This is supposed to be like a history book, focusing on what might have happened after the events of Frozen. Its' gonna be written from a fairly detached POV, since its' just supposed to be an impartial account, but I thought it might be a fun exercise. This was inspired largely by the great fanfic "Ice on the Rhine", which, if you like this sort of scenario, you should definitely read. This chapter's a little light on Frozen characters, but that will change next chapter, I promise.
I DON'T OWN FROZEN DISNEY OWNS FROZEN BLA BLA BLA.
Chapter 1; A Brief History of Arendelle
The word "Arendelle" has its' origins in the Old Norse "Arendalr", translating roughly to "Eagle's Dale".
Though no official records exist, Arendelle was likely founded sometime in the late 8th century CE by Vikings hailing from further northern parts of Scandinavia, as a small fishing village and trading port. Nestled in a low fjord, surrounded by tall and nearly impassable mountains on three sides, and by the ocean on a fourth, it proved among the most defensible of Norse settlements. Indeed, Arendelle would only be successfully conquered twice in its' long history; once by Dano-Prussian forces during the titular Dano-Arendellic War in 1848, and by National Socialist Germany in 1943.
In those days, there was no unified Norway, and Arendelle became one of several petty kingdoms scattered throughout greater Scandinavia. The tiny nation quickly gained a reputation for spawning and harboring some of the most renowned and feared of Viking warriors, and in 793 CE, a group of Vikings hailing partly from Arendelle sacked and destroyed the Christian monastery at Lindisfarne, lifting the curtain on the Viking age.
A German Monk passed through Arendelle on his way to the British Isles c.810 CE, leaving behind this account in his journal;
Surely the worst tales of this place have not been exaggerated. As I walk among the Northmen I feel as an Israelite among Phillistines. There are no followers of Christ here, and if there were, surely the Heathens would quickly spill their blood in an offering to their devils.
In the center of their town they have erected an altar to the demon they call Thor, a supposed god of thunders and lightning. Daily, they bring him an offering of goat's blood, and even human children on occasion, in return for a powerful rain and victory against their foes. It is said that many of the reprobates who took part in the destruction Christian souls in Lindisfarne some twenty years past have hailed from this place, and indeed, this would not surprise me in the slightest. Boys and girls fornicate freely in the streets, without shame or decency. Men solve their disputes with swords, and there is none to reprove them. Christ send his grace to these poor, fallen people.
Though this account is doubtless exaggerated wildly, it does showcase how much of Christendom felt towards the Norse. And indeed, it also helps one to understand the sheer terror that must have been felt in the British Isles some fifty years later, when what would become known as the "Mycel Heathen Here" or "Great Heathen Army", a great collection of Norsemen from several different nationalities, arrived on the shores of northern Britain with the intent to war against the Anglo-Saxons therein.
Commanding this pagan force was Ivar Ragnarsson, better known later as "Ivar the Boneless". Along with him were his brothers Halfdan, Ubbe, and Guthfrith, all hailing from Arendelle. Many strange, though obviously unsubstantiated tales exist about Guthfrith Ragnarsson. Rumors abounded that he was a sorcerer, or even perhaps the product of an unholy union between a heathen woman and a winter spirit. Regardless, these rumors seem to have exploded through Britain following the army's arrival at East Anglia in 865 CE, causing widespread fear among the populace, and even English soldiers.
East Anglia did not even attempt to make war with the invaders, instead bribing them with peace offerings, and allowing them to march through towards the Kingdom of Mercia, were they engaged Mercian soldiers at Nottingham. There are no official accounts of what happened next, but what is known is that the Vikings won the battle quite decisively. A Journal entry, supposedly that of a merchant who observed the battle at Nottingham has garnered some attention in the past, but has been doubted by many historians. It is included here for completeness' sake;
{Entire beginning lost} The English soldiers marched down into the pass, where they would meet the Northmen, who had {section lost} wind blew up and a great hail began to fall onto the Englishmen, yet it affected not a single heathen. Looking out over their ranks, I could {section lost} with movements of his arms, it seemed he directed the path of the hail, which grew larger {section lost} surely this was the one they called Guthfrith the Sorcerer. {section lost} That the Heathens called him the son of a god, who they said had gifted with the power over ice and storm. {section lost} demonstrating now, as dozens of Saxons fell to his witchcraft, many even frozen where they stood or impaled {section lost} No sorcery is stronger than Christ, surely he will lead us to victory against these invaders.
Regardless of truth, the idea that the Vikings had among them one that commanded the obedience of snow and ice terrified many of the more superstitious elements among the Britons. Eventually, it seems Guthfrith was struck in the throat by an arrow, supposedly delivered by King Alfred himself, and the Great Heathen Army driven out soon after, except for the section of Britain known as the Danelaw that they carved out for themselves.
Halfdar returned to Arendelle with ships laden down by treasure from his British foray, which he quickly used to establish and style himself as King over his little nation. Soon, he had proclaimed himself king of not only Arendelle, but also Norway. After a series of wars, he managed to make this true in more than name, conquering a substantial part of southwestern Scandinavia. The date was 872, and this is usually considered the year of Norwegian Unification.
After this, Scandinavia was quickly Christianized, and Arendelle just as quickly lost its' reputation for being a den of cutthroats and raiders, as the Viking age came to an end, and Norway stabilized under a common king.
In 1397 CE, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark were brought together in the Kalmar union, which lasted until 1502, when a revolt broke out in southern Norway. In what became known as the Southern Wars, Arendellan independence was gained, and southern Norway became the sovereign nation of Arendelle.
You will forgive me for covering the next few centuries rather briefly, as they are not as important to the War of the Six as Arendelle's earlier times. Besides devastation by the Black Death and scattered disputes with the Danes, Swedes, and Germans, Arendelle enjoyed a constant peace more or less for the next few hundred years, even surviving the Napoleonic wars as a neutral state.
In 1825 however, King Harald VI and his wife Queen Hilde bore a daughter, Elsa. That is where our story truly begins.