Somewhere Weaknesses Are Strength

"Princess, I have orders to bring you to another room where you can't see this," Taylor said, "Come with me."

Perhaps being upfront about his orders would get her to move. He couldn't elaborate on what would happen, but that should have been enough.

"Hayley's hurt," Sebastian mumbled, paying no mind to Taylor's statement.

Frustrated, Taylor groaned and stood. She wasn't getting up, and she appeared to be making no moves to get up anytime soon. Hayley would have his head if he didn't get the girl out of the room, if she witnessed any torture placed on the king before transporting him to the cellar. His captain didn't want the princess to see that kind of violence regardless of her training. Why did Sebastian have to be so difficult about it?

Taylor looked toward the group of pirates, searching for some form of assistance. Josh had returned from sending the knight away. Horse hooves could be heard against the cobblestone outside, traveling away from the mansion. Jeremy kept his eyes on Hayley, his hand over his weapon in the event King Ferdinand attempted an escape or attack. Hayley was stalling, aware the princess was still in the room and waiting for her to be transported elsewhere. However, she didn't look in the direction of the princess, didn't pay attention to the trouble Taylor was having with her. Zac glanced at them periodically, concern etched into his features.

He and Sebastian had a relatively close relationship on the ship. Maybe he could help talk her into leaving the room.

When Zac looked over again, Taylor motioned from him with quick hand movements. Mumbling an indication of his departure from post to Hayley, Zac walked to Sebastian and Taylor. The area was secure enough for him to leave Hayley's side. King Ferdinand was the only threat and he was subdued.

"Help me," Taylor whispered.

Zac simply nodded at the command and knelt by the princess. As a doctor, Taylor was his superior. He was one of the most important members on crew, the man whose medical expertise kept members from dying. Though the hierarchy of the ship didn't designate it, Zac listened to him.

An unhappy doctor meant dead ship members.

Glancing over the princess, Zac took in her expression. Eyes wide, focused on the captain. Her lips were parted, corners tugged downward. She didn't seem capable on concentrating much on anything besides whatever held her interest. She may have been in shock, but he wasn't sure what would have caused that kind of reaction.

"Princess," Zac started, voice soothing, "this isn't a place for a lady. We need to escort you from the room."

Slightly hypocritical considering Hayley was a woman of proper breeding and she would be the one leading the torture. But she was their captain, a fellow pirate at one point. The crew didn't think much of her gender while she worked alongside them years ago, only of her skills. And, as their captain, she was fucking scary. No one would dare joke about her femininity clashing with her actions.

"She's hurt," Sebastian said, "Hayley's hurt." Her hands began trembling in her lap. "She's bleeding. Don't let her die. Please don't let her die."

So that was what this was about.

"Captain will be fine," Zac said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down."

"She can't die," Sebastian continued her babbling, despite the attempt at calming, "She can't leave me."

Tears coated her eyes, perching on her lashes. Her shaking stretched through the rest of her body, not violent but enough to be noticeable. She didn't seem to notice her bodies reactions, too concentrated on Hayley. And the captain was stalling still, keeping her attention on the king for safety and throwing insults at him.

"What are we going to do?" Taylor asked.

She wasn't all there anymore. Fear had caused her to lose her sanity for a moment and she wouldn't be okay until Hayley's wound was out of sight.

"Only thing we can do," Zac responded.

"Knock her out?"

It seemed a good solution.

"No, that would get us killed." Zac looked up at him. "Go tell Captain. She's waiting for the princess to leave the room and the princess won't go until Captain soothes her."

A more plausible solution. Hopefully, the captain would leave the captive with them so she could calm her princess.

"Okay. I'll try to get Captain to work her magic," Taylor said.

Zac watched him leave, one hand remaining on Sebastian's shoulder. He whispered words to Hayley and swept his hand in their direction. The captain's eyes darted to Sebastian, a streak of worry in them despite her otherwise stoic appearance.

"Josh, Jeremy," Hayley barked, "Bring King Ferdinand to the cellar."

"Yes, Captain," they mumbled in unison.

They walked to either side of the king, each gripping an arm and forcing him to his feet. The king struggled in their hold but it didn't deter them from leading him from the room. Hayley kept her eyes on them, making sure they had no problems as they left. Once they were out of view, she turned to Zac and Taylor.

"Go help them. I'll take care of Sebastian," Hayley said.

"Yes, Captain," Taylor said.

Zac stood and smiled reassuringly at Sebastian. She didn't notice. Her eyes were focused on Hayley's arm, where the cut stained her skin and surrounding clothing red. Sighing, Zac mumbled a "yes, Captain" and followed Taylor from the room. The moment they were out of sight, Hayley's posture relaxed. She walked to the princess, whose eyes remained on her wounded arm, and kneeled. Sebastian's breathing became rapid, her shaking becoming worse.

"Sweetheart," Hayley said.

"You're bleeding."

Sebastian pressed a hand to Hayley's wound. A surge of pain crept from the cut, and Hayley winced. But she did nothing to stop Sebastian, instead watching in fascination. Sebastian pulled her hand away, glanced at the blood that stained her skin, then began pressing her hand rapidly to Hayley's arm, trying to stop the slow bleeding. She paid no more mind to the blood covering her hand.

"Don't die. You can't die."

The bleeding, though not life threatening in amount produced, didn't stop. Terror visibly rose in Sebastian. Thought processes on saving Hayley from a death she was sure would occur, she ripped a fabric from the hem of her dress and dabbed hastily against the wound.

Shocked by the action, Hayley parted her lips, her eyebrows rising. Was Sebastian aware of the amount of money that dress was worth? It may not have been the most expensive dress in the closet, but it had been a high price. Sebastian would know that. Did she care? Was she even consciously aware of what was happening around her? The cut was hardly deep enough to designate Sebastian rip her dress in a desperate attempt to clot the wound, which would stop bleeding just fine on its own.

"Sweetheart." Hayley grabbed Sebastian's hand and pulled it from the insistent dabbing. Sebastian's eyes snapped to Hayley's face, pain coating them. Hayley hesitated, staring into the hazel eyes, her heart dropping into the pit of her stomach. There was something deeper there, a pain from the past. "What's wrong?"

"You're wounded."

"Yes, but its nothing major. Look." Hayley twisted her arm to show Sebastian the cut. "It's just a flesh wound."

"It's going to get infected."

"It's not going to get infected. Taylor will take care of it."

"Yes, it will. You're going to get an infection, you're going to be bedridden, and you're going to die."

Sebastian had seen that happen before.

Hayley's concern rose. Sebastian wasn't afraid of the wound bleeding so much Hayley died. She was worried about something as small as an infection. Hayley had the medical expertise necessary to keep the wound from becoming infected at her disposal. Basic care had been taught to her while she was training as a pirate.

Why make a doctor waste his time checking up on infections when the crew could take actions to avoid them?

But Sebastian didn't appear to be thinking of the medical treatment Hayley had. If the wound did get worse, she had Taylor, and he was the best doctor she had come in contact with throughout her travels.

All reasoning skills had been lost somewhere in Sebastian's mind to something stronger. Hayley imagined a memory was the cause, but what was the memory?

"Sweetheart, what are you talking about?"

"You're going to get an infection and you're going to die." Sebastian returned to dabbing the cut, her hands shaking.

"Who did you see die like that?"

Sebastian paused her dabbing. Her eyes widened, breathing hiding in her lungs. The memory, whatever it was, had that much affect on her, and Hayley could only watch. Sebastian shook her head, breathing resuming, and dabbed at the wound.

She was too far in her mental frenzy to give an answer. Hayley hadn't soothed her soon enough. If she had gotten to her sooner, she would have been able to keep her from losing herself, like she did with Sebastian's fear of sailing.

And that had been caused by the memory of her oldest brother. Was this similar? Did someone in her family die from an infection? No, Sebastian made no indication of that being the case. None of the deaths Hayley had been informed of resulted from infection. A slit throat for King Cavalier, suicide for the queen. Horse trampling, a gun shot, and a ship wreck for the brothers. No infection.

Unless the shot didn't actually kill the youngest twin, had been so inaccurate that it could only make a wound that would lead to an infection.

"Sweetheart, how did your brother die?"

"His ship was shot down."

"Not that one."

"A horse."

"Not that one either."

"He... he..." Sebastian stopped dabbing Hayley's arm.

Tears leaked from the princess' eyes, slow a first, a couple slipping past her barricades. They escalated to sobs, racking her body. The slip of fabric fell from her hands, and she covered her face. Hayley pulled her into her arms, holding her tightly and allowing her to cry on her clothing.

She didn't want her to hurt.

"It'll be alright," Hayley mumbled against Sebastian's hair.

Her sobs decreased in the comfort of Hayley's arms, becoming sniffles. She remained cuddled against Hayley's body, listening to her heartbeat.

"Let's get you upstairs. You need sleep," Hayley said.

"Will you stay with me?"

"I'll be there when you fall asleep and I'll be there when you wake up."

The time in between would be spent making King Ferdinand's life hell.