Winter Moon (Jelsa)

Chapter 1: Rapunzel

So, I drew a rough version of the map of the First Continent, where this story takes place. The scanner kind of sucked, so now it looks bad but I attached it so you all could see what I pictured this world to look like. Dashed lines mark the borders of each kingdom. Some of it got cut off, so you can't see where I placed Arendelle's castle.

Some background geography information: The First Kingdom is the Elites' kingdom, and Skyara is the capital. Arendelle is the last 'standing' kingdom of the west because Northuldra was encased in mist and disappeared years ago. (How it was in Frozen 2). To the east, there's Corona, the kingdom where Tangled takes place. I made some other ones like DunBroch for Merida and Berk for Hiccup/Astrid. Moors is where the North Pole is. The land bridge at the bottom leads to the Southern Isles (Hans) and the Second Continent.

Rapunzel slouched in her seat, tuning out the endless drone of the professor. History sucked. The first day of school would be over soon, but Rapunzel figured she would die of boredom before then.

Her mind wandered back to nine months ago, when Pitch had attacked Skyara. Reporters had dubbed it the Uprising, and it had spread throughout the countries until that was its official name. It had also been a huge wakeup call for the Elites. It seemed like there were endless new protocols, drills, and training now. Magic was a privilege, not a right, so every Elite had to use it wisely.

But Rapunzel wasn't even a true Elite. She was an Experiment. Not worth counting among all the more talented and powerful magic users.

She glanced up and tried to catch Elsa's eye. The princess of Arendelle was dutifully taking notes and following the teacher's lecture. She was a year younger than Rapunzel, at fourteen, but took the same classes as her and their friends. Hiccup, Astrid, and Merida would all be turning sixteen this year. Eugene would be twenty-three though. Since she was an Elite, she had known that Jack was immortal and would be fourteen forever. That wasn't the case anymore, though.

Elsa was a much better student than Rapunzel. She was also a better friend. She trusted everyone enough to tell them her secrets. Of course, she had paid the price. Her parents had been illegally harboring her from the Elites, one of the greatest crimes they could commit. If the Elites weren't so busy dealing with the consequences of their ignorance, Arendelle would have fallen by now.

But they were going to fall. And soon. Queen Iduna and King Agnarr were going to be publicly executed, forcing Elsa to become queen. The Elites has decided to take Elsa in and train her so they could plop one of their own on the throne of Arendelle. 

In Rapunzel's opinion, it was a horrible plan that made her disgusted. The Elites were supposed to be the benevolent protectors of them all. They had started to become lazy, and now they were turning back into a militaristic and harsh society. 

And even worse, there was no one to keep them in check. Nobody had any contact with the gods since the Uprising. Solen, the Emperor, was just doing what he wanted. 

Rapunzel sighed and began to braid a few locks of her endless blonde hair. Since she was an Experiment, the Elites didn't really count her as useful. Mainly, she assisted in the infirmary, healing those wounded from the Uprising. 

Rapunzel missed normalcy. She missed being able to joke around with her friends and not have to worry about Pitch and the Dark Moon and the-gods-knew-what-else.

She watched as Elsa raised her hand and answered the professor's question correctly. It was odd watching her friend. As the stress and pressure built on her, she seemed to work harder. Diligently completing her schoolwork, writing letters to Anna, and spending hours researching in the library. Elsa had decided that she wasn't going to let her little sister go back to Arendelle because of the fact that their parents had been taken under custody. It was a smart decision, but not Elsa's to make.

It didn't matter, though. Lately, Elsa had been doing what she thought was best without consulting anyone. That included making decisions about Anna's safety. Currently, the princess was in Berk, which wasn't a bad place to be, if you liked isolation.

That was what Rapunzel hated the most. Isolation. She wasn't allowed to leave Skyara because she was an underage Elite. Usually, she was holed up in New Dawn or the Tower. The restrictions had only gotten more stringent since the Uprising. Now, Rapunzel couldn't even leave New Dawn unless she received specific instructions and permission.

Rapunzel supposed the Uprising had changed everyone. Elsa was moody but determined. Jack loyal but still mischievous. Eugene was still reckless and flirty. Astrid was moral and brave. Hiccup was clever and kind, and Merida was bold and opinionated. Everything seemed to be dampened though. Like the Uprising had put a blanket of worry over their personalities.

"Apologies for the interruption, but a new student has just arrived," a voice from the doorway announced.

The class perked up, eager for the distraction. 

One of the various school personnel stood at the entrance to the classroom. A girl, maybe a year older than Rapunzel stood next to the employee.

She was definitely pretty. Her hair fell in dark waves to her waist, and her brown eyes glinted fiercely. 

"Oh yes, we were expecting you!" Professor Ana smiled, waving the student in. "Please, introduce yourself."

"Hi," the girl smiled brightly, giving it her best effort despite the awkwardness. "I'm Moana."

Her eyes skimmed the room, and Rapunzel tried to catch her gaze and give her a friendly wave. 

Moana paused when she spotted Rapunzel. It was only for a second, but hatred flashed across her face before it was masked by a smile. 

Rapunzel figured she was imagining things. 

Moana took an empty desk to the left of Rapunzel.

"I'm Rapunzel," Rapunzel whispered to her as Professor Ana resumed class.

"Nice to meet you," Moana gave Rapunzel a nervous smile.

"So, Moana," Professor Ana shouted from the front of the classroom, "can you tell us the number of casualties in the Thoran Wars?"

"Um," Moana licked her lips. "A lot?"

Professor Ana scowled. "It looks like you have a lot of reading to catch up on." She grabbed a tall stack of books from her desk and plunked them down on Moana's. Without wasting a beat, she ambushed another kid with the same question.

Wide-eyed, Moana stared at the pile of books on her desk.

Rapunzel caught Moana's eye and gave her a shrug and a grin. 

"Welcome to New Dawn."