"No, please!" Grace's mother continued to scream.

Grace sobbed, clenching her hands around her ears to shut out the screaming. It had been going on for several hours already, hearing her mother yelling in fear and pain. Grace knew that if she went out of her hiding place that'd only make things worse. So she stayed there, curled into a tiny ball.

Until suddenly the screaming stopped. There was an eary silence, strange and unexpected. It was the silence before the storm though. Grace almost climbed out of her hiding spot until she heard a man's voice booming through the house.

"Grace, dear Grace!" Grace recognized the voice as one of her parents' friends. "Come on out, where ever you are!"

There was a small silence. "Grace, you know I don't like it when you disobey me, you know how I get." Grace sobbed silently as she buried her head between her knives, too afraid to make any further moves.

"Light it up." The same man said a few moments after that. Soon enough Grace was choking on the air, smoke filling her lungs.

There was fire, fire everywhere.

Grace woke up when lightning struck the water, the booming sound filling her ears. She shot up, looking around the room in a second. Her heartbeat became slower when she realized that she wasn't in her house.

She knew she wasn't on the ship where she was supposed to be either, knew she wasn't captured by her former captivists. In a way it relieved her, to know that maybe just for a small amount of time she had a chance of escaping his grasp.

Grace stood up, her bare feet touching the wood. She heard the usual screaming of men on deck, only this time it was louder. The storm was heavy and the wind was making the whole ship moan like it could fall apart any second.

Grace groaned when she stood up on her feet. She discovered several cuts and bruises all over her body, blood covering most parts of her arms and legs. Her white gown was nearly torn in half, barely covering her body.

It was then that the fear hit her. Who were the men that had captured her this time? What were they planning to do with her? Surely it couldn't possibly be as bad as what he did to her before.  Still, the same fear was just wrecking her body as always.

Grace looked around the room she was in and soon discovered that she was in the captain's cabin. There were several maps laying on the table, an uniform hanging on the other side of the room. There was a replica of the original ship at the opposite of the uniform.

Grace's fingers traced the outlines of the ship, frowning and wondering. It wasn't a merchant chip, nor was it a man of war. It wasn't a brig nor a schooner, no, this ship was made to be fast yet strong.

Pirates

Grace remembered what had happened, remembered the white hooded man on the deck. Did he rescue her out of the water? Why was she important enough? Did he know about him, about what he was making and planning?

There were several knocks on the door before someone entered, his heavy boots walking accros the room. "Goodmorning, lass." He said and smiled at Grace when their eyes met. "You've been out for several days, I was starting to wonder if you even were going to awaken."

Grace remained silent, her widened eyes taking in the man before her. He had sea-blue eyes, a slightly toned skin and blond long hair but most of all a heavy accent which sounded oddly attractive. He was a pirate. He didn't look dangerous though, despite the several guns and swords hanging on his belt.

"Have you lost your tongue?" Edward chuckled as he grasped a flask of rum and put it against his lips. He then cleared his throat when Grace continued to frown at him.

"Listen, lass, this won't be free, I need-"

Grace rushed towards the door, pushing Edward aside in the process. Conditions were never her type of thing, they never resulted in anything good.

"Hey!!" Edward exclaimed when he almost let his rum fall to the ground. "Look where you're going!"

Grace ran outside without looking back, her bare feet carrying her accros the deck. She could feel the wind flowing through her hair, felt the rain wettening her cheeks and gown. She was running like never before.

It was a wonderful feeling to finally be able to run through the open air, feel the wet drops of rain on her bare skin. Until she bumped into someone, his hands grasping her shoulders firmly.

Grace was forced to look him in the eyes. It was a tall and muscular man with fierce dark brown eyes. He had several scars covering his dark skin.

"Are you allright, lady?" His deep voice said as he frowned at her, his hands holding her in place firmly.

It was then that Grace took a second to take in her surroundings. There were several men looking at her confusingly, their eyes staring at her. Her heart started to thump wildly like a caged animal.

"Are you lost, girl?" One of the men stepped towards her, a smirk covering his lips.

"Look at her, lads." Another chuckled. "It's like she's literally asking us to tear that torn gown off of her."

"No, no, no." Grace looked back up at the man that was holding her. She felt like a prey between all these men. Their gazes were tracking her like she was just a piece of meat that was waiting to be eaten.

"Hey!" Edward bursted through the door of the captain's cabin. Everyone turned towards him. The captain swirled the flask of rum around his fingers, leaning against the door post while smirking at Grace. "Come back here, love."

Grace pushed the man holding her off of her quickly and started to climb the mast even though the storm was picking up quickly. She felt the ship groaning and swaying but nevertheless she didn't go back down.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Edward yelled at her when she almost fell down due to a gush of wind and the wetness of the wood she was holding onto.

"I don't think she's listening, captain." Lincoln, One of Edward's new crewmen chuckled when Grace ignored him.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Edward groaned and followed her, climbing up the mast.

Grace climbed on top of the structure, her hands clasping around the wood beneath her. Lightning struck all around the ship, threatening to bring her down in any second.

Only clouds and the raging sea were in Grace's line of sight. The ship was swaying back and forth violently while the huge waves crashed against the wood. No island nor any form of civilization in sight, only sea and darkness.

"No, no no, no!" Grace whimpered. She looked down to see Edward climbing towards her, his facial expression covered by his hair leaving Grace guessing about his current emotions.

Grace climbed to the end of the mast, trying to get as far away as possible. She stood up even though she could fall any moment. She wasn't ready to have her freedom taken away again so soon after she had just escaped her last prison.

Grace walked till the very end of the mast, her toes just over the edge. The sea was crashing and pounding metres beneath her body, waiting to swallow her whole.

"You should get away from that edge, love!" Edward screamed as he climbed on the same mast, his eyes meeting her scared ones.

"There's no escape there, just water." Edward continued.

"Who are you?" Grace asked, barely holding her ground against the cold hard wind.

"Captain Kenway." Edward smiled at her and made a small bow. "I would shake your hand but well, that might not be a good idea now."

Grace looked back at the sea, wondering. She turned back towards Kenway, almost losing her balance as she did so. "What do you want from me?"

"What can you give me?" Edward smirked. Grace sighed and looked back at the water. "Look, love, I'm sure the view from there is very interesting but soon you'll fall and I'm not diving after you again."

"Why do you care?" Grace screamed over the wind, shuffling closer to the edge.

"Because I don't want it to be in vain, dammit!" Edward's eyes narrowed, his arm reaching for her in a reflex. That made Grace know that he needed something from her, he had rescued her for a reason.

Suddenly there was a strong wind, the mast swaying back and forth wildly. Grace lost her balance but regained it soon after. Her eyes met Edward's, both knowing they shouldn't stay there much longer.

"If you don't want to die I'd take my hand if I were you." Edward extended his arm for her to take.

"What do you want from me, Kenway?" Grace repeated. She had to know. If it were bad, she would throw herself into the sea. She wasn't ready to be used again.

"Bloody hell, woman." Edward groaned. "Just fucking take it!"

Grace looked back at the water. It would be quick, almost painless. Did she dare to give up now, though? After all that she'd been through could she just throw it all away? Her parents' sacrifice would've been for nothing, her whole life would be for nothing.

Grace looked back at Edward, looking into his blue eyes. At least here she had a tiny chance to do something. Even if he had bad intentions, she could still try to escape.

"Co'mon then!" Edward pushed when the wind picked up again, the rain already having drowned his clothes. Lightning struck close by the ship, the light blinding the both of them momentarily.

Grace nodded, her bare feet shuffling accros the wood towards his reach. She extended her hand towards his, almost touching. Then suddenly there was another gush of wind, this time completely destroying Grace's balance.

She felt her feet slipping of the moisty wood, felt her body tumbling down. For a moment she knew that the fall would kill her. Until a hand grasped her arm firmly.

"Hold on." Edward groaned as he lifted her up.  He pulled her up on her feet with one hand around her waist, looking down at her green eyes as she tried to catch her breath.

"Thank you." Grace whispered, her hands laying on his chest. She looked up to meet his eyes that were looking down at her.

"You owe me, love, big time."