White as far as the eye could see. It stretched across the land like a blanket, covering every feature in silver powder and bleaching it clean. Mountains, valleys, plains, and rivers alike, were all subject to the frozen fate which encased them. No one could remember a time without the snow. No one had lived before a time without cold and ice. Every member of the race of men lived subject to the frigid weather. Every man was doomed to dwell forever in the white.

   On the border of the great Elf forest of Aleumdaum lay a frozen lake. The ice was thick, never once being defrosted. The lake hugged the forest, winding alongside it for miles before narrowing into a cold flowing river. Upon the lake lay a village of men. The village was built atop the thick ice and shared its name with the water feature on which it were constructed; Eoleum.

    Few men still dwelled in the frozen town of Eoleum, for the town sat too close to the Elven Realm. Eoleum’s rickety, dark wood structures and gang ways were poor protection against the silvery snow that blew in from Aleumdaum. The town was weathered and deteriorating. Only desperate men remained in such a place, men with nothing left to live for but the food on their plates and the drink in their cups. There was no warmth in Eoleum except the fires burning in the hearths of its humble dwellings and the thick furs that covered the back of its citizens.

     “I can feel the wind in my bones today,” Donghae groaned as he stood watch on one of the narrow gangways that lined Eoleum. “It’s getting colder.”

   A single figure in the snow covered morning, Donghae clutched his thick grey fur pelt closer to his body and pulled the hood of his cloak over his short brown hair covered head. His dark eyes watched the forest across the frozen water with disinterest. Though, he was charged with guarding the town from what lay beyond the trees, Donghae was not worried. No one had seen an Elf in over a hundred years. Keeping watch of the forest was not a necessity any longer, but the citizens of Eoleum feared what may happen when they stopped watching the trees.

    “The sun rose long ago, Donghae.” A soft voice sounded over the shivering guard’s shoulder. “You can stop watching.”

    “I have to wait for someone to come take my place.” Donghae argued, glancing at the man next to him before shifting his gaze back towards the forest. “How are you this morning, HanGeng?”

    “Cold,” HanGeng answered with a soft chuckle, “I think the temperature is dropping. Something has to be done about this weather. If it keeps getting colder, not even the fires will keep us warm.”

    Daring to look away from the woodlands, Donghae gave his friend a concerned look. HanGeng stared back at him, his gentle eyes empathetic to the younger man’s fear. For a guard, Donghae was easily alarmed. Like many of Eoleum’s residents, he lived in fear of the snow and what it meant to their existence. Running a hand through his short black hair, HanGeng pulled his fur lined hood over his head and tried to smile at his friend.

    “We cannot change the weather, Donghae. All we can do is endure it.”

    “That’s not true,” Donghae argued, “What if the weather can be changed? What if we can bring life to Eoleum again?”

    “Your speaking nonsense,” HanGeng dismissed, “You’ve been standing out in the cold too long. Your mind has frozen over.”

    “But, you have heard the legends of the Elven King, right?”

    “Donghae, those are stories told to children to explain the way the world works.”

    “No, they’re true. My mother read them to me as a child and her mother read them to her. The stories are ancient, HanGeng. What if they are rooted in truth?”

    “What is rooted in truth?” A new voice asked along with the sound of approaching footsteps on snow covered planks.

    “Donghae’s just being childish again,” HanGeng informed, looking up as Donghae’s shift relief made his way towards him. “Kangin, you’re late. You were supposed to relieve him at sunrise.”

    “It took time getting out of bed this morning,” the stocky guard with a gentle smile and dark close shaven hair informed. “The fire felt too good and my blanket was too thick to abandon for standing in a blizzard.”

    “You believe in the stories, don’t you?” Donghae asked as Kangin came to stop next to them. “Your mother read you the stories of the Elves, right?”

    “Yes, she read them to me.” Kangin confirmed, “But, they’re just stories Hae.”

    “I guess,” Donghae pouted, “But, there’s no other way to explain the snow. It blows in from Aleumdaum like an unnatural storm. Why else would it come from the forest if not for the reasons we were told?”

    “I cannot begin to explain the weather,” Kangin dismissed, “All we can do is endure it.”

    Giving up on convincing his friends, Donghae turned back towards the forest and let out a frustrated sigh. Even if the others didn’t believe in the snow legends, he would always believe. Donghae trusted the words of his late mother and refused to think they were just children’s tales. The snows of Aleumdaum were unnatural. There was no other explanation for them than the legends.

   The snow legends had been passed down for generations. They stretched so far back that none who lived knew any who had been alive when they occurred. According to the legends, the land had not always been blanketed in white. The weather had changed with the seasons. There had been a summer full of heat and a boiling sun, a spring with mild weather and green trees, a fall full of yellow leaves, and a winter covered in snow. Eoleum was not always a desolate place upon a frozen lake. It had been a fishing village, full of life and color.

    Men lived peacefully upon the earth and Elves had walked the lush green forests. According to the stories, it was the Elves magic that controlled the seasons. They sent them across the land from their beautiful Aleumdaum like a wave, each season serving a purpose on to the land and each one occurring on schedule. The Elven King of Aleumdaum was the keeper of the seasons. Only he could control when they turned and how long they would last.

   Leaders of men left tribute to the Elven King at the boarders of Aleumdaum in order to curry his favor. Though, the leaders left great wealth for the Elves, few of the tributes were ever taken, and the Elves were rarely seen. The realms of man and Elf remained as separate then as they do now, leading men to concoct stories of the creatures of the wood.

    According to the legend, late one winter when it was time for spring to come, the forest went quiet. Instead of a gust of warm air being sent to thaw the land, more snow was showered down upon it. With no explanation or reason, the Elven King refused to usher in a new season. Instead, he left the land stuck in winter. Confused and angered by the Elves, the leaders of men sent armies into Aleumdaum. A war was fought with the Elves of the forest. Many men perished in the woods, most never returning from them. Eoleum was abandoned by its people, for they feared the Elven warriors hidden in the trees and could not endure the constant flow of snow.

    “The story says that the weather is tied to the Elven King’s emotions,” Donghae whispered, not giving up on his belief. “It says that something tragic happened to the King that winter and when the armies of men invaded his realm, he was angered by their arrogance. So, he left us to suffer in the cold for our insensitivity.”

    “Donghae, no one has ever seen the land not covered in ice. How do we even know that seasons existed?” HanGeng pointed out, “How do we even know there are Elves in Aleumdaum?”

    “They’re there,” Donghae answered, his eyes narrowing as if he could see them. “We would not keep watch if they were not.”

    “What are you suggesting?” Kangin questioned, leaning on his staff as he spoke. “Why bring up the legends now?”

    “Men are without leaders now,” Donghae began, “We live as tribes, scattered throughout the world.”

   “So?”

   “What if someone was to enter Aleumdaum again?” Donghae continued, “What if someone met with the Elvin King?”

    “And what would that do?” HanGeng inquired with a scoff, “If Elves exist, they would kill whoever tried to enter the forest.”

    “Something happened to cause the snow to stay. I want to find out what it was.” Donghae spoke, his voice soft. “I can’t just spend my life enduring the cold. What kind of life is that? I want to see them.”

    “See who?” Kangin asked, sounding worried.

    “The Elves,”

_______________________________________________________________________________

COMMENTS = FASTER UPDATES!