Somewhere Weaknesses Are Strength

Sunlight flooded into Sebastian's room from her open window, forcing her to return to the waking world. Her eyes fluttered open and glanced around her room. Birds outside her window serenaded her with their morning tunes. She didn't need to look outside to know the sun had just risen.

For a moment, she stayed in bed, reveling in how good the comforter felt against her smooth legs. Like every night, her gown had pushed itself up past her belly button. A majority of her skin was subject to the softness of the comforter. Not that she minded, of course.

Sebastian pushed herself into a sitting position and stretched her arms above her head. She arched her back to complete the stretch of everything above her waist. Content, she sighed. The smell of the morning dew drifted through her window. She wished she could leave the palace walls and roll around in the dew covered grass like she did when she was a child but she couldn't leave without an escort.

She pushed the covers off of her body. A breeze washed over her uncovered lower half. Tipping her head back, she took a deep breath. Sebastian swung her legs over the mattress and stood on her legs. Still not awake, she stumbled to her window, gazing over the city. The bars had long been closed. Most young adults were back in their homes. The farmers in the Far East were wide awake and working on their fields. A few merchants in the market square were preparing to open shop.

Her eyes drifted to the docks. There were no ships there; however the dock workers were bustling about. The figure Sebastian had seen the night before was now fully visible. It was, in fact, a ship. It didn't resemble any Sebastian had seen at the docks before. She was pretty sure the design was not one of their country. It waved no flag; there was no way of identifying it. A neighboring country must have sent the ship out. But for what reason?

The ship had yet to dock, but it soon would. Somewhere in the next couple hours, it would reach the docks and unload its passengers or cargo into the city. By then, Sebastian would be helping her father greet families staying in their castle for the night's ball.

She was not excited.

The ball her father had arranged could not be over fast enough. Dancing all night with men who would step on her high heel clad feet was not an idea she wanted to entertain. Maybe she could find a way to sneak away for most of the ball. There would be other eligible young ladies there, the men could dance with them and spare Sebastian's feet, not to mention sanity.

Sebastian watched the ship teeter through the water. She had been too afraid to ride on the waters since the death of her oldest brother but she imagined riding in a boat was the least comfortable thing. When she visited the incoming ships with her father on business, the sailors always seemed so tired, so exhausted. There was no way sea life could be enjoyable. And yet her older brother loved it as did the sailors who resembled zombies as the stepped off the ships.

The sea was their mistress and they wouldn't giver her up for the world's weight in gold.

A knock on her bedroom door pulled her thoughts from the sea. As it creaked open, she turned to face the entrance. One of the servants stood in the doorway, hands clasped in front of her, red hair tied back in a neat bun. Sebastian wasn't sure what the girl's name was but she had seen her around the palace. She was one of the newer servants to grace the palace.

"Mistress Cavalier," the servant bowed.

"How can I help you?" Sebastian asked, voice strong.

"Anne wished for me to make sure you were awake. She'll be in shortly to dress you."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, princess."

"Very well, you may leave."

The servant bowed again and scurried from the bedroom. The door shut soundlessly behind her. Sebastian took another glance out the window.

Soon she would be forced into an uncomfortable gown, covered in makeup, and doused in exotic perfumes. The process would take hours. This was simply to greet the guest of the ball who would be staying in rooms of the castle; she would have to go through it all again to prepare for the ball. She didn't see a point in it. It's not like she would meet anyone to marry. She would have to tell her father to give up the silly notion of marriage after the ball was over.

He wouldn't give in easily though. He wanted her to have children to ensure the kingdom's success and growth. That wasn't what Sebastian wanted. She wanted freedom. With a husband, freedom would be a fleeting dream, one that she would never be able to grasp. She surely did not want to go through the pain of childbirth. Only horror stories could be heard from the nursemaids on the topic. Her own mother had said childbirth was the worst pain she experienced. That was hardly a comforting statement.

The door to Sebastian's bed chamber opened again, this time noisy as opposed to its normal quiet swing. Sebastian turned to the door. Anne walked in, not bothering to announce herself and dug through Sebastian's closet. Sebastian's door shut with a bang.

"I'm surprised you’re not undressed already," Anne remarked, tossing a dress on the bed.

"I decided I should at least be partially decent in the event there was someone else outside the door."

"I'm sure that was the reason," Anne walked to Sebastian, "Lift your arms."

Sebastian did as told. Anne gripped the hem of Sebastian's night attire and pulled it over her head. The thin straps slipped off her outstretched arms with ease. The nightgown was tossed to the side; it would be picked up later and brought to the wash outside. A breeze rolled in through Sebastian's open window, causing the skin on her bare breasts and stomach to gain a set of goose bumps and her nipples to harden. Instead of shielding her exposed skin from the cold air, Sebastian kept her arms raised. Anne grabbed the deep red gown from the bed and slipped it over Sebastian's outstretched arms and raised head, adjusting it to fully cover her body.

"Turn around," Anne instructed.

Sebastian did so, facing the full length mirror. Through the glass of the mirror, she watched Anne make sure the corset top of her dress was laced properly. Very few of Sebastian's gowns did not have a corset for a bodice. They were her mother's favorite style. Sebastian wore them in honor of her dead mother, an attempt to keep her mother's memory alive in the minds of the people inhabiting the castle. It was the very least Sebastian could do. She feared that her father, in his old age, would forget his deceased wife; Sebastian believed the gowns helped. When she wore the corset bodice dresses, her father would comment on how much she resembled her mother.

To Sebastian, that was a compliment. Her mother was the most beautiful woman she had known. When she was younger, she wanted to grow up to be just like her. Now that she was fully grown, she knew that she could never be just like her mother; Sebastian had far too many responsibilities to be like the past queen. As heir to the throne, she had more responsibilities than any other noble woman.

"Ready?" Anne asked, both ribbons of the corset in hand.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Sebastian answered, prepping herself for the pain to come.

"On the count of three. One. Two" Anne paused. "Three," she exclaimed, tugging the ribbons with all her might.

Sebastian grunted. Searing pain ran through her body. In the mirror, she could see the bodice fitting to the curves of her body, her breast perking up at the top as if raised on a platter. Anne tied the dress quickly to avoid loosing the shape it created. When she was done, she patted Sebastian on the back. Sebastian took a shallow breath; the pain dissipated. She turned to the side to investigate her body's shape. The silhouette of anything below her waist could not be seen due to the slight poof of the skirt. She felt it a shame that she could not wear sleek dresses that showed off her long legs and round bottom. Not that it mattered for the coming night. She wouldn't be trying to impress anyone.

The dress trailed the ground due to Sebastian's lack of high heels. It was made to be perfect length with a certain pair of stiletto heels she owned. But she would not put on her shoes until absolutely necessary. They made her feet hurt and gave her blisters.

"Would you like me to grab some food for you from downstairs before we start your makeup?" Anne asked.

"Sounds good to me," Sebastian answered.

Anne bowed and left the room. Sebastian took a seat at her vanity to await Anne's return.