Chapter Text
The sun shines bright in the clear blue sky as Stede and Ed ride back into the kingdom on Arthur later that afternoon, leaving the dark and lonely tower he had called home for so many years in the past and never looking back.
Stede begins to explain the complex backstory of his true identity on the journey back, going into detail about how the Badminton twins had kidnapped him from his real parents as an infant to use him for his hair and that he was really the kingdom’s Lost Prince, until Ed casually informs him that he had already figured that all out before he showed up to the tower. Stede makes a confused noise, caught off-guard, and Ed laughs. “Come on, give me some credit, mate. I am just a little bit clever sometimes, y’know.”
They ride straight through the town, right up to the intricate gold detailing of the high palace walls. As they dismount Arthur and begin to cautiously approach the grandiose entrance of the castle, Stede begins to feel uneasy.
“Hey, you okay? What’s wrong?” Ed asks, pausing on the marble steps to shoot Stede a concerned glance.
Stede hesitates, staring at the large golden sun emblazoned on the massive double doors standing tall just a few feet in front of him. It all suddenly feels very real, like a fantasy he never expected to come to life. “I… I don’t know if this is… if I can…”
He doesn’t have any way to prove his identity now that his hair is gone. All he has is his word. Stede can’t be certain that anyone will even believe he really is who he says he is. What if he got it all wrong? What if they think he’s lying and try to have him thrown in prison or executed for trying to deceive the crown? What if this was all a mistake?
Stede closes his eyes, taking slow, deep breaths as he shakes the worries out of his mind. He’s spent his entire life being fearful of what the world will think of him. But truthfully, he just doesn’t care what anyone else thinks anymore. He’s ready to live for himself. And if they can’t accept him for who he is, at least he can trust that there’s one person he can count on who always will.
Well, two.
There’s no turning back now. He knows who he is, and he doesn’t need to prove it to anyone else but himself.
“Nothing,” Stede promises. “I’m good. I’m ready.”
Ed gives him a soft smile in response, reaching out to link their hands together. “I’m right here. Whatever happens, I’m with you. I’m not going anywhere.”
All of the palace staff are stunned to see his face, dropping everything to rush over to the main hall and catch a glimpse of him, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Most of them have been working for the royal family for onwards of thirty years, and they were present the day Stede had been born. In the end, they don’t even need to see his golden hair to be certain that he’s telling the truth. They know at first glance that it’s him. After so many painful years of searching and hoping and waiting, their Lost Prince has finally come home.
“Pardon me, um, Your Highness?” One of the stewards steps forward as Stede finishes recounting the abridged story of his life, wringing their hands anxiously. It takes Stede a few moments to realize they’re addressing him, but he gives them a nod once he does, urging them to continue. “I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but… the king, your father, he was laid to rest a few days ago.”
“Yes,” Stede responds softly. “Yes, I… I heard the news.”
The steward shakes their head apologetically. “It’s just that… you’ve come all this way after so many years and… well, your family is all gone. I’m so dreadfully sorry.”
In a way, it does hurt that he never got the chance to meet the family that was taken from him. The family he never got to have. But he remembers what Lucius told him back at the festival. About how coldhearted and cruel King Edward had been, how he practically abandoned and neglected his son the moment he was born. The way that he practically blamed his own child for his wife’s death, held it against him, never even giving him a chance to be loved. How his own carelessness allowed the Badmintons’ the opportunity to abduct Stede in the first place.
So yes, Stede regrets that he didn’t return in time to meet his father. But not because he wishes they could have reconciled or embraced or had some moment of familial joy. He regrets the fact that he never got the chance to be the one to stand up to his father and make sure he died knowing just how selfish and heartless he was.
“Thank you for your condolences,” Stede says graciously with a polite smile. He turns to look back at Ed, who has been distracted all this time admiring the artifacts and paintings lining the walls. “But my family isn’t gone. It’s right here.”
Ed looks up and realizes Stede is staring at him, suddenly tuning into the conversation. “Sorry, what was that? Did I miss something?”
Stede shakes his head fondly. He steps over to Ed, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him in close. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell you later.”
Six Months Later
Stede Bonnet loves his people.
At first, he wasn’t quite sure how he would handle the responsibility of being placed in charge of an entire kingdom when he often felt as if he could barely take care of himself. But leadership is something that comes naturally for him. It feels right. Like he’s finally where he was always meant to be, doing what he was always meant to be doing.
And what’s even more surprising is that the people love him, too. Stede expected some resistance or pushback to the sudden arrival of a new ruler, but he was embraced and accepted almost immediately. Their Lost Prince had returned, and the kingdom was overflowing with joy.
Stede isn’t his father. And he isn’t his mother. He wants to make change. He listens to others’ ideas and feedback, and tries to come up with clever solutions that benefit everyone. He inspires kindness, not violence. He takes the time to mend the pieces of their broken kingdom back together one by one.
Even without his hair, he’s always been a healer at heart.
Today officially marks seven days since his coronation ceremony, his first real week as a king. Strangely, he doesn’t feel any different. He doesn’t feel as if he’s suddenly entitled to any more respect or authority than he was before simply because of a title and a job promotion. He’s still just Stede.
And he isn’t the only one. It seems as if everyone’s dreams have been coming true all around him, a real picture-perfect fairytale ending like Stede had only ever read about in storybooks.
After hearing about their roles in helping save Ed so he could get back to the tower, Stede persuaded the crew from Jackiez to consider giving life in the kingdom another chance, promising them things would be different now that he was in charge. Stede and Ed also gave their word that they would do everything they could to help all of the outlaws pursue their ambitions, big and small, so they could make better lives for themselves.
Spanish Jackiez quickly became a successful chain of bars in all corners of the kingdom, with a fourth location set to open in a few months. Roach’s bakery has the best cakes and breads and tarts in the town, and it’s located right next to Wee John’s tailor shop, which also sells his own designs made from only the finest of fabrics. Frenchie has managed to make a career as a musician, often accompanied by the Swede’s vocals in live performances. Fang has opened a sort of animal shelter for the kingdom, travelling around in his free time and taking in any strays he can find. Even Pete managed to find love — he agreed to sit for a portrait for Lucius one day, and the two have practically been inseparable ever since. Buttons… well, Buttons has never really changed, but as far as Stede can tell, he’s quite content with his seagull friends.
And then there was Jim.
When Stede and Ed first returned to the town Jim was preparing to leave. Taking Ed’s advice, they decided they didn’t want to be a bounty hunter anymore, but they weren’t sure what else was really left for them in the kingdom. So Stede’s first official royal act was handing Jim a deed to their family’s land, a promise that it would be returned to them entirely.
He also offered them a new job, one he thought they would excel at. Which is how Jim became the new Head of the Royal Guard.
It was actually Ed’s idea. He saw Jim’s potential, and he believed it was a chance for them to put their skills into use by giving back to the kingdom without having to hunt people down for a living. They were hesitant at first, but once they saw the opportunity to make real change in how the Royal Guard operated and how justice in the kingdom was dealt out, Jim eagerly accepted the offer. Once they were formally appointed in their new position, crime rates seemingly dropped overnight. In just six months, Jim has managed to single-handedly reform the kingdom’s broken and corrupt system that led the poor down a cycle of violence and criminal activity. And they even had enough time to start teaching some of the town’s kids self defence lessons on the weekends.
They would never admit it, but Jim has been smiling a lot more recently. Stede has also noticed that they’ve been spending quite a lot of time with Oluwande. But after inquiring once and receiving the absolute epitome of a death glare from Jim, he’s decided it’s best not to pry.
“Afternoon, Jim,” he greets them with a kind smile outside the palace. They’ve just finished training their new squadron, still decked out in their armour.
“Hey,” Jim nods at him, furrowing their eyebrows and tilting their head slightly. “Uh, what happened to your crown?”
“My — what?” Stede reaches up, feeling atop his head — he’s slowly adapted to the short hair and actually quite likes it, but he did bleach it back to blond shortly after he returned, he wasn’t kidding about that in the slightest — for the adornment, only to find it absent. “But… oh, I just had it on a moment ago…”
“Oh, I’m sure it’ll turn up,” Jim smirks. “I’ll catch you later.”
Stede frowns in confusion, but bids them farewell. It’ll turn up. What was that supposed to mean? It’s not like he makes a habit of losing things. Especially not something as valuable as his crown. The only other time it had vanished was —
Oh. Oh, of course. Who else?
When they first returned back home, Ed was somewhat skittish for a while. He had been an outsider all his life, always on the run. It wasn’t just difficult for him to adapt to being more involved in society, it was uncomfortable. He was restless. Anxious. Like an old stray cat that had suddenly been taken in by a family and had to get used to the fact that he couldn’t just wander off whenever he felt like it. But it didn’t take long for him to get used to their new life together. In fact, he took to living in a castle as if he’d been living in one for his entire life.
Despite his protests that it wasn’t necessary, Stede formally pardoned Ed of all his crimes. Decreeing that, technically, he had served the allotted time for the crimes he claimed responsibility for, and that he was a victim of injustice as he was punished and nearly executed for an act he hadn’t committed.
He started going by Edward again, and with Stede by his side, he allowed himself to start letting his guard down again. It took some time, and it was difficult for him to remember it was okay to trust people, but he was shown grace and patience like nothing he’d never known. Ed hadn’t expected the townspeople to embrace a career criminal with open arms, but they adored him just as they did Stede. He found that he had a knack for helping others, for making people laugh with his goofy charm.
Ed had quietly confided in Stede one night, telling him that he had spent so much of his life trying to isolate himself from the world when, in reality, he was just too scared to admit that all he ever wanted was to feel like he could be part of something. And he had that now.
Stede finds him now perched up on a small ledge as he tells a tale to the group of children that have circled all around him with exaggerated, animated hand movements. They’re all listening intently, blinking up at him with their eyes wide and filled with wonder. Stede steps close enough to listen in on the story, but not so much that he’ll be noticed.
“…And that’s when I swept in, quick as a flash, just as the water started to fill the cave,” Ed recounts in a low, captivating voice. The children gasp, and Stede has to fight back a laugh.
A young boy peeking through his hands covering his face speaks up. “Did you drown?”
A girl with blonde hair pulled back into pigtails sitting next to him rolls her eyes and groans. “Obviously they didn’t drown! He’s sitting right here!”
“No, no, we didn’t drown,” Ed chuckles. “I saved the day, of course. I swam down to the bottom of the pitch-black cave and dug our way out, until we saw daylight again. Made it out just as the water reached the top of the cave. Did it all on my own.”
“Alright, now hang on.” Stede doesn’t mean to make himself known quite yet, but he simply can’t sit by and allow for this kind of slander. “I don’t quite remember it happening that way, Edward.”
Ed lifts his head up to look over at Stede at the sudden sound of his voice, and all of the children turn around to do the same, gasping in delight. They greet him cheerily, two of the girls standing up and skipping over to Stede to grab both of his hands and pull him over to their half-circle.
“Ah, right, right,” Ed nods, trying and failing miserably to hide the fond smile spreading across his face. “Remind me how it really went then, love?”
Stede steps over by Ed’s side, glancing down and spotting the crown in his lap. “I would, but first, I believe you have something of mine. Again.”
Ed feigns surprise as he looks down at his lap. “Oh! Well, how in the world did that get here? You should really keep a closer eye on this. It could fall into some very sticky hands.”
“Seems like it’s already in sticky hands,” Stede mumbles. He holds his hand out expectantly.
“Uh, just a minute, please,” Ed holds up a finger. “You've interrupted the Q&A portion of the event. You’ll have to wait your turn. Yes?”
He points to a boy with freckles with his arm extended in the air. “So what really did happen in the cave?”
“I used my magic hair to light a path and then both of us dug our way out into the river,” Stede responds casually.
“Oh,” the boy says softly. “Well, okay then.”
The same girl with the blonde pigtails as before raises her hand. Ed points to her. “Yes. You, madam. Down in front.”
“Do you think you’re ever going to get married?”
“Oh, well that is a very good question, isn’t it?” Ed glances up at Stede with a playful smirk, a glimmer of something mischievous in his eye. “What do you think, Your Majesty? Should we tell ‘em?”
Stede grins, deciding to indulge him. “Oh, I think we can trust our friends to keep a secret, can’t we?” The kids all nod and giggle excitedly, and Ed beckons them in closer.
“Well,” Ed begins. “I’m pleased to announce that after many long, tedious, painful months of asking and asking and asking… I finally said yes.”
“Edward,” Stede warns.
“Oh, alright,” he rolls his eyes. “I asked him.”
After a few more questions Stede manages to steal Ed away from the kids, though not until they’ve all gotten a hug or a high-five. Stede grabs Ed’s hand and drags him away, strolling through the town square together. "You know, if you want attention that badly, you can just come talk to me. No need to steal my things."
“Oh, fuck off,” Ed fires back, but he's grinning still holding Stede’s crown in one hand as he swings their joined hands back-and-forth. “You're kinda quiet, though. Something bothering you?”
Stede pauses in front of the large fountain centrepiece in the middle of the town, giving a tiny shrug. “I’m just happy. It all still seems a bit surreal, I suppose. That I’m out here. That I have you. I don’t know, maybe that doesn’t make any sense—”
“No, it does,” Ed murmurs, tucking a short hair back out of Stede’s eyes and cupping his face. “Makes perfect sense. I feel that way all the time. Don’t know how I managed to find you.”
Stede huffs with a teasing smile. “Well, you broke into my house…”
“Oh, shut up,” Ed groans. “Can’t I just tell you I love you one time without you bringing that up?”
“I love you, too,” Stede hums, hazel eyes dazzling as he beams at his fiancé. “Now give me back my crown.”
Ed grins, something mischievous and challenging, holding the crown up just out of reach. “Make me, blondie.”
Stede growls as he attempts to reach for the crown, but Ed keeps dodging and weaving so he can’t quite grab it. Soon Stede grows tired and simply sweeps Ed off his feet, dipping him back and catching him with arms wrapped securely around his waist. Ed stares up at him in wide-eyed surprise, biting his lip to suppress a giggle as Stede rolls his eyes.
“Always such a menace.”
“Mhm, and you love it,” Ed mumbles, staring at his lips.
And he does, Stede thinks as he pulls Ed close for a lingering, tender kiss. He loves him. With everything in him, Stede loves. Perhaps that’s been his real power all along.
He helps lift Ed back to his feet as Ed gently fixes the crown back atop Stede’s head where it belongs, still held tight in their embrace. Not a happily ever after, per se, but the beginning of a new story. A new adventure. A new dream.