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Stede is captured just three months after Ed, the Kraken, turns him away.
—-
Stede had made his case, told Ed everything, apologized, and had been rejected anyways. It was a risk he knew he was taking in coming back to The Revenge, but it was still heartbreaking to walk away that day after his tearful admission of, “I love you, Edward.”
He hopped back to his own sloop with the crew, including Frenchie, Jim, and a very perturbed Lucius, and started to wander the ocean. Purposeless aside from the goal of survival for his crew. Day after day, they all tried to lift his spirits, but everything felt muddy and lifeless without Ed.
—-
Unfortunately, Stede also comes to find he still isn’t a very good pirate when one man, Captain Ingram, corners him in a Nassau alley and gets Stede aboard his ship, The Ultimatum.
It is after two days of sailing, with Stede tied to the mast and questioned; clothes slashed and torn, skin bruised by fists and lacerated by daggers, that he is asked by Ingram: “Where is Blackbeard?” and it is suddenly clear as crystal that he is meant to be bait. His answers to questions become monosyllabic, and the beatings and pain grows worse over the third and fourth days of captivity. But in the cool of night, he thinks of the beach, and of Ed’s kind eyes.
He won’t betray Edward, even now. He watches the horizon for a hint of his crew or any sign of rescue, but it seems that Ingram is taking evasive maneuvers to not be found, except by his target.
The next time Ingram comes up to him with a dagger in hand, Stede speaks up, “I know who you’re looking for, but Blackbeard won’t save me. Keeping me here won’t bring him to you. He-“ Stede chokes back a sob, “ He doesn’t want me anymore .”
Ingram smiles cruelly and speaks in a southern accent, “Then it won’t matter if you’re worse for wear when I claim the bounty on your head.”
Ingram’s dagger reels back before plunging into Stede’s thigh. His knees give out, arms scraping painfully against the poorly kept wood of the foremast, but tied tightly enough that he can’t fall all the way down.
Before another strike of the knife can come, a crewman on port side shouts, “Captain! It’s him!”
Dread freezes Stede in place. His stomach drops. Surely it’s an accident that Ed ran into them. He doesn’t want to see Stede ever again. And Ed seeing him like this , battered and foolishly caught. He wishes for one fleeting moment that Ingram would show mercy and cut his throat.
Ingram chuckles, “Knew you was lyin’ all along.”
From Stede’s vantage, the only thing that tells him Ed is aboard is the eerie quiet of Ingram’s crew and the unmistakable thudding of Ed’s massive boots on the main deck. Stede squeezes his eyes shut, straining to hear Ed’s low voice, and once one small murmur of that honeyed dark tone drifts up to him, he cranes his neck to look. Ed’s facing the other direction. Black leather, silver hair, silver saber drawn and pointed towards Ingram. Finally he hears Ed more clearly,
“I don’t like to ask questions twice, mate, where is Bonnet?”
Ingram smiles that cruel smile and gestures towards Stede.
Ed finally turns. He’s wearing less kohl than before, just a little around his eyes, but he’s still beautiful, always beautiful . Stede realizes he must look a complete mess. Bloody arms full of scrapes and splinters, shirt ripped open to the very top of his breeches, chest full of bruises and dagger slashes, thigh still sluggishly bleeding, and only just holding himself standing. Ed’s face barely moves at seeing him, but his eyes run through emotion after emotion that Stede reads like an open book: fear, concern, hope, joy, anger, determination. He whirls back around to face his challenger and seems to speak louder, perhaps for Stede’s sake? Impossible. Ed wasn’t here for him, really. He doesn’t want me.
“What do you want, dog?” Blackbeard spits out venomously. Ingram seems downright giddy at Ed’s anger. He bows cordially, and draws his own sword.
“My aim is a simple one, Blackbeard, sir. A sword fight to the death.” Ingram drawls, “I want to be the man who beats Blackbeard.”
Ed scoffs, “What makes you think you can ever beat me?”
“I learned to fight from Israel Hands himself when I was young, and I can beat him handily.”
Stede knew very little of Izzy’s history, but Ed had once mentioned how Izzy would sometimes take on a student on Hornigold’s ship, but stopped after too many of them died during Hornigold’s “final test”. Izzy is the best swordsman on the sea; he’s also nowhere to be found, Stede notices.
At this cursory glance he sees Oluwande and Jim climbing out of a dinghy and up to the deck. It suddenly makes sense. Ed is here because Stede’s crew convinced him to help them, not because Ed is actually trying to save Stede. He still doesn’t want me. His mind whispers.
Ed seems shaken by the knowledge that he will be up against a successful student of Izzy’s, so he begins surveying the ship, eyes darting around, subtly searching for an advantage, “And if I refuse?”
Ingram shrugs, “We kill Bonnet in front of you and attack your ship.” Ed’s eyes snap to Ingram’s face with deadly fire burning behind his irises, “I hear the Gentleman Pirate is special to you, though, he claimed you wouldn’t come for him so… maybe killing him won’t be as much of a bargaining chip as I had hoped. Either way, this is meant to be an honorable duel. I don’t take my bounties without a clean fight.”
Before the last word escaped Ingram’s mouth, Ed’s blade hit his opponents with a clang.
“No!” It comes ringing from Stede’s mouth almost as loudly as the clash of metal to his own ears. Ed glances up once to Stede before focusing back on his target. Ed and Ingram begin circling one another at a slow, terrifying pace.
“Don’t do this, Ed! Just go! Run!” Stede keeps shouting. It’s like no one can hear him, locked in suspended animation. Stede looks around wildly, and sees Ingram’s crew watching their captain with pride. Jim and Oluwande are creeping slowly towards the stairs to reach Stede until two of Ingram’s men level weapons at them and they freeze.
All at once the only three people left on earth are Stede, Ed, and the villain between them.
Suddenly, that delicate suspension breaks and Ingram thrusts and slashes with speed and precision. Ed parries and dodges, but is given no opening to do more than defend himself.
Stede rips and pulls against his ties, screams rise from his throat directed at Ed, at Ingram, at the goddamn sea gods themselves to not let Ed’s life be taken like this.
“I’m not worth it, Ed. Please, I won’t live without him, please !” He hears his own pathetic voice warble.
Something about his last desperate “please” makes Ingram lose his footing and gives Ed a chance to finally get the upper hand. Stede’s mission is suddenly to distract Ingram as much as possible. Ingram seems torn between strategizing and barking out an order to silence Stede. If he gives the order, Ed will have a massive opening, if he doesn’t, Stede will make sure that he is distracted. As the rest of the world creeps back into Stede’s vision, he notices more of his crew carefully disposing of Ingram’s rapt crew.
The more attention he can divert the better. His world narrows back to Ed when he hears a loud thump of Ed rolling to dodge Ingram’s swing.
Ingram is getting desperate, not used to a challenge. He’s stocky and powerful, while Ed makes sure to stay fast and lithe. However, this dodge roll lands Ed on his worse knee, and he takes a moment too long to move again. Ingram gets a slash in, cutting a slice in the long sleeve of Ed’s leather jacket.
The insurmountable fear of that split second pulls agonized screams from Stede once again. Let Ingram get cocky. That’s when he’s weak. Just as Stede suspected, Ingram is using Stede’s agony as a barometer for victory. Ingram slows his strikes as if he’s toying with his mark and slowly begins adding more flashes of confidence. Stede practically feels Ed on the same page as himself, even across the deck. His movements have become sloppier, riskier, letting Ingram seal his own doom by underestimating his opponent. Stede’s voice grows hoarse with the ferocity of his pleading until he’s wracked with dry, heaving, retching sobs. Quiet and horribly painful. Even if there is a cunning reason beneath the wailing, the pain in his gut remains that Ed is only doing this because of Stede’s crew, or perhaps a misplaced sense of duty. All he can do is watch and hope he’s done enough.
Ingram says something, sharp and evil, and Ed’s ferocity grows stronger again. Blackbeard is the man in that leather uniform suddenly, and Blackbeard doesn’t lose. The two men end up swapping places in the flurry, and Stede watches with satisfaction as Ingram finally realizes his own folly. Blackbeard gets a stab in Ingram’s left flank, high enough to hit a lung, and the villain falls to his knees as Blackbeard turns to the Kraken.
The Kraken lands a heavy kick at Ingram’s nose and jaw, the man falls heavily on his side. With cold, empty eyes the Kraken steps on Ingram’s wounded chest, watching the blood and air gurgle and bubble out. Finally, Ed’s dagger is in the hand of the Kraken and with one swift, wet-cracking noise Ingram’s throat is cut. The rest of reality comes crashing down as Jim rushes to Ed’s side and takes the dagger from his hand, getting him away from the dead captain.
As the rest of Ingram’s and Stede’s crew begin to clear away the dead body, Oluwande appears in front of Stede with water. Stede slugs down as much as he can, and feels some of it dripping down his chest. And with his heart and throat calmed, he is still crying soft, slow tears. Partly from the relief that he didn’t lose Ed, but partly the pain of knowing he was about to walk away again, too. Oluwande says something Stede can’t make out disappears again. Ed starts running up the deck towards Stede, his warm hands resting heavy on Stede’s shoulders the moment he reaches him.
“Are you okay, Stede? How badly did he hurt you?”
Ed’s gaze holds concern and kindness. Something he thought he’d never see from Ed again. The softness makes something in Stede’s chest crack apart and his heart break all over again.
Stede whimpers and the levee breaks.
“Why did you fight him, Ed? You said so yourself, you never wanted to see me again. I mean… I’m obviously happy to see you but,” a wet sob finally broke free from his lungs, “I can’t bear the thought of you walking away again. Not after you fought that man and saved my life. Please, my love.” A tear slips down Ed’s cheek, “Please kiss me before you leave. Just once more, then you can go and you never have to think of me again.” Ed’s hands shake as he reaches up to hold Stede’s face and wipe his tears away.
“No, Stede. I can’t.” Another sob escaped Stede’s throat. “I can’t just kiss you once and leave.”
The tension of the moment hangs in painful limbo, with Ed holding his jaw, eyes darting around his face like he’s not sure what to look at first.
Suddenly Ed pecks hard kisses to Stede’s cheeks, his forehead, his chin, and Stede sees his impossibly warm brown eyes full of fear and more unshed tears. As his hands cradle Stede’s face again, another whine passes Stede’s lips. “Because I’m never leaving your side as long as I live, silly man.” Stede gasps and leans his head forwards, landing on Ed’s sternum. Ed starts running his fingers gently through Stede’s hair at his temples. “I thought you were dead. Again. I had heard about the jungle cat in Bridgetown before you got back to the Revenge, but I was still so angry then, I couldn’t fathom that you really wanted to stay with me. Then when Jim found me in Nassau a couple days ago and said you had been taken, it broke me. I thought I had really lost you this time. I can’t… Stede, I won’t survive losing you again.” Finally, finally Ed tilts Stede’s head back up and slots their mouths together.
He wants me.
Stede leans in as much as the ropes will allow as their bodies connect from lips to legs. Even their shoes line up and touch. Ed’s hands sweep down exposed neck and arms in reverence, careful of the torn and bloody parts, until he reaches those ropes at his wrists and finally breaks the kiss to untie him.
His well-worn dagger slices through the ropes at the mast and Stede’s knees can finally buckle all the way to the ground. Ed catches what he can of Stede but ends up looking down at him as Stede leans his back against the mast. He looks up and into Ed’s eyes and is suddenly hurdled back to the moment they met.
“Blackbeard, I presume?” He hopes his shredded voice carries the joke well enough.
Ed sniffs a laugh and crouches in front of Stede, “You’ve heard of me?” he jokes back, his arms pulling Stede into a careful cradle.
Like a bride. His semi-delirious mind provides.
Hoisted in the air, he finishes the exchange with Ed, “Oh yes, I’ve heard all about you.”
Just before he finally lets exhaustion take him in the dinghy, he hears the smallest whisper in his ear,
“I love you too, Stede.”