In one of the northernmost corners of the world lies a kingdom with a quite colorful past. Despite its remote location, it hadn't always been cold over that region. It used to be a magical land with greenest forests, floral seas, vivid mountains and the most sparkling rivers. The sun had blessed this land with its warm and precious light, bringing life into the realm. This place was bustling with life and the people were grateful for the gods and for a long time, this region was a bright, peaceful and overall, a great place to live, so a few settlements were founded on the blessed land. Even a great kingdom rose from the ground that was thought to be sacred and people were thankful to the gods for gifting them such a treasure that was now their home.
But gods are capricious and may unleash their wrath onto the world when least expecting it.
No one was sure what exactly happened on that one fateful day. For a reason the folks of the region didn't understand, the gods had sent a destructive and frigid storm. For nine days and nights the glacial storm raged on, forcing people to stay indoors. And from the safety of their own homes they watched how the snow and ice engulfed everything and darkness swallowed their once so bright and vibrant land. A permanent coldness and dimness took over and at the mercy of this great calamity, a lot of people perished, since they obviously weren't prepared for such a harsh force that had suddenly struck. And when the constant blizzard of nine days and nine nights was finally over, the people were finally able to tread outside. Despair in their hearts, a lot of people decided to flee the frozen land, to search for a better life somewhere else where the sun was still shining. But those who stayed couldn't just leave behind everything they had built in this region, generation after generation, and they prayed that the gods would bring warmth back into their homeland.
Nobody heard their prayers. At least, not for a while. It truly felt like gods had forsaken this land. But people can be resilient and eventually they are able to adapt to the new living conditions. It was dark and cold and life was tough, but still, there was a community that could thrive on their frozen realm. And every new generation was stronger than the previous one and so the folks managed to survive even through the coldest and darkest periods of time.
A few centuries passed in this remote land of snow. Then something occurred, something that changed the region once more.
An unlikely love story took place in the northern land. One day, a god and a mortal woman met in a forest. A hungry pack of wolves had surrounded her, ready to tear her apart and she had seen no escape from the situation and had surrendered to her fate – like all the others, she knew that only the strongest survived. But the god came to her aid and drove the wolves away. Perhaps it was love at first sight, they could feel a spark between each other. They started to spend time together, the god living among the mortals for a while. First it was days, then weeks and from there, to months. The god and the woman shared a deep connection and the deity became sad about the curse that had been set upon this land. Although he couldn't remove the curse, he could do something to make the never-ending winter more tolerable.
He collected the warmest and gentlest emotions the people of this region had and crystallized them into a single object. It became a heart-shaped crystal, which was then named Winter Heart. It was a powerful item and it brought warmth and light to the land of snow. Thanks to Winter Heart, the terrain wasn't as harsh anymore. This was the miracle that the people had been waiting for, it was like their efforts for surviving had finally paid off. The sun would shine upon their land once more, the snow glittering in its golden light. The warmer days had come back and it wasn't so brutally cold all the time anymore. The blackness that had previously been so ruthless and held the region in its freezing grasp was replaced by a gentle darkness that veiled the land tenderly, like how a mother would swaddle her child. The utter blackness of the sky was no more and the distant stars were now able to shine in the night. And sometimes, one of the greatest wonders that a northern sky could offer, the northern lights, they would light up the heavens and bring joy to the people. And now the warm lights the people had lit up would sparkle in the night as the cruel winds wouldn't blow them out. More animals would habitat the great outdoors and gathering food wasn't as tough as it used to be. All of this was thanks to Winter Heart.
What happened to the god and the woman after the creation of the crystal, no one is sure. It was like they simply vanished, just leaving behind Winter Heart as their legacy. It's not really important how their story ended, for the people of the north would forever treasure the tale about how they brought comfort to the icy land. And having Winter Heart in their possession, that was the greatest blessing of all. And generation after generation, there has been a festival held in the honor of the deity and the woman. They will be remembered.
Centuries have passed since those days. People had lived comfortably in their northern kingdom all this time – until just recently. One day the most horrific thing happened: Winter Heart went missing. The time of the festival was coming around again, when the king had noticed that the crystal wasn't in the place it had been kept for all this time. Obviously this was awful news to the community and no one had any idea who could do such a thing, taking their precious crystal from them, especially when the festival was about to be held again. The effects of the missing Winter Heart were soon visible: a frigid wind had started to blow across the land, like a beast that was yearning for vengeance after being driven out centuries ago. The warmth was gone and the cold blackness was ruling the nights yet again. Everything became dark and miserable again and the mood of the people was as low as it could possibly be. The unthinkable had happened and they didn't know what to do in their state of despair.
Eventually the news about the desperate situation in this northern kingdom traveled far away, finally reaching the ears of an adventurers' guild. And from there, a man named Isrek heard about it. He felt compassion for the people of the snowy land and decided to take a better look into this matter. He set the region as his next destination and began his travel, though not alone, as his friend Esekíel joined in. And together, they headed to the north, taking it as their mission to bring back Winter Heart to the place where it belonged.
It was easy to notice when they had managed to cross the border of the kingdom of ice. The change in scenery had been subtle when the men had traveled past the greener lands in the southern part of the world and had eventually been welcomed by snowy terrain. And it had been pleasant to wander through it, until at some point, the atmosphere had turned more hostile, like they weren't wanted in those parts. It was a clear indication that they had reached the cursed frozen land. They could feel the ancient wrath of the deities, maybe because they were demigods. A frigid and powerful wind hit against them, trying to bite them with the icy fangs, forcing the men to take a stronger grasp of their clothes as the wind was pulling them about. At first it had been just a breeze that was attacking them, but later on it turned into a violent blizzard, making it hard to see. Luckily Isrek and Esekíel managed to find a cave where to wait for the worst snow storm to pass. While resting and waiting, they had to admire how the locals were able to live in such harsh conditions.
The upcoming night was probably one of the darkest they had ever experienced. While sitting around their little campfire, they could hear something other than the wind raging outside. It sounded like a pack of wolves were howling together with the breeze. The men weren't worried, however, the beasts were most likely just passing by. Perhaps they were on their way to seek better hunting grounds, since this frozen land had turned into a rough place to live. It was a reminder just how important their mission was, to bring life back to this region, it didn't concern just humans.
By the morning, the blizzard had somewhat subsided, enough that Isrek and Esekíel could continue their journey. The wind was still cruelly howling at them, attempting to hinder their travel. It didn't succeed in doing that, though, and the men pressed on, infiltrating deeper into the cursed land that hated their presence there.
They hadn't been completely sure where to start their mission, but had pondered about visiting the town where Winter Heart had been kept and checking the place for clues. However, it turned out that they didn't need to do that, because they met a person in the outskirts who happened to be quite informative one.
Isrek and Esekíel had been walking along a path that was somewhat visible on the ground, even though it was heavily coated by snow after last night's storm. But it was still the best part to follow because everywhere else there was a very thick layer of snow and it would have been extremely exhausting to try striding over such places. Though the men learned soon that there is always a way, when they spotted a lone figure who had been skiing through the snow. The man had also seen them and he directed his course to Isrek and Esekíel and skied down to them over the slope. On his back he was carrying a big backpack and a set of bow and arrows.
“Greetings, my good men”, the foreigner said with a slight bow. “I can see that you're not from around these parts. May I ask what you are doing here?”
Isrek stepped forward while Esekíel stayed in the background, being a bit wary of the stranger. “Good day. We heard about the incident of Winter Heart and we're here to bring it back to where it belongs.”
The foreign man's eyes were sparkling after hearing those words. “Oh, bless your kind souls! We would be so grateful if you could do that! Life has been everything else but easy after Winter Heart was stolen.”
“We'll try our best”, Isrek responded. “Searching for clues would be our first step, so can you tell us where Winter Heart has been kept?”
“Gladly, but I don't think that's necessary”, the man said. “I assure you that the whole chamber was thoroughly inspected, even our shaman helped us to investigate it. The thief left no traces, except for a single blue scale.”
“A blue scale?” Isrek raised his eyebrow. “That's… interesting.”
“Yes, well, finding it has caused a lot of despair among my people”, the foreigner said. “Thanks to the help of shaman, we're sure that it's a dragon's scale. Now, we know of a place where a dragon could possibly reside, according to rumors, at least. But the problem is, we're not fighters. If the thief truly was a dragon, we have no means to defy it and get back our precious Heart…”
“Seems like we're headed to the dragon's lair, then”, Isrek stated. “Thank you, you have given us valuable information.”
“I can only wish you good luck”, the foreigner said and was about to continue his journey, but before he turned around, he pointed with his hand to somewhere northeast. “I think the rumored lair of a dragon is somewhere in that direction. I'm not sure, though.”
“We'll manage”, Isrek replied, wearing a smile on his face. “Thank you again.”
The foreign man waved his hand and skied away, his movements were swift with his skis and he was almost gliding on the surface of snow and he soon disappeared from sight. After the man had gone away, Isrek took out his magical compass that was able to point him to the right direction wherever he wanted to go. It had served him well during his adventures and once again he asked for its guidance. It pointed approximately to the direction the foreign man had already given them, but it was good to make sure. He put the compass away and then the two men resumed their travel, having a new destination now.
The weather remained somewhat tolerable for the rest of the day. The wind was still wailing in their ears, but at least no more snow storms came. Isrek and Esekíel had followed the road, eventually reaching crossroads and then Isrek checked the direction again from his compass. The one that led right seemed to be the best way to go, it was roughly the course where the compass was pointing at. They went along that road and continued their travel all the while until the darkness enveloped the world in its ruthless darkness, pretty much forcing them to stop for that day. Another black night awaited and the only source of light was their campfire. And in that dark night, it almost felt like the campfire was the only illumination in the whole world.
It almost felt like the morning would never come. The frozen land was deprived of sunlight, so it took long before there was at least a little bit of light to see around. The wind was harshly blowing again, but other than that, the weather conditions were good. The men continued to follow the road, being surrounded by a snowy forest. This scenery seemed almost endless as they kept pressing forward and after some time, they got an eerie sensation that something was hopping around in the branches of the trees, following them. But the men never managed to catch a glimpse of what it could possibly be, they were just seeing a swift dark shadow, if even that. Maybe they had just imagined things.
The journey through the woodlands felt a little more pleasant as the grand trees that had stood there for centuries gave a bit of shelter from the freezing wind. It still kept howling though, like a hungry beast. It was simply waiting for the opportunity to bite again. And eventually, it got that. It was certain that the forest had borders somewhere and finally, the men reached the end of the tree line. For a brief moment they stopped there and gazed forward, checking what their next task was like.
They were at the border of a great snowfield. It seemed endless because they couldn't see the other side, it was hidden by a sudden veil of snow. Isrek had checked his compass again and it became clear that they had to cross this vast land of snow. The wind howling in their ears, the men took their first steps and began their challenging part of getting across the snowfield. Once more the breeze had turned violent and was relentlessly attacking the men and somehow, it seemed to get angrier the more they progressed. It was telling them that they shouldn't be here and they had to turn back. But of course, Isrek and Esekíel kept going, no matter how cruel the wind became.
At some point the darkness fell over the snowfield, almost suddenly, and the men had to stop for a while. They quickly made a shelter out of snow that would keep the freezing wind away. They had to survive yet another black night and during the darkest hours, they could hear an ominous howling that rushed through the fields and the men had a feeling that it wasn't just the wind. There was something else out there. It was more sad than terrifying, because in this cursed land resided living beings that were cursed as well. Hopefully returning Winter Heart to its place would bring peace to these tormented creatures.
When the new day dawned, a heavy snow curtain was above the fields. Visibility was poor because of it, but the men had to keep going. They resumed their mission of getting across the snowfield. And as they pushed forward, they started to get strange feelings in their souls. They weren't welcome here, they should leave immediately. They could feel something dark trying to get a grasp of their souls, but it wasn't powerful enough, perhaps because the men weren't common mortals, but demigods. Then, time and time again it tried to strike at their souls, causing a sensation that felt like an icy spear had been struck at them. However, its force grew weaker and weaker, for the men were able to fortify their souls. This angered the entity and the men could feel its wrath, and it would then make the wind blow more harshly and more frigidly, it was like its emotions were controlling the weather.
And then, suddenly, everything calmed down.
The wind subsided, fading into a gentle breeze. The heavy curtain of snow disappeared and all that was left behind was the playful dance of the snowflakes in the air. The hostile presence the men had been sensing seemed to go away as well. But in that moment, their attention was completely taken by something that had just appeared before them.
After the snow curtain had passed, a building of some sort was now standing in front of the men. It was completely made of ice, it was like a castle of some sort. It looked quite crude and lots of sharp spikes were sticking out of its walls, sending a message that visitors were unwanted. Snow had gathered around various parts of the structure, partly covering the building. But although the place looked so cold and intimidating, Isrek and Esekíel could feel a gentle aura of some sort surrounding the ice castle. Perhaps it was the effect of Winter Heart?
“This could possibly be a dragon's lair”, Esekíel stated as his gaze wandered around the mysterious building.
“Yeah, it seems like it.” Isrek was also observing the castle with his eyes. “It feels… soothing somehow. I think Winter Heart is really here.”
“Let's take a look inside”, Esekíel said and took a few steps already towards the castle.
Isrek followed him and they both headed to the entrance, which was an uneven gaping hole at the bottom of the building. Carefully they walked through it, glancing around in case there were traps or guardians or something that would get in their way. But they managed to get inside with no trouble, but still eyeing their surroundings. The place was almost empty, there was no décor. The insides looked really spacious, partly because of the lack of interior decoration, and partly because of how the many floors had been built. The floors were like circles that surrounded the center space, leaving most of the middle area empty. It was possible to see all the different floors, you could even see all the way up to the uppermost one.
Although how the interior had been designed looked quite baffling, there was also something else that caught the attention of the two men. Even though there was no decoration that would reveal that something intelligent resided here, there was still something scattered around the place: ice statues. Isrek and Esekíel were a bit curious about them and walked towards the closest ones. They were different kinds of animals, like deer, wolves, moose, different kinds of birds and boars. They were very life-like, almost like frozen in one moment of their lives.
That was when Esekíel asked: “Are these really just sculptures made of ice or are they real animals that just got frozen?”
It was a bit of a morbid thought and the men decided to leave it at that. They circled around the bottom floor for a short while, simply fascinated by the statues, but then they started to head towards the first set of stairs that led to the second floor. They were crudely made, but because of the cold temperatures, they were probably really sturdy. The steps of the men echoed in the empty building as they began to climb the stairs. Once they managed to get to the second floor, they noticed that the next set of stairs were in the opposite direction and they had to move a half of a circle to get to it. It took a little while to get there but soon they were ascending to the next floor. The same pattern repeated itself and the men found themselves going in circles in order to get higher and higher and it took some time to do that over and over again.
But in the end, they were able to get to the very top.
Once they got all the way up, they noticed a tunnel, it was something they hadn't seen in the previous floors. Without saying a word, they began to walk towards it and then went inside. It was rather narrow and it was zigzagging a little bit, so the men couldn't see the other end right away. First the only thing they heard was their steps echoing in the empty tunnel, but at some point, they could hear faint chanting. They stopped for a moment and glanced at each other and listened for a little while. But then they started to walk again, just more cautiously. The voice was getting louder and minute by minute it started to sound like a really sad lamentation. And finally, Isrek and Esekíel saw the end of the tunnel and came to a spacious hall.
Gorgeous crystals covered the walls of this place. From the ceiling, a beautifully crafted chandelier was hanging, made of ice. And in the opposite direction, a magnificent icy throne was standing. But other than that, the hall was quite empty, just like the rest of the castle. However, the men didn't really pay much attention to the surroundings, because something else had caught their gaze.
A dragon was sitting there at the center of the room, facing the throne and its back was turned towards the tunnel. It wasn't a particularly big individual; it was just a little bit taller than Isrek and Esekíel. It was covered in blue and white scales, but had six black horns on its head, wearing them like a crown. It had been the one singing the miserable song, but as soon as it heard the steps of the men, it turned around furiously and faced Isrek and Esekíel.
The men got a little bit shocked. Because now they could see that the dragon had an empty space in its chest, shaped like a heart. Something blue was dripping from the wound, like blood. And in the claws of its front legs, it was holding a heart-shaped crystal: Winter Heart.
“What are you doing here?!” the dragon screamed and, in an instant, it grew in size so it almost filled the whole space of the hall.
“You don't have to be afraid”, Isrek said calmly. “We just want to take Winter Heart back to where it belongs.”
“No! It's mine now!” the dragon screeched and took a tighter hold of the crystal.
And in that moment, Esekíel realized something. The creature before them wasn't an evil or dangerous beast. The way it was holding the crystal close to the empty space where its heart should have been… Somehow Esekíel understood that it was just deeply, emotionally hurt. And he knew very well just how great one's pain could be…
So he stepped forward and asked the dragon: “What has happened to you?”
The dragon's fury seemed to subside in that instant and it stared at Esekíel, visibly confused. “What…?”
“What's your story?” Esekíel asked, following his friend's calm demeanor.
This was something the creature hadn't expected at all. Most likely it had thought that they had come here to slay it. It curved its long neck a little and kept holding on the crystal, now with little shaky claws. It was squeezing Winter Heart, like a child would hug their stuffed animal in order to seek comfort from it.
“It… it's just an old tale many have suffered”, the dragon said quietly, having an apathetic look in its eyes. “I have loved someone… but lost them, along with my heart…”
The men stayed silent. The creature revealed the hole in its chest again and it looked like it was bleeding more than a while ago, as if recalling bad memories had affected it negatively.
“And even when the heart is gone, the suffering isn't”, the dragon continued. “It still aches, no matter what…”
And in that moment, its great size started to shrink, bit by bit, until the creature was about the height of an average man. It looked so miserable, like the weight of its pain was unbearable to carry. The eyes of the dragon were sparkling, but in a mournful way, and if it could shed tears, it would have been crying right now.
“I… I just wanted to have a heart again”, the dragon said quietly, each one of its words dripping with sorrow. “I heard about this crystal and I thought… I thought it could replace my heart.”
Isrek slowly walked to the dragon and placed his hand on its shoulder. The creature looked at him and Isrek had a gentle smile on his face.
“What you did is understandable”, he said to the dragon. “It doesn't make you a horrible person. We all want to mend our wounds. But we should do it in a way that doesn't hurt others. And right now, there are people who need this crystal, it is essentially what keeps them alive here.”
The dragon looked at Winter Heart again. “Very well… Take it.”
A little bit hesitantly it offered the crystal to Isrek. As soon as it touched his hands, he noticed how pleasantly warm it felt. And as he was holding it, a wave of tender feelings washed over him, a true bliss found its way into his heart.
“Thank you”, he said. “I know this wasn't an easy choice for you to make.”
“Please leave.”
The dragon had turned its back at the men and walked a little bit towards the icy throne. The men looked at the dragon with empathetic eyes, but there wasn't really anything they could do for the poor beast – and besides, the quicker they could get Winter Heart back to where it belonged, the better. So, silently they turned away and began to walk through the tunnel again. After they had got a bit of distance, they could hear the dragon singing alone once more. Its sorrowful song echoed in the tunnel as Isrek and Esekíel were walking away from it, bringing sadness to their hearts even though they had almost completed their mission and had Winter Heart now, it just had to be returned to the kingdom.
Poor little dragon.
