Somewhere Weaknesses Are Strength

Sebastian and Anne raced from the bedroom and through the corridors. The screams had died down but the feeling in Sebastian's stomach still hadn't. Something was wrong. As the two ran down flights of stairs a putrid smell grew pungent in the air. Anne stopped Sebastian before they reached the stairs to the front lobby.

"Stay right here," Anne instructed.

"I'm going with you," Sebastian insisted.

"You'll get hurt."

She would get hurt? Sebastian's mind couldn't even contemplate what could have been happening. Her brain couldn't comprehend anything past the rancid smell. Did Anne know?

"What's going on down there?"

"I don't know."

Anne was trying to appear calm for Sebastian. Her eyes, however, were a dead giveaway of the unabridged fear.

"I'm coming with you," Sebastian stated.

She wouldn't let Anne suffer any fate alone.

"Damn it, Sebastian. You are the last heir. You need to stay hidden in case this is an emergency."

"And do what? Cower in my room till whoever is down there finds me? Or worse, burns the palace down? I don't think so."

Anne sighed, knowing she couldn't change the young girl's mind, "Fine. But remember, I'll always love you. You're the daughter I never got to keep."

"I love you too, Anne. You're the mother who didn't give up on us."

"Ready?"

Truthfully, Sebastian was scared out of her mind but she didn't want Anne to know that. She nodded her head in response to Anne's question to avoid risking her voice cracking and giving away her true emotions. Anne grabbed Sebastian's hand, squeezing it before pushing the door to the staircase open and guiding Sebastian down the steps. The smell of death hit Sebastian full force as they descended the winding staircase. Her breakfast threatened to jump from her stomach and onto the carpeted stairs. They came into full view of the lobby and halted all movements.

Sebastian gasped at the sight before her. Multiple servant and knight bodies scattered the floor, their red life-force creating lakes on the ground. Some had their intestines hanging from gashes in their stomach; some had simple bullet holes in their heads. Vomit mixed in with the blood, creating small islands amongst the lakes. The once pristine, white tile floor was no longer visible through the destruction.

At the foot of the staircase was Sebastian's father, on his knees, two men on either side of him. One held her father's thick, gray speckled, black hair—keeping his head tilted back. The other held a sword to his exposed throat. His hands were tied behind his back in a knot that only a sailor would know how to complete. In front of him stood a fiery red-haired female with a classic captain's hat on her head.

"Any last words, old man?" the red-haired woman asked.

Her voice was melodious, captivating. Had it not been for the situation at hand, Sebastian would have been drawn to her.

"Leave him alone," Anne screeched.

Without looking, the woman pulled a gun from the waistband of her pants, aimed it at Anne and shot her through the heart. Sebastian let out a feminine screech that she wasn't aware she was capable of creating. Her nursemaid's body crumpled onto the stairs, life evading it.

"Shut up, sweetheart. You're," the woman looked to the stairs and hesitated when her eyes fell on Sebastian. "Next," she completed in a whisper.

The woman took in the figure of the girl on the stairs, eyes roaming each curve. Sebastian could feel the hungry eyes on her and shivered under the unwanted gaze. Her teeth took hold of her bottom lip in an attempt not to cry. How could this be happening?

"Captain?" the man clutching her father's hair asked.

The woman snapped from her gaze, "Right. Last words, what are they?"

"Please don't hurt my daughter," Sebastian's father pleaded.

Never in Sebastian's life had she seen her father as anything but a strong ruler. Now, he was on his knees in front of a woman likely half his age, pleading for his daughter's life. This wasn't how Sebastian wanted to remember her father in his death.

"You mean that gorgeous creature standing on the stairs? I'll only hurt her a little bit," the woman stole another glance at Sebastian and winked.

Terror welled up in Sebastian's heart. The woman wasn't just planning on killing her, was she? Sebastian knew she should try to escape. Regardless of whether she could actually get away or not. Anything to set a false sense of security in her veins.

And avoid seeing her father in his vulnerable state.

But she couldn't move. Her entire body was petrified. There was no way she could use her legs to escape; they felt as though they were attached to cement bricks. She had no way out.

The woman snapped her fingers. The man holding the sword drew the sharp end against her father's neck. There was a gurgling noise that came from her father. The other man released his hold on her father's hair; his body flopped to the ground. Blood seeped from the wound in his neck, adding to the lake already staining the ground. The two men stepped over the king's dead body to stand next to the woman, each turning their gaze to her. One of the men let out a low whistle; Sebastian felt the urge to punch him in the face for the derogatory action. If she were not in the situation she was in, she might have done it.

"Sweetheart, you're coming with us," the woman stated.

The men took the hint and began walking up the stairs toward Sebastian. She broke free from the hold the fear had on her body, turned, and ran up the stairs. Maybe not the best escape plan but it was better than nothing.

"Why do they always run?" Sebastian heard the woman yell.

Heavy footsteps trailed after her. Sebastian ran through multiple hallways and staircases, making sure her dress did not get caught on any objects. The last thing she needed was to be slowed down. She could no longer hear footsteps trailing after her. They probably got lost. The winding corridors and secret staircases could confuse any newcomer to the castle. Sebastian was no newcomer; she knew exactly where she was going.

Back to her room.

It wasn't the most practical place to hide. There were no secret tunnels attached to her room because it was on the top floor of the palace. It was not a room intended to be slept in by a member of the royal family originally but Sebastian begged her parents to let her stay there. That was a mistake on her part.

If they didn't find her, they could easily give up their search and burn the castle down. Sebastian didn't care if they did. She had nothing to live for anyway. Everyone she loved was dead.

She still had the territory she was to rule over. If they did not burn the castle down, she could still rule. She could marry in honor of her father and nursemaid. She could have children and rebuild her family.

Sebastian rushed into her room and shut the door behind her. Air pumped in and out of her lungs at an alarming rate. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Her breaths came out in shaky spurts. Pain bombarded her legs; her feet hurt worse than they had when she wore six inch heels for a full ball. All that running had done a number on her body.

Sebastian stumbled to her window to get one last glance of the city. Clutching the windowsill to keep from falling, she allowed her eyes to glance out the window. Flames were the only thing she could see. Her city, the one she adored, was reduced to flames. Every single building was ablaze. Even at night, the city was never this bright. A few people ran through the town square, flames encasing their bodies.

Was there any worse way to die?

Sebastian watched, unable to help the citizens. She felt pathetic, like a terrible ruler. Was that how her father felt with the sword placed to his throat? Could he possibly have known what had happened to his city? It was better that he couldn't see it before he died. It would have plagued his soul.

The people she was watching fell to the ground, withering in pain until they finally stopped moving and only their charred remains were left. Sebastian couldn't take her eyes from the dying city. She had nothing. If the window was large enough, she would have thrown herself from it and plummeted to her death.

She wasn't going with those monsters. She wouldn't allow them to take her from the palace she loved. She wouldn't ride with them in whatever contraption they used to get there. She wouldn't let herself be belittled like that. Nor would she grovel at their feet.

Her eyes traveled to the sea. It burned red in reflection of the city's fate. The waters remained calm, unlike the scene in front of Sebastian. The ship had finally docked. Realization hit Sebastian.

They were pirates.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here," a feminine voice taunted, the same voice that spoke to her father.

Sebastian whipped around. The woman was standing in her room. Sebastian hadn't even heard her come in. Of all the moments for her door to work properly it chose now.

"You're coming with us, whether you like it or not. Make it easier on yourself and give in," the woman stated, walking toward Sebastian and stopping inches from her body.

"No, I'm not," Sebastian returned.

Somehow she managed to keep her voice at a normal level. It didn't waver as she thought it would.

"Oh, I don't think you understand. You don't have a choice."

"You won't take me alive."

"You're no use to me dead. I'm not a necrophiliac. Do you know what that word means or are you one of those stupid princesses?"

"I know what it means," Sebastian replied, jaw clenched.

Sebastian knew what the woman wanted from her now. She was even more terrified than before.

"I see you pay attention in your studies," the woman brought a hand to Sebastian's face and traced her jaw with her finger.

Sebastian froze again. The woman's finger traced down Sebastian's neck and ended its journey on the top curve of her left breast. Her face inched closer to Sebastian's till Sebastian could make out the green flecks decorating the woman's hazel eyes. The woman paused, mere centimeters from Sebastian's lips.

"Grab her," she commanded.

Sebastian's body was lifted in the air and thrown over someone's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Her head hit against the edge of the window, turning her whole world dark.