Prologue: News from a Land of Snow and Ice

"You speak of a land with dogs as big as horses, fish that fly freely in the sky, and a nature that changes in a heartbeat?"

"Yes, my lord."

"You are too precious, haha! Council members, listen to this novel. News from the north, he says!"

The king is a happy man. Always at the expense of others. But still, I love watching those council meetings in the throne room from my hide out. Especially those few meetings maybe once every three to four years between my uncle and the king. My uncle is an explorer. He travels north, into the land no others dare to set foot. Across the vast ocean, over the icy hills and the fields of endless nothingness towards the wild, wild jungle, followed by mountains so high that one can only see the feet of the mountain range – unless a clear day lets man sneak a peak to the top. Only one such picture from afar has been captured. But it clearly shows the majestic height of the tallest of mountains, surpassing all the others in the whole region tenfold: the mountain of the majesty. The king wants to claim it for his own, and as per right, the whole territory.

"So, what is it this time?" The king has stopped laughing. The council members who had joined him halfhearted, stop at once as well. "What is your lousy excuse for failing your task to reach the top of my mountain? I thought you liked hiking."

"My lord, it was not my intention to fail, however, we were attacked by invisible man, and my team and I were forced to turn back –"

"There you have it, council members. He turned back. Once again, defying my order. He must think I am a joke, just like our brothers in the west." He laughs again, but this time with a bitter undertone. Only one unfortunate soul follows his example. He will not have the chance to join another such council meeting in the future.

Yes, our 'western brothers' as the king sometimes calls them, are the people of our neighboring nation. It is so big that it reaches around the globe and touches our small nation on both borders, so it is actually quite nonsensical to call them "western" and the people of our little nation "eastern"…still, it is the way things are. We have a tribute relation to our "big brother" in the West, who in turn is supposed to take care of us for getting raw materials and other resources from our nation. Refusal from our side would mean defiance and thus be equivalent to a declaration of war. We'd be crushed in an instant. The king knows that all too well. That is probably why he is so set on taking over the northern region.

"You have returned yesterday, have you?" The king now asks with no interest in his voice.

"Yes, my lord."

"Then you shall rest today. I am sure you must be tired and exhausted from your travels. Make sure to drink until you drop and enjoy the festivities I shall prepare personally for you this evening."

"Your grace is immeasurable, my lord."

"Then you shall leave tomorrow anew."

"My lord?" Even the council members exchange glances. I grab hold of the rail and lean forward to see the faces below better. "Tell me you are joking!"

"I am not in the mood for jokes, no."

"My men are exhausted! Half of them died on the way, the other half hasn't seen their families for a year. They are starved and need more rest than just a few days! You can't be thinking about sending them out there again! They are all as good as dead!"

"Then so be it."

"Brother!"

"I am your king! Show me the respect I deserve if you don't want this room to turn into your final resting place!"

"You are sending me to my death anyway!"

"Then why do you keep coming back alive?!"

The room grows quiet. The enraged men glare at each other and heavy breaths disturb the silence softly. A rustle of precious cloth, the screeching noise of wood scraping over the polished stone, and then a young council member takes his stand.

"Dear uncle, I am sure my father does not wish you harm, instead he wishes for your success with all his heart. I am sure you understand the situation we all are in and will do your part as a loyal subject of this nation, won't you, uncle?"

"Of course." My uncle nodded, still breathing heavily, but looking deliberately more calm than before.

"How about this: as a sign of our trust in your success this time around, we will send our support by providing you with the newest technology in our kingdom, more manpower, and a special representative who will be in charge of capturing every moment of your heroic journey for future references."

"May I ask who you are thinking of as special representative?" My uncle asks.

"Oh, well I am not sure, but if I may be as bold as to make a recommendation: I would nominate the most capable of such a heroic task: Bao."

I freeze. Who?

"Who? Fatty?" The king was as surprised as I. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Not far, father. Not far at all. Isn't that right, Bao?"

I fear the worst.

The youngest council member looks up at me. "Why don't you come down here to join the discussion like an adult?"

Suddenly all eyes are on me. I catch whispers in the back, among the other council members. I swallow. Then I descend down the stairs on shaky legs to face my father and my brother for the last time in my life.