Hi everyone!
I saw Frozen, So I am now writing this and I hope you enjoy it.
It will be more of a novel like story, so expect an array of characters and an expanded world from the movie. I am going to stay little from the normal frozen fanfic, that being more of a tame Disney like story focusing on the continued adventures of the main characters in their world, and focus on a much larger picture.
Don't worry, this does not mean it will have nothing in common with other stories. The Frozen characters will obviously have the biggest role in the story and I will be keeping it somewhat familiar to you, so I will try and add romance, family issues and good old Disney story fun to it, all while making it more dramatic. The story may be Elsa/Anna but I am not yet sure.
This first chapter is a prologue and as such, expect to it be primarily a back story giving you an idea of the original bits of my story, and not the stuff from the movie that you know already.
/-/ If you are expecting Elsa, Anna etc and plotline of the movie, then that is in the next chapter. As this chapter is a backstory one, please dont judge the story solely by this chapter. If you like this chapter, then great! Though if this chapter is not to your taste please dont give up on me. As much as this sounds cheesy and desperate, please give one of the next chapters a chance. /-/
12th of January 1574
The bow of the ship crashed back into the sea as it rode over ferocious waves. The storm was great and powerful and had already claimed nearly a dozen of Admiral Vane's fleet, and the battle had only just begun.
"Ram it!" shouted Admiral Vane as he commanded his mighty Galleon Vengeance to slam into the side of an opposing warship.
"Sir, we risk damaging our own ship! And in this weather-"his first mate attempted to plea.
"To hell with that! Ram them!" again shouted the Admiral.
The crew shot into action in order to prepare for the approaching collision, most of whom were worried that, should this manurvour go wrong, their fleet's flagship could be destroyed at this early stage of the battle.
Admiral Vane however was not so worried. His ship was of solid design, and one of the most powerful in all of Europe. Fifty six guns was the amount on board the Vengeance, most of which were heavy guns on the gun decks. To compensate for more guns, the ship was far larger than usual which would usually have to sacrifice speed but the ship was designed so that the Vengeance was far from slow.
The Admirals dark eyes fixed themselves upon the ship from Arendelle that he was about to crash into, eagerly awaiting to see his enemies drown in the Norwegian Sea. Despite early losses, the Admiral was determined to see the Arendelle fleet sink to the bottom of the sea, unconventional tactics be damned. He would do whatever it took to defeat his family's old enemy, one way or another.
His was an old and powerful family. The Vanes had come into power back in the eleventh century, descending from far lesser families now of little admiration, or even memory. Originally from England, the Vane's had since then migrated to all over Europe with major power in the North and West. They did not fight for any nation, neither did they fight for coin as mere mercenaries did. The Vane's were one of many powerful families that formed part of a coalition. This did not mean however that each family were great allies and friends. Some were, some mealy traded with each other while some downright hated each other, constant plots hatching from within a family to ensure the betterment of themselves and dominate over another. However, for the majority of the time each family kept to themselves and continued in their own private affairs in whichever country they could force themselves into and call home. The coalition had formed because of similar motives and a desire for the same thing which, after centuries of its original formation, were long forgotten, the coalition's existence now only owing its survival thanks to little wish for each family to wage war on each over, thus causing a once avoidable use of resources.
Fortunately for the Admiral, Arendelle was not of this coalition. In fact, this kingdom had long been on bad terms with the Vane's, periods of total war occurring in the thirteenth, eleventh and now sixteenth century. This time, similar to previous times, war had erupted for reasons such as territory, trade, resources and plain old bad blood. Yet, unique to this war, was something that the Admiral, who was now head of the family, had been told from an associate from within the coalition that Arendelle was now in possession of a weapon that could change the course of history and assure dominance throughout Europe. Few other details had been told to him with exception that apparently this weapon was one that predated him Families existence and came from the dark times after the collapse of the Roman Empire of old, in times where magic was supposedly a thing and order was not.
The Admiral was not a superstitious man. He did not believe tales of fire breathing dragons and the like, and neither was he a man of great faith. He was a practical man, only believing what he saw with his own eyes and now increasingly interested in what the scholars and men of great knowledge said of the world, despite scrutanism and threats from the church. And yet, when he was told such information nearly a year had past and now the Vane's were the most powerful family within the coalition. Yet this was not the catalyst that caused the war and the concern of Arendelle's possessions, the Vane's had long been seeking more power and dominance over the other families. They had taken their prize with the shedding of blood and the deception of many. And now, a mere few weeks after the ascendance of power, a mysterious stranger had approached the Vane's with claims that he had been sent by a power far greater than the entirety of the coalition and that it was them that initiated the construction of such a group of families. The Admiral at first was both insulted and dismissive. Here this stranger was, saying that the Vane's were nothing to this man's people and that they were puppets to others. The admiral had the right mind to remove this man's head for his nerve and for his ridiculous claims which at that point, made the Admiral want to kill this man for just speaking such nonsense and wasting his time.
Though time slowly proved him wrong.
The man had not lied of a group whose power far exceeded his own. In total secret, only known to those within it, had come together a variety of groups. Families like his own but with even more power, ancient cults, like minded individuals from Nations and institutions like the church, secret mercenary groups that were more like a kingdom then a collection of fighters, orders of a time long gone, most notably the Knights Templars. The list went on. From both lives of total secrecy to those groups and people that lived their lives right under the Admirals nose, acting life as a noble and priest for example.
This group was now offering the Vane's a place among them, and with that, knowledge that even the most powerful nations of the world would kill for. The Admiral eventually learned the truth of Arendelle. Through a way of thinking that they have adopted in which everyone, from King to farmer would be completely equal and exposed to a world that the Earth had long got rid of, this small yet powerful Kingdom threatened to spread in ideas and way of life throughout Europe and beyond, which, the Admiral was told, would eventually result in a world in where everyone lived a life free of rules and duties and one where everyone was exposed to a life Humanity had not experienced for many, many centuries. The Admiral inquired in what such a life was entail but his answer was cryptic and almost as bad as not one at all. In his mind, the Admiral was left possibly thinking that every person was no different to anyone else, with every one having exactly the same amount of wealth and every person simply lived a life of simple enjoyments, with no desire of achieving the impossible and no way of shaping history like great Empires of the past had done. The Admiral was also considering the possibility that the power that Arendelle's now had was the use of destructive powers that matched the tales of magic.
And now, because of this, and because of the very fact that such ideals completely contrasted with those of his new found friends, that Admiral Vane enjoyed every feeling that came with smashing that side of this Arendelle ship and seeing his enemies suffer. It would be the first of many defeats for the pompous fools of Arendelle. The Vane's would finally crush their oldest of foes.
The battle waged on, as did the storm which now was claiming the lives and ships of the Admiral's enemies. The Vane's ships would eventually see the Arendelle fleet become disorganised by the power of the storm and make easy prey of lone ships, leaving no survivors.
The Admiral even managed to personally board enemy ships and let them feel the cold steel of his sword. It was a joy to see the fear in his enemies' eyes as he and his crew stormed the ships of Arendelle and saw that all hope was lost for the enemy crew. The fear would not last though. Hostages and prisoners were not needed, and even if they were, the Admiral did not care for it. He wanted his enemies to feel the wrath and strength of the Vane family, who now, with new friends, would finally see Arendelle burn. In fact, while he was here fighting the main fleet of Arendelle, his son and heir, a young man of great pride to the Vane's, had set sail a week before this current battle in order to invade Arendelle itself, a full host of warships and transports full of troops with him. By now, the Admiral thought, his son would have probably sacked the castle and put the royal family to the sword. The Admiral grinned at the thought. To see the King and Queen, the descendants of the people that spat upon the Vane's, with their heads on spikes above the castle gates, a sign that finally, the Vane's would have won.
Ruthlessness was a quality that ran deep within the Vane's. Nothing was off the table when it came to winning, and a victory would be secured by any means necessary, no matter how cruel or extreme it sounded. The side that put a proper legacy before the whims and wishes of individuals would always win. The Vane's were also masters of sea naval warfare, not to mention experts in land warfare as well. War's, as the Vane's had found out many times before, would decide the outcome of the world and only then may peace be achieved, a thing that was impossible to come by while various factions were pitted against each other, hence why the Admiral was so determined the see Arendelle and its people burn as with their defeat, the Vane's shared ideology with his new found alliance would finally reign over all, assuring that those such as the kingdom of Arendelle would never challenge the new final way of the world.
So now, as more and more Arendelle ships broke up in the waves, and as more ships got crushed under the might of the Vane's cannons, the Admiral again smiled, content that victory was a sure thing.
"The enemy retreats! We have won!" shouted a member of the Admirals crew, leading to cheers of victory right across his fleet who were seeing the same thing, the remnants of the Arendelle fleet run with a bloody tail in-between their legs.
The Admiral could not but help himself to join the celebrations, raining to bloody sword in the air and shout victory. Finally, after hundreds of years of struggle, the Vane's would finally destroy Arendelle, root and stem.
"My lord!" shouted a crew member, running towards the Admiral.
"What is it?" replied the Admiral.
"We have been betrayed my lord. One of the crew, he speaks of a loss for your son" the crew man shouted, the cheering in the background still occurring.
The Admiral gritted his teeth. Defeat was not something that would be allowed, least of all by his son. His heir was a strong and capable man, bearing the calculating and determinated qualities that all successful Vane's had.
"Bring him to me!" cried the Admiral furious of what such a traitor was saying.
The man was quickly dragged to the Admiral who now was sitting in his captain's quarters. The man in question seemed to be not of any special rank on the ship and had a blood stained shirt.
"He killed two of our men in an attempt to detonate the black powder cache." Said a crew member who had brought the traitor in.
The admiral approached the traitor who had been forced on his knees and wasted no time in slamming a fist against the treacherous dogs face. A nose was instantly broken. The Vane's were not known for their weakness. They were warriors at heart, tall and strong, with a capacity for extreme violence.
"Spiteful fool! "Shouted the Admiral as he easily knocked the man to the ground. "You cannot hope to beat us now, Arendelle is doomed, and your act of treason will now only ensure you go down with them!" the Admiral shouted while he unleashed his anger on the traitor, both verbally and physically.
"We-we will not allow your tyranny to rule over us, Vane!" the man attempted to say through broken teeth. "Your son has failed! His fleet was broken not but a few days ago." The Admiral froze. His son was not dead. He knew it. His heir could not have possibly lost for behind was the full might of the Vane's not to mention his brilliant capability in the art of war. The Admiral had seen his son command forces and win battles, and he would not have failed at this crucial point.
"Your death will not be a quick one, traitor" the Admiral spat, refusing to accept the lies of this scumbag. "You dare to say that my son, my heir, has died! I will see you burn alive for the lies you speak of!"
The bloodied traitor began to laugh, prompting only more anger within the Admiral. "The blood of the Kings of Arendelle goes back a long time, Vane! There is a power within that line that all of your ships and men could not hope to break."
"TAKE HIM AWAY!" cried the Admiral in an uncontrollable rage.
"You cannot hope to destroy Arendelle!" the traitor shouted as he was being dragged away. "With fir and ice and storm we will always beat you! Tyranny will never win!" the man shouted as he was dragged away, shouting and talking of victory all the while.
The Admiral then slammed the door shut, throwing things off the shelves and tables in anger. He knew what the traitor was speaking of. Magic. He had been given hints of such a power, but until now, only when Arendelle was truly threatened, had it been revealed.
"My Lord!" cried a crew member as he burst into the Admirals quarters. "Word from your son"
"What of him! Tell me now!" replied the Admiral, desperate for news.
"A bird with a message has just arrived, his fleet my Lord." The crewman said, hesitating now.
"What? Tell me!" cried the Admiral.
"My Lord, they have lost. Your son was beaten. The message speaks of allies from Europe and some sort of dark power that froze ships in their tracks and called storms out of nowhere. Your son could not fight against such a power, he did not make it sir" the man said quietly, as if to not allow the Admiral to hear. But he did.
He did not waste any time ensuring the whole ship knew of his grief. Screams and anger and pain made its way all across the decks.
"Enemy vessels!" cried a voice.
The Admiral raised his head, feeling tears rolling down his cheeks. His son was dead, his boy, his heir. The Admiral did not hide the fact that he was ruthless, cruel even, but let it never be said that he did not love his family. His power was not owed to the collective force and unity of a nation, but to his ancestors. His past Family. Family was everything to him and now he had lost it.
"They fly the French colours! I see Spanish as well!" shouted someone.
The ship then immediately returned to their battle positions, ready to fight the forces of the countries who had agreed to stay out of the conflict. And yet, the Admiral did not spring back into action, not even to avenge his son, who now probably was lying on the sea floor of the Arendelle harbour. He just sat there, confusion, anger and desperation now reigning king. The invasion had failed, and now he had the powerful nation states of Europe as his enemies, something he felt deeply betrayed about. But now he did not feel sadness for his son death, he did not feel the need to grieve, he felt an urge to punish those who had failed him, to kill every one of his enemies with no mercy for denying him this victory.
His son had failed him. He could not even capture a single castle with a full invasion fleet behind him.
The Admiral stormed outside, his hand like a vice gripping around his sword. He also saw the French and Spanish fleets approaching him, also accompanied by the regrouped Arendelle fleet, a Danish one and a German fleet.
"Full sail! We attack head on!" shouted the Admiral, sheer rage gripping hard.
"My Lord, there are too many! We should retreat, assist our other forces!" pleaded his first mate.
The Admiral turned to him. "Have you lost faith in our cause? Are you turning traitor?" said the Admiral, but with terrifying plainness.
"We will not win my Lord. If Arendelle now has extra allies, they will most likely be heading to attack our lands. We should abandon this battle."
The Admiral listened carefully, but he did not care for the advice. His own men were getting scared, ready to abandon the cause like they thought it meant nothing. Traitors. Cowards.
He did not say this verbally. All it took was a pistol shot to the first mates head to tell the rest of the crew to attack, not retreat.
"I will not give up! The Vane's will not lose!" He said to no one in particular. Only one reason now was left of living, to defeat his enemies.
And as such, his wounded fleet engaged in battle once more, the Admiral all the while telling his men that should they run, he would kill them himself. He himself fought wildly when engaged in melee, not caring for any mercy or the brutality he inflicted. Yet when he looked upon the rest of his fleet, after over an hour of mindless, rage fuelled fighting, he saw what was once his most powerful navy, now a shadow of its former self. The enemy fleet was too high in number, he had to retreat.
"Retreat! We will fight another day!" he ordered, prompting a swift exit from the battle.
And so the battle was lost. The Vane's plan to destroy Arendelle practically shredded. His army and navy destroyed, his heir murdered, his enemies multiplied and now his Family fighting against dark sorcery. He cursed the people of Arendelle of their lack of honour, saying they were too cowardly and weak to fight a real battle. But despite his rage and accusations, it did little to help the Vane cause. His lands in Europe were taken, his forces slowly defeated by the armies of the continent, all without assistance from his new found allies.
Over the coming months the Admiral allowed himself to be consumed by rage and madness, all sense from a once great and powerful man now gone. He committed to battles that anyone could see were unwinnable, only to spill the blood of his enemies. The power of the Vane's fell, a great family now resorting to secrecy and hiding like the rest of his group of "allies".
The Admiral needed an heir, something that his wife could not force herself to do out of grief. He needed power, something that his allies were not yet help him with and most of all, he needed to see the line of Arendelle break and to punish those using the unhuman powers of magic. These most of all, would need to be exterminated, whoever they were and wherever they may be in the world. They had spilled his son's blood, the Admirals blood and ruined his chance of at least taking Arendelle. Of these things he would ensure he had them. His traitorous allies, who provided no assistance would soon beg for forgiveness when the Vane's returned to power. He would have a son, whether his wife liked it or not, she would provide him with an heir. And Arendelle would fall, every child born of the royal family removed from the world, one way or another.
The Vane's had never given up, never settled for anything but first place, and they would never be truly defeated.
There we have it!
Like I said, this is an introduction chapter focusing on the backstory so next chapter will be focused on Arendelle and set within the story line of the frozen movie, or just after.
I hope you stick with me for the future , I know this chapter was possibly a bit to like a non fanfic but I want this story to be big in the grand scale of things.
I will try and update soon but as im only a week from the end of my Uni term, I have a lot of work so don't expect me to be uploading chapter every hour .
I appreciate reviews so much, but I know there is not a lot to go on here so I will be happy to get any sort of feedback be it questions or criticisms.
Thank you so much for reading! :D
