Somewhere Weaknesses Are Strength

Hayley descended the stone steps to her torture chamber. Outside, the sun was shining, encouraging residents of the town to go outside and feel the rays. Even the help of the household seemed happier. Her chef had prepared a large breakfast that Hayley couldn't finish. Servants had been humming as they did their duties for the day.

And Hayley felt like shit.

It had taken hours to get to sleep. The image of Sebastian's suspended body forced its way into her mind every chance it got, making sleep nearly impossible. She hadn't been able to eat properly that morning due to the memories flashing through her mind. Still, the image refused to disappear. But Hayley had gotten some sleep. Enough to clear her mind slightly. She could get through the rest of the torture she had planned for Sebastian.

Light cries became more evident as Hayley neared her destination. Her brows drew together in confusion. The princess couldn't possibly be awake. Hayley was sure she would pass out from the mild pain within the first hour of suspension. She certainly didn't seem like the type to handle any amount of pain well.

Hayley came into full view of the chamber, eyes landing on the princess hanging from the ceiling. Sebastian's hair shielded her face from view. The slight shake to her body and hoarse sobs were evidence of the tears likely to be running down her cheeks. Only one of Sebastian's arms was dislocated, the other seeming to have stayed in its socket over the course of Hayley's rest. Bruises decorated Sebastian's midsection, mixes of grotesque colors on her skin. A bruise had formed on her dislocated shoulder, likely adding to whatever pain she was in, if she could feel pain anymore. Various cuts from the stone floor and wall scattered around her skin. The "H" Hayley had carved and burned into the princess' hip seemed to glow an angry red, the blister tugging painfully at the skin around it.

Bile rose in Hayley's throat. How could she have done this? How could she have willingly hurt her princess, the one that brightened her mood with every awkward gesture? How could she have marred the sensitive skin on the girl's body?

How could she?

Hayley ducked her head, unable to look at the destruction she created, and walked across the stone floor to the wheel keeping Sebastian suspended. For the first time in her history of pirating, she felt bad about hurting a captive. She wasn't sure how to react to the emotion. But she did know one thing:

She couldn't kill Sebastian.

Realizing another being was in the room, Sebastian shook the hair from her face. Glassy eyed, she watched the captain walk across the room toward the lever near where she hung. Hayley didn't spare Sebastian a glance as she traveled. In her pain encompassed mind, Sebastian decided that Hayley was so angry with her that she felt the floor was a more proper image to consume herself with. The rest of her torture would be hell.

Hayley tugged the lever attached to the wheel, eyes preoccupying themselves with the moving chains. She dragged her eyes away from the turning wheel occasionally to see the progress of the chains. The silver objects unraveled at a slow pace until Sebastian's feet finally touched the ground. Hayley stopped the wheel and walked towards Sebastian, tilting her head at the princess' still awkward position. Even with the chains lowered, she kept her upper half tilted forward. Her feet didn't seem to be rooted on the ground.

Shaking her head, Hayley pulled a set of keys from her pants and unhooked the cuffs on Sebastian's wrists. When the restraints were free, Sebastian collapsed to the ground. She groaned, curling in a ball on the sharp stone floor again and cradling her wounded arm. Nothing on her body was spared from the flare of pain. Her arms, her back, her head, her legs, her stomach, everything throbbed. In a few minutes, she was sure the pain would only increase until her corpse could fell no more.

Was there a point in thinking of her body as more than a corpse at that point?

Hayley stared at the human ball the princess created, guilt assaulting her mind with fury. She had gone too far. Though she had known how the princess' body would react, she couldn't help the surge of self-directed insults coursing through her mind.

She wanted to tell herself she had to do it, that she needed to kill the princess for both of their safety. But she couldn't. Nothing was worth seeing Sebastian curled on the ground crying. Trained as a cold-blooded killer, Hayley shouldn't have cared. She should have been able to complete whatever life-threatening torture she had on Sebastian without second thoughts. For fuck's sake, she was a pirate. She had made grown men cry, destroyed villages, and separated mothers from their children.

But she couldn't hurt Sebastian without feeling terrible after.

"Can you stand?" Hayley asked, voice soft.

She already knew the answer to the question but felt the need to ask anyway.

Sebastian snapped her head to face the captain, the sudden movement causing ache through her spinal cord. Hayley's tone was far from malicious but Sebastian couldn't contain the fear rushing through her. If Hayley demanded she stand, she wouldn't be able to, not on her own, and her torture would be even farther prolonged. Afraid to answer Hayley's question, Sebastian remained silent.

Hayley's heart broke at the fear radiating from Sebastian's eyes. It shouldn't have affected her. Fear-filled looks frequented the faces of most of her past captives. It never mattered then. She was always able to stay carefree throughout the intense looks. But Sebastian's hurt.

What the hell had she done?

"Can you stand?" Hayley repeated, keeping her voice gentle.

Again, Sebastian refused to answer. Taking the lack of response as a "no," Hayley sighed and knelt on the ground, extending her arms to pick up the princess. Sebastian flinched away from Hayley's touch. Hayley dropped her arms, not shocked by the reaction but thoroughly upset.

"I won't hurt you," Hayley stated.

Sebastian didn't believe the pirate for a moment. Hayley had promised her death through torture. Already Sebastian had been through enough. Grotesque marks on her body proved that, from the blood crusted blister on her midsection to the abnormal angle of her dislocated shoulder pushing against her skin.

The pirate noticed the disbelief immediately mixing with the fear in Sebastian's eyes. She couldn't say she blamed Sebastian for her reaction. After what the princess had been through, she wasn't likely to believe in kind words floating from Hayley's mouth, which made Hayley feel even worse.

"Sweetheart, I'm not going to kill you. I'm not going to torture you. I just want to get you upstairs so I can make sure everything heals," Hayley said.

She outstretched her arms toward Sebastian again and held them there, waiting to see how the princess would respond. It was possible Sebastian would not believe her and stay curled on the ground, flinching anytime Hayley got close. Or she could believe Hayley, if only slightly, and allow the pirate to bring her upstairs.

Sebastian's mind battled with itself. One side of her, possibly the more rational side, told her not to trust Hayley. The pirate would only damage her body further till death. This was a trick. All of it was a trick.

But the other side, the side actually taking in Hayley's appearance, told her otherwise. The captain looked exhausted, though she had been given the opportunity for a nice rest. A frown was set on her face, eyes holding a jumble of sadness and sincerity. Her clothing was wrinkled, her posture slouched. She had to be telling the truth. She wouldn't seem so distraught if she wasn't.

The ache in Sebastian's head only increased with the thoughts clashing inside. No distinct answer made itself present. Her mind couldn't be trusted to logically make the decision for her.

So she decided to make a decision on her own.

With struggle, Sebastian used her good arm to push her body into a seat situation. She whimpered, the pain of movement greater than anything she had ever felt. Hayley wrapped an arm around Sebastian, helping the princess with the act of sitting up. She wiped the tears dripping down the princess' cheeks.

"Its going to be okay," Hayley cooed, "I'll take care of you. I promise."

Hayley hooked one arm under Sebastian's legs, the other remaining wrapped around Sebastian's lower back, and stood. Sebastian relaxed into Hayley, head against her chest listening to the rhythms of her heart. Warmth swept over Sebastian's freezing body. She found comfort in the captain's arms, something she didn't think she would get after the events she endured during the early hours of the morning.

Hayley made her way back across the chamber and up the staircase. She took careful steps, not wanting to further hurt the princess in her arms. Sebastian's condition was already bad enough, though not the worst Hayley had seen or caused. There was no reason to inflict anymore damage.

She was going to keep her princess safe now and no one would get in the way of that.

The pirate maneuvered through the house with ease, bumping into no walls or servants as she walked. Sebastian remained in Hayley's arms throughout the journey. They made it to the room without unnecessary difficulty.

Hayley pushed the door to her room open with her back and stepped inside, Sebastian balanced in her arms. She kicked the door shut behind her, allowing it to slam against the door frame. Sebastian did not take the opportunity to glance around the room, instead focused on extracting as much body heat from Hayley as possible before leaving her arms. Hayley lowered Sebastian onto the bed and turned to a set of drawers. Cradling her arm, Sebastian reveled in the feeling of the cushioned surface under her. Her mind urged her to lay down and go to sleep.

Before she could cave to her mind's wishes, Hayley faced her again, a belt and bottle of lotion in her hand. Sebastian's eyes widened, the rational side of her repeating "I told you so."

"I'm going to fix your arm. It's just dislocated. One pop and it should be back in place," Hayley said, "I need you to bite down on this belt so you don't accidentally bite your tongue off."

Stuffing her fear into the back of her mind, Sebastian opened her mouth, allowing Hayley to place the leather belt inside. She bit down on the item and watched Hayley's movements. The pirate squirted a small amount of the lotion into her palm and tossed the bottle onto the bed. She rubbed the lotion against the Sebastian's wounded shoulder, eliciting a shock of pain. With one swift motion, Hayley pressed the bone back into place. A strangled noise pushed from Sebastian's throat, stuck in her mouth due to the belt. A few tears pushed from her sore eyes, more pain running through her body.

Hayley continued to rub small circles on Sebastian's shoulder, knowing the pain would eventually subside with the movements. Within minutes, Sebastian's facial features relaxed. Hayley pulled her hands away and took the belt from her mouth.

"Lay down so I can put some lotion on your burn," Hayley instructed.

Sebastian did as instructed without hesitation. Comfort similar to that of being in Hayley's arms blanketed her. Shoulder back in tact, she could fall asleep right there.

Hayley took the lotion bottle from the bed and squeezed a tiny amount onto her finger tips. She spread it lightly on the "H" burn and scab, avoiding popping the blister.

God, she regretted making that mark.

Finished, Hayley placed the lotion on the table by her bed. Looking at Sebastian's almost asleep form, she couldn't help the question forming on her lips. She knew she would be late for work if Sebastian agreed but she didn't care. Sebastian would feel better and that was what matter.

"Would you like a massage?" Hayley asked.

Confused, Sebastian stared at Hayley. Was she really offering her a massage? Or was it a trick? Hayley could truly be trying to help her. She could want to make the princess feel better. But she could also be playing with her mind. Sebastian's answer could cause any form of repercussion.

"Sure," Sebastian replied, voice barely detectable.

She was willing to take a chance.