Chapter Twenty Nine

Spectre of the Last Emperor

MELODY

Melody rounded on the fiery sorceress. "What do you mean 'something's coming'?"

"I sense something out there." Deirdre stared at the woods that flanked the vast plains they were traversing. In the dimming light, it was beginning to look increasingly ominous. "It's faint, but I can sense something out of place."

Bewildered, Melody turned to the woods. What could be out there? Her stomach did a flip-flop, and the hairs at the back of her neck stood on end. Her instincts piqued, she didn't need sorcery to know something was about to happen. A chill running down her spine, she quickly unslung her bow.

"What's going on?" Eleanor finally seemed to realise her two companions had their focus elsewhere. "What are you doing?"

"Quiet." Melody stared into the shadows, her hand holding the riser of her bow quivering ever so slightly. She could hear the rustling of the tree branches, but it wasn't from the wind because there was none.

"Get ready. I…I can feel it coming." Deirdre hissed, flames sparking to life in the open palms of her hands.

Melody planted her feet, trying to control her breathing. One…two…three…four…

"Would someone tell me what the hell's going on?" Eleanor barked.

Four men burst out of the woods dressed in the dark red Exonian uniforms. They held muskets to their chests, with bayonets attached. And behind them streamed three more. And another six. Till at least fifty Exonian soldiers streamed out of the woods, headed straight for the three girls. But they didn't stop in a line to level their weapons or fire. They just kept marching in no particular formation, muskets raised and bayonets gleaming ominously in what little light remained.

"Stay close!" Melody yelled, turning to beckon Eleanor to rally to their side. But she was already gone. "Where-" Melody saw the girl already scrambling up a steep hill for all she was worth.

"To hell with her! Stick with me!" Deirdre shouted. Flames danced from her fingertips as she hurled the first ball of fire straight into the heart of the nearest soldier.

"Damn you, Eleanor." Melody growled under her breath and reached for her first arrow. She had no time to spare to look out for Eleanor. That snake would be safe up on high ground for now. Nocking the first arrow, she drew back her bow.

A strange sensation overcame her, and her hands began to tremble. Ignoring it and sighting down the shaft, Melody squinted and released the arrow. The shot went wide, zipping past her intended target and striking another soldier in the shoulder. The target she'd been aiming at lunged at her and she sidestepped him, smashing the upper limb of her bow against his jaw. He crumbled to the snow in a daze.

What the hell? But Melody had no time to think. She nocked the second arrow, sighted and let fly. Again, the arrow missed its target, this time hitting no one at all. Baffled, Melody nocked a third, and tried again, but to no success.

Letting out a grunt of frustration, Melody slammed the riser of her bow against the soldier closest to her, ducking beneath the bayonet of another and driving her elbow into his stomach. She swept the legs out from under a third, and rolled to safety. As she came up to her feet, she stared at her bow in disbelief. Her hands trembled as she breathed hard, trying to clear her mind. Focus. What's wrong with me?

"Hey! Melody!" Deirdre yelled at her, throwing fire at the Exonian soldiers and sending them flying from the point of impact. "Get over here and watch my back!"

Heart racing, Melody sprinted to join Deirdre on her right. Her hand instinctively went to her quiver again and drew yet another arrow. The soldiers were avoiding the fire, with many of them streaming round from both sides at the same time and advancing towards the two girls with no trace of fear or hesitance.

"Where did all these guys come from?" Deirdre said through gritted teeth as she scorched five Exonian coming from her left and sending them up in flames.

"No idea." Melody said absentmindedly as she nocked the arrow, aiming at the soldiers advancing from the right. Her mind was absolutely focused this time. I can't miss. Eyes squinted and muscles tense, she could feel time slow as it always did whenever she took aim before firing. She was doing everything right. So what had gone wrong? Every step was the same. Her form was perfect. But then she noticed the problem. Her hands were shaking. The arrow flew forth from the bowstring, the shot going wide yet again and striking nothing.

She cursed, raising her bow quickly to parry the bayonet from the soldier she'd missed. With her free hand, she struck the sternum of the man and pushed him aside. Driving the riser of her bow into the shoulder of the next, she pulled the musket out of his hands and with all her might swung it into the third and fourth. The momentum carried her forward and she rolled across the snow, exploding off the ground with a high knee which collapsed a fifth into the soldiers coming up behind him.

Dropping into a crouch, she looked at the bow in her hand. Don't know what's going on, but I have to improvise. She grabbed the nearest musket and detached the bayonet in a hurry, backpedaling away from the relentless soldiers. A bayonet in hand and the bow in another, she backed up to where Deirdre was still roasting her enemies in her wrath.

"I'm almost done here on my end!" Deirdre called over her shoulder, her eyes still glued to the fight in front of her. "What about yours?"

"Having a little trouble here!" Melody admitted through gritted teeth.

"What?"

"Nothing!" Melody stepped forward, bringing her bow up to strike the jaw of the nearest Exonian, and blocking the thrust of an officer's cavalry sabre with the bayonet's crosspiece. Withdrawing, she neatly sliced the tendon of the officer's arm and kicked him away with full force. He stumbled and brought down two more soldiers behind him.

A soldier lunged, dragging Melody to the ground. He raised his musket, intending to bring it down against her skull. Moving on pure instinct alone, she brought her compound bow up to meet the man's musket, both weapons striking each other. Both refusing to budge, Melody struggled to wrench the musket out of his hand or to destroy his sure footing. But as she looked up at his face, she gasped.

She'd not gotten a close look at any of the soldiers here, but now she was not only confused, but absolutely perplexed. The Exonian's eyes were fully glazed over and fully green, and had dark circles around them as though someone had painted them on imperfectly. As Melody stared and struggled against him, she could see no life, emotions or soul in him.

The shock fuelled her with adrenaline, and she slid her head left, letting the musket drop into the snow. She threw the riser of her bow into the soldier's stomach and used her knees to send him sprawling over her head. Quickly rising to her feet, she felt the blood pumping in her head as she breathed hard and fast.

"What the hell?" She gasped, and swerved to the side as an Exonian attempted to skewer her on his bayonet. Using her own bayonet, she parried and twisted the weapon out of the man's hand, glanced her elbow across his jaw, and grabbed him by the collar. Pulling him close, she got a closer look at him. The same thing as the other one.

Shocked and disgusted, Melody pushed the man into his comrades behind him and looked round, panting hard. Suddenly, she was beginning to notice it. All the soldiers around her had the same green eyes and dark circles. These Exonians were all soulless, mindless beasts, with only one primal objective: to kill both of them. There were about nine soldiers still standing, and slowly advancing towards her again.

Her heart slamming in her chest, Melody found cold sweat pouring down the side of her face. This too, was utterly unusual. Her hands shook uncontrollably and she clenched them tightly around her weapons. Focus! Lowering herself into a combat stance again, she raised her weapons slightly, her hands still quivering. "Come on." She snarled.

"Down!" Deirdre screamed from behind her.

Melody didn't need her to ask twice. Dropping to a knee, she felt the heat licking at the hairs on her head. The evening sky was lit up with dancing flames of amber as the fire from the sorceress consumed the Exonians and set them ablaze.

The remaining soldiers slowly stopped struggling against the fire and their movements stilled, but Melody kept staring at them. A hand rested on her shoulder, and she spun round, bayonet tightly gripped.

"Woah!" Deirdre back-pedalled in surprise. "Put that thing away, damn it! I'm just trying to help you up!"

"I-" Melody stuttered. She dropped the bayonet in the snow, and stared at Deirdre blankly. Something was wrong, but Melody didn't know what. Her heart was still hammering at breakneck speed, face slick with cold sweat, and her breathing was quick and shallow.

"It's over," Deirdre said, taking a tentative step forward again. She offered Melody her hand. "We did it."

Dumbfounded, Melody took her hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. Her entire body was quivering, and it felt like her legs weren't going to keep her up. She looked over at the soldiers, and back at Deirdre, who looked confused at her actions. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me." She finally managed.

"I don't either." Deirdre looked at her as though she'd grown an extra arm. "Are you okay? You looked out of it during the fight."

"I…I don't know." Melody put her free hand to the side of her face and wiped away the cold sweat. She'd never felt this way before in battle. What was going on?

Deirdre's confusion had turned to concern. "Hey, what's gotten into you?"

Melody shook her head. "Nothing." She turned to the lifeless Exonian bodies that were still on fire. "Did you see?"

"You mean their eyes?"

"Yeah. Something's wrong." Melody said, walking over to one of the soldiers whose fire had already died down. With her boot, she turned him over so that he faced upwards. His eyes were still open, his pupils and whites of the eyes completely green with dark circles around them. But it was clear that he was already dead.

"This is sick," Deirdre said in disgust. "What the hell is this?"

"Damned if I know," Melody averted her eyes. The haunting expression seemed to taunt her. She glanced at Deirdre. "They're like…like…"

"Undead men?"

A chill ran up and down Melody's spine. She nodded. "They're alive but…it's like they have no soul."

"My bet is someone's controlling these undead bastards." Deirdre grimaced. "Want to take a guess who?"

"I think we both know the answer to that." Melody's jaw tightened. The Emperor himself. Only the demon he hosted had the power to manipulate life like this, to control all these men and bend them to his will to carry out his orders.

"Hans must knows we're still alive. Otherwise he wouldn't have sent them."

"I don't think we were his only targets." Melody countered. "We're threats, yes, but who's the biggest threat to his reign?"

"Eleanor. With her still alive, he knows his reign isn't secured. If she shows up in public, his whole lie is going to come crumbling down."

"And speaking of Eleanor…" Melody glowered in the direction of the steep hill that the girl had hidden herself on.

Up on the crest of the steep hill, Melody and Deirdre found her still hidden behind a large boulder, utterly unharmed. She glanced up at them lazily.

"Took you both long enough." Eleanor said. "What kept you?"

"You sly little rat…" Deirdre seized her sister and dragged her to her feet. "You left us both alone down there to fend for ourselves!"

"What was I supposed to do? Fight alongside you two like Warriors?" Eleanor sneered. "What do you peg me for, a fool? We might be travel buddies, but we aren't friends. I'm not going to risk my ass out there for you. Yes, we agreed on a truce. I wouldn't try to kill you both, but that doesn't mean I have to help you." She cocked her head. "Is that hurt I see in your eyes, sis? Are you going to get all weepy over it? Or are you going to finally find the courage to fight me?"

Deirdre let go of her and raised a fist. "Alright, that's it." Sparks of fire danced on her knuckles as she drew her arm back.

"Go on then, I'm not afraid to fight you." Eleanor raised both fists in an amateurish, almost mocking way. "Come on, Sis!"

"Stop!" Melody shouted. She was tired and just about had enough. "Deirdre, back off."

"No, not this time." Deirdre snapped. "It's time she gets what she deserves."

"And she will."

Deirdre side-eyed Melody. "What are you saying?"

Melody dropped the backpack and the quiver along with her bow. "If she's looking for a fight, she'll have to pick on someone without powers." She removed her thick fur jacket. "Back off, Deirdre."

The fiery sorceress looked taken aback, but did as Melody said. Wordlessly, she stepped aside and watched as Melody tossed her jacket onto the ground.

"Hah. You want to fight me too? Come on, then." Eleanor beckoned Melody forward. "I'm not afraid of you. I should've dealt with your pompous ass permanently way back during the occupation."

"I've tolerated your shit since the beginning. Put up with your constant hostility. But I'm done." Melody stood opposite Eleanor. "You keep trying to pick a fight. You've got one now."

"You asked for it." Eleanor sneered. Without warning, she lunged at Melody with both hands outstretched.

Though exhausted, Melody easily side-stepped the ex-Empress and caught one of her arms. Using her own momentum against her, Melody swung her with all of her might in the opposite direction. Eleanor sprawled, looking surprised. That turned to anger quickly. With a snarl, she scrambled to her feet and lashed out with a hard fist.

Again, Melody ducked, this time coming up inside Eleanor's guard and driving her shoulder into her enemy's chest. She felt the air go out of Eleanor and spun, slamming her elbow against the side of Eleanor's head. She watched as Eleanor staggered away, taking a moment to regroup.

"Is that…all you've got?" Eleanor mocked, though her words came out in a slurring fashion. Stumbling, she turned round and this time slowly advanced towards Melody, her hands balled into fists.

Quietly, Melody waited for her to attack, then slapped Eleanor's punch wide, countering with a right cross that sent her backpedaling. The ex-Empress quickly regained her footing and viciously kicked at Melody's kneecaps. She faded in the nick of time, tripping Eleanor before she could retract her leg. Before she could fall, Melody caught her by the arm and drove a knee into her stomach. Doubled over, Eleanor still tried to deliver a vicious punch to Melody's jaw. Avoiding it easily, Melody countered with a lightning quick jab to the collarbone and finished with a textbook roundhouse kick which floored Eleanor instantly.

Standing over the fallen girl, Melody watched in disdain as Eleanor nursed her collarbone and rubbed the side of her head with loud moans. From the peripheral of her eye, she could see that Deirdre, who'd been watching all this time, was completely taken aback by this turn of events. Melody herself wanted to feel shocked at herself, but the frustration, the pent up anger and everything seemed to justify her current course of action.

"You think you're better than everyone else," Melody finally said with unbridled contempt. "You think that just because you're royalty and you were gifted with powers, you're above everyone and they should bow and submit to your every whim and fancy. Well, you're wrong." She watched as Eleanor glared up at her, still nursing her collarbone. "There's always a bigger fish."

Eleanor coughed and looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn't.

"I could've easily crippled you, but I didn't. Just because you have the power to destroy doesn't mean you should." Melody continued severely. "Treat this as an object lesson, Eleanor. The world doesn't revolve around you. You don't have those demon powers anymore, and you sure as hell aren't on the throne anymore. So stop acting like it and get with the programme. We're stuck in the middle of nowhere trying to survive, and now we have these damn undead soldiers on our backs. If you want to make it out of here alive, you're going to stuff that gigantic ego of yours, stop trying to pick a fight, and chip in. Got it?"

Eleanor scowled up at Melody, but nodded slowly.

"Good. Now get your ass up. We need to find a proper spot to make camp in case the blizzards come back."

One hand still nursing her collarbone, Eleanor struggled to get up, but in an unexpected move, Deirdre stepped in and lifted her younger sister to her feet.

"Come on." Deirdre said gruffly. She and Eleanor began to descend the hill slowly, while Melody lingered behind, watching as the two estranged siblings went.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Melody felt hot tears pressing her eyes and she made no effort to wipe them away. A rush of emotions suddenly overwhelmed her and she staggered to a knee, feeling the anger, guilt, shock and a whole mix of other emotions wash over her. Her hands began to tremble again uncontrollably, and she stifled a sob.

Melody drew in a deep breath, trying to collect herself. She'd never experienced something like this before. Her perfect aim failing her during a battle, her mind distracted, her hands shaking, then giving into her temptations and beating Eleanor in a fist fight to satisfy her pent up frustrations? She pressed her palms against her eyes and let out a shuddering sigh. What the hell happened to me?

"That was new," Maui mused as he came up behind her. "Never seen you do something like that before."

"Is this going to be a regular thing, you coming back every now and then?" Melody wiped away her tears.

"I don't know, you tell me. And what was that just now?"

"Probably just needed to let off some steam."

"Looked like it was much more than just that." Maui turned her around to face him. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Tell you? What's there to tell? You're a goddamn figment of my imagination! You're not really here at all because you're dead!" Melody shouted and tears began streaming down her cheeks again.

"Ouch." He winced. "That was harsh."

"I'm sorry." Melody sighed and bowed her head. "It's just…I don't know what's happening to me. My aim's way off which has never happened before. And my hands," she held them up for Maui to see them trembling. "I don't know why they're doing this. I'm just so damn confused."

"I wish I could give you the answers you're looking for." Maui offered quietly, wrapping one enormous arm around her and pulling her close. "But I can't. It's something you're going to have to figure out for yourself."

"Yeah. I know." Melody said as she stared out at the vast landscape of white before her, standing alone on top of the hill.

ANNA

It was a miracle. No blizzard for the entire day, with relatively decent weather - as good as it could get in the heart of winter - and the sun warming the long snaking column as it crossed the plains and forests. Anna lifted her head. The night sky was clear as well, and for once, it looked like the soldiers would be able to sit around a campfire to consume what little rations they had left without having to hide in their tents from the storm.

Maybe Elsa did manage to escape, Anna allowed herself to hope. After all, she needed to grasp at what little hope remained. If Elsa had escaped, then the Crimson Order and Hans wouldn't have been able to force her to summon the storm today. It made sense to Anna, and the more she thought about it, the more hopeful she felt.

If Elsa made it, maybe Tracy did too. And there's a chance the rest are still out there somewhere, trying to fight their way back to us. Anna felt a sudden boost of strength and resolve, standing tall as she watched the soldiers begin to pitch their tents as the column's rear guard made their way into camp.

"Under the circumstances, I'd say it's been a good day." Kristoff reported as he rode up to Anna and dismounted. "No ambush, no storm and good mileage. We might just make it after all."

Anna nodded. Even though her spirits had been lifted, she still felt tired. It was mildly annoying how easily she got tired these days. The stress was really getting to her. She pulled on her coat tighter - a natural instinct that she'd developed since the blizzards began.

"But," Kristoff paused, and now that Anna noticed, he had a rather pensive and somewhat grim expression written across his face. "Frederick said he has more news."

"More news?" Judging by the look on Kristoff's face, it probably wasn't good. Her mood began to dampen and she regarded her husband curiously. "What news?"

"I don't know." He admitted. "He wouldn't say yet. But it's something to do with a new report. When I was discussing with him about the planned campsites for the next couple of days, his signallers rode up to us to give him a new report." He looked mildly offended. "A report too secret even for the prince's ears, apparently."

Anna's mind was already hard at work thinking of the possible scenarios. What other message could they have intercepted? What was Field Marshal Kane planning next? Could it have something to do with their relatively peaceful march today? She smelled something fishy, that was for sure.

It wasn't until after dinner that Frederick and his thoroughbred could be seen riding towards them from the command tent. Anna had been sitting by a fire outside her shared tent with Kristoff, just waiting for the Field Marshal to make his appearance. She knew better than to push the veteran commander before he was ready. But finally here he was, bearing news.

Exchanging a glance with Kristoff who'd been patiently waiting with her, she got to her feet in a hurry and met the Field Marshal before he could even dismount. "Fred, what's going on?"

"Your Majesty. Sir," he greeted them both as he dismounted gingerly, his boots touching down noiselessly into the snow. "We've intercepted yet another message from the Exonians."

"Yes, yes, I heard." Anna said impatiently. "What's the message?"

"They know." Frederick's face was more grim than usual, the subtle lines and wrinkles showing his age and weariness. "They know we've been intercepting their messages."

"What?" Kristoff said, stopping beside Anna.

"The Exonians know we've intercepted and cracked their ciphers. They wanted us to crack this message." Frederick went on. He fished out a neatly folded report and handed it to Anna.

She took it hurriedly and began reading aloud.

Anna, know you've been listening. You must feel clever. Sorry to burst bubble, but have business to discuss. I am riding to join Kane and army. Want to make offer. Since we are old friends, you and Coalition deserve chance to survive. Meet me in valley of Turaköl on second morning after receiving message. Bring sorcerers if feel safer. Look forward to meeting.

- Your old friend

Hans

"Absolutely not." Kristoff spoke up before Anna got a chance to say another word. "You're not going to meet that madman."

"Forgive me, but I have to agree with His Royal Highness on this one." Frederick's tone was now more fatherly than formal. "It is not a good idea."

"And what if it's the only way?" Anna glanced at her two confidants.

"The only way to what?"

"To save the Coalition."

"Anna, you know Hans better than that." Kristoff sounded exasperated. "He's done this so many times before. You're not that gullible to play right into his hand again."

"I know. But what choice do I have?" Anna tried hard not to snap. She knew the fiend all too well. He'd deceived her so many times that it was hard to keep count. Perhaps the mother of all deceit was asking her to marry him back during their first meeting back in Arendelle. She'd fallen for it hook, line and sinker. And then again when she thought she would be saving Arendelle when she decided to consider Hans' offer to wed her to avoid the wrath of the Empire. And most recently, he'd played them all for fools by achieving his goals right under their very noses.

"There's always a choice, Ma'am. Please. I urge you to reconsider." Frederick held a distinct tone of care in his voice for her. After all, he was like a surrogate father figure to her and Elsa.

"If you're not going to listen to me, listen to him." Kristoff added. "You know that if you're considering it, it's because that's exactly what Hans wants you to do. You know it."

"I do," Anna admitted. "Trust me. I know. But think about it. If Hans wanted to kill me, he wouldn't just lure me out into the open and kill me during a staged parley. I know him all too well. It's too simple to him. He won't be satisfied unless he murders us on a grand stage for all the world to see."

When the others stayed silent, Anna went on. "And this could play to our advantage. If I meet Hans at a neutral spot, it means the Imperial Horde would have to hang back and hold off on their march. That buys us precious time to put more distance between us and them!"

"It may be sound strategy," Frederick said slowly after another long pause. "But I will be the first to admit I am not in favour."

"Me neither." Kristoff glanced at Anna. "It isn't worth the risk."

"It is to me." She insisted. "You were the one who told me that I had our best interests at heart. That all the laws and rules be damned if it would save the Coalition."

"This is different."

"How so?" Anna retorted. "The men and women of the Coalition put their lives on the line every day when we face the prospect of total annihilation by our enemies. But do they back down? No. I don't see any reason why I shouldn't either."

"But Ma'am, you are the queen." Frederick frowned, displeasure now evident on his face. "You can't-"

"As queen, it's my duty to do what's best not just for Arendelle, but also the Coalition that's under my charge." Anna set her jaw, turning to Kristoff. "Don't you see? This is my chance to prove Helmsley wrong. I'm not leading us to our doom. I'm going to buy us time to escape."

"You don't have to prove anything," Kristoff was desperate now. "Not to Helmsley. Not to us. Not to anyone."

"Then to myself." Anna said resolutely. "I need to do this." She turned to Frederick. "Please."

The Field Marshal still looked unhappy as he clasped his hands behind his back. "Very well, Ma'am. I will have a messenger ride over to the enemy to deliver your acceptance of the parley." He saluted and looked ready to mount up, but he turned to Anna again. "But you will have the Queen's Guard accompany you to the rendezvous point. There will be no debate about that." His tone was stern but respectful, as though warning Anna not to challenge him on the subject.

"Oh don't worry. I'll be glad to have some company with me so I won't be so bored," Anna agreed with a smile. "And I have just the right names in mind for the job."

Author's Commentary:

Again, I find myself focusing on Melody's character arc in this little "commentary". I think I should probably address something you're probably wondering, which is: "how can Melody still fight if she's suffering from trauma? Wouldn't she be too damaged to fight?"

Psychologists use the term "Steeling Effect Resilience" to describe an individual's capacity to cope with threatening circumstances and deal with the impact of those situations. Which means, depending on one's resilience and hardiness, they might be able to push back against those threats. Essentially, it's the potential to bounce back, even in the face of trauma.

Put in context, it does make sense that Melody, being the steely resolved Warrior that she is, would still be able to throw herself in the fight, though she obviously still suffers the effects of trauma. That also doesn't mean that after a fight, the trauma is automatically resolved. Not necessarily so.

Hopefully this has been insightful. For me, it's been rather educational and creatively stimulating.