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Chapter Five

Back to the Future

TALYA

It was like her senses had been set on fire. Her nails rattled and she felt as though the wind would knock her teeth out. Talya clamped her mouth shut and closed her eyes tightly as time zoomed past her and Peggy. Or rather, they zoomed past time, traversing decades and close to two centuries to return home. A gloriously blinding vortex of light consumed them both in an endless tunnel of time and space, catapulting echoes of voices and mirages of history past them as the two girls were sent soaring like missiles through the beams and streaks of ceaseless existence.

The sensation was like no other she'd experienced before, and rightly so. Who ever thought this would be possible? But then again, she would've never thought travelling to the past and meeting her greatest heroes was possible. And yet, she'd not just met them, she'd also fought alongside them in the Siege of Steinfall, succeeding in saving Anna and Kristoff's lives and preserving the bloodline from extinction before it even began.

Best of all, she'd come face to face with the Snow Queen in her prime. Oh, how she'd dreamt of the moment so often, and now she could proudly say it was a reality! Getting to see Elsa as a young woman was like…like…seeing a goddess. Her only regret was not being able to watch Elsa in action at the Siege of Steinfall - to see the Pilgrim herself fighting as a Warrior in all the unbridled power of her youth. She was absolutely sure it would've been glorious.

Alas, she'd had more important responsibilities elsewhere, having to protect Anna from that cannon shot that'd killed her in altered history. At least with that out of the way and the rest of the Warriors' lives preserved, Talya and Peggy had set history back on track. She should've felt accomplished.

Yet, Talya had left the 19th century feeling a little empty. Okay, not just a little. Quite empty. In her excitement, she'd made a fool of herself in front of Elsa, acting like a crazed fangirl at a concert. Her enthusiasm and fervour really got the better of her sometimes, and it could be a little daunting to the more reserved of her victims. In this case, her eager request for Elsa to continue training her had stunned the Snow Queen beyond words.

Maybe I shouldn't have jumped to that so quickly, Talya berated herself with great vexation. First off, she hadn't broached the topic of Elsa's mentorship to her in the future very well, leaving Elsa rather confused and baffled at what she meant. Second, although Talya knew old, decrepit Elsa well, the same couldn't be said for young Elsa. Elsa in her prime had every reason to be guarded and suspicious of a strange redhead who happened to have the same powers as her.

Was it any wonder why Elsa had declined 'continuing' her mentorship of Talya? She doesn't even know me, Talya found herself gritting her teeth. I can't blame her for that. Anyway, it isn't like she could've trained me or whatever, since we have to return to our own time.

Attempting to think of something else more pleasant, she glanced at a squinting Peggy, who looked just as disoriented as herself with her hair blown in every direction as the force of time threatened to displace them if not for the devices in their hands. Chronotravellers, Val had called them. They sounded like something out of a weird sci-fi movie, but they worked just fine. Thanks to the Chronotravellers, Peggy and herself were the first two people in history to ever bend the laws of time and travel to the past. What a journey the past few weeks had been.

But there was no time to stop and ponder their accomplishments. Even as time travellers, there was no time at all. The endless vortex shone brighter as they hurtled through it, engulfing them in a corsucation of blinding light. And then, the seemingly endless tunnel came to an end.

Peggy and Talya both stumbled forward, still carried by the sheer inertia and force of the vortex. No longer soaring through time and space, their feet touched down on solid ground and it took a couple of moments to steady themselves.

"Woah," Talya exhaled. The after-effects of time travel could be rather discombobulating, but she was fortunate it didn't affect her quite as much thanks to her magic-enhanced resilience. Peggy on the other hand seemed relatively unfazed, thanks to her years of training to master her senses in the academy. Nevertheless, it took them both a few seconds to ascertain their whereabouts.

"We're outside the palace," Peggy said after surveying the area. "Damn it, I thought we set the coordinates right."

"It's not the coordinates that's wrong." Talya glanced at the Chronotraveller in her hand. "Val's creation probably could use a few tweaks. Or its more likely that we don't have a clear understanding of how time travel works." She looked around. Nothing had really changed since her departure from the 21st century. If anything, things looked worse.

Soldiers in muddy red marched down the streets, buildings were charred and some were still on fire. Flags bearing the Empire's colours still billowed, crudely stabbed into the ground at every few paces. There was a palpable and tangible fear that hung in the air, and if she was not mistaken, so was the metallic tang of blood. Talya scrunched up her nose.

"I think we better get inside before someone spots us out here." Peggy pocketed her Chronotraveller and motioned for Talya to start ascending the steps to reach the big doors of the palace.

But before Talya could move, the palace doors swung open and ten Exonian soldiers emerged like wild animals protecting their home - only it wasn't theirs.

"Keep still!" One of them - presumably the commander - barked in Exonite. Nine rifles were brought to bear and trained on the two girls. "Put your hands where we can see them!"

"Or maybe we're better off staying outside." Talya's instincts kicked in. Ice flowed from her freely, and she wasn't sure if it was her nerves prompting the sorcery, or her will. An inconsistently thick barrier of ice formed in front of them, just as the Exonians began firing at their commander's order.

"Get ready to move." Peggy produced two pellets from her belt.

"What?"

Peggy hurled the two pellets against the concrete pavement, and thick, black smoke engulfed them immediately, masking their surroundings. Talya held her breath as Peggy grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the nearest building under the cover of smoke. By some mirarcle, they made it without getting shot and disappeared into a small alley between two buildings.

Talya exhaled deeply. "Since when did you start using smoke?"

"Guess I picked up a few tricks from my time with the Warriors." Peggy's eyes were fixed on the way they'd come. "Janus' smoke bombs are ahead of his time."

"Guess we've been gone longer than we thought." Talya looked around her at the narrow walls of the alley. "Didn't we set the date and time of arrival to the exact moment we left?"

Peggy scrutinised a discarded newspaper - a rarity in the 21st century. "We did. Val's got a lot to work on with his Chronotravellers. We've been gone for two months, apparently."

Talya's eyes widened in horror. "Two months? We left Val and Arendelle behind for two months?" Her eyes darted to the direction of the palace. "Damn it. The bastards must have seized the palace some time after we left. Val…he might be their prisoner. We've got to help him!"

"Keep your voice down," Peggy hissed as she gripped Talya's arm. "Your brother's more resourceful than you give him credit for. Think. Where would he go if the palace has been overrun?"

Trying to calm herself, Talya struggled to think coherently. Her fear and worry for her brother was overwhelming. He wasn't a fighter or sorcerer like the two of them. But Peggy was right. He was resourceful and intelligent enough to have a contingency plan in case he needed to escape. But where? Frowning, she racked her brains to think of something…anything that her brother had mentioned before. Anything that would give her a clue as to where her brother might be - if he wasn't already a prisoner.

"I got it!" Talya exclaimed eagerly, lowering her voice at a glare from Peggy. "Ministry of Intelligence Headquarters."

"You're sure about this?" Peggy glanced around. They were surrounded by refugees of all sorts. Northerners, Southerners, nobles, merchants, paupers, farmers. They were all here, cramped together like sardines all along the corridors of the ministry's headquarters. And in the rooms too, filled to overflowing with people seeking shelter from the oppressive Empire.

Talya nodded. "Positive."

Her brother's heart was here - with molding the kingdom's intelligence and security technology into the most cutting edge defense system on the face of the planet. In spite of the fact that he was a prince and he had royal duties, he'd never stopped wanting to make a difference using his various ideas and innovations. He'd spent many days here since he'd returned from his time abroad - when he was not busy with his royal duties of course. Apart from the palace, this was the place where he would feel most comfortable.

The people all around them spoke in hushed whispers, straightening up a little where they sat as they witnessed their queen wading through their midst, trying not to trod on any of their limbs. The hopelessness and defeat in their eyes spoke volumes.

"Help us." An elderly man reached up a frail, bony hand to Talya. "Please."

Talya found her eyes watering and she knelt down before the refugee. In that instance, she could feel the gaze of hundreds of people on her, all straining their ears in anticipation for what their queen could offer them in their darkest hour.

"I'm so sorry," Talya whispered as she took the man's hand. "I wish I could've made a difference here." She lifted her voice so that the others in the near vicinity could hear her. "I need all of you to hold on a little longer. Don't give up hope yet. These men who've taken everything from us, they will not win as long as we have hope. We will claim back what's ours, and we will wrestle our freedom from the Empire. We will find a way to beat this, and we will see the sun rise again on a new day of peace. That I promise you."

"You sure you should've made that promise to them?" Peggy said in a low voice as they continued to move through the sea of humanity.

"The people need hope." Talya gritted her teeth. "If we don't win, would you rather they die with none or die believing that their children will one day see freedom?"

"Talya? Peggy?" Val's voice floated across the hallway.

Talya spotted Val coming out of one of the rooms, dirty and dishevelled, frozen in his tracks at the sight of the two girls. His grime-slicked face was set in shock, awe and relief all at once.

"Val!" Talya hurriedly treaded across the hallway to reach her brother and enveloped him in a hug. "Ohh it's so good to see you! I thought you'd been captured or worse."

"Feeling's mutual," Val exhaled cathartically as he let go of her. "When you both didn't come back, I assumed the worst."

"Well, we're back and it's damn good to see your ugly mug." Peggy exhcanged a hug with him too. "So what did we miss?"

"Not much," Val said dismissively as he motioned for them to follow him into one of the rooms. "Apart from the colonial bastards tearing through the palace about two weeks after you two left. I managed to escape with most of my equipment and come here, only to find this building as a refugee centre like many of the others all along this district." He looked grimly over his shoulder. "Not like the Imperials care whether we hide or not. They're content just to occupy our land for the glory of His Imperial Majesty. In here."

Val opened the door to a smaller room, in which a small wooden standing desk stood alongside his piled up equipment which left little to no space for movement. Besides that, there was no chair, no fan…nothing. The room was lit by a weak flourescent ceiling lamp and had piss-poor ventilation, but Talya figured that he along with the other refugees were just glad to have a roof over their heads and shelter from the savage Exonians outside.

"It's a step down from the luxury of the palace, I know," Val grunted. "But it's all we have at the moment until we can find a way to get rid of the Empire permanently. So." He folded his arms. "What kept you?"

Talya bristled a little, but remembered that it was just Val's prickly demeanour. "Well for starters, your Chronotraveller could use a little tinkering," she fished it out of her pocket and placed it on the desk, and Peggy followed suit.

"Coordinates and temporal settings aren't very accurate," Peggy added.

"Well sorry for the crude inventions," Val said sarcastically. "There's no excuse for poor engineering. It's not like we were rushing to save history or anything."

Talya shook her head. "Fair enough. But we got to get the kinks ironed out before we go back."

"I'll take a look at them later," Val sighed. "So what happened?"

Talya inhaled deeply and glanced at Peggy. "You wanna take this one?"

"Be my guest."

Sighing, Talya turned to her brother. "You might wanna find a chair or something. It's going to be a longgg story."

Val's eyes widened periodically as Talya told her long account of what had happened during their adventure. How she'd ended up in Agrabah a few weeks before their planned entry point in history, which gave her extra time to learn how things worked in the 19th century and allowed her to perfect her charade before masquerading as one of Queen Anna's esteemed envoys to request for military aid from the King of Agrabah.

He leaned forward with intrigue as she told him of how she'd come face to face with the legendary Queen Anna, how she'd convinced everyone that she was actually an Agrabanian envoy from the king himself, and how the rest of the plan unfolded like clockwork as the Coalition marched to Fort Steinfall to rendezvous with the Agrabanian Highlander navy that'd been dispatched by King Aladdin to evacuate them. His jaw dropped when he learnt of Talya's crucial part of the plan - the one where she altered this twisted version of history by saving Anna, Kristoff and everyone else on that beach from the enemy's round shot.

Then came Peggy's account of her mission, how she'd successfully infiltrated the House of Voda as a simple maidservant and planted the seeds of democracy in the mind of Duke Voda and inspired him to form the Equalitar, a cabal of Exonians bent on overthrowing the Emperor. Val was evidently invested when Peggy told them about how she met Elsa and Janus in their prime, along with the fabled Ha'naeth sorceress known as Tracy the Sea Witch, and their following adventures together that led them all the way up till their successful escape from Exon's capital and Fort Steinfall.

"So the plan worked," Val said breathlessly, awed by their adrenaline-inducing accounts of their time with the Warriors. "They're alive and they have a fighting chance now."

"Yeah," Peggy gestured to their surroundings. "But we haven't figured out the next step. We saved their asses, but we're no closer to winning the war."

"They know who you both are, right?" Val said. "That was the risk we had to take."

"They do," Talya confirmed.

"Yeah, and Talya here decided it was a good idea telling Anna she was pregnant," Peggy added.

Talya whirled and scowled at Peggy. "I did what I thought was right. They deserved to know."

"Like you've mentioned a hundred times before," Peggy rolled her eyes.

"What I did was no better than what you did," Talya pointed out. "Why did you tell them that they're legends in the 21st century?"

"I figured they didn't need to know how the historians screwed them over by covering things up," Peggy said defensively. "How their accomplishments are nothing but myths and fairytales. We want them to keep going, don't we? Motivate them to actually win this war and set history back on track? Well, this is how it gets done."

Talya slapped her forehead. "So the ends justify the means? Lying to them about their legacy?"

"It isn't a lie. They are legends, just not in mainstream history."

"Do you really think they care about that difference?"

"Stop. Both of you," Val sounded remarkably tired. "The fact is, both of you shouldn't have told them anything. Tampering with the temporal stream can possibly-"

"Affect history in ways we can't comprehend yet," Talya finished for him. "We've heard you say that a hundred times, Val, but we don't know that for certain. We did what we thought was right," she sighed and glanced at Peggy. "Even though we disagree on what we define as right."

Peggy grimaced but nodded.

"Whatever it is, I have news for you." Val rummaged through a file and scanned the paper documents. "Hold on. Our entire digital database was commandeered by the Empire so I had to do my digging the old fashioned way. Here." He fished out a couple of documents and laid it across the desk.

Peggy and Talya both craned their heads to study whatever Val had presented them. "What is it?"

"While you two were off enjoying your time with the Warriors, I was here pulling all the strings I could to get the information and data I needed. I spent the past two months studying every piece of history I could for a way to beat the Emperor. That includes mainstream history and real history. Both pointed me to clues that I traced back to this period of time." He tapped on one of the documents. "I think I might have found something. Something concrete."

Talya picked up the paper so that both she and Peggy could get a closer look at what Val had scrawled in fine print beside one of the infinite rows of words. She squinted as she scanned the words, and her eyes grew wide. "Woah."

"'Woah' is right," Peggy agreed. "This is insane."

"Insane or not, it may be our best chance at toppling Westergaard's regime once and for all," Val said determinedly. "Based on my theory, I have a plan. You might want to write this one down."