A/N: Some have requested some background on the current circumstances of the story. I understand that some elements have been changed and that these changes have been abrupt. My bad. This prologue is my attempt to set context to this (fantasy) world.
Lofoten = Modern-day Norway. Modern-day Lofoten islands are where I see the Viking Archipelagoes are. New Berk, capital of Imperial Lofoten, is in modern-day Oslo. No dragons in this universe sadly.
Arendelle = Modern-day Sweden. Modern-day Stockholm is the capital of Arendelle. Elsa is still an ice sorceress, although I will only be taking some of the elements of Frozen's narrative. Anna and Elsa will have an altogether different origin.
The smell of gunpowder pervaded the battlefield. Corpses lie strewn across the mud, blood and viscera splayed in a macabre landscape.
He had finally done it. The last warlord lies dead at his feet. His sword, one of his own creations, is piercing the enemy commander's torso. It had taken the sacrifice of many lives to reach this summit. He remembers their humble beginnings on the island of Berk, on what was known as the viking archipelago.
For years, they had been raided by other tribes. They struggled to survive, rationing the meagre food that they had and fending off any invasion that came. Hiccup was a boy of 5 when he first saw his father fight off raiders from the Thornback tribe. Fear, a previously unknown emotion to the boy, crept up and latched onto him as he witnessed how his father almost died. It's icy grip held him still. He could not breathe, could not even twitch a muscle.
It was then that the seeds of the empire of Lofoten were planted.
He resolved to never let that fear take him over again. So he trained to fight. Unfortunately, he wasn't as physically gifted as his contemporaries in this regard. He even had to adapt a new fighting style rather than relying on brute strength compared to his comrades. Instead he focused his efforts on his mind. Hiccup was gifted with the knack for strategy and tactics. With no formal treatises on war, he had to rely on his own experience on the battlefield and and his keen insight to establish effective formations and troop movement. He would spend countless nights with Fishlegs, a similarly intelligent viking, poring over plans and maps and thinking of the best way to assault a stronghold. This combined with his passion for invention and tinkering gave the vikings of the island of Berk an upper hand against their would-be conquerors. He, with the help of other blacksmiths created superior arms and armor. Their steel swords, axes, and plate, gave the Berk vikings a clear advantage against their opponent's iron weapons and leather jerkins.
His campaign was successful. Hiccup managed to secure the entire archipelago and the northern part of Imperial Lofoten. It was here that his eyes were opened to a whole new paradigm. It was a gateway to the rest of the world.
He established Northgard, a major trading hub here which attracted merchants from all over the world. Muslim treatises on algebra; egyptian engineering; gunpowder from the east; tomes of philosophy from ancient rome, all these and more were collected and devoured by Hiccup. He applied all he learnt and started what will be Lofoten's strength. It's industry. Manufacturing guilds for blacksmithing, armorcraft, fletching, engineering, architecture, and the production of fire-arms were created. Innovation, invention, and discourse flourished in his new capital. Technology became a core focus for Hiccup. Leaps and bounds were made in the development of engines. New modes of transportation were being imagined. Manufacturing became increasingly human agnostic. This allowed the previous population of roving barbaric warriors to discover culture. A renaissance era to rival that of Italy. Discussions on a viking warrior code; hymns of war; murals of epic battles, it may have been a cultural revolution but they were still vikings.
Military culture was at the heart of Lofoten. A formal military was established by Astrid and Hiccup. They created the military organization and hierarchy. As Lofoten's own military incorporated new tactics and technology, new branches were made to accommodate their training and organization. The main bulk of the army were Fusiliers. Disciplined men and women who left axe, spear, and shield, for rifles, bayonets, and sabres. In contrast to the riflemen were the Berserkers. Keeping their moniker from viking tradition, these men and women fought with savagery tempered with tactics. They were Lofoten's shock troops, first to the breach and last to emerge. Usually sporting a side-arm and their choice of bladed weapon with a special shield, they were used in a variety of roles on the battlefield. To supplement them was the Artillery corp who used precision cannon fire to hammer down on the enemy as the infantry finished them off.
Lastly, there was the Cavalry. A recent addition to the armies of Lofoten but no less deadly. Their roles ranged from reconnoitering to flanking to heavy shock cavalry. The best among them however, were the Dragoons. Armored heavy cavalry armored to the teeth. Rifles for skirmishing, lances for charges, sabres and short spears for melee, Dragoons were expected to be a master of warfare. They were trained to be able to adapt to any situation. A versatile addition to the armed forces, a single regiment of these hardened veterans could turn the tide of battle.
Victus Victoresque. Valor and Victory. This was the motto of Lofoten's army.
They thrived.
However, the years of unifying the islands had taught him to be ready, and he knew that the warlords of the south of Lofoten were wary of him. It was only a matter of time until he had to take action.
And now Hiccup thinks back to the start of his campaign. At 16 he rallied the vikings towards the banner of unification. He stands here, 27 years of age, unifier of Lofoten, proven warrior, tactician, inventor, now a leader of a budding empire.
Other nations were starting to take notice.
Arendelle is a prosperous Kingdom. Helmed by their King, Agnarr of house Bernadotte, it is one of the richest nations in the world.
Understanding that the wealth of a kingdom was merely a means to an end, he worked to secure new sources of wealth, and fostered a powerful navy to secure that inflow. He commissioned expeditions to the Spice Lands in the south and to uncharted areas to the west.
To the south, his explorers found a large landmass which they later found to be connected to the old Persian Empire. The tropical climate and the rich, fertile land were used by the natives to grow exotic crops to Europe. Among these were a bevy of spices. Spices that Agnarr recognized to be a profitable venture.
To the far west, what was once thought as the edge of the earth was a huge continent. Being the first to discover it, Agnarr immediately set to work securing the unclaimed resources and set to work to establish a route from the new world to Arendelle.
With these two opportunities, Agnarr immediately created the Royal Services. A separate organization that is answerable only to the crown. Within the organization was the Royal Trade Commision, and the Inquisition. He understood that the current prosperous state of Arendelle and the peace that reigned over Europe was always tenuous at best. To safeguard the Royal House and the future of Arendelle, he knew a firmer hand was needed over rhetorics and politicking.
The Royal Trade Commision was in charge of colonization rights, exploitation, and security of the spice trade from the south and gathering resources from the new world. It is responsible for bringing in the coin to the coffers of the king. Its members are an eclectic mixture of merchants, businessmen, and industrialists all with unquestioning loyalty to their liege and a near fanatical desire for the prosperity of Arendelle. Under the RTC are fleets of warships and tradeships under the personal command of the King which serve as the means to gather and secure the resources found.
It is said that there is no where in the world you can go to escape the King's justice. The inquisitors are the ones that deliver it. Outside from the Spymaster, and the monarch of Arendelle, no one truly knows the entirety of the Inquisition. They serve as the internal enforcers of the crown. Agnarr himself designed the structure and chose the personnel of the organization. Their main task is to root out any traitors to the crown and to quash any dissent. However, they are also in charge of checking a monarch's power. If the monarch of Arendelle oversteps, then it is the Spymasters duty to guide the crown or in the worst case, cut off the head that wears it.
De Nobis in Capite Gladio. Sword of the Crown. This is the Inquisition's credo. They are the sword that cuts a swath through the crown's enemies or the executioner that cuts off the tyrant's head.
It is in this Arendelle where Crown Princess Ilsa Bernadotte grows up. As a young girl, she was educated in the intricacies of the Kingdom. She learned of the RTC and how they operate. She understood the necessity of the Inquisition. She was a dutiful daughter and took to her studies and training well.
On a snowy winter's night, Agnarr's wife, the Queen Iduna felt restless. Sleep wouldn't come to her and she decided to check on her daughters. She wrapped herself in her favorite shawl and went to her daughters' rooms. She silently opened the door to the princesses quarters and saw little Anna, softly snoring as she hugged her stuffed bear. A smile curved her lips as she saw her adorable 4 year old. Turning, she looked at Elsa's bed and that happiness turned to horror.
Elsa's bed was empty.
She rushed back to her husband.
"Agnarr! Agnarr! Elsa's missing!" Panic made her voice quaver.
"Huh? Iduna? What happened?"
"Wake up Agnarr! Elsa is missing."
His senses suddenly came to sharpness as he felt a pit in his stomach.
"Summon the guards Agnarr! Quickly!" As soon as the queen knew her husband was awake and aware, she ran to make her own search. As a mother, she's felt a closeness with her daughters. This instinct led her to search at the tallest spire of Arendelle castle. A feeling of foreboding crept up her spine.
'In this cold, Elsa might be-' She refused to finish the thought and made her way up the tower.
"Elsa? Elsa?! Are you there dear?"
Atop the tower, the door to the balcony was ajar, snow was gently floating in. She hurried to the door.
Leaning over the railing, Iduna finds her eldest daughter, hands outstretched. Frost was gathering and swirling display over her hands. Light blue arcane light danced as if in joy as the young girl manipulated ice and snow.
"Look mother."
Elsa faces her mother, eyes glazed like she was in a trance.
"The snow likes me." As if in response a swirl of blue, crystalline energy swirled around her as if to caress her.
Laughter bubbled out from the little girl. She started to move. Each swing of her arms had trails of icy swirls behind it. She twirled and spun and leapt.
She danced and the winter danced with her.
Iduna gasped at the display. Her daughter had inherited her family's powers.
Years had passed since that fateful day. Elsa now stands alone. She teeters at the precipice that would forever change her life.
She steps forward.