Uncharted: Assassin's Heart

Realisations

And so he walked away, vowing that if they ever came to meet again he would lie and pretend that he thought she was dead. He didn't want her to think he was waiting all those years for her to save him, even though that's what he had been doing. She didn't know and that's how it would stay.

Caeli's eyes scrunched in her sleep, her breathing quickening as she began mumbling words he couldn't understand. She had always talked in her sleep, to the point where he had eventually become used to it. That was one of the hardest things after they were separated, was learning how to sleep without someone next to him again. Without Caeli next to him. The strange and lonely silence of not having her there meant he didn't sleep for days, when he was able to sleep it was waking up without her there that served as a stark reminder of what had happened.

She slowly opened her eyes, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the light in the room. Sam had been up for half an hour already, getting everything ready for the day ahead. She sighed as she stretched, pulling the sheets up to her chin again to keep warm.

"What's the time?" She asked, her voice croaky with sleep.

"Nearly seven." He answered, she immediately sat up a worried look on her face.

"We were supposed to leave at half-past-six." She stated.

"I didn't want to wake you..." Sam replied, taking in her features. "Plus Nate hasn't come knocking on the door yet, so I would say he isn't ready either." He added, Caeli threw the sheets off of herself and standing up.

"Yeah well, he's probably depressed about what happened last night with Elena." Caeli responded, grabbing clean clothes out of her bag and going to the bathroom to change. He grabbed the last things he would need for the day's adventures, and got the money for the boat hire ready before she came out again.

She wore a long sleeved shirt, the sleeves rolled up, a pair of jeans and her boots. She readied herself quickly, tucking a knife into her boot and holstering her gun before putting a jacket on.

"Rope?" He checked with her, she sighed before grabbing the rope and grappling hook, attaching it to her belt.

"Let's go." She told him, tying her hair up before walking towards the door. Her attitude seemed different today, she didn't seem to be as adverted to the idea of finding this treasure as she had yesterday. If anything, he would say she looked excited about the day ahead. Maybe she was looking forward to getting Cassius back...

Or maybe she had remembered that this was a part of who she was.

***

"I don't understand how I'm still the only one with a boat licence." Caeli whispered to herself as they neared their island destination. The markings that Nate and Sully had found at the tower overlapped to make the map of an island, the one they were heading to right now. Nate was by himself at the back of the boat, watching the water as he seemed to be deep in thought, Sam was a meter or two away from her, seeming to be doing the same thing.

Her statement didn't reach either of them, as hoped.

"Land ho!" She shouted, shaking them both from their thoughts and getting their attention. Sam and Nate both made their way to the front of the boat, looking through the glass and seeing the island in the distance. Sam had a look of wonder on his face as he saw the island's silhouette against the clouded sky.

"What do you think about that?" Sam asked Nate, who still lacked any kind of joy that Caeli was used to seeing on his face.

"It's pretty cool." Nate replied, half-heartedly.

"Take the wheel." Caeli instructed to the younger brother, who did as he was told as she sat down on the edge of the boat. She knew that if he had a job to do then he could focus on that instead of replaying the night before in his mind. She understood the situation a little too well to not sympathise with him. From Sam's expression he seemed to do the same, even as he walked to the back of the boat to the esky and took out three bottles of beer, one for each of them.