Chapter Text
“Once upon a time and far away…”
Groans of recognition flickered to life, tiny flames fanned by exasperation and an aggregate exhaustion.
“Not this one again! This is the third time you’ve told this one to us this year.”
“Yeah, can we please have a story just once about setting something on fire?”
“I don’t need to hear this story, I was there!”
“Oh don’t start that again.”
The storyteller’s audience argued amongst themselves. His soft murmurs of disapproval did nothing to quell the rising ire of the small gathering at his feet, words barely sparking notice before they died under the soft glow of the swaying lanterns.
Suddenly, another voice rose up and chased the discord into the shadows.
“I like this story, so you’ve all got two choices. You can listen, or you can leave. But he’s telling it either way.”
No one moved to leave, and no further objections were provided.
The storyteller cleared his throat pointedly.
“Right then, let’s see. Where was I? Oh, yes…”
Once upon a time and far away stood the blessed kingdom of Carribe. The kingdom was bathed, day in and day out, in the light from the Sun. When the people desired darkness, they created it themselves, with shades drawn and shut eyes, but the Sun always stood in the sky, no matter the time or the place within the vast kingdom. As such, Carribe knew no true night, and its citizens worshiped the Sun as their benefactor and protector.
But the land beyond the walls of the kingdom were not touched by the Sun. They were shrouded in the cover of night, and knew no true day. Those lands, and all within them, belonged to the Moon.
The people of Carribe were afraid of those dark lands. It was said that monsters, beings crafted from rage and malice, lurked in the shadows. Indeed, the vast archives of Carribe held many records of explorers who ventured out into the light of the Moon, never to return. It was an unspoken truth that anyone blessed by the light who dared venture into the shadows would be stolen away and devoured by dark creatures.
But as much as the people of Carribe feared the monsters and the night, they feared the Moon the most.
Stories of the Moon god were passed down from generation to generation. The ancient tales told of an evil god who roamed the celestial seas, destroying anything good and light that stood in his way. The haze of shadows enveloping him was where embers of stars died back into ash. Ink-dark eyes and hair, like the heavens of his infernal domain, were the last things his victims saw before the abyss took them.
From the eldest crone to the smallest babe, the Moon god’s exploits were known to all. Children were taught the tales at a young age, both as a cautionary measure and as a way to ensure their complacency. It was they who coined the name “Blackbeard.” Over the years, the sinister moniker stuck, and the true name of the Moon god was lost to time.
Protected as it was by the benevolent Sun god, the citizens of Carribe were safe from this scourge of the stars, on all except one day.
Every thousand years, the light would shrink away under the hard gaze of the Moon. For one day, the skies over Carribe would dim until the stars were visible, and the Moon god would descend from the heavens to lead his armies into battle against his great enemy the Sun. He would bring with him all manner of things most dark and terrible, and they would rally and rage against the people and places of the Sun god’s domain until little was left.
This day would become known as the Day of Darkest Night.
Few survived the war, but time after time, the Sun god always managed to force back the Moon god. When the new day dawned, the Sun god would regain his power and send Blackbeard’s armies back to their shadow lands. After, the Sun god would gather all that remained into the light of his embrace and build Carribe back stronger than before, protected until the next battle unfurled. Still, the losses were great, and the people became unsettled.
The Sun god’s followers believed their god to be just and benevolent, so one year, as the Day of Darkest Night approached, the Sun priests gathered in the temple and cried out for him to hear their prayers.
“O great Sun god,” they exclaimed, “why do you forsake us on the Day of Darkest Night? Why must we suffer Blackbeard’s wrath? Where do you go?”
And the Sun god replied.
“The Day of Darkest Night is the day when the Moon god is closest to you, and I am farthest away. I grow weak from facing his ire alone, and I must turn my face away in shame.”
The Sun priests were puzzled. They decided that the infernal power of the Moon god was to blame for the troubles of the Sun god and their kingdom. They prostrated themselves before the Sun god.
“Tell us how to guard against the Moon god! How can we keep his evil at bay?” They begged.
To their surprise, the Sun god wept. A rainstorm obscured his shining face from the kingdom he protected.
“The Moon god wants to cause me pain. That is why he attacks my people and brings harm to them. He does so when I am far away from you and he, so that I cannot lead you against him. I am powerless to stop him until he drops his gaze. One day, when his rage tips into fury, he may win his war. If that happens, the growing darkness will devour us all.”
The Sun priests pondered this, growing despondent. After a time, one priest raised his arms to the sky and spoke.
“Great Sun god, give us a warrior to fight in your place. Send us a leader who would stand in the name of the light and fight back the darkness so that we may suffer no more.”
The Sun god considered this. The rains passed.
“The Moon god also descends during the Black Moon, the month before the Day of Darkest Night. He leaves the sky to inspect and instruct his armies for our upcoming battle. I will select one amongst my people to go to the Moon god in my stead. I will imbue this person, my most holy messenger, with some of my power. The Moon god will steal away my messenger to spite me, devouring them on the day of our encounter. My power will enter and subdue him. He and his armies will be forced to pull back on the Day of Darkest Night, and you will be safe for another thousand years.”
The priests discussed this amongst themselves. They asked of the Sun god: “But what of you? Why can’t you battle Blackbeard during the Black Moon? Why must we send one of our own?”
The Sun god smiled.
“My children, I cannot go to the Moon god during the Black Moon because I must save you from his wrath. I ask only for one member of your ranks every thousand years. They will be counted among my most beautiful stars from that day forward. I am not unkind; I do not joyfully bring suffering to the goose ahead of the feast. I promise you, my messenger will not suffer at the hands of my worthy opponent.”
The priests nodded, agreeing that one person every thousand years was little compared to the tens of thousands of losses they were sure to suffer if this continued.
“Sun god, how will you select your messenger?” They asked.
The Sun god spread his hands, gesturing to his people.
“You will conduct a ritual I will lay out for you, during which I will select the one among you most suited to the task at hand. You will not know my methods, but know that I am fair and I am just. You will prepare my chosen one with feasting and finery, and then I will lend your army enough of my power to step beyond the walls. You will lead my messenger to the Moon god’s altar; I will point the way. You will adorn the altar with fine offerings, and you will leave my chosen there to await the Moon god’s attention.”
And so the first Day of Choosing came to pass. True to his word, the Sun god set out the terms of the ritual and selected his messenger, giving him a portion of his power. The man was festooned and adored with fine clothes and jewels, and a grand feast was held to celebrate his holy mission. The next day, the army was shrouded in a veil of light, and passed into the Shadowed Lands untroubled. They brought with them fine offerings of gold and silver, beautiful cut gems, and the finest foods Carribe had to offer. There were silks and trinkets of the highest quality, trunks of flawless handiwork, and a dazzling array of delicious oils, soaps, and more personal accoutrement created by the most skilled craftspeople throughout the entire kingdom. All of this was left at the Moon god’s altar, along with the Sun god’s messenger.
Then the army retreated, and Carribe held its breath.
The messenger did not return.
But neither did the Moon god.
The Sun did not hide away anymore, and soon the Day of Choosing and the Day of Darkest Night passed into tradition, a relic of the past that served as an excuse to get drunk and be merry with one’s closest friends.
Until one day, when it all went wrong.
That was the day Stede Bonnet was chosen.