Two days prior

July 23rd, 1840

Tryggvason, Northern Arendal

Surtrsen's army was reveling in the spoils of war, with all its crudeness. The brothels were working overtime, as were the inns and taverns. Soldiers wandered the streets in packs, destroying any property they thought to have belonged to non-Christians. And more than one bystander had been roughed up due to having a "Jew nose", or some other "identifying mark." As such, it wasn't long before the local pastor was handing out passes to his flock, to be presented if confronted by a soldier. Looting was naturally being carried out, though it was far more directed at the vacant properties of the non-protestant population who had wisely abandoned the town when the details of the mutiny had reached them. In all it was a normal conquering army. Or so it seemed.

Surtrsen stood before around 100 men, hand-picked men chosen for their well-known and documented faith. Some were Soldiers, some locals. All had also been known as being tough, brave and resilient men. They would need to be, Surtrsen thought.

"What we will do in the coming weeks… we will not be loved for. But it is work that needs doing if we are to build a better world. A world were the actual tenets of Christ can be practiced, a perfect world."

Surtrsen went down the rank, not being too surprised to see Ralf as one of the volunteers for the special unit. He'd rather see him stay out of the mess, as he always saw the young man as the bright future of the rebirth of true Christianity. But this was Ralf's choice.

"You know what must be done. We must be harsh now, to spare future generations anguish, so they can be soft. Those unwilling to accept Christ in their hearts must be swept aside, to make room for future generations. We cannot fail. The first will be the Sami village to the south, gentlemen. We will strike at dawn."

…

July 24th, 1840

Ulfberg, Northern Arendal

The village of Ulfberg was a quiet village situated well beyond the North Mountain, and was one of the larger Sami villages in Arendal, which seemed odd to many people. After all the land was poor and the winters were unforgiving. To make matters worse, the literal translation of Ulfberg- Wolf Mountain- was quite true. Sami shepherds struggled year round to keep the wolves from killing their beloved reindeer, and many simply turned to ice-harvesting to make ends meet. They weren't the biggest supplier of ice, not even amongst the Sami. But the persevered no matter what befell them. The village had a saying, one that summed up their existence. "In the shadow of the wolves you will find the strongest and warmest hearts."

July 24th was not an unusual morning to any onlookers who awoke early enough that summer morning. The chilly mountain air surrounded the village in mist when the horsemen quiet rode up in the grey light of the early morning. Leading them was not Surtrsen but the man handpicked to lead the small force.

Captain Hrym was a very different man the Surtrsen, mostly in temperament. As Surtrsen was always an outgoing and slightly mad personality that drew men into his ramblings, whereas Hrym had always been a quiet boy and later man. Never caused trouble, his only troubling incident being when his dog developed rabies, the young boy was adamant that he'd be the one to shoot him. From there the boy grew obsessed with mercy killings, both for animals and people. Prior to his schooling he worked at an abattoir, where he happily shot hundreds of cows in preparation for slaughter.

His friends and family thought much of this odd, but they as well as his future fiancé never saw Hrym as being cruel. He hated it when his friends went fox hunting, as he thought the fox's final moments of being torn to pieces by hounds as savage. No, a true hunter would deliver a perfect, painless shot. And if euthanasia was legal, he would have gladly followed his mother's advice and become a doctor. Once again, his disgust being that the Hippocratic Oath forced him to keep a patient alive no matter the pain and indignity suffered by them. It was torture in his eyes, a true man of conscience would let a dying man take his own life in a quiet, painless and dignified manner.

And thus he became a soldier. Up to the mutiny Hrym was an average, model officer, his only quirk being that while he opposed a number of death sentences, when it came time to carry out the firing squad, he always volunteered to be the officer in command. Which meant that if the firing party failed to outright kill the condemned man, it was his duty to deliver the coup de grace. And when he did, it was always painless.

Even to look upon Hrym, one would not take him to be a fanatic. He kept a clean appearance, with an unnerving calm about him. No matter was going on, he was always calm about it. Even as his men surrounded him to carry out the dreadful task entrusted them, his glazed blue eyes showed no emotion as he calmly gave the orders for what was to be down.

"Go door to door, and calmly round them all up. Tell them to gather near the village center. There is to be no shooting unless to defend yourself or to stop escapees. If they ask why we are gathering them up, it's merely for registration for future labor programs, emphasize that without reporting in, residents will not be subject to future Christian charity from the state. Am I understood?"

The horsemen nodded and affirmed back, before quietly dismounting preparing to carry out their duties. They all felt unease, but that's why they were picked. They were the best, and it would take courage to do what they needed to do.

…

Ralf and his comrades marched through the street among the Sami folk as if nothing were wrong. He was surprised at how willingly the town's people came when ordered to do so. He guessed that the offer of charity to these people and the non-threatening posture of his fellow soldiers convinced them that there was no danger. For Ralf, all he could do was keep a polite, if nervous smile on his face while trying to avoid looking any of these people in the eye. For other fellows in the Company, they took the act to the next stage. A few passed out treats and candies to the locals, while others like Bern got even friendlier. Bern was a bear of a man, large and hairy but had always had a soft spot for children, especially his own. As such, Ralf was a little dismayed to see the man carrying two small boys, one giggling as he dangled like a carried carpet as the other whispered back and forth with the friendly bear man. From the looks of it, he was exchanging jokes with the boy.

As such, the gathering of the small village population went rather smoothly and quickly, with their Captain getting ready to address the people of the village as the company cooks prepared a breakfast for all.

"People of Ulfberg, Good Morning. My name is Captain Hrym, and I am the commander of the special detachment before you. We have been dispatched by the revolutionary government to ensure that the Sami people are not left behind as we transition towards the future. As we expect a significant amount of upheaval in the coming days. Rationing will unfortunately be required, and your goods will be appropriated for the war effort. But your cooperation has not gone unnoticed. On my honor as an officer, I will do what I can to ensure you are rewarded for your obedience." The good Captain turned and spoke directly to the large assembly of ice harvesters, which represented most of the working age men of the village. Smiling coldly, he addressed them as well.

"Now, to ensure the safety of your ice miners, it will be necessary for my soldiers to accompany them out to the lake, so it can be surveyed so we can build defenses and towers to ward off any loyalist raiding parties. The rest of the people are to stay here and be registered. Those who register will receive rations deserving of a cooperative populace."

The ice harvesters looked about themselves, unsure about being separated from their families while soldiers were in the town. At the same time, it wasn't like they had a choice in the matter. They didn't like it, but it could be worse. They had been raised on stories of how brutal King Agdar's father was, with his soldiers brutalizing the Sami people. This was far from brutalizing. War never brought out the best of circumstances, but these Christian soldiers were trying their best. As such, they picked up their equipment and marched out towards the lake with their soldier escort. They never saw the bundles of rope in the covered cart that went out with them.

…

An uneasy hour or two passed for the women, elderly and children of the town when at last the cooks declared that breakfast was ready. They had all registered with the Christian clerks, when the soldiers called for the families to line up in orderly fashion and receive a meal from the army cooks. The previously relaxed soldiers became much more wound up and hurried, with the food line becoming a near gauntlet as orders were shouted as the food was slopped into the bowls, and when finished the people where directed into one of three large wooden buildings to sit down and eat their breakfast. It all happened so fast, the confused people had little choice but to go along with it. As the last of the people were directed into the slightly crowded buildings, they oddly saw the soldiers breaking out casks of what appeared to be tar.

…

Eva crept through the woods, having left her horse a little bit behind in a concealed spot. Earlier that morning she had scouted the outskirts of Tryggvason, and noted the rebel activity in the area. Being a good scout, she would have rode south to warn the Queen but she encountered a number of loyalists who had deserted this Surtrsen's army. Taking charge, she directed them to report in her stead with a written description of the circumstances. She still felt uneasy and intended to ride back tonight, but she wanted to get in some last minute recon while she still could.

She intended to use the local Sami as an information source, as they had little reason to trust a rogue army more that the beloved Queen. The plan was simple, get in, ask a few questions to a few of her trusted contacts, and get out. She naturally had a number of contingency plans and escape routes, as she had spent plenty of time up here when she was in the Jagers. But nothing could prepare her for what she was to encounter.

She carefully scaled the small wooded crest, the local lake coming into view as she quickly moved behind cover onto a knee. But as she did, she caught a glance of something. As she took in a better look in the late afternoon's fading light, there was nothing she could do but stand up and stare in horror. Her rifle slipped out of her hand, and her mouth was agape even though she could not mutter a sound.

It was the trees.

By the gods…

It was the goddamned trees.

Lining the shore of the lake, from the branches of more trees than Eva could quickly count, hung dozens of men, silently swinging in the summer breeze. All appeared to be Sami ice harvesters, many with their tools hanging from their belts and work gloves still on. For minutes all she could do but stare at this atrocity, which defied reason. The Sami were a peaceful, non-rebellious people. They would have not have seriously resisted any rebellion until they themselves were threatened. So why did this happen?

As she tried to comprehend this, another omen of horror came into view. She saw smoke rising in the direction of Ulfberg. Her legs shook with sickness as she realized what had likely happened, as she rose and raced back to where she kept the horse hidden. Even though she knew what she was going to find, Eva had to know. She had to see it.

…

She arrived at the village, dismayed at what she saw. The fires had long since consumed the village, but as she walked through the ruins, it defied explanation. There was no bodies. Anywhere. No sign of looting either. As she walked about, she for the life of her could not see any real sign of violence other than the burning buildings.

It made no sense. If the rebels wanted to loot and pillage, that was one thing. That's what invading armies did. But here, as she walked about, she could see valuable lying untouched in the smoldering ruins of houses. Burnt silver untouched. It made no sense. She carefully entered on of the charred building, baffled by what lay before.

So baffled that she nearly didn't hear the footsteps behind her, but even with all this carnage, she was not one to be ambushed. She spun about, her rifle flying to the high ready as she got a look at her would be attacker.

Instead of a Rebel soldier, it was a Sami before her, a young woman holding an old hunting rifle. Physically, she could not have been more than thirty, but her eyes had aged to that of an old woman. If she had seen what happened here as it was carried out, she could hardly be blamed. As both party's remained in a tense standoff, the woman briskly asked the first question.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

"My name is Eva Holstadt. I was sent north by the Queen's orders. Do you know what happened here?"

The woman struggled with clearly painful memories, before trying describe the horrors of what she saw.

"Let's start from the beginning. My name is Nina. The Christian soldiers came this morning and they rounded everybody up. I was mushroom hunting with my daughter when I saw them enter the town, and my gut told me to wait until they were gone."

Nina paused, swallowing hard as she felt her face flush again signaling another sobbing on its way. "My Parents… and my Sisters… they were still in town…" She cast her eyes aside, holding back tears as she continued. "Then they counted them, gave them food, and then they… they…"

Eva knew the answer to the question, but she still couldn't believe it. She needed to hear it said.

"Nina, what did they do?"

"They… killed everyone." By now Nina was sobbing, as Eva saw a young Sami girl emerge from hiding, likely distressed that her mother was crying as she was. Eva didn't want to further hurt the Sami, but there was Questions that needed answering.

"Nina, where are the bodies? We need to know so when can use it as evidence. To get justice."

Nina simply looked up at Eva, and quietly whispered. "You're standing on them."

Eva looked down at the smoldering, ashy remains of a building she had entered earlier. To her horror, she began to make out charred metal objects, such as belt buckles, jewelry, and hobnails. And she realized that some of the burnt wood and ceramic was not what she thought it was. A wave of nausea hit Eva as she tumbled outside, collapsing on her rear as she began to shake with sickness. Nina began to explain what had happened, pausing to sob here and there.

"They didn't shoot them… they just… locked them in there and set the buildings on fire. Anyone who tried to get out was shot. Nobody got out…" Nina sat down next to Eva, her mind numbing to near blankness as she herself struggled to come to terms with the life-crushing damage inflicted upon her mind and soul. "Nobody…"

The two women spontaneously embraced each other in a gentle yet strong clasp, as the two drew strength from each other. Nina needed a shoulder to cry on, and Eva needed something to remind her that the world wasn't an evil cold place. Neither were sure how long they embraced, but it seemed like an eternity as they were joined by others. First Nina's daughter did what came natural and embraced her mother, as could be expected. But slowly, figures emerged, pale as ghosts from both shock and falling ash and made themselves felt. Villagers who for whatever reason had not been in town that morning, who had come back only to see their world shattered. But despite it all, the survivors only found it natural to embrace their neighbors, all previous petty feuds destroyed and disputes quashed as people reached out to any recognized soul in the horrid face of death.

Hrym's Company thought it had destroyed Ulfberg and its people. In many ways, they succeeded. They destroyed the buildings and they killed the people.

But they failed to destroy Ulfberg's soul.

…

Bit of notes-

I fully admit I wasn't going to go in this direction when I finished the previous chapter, with the general thought of what happened coming upon me in a flash of inspiration that had me up to 2 AM on Monday morning. Now many of you will point to the Patriot as my inspiration, which despite having seen the Patriot, it was not so.

There's a little known Belarusian film from the Soviet era called Come and See.

It makes Schindler's list look positively optimistic.

I don't want to talk too much about the movie, but if you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about.

I don't consider myself a good enough of a writer to actually portray the actual massacres listed above, and I thusly committed to a framing story, while trying to keep this from getting too heavy. It's a crazy world we live in people. This has happened, is happening, and will happen again. Sorry to break it to you.

I will be in the field until Sunday, so I apologize in advance for not getting back to you all. As always keep reading, and keep reviewing. Think I'm a callous asshole for incorporating atrocities into the Frozen universe? Let me know.

Sincerely,

Dragunov