Chapter Fifty

Passions

Author's Commentary:

Just a heads up, there's some suggestive and mature themes in this chapter. But for those of you who've been following Elsa and Janus' relationship, you'll enjoy this :)

JANUS

Sword, check. Pistol and powder horn, check. Pellets, check. Bow, check. Full quiver, check. Janus surveyed the bed where he'd laid out his numerous knives and daggers. Blades, check.

He turned to the open window as he felt a cold draught of wind blow into the bedroom Duke Voda had lent them. It had begun to snow again. Shivering slightly, his eyes flicked down to the padded jacket that lay on the bed, along with the padded pants, gauntlets, boots, thick leather hood and mask. It was about time he wore the gear again. If nothing else, it would at least make him feel like his old self, back when he was still largely in control of his own fate.

Janus was thankful that they had been given time to prepare and strategise. Running off half-cocked into the enemy's stronghold was tantamount to suicide. Not that he hadn't done it before; he had his share of brash - and extremely lucky - experiences as a young mercenary in Bruvesqk who was new to the craft. He'd made a good number of mistakes and he'd learnt from them. One of the most important ones was to not infiltrate the most well guarded fortress in the middle of the bloody winter which was swarming with elite soldiers, demon assassins and the goddamn immortal emperor himself.

But here he was, acting against his instincts and getting ready to break into the Exonian castle located at the north of the capital, with nothing but his wits, instinct and skills. That and the Elemental Sorceress he was with, of course. Since they'd received their new mission, Elsa had taken the past few days to rest and recover fully so that her reserve of sorcery would be back to a full tank. Janus didn't know exactly how that worked, but he figured that it was something like that.

Tracy had agreed to sit this one out, taking the time to figure out a spell that could break the Crimson Order's hold over Jade. If they were going to win this war, they needed Jade back on their side. The former sea witch had told both Elsa and Janus that it wasn't going to be easy at all, as the demonic spell that held Jade was quite possibly stronger than anything she'd gone up against before. And as a Ha'naeth, she had said, it wasn't often she found a binding spell that she couldn't break. In any case, the fewer people there were on this particular suicide mission, the more inconspicuous they could be.

As for himself, Janus had taken the past few days to come up with a viable - but ridiculously dangerous - plan to break into the castle. The Equalitar hadn't managed to figure it out by themselves, as it took someone with combat and tactical knowledge as well as cloak and dagger experience to pull off a heist like this.

Why am I even going along with this? Janus wanted to laugh at himself and the impossible situation he found himself in. He'd always taken jobs only when it benefitted him or scored him enough money to last him a couple of years. But things had changed a lot over the past few years. Here he was now, about to risk his life to infiltrate the most secure spot in the entire Empire, and for what? Altruism? The three of them had been trying to run from these enemies, and now they were charging straight into their midst.

It's suicide, he shook his head subconsciously. In the bounty hunting world, he'd been the shark in the small pond, the goddamn boogeyman, the most feared mercenary in Bruvesqk. But now out here among the sorcerers, demon assassins and immortals, he was way out of his league. He was a damn minnow in the ocean now. Without any powers of his own and just the skillset he possessed, odds were he didn't stand a very good chance of getting out of this alive. Then why was he doing it? He was doing this out of love and some strange sense of justice. Why? Because he wouldn't have Elsa storm the castle by herself and let herself get killed. He loved her too much for that.

He eyed her as she pored over a few documents on the other side of their shared bedroom. The dancing flame of the lamp illuminated the room dimly and cast a warm hue on her pale, perfect skin. Her voluminous blonde hair fell freely across her shoulders and back, a couple of loose strands falling across her face, but she was too absorbed to notice, her back arched over the table. She was half dressed in an unbuttoned oversized white shirt, her slender bare legs fidgeting slightly as she studied the documents intensely.

The way her mouth was formed into a hard line as she pondered with blue eyes narrowed, her supple fingers drumming rhythmically against the side of the wooden panels of the dressing table, how she crossed one leg over the other and bent her foot against the floor whenever she was deep in thought…It was enough to make Janus lose his breath as he admired her grace and allure. He'd known her intimately on a couple of occasions already, but still every time he saw her, it felt as though he was back in Arendelle during the coup by Chancellor Tobias, gazing upon her beauty for the very first time.

And therein lies the problem. Somewhere along the line, love's going to get me killed.

"I don't get it." Elsa had a slight frown on her face that unknowingly accentuated her beauty and made her all the more loveable. "We can't head in together here?"

"No, the crate isn't large enough." Janus crossed the bedroom over to where she was standing over a dressing table. "Only one of us can fit in there." He indicated a spot on the castle schematics Ludwig had provided them from a contact in the engineering industry. "See?"

"Alright. So I start here from Modeley District." Elsa traced her finger eastward. "And then work my way through the tunnels towards this point right below the castle."

Janus grimaced. "If I could, I would've had us switch roles." He'd already explained to her that the only reason he was going in the easy way was because he'd been in the castle once before, back when the Empress had hired him to be captain of the First Imperials. He'd had free reign of the castle, and thankfully, his memory of the labyrinth hadn't faded. However, he felt horrible that she was going to have a hard time getting into the castle.

Elsa shook her head dismissively. "I'll manage."

"Once I'm inside, I'll cross over to the west wing and let you in through the service tunnel here."

"By that time hopefully I'll have reached the rendezvous point," She stared hard at the schematics, apparently hoping to find something new that she hadn't already found the last seven times she studied them.

"You know, we don't have to do this," Janus said apprehensively. He knew where this conversation would lead, but he hadn't worked up the courage to speak his mind till now. "We can still back away before it's too late."

"Janus, we already committed to this." Elsa turned round to face him. Her beautiful face was illuminated by the warm, subtle glow from the lamp that hung in the corner of their bedroom, and the frown on her forehead deepened. "Ludwig and the Equalitar are counting on us. We can't turn back now."

"We don't owe anyone anything," He touched her hand and stroked it tenderly. "This civil war isn't ours to fight. We're criminals here, fugitives, monsters to the Exonians," When she didn't budge, he exhaled. "Remember our own mission?"

"Save Jade and get out of here," Elsa's eyes went down to her feet. "I know. But things have changed. We finally have a chance to make this right and to finish our original mission."

"But at what cost?" Janus said gently. "Are we willing to die for the Equalitar? For people who see us as war criminals?"

"This is far more important than we can possibly hope to understand. They're trying to build a republic and free their people from a history of oppression," Elsa's frown intensified. "It's something we never got the chance to do when we were with the Coalition. We've been trying to fight this war from the outside, but what if we can help end it from the inside?"

"At what cost?" He repeated. "Elsa, I'm not ready for us to die in there."

"You don't have to go along with it." Elsa's eyes shot back up to him, a little defiance dancing in those deep blue irises. "I never forced you into this mission."

"Together, remember?" He said a little more aggressively. "I'm not leaving you to fend for yourself in there. What if Hans captures you again?"

Eyes narrowed, her expression turned to one of vexation and resolve. "I'm not going to let that happen."

"Do you think you'll have that choice when the Mage Slayers outnumber you in there? Do you have any idea what he's going to do to you if he catches you again?"

"I said I won't let that happen," Her voice rose and she set her jaw, crossing her arms across her chest. "I'm going in and I sure as hell am coming out. I'm not going to let Hans win this time. His reign is coming to an end, that much I can promise."

"Listen to yourself." He pleaded. "Listen to what you're saying."

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you sure you're doing this because you really want to help topple the Empire's regime? Or because you have a personal vendetta to settle with Hans?"

Her features hardened and her eyes glistened with tears in the warm light of the lamp. "Damn you, Janus."

"No, you need to hear this," Janus gripped her arms, maybe a little tighter than he'd intended. "Goddamn it, Look at me."

Furious, she glared at him with indignation written on her face.

"I know what he did to you."

"No, you don't. Don't try to pretend that you understand!" Elsa hissed, her voice quavering and tears rolling down her cheek. "You could never understand what he did to me."

"He drugged you, tortured you and tried to break your mind. Anyone in your place would want him dead for what he did," Janus felt his face grow hot with anger. "Hell, I want to kill him myself just for laying a hand on you."

Silently, Elsa continued to look up at him with teary eyes, anger radiating from her quivering body.

"But we can't let our emotions control us. We want him to face justice for what he did to you, but at what cost?" He used both thumbs and gently wiped away the tears on her cheeks. "I can't bear to see you get hurt again."

"I can look out for myself." She whispered, blinking and looking away from him. "I can get this done on my own. You want me to think rationally? I am. This is about more than just my damn feelings. This is way bigger than any of us. I'm not trying to satisfy my vendetta by attacking him head on. I want to see the Empire fall. And when Hans gets arrested for his war crimes, I'll be there to send his ass back to prison for the rest of his days."

He knew that in spite of her denial, there was a part of her that was doing it for vengeance. And he couldn't blame her, for he would've done the same. There was only one thing he could do, only one way this could end. Janus exhaled and nodded reluctantly. "Fine. We do this together." He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a light squeeze. "I'm going with you. It's just…"

She slowly put her hands on his flanks, the anger and intensity beginning to fade from her eyes. "Just what?"

"You know how I feel about being here," He said quietly. "I feel-"

"Vulnerable," A tiny smile broke her intense expression. "I know. I do too, and I'm sure Tracy does too. But this is a chance to kickstart the end of the war. I know the risks, and I sure as hell know we're outnumbered and damn well outmatched. But if it isn't us, then who?"

Janus sighed and rested his forehead against hers. "And that's the problem with you. That damn need for justice and altruism. It's what made me fall in love with you."

She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, pulling him into a long, steamy kiss. Leaning into the kiss, Janus embraced her tightly. Then, remembering, he pulled back.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

He glanced at the clock. "Do we have enough time?"

"We have enough time." She forcibly pulled him back into another passionate, wet kiss.

Janus felt his heart skip a beat as her hands gripped his back. Hell, she's even more turned on than I am. Glancing back at the clock, he decided to let his emotions trump reason this time. Like she said, we have enough time. He allowed his hands to travel languidly down her back and gripped her thighs. She allowed him to lift her up, her legs wrapping round his lower back.

Carrying her to the bed, Janus used one hand to clear the daggers and other weapons off the bed, letting them clatter to the carpeted floor. There would be time to properly gear up later. Elsa leaned back, making him lose his footing and tumble on top of her. He felt his chest pressing against hers, and she giggled. It made his heart soar, knowing that this was one of the rare times he'd seen her genuinely happy in such a long time. After all they'd endured, surely she deserved pleasure.

Passions evidently aroused, Elsa was the first one to begin peeling away at his shirt. She wasted no time in wrestling it off him, though he gladly obliged. Then it was his turn. Gazing down at her, he took his time, letting his hand slowly explore the hem of her unbuttoned shirt. Cold, smooth skin met his hand.

"I know I said we had time, but we don't exactly have all night either," Elsa whispered in a half giggle.

"If you say so." He stripped off her shirt and looked upon her beauty. Laid bare, her skin glowed in the dim light, as though beckoning him. He needed no further invitation. Hands sliding down her sides elicited a gasp of pleasure from her, and she wrapped her bare legs and arms around him. Her ice-cold fingers and toes brushed his back and made him stiffen a little.

In that moment of hesitation she capitalised, turning so that she was on top and he was the one with his back on the bed. Gloriously naked save for her underwear, she straddled him passionately, letting the cold from her hands send shivers down his muscled stomach. Slightly more aggressively, he gripped her shoulders and she leaned in close. He could smell her lovely lavender scent mixed with a hint of fruit, the scent that always made his heart skip a beat when he realised he was in her presence. Her breath was hot and rapid against his cheek as she gazed down at him with those passionate blue eyes, their lips drawing closer to each other again.

An impatient knock interrupted the tender moment. Both of them stopped.

"Who is it?" Elsa called out exasperatedly.

"Me," Tracy's unwelcome squawk sounded muffled but annoyingly loud outside the room. "I think I left a bottle of cider on the table. Wait, are you filthy lovebirds shagging in there?"

"Go away!" Elsa shouted.

Angry footsteps clomped away from the door and back down the corridor.

"She always seems to find a way to interrupt us," Janus mumbled as he pushed a lock of hair from her face.

"Never stopped us before." Elsa glanced at him, trailing her cold finger down his chest. "Where were we?"

Another series of knocks broke the moment. Elsa sighed and climbed off Janus, who rubbed his face with a groan.

"That better not be Tracy again," Elsa growled softly as he sat up. "Who is it?" She almost snarled.

"Peggy, Ma'am. Peggy Sal Voda," The young servant girl's voice filtered through the door. "May I enter?"

"Oh shit." Janus glanced at Elsa. She was naked, and so was he.

"No, wait! Give us- ummn - give me a minute!" Elsa squealed and caught her shirt that Janus tossed her. She hurriedly dressed, as did he.

Janus cleared his throat and smoothed out his shirt, turning to see if Elsa was ready. She was, though she had subtle disappointment written across her face. They shared a mutual look. This would have to continue at a more convenient time when they wouldn't be…interrupted.

"Come in," Janus called out.

The door opened, and Peggy came in with a tray of tea in both hands. "Thank you," The maidservant said politely as she sat the tray down on the bedside table. Two porcelain cups of steaming hot tea and a small pot stood side by side on the tray. "His Grace insisted that I deliver you some tea before you leave as gratitude for your help."

"How kind," Janus mumbled under his breath, thinking no one would hear it. But Peggy did.

"Indeed." She stepped away from the bedside table and looked at both of them pensively as if there was something she wished to say.

"So you're the real founder of the Equalitar." Elsa said as she took a cup of steaming tea. "No offence, but I never would've guessed."

"None taken," Peggy grinned slightly. "You weren't supposed to."

"We both knew from the start that you were more than just a servant girl after all." Elsa said.

"Me?" Peggy laughed politely, looking amused. "Well then," she modestly spread both hands in a jovial manner. "I guess the secret's out. Yes, I admit I did help His Grace a little. Democracy is still a relatively foreign concept, even in the more civilised parts of the world. But it is not entirely unheard of. There are places on the other side of the world like some of the Eastern cities where people are truly free to govern themselves."

Janus nodded in agreement. Bruvesqk, the place he'd spent a lot of time training and working as a mercenary, was a free city too.

Peggy drew herself up. "I hope that one day, though I might not live to see it, Exon will truly be free to be a republic."

"I hope so too," Elsa said wholeheartedly. "But I'm genuinely curious, how did you get the duke to agree to any of this?"

"It wasn't hard really. Giving him ideas about a free country and all that. But that's all he needed really, because deep down he knew he wanted our home to be free too. He took my ramblings and turned them into a revolution in the making." She smiled broadly. "His Grace is going to help free Exon from this nightmare."

"Here's hoping," Janus said.

"Anyway I didn't get the chance earlier, but I just wanted to say I've been following your work here and there when I could, and I am impressed."

"You've been following our work?" Janus echoed.

"Even if your exploits are outside these walls, word travels fast. Everyone in Exon knows of the famous League of Sorcerers."

"Famous? Don't you mean notorious?" Elsa asked. "I thought most Exonians were raised to think of us as monsters and witches."

"I'm not most Exonians," Peggy said in a lower voice. "I admit, there was a time when I thought like the rest too, that sorcerers were evil and should be stopped. But then a good friend opened my eyes and I saw for myself beyond the boundaries of tradition that it wasn't true." She smiled warmly. "You've accomplished a great deal in the fight against the Empire, so shouldn't that prove that you're not what our traditions claim you are?"

"I suppose so." Elsa shrugged. "But it won't be worth a damn if we don't get that evidence tonight."

"You will. I'm confident," Peggy nodded. "If what we hear about the League is true, you'll be back here before sunrise." She turned to leave. "I shouldn't disturb you both any further. I'll leave you to get ready for the heist," Stopping at the door, Peggy cast a glance over her shoulder. "Good luck, you're both going to need it."

Janus watched as she closed the door and heard her footsteps fade away. "So she wasn't evil like we thought." The both of them had agreed that there was more to the girl than she'd been letting on, but now they knew that it only extended to the fact that she'd had a hand in starting the Equalitar. Usually, Janus would've attributed himself as an excellent judge of character. In this case, he was quite wrong.

"No," Elsa agreed. "Seems so stupid now. She's just a lot smarter than she lets on." She looked at the clock. "We should start getting ready."

He followed her gaze to the clock. Damn it, time had run out too quickly. Picking up his sword, he began sheathing it in his scabbard. He supposed that after they returned, they would just have to pick up where they left off in bed.