Heroes of the Permafrost

Yayo Kubota

1

There was no sun in the sky, and the only light came through the thick clouds like a sigh. Dark clouds covered the land of eternal snow, and a strong wind was blowing. The wind stirs the snow, and the snow swallows the wind. A blizzard rages like the bellowing of a beast. The rolling snow bleached the world, and it was impossible to even see the end of the snow and ice.

The Permafrost. An expanse of nothing but ice and snow.

Even the brave warriors of the Ferd tribe, the great tribe of this land renowned as the “Champions of the Permafrost”, would never set foot in the depths of this frozen land, where even icy beasts cannot live. This is because man is powerless in the face of the ferocious violence of heaven and earth.

But, however—

A young man walks through the Permafrost.

His hat, clothes, gloves, boots, and all furs. As if that were not enough, he has a large piece of fur, like armor, attached to his body with a cord. Snow and ice have turned his fur white. His face is also covered in fur. Only the area around his eyes is slightly exposed. The white smoke of his breath came out of his mouth through his face cheeks. The white smoke of his breath was indistinguishable from the white of the snowflakes dancing in the wind.

His gait was unreliable. He could not even stand up against the wind and snow. He walks using a stick longer than he is tall, as if asking it for help. Even pulling out his boots buried in the snow and taking a step forward now seemed painful to him.

Instead of a staff, he uses a spear with a flat tip, which is unique to the Ferd tribe. It was a Ferd’s proof of manhood.

His name is Norwell.

It’s been three days since he started walking on the Permafrost.

　

――I’ll return――

　

That’s what he kept telling himself.

Eventually, the light that had been faintly visible through the clouds faded. The sun was about to set behind the clouds. For the next few hours, his vision would be obscured not by snow, but by darkness.

Norwell felt an even colder chill on his skin and stopped. He began to dig a hole with his spear. The sound of the spear piercing the snow was drowned out by the roar of the wind.

Before darkness fell around him, he had dug a hole large enough for a person to crawl into.

Norwell stood in the hole and began to pile up the snow he had dug up around it. Fatigue and cold made his movements sluggish. His hands stopped moving and his body froze. However, if he took too long, the area would fall into utter darkness. There would be no stars, no moon, and not even a single ray of light.

Although the walls and the snow were shattered several times by the wind, somehow, a snow cave was formed before complete darkness set in.

He sat down in the narrow hole. The wind could not reach the hole because it was blocked by the wall of snow and ice. That’s all it took, and the air was noticeably warmer. The sound of the wind rushing by. The sound of snow freezing. Just the sound reverberates throughout the body, like a call from a distant world.

Suddenly, thirst swept over him. It was an intense desire. His body, now rested, was now demanding more of him. He had barely eaten all day. Unable to resist, he plucked at his cheek. His exposed skin and lips were dry and chapped.

He reached his gnawing hand to the wall and plucked off a handful of snow. He tried to peck at it with trembling lips, but stopped.

His lips, his hands, and eventually his whole body trembled. His breathing became labored, and he exhaled white smoke into the hole. His heavy breathing eventually turned into sobbing. He let out a loud yelp and slammed the ice in his hand against the wall.

　

―― Mustn’t ――

　

He struggled.

　

――Eating the snow would rob me of my body heat. If my body temperature drops, I will lose my strength. Endure――

　

It was a battle between the desires of the body and the will to survive.

Norwell once again rested his cheek on the surface, closing his eyes as he cradled his arms. He had to sleep. At dawn, he would start walking again. By then, he would have regained some of his strength.

However, he could not allow himself to fall into a deep sleep. Even when he sleeps, he has to maintain his tension and wake up before his temporary sleep becomes an eternal sleep. Even if it means repeating the momentary sleep dozens or hundreds of times.

　

―― I will return. Make it back alive――

　

That’s all he tried to think about. He had to command his entire body under one will. It would be impossible to walk across the Permafrost without a strong will to control a body that is hopelessly weak, fragile, and prone to give in.

　

――I will surely return. I will definitely return to my home village. The princess, Faye, my beloved, is waiting for me.

　

He clutched the ends of the furs wrapped around his body. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep in the Permafrost for the third time.

　

2

　

The reason why the Ferds are called the “Champions of the Permafrost” lies in the legend of the hero Feld that has been passed down in the tribe. Feld came to this land on an expedition as a soldier from an eastern nation. His army invaded deep into the Permafrost, but was ultimately defeated. Feld narrowly escaped, lost his pursuers, and crossed the Permafrost to what is now the village of Ferd. The villagers welcomed Feld as a “hero”. It is said that the “hero” who crossed the Permafrost would bring prosperity to the village. Feld became a member of the village, used the skills he learned from his home nation to enrich the life of the village, and became a “hero” in both name and reality.

Norwell was born in the village as the son of a hunter. He was a brave but simple, common man. His fate was changed when he met Princess Faye, the daughter of the chieftain.

Only once a year, on the night of the festival, people of all social statuses are allowed to enjoy themselves. They met in a circle of villagers dancing around the fire.

　

“Beautiful lady from who knows where, will you dance with me?”

　

These were Norwell’s best words to attract the attention of a beautiful and graceful woman.

　

“It’s like a dream,” she said, nodding shyly but happily.

“Brave soul, please take my hand. Let me dance to my heart’s content…”

　

That was enough for the two, who had been bonded from the beginning. They fell in love at that moment, and their love was kindled. Their palms clasped tightly together as they danced.

They were in love, a princess of a powerful family and a hunter who needed to be cuddled by her. No one was supposed to know. The two had many secret encounters, each one deepening their feelings for each other.

One winter day. In the early hours of the night, the two met secretly by the stable. There, Faye collapsed against Norwell’s chest and said, as if she could not stand it any longer.

　

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to warm your body with the soup that I made when you go hunting. I want to take care of your spears and bows and arrows you use every day and make them look like new. I want to give my all and grow old with you.”

“But Faye, that is not allowed for us. There flows a deep river of status and law between us. A river that cannot be crossed. The law and the tribe will not allow a hunter like me to take the princess of the tribe as his wife.”

“I can abandon it all. I can give up my father, my mother, my village, my family.”

　

Even behind her tears, Faye showed a glimmer of strong will. That made Norwell determined.

In this village, or any other village where the Ferd tribe resided, their bond would be denied. In that case, there was no choice but to leave this place and travel to an unknown land. It’s a journey that will take many days even with a sleigh. And in the middle of winter, it would be an incredibly difficult journey. But they would persevere. They would endure and find peace for both of them.

However, if anyone found out about their love, they would be expelled from the village according to the law. If that’s the case, what’s the harm in leaving the village?

Norwell made up his mind. Norwell’s determination was, in other words, Faye’s. They set their departure for dawn in ten days, and began preparations.

　

“No matter what, I’ll always be with you, and you must never forget that. I will live for you and die for you.”

“It’s the same with me, no matter how different we are, I only think of you……. but don’t die. You must live forever and be with me forever.”

　

One decision brought them even closer together.

But fate was not in their favor.

Realizing that his daughter was hiding in the shadows and plotting something, the chieftain ordered his servants to spy on Faye’s movements. He then learned that Faye was making preparations for a trip. In an instant, combined with the premonitions he had felt up until then, he fully understood his daughter’s plan.

He had intended to marry his daughter Faye off to a neighboring powerful family. But even without such an intention, it was unforgivable for a mere hunter to have feelings for his family’s princess.

Faye was placed under house arrest, while Norwell was brought before the furious chieftain. It was only three days after they had made up their mind to leave the village. Before the chieftain, Norwell was speechless. He had given up hope that anything he said would be understood. He was prepared to be expelled from the village, according to his tribe’s rules. The chieftain gave him a sentence tantamount to a blade.

　

“You are guilty of trying to marry the princess of the clan despite your low status. You and your parents will be expelled from the village.”

　

Norwell’s astonishment was intense. Even his elderly parents would be banished, the chieftain had announced. The punishment was severe and beyond the law.

He hadn’t even thought about his parents before. If he ran away with Faye, his parents would probably be persecuted. However, he believed that his parents would be happy for him to leave the village to be with the one he loved.

But they too would be banished. They are too old to even make the journey to the nearest village in this harsh winter.

　

――Faye, Faye, please forgive me――

　

Norwell called out to Faye in his heart as he glared straight at the chieftain.

　

“Chieftain! Isn’t this a violation of the law? According to the law, I should be the only one to be banished. You should be ashamed of yourself as a descendant of the hero Feld, even if you are the chieftain.”

　

Norwell shouted. He was prepared for his words to provoke further anger from the chieftain.

　

“To me, the head of the tribe, you…!”

　

The chieftain glared at Norwell with eyes that were intent on killing him. Norwell didn’t look away either. He hoped that he would just be killed right then and there. He thought that would relieve the chieftain’s anger and only his parents would be forgiven.

The enraged chieftain, however, did not kill Norwell. The chieftain was willing not to kill him with his own hands, but instead give him a punishment worse than death. Norwell was confined in a stable, and before dawn the next morning he and Faye were put on a sleigh and left the village. The sleigh was accompanied by the chieftain and several warriors from the village. No one spoke a word during the ride. Faye and Norwell were not even allowed to sit next to each other.

Late in the afternoon, the sleigh stopped in the depths of the Permafrost, where it would have been impossible for humans to reach. Darkness was beginning to fall, and the blizzard was loud.

That’s where Norwell was thrown out. A fur coat, a spear, and a day’s worth of dried meat were all he was given.

　

“The Hero Feld successfully walked across the Permafrost. So you should do the same. If you can cross the Permafrost and return to the village, I will welcome you as a new hero. If you say that I have violated the law, then become a hero yourself and make a new law. Besides, if you become a hero, you will also be worthy of marrying a princess…… However, the deadline is the dawn of the first week. After that, I will never let you set foot in the village again.”

　

The chieftain was laughing while making the announcement from atop the sleigh. Obviously, it was a mockery.

Norwell’s expression hardened as he listened to the chieftain’s desperate words. Crossing the Permafrost in just one week was a feat that only the “hero” could accomplish.

Faye remained seated in the sleigh, her hands clenched tightly as she stared at Norwell.

The chieftain commanded his men to crack their whips. The horses galloped, and the sleighs changed direction, heading for the village. Only Norwell was left behind.

As the sleigh sped through the wind, the chieftain tossed words to the daughter in the seat behind him.

　

“The man who beguiled you is at his last. Shouldn’t you see that?”

　

Faye sat alone in the back seat, facing forward, not even looking back.

　

“No need,” she said, resolutely.

“He will return. He’ll definitely come back. I know he will. So there’s no need to keep an eye on him.”

　

After she finished speaking, she began to tremble slightly.

The trembling grew stronger, and she remained in the same position, tears streaming down her face. The tears did not fall, but froze on her skin. A moment before her expression fell, she took off the fur shawl she was wearing and threw it behind her.

Her sobs reached no one as the snowy wind blew them away.

　

3

　

At dawn on the fourth day, Norwell began to walk. Dark skies, howling blizzards, freezing air, the endless Permafrost. Everything turned against him.

The wind grew stronger, and blew up snow and ice, making visibility difficult. If he did not lean forward, he would have been blown away. His foot, which he thought was one step forward, was only half a step forward. Once you take a step back, it is difficult to take the next step. The snow and ice clinging to his body weighed him down, not just physically, but mentally as well. It was like walking through a frozen quagmire. Ice flakes burst on the skin around the eyes. The ice melts with the water and is absorbed by the dry skin, but the wind quickly takes away the moisture. It was beyond cold, and the world was frozen. Scolding his body, which was on the verge of collapsing again and again, Norwell silently continued on his way.

Every muscle in his body waited for the opportunity to rebel against its master. Fatigue was now pain itself. Dull aches and sharp pains ran through the body, either alternately or simultaneously. A moment later, the pain was frozen in the cold, torturing even the bones. The roar of a blizzard in his ears. He can’t even hear his own footsteps. Even in the midst of the noise, the screams of the body pierced his ears.

In the past three days, Norwell had only eaten half a day’s worth of dried meat. There was no way that would be enough to give him the strength to overcome his extreme exhaustion. Fatigue, cold, and hunger. All of these things accumulated like mud at the bottom of his body. He had no way to get rid of them.

For three days, he walked steadily. Today he is walking again. But the landscape has not changed. A land of snow and ice that stretches to the horizon, a dark sky that rains despair, winds that sting like needles, and the cold that chisels away at the body. There has been too little change.

When deeds are not accompanied by results, one can easily despair. At this moment, Norwell does not know how much progress has been made by each step he takes. The endless Permafrost was now robbing him of hope.

In his fading consciousness, the landscape is reflected in Norwell’s vacant eyes like an illusion.

The endless Permafrost. The eternal ice field. The relentless blizzards. And a faraway home—

A light dwells in Norwell’s eyes.

　

―― I will return ――

　

His fingers gripped the edges of the fur wrapped around his body so tightly it hurt.

　

―― I will return. But not to my home. I’m going back to her. I will return to the side of the one who waits for me.

　

Before he knew it, he tried to lift his feet, which had stopped moving. The legs, which had learned to rest, did not move easily. In a few moments, it was as if his whole body had frozen. He tried to clench his teeth, but the cold wouldn’t allow them to meet. Still, he clenched his teeth. Stronger than the wind, the sound of clenched teeth echoed in his skull. Slowly, his legs lifted. Yes, move, Norwell commanded his body. No matter how much you want to rest, keep moving, and don’t waste the time you have left. If you have a second to rest, move your legs for a second. If your legs are broken and you can’t move, crawl.

He commanded. It was like an oath.

Footprints began to be carved once again. Slowly, but surely, he was moving forward. Against the wind, against the snow, against the cold, he walked.

Before nightfall, his body betrayed him.

Norwell awoke half-buried in the snow. A cold wind whipped against his back. The side half of his face was in the snow. Before he knew it, he had fallen and passed out.

　

―― I will go back ――

　

He scolded himself. However, his eyelids, which were about to open, lost their strength. His limit had long been exceeded. Now it took all the strength of his soul to open his eyelids at all. And the cold. He didn’t know which part of his body was buried in the snow and which part was exposed. The only thing his body felt was the piercing cold.

　

―― No more ――

　

As soon as he thought that, a feeling of emptiness immediately invaded his whole body. He felt as if his body had become lighter. He could feel the snow and his body melting together, mingling, and becoming one. The sweet lure of the frozen world. He never thought it would be so pleasant to surrender to it. The pain melted away. The wind moved away. Even the cold faded away. He was forgetting something.

　

―― I’m sleepy ――

　

His body was slipping away from him.

His consciousness was sinking into the mud of sleep.

In the warm mud, he saw an angel. The angel seemed to be telling him, “It’s okay. That’s enough, you’ve done your best. She will surely forgive you for sleeping here”.

　

―― Who will forgive me ――

　

“You must live forever and be with me forever.”

　

He realized.

Who was he doing this for?

A snarl parted his lips. His voice erupted, kicking up snow, breaking through the wind, and leaping into the air. It was a roar.

It’s okay to abandon the village ―― the image of Faye, who had told him that, came to him from the depths of his memory. The sparkle in her moist eyes. A strong will that lives in their depths.

Pushing away the weariness and fatigue in his body with the force of his will, Norwell crawled on all fours. That was still his current limit. He moved his arms. He lost his support and his forehead was buried in the snow. Without a care, he took a piece of dried meat from the pouch strapped to his waist. The small piece was all the food he had left. He brought it to his mouth. Chewed it slowly and forcefully. Biting many times. Eat, live, return home. With that in mind, Norwell chewed the meat. First, he needed to be able to take the first step. Once he took that first step, the rest would be taken care of. He’ll do whatever it takes. For that reason, eat now. Eat as much as you can. Eat and give your body strength.

Norwell swallowed the meat in one gulp, and his consciousness spread throughout his body.

His feet ―― numb to the toes. But he can move them. His knees are fine. The torso is―― safe. His stomach is struggling with its first prey in a long time. Trying to burn the flames out of its prey. His arms ―― one of his fingers hurts a little. But it’s moving, so ignore it. He can even clench his fists. Elbows and shoulders also move. It’s okay, there’s no part of the whole body that doesn’t seem to move. He can move. So move.

Norwell stood, his body shaking and screaming from the pain that raced through him. The heavy blizzard fell mercilessly upon Norwell. The sensations that had brought him back from the brink of sleep conveyed reality to Norwell’s will with harsh honesty. His body is easily intimidated. Norwell barked. He pounded his fists, jabbing all over his body. To forget about the cold with the pain, he pounded.

Wobbling, he picked up the spear that had fallen at his feet. Using it as a walking stick, he took a step forward. The hand holding the spear slipped out and fell forward. He barked again. He stood up again. He picked up his spear again and took another step. He howled. This time he clenched his spear tightly. His feet sank into the snow. He was still howling. His feet sank into the snow and he stepped harder. He stepped on the snow as if carefully checking that it was really there.

And one more step.

One step further.

Another step.

Step.

He kept walking.

He gripped the spear with one hand and the furs strapped to his body with the other. He held it tight, firmly, not caring about the exhaustion of his strength.

The furs that Faye threw from the departing sleigh.

He kept walking.

Then, at nightfall, Norwell began to dig a snow cave. His weakened arms would not lift. His fingers lost their strength and dropped his spear. Fanned by the wind, he fell. He dug while crying and screaming.

When he had dug about halfway in, Norwell realized.

There was a slightly raised mound of snow off to the side. Watching him from its shadow ―― was a snow hare.

Snow hares are very curious. When they see something moving, they tend to approach it. Due to its habit, it probably approached the unfamiliar creature―― Norwell.

Norwell stopped moving.

After quite a while, the Snow hare’s curiosity got the better of it and it came even closer to Norwell.

Norwell was battling hunger, exhaustion, pain, and impatience. His heart was beating fast. He was timing it. Failure was not an option. If he missed this chance, he would never get another. Above all, it was almost impossible to regain his energy, which would quickly fade after a failure.

Leaping against the wind, the snow hare turned behind Norwell. He prayed, “Just come around to my front”. However, the snow hare’s attention stopped there. Wait a little longer. He called upon his whole body to regain his lost strength. To regain the body of an agile hunter who never misses an opportunity, just for this moment. He waited for a dizzying amount of time.

A bouncing sound. It moves away. A shiver ran down his spine, cooling his body more than ice. Norwell even felt nauseous from the shock that went through his head.

However, the next moment, the snow hare came bouncing right beside him.

His body moved on reflex. It was his habit as a hunter. He thrusts his spear in a frenzy. The snow hare screams. A slight response. But the sound of hopping had moved away. Norwell’s eyes remembered their role and caught the back of the snow hare as it tried to escape. He tried to step out, tangling his legs. His body did not live up to the expectations of the will. His center of gravity disappeared. His body floated. He closed his eyes. Despair stung his whole body. It was as if he had lost all the blood in his body in an instant. He screamed. As he screamed, he let go of his spear. No, he threw it.

The sounds overlapped. It was the sound of Norwell falling into the snow and the screams of the snow hare.

Norwell quickly raised his head and looked for the spear. The spear has fallen a little ahead. Desperately, he tried to stand up, but his body would not move properly due to his impatience. He crawled and shoveled his way through the snow. He approached the spear.

The tip of the spear had successfully pierced through the snow hare.

Norwell clung to his small prey, lifting its body with both hands as if it were something precious. His gesture was like picking up a newborn baby.

He stared at the sky, which was about to rain down despair. He felt like he needed to show something of the spark of will that still lingered within him, the fire of life.

　

―― I will return. I will surely return, to Faye ――

　

4

　

At dawn, the day when fate would be decided, the chieftain, accompanied by a few attendants and Faye, descended to the entrance of the Permafrost. The eastern horizon is still dark, and the sky even darker. The attendants lit torches to illuminate the area around the sleigh.

Faye stepped off the sleigh and stared into the distance, catching the cold wind on her face. To the east. The path to which the man she loved would return.

Over the past week, she had grown thin and emaciated. No matter what anyone told her, she ate only one piece of dried meat a day and wouldn’t even drink water.

The snow had stopped falling, a rarity in winter, and visibility was clear.

From the top of the sleigh, the chieftain looked down at his thin, worn daughter.

　

“Miracles don’t happen,” said the chieftain, in a tone that sounded like he was trying to convince someone else.

“There is no way that young man can be a hero.”

“Father seems to have forgotten.”

　

Without pause, she retorted.

　

“Before Feld came to this land, wasn’t he just a soldier from some other nation?”

　

The chieftain was speechless at his daughter’s harsh words.

　

“Feld, an ordinary man, became a hero by crossing the Permafrost. Who can say for sure… that Norwell can’t do the same?”

　

The chieftain looked bitterly at his daughter as she spoke without looking back. His daughter’s frail back seemed to exert a silent pressure on him, and he couldn’t say anything back.

A thin light began to peek through the clouds far to the east.

With the stealthy arrival of the morning, not only the snow but also the wind lost its strength. On the contrary, beyond the horizon, even the thick clouds receded, as if giving way to the sun. In the narrow blue sky, the sun began to show its powerful and life-filled appearance.

Now the world was full of peace and tranquility.

　

“How could it be…”

　

Eyes widened in surprise, the chieftain muttered. It was hard to believe that the sun would appear on the Permafrost in the middle of winter.

　

“Miracles do happen.”

　

The chieftain involuntarily looked down at his daughter’s back.

Her back exuded a sense of dignity.

Faye’s shoulders shook once, and she did not move for a moment. After that, Faye didn’t move for a while, but then she began to tremble slightly. At the same time, the people around her raised their voices.

　

“That’s, ridiculous.”

“Th, there’s no way, this is…”

　

The chieftain shuddered at these words. He turned to the eastern horizon and again had to be astonished.

The sun was about to break through the clouds and emerge from the distant horizon. The frozen land reflected the morning sun in a straight line. It was a golden road.

In the middle of the Golden Road—

There was the figure of a man, small as a doll.

His gait was unreliable, swaying to the right, to the left, and sometimes backward. He was standing now, but he was so weak that he could have fallen at any moment. It was obvious to everyone that the man’s exhaustion was extreme, but he did not rest, but kept walking, step after step. He continued to walk, one step after another, along the golden path to where the chieftain was.

One by one, the attendants threw down their torches and bowed down to the sun.

The chieftain trembled with anger and yelled at his daughter’s back.

　

“Did you know that that man could cross the Permafrost? That he had that much strength, that much power? You knew that, and that’s why you kept your composure!”

“I didn’t know, such a thing. I just knew him.”

　

Faye trailed off, turning around, and the chieftain gasped.

Tears, which should have frozen in the cold, were trickling down Faye’s flushed cheeks.

Holding her breath, Faye squeezed the words from the bottom of her heart.

　

“I believed in him.”

　

A breeze caressed her skin.

She kicked off the ground and ran. She ran down the golden road to greet her hero. She was the only one who was qualified to do so. For that hero had nothing to do with anyone else; he was hers alone.

Now she remembered that this dawn was the moment when they had promised to embark on their journey. She knew that the promise had been fulfilled. She thought of the man with whom she had exchanged promises, love, and heart, and called his name. 　

Repeatedly, without interruption.

　

Then she heard the man’s voice calling her name from within the golden light.

　

　

《 The End 》

[Behind The Story as a Contributor]