Cold Vengeance

At the dawn, a lone man stands in the middle of a frozen pond, snow gently falling around him. His white skin and blond hair is hidden from view and the cold by a hooded cloak draped around him. He thinks back to simpler, happier times when he and his beloved planned their life to be upon a nearby bank.

His name was Cristian and his beloved was Naomi. He had come as a man of science and medicine to the Eastern land as part of a missionary group. In this capacity, he worked with a local temple priest and physcian, a man by the name of Shinji, from whom he learnt of their ways to treat and help. It was during this time, he encountered Naomi, a beautiful young woman with raven black hair and green eyes.

She was a Makiyoto of the provincial ruling family and her pursuit of learning and service to others was what brought her to help at the temple. Her father was lord of the province. Knowledge about Cristian reached her father’s ears and he encouraged her to learn from the foreigner.

Their first few encounters were awkward due to the language barrier but their shared work at the temple brought them together and, as such, she introduced him to her world as much as he introduced her to his, sharing experiences, beliefs and knowledge.

Eventually, love blossomed and Cristian was tolerated if not welcomed by most of Naomi’s family except her brother. He was of the warrior class and treated Cristian with barely concealed disdain. Regardless of the brother, thanks to commendation from Shinji, soon talks within the family turned to the possibility of marriage.

It was all for naught however, when the country announced an edict to expel all foreigners from their shores. The penalty for any who dared to stay was death.

Their time together short, Cristian went with Naomi in secret to the priest Shinji so they could be wed before Cristian had to leave. The priest acquiesced to their wishes for he respected and valued them both as friends.

Cristian asked the priest to watch over Naomi, while, knowing he could not live in this land, he would secure a home away on the other side of the great sea.

With a tearful farewell, husband and wife separated, him standing in a boat and her on the shore, watching as the distance between them grew.

A scrape nearby brought Cristian out of his reminiscence.

“I had heard word you were seen about and think it is not a coincidence of the timing. I didn’t think you could be again as stupid to return here, foreigner. You know the penalty for those of your kind who would set foot in these lands again.”

Cristian turned to the source of the voice, a figure standing on the edge of the pond. It belonged to Okami, Naomi’s brother.

Okami was similarly attired for the cold weather, with one hand on the pommel of the sword at this waist, the other stroking his chin. His lupine face tightened as he squinted at Cristian. “Why are you here?”

Cristian realised Okami had seen the hilt of the sword under his cloak, a ribbon of red silk tied to the lacquered scabbard. Keeping his hands well away from the sword and his eyes well on Okami, he slowly produced a scroll case from under his cloak, similarly adorned with red silk.

“Where did you get that?” Okami asked, his eyes focused on the red silk, familiar with his sister’s work.

Cristian whipped the case out towards Okami.

His aim was true but Okami stepped to one side has free hand caught the case, the other not moving from the pommel.

“Read it.” demanded Cristian.

Okami untied the ribbon holding the case together, letting the red silk fall to ground as he took out the rolled up scroll within. He started to read the characters upon it when Cristian spoke.

I go to avenge.

Upon the pond where she fell

Honour and duty

“Pretty words but poorly executed, foreigner, but if this is about my sister, she took her life rather than live with the disgrace she brought upon the family for her….. association with you.” Okami smiled cruelly as he turned his head to the side. “But it won’t be long before you join her, I wager.”

Muffled sounds of approaching steps were heard above the low wind.

Cristian put a hand to the pommel of his sword, angrily speaking. “Naomi would not take her own life.”

“You did not truly know Naomi or our customs then, foreigner.” Okami chuckled.

“She believed as I did.” replied Cristian.

Okami glared at Cristian, as he drew his blade partway. “You have no right to further dishonour my family further by such insinuations.”

“I have every right.” said Cristian, calmly. “She was my wife.”

The sound of the wind was quietened as Okami drew his sword and roared. “I will have your head before you will spread such lies.” He raised his blade as he readied to come towards Cristian.

“Enough.” A loud patrician voice cut through.

Both men turned and saw Lord Makiyoto, some of his guardsmen and the priest Shinji coming towards the pond. In the lord’s hand was another rolled up scroll.

Lord Makiyoto turned to face Okami. “I have heard an interesting tale and revision of the one you gave this time last year, my son.”

“Father…..” started Okami, before a raised hand from the lord stopped him.

“The good priest here tells me of a story of my daughter, upon being threatened by my son and her brother, intended to run away to live with my unbeknownst son-in-law.” The lord spoke with concealed anger. “She feared enough that in case of her death, she left a token and word with the priest to find her husband so that the truth of her demise could be brought to light.”

“Whatever you were told, they are lies, father.” replied Okami.

“This.” Lord Makiyoto opened the scroll. “tells otherwise….. words written by Naomi’s hand and given to the priest for safe keeping.”

The Little Wolf demands

End family dishonour

I go to my fate

Okami looked fearfully surprised at his father’s recital.

“This was given to the priest on the same day of her death. What did my daughter ask of you, good priest?” Lord Makiyoto gestured to the priest to step forward.

“Naomi gave me that scroll and her red silk with the warning that if she happens to suddenly pass, it will be at the hands of Okami. If that happens, I was instructed to go find Cristian, bring him back and engage Lord Makiyoto.” said the priest.

Lord Makiyoto rounded to his son. “You told me that she had drowned herself.”

Okami appeared to shrink against that and stammered. “Yes, she did to save our family from dishonour.”

“In my grief, I never cared to hear or read the physician’s findings but I did so today, a year after her death. A physician who, mind you, also disappeared I recall.” Lord Makiyoto continued. “So imagine my surprise that his findings were found hidden in your room when we searched it. There were marks on her neck and no water in her lungs. Death was by strangulation rather than drowning.”

Okami looked in near panic, as he recognised the document in the priest’s hand, but then turned to Cristian. “The government imposed an edict, father. The foreigner must die.”

“You dare to remind me?” Lord Makiyoto turned to the guards. “If my son tries to flee, shoot him.”

Okami paled.

Cristian had listened to the exchange impassively from the creaking icy surface of the pond. He saw the lord turn to him and speak. “The documents, the priest’s testimony and my son’s lie damns him as guilty. I have been robbed of a daughter, however if all the priest words are true, you have been robbed of your wife.”

Cristian nodded.

“What is it you wish to be done?” asked Lord Makiyoto.

“My beliefs speak that to do onto other’s as you would have them do onto you.” spoke Cristian.

“Vengeance then?”

“Yes.” replied Cristian, his hand drawing his blade.

“Very well.” Lord Makiyoto commanded. “If my son does not step onto the ice, shoot him.”

Okami turned to his father but only saw condemnation. He turned to Cristian and slowly, carefully walked out onto the ice. “I hope someone showed you how to use that without hurting yourself.”

“I have been shown.” Cristian said, nodding to the priest.

Noting the exchange, Okami turned to the priest who simply said. “I was not always a man of peace and religion.”

Okami took position in front of Cristian. “Well, it would be irony for a husband to die at same place where his wife died as well.” He raised his sword, while Cristian pointed his to touch the ice.

They stood there, face to face, on the frozen pond, as the snow started to swirl around them.

Time ticked past before, suddenly, Okami charged at Cristian, who simply spun away to the left, scraping up the ice of the pond into the air, straight into Okami’s path.

Somewhat distracted, Okami lashed out to the right, which Cristian simply weaved back away before charging back in and around Okami’s right and back.

Okami recovered and stepped forward before spinning around to face Cristian, only to find more ice flying up and around him as Cristian continued to move in an arc around Okami, blade still scraping up the ice.

Following the path of the arc, Okami stepped right and swung at where he expected Cristian’s mid-section to be, only to see Cristian tucked his blade to his side as he dropped to his knees and slid under Okami’s oncoming blade.

Okami yelped as he tried to quickly turn and stab the blade down only to have his feet slip out from under him. As he fell, he saw Cristian stick his blade in the ice and used it to be pivot around to face him.

He fell to ice on his back hard as his sword struck the ice, ripping itself from his grip and bounce away. He turned over to his hands and feet, feeling the ice crack under him. He raised his head to Cristian only to see the blade close to his face.

“To save yourself further dishonour, do you admit to killing Naomi?” asked Cristian.

They both heard the drawing back of arrows on bows. “Alright, I admit that I killed her with my bare hands.” confessed Okami. “Now kill me as you must.”

Cristian saw the lord gesture. The guards put their bows down. He nodded to Cristian.

Speaking to both men, Cristian said. “As much as I would wish it, I cannot. My beliefs also speak that I shalt not kill.” He stuck the sword down in the ice.

Okami move his right foot under him, only for the ice to crack more. He looked around and realised he was where Cristian had started and all the cuts and scrapes to the ice had made it inevitable to completely break into the pond below if he were to move suddenly.

Sensing his understanding of his situation, Cristian said. “I leave you to your fate.” He was about to walk away when he heard Lord Makiyoto speak to the guards. “You have seen nothing. The foreigner was never here.” He nodded to Cristian, who bowed in return.

He turned away from Lord Makiyoto and Okami. He heard a snarl and scrape on the ice, followed by a tremendous echoing crack as the ice broke. The snarl cut short as if its source had struck something and was silenced.

Cristian did not turn around, the sound of steps moving away and ice creaking and bobbing in the pond diminishing as Cristian walked away.

Soon, there was only the silent snow.