Chapter Twenty One

Truth / Reconnaissance

ELSA

Her eyes never left the hooded mercenary, even as he walked away from her, and only when he turned the corner and disappeared out of sight did she sigh and look down at her boots. There was a new feeling in the pit of her stomach. And it wasn't fear. Never for a moment did she think that Janus would harm her. She knew him well enough to know that he had a soft spot for her.

It wasn't emptiness either. So what was this new feeling? It was like she had swallowed a frog and now it was leaping about in her stomach, desperately trying to find a way out. Elsa leaned against the parapet of the docks and a crease formed on her forehead.

It felt akin to how she felt when she thought about finding that special someone for herself. And yet, there was something vastly different. It wasn't jealousy or loneliness. No, it was something else. Elsa was horrified when she finally figured it out. I have feelings for Janus.

But then again, a part of her wasn't completely surprised. There was a time in Swynvort when the two of them had shared a tender moment together, but even though they didn't do anything intrusive or intimate, she knew that they had formed a bond. A romantic one.

She realised that she had known all along, ever since she had started to long for a partner, that she still pined for Janus even though he had disappeared a year ago. And now that he was here, all those feelings were dredged up again. And no, they weren't bad feelings. In fact, they were transcendent to any positive emotions she had ever experienced before.

Elsa groaned. She wanted to hit herself. Of all the people she could have fallen in love with, why did it have to be a fearsome mercenary who killed people for a living? Was she really that damaged that she would be attracted to someone like that? And yet, he wasn't completely devoid of a moral compass.

He had shown that he could make the right decisions and had even gone out of his way to protect her. His tender side was what made him so attractive, the quiet and gentle man he really was behind the mask when he had been in her presence.

Did he also have the same feelings for her? If he did, he had done an excellent job at concealing them. He did have a soft spot for her though, there was no denying that. Otherwise, he would have just gone ahead and slit her throat without a second thought. After all, that was what he was being paid to do.

Closing her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose. Why did they have to be star-crossed lovers on opposite sides?

One the leader of the League of Sorcerers and an Elemental Sorceress, and the other a masked mercenary who made his living by leading the Empire's First Imperial Guard. Elsa sighed and got up. There wasn't time now for her to brood. She had to get back to the Insurgency before they thought she was really a traitor.

The moment she walked back into the building, she was ambushed by two insurgents she did not know. They held her arms in an iron grip and marched her down the hallway without a word, moving towards the basement.

For a moment, she panicked at the thought that someone had seen her talking with Janus, but brushed the thought aside, remembering that there was a more likely and also more damning reason why she was being manhandled. Her big secret was out. Elsa wanted to resist, but she knew that she would never get them to trust her if she did.

Being forced down the stairs to the basement, she found Melody, Deirdre and Jade already rounded up, with a good number of insurgents surrounding them. Elsa was pushed into the middle where her friends were, and she glanced round.

Charlotte, Ivon and Oliver were among the insurgents, watching them closely with wary eyes. Elsa caught a glimpse of fear masked behind the disgruntled demeanours, but chose not to say anything.

It was Charlotte who broke the silence first. "She's the one." She pointed a long finger at Elsa, and they began inching towards her apprehensively.

"Please," Elsa said. "Let me explain."

"There's nothing to explain." Charlotte snapped. "I know who you are."

There were quiet whispers among the insurgents, while the four girls in the middle stood uncomfortably in the spotlight.

"It's not what you think." Elsa held up both hands and Charlotte flinched instinctively. She put down her hands quickly, clasping them behind her back. They're afraid of me.

"Charlotte," Melody took a small step forward. "Please listen. She's not evil."

"I figured it out." Charlotte said in a loud voice. "You," she wagged her finger at Elsa furiously. "You're not an ordinary tourist. And your name's not Elizabeth, is it? It's Elsa." She turned to the crowd of insurgents. "She's the Snow Queen! The Pilgrim!"

The whispers grew louder, some sounded terrified, and others awed. Elsa dropped her eyes. They knew who she was.

"We have a witch in our midst!" Someone from the crowd of insurgents called out.

"Witch!"

"No!" Melody cried. "She's not a witch. She's one of us!"

"And how do we know you're not a sorceress too?" Someone else retorted.

"Guys, she's not a sorceress!" Oliver rebutted. "I know her."

"Even if you're not a witch like her, you knew about her magic, didn't you?" Charlotte turned her accusing eyes upon Melody.

"It's true, I knew about her powers. We all did," Melody said loudly. "But just because she's different from us doesn't mean she's evil. And she's definitely not a witch."

The whispers gradually died down. Elsa bit her lip. She hated being in the spotlight like this, and this reminded her of the time when her people had just learnt that their newly crowned queen was secretly a sorceress.

"Alright, while we're at it," Jade spoke up. "We're not going to let Elsa take the brunt of it alone." She glanced at Deirdre who nodded.

A crackling sparkled in the palm of Jade's hand which grew into a steady current of electricity and she raised it for all to see. Deirdre's hand glowed red and a ball of controlled flames orbited in the palm of her hand, illuminating the dimly lit basement, casting a warm hue across the room. There were gasps of astonishment and the insurgents began talking in loud voices all at once.

Charlotte stood in front of the four girls, gaping at the sight before her. The basement fell into darkness again as Jade and Deirdre ceased their show of abilities.

Cringing slightly, Elsa waited for the insurgents to rush at the four of them with knives and weapons, but to her relief, it never came. She decided that she had to say something.

"Look," Elsa said meekly. "I know I hid my powers, because we didn't need people to know who we are. And yes, you're right. I'm the Snow Queen, but I'm not evil. I'm still the same person who's on your side. Powers or no powers, the Empire has to be stopped."

"We're here in Denmark to help, so you can look at it two ways." Melody added. "You might cast us out and both our teams will have no choice but to attempt to stop the Empire by ourselves, which might prove far less effective."

"Or we could work together." Elsa said a little more bravely and confidently than she actually felt. "Together, with our powers, we have a far better chance of taking down the Empire and freeing Denmark from occupation."

There was a moment of contemplation among the insurgents, whose whispers rose and fell erratically. Then, Ivon spoke up.

"They're right." He glanced at Charlotte.

Charlotte stared at him. "You can't be serious."

"They risked their lives to make sure the First Imperials didn't kill the innocents." Ivon looked at the four girls. "Only heroes would do that sort of things."

"Actually, we like to think of ourselves as warriors." Jade quipped.

Charlotte made a noise that sounded like something between a sigh and a grunt. "I can't argue with that. We could use the help though."

The insurgents began talking loudly again, and Elsa was surprised to find that they didn't sound hostile. She couldn't believe that it had gone in her favour. Relieved, she deflated and glanced at Charlotte, Ivon and the rest of the insurgents.

"Thank you." She said gratefully. "We'll do everything we can to help free this kingdom from the Empire."

Charlotte grunted. "No more secrets. Elsa."

"Promise." Elsa began to remove her glasses. No need for this anymore.

"Leave it on. It helps with the disguise since you're going to be working with us."

Elsa hesitated for a moment before reluctantly leaving the glasses on her nose.

Melody cleared her throat. "There's something else everyone should know,"

For a moment, Elsa thought that Melody was about to reveal her true identity to the insurgents before her, but she was wrong.

"Elsa and I, we've faced General Kane before." Melody admitted. "It was two years ago, and he was a different man then."

"You fought the general?" Ivon said in disbelief.

"Yes." Melody continued. "We beat him. But somehow he's back, and now he's leading the Imperial Horde. You said he's based in the Maine in New Town?"

Charlotte nodded.

"We'll like to do a bit of reconnaissance ourselves. Find out more about his operations. Maybe it'll give us an edge against him if we need to launch an assault against his headquarters."

"No one would dare attack the Maine." Charlotte sounded aghast. "It's suicide."

"All the same," Melody said politely but determinedly. "We'll like to go, if you'll let us."

Charlotte shook her head in defeat. "Alright."

"If it makes you feel more comfortable," Melody added quickly. "I'll only take Elsa with me, while Jade and Deirdre can remain here. That way you can have the assurance that we're not traitors or spies going to inform the Empire about what happened here."

"If the Snow Queen's here, you lot can't possibly be working with the Empire anyway," Ivon concluded. "We've heard about the League of Sorcerers, and we're guessing you're it."

"Smart guess." Jade grinned at him.

"Jade, Deirdre, stay here with the Insurgency and help out. We'll be back by nightfall." Melody said, taking Elsa by the wrist and walking towards the stairs which led out of the basement.

###

Elsa sat at the wooden table, her palms sweating. The place was hot and stuffy, and the fact that she was on edge didn't exactly help matters. She wiped them on her lap as her eyes darted around uncomfortably. Melody had dragged her off on an impromptu mission under the guise of reconnoitring the Maine and observing Kane in action.

It had been so sudden that Elsa had no choice but to comply in front of the insurgents watching. She couldn't afford any more tension or suspicion, even though the act of going off on a sudden mission was suspicious in and of itself. Surprisingly, the insurgents hadn't disagreed.

Instead of heading straight for the Maine back in the heart of New Town, Melody had insisted they stopped by the Ten Drinks first for a break. The Maine was a lot less crowded now and they had managed to secure a table in the corner away from most of the other patrons, but the fact remained that she didn't like the bar. It still smelled of sweat and vomit.

"So," Elsa decided to break the silence. "Why this?"

"Why what?" Melody asked, seemingly oblivious to her partner's confusion.

"You didn't drag me out of the Insurgency just for a drink and a reconnoissance mission." Elsa paused as a bartender served them two clay mugs of a dark coloured substance. "So what's the real reason?"

Melody took a gulp of the contents in the mug and set it down. "Try it. It's not bad."

"What is it?" Elsa stared down into her mug.

"I don't know. I just thought we could use something cold and refreshing to drink and I let the house decide."

Elsa brought the mug up to her nose and sniffed at it apprehensively before taking a cautious sip. The bitter taste had a lingering feeling in her mouth and she set the mug down. She could appreciate her own kingdom's local brand of alcohol, but this was way too foreign for her tastebuds.

"So?" Elsa probed again. Did Melody know that she had let Janus go?

Melody took another long pull and emptied the mug. She put her forearms on the table and leaned forward. "What happened to Prometheus?"

"What do you mean?" Elsa felt her palms growing sweaty again and she hid them beneath the table. The insurgents hadn't suspected a thing and had assumed that she had indeed killed him and disposed of his body by the docks, but she was quite certain that Melody hadn't been fooled.

"After you took him outside." Melody continued. "What did you do with him?"

"He caught me off guard." Elsa lied. "When I took him outside he stunned me and escaped before I could recover."

"And he didn't think to take the chance to kill you?"

"He was probably too busy trying to escape." Elsa herself knew that her cover story was flimsy, and it showed.

Melody gave her a curious look. "You let him go, didn't you?"

"I-" Sure enough, the archer hadn't fallen for it. "How did you…"

Melody sighed. "Elsa, I've known you for two years now, and I like to think that I know you well enough."

Elsa shook her head. "Of course."

"Why though?" Melody leaned back, frowning. "You do know that he's going to come back again, right?"

"We got rid of the First Imperials," Elsa pointed out weakly. "The insurgents executed them on the spot."

"There's obviously more than just the handful of soldiers that came to us." Melody said. "Why did you let him go? You could have just detained him."

"Look, I can't explain it to you, alright?" Elsa said irritably. "It's complicated."

"Try me."

"He's not completely evil." Elsa blurted out, a little louder than she had planned. "Jan-I mean Prometheus, he…he's not a monster."

This time, Melody looked completely befuddled. "How can you say that? He's a killer!"

"He has a heart."

"Elsa, he broke my arm! Or have you forgotten?" Melody stared at her worriedly. "What's gotten into you?"

"Look, I'm sorry about your broken arm. I'm not denying that he's vicious." Elsa avoided eye contact with her. "But I've seen another side of him. He's capable of good."

"He could have killed you!"

"I know he wouldn't!" she hissed confidently.

"And how are you so sure?"

"Because…" Elsa paused. "Can you just trust me on this?"

There was an awkward tension in the air, and Elsa wiped her hands on her lap again.

"Oh," Melody said quietly, her eyes wide. She sat back, looking like a revelation had just dawned on her. "Oh, God."

Elsa's eyebrows furrowed a little.

"I don't believe this." The way Melody stared at Elsa made her feel as if she was dressed in turkey feathers.

"What?"

"You're in love with him." Melody whispered, her face a little pale.

The secret was out. "How…" Elsa slurred. "How did you know?"

"Well for starters, your cheeks were flushing red, you couldn't stop fidgeting and I've almost never seen you this defensive of someone before, other than your own sister." Melody pointed out, still looking like she had seen a ghost. "You can't be serious."

Elsa groaned. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yeah." Melody nodded sombrely. "But please, Elsa. Please help me understand. When? How? Why?"

There was no escaping it now. "It was back in Swynvort. I was injured after a mission." Elsa began quietly. "Janus, he found an excuse, saying he wanted to check up on me. I…we shared a bond…and-"

"No," Melody's face grew even more ashen. "Don't tell me you two hooked up in the dungeons."

"What?" It was Elsa's turn to be alarmed. "No! We didn't do anything together, I swear! We just had a…connection. And I knew that I had broken through to him. I've seen who he can be. He's not all evil."

"Elsa, he's working with the Empire!" Melody hissed. "He tried to slaughter the Insurgency and all those innocent people!"

"No, I know he's capable of making the right choice." Elsa said stubbornly. She knew that he could, she'd seen it first-hand. "He won't kill me. Or us, now that he knows I'm here."

"I guess it's true what they say. Love is blind." Melody muttered under her breath.

"I heard that."

"Whatever. Look, you better be right about this." Melody stood up. "Because if you're wrong and we run into him again…"

"I know, I know." Elsa stood up as well. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah." Melody made for the exit. "While we're out here, we might as well go check out the Maine and see if what they say about Kane is true."

It was true, in fact. The general was a lot calmer than he had been back when they had fought him, but he now carried a certain unique air of danger about him. Elsa and Melody watched from the back of the club, hidden behind the crowd of people who had come to see the trials. It was pretty much like a military tribunal, with Kane overseeing the entire thing quietly in the corner with his imposing presence.

The Maine itself was packed to the full with people. The club used to be a safe haven for the upper echelons of society, with plays and performances being held regularly, according to what Melody had told her. However, since the Empire had taken over, the Maine had been converted into the headquarters of General Kane, where he had turned the place into a makeshift court and fight club.

A space had been cleared in the middle of the first level of the Maine. There used to be a stage in the centre, but an elevated platform had been constructed in its place, with ropes binding four posts together. The ring itself was spacious enough for a real fight to take place.

The first level was filled with citizens from all walks of life, as Kane had apparently declared the proceedings a public event for anyone to witness. The second level was a balcony built with spacious comfortable seats and expensive upholstery. In the past, they had been reserved for those who could afford it, but now it was being used by the Exonians.

Exon's royal staff, the doctors, servants and ambassadors had accompanied the Empress on her trip to Denmark together with the Imperial Horde, and this level was now reserved for all those of Exonian blood, no matter their pedigree. The Empress had probably figured that any class of Exonian would be deemed more respectable than her newest subjects regardless of social status.

And then there was the third level, which was empty except for a few military officers who Elsa guessed were of the highest rank and importance in the army of the Imperial Horde. There were also another few men obscured by the lack of light up on the third level which concealed them from sight, but Elsa was sure that they were no doubt equally nefarious enough to warrant themselves a spot up there. Probably Exonian ministers or businessmen.

She turned her eyes back to the ring, where a desk had been placed. A man who was supposedly a judge sat behind it, with thick glasses and a stiff disposition. He was rattling off a man's crime from one of the many files that had been placed on the table. Apparently, the man was a tycoon who owned his own stock of supplies and that had somehow offended the Empire.

The "criminal", who looked as innocent as a normal citizen could be, was in handcuffs, forced to kneel before the desk. Meanwhile, Kane watched quietly in the corner as the man was being tried.

"How do you plead, Geoffrey Konstenz?" the judge drawled.

The citizen named Geoffrey looked indignant. "What I did was no crime!" he exclaimed.

"Then you deny acting against the interests of the Empire?"

"All I did was arrange to have food and supplies from one of my warehouses transported and distributed to the people who couldn't afford to pay your exorbitant sums!" Geoffrey said indignantly.

"You are aware that any form of business transaction or arrangement has to be approved by Exon's own accountants." The judge stated coldly.

"This is absurd. There are dying people out there!" Geoffrey motioned with his hands, the cuffs rattling around his wrists. "They need help and I was giving it to them!"

"There you have it." The judge leaned back in his seat. "He confessed to his crime." He glanced at a couple of First Imperial soldiers that were standing at attention nearby. "Take him away."

"Wait!" Geoffrey shouted. He glared straight at the general who was still watching quietly from the corner. "I know the rules!"

"You're challenging the esteemed General to a fight?" the judge peered in amusement at the man.

"Yes." Geoffrey said. "I know the rules. If I win, I get to walk out of here alive. And my business, as you call it, will be allowed to continue."

Kane walked towards the ring and climbed through the ropes without a word. He glanced placidly at Geoffrey, who continued to fix him with a defiant gaze.

A tiny smirk came to Kane's lips as he began removing his military jacket. "Remove his restraints."

A First Imperial soldier came forward to uncuff Geoffrey and he rubbed his wrists, refusing to take his eyes off the general who had thrown his jacket atop the files on the judge's desk.

Kane stepped forward and Geoffrey paced in an arc around him. Then, Geoffrey attempted to land a sideward blow to the general's cheek. It was futile however, as Kane stepped aside swiftly, catching his opponent's wrist.

Using his superior size and strength, Kane swung and hurled Geoffrey against the ring ropes. As the man fell against the ropes and rebounded from the force of the throw, Kane extended out his arm laterally, and Geoffrey collided with the outstretched arm as if he had rammed into a tree trunk.

Kane picked the sprawled man up from the ground and landed a solid punch across his jaw. He dealt a merciless kick to the man's side as he went down again. As Geoffrey clutched his ribs in agony, unable to mount any offence or defence, Kane grabbed him by the collar and lifted him to his feet.

"Do you yield?" Kane asked.

Geoffrey responded by spitting in his face. Mortified gasps could be heard throughout the crowd and they murmured in low voices, realising that the victim had sealed his own fate.

"Get out of our kingdom." Geoffrey rasped.

Unflinchingly, Kane looked at the man. Then without warning, Kane viciously tossed the man clean over the ropes with ease, out of the ring and into the sea of citizens. The people hastily cleared a space and Geoffrey landed hard on the ground in an awkward position that was indicative of a few broken bones at the very least.

Rubbing his face clean with the heel of his palm, Kane picked up his jacket with his free hand. "We're done here."

From their hidden spot at the back of the crowd, Elsa watched as Kane put on his jacket and climbed out of the ring, moving out of sight.

"That's…" Elsa couldn't find the words to describe what she had just seen as she looked at the soldiers drag away Geoffrey's limp body. She noticed from the peripheral of her eye that Melody had a furious look on her face and her fists were balled up tightly.

"I think we've seen enough." Elsa hurried Melody out of the club before she could say or do anything she would regret.

"Kane…he-" Melody started angrily.

"Yeah, I know." Elsa said grimly, pursing her lips.

"He's worse than before." Melody managed to stutter in her rage.

That was evidently so. Elsa had remembered that Kane, back when he was on his quest to incite natural disasters and destroy the world in the name of saving humanity, had been wild, but he had had an excuse. Insanity. The snake totem could easily be blamed for his unsound actions, which had caused him to go further off his rocker the more he relied on magic.

Now, however, he was free of the influence of magic and was sane enough. But even then, there was something worse about him. The general was more ruthless, merciless and carried out his actions with a calm demeanour which made him all the more frightening.

"He's a monster. We have to stop him before he hurts anyone else."

"We will. But not right now." Elsa said firmly. "Tactics, remember? He'll get what's coming to him. Soon."

Melody sighed. "You're right. Now what?"

"Now," Elsa glanced at the skyline. The sun had already set by this time. They'd both lost track of how long they had been gone. "We need to get back to the Insurgency before they think we're really traitors."