Somewhere Weaknesses Are Strength

"Wake up," a voice commanded, pulling Sebastian from her dream world.

Sebastian groaned. She didn't want to wake up. In her dream world, she was back home, living comfortably. Her mother and brothers were alive again. Everyone was happy. She knew that when she opened her eyes, she would no longer be at home but on the pirate ship where she was being held captive.

Sebastian forced her eyes open. Unlike the last time she returned to a conscious state, she knew where she was. She recognized the full wood interior and the shackles connected to her wrists. She recognized the voice too. It was not the person she wanted to hear from first thing when she woke up.

The princess turned her head to look at her captor. Hayley stood in the room with one hand on her hip and the other holding a tray of food. Her captain hat didn't sit on her head like last time Sebastian saw her; it was no where to be seen. The button up top she was wearing was tied underneath her chest, exposing her taut stomach. Sebastian's eyes lingered on Hayley's stomach and partially exposed breasts before returning to her face.

"It's time to eat," Hayley stated.

Hayley bent over to place the tray next to Sebastian. Sebastian could clearly see down her shirt. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of the lacy, black bra holding Hayley's breasts in place. Sebastian pushed herself into a sitting position as Hayley straightened. She took a breath to clear her mind and looked over the tray. A plate of biscuits, scrambled eggs, a muffin, and a cup of water sat on the serving dish.

"I don't need this much food," Sebastian mumbled, tongue heavy from sleep.

"Then don't eat it all," Hayley replied.

Sebastian's eyes darted from the tray to the captain's face. There was no way she was telling Sebastian to waste rations. Weren't those important to keep high on a ship? The look on Hayley's face told Sebastian she was serious.

"You won't get angry?" Sebastian asked.

"We don't have many days left on the ship and we have an excess in food. Of course I won't get angry."

That was the reason Sebastian was getting so much food then. She didn't think Hayley was ever nice enough to give her captives enough food to fill them. But they wouldn't need the food when they hit land. The pirates had to get rid of it somehow.

"Where are we headed?" Sebastian asked.

"Home."

The answer made Sebastian's heart ache. She didn't have a home anymore. The woman standing before her took it away.

"To your home?" Sebastian asked.

"The crew members' homes. My home, soon to be your home. We've been away for about a year and a half now; its time to go back."

"My home?"

Did that woman really include Sebastian into the list? She had one home: the palace where she grew up. The pirate couldn't change that.

"You'll be staying with me. My home will be your home," Hayley answered.

"And I have no say in this?"

"No."

Sebastian said nothing in response, instead returning her attention to the tray. She picked at the food on it. The slight hunger she had was gone now; she was in no mood to eat. She would rather curl into a ball and die.

"Are you going to cooperate and put the outfit on?" asked Hayley.

"I refuse to wear that," Sebastian kept her eyes to her tray.

"Look," Hayley walked closer to Sebastian, heeled boots clicking against the wood, and kneeled, "I'm not a patient person so just put the fucking outfit on and get in my room."

Sebastian looked Hayley in the eyes, "No."

Anger flashed across Hayley's features. Sebastian braced herself for a strike of some sort, maintaining the defiant look on her face. The strike never came.

"Fine. I'll give you a choice; you have till tomorrow to make a decision. If you don't do as I've asked, I'll take what I want and you'll stay in here for the remainder of the trip. If you decide to do as I have asked you, you can stay in my bed cabin, where you would be a hell of a lot more comfortable. Keep in mind that you're staying with me when we dock and your decision will effect how I treat you in my home. Understood?"

"Yes," Sebastian whispered.

She was not fond of her options. Either way, she would be at a loss. Hayley would get what she wanted; it was just a matter of comfort on Sebastian's part.

"Good," Hayley stood, "Call for Zac when you're done. He'll take your tray."

Hayley left the room without another word. Sebastian stared at the closed door. Looking over her options, she had no choice but to give in. The idea of staying in the tiny chamber for the rest of the trip wasn't comforting; regardless of how long they had left. She didn't want to be mistreated in Hayley's home either.

A good ruler wouldn't give in. A good ruler would stay in an uncomfortable position till death or possible escape.

However, Sebastian saw no reason to keeping morals anymore. There was no way for her to get home, considering she didn't have a home. If she disobeyed, she wasn't getting killed. Staying in the room was already affecting her psychological state; Hayley must have known that. Hayley may have looked like an innocent girl but she knew what she was doing. Sebastian had no idea what physical torture would be practiced on her; she didn't want to find out.

Sebastian nibbled at a biscuit from the tray. It wasn't stale or rotted. It was fluffy, warm, and Sebastian swore she could taste a tiny bit of butter. But Sebastian's stomach felt sick with each nibble. The situation was weighing down on her with a great amount of force, making her feel nauseous.

Or maybe that was the rocking of the ship.

She placed the nibbled on biscuit back on the tray. She couldn't eat anymore. Not without spewing vomit all over the room. That would have made her living conditions even worse. If she gave in to Hayley's demands, she wouldn't be staying in the cramped quarters for long; how messy she made the room wouldn't matter. She was leaning toward that decision.

Her weakness reminded her that she would have been an awful ruler. She wasn't going to be a ruler anymore though. There was no reason in fighting the inevitable. Why try to be a good ruler when there was no one around to know about her efforts, no one to document her struggle and inform future generations?

Sebastian shook her head in an attempt to rid it of its negative thoughts. She needed to call this Zac person to take her tray. At least, she thought that was the name Hayley told her.

"Zac," she called.

It came out as more of a question. She wasn't sure if she was calling the right person. Hayley should have left her Josh again. She knew who that was. She had no idea what to expect of Zac, if that was even his name. He could be a huge pirate that would rape her because she didn't eat all of her food.

The door swung open. A man stood in the doorway. He looked vaguely similar to Josh. Though he was on the heavier side and had a youthful glow that Josh did not. A genuine smile was plastered on his face. Not one of pity like she had been given from Josh or the devilish smirk Hayley constantly gave her. He was the first one to smile at her like that since she'd been there. She decided she liked him.

"You called," he asked in a faux British accent.

"Are you Zac?" Sebastian asked, suppressing a giggle.

"The one and only," he bowed.

"That woman told me to call you when I was done."

Zac laughed, "You've resorted to calling Captain 'that woman?'"

"Well what do you expect me to call her?"

Zac shrugged and stepped fully into the room, letting the door go. It slammed shut, causing him to jump a foot in the air.

"I didn't do it," he exclaimed.

Sebastian smiled at his antics. He was different from the other two, more carefree, non-demanding. He wasn't close to being intimidating; he didn't even look like he would be a pirate. For a moment, Sebastian forgot she was being held against her will. It was something she needed.

Zac glanced at Sebastian's tray and cocked his head to the side.

"You're finished?" he asked.

"I'm not that hungry."

"Did you eat anything?"

"I ate part of a biscuit."

Sebastian picked up the biscuit she had nibbled on earlier to show him. He took it in his hands and examined it.

"It looks like a mouse ate on it."

"Do you have mice on the ship?"

Zac tapped his nose, "Maybe."

"That's not sanitary."

"No offense, but the mice are probably cleaner than you right now."

Sebastian knew it was true. She hadn't bathed in who knew how long. Her stench was clear to her own senses. Dirt covered a majority of her skin and dress. She didn't know how she managed to get that dirty since she hadn’t moved around much but it happened at some point.

"I know," she sighed.

"Captain hasn't offered to get you cleaned up?" he asked.

Sebastian shook her head. Zac made a noise of disbelief in the confines of his throat. Was it that hard for him to believe that Hayley hadn't offered to let her bathe? Hayley seemed to have a one track mind. All she cared about was putting Sebastian in the outfit and keeping her in her bed chamber.

"Well, I should be taking this," he bent down to grab the tray, "I'll talk to Captain about the bath."

"Thank you," Sebastian replied.

"No problem."

Zac walked out of the room, making sure to shut the door quietly behind him. Sebastian stared at the walls of her confinement, leaning against the one she was shackled to. Her mood was depressing again. She knew that not eating would affect her before the next meal.

Her eyes wandered to the outfit still in a pile on the ground. Would it be that bad to wear the outfit? Hayley wanted more from her than that but she could take one step forward. Anything to get out of the situation she was in

She felt like a coward for wanting to give in. But what else could she do? Nothing mattered anymore. She should be selfish and do whatever it took to get out of the discomfort she was in. If it took sucking up to Captain Hayley Williams, she should do it.

So why did she feel so bad about it?