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

Chapter 37 - Revenge

Everything was on fire.

The once-peaceful island bay was a battlefield. Ed's ears rang with the sound of cannonfire. His lungs burned with the smoke from burning wood and sails. He strode forward and hooked his foot under the blade of a fallen privateer and popped it up into his bandaged hand. His other hand held the razor stolen from Gilbert's quarters. The man himself stood near the ship's wheel, shouting orders at his crew. Everything was clouded in smoke, but Ed could see his quarry plainly.

Ed wasted no time in raising his blade to charge and slash the rapier along Gilbert's back, cutting through the man's jacket and drawing first blood in a shower of crimson.

Gilbert wheeled around, hand on his blade faster than Ed would have given him credit for. The two men crossed blades with a twang that reverberated over the battle.

Ed was reminded rather quickly that unlike naval officers who were landed gentry given commissions, privateers earned their captaincy through skill and intimidation. Ed dropped back onto his wrong foot and had to use all his strength to hold back, then deflect a powerful blow.

"What have you and your band of idiots done, Teach?" roared Gilbert. "You needed fewer enemies, and this has assured you will have many more." He slashed out, cutting deep along Ed's shoulder.

Ed had turned instinctively to take the blow on the arm that was usually protected by leather. But he was wearing only simple linens, and the sword bit through it like it wasn't there at all. Ed parried with a swift strike, but he couldn't break the other man's defenses.

Gilbert stabbed at Ed's midsection, but Ed was too fast. Ed swung around and smashed the butt of his sword and his fist across the privateer captain's nose. He felt the satisfying crunch of breaking bone and bending cartilage and felt hot blood spray against his face.

Gilbert recovered from the blow with surprising speed. The captain, his mighty ship in ruins, was now fueled by rage and adrenaline. There was fire in his eyes as all self-control slipped away.

Just as Ed was raising his blade for another attack, figures spilled across from La Sirena to El Salvador. He could see now that the ship wasn't on fire at all. There were barrels of burning cloth and wood on the deck, and lanterns in strategic places so it would look from a distance like a ship on fire. But what it really was, was a Trojan horse laden with pirates.

"Band of geniuses if you ask me," said Ed as he realized the full extent of the fuckery that had taken place.

Ed saw Wee John's imposing bulk first as the fire-obsessed big man launched a firebomb at one of the few of El Salvador's sails not already ablaze. He was quickly followed by a mix of familiar and unfamiliar pirates who rushed to engage the privateers with swords and clubs, knives and axes.

The two captains circled each other, each bleeding with the few good hits they'd landed.

Gilbert charged first, telegraphing his motions out of rage. Ed sidestepped, but the man whirled on the spot, grabbed his wrist, and slammed his knee up. The move would have hurt like hell under normal circumstances, but the privateer managed to strike right on the worst of the wound from the too-tight cuffs. Try as he might to keep a grip, he lost hold of his sword and slammed against the ship's wheel.

Gilbert swished the rapier in the air and pointed the deadly blade at Ed's chest. His face was coated in blood, his nose visibly askew. "Well, it looks like I'll be collecting the bounty on you after all." He spat blood and lunged forward.

Ed swung out of the way and dropped to his knees. He twisted around the deck, slashing at Gilbert's achilles tendon with the razor in his hand, severing it cleanly in one brutal stroke.

Gilbert collapsed to the deck in a howl of pain. One hand gripped at the new wound, the other kept hold of his rapier.

Ed smoothly got to his feet and walked over to him. He stepped down hard on the wrist holding the sword. Bones crunched beneath his heel in a way Ed found deeply satisfying. He kept pressing down until Gilbert opened his hand, at which point, he kicked the sword away.

Then, slowly, he leaned down and lifted the razor up to Gilbert's throat. He could feel the mask of the Kraken slip over his face as he fixed dark eyes on the privateer captain. He loomed over the other man and flicked the razor around in his hand. The blade caught a flash of firelight.

And then Ed saw it - the fear in Gilbert's eyes that had until that moment, had been absent. Something about the screams around them, the fire in the air or the look of supreme deadly confidence in the man known as Blackbeard seemed to leak the fight right out of him.

"I think it's time for you to have a close shave, Captain Gilbert," drawled Ed. He pressed the blade up against Gilbert's cheek, the blade biting into the skin. He had just begun the process of flaying the first bit of flesh from the man's face when he caught sight of something on his hand. Part of the bloody bandage had fallen away, revealing smeared, but still visible flowing handwriting.

Ed stared at it. He'd had it long enough that he now recognized what a letter 'S' looked like. His hand flexed and he hesitated.

In that moment, Gilbert reached for a knife on his belt and raised it to plunge into Ed's heart. But he was stopped short by a rapier thrust that exploded from his back. His hand twitched and he dropped the knife, then he doubled over.

There was Stede, bloody and disheveled, who struggled to pull the rapier out of Gilbert's back. He looked shocked at what he'd done. "Oh. Oh my. That went right in, didn't it?"

The moment Ed saw Stede, all his bravado, but also all his despair evaporated. He got shakily to his feet and lunged towards him. He fell into the other man's arms and gripped him like a drowning man.

Stede was more stalwart and strong than Ed would have thought him capable of. He held Ed up and embraced him back, then tilted his chin up to kiss him full and deep.

All around them, the battle continued to rage. The crew of the Revenge formed up around them, deflecting privateers from interrupting their captains' moment.

Jim threw knives with deadly accuracy, taking out eyes and skewering sword arms. Buttons bit deep into a man's neck and tore a bloody chunk out. Olu bashed a man's skull in with one solid hit. Lucius tripped a charging man and Pete slit his throat.

And in the middle of the chaos, Stede dipped his husband back to the deck like something out of a fairytale. Only adrenaline and strength of will allowed him to hold him like that. Time extended as flames ate through sails and blunderbuss fire flashed. Then Stede set Ed right again and the passionate kiss turned more sweet.

Ed's face was streaked with tears and blood. He pawed at Stede's face like he was checking to see that he was real. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm..."

"Shh, darling. Don't worry. We'll fight about it later."

Ed laughed through a choked sob and kissed Stede's cheek. Then he glanced sidelong to Gilbert. He scooped up a rapier and walked over to the man and placed the point of the sword under his chin. "On the off-chance you survive and you dare come after...oh..." he tilted his head, then gave Gilbert a few pokes with the sword. "Never mind. He's dead."

"I killed him?" said Stede with a squeak.

"Looks like. Shame. I had a whole speech about not daring to come after us."

"I'm sure it would've been very scary and intimidating. Next time?" said Stede as he patted Ed on the shoulder.

"You know...I didn't think you'd want me to kill him. But then you did."

"If there's one thing I've learned from you, Ed dear, is that some men deserve the business end of a sword!"

Ed grunted in agreement and stepped back to survey the situation. The privateers - those who were left - had surrendered and were on their knees. The Osprey sailed up along one side with Greaves on deck. The Revenge was on the other side, and Izzy gave Ed a nod.

"I think it's over, Ed," murmured Stede as he slid back into the other man's arms.

And for the first time in far too long, Ed let himself smile.