When Winds Blow Cold Read online

  Danis blushed. “But I did nothing at all, nothing but to urge you to try that which I love.”

  “Tell me, Danis, do you have knowledge of the arts of magic? Have you woven a spell around this place?”

  “No,” he replied. “But I feel as if this place itself is alive with magic.”

  “There is only one final test, Danis of the Sun and Sea.”

  “One? But you said there were three.”

  A deep chuckle sounded out of nowhere. Danis froze, his hand still clasping his bowl, as a voice started to speak.

  So it was said: Know this, O King of the Winter. He must bring heat to your morning hearth. He must bring warmth to her inward parts. He must defeat the monster under your floor. The one who does this will lift the curse on your only daughter, Hana the ever young. They will live by the deep and bear you an heir for your throne. This is the prophecy of the Dragon.

  The deep voice fell silent. Danis twisted and turned looking for its source.

  “Who are you?” he asked in hushed tones.

  I am the King of the Winter, father of Hana the ever young, Blossom of the Snow.

  “Where are you?”

  I am here, in the bones of this castle, bound to it in life, bound to it by death, until my heir succeeds me. Have you come to set us free?

  “Are you a ghost?”

  You could call me that. You could call me anything you wish, but does it matter? You have passed the first two tests, tests that almost every young man in this kingdom has failed. How is it that you have done so?

  “I didn’t know it was a test. I just did what I would have done naturally.”

  And where do you come from, O dark one?

  “From a long way south,” Danis replied with a sigh. “From the land of everlasting sun, where the heat burns like a fire and strengthens your bones. I come from a place where we frolic in the crashing waves and laugh with the leaping dolphins.”

  And you will take my daughter far away to that place?

  “Only if you allow it, Sire,” Danis stammered, blushing again as he looked at Hana.

  Pass the test and you may.

  Danis waited but the King did not speak again.

  “What do I do now?” he asked Hana.

  Wordlessly, she stood, taking his hand and leading him into a large hall. The walls were solid ice painted, or so it seemed, with murals of great sea monsters and crashing waves. He looked down and saw that beneath his feet were great depths, dark and gloomy, filled with caves and rocks.

  “Defeat the monsters, Danis,” Hana said in a near whisper. “Come back to me alive.”

  Her hand slipped out of his, leaving something hard in it. Danis opened his palm to see a clear crystal pendant on a fine filigree chain. He clasped it around his neck and looked up to see the door closing behind Hana, the outline of the door quickly fading into the murals. He stepped closer to inspect the vast paintings and began to notice the bodies— healthy young men caught in the jaws of great sea monsters, drowning in the depths, trying to race towards... the painting began to heave, the ice seeming to melt in an instant.

  Instinctively, Danis held his breath as water—salty, cold, sea water— poured over him. Quickly, he cast off the layers of heavy furs he had draped on himself that morning. Kicking off his shoes, he let himself float upwards until his head bobbed above the waves. It was no good. He could barely see anything in the storm, and the large ship to his right seemed set to plough right into him, so he took a big gulp of air and dove back into the waters.

  Unfamiliar waters could kill you, Danis knew. These weren’t the waters he knew that were warm and inviting, that cradled you like you were in your mother’s womb. These were cold, barren waters, where nightmares reigned.

  And yet for all its foreignness, they were familiar nightmares. He propelled himself away from the melee, far from the shadow of the ship, looking for a place to surface safely. He trained a wary eye on the depths, where snaking tentacles sought fresh prey. He closed his ears to the screams of the men around him—how they still lived, he couldn't fathom—but instead drew away to a place where it seemed no one wished to go.

  It was strange that they avoided it. Here light shone; here, the monsters did not come—ah, but they were fleeing to where the door had been. Danis had forgotten that—doors did not exist in the great depths that he loved, so it had slipped his mind. From his calmer vantage point, he watched them—the kraken in the deep, the great fish that swarmed around the men, the leviathan that hunted, the ship that rolled amidst the thunder and the waves—all swarming round and round but never touching, in ever widening circles.

  He turned his back on them; he did not think he would find any answers there. Instead, he craned his neck to see if there was anything hidden in the sky, any secrets that would reveal itself to his gaze. But all he felt was the warmth of the setting sun—how could there be warmth in this cold, cold place? What was he to do? How could he begin to defeat the monsters that were not real?

  For that was the truth of the matter, Danis discerned. All of it—this great sea, these terrifying monsters, the screaming, drowning, dying men—was an illusion; but where was the illusion master? And if they were merely illusions, could they still harm him? He decided that they could. After all, he could feel the cold of the sea. He struck out towards the ship. There were strange men in turbans on it and he wanted to ask them if they could help him.

  He stopped and tread water as large, sleek bodies blocked his way. A dolphin pod circled him, and with whistles and clicks they started to herd him away.

  “What do you want, friends? Is it not cold for you here?” he asked as he followed, mimicking as they dived and frolicked. They came to a stop in still waters far from the battle, facing the setting sun, each dipping their heads at the bright ball of light. Danis could feel the intense heat of the sun that warmed the water and burnt his skin. On his left rose a tall rock cliff. He wondered why he had not noticed it earlier. Then in perfect synchronisation, the dolphins dove.

  Curious, Danis followed. The twelve dolphins had formed a semi-circle in front of an underwater opening in the rock. They flicked their tails as if gesturing for him to enter, so he surfaced, refilled his lungs, and swam into the opening. It grew darker and darker the further in he swam. Just when he wanted to turn around and head out again, the roof began to slope upwards at a sharp angle. With only a slight hesitation, Danis pushed on.

  ~

  He broke the surface with a gasp. The narrowing tunnel had suddenly widened into a huge cavern. The sheer walls of rock that rose up beside and behind him narrowed far above, but did not close, allowing the rays of the sun to peek in. Directly in front of him was a beach, the white sand pristine and undisturbed. Below him were splendid living corals of many colours. Tiny coral reef fish darted in and out among them like a familiar friend. Between the corals and the sand, he caught glimpses of gold. He frowned. Were these not the fish he had swum with in the warm south? How did they survive in these frigid waters? More illusions, he decided. He struck out towards the shore.

  The only thing Danis could think about as he waded to shore was to build a huge fire to warm himself. All thoughts of the monsters he had to kill and the quest he was on had faded into the background of his mind as he shivered. He had to stay alive if he wanted to kill the monster.

  He stomped up and down the beach searching for its meagre supply of driftwood. By the time he gathered a pile enough to burn, the sun was dangerously low. Despondently, he looked around, rubbing his neck and wondering how he was going to light a fire without matches. His fingers paused on the unfamiliar chain around his neck and his face lit up. He took off the gold chain, turning over the crystal pendant in his hand and eyeing the final rays of the sun as it streamed into the cavern.

  Holding up the clear stone to catch the light, he concentrated the light on his pile of firewood. He sighed in relief as a tiny tendril of smoke rose, though it was a long while before actual flames started to flicker. Th
en a strange thing happened. In the flickering light, it seemed that the walls surrounding him shimmered and started to melt. The lapping waves he had swum in started to roil as if coming to a boil.

  A beautiful young lady with long, black hair materialised before him. Her face was whiter than Hana's, almost transparent. “Why? Why do you do this?”

  “I–I was cold.”

  “No fire. Not here!” But she didn’t move to put it out, keeping her distance instead. The cave walls melted like dripping wax, revealing a deep star-studded twilight, which in turn yielded to thick drifts of packed snow. Eventually, all the colours ran into one, flowing like an endless stream into the fire, until Danis and the woman stood on snowy ground lit only by the light of the flickering fire.

  “Who are you?” Danis asked.

  “Some call me Yuki-Onna.” Although Danis heard her words, the woman’s blue lips hadn’t moved.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “I was a poor woman once, lost in the snow. I was freezing and no one would let me in to their house. No begging, they said. I perished a few metres from the king’s house and as I did, I cursed them to an everlasting winter; that the Wind would take their children and the Frost would take their limbs. And now it is your turn to die.”

  She lunged at him, but the fire stood between them and she could not reach him.

  “You cannot escape me, winter child. The fire will soon die and then the Frost and the Wind will take you.”

  Danis smiled. “But I am no child of the winter, Yuki-Onna. I am Danis, son of the Sun and the Sea and I am not afraid of fire as you are.” With that, he grabbed a fistful of the burning coal and ash, flinging it at the snow-woman. She shrieked as her white kimono burst into flames.

  The fire engulfed her, and he wondered if he had done the right thing, but as quickly as the fire had started, it died out.

  IV

  Danis stood staring at the pile of ashes by his feet for a long while before he raised his eyes and inspected his surroundings. He now stood in a large, airy room. The thick drapes had been pulled aside and the windows hung open, allowing a cool breeze to circulate in the room. He discarded the thick coats he was wearing, even as he wondered how it was that he still wore them when he thought he had lost them in the sea.

  Hana ran into the room, eyes sparkling. “You did it! You've broken our enchantment! Come see!”

  She pulled him to the window. Instead of the deep winter he had expected, the city had erupted into a frenzy of flowers. Crowds of people had emerged from their houses and were congregating in the courtyard of the castle. Children skipped and danced on snowless ground for the first time in their lives. Then the crowd noticed Danis and Hana and a reverent hush fell. Those in front bent low at the waist and soon it rippled through the crowd.

  Hana bowed back, gesturing for Danis to do the same. Then she took his hand and pulled him away from the window.

  “Come, my father awaits.”

  Hand in hand, dark against fair, they traversed corridors that finally showed signs of life. The King of Winter lay in state in a cold, dark room, his hands folded across his chest.

  You have done it then, son of the Sun.

  “I have.”

  Good. Go then—take Hana to your home in the south. You have my blessing.

  Danis turned to Hana and took her hands in his. “Will you—will you have me?” he asked bashfully. “I have nothing to offer you but a poor fisherman’s life. You’ll grow freckles on that fair skin of yours, and your face will peel with the kiss of the sun. You’ll wrinkle like a raisin in the salt water and grow ugly and old like me.”

  She studied him seriously. “Ugly? I find you beautiful.”

  Go then, children, and let me rest in peace.

  ~

  The journey home took Danis longer than his journey north. It seemed that every little town that once spurned him welcomed his wife with open arms. She clung to him, blushing as they showered her with compliments and invited her to parties and fêtes in her honour. In the beginning, they graciously attended the events, but as time drew on Danis grew restless for his home and Hana wearied of the glitz and glamour. Then they hurried south, stopping only to replenish their provisions and to rest for the night.

  They stopped at the stream where Danis had met the dragon, but the forest was quiet and the great being did not show himself. Danis shrugged as they continued on. Soon, they approached the town by his home.

  Mother Yara stirred at the sight of strangers passing by her house. “Where do you hail from?” she raised her voice in greeting.

  ‘Hello, Mother,” Danis greeted in reply. “I have returned from the north with my wife.”

  Only then did Mother Yara recognise the comely young man who stood before her, for his burnt skin had softened into a deep earthy brown and the wrinkles on his face had smoothened with joy, though his laugh lines had grown more prominent. Hana had given him creams for his body, making his skin supple once again, and she tended his wild hair so that it lay in soft curls instead of coarse, dry clumps.

  Hana too had changed on the journey. Her pale white skin had darkened slightly to a creamy light beige and a perpetual blush covered her cheeks like pink blossoms. Her soft, plump body had grown harder and stronger, whilst the shedding of her winter clothes had revealed the comely lines of a woman.

  Even still, Mother Yara exclaimed, “She is but a child!”

  Danis and Hana looked at each other and burst into peals of laughter.

  “It appears that I am still too old and you are still too young,” Danis rued.

  “What does it matter,” Hana replied as they set off towards his parents’ house, “as long as we are happy together?”

  Danis’ mother cried tears of joy as they walked up the long driveway, for she had long feared that she had lost her only son. She hugged them to her bosom and made them promise to never leave her.

  “But where is father?” Danis asked, looking around the house.

  “Oh, he is out on that boat of his as usual,” his mother grumbled. “He feels that it draws him closer to you.”

  Danis took Hana’s hand and they ran out the back door onto the beach and up the pier.

  “Father! I’m home!” he cried to the little fishing boat that bobbed in the waves.

  His father shouted back over the distance and waved. Danis kicked off his shoes and dived into the waters, swimming in strong strokes to the boat.

  “I have missed you,” his father said as he helped the young man clamber on board and held him in a long embrace.

  “And so have I,” Danis replied. He turned back to see Hana waiting for him on the pier. “Come, let us head back so that I can introduce you to my wife.”

  “Why does she not come to us?”

  Danis shrugged as he said, “I have yet to teach her how to swim.”

  ~

  A year passed and a son was born to Danis and Hana, as the Dragon had prophesied. Hana wrote to the steward of her city, informing them of his birth.

  “Teach him well,” Hana read the steward's reply, “for he will rule in your father’s stead once he is of age.”

  Danis smiled as he cradled his young one. “We will.”

  Thank you for reading When Winds Blow Cold! If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review.

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  About the Author

  Anna Tan grew up in Malaysia, the country that is not Singapore. In 2015, she traded in a life of annoying other bean counters for one of annoying the online world with questions about life and death and everything in between. The answer is sometimes 42. Sometimes the answers try to eat you.

  When she is not writing or nitpicking over other writers' copy, she can be found reading a book or attempting to organise her room.

  Connect online

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  Other books

  Anthologies edited by Anna:

  Love in Penang (Fixi Novo; 2013)

  Short stories:

  “Codes,” published in Cyberpunk: Malaysia (Fixi Novo; 2015)

  “Jentayu’s Tear,” published in Insignia Volume 4: Asian Fantasy Stories (BWWP Publishing, 2017)

  “The Longest Mile,” published in With Our Eyes Open (Bausse Books, 2017)

  “Beautiful Hands,” published in Bitter Root Sweet Fruit (Word Works, 2017)

  The North Series:

  A curse binds the City of Winter and the Dragon's Prophecy holds the key to breaking it. But will a poor fisherman from the South have the means to fulfil the prophecy? Or will the foreignness of the North itself repel him and his efforts?

  The North Series is a collection of short, old-school fairy-tales designed to open your eyes to wonder.

  CLICK HERE to get The North Series.

  Or better yet, subscribe to my mailing list and get When Winds Blow Cold for free!

  Novellas:

  Jane Hays has been told all her life that it’s dangerous to be out in the forest past sundown. At fifteen, she’s quite sure that it’s all old wives’ tales... yet, why does her village bar the gates every night? Why do they even have gates? When she is caught in an unexpected rainstorm on her way home, Jane ignores all the warnings and seeks shelter in a cottage in the middle of the forest. Soon, she is caught up in a world of magic and beauty—and in the storm of the Fairy Queen’s wrath.