.:The Dawn of a Revolution:. (1x1)

[Cloudsong]

It was slowly becoming clear to Deidre that all forms of conversation with this man had dried up. She might have ruined it with her uncertain speech, but now as they walked down the lane, the girl couldn't help but feel somewhat sad for a silence that she blamed on herself. While it was something she was used to, Deidre had thought for a moment that perhaps with Nathaniel, there would be some form of conversation that they could follow. Was he just like Walden, who spoke only rarely, and without patterns? Somehow, she didn't think so. It probably just was that this man felt obligated to walk her, and that he was silent only because he had nothing to say to her.

As Nathaniel suddenly stopped next to her, Deidre blinked, glancing over at him with a questioning look. But her gaze didn't keep however, as her attention soon was taken up by the man who was running up to them at full speed, eyes wide and out of breath. Confused, she didn't try to ask questions in fear of disrupting the situation. Instead, she just watched quietly, waiting to see what was on the letter. From where she was, it was not possible to read over Nathaniel's large hands, so she contented herself with simply watching his face, studying him for any form of emotions that might give away what was written on the parchment.

He seemed to narrow his eyes, as if the letter's content was one that was not welcome by him. As he addressed Marty once more, telling him that the next day they would depart for Boston, Deidre couldn't help but blink, somewhat surprised. What on earth had been writteen on there to get such a response by him? What could possibly be so urgent that he would have to depart so suddenly?

Once Marty had left, Deidre found herself somewhat conflicted. While in the back of her mind she knew that her mother would have expected her to stay silent and not pry, her curiosity was much too strong for her to remain silent. For a moment she bit her lip, seeming to consider him very thoughtfully before she could take it no more. "Why are you going to New York?" she asked, quite straightforward as she waited for a response. Perhaps it was unlady-like to ask such a thing, as it really was none of her business, but somehow Deidre justified her actions with the simple excuse of curiosity. Besides, as she knew very well, the chances of a respectable man like this to actually be interested in a woman like her were slim. So why bother censoring her thoughts?

-

Walden raised an eyebrow as Catherina threw him a glare of anger from her awkward position on the ground. It seemed as though her antics were a form of amusement for him, now that he had identified this 'thief' as not actually being a threat. "Pardon me for disagreeing with you, Lady Catherina... But a woman of your class would never have to 'clean up', nor really take care of any children you may bear." He gave her a disdainful look, as if her justifications were not highly admirable from his standpoint. She seemed to not understand the idea of being a man, and only seemed to zero in on the little, unimportant aspects. Of course, he didn't really think that she was justified for pretending to be of the opposite gender. "Perhaps a woman of lower society would have to do those things, but you would not." There was a pause. "In your particular case, I don't think you are so limited, Catherina. You just need to find someone who... can appreciate you." He didn't seem awkward in the slightest as he said this however, despite the words they were.

However, as she continued on, he seemed to consider her words more seriously, as if they had personally caused reflection. She spoke as though men like him had no limitations - that they could have anything. He sighed, averting his gaze for a moment. "And yet, men like me still put everything in jeopardy, and try to shame their titles by going against their father's beliefs." His words were muttered, as if half to himself.

[Captain Kaycee]

It hadn't yet dawned on Nathaniel yet that Deidre had actually listened to the entire conversation between him and Marty. He had been so busy and caught up in the moment that he didn't even realize she was there until afterwards. The letter inside his coat pocket felt like it was burning him; he hadn't felt like so much weight was on his shoulders in a long time.

His head turned towards hers, however, as she suddenly asked a question that he didn't want to answer. This was a personal matter; he didn't put people like her into them. Yet there was a pull that continued to tell him just to explain himself. Maybe it was because he was holding in the information like a ticking time bomb. Or maybe it was something else that even he did not know what it was.

"I must meet with somebody in New York. I would take a horse, but sailing is faster and more efficient," Nathaniel answered her, yet he tried to keep it so he wouldn't have to answer anymore questions. The fact that his father had arrived in New York not a few weeks ago was clouding his mind.

Admiral Devol was almost famous in the Royal Navy; men spoke about his bravery during the Seven Year's War that happened seven years ago. Nathaniel was just becoming a man around that time, but he only saw his father when he wasn't off at sea. He came back with stories of ship battles, which only intrigued the young Nathaniel at the time even more.

The past was beginning to appear once more in the captain's eyes, and Nathaniel quickly shook the memories away. He didn't want to face those once more. They were hard enough on him already. "People are choosing sides now that Boston is in a state of chaos from the massacre. I am to meet with one of the admirals of the Royal Navy to speak about possible solutions to keep such a thing from happening in New York," Nathaniel explained to her, yet he knew that he was lying about the last bit. It was what he would have to tell his crew though. They wouldn't let him take a single step into New York if they knew who resided there.

-

"Can appreciate me?!" Catherina snapped his words right back at him. Her hands were balling into fists, and it took almost all of her strength to continue leaning against the tree and not sock him in the face. "The last person that appreciated me was my mother, and she died. I've realized what happens when you look up to someone like that and who loves you. They either die, or they get so twisted up in their own troubles that they never pay attention to you anymore."

She began to walk towards him, but her foot suddenly gave out from the pain and she tumbled back to the ground. It was a vicious pain; it felt like somebody had hammered a nail into her foot. Instead of dwelling on pain, however, she turned to look back at Walden to catch him saying something to himself.

"What do you mean going against your father's beliefs...?" she asked, her tone shifting to a more curious one and her eyes no longer glaring at him. They were instead looking at him casually, despite her teeth gritted together from her ankle.

[Cloudsong]

Deidre could tell by the look on his face that her question made Nathaniel uncomfortable. What was more, she could see that he didn't want to answer it. Instantly she felt guilty for having voice it in the first place, as it was just opening ground for him to lie to her once more. Silently she sighed, listening as he gave her an easy answer, one that did not put her mind to rest. Of course people were choosing sides - everyone knew that, without having to be a captain. It was a topic she was familiar with, as her father was keen to bring it up during meals. He would always get so worked up about the idea that someone would want to go against the king, and Walden would become very short whenever the man would begin to rant.

She was tempted for a moment, to ask which side his heart belonged to. But as Deidre watched him carefully, somehow she could not. It was a stupid question, anyway. Of course he was a Loyalist. Almost every noble was.

It took her a moment to come up with an answer that he would accept, but finally she just forced herself to smile. "I hope you have a safe journey," she murmured after a moment, giving him a gracious nod. "You don't have to walk me back home - I know that you probably have to go and prepare for your trip."

-

Walden didn't seem to be listening for a moment, his gaze set on a stone a few feet away from her. He was not making any effort to hide the fact that his attention was elsewhere, and didn't seem to care if he were to offend her like this. Only when her tone shifted did he suddenly glance over at her, momentarily interested. His interest however, was shortsighted, and after a moment he simply smiled. So she was interested in his slip of tongue? No doubt she would be - a girl like this probably would want to find something to hold against him as blackmail for having her own secret exposed. Her determination was intriguing.

After a moment though, Walden just smiled. It was a wry smile, almost as if the idea of her being interested in his problems was laughable. "Nothing your pretty little head has to worry about," he said after a moment, his tone light and carefully composed. He seemed in that moment to remember that she was injured, and remembered the many years of upbringing he had been raised to reflect. However, his nobility was outweighed by his irrational impulsiveness, and he didn't think.

"Let me take you home. You twisted your ankle, and it wouldn't do you any good to be walking on it." His tone suggested that there was no room for argument, and before she had the chance to respond, he had swept forward, leaning down to pick her up into his arms.

[Captain Kaycee]

Nathaniel continued to stay silent next to her, his head dipped towards the ground with his hat covering his face. He didn't want to speak; there were too many things that were going on in his mind. The one thing that continued to bother him was the fact he was going to see his father. He hadn't even seen him in almost five years.

He disliked the fact that Deidre was offering him to just leave, however. He didn't want to simply leave her to walk back home. He had been taught by his mother to be a gentleman; he wasn't going to let her walk by herself.

"A man such as myself doesn't leave a woman in the streets to walk home," he muttered, a sly smirk appearing on his face. "Besides, I wouldn't mind at least spending a few more minutes with a lovely lady such as yourself. I am a gentleman, and I intend to bring you home in one piece."

A chuckle escaped his lips as he continued walking, but as he lifted his head, he stopped once more in his tracks. Walking out of the woods was a man who had his sister Catherina in his arms. What had happened!? Why was he carrying her!? Catherina had been pushing against his chest as if to get away, her hat slightly off-balance on her head. Luckily she had tucked her hair away again, but was trying desperately to get out of the man's grasp.

Nathaniel let go of Deidre for the moment and ran up to Walden, his hand turning into a fist. He punched him square in the jaw, narrowly missing Catherina. She dropped to the ground on her ankle, causing herself to gasp in pain. "Jerk!" she growled. Nathaniel wasn't sure if it was directed towards him or Walden, but didn't dwell on it. Instead, he grabbed the collar of Walden's coat in both hands and threw him against one of the trees, his eyes burning into his.

"What do you think you're doing to my sister!? Do you need another punch in the jaw to knock some sense into you!?" he snarled at the nobleman.

[Cloudsong]

Any reply that Deidre could have possibly made to Nathaniel was cut off as he suddenly gasped, eyes straying to their right, where two figures were exiting the woods. She blinked, somewhat confused to see her brother carrying a woman, especially since this woman was Catherina. What business did he have with her? Had he not just told Deidre earlier that he was not interested in any women? Had his opinion suddenly changed, and was he trying to enforce it onto the young woman? Judging by the look of pain that was on her face, Deidre did not think that the woman her brother held was very happy about the arrangement.

Judging by the baffled look that momentarily daunted Walden's face, the young nobleman had not been expecting this reaction from Nathaniel. He didn't have a chance to say anything before the man's fist collided with his jaw, causing him to fall backwards, Catherina falling from his grasp onto the hard ground. Almost instantly, a thick stream of scarlet liquid bled from the corner of his lip, where a small cut had formed upon the harsh contact. His blue eyes were narrowed to slits as he advanced, listening as Nathaniel flew off the handlebars, demanding to know what he had been doing with his sister.

"Touch me again and I swear you'll wish you never saw the light of day," he snarled, advancing towards him. It took him all of his willpower not to lunge and attack this pompous idiot, but Walden knew better than to start a fight here out in the open, where anyone could see them. From where she sat on the ground, Catherina served as the barrier between them, and Walden didn't get any closer to her in fear of being hit again. "It's not my fault your sister here is a cross-dresser - or is that not something you already know? I was only taking her home after she twisted her ankle running away. That was, after she had stolen from mercenaries."

[Captain Kaycee]

Nathaniel turned quickly to look at his sister, watching as Catherina stared back up at him. The look in her eyes proved that she had stolen from marketplace, but why? Why would she do something like that when she had the money right in her pocket? Had she gone mad? Had all of her grief over their mother finally gotten to her brain?

But Catherina's response quickly made his thoughts disappear. "You bloody prat! I was stealing food for the children so if they got caught I took the blame! I wasn't going to let some poor children starve! He's just a stuck-up snob anyway he - hey!"

Catherina's voice was cut short once more as Nathaniel picked her up from teh ground, holding onto her shoulders. She was shouting profanities at him and trying to pull free, but he held her in her place. He didn't look mad at all, and instead had a look that indicated there was something he had to tell her.

"I say let me go-"

"I'm leaving for New York tomorrow to see father," Nathaniel interrupted her. At that moment, all shouts and struggling that came from Catherina disappeared. Her entire face turned into shock, her eyes widening in complete surprise.

"F-Father...? But he hasn't even given us a letter o-or anything in five years..." she stuttered. Catherina stumbled over the words that came out of her mouth. She had no idea why their father would suddenly decide to contact them now. Why? She hadn't seen him since the day he left back for England at the end of the previous war against France and the Native Americans. Why now?

"I know, Catherina. I know. But I was given a letter not long ago from him. I am to meet him in New York as soon as possible. Hopefully I'll be back in a few weeks." There were tears that stung his sister's eyes, yet she didn't let any of them fall. It angered her to no end to know that her brother was going to see him. He had left them alone... he hadn't sent anything to them in years. Was it only because of the chaos that was happening all over the Massachusetts Colony?

[Cloudsong]

As Nathaniel reached down and picked Catherina up like she was a sack of flour, Walden once again adopted an indifferent expression. Now that this girl's brother was here, he no longer was involved with the situation. She would get home safely without him needing to accompany him, and no longer would he have to put up with her whining. He told himself this very confidently, as in Walden's world, there was no room for doubt. Not over the little things, at least.

His forefront however, suddenly gave way as Nathaniel's words hit his ears. He was going to New York? Almost certainly because of all the chaos being caused in Boston recently. The nobleman seemed to pale slightly as he glanced over at them, glad for once that he was not being carefully watched; Catherina was nearly close to tears, while Nathaniel tried fruitlessly to comfort her. Little did he know however, that his own sister was watching him very carefully, uncertain as to why he seemed suddenly so mortified.

"What's the matter with you?" Deidre's hissed words sounded close to Walden's ear, and he flinched, recoiling slightly. Obviously he was on-edge, as he muttered something incoherent under his breath, glaring at the ground.

The fact that someone Walden knew was going to be in the crime scene - the place where he soon would be going to fight himself - made him very nervous. If Nathaniel were to report back to his father that Walden was part of the rebels, and that he was fighting as a Patriot, it could certainly be a setback.

[Captain Kaycee]

Catherina still looked completely mortified and shocked at Nathaniel. He was going to be leaving her alone in the house once again. Since he had become a captain in the Royal Navy a few years ago, he hadn't been at home for a full year. He mainly spent most of his time working on the ship at some far-off land.

"You should go home and get some rest, then. Go get the carriage while I prepare supper," she spoke, her voice turning almost monotone. She hated the fact that he was leaving once more, and to see their father. He rarely paid any attention to her; she was merely a spawn of him that wouldn't be able to carry on the family name. Nathaniel was an entirely different story, however. He was much more of a trophy, and had even earned his right in the navy. He had a ship, and that meant more to their father than her any day.

"What about you, Catherina? You're hurt," Nathaniel asked, his eyes glancing down towards her leg. Catherina shrugged her shoulders, and began to push him into the opposite direction.

"I'll be fine, don't worry. Go get the carriage. I'll have everything ready back at the estate." Catherina looked almost hurt as she spoke the words, yet tried to hide them as quickly as they came. She began to adjust his coat and hat, just like any ordinary mother would. Nathaniel didn't do what she asked right away, however, and instead looked back at Deidre. He walked up and bent down to kiss her gently on the hand, as any gentleman would do.

"May we meet again sometime, Miss Deidre," he murmured, before letting her hand go and disappearing back towards the market.

Catherina watched him leave without even another word, before trying to limp her way to her house. Her entire demeanor had changed; she wasn't angry or yelling. She looked hurt, and not in the physical sense. She felt like her heart had suddenly been shattered like a glass bottle. Her brother was leaving, and she was to be alone and stuck in the same little town for the rest of her life.

[Cloudsong]

Deidre seemed to freeze as Nathaniel suddenly parted ways with his sister, and instead averted his steps towards her. With all that she had just witnessed, she had not expected him to acknowledge her again. Catherina seemed distraught, and with all that apparently was going on, she honestly wouldn't have minded if he had forgotten about her. But as he suddenly approached her, taking her hand in his, she felt herself unable to move. Their eyes met as he brought her hand up to his lips, placing a chaste kiss against the back of her hand. His lips felt cool against her skin, and she found herself momentarily stunned by the gesture - though, why should she? He was only acting as a gentleman would.

He had left before she had a chance to reply, and Deidre found herself watching his form disappear into the town once more, a distant expression on her face. It wasn't until Walden huffed from next to her that she was brought back to reality, seeing her brother scowling.

"What? You didn't see me punching him out for being friendly to you," he muttered ungraciously, crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes however, lingered on Catherina, who was limping away from them.

Deidre blushed slightly. "Oh stop it. He was just being polite..." Her voice trailed off however.

Walden snorted. "Polite?" he repeated, sounding irked in his mere whisper. "You didn't see him giving me kisses, did you?" Ignoring Deidre's eye rolling, he silently turned away from her, eyes once again landing on Catherina, who had not made much progress from her foot. "You can find your way home, dear sister?" The question was not serious however, as he would never leave her in a situation where she might be in danger. With the house just around the corner, she would be safer than he would be following Catherina - which was exactly what he was going to do.

Without waiting for a reply, he quickly hurried after the girl, catching up to her easily. "Let me help you," he offered, his voice gentle, as if nothing had just happened back then. Because in his mind, it hadn't. He once again justified his actions by thinking that this was simply a chance to press Catherina for details on her brother's journey. Perhaps he would find out where exactly he would be heading, so as to avoid him entirely.

[Captain Kaycee]

.:Boston, MA - May, 1773:.

There was a chill in the air for it to be almost summer in Boston. The people that were in the city had coats on to keep their skin from hitting the cool sea breeze, yet the docks were littered with activity. Children ran around playing with wooden toys, people gathered in the streets for the shops, and many of them were also British soldiers that stood to keep guard over the rest of the citizens. It looked like a prison yard with the soldiers watching everyone, yet they were greeted with glares.

On one of the docks stood a woman in a light blue and white dress, her hair hanging down from her back. She was staring out into the harbor, watching as a new ship of the line came sailing in. She had received a letter two weeks ago from her brother Nathaniel, telling her that he was finally returning home. In those three years, she hadn't even seen him once or heard from him in letters. Why had he disappeared? She hadn't the slightest clue, other than their father kept him in New York. Now, however, he was finally returning home.

As the ship finally made port, her eyes glanced up to see a man in a black coat and a black tricorn hat walk off the deck of the ship and onto the dock. His hair was still a dark brown and the same length, but he had a bit of a stubble that was growing on his jaw. Her eyes widened at his appearance; he didn't look anything like the Royal Naval captain he used to be. Now he looked like he was more of a pirate than anything else. His ship didn't even have any colours waving in the air either; the British flag had disappeared.

"Nathaniel...?" Catherina whispered, suddenly running up and hugging her brother tight around his neck. His first response was to hug back, until after a few minutes he gently pulled her away.

"Yes, it's me," he sighed, taking off his hat and running a hand through his hair. "I haven't really been able to contact you much, and for that I am sorry. I shouldn't even be trying to sail my ship and her crew into this harbor. It's been a mess lately in Boston."

"Why aren't you wearing your naval uniform?" Catherina interrupted, her eyebrows furrowing on her face.

Nathaniel's eyes locked with hers for a brief moment, before adverting them to the ground. There was something that he didn't want to tell her, that much was clear. There was something that must have happened to him.

"I'm not a part of the Royal Navy anymore. In fact, I cut all ties with Father almost a year ago. Since then I've been on my own... I traveled down to the Caribbean to do some business but... there's more to the story. Come, let us go to a tavern where it's safer and I'll explain everything there."

Nathaniel began to guide her into town, heading straight for the nearest tavern. As he walked inside, he ushered Catherina down and sat across from her with one hand hovering over his sword. It had become a reflex with him, but how Catherina wasn't sure.

"Now are you going to explain to me why you didn't answer any of my letters or even bothered to see me once in a while?" Catherina growled, her hands folding across her chest.

"Because Father wanted me to join the fight against the colonies," Nathaniel answered, his blue eyes turning dark. "People are taking sides, Catherina. There will be a war, I know it. I defied our father and left New York, only to be called a rebel and have warrants out for my arrest. The only safe place at the moment is on the sea. So... I continued to sail and make ports in the Caribbean... now people are speaking of new tactics to take down British ships, and I became a part of it. I'm still a rogue, Catherina. And I didn't want you to be a part of any of it."