Somewhere Weaknesses Are Strength

Sebastian awoke feeling Hayley slip out of bed, taking away the body heat that had been pressed against her bare back. During the night, Sebastian had pulled off the nightgown Hayley had provided for her. It was light and barely covered her body, as most of her clothes were. But Hayley's body pressed against hers created more heat than Sebastian could bear with clothes on. Hayley hadn't complained when Sebastian removed the article of clothing; she snuggled closer to Sebastian and rubbed small circles into her skin to help her fall asleep.

Sebastian turned over, groggy from sleep. She watched as Hayley pulled a pair of skinny leg pants over her bright red panties and a fitted top over her matching red bra. Something Sebastian learned the night before was that the captain did not enjoy wearing much clothing while she slept. Sebastian hadn't been able to convince her to wear more than a bra and underwear.

Through the window, Sebastian could see that the sun had yet to rise. The only light in the room came from the lamp nailed to Hayley's desk. It seemed a bit early to be up.

"What are you doing?" Sebastian asked.

The sound of Sebastian's voice pulled Hayley from digging through the chest next to her desk. Hayley turned to look at Sebastian, eyes grazing over her body. The comforter had dropped past Sebastian's stomach, exposing her perky breast and fit stomach. Sebastian's hair was a mess, in desperate need of a combing that Hayley would have given her if she had the time. Her eyes were heavy lidded and there was a slight pout on her full lips.

It took all of Hayley's willpower to avoid undressing again and saying "screw the night crew" while she ravished Sebastian's body.

"Getting ready," Hayley answered.

"But there's no light yet."

Sebastian never awoke before dawn. There was nothing to do before that time. Business affairs started when the light streaked over the land. Boats normally docked closer to nightfall.

"There will be soon and I need to check on the night crew," Hayley replied.

Fuck the night crew, she wanted to stay in bed with Sebastian. The night crew could handle themselves.

But Hayley couldn't leave them alone. Her master-at-arms, the one who made sure the night crew was following orders, would be going to sleep soon. Hayley needed to be out there to release the night crew and give orders to her regular crew.

Sebastian nodded though she didn't comprehend most of what Hayley was saying. It was too early for her to be up, she was tired. Her mind, though relaxed, was only partially comprehending Hayley's words.

Hayley resumed digging through the chest, looking for clothes for Sebastian to wear for the day. She couldn't be naked all day if Hayley wasn't the one checking on her. In the dim light, it was difficult for Hayley to judge which colors went together. It didn't matter much but she figured her captive would appreciate matching clothing.

"I'm going to leave some clothes out for you to put on when you're ready," Hayley said, draping a set of clothes on her chair.

She turned back to look at Sebastian, noticing the princess' eyes fluttering closed. She would need to talk fast and hope Sebastian could stay awake long enough to catch everything.

"Zac will take care of you while I'm gone. When its time to eat, he'll come in with breakfast. If you need to call for him, he should be around here."

Sebastian heard the name Zac and mentally cheered. She still felt he was the nicest of the pirates she had met, even if Hayley was letting her stay in bed all day. Her feelings toward the captain weren't likely to change.

Sebastian let her head fall back on the pillow and her eyes fully slip shut.

"Hey, I know you're tired but you need to stay up a little longer and listen to me," Hayley said.

Groaning, Sebastian pushed her body up. In subconscious nature, her eyes glared daggers at Hayley. Hayley smiled at the glaring blonde. Boots clicking against the wooden floor, she made her way to the bed and sat next to Sebastian.

"Talk fast, pirate," Sebastian grumbled.

The longer Hayley kept her awake, the crankier Sebastian became. If she was kept awake much longer, she would end up cursing Hayley out for no reason.

Hayley smirked at the princess' command. Sebastian never seemed to realize how close she was to getting hit. If it had been any other captive, they would have been through hell by now if they had disrespected her as much as Sebastian had. Hayley just couldn't bring herself to hit her.

Hayley reached out and removed a strand of hair from Sebastian's face, tucking it behind her ear. Sebastian held her glare.

"It's so cute the way you think you're in control," Hayley stated.

Sebastian's glare faltered. She forgot that she was under Hayley's hold for a moment, that she needed to watch what she did. Sebastian's gaze dropped to her lap. Why couldn't Hayley just go away?

Hayley ran a hand over Sebastian's cheek. Sebastian's change in demeanor was obvious. She seemed more fragile in this state. Hayley almost felt bad.

"Well, the rules still stand. Don't leave the room unattended. Not that you plan on leaving at all. Zac is under strict orders to keep you in here. Do whatever you want in here as long as you don't hurt yourself. I need to get your bras from the seamstresses but they won't be up till closer to breakfast," Hayley said.

"Anything else?" Sebastian asked.

"I'll try to sneak back here for lunch. If I can't, I'll be back later in the evening. Other than that, have fun in bed all day, sweetheart."

Hayley leaned forward, placing her lips against Sebastian's. A set of nerves erupted in the pit of Sebastian's stomach. Hayley's tongue slipped past Sebastian's lips and coaxed Sebastian's tongue into movement. Tentative, Sebastian let her tongue move against Hayley's, allowing Hayley to maintain her dominance and lead the kiss. Again, Sebastian's training hid in the back of her mind. She didn't care that she was kissing a woman or that she was going against the rules of her country. All she cared about was now. Not the past, not her situation, just Hayley.

Hayley forced herself to pull away from Sebastian. If she kept going, things would have gone further and Hayley would have missed her work day. Sebastian made a noise of protest, causing Hayley to chuckle.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I have to get to work," Hayley said.

Hayley pecked Sebastian's lips once more before standing. Still not back in her right mind, Sebastian scowled at the captain.

"I'll see you later," Hayley said.

"Go away," Sebastian grumbled, laying back on the bed and covering her head with one of the various pillows.

She heard Hayley chuckle and the sound of her footsteps walking away. The door opened and closed. Sebastian peaked from the pillow over her head to make sure Hayley had left. Seeing no sign of the pirate, Sebastian removed the pillow from her face but remained lying on the bed, her senses slowly returning.

Sebastian didn’t know what was wrong with her. When Hayley's body touched hers in a way only a spouse or lover should, she couldn't fight her off. Her mind went numb; her body would betray her. The speed of her heart would increase and her stomach would do flips. Sebastian kept telling herself it was nerves. That's all it could be. Who wouldn't be nervous about being stuck on a pirate ship?

Sebastian pulled the comforter to her chin. This was a hell of a lot better than staying in the small room under the ship, the one that was once her prison. The bed was filled with goose feathers like Sebastian's bed back home, except softer. Sebastian felt like she was on a cloud. The comforter brushed against her bare skin, sending comfort through her body. Even the salt smell was comforting. It didn't remind her of home but it was the closest she would get. If she buried her head under the comforter, she couldn't smell the salt and could trick herself into believing she was home.

That is until Hayley would make her presence known.

Hayley had been kind to Sebastian once she agreed to get out of the small room. She was letting her stay in bed all day, allowing her to eat, letting her bathe. She didn't even force Sebastian into anything she didn't want. Sebastian had let Hayley get as far as she did during bath time and Hayley stopped when she asked. Sebastian should have been grateful.

Too bad she wasn't.

Sebastian didn't want to be on the ship. She wanted to be home. Not Hayley's home; her home. The palace with the servants she knew and loved. The place she grew up. There were so many memories there. She didn't want to live anywhere else. She couldn't.

She remembered the time that she tricked the guards into believing her father was an escaped convict who kidnapped the real king and had him locked away on some island she made up. She was only five at the time and her oldest brother backed her up the entire way. They thought it was hysterical; her father did not share the same view. She understood he was unhappy. If she had been arrested on false terms, she would have been angry too.

As a kid, Sebastian got into lots of trouble. Growing up with three brothers gave her a sense of adventure that most girls lacked. It wasn't till the age of thirteen that her father started restricting what she did with her brothers and demanded she learn how to be a young lady.

Not that it mattered much. She was capable of sneaking out of the house, as well as sneaking away from her escorts. It was something she had gotten good at. She rarely got caught. If she did, it was normally by her brothers who were sneaking out of lessons.

Sebastian was going to put her escaping abilities to use. She couldn't stay with the captain. No matter how nice Hayley was being, Sebastian couldn't stay. She needed to get out of there before she broke like Hayley wanted.

Now that she wasn't in the tiny room, she could think clearly. Threats and worries were no longer weighing on her mind. A good night sleep on Hayley's comfortable mattress and the bath helped in clearing the distractions from her head. Sebastian was back and she wasn't going to be held captive. Once they hit land, she would find a way out. She couldn't do much on the sea besides throw herself in the ocean to drown or try to kill Hayley. Sebastian wasn't stupid enough to try either of those ideas.

When they would arrive at Hayley's home, Sebastian could try to escape. Because she gave in so easily, Sebastian assumed she wouldn't be in an as supervised position. If she played her cards right, her escape would be effortless.

She needed to find out as much about Hayley as she could without getting found out. Any information she could find would help in the event that she needed to face off against Hayley. All she needed was one weakness.

She would fight dirty if she needed to.

Sebastian could pump the crew members that were sent to watch her for information. They wouldn't know of her intentions. Sebastian could play the role of damsel in distress for as long as she needed. It worked on her father and it would work on them.

She didn't know where she would go once she escaped. There was no family she could go to. She had no country. Perhaps she could find someone who knew who she was. Sebastian Cavalier's name was well known throughout neighboring countries as the last heir to her kingdom's throne. Though most people did not know she was a female; that was something her family kept a secret. The only outsiders that knew where suitors and families who attended the balls her father held. There had to be at least one family where Hayley lived that attended a ball or two.

Wherever the hell Hayley was from.

Sebastian would find out soon where Hayley lived. She wasn't particularly excited but she was getting closer to her escape.

Sebastian felt her eyelids growing heavy. Outside, the sun still hadn't started rising over the ocean. Sebastian needed more sleep if she wanted to perfect her plan. She cuddled into the comforter, allowing her eyelids to shut over her eyes.