Somewhere Weaknesses Are Strength

Sebastian had been staring at the wall for who knew how long. A concept of time wasn't something she had anymore. Not that she really had any idea what time it was from the minute she woke up on the ship. There was no way for her to tell time in the tiny room. She had no clock, no window to look out of to judge the sun's placement in the sky, no shadows bouncing off of objects. Time was nothing to her.

Excited yells could be heard straining through the walls of her room. They were shushed just as they began. Hayley's voice, loud and demanding attention, cut through the silence that was created. Sebastian could not decipher words but she could hear the excitement coating Hayley's tone. Whatever the news was, Sebastian was sure she wouldn't be as excited as everyone else on the ship.

Sebastian wondered where her place of captivity was located. It could be underneath the ship, as she sometimes heard footsteps pounding on her ceiling. It could be in a hallway or near the deck. Zac and Josh had to be able to hear her calls somehow. Sebastian knew nothing about the layout of ships from her country and even less about pirate ships.

There was only one reason she really wanted to know where the room was situated: she was curious as to whether or not the crew could here her crying. If she were ever to actually meet them, it would be embarrassing for them to know her as "that sobbing girl." Maybe they felt a bit of sympathy for her. Either way she came off as weak. That was what she was at that point.

But she could have killed herself. That was the ultimate action of weakness. Sebastian's mother had taken her life after the first child's death, the death of Sebastian's second youngest brother. Sebastian was only twelve at the time. Her father tried to cover it up by telling the children she fell from the balcony. The children may have been young but they were in no way stupid. They knew what happened.

Then again, Sebastian's mother was on the crazy side, always claiming that people were out to get their family and coming up with conspiracy theories. She once accused the butcher of poisoning all of his meats before shipping them to different areas of the town; the accusation was, of course, false.

Now, all of Sebastian's family was dead and she was stuck on a pirate ship. Maybe there was some truth to her mother's ranting; maybe they were doomed from the start.

Sebastian did not allow the idea to breed in her mind. She didn't believe in fate or curses. Everything happened for a reason.

The yells resumed outside her room. She listened to the excitement that the whole ship had broken out in. Something Hayley said got them in this frenzy. Sebastian wasn't too sure what could excite a pirate that much; perhaps they were making a stop before returning to their homes to pillage another village.

Sebastian was surprised that such a tiny woman could control a group of rowdy men. What surprised her more was that a group of men allowed themselves to be controlled by a woman. Control was something most men wanted; letting a woman have control emasculated them. It was apparent that none had tried to kill their captain for control; Hayley looked to be perfectly healthy.

It was possible that Hayley was a good leader to them, giving out equal wages and providing good living conditions. They could have been afraid of her. There was no doubt that Hayley was skilled with a gun; she shot Anne down without taking a single glance at her. Sebastian could tell that Hayley had an evil mind. The way her eyes changed with her thoughts gave away her inner workings. The princess knew when Hayley's mind was on torture.

Another factor could have been her physical features. Sebastian couldn't deny that Hayley was attractive. Her face was flawless and her body was spectacular. The crew must have felt the same. They were a group of men; they had to feel the same. Her voice could hold them under a siren spell, Sebastian was sure.

But Sebastian didn't think Hayley had sex with any of the members of the crew. She seemed more respectable than to whore around for respect. Hayley was also very dominant. It was obvious in the way she spoke to Sebastian and demanded things she had no right to. No man that Sebastian knew would want to handle a dominant woman.

Sure, Hayley must get sexually frustrated on the ship and could force any of the men to succumb to her will but Sebastian doubted she did. She most likely fooled around with the maids on the ship. After all, she was dead set on messing around with Sebastian. Perhaps Hayley didn't like men in that way. Sebastian saw no ring on her finger, therefore she wasn't married. Female relations were illegal in most areas but Hayley was a pirate. Pirates didn't give a flying fuck about rules.

Or that was what Sebastian had been told by the sailors.

In all honesty, Sebastian saw nothing wrong with same sex relations. There were a few girls she knew in the town she once lived in that did like other females. Not openly, as the penalty was death. Sebastian had somehow found out after running into two of them making out during a ball a few years ago. Sebastian promised not tell anyone because she was friends with them. She was introduced to all of them because they all knew each other. It was like a club and Sebastian had been accepted into it.

They were sweet girls with good heads on their shoulders. She knew they would become active contributors to society once she became ruler. So what if they avoided men at all cost? They were good people.

Even though they had the firm belief that Sebastian was into women.

Sebastian never denied their beliefs. She was too busy training to worry about which gender she found more attractive. The law may have dictated marriages strictly between opposite genders but Sebastian could have changed that when she got into power if she so desired. Instead she denied feelings for either. She jokingly told her father that she was into animals when he asked her to find a spouse. He didn't find it funny.

She had time to think about it in the room and she would if it kept her thoughts off of her deceased family. Not that it mattered what her sexuality was anymore.

Sebastian knew that if she had married, she would have been married off to a strong male. It was accustomed for princesses to marry men with power or large amounts of strength. Sebastian would not have been able to handle them. Men with power were constantly rubbing it in her face and men with muscles never stopped flexing.

They also had no brains.

Feminine men were no better. They whined constantly and weren't dominant enough. She would have the freedom she desired when it came to ruling her country but Sebastian knew she would need someone to control her in bed. Just because she was still a virgin didn't mean she couldn't think about sex. And she had. The way her body responded to thoughts helped her in realizing what she would most likely enjoy. That's not to say she wanted to someone to beat the crap out of her. She just wanted someone who was dominant.

If Sebastian were to stick with men, she would have to compromise. She wasn't planning on doing so anytime soon.

Women were a different story. A woman would likely have let Sebastian rule her country without trying to step in and takeover. They wouldn't be constantly flashing muscles. They could be vain, which was a bit of a downside. But Sebastian was vain at times too; she was raised as a princess. She could probably find a woman who was dominant. Women listened better most of the time and their bodies were ones Sebastian was familiar with, being a female herself. There was more than one in her village that fit her qualifications. She wouldn't have had to compromise.

Sebastian wouldn't get anywhere under Hayley's hold. She was curious as to how much freedom she would have if she gave into Hayley's demands. The captain wanted sex and she wanted Sebastian to be submissive. It couldn't be that bad; Hayley was gorgeous. Maybe she was what Sebastian needed.

Or maybe Sebastian's time in the room was turning her brain into mush. Yeah, that was probably it.

The shouts had died down outside. The crew must have gone back to work. Sebastian assumed they did. Unless, of course, the news was so great that the whole crew was having a party. Sebastian would have been able to hear them though. The pirates would be loud, even louder than they were moments ago. It was out of pirate nature to have a calm party.

The sailor's who had escaped captivity told Sebastian all about pirate parties. It was rare for a sailor to escape captivity but three in town had. They were honored with medals and held in high esteem.

How ironic that these local heroes' homes were burned down and they were killed at the hands of pirates.

Tears threatened to spill from Sebastian's eyes at the thought of her burned city. No amount of tears could bring it back, she was aware. She blinked the tears away. Crying was taking too much out of her.

Her stomach grumbled, demanding food. She should have eaten breakfast. Her stomach was throbbing. Lunch had to have passed by now. Maybe they were planning on feeding her once a day. The day before, she had only eaten once before going to sleep.

Sebastian sighed, running the nail of her index finger up her arm. She pulled it away to find dirt caked under her nail. It had been too long since she had bathed. Her nose crinkled. She knew she reeked. If she could smell it, everyone could.

Staying in Hayley's room was looking like the best solution.

Hayley did tell her she would be staying in the small room if she didn't give in. Sebastian didn't want to be uncomfortable for the rest of her life.

Sebastian would be with them for the rest of her life; it hit her full force. She choked back more tears. Her eyes stung from crying. Anymore and she would have to rip her eyes from their sockets.

The door opened, revealing the redheaded captain. Hayley walked in, without a tray of food in hand. Sebastian was getting the feeling that Hayley was trying to starve her out.

"I just thought I would let you know that we will be docking in three days, assuming the weather stays nice," Hayley stated.

"Oh," Sebastian responded.

That must have been why the crew was so excited. They had been on the ship for so long; they must have missed their families. Just as Sebastian predicted, she did not share their excitement.

"When is lunch," Sebastian asked.

"It already passed," Hayley answered.

"Dinner?"

"That passed too."

Sebastian looked at Hayley, shocked. But she should have expected it; she was a prisoner.

"Are you hungry," Hayley asked, mock sympathy dripping from her tone.

"Yes," Sebastian whispered.

"I could try to find you something to eat but my chef doesn't like cooking after hours."

That was bullshit. Hayley could order him to make food and he would push everything aside to make it for her. Sebastian had heard that pirate crews were always loyal to their captain.

Hayley turned to walk out of the room and probably never return with food.

"Wait," Sebastian said.

Hayley stopped and turned her head slightly so she could see Sebastian through the corner of her eye. Sebastian looked at her hands; then back at Hayley.

"Can I at least bathe before I put it on?"