1 Chapter 1: Where it All Began
Arendelle
Arendelle Castle
December 21st, 2301
Arendelle is a kingdom on the outskirts of Norway, full of life, laughter, and joy. It is surrounded by a vast mountain range known as the North Mountains and the beautiful North Sea, with the Southern Isles not too far off. The kingdom has always been known as a monarchy, with its current rulers being King Agnarr and Queen Iduna.
The King and Queen are loved by all their people for their honesty, generosity, and compassion. The two had become great friends when they were younger, which eventually developed a love that bested the times. Their hardships were few and far between, something truly envied by the people they ruled over.
On most nights, the kingdom would be filled with the townspeople taking long walks or conversing about the latest gossip, yet tonight was different, for it was the winter solstice. Well, not just the winter solstice, but also the night the queen was set to birth an heir to the kingdom. The citizens stayed outside the castle walls, with hopes and prayers that the birth would be smooth and the little prince, as well as their queen, would be safe. The anxiety pouring off the people was so strong that it could be felt within the castle walls itself, which did no good for the people within said castle.
Servants could be heard running through the many corridors, filled with not just panic but excitement for their rulers to have an heir! They ran to fulfill any of the Queen's wishes in order to make her feel secure and relaxed, for she had been having labor induced pains all day long. Though they were anxious, it was nothing compared to that of the king's anxiety. He knew his love would be alright, but his mind refused to listen to such sentiments.
He paced within the confines of their bedroom as his love stared at him, amused. "My dear, there is no correlation between your incessant pacing and my son being introduced to the world. Please calm down," she stated gently, with a small smirk among her lips. She understood the anxiety far too well, as it was her body that was suffering to say the least. She knew that everything would be alright and her precious baby would be delivered safely, but the slim chance of uncertainty lingered within her mind.
"I know my love, but I just want to hold him in my arms already," he sighed, walking back to their bed before holding onto her hand. They were the only ones currently in their room, for both the doctor and midwife left for a break, though they would be back soon. "Be patient, my dear. Today is a blessed day, for our son will be born on the winter solstice. I know we will be protected by the spirits above," she chided softly, before gasping for air. Alarmed, the king yelled out for both the doctor and midwife to return, before rubbing the back of Iduna's hand in gentle circles, whispering sweet platitudes. He knew his words, while they may calm her down, would not remove the element of pain.
As he continued to gently calm her, the large intimidating doors burst open, with both the doctor and midwife rushing to Iduna's side. The doctor looked her over before turning to speak to his king, "It is time for your son to be brought into this world, my liege. I implore you to please stand back a bit so we may help her with no distractions." The king sighed but complied with the doctor's orders. He was no fool and would do absolutely anything to make his wife's delivery process smooth and undisturbed.
The king was a strong man, many would say. He avoided wars and brought continued peace to his lands, never submitting to anyone or any feeling, yet here he stood watching his wife cry in pain. His knees felt utterly weak, it was as if all his energy was sapped away, unable to be found until he was sure his wife was alright. He clenched his teeth and continued to watch his wife scream in pain, unable to look away.
"My queen, you must keep pushing! You are very close, just a little bit more!" The midwife kept on saying words of support, urging the love of his life to keep on going. Both the doctor and midwife worked together in harmony, reassuring the queen as well as delicately but slowly bringing out his son. It was by no means a rapid process, instead of feeling as though he had been standing around for hours yet it being just mere minutes, it was the complete opposite.
Finally, finally, his son was brought out into the world. He could feel tears springing from his eyes, unable to contain the range of emotions filling his very soul. He quickly walked over to his wife and stared at the precious bundle of joy, who he knew he would love with all his heart. His wife, the meaning of his life, stared deeply into their son's eyes and it was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen in his 23 years of life. His boy had yet to open his eyes but already he was the most handsome prince in the world.
"Oh my precious little boy, mama is going to make sure you grow big and strong into a man who will lead the kingdom just as well as your father," she cooed, knowing that her little man already had both her and her husband wrapped around his tiny little finger. During her pregnancy, she already knew just what to name her baby boy. "Elias, his name will be Elias. For he will be strong and charismatic, a man that would make any mother proud." The joy could be heard within her voice, it was as though all her dreams had come perfectly true. "Now, it's your papa's turn to get a hold of you my little prince. Dear, do be careful or you'll be sleeping on the floor tonight," she threatened, though Iduna was but a mere 5'6", her protective instincts gave off the vibe that she was spiritually 6'4". Agnarr was amused but took what she said in stride, carefully lifting his son into his arms. This was a completely new experience for the king for he had never really been the best when it came to taking care of children, nor was he ever taught how to. Suddenly, his son began to cry and the eyes that were originally closed sprung open revealing two beautiful baby blue pupils. Stunned and fairly panicked, he looked towards his wife for help but she was simply laughing as though his panic was the silliest thing in the world.
Once Iduna also noticed her baby's eyes,she too was stunned and absolutely ecstatic knowing her baby boy too had her eye color. She squealed, something which was fairly out of character before gushing to her husband. "Oh!! My love, he has my eyes! Now I know for sure he will be a ladies man. A heartbreaker and a heart stealer, just like his mama." Agnarr stared at his wife, before simply agreeing with her. He knew if he did not agree, the floor was looking like a perfect place to rest.
As his wife continued to coo over their baby, Agnarr noticed something odd. The room was much colder than originally, which made no sense considering the fact that the fire in the fireplace was running, nor were any windows open. He decided to shrug off the matter and focus on what mattered more at that very moment. He handed Elias back over to Iduna and walked towards the door to their balcony. It overlooked the town, where he could see his citizens still waiting for any news. As he opened the doors, incessant chatter began to fill the kingdom, a welcome noise for his people gave up their winter solstice celebrations to instead celebrate the birth of their child.
"My people," the king began, "It is with great pleasure that I tell you my son, Elias, has been born! He will be the heir to our kingdom and I promise he will be one of the greatest rulers in the future. Tonight, my wife and I will take the time to enjoy the newest addition of our family, but I implore you to all join us tomorrow for a feast as a thank you for supporting us this evening. With that said, goodnight, have a wonderful winter solstice! I promise you that the flag of Arendelle will always fly!" He ended with the motto of their kingdom, before turning back to his room while quietly shutting the door. Though the door was closed, it was easy to hear the joy from his people as they chanted, "Our flag will always fly!" It brought immense warmth to his heart.
He and his wife would forever remember this day, for it was both the start of a new chapter in their lives and the downfall of everything they've ever known, but that's a story for another time.
Arendelle
March 7th, 2303
Two years have passed since Elias was born and things were not as they seem. Both the king and queen noticed how whenever Elias was around, rooms would grow colder and sometimes, they would see ice grow where his hands lay. It was alarming to them, for a multitude of reasons. The world they currently lived in was in the era of something known as "quirks". Strange abilities appeared within people at the age of 4, the phenomeum accounting for around 80% of the population, with the other 20% being known as "quirkless". With the introduction of quirks came both heroes and villains, with heroism being a viable occupation.
Arendelle's position in this odd world was unheard of, for the entire population was quirkless. It was called an impossibility by scientists all around the world, until they realized how Arendelle worked. The kingdom was surrounded by something known as The Dome, a large dome that covered not just the kingdom, but the northern mountains and sea as well. For the last 500 years, the kingdom has stayed relatively the same, with all its people living as though the 1800s never left. It was strange to say the least. One may wonder how for at least the first 200 years, no one noticed that their growth was stagnant but without many other kingdoms to base their progress off of, they simply lived in blissful ignorance. The people never noticed the dome appearing as they had little contact with any other "kingdom". Once quirks began appearing in the 2000s, the citizens became a bit more antsy and thoroughly confused.
The introduction of quirks did not stay long, as Olgen, the ruler who noticed the beginning of the phenomenon figured out a way to rid his kingdom of them. He believed in normalism and felt as though the order of the kingdom would be thrown into pandemonium if regular people were able to do crazy things. During his time as king, Olgen met an interesting man who struck a deal with him. He would rid his kingdom of quirks, in exchange for creating a massive dome that would hide Arendelle from the world and to allow him to constantly visit to take away the quirks. Olgen's quirk, which he despised, was creating a dome over a large area that would hide said area from everyone else for 5 years. All for One would renew the dome every 5 years by taking his quirk. It was difficult at first, figuring out a way to remove the quirks from his citizens without watching them wither in pain but eventually, an idea formed. If the citizens were told they all needed to have a checkup of sorts at the age of 4 to 5 and be put to sleep while doing so, the quirk could be removed far more painlessly. The first plan of action that was carried out was having the man use some memory related quirk to remove his citizen's memories of the existence of quirks. Then, the taking of the quirks began. The man stated that the deal would continue for the rest of time, as one of his many quirks was immortality.
As time went on, more and more kings were introduced to the strange man and learned of the secret. For their kingdom to remain safe from the view of the world, all they had to do was give up these strange powers and they could live in peace. Yes, they would never advance along with the rest of the world but they were beyond happy. The only downside was that leaving was far more difficult than entering, as the dome only opened up once a year. No one necessarily came in when that happened but each king would be aware of the secret, as their role was to keep their citizens ignorant. There was never a king who viewed this practice as barbaric, for they lived as though it were still the 1800s. They never knew that the strange man had evil intentions when he offered to rid the kingdom of quirks, nor would they ever know for at least another 12 years when prince Elias would open the kingdom to the rest of the world. That however is a story for another time.
King Agnarr was worried, for he knew that most quirks would begin to appear at the age of 4, not the tender age of 2. He was also unsure if he should truly remove this part of his son, because once his quirk was taken, he felt as though he lost a part of himself. The only benefit to having it taken so early is that the feeling of loss goes away over time. He wanted to ignore the signs, but he no longer could. His beautiful son was exhibiting a quirk far too early and as per the agreement, he should say something but he just couldn't. He made his decision, he would keep Elias's quirk secret for as long as he could. As long as he says his son never exhibited a quirk, he should be alright.
With his decision made, the king began to make up a foolproof plan that would protect his son from ever losing a part of himself. The king would never realize how this moment would change everything for him and his family, nor the utter pain it would bring one of his sons.
Arendelle
May 23rd, 2305
With another two years having passed, much has changed yet not at all. On June 20th in the year 2304, another son was born to the king and queen. They named him Arthur, for nobility and courage, a fine name for a young prince. He had stunning turquoise-blue eyes that held the world within them and hints of strawberry-blonde hair. Elias was enamored with his younger brother, feeling as though he would be his protector for his papa and mama. He was only 3 years old, yet he felt a sense of responsibility which couldn't really be explained by his limited speech. The entire family felt more complete than ever before and all seemed to be well, if one ignored the continued growth of Elias's quirk. At times, it made no sense for Agnarr knew quirks usually granted the user an ability that took years to master and yet, his lovely son could create massive pillars of ice with a fair amount of control that should not have been possible. That also excluded the control he had over snow.
It was simply getting harder to ignore as he eventually came clean to his wife about the existence of quirks. Queen Iduna stared pointedly at her husband before sighing, "My dear, you seem to forget I came from a land further than here, of course I know what quirks are. I am also not blind to the way our kingdom is run and lives, but I would have it no other way," she assured him. "Admittedly, I myself have a quirk which allows me to speak to the spirits of the world, however ever since coming to this kingdom, that connection has withered and now I can only feel the spirits, but not communicate." Gobsmacked, Agnarr took a seat on their bed, wondering how he could have forgotten that. His beautiful wife came from a nomadic tribe, a secret kept between the two of them. He felt like a fool for worrying, knowing now he could count on his wife to keep Elias's quirk a secret. "My love, his power grows stronger each day and once his fourth birthday arrives, I will teach him to conceal it all. He may not understand but I want to protect him dearly and maybe, one day, he could explore the real world." He stared up at the ceiling wistfully, wondering if it were possible for his son to leave the kingdom and become a part of a society that was so different from their own.
"Then he shall, but my dear I worry about the morality of allowing that man to keep taking quirks from the people. I hadn't said anything beforehand out of fear, but now that I know you are having mixed feelings, I feel as though we could come up with a solution," she stated, gleefully. Agnarr stared at his beautiful wife in conflict, knowing the answer he was about to give would be unsatisfactory at best and thoroughly upsetting at worst. "My love...we need the protection of that man. Yes, is it wrong of him to take quirks, but our kingdom would not survive the outside world. We have barely any protection but the dome itself, nor do I feel as though society would truly accept us. I know that a majority of the world has quirks and looks down on those without them, meaning our people would be treated as less than human. I do not want that for our people.." he trailed off, unsure of how she would react. The king in him stated that he, despite how wrong it was, should allow the man to keep on taking quirks, but the human in him disagreed violently. It was almost as if a current of rage flew through his body, trying to break free. Iduna looked at her husband's eyes, seeing the conflict within them. "My dear, I know. I wish we could let our people live freely out in a world full of innovation but you are right, they would simply not survive. All we can truly do is prep our son for the outside world one day and maybe, just maybe he can save us from that man. While I know he is our heir, we can tell him it is for his kingly training. He must know of the outside world for our kingdom to survive." With that said, both Iduna and Agnarr leaned in for a kiss full of hope, longing, and determination. They both knew it would be difficult but the fire within their souls was already lit.
Arendelle
December 21st, 2305
Today was Elias's fourth birthday and a celebration currently occurring. The townspeople and their children were invited in order to make the day grand. The only noticeable issue was that the birthday boy was nowhere in sight, nor was the king. The queen on the other hand was talking to other mothers, slyly bragging about her baby's achievements so far and the utter joy she has felt having him in her life.
King Agnarr stared down at his son, before slowly putting on the gloves that would hopefully be a placebo and cause Elias to use his quirk only in their presence. "My son, I love you dearly but no one else has powers as you do. You must be careful. I know you must want to show it off but you cannot. Always remember, conceal, don't feel." After having stated his part, Elias nodded, wanting to be a good boy for his papa. He kept repeating, "conceal, don't feel", under his breath so that he wouldn't forget. Elias was very smart, he knew his papa was saying that for a reason, even though he really wanted to show mama how he can now make a tiny pony out of snow.
The two had a staring contest for a minute or so before Agnarr heavily sighed. "You have no idea what that means, don't you? My son, a good king, always asks questions. Never just agree to things you have no knowledge of," he states, before ruffling Elias's hair. "Ok papa, what's it mean?" Elias chirps back, wanting to be the best king ever. " In simple terms," he begins, "You mustn't show off your powers at all. Pretend they don't exist, don't let anyone know about them." Elias pouts even more, because mama said that he should embrace his powers or something, whatever that means. Even then, he agrees with his papa because he wants head pats and praises for being super good. With that said, Elias hops away to find Artie so he can gush about his birthday to him and let him know that as his big brother, he'll give him an even bigger party.
Agnarr watches as his son hops away, praying that he does as he says. He knows if Elias suddenly reveals any of his magic, it could cause chaos and a sense of distrust. That would be utter pandemonium, something he does not want to deal with. The king began walking towards the courtyard, where all the children were playing. His two sons were together, with Elias holding his brother and his lovely wife right next to him. Agnarr trusted his son not to show his powers but, with the realization that they tend to act up depending on his son's emotions, he couldn't quite say his son truly had it all under control. Overall, Agnarr was happy with how the day turned out so far. His eldest son is celebrating his birthday surrounded by friends and family, with no fear of the world. He just hopes that when dealing with that man tonight, everything goes well. He will protect his son from having a part of him stolen no matter what.
As the day neared its end, Agnarr called for his wife and eldest son to his office, where the first trial of many began. He wasn't sure if he could fool the greatest villain to ever live, but he had no choice. A parent is supposed to protect their young and he'd be damned to the depths of hell before something awful happens to any of his children. While lost in thought, the door to his study opened, revealing Iduna carrying a sleepy Elias. It'd been a long day, so it was understandable that Elias was awfully tired.
"Dear, when will he arrive? Our poor baby is dead on his feet, well, he's technically already asleep but I would like to put him to bed already." Iduna asked softly, not wanting to wake her son up till it was time. "I do not know, my love. He is unpredictable at best, so we shall simply wait until he appears." He stated, maneuvering his wife to sit at his desk, so that she wouldn't have to put extra weight on herself by holding Elias while standing up. Agnarr proceeded to pace around in his office until a black portal appeared in the far corner, with two men stepping out. One man, All for One, stood at an astonishing height of 7'1", with short white hair and a predatory grin on his face. He wore a suit that could easily be associated with that of the japanese yakuza. The other man, Kurogiri, was far more interesting appearance wise. His face and arms, from what could be seen, were made up entirely of a purple mist of sorts, with blinding yellow eyes. He knew that, with quirks came odd mutations, but this took the cake as he'd never seen anything like him. The second both men were in the room, it was as though they demanded the attraction be on them, as neither Agnarr nor Iduna could truly look away, despite the terror that slowly filled their bodies.
"Ah, King Agnarr and Queen Iduna. It is my pleasure to see both of you again. " All for One gleefully states, getting another quirk is always a joy. King Agnarr moves up to shake his hand before breaking the news to him, "I'd like to formally apologize, but my son's quirk has not shown, nor do I believe he will have one. My wife and I are both quirkless ourselves. I do hope that you find this trip was not a waste. One of the village women mentioned that her son has had strange things happening to him lately." He casually redirected the conversation, hoping to avoid a direct retaliation. "Is that so.. Well in that case, bring me to the women's household. I refuse to leave empty handed. Normally, I would check for sure, just in case your son is a late bloomer, but I will grace you this one time. If I find out a later time that he does have a quirk, well, you'll be..put into your place." He explains, all while a manic gleam enters his eyes.
Iduna stayed silent as she watched her husband follow All for One and the one with the teleportation quirk, Kurogiri, into a portal that directly opened into Agatha's home. She was devastated knowing what would happen, but as a mother, she was glad. Glad that her son would be safe. Her hands would not stop shaking from the moment All for One entered the room, his presence alone was utterly intimidating and she was proud of her husband for not cowering in fear. In the back of her head, a little thought nagged her mind, she found it hard to believe that man would just not check her son, but her joy at having her son undiscovered far outweighed those logical thoughts. A mother's love was powerful, she would do anything to keep her son safe.
Agatha's child, Arvid, had a quirk that allowed for one to take objects out of photos, to a certain degree. It was absolutely frightening how easily All for One could understand a quirk simply by extracting it from someone. He had heard stories, passed down by past kings, how it could take years for one to fully understand their quirk and yet, the man in front of him could simply figure it out at the snap of one's fingers. It terrified him to his core, especially knowing that his own son's quirk was far more powerful than that of the average person's. He would never want this monster to get a hold of his son and he would forever keep it that way.
"Well, I have done what I have come here for. I will not need you to lead me next time, I will simply arrive myself. Till we meet again, King Agnarr. You have a way to contact me should you need it," All for One gleefully mocks, implying that he is sure the king will reach out for him, before stepping into one of Kurogiri's portals, whereas King Agnarr steps into another which led him back to his office. He hated the entire experience, not that it was the first time, but the first time that included his family. He wanted that man to be nowhere near his sons.
He spotted Iduna still sitting at his desk, her hands shaking, and quickly walked over to her. He brought her into his arms before uttering soft whispers of security, as he knew they were both shaken up by the encounter. He wasn't sure he could truly protect his family from that man's wrath, if Elias's quirk was ever to be known, but he'd have hell freeze over before he surrenders.
Iduna slowly opened the door to Elias's room, before gently putting her baby in his bed. She gave him a quick kiss on the head, uttered a soft goodnight and left the room. While she stalked off towards her own bedroom, Elias was having a dream. It showed him being able to show off his powers to everyone. He was older in this dream and had far more control than he would have at 4 years. Elias watched as his older self created massive sculptures of his mama, papa, and artie, as they watched on extremely proud of him. It was a very happy dream, and a dream it was, for Elias could never show off his magic or his papa would be upset at him, something he did not want.
On this day, King Agnarr would never understand how severe the consequences would be in the future for hiding the quirk his son had, nor how badly his eldest son would be affected. Instead, until the moment it all comes to ruin, they would live in blissful ignorance.
In one country, a young boy is told to hide what makes him special, for he lives in a society where odd happenings are seen as unnatural. Had he been born anywhere else, he would instead be praised for how powerful his quirk was and brought up in sheer arrogance.
In another country, a young boy's birthday has long passed and with that, so has his dreams. For not having any power at all, he is reduced to less than human by the world around him and shunned by his peers. leaving him lonely and timid.
Both are starting their journey's at different points in the race against life, but neither of them will fold in the future, for they will be unstoppable together.
