A/N: Here is another entry for the records. There is no definite update plan, but I hope to add a new chapter the same time I do with FtoH. Or most likely when it's appropriate.
Fairy tales and history are usually kept apart from each other. However, there was once upon a time, when they walked side-by-side and even merged as one.
It began on the beaches of Sanus when a lone fisherman spotted what he described as a massive black ship sailing towards Vale. The king quickly caught word of this and sent his men to meet this unknown threat at their port. Weapons at the ready, the kingdom's prepared for what await them once the rampart fell. What greeted them was a woman they didn't recognize, wearing garments in a style that did not resemble the other kingdoms.
Unafraid of the menacing soldiers in front her, she said to them with a welcoming smile, "Greetings, my name is Martha Perry, and I wish to have an audience with the king of Vale."
Everyone looked at the woman strangely, but with some reluctance, they granted her request. A historian recorded how the royal court reacted to her bizarre appearance. Yet the king was fascinated by the mysterious woman. Her beauty resembled that of a person from Mistral, yet had the skin tone of one from Mantle, her clothes were similar to Vacuo, but also carried the knowledge of Vale customs. Martha Perry and her compatriots kneeled before the king, thanking him for sparing a moment of his time. He commanded her to rise and asked what was the story behind her appearance. Martha Perry looked up towards the king, as she retold the history of her people.
She spoke of a group adventurers and colonists from all four kingdoms who took to the ocean in search of making a new home. How they stumbled upon a deserted land that gave them nothing but challenges and suffering. Yet those people persevered, and a small group of them eventually succeeded. This courageous act earned them the appropriate title of "The Brave". A name given to them by their followers and their descendants.
After the success of constructing their first village, it was only a matter of time until it turned into a city. However it would eventually suffer one of the key hindrances of human expansion: overpopulation. So a splinter group of settlers went out and formed a new town, and when the populace once again grew too large they built another. Then another, and another, and another, until there were cities across the land.
Yet with such a large population, there will always be a lack of unity. It was only a matter of time before disputes would break out between them which in-turn could lead to war. Fearing that such an event would destroy everything their ancestors built, the leaders of all forty-nine cities met in their most prominent district: Armonia. There they worked together to form a charter and a system of government that would best serve the people. For days they bickered and argued, until all came to a unanimous agreement. Borders were formed between the state governments, each given certain freedoms, yet all worked together to serve the whole. Thus the United States of Gulch(USG), or Gulch for short, was born; named in honor of the Brave's very first settlement.
The king of Vale was amazed when he heard such a tale, his heart touched by how people of different origins could ban together for the common good.
He stood up from his throne, approached the young diplomat, and asked her one final question, "Why are you here?"
Once again Martha smiled, and explained that her people needed a purpose. Their cartographers determined that there little country stood in the middle of the major continents and wished to open trade negotiations. They could use their land to produce or exchange goods both her people need and the other kingdoms could use. Gulch natives were naturally hard working and also determined when given a task. They had heard the stories of the past kings and queens of Vale rule their kingdom justly, and approached the current ruler in hopes that he was the same.
No more needed to be said as the king happily agreed to opening trade with them as both partners and friends. In time the other kingdoms followed suit and Gulch became the commercial center of Remnant. A literal "melting pot" of cultures from across the globe converged onto the small country. For a time it stood as a symbol of unity and peace.
Such a fitting way to happily end this tale. Sadly, this is when history comes in to take over.