Somewhere Weaknesses Are Strength

Anne returned with a tray full of food. Sebastian would not be able to eat all of it but the chef insisted on packing as much food as possible on the tray. He had the firm belief that she needed to gain weight. No one knew where he got that idea from; it may have been due to the fact that he hadn't seen Sebastian since her youth. She had been an awkward, thin child and, in her teen years, had no time to visit the chef like she used to.

Anne placed the tray on Sebastian's vanity. The young girl looked over the food in front of her. The chef had outdone himself this time. Assorted pastries, breakfast meats, and eggs of different styles were set out on the tray. Sebastian didn't know where to start.

"We have a few hours till you have to be ready; take your time eating," Anne stated.

Sebastian nodded, picking up a fork with the grace that had been instilled into her brain since birth and started eating a set of eggs.

"I'll be right back. I need to get some makeup brushes from my room," Anne said.

Anne had a room in the palace that was fully furnished. She was an honored member of their staff and family. Her employment started long back when Sebastian's mother gave birth to her first child, Sebastian's older brother. Anne's own child passed away in youth. Though it was common for nursemaids to care for children after they themselves had given birth in order to nurse the child they were employed to care for, the Cavaliers kept the now barren Anne as a nursemaid. She had raised the four children perfectly, though the three sons passed away. Their deaths were not caused by careless breeding on Anne's part.

"That's fine. I'm not leaving anytime soon. Is my father up?"

"I should probably check on that while I'm out," Anne chuckled.

King Cavalier was just like a young child. His children had all become more mature than him, even the second youngest son who passed on before his sixth birthday. It was one of King Cavalier's endearing qualities, if not a bit frustrating. Even in his old age, he managed to remain youthful.

Sebastian nodded, "You're dismissed."

Anne bowed and left Sebastian alone again. Sebastian sighed and finished the last of her eggs. The morning was starting slower than necessary. She needed it to be over so she could go back to sleep. In a few short hours, she would be greeting guests. Who knew how long they would stay. She hoped it wouldn't be for the whole week again.

Last year, a few families who attended the ball decided to stay for the full week. Sebastian was stuck as tour guide to the families. It took a week out of her studies and training; she did manage to catch up but she never forgot the week of her life wasted. She distinctly remembered a male keeping to her side the entire time. He was a duke of some area that Sebastian could not remember for the life of her with sparkling blue eyes and thick, brown hair. Sebastian supposed that, if she cared, she would have been attracted to him.

But she didn't care.

Why couldn't anyone understand that she didn't want a spouse? She was perfectly content on her own. The family name couldn't have been carried on if she had children; they would surely take their father's last name as society dictated. Her father pushing the matter was pointless.

Finished with the assorted eggs on her plate, Sebastian picked up a frosting covered pastry and stood. Her dress moved gently, dragging on the floor, with the steps she took across the room to her window. She stared out over the land. The merchants in the town's center yelled to advertise their products. Each tried to outshout the other to be heard. Sebastian could make out the picture of assorted bows on one vendor's sign. Women flocked around his shop, their unidentifiable chatter reaching Sebastian's window. Sebastian shook her head at them, taking a bite of her pastry and looking toward the farmers. They were letting their animals out to pasture. Cows, horses, chickens, and the like were scattered around respective fields. Wives were scrubbing clothing against washboards and children were helping their fathers take care of the crops.

Sebastian could never picture herself in either groups' place. She was content where she was. Her life was comfortable, though she had her own responsibilities to tend too. Her dresses were uncomfortable but her father pampered her. When her father was to pass away, she would have to take care of the financial stability of the whole country. The economy tended to keep itself level. She had to act as a male now that her brothers were gone—learning to fence, studying various sciences and maths, and preparing to rule a country. She had more freedom and opportunities than most women. She was lucky, she knew that.

Sometimes she wished her life could be easier. Sometimes she wished she could be like a normal princess and not have to worry about a thing other than getting up in the morning. That's how it used to be.

Sebastian's eyes wandered out to the sea. The waves rippled like a tantalizing siren, drawing men into her depths and to their deaths. Too many times Sebastian had seen funeral processions for dead sailors, her older brother's included. As heir to the throne, she had to attend each one. It pained her every time. Not just for the family that lost their son but for her own family that lost a fundamental part of their puzzle to the sea.

The sea couldn't be completely to blame. Pirates, the natural enemies of innocent sailors, had a major hand in most of the deaths. Sebastian vowed that she would execute any pirate that came her way for her big brother. It was their fault he wasn't there.

Tears dripped down Sebastian's cheeks. She missed him, as well as her younger brothers. Each had been innocent in their time of death. They were never in the wrong nor did they beckon death; death just seemed to want them. It wasn't fair.

Sebastian brushed the tears from her cheeks. Good rulers didn't cry; she had been taught that at her last brother's funeral, the one where it was decided that she would be the next heir to the throne.

Sebastian looked to the ship floating on the water. What was taking them so long to dock? They couldn't have been more than thirty minutes away from shore. But they weren't moving anymore. They were simply floating in place. What was going on? It was driving Sebastian crazy not knowing the unnamed ships purpose in the land, her land.

Maybe they made a wrong turn. Maybe the storm from a few days prior put them off course. Perhaps they were trying to figure out where they were. No sailor wants to dock at an unfamiliar land and risk death.

Sebastian's territory wouldn't hurt them though. They would steer them in the direction they needed to go. Her people were not violent.

The sailors working the docks scurried around in a frantic fashion. Some tried to wave the ship to the pier. There was a place designated for the ship to dock. The necessary material to keep the ship in place was all there. All they needed was the ship.

Why wouldn't it just dock?

A knock on Sebastian's door disrupted her thoughts.

"Yes?" she called, eyes still glued to the scene before her.

The door opened almost soundlessly, save for a slight creek. Sebastian would have to get the hinges checked.

"Happy Birthday," multiple voices exclaimed.

Sebastian swiveled around to face the door. An array of servants and workers of the castle stood in her doorway. She recognized each face. They were the workers she actually conversed with, including the chef and a number of tutors. Anne stood in front of the pack, a birthday cake in her hands. Her father was not among the familiar faces. Sebastian counted seventeen candles adorning the cake.

"You didn't have to do this," Sebastian muttered, in shock that they remembered her birthday.

"Of course we did. We care for you, Mistress Cavalier," Anne stated.

"Which is the reason I feed you so much. See, you are growing," the chef added, his French accent distinguishable.

"Thank you all so much. This means more than you know," Sebastian said, coming from her stunned stupor.

"Anything for you, sweat pea. Now blow out the candles," her math tutor instructed.

Smiling, Sebastian walked to the group. She leaned over the cake and, with a small puff, extinguished the candles. The group let out cheers. Sebastian couldn't contain a child-like giggle from escaping the confines of her throat.

Her happiness would go downhill with the start of the ball. Nothing could have been worse than having a ridiculous ball on the day of her birthday.

"We have to get back to work. We'll see you later, sweat pea," the math tutor said.

A majority of the group had been with Sebastian since early youth. They had a special place in her heart.

"Goodbye. Thank you again," Sebastian responded.

The group bowed at different times. Each left after either kissing Sebastian's forehead or giving her a tight hug. Anne and Sebastian were alone in the room. Anne placed the cake on Sebastian's vanity next to her unfinished tray of food. She cut two slices out of the cake, giving one to Sebastian and keeping the other for herself. They ate together in a comfortable silence. Screams and shouts from the city could be heard but they paid no mind to them. It was the day of a ball; things were bound to get lively. Sebastian sat at her vanity once finished with her slice of cake, placing the plate on her breakfast tray. Anne did the same with her plate.

"Thank you, Anne. I know you were the brains behind this," Sebastian said.

"It's no problem. I told you, your birthday comes first. Now let's get you ready to greet guest."

Sebastian nodded. Anne grabbed a container of white powder, pulled the pad covered with the substance out of the cylinder, and reached over to place it on Sebastian's face. A crash resonated throughout the castle, making both women freeze. Blood curdling screams could be heard from downstairs.

"What the hell is going on?" Sebastian asked.