Somewhere Weaknesses Are Strength

The carriage shook as it transitioned from the city streets to the cobblestone path leading to Hayley's home. Sebastian stared out the curtained window of the carriage, awestruck. By no means was Hayley's home a castle. It was unlikely that she would live in a castle considering she wasn't the ruler of the land. However, the home perched at the top curve of the cobblestone path was no rickety shelter. It was a full-fledged mansion, bigger then that of some nobles Sebastian knew.

Whatever Hayley did aside from pirating gained her mass amounts of money.

Peter, the carriage driver, stopped the horses at the front steps of the mansion. He rushed out of his seat and opened the door on Hayley side of the carriage. Without asking for a hand to help her out, Hayley descended the single step out of her carriage.

She didn't need help getting out of any means of transportation.

"Thank you, Peter," Hayley said.

Peter nodded in return, keeping the door open instead of moving to help Sebastian. He, as well as the rest of the servants, had been informed about the pirate's new captive. Hayley had claimed the girl still sitting in the backseat as hers. If Hayley was around, she would take care of her captive's needs. No servant was to question the things their master did for the captive, though whispered questions of Hayley's intentions with the new female were brought up in the servant's quarters.

Hayley turned to face Sebastian. She motioned for the princess to scoot towards her, which Sebastian did. The pirate slid her arms around Sebastian, gently pulled her from the carriage, and set her to her feet on the cobblestone drive. One arm remained firm around the princess' waist. Peter closed the door and stood at attention, awaiting his next set of orders.

"Don't dismantle anything yet. I'll be leaving to go back to the docks in a moment," Hayley said.

"Yes, ma'am," Peter returned.

"You're dismissed for the time being."

Peter bowed, moving to the horses at the front of the carriage.

"Ready to see your new home?" Hayley asked.

It was the first thing Hayley had said to Sebastian since they got into the carriage back at the docks. Hayley had been allowing Sebastian to inspect the scenery as they traveled. For some reason, the princess seemed interested in the scenes that passed. She decided it best not to disturb her.

Sebastian simply nodded in response. This wouldn’t be her home. It never could be. But she wasn't going to open her mouth and risk exposing her escape plan.

"Let's go then," Hayley said, smiling.

As per normal, Hayley led Sebastian by her waist. Though it wasn't necessary, Hayley had grown accustomed to the procedure. Sebastian had as well and didn't attempt to force the pirate to drop her arm.

On land, Hayley could see Sebastian's training clearly. The princess walked up the step with poise, head high, shoulders back. She didn't stumble or seem unsure of herself. This was a completely different princess, one who was in control of her actions. The change was nice but Hayley missed the vulnerability she had seen at sea.

Perhaps Sebastian would return to her defenseless state once the new rules were explained.

The double doors opened as the two approached, held wide by the two butlers stationed at each door; Hayley nodded her thanks to them. Sebastian's eyes scanned the front hall. It wasn't simple; ornate decorations of varying kinds inhabited the space, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The walls were a deep brown, the floor a dark shade of red. At the far end of the area was a grand staircase.

By the looks of it, it seemed Hayley entertained guest frequently. There was, after all, no other purpose for a front hall to look that exquisite.

"I don't have time to give you a tour right now so I'll show you to your room. We can have a formal tour later. Right now, I just need you settled in," Hayley said, walking up the stairs with Sebastian by her side.

"That's fine," Sebastian replied.

All she needed to know how to do was get back to the entrance.

At the second floor, the staircase broke of into smaller, but still large, stairways. The two walked up various sets of stairs to get to the right floor of the mansion. Sebastian tried to memorize the layout while they walked. It would be important later during her escape.

Once at the necessary floor, Hayley brought Sebastian down one of the brightly lit hallways. Different swords adorned the walls of the hallway, held up by what seemed to be simple hooks.

Sebastian wondered for a moment how hard it would be to take one down. She was sure it could be useful in getting out of the mansion. Not only if she was caught by Hayley but also if she met any dangers on her way to a safer area.

Hayley stopped near one door, motioning toward it, "This is my room."

Hayley started walking again, tugging the princess with her. Sebastian wasn't sure what was going on. She assumed she would share a room with Hayley. Why was Hayley leading her farther down the hallway?

They stopped in front of a door not far from Hayley's. The captain pushed it open and held it for the princess to walk through first. Sebastian did so, inspecting the room. It looked to be a bedroom meant for guests. Everything in the room was of good quality, but it didn't have any personal flare to it.

Hayley followed Sebastian into the room, letting the door shut behind her.

"This is your room," Hayley stated, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I was under the impression I would be staying with you," Sebastian said.

"You are. This is my home and you're staying here."

"I mean in your room."

"I felt you deserved some freedom so you wouldn't feel so terrible about staying here. Plus, I work late nights often. I don't want to wake you when I come in."

Hayley knew giving Sebastian this much freedom was dangerous. The princess wasn't broken; she was liable to do anything. However, Hayley was steps ahead of Sebastian. And the new set of rules would likely scare Sebastian out of trying any stunt.

"Thank you," Sebastian said.

Her escape would be much easier than she expected it to be. Unless Hayley had guards at the doors, she would be able to leave in the middle of the night without struggle and Hayley wouldn't find out till morning.

"Because we're no longer on the ship," Hayley started, "I have a new set of rules for you to follow, the first relating to conduct towards my staff. I expect you to be polite to each person in this mansion. I pay them a great deal of money to keep things proper but I don't pay them enough to deal with snobby princesses. I will not tolerate you being rude to them, just as I won't tolerate them being rude to you. There's a call system here that I'll have someone show to you, that way you'll know who to ask for what. You can ask for just about anything as long as it's not something ridiculous. Understood?"

Sebastian nodded. Being rude to Hayley's staff wasn't on her list of things to do. They managed to deal with Hayley on a daily basis, she had respect for them.

"Do what you want in the house. There's a garden outside, horses you can ride, a library a floor below this one, the kitchen is on the first floor. Just ask the wait staff for help on maneuvering around the house. Do not leave the house unattended. It's much safer for you inside the mansion. Any questions so far?"

"No," Sebastian replied.

Sebastian found the first rule she would break. She would leave the house unattended. At some point, she had to in order to complete her escape plan. It didn't matter to her that she would break the rule but she was sure Hayley would be livid. That was more incentive not to get caught.

"There is clothing in the closet and drawers. What you wear will depend on what is happening during the day. The gowns are for when I take you out of the house, either for shopping purposes or for appearances. I am expected to make appearances around town and you will need to be by my side. Around the house, you will wear the same type of clothing you wore on the ship. There is no reason to feel worried about how you look around the staff. They know why you're here."

Sebastian wasn't surprised Hayley already told her staff. They needed to know Sebastian's purpose in the home to deal with her properly. In the castle, King Cavalier's mistresses were treated with the same respect as the children.

"You'll have a personal maid that will do your hair and makeup. She will help you dress and inform you of where I am during the day. She will keep your schedule in tact. As you get more popular around town, you'll have more things to do and she will accompany you if I'm not around. Her name is Holly and she is excited to meet you."

"So she's my handmaid?" Sebastian asked.

"Yes, except I will be the one bathing you," Hayley answered.

Sebastian knew that. Hayley was territorial of her body and wouldn't let another soul touch it in an intimate way. Surprisingly, that comforted Sebastian.

"If someone visits the mansion, your attire must change accordingly. Josh, Zac, Jeremy, and Taylor come over quite a bit. You'll wear the type of attire you wore on the ship around them. When anyone else comes over, you will wear gowns and act as the lady of the house. I'm sure you're capable of that."

"I am," Sebastian replied.

"I'm not likely to expect any sexual favors during the day. I'm far too busy to do that. At night, however, you'll be my stress reliever. I'll have you come to my room on most occasions and you can either sleep with me when we're done or return to your room. I won't bother you when I have work that ends too late at night. You'll find out about those in advance so you don't have to stay up waiting for me. If you feel ill at any point in time, let me know. I'll have Taylor come over till you feel better and have someone else watch my business so I can care of you."

Sebastian could admit it was considerate of Hayley not to force her to wait all night for her to return home. She had been expecting the pirate to demand sexual interaction at any time, regardless of how late in the night it was. And to leave work to take care of her was definitely sweet.

Too bad Sebastian was getting out of there as soon as possible.

"There will be severe consequences if you break rules. I will not hold back now that we're on land. Is that understood?"

Sebastian nodded.

"I think that's all. I have to go sort through the crates and I shouldn't be back till late. Don't wait up for me. Holly should be showing up soon to meet you," Hayley said, standing from her spot on the bed.

She pressed her lips to Sebastian's briefly and walked to the door. Pulling it open, she paused before leaving.

"Oh," Hayley said, "There is one more rule. It's probably the most important."

She was going to put a stop to Sebastian's plan, the one she knew had to be formulating somewhere in the princess' mind. Hayley wasn't an idiot, though Sebastian must have thought she was smart enough to get the better of her.

Hayley looked Sebastian in the eyes, "If you try to escape, I'll fucking kill you."