelling something and throwing their arms up gesturing toward the right side of Morrigan. I gazed at the direction he was pointing at and gasped as I saw a ship approaching us quickly. It was a Man O' War, a dangerous beauty of the seas that I appreciated and hated the most. I remember sailing Captain James Cook's Royal Navy ship, it was a great experience, especially when I got to sink enemy's ships; but being targeted by one of those was something out of my desire.

The Man O' War slowed down and slowly drifted right next to us; it came to a stop. Thinking that the ship was from Cook's navy and had some kind of a message for us, I slowed Morrigan down keeping it parallel to the vessel. Silence hung around us, no one dared to speak; it seemed as the big ship was observing us and making a conclusion of how pathetic we looked compared to its own power and size. I felt cold sweat on the back of my neck and gulped secretly pleading the ship to continue on its way and mind its own business. Unfortunately, the ship did not move; I felt very disappointed with a hint of fear hiding behind my straight face.

I glanced at Gist and noticed the man's pale face; he gave me a puzzled look making me realize that asking him about this situation was pointless. I let go off my wheel desperately gazing over the port not far from us that was out precious destination. A wild thought of grabbing the wheel and yelling to resume our speed to get to the land came across my mind, but I shook it off and walked up close to the ship's railing.

"Good day," I yelled at the Man O' War hoping for the Captain of the monster ship to hear me. The silence continued embracing the space around us; I became nervous by seconds. "We are going to continue our way to New York, unless you have any business with us!" I said with my determination slowly fading from my eyes as I saw a hooded man walk up to the edge of the ship and glare at Morrigan's Templar sails.

"An...an... Assassin?" Gist gasped and called me to command the crew to catch the wind as fast as we could, but I stood there frozen. The Brotherhood member smirked and yelled something at his men, after a second I was aware of his order.

It seemed like the Man O' War had an endless amount of cannons popping up from the little windows. The cannons started firing and hitting our ship, causing a massive destruction. One of the cannons balls almost threw me off in the deep waters after hitting the deck right next to me; planks of wood collapsed and exploded in thousands of pieces that burst in different directions. I managed to dodge the shot by lowering my whole body down and the sprinting up the small steps to the wheel.  
>"All sail, I said unleash all sail we have!" I yelled desperately, my voice cracking. Gist held on to his hat yelling the same command I announced trying to get the remaining crew's attention, since the rest were hit and killed by the damned cannons. Morrigan was in no state to fight back; escaping was our only choice at the moment. The ship slowly began to move away from the attacker and soon we were on our way as fast as the wind allowed.<p>

"They are firing mortar, Captain!" Gist shouted looking back at the Man O' War. "We need to maneuver the ship away from the targeted spaces." He said looking closely at the direction the cannons were turning.

"I know Gist, I know." I said hurriedly turning the wheel to the right and left. "Bloody hell, we are still going to get hit, some sails are heavily damaged and useless right now." I said cursing repeatedly as the fire started falling upon us like thousands of stars from the sky. My crew ran around crying for help and mercy; I clutched my teeth feeling my arms go numb from the endless spinning of the wheel from side to side. We were so close to the port, just a little longer and we would have had it. Yet the fortune decided to handle us differently this fine day; the mortars fired one after another turning Morrigan into a mess that I could hardly call a ship anymore.

"Captain Cormac, turn the ship around this corner so they would lose the sight of us!" Gist suddenly exclaimed pointing at a huge chunk of land tall enough to hide us from the enemy's eyes at least for a moment. I nodded my head appreciating his suggestion and straightened the ship coming around our only hope. The Man O' War immediately stopped firing, a few mortars flew passed us thankfully not hitting the ship anymore. I decided to use this moment and quickly come from another side and dock the ship at the port. The monster seemed to lose its prey since the ship was slowly turning around away from us, its cannons gradually sliding back into hiding.

I closed my eyes in relief trying to breathe in some fresh air; I felt as if I held my breath for the whole escape from the Man O' War. Dark circles appeared in my eyes but I brazenly pushed on. New York was a reach away, the docking space was open welcoming us to the city; I gave out the command to stop and drop anchor.

"Anchor ahoy!" Gist shouted to the remaining good number of fifteen that managed to survive the horrible attack. I released the wheel and dropped on the ground trying to collect my thoughts together. All excitement was gone now; I sorrowfully stroked the wooden surface under me. Morrigan looked devastated; she had never experienced such a wicked attack from a big ship. I sighed heavily and slowly stood up looking around the remains of my ship. Planks of wood where scattered all around, many cannons destroyed, bits of sails hanging here and there.

"We will repair it, Captain Cormac." I felt Gist's strong hand on my shoulder. "I know a good master here, he does a great work and for cheap." He gave me a reassuring squeeze and I nodded my head grateful and suddenly felt very dizzy. I grabbed my head and nearly lost my balance. Gist quickly grabbed me and pushed me back on my feet. "Captain Cormac, are you alright?" He asked worriedly looking at me; I did not nod this time. I lowered my head and noticed a thick wooden stick poking out of my stomach; I then slowly dropped my hand and touched it, intense pain striking me immediately.

"Gist…" I hoarsely called his name taking a step back. Blood quickly filled my mouth, I anxiously tried to swallow it but it kept coming up to my throat. A thin trickle of scarlet liquid ran down from the corner of my mouth. The piece might have stabbed me when I was dodging the cannon that struck near me exploding the wooden planks. I mentally cursed and looked up at my quartermaster that was now panicking and shouting something at me. I saw his lips move but there was no sound coming out; the world around me became slow and blurry. The pain seemed to gently fade away, only reminding me of its presence somewhere away in the distance. The metallic taste of blood in my mouth became sweeter and lost its hint shortly afterwards as the world turned completely blunt.

"Dammit," I whispered. "I was looking forward on seeing Master Kenway again." A small smile appeared on my lips and then suddenly everything around me became black.


	2. Adding New Wounds

1

Chapter 2

"Adding New Wounds"

POV: Haytham

A series of loud shots were heard outside the window near me; I gave it a quick glance and shook my head. Another ship is being destroyed or captured, something I hear almost every day. I decided to ignore the shooting completely, though it was concerning that there was no sound of defense from the poor vessel that was under the attack. I looked down at my journal and cursed seeing a big ink blob slowly spreading in the middle of the page, hiding the written words under its thick black coat. I tore the page out and started all over again; dipping the feather in the ink pot and then pressing it against the pages that slightly turned yellow a while ago.

The shots suddenly stopped and everything became quiet and peaceful once more. I sighed in relief and gazed at the window again after making sure that the pages were not in danger anymore. I saw a Man O' War in the distance slowly sailing away from the port. For a moment, I thought it was James Cook with his men, but then why would they be here and not out in the sea fighting the opposing ships. I shrugged at the thought and lowered my eyes closing the journal and putting it aside. I placed the feather down next to the ink pot and leaned back in my chair with my eyes closed.

"Where is Cormac?" I suddenly asked myself opening my eyes and standing up. I was expecting Shay before the sunset today, yet as I noticed the sun slowly sitting down, worry embraced me. I walked around my desk and grabbed my hat putting it on right away. I put my pistol in the holster and fixed my scabbard on the side sliding the sword in softly. I checked my hidden blades and nodded as if approving the end of my preparation before going outside for a check.

Likewise, Charles was gone for a while now after he told me that he was going to the shop to buy himself a new blade and ammunition. I clearly remember the closest store being near the port, just about 15 minutes from here. I shook my head telling myself there was nothing to worry about; Charles is an adult and caring about him as if he was a baby is absolutely unnecessary. I walked over to the exit last time gazing in the mirror at my reflection. I turned the doorknob and opened door that gave out a dull squeak. Unfortunately, I found myself unable to exit because of Lee blocking the door with a wild look in his eyes. He was panting and trying to say something motioning behind him. I gave him a concerned look and moved him to the side with my hand exiting the quarters.

The first thing I saw behind Lee was Shay's quartermaster, Gist, carrying someone on his back. As I came closer, I realized, that the very Captain I expected today for a visit was pressed against Gist's back and barely breathing. I looked at the man with a questionable look and titled my head to the side. The quartermaster opened his mouth before I could ask to explain the situation.

"Master Kenway, we got attacked by a Man O' War that belong to the Assassins!" He exclaimed coming closer; I nodded my head quickly coming back to the memory of a suspicious ship sailing away after the loud cannons were hushed. "Morrigan is in a horrible condition; half of our crew is killed and wounded. When they fired the cannons one of the cannon balls hit the deck and a sharp wooden piece hit Captain Cormac." I quickly motioned toward the quarters asking for him to continue his explanation after we got Shay fixed up. There was no time to waste; I saw the stick poking out from his front, blood dripping down. Gist thanked me repeatedly and hurried inside the house immediately searching for a bed to put Cormac on. I pointed at the open doors that led to the bedroom and followed the Quartermaster to the room; Charles stayed close behind me.

"Charles," I stopped in the doorway and turned around; Lee slowed down sharply almost running into me. He looked up at me looking very confused; I gave out a half smile and titled my head forward. "How about you bring us some alcohol and bandages for Mr. Cormac, please?" The man gulped and nodded his head a few times before rushing to another big area on the other side of the house.

I walked into the bedroom and found Gist getting rid of Shay's upper clothing; he took off the cloak and the shirt that was soaked in the warm blood of the Captain. The Quartermaster sighed heavily glaring at the stick and apologized before his Captain, who could not hear at the moment. He gently grabbed the end of the wood and pulled it out with one jerk. Shay let out some kind of a dull growling sound letting us know he was still with us and breathing. I sighed in relief and took a step to the side letting Charles pass near me with his hands busy with the things I have asked him to bring.

Gist instantly grabbed the alcohol and cleared the wound washing of the blood, he then asked us politely to leave the room for a reason I did not need to know. As I exited the bedroom with a heavy sigh, I was not pleased with the way things turned out this upcoming evening. I sat at my desk and covered my face with my hand unwilling to even think about a wounded individual in the bedroom. Lee stood at my side and cleared his throat asking for my attention; I nodded my head showing that I was listening.

Charles informed me that after he went out to the weapon store he heard strange cannon shots and saw a Man O' War in the distance firing at someone. The buildings around Lee did not let him see who the receiver of the attack was, but it seemed that they were in no shape to defend their ship.

"As you may know now, that was Shay's Morrigan." I said and received a short nod from Lee as he continued to explain his great "adventure." He told me that when he saw a half destroyed ship drop anchor at the port, he barely recognized Morrigan by its ripped Templar sails.

"I rushed toward the port and found a true massacre on the ship." Lee said turning to look in the window; his eyes showed sorrow as he gazed toward Cormac's ship painfully glowing in the distance like a ghost as the sun touched it with its last rays. "I saw Mr. Gist pulling someone up and rushing toward the city yelling for help. I then recognized Captain Cormac on his shoulders and hurried to catch up with him." Charles tilted his head a little to the side gazing at me secretly; he tried to hide his fleeting look, but I clearly felt it on the back of my head.

"I called a doctor," he suddenly said after a long pause hung in the air between us. "He should be here very soon." He smiled feeling very accomplished, even though he did not get a chance to upgrade his weapon. I turned my head to look at him and nodded taking my hat off.

"Thank you Charles, you are a good man in helping our brothers." I said putting the hat on the table and covering my journal with it. I did not want anyone read my own thoughts that I put on the fragile pages of my life. I then felt Lee's hand on my shoulder and tilted my head to the right to look at the man. Our eyes met in silence that was shortly broken with a knock on the door. Charles blinked interrupting our little awkward staring contest and walked over to the door opening it.

"Good evening." He said stepping aside and letting an elderly gentleman walk in with a leather brown bag in his hands. He wore a pair of big round glasses and slightly hobbled on his left leg. I stood up greeting the man and pointed at the doors leading to the bedroom. The doctor nodded his head and made his way to the room where Gist openly invited him in thanking his presence. Gist smiled at me and nodded his head before shutting the doors and sinking me and Lee into silence again.

Charles closed the entrance door and locked it to be sure that no one would have a chance to randomly enter. He leaned over to the wall and frowned stroking the collar of his cloak thoughtfully. His blue eyes searched for something around the room, his quick glimpse at me could not escape my eyes. I held my hands to the side catching his attention completely.

"Is there anything bothering you, Charles?" I asked with my cold but soft voice. Lee uncomfortably shifted from one leg to another and after a pause came up to my desk putting his hands on near the edge. He leaned over to me making our eyes meet in another long stare. I widened my eyes at the man with a question playing in my gaze like fire.

"I think it is Cormac's fault for the attack." He said surprising me with a sudden statement. I arched my eyebrow and asked to explain; Charles leaned a bit closer forcing me to tilt a little back so his face would not be so close to mine. "His sails are yelling about his place in the Templar Order, of course it is going to attract an undivided attention from the Brotherhood." He whispered almost hissing like a vicious snake ready to strike its target. I shook my head at him and crossed my arms on my chest.

"Mr. Lee," I started. "It is not his fault in proudly displaying the Order's symbol." Charles pushed back standing up straight and glaring at me unhappily with my answer. "Shay is still a novice in sailing, even though he had enough experience to truly call himself a Captain. Morrigan was not in the condition to fight back, the Assassins took them by surprise and escaping was probably their best choice." I felt amused watching Lee's face turn slightly red from the anger that was boiling inside of him. At this moment he looked like a great volcano ready to erupt in any second; I managed to hide my smile, but chuckled.

"Master Kenway, I feel like this boy is going to bring us a lot of trouble." Charles said glancing at the bedroom door where Gist and the doctor worked on Shay's wound.

"I will be the judge of that." I said standing up and locking my hands behind my back while looking up at Lee. The man felt my gaze and slowly turned his head to face me.

"Of course," he nodded; his eyes glowed in the gloomy room that was only lightening up by a lonely candle sitting on my desk. "You are the Grand Master after all; your choice will be always supported by me." He slightly bowed his head and received a pleased smile from me. Lee seems to become brighter for just a slight moment each time I let myself slip a barely visible smile. Sometimes my curiosity made me think about what exactly Charles was thinking at that vivid moment.

I heard the bedroom doors slowly open and turned my head toward the sound. In the corner of my eyes I could see Lee tense up a bit and cross his hands and waiting for the doctor to come out with a verdict on Shay's health situation.

The first one to exit was Gist; the man already took off his jacket and his hat looking very exhausted. The doctor followed after him, sweat droplets crawling down his wrinkled forehead. He closed his aid kit and left it hanging on his left arm as he wiped his hands off with a green handkerchief that slowly darkened from the blood. Gist excused himself and rushed out the back door to find clean water where he could at least wash his face and hands. The doctor nodded his head at me and Charles and smiled a little.

"The boy is stronger than he seems. There was a lot of blood loss, yet surprisingly he survived and now is slowly coming back to life. He is sleeping right now, but make sure to give him lots of water to drink and food to eat once he wakes up. He needs to regain his strength, please do not let him out of bed for at least a week." Charles threw his eyebrows up in surprise hearing that Shay is going to stay in the house for a good week under my watch. He glanced at me showing obvious discontent, but said nothing as I half smiled again and nodded my head thanking the doctor.

Lee showed how "grateful" he was by paying the doctor with a double. The doctor thanked him and left the quarters disappearing into the night. As the door closed Charles walked up to me and pouted a little.

"I cannot imagine this trouble maker staying here." He rained complains on my head one after another. "I wonder what kind of a new surprise he will bring us during this week." He said turning and walking around the living room.

"Or longer." I smirked watching Charles suddenly stop and stare at me with a shock as if I came back from the dead.

"Master Kenway, could you explain yourself?" He said his voice almost cracking due to the high note he decided to take in order to ask me the question.

"Even though it will take a week for Mr. Cormac to regain his strength to stand up from the bed, it will take him a while to completely heal and climb the trees like a panther again." I started taunting Lee and enjoying his face becoming paler by seconds. "The full restoration of the ship will take good three weeks, I haven't seen the damage, but can imagine how horrifying it is." I said bringing my hands behind my back again and walking up to a couch.

"So…" Charles gulped looking like he needed to sit down more than I did. I silently motioned him to come to the couch and continue. "How long are you planning to keep Shay here in New York?" He asked obeying my silent order and plopping on the soft couch. I sat next to him and pretended to think very hard, even though I knew the answer all along.

"I might take a whole month, two at the most." I said holding back laughter as Lee reached over to grab a glass decanter and fill a small goblet with crystal cold water with his trembling hands. He emptied the glass with one gulp and poured himself some more; I watched him in silence slightly tilting my head. "After that, I and Shay will sail off to River Valley to visit a place where we will get information about Assassins' location and sail to Arctic before they can make their next move." I said leaning my back on the couch's soft surface and closing my eyes letting Lee to calm down before he could receive a heart attack. The man always acted strange around me when I mentioned Shay in my conversation during our meetings, but now he was not being himself completely.

"Master Kenway, I hope you are making a right choice." He whispered putting the glass aside and sighing. He glanced at me and sat in silence; I felt his eyes crawling from my face down my neck and chest. My eyes half opened barely visible in the darkness away from the candle. I could clearly see Charles studying my body as if I was inhuman, I was about to say something but Gist entered the room forcing Lee to jump up on his feet. Both men startled me and I opened my eyes completely looking over to the Quartermaster. He wished us goodnight and said that will be back tomorrow to check on his Captain. He refused my invitation to spend the night here and stay with us for dinner; he said that guarding Morrigan was his first priority. I could not do anything, but to respect his choice. And so we said our goodbyes and sent Gist out into the chill night without asking him any other questions; poor man had a lot happen to him today, it was for the best to let him do his own thing.

"Master Kenway," Charles said fixing his sleeves that seemed to be suffocating his wrists. "Since you mentioned dinner, I propose to go out and dine at this fine place I found in the very center of Greenwich. " He said trying not to look annoyed, but my next comment completely broke him down.

"I cannot leave Mr. Cormac alone; after all, I am taking care of him the whole week before he can stand on his feet." I said standing up from the comfortable couch and untying my cape, carefully placing it on the low cabinet that stood near the entrance to the bedroom. Next followed my jacket, the scarlet ascot and my hidden blades; Charles silently watched me get rid of those articles of clothing and then turned around to leave with annoyance occupying the air around him.

"I will bring some food for you and, of course, for Mr. Cormac." He said opening the entrance door after he unlocked it. I nodded my head gratefully and waited for him to finally disappear into the streets before going into the bedroom to check on our wounded guest.

Shay slept in the bed with the white sheets covering him completely; for a second I thought I came into a room before a funeral and Cormac was the sorrowful corpse. I walked closer to the bed and slowly pulled down the blanket just enough to see how the wound was doing. Unfortunately, the wound was hiding under the layers of bandages and I could not see anything. I fleetingly looked over Shay's chest taking a notice that climbing trees and exploring the rooftops greatly impacted Cormac's body build. I shook my head away from those odd thoughts and threw the blanket back over the man causing him to grimace in his sleep and whisper something.

I leaned over and touched his forehead making sure he did not have a fever. At the same moment Shay suddenly turned on his head forcing my hand under his face; he slightly stroked my palm with his cheek and whispered something again. I arched my eyebrow looking very puzzled and leaned over hoping for him to repeat what he had said.

"Haytham…" He whispered my name in the same monotone voice and snuggled his face to my hand. I quickly drew my hand back and rubbed it with my other; I took Shay's odd behavior as just a simple effect from the wound and the shock and decided not to give it much attention.

I exited the bedroom and sat down on the same couch where not a long time ago Charles was observing me with interest and some hunger in his eyes. I closed my eyes slowly feeling sleep creeping over me slowly and embracing my body with its soft claws.

"Sorry Lee, it seems like you have to dine by yourself tonight." I whispered into the darkness still feeling odd warmth in my hand that was accidentally pressed against Shay's cheek seconds ago.


	3. Touching the Ground Weightlessly

Chapter 3

"Touching the Ground Weightlessly"

POV: Shay

The morning was not on the list of the best things in my life today; I woke up nearly screaming into the void of the room I found myself in. I covered my mouth with my hand suppressing the cry and turning it into a noisy gasp. My eyes curiously wondered around the place I was in and after a short stupor I realized that I was in the Templar Quarters. I gulped and tried to get out of bed but sharp pain suddenly sent me collapsing back in the warm bed. After catching my breath I looked down and touched the spot on my stomach where my wound hid under the bandages. I did not remember how I got here, I must have passed out on the ship and Gist brought me here. I smiled at my thoughts, what a great man he is, carrying about me as if I was some kind of a treasure.

The door leading to the bedroom slowly opened and I heard someone's footsteps approaching the chamber. I panicked and quickly rested my head on the pillow pretending I was asleep. I tried to take deep breaths as if Morpheus was embracing me tightly. I heard someone walk in and quietly call others to join them. I had a desire to open one eye and peek at my visitors, but decided to just use my skill in hearing.

"He is still asleep?" A man whispered in a familiar voice that belonged to my quartermaster. I felt very pleased on knowing that he was okay; I suddenly got a strong urge to ask him about Morrigan and how the repair was going. Before I could make my final decision of choosing to suddenly wake up, or stay still and wait, someone softly touched my forehead. It startled me but I kept myself as motionless as I could; the hand moved up stroking my hair a little and then pulling back just as unexpected as it appeared.

"Yes, the doctor said he needs a lot of rest." The second voice I recognized almost immediately; it belonged to the Grand Master. For a split second I felt very embarrassed of paying him a visit in the condition like this, but it wasn't my fault that the Assassins decided to suddenly crush us right near New York. "You may go now, come in the evening when Shay will be awake." Master Kenway pronounced my name with an odd warmth playing in his voice, thought I could tell that his face expression was cold.

I heard Gist thank him and excuse himself as he quickly exited the room. I heard his distant footsteps slowly melt as he exited the house and went on with his business. I heard Mr. Kenway talk to another visitor I was not familiar with, and then I heard more footsteps becoming almost silent as they disappeared from the bedroom. Everything became dead quite again and I managed to let out a sigh of relief. My heart beat was a little unsteady since I dared to hold my breath for the longest time imitating deep breathing my moving my chest up and down. I took a deep breath and slowly opened my eyes suddenly gasping in surprise.

Grand Master's face appeared right in front of mine. His grey eyes looked into mine, studying me, as if waiting for a good explanation of my shenanigans. I felt my face become hotter from the awkwardness this situation brought. I could tell he knew all along about my childish game of pretending to be asleep.

"Good morning, Captain Cormac." A taunting twinkle sparkled in his eyes. "I hope we did not wake you up." He said finally leaning away from me and straightening up with his hands habitually locked behind his back. I gulped and watched the Grand Master smirk at me with his head slightly titled to the side; his appearance was chilling at the moment. His three-cornered hat cast a good shadow on his face making him look like a maniac waiting to shank his prey with a sharp knife.

"N-no, I was already awake…" I said looking away feeling ashamed of my foolish choice of faking my slumber. The Templar chuckled and sat on the edge of the bed near me.

"I know." He said with a half whisper and gazed over to me. "How are you feeling?" He asked trying to lift the blanket up and peek under at the wound. My eyes widened as I saw his hand pulling down the edge; I suddenly stopped him putting my hand on of his. The Master gave me a puzzled look and after a moment snatched his hand away softly. I looked away instantly regretting my actions; Kenway seemed to ignore it and shook his head. "Do not act like a young boy." He said suddenly throwing the blanket completely away from me.

"Master Kenway, what are you doing?" I exclaimed finding myself completely nude in front of him; I felt my face turn red as if I was an innocent girl. I felt ashamed and disgusted more about my actions than appearance before the Templar leader.

"Obviously, I am looking at the wound." He said touching my stomach softly and getting rid of the bandages that became useless overnight. He leaned over slightly touching the wound, that was carefully sowed by the doctor, with his fingertips and making me hiss in pain. Kenway looked at me and nodded his head at his own thoughts. The man reached over to the cabinet getting out clean bandages and a little jar with blue gel in it. "It is going to burn a little, the doctor told me it will make the wound heal faster and if you do not open the wound again, in about a week you will be up on your feet." The Grand Master rolled up his sleeves and started applying the medicine on my wound.

"I apologize for looking so pathetic, Master Kenway." I clutched my teeth together feeling the medicine starting to work. The Templar shook his head and half smiled as he put the jar away and started wrapping the cloth around my waist. I brought myself slightly up so the man could reach under me and around with the bandages. Kenway nodded his head thanking me and finished fixing me up putting the blanket over my body.

"Are you hungry?" He asked standing up and putting his sleeves back down. I looked over gazing at his back and wide shoulders; just by one look I could feel the power flowing through the man. I bit my lip in order to get rid of those eerie thoughts, letting a metallic taste appear in my mouth from the bite.

"Yes, I am starving." I said holding my hand up to wipe a little streak of blood running down my chin; as I sat up, a little droplet landed on the white sheet immediately spreading the crimson color on it. I cursed and quickly wiped the blood off my mouth. Master Kenway, of course, saw the whole thing happen and now was standing with his hands crossed on his chest. He shook his head and walked out of the room with a quite comment.

"If you are so hungry, you can at least wait before eating yourself." He said with a smirk before disappearing in the door. I felt ridiculous about myself and leaned back staring at the ceiling. I still could not forgive myself for being in pain with a foolish wound in my stomach. I should have just let Morrigan sail with full speed without caring about the Man O' War, yet my curiosity took advantage of me, and so, I paid an expensive price.

I sighed and heard light footsteps approach the bedroom; I could tell that it was someone else. A tall man with dull clothing on walked into the room holding a tray with plates on it in his hands. If my memory is not tricking me, I saw this man several times near Haytham, especially in the quarters when they accepted me in their Templar Order.

"Ah, I see you are feeling better, any plans of leaving us soon?" He suddenly said with a rough tone setting the tray down. I arched my eyebrow from a sudden comment and tried to smile a little ignoring his unpleasant question.

"Good morning, Sir." I said frowning and glancing at the bowl filled with steaming liquid, soup. The man crossed his arms on his chest and looked at me with a hint of hatred in his blue eyes.

"Charles Lee, my name is." He said walking over to the window and opening it letting the fresh ocean breathe fill the room. I took a deep breath and noticed the visitor staring at me forcefully. I rolled my eyes and leaned over getting the tray from the desk. "So, when are you leaving?" He asked again sounding impatient as he watched me press a spoon against my lips and sip a little on the hot fluid. I tried not to laugh at the man out of simple respect; I put the bowl down on the tray that was placed on my knees and gazed over to Lee.

"My disappearance is scheduled by the Grand Master, Mr. Charles." I smirked at the man as I saw him clutch his hands tightly together. He tried to smile but his lips only drifted into a crooked grin; he nodded his head wishing me a good morning before vanishing from the bedroom. I smirked victoriously and chuckled; now I knew who already hated my guts in the Order. I did not give this aspect much attention and continued consuming the nutrients that where placed on the tray for me. I was as hungry as a wolf; after I finished the soup, the salad and meat followed.

"Enjoying your breakfast in bed, Mr. Cormac?" A velvet but strong voice called me from the door. I looked up still holding a salad leaf between my lips as if I was some kind of an animal. Master Kenway smiled at me observing my "best" look at the moment. He made his way toward my bed and sat down next to me; he leaned forward and removed the leaf away from my mouth. I hungrily held my gaze on the green piece in his fingers as if it was the last edible thing in the world. Haytham shook his head and stood up quickly throwing the leaf outside the window and sitting back down next to me.

"Why did you do that?" I asked frowning in confusion; Kenway shook his head and glanced at the entrance door as if checking if anyone was there. He turned back and looked at me with a soft smile.

"That was a little demonstration of Lee's desire to get rid of you. You were the leaf that he can take and throw away if no-"

"If no one was holding me away from him." I interrupted the man finishing his sentence for him. The Master of Templars nodded his head giving out a slight smirk. "Who is holding me then?" I asked setting the tray with now empty plates back on the little wooden table near my bed. The room suddenly was drowned in heavy silence. Kenway seemed to hesitate with his answer, his eyes were glued to mine; he seemed to study me for a long moment as if searching for something in my dark eyes. I gulped and shifted in the bed feeling a little uncomfortable.

"Your wound." Haytham suddenly answered and stood up hurrying out of the room. "Get some rest now." He said before shutting the door behind him. I blinked and titled my head puzzled; his answer did not surprise me, but it somehow disappointed me. Without understanding my own mind I felt slightly hurt from his cold and dry reply. Something deep inside me screamed with an objection; something deep inside secretly wanted Kenway to say that he was the one keeping me away from Lee's unkind plan.

"Shit." I bit my lip again grasping my stomach from a sudden burning pain from my wound. I lied down and tried to relax, it seemed to work so I remained almost motionless waiting for the aching to fade away. I closed my eyes and waited for slumber to crush upon me, yet nothing happened as the time started to pass by hour after another.

I heard voices coming from the outside the bedroom and desperately wanted to stand up from my bed and open the door. I tried to lift myself up, but failed instantly falling back on the soft pillows under my head. My wound burned and distracted me from my deep thoughts.

"Master Kenway, I am pretty sure Gist can take care of him before your joint mission." I heard Charles's psychic voice explode threw the walls. He was yelling something again, probably trying to convince Master Kenway to throw me out of the house. There was a quite reply from Haytham that I did not hear, but really wanted to. Charles started growling and said something again that was really hard to understand.

"Lee, go check on him, it has been five hours." Kenway's voice suddenly appeared near the door but no one came in into the bedroom. I heard Charles groan in annoyance and ask to wait another twenty minutes, because he wanted to do something important beforehand. I glanced at the open window and sighed; I had no idea why Lee disliked me so much for nothing. I closed my eyes trying to ignore the foreign sounds coming from the outside of the window as I slowly drifted into sleep.

The aching gradually began to vanish from my body and I lightly smiled as a warm feeling turned into a sweet relief. The odd thoughts began unwillingly pop in my mind as I fully relaxed. I frowned, half asleep, feeling the pillow quickly warm up under my cheek. I opened my eyed slowly and saw a shadowy figure standing in front of me. The silhouette seemed very familiar; I reached my hand in order to touch the stranger but my fingers sank through the transparent clothes. I lifted my head a little, my vision blurry, I saw a triangular shaped hat comfortably sitting on the figure's head.

"Master Kenway?" I whispered trying to reach forward again and grab the man. I failed to do so, the figure evaporated right in front of me, leaving the room completely silent. "What the hell is going on?" I hissed suddenly finding myself on the deck of my ship. I looked around not understanding of what was going on with me.

Morrigan seemed to be in a perfect condition, yet very empty. The crew and my quartermaster were gone from the ship; I discovered myself being the only one standing near the wheel. I touched the dark wood slightly and it started spinning to the left side by itself; Morrigan slowly turned around in the water that glowed with white. I suddenly saw Haytham standing near me with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance of the snow-white void. He gave me a quick glance and smiled softly; I smiled back brightly without realizing it.

"I am looking forward in sailing with you, Mr. Cormac." His quite voice caressed my ears as I grasped the steering wheel and nodded.

"I am willing to show you many interesting places I came across when carelessly sailing the cold waters." I started, looking at the smiling Templar. "I found many old ship wrecks with a lot of hidden secrets in them and endless loot. I even killed a polar bear to get to one of the chests." Haytham chuckled at my words but said nothing; he slowly made his way over to me and placed his hand on my cheek. I stared at the Grand Master with wide eyes letting the wheel go that continued to turn side to side on its own.

"Wake up." Kenway suddenly said stroking my cheek. I half closed my eyes without listening. The man suddenly slapped me, his voice becoming rough and cold. "Wake up, Shay!" He said slowly disappearing from my gaze. "Stop floating above the ground!"

I suddenly opened my eyes and gasped seeing a familiar face right above mine. I felt hot breath hit my lips and chin; I saw a pair of grey eyes stare into mine with concern.

"M-master Kenway?" I asked watching the man nod and slowly pull away from me. I finally regained my vision pushing away the blurriness; I found myself being in the center of attention in a circle of eight pairs of eyes. I saw Haytham, Gist, Lee, and a doctor stand near my bed exchanging worried looks between each other. Kenway seemed to be very tensed up just like the other three; the men were sharing the same alarm feeling. "Is there something wrong?" I almost whispered, terror crawling down my spine and causing cold chills cover my whole body.

"You were yelling something cryptic in your sleep; you also had a chaotic fever." The doctor said before anyone else could start their explanation. "It has been going on for an hour now. Charles found you like this and called me and your quartermaster, yet we could not wake you up." He said suddenly trailing off and glancing at Gist and Lee giving a hint for one of them to finish what he had started. The Quartermaster shook his head and gazed over to Charles; the man rolled his eyes and glared at me the same way he did this morning.

"You called Master Kenway in your sleep several times, so we had to call him here, tearing him away from an important mission, so he could wake you up." He said with an annoyed tone crossing his arms and looking over to Haytham. I gulped and followed his gaze, Master Templar stood in the corner of the bedroom closely observing me. I felt very embarrassed and looked down clutching the covers of the blanket as I slowly sat up pushing the pillow under my loin to make it more comfortable. Something fell down in front of me from my forehead; it was a cold wet cloth, probably placed on my head to get rid of the fire that chose to burn me alive. I heard Kenway push away from the wall and take a step toward the bed; I did not dare to look at him.

"Gentleman," his voice was cold and emotionless; I could tell that his face showed nothing but a stone expression. "Leave us, I and Mr. Cormac need to have a little talk." He said making me jolt in panic, yet I held myself still and waited for the trio to exit. The door closed behind the doctor that walked out last after giving me a pitiful look.

"Shay..." I heard Haytham's voice and slowly lifted my head up as I felt him sit near me on the bed.


	4. Before the Storm

Chapter 4

"Before the Storm"

POV: Charles Lee

"Cormac, you are a pathetic fool!" I hissed as I exited the room when Master Kenway politely asked us to leave him and Shay alone. What kind of conversation does Haytham have with the wounded man after what happened. I felt Gist touch my shoulder as if trying to calm me down; I jerked his limb away from me and glared at him with evil sparks in my eyes. The quartermaster gulped and took a step back holding his hands in the air as if giving up.

"Charles, please." The doctor sorrowfully looked at me with his little dark eyes. His big glasses clumsily slid down his long nose and he tried to push them back up one time after another. I sighed and shook my head at him, but agreed that throwing fire at everyone would not help in any way.

"My apologies, gentleman." I said. "Please excuse me." I added rushing to the second floor of the quarters where my room was located in the end of the hallway. I used the bedroom in the quarters rarely; I usually stayed at the mansion that I rented in New York when I was in between the mission. But today nothing could bring me to leave these quarters; some invisible power was holding me here. Curiosity in knowing the conversation between Cormac and Kenway pushed me toward a crazy action.

"Ah devil!" I whispered as I climb out on the balcony and hung down the railing. I suddenly felt my cloak getting stuck on a magically existing hook on the wall; it was preventing me from jumping down. On the other balcony near the open window, where in the dull light of the candles, Shay and Master Kenway quietly talked.

I cursed again and finally got myself off the hook by swinging my sabre and cutting off a little piece of cloth. I felt saddened as I watched the grey piece swing on the hook in the light wind; I loved this cloak and felt disgusted of my behavior for a moment. Yet curiosity took over me once again as I heard Haytham's voice raise a little. I jumped down on another balcony under me without any noise and sighed in relief; I then pressed myself against the wall and leaned over a little listening to the voices.

POV: Haytham

"So, what is the real deal here?" I asked with a smirk creeping on my lips. Mr. Cormac looked very pale in the gloomy light of three big candles Gist lit up by his request. Shay sat on the bed in silence; little droplets of sweat glistened on his forehead. I could tell he was nervous and perplexed with my question. I sighed and came over to the window locking my hands behind my back. "Let me rephrase that question." I said feeling Cormac's eyes move down from my head to my back.  
>"I am listening, Master Kenway." His voice was weak; I knew he tried to hide the slight trembling. I turned my head and looked at him over my shoulder. Shay quickly looked away feeling embarrassed for something that troubled him in his thoughts.<p>

"What kind of dream did you have?" I asked turning around and making my way toward the bed. I sat down next to him on the corner of the bed; his face is red, probably from the flu that did not leave the poor man yet.

"I-I…and you…" He started stammering a little; the start of his thought planted many outcomes of the sentence in my mind. Some of those imaginary ending came out very impious, but I quickly shook them away focusing on Shay again.

"Continue." I said demanding for the answer to come out immediately. I crossed my hands on my chest and tilted my head to the side watching Cormac lower his eyes and look at his hands that he hid under the blanket.

"We were on my ship traveling to our destined mission…" He said finally daring to bring his eyes up and look at me. I smiled a little and apparently, it triggered another way of redness on his face. Before he could continue I leaned over to the table and grabbed another cloth moistening it in the cold water. I then placed it on Shay's warm forehead and asked to continue without any interruptions. Cormac hesitated for a minute not sure of my sudden caring actions, but then nodded his head slightly so the cloth would not fall off again.

"We both discussed the sea, and I gave a promise to show you some lands I have discovered. You talked to me about how sailing with me was exciting and then-"his words trailed off and he closed his eyes frowning as if trying to remember. I was silent, watching his every movement; Mr. Cormac is indeed, an interesting man; he was curious about everything but never showed it. "Then you slapped me." He suddenly said and surprised me with a sudden action of sitting up sharply. He bit his lip regretting his doing; the wound probably caused a lot of pain, but he ignored it, yet I could tell how much suffering he was going through.

"Mr. Cormac, what are you doing? Please slouch back down." I took off the cloth from his head, it was hot, and then placed my hand on his burning chest and tried to push him back down. Shay suddenly grabbed my hand and squeezed it in his. I paused and arched my eyebrow looking into the man's eyes that glowed wildly in the candle light. "Mr. Cormac, please." I repeated more strictly, but he seemed to ignore me. He continued staring into my eyes and pressing my hand against his chest, I could feel his heart beating fast as if trying to escape from its prison.

"Master Kenway, what holds me here?" He suddenly asked licking his dry lips. I could tell the flu was getting worse and messing with Shay's mind.

"I told you this morning." I said pressing my other hand on his chest and pushing harder to lie him back down. The man did not move and frowned glaring up at me trying to see my face from the shadow of the triangular hat I dearly wore. "Your wound is keeping you hostage in this bedroom," I said and received a skeptical look from Cormac.

"Please be honest with me, Haytham." He suddenly called me by my name, his voice sounding odd as if he was trying every letter for taste. I grimaced and snatched my hands away from him. "Haytham, please!" He exclaimed and leaned over ignoring the hellish pain from the wound.

I growled and slapped him across the face with my right hand that he was holding a moment ago. The room was quickly filled with tomblike silence. Shay turned his head to the right from the hit and lowered it staring on the floor. I sighed and pushed his on the pillows forcing a painful groan escape his lips. That is what he gets for being careless.

"I am very sorry, Master Kenway." He whispered not looking at me. Good, I do not need to see his eyes full of pain and sorrow. "If there is anything I could to pay off this disgusting misconduct, tell me immediately." He said biting his lip till little droplets of blood crawled down his chin and fell to the floor

I sighed and took his face into my hand forcing him to look up at me. I leaned over to him bringing our faces close together; I could feel his hot breath on my lips, his eyes widening by seconds. Our lips were barely touching; I could almost feel the metallic taste of his blood in my mouth.

"Rest and get better." I whispered in his lips and pulled back making Shay gasp in surprise. I stood up from the bed and fixed my jacket; I heard a heavy sigh from Cormac and slowly turned my head to look at him. Our eyes met in a thick silence in the room; I heard someone interrupt the peaceful day outside the window, but decided not to care much about it.

"Master Kenway," his voice was quiet; his heavy breath interrupted the precious stillness in the air. I made my way to the door and glanced at him waiting for him to finish the thought. Shay only gazed at me for a long moment and then closed his eyes turning his head to the side. He did not say anything, maybe it is for the better. I was curious to find out the things on his mind, but surpassed the temptation and walked out of the bedroom.

As I left Shay to his rest and peaceful slumber, I saw Charles clumsily walk down the stairs. I arched my brow and watched him slow down and stop on the bottom step looking at me with wide eyes. I tilted my head to the side and locked my hands behind my back slowly making my way toward Lee.

"You look very exhausted." I said noticing leafs and dry grass in his hair. I could not help myself but to smirk, forcing Charles into an awkward situation. I knew there was something wrong with him, I never saw him so shaken up before. In the corner of my eye I saw a large piece missing from the end of his long cloak, as if it was forcefully torn from the cloth. "What happened to you?" I asked trying to catch his eyes that he desperately tried to keep away from me.

"Sir, I- there was a suspicious person on the roof of the quarters, I went there to check but got stuck on a hook and fell down." His voice was quiet but reassuring. I slowly nodded my head and narrowed my eyes at him; Lee finally looked up at me and gulped.

"Thank you, Charles." I suddenly smiled and made the man shiver. His blue eyes showed terror but endless gratefulness. "I already started to think that you were listening to my conversation with Shay." I patted him on the back and laughed; the man smiled nervously and chuckled.

"I would never do anything like that, Master Kenway." He said and rushed to excuse himself. "I am going to go check how Morrigan is doing, I hope to bring Mr. Cormac good news to somehow cheer him up." I nodded my head and stood aside watching my dear friend make his way to the door and vanish in the sunlight that embraced the entrance to the house.

"Surely you would not do anything of that sort, Charles, you are a respected man after all." I said with a smirk on my lips. I knew that he was there the whole time; I decided to give him a precious moment and listen to our conversation that was not a secret from anyone. I did ask for some privacy, but I guess Lee was too tempted with his curiosity. I bet he saw everything too. I wonder, what he thinks of me after seeing me almost…

"Master Kenway!" Thomas ran into the house without even thinking of knocking on the door. I turned around interrupted from my thoughts and frowned at the man.

"What is it, Mr. Hickey?" I asked walking toward the man; he took his hat off and nervously looked from side to side. "I have some news for Mr. Cormac from Mr. Gist…"he said trying to sound calm, he was obviously worried about something, even saddened. It was very unusual for an energetic drunk head like Thomas. "It is about the ship." He concluded and I immediately pointed at the door were Shay was resting.

"Go ahead, tell him the good news." I said with a hint of smile on my lips. Hickey frowned at me and gloomily glanced at the door coming over to it.

"They are not exactly good, not at all I'd say…" He said with a dull tone and slowly opened the door coming into the chamber.

I watched the door close behind him and stood silently for a moment as if waiting for something miraculous to happen. I sighed and turned toward the exit; I needed a long walk before I could come back and visit Cormac again. I swallowed nervously as I opened the entrance door and slowly walked out pulling my hat on. Shay…

"Did I plant fear or hatred in him? Which one is more true to match with his gaze?" I whispered to myself as I made my way over to the tall trees away from the people. I leaned on the wide trunk and looked up at the green leafs that quietly hissed in the slight breathe. The soft wind caressed my skin with its warm hands; I closed my eyes and sighed heavily. Shay…

Unwillingly, the images of Cormac's dark eyes staring into mine with disbelief came up in my mind. I frowned and tried to shake them away from my thoughts, but the culprits would not disappear no matter how hard I tried. I bit my lip and tried to imagine something else, but Shay's gaze did not rush to vanish.

"Master Kenway…" A familiar voice asked for my attention and I slowly opened my eyes. Charles was standing right in front of me, his face very close to mine. His blue eyes watched me as if I was a prey and he was a hunter.

"Good day, Charles, you got back very fast" I asked trying to pull back, but the tree trunk prevented me from any escape. Lee narrowed his eyes at me a little and titled his head forward. I could feel the heat of his body wash over me; I shivered.

"I was going to go see the ship, but Hickey already has done it. Gist said that the ship is in a horrible condition, and they have to wait-"his voice trailed off as he suddenly grabbed me by my collar and pulled me over to him. Our lips barely touched and I quickly jerked myself away from Lee. "Master Kenway." His voice was soft and dreamy and his eyes were foggy. I grimaced and shook my head at him; I quickly realized that he was drunk.

"Charles, look after Shay, I have some business in Greenwich." I said pushing him aside and walking away without any other words. I violently wiped my lips with the back of my hand. The disgusting feeling of a bare touch of Lee's lips was still present.

"Master Kenway!" I heard him call me, but I ignored his desperate hailing. He needed to sober before I am back at the quarters; otherwise I am going to teach him a lesson. I continued walking toward the region I mentally marked on my imaginary map. I had to clear my mind and relax from the tiring heavy dust of the house. I had to realize that I am now stuck in with Cormac for another good month or so after the "good" news from Hickey and Charles about Morrigan.

The wind became stronger and I tightly held my hat so it would not fly away. The sky quickly became dark from the grey clouds; I knew a strong storm was coming, but not for another hour or two. I still had some time to rest and forget those damned dark eyes that stared at me with hope. They gazed with hope for something sacred and forbidden.

"Fear or hatred?" I repeated to myself as I walked into a gloomy tavern, darkness slowly consuming the day.

Something eerie was creeping around the corner.


	5. Consequences

Chapter 5

"Consequences"

POV: Shay

I sat there in silence for perhaps more than eternity. I still remember his grey eyes looking into mine, our faces as close as they ever could be. I felt his warm breath on my lips, my bloody lips. I managed to bite through my skin after realizing what a foolish mistake has occurred after I let those eerie feelings out. I have been brought to my senses by a loud hit of emotions and a good hand owned by Master Kenway. Silently thanking him for bringing me back down on earth, I still thought about the last thing that happened before the Grand Master left the bedroom. His lips, so close to mine. Such thought had summoned a mixed feeling inside my chest. On one side I felt a bit disgusted, toward my childish attitude of course; the other side desperately cursed me for not leaning over and embracing Kenway's lips with mine. Into…into a kiss?

"Nonsense." I shook my head and placed my hand over my eyes. "What is going on with me?" I whispered to myself feeling like my poor acting skills can fool no one. I have always been true in the face of others, never put a mask on and never lied about my true feelings. They just showed on my face and my eyes without permission; and I hated it the most. Every time I tried to act cold around Master Kenway, every time I tried not to show him that my admiration was more than just deep respect, I would miserably fail and always tense up once his eyes met mine. I knew he might have noticed some change in my character the first months we have met after I was accepted into the Order, but now I think those clues became more obvious and easier to understand. I just hoped Master Kenway blamed them on my injury that caused a fever.

I then heard a knock on the door and asked for the visitor to come in. It was Thomas Hickey, the drunken head of the Order, as I and Gist sometimes called him between each other; yet it was no surprise to anyone that Hickey was the most careless Templar in our company. And now, standing near my bed, Thomas had the most serious expression on his face as if the shameless fool was kicked out of him. It worried me.

"Mister Cormac, today I received news from Gist about your ship. Please, embrace them as they are." He said taking off his hat as if he stood near a casket and I was the mourned corpse. I nodded my head and asked him to continue, my heart slowly sinking as I knew the answer before Hickey could announce it.

"The Morrigan was almost ready, but the workers discovered that there was more damage dealt from the mortars under the docks. A few explosive shots that were fired blew up the important pieces." Thomas stopped for a moment as if trying to remember something more. "As a conclusion, your ship needs more time to be fixed. They need not days, but weeks to get to the desirable result." He finished and then sighed. "I am deeply sorry about your ship, Mister Cormac." Without saying anything else, he just left me alone in the room again. He knew that I had nothing to say, there was nothing to even speak of.

"Dammit!" I cursed and punched the soft mattress under me. My wound started aching and I decided to not make any sharp movements at least till tomorrow. Bad things just started happening one after another once I decided to leave my curiosity in charge and not look closely at the Man O' War's sails. What a great adventure. I closed my eyes and leaned back on the pillows trying to relax.

Unwillingly, the thoughts of Master Kenway visited me again. They rammed into my mind with force and refused to leave each time I tried to push them away. I grimaced and turned my head from side to another as if there was a nightmare in my head. I admit, it was a sweet nightmare, and deep inside I wished for it to last forever. My thoughts quickly intertwined with my dark desires and now I was imagining the Grand Master's tight embrace, his eyes locked in my gaze, his hot breath on my neck, and finally his lips touching mine. I bit my lower lip feeling a warm tension spread from my abdomen to my groin; my hand reluctantly crawled under the thick sheet of cover over me and make its way down to the center of the pressure.

A soft moan escaped my lips and turned into a groan in the back of my throat. I have not felt such pleasure just by thinking about one individual, especially of the same sex as I. It felt wrong, sinful even. I had no idea that my strong respect to Master Kenway will turn into something more like a lustful attraction. His manners of talking, glancing over, and making people afraid of him drew me like a moth to a strong light above. I was afraid that one day I would be stuck in the trap, and the Grand Master would find out my dark secret that I kept inside for so long. What will he think of me when suddenly I change? Will he answer my craving for his warmth, or will he snap his pistol out and put a bullet through my head?

All those thoughts intertwined in my head causing me to lose the sense of reality. Everything before me started to drift away and turn into a clear image of the Grand Master. His eyes were on me, his hands in the same favorite position behind his back, and his lips in a tight straight line on his face. I looked up at him, with a smile.

"Haytham…" I whispered, my hand suddenly tightening the grasp on my manhood. Another groan, louder this time, as I repeat his name and lean my head back on the pillow breathing out heavily. My chest in on fire, just like the rest of my body, as my hand starts to move upward and slam down with a rough jerk. "Haytham…" I repeat softly to myself as the silhouette in front of me becomes blurry, then my eyes shut tightly. I spread my legs a bit wider in order to feel every thrust of my hand and secretly wishing it was Kenway's. Such thoughts made me feel filthy, guilty of such desires. I could not do anything, but to continue the sweet torture until my body reached its peak and sent me into a world of Nirvana with a long blissful moan flying out free from my chest. I mumbled his name again as the last feathers of delight stoke my body. My hand was now covered with the outcome of my strong affection and I cursed seeing a dark circle form on the sheet at my hips. I wiped my hand blindly on the side of the mattress that was lightly pressed against the wall shamefully hiding the evidence of my dirty crime.

I pushed the cover to the side to hide the damp spot and tried to stand up from the bed, but my legs turned into rubber and sent me back into the soft embrace of the bed within a moment of my failure. I growled feeling dizzy already, my wound not letting go of the pain. My hand covered my face as I tried to breathe and take in as much air into my lungs as I could. A long sigh followed along with a sudden loud knock on the door. I lifted my head up with a puzzled expression and opened my mouth to speak.

"Come in!" I said my voice still producing a note of softness from the events of the passed minutes. In the next moment a figure presented itself in my bedroom as Charles, a drunken kind. Lee's light blue eyes now turned dark and foggy from an unknown amount of alcohol consumed before he dared to come in. The man made his way toward the bed, his body leaning from side to side as he did so. It was an amusing thing to watch, but the business of his visit was concerning me more than his unstable condition.

"Ye think that Master Kenway will look at ye, boy?" He landed on the edge of my bed forcing me to pull my legs back and stare at him in surprise.

"Charles, you need to sober up, you have no idea what you are talking ab-"

"Shut yer mouth!" He cut me off and slammed his hand sloppily on the sheets. "Master Kenway is mine only, I suggest you to heal up faster and leave New York." He mumbled clear enough for me to hear; I barely held back a wave of an uncontrollable laughter. Now, Charles looked like jealous young lady trying to win over a man for herself and threaten the rival, who at the moment was I.

"Charles," I started again unable to hide my smile. "What are you talking about? Listen to your silly self." I said finally letting out a chuckle which enraged Lee even more. He pushed away from the bed and grabbed my hand jerking it up. I hissed at the sudden sharp movement that triggered pain in my stomach.

"Master Kenway is mine…do ye understand?" Charles growled his free hand suddenly hitting me right in the center of my wound and causing me to wince in agony. The aching became unbearable as I closed my eyes tightly. "Understand!?" He shouted striking me in the same spot two more times. I felt the gash to resume bleeding under the tight embrace of the bandages. I immediately knew that this had to stop before I lose serious amount of blood.

"Yes, yes, I understand!" I exclaimed and pushed Lee's hands off me falling back unto the bed and pressing my palm over my wound. "Dammit, Charles, look what you have done." I lifted my arm up looking at the crimson stain slowly expand in size on the white cloth. "Get me more bandages." I barked lifting my head up to look at the man, but he was gone. Vanished from the room like a ghost with no sound; for a second I thought that he was just a vision of some kind. I closed my eyes and called for help, yet no answer came. The manor seemed empty.

I cursed under my breath that now became heavy once more. I untied the bandages ignoring the pain as best as I could and stared down and the injury that was covered in blood. I frowned and called for assistance once more, receiving silence for an answer. The bleeding refused to stop and continued making me feel dizzy. I bit my lip hard to stay awake, but it was becoming a challenge already. The crimson thick fluid now crawled down to paint the white sheets beneath me into a new bright color. The strong metallic smell around me made my head spin in circles. I knew that without a help of a doctor I will fall asleep soon and never awaken under the bright sunrays again.

My mind was racing, heart pumping, wound throbbing. Dammit where did everyone disappear to? I had no answer to that. Charles's strange statement about the Grand Master followed by his threats threw me off completely. Lee was acting insane even though the beverage was talking for him this time.

"Is anybody in this bloody mansion can please bring me a doctor!?" I yelled one more time on top of my lungs and regretted the decision immediately as my agony sent me into sudden darkness.

POV: Charles.

I stood motionless just outside Cormac's door. My eyes were glued to the people before me. My hand was shaking as I held my flintlock pointing it at the head of the medic standing on my left side. My right hand held my sword tightly, the blade softly trembling.

"One step and I will kill him." I nodded toward the man receiving terrified glances from Hickey, Gist, William, and the doctor himself. I heard Shay shout for help for the second time now. I knew his was suffering and fighting for his life. The individuals before me froze in place, all of them wanting to rush and help the man in misery. But I had another plan for him.

"Let him die." I said coldly feeling the warmth of the rum refuse to leave me and control my mind. I did not move an inch when I heard Gist cursing at me, though he did not attempt to step closer, a wise decision. If the doctor dies, who knows where the other closest one is, there might be none. I smirked to myself, my eyes darting from one man to another. Suddenly, a cold chill ran down my spine as I saw a fifth figure join the standing group in front of me.

"Charles," an icy voice called my name with a stinging tone. It was his voice, the Master's. "Would you kindly step aside?" The voice demanded and took a control of me in one instant. I blinked focusing my sight on him. Master Kenway stood by the doctor's side and calmly observed me. I gulped nervously as he took a step forward toward me; my whole body began to shake in sudden fear.

"Step aside." He repeats lowering my pistol with one finger. Oh yes, he could force anyone to obey just by one glance or gesture. I lowered my weapons and my head along with them. I took a step aside feeling cold air rush over me as the people I held hostage ran passed me running into the chamber where Shay's voice died down on the last shout.

"We shall speak later," the Grand Master told me. "Go upstairs and have a good rest, Charles." His hand on my shoulder was heavy and did not promise anything reassuring. I nodded my head at him before he disappeared in the bedroom. Then, trying to keep my body straight, I left the hall and somehow made it upstairs into my bedroom. I passed out immediately as my head hit the soft cold pillow. The thoughts slowed down and drifted away.

What have I done?

POV: Haytham

As I returned to the quarters, I knew that there was something wrong. After having a pint in the tavern I suddenly got an odd sense of something bad happening in the manor. _Something very horrible with Shay_. So, rushing to throw a pouch of money on the table, and not caring if I paid too much for just a few sips of my beverage, I ran out of the tavern and toward the mansion.

My predictions were right. I saw Charles standing with his pistol and sword out; both weapons were promising a quick death to the people in front of him. I could not believe my eyes; I knew he was not in a condition to think straight, but it turned out to be worse since the morning when he tried to kiss me. I shivered at that memory and concentrated my vision on Lee. At this moment, I could not see my pupil in him. All I saw, was a dangerous beast before me, guarding the door to Shay's chamber, like Cerberus the gates of Hell.

I slowly made my way over to Christopher's side not breaking my gaze from Lee. The people on the other side of the barrel seemed to relax once they felt my presence in the room with them. Everyone but Charles; the man was now nervous, shaking even at the first sight of me. Good, he knows who is home now, and for his own sake he will not preforming anything foolish.

"_Is anybody in this bloody mansion can please bring me a doctor!?_" I suddenly heard Cormac's painful shout that died down as quickly as it appeared. A cold chill ran down my spine as I realize what Charles has done. But why?

Without any second thoughts I stepped forward and commanded him to step aside, he did not follow the order at the first ask, but seemed to tense up even more and turn his full attention. I repeated myself again without any desire of doing it for the third time. The fingertip of my index finger pressed on the barrel of the gun moving it down; I felt Lee shaking with his holy body and felt somewhat victorious.

Charles moved without saying any word letting everyone else to rush into the bedroom for Shay's aid. His shoulders and head were now sagged in a heavy realization of the current event. I put my hand on his shoulder and ordered him to sober up with slumber. He did not refuse and silently left as I entered the room where Shay was on the bed, unconscious and bleeding. The doctor was already in sweat as he worked to stop the wound from showing its angry attitude. He seemed to be successful, though the worry grew stronger once the medic announced that he could barely feel Shay's pulse.

"I ask you all to exit this room and wait outside," he said turning to face us, his hands all bloodied. His eyes stopped on me. "Master Kenway, I want you to stay." I nodded and took off my hat as the remaining three men left us alone. The doctor asked me to hold the wound while he searched for some medical cream to put on the injury. After the dark green substance was spread over the gash, I helped his wrap around Cormac's waist. I could not take my eyes off Shay's pained face, how did Lee open his wound, what have he done and what was the bloody reason for it? I wanted to rush into Charles's room and demand answers, but he was perhaps already asleep now. Besides, talking to a drunken man is the same as talking to a brick wall. Pointless.

The doctor soon left asking me to watch Shay for another hour and see if there was any fever after the procedure. In case of that possibility, I was to put the odd green substance over his wound once more. I sat down on the edge of the bed near Shay and brushed his messy hair away from his face. My hand unwillingly pressed against his cheek and began to stroke it feeling slight bristles under. His face was now peaceful, his breathing steady and calm; I watched him in trance. I could not help myself but to submit to a sudden rush of warmth and lean over to his face breathing almost heavily. I closed my eyes slowly and let the sudden push from behind by an invisible force bring me forward.

POV: Shay

It was darkness. Eternity of nothingness scattered around me. I tried to shout something, but nothing echoed back. I never heard my voice whisper begging for light. Was I dead? Is this how the afterlife looks like? Void and black.

I thought there was nothing in front of me. I tried to lift my hand up to feel if the blackness was a solid wall that I could break. But nothing happened.

Nothing until I suddenly felt eerie warmth in the area of my lips. And then there was light, bright light that forced me to run toward it, curious to know what it was. As I left the darkness, my eyes slowly opened. But I did not see my bedroom before me. All I saw was someone's painfully familiar face kissing my lips with a tenderness that I never imagined to receive from them.


End file.
