Chapter Sixty Two

Striking a Deal

ANNA

Marching out into the narrow corridor of the tower with Deirdre behind her, she rounded on the four Queen's Guardsmen who were standing guard outside the room.

"Where's the woman I requested to be imprisoned?" Anna asked. She was fairly certain that none of them knew Eleanor's true identity, but if they did, they showed no trace of it.

"Lieutenant Evans had her locked up in the adjacent tower not far from where the Exonians are being held, Your Majesty." One of them - a sergeant - told her.

Anna stiffened. Putting Eleanor so close to the Exonians they'd just defeated didn't sit well with her. "Take us there," she said.

Crisply, the four guardsmen saluted in unison and took up their positions, flanking Anna and Deirdre, marching in the direction of the adjacent tower. Deirdre was silent most of the way, as if deep in thought about her own issues. No doubt they were about Eleanor too, judging by the look on her face. While Deirdre was probably thinking about how to repair her relationship with her sister, Anna was busy thinking of a contingency plan in case Eleanor decided to go wild and start killing everyone.

The adjacent tower held the Exonian prisoners who'd surrendered earlier this morning. Hundreds - no - thousands of them languished in cells with thick iron bars, guarded by armed Xerflorians and Einsfeltai who were on constant rotations. Fort Steinfall had many cells, as Anna was now discovering.

The fortress' primary purpose must have been as both a supply depot as well as a facility to hold prisoners of war. And after having studied the fortress' schematics, she could testify to its impregnability. It was just as good as keeping people in as it was at keeping them out. Well, hopefully Steinfall does its job at keeping Kane's field army at bay while holding General Hydrech's defeated forces in here while we bide our time and wait for the Agrabah navy to save us.

Anna even caught a glimpse of General Hydrech, locked in one of the other cells together with the senior officers. It seemed that Field Marshal Frederick was merciful enough to give the Exonian officers a little more privacy and comfort as compared to the rest of the common soldiers. Frankly, it wasn't something Anna herself would've thought of doing. Speaking of Frederick, she would have to find time to check with him on the progress of their defensive measures the first chance she got.

The Queen's Guardsmen leading the way stopped outside a locked door not far down the corridor from where Hydrech and his officers were being held.

"Here we are, Ma'am," The sergeant said as one of the corporals began rapping on the door. "Last we heard, Lieutenant Evans is inside with a few more keeping watch."

And he better still be alive. "Thank you," Anna acknowledged him with a grateful nod. "Stay out here, please."

The heavy bolt audibly slid open from the inside and the door creaked open. When the guardsman inside saw that it was Anna, he hastily opened it a fraction larger.

Anna slipped inside together with Deirdre to find - as the sergeant had reported - Lieutenant Evans and seven more of the Queen's Guard standing around a wide room, armed with their muskets with bayonets attached. Suspended in the air by her arms was Eleanor, chained to the wall with heavy irons, her wrists and ankles shackled tightly with her arms strung up above her head and her feet weighed down by a chain attached to a heavy weight. To top it off, she was gagged and blindfolded with thick, black cloth.

"Your Majesty," Lieutenant Evans shot up straight as a rod and saluted, followed by the rest of the guardsmen.

"What are you doing here, Evans?" Anna asked. "I'd have thought guarding a prisoner was below your pay grade." But then again, this wasn't any ordinary prisoner.

"When you said to have her locked up securely, I decided I ought to stay to make certain of it," Evans answered. "Besides Ma'am, there isn't much else to do but wait," He gave her a rueful smile.

"Thank you, Evans," Anna nodded. "We'll be needing a little privacy," She inclined her head in Eleanor's direction, "It's past time she and I had a little chat."

"Yes Ma'am, but are you certain it is a good idea?" Evans eyed Eleanor too. "From what I can gather, you wanted her locked up securely for a reason."

"And she is," Anna said. There was no need to tell him that someone like Eleanor who had demon powers could've probably broken out of her restraints whenever she pleased. "I'll be fine with her here with me."

Evans glanced at Deirdre and recognised her. He deflated a little at the realisation that one of the sorcerers was accompanying Anna. "As you command, Your Majesty." He gestured silently at his men who swiftly filed out of the room before being the last to leave himself, closing the heavy steel door behind him with a soft clang.

Breathing in deeply, she eyed Deirdre. The Elemental Sorceress returned her gaze with an unreadable expression, a mix of emotions.

"You said you wanted to talk to her," Deirdre said. "Well, here she is."

"This doesn't feel real at all," Anna muttered. "I spent the better part of the year in a bloody war against the Empress, and now here she is, tied up like a Christmas present."

Deirdre neglected to answer.

Exhaling sharply, Anna crossed the room with tentative steps and cautiously began to remove the gag from Eleanor's mouth. The moment it came loose, the girl immediately spat it out, sprinkling Anna with droplets of her saliva and causing her to drop the gag in disgust.

"I know it's you," Eleanor said matter-of-factly.

"How-"

"I have a demon, remember?"

"Right, how could I forget?" Anna said sarcastically as she ripped the blindfold off. "The tyrant who tried to invade my kingdom and wreaked havoc across the continent, sacrificing tens of thousands of lives in war, maybe more."

Eleanor's eyes came into focus. "It's good to see you again, Anna."

"It's Queen Anna to you. And forgive me if I don't feel the same way." Anna said mordaciously.

Eleanor ignored her, already having turned her attention to Deirdre who stood a few paces behind Anna. "I told you, didn't I?" She raised her voice. "Coming with you, I'd just be trading one dungeon cell for another!"

"Keep your damn voice down," Anna said sharply. "Or the gag goes back on."

"I knew this would happen," Eleanor snapped in a more subdued tone.

"But yet you came anyway," Deirdre pointed out. "Even though you said you wouldn't. Why?"

"Maybe because I was a fool to hope that the powers that be might be different," Eleanor glared at Anna. "I guess I was a fool then."

Anna rounded on Deirdre. "What is she talking about?"

"She swore that after her demon was restored to her, she would help get us back to the Coalition." Deirdre explained, avoiding eye contact with her sister.

"Oh, don't stop now. Tell her the whole story, sis." Eleanor snapped.

"Shut up," Anna warned.

"Eleanor also said that once she got us back to the Coalition, her part of the truce would be done," Deirdre went on, a guilty expression gradually surfacing. "She would return to the capital with her powers to face Hans and the Crimson Order."

"But she didn't."

"No," Deirdre averted her eyes from Eleanor's acid gaze. "After she saved us from Hans' undead army, she immediately teleported us here…where you had her arrested."

"But why?" Anna turned back to Eleanor. "Why the hell would you serve yourself up to us?"

"Why the hell indeed?" Eleanor stared down at her, shaking her wrists. "I could've broken out of here any time I wanted, you know that right?"

"I'm rudely aware," Anna said dryly. "So why stay?"

"Would you believe me if I told you that I wanted a fresh start?"

"No." Anna said shortly.

"Then there's nothing else I can say," Eleanor attempted a shrug and managed awkwardly in spite of her restraints.

"Is it true?" Anna turned to Deirdre.

"If you'd asked me two weeks ago, I would've told you to keep her locked up and throw away the key," Deirdre met Anna's eyes. "But now…things are different."

"So you're telling me she's on our side now?" Anna jabbed a finger at Eleanor and crossed her arms. "I'm still not convinced."

"See? It's just like I told you, sis." The shackles around her wrists and ankles evaporated with a flash of her demon powers, and Eleanor dropped into a crouch.

"Shit," Anna's hand flew to her hip, where her rapier was scabbarded.

"Wait!" Deirdre hissed, restraining Anna.

"These Confederation fools will only ever see me for what I was. None of them would've ever given me a chance," Eleanor said acidly, and to her surprise, Anna heard the hint of sorrow in her voice. "I'll only ever be a monster to them. I'm leaving."

"No!" Deirdre darted forward and seized Eleanor's arm. "You can't leave!"

"There's no point in staying here. If I go back home, I can do some real good for once, at least before I die." Eleanor tried to pry Deirdre's hand away. "Let go of me."

"I'm not letting you go."

"You really think you can stop me?" Eleanor narrowed her eyes. "I deliver you and Melody back to your friends and that's where our deal ends, or don't you remember? I want nothing more to do with this place."

"If you really meant that, you would've already broken out and escaped the moment the soldiers took you away. No. You stayed because you believed you had a chance to start afresh."

"Start afresh? You think that's possible with her in charge?" Eleanor jabbed rudely at Anna who'd been watching the entire exchange silently. "To her and the rest of your hero buddies, I'm the worst of humanity. And they're probably right. I have no place here. But if I go home and die trying to kill Hans, at least it'll be on my own terms."

"Stop," Anna said sharply, and both sisters turned their attention to her. "There's been enough death already."

Eleanor sneered. "You think you can stop me?"

"No, but I can offer you something better," Anna hesitated. Once I do this there'll be no turning back. "Kane and the Imperial Horde are a day or two away from mounting a full scale attack on us, and I can bet Hans will be with them to see this through to the end."

"I see," Eleanor's eyes grew small as slits. "And you want me to fight for you? Like that damn mercenary?"

"You did say you were looking for an honourable death."

Deirdre looked uneasy. "Anna-"

"Fine," Eleanor strode up to Anna and came so close that Anna almost backpedaled.

She resisted, not wanting to give Eleanor the satisfaction of seeing her back off. Instead, Anna stood chest to chest with Eleanor, staring into her eyes unflinchingly.

"But," Eleanor's lips curled upward slightly. "I have one condition. No one's giving me any orders. I will fight on my own terms."

"Deal." In spite of the animosity she felt, Anna knew she needed all the help she could get in the coming onslaught. And listening in to that tense, emotionally charged exchange between Deirdre and Eleanor was enough to make her believe - at least for the moment - that Eleanor wasn't lying this time.

With Eleanor having gotten control of her demon and seemingly in her right mind, Anna supposed she could use a heavy hitter. At this point, she wasn't going to be picky about it. After all, they were all running out of time.

MELODY

It wasn't snowing here, fortunately, just bitterly cold. Alone, Melody sat on the bastion wall beside the artillery battery which had been set up and left to wait for the battle to begin, overlooking the snowy plains where soldiers were furiously digging the trenches deeper and driving the palisades into the fields at almost every two paces to greatly impede the besiegers' advance. The Exonian cavalry was essentially taken out of the equation, which would hopefully buy the Coalition enough time to mount their escape by sea.

A little while ago, Prince August had come to see her, having heard that she was back. She'd been rather happy to see him as she considered him to be a rather good ally - not to mention he was maddeningly attractive and sensible, two of his many upstanding qualities that made her heart beat faster whenever she was around him. However, she'd constantly told herself, there's no room for fraternisation, at least not now when we're were still in the middle of a bloody war. Afterwards, maybe.

He'd briefly filled her in about everything that'd transpired while she'd been gone, and she'd especially been shocked to hear that Duke Helmsley had committed treason and that Marquess Horatio was being a little more agreeable - he'd in fact helped Anna end the siege and win them all this fortress, albeit at the cost of an injured arm which he was now recovering from. He'd also told her about the planned mass evacuation by sea, and that the Agrabanian Highlanders were coming to their aid with a naval fleet.

Hearing about the Agrabanian Highlanders brought back memories. She remembered them surrounding the Warriors in the marketplace after the first confrontation with Kane. A fearsome desert army to be reckoned with, and frankly she was glad that they were going to be on the Coalition's side. But she was surprised that King Aladdin was reaching out. It'd been years since the Warriors' last interaction with him, and he had no dealings with the Confederation. So why was he volunteering aid to the Coalition, knowing that would land his own kingdom in the Empire's sights?

"Beats me too," Maui glanced down at the palisade-infested fields. "Been a long time since we saw Aladdin. Remember that debacle with the snake totem?" He guffawed. "Wow. That feels like a lifetime ago."

"It was," Melody agreed. "It's weird, I really miss those days. They were a lot simpler, without demons, immortal emperors and a damn war consuming us all."

"Ahh I've seen my fair share of change. Can't live a thousand years without that happening," Maui grinned. "So, Eleanor did keep her word after all."

"She did."

"You don't seem very surprised."

"Let's just say I've grown to be a better judge of character over the years. I could tell she really wanted a fresh start."

"Do you think she can really be redeemed?"

"Janus and Deirdre redeemed themselves."

"Don't forget yourself," Maui nudged her playfully. "I didn't. When I close my eyes I can still see that young girl on the beach, longing for a chance to redeem herself and make history as a Warrior."

"Maybe so, but I threw all that away when I killed you," Tears welled in her eyes.

"Nonsense," Maui lifted his big hand and dried her eyes with his large fingers.

She shook her head. "I don't know anymore. I…I don't know what to do."

"I can't answer that for you," Maui put his arm around her. "But hey, you have a chance to finally get away from the Empire. That's a win in my book."

"And then what?"

"I can't answer that either," Maui smiled at her and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "I'm just a part of your mind, remember? You're going to have to figure that out with them."

Melody turned to see Anna and Deirdre emerging from one of the towers and crossing the bastion wall toward her. Sighing, she straightened and put on a level-headed expression as the two girls reached them. "Anna. Deirdre." She greeted them as they stopped before her. "Where's Kristoff?"

"Busy running the show with Frederick, as usual." Anna had a faraway, sad look in her eye as she said it, and Melody guessed that she was having a little marital spat between her and her husband.

"Right," Melody decided to steer the subject elsewhere. "I'm sorry I walked out earlier. I-"

"I know," Anna nodded. "I'm really sorry."

Before Melody could say anything else, Anna enveloped her in a tight hug. All she could do was reciprocate and lean into the embrace. For some reason, that hug seemed to melt her and she felt tears streaming down her cheeks. It was both cathartic and infuriating at the same time, letting herself break down like that when she prided herself on being the level-headed one among the Warriors. But then again, there was no one around to see her like this, apart from Anna and Deirdre who were already her close friends to begin with.

They stayed in that embrace for a long time, while Deirdre cast her eyes down awkwardly. The Elemental Sorceress had never been a very touchy-feely kind of person, reserving her display of emotions for the battlefield. But still, Deirdre had been a great comfort and confidante over the past few weeks, and Melody had forged a much closer bond with the girl.

"It's not your fault." Anna finally whispered.

"So Deirdre told you. I'm guessing she told you about my condition too?"

"What condition?" Anna finally pulled away but maintained eye contact.

"That wasn't my right to tell." Deirdre said quietly.

"What condition?" Anna repeated worriedly.

"This," Wiping away her tears, Melody pulled off the glove on her right hand and held it up to Anna. As usual, it was quivering uncontrollably, exacerbated by her emotional breakdown.

"Wh-" Anna stopped, evidently at a loss for words. "How did…"

"I don't know. Deirdre thinks it's the result of trauma." Melody put the glove back on. "Because of this damn condition, I can't shoot straight anymore. My archery's useless now and I freeze in the middle of fights. I don't know what's come over me," Sniffling miserably with a shuddering breath, she felt like a sorry pig.

"I still think you should go see Holli," Deirdre said. "Maybe she can help."

"Yeah," Anna agreed. "She might be able to cure your condition."

"I keep telling myself that but…" Melody sniffed and dried her face with the back of her sleeve. "Never mind. Now's not the time," She inhaled sharply and squared her shoulders. "August told me about the evacuation plan. Said you're planning on getting everyone off the coast before Kane and the Imperial Horde crush us all?"

Anna exchanged a worried glance with Deirdre before relenting. "Fine, not now. But you are going to see Holli once we're done here," She inhaled deeply before continuing. "The Imperial Horde is coming any day now. But hopefully the Agrabanian Highlanders get here before we're wiped from the face of the earth."

"I'm curious though," Melody interjected. "Why would King Aladdin suddenly reach out across the continent? And how did you know to come here?"

ANNA

"Ah," Anna said. "I'm glad you asked, because this is where it gets crazy. Hang on a second." She half-jogged back into the tower's guardhouse and found where she'd told the Queen's Guardsmen to bring Talya to wait. "Come on," she beckoned Talya. "There are some friends I'll like you to say hello to."

The Highlander envoy looked pleased, and obliged rather willingly. It seemed that the prospect of getting wiped out by the Imperial Horde didn't faze her very much. Anna brought Talya back out into the open where she'd left Melody and Deirdre waiting.

"And who's this?" Melody looked confused, as did Deirdre.

"Everyone, meet Talya, King Aladdin's Agrabanian envoy." Anna gestured at the girl. "Talya, meet Princess Melody of Denmark and…Deirdre."

"It's an honour, Your Royal Highness," Talya curtseyed to Melody, then nodded a greeting to Deirdre.

"Right," Anna glanced at Deirdre. Talya didn't need to know right away that Deirdre was actually the sister of the former Empress who'd been assumed dead but was actually alive. No need to complicate things. "Talya here was sent by King Aladdin from across the ocean to inform us ahead of time while the rest of the ships made their way here."

"Interesting," Melody was eyeing Talya subtly, already sizing her up as a potential spy or threat. Honestly, Anna couldn't blame her.

"Yeah, so…" Talya pushed a stray lock of red hair behind her ear as the wind hissed in their faces. "If the ships are still on schedule, they should be here in…four days' time? They'll be docking parallel to the coast where they'll be shielded by Fort Steinfall from the artillery strikes."

"But won't the longe range guns be able to hit the ships?" Melody asked.

"And that's where the League comes in," Anna said with a grin. "They'll make sure the cannonballs are either turned back round or turned to dust."

"Sounds a little bold, even for us," Deirdre had her arms folded. "You sure this is going to work?"

"It should, according to Field Marshal Frederick's plan. But I'm going to need you to talk to Vonco and the rest, make sure they know their roles in the coming fight. Right now, you're the best sorceress to tell them exactly what they need to do."

Silently, Deirdre nodded, still with an unsure look on her face.

"And what about our…other friend?" Melody asked.

Anna pursed her lips.

"You mean Eleanor Tal Yin?" Talya said.

Anna whirled to her, unable to hide the shock on her face. "How-"

"Believe me, envoys aren't just dumb messengers. We pay attention to the details too. At least, some of us do," Talya shrugged.

"Okay…" So Talya was a little sharper than Anna had given her credit for.

"You trust her though?" Talya looked almost as doubtful as Deirdre. "I mean, she is the tyrant who almost conquered your home."

"I don't need a reminder of that," Anna almost snapped. "Well, Deirdre and I went to have a little chat with her."

"And?" Melody probed.

Anna sighed. "She's going to help us…for now. But she's a wild card and quite frankly a liability, so I need you and Deirdre to keep an eye on her for the time being."

"Alright." Melody agreed.

"And what about the others?" Deirdre asked. "Tracy, Jade, Janus…your sister?"

"What else can we do?" Anna felt desperation mounting again. "I can't send Eleanor back into the capital to try and find them. First off, there's no way to know where Elsa and the others are hiding. If she steps foot into Exon, she's very likely going to be killed by Hans and the Crimson Order," she gritted her teeth. "As much as I dislike her, I can't trade Eleanor's life for our friends'."

"So we're just going to leave them?" Melody asked in consternation.

"I…I don't know," Anna suddenly felt weak at the knees and her stomach lurched. With one hand on the parapet of the bastion wall, she dropped to a knee, her head swirling.

"Anna!" Melody's voice sounded unnaturally far away. "Are you alright?"

"Stand…stand back." She waved them away furiously as she felt her gorge rising. Retching in the most un-regal manner, she emptied the acidic contents of her stomach on the floor and swayed. Oh no, she thought as she pitched forward. Melody and Deirdre caught her before she could fall into her own vomit, while Talya chipped in to help drag her a distance away to get some fresh air.

"Better?" Talya asked.

"Yeah," Anna grimaced. "I'm…I'm fine."

"What the hell was that back there?" Deirdre demanded. "You didn't tell us you were sick."

"It's…it's something that's been coming and going lately." Anna said, slowly feeling her strength return to her as she sat with her back against the parapet. "The stress is getting to me."

"Hmmn," Melody looked at her curiously. "You sure you're up for a battle?"

"I will be." Anna insisted.

"As I was saying before…" Melody motioned at the pile of vomit not far away. "…that happened, what are we going to do about the rest of our friends? We can't just leave them in Exon while we sail away."

"I…I don't know." Just thinking about how helpless she was to save her sister and friends was enough to make her want to be sick again. "We just have to pray…and wait."

"Well, we've got about four days," Talya said tightly.

Damn it. Anna closed her eyes. I don't want to leave you here, Elsa. Bring the rest back. Come back to me.