Somewhere Weaknesses Are Strength

Sebastian stared at the closed door of the bedchamber. She didn't get everything she needed from Zac. He was a bit tougher to crack than she thought he would be. Then again, any of the other pirated on board would not have told her a thing. At lunch, she could try again. He was likely to be the one feeding her for the rest of the day. There was plenty of time to get information out of him. Unless Hayley decided to pay her any visits.

But that couldn't happen. Hayley would be busy for the day. She had to monitor the ship constantly to keep from getting off course. Isn't that what captains did? Plus, she had Zac on board. He may have been the first mate but he almost wrecked the ship.

How the fuck did he become first mate?

Sebastian pulled her eyes from the closed door, letting them inspect the room. There didn't seem to be much to do, if anything at all. It was nicer than the room underneath the ship that she once stayed in but the only activity that could be added to her list of things to do was look out the window. That required standing so it was immediately out of the question.

Not that there was much to see besides water.

Sebastian's eyes landed on the set of drawers next to the bed. There could be something in there to do that was less dangerous than attempting to look out the window. Sebastian bit her lips, contemplating how much trouble she could get in if Hayley caught her with her hand in the drawer. Shrugging, she reached toward the drawers and opened the top one carefully. She was afraid an alarm of some sort would go off.

Nothing happened though. No alarms; Hayley didn't bust into the room. Sebastian was in the clear to keep searching.

A set of leather-bound books sat neatly piled in the shelf. Their spines looked to be well-worn, proving the captain did have a liking for the written word. Sebastian didn't even know she could read. Most females couldn't. Hayley wasn't like most females though.

Finding a source of entertainment brought Sebastian a bit of happiness. She grabbed the first book from the stack, curious to see what treasures it held. Instead of typed text, the first page contained a feminine swirl of handwritten letters. The words "Captain Hayley Williams" were written on the top of the page; "Day One" was written on the first line.

It was a travel journal.

This was a personal object. Sebastian couldn't look at it. It would be rude of her to violate Hayley's privacy like that. Even if she was a pirate and kidnapped Sebastian, she didn't deserve a breach of security like that.

But what better way to learn about Hayley? No doubt she filled the pages with great detail of everything that had happened on her journeys.

Sebastian's eyes glanced over the page. If there was something interesting, she would keep going. If it seemed like a waste of time, she would put the journal back in its place.

"Day One: We've set sail for King Cavalier's territory. King Ferdinand paid us good money to destroy every inch of the country. As future reference of the rules, we are to leave no survivors; whatever riches we find, we keep; char everything to the ground."

Sebastian stared at the page, shock waving over her. King Ferdinand was a good friend of her father's. Or so she thought. He attended all of the social events that her father held, something no one else did. His wife and daughter were even scheduled to stay in the castle for the duration of the ball. They always did. How could he hire pirates to kill off their entire country? Sebastian knew damn well she wasn't supposed to be alive right now. "Leave no survivors" did not mean "keep the heir to the throne alive." She should have been one of the first people killed while being ridiculed in front of her people.

It just proved that Hayley had a soft spot for women.

Sebastian reread the section, making sure she had her facts straight and didn't misread the captain's elegant writing. She couldn't help but continue through the pages. Her curiosity got the better of her. Sebastian read first hand accounts of the torture Hayley performed on the dukes that Sebastian's father put in charge to manage different areas of the country. With each new torture, her breakfast threatened to spill from her stomach. She read the notes Hayley took on her family, most of which were based on gossip and information from the dukes she tortured. It was vague but all correct. The section with Sebastian's name was the shortest, simply containing her name and the fact that she was the last heir. She read about the worry Hayley had for her while she was locked under the ship in the tiny room and Hayley's frustration with her stubbornness.

Sebastian's attention remained on the vivid book for hours as she read. Everything seemed so much like a fairytale or horror story. Sebastian couldn't believe Hayley could manage the things in the journal. She was such a tiny female but she had the mind of a master killer.

No wonder she was captain.

Sebastian heard the door click open. She pulled her eyes from the words in the book, expecting to see Zac smiling broadly in the doorway. But Zac wasn't there. Instead Hayley stood in the room, tray of food in hand and a smile on her face.

"I see you found something to do," Hayley stated, walking farther into the room.

Sebastian's mouth opened and closed a few times, unable to find words. She was scared Hayley would get mad. After reading the journal, Sebastian decided Hayley angry wasn't something she wanted to experience ever.

Hayley placed the tray of food on the bed, slipping off her heeled boots. She climbed onto the bed next to Sebastian and set the tray in front of them.

"Which one are you reading?" Hayley asked.

"You're not mad?" Sebastian returned.

She thought for sure Hayley would get angry with her for reading her personal travel journal. This was for Hayley's eyes only, not Sebastian's.

"About what?" Hayley asked.

"Me reading these."

"I said you could do what you want."

"Even read your travel journals?"

"If you want to. I'm sure there's something more fascinating lying around."

She was serious. Hayley really didn't mind Sebastian reading her travel journals. Sebastian was dumbfounded. A captive would never be allowed to read Sebastian's journals in her country, regardless of why her father needed them. It was unheard of.

"So which one are you reading?" Hayley asked again, taking a bite of one of the sandwiches from the tray.

Sebastian held the book to Hayley, showing her the page she was on. Hayley skimmed over the page and smirked.

"You're reading about this journey? Wait till you get to the most recent post, I'm sure you'll enjoy it," Hayley said.

Somehow, Sebastian doubted she would. So far, everything she read made her want to throw up.

"Eat," Hayley commanded, "Its lunch time. I figured I could leave the men alone for a bit to eat with you."

"Oh," Sebastian said.

She took the second sandwich from the tray, taking a small bite from it. The taste of fish was beginning to get old. Sebastian hoped that she could eat something with more variety for the time she stayed in Hayley's home.

But at least she was getting fed.

"I hear you had a chat about me with Zac," Hayley stated, "Find out anything interesting?"

Of course Zac told. Sebastian shouldn't have expected anything less from him. Hayley was still his captain; he had to report back to her on everything. But Sebastian hadn't taken that into account. She needed to be careful if she got the chance to talk with any of the crew members again.

However, this was the perfect moment to ask Hayley about her past. Sebastian could get the full story about how Hayley became a pirate.

If Hayley was willing to tell her.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something, if it's not out of line," Sebastian said.

"Ask away, sweetheart."

"How did you become a pirate?"

Sebastian held her breath, waiting for an answer. A slow smirk spread on Hayley's face.

"I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you," Hayley answered.

Sebastian blanched. Maybe she wasn't going to find out.

Hayley burst into a fit of laughter at the look in Sebastian's face. The princess had obviously taken her seriously.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at the laughing pirate. Hayley truly must have been insane to find the idea of killing someone amusing.

Hayley's laughs quieted, "I was joking."

That was a joke? After she knew Sebastian had read through at least half of her travel journal, she made a joke like that?

"Do you really want to know?" Hayley asked.

"I would, yes."

Hayley searched through her brain for a proper place to start her tale. It wasn't everyday that she was asked how she became a pirate. Most people were too afraid to care.

"I grew up in a wealthy household," Hayley started, "My parents loved each other very much, never divorced. They're still together. I have two little sisters. One is fourteen; the other is ten. With no sons, it was always a closed minded setting. Though, the country I live in is open to almost everything. I was promised to a duke at the age of five. My sisters had the same fate when they hit five years of age. My parents had the thorough belief that they needed to choose who we marry just as it was done in the olden days. As I grew up, I began realizing I had absolutely no attraction to men. I found myself attracted to women. I thought it was a phase, that I would grow out of it. So I took visits from the duke I was betrothed to when I had to. I'm sure you've gone through a time where you questioned which sex you preferred."

Sebastian was going through that now. With the possibility open to her, she didn’t know which she would choose.

"Well, I realized it wasn't a phase. I wanted to be with a woman for the rest of my life and I told my parents when I was sixteen. My mom cried; my dad beat the hell out of me and kicked me out of the house. I wasn't allowed to pack any clothing or money. I was left to fend for myself on the streets with just the clothes on my back, which was only a ball gown. I had bruises and cuts all over the place from where my dad beat me. I stayed on the streets for over two months. I didn't eat because I didn't have money for food and I had more pride than to sell my body for it. I drank dirty water to keep hydrated and my wounds never got the medical attention they needed. The bruises fade but the deep cuts stayed open. You thought staying in the room under the ship was bad, this was worse. Captain Hernandez, the original captain of the ship, found me and offered me a home. I took the opportunity without batting an eyelash. That's how I ended up on this ship."

Sebastian could hear the pain in Hayley's voice as she spoke. The princess felt bad for her. Almost bad enough to regret planning escape.

"And you're captain because?" Sebastian trailed off.

"Captain Hernandez passed away some years ago. In his will, he anointed me captain. He didn't have a son to take over in his place."

"Have you seen your parents since they kicked you out?" Sebastian asked.

"I see them often now. When I turned eighteen, they offered to let me come over for dinner. Now I go see them at least once a week when I'm home."

"And they accept you now?"

"Not in the slightest. But I don't care. One important thing I learned on this ship is to make myself happy before worrying about others."

"What about your sisters?"

"We're close. We've always been close. That hasn't changed. They're the only reason I visit."

Sebastian nodded, no other questions to ask. She was surprised Hayley let her in on her life that much. The things she told her were personal, just like the journal.

The pair finished their food in silence. When the tray was empty, Hayley stood from her bed and slipped her boots back onto her feet.

"I have to get back out there before something bad happens. I'll see you close to dinner time, sweetheart," Hayley pressed her lips to Sebastian's.

Like the times before, Sebastian's sanity dwindled away as Hayley's lips massaged against hers. Vaguely, she could hear the door open but she didn't care.

"Captain, I think you may want to return to the deck," an unfamiliar voice stated.

Hayley broke the kiss from Sebastian with a sigh, "Why would that be, Jeremy?"

Sebastian kept her eyes on Hayley's lips. She didn't care who Jeremy was; she cared about Hayley's lips on hers.

"Zac," Jeremy answered.

Hayley's eyes widened. She had been off the deck for too long.

"Shit," she mumbled.

Hayley grabbed the tray and rushed out of the room after Jeremy. Sebastian was left by herself again, mind flood with thoughts of Hayley's lips.