The Accidental Seduction of Edward Teach by Stede Bonnet, Gentleman Pirate

Chapter 36 - Aflame

Ed had entered one of his dark fugue states the moment Gilbert made him make his mark on the Act of Grace. He had sleepwalked through the duties of becoming a crewmember, including a change of clothes and being assigned a bunk.

Despite Ed being certain they would leave immediately, the El Salvador was still at anchor.

And he had been summoned by the Captain.

Ed's leathers had been stripped away and dropped into a box, and he'd been given the same generic linen trousers and shirt the others wore. He was still under escort, though it seemed only for the comfort of the rest of the crew. Gilbert was not stupid enough to think one armed guard would be enough if he decided to escape.

"Where the hell is La Sirena? They are overdue almost two days now. We have merchandise to load before we can sail out."

"Don't know, Captain. But there was a storm recorded a few days ago. It's possible they took damage."

Gilbert grunted, then motioned to the man he was speaking to when he saw Ed at the door. Almost immediately, his demeanor shifted. He smiled and motioned inwards, "Come in, come in, Mr. Teach."

The crewmember giving the report to Gilbert avoided Ed's gaze as he shouldered past. He closed the door behind him.

"You wanted to see me?" Ed mumbled.

"Yes. Yes I did." Gilbert stepped up to Ed and straightened his collar. "Looking more like a proper sailor now. The hair can stay, but the beard, that will have to go. Sit."

Ed glared darkly at the other man, but he sat.

Gilbert pulled out a shaving kit. Or rather, the kit had implements for shaving, but Ed recognized a torturer's toolkit when he saw one.

He used to own one himself.

"I wanted to make clear the terms of our deal that was not explicitly laid out in the contract you have made with my king," said Gilbert as he ran his thumb over the razor blade. He filled a small basin with soap, lathered it, and splashed a cursory bit on Ed's cheeks. He felt the man's meaty hands on his shoulders, then one of them lifted to steady his jaw. "You will not be a simple deckhand. No, your talents would be wasted..."

Ed felt the blade skip along his cheek, shaving the short beard down to the skin.

When Stede had trimmed his beard, that was at Ed's request, to cut away pieces of his dark past. It had been intimate, sweet, loving.

This, this was different. This was a man trying to remove a piece of him.

Gilbert flicked his wrist and sent a spray of hair and soap across the deck. Then he slid the blade down again. The shave was close, but he wasn't breaking the skin. But Ed knew that even the smallest twitch would draw his own blood.

"I have heard stories of your Israel Hands. Your perro de ataque. Your attack dog. That will be your role for me." Gilbert slid the blade down again. This time, he pressed hard enough to knick Ed's cheekbone. "Cross me...and this deal is not only off, but I will see to it that the bounty on the Revenge is tripled and that a dozen of the worst bounty hunters are set on your lover's heels. Die..." he flicked his wrist again. "...and the deal is likewise off. He lives only as long as you do. Which, I hope for you both..." he chuckled darkly, "...is a good long while. As I have such plans for you."

Gilbert circled around in front of Ed and tilted his chin up. The gesture was full of sinister intent, especially since moments later, he slid the blade down Ed's neck, cutting into his adam's apple.

Ed just sat there, face stinging, eyes dead and dark. He had felt despair many times in his life, but never was the pit so deep than the one he stood on the precipice of. This time, he'd not only hurt himself. He knew Stede would never move on, would never stop trying to get him back. And if Gilbert was the kind of many he highly suspected him to be, he would face a nightmare.

Ed knew, because he'd once been Gilbert, just with no loyalty to any king. He knew the lengths he would go to secure someone's submission.

"I should really thank Captain Bonnet, you know. I have long dreamed of having Blackbeard under my heel," said Gilbert as he dragged the blade through the soapy water. "You have eluded so many because you cared for no one." He leaned in close to Ed's face and slid the razor very slowly down his cheek. "But now, I have your leash. I know love when I see it. It makes men foolish and stupid and weak. You avoided being one of those for so long, but..." he laughed and extended his arms. "No longer! Much to my joy. Edward, we will have such fun together."

Gilbert straightened and then pressed the razorblade into Ed's hand. "Finish the rest yourself."

Ed looked down at the blade. He wanted to slit Gilbert's throat from ear to ear, then open up his own wrists, but he knew if he did, he'd be condemning Stede to certain death. So instead, he just murmured, "Yes, sir."

—

Ed stared at his freshly-shaved face in Gilbert's mirror. He hadn't seen his own bare cheeks in over twenty years. He was a babyface in his youth, described as pretty by his crewmates. That wasn't a thing that kept you alive and safe, so he started to build the persona of Blackbeard quite young. His face was riddled with knicks from Gilbert's hatchet shaving job, but Ed had managed to clean it up.

Ed didn't recognize his own face between the lack of facial hair and the hollow look in his eyes. He ran his finger over the razor and went to set it down.

Just as he was about to close Gilbert's kit, he heard shouts from the deck. Ed slid the razor into his pocket and stepped towards the deck.

The sailors were scrambling about. There was an acrid, black smoke on the wind.

"Quickly, get that fucking anchor up!" roared Gilbert.

On the horizon was a ship that Ed didn't recognize, her decks ablaze. She had caught a strong headwind from the mouth of the bay and the momentum was sending her on a straight collision course with El Salvador. The smaller ship's mermaid masthead was engulfed in flames.

And behind them came two ships sailing at full tilt into the bay. Even from a distance, Ed recognized the Osprey, Greaves' ship, and her sister ship, the Swift. Then the two ships parted and a third came up alongside.

Ed would recognize the Revenge anywhere.

The crewmembers of El Salvador managed to weigh anchor and drop the sails, but it was too late. The smoking wreck of La Sirena collided with the galleon broadside, causing the massive ship to list in the water.

Ed grabbed hold of a rope for support, Many of the other sailors were not as lucky. Some were thrown overboard, others were injured by cargo that was not yet secured.

Flames leapt from one ship to the other, crawling up roofs and setting the aft sail alight. Smoke billowed across the galleon's deck.

Then a firebomb was launched from somewhere, smacking against the topsail. The white-hot fire ate through it like paper.

"Man the batteries! Man the fucking batteries!"

Ed heard Gilbert before he saw the shape of the man through the smoke.

Suddenly, the razorblade was in his hand. He felt the fight return to him like he'd just drunk deep from a cold waterfall pool on a secluded island.

Ed charged forward through the smoke towards Gilbert as the three ships closed on the burning Spanish galleon and the crack of cannonfire rang in his ears.