Stede pulled on his boots to avoid tearing them to shreds too. While standing up something shiny caught his eye. It was sticking out of the wall near his side of the bed. The knife. It embedded an inch into the wood.
Ed threw the knife. He threw the knife before the Kraken could cut my throat with it...
With a fresh round of tears flooding his eyes, Stede tripped his way to the kitchen and slipped, catching himself just before falling on his face. He looked around and discovered the walls sticky and splattered with all the marmalade they had brought home yesterday. Along with it was the leftover stew, the water and wine in puddles on the floor and the bread stomped into them, creating a soggy gloop. The distinct sound of fluttering paper came from the living room; his books were scattered all over, their loose pages gently drifting here and there.
No food. No wine or water. His books destroyed again.
"Damn you...damn you..." Stede muttered over and over as he gathered every knife in the place, slipping one into his boot before he rolled the rest of them in a towel, and tucked it away on top of the bookshelf, pushing it back far enough to where it couldn't easily be in anyone's line of sight. Then he picked several splinters out of his palms, got a pitcher and some glasses and set them out in the rain to have at least some water on hand.
Fuck you, Kraken. Fuck you!
Stede found another towel and held it under the rain long enough to get damp, then shuffled back to the bedroom. Ed was still unconscious, hadn't moved a muscle, red still dribbling from his nose and lip. Gently dabbing at Ed's streaked face, Stede eventually uncovered the tan skin, the shaving nicks from the day before, the fresh swelling around his nose.
You're down but you're not out. Please, Ed. Please let that be true...
Edward Teach collapsed in the doorway of the lighthouse, bloody and exhausted, head resting against the door, his breath coming and going in short shallow gulps. The Kraken had beat on the door and screamed various threats for what seemed like hours afterward. The door held. Eventually the threats stopped.
Drifting, Ed slipped between dreams, standing on the deck of his ship with Izzy by his side, the sun beating down on his weathered face. Passing the pot of marmalade to Stede, the sweet taste of orange still on his tongue. Crying when he believed Stede was gone forever. How long is forever? Ed asked. Nobody answered. I'm not Blackbeard anymore. What am I now? I'm Ed, but who is Ed, really? Is anyone listening to me? Still no answer. The silence persisted, wafting around him like a draft. Am I talking out loud. I can't tell. I can't tell if I really care anymore either...
Then there was a noise, buzzing around like a sluggish fly. Far away, vaguely annoying, but it was getting closer, along with the distinctive sound of footsteps.
Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is "La vie en rose"
Just another dream, Ed thought listlessy, trying to push the noise away, wanting the silence back so he could drift away again, so he didn't have to feel the pain throbbing in his nose, the deep ache in his bones, the pounding in his head, so he didn't have to see The Kraken again.
The Kraken looks just like me.
But he isn't me. I'm Edward Teach, whatever that means...
The sea was before him again, wide open, as far as he could see and then some. The sea that he once ruled. The sea that didn't judge. It was close, so close. Nobody could hurt him there, not again. The blue water flowed over his hand, so warm, it was all his...
Stede? Where is Stede? I don't want to be alone again.
The noise was back, dragging him away from the water. Louder now. Much louder. Someone else was there with him.
When you kiss me, heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes
I see "La vie en rose"
Izzy sat down, his face level with Ed's. "Are you going to sit there forever?"
Ed didn't answer. He turned away and rested his head against the door, sweat pooling in the small of his back. The monster was on the other side of the door. So close yet so far. How long will the door hold? Was it enough? Would he be able to keep the light on? Is he safe? Is Stede safe? Would they ever be safe again...
Yes, the door will hold. Even if it kills me.
"Answer me, Edward." It was a demand, not a request. Izzy's voice carried an undercurrent of annoyance, like a storm on the horizon threatening to overtake a ship.
Using all of his energy Ed finally managed to gasp, "How long have I been here?"
"Too long," Izzy rasped. "It's time to get up."
Ed tried to laugh but it hurt too much. "I'm not in any shape to stand right now."
"Edward, you know I love you. But if you don't get up right now, I'm going to kick your ass worse than The Kraken ever did."
"I can't...I can't..." The words came out as a wheeze. The memories floated like fog back into view and circled him like the winds of a waterspout: The Kraken threatening, screaming; Ed screaming back; Stede cowering, red splattered over the pristine white he was wearing. The light, blinding him, blinding the monster, forcing him to run away...
Izzy stood up, looming over him like a cliff over a rowboat.
When did Izzy get so big? Or was I always this small?
"You can and you will stand up. Do it. Now."
"Izzy-"
"Do you hear that, Edward?" The former Blackbeard strained to hear because his ears were still ringing. In the distance he could hear weeping. "That's Stede, crying over you."
"Stede...," Ed choked as the thousands of shards of his shattered heart pierced his chest. Stede...Stede was hurt...Still hurting..Stede...
"Tomorrow isn't guaranteed, Ed, Not for a pirate. We both knew that from the start. But it's not guaranteed for anyone else either. My time has passed, Ed, but there's someone else who needs you. Now get your sorry ass up and be with him."
Ed held out a hand. "Help me up."
Izzy took a step back, shaking his head, his mouth pursed into a dissaproving frown. "No. You have to do this yourself. You're still the man whose side I was proud to be on all those years ago. You're the man Stede needs now. Are you listening to me? Stede needs you. Get on your feet."
Ed swallowed hard and grabbed the door handle, and was halfway up before his grip slipped, the short fall rattling his aching body, pain like a thousand hot pokers on his skin. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the door handle with both hands and pulled himself up, legs shaking, skull throbbing to the point he thought it was caving in. The short distance felt like a thousand miles to the top of the highest mountain, the minutes like a hundred lifetimes.
Izzy beamed brightly. "Ah...there he is. There's my Ed. There's the man I'm proud of."
"I'm a wreck, Izzy." Ed swayed in the doorway as wave of dizziness threatened to overtake him. He held on with an iron grip, eyes closed, taking slow, deep breaths until the threat passed.
"It's nothing that won't heal," Izzy reassured him, taking Ed's arm, letting the other man lean on him for balance. "You're covered with scars. What's a few more?"
"Retirement is supposed to be quiet."
"I wouldn't know." Izzy's gazed over Ed's shoulder. "A lighthouse, huh? Nice touch."
"I figured you'd think so."
"Is that door secure?"
"I'm sure."
"You'd better hope so. For Stede's sake as well as yours."
"I know. I know."
Izzy clucked his tongue. "Alright. Go check on Stede already. If you need me you know where to find me. I always did enjoy our conversations...when you weren't cutting off my toes, anyway."
Izzy turned and walked into the darkness. Ed watched until he couldn't hear the clomp of his boots anymore.
"Stede!" Ed gasped. It took a few seconds to get his bearings, to realize he was on the bedroom floor.
"Ed!" Warm, soft hands grabbed at his face. Ed grasped Stede's wrists and held on for dear life. "It's you...it's really you..."
"It's me," Ed assured. Stedes hands were so smooth. He indulged in the touch for a minute. "The Kraken is gone. He's locked away. It's safe."
"The Kraken is locked away?"
"Yes."
Stede's brow furrowed in confusion. "You said something like that earlier. What does it mean?"
"Exactly what I said, Stede. I mean he's locked away," Ed explained, threading his fingers with Stede's. The blond man's touch was so warm, so grounding. "He's in the lighthouse. Izzy was right...monsters hate the light. They run away from it. He ran away away from it, the miserable cockroach. Now he's trapped by it. How appropriate..." Ed's voice dissolved into soft laughter.
Tthe steady patter of rain came roaring back. Ed noted that the light in the window was low and gray. "How long...how long was I out?"
"Most of the day." Stede gave Ed's hand a light squeeze. "The sun is going down. Are you okay, Ed? You're not making much sense."
"As fine as I'll ever be." The bed towered over him like the lighthouse door. The distance seemed just as high. It took a minute but Ed conquered the distance again. He sat on the bed, waiting for the world to right itself again. When he finally opened his eyes he noticed Stede on the other side of the room, looking guilty and unsure.
"Why are you over there?" Ed asked quietly.
Stede didn't answer. He just stared at this boots like they were suddenly the most fascinating thing in the world.
"Why are you over there, Stede?"
The blond man looked up, his face red, blotchy and puffy.
How many hours did he spend crying for me? Ed thought.
Looking closer, Ed saw the bloody nightshirt still hung from Stede's frame, the stains now dried to a dark brown. More dark blood was crusted around his swollen nose, a bruise blooming across his right cheek.
"He keeps coming out of nowhere, Ed. He was going to kill me this time." Stede nodded at the wall. Ed looked over at the knife sticking out like an absurd decoration.
The room was still littered with the remains of The Kraken's wrath. There were piles of splinters and glass in the corners; Stede had swept up a little. The empty wine bottle and shreds of the black cravat remained. Darks drips of blood stained the floor.
"I stopped him, Stede," Ed said, noting how weak his voice sounded.
"You stopped him this time," Stede erupted. The fury echoing in his voice made Ed wince. "What happens next time?"
"There isn't going to be a next time."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I told you, he's locked in the lighthouse."
"You keep saying that!" Stede shouted, enraged and confused, the words hitting Ed like a slap. "It means nothing to me! What the hell are you talking about?"
Ed whipped his head around, bring a fresh round of pain and dizziness. Fighting it off, he said, "It means he's locked away, Stede." Pausing to tap his temple, he continued, "He's locked up, I promise. He's not getting out. This is where he was born, this is where he will die. I will not let him hurt you again."
"How do you know that?"
"I made a big mistake in underestimating him," Ed said faintly, his voice barely louder than the rain. "I admit it. I fucked up, big time. We both paid for it. I never meant for any of this to happen, not to you. I never thought he go completely berserk like this. That was my big mistake. But he made a bigger mistake. He underestimated me and you. " Tapping his temple again, Ed went on, "He's in the lighthouse in here."
Stede nodded slowly. He was still distant, unsure, but his anger had faded.
"Look at me, Stede," When the blond man met his eyes, Ed spoke again, his voice louder, more firm, speaking like the captain he was, the captain that would never leave even if he never set foot on a ship again. "You told me to look for the lighthouse, and I did. I found it. It's you. You're the light guiding me back to safety. You're the light The Kraken ran away from. You're the reason the door to the lighthouse will stay locked." Ed held out a tattooed hand. "You're going to have to trust me."
Stede's breath hitched. Ed could see his conflicted feelings and resolve circling like a whirpool, draining slowly.
"You can trust me, Stede."
In a flash Steded crossed the room, his grip so tight on Ed's hand the bones began grinding. The iron grip released from Ed's hand and wrapped around his shoulders, Stede sobbing into the crook of his neck. Ed sobbed right along with him. In the back of his mind he could hear The Kraken shouting and banging on the door again. Ed ignored him and continued to hold the man he loved more than anything. They sat on the edge of the bed, slowly rocking back and forth, their sobs dissolving into each other and then dissolving into the rain, the last of the daylight slipping behind the sea.