Somewhere Weaknesses Are Strength

Throb running through her feet and back, exhaustion beginning to cloud her system, Sebastian walked beside Holly to their last destination before lunch, possibly their last destination for the day. Nearly all of the estate workers had been met, the gardeners, the maids, the stable hands, the butlers, among others. Names had been thrown at Sebastian, and she wasn't likely to remember any of them. It was all in the effort, though. The estate workers would know she was in the mansion to stay, that she was serious about her duties, and they would respect her. Respect was essential as lady of the house. She was to be around the staff all day. There was no need for outbursts.

There had been one thing that caught Sebastian's attention while meeting the maids. They were very different from the ones on board Hayley's ship. While Sebastian hadn't actually met the maids on the ship, the difference was clear to her.

They weren't all women, nor were they all petite and young. They weren't around for entirely the same purposes as the maids on the ship. Cleaning was their only duty. The women who acted as maids on the ship did the same, but they also served the purpose of sexual gratification for the crew and their captain.

Hayley wouldn't need them now that she had Sebastian. The princess could fill the captain's sexual needs just fine. Those little bimbos need not help.

Yes, Sebastian was willing to go to sea with Hayley. It was her lover's lifestyle, and she would change hers to fit.

But she wouldn't step foot on deck.

Holly led Sebastian through the doors of the dining room. The men who prepared the meals were the last on their list of estate workers to visit. Holly planned it as such, afraid their eccentric attitudes would drive the princess from the mansion. Sebastian was supposed to tire from running around the estate or become hungry and decide to take lunch. She didn't, though. Sebastian's need to meet everyone in the mansion kept her on a relentless journey to meet all of the estate workers.

They stopped at the door leading to the kitchen, the one Sebastian had seen waiters coming from to serve during her dinner with Hayley. Holly looked up at Sebastian.

"I'm must warn you, they're a bit," Holly paused, "unusual."

Lazy smile stretching across her lips, Sebastian said, "I've dealt with Hayley. I trust I can handle them."

"Are you sure you want to do this now? We can always wait till, you know, never."

"I'm sure. Why are you so concerned?"

"I just don't want you to leave because of them. They can be too much sometimes, but they really are good guys deep down. You're the only suitable lady of the house we've ever had. I don't want Hayley to lose you because you don't trust the chefs anymore."

That had happened before. Holly's fears were backed with the memory of one past lady of the house. The woman had been insufferable. She hadn't stayed long, and there were other factors involved in her leaving, but the chefs were one of the reasons. No one besides Hayley minded her leaving.

But Hayley got over it.

"Holly, I'll be fine. Let's go in."

Sebastian didn't see what the big deal was. She had been kidnapped, her country burned, beaten, and kept as a sex slave by the woman she grew to love. These men would be no problem.

But Holly didn't know all of those details.

Worry creases across her forehead, Holly nodded and pushed the knob-less door open. She held the door in place for Sebastian, who smiled reassuringly at her and walked through the opening with her head high. Taking a breath in silent prayer, Holly followed. The door shut noiselessly behind them.

Counters took up three walls of the kitchen, three sectors for the three males working on the late lunch she requested. It was messy from the work being put into lunch. It would be cleaned later. Everything had a place, and judging by the chefs' care in their own appearance, they wouldn't allow the kitchen to stay messy. Aside from the puffs of color staining their chef coats, they seemed to take pride in how they looked. Their hair was neatly styled, black pants pressed, shoes kept in good condition.

"And what did you say?" the black haired one asked, his back to the door.

"I told that ho to back down or I'd cut her," the blonde said from the left hand station where he appeared to be ripping lettuce. "Trying to take my man like that," he grumbled.

Holly cringed. This was going to go bad. Miserably bad. She should have insisted Sebastian go upstairs to relax. Holly didn't look up at the princess to catch her expression, too sure she would be appalled at the way the man was talking.

What she didn't see was the smile playing on Sebastian's lips.

"You can't even cut a proper slab of meat. How do you expect to cut a human?" the red head asked from the station on the right wall.

They didn't look at each other while they spoke, didn't even look up from their work. But Sebastian could hear the laughter in the red head's voice. Working in such close quarters, they had become friends. Whether they knew each other or not before working for Hayley, they had become close here.

"What did you say, fire crotch?"

Holly nearly died. Sebastian was going to leave and Hayley would kill her.

"Your cutting skills suck," the red head turned to face the blonde, "And apparently, so does your hearing."

"It's on."

The blonde man grabbed a silver bowl from his work station, turned to the red head, and flung the contents at him. Yelping, the teaser ducked out of the line of fire, sacrificing his work station. A flurry of chopped tomatoes scattered around his prepped food.

"My cupcakes," he exclaimed, "You bitch."

Without thought or notice of their company, he grabbed an egg from the woven basket on his station and threw it at the blonde. It splattered against the male's face, large chunks of eggshell falling to the floor, smaller shell fragments glued to his face by the innards of the egg. Yolky substance dripped from his chin onto his chef's coat. He ran a hand over his face and flung some of the substance to the floor. His face was stoic, no emotion flitting through his facial features. The red head smirked, eyes dancing with enjoyment. It took everything in Sebastian's power to keep from laughing and ruining their fun.

"I hope you're ready to die, pastry chef," the blonde stated.

"Bring it on, meat mutilator."

The black haired man, whose back was still to Sebastian and Holly, slammed his knife into his cutting board. He leaned his hands against his counter, back hunched. "Could you two shut the hell up?"

Holly nearly sighed in relief. The situation would be resolved before it got any further, though it had gone quite far, and Holly wouldn't be doomed. Everything would be okay. Sebastian wouldn't leave. Hayley wouldn't kill her. It would be okay.

"Oh, Andy-baby," the blonde teased, "I like when you take charge like that."

Or the whole situation would go down in a heap of flames.

"It gets him all hot inside," the red head continued.

"And the way you slice onions, oh." He leaned against his counter and fanned himself.

The black haired male tensed with each comment, a ticking time bomb ready to go off at any moment. Maybe Holly could get Sebastian out of there before any slaughtering took place. She glanced up at her mistress, hoping the men's behavior so far hadn't offended her. An amused smile graced Sebastian's features, her attention captivated by the chefs. Holly was nearly thrown off by the lack of scowl but brushed away her shock.

This was good, if not a bit strange.

"I wish I was your cutting board," the red head said.

"Geez, you red heads are wild," the blonde said, "Take him while he's offering, Andy-baby. You'll never get another chance to perform your sadomasochistic fantasies again."

"I swear to the holy powers above, if you two don't shut up, I'll stab both of you to death."

"Fire crotch offered to allow you to do that."

"Cut me, Andy-baby," the red head taunted.

The black haired male, "Andy-baby" as he was called by his fellow coworkers, turned from his station, blue eyes set in a piercing glare. Realizing they had guests, his glare dropped, replaced by wide eyes.

"What's wrong?" the blonde asked.

"I think we've caused his anger to overload," the red head said.

"Andy-baby" said nothing, but stared at Sebastian as if he was caught in some terrible act. Curious, the other two chefs turned their heads in the direction he was looking. Their eyes landed on Sebastian in a heartbeat and their smiles dropped.

"Holly, is that...," the blonde trailed off.

"Mistress Sebastian," Holly said, "This is Andrew, Briar, and Toby."

She motioned to them in the order of their names, the black haired one, the red head, and the blonde. They bowed in unison, mumbling Sebastian's name in greeting. Smiling, she nodded to them when they straightened.

"How long have you two been standing there," Andrew asked.

"Long enough," Holly said.

He grimaced. "I apologize for our behavior, Mistress Sebastian. I guarantee your food will be fine."

"No need to apologize. You're quite the entertaining bunch," Sebastian said.

Confused glances were shared among the chefs. Sebastian held in a giggle. They were so much like her brothers. Eccentric, loud, picking on each other any chance they got, and likely to protect each other if a threat presented itself. They were the epitome of her siblings' spirits.

Aside from the blatantly obvious homosexuality.

Tentative, Toby said, "Thank you, Mistress Sebastian."

"Is there a reason you came to see us?" Briar asked.

"Has the food displeased you?" Andrew asked.

"Not at all. The food is lovely. Spectacular, even. I did want to thank you personally. But that wasn't the reason for my visit. I figured it appropriate to meet the chefs."

"That's thoughtful of you," Andrew said, "I hope we haven't frightened you."

"Never."

"You're lunch will be finished soon," Briar said, "I have to remix the cupcakes." He shot a glare at Toby.

Toby rolled his eyes in response. Sebastian didn't hold back her giggle this time. They were fun. Nothing like the chef in the castle. They were far more laidback, but good at what they did regardless. It was no wonder Hayley hired them.

"Mistress Sebastian," Holly said, "we should return to your room. You're food will be delivered there and we can get you ready for Mistress Williams' return."

"Of course. It was nice meeting you all. I can't wait to see what you've prepared for lunch."

The chefs bowed in unison, rambling random farewells. Sebastian nodded once before following Holly from the room.