Somewhere Weaknesses Are Strength

"What does it say?" Sebastian asked.

"He's coming here," Hayley mumbled into her hands, "That bastard is breaking contract to come here."

Sebastian understood clearly. King Ferdinand was coming to the mansion. Their contract, whatever it entailed, was being broken. Sebastian wasn't safe walking around the mansion while he was in the country. This could mean death for both her and Hayley.

"When is he coming?"

"Tomorrow. He's been staying with King Alexander for the past week." Hayley paused, pulling her hands from her face and resting them on the table. "Why is he doing this?"

A week. He had been in the country for a full week before sending any notice to Hayley of his plans to visit. There was a reason, she was sure of that. If he was breaking their contract, he had to have a reason behind it. But she had given him no indication of breaking her own end of the deal by keeping Sebastian alive. His suspicions, which she was certain he had, were based off of knowledge he had picked up from elsewhere, and she knew where he had gotten his vague knowledge from.

"We have time. When he shows up, I can hide somewhere in the mansion or with your crew."

It was too late to try to hide her presence in the house from the King. He had been there for a week. Someone would have given some indication that there was a woman lodging in Hayley's home. But there was time for damage control. Sebastian would hardly mind being locked somewhere in the mansion while he was there. Anything to keep them from getting found out.

"No," Hayley shook her head, "no, that won't work."

"Why?"

"Because the people I would let you stay with are people he'll visit."

"And why can't I hide in the mansion?"

"He knows you're here."

"How do you know that?"

The pirate held up the discarded letter and crumpled it in a hand. "He's excited to meet my island girl. Fucking King Alexander told him that I met someone on my journey. And now, King Ferdinand wants to meet you."

Hayley knew she should have transported Sebastian to the mansion undercover, in a crate of some sort. But, no, she wanted to show her off a little. The story she made up was supposed to work. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"When he visits, tell him I'm ill and in no condition to see him."

"He'll ask Taylor for a diagnosis."

Must Hayley find flaws in all of her plans? They were decent and liable to work if she and Hayley took the time to develop them, but Hayley had to shoot them down.

"Can't Taylor lie?"

"I don't think he'll agree to it."

"Why can't you ask him?"

Her desperate tone forced Hayley's gaze to her. Fear had set into the princess' eyes, worry lines creasing her features. The corners of her lips had turned down and her back was beginning to slouch.

"You're asking me to sacrifice his medical integrity for my own gain." Hayley kept her voice calm.

"Didn't you sacrifice the integrity of your contract to bring me here?"

"That's not the same."

Tears coated Sebastian's eyes, rejection radiating from her features. "So you're going to let King Ferdinand take me away? I thought you cared for me. Was that all a lie?"

The accusation struck Hayley like a slap, stinging her and bruising her pride. She sat up straight, anger blazing through her. How could Sebastian dare say something like that?

"Of course I care about you," Hayley said vehemently, "Would you listen to yourself? Sacrificing Taylor's medical integrity would ruin his career."

Shaking her head, Sebastian folded her trembling hands in her lap. She dropped her gaze to focus on them, unable to meet Hayley's eyes. Her heart beat against her ribcage violently. Nausea flooded her, the impending doom becoming reality.

King Ferdinand would be there in a day. He would take Sebastian away from the only woman she could ever love and kill her, perhaps hurt Hayley, too. And there was nothing they could do.

Worse, she wasn't as frightened for her wellbeing as she was about being torn away from Hayley. She didn't want to leave the woman she had come to consider her lover. What would she do without her?

And that fear was making her act like a ninny.

Keeping her gaze on her hands, Sebastian said, "I'm sorry. I know you can't ruin someone's career over this. When King Ferdinand does, uh." She faltered, not wanting to admit her fate verbally. "I'll miss you."

"I'm not letting him take you away," Hayley stated, fervor still in her tone.

Sebastian wanted to believe her, but what could they do?

"I don't know how you'll stop him," Sebastian mumbled, occupying her shaking hands by picking at the hem of her skirt.

"You underestimate me."

"What if whatever plan you have doesn't work?"

"You don't understand," Hayley said, "I will not let him take you away from me. I'll do anything I can, regardless of how I'm affected, to keep you safe."

Sebastian snapped her eyes from her lap to Hayley. Passion mixed with thoughts in the pirate's eyes. Her mouth was set in a line, her shoulders back. This was a side that Sebastian hadn't seen before. It wasn't anger, not quite, nor was it the same look that she was given when they became intimate. An air of control surrounded Hayley. This was the calculating pirate side, the one that had gotten her the position as captain. It was almost intimidating, as if she was a different person, and Sebastian had no doubt this was the side the kept control of the crew.

But that side put Sebastian's nerves at ease.

"Do you mean it?" Sebastian asked.

"With all my heart."

Sebastian's heart fluttered, and she had to hold back the tears threatening to spill. Taking a shaky breath, she pushed herself over the table and kissed Hayley, a short firm kiss that took Hayley by surprise. Pulling away, she kept her face close to the pirate's, their noses brushing, breathing mingling. The calculating look was gone from Hayley's eyes, broken by Sebastian's sporadic kiss.

"I really care about you," Sebastian mumbled.

"I know."

"Don't get hurt."

She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if her lover got hurt trying to keep her in the mansion.

"I won't get hurt."

"You don't know that."

A smirk spread on Hayley's face, bringing a playful light to her eyes. "How cute, you actually think I would get hurt."

Sebastian opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by Hayley's mouth against hers, the pirate's tongue slipping in without barricade, her hand tangling in her blonde hair. With a content sigh, Sebastian shut her eyes and reveled in the comfort she found in Hayley's kisses.

A high pitched "oh" caused them to jolt apart and face the door. Holly stood stock-still in the dining room, eyes wide, cheeks red. Sebastian settled back in her chair, knowing some form of teasing would come from this. The handmaid was shocked now, but she would get over it by the time Sebastian saw her again.

If Sebastian did get to see her again.

"Holly, what did you need?" Hayley asked.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I was coming t-to ask if you wanted me to ch-cha-change your sheets. I didn't mean to intrude, I'm sorry. I can leave," Holly stuttered and turned to leave.

"Wait," Hayley commanded, Holly stopping instantly and turning to face her. "I have something else I'd like you to help me with."

She had a plan now.

"Ma'am?"

"Come sit," Hayley said, pulling out the chair to her right and patting the seat.

Still nervous about her wellbeing, Holly walked across the room as instructed and took the seat. Curious, Sebastian watched, perched on the edge of her seat, ignoring the cooling bowl of soup in front of her.

"What I'm about to tell you does not leave this room, understood?" Hayley asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

Hayley was about to put a lot of trust, not to mention Sebastian's life, in the hands of a handmaid. She sure as hell hoped she wasn't making a stupid decision.

"This might shock you, it might not. Sebastian isn't really an island girl. She is a princess, heir to throne at that, of the country I was paid to destroy recently."

What Hayley did for a living wasn't kept secret. Her staff knew she was a pirate first, business woman and estate owner second. That was possibly why most were afraid of her.

Holly's brows knitted, and she looked at Sebastian, who didn't make any moves to deny the statement. "She is?"

All things considered, the information made sense.

"She is," Hayley nodded. "According to the contract I signed, I was to leave no survivors. I saw her and I couldn't bring myself to fully honor the contract. But the contract is the reason no one is to know who she is, why you've been kept in the dark regarding her identity."

She felt it necessary to point out why Holly had been denied the knowledge. A bond had been formed between the handmaid and princess. Hayley didn't need her feeling betrayed before asking something so important of her.

"I understand."

"The king who hired me is coming here to meet my alleged island girl. If Sebastian were to come downstairs, he would recognize her in a heartbeat, take her away, and kill her."

Holly blanched. "Oh."

"I don't want that to happen. I have a plan that could possibly keep Sebastian safe. But I need you to help me with it."

Holly turned her eyes to Hayley. "What do you need?"

"I need you to pretend to be the island girl."

"Me?" Holly squeaked.

"Yes, you. You have the same physical characteristics King Alexander would have recounted to King Ferdinand. Blonde hair, skin that's paler than an island girl would have, and green eyes."

"My eyes aren't green," Sebastian cut in.

"They were green the day you met the king. They tend to turn green when you," Hayley cleared her throat, "get excited. Back to the point. Holly, you would in no way get hurt. I promise. He wouldn't recognize you and would find no reason for unjust prosecution."

Quiet, Holly turned her eyes back to the princess, emerald depths penetrating hazel ones. Sebastian nearly held her breath.

"Well," Holly started, "I like her too much, we all like her too much, to allow her to be taken away." She looked at Hayley. "I'll do it."