Chapter Five

Capital of Exon

ELEANOR

(6 months after the wedding in Arendelle)

Eleanor poured another glass of hard liquor - whiskey - from the decanter on her desk. When her glass was full, she leaned back in her comfortable chair behind the safety of the desk in the council chambers and put her feet up on the table, even as the ministers droned on about…something. She wasn't really paying attention.

Tipping her head back, she took a long pull from the glass and enjoyed the slow sensation of the delicious liquid dribbling down her throat and giving off a slight burning sensation. Closing her eyes, she relinquished the feeling of momentary peace amidst the monotonous voices of the ministers which were drowned out by her thoughts.

It was hard to imagine that her perfect vision of her future as the Empress of Exon had come to this. Just eight months ago, Eleanor could have sworn she had the war won. Her army, the Imperial Horde, had invaded countless kingdoms and cities, consuming the east and southern regions of the continent, and she had declared for her campaign to be moved up north.

The Imperial Horde had moved up to take Denmark with relative ease, and then marched on towards Arendelle. What Eleanor had not expected, however, was that her goals and plans would be thwarted by the Snow Queen and her League of Sorcerers. Eleanor gritted her teeth. Technically, I only have myself to blame.

After all, it had been her idea to bait the League into coming to Denmark, which had resulted in her momentary victory over them. However, they had bounced back and her plan had backfired. A Danish insurgency, backed by Elsa and her allies, had forced Eleanor to flee up north to join with her army.

Consumed by vengeance, she had then declared all out war on Arendelle, to raze it to the ground at all costs. She had then been defeated by Elsa and the League of Sorcerers yet again. Her allies, General Kane and Hans had been defeated too by the archers and Queen Anna. Humiliated and with her forces broken, she had no choice but to retreat. Eleanor had figured that it was better to flee and fight another day, and she had sworn that she would have her revenge.

However, eight months came and went, and she had not seen the Snow Queen, her sister or her allies since. None could blame her, since she was cooped up in Exon castle rebuilding the Imperial Horde. The new army of the Imperial Horde stood at an impressive one hundred and eighty thousand strong, made up of fearless Exonian troops who had pledged their loyalty to the Empire.

The army was stronger than ever. Definitely stronger than the thirty thousand that had been at the forefront of the campaign to consume Arendelle. When I march them back into Arendelle, I'll love to see the look on Queen Anna and Elsa's faces.

That was however, merely a fantasy at this point. The truth was that, as much as Eleanor hated to admit it, she was very far away from making that happen, even with her demon-granted powers and all. Slightly more than five months ago, a coalition had been raised by the Confederation, an organisation that Exon used to be a part of.

The Confederation called it the Coalition of the North, mobilising it for one purpose, and one purpose only: to destroy the Empire. My empire. Eleanor felt her blood boil and she took another long pull of her drink, feeling it wash down the angry feeling stirring in the pit of her stomach.

Before, the Imperial Horde had been on the offensive, consuming cities and kingdoms as much as Eleanor had desired. But now, they were on the defensive and the damned Coalition was on the offensive. And they were doing a rather alarmingly effective job at that.

However, as much as the Imperial Horde stood at close to two hundred thousand strong, there were only a handful of very intelligent commanders who could lead them, one of whom was Kane. Even then, Kane was something like a shell of his former self.

The general had sustained some rather serious injuries during his fight with the mercenary Prometheus and the Princess of Denmark. He hadn't exactly been the same since then, wearing a white half mask that covered the right side of his face which had been permanently marred by a controlled explosion.

Of course, it had occured to Eleanor that she could, out of the kindness of her heart, use her connection with the Crimson Order to find a way to help Kane heal his hideous features. However, Eleanor couldn't care less. She had simply promoted him to the rank of Field Marshal in accordance with the new size of her army.

He was simply a soldier in her army, a man who was only working for her as part of a deal, one that she wasn't very inclined to keep at the end of the war. Besides, I've never been known to be a kind person. Or honourable.

And that was another thing. Her relationship with the Crimson Order and the enigmatic High Priest, Lord Magnus, to be specific, was strained, and uncertain at best. Eleanor was very well aware that she had betrayed his trust on several occasions.

First, lying to him that she had already disposed of the League of Sorcerers, when in actual fact she had kept them as her prisoners. Then when they had escaped, Lord Magnus had somehow found out about it and gave her a tongue lashing and a warning not to cross him again.

That alone raised some serious questions for her. Eleanor was puzzled. How the hell did he find out about things so fast? Of course she knew by now that spies and double agents were lurking around in her midst, but she had no clue who was reporting things to the Crimson Order. When I find out who it is, there'll be hell to pay.

The High Priest had given her a warning not to betray him again, and to make sure that the League of Sorcerers were dealt with. However, she had unfortunately failed to deliver on that front as well when she lost her hold on Denmark and then again at the Battle of Arendelle.

All in all, things didn't look too good for her. Ever since her last battle eight months ago, there had virtually been radio silence from the Crimson Order. There was once though, a few months back, when Brother Salvadore had annoyingly appeared in her private chambers with a message from Lord Magnus.

He was once again making sure she was keeping up her end of the bargain, to incite war and carnage in a bid for continental conquest, all while getting sorcerers caught in the crossfire of bloody war. And of course, she had to oblige him. She was, in fact, attempting to continue her conquest, but to little result. There was the Coalition to deal with, which was becoming a real pain in the neck.

Apart from that one time that Lord Magnus had checked on her, there had been no other attempts at communication from the Crimson Order. It was almost worrying, actually. Eleanor was realising bitterly that their silence was far more threatening and concerning than their disapproving tones. After all, there was always the lingering threat of having her demon stripped away from her.

The High Priest had always made it very clear that since the Crimson Order had given her the demon in the first place, they could very well take it away from her and leave her powerless to be consumed by her enemies.

She couldn't have that, especially not now in these times. Now, the Coalition's forces and the League of Sorcerers weren't the only threat to her reign. In the Empire itself, the ministers and public were beginning to turn on her as well. The only one she could still trust was Hans. Her ally. Her friend. Her lover.

"Wouldn't you agree, Your Imperial Majesty?" A middle aged minister asked politely.

Eleanor looked up from the glass of whiskey that she had been staring into. Her eyes rested lazily on the silver haired man as her vision blurred slightly and she tried to rid the double image.

"What?" She asked.

"I said," the minister masked his impatience. "I believe that it's time to shift our focus. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Shift focus to what?"

"The bigger issue at hand."

"What bigger issue?" Eleanor knew it was quite clear that she hadn't been listening, but it wasn't like the ministers could do anything about it. She was the damn Empress, after all, and if that wasn't enough to scare them, there was always the fear of being vaporised by her powers and infamous volatile temper.

"The predicament of our economy." He explained slowly, as if he were trying to make a child understand. "The war has devastated our economy. The campaign requires resources. Food, water, equipment, weapons, powder, among other things. As the war drags on, it is having a detrimental effect on our capital. The people are suffering, and they…they aren't happy."

"They aren't happy?"

"The general atmosphere of the public is that…" the minister cleared his throat. "May I have permission to speak freely, Your Imperial Majesty?"

"Go on."

He cleared his throat again and glanced at his companions, who had already distanced themselves from their more daring colleague. Apparently they didn't want to risk catching a glimpse of Eleanor's fiery temper. They knew very well she had a tendency to flare, and increasingly as of late.

Putting her feet down, Eleanor leaned forward in her chair and rested her elbows against the desk. "Go on." She repeated herself with danger flitting in her voice.

He gulped. "With all due respect, Your Imperial Majesty, the public feels…as do we…that you have neglected your priorities as the ruler of Exon."

"Oh?"

"Your concentration on the war effort has resulted in the Empire's current state." He said, a little more boldly. "Please, I implore you. Territorial expansion isn't our priority right now. The campaign can wait."

"The campaign can wait." She echoed, and turned to Field Marshal Kane, who was standing at the far corner of the gathered officials. "Well? What do you think, Marshal Kane?"

He stood unflinchingly, the half mask covering the right side of his face as always. Two sets of five golden stars sparkled on the epaulettes of both shoulders that marked his new rank, and in spite of his facial injuries, he looked more menacing than ever.

"I believe," he started calmly. "Minister Lucius is incapable of seeing the big picture. We must not abandon the war now, or we will lose more than just the economy. The Empire's pride, reputation and thousands of lives are at stake here as well. If the Coalition succeeds, they will destroy everything we have built here."

Eleanor looked pleased. "Well put, Marshal."

"Please, Your Imperial Majesty." Lucius begged. "Consider the greater good. Don't let the glory of conquest blind your judgement to the suffering of the people."

Eleanor stood up and instinctively, Lucius flinched and took a step back. She walked out from behind the desk and she could tell that he was trying to maintain his composure with great effort. "The greater good?" She repeated. "The greater good? Everything that I do, I do for the people of Exon. My people. This war, this conquest is all for them. A century or two from now, do you not want Exon's name in the history texts? In the minds of modern rulers and conquerors?"

Her eyes narrowed as she gazed acidly at Lucius. "Well? Do you?"

"Of course I do, Your Imperial Majesty." He said hastily. "I just-"

"And where do you think your name will be?" She asked.

"Pardon me, I don't unders-"

With a single thought, a sharp, black tendril whipped out of Eleanor's hand, slicing Lucius into half and splitting his body straight down the middle. Both sides of the man fell apart, and the remaining ministers in the room squirmed and bristled.

"I'll tell you." Eleanor whispered, bending down towards the remains of the now silent Lucius with her glass of whiskey still in hand. "Nowhere."

An awkward silence reigned in the room as she unbent and glanced around lazily at the rest of the people in the room who were apparently very uncomfortable. She took another sip from the glass.

"Mmnn. Who would've thought Ibersian whiskey would taste this good? I've got to get me some more of this." She mused and set the glass down on the table with some force. An echoing bang of glass against wood was painfully loud, and the ministers flinched visibly.

"Anyone else have anything to contribute?" Eleanor asked pleasantly.

The room was silent, to the point that if a pin dropped or someone breathed slightly louder than usual, everyone would have been able to hear it. The atmosphere in the air was so tense that Eleanor simply wanted to throw her head back and howl in laughter. The looks on all their faces…

"Get out of my sight." She said.

As the ministers began to shuffle out of the room as dignifiedly as they could manage without seeming in a haste to get out, Eleanor picked up the decanter again and refilled her glass. With one hand, she gestured to Kane to remain. Taking up the glass, she walked towards Kane, who stood upright with a trained military precision.

"So," she swayed very slightly. "How goes the effort?"

"We are on schedule." Kane said confidently. "General Hydrech, my second in command, has sent word that he has arrived in Turnsheim with his reinforcements to defend the city against the Coalition who are arriving any day now."

"Good." Eleanor slurred. "Make sure Hydrech stops them."

"Of course, Your Imperial Majesty. General Hydrech is my best commander. Victory is assured."

"It better not be like the past few times you promised victory." Eleanor stared at him coldly. "We cannot afford to give any more ground to the Coalition. They cannot take any more of our colonies. Understand?"

"Yes."

"You win me the war," she said. "And I'll keep up my end of the bargain. You fail, and you'll never see your family resurrected. That is the deal, isn't it?"

Kane's face twitched slightly, but he said nothing.

"Now get out of here." Eleanor held up the glass. "I'm busy."

Kane bowed slightly and excused himself without a word, and Eleanor stumbled back to her chair.

"Busy, you say?"

Eleanor glanced at Hans, who had been sitting quietly with arms folded in the corner of the room for the most part of the meeting. While she was looking increasingly unkempt and dishevelled like a mad woman, he was looking more dashing by the day, though perhaps that was due to her subjective gaze.

"Of course, Chancellor." She smirked, emptying the contents of the glass down her throat.

Hans, whom she had promoted from Consul to Chancellor, now served as her overall second in command, manning almost all of her duties and responsibilities for her. With his newfound power also came a step up in his disposition.

He wore a matte black shirt with a white suit jacket and white trousers. Golden epaulettes sparkled on his shoulders in a somewhat military fashion, and his smart tie was in a matching colour. He had trimmed his trademark sideburns and his gorgeous auburn hair was now slicked back neatly. All in all, Hans really did look the part of Chancellor of Exon.

Hans clicked his tongue in disapproval as he stood up and walked over. "What a waste of good whiskey. You shouldn't just gulp it all down like that. You need to savour all the fine intricacies of its texture and exquisite taste."

She pouted. "Maybe I just want to get drunk."

"Ah. That works fine then." His charm was irresistible.

"Come here." Eleanor tugged at his arm and pulled him close till he had to incline his body forward. She planted a long wet kiss on his lips, and he put his hand on her waist, leaning into the kiss.

"Hmmn." Hans said when they had pulled apart. "You reek of alcohol."

"Don't like my perfume?" She giggled.

"You should probably wash up." He suggested. "Take some time to get ready before our little trip to meet the Confederation to negotiate terms of a ceasefire."

"Oh, I'm not going." She said.

He didn't seem fazed. "You're not?"

"Like I said, I'm busy." She motioned at her decanter and went on to tease him. "Besides, I have you for a reason. I didn't promote you from Consul to the grand Chancellor of Exon for nothing, you know."

"Ah," Hans put on a feigned expression of hurt. "So you've been using me all these months."

"No, no." she laughed and held his hand. "I need you, Hans. You're the only one left that I can trust." She squeezed his hand lovingly. "Everyone else has betrayed me or are against me. You…I can trust you, right?"

"Always." He kissed her tenderly on the cheek. "I'm here for you."

"Good." She closed her eyes, and then opened them again when she felt Hans pulling away. "Where are you going?" She called out. "The Confederation meeting isn't for another few hours. I can teleport you there with my powers, remember?"

"I know," he turned around at the door. "I have to handle some matters first. You didn't appoint me as Chancellor for nothing."

HANS

That however, was a lie. Not a very good one, but it wasn't as if Eleanor was sober or sharp enough to catch him. She hadn't been, not in the past few months anyway. She had reduced herself to nothing more than an irrational alcoholic, drinking most of her waking hours away while leaving her empire to…more capable hands.

Eleanor had appointed him as Chancellor of Exon to effectively run the Empire for her, and Hans figured that by now he had fully gained her trust. Misplaced though, as it were. At this, a small smile formed at the edges of his lips and he made no effort to hide it. The poor, deluded girl still had no idea that he was the double agent selling her out to the Crimson Order, of which he was now a fully fledged member.

He had proven his loyalty and efficiency time and again, unlike Eleanor, and had won himself a place in the influential but underground cult. It was clear, even to him, that the priests and acolytes of the Crimson Order were fanatics, devoted to insane and radical ideals to rid the world of all traces of sorcery.

However, like Eleanor, he had only allied himself with the Crimson Order because he had his own ambitions. Other plans that weren't related to the "Holy Crusade", as Lord Magnus always called it. He was very well aware that right now, he needed the Crimson Order a lot more than they needed him, but he hoped that things would change in the near future. Very soon, they'll have no strings on me.

Right now, as he had told Eleanor, he had other things to attend to. Namely, meeting with Lord Magnus and the Crimson Order. It was quite laughable that Eleanor still hadn't figured it out for herself that he was playing her. Oh well, beauty before brains I suppose.

Hans made his way down the stairs to the basement of the castle kitchen where food supplies were being stored. Exon's castle was huge, compared to others that he had been to, and even now after having spent so many months here, he still found it a pain to navigate. Nonetheless, he found the basement and double checked to ensure that no one was following him - especially not Eleanor.

The thought of her being able to follow him was ludicrous. She's wasted from drowning herself in alcohol. Hans chuckled to himself and shut the basement door behind him, plunging himself into complete darkness.

"Welcome, Brother Hans." A familiar voice with a Bastrusian accent echoed throughout the basement.

"And to you, Brother Salvadore." Hans said pleasantly. "Still lurking around in the shadows, I see."

"Simply protocol." Salvadore stepped into sight, though Hans wouldn't call it the light since the basement was literally pitch black. He was still taking a moment to have his eyes adjust to the darkness.

"Well then," Salvadore held out a blindfold to him. "I hope you're ready."

Hans sighed and took it reluctantly. "Simply protocol."