Lucian slipped away from his parents estate, and made his way down to where the sands met the sea just so he could explore what washed up along the coast. It wasn’t every day he found something amazing, but every now and then he’d find a bit of glass or a part of a shipwreck to show his uncle. 

He should have been in his studies, but there was just so much more to do! He wanted to be an explorer and sail the sea until he found the end just so he could back and start all over again. However, his mother had bigger plans for him and it seemed that no matter what he did it was never enough. 

Today the sun slipped in and out from behind the clouds, but it was mostly overcast and that only acted as a further reason to dampen his mood. He imagined it would rain, and as there were dark clouds in the distance he wondered if they brought his father home with them. 

He was going to be in so much trouble, but as he touched the fabric of his shirt he felt the bit of paper beneath it and wondered if he would ever figure out what the map meant.

Near the beach was another figure, no taller than himself. The other was wandering along looking down for something until noticed he wasn't alone. Then Edward snapped his head up and stared at the other kid.

Immediately, he started to walk over. He might have had holes in his sweater, and had to be careful to not get sand in his worn out shoes that were almost too tight to continue wearing. But that didn't keep him from thinking he was the toughest guy out there at that moment.

"What're you up to?" He asked as he walked over. The guy want trying to look for cool stuff washed up before the storm hit too, was he??

Where the other boy had holes in his sweater, Lucian McKenna was completely dressed in the latest fashion with every bit of silver polished to perfection. He had someone dress him in the morning so he didn’t even realize that perhaps that wasn’t something everyone had. His shoes were Italian leather, and fit him perfectly. And though his footman finally replaced the bows of silk from around his neck, he still liked to wear a scarf of the finest linen.

“Looking for scrap metal, isn’t that what it looks like I’m doing?” He asked the boy with his mother’ dry tone.”

He snorted as if it was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard. His head tilted slightly. "Why on earth would you wanna find something boring like that?" Was there something he actually didn't know? He hadn't heard about any recent ship wrecks, and it was just metal. Right?

When he got closer and noticed how nice the other kid was dressed, he sneered trying to hide the jealousy. "Fancy boy like you should just stay home. Don't wanna get cut on some metal. Or maybe wet from the water! Might send you home to your mum!" He laughed.

“Is there anything else to find?” He snapped back at the boy’s question, his dark eyes turning on him like a serpent to its prey. A young viper he was too, or so his sword-master had told him. He was a natural with the blade and even now kept one tucked into his fancy ass boot—right next to the French styled stockings. 

“My father,” he snapped and put emphasis on it because it was something he had that this boy probably didn’t. The poor never did “…is a Captain of an entire fleet of warships. He is an arms dealer and outfitter for Her Majesty’s Navy.” 

Luc picked up a stone and tossed it into the sea, before he continued his hunt, 

“Besides, It is my duty as a loyalist to the crown to keep the beaches clear. Don’t you think you too should be looking?”

"Nothing to find?" Edward looked surprised, then smirked and tugged up his pants as he'd seen men do when they were going to put someone in their place. Instead he just grinned and nodded. "Sure, nothing else.." He wasn't about to tell this kid about what he was looking for.

The other guy kept talking and he couldn't hide the incredulous expression. He must have thought he was an idiot. He rose his brow then laughed. "Really? If your dad was all that, why would he be in a pit like Whitby? Sure kid, sure. Either your dad's a liar or you are! Maybe he's got a dingy at best." He snickered and slapped his knee.

Of course, saying he should work for the crown had him shaking his head. "What's the crown ever done for me? I don't owe them a thing! But a kid like you.." He had knelt down in his exaggerated laughing, and when he stood, he had one hand gripped tightly which he pretended to punch his other palm. He didn't care if the other guy was older or bigger. No kid was tougher than Edward Seymour! "I do like your scarf though. How's about I just happened to find it at the beach..."

Lucian was born where the winds swept storms over a land so soiled with the sins of a bloody history that even the shadows had eyes of their own, took his first steps over the stones of a sinking city, and watched his first execution beneath the Prague Orloj on the eve of his eight birthday. Whitby as much as Edward saw it as a pit, Clan McKennas found it a sanctuary. 

“The crown has given you a home and structure, do you not get a proper education now? If it were not for Our Queen, you would be working in a factory right now.” Fintan would be furious to hear those words from his son, but in truth Lucian just wanted to rile him up. 

“And I’ll tell you what…” Luc undid his scarf, and motioned for the harbor, “I’ll tie it to the top of my father’s skysail and you can have it if you can even get to it.” He narrowed his dark eyes, sinister little things as they were, “Unless you are too afraid.”

Edward looked at the other boy and sneered clenching his fists. "Oh yeah?! The crown can't even keep me fed unless I take it. Stupid spoiled brat. My mum and dad are why I'm here. Shelter and structure.. pft. I avoid school. It's a waste of time. Who cares being smart when yer still poor!?" He wanted to strike the brat. But then he offered him the scarf.

Briefly rubbing his nose he looked at him. "I'm scared of nothing. I'll climb that sail or anything. But you can't then cry ta yer dad saying I stole it!" He said sharply as he followed him to the harbor. He didn't like this guy at all, but he'd wipe that look off of his face when he realized Edward was better than him.

“School isn’t a waste of time unless you want to end up exactly like your parents,” Luc hissed as he turned on the boy once more, but only to look him in the eye, “Is that what you want then? To end up in some horrid hell as this the rest of your life? Even the women my mother hires to scrub the floors have to at least know how to calculate. You can do that right?”

Luc tied the scarf around his neck again and started once more for the harbor.

“Even the lowest position on the ship must at least understand basic math. How else will you if someone is trying to stiff you your proper wage.”

Was it possible for Edward to get angrier? When he started talking about his parents, it did. He had to clench his fists so tight, his nails dug into his palms and he glared at him wishing lightning would strike this boy. "Don't you talk about my parents!" He hated his parents and they were stupid, but they were his parents and he wouldn't let some jackass he just met who never met them talk about them.

"I know how to math good enough to know my fist plus your face equals you missing teeth!" He said as he pointed to him and started to walk towards him faster. "You better get that scarf on your stupid sail before I just beat you now and take it!" He was so angry at this guy who knew nothing about nothing. He was bigger than him, but he knew he could take him. Edward knew how to fight dirty.