Chapter Twelve

The Last Gambit

ANNA

Anna was at her wit's end. She'd started the day off by being woken at dawn by a runner from Field Marshal Frederick who told her that the Imperial Horde were beginning their assault. She barely had time to eat, drink or bathe, and she'd hurriedly thrown on her clothes from the previous day before clambering out of her tent with Kristoff to see how bad the situation was.

It was a nightmare. The Imperial Horde had started off by shelling the Coalition camp with long range nine pound round shot even before the Coalition soldiers had stirred from their rest. It'd been a frantic rush to get the men into defensive and attack formations. The artillery batteries had worked double time to retaliate against the Imperial Horde's guns, and soon the atmosphere was embroiled in cannon smoke once again. It took the infantry half an hour to even be ready for attack manoeuvres, and sorting the cavalry out had been a mess too. All in all, it was nearly eight in the morning by the time the Coalition's musketry filled the air.

And then things got worse from there.

"What?" Anna shouted, hoping she'd heard wrongly over the rattle of musketry, the screams of men and the cannonballs that roared overhead.

"I said, Elsa's missing!" Janus looked exceedingly worried, which was quite uncharacteristic for the ex-mercenary.

"What do you mean she's missing?" Kristoff bellowed. He was close by today, as both he and Anna were near the command tent where all the decisions were being made.

"I woke up and she was gone!" Janus explained, voice raised. "I thought she'd woken up earlier and gone out, so I waited for her to come back. But she didn't come back. I asked around the camp, but no one's seen her. I thought you might know something about it."

Kristoff glanced at Anna, who looked back blankly.

"No! I don't know anything. She didn't tell me!" Anna shouted back, utterly bewildered. "Elsa's gone missing?"

Janus looked incredibly unsettled and annoyed. "I think so."

"Damn it!" Anna cursed. As if she didn't already had enough problems to deal with.

"Where the hell could she have gone?" Kristoff yelled as an eight pounder whistled through the air and brought up tufts of earth and grass quite a distance away. "Could she have been kidnapped?"

"No, I would've known." Janus insisted. "She was in the tent the whole time."

"Which means she must have slipped away by herself. She didn't want you or anyone else to know." Anna's forehead creased. Damn it, Elsa. Why do you keep doing this?

"But why?" Kristoff asked.

"That's what I was hoping to find out." Janus grimaced.

Anna groaned, looking out at the battlefield, and then at Kristoff. "You can manage things here, right?"

He nodded immediately. "Go. Find Elsa. I have Frederick and the general staff to help here. Bring her back to us."

"I will." Anna steeled her features and took a sharp breath. Exhaling, she clambered down the hill and took Janus' arm. "Come on. We need to tell the others."

###

"You've gotta be shitting me." Anna exclaimed. "Tracy's missing too?"

Melody's expression was tight. "Yeah."

"Hang on," Deirdre said. "So both Tracy and Elsa are gone?"

"Oh, God." Anna felt extremely tired, even though it was barely past nine in the morning. They had convened at a relatively safe spot near the medical tents which were far enough from the battlefield where they could now hear each other without having to raise their voices. Still, they could hear the sounds of battle drifting through the air and mixing with the cries of the wounded from the medical tents.

"Any leads?" Melody asked, having not been privy to Tracy's disappearance until just twenty minutes ago. She was covered in blackpowder and reeked strongly of smoke. Apparently she'd already been part of the first charge to repel advancing Exonian light infantry. It was a miracle that Anna and Janus had managed to find her amidst the sea of soldiers after the initial charge.

"None." Janus said tightly. "She vanished without a trace."

"Great," Deirdre said acidly. "So we lost Will, Jordan, Jade and now Elsa and Tracy too. What's next? They gonna pick us all off one by one?"

"We are not losing Elsa or Tracy." Anna said firmly. "We are getting both of them and Jade back, by any means necessary."

"How?" Maui asked.

There was a strained silence.

"Good question." Janus said.

"Look, we know that she disappeared. But why? If we can figure that out, maybe we can figure out where she went and how to get her back." Melody said, being the level-headed one as usual.

"The only reason I can think of is she went off by herself to find Jade." Anna said, remembering something Elsa had said the night before. "Now that I recall, she said something to me. Something weird."

"What?" Maui asked.

Anna frowned hard, trying to remember the exact words. It was hard to focus over the screams of soldiers and the incessant musket fire. "She asked me if there came a time where I had the power to save just one life, would I do it?" She clasped her hand over her mouth in realisation. "And I told her to follow her gut and just do the next right thing."

"Knowing her, that means running straight into danger by herself." Janus gritted his teeth, his fists clenched. "And she took Tracy with her."

Anna took her head in her hands. She felt like kicking herself. "This is my fault. I told her to do this."

"Rubbish." Melody said firmly. "She knew what she was doing. And so did Tracy." The last part she added a little more uncertainly.

"Good speech and all, nothing was gonna stop her anyway." Deirdre added and scoffed. "Elsa's a stubborn ass."

"So what does this mean?" Maui asked.

"She must have found out where the Crimson Order was holding Jade." Janus deduced. "And had Tracy go along as backup to go free her."

"No. She knows that the two of them alone can't take on all the Mage Slayers and survive." Melody shook her head. "She's smarter than that."

"Maybe she cut a deal." Maui suggested.

"A deal?" Anna echoed.

"With Magnus." Melody caught Maui's drift and her voice grew excited. "Magnus or his assassins. It doesn't matter. I think I know what happened. Elsa was offered a chance to free Jade, but only if she traded herself and Tracy in."

Anna's heart skipped a beat. "So she offered herself up as bait?"

"Why would they want Elsa and Tracy instead of Jade?" Maui asked.

"Why would they want them, period?" Janus added. "None of them have a personal vendetta against either of them. Not Magnus, nor any of his assassins."

"No one but Hans." It clicked in Anna's mind. "It's him. I know it. He's responsible for this."

"How can you be sure that-" Melody trailed off.

"It's him." Anna said firmly. She had had enough troubles involving him to know when something like this had his signature all over it. "For some twisted reason, he hates my sister with a passion, and will do anything to see her suffer. I trust my gut. He's behind this."

"If it's him…" Melody trailed off, but Anna knew what she was thinking. With a mind like Hans' behind their latest problem, things just got a whole lot worse.

"Look," Janus said. "We should at least try to get a lock on their location."

"Tracy's not here." Deirdre said exasperatedly. "And she's the one person who can find them."

It then clicked in Anna's mind. What a straightforward and simple reason. "Hans wanted them both because he knows what Tracy can do." Anna said through gritted teeth. "He knows Tracy can use her powers to find Elsa. That's why he wanted her as well."

"This way, there's no way for us to find them." Melody concluded. "He's smarter than we gave him credit for."

"Hans only does something when he has a purpose. Nothing more, nothing less." Anna said. She knew the villain all too well, and suddenly felt very ill at the prospect of losing Jade, Tracy and her sister to Hans and the Crimson Order.

"So how do we save them?" Maui asked, echoing the question that was in everyone's head.

"I have an idea." Deirdre said, and everyone turned their attention to her. "If the three of them are in Exon, I can get us to the capital but through a longer way. I remember my parents explaining to me the terrain surrounding our city, and how there are many windy and long roads that loop round the city from Luftzeit."

"That…" Anna paused. "That could work."

Melody nodded. "It's a start. But we still need to figure out what we're going to do once we're inside the capital. It's not like we know how to get to the Order's base from there."

"We'll have to wing it as we go." Maui said. "There's no time."

"I agree." Anna squared her shoulders. "We need to act now. God only knows what Hans and Magnus are going to do to them."

"I'm…not sure that's such a good idea." Deirdre said apprehensively.

Anna frowned. "What do you mean?"

Janus caught Deirdre's eye and looked uncomfortable as he turned back to Anna. "The Coalition. They need you in charge. Without you here, Helmsley and Horatio won't be able to stop Kane from tearing this army apart."

"I hate to say it, but we need you here with the Coalition, Anna." Melody added. "Only you can keep them in check. You're the leader none of us are. You can save the Coalition."

"Seize control from the Confederation if you have to." Janus said bluntly. "Turn the Coalition around and retreat. The men will thank you for it."

Everyone glanced at him.

"He's right." Maui said after a pregnant pause. "In all my centuries of life, I've known a few leaders who had no choice but to suspend the constitution and lead their people out of danger. The lives of these men are depending on you. They need you to do it."

Anna gave a sharp sigh. As much as she felt the need to rush off to have a personal hand in saving her sister and friends, she knew that her friends were right. Being the queen and the highest ranking member of the Confederation, she was needed here. She would have to do something and fast. The Coalition wouldn't survive much longer under Field Marshal Kane's constant attacks. The Coalition needed her here to act. This was why she had ascended to the mantle of queen. To save her people.

"Okay." Anna relented, but glanced around at her friends with a fierce gaze. "But you all damn well better stay safe and bring everyone back."

"We will." Melody promised. She turned to the others. "Pack whatever you need. We'll move out in twenty minutes."

Anna watched as the others scattered to pack their things for the journey ahead, while Melody stayed by her side.

"I'll look out for them." Melody reassured her. "Everyone comes home."

"Thank you." Anna hugged Melody in gratitude before parting ways with her. She was suddenly reminded of the time when she had personally embarked on her adventure by herself to find Elsa up on the North Mountain. How times had drastically changed since then. Now she had her friends to help her. However with the odds stacked against them, Anna only hoped that they would all make it back in one piece.

ELSA

It'd probably been hours since her fight with Hans in the castle, but Elsa felt herself slowly drift back into semi-consciousness. Her body felt sore and dehydrated, and her chest hurt spectacularly. Her eyes fluttered open to see almost nothing, and it took a while for her vision to adjust to her new dark surroundings.

A cavern of some sort, which was badly lit. The only thing keeping the cavern from being plunged into utter darkness were a few burning torches wedged into the walls. The flames cast faint shadows across the stony ground, and did little to illuminate the room apart from keeping the cavern warm and humid.

Elsa felt sticky with sweat and grime, and desperately longed for a soapy bath. She tried to move, but found that she couldn't. Looking up, she saw that her wrists had been put in shackles and chained above her head. The shackles were extremely rusty due to the passage of time, and they chafed against her skin. Looking down, she saw that her ankles were similarly chained to the ground, preventing her from escaping.

She reached out with her magic in a bid to freeze her restraints so that she could shatter them, but to her dismay, her powers weren't within reach. Heart skipping a beat, she panicked for a moment. Without her powers, she couldn't do anything to escape. Looking down, she felt the magic dampening collar pressing against her neck.

"Oh, you're awake."

Elsa spun, and saw that she wasn't alone. Tracy sat in a rusty cage big enough to be a prison cell. She too had a magic dampening collar around her neck, though she wasn't in chains.

"Was wondering when you were gonna wake from your nap." Tracy remarked, leaning against the bars of her cage.

"How long was I out?" Elsa asked, careful not to jostle against her shackles for fear of them cutting into her skin.

"Don't know. A few hours?" Tracy shrugged. "What good's that gonna do us? We're stuck here anyway." She tapped on her collar. "So where've you been?"

"Hans," Elsa said grimly, images of the fight suddenly filling her mind. "Hans allowed himself to become the new host of the Eternal King. He told me that he seized control of the Order from Magnus. And he's overthrown Eleanor and crowned himself as the new Emperor of Exon."

Tracy gawked. "Bloody hell! Say what now?"

"You heard me. Hans has been playing the long game this whole time. He climbed all the way to the top and usurped the throne from Eleanor."

"And he forced Magnus and the rest of the Order to obey him." Tracy finished, evidently still overcome with shock.

"He told me he'd been planning this for a long time." Elsa went on darkly. "He's been patiently waiting, and climbing through the ranks and building his alliances. His transition to power was too well planned and executed."

"Wait, if he's the new Emperor, what happened to Eleanor?" Tracy asked in bewilderment.

"You didn't see her down here?"

Tracy shook her head.

"Hans fought her and ordered her arrest. I don't know where she was taken." Elsa explained. "But she's no longer in charge. Hans. He's the real threat we've been blindly ignoring this whole time. He-"

The iron door of the cavern jangled as keys were fitted into the door, and someone walked into the room. It was Lord Magnus, with his hood drawn back and missing the black sheep mask. This was the first time Elsa as well as Tracy were getting a good look at his real race, and to be honest, he didn't look like much of a threat. To Elsa, he appeared to be nothing more than a weathered old man now, and to think that he was once the most dangerous villain on their list.

"Magnus." Elsa said tightly.

Magnus latched the door behind him and gave the two girls a cautious glance. He strode towards them slowly, his face impartial.

"Where's Jade?" Elsa growled. "What did you do with her?"

The High Priest remained silent.

"What do you want then?" Tracy spat. "Come to mock us, old man?"

"No." Magnus said. He sounded very tired. "I just came to warn you about Hans. He's been planning the coup for a long time without any of us knowing."

"By now, we are aware." Elsa said coldly. "What do you want with us?"

Magnus sighed. "If it were up to me, I would kill you all quickly and simply without putting you through unnecessary torture. I am a practical man. But Hans, he will enjoy making you suffer." He turned to regard Elsa specifically. "Especially you. He gloated about finally completing his revenge. Be prepared. He's a madman who negotiated with the Eternal King and now has the power to enslave all of mankind as he sees fit." Magnus paced, visible frustration on his face. "All the work the Order has done over the centuries…if he destroys everything…everything will be undone!"

"That's enough, Magnus." A cold and calculated voice came from the entrance of the cavern.

Everyone started and turned their attention to the entrance, where Hans was standing patiently with two Mage Slayers behind him. He was dressed in a maroon shirt and black vest now, his suit jacket gone and his shirt sleeves folded to his elbows. He'd changed out of his bloodied shirt apparently, and the icicle wounds Elsa had inflicted on him were nowhere to be seen.

"You." Magnus said tightly, with a hint of fear in his voice. "I didn't know you were here."

"You do now." Hans said mildly, and if he harboured any ill will towards Magnus, he didn't show it. "Run along now, Your Eminence. I would like to speak to my guests."

"You…you will pay for this betrayal." Magnus' voice grew indignant. "No one betrays the Crimson Order."

"I am the Crimson Order." Hans smiled. "And no, I don't think I'll be paying for any betrayals any time soon." He gestured at the exit. "Don't make me ask again, please."

Magnus narrowed his eyes, but made no more effort to argue or antagonise the Emperor. He slipped past Hans and the Mage Slayers and disappeared. With that, Hans strode into the cavern with his two Mage Slayers. There was a strange aura and energy around him that Elsa could feel and it made her feel incredibly unsettled. She would've shifted in discomfort if not for the chains that restrained her.

"What did you do to Eleanor?" Elsa asked indignantly. "Where is she?"

Hans looked genuinely intrigued. "Interesting. So many more important questions you could ask me, but you lead with that. Is Eleanor really that important to you? I would think that after the rivalry you two have had and after all she'd put you through, you'd actually be glad that she's no longer on the throne."

"There's someone worse on it now." Elsa said acidly.

Hans clicked his tongue. "Sticks and stones. Is that what you've resorted to? Granted, you probably can't fight. Not in your current state." He gestured at her shackles. "But to answer your question, Eleanor isn't down here with us. She's rotting in the castle's dungeons, somewhere above us. She won't be a problem for either of us anymore, so I wouldn't worry about her."

"And Jade?" Elsa gritted her teeth. "What did you do with her?"

"Yeah, where is she, you bugger?" Tracy piped up.

"Safe." Hans answered shortly. "Don't worry about her, you have enough on your plates as it is."

"Man, you have some nerve." Tracy spat.

"Emperor."

"Huh?"

"You will address me as Emperor." Hans growled suddenly, eyes gleaming dangerously. "I haven't worked this hard and long to be treated like a common peasant."

"You're sick, Hans." Elsa said in disgust. "You think you've won?"

"I don't think. I've already won." He looked at her like one would regard a sorry-looking cat. "I now have the power to rule the world. I've grown far beyond the throne of the Southern Isles or even Arendelle. The Empire is mine, and soon my reign shall spread across the rest of the continent. Your great Coalition will be destroyed by Kane, along with your precious League of Sorcerers. I will make sure of that."

"Oh, our friends will fight." Tracy retorted, gripping the bars of her cage. "They won't stop till you're dead or back in prison where you belong."

"Oh, that reminds me," Hans said suddenly, ignoring Tracy's last quip about incarceration. "Thank you for reminding me why I'm here for." He turned to Elsa. "Remember when I said I still have plans for you? It's sooner than I thought, but that time is now."

Elsa shook her head. "If you think I'll play along with whatever twisted schemes you have planned, you're not just mad. You're delusional too."

"You'll probably want to listen to what my friend here has to say." Hans ignored her and nodded at one of the Mage Slayers.

The assassin stepped forward out of the shadows, and Elsa could make out his features, recognising him almost instantly.

"Salvadore." She gritted her teeth. "You tricked us."

"I tricked no one, witch," Salvadore said impassively. "I simply delivered a message, just like I'm about to do now." He cleared his throat in a functional, nondramatic way. "As we speak, your friends are preparing to mount a rescue expedition for you three. They've found an alternate route into Exon, thanks to the former Empress' sister."

"How-" The words got caught in Elsa's throat in her shock. "How did…how did you-"

"My friend here has a knack for spying on people." Hans clapped Salvadore on the back of his thick cloak. "It's come in incredibly useful, wouldn't you say?"

Salvadore's face was still blank almost as if his words meant nothing. "Yes."

"Excellent." Hans turned back to Elsa. "You see, with your friends coming to save you, they pose something of an obstacle. I must admit I would like to get rid of your pesky friends all at once. But still," he waved a hand. "I would like to make their journey a little more than inconvenient. And that's where you come in."

Elsa narrowed her eyes.

"Don't you remember your coronation?" Hans sighed in nostalgia. "It feels like a lifetime ago, doesn't it? You refusing to give Anna your blessing for marriage and running off into the night, cursing your kingdom with a deadly winter."

No, he couldn't possibly be asking…Elsa swallowed, but kept her features steely. She could see laughter in his deep green eyes.

"Come now, I'm sure you know what I'm asking." Hans sounded a little disappointed. "I want you to say the words."

Elsa clenched her jaw. "You want me to create a blizzard to slow down my friends."

"Precisely."

"I won't do it." Elsa said flatly. "You must be dreaming if you think I'm going to help you."

"Oh, you will comply." Hans said pleasantly but with a threatening edge to his words. "Otherwise," he motioned to the other Mage Slayer.

The Mage Slayer that Elsa didn't recognise unlocked Tracy's cage, and violently yanked her out by the arm. He ignored Tracy's yelp of angry protest and sent her sprawling on the uneven stony ground of the cavern.

Before she could get up, the assassin reached out his hand toward her and rotated his palm till it faced him, his fingers curled. Then with one swift motion, he jerked his hand upwards. Tracy choked and grasped at her throat, fumbling and clawing.

"Stop it!" Elsa cried in a loud voice which echoed through the cavern. "Leave her alone!"

"Do I have your compliance?" Hans asked smoothly.

"Let her go!" Elsa was close to tears as she saw Tracy's face gradually grow blue.

"Conjure the blizzard," Hans said amicably. "I have no qualms about killing her, make no mistake. And after I'm done with her, I'll have Eleanor killed too."

"Stop! You win!" Elsa shouted, glaring at Hans through teary eyes. She couldn't possibly let her friend die. How could she? Blinking back tears, she snapped at him. "I'll do it!"

A tiny curl appeared at the corner of Hans' lips, and he nodded slowly at the Mage Slayer. Just like that, the assassin released Tracy from whatever demonic sorcery he had been tapping into, and Tracy gasped, inhaling sharply. She lay writhing on the ground, coughing and breathing hard.

Hans glanced idly at Elsa. "You'll be a woman of your word?"

She scowled at him. "Just leave her out of this."

"Excellent." Hans said happily and walked up to her. He produced a rusty key from his vest pocket and began undoing the shackles on Elsa's wrists. No longer being held taut by the chains, she dropped to the ground, still chained down by the shackles on her feet.

"No sudden moves. Or tricks." Hans warned. "Or I will execute your friend with my bare hands. You know me well enough to know I'll do it."

Rubbing her wrists which were painfully red, Elsa nodded slowly, all the while glaring sourly at him. He'd manipulated her into doing what he wanted. Again.

"Good." He produced another key and began undoing the magic dampening collar around her neck. It gave a click and came apart, and Elsa instantly felt a connection to her well of sorcery. Her powers were returning.

She resisted the temptation to lash out with her powers against Hans right then and there, freezing him in an inescapable iceberg. But what good would that do? She'd already fought him with everything she had and exhausted herself, but it barely slowed him down at all. Besides, she had to keep her promise…for Tracy's sake.

Tenderly, Hans ran a hand through Elsa's loose hair and she flinched away. "Conjure the blizzard." Hans ordered. "Now."

"Bloody hell. Don't do it." Tracy managed to gasp from the ground. "Don't."

Fiercely, Elsa scowled at the villain. Her mind raced to consider her options, only to come to the conclusion that she didn't have a choice in the matter. Either she defy him and doom Tracy, or she create a snow storm that would slow down the rest of her friends and possibly even kill them. But she had to believe they would survive her blizzard. After everything they'd endured together, they hadn't come this far only to be stopped by harsh weather. They'll make it.

Taking a deep breath, Elsa reached out with her senses and touched the well of her sorcery. She shuddered slightly as she willed her mind to work, pulling her sorcery into the plain of existence. Guilt filled her as she worked with her hands, all the while staring daggers at the gloating face of her most hated enemy. Snow flakes began to materialise out of thin air and a deathly chill filled the cavern.