Countries to make an appearance: Norway and Finland. I kind of felt awful to both of you for willingly excluding you, but too many meetings would make things less suspenseful. Also, I kind of wanted to make Norway and Denmark's first meeting very special, seeing how close they generally are throughout history, but I needed boats for that, and to what I could gather, no one has touched the subject of boats until the Bronze Age
Also: from here on I will start focusing on different characters, as this world broadens. However, I will tell exactly from whose perspective it is based upon. However, since I suck at writing POVs, you'll have to do with me simply writing which character I am following at each beginning.
I will also be naming the character now, instead of more confusing lines as: he-who-could-not-die and such, as to not be so confusing. However, some of them won't get named until the next Era, so don't ask why they never mention each other by name. They still don't know. It will come...
Finally, whenever any of the characters speak the use their native languages, but much like Hetalia I've helped you all by letting you read a translation. This is because English as a second language didn't arrive up north until well... modern days.
The Nordics
Chapter 2 1800 BC-800 AD
More nations awaken, and Denmark is not alone anymore. Two brothers share one home. One nation dies, and the consequences will forever come to shape the north.
DENMARK
He would never forget this moment for his entire life, or at least he thought so then. A few blows to the head with blunt axes change a lot of stuff, but the Viking age comes later.
Northern Europe had entered a new Era when the bronze arrived through trade routes. During this time things also drastically changed. Bronze was rare, valuable, and thus only the finest people could wear it, These were the leaders of the respective villages.
The changes, as usual, started south and spread north, but things had changed over the years. Humans had learnt to cross the great waters. And with this, it became easier to travel.
It was such, on a foggy morning when trade ships emerged from the fog when He came.
Denmark was out with one of his many village leaders when a huge ship arrived from the horizon. They had been discussing something, but as a figure emerged Denmark stopped listening more and more. In fact, he stopped to watch.
The ship slowly emerged forward. There was a crew of 20 humans, each with a long oar, but the captain was somehow different. Somehow Denmark already knew he was, because he carried himself differently. He didn't fear the water, he embraced it, just like Denmark appreciated his many shores.
He wore a grey woollen cape, over a short grey tunic. Around his hips was a short woollen fabric, tied together by leather straps. A large bronze emblem hung on the belt, emphasizing his richness and importance.
The ship soon reached the shore. As the ships of these times were neither as heavy or deep as their later counterparts, it was raised on the shore. The man walked confidently away from it. He was carrying a large axe with a bronze blade in one hand, and the other arms carried a bundle of furs and animal skins.
"Are you the guardian of these shores?" the man asked. Up close Denmark saw he had light hair, bleached by the sun and the reflection of the light from the water. He had stunning blue eyes, that seemed to lit up by the same flames only courage could. He seemed very young, but Denmark knew not to be fooled by appearances. After all, he looked none or less as young himself.
"That, I am." Denmark answered with a smile.
"I have a company of traders with me, they wish to meet with your people to trade for more bronze. Our leaders daughter is of age, and he wants something to give her now in these important days."
Denmark turned to the human that had accompanied him. "Run back to the village. Tell them to bring as many things as they are willing to trade."
The man nodded, bowed his head and ran. To them, no one questioned the Great One when he gave a command. After all, this was a man sent by the gods to watch over them.
Denmark was not a man of who did not trust his neighbours and think much of warfare the glorious victories (that would come later). To him the world was still quite new, and not very dangerous or scary. Of course he kenw that much further south he had brothers and sisters who had gained large scales of lands, but this had not seemed all too important yet.
"So, from where do you travel, friend?"
"I come from the western fjord further north from here. It is a beautiful mountainous region, with deep waters and much greenery."
Denmark mentally scrounged his nose. He wasn't particularly into mountain ranges personally, but there was still something about this young man that he found...
He had no words for it... drawn to, pretty much phrases it.
"I am... well, I don't know what to call myself. They call me the Great One, but I think it is because they noticed."
"Noticed what?"
"Noticed I don't age. Notice, that I cannot die."
He felt quite embarrassed somehow to say this.
The other man stared at him, the he broke out into a fit of giggles.
"I guess... I guess we are the same then."
Denmark stared at him.
"I too haven't been named. But I really don't care about it. After all, it's really not that important."
Denmark smiled back at him with a grin. Anyone who saw them this day would see them as two young men bonding over one thing they shared. But all in all, it was a peaceful and enjoyable first meeting, and there were many, many more meetings like this to come.
Norwat spoke about the world he was exploring, about the greatness of the sea and of the other immortal beings he had met. Apparently, there were two brothers bordering east to him.
Demark knew Gothia and Svea since many hundred years back, after all they had met and yet he could admit to himself that he valued his new friend slightly more than the two friends he had met earlier. Maybe because everytime he met them they came together, and they would always squabble about something.
The Bronze Age up north would remain as mysterious as the pictures they tapped into the many rocks along the coasts. Still, once this age ended pretty much no one would be able to figure them out. Denmark wasn't really into art that much, but he still understood the humans. They too wanted to be immortalized, to tell their stories. Still, no human lived forever. This also frightened him... what if all of a sudden he would fall. Countries far south were rumoured to have built massive structures, to be part of huge nations. These ancient guardians were also named.
But... what was he.
This is something he pondered about as once more the world took a turn.
SWEDEN
Svea (Sweden) and Gothia were brothers, and very similar in many ways. Svea however was slightly taller and the youngest of them. He was also generally the one in charge. His brother however was shorter, older and as Svea thought, far more rebellious. In fact, Svea worried much about his brother. He worried, because he never knew exactly where he was. Gothia often acted younger than himself.
While Denmark was busy at figuring the best ways to impress Norway, Svea and Gothia decided to plan more journeys to quench their leaders thirst for bronze. There was yet only one problem. There wasn't as much bronze to trade with anymore. The bronze was playing out its role, and now they wondered what to keep their humans busy with?
Of course, they didn't have to wait very long. Allthough Sweden would take years to admit this, but Denmark was very useful for many things, he was just so... happy all the time. It was through Danish merchants that a new invention found its way north... iron. This pleased both brothers a lot, after all they had seen iron in many places within the beautiful nature.
Iron meant that their humans could now produce their own tools, without having to live by the trade-routes. Of course, the routes were still necessary (after all, they brought many exotic things), but at least they didn't have to listen to all of those demands.
It was during this period that they, really all of them, had to experience something that utterly frightened them all. It was a stabbing pain in their chest, like a icy cold knife that was torn into their flesh, left to stay to freeze their hearts. Gothia got so frightened he curled up in his brothers arms and started crying.
Little did they expect it was the pain of when a country dies. The pain they felt was the same pain Ancient Rome felt as he lay on the fields, his last breath leaving him.
This pain would forever haunt them all. None of them had been spared from it, and it frightened them all equally as much.
"Little brother, brother... what is that? What is this searing cold pain? Is it the Gods who have decided to come for us at last." Gothia asked, hugging his brother close.
"I don't know." he too felt scared.
"Brother... I don't want to die!"
Svea looked at him.
"We will not die."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
Gothia visibly relaxed, which made Svea chuckle.
"Why are you laughing, little brother?"
"Why are you such a little scaredy cat?"
Gothia stared at his brother, as if he had suddenly grown horns.
"I am not!"
"Yes you are. I bet you would not be able to do anything without me."
Gothia literally jumped out of his brother's embrace.
"You, can sometimes be the most ego-centric idiot that has ever been born among us. I, am not weak!"
DENMARK
Svea and Gothia had not been the only ones who had felt the pain. Denmark had been walking around with his new friend Norway when the pain hit him with equal force. By the look on his new friend, he had felt it as well.
"What the hell was that?" Norway asked once the pain subsided.
"I have no idea." Denmark clutched his heart. "It felt as is the icy cold came to seal itself into my heart.
"You felt it too?" Norway asked. He looked up above Denmark's head, towards one of the humans who had come with him. "Torvald! Come over here."
A large man with a great red beard walked towards them. He was around 30 years of age, and very musculous.
"Torvald, did you feel that just now?"
The human looked at them both puzzled. Then he shook his head.
"I did not feel a thing, my lord. Not more than the grass beneath my feet or this fresh breath from the sea."
"I see, you may go Torvald."
The man nodded, and walked away.
Denmark stared at him.
"So it was just us, what just happened? Why did we feel it, but no one else seems to have?"
This seemed to be the truth. Around them the humans were happily engaged in trades, while the two of them stood, still shaken.
But by the time Denmark had to say his farewell to Noray, with the promise that this would only be the first time they met among many hundred times, he sent a courier down from personal interest as to see what this cold could be. He wanted to find words from one of his many trade allies, the Ancient Rome, what this incident could possibly have been.
"My Lord, Ancient Rome is dead."
Denmark learnt that day that no nation lives on forever. Nations are born, but they can also die when all traces of them are destroyed. It is not as easy as to kill a nation. After all to kill a nation you have to kill his soul. Humans had a very limited life, but nations didn't. Still, this worried Denmark greatly.
In fact, this worried him so much he made a decision. No matter what, he promised himself he would never become one of those nations to be wiped off the map. Indeed, he would become strong, he would never falter.
As the centuries passed, and the bronze played out its important role, the climate in the north gradually got colder. But violence between villages became more and more fierce as more people gained weapons. Of course, there were areas that were more neutral than others, such as Birka, a very early town on the islands of Sweden, but people slowly figured:
We don't need to scramble needlessly for what we can barely make. We can fight. We can take. We can claim other peoples' possessions as our own.
Gradually the iron became power, the boats became the best ways to travel. The North slowly would become something for European countries to fear.
It wasn't too soon that it became Denmark's turn to stand at the front of a huge longboat. A gleaming dangerous huge axe in his hand, as he steered his humans to the southern treasures. But that my friends, is an adventure we can talk about next time.
TBC
Final Notes: Yes, Norway's clothes may be a bit girly, but this is what they have found so far, seeing there have been findings in Denmark of Bronze Age corpses, with their clothes intact.
The bronze age was among the warmer times in northern Europe, so they wouldn't have needed as much clothing. Not much is known about this period really, as everything that was written was done by graffiti, literary.
Secondly, I took some liberties with the death of the Roman Empire, seeing how I have no idea how close they all were. I know the Nordic countries traded far south, but there is no telling how close their relations are. However, the Nordic countries of Norway, Denmark and Sweden (and Gothia), all felt a very similar pain because Ancient Rome is not situated too far away from their borders. This is why I am going to exclude the fact that there were many other countries and empires before Ancient Rome, that more than likely fell during these three characters lifetimes. I should also mention, that within the topic of Ages, the bronze age and the iron age are kind of mashed together, as iron was in use before the bronze age ended. Hence, my other liberties.
Finland also got to experience this, but he was generally not a part of Sweden, and I cannot find much from this period, as the population seems to have been smaller than for the Scandinavian ones (Norway, Sweden and Denmark).
Also, to my fellow kinsmen, sorry for exaggerating Gothia so much, but I need him badly for this story. So please don't put review upon review how I falsify history, I don't claim this will be exactly like history, or I could just throw all the Hetalia characters out.
