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

[Cloudsong]

( The ship that Walden is on had just left port that morning ^^ )

The sun had nowhere near reached its peak in the sky, and yet on the British navy ship, it seemed as though everyone was busy. Everywhere, men ran across the decks, distributing guns, readying the cannons as they approached the rebel ship. They were in fast pursuit of them, and were overtaking them with every minute. It was a beautiful frigate, the most reliable, fast ship that the English had created to this date. She glided across the top of the waves with such grace, that it almost appeared as though the waves moved themselves to accommodate the ship.

Near the front of the deck, a man in navy blue uniform stood facing the enemies, a telescope in hand. He wore a white, powdered wig, proper of his status in the courts. On his face there was a small smirk, almost appearing as though he were relishing the challenge of pulverizing these rebels. It was clear by the way the men around him walked, that he alone held the status of Captain, and that no one around him dared suggest otherwise as he gave out the orders to shoot down this fleet of pirates. Because his word was law, no one dared go against it. So little as conceiving this in one's mind would be considered treason, and would be subject to a hanging. Or if the captain was feeling generous, perhaps walking the plank.

As they neared the ship, the captain approached the railing of the ship, to get a better look of the men he was going up against. They all seemed poorly dressed, and gave him the impression that they were outlaws. No doubt they were. He curled his mouth in disgust, and glanced over as a man came scuttling up to him.

"Mr. Madeline, sir, whenever you give the orders," the man said quietly, his eyes evenly resting on the ship before them.

Before he could give said orders however, a disturbance behind him caused everyone to double backwards, momentarily distracted by the task at hand. It was at that moment that the doors from within the ship suddenly burst open, and the stowaways that they had not realized were there decided to make their appearance.

At least fifty men burst out onto deck, taking advantage of the crew's confusion to defeat them, one by one. Even though they were outnumbered, the revolutionaries had the essence of surprise, which in that moment was certainly a big advantage indeed.

The captain was knocked off his feet by a man jumping down from what appeared to be the crow's nest. He was young, his hair long and very blonde, and his blue eyes glinting in the sunlight. Walden had changed somewhat in the three years he had been away from home, and had filled out in muscles and in courage. He now was the leader of a large group of rebels that had traveled down from Boston, and had led the attack as they stowed away on this ship. Being out on the open waters like this was exactly the situation he had expected, as no other British forces were able to give aid to their enemies. They had hidden down in the bottom of the ship until they had left port, and now took this as the opportunity to strike.

Unprotected, the captain gave up as much fight as he could as Walden lay into him. But without the protection of his men - who were currently battling the revolutionaries - he stood little chance to Walden, who made quick work of tossing him over board. The sound of the captain splashing into the water was barely noted by Walden as he quickly turned around to dive back into battle. Around him, his colleagues had done the same with the rest of the men, and only a few British soldiers remained fighting. It wasn't long before the few remaining had been tossed off as well, and the ship was quiet once more, the decks stained with blood.

As the first Revolutionary man suddenly let out a victory cry, Walden jumped up onto the precarious rail, holding his sword up in victory. "The ship is ours!" he shouted, his words greeted by yells from his men. It seemed as though in that moment however, the ship across the bay seemed to decide it would be a pleasant time to attack them. As the first shots fired out, wiping a few men off, Walden instantly jumped down, suddenly unprepared for this battle. He had not been the one to decide this, and was momentarily bemused by the outcome. It seemed as though one battle fueled the other, though. He was racing across the deck within seconds - when his wits returned to him - and had grabbed hold of the steering wheel, making a sharp turn away.

"GET THE FLAG OUT!" he yelled from his post, watching as his men ran around in confusion, unsure of what to do next.

"But Walden sir-"

"We can't afford to lose more men! This is not a battle we need!" he snarled, instructing for the man in the front to hold out the white flag - a flag of surrender. This was not a war he had anticipated - one he did not care to win. The ship across the bay was merely a pirate ship, and not worth their lives. Their war was back on shore, where more British men were. Their war was the Revolutionary. For all he cared, those pirates could go on their merry way, and he would not give a damn.

So the white flag was waved, and they all waited anxiously for the other side to react. Perhaps they could realize that now this ship was run by another side - perhaps this battle could be prevented altogether.

( Ah, fail... SORRY! My next shall be better! )

[Captain Kaycee]

(Lol we just need to RP more to get in more practice xD)

The order to fire suddenly halted in Nathaniel's throat, his eyes glaring at the speck of white cloth that was being waved through the air on the other ship. Were they lunatics? He didn't think that they would have the guts to even perform an act so cowardly. The British didn't surrender that easily; they normally fought until they realized they had nothing left to lose.

"Hold fire! Marty, sail us in their direction! Prepare to board, men! Keep your guns on them!" Nathaniel shouted, his eyes glancing up at Catherina. She seemed to get the message that he had suggested and walked up to his side, looking just as concerned as he was.

"Do you think they'll fire when we get close?" she asked, glancing up towards her brother.

"According to war code they shouldn't fire. If they do, we'll destroy them without thinking twice." Nathaniel had spoken as if he didn't even have a second thought. As they neared the enemy ship, he waved with his hand to bring out the boards to cross to the other ship. Most were using ropes and grapples to tie them to the other ship, yet Nathaniel simply stepped on the board and walked to the other side.

The man that was waiting for them on the other side appeared familiar to Nathaniel, yet he didn't fully catch who it was. The years had been hard on them both it seemed, yet he didn't even recognize the stranger.

Catherina, on the other hand, had gasped behind him.

"W-Walden...?!" she stuttered, placing a hand over her mouth. She pushed her brother out of the way and ran up to him, keeping at least a foot away from him. Her eyes were filled with shock, like this man in front of her was almost like a stranger once more.

"What happened to you?" Catherina suddenly blurted, ignoring the glare that her brother gave. She was amazed that she had seen this man after so many years; he had disappeared by the time she could have ever seen him again. However, this was a whole new person entirely it seemed.

[Cloudsong]

Walden knew the moment the flag rose into the sky, that's the ship before him understood their surrender. No matter what sides they were on, it carried an unspoken rule every sailor followed; a white flag meant surrender. Anyone who used the flag as a distraction would be shown no mercy from there on out. And also somewhat humiliating for the man, Walden knew that by raising that flag, he was sparing the lives of his own man. To go into another battle like this one would be, in effect, wasting the lives of some of the few colonists that believed in the Revolutionary cause.

He was prepared when the ship came to halt beside his own, and wooden planks were brought out in order to bring safe passing. His stance was leisurely and calm, and he leaned lazily up against one of the ship's poles, facing them with a look of defiance in his eyes. Behind him, Walden's followers stood prepared, swords out. Of course he expected questioning, but without first explaining the situation and speaking to these men, he would not allow his side to engage in another fight. For the goal still remained the same in his eyes; to prevent death at all costs. No more blood should be spilled on that day. Not over pirates, who were not even engaged in this war.

When his ship was boarded, Walden turned to face the visitors with his calm, bored-looking expression. It seemed for a moment that he did not recognize the captain, nor Catherina. But he wasn't really looking for a familiar face, and therefore did not really open his eyes to the possibility. "As our white flag suggests, you can see that we surrender," he began, still not really looking at the grubby men that now stood in his decks. "But I beg of you to understand that this was not a fight of our choosing. We are merely onlookers caught in the wrong place, at the wrong t-" His words were very abruptly broken off as the woman ran up to him, and the look on his face so clearly showed his breathtaking surprise.

For a moment, Walden narrowed his eyes. Was he dreaming? Or was this simply a figment of his imagination? The questions burned in his mind, but the image before him convinced him otherwise. No, this was real. This was Catherina, a woman from his past. He reached out to rid his eyes from the golden hair that shaded his vision, and the shock was more notable when his blue eyes were exposed. "How are you here?" he asked bluntly, pushing himself off of his leaning position so as to get a better look at her. She had certainly changed, but it was a change for the better. While Walden had always thought her beauty was notable even from a young age, now it was simply astounding. And although he had never been one to appreciate beauty, he found himself momentarily taken off guard.

And only because there were 50 men behind him silently questioning his change of gaze, and his tone of gentleness, Walden knew that he had to return in character. "Still cross-dressing, I see," he commented snidely, smirking slightly as though this amused him. Behind him, his men then chortled. Walden's smirk however, turned into a scowl as his eyes landed upon Nathaniel. Even though it had been three years, the dislike that had kindled within him still remained.

"I didn't realize you had turned traitor," he said rudely, not caring if he offended the manner not. "It's okay, though - I have too." His eyes narrowed slightly. "But the only difference between you and me, that I have a cause that I am fighting for, while you have chosen the easier path." He crossed his arms across his chest. "It must be so terribly easy for you, am I right? The life of a pirate is a selfish one - you only have to care about yourself." He spoke savagely now, even though it was not wise given the position that they were in.

[Captain Kaycee]

"Really, Walden? Out of all the things to say?" Catherina grumbled, leaning against the rifle that she had on her side. Originally she had brought it onto the ship in case they had decided to deceive them, but now it appeared that there wouldn't be any killing. At least, that was what she hoped. By the look her brother had on his face, she wasn't sure if he would suddenly lunge at the man and kill him.

Nathaniel's arms folded across his chest as he glared at the man across from him. He could feel the gazes from both crews burning into his backs, yet he didn't want to think about the people around him. His eyes were on the man that had been from his home once before. It was a man who had already hated him for being a captain in the King's Navy.

He, however, was broken. Nathaniel had lost everything that he held dear to him, at least, except Catherina. Still, she was able to take care of herself nowadays, and he didn't have to worry about her. He had almost nothing left to lose, except his ship and her crew.

"My ship and her crew are pretty much all I've got left, mate. My sister doesn't need me anymore, anyway; she's a grown woman. But you, on the other hand... you had a sister once, am I correct? Her name was Deidre too... fine woman, she was. It'd be a shame if something were to happen to her... because of course, you know I do have her on my ship. Of course you said I only care for myself, so I can just as easily shoot you down here and get rid of your entire family and this revolution that is about to begin..."

Catherina's head snapped towards his, staring at him baffled. What was he saying!? He was going to start a massive ship battle right now!? Had he gone mad!?

"Nathan... I don't think that's a good idea..." Catherina suddenly interrupted, standing in front of her brother and trying to push him away. Her brother, however, pushed her to the ground and pulled out a pistol from his jacket, pointing it directly at Walden.

"I don't care who's side you're on. I only care about getting my life back in the colonies... with or without Great Britain controlling them."

[Cloudsong]

Walden's eyes glinted as he watched the effect of his words dawn across Nathaniel's face.  But he was attempting to stay cool and calm, Walden is that it was only a matter of time – or skill, for that matter - before this man lost his cool completely.  As he drew out a pistol, Catherina trying to block his range, Walden didn't seem in the least bit worried.  If anything, the smirk on his face widened.  From behind him, all fifty of his men drew out weapons, pointing them automatically towards nathaniel without even needing word from their leader to do so.  Walden gave them a small nod, as if to signify that he was not at all worried for his life by the way Nathaniel drew his gun. Instead, he took a step towards him, a challenging look on his face. 

"Careful now, Devol," he said darkly. "Don't go starting any fights that you can't finish."  It seems as though Nathaniel's words about having sister on board did not even register in his mind. Rather, Walden did not believe him in the slightest. It was impossible for Deidre to be here - she would never be in Boston in the first place.  But then again, so many odd things were happening that day that Walden was momentarily tempted to believe him.  

As Nathaniel went on to declare his disdain for the revolution and their struggles, it seemed as though a fire ignited within Walden's eyes.  He was personally taking his words with anger, and it showed on his face.  "You're a coward," he said after a moment, his words soft and deliberate.  "A little worm, eager to crawl back home.  You care about no one but yourself, and you just proved that."  He paused for a moment.  "You say you have my sister?  I don't believe you.  Deidre is in Lexington.  I would have never left her if I had thought she would be in harm's way."

[Captain Kaycee]

Nathaniel was already growing tired of this man. He was done with the games and the talk between them. He was an arrogant patriot, wanting nothing more than to act like he knew everything about the current world affairs. It was boring the ex-naval captain; he didn't want to hear anymore of it.

"Yes, and you are an arrogant fool. Good for you, Barnes. Marty!" Nathaniel's voice rang out between the two ships, causing the first mate to poke his head out from the crowd of sailors behind him.

"Yes, captain?"

"Bring out the prisoner, in chains, if I might add... and a gun to her head." The first mate nodded and disappeared for a few minutes, only to reappear with his pistol against the Native American girl's head and her arms chained by handcuffs. He had obviously taken effort to make her a clear sign of a prisoner on board their ship, yet Nathaniel still said nothing. It was like he was bluffing, yet Catherina couldn't even tell.

The captain circled around Deidre like a snake, grabbing the pistol from Marty and glancing back between the two siblings. "Believe me now, Barnes? It seems your "protection" has been put to waste. Not only that, but did it not occur to you that the bruises on her wrists and neck are from her own husband, to which I actually rescued her from? It appears to me that you haven't done anything to protect her. It is your passion for a revolution that drives you to lose your senses. She's been treated by a horrible husband, yet you believe you are protecting her? Pathetic."

Nathaniel, much to Catherina's surprise, suddenly grabbed the back of Deidre's dress and gripped it in his hand. He held her over the water that separated the two ships, his eyes blazing into Walden's. "If you care so much for your sister, then please enlighten me how much you're willing to sacrifice to get her back before I send her to the depths-"

"That's enough, you two," Catherina's voice rang out through the crowd. She pushed Nathaniel away with Deidre still in his grasp, and Walden away by her other hand. "If you two are going to fight about who's better and who has more honor, do it another day. If any other ships come out of that harbor and see us, they'll most likely open fire. So let's just carry on to the task at hand, alright? We leave you to your puny revolution schemes, and I drag my brother back to his gang so he can get me back to Lexington. I refuse to listen to this bickering any longer."

[Cloudsong]

( lol omg they're so immature!! XD! )

In a matter of seconds, Walden's face changed from a bored smirk to a wide-eyed, eyebrow raised shock.  He had not actually believed Nathaniel's words, and instead had thought he was merely bluffing. But the sight of his sister after so many years was too shocking for him to even care about keeping up his image.  She bore the obvious marks of abuse, with the bruises and cuts along the exposed parts of her body.  Though she had aged in a beautiful manner, Walden was unable to no ignore the expression on her face - an expression that never should have been there.  Fear - terrible, engrained fear that could only be accomplished with years of abuse.  Complete and utter sorrow.  As if all her hopes had left her.  

As he met Deidre's eyes, she seemed to be surprised as well to be seeing him.  Her struggles to get away were only halfhearted he could see, and only lasted a moment.  "Deidre," Walden murmured, almost to himself.  How has this happened to her?  He felt profound guilt, for he had not been there to protect her.  What vexed him even more was the fact that she was Nathaniel's  captive, and that he had been the one to save her from the man - a roll that he should have been there to occupy.  It seemed as though his guard was momentarily down, and he took a step forward, the hand on his side lifting slightly as if he yearned to reach out to her.  He was unable to however, and it wasn't long before Nathaniel and speak once more, bringing him back to his senses.

Walden's eyes narrowed as Nathaniel suddenly reached out and violently pulled Deidre towards him, holding her over the water as if she were a dead weight.  As if he did not care that Deidre seemed terrified, as if she were once again expecting abuse from this man.  "Let go of her, you filthy-" he began to snarl, when Catherina suddenly stepped in.

He arched away from her touch, as if anything was capable of making him jump. The manner in which she spoke, so calm as she addressed the heated situation as if it were nothing... It was maddening for him to simply stand there and watch Nathaniel continue to hold on to his sister – the only person in this world with whom he had ever had an emotional bond with.  It  consoled him only slightly to see Deidre away from the edge.  "You say she was treated badly, and yet you continue to abuse her," he snarled, but cut off before he could continue to insult Nathaniel.  

As Catherina spoke, he found himself looking over at the girl, seeming to narrow his eyes.  "Fine - you want peace so badly?" he hissed, his hand balling into a fist as he attempted to keep his anger at bay.  "Then tell your pathetic excuse for a brother to let Deidre go, or so help me God, I will rip his throat out."  From behind him, walden's men grunted in praise, as if they agreed with the idea.  

[Captain Kaycee]

"No," Nathaniel's voice suddenly lashed out. He was obviously dead-set on Deidre staying, as if he was her only protector. If Walden hadn't been there for her when she was married, what was the point in letting this man take her once more? He had been the one who saved her; he was her new protector.

Catherina glared over at her brother, but had no remark to say. There was nothing to say to him; he already had his mind set. That is, unless he suddenly spoke once more.

"I will not give her to you unless I receive something in return. And no, I do not wish for money. Its value is useless to me," he explained as he moved Deidre against his front. The gun was still at her head, but it almost appeared that there was a trick up his sleeve. And as Catherina glanced around, that was when she noticed it. Where was the rest of the crew? In all of the chaos, Nathaniel's crew had disappeared, leaving only him and Marty on the deck of the ship.

Then, in a quick second, all hell broke loose.

The cannons from Nathaniel's ship, the Revenge, fired straight into the ship next to them. Already the deck below them began to crumble and go aflame. In the chaos Nathaniel had already left back onto his ship and into his quarters. The Revenge was already sailing away from the frigate, only to fire upon it once more with its cannons. One of the cannonballs had been a chain shot, and ripped the main mast from its wooden poles and into the watery depths below.

Catherina, at the last moment, grabbed a rope and swung across the water that separated the two ships, landing just barely onto the deck. What would become of the rest of the men on the other ship? It was a question that burned in her mind, yet she couldn't do anything about it. She was gasping for air on the deck of the Revenge, her body sprawled out on the wood.

[Cloudsong]

All the while Nathaniel held her close to him, the gun always her head, Deidre was very still. She remained silent only because she feared that this man – a man she had once believed to be a friend - would pull the trigger otherwise. While she had no real fear of dying, Deidre couldn't help the shivers that ran down her spine as the thing was pointed at her head. The look on her face however, was not the same as it has been before, when she had simply seemed distraught and helpless. Now, a look of fury mixed with distress colored her eyes, and her fingers tightly dug into the arm that Nathaniel held protectively her chest, preventing her from being able to move at all. Her nails dug into his flesh, a burning look of hatred on her face as she attempted to hurt him.  But he didn't even seem to notice, and instead continued to threaten her brother, the only man in this world that Deidre had left. 

She seems to anticipate Nathaniel's plan before it was put into action, and as soon as he began to drag her away, the cannon exploded.  Before her, her brother's ship was pulverized into smithereens, and she was just able to watch as Walden and his crew fell into the dark waves. "No!!" she wailed, her voice heavy and distraught as Nathaniel continued to pull her down further into ship. She began to struggle now, but nothing she could do seemed to loosen his grip. No longer was she sobbing, but as soon as the door closed behind them, Deidre managed to break free from his clutches. She rounded on Nathaniel, instantly lunging towards him and hitting his chest with her hands.  But Nathaniel was strong, and she weak; he probably barely felt it.  "You monster!" she was screaming, the look on her face mad with grief.  "How could you do that?  My brother was right about you!"  She was still screaming, aware that it might bother him.  But in that moment, she didn't care if he brought out his gun to threaten her again.  "You think you own me now?  I would have been happy to go with my brother!  And now he's... He's dead!  You killed him!"  She was almost shaking now, the anger and pain from that day too much to bear.  "You monster!" she reiterated the name she had used before, because in that moment, she was unable to think of another.  

-

Walden was unable to come up with a comeback before he realized what was going on.  The cannon had fired before he could organize an escape plan for his men, and as the ground beneath him caved in, he fell along with the remaining men into the dark waves beneath.  As soon as he felt the icy waves engulf him, the deafening sound of another cannon hit only a few yards away, the unfortunate souls who had been there being instantly killed.  

The ship was sinking now, creating a suction around everyone, pulling Walden down further into the depths.  He was a strong swimmer, but after a few minutes of desperate fighting, he found himself growing weak from lack of air.  He only barely reaching the surface in time to see that the ship that had been responsible for the deaths of all his men begin its path down the bay, sailing away like nothing had just happened.  He was panting, looking round desperately for more survivors from his ship, but there were none.  It seemed as though nearly every revolutionary aboard had been pulled under, leaving Walden completely and utterly alone, swimming desperately to keep above water, the effort of it beginning to exhaust him.

Had it not been for what he had seen aboard that ship, Walden might have wanted to die in that moment.  He had failed his men, had been the only cursed one to survive an attack he had led.  What would the rest of the group on shore say?  Would he still remain their leader?  Perhaps he should just die now, as a life with this memory would certainly be enough to weigh him down the remainder of his days.  

But then he remembered Deidre, and how she had seemed so helpless on that ship, being held captive by Nathaniel, a gun to her head. How could he possibly jut drown himself here, and leave her in a situation like that?  He had already failed her by leaving in the first place.  No, he could not.  The answer was simple.  He would have to follow - at least try to get to the ship and save his sister.  At least he would die trying.  

[Captain Kaycee]

Once Nathaniel had brought her into his quarters and she began to scream and push against his chest, his face turned less dark than it had before. He was still recovering from the sudden encounter, but luckily he didn't have to deal with it anymore. At least, that was what he hoped.

But the words that came out of Deidre's mouth hit him like a ton of bricks. 'You monster!' ... he had heard that saying before. No, he had been the one to say it almost two years ago to the man that he had once called his father. It was the day he had finally left his side in New York, managing to sail away from his father's ship on a new one with a crew and supplies. He had left the Royal Navy and left his uniform lying still on his father's chair inside of his quarters.

"You monster! How could you even think to attack the colonies when there are innocent people there!?" Nathaniel had yelled to him.

He remembered his father walking around his desk and grabbing Nathaniel by the wrist, his lips curling into a sneer as he had spoken about his plan. It was to raid Boston, the heart of the protests and attacks, and keep the rest of the people at bay. Maybe then they would stop fighting against the British, yet Nathaniel had been sure that it would only make the colonies angrier.

The flashback suddenly ended in seconds, and Nathaniel quickly remembered that he was standing in his own quarters at the same spot that his father and he had been. The man he swore not to become was engulfing his personality, and he knew himself that he was turning into a spitting image of his father at that moment.

Nathaniel turned away from Deidre and suddenly started to head out from his cabin. He couldn't take the memories, nor the guilt of his ruthless act. He didn't want to be like Admiral Devol of the King's Navy; he wanted to be Captain Nathaniel of The Revenge.

"... Excuse me for a moment, would you? I need... a breath of fresh air," Nathaniel murmured, not even waiting to see if she would lash out once more. Instead, he quickly turned away and headed outside into the cool night air. The ship that he had sunk not long ago was behind them, and Marty had slowed the ship into the musty fog and hidden from enemies.

-

Catherina, after having jumped back onto the ship, had stared out from the top deck. She felt like there was something empty in her heart; this was not the brother that she remembered. Not only that, but Walden didn't deserve such a fate. He had only been wanting to protect his sister, the same way that Nathaniel did for her. Why, then? Why would her brother signal a fire aboard their ship? She had tried to keep it from happening, but now it felt like it was all her fault for failing to stop it in the first place...

She maneuvered her way to the railing at the stern of the ship, staring at the sea where the ship had burned and sunk beneath the waves. That was, however, when she suddenly noticed a body still struggling to swim in the cold, dark water. Despite her brother leaving no survivors, Catherina couldn't let somebody either develop hypothermia and die or drown... or both.

Grabbing a rope, Catherina hurled it out for the man to grab, hoping that she could save him in time. She was not going to let this man die, whoever he had been that survived on that ship. She couldn't yell at him to grab on either for fear of alerting the other crew members, and instead started to pull in hopes that he was trying to get himself to the ship.