Kaya's stomach twisted into knot after knot as the guard walked beside the carriage in which Elsa rode. Kaya and the other high-ranking officers sat atop their horses, looking vaguely uncomfortable at the tense atmosphere that still surrounded their queen and captain. If nothing else, though, she knew they were certainly glad to be done with their long voyage that had been tinged with sadness and regret the whole way.
They eventually reached the palace and Kaya tried not to do too much reminiscing and allow the past to hinder her awareness of the present. The group walked through the gates and were welcomed with open arms by Zmeya and her attendants. This time, however, the woman did send a dangerous leer Kaya's way as she looked over Elsa's shoulder as they greeted each other. The thought that the woman had become so confident that Kaya wouldn't simply lose her temper and wring her neck right then and there.
As they walked into the palace, she beckoned to Loren, who looked about as uncomfortable with the situation as she was, and said,
"I need a favor."
With that, her second-in-command was sent off on her errand. In the meantime, through all of the boring political talk about peacekeeping between Palladon and Arendelle, Kaya remained vigilant and knew it wouldn't be long before Zmeya would make her move.
Thankfully, if a fight broke out and she was forced to subdue Zmeya, she still had one more ace up her sleeve, even if Loren didn't find what she'd sent him for.
She just hoped said ace would arrive sooner rather than later.
It had been decidedly peaceful all day, though Kaya knew Zmeya too well to be fooled. Kaya was simply waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The first day of the Arendellian's visit had almost drawn to a close, with both rulers and a few of their guards accompanying each of them taking on the lawn outside the palace as the sun slowly set in the west.
The tea had just been poured when Kaya felt a slight touch on her arm, signaling Loren's return.
His whispered words in her ear had her shooting forward to grab her queen's saucer out of her hand.
"Captain!" Elsa gasped. "What has gotten into you?"
"My apologies, Queen Elsa," Kaya stared hard at the teacup now in her grasp. "But the tea is poisoned."
"Absurd!" Zmeya scoffed. "To even suggest such a thing; Queen Elsa, your Captain needs to be kept on a shorter leash!"
"Then you wouldn't mind drinking my queen's tea yourself, if you're so confident it hasn't been tampered with." Kaya baited.
Her guards stepped in."Are you threatening the Empress?"
"Not at all." Kaya thought about pressing her original angle to prove her accusations were not baseless...But she had a better idea.
"Alright." Kaya withheld her smirk, slowly raising the cup to her own lips. "Then you won't mind if I test it myself?"
The slight widening of Zmeya's eyes was a clear indication that she had not expected this turn of events.
All eyes were on her, and the expressions of the onlookers varied from wary, to disbelieving, to frightened. Interestingly enough, Zmeya had the latter two of the three emotions shown on her face. Kaya wouldn't have expected her to be so open about her feelings.
Kaya raised an eyebrow slightly, and steadily closed the distance between her lips and the cup. Her lips touched the rim and she made a motion to tilt the cup back...
"Enough!"
Elsa wasn't sure what baffled her more: the fact that the Empress had allowed herself to be baited into a game of chicken with a stranger (or so Elsa had thought), or the idea that the tea actually had been poisoned, forcing the Empress' hand.
Why would the Empress care if Kaya died, even if it meant proving herself guilty?
Several conclusions came immediately to Elsa's mind. Firstly, Zmeya and Kaya did know each other, and they had apparently been quite close if the Empress was even willing to lose face if it meant saving Kaya's life.
The second made the queen's heart plummet even further.
Kaya had not only been right about Zmeya's intentions; she had been willing to give her life to prove it.
Seconds after Zmeya's outburst, the Empress stood, palms still laid flat on the table where she had slammed them down as she spoke. Outwardly, she seemed calm and collected, but Elsa was no stranger to having an invisible storm brewing within herself.
Finally, the Empress turned to Elsa. "You and your guard are free to leave now, Queen Elsa."
Elsa didn't know what to think. Had she done something to offend the other woman? She felt as if she should at least say something about the fact that the Empress had just tried to have her killed.
The Snow Queen opened her mouth to give a scathing remark that was Anna-like in its reckless-but-honest manner when she felt a hand on her elbow tugging her away and in the direction of the main gates.
It was no surprise that Elsa turned mid-stride to find Kaya pulling her away from the patio and across the lawn. She wasn't looking at Elsa, but rather keeping an eye on the Empress, who hadn't moved a muscle since seemingly dismissing Elsa and her party.
"That's it?" Elsa asked, affronted. "We're just going to let her get away with trying to kill me?"
"Please." Kaya scoffed. "If I had my way, we'd still be in Arendelle and far away from this mess. So unless you'd like to ignore my advice again, I suggest you get moving."
That last comment gave Elsa pause. It was true that Kaya had been right, about everything, and Elsa had assumed that Kaya was being worried for no reason.
Now she knew better.
"Empress?"
Zmeya stood still, almost too still, like a cobra waiting for just the right moment to strike. She hated that the former princess had baited her into giving her plan away, but what choice did she have? Kaya belonged to her. And she didn't like it when her things disappeared.
Before they'd outlived their usefulness, that is.
She didn't turn, but her guard heard her all the same as she uttered the order that, no matter how they personally felt about her or Kaya, they would obey, or die trying.
"Kill them. All of them."
After all, that's what Kaya herself had trained them to do; obey an order without question.
And if she couldn't have that woman, then no one would.
Kaya had to will herself not to sprint for the gates with Elsa in tow. She knew Zmeya better than anyone.
And there wasn't a doubt in her mind that the Empress had just ordered their demise.
Because was it not the nature of a snake to want to watch their prey squirm in fear before they killed it?
Sure enough, not moments later, a battle horn sounded, one of the horns Kaya herself had once ordered played to alert the troops of the call to battle.
It was a confirmation of Zmeya's wish for their heads.
"Run!"
They took off for the gates, but didn't make it there fast enough to make it through before they were closed to cut off their escape.
Guess there's no choice.
Without a second thought, she pushed Elsa into the safety of a ring of her guards and summoned her magic in full-force, firing at the gate.
The troops from Arendelle, while understandably shocked that yet another woman that inhabited their kingdom had elemental magic, did well in recovering from their surprise and formed their ranks around their queen, as they'd trained to do.
The Palladonian soldiers, however, did not snap out of their stupefied state so quickly and only registered that their targets had made it through the destroyed gates moments too late, and started to give chase.
Sensing the Palladonians gaining on them, Kaya realized that there was no way their party would outrun their pursuers all the way to the harbor.
She would have to buy them the time to get there.
"Take her and go!" She ordered Loren, who looked perplexed at first, but nodded in compliance and pulled Elsa in the direction of the harbor.
"No!" Elsa cried in protest. "I'm not leaving you!"
"Don't be stupid, Elsa, this is serious." Kaya didn't turn around from here she stood. "Even with your magic, you're too valuable to Arendelle to risk fighting here."
"But-"
"Go." This time, Kaya did turn around, and Elsa was surprised to see a slightly softer look in her eyes. "Don't make Anna lose another person she cares about."
It was a dirty trick, using Elsa's love for her sister to get her to leave, Kaya knew, but she would do anything to make sure Elsa was safe, even if that meant manipulating the queen's emotions.
Elsa knew what Kaya was playing at, but she couldn't argue with her point either.
"Just..." Her shoulders sagged in defeat as she sighed. "Be careful. Please."
Kaya only nodded before telling them once more to go.
As Elsa turned to follow her guard, she felt a flare of heat at her back, making her turn her head as she ran, only to see a massive wall of fire spring up from nowhere, putting Elsa on one side, and Kaya on the other.
It was strange, but Elsa had never felt as far away from Kaya as she did at that moment.
Kaya knew the barrier of orange flame behind her was a bit extravagant, but she figured that the pause that it would give at least a few of the soldiers that were now flying at her at a breakneck pace might just be enough to level the playing field a bit.
Gods knew, she would need all the help she could get, as badly outnumbered as she was.
She met the force head-on, weaving in and out of swords, spears and axes alike, using her magic to the fullest extent she had since she had commanded this very army years ago. Using Orinda's power was the most natural thing in the world for her. While on that gods-forsaken volcano, Kaya had quickly learned that there weren't many limits to Orinda's great power. The former princess had even made a game out of seeing how many weapons she could utilize using the fire magic that was always flowing from her fingertips.
Kaya smirked as she called forth one of her personal favorites, a bright-orange, thin stripe of magic that was whip-like in its flexibility. Snapping her wrist back and forth around her with the grace of a dancer, she knocked men to the ground as if they were rag dolls by the dozen. While she was not necessarily aiming to kill, she wasn't above ending a few lives to make certain that Elsa made it to the safety of the ship.
Years ago, when she'd commanded her father's army, she hadn't had any qualms about who to kill and not kill. Back then, she'd just been doing what she did best: causing destruction and chaos.
But now, things were different.
Now, she had something that she actually wanted to protect, and she'd be damned if she gave it up without a fight.
The battle had gone on for an hour at most, but with the intensity of the battle, it felt more like days to both Kaya and her adversaries.
Kaya knew this area well, she had spent a fair amount of time here when she had been tasked with protecting the capital in particular.
Which was how she knew exactly where the cliffs on the outskirts of the city were.
The alternation between running, turning, fighting a fews dozen soldiers, and then running again were starting to take their toll, even to someone whose body had been trained time and time again for battle.
Finally, she made it to the cliffs and debated blowing up the entire cliffside to take the rest of the Palladonian forces with her into the ocean but quickly discarded the thought. Zmeya had made it a point to kill anyone and everyone that had shown loyalty to Kaya in the face of her being framed for her father's murder. Which meant none of these soldiers were any that she'd had close ties with; they were just doing as was required of a Palladonian soldier.
As she finished off another handful of soldiers, she couldn't help but think that this situation looked vaguely familiar, with her back against a metaphorical wall, surrounded by her former countrymen and being looked down on by her former lover.
Okay, so the last one wasn't quite true, but she realized it soon would be as she felt Zmeya's heat signature growing closer and closer. She was moving too fast for her to be on foot, so she must be on horseback and had come to see her former "pet" meet her end.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, the Empress herself arrived and called the battle to a standstill by raising a hand to have one of her personal guards sound the signal for the soldiers to halt their movements.
The ebony-haired woman that had nearly killed her queen sat quite calmly on her steed, wearing a smug smirk that made Kaya's blood boil. To think, if Loren hadn't arrived when he had, even Kaya, with all her power, wouldn't have been able to save the love of her life.
That thought alone was enough to make her snap and lose her trademark cool.
The next thing she knew, she was flying forward with her sword raised. Zmeya, with no time or training to react, ended up off her horse and on the ground, with the tip of Kaya's sword inches from her throat.
"Tell them to drop their weapons." Kaya's tone was hard and bore no room for argument. "Now."
Zmeya's gaze flickered to her guard and back, resembling a caged animal in her mannerisms as she searched for a way to escape her precarious situation. Eventually, she slowly raised a hand to signal her surrender. The expressions of the soldiers varied from simply resigned to very relieved that they wouldn't have to combat their demon of a former princess anymore.
Kaya's hair was brushed away softly by the wind, and she felt no satisfaction at this victory, but she knew killing Zmeya wouldn't be any better. If she killed her ex-lover now, there would be no running for her. Regardless of the soldiers' personal feelings, they would be obligated to track Kaya down and try her for treason, even though she was technically exiled. And, since she now had affiliations with Arendelle, regardless of Elsa's actual involvement or lackthereof, Elsa could be implicated as well.
A familiar voice startled her out of her thoughts. "My, my, you've certainly made a mess, haven't you?"
A graceful, lithe form stepped calmly into the clearing, shooting a bright smile at Kaya that she was hard-pressed not to immediately return in full.
"Catherine."
"Sister." Catherine shot a barely-concealed look of disdain Zmeya's way before settling her gaze on Kaya. "I received your message. Needless to say I was appalled at the happenings here while I was away!"
"Yes...too bad you missed the funeral. School must have been brutally busy for you not to have already heard from someone else."
She hummed her response, her smile never wavering, as she walked closer. "From what I heard, your would-be ascension to the throne wasn't a walk in the park either."
Someone must have filled her in on my banishment...or she was smart enough to piece it together without help.
It was a well-known fact that Catherine, while sweet-natured, had never gotten along with her mother, and while she never would have resorted to killing her, Catherine wouldn't lose any sleep over her mother's death.
"When I heard you were in Arendelle...and stayed, I have to say I was surprised." Her eyes grew shrewd, reminding Kaya why she always thought her step-sister would be a better choice to be Empress, rather than her.
Besides, there were things she would rather be doing than talking politics and signing papers all day.
At the thought, she turned to see the ship that the Arendellians had arrived on sailing slowly past. Kaya could make out the forms of the soldiers and Elsa standing at the rail of the ship, most likely watching her fight take place on the cliff.
Catherine didn't speak, but Kaya knew she was following her step-sister's line of sight.
"Go." The future Empress of Palladon said quietly. "I'm sure I can handle things from here."
Kaya raised an eyebrow. "You won't call for me in two weeks saying you require my presence back here?"
The girl laughed. "I will expect you on holidays, nothing more." Her eyes twinkled. "Unless, of course, you are occupied with other things."
Kaya refrained from calling her sister out on the context of the "other things" that she knew was implied in the statement. Kaya thought to herself that she really must be head-over-heels for Elsa if one soft look to the ship that the queen stood on was a dead-giveaway.
That, or she was losing her mind.
"Get her up." Catherine's voice was now strong as she ordered her guards to restrain Zmeya. "We have a very special place for this one." She seemed almost cheery at the notion.
But then, just like with everyone else in this family, blood-related or not, she was not without her dark side.
Catherine stepped around her guards and approached Kaya, dropping into a deep, graceful curtsy, a sign of great respect coming from the future ruler of a powerful country.
Kaya let the two sisters' trademark parting words roll off her tongue.
"Ya dolzhen idti."
Catherine's smile was equal parts tender and melancholy as she replied,
"Poka my ne vstretimsya snova." She bowed her head in reverence of her elder sister, who had endured so much for others, herself included on more than one occasion.
Nodding to acknowledge the wish to meet again, Kaya allowed herself a small smile of affection for her sister before turning away, condensing her magic into wings that sprouted from her back and would bring her safely back to Elsa.
She stepped off the edge of the cliff, trusting that her wings were now solid enough to carry her.
Magical, bright orange feathers shimmered as they lifted with the wind and pulled their owner into a steady glide down to meet the ship.
Kaya looked down at the ship she was approaching and met Elsa's gaze and allowed herself to truly smile for the second time that day. Though an expression of surprise at the smile from her captain flickered across Elsa's face, Kaya was able to see the extreme softening of the queen's gaze and the relief that Elsa felt even from this distance.
She was so distracted by the thought of the chance that things might actually work out for her for once, with no more running, no more hiding, that she didn't even sense the crossbow bolt coming until it was firmly lodged in her back.
She looked up briefly, and a bright white light flashing from the Arendellian's ship was the last thing she remembered as the ground rushed up to meet her.
