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The map must be of sand and can’t be read by ordinary light - Chapter 1 - cheesecake3, heavenorwhatever, veeagainst - Our Flag Means Death (TV) [Archive of Our Own]
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
![Getting to the trailhead was easier than Ed imagined it would be. Somehow he assumed it would come with questioning strangers and interruptions and something stopping him entirely. A missed bus. A closed road. A car crash.
The universe seems wholly uninterested in one Ed Teach, however, and he finds himself standing at the weather-worn trailhead sign, images depicting safety hazards one would expect to encounter. Sharp drops. Loose rocks. Bears. The uzhe.
It’s a rarely-used trail, purposefully selected for exactly that reason. Not trying to ruin some family’s Sunday outing.
It heads due east, distinctly away from the enormous lake he visited twice as a kid. Doesn’t want memories of his mother clouding his judgment now. Plus, it’s not like the water holds an escape for him anymore anyway. Playing pirates, dreaming of a life of intrigue on the high seas? That was fun at 8. Leave it where it lies, Teach.
He’s slammed with a memory of a dream with Stede. Of racing leaf boats down their [rainbow] stream, chasing along the bank as the boats dipped and swirled in the currents, taking on water and tipping precariously over rushing waterfalls. Of waking up the next morning and naming those boats, drawing pictures and imagining backstories of pirate explorers, conquering ocean waves and terrible storms at Stede’s side. The world had felt so big then. The possibilities had felt so tangible. He felt like he could have reached out and grabbed Stede by the hand, pulled him right out of that world and into…what? Your world? Hardly.
Even then, Ed knew Stede didn’t belong in his world. Ed’s world was harsh and angry. Stede deserved softness and color. Stede was safer left waiting in Ed’s subconscious, ready when Ed needed gentle joy on another night.
But the possibilities could have been real, his inner voice helpfully supplies.
“Fuck that,” Ed tells whatever tree creatures might be listening.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4c26a5ybgrmqod47li7tstox/bafkreicej533bhdhgbntb3w5beq5hwg34ul6geo5h6eadt22o33hmhzdni)
![Story #11
Title: in morte ultima veritas
Main Relationship(s): Ed/Stede, Ed/Stede/Izzy [in any configuration]
Main Character(s): Stede Bonnet, Edward Teach, Izzy Hands
Rating: E (Includes explicit scenes)
Genre: Angst, Horror, Dead Dove
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage Sex, Ambiguous Ending, Necrophilia, DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT, Murderer Stede Bonnet, Rapist Stede Bonnet, Murderer Blackbeard | Edward Teach, Izzy Hands Is 16, Trans Izzy
Word Count: 7590
Completeness: 6](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:l6hlm4bh5ysghcgibhfj3hlv/bafkreifcq2hkwzoqhw56q6rvqoepmrqhvv3gklqv7ikgs25doisjf2binm)
