Aboard the Jackdaw: Under Edward Kenway And The Black Flag

32: Beyond Belief

Anna sighed and took his hand. He pulled her up and they walked hand in hand to the tavern,

"Aye. I could use a drink."
Anna droned in numbness.

"I could use ten." Chuckled Russell.

"Aye. Your telling me."
Anna huffed.

After a few minutes of walking in pleasant silence, Anna mischeviously turned to her uncle,

"Did you punch Edward back?"
She asked with quiet hope.

"Nah, lass... I punched him first!"
Russell bragged.

They both laughed wearily as they walked down the streets towards the bar.

The Jamacian Prince was still recovering from it's night crowd. Several men and whores laid passed out across the bar's tables and on the floor.

Russell pushed a drunk sailor off of a table. The man cursed loudly as he hit the floor.
Russell motioned for Anna to sit in his place. However, Anna had her eyes peeled on something else.

A petite, shy-looking woman sat in the corner and cried quietly.
Her hair was pinned up in a neat, black bun, and her blue dress draped down to the floor.
She held some familiar items in her hand. One was a shark-toothed necklace and the other was a worn rum bottle with an old rosary for a string.

Anna stared at the heart-broken woman sitting down as she clung to the strange, familiar items in her hand. She help onto them like they were priceless gems that would vaporize if she let them go.

The strange items drew Anna in as she took step after step towards the woman. Russell watched Anna curiously as she approached the grieving woman. The dark haired beauty stared up at Anna with large, pitiful brown eyes.
Anna cleared her throart nervously as she kneeled down in front of the woman,

"What's wrong, miss?"
Anna asked gently.

The woman panted between soft sobs,
"It's.. My husband.. He's....."

The woman shook her head painfully, and Anna immediately knew that the woman's husband was dead.

Anna's brain immediately jumped to John, but she gasped silently as she looked at the items again.

Joel said that Soaps's wife lived in Great Inagua; Joel must have brought her his effects.
Anna sat next to the woman and put a comforting arm around her,

"Now I know why these look familiar. I knew your husband. I sailed with him."
Anna said softly as she ran her finger over the necklace in her hand.

The woman's tear-stained eyes met Anna's,

"You knew my Haythem?"
She asked in a child-like voice.

A sad smile played on Anna's lips,
"Aye. Soap, we called him. He was a good man. Everyone on the ship.. We loved him so much."
Anna whispered.

A fresh spout of painful tears trailed from the woman's delicate face, and she buried her head in Soap's items.

Anna stood up and lightly took the poor woman's wrists in her hands. The woman raised her weary eyes to look into Anna's serious face.

Anna turned to the woman,

"It was an honor to know your husband. I promise you, I will never forget him."

Anna very gently shook the widow's wrists and repeated,
"Never."

The woman grabbed Anna's hand and barely whispered,
"Thank you."

"What's your name?"
Anna asked.

"Leah...Leah MacLeese." She breathed.

Anna sighed,
"I'm Anna. You should go home, Leah. Rest. I'll take you there."
She offered.

Leah sat up and shook her head,
"It's just across the street yonder. Thank you very much, though, Anna."

Leah sniffled and walked off with a grateful look back over her shoulder at Anna.

Anna sighed and turned around. She exclaimed to Russell,

"Do you have any idea who that woman was?"
Anna asked in disbelief.

Russell nodded
"Aye, I listend to ya."

Anna sat down across from her uncle and noticed that the first round of rum had already been delivered to the table while Anna was talking with Leah.

Russell rubbed his hands together mischievously and looked at his drink,
"Alright, lass! Let's get monkeyed!"

"Beyond belief!" Anna added as she brought her cup to his in a toast.

Ehhehe oopsees..
Y'all ain't read nothing yet ;)

Xoxoxoxo
Love, the writer you hate, ;)
Emyy