Every happy ending has a beginning.
Before the famous Blackbeard, before the romance with a certain Gentleman Pirate, Edward Teach was a young waif, thirteen years old, blood on his hands and the life at sea as a pirate his only escape. Life under the clever but cold Ben Hornigold isn't easy, and less so for the youngest member of the crew who can't seem to stay out of trouble. It takes all of Edward's wit, cunning, and sheer tenacity just to survive, let alone find his own way in the world full of people who want to keep him in his place.
Never Shall We Die is an epic story full of adventure and freedom, wild joy, crushing despair, friends, enemies, mentors and lovers... Watch as Edward Teach grows from a boy to a man, discovering himself and honing his skills to become the greatest pirate the world has ever known.
Genre:Ā Gen
Type:Ā Exploring Ed's Hornigold Era backstory and how his choices and the weight of the world shaped him - both for the better... and the worse.
Warnings: Darker themes, violence, blood, trauma, Edward being an absolute menace to himself and others, cursing.
Updates: Monthly
Chapter Thirty-Four: Death Head Rising A month has passed and Ed and the inhabitants of the Adventure are nearing the colonies and a new adventure. Ed is determined for Death Head to make his debut. After a month of smash and grab raids, he's also not the only one looking for some action and brings him no closer to figuring out who Death Head is. In order to find that he must learn what it is he wants, what he needs to hold onto, and what he needs to let go of; and he will, no matter what the cost.
Read at A03
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Chapter One: Ā The Boy After all is said and done, the only place left for Edward is a wild unpredictable life at sea. Being a pirate under Captain Hornigold is not easy, becoming a pirate is even harder and Edward is not entirely sure he can do this.
Chapter Two: Demon Born Everyone tells him to know his place until Edward is sick of hearing it. And his place right now is in the bilges. He doesn't have status, he doesn't have strength, he doesn't have anything that will help him rise above just a petty drudge that will probably be dead soon. ...or does he?
Chapter Three: Red Skies Edward is determined to become something more than he is, even though he's the youngest and with little respect. As he navigates his way with crew and secrets to a better standing, other forces on the ship are conspiring around him to keep him down. A storm is brewing and Edward sits in the center of it.
Chapter Four: The Turning Tide Part I Edward wakes up to find that though much has changed, much has remained the same. But time and tides wait for no one, and soon Edward will have a choice to make- whether to head toward the safety of shore, or be entirely swept out to sea.
Chapter Five: The Turning Tide Part II In the town of Paradise, Edward has decisions to make, and as ugly truths come to light, he has to decide whether he is going to listen to the voices of others or carve his own path, no matter what course it takes.
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Chapter Six: This Side of Paradise Ed is growing, whether he likes it or not. At 15-years-old dealing with his own changes and the changes of his friends are hard enough; but when Hornigold is forced to sail with the notorious Captain Flint to take down the Leviathan, Ed is going to find change is a lot harder and comes a lot faster than he is prepared for. Chapter Seven: The Sea-Dog and the Walrus Life aboard Flint's ship is even more annoying in on the Ranger. And even worse with the notorious quartermaster going by John Silver. Ed doesn't know what the old swashbuckler has planned, but can't completely trust him. As they draw closer to a sea battle that could change their fates, Ed must ferret out his enemies and learn to dance with his allies. Chapter Eight: Against the Rising Tide As the plans to capture the Dorter come to a head, Ed is determined now more than ever to learn how to dance and sway people the same way Feliciano does. If he can, he's sure that Hornigold will see his worth But dancing comes with a high price and Ed might have to sacrifice parts of himself to pay it. He has to work harder... Be better... ...And give up more. Chapter Nine: The Devil's Eye On the run from the Princess Anne, Ed and the combined crews on the Dorter have no choice but to flee into the dangerous waters of the Devil's Eye. With the drunk Bill Bones in charge and Jack and Davenport uncertain in their command, it falls upon Ed to figure out where to go, what to do, and how to make it happen while navigating the waters of everyone's pride. But a storm is brewing among the crew, and the greatest danger of the Devil's Eye may well come from within. At Childhood's End Sometimes growing up means leaving things behind (ch. 10-13) Chapter Ten: At Chilhood's End Part I: Storm Warning In order to leave the Devil's Eye, the Princess Anne needs to be scuttled- and Ed is determined to be the one to scuttle it, no matter what he has to do. But the storm that's brewing among the crew is growing stronger, and when it breaks... Chapter Eleven: At Childhood's End Part II: Storm Rising Free of the Devil's Eye, Ed and the combined crew of the Dorter make their way back to Blind Man's Cove. But the storm aboard is only growing stronger, and some lessons need to be learned in a way that can't be forgotten. Chapter Twelve: At Childhood's End Part III: Storm Breaking Blind Man's Cove at last, and though the tempest on the Dorter has passed, a new one is brewing on the island itself between Hornigold, Flint, new crew and old faces, Ed is facing a storm he can't stop- the only thing he can do is try to navigate it. Chapter Thirteen: At Childhood's End Part IV: At Childhood's End Growing up means leaving things behind.
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Chapter Fourteen: Breaking Free At seventeen, Edward is still as much as Hornigold's dog as ever, chasing pirate turned privateers all over the Caribbean. Though he has some life of his own in the residents of the rapidly growing Republic of Pirates, most of his time is dedicated to Hornigold's beck and call. That is until he finds evidence of a mysterious new pirate making a name for himself on the high seas. A pirate that Edward can't help but be intrigued by. But to find out anything about him, he'll have to slip free of Hornigold's leash, and Ben Hornigold is not one to let go lightly. Chapter Fifteen: The Mermaid and the Sunflower Sailing with Jack is a mixed blessing. It's not like Edward doesn't enjoy partying and drinking and smoking weird shit but he can't stop thinking about the mysteries he's uncovered and what they could mean. Convincing Jack to help out will already be a hard enough task without the recalcitrant Bellamy and Jack's feckless crew, but Edward is determined to try... ....while in his heart a darkness grows. Chapter Sixteen: The Gathering Storm Though life on theĀ TournesolĀ is nothing like life on the Ranger, Edward will have to work harder than ever to reach his goal. Between the expectations of the crew, the hostages and even Jack; not to mention the growing threat of mutiny, Edward is left with little enough time to find himself- but then again, maybe he doesn't want to- because maybe he won't like what he sees... Chapter Seventeen: Currents and Tides As the journey continues, Edward finds that navigating the waters of Jack's crew and Jack himself is possibly the most difficult challenge yet, and while some things are still bubbling under the surface, both old and new, he barely has time to look at them and is not sure he even wants to At least Anne is there as a steadying presence, which is good because things with Bellamy are starting to become a little... ...strange Chapter Eighteen: Breakwater The eastern side of the islands are dangerous, lousy with pirates and reefs and rocks, and, so far, sparse with information. But Edward is determined, even if it's difficult to balance the increasing neediness of Jack and the politics of the crew while not completely smothering his own ambition. Sometimes the line between ally and enemy blurs, and soon enough, Edward might be unable to tell the difference. Chapter Nineteen: Uncharted Waters Part I: Making Port Edward has to leave, he knows this, but it's not easy leaving a ship mid-voyage in unfamiliar territory. Still, the longer he remains, the more the lines strain and if he isn't careful, something, soon, is going to snap.
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Chapter Twenty: Uncharted Waters Part II: A Night On the Island Biscornu offers many things, from brothels to food to the night market, all ready to be explored. But as Edward stands at the threshold of something completely new, there are things inside him to discover that he's never had time to consider. Every new beginning brings an end, and every end a beginning. Chapter Twenty-One: New Horizon Part I: Under the Still Dark Moon Emmanuel Wynn is a better host than Ed is expecting. He doesn't exactly fit in on the Melusine, but he doesn't exactly fit in anywhere. Sill, despite being a guest, there are still expectations weighing on him. And an enemy is an enemy, even one that wears a friendly face. Chapter Twenty-Two: New Horizon Part II: Wide and Starry Sky The more Ed tries to keep things together, the more things try to fall apart. But Ed is determined to do the impossible and, this time, he's not alone. Chapter Twenty-Three: New Horizon Part III: CĆ“te des Voyous Just getting to CĆ“te des Voyous is a challenge in and of itself. But when Ed finally arrives, he will meet old friends, make new enemies, and have before him the chance of a lifetime. Chapter Twenty-Four: New Horizon Part IV: Parley The first day of the parley and Ed is eager to prove himself as someone other than just a pawn in another man's game. But as his past and present start to tangle together and his own assumed responsibilities begin to pile on, Ed has to find a way to fulfil all his promises or buckle under the weight. Chapter Twenty-Five: New Horizon Part V: Pale Blue Sky The second day of parley dawns and Ed is more busy than he's ever been, but as the various threads of his past and present tangle together, he's going to find it harder and harder to keep it going; and sometimes the only thing left on the table is sacrifice. Chapter Twenty-Six: Lost and Distant Shore Back with Hornigold once more and it's all Ed can do to hang on to who he is, let alone who he used to be. But as raids and fights ramp up and Hornigold's addiction spirals out of control, it's on Ed's shoulders to keep the Ranger moving forwardā¦ before everything falls apart.
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Chapter Twenty-Seven: Still Waters Edward is fine, everything is over and he's safe at the Lusca. Never mind that he's restless, that nightmares plague him, that he longs for the sea, and the Storm of Hornigold follows him wherever he goes. But still waters run deep and though Edward has not fully recovered, he still has a place to rest before a new adventure begins. ...and it won't wait for long. Chapter Twenty-Eight: Dawn Break A new day and one step closer to setting sail under his own flag. Before he can, Edward has to connect with friends, connect with enemies, and find confidence in his new role-- sooner rather than later. Because the world doesn't stop for Edward Teach and there are still shadows in the Republic of Pirates that want nothing more than to see him fail. Chapter Twenty-Nine: Learning to Fly There is only a little left to do, talk with Bart, meet the crew, and party his ass off. Edward is starting to discover that there's more to himself, more to find and explore, inside and out there and he intends to explore it. And now, on his last wild night in the Republic of Pirates, he's testing his wings and learning to fly. Chapter Thirty: Adventure Calling Edward Teach. Captain Edward Teach. Finally Edward has his own ship, fully crewed and course laid in. True the ship is third hand, and true the crew is made up different bands of people with shifting alliances; true that Edward's not sure who he can trust, or if he can trust anyone. And as much experience as Edward has, he's going to find out he's still got a lot to learn. Chapter Thirty-One: The Court of the King The arrival at Moxey Town brings with it new frustrastions and dangers, though most of them is Edward keeping his fluctating crew of disparate alliances and personalities in line and behaving themselves. Still, another threat looms large in Spanish waters, a threat they will have to circumvent or face before they can even reach the colonies. The King knows the answers, but if he'll be ally or enemy in the future, only time will tell. Chapter Thirty-Two: Heavy is the Head... Edward is captain. But what does it mean to be captain? And how can he make himself into the captain he wishes to be? Hard enough to find the answers to that without trying to find a ship he has no idea how to find with little information and everyone arguing. Hard enough to find the answer to that when he barely believes in himself. Hard enough to know when he doesn't know who to trust. Hard enough to know when he cares too much. But he keeps going as he always does, finding comfort-- and hurt, in unexpected places. Chapter Thirty-Three: Light and Shadow It is time for Edward to face the armada, time for him to burst through, if only everything wasn't like herding cats. When everyone has their own plans and ambitions, it's difficult to get anyone to listen. Especially if they view the task as an impossible one-- and maybe it is. But Edward can't back out of the challenge now, he and he will do whatever it takes to get it done. Hopefully he can survive it.
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