He's a She (Assassins Creed 4)

A Dead Man

A/N

Sorry for the wait. I had to write this big essay for school and just turned it in yesterday! I promise I'll have a regular update schedule from now on, now that I don't have to be working on that essay every day. :)

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Charles Vane and Jack Rackham brushed past the trio as soon as the key had switched hands. The way they saw it, they had a matter of minutes before Elizabeth would walk into the bloodied prison room and possibly a few more if the trio was so stricken with grief that they couldn't put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Though, James was a rather smart fellow. He'd know exactly who the culprits were the second he set one dirtied boot on the bloody pavement.

Charles Vane grand ship was docked right besides Edward's ship, the Jackdaw, the wooden brig bobbing up and down as the mellow, royal blue waves rolled beneath it.

'You ready to take ship?' Vane turned to Jack Rackham, his long trench coat flapping slowly in the breeze, the pieces of fabric moving along with the ways of the wind.

'Aye,' Jack nodded, bring his hand down heartily on Vane's back. 'It's best that we make haste, Edward and James aren't idiots.'

'Why are we friends with smart fellows?' Vane asked, heading up the ramp to his ship, Jack trailing behind.

'Don't forget that they're pretty skilled as well,' Jack spoke. 'If we don't hurry up and get our asses out of here I can almost guarantee that our heads will be mounted on a spike for the whole of Nassau to gaze at.'

'With Edwards new found wealth they might as well be served on a damned silver platter!' Vane scoffed.

'Don't be giving him ideas now, lad.'

Vane just shook his head before jumping down from the ramp and onto the wood of his trusted ship, the thud of Jack's being landing right behind him.

'Man the sails!' Vane barked to his crew, the men jumped up and gave a quick nod to their captain before speeding past him and around him. They hurried to the sails, hoisting them halfway as Vane grasped his ship's wooden steering wheel. Jack leaning up against the wooden railing next to the wheel.

'Where are we headed?' Jack asked, glancing over at the dangerous looking pirate.

'Eh,' Vane shrugged. 'Wherever the winds take us? Some place far away? Who knows, I suppose we'll find out soon enough.'

Jack just nodded, acknowledging the mans words.

Vane's ship pulled from the dock, and before they knew it they were headed towards the grand open sea, Nassau disappearing behind them.

***

Elizabeth, James, and Edward trudged along Nassau's dirt path. James was twirling the prison key between his fingers, staring at the piece of metal as it twirled through the air and landed back into his palm.

'Have ye decided, yet?' James spoke, directing his attention towards the brown haired lass.

'Decided what?' Elizabeth raised and eyebrow, her hands stuffed in her pants pocket as she took deliberate steps.

'Don't be daft now,' James warned, the accented words rolling off his tongue. 'It's been a week- ye can't keep him in there forever.'

Elizabeth sighed, her shoulders drooping as she did. Her green eyes were focused on the dirtied path, her shoes kicking up Nassau dust as she shuffled along.

'I really don't know,' she mumbled, the statement paired with a half hearted shrug. 'Part of me wants to kill him and part of me doesn't.'

'You've never killed anyone, have ye?' Edward spoke up, looking over to Elizabeth, his blue eyes studying her own.

'No,' she scoffed. 'I'm not some big bad pirate who merely kills people for coin like it's some game.'

'Privateers-'

'That's not the point,' Elizabeth cut Edward off sharply. 'The point is is that I don't view death like some sort of sick game. It's not like I kill people daily and then just write it off as 'okay'!' Elizabeth balled her fists before speeding up, rushing away from them.

'I didn't-' Edward attempted an apology, taking longer strides in attempt to catch up with then.

'I know you didn't,' Elizabeth sighed, slowing her pace. 'I'm just trying to get you guys to understand why this is so hard for me- even if he is the nastiest piece of shit ever- he's still a human being. Whether he lives or dies shouldn't be decided in a five minute conversation.'

'I know, lass,' James spoke up, matching the woman's pace and making eye contact. 'But we've given you a week, please tell me you have some sort of inclination...'

Elizabeth just looked at the pirate before nodding slowly.

'Just let me talk to Nathaniel,' Elizabeth declared. 'I'll hear what he has to say then decide.'

The prison building was approaching quickly, and James readied the key in his possession.

Moments later the door swung open, creaking on rusty images as it did so. James glanced around the dark room, his eyes adjusting to the darkness as he took slow steps inside.

'Nathaniel?!' James called as he entered the room followed by Edward and Elizabeth. 'Wake up ye old nag!' James brought his fist down hard on the walls, a loud banging noise echoed through the space. He took more steps inside, his eyes finally adjusting. 

The first thing he saw was the blood.

He brought his hand up swiftly, signalling for Edward and Elizabeth to stop venturing further.

'Stay out there, lass,' James declared quickly, his voice cutting off Elizabeth's next pace sharply.

'What-'

'Just... stay, please.'

Edward grabbed Elizabeth's arm before she even had a chance to move any further into the dark prison. The brown haired girl began to protest and James glanced back at her, his soft brown eyes staring into her meadow green ones.

'Please, lass,' he spoke one last time and Elizabeth finally succumbed and followed Edward back outside. 

James eyed the long trail of crimson liquid, it was still wet. Yet there was no sigh of Nathaniel. 

James slowly walked along the bloodied line of liquid, following it to it's destination. The smell of iron was evident in the air and he began to think of the worst possible scenario.

His pace quickened, his brown eyes dashing from place to place within the confined room, his heart began to pound. What had Vane and Rackham done this time?

Then he saw it. The bloodied white mound of sheets in the corner, with tentative steps he inched forward before plucking at the cleaner areas of the white cloth. With one swipe he removed them, not even daring to wait another second.

The cloths flew from part of Nathaniel's body, and below was the mans lifeless body. Nathaniel's once lively and somewhat dangerous hazel eyes were now glossed over and lifeless. It took James only seconds to process the scene before he threw the sheets back over the man.

Within moments Kidd was back on his feet, and only a few moments later was he out the door, sprinting past Elizabeth and Edward, not daring to mutter a word to him as he ran. A tan hand already fumbling with the pistol in his holster. 

Anger flooded through James, and he wasn't even sure why he was even wasting a thought on such a useless heap of man, but he knew one thing. He was going to give Vane and Rackham a good talking to. 

The Nassau dock was only meters away.

Vane and Rackham were long gone, their ship disappearing in the distance.