The Girl Who Kept Winter

Chapter 1: It Began With A Kiss

Chapter 1: It Began With A Kiss

The long-awaited wedding of the town magistrate's dear son had become a funeral.

A sumptuous wedding feast had been prepared; the town was bright and beautiful beneath the colorful flags and resplendent flowers that had been used as decorations. A splendid dress had been carried to the bride's home. Vinh Phuc, the magistrate's son, was about to marry Dong Tu, the eldest daughter of the Luu family. This meant the most well-reputed dojo in the district would firmly be under the magistrate's control--and that the magistrate would finally be freed from the doubt of whether the Luu family, who had always appeared to run a well-respected dojo, was actually connected to a secret, criminal underworld: the Whispered World.

Luu Dong Tu was one of the most beautiful girls in the region, and a skilled martial artist, but that wasn't why the magistrate's spoiled son wanted her. Vinh Phuc and Dong Tu had met by chance, and after receiving a sudden (but well-deserved) slap from Dong Tu, he had decided that he would have her as his wife, whatever the cost...if only so that he could force this unruly girl to bring him warm towels and wash his feet every day.

But that was not to be: on the day of the wedding, Dong Tu died. Well and truly. Cold. Stiff. Dead.

The bride's family had obviously been trying to conceal something: they had stopped allowing the bridegroom's family to see her about a week before. Only when the magistrate made a fuss did they confess that Dong Tu had gone to guard a delivery being sent to the neighboring district, and that she would not return until closer to the wedding day.

Believing Dong Tu's father had lied to help his daughter flee the arranged marriage, the magistrate seized the family's property: the Luu's dojo was surrounded by muscled henchmen for five days, the soldiers waiting impatiently for the family to give them a reason to strike. They would kill everyone if given the chance, under the pretense of preventing an uprising against the government: the magistrate would not have himself be made into a fool.

The shipment Dong Tu had escorted arrived safely, and the recipient confirmed that Dong Tu had begun the journey home, assuring the magistrate that she had left in a hurry so she could make it home in time for the wedding. But five days later, there was no sign of the delivery team. The transport package had arrived, but the team had disappeared.

The magistrate's soldiers combed through all the neighboring villages, but came back empty-handed. It was as though they had evaporated into thin air.

Dong Tu's father swore on his life that she would return before the wedding, and resolutely went on with the wedding preparations as if nothing had happened. Miraculously enough, on the morning of the wedding, the ten guards sent with the delivery returned with Dong Tu still among them.

They could not hide their sickly, sallow skin, and several members had vomited upon arrival, but neither they nor Dong Tu--who was covered in dried blood, though none of them had suffered any serious injury--offered any explanation. Instead she quietly washed the blood from her body, put on her wedding dress and makeup, and prepared herself.

The magistrate's council finally released the order to surround the Luu's dojo, and the marriage was set to proceed as planned.

Just as the ceremony was about to start, Dong Tu said she was feeling lightheaded and needed a sip of tea. With only one sip her face drained of color and she swayed, her beautiful gown fluttering around her; she hit the floor before anyone could catch her, and no matter how hard the family and guests tried to revive her, she would not wake.

Dong Tu's already sickly pale face had drained of all color by the time the physician arrived. Her lips had faded to a chilling gray, her breathing had stopped, and he could feel no pulse.