Lineage

by Gherkin

02: Running Down to Cuba

Nobody made a sound, waiting for him to say something, or even just acknowledge the information he had just processed. The only sounds that could be heard were the crashing of waves against the side of the ship, and the creaking of wood as it rocked back and forth in the ocean. The two men that had found the strange woman stood there quietly, intimidated by the giant of a man beside them. The three men watched their captain, who stood alongside her, as he ran his hand along the polished woodwork of the mirror that stood hidden at the back of the cargo hold. He moved his hand to the glass of the mirror itself, and pushed against it.

"Well, Edward?" the larger man, Adéwalé, spoke up. "What do you think of this woman's story?"

The captain wheeled around, facing Rarity as she shrunk slightly. "So, you say that you... what? Fell out of this thing? As if it were some sort of door, or gateway?" She nodded, and he reached backwards, tapping on the mirror's pane with one of his hands. "This is just an ordinary mirror. You say that you came from some sort of other world, but you look as human as I do." He advanced towards her. "I don't like being played for a fool, Miss Rarity."

She gulped, but stood her ground and stared back into his eyes. "I swear to you, captain, that everything I've explained to you is the whole truth, and nothing but. I don't know for sure, but the mirror on my side must have been broken. Had it not, you would be able to pass through that as if it were not there at all." She paused, and saw that he did not still believe her. Acknowledging this, she asked, "This is a rare and precious artifact, I'm sure, so where did you find it?"

He turned away, and thought for a second. "The fort where that rat Torres was hiding." He stayed silent for another few moments, as he went over his thought. "Hmm... he still searches for the Sage and the Observatory. What's to say he hasn't come across more magical artifacts, or locations, such as those?" He looked back towards the mirror again.

"Don't tell me you actually believe this, Edward," Adéwalé protested. "I mean no disrespect, of course, but this woman is obviously delusional." Rarity shot a look towards him, but he ignored it.

"You've heard the tales of the Observatory too, Adé," Edward said to him.

The larger man nodded. "Aye, captain, the tales you have told. But, for now, that's all they are. Tales."

He stepped away from the mirror, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Ah, but all tales have a degree of truth to them, my friend. Besides, we checked the cargo hold properly and thoroughly both before, and after we left Kingston." He looked over at Rarity. "Twice we checked this place, and there was no trace of her. So, tell me, how else do you explain how she got in here?"

Adéwalé scowled towards Rarity, but remained silent. Edward sighed and looked towards her, with an eyebrow raised.

"So, do you believe me?" she asked tentatively, brushing a strand of hair out of her face and dusting off her newly acquired dress.

He shrugged. "Well, I don't see how else you could have gotten on board. I take pride in the security of my ship." He noticed her let a sigh of relief out. "Hm. I know some of my crew mock me for my belief in 'tall tales' and 'ghost stories', as they call them. But I know the Observatory is real, so why not this?" After a pause, he looked towards her and continued. "That being said, this is still bizarre."

"I don't doubt that for a second, captain," she commented, as Adéwalé and the other two men went back above deck. "But thank you." He nodded and there was silence between the two of them briefly, broken by the crashing of the waves against the ship. "I really don't mean to intrude, but, well, could you help me find a way to get back to my world?"

"I think, before we talk about this any further, we should get back out there," he told her. "It's awfully dark and cramped in here."

With a smile, she agreed. "Yes, captain, that sounds like an excellent idea."

He chuckled. "Please, call me Edward." The two of them made their way out of the cargo hold, and up the stairs onto the deck. He led her through the crowd of crewmates towards the stern of the ship, as he continued to talk to her. "Now, what you ask for is something else entirely. If you don't know how to return to wherever it is you came from, then how am I supposed to help you?"

She thought for a moment, before sighing softly. "Well, to be quite honest, I'm not sure." She returned to silence for another few seconds, before piping up again. "You said you found the mirror at a... fort was it?"

With a smirk, he replied. "When I say found, well, I really mean took. Thing was only rotting in the old bastard's collection anyway, so I figured I could make a few reales from it." He noticed her annoyed expression, and continued. "Not to worry, your unexpected arrival has changed that outlook somewhat." He looked out to sea, the strong wind billowing through his hair. "Right now, we are bound for Havana. It is quite a beautiful city, as I'm sure you'll find out soon enough."

"And what are we to do once we arrive?" she questioned, standing beside him and gazing out also.

He turned to look at her, smiling. "Well, I have some semblance of a plan, but it is rather stupid, truth be told. Governor Torres has a mansion there. No doubt he has amassed certain other pieces that may help you return to your home."

She gave him a doubting look. "Am I to assume that this mansion is heavily fortified?"

He nodded. "Aye, but it's not like that ever stopped anyone."

Her expression did not change. "Please forgive me if I don't sound convinced. How do you plan to get inside this place?"

"Ah, I'll think of something," he replied, flashing a cocky grin her way. "Besides, there's no rush, is there? And we've still got at least another day until we reach Cuba, at this rate."

She became more annoyed as he walked over to the wheel again. "Well, it may not be any real, pressing time limit, I have no doubt that my friends and family are worried sick about me. I'd rather not waste any more time than necessary."

"I understand your pain, Rarity, trust me."

"How could you possibly understand what I am going through right now?" she asked, raising her voice.

"You are not the only one here apart from their loved ones," he shot back, slightly harsher than he intended. She closed her mouth, and looked away. The silence fell between them once again briefly, before he sighed, and looked over at her. "I will do what I can for you, I swear. But it will take time to prepare, and to find people willing to help us. Most of my crew, well... they're only here because of a promise of riches and glory."

Her brow furrowed into an expression of thought for a few moments. "Fine. I suppose you don't really owe me anything, after all. I am the one inconveniencing you."

A chuckle escaped his lips and he perked up once again, his previous downtrodden attitude forgotten. "Inconveniencing? Hardly. I'm always up for an adventure. And if it pisses off that old sod Torres, then that's even better."

"What is it that you have against this 'Torres' anyway?" she wondered, staring out from the deck of the ship as they sailed past a small island, with only a small palm tree sitting at its centre. "Is it some sort of rivalry, hm?"

"You might call it that. Old bastard's a Templar, looking to assert dominance over the Caribbean. Hell, maybe the world. Nothing but the ramblings of a madman, of course."

"That doesn't sound entirely convincing."

"Ah, don't worry," he told her, waving his hand dismissively. "He's got a lot of enemies, so he'll get what's coming to him eventually. In the meantime, it'll be good to piss him off a bit." He gave a chuckle, squinting his eyes against the harsh sun as it reflected off the sea.

She still gave him an unsure look, but decided to let it go. She kept staring out to sea as the captain turned back to his crew, and called out for them to unfurl all of the ship's sails. She hadn't noticed it until now, but her throat was as dry as a bone, and she felt absolutely famished. No doubt some sort of ridiculous side effect of this whole business, she thought to herself, brushing her hair out of her face as it blew about in the wind. A tickle at the back of her throat caused her to cough, so she turned and walked beside Edward.

"I don't mean to impose," she began, looking into his eyes as he turned to face her. "But I'm terribly hungry, and thirsty. I don't suppose you could spare anything to eat and drink?"

The familiar cocky smile appeared on his face once again. "Well, I doubt you'll want to drink rum, or eat biscuits and canned meats like most of the crew. I suspect you have more of a... refined taste than most of them." He let go of the wheel, and motioned for her to follow as he headed towards the stairs to the main deck. She did so, making sure to give Adéwalé a wide berth as he moved forward to take control of the ship.

"Luckily, I have some fresh fruit and other foods in my cabin. Water as well, and some fine wine too, if that interests you."

While it was true that Rarity had a soft spot for a nice glass of wine, she decided that now was not the time. "I think that some fruit and water will do just well enough for now, thank you." She followed him inside as he pushed open the doors to his quarters. She had to admit, she expected it to be a lot less furnished than it was. It was quite warm and cozy, as the walls managed to hold back the sea wind outside.

He reached the table situated in the middle of the room and picked out a green apple from a bowl of fruit sitting on it, before throwing it towards her. "Think fast."

Despite being caught off guard, she managed to catch it. With a roll of her eyes, she popped it into her mouth and took a large bite. Not quite Sweet Apple Acres quality, but I doubt that anything, anywhere, can match that. The thought of her home and friends brought about a solemn feeling, so she spoke towards Kenway as she swallowed. "You said that it would take a day to get to this Cuba place, didn't you? The city of Havana, wasn't it?"

He nodded, picking up an apple of his own and taking a greedy bite. "Aye, that's right." He looked down at the table and cleared away a few pieces of paper, revealing a map that he turned towards her. "Havana is here," he told her, pointing towards a dot on the coast of what she assumed to be Cuba. "We left Kingston about a day ago, and we've got a day to go, so I'd wager that we're about... here." He pointed to a patch of sea, near the middle of the map. "Why do you ask?"

She sighed dejectedly, and looked at him with a sad expression. "I... I just want to be home as soon as possible. I miss my friends, and I don't want to worry them."

To her surprise, he nodded solemnly, and spoke gently. "I do understand how you feel, Rarity. Believe me, I do." He reached for a jug of water and poured her a glass, before grabbing a bottle of something she didn't recognise and taking a swig from it. "I've been away from my wife back in England for... well, too many years. Not a single day goes by where I don't miss her dearly."

Rarity took the water gladly and drank most of it down. "Why did you come here then? I assume that England is quite far away."

"Aye, to return there the trip would take weeks." He took another drink from his bottle. "I came here, to the West Indies, to earn a fortune, in any way I can." His tone had become slightly darker, but she allowed him to continue. "I was tired of grovelling in the dirt all day and night back there. I wanted something better for me and Caroline."

"Was there really nothing you could do to earn the same money back home?"

He shook his head. "No, not really. But enough about that. I'm rather curious about wherever you have come from, Rarity. You say that it is another world. Most people would scoff at the notion, including myself, if my eyes hadn't seen some of the things they have."

She smiled warmly, taking another bite out of her apple. "Well, what is it that you want to know?"

He sat up, a look of wild excitement obvious in his eyes as he smiled towards her. "Everything. Even if it sounds like absolute rubbish that no man could believe."

"Very well," she replied, chuckling slightly. "But in return, you must tell me about this city of Havana that we're travelling to. Deal?"

With a nod, he grinned and replied. "Aye, it's a deal."

***

Well, he certainly wasn't lying. This place looks absolutely wondrous! The city's architecture was quite unlike anything that she had ever seen, and was most certainly a far cry from the rustic charm of Ponyville, or the grand majesty of Canterlot. All of the buildings were painted in warm, bright colours that were easy on the eye, and were perfectly complimented by the deep blue colour of the ocean. Even as she was helped onto the wooden pier by Edward, she could not tear her eyes away.

He noticed her expression of awe and chuckled lightly. "You look amazed," he commented, following her gaze and looking around at everything that surrounded them. "I did tell you that this is a beautiful city."

"How right you are," she murmured, smiling with joy. "I really haven't seen anything like it."

"Well, if there's one thing you can rely on a Spaniard for, it's beauty." With one hand, he pulled the hood attached to his coat over his head. "Now, do you need a moment to take in the sights, or shall we get going?"

She didn't reply for a few seconds, still gazing around at everything. "Right, yes. Let's be off, Edward. You lead the way. I suspect there will be plenty of time for me to gawk at this beautiful city later."

He nodded. "Aye then, come on." He set off down the pier, the wooden planks beneath them creaking under their weight. "I know a tavern not too far from here. No doubt there will be many people there willing to join our little cause, if only to give Torres the finger."

He didn't notice her confused look, as she didn't understand the expression. However, she was soon distracted as they walked past two gibbets, inside which hung two rotting skeletons. A sign above them bore the warning 'pyrates beware'. Rarity shivered slightly at the sight, and decided to focus on the other sights around her instead. Pirates? That sounds like truly dreadful business. In Equestria they were nothing but a little colt's fantasy.

Edward soon guided her off the pier and towards a nearby building, which she assumed to be the tavern that he was talking about. Indeed, as they both walked in, she noticed a number of tables set up around an open air courtyard, with mugs of alcohol sitting upon them. Strangely, however, there seemed to be no one around. The place was completely empty.

"What is this?" Edward murmured to himself, glancing over towards the main bar of the tavern. He caught a quick glimpse of the bartender as he slipped through a back door and vanished from sight.

Rarity seemed puzzled. "Edward? What's going on?"

He didn't get a chance to answer as the sound of multiple swords being drawn reached his ears. He wheeled around, drawing his own pair of swords, to face a number of armed men dressed in yellow uniforms: Spanish soldiers, he quickly realised. Rarity gasped in shock as he positioned himself between them and her.

The leader of the group stepped forward, his flintlock pistol leveled at the captain. "Edward Kenway, you are under arrest," he announced with a heavy accent. "For the attempted murder of Laureano de Torres y Ayala, the Governor of Cuba."

"What?" Rarity looked towards him with shock.

"Piss off!" he barked at them. "You've got nothing on me." He stood his ground, waiting for them to make a move. The captain of the guards ordered him to surrender again, but still he did not relent.

Oh, this isn't good, Rarity thought. What have I gotten myself into?

Comments

[Amethyst Blade]

Then Rarity summons 14 crystal blades, impales and cuts open the spanish soldiers and finish the fight within seconds leaving Edward in shock... Sorry, just stole the idea from a story I read.
Anyway, good chapter, looking forward to more.

[metallusionsismagic]

For some reason, the chapter title reminds me of Running in the (Seventeen-)Nineties.

"What is it that you have against this 'Torres' anyway" she wondered,

End this quote with a question mark. "She" will remain lowercase. ( I'm struck by a sudden sense of irony...)

[BurningLance]

yes Rarity what have you gotten yourself into.

gonna be fun to read her reaction finding out that Edward is an pirate/assassin and maybe (i hope) she will be trained to be an assassin

[Lionvalley]

Oooooooh this is a good story. Maybe because i haven't played black flag at all.

[Cawfee]

4491528

You should, it's pretty good!

----

I humbly request more, sir! MORE!

[monkeyXtypewriter]

If the ship's sails aren't pink, frilly and embroidered by the end of this story, I will be most upset.

[Grim The Pony Reaper]

5515261