The King of Winter

“No - I cannot be defeated! Not by mortals and certainly not by you! Noooo!!!!!”

23 years, 6 months, 3 days, 11 hours, 2 minutes, 9 seconds into the future. You scream. The sword is pluged into your cold flesh, you soul wrenched from its coccoon and confined to the blade.

At the same time, now you sit before me, asking me about your future. 3 years ago right now, you became the Pirate King. 7 years ago, you took in a child. 4 years from now you will cast him out. 23 years, 6 months, 3 days, 11 hours, 2 minutes and 2 seconds from now, he will stab you with his blade, you chill blood burning his hands.

Six minutes ago, you walk into my shack, 73 months from now, your wife leaves you. 3 Years, 11 months ago, you stole a royal family, the feat that would eventually lead to you becoming the Pirate King. 2 Years ago, a blizzard of your creation wipes out all life on the fragments owned by the Maratha Empire. Their empty palaces become your temporary dwelling. Meanwhile, yesterday, you grew anxious, you resolved to know your future.

3 Years, 10 moths ago, you slay the dread pirate Edward Learn in single duel, his frozen corpse tumbles into the mists, his mind, still alive, posesses your adopted son.

3 years, 11 months, 26 days from now, your son challenges you to a duel for the title of Pirate King, he is defeated and spends 4 days in prison before being exiled to carve out his own empire.

11 minutes from now, you will walk out of my shack, though you will know your future, you will not be able to change it, nor will you have any memory of your visit. You will feel something, but be unable to recall exactly what. 6 Years from now, you stand in this spot, wondering you feel drawn to this place, suddenly in the grip of fear for what the future will bring, though you know that 23 years, 6 months, 3 days, 11 hours, 3 minutes, 8 seconds your blood spills on the deck of the Cold Heart, your crew looks on.

23 years, 6 months, 4 days, 11 hours from now, they swear allegiance to your son, much as they do 3 years ago to you, on the deck of the same ship.

15 years from now, you get bored and spend 7 months, 2 days working on a trading vessel as a deckhand. Nobody suspects anything.

For 26 years, you reign as Pirate King. For over 1257 years, mothers will terrify their children with tales of the King of Winter. For over 1257 years, mention of Cold Heart will strike terror into the hearts of even hardened sailors. For over 1257 years, sailing through cold weather could paralyse grown men with fear. For 30 years, people will Kneel to You, King of Winter, Pirate King, Captain of the Black Heart. Now get out of my shack.