Chapter 1. The Frozen Paradise

By. Dardarax

Note:Before I begin this story I would like to get something off of my chest: For all of you Ember haters out there, this is an Ember and Flame based story, with next to no Spyro or Cynder in it. I know that many of you out there hate Ember with a passion, but I don't see why. Yes she is annoying, and yes she constantly hits on Spyro in the original series. But why you must always use her as a punching bag for your SpyroxCynder fan fictions and I will never understand. Yes, because she hits on Spyro, she is the perfect obstacle in building the relationship between Spyro and Cynder, but it is getting old now. So I have decided to dedicate a story solely to her and Flame, and how their relationship in my story Dark Legacy formed. And since there are so few actual stories that focus on them at all, I feel it is time to break the mould, and make a story all about them. So here it is: Flames of Courage, Embers of Hope.

Disclaimer: I Dardarax, do not own Flame, Ember, Dante's Freezer, or any other character or place that belongs to the Spyro franchise. I won't be doing any more disclaimers for FC, EH as disclaimer jokes are Dark Legacy's thing. So this disclaimer applies to every chapter hence forth. Many characters featured in these chapters are of my own creation; their names will be listed at the bottom of each chapter.

The frigid wind howled, driving snow at a nearly horizontal angle across the frozen plains. The blasted, icy wasteland was white as far as the eye could see. Huge billowing clouds boiled in the sky, blotting out the afternoon sun as the blizzard raged.

Two figures battled their way through drifts of snow, and against the powerful wind. They were dragons; each wore white snow bear skins to keep warm in the arctic wasteland. The white fur blended into the arctic snow, keeping them from unwanted eyes. One of the dragons was no more than fourteen; he struggled through the snow and wind behind an adult dragon. They were tied together by a thick rope, to keep them from losing each other in the storm. Each carried two bundled packages strapped to their backs.

"How much farther to Frosthelm, father?" The young dragon cried over the wind. The young dragon's father didn't hear the call and continued forward. The young dragon tugged on the rope and tried again. This time his father turned and shouted.

"Not much farther now! See over there? That's the mountains! We're close!"

The young dragon nodded, his fur wrapped head bobbing. They trudged through the snow and ice, and slowly the mountains came into clear view. They sped up their pace as they approached, wanting to feel the warmth of their hearth over the biting chill of the cold, snowy world around them.

They reached the foot of the mountain, its sheer walls towering over them, no crevice or foothold visible. They turned right and followed the ice encrusted grey walls. After a short time they found an oddly shaped boulder, marked with blue paint. They slipped behind it and found a narrow staircase leading up the mountain. They carefully picked their way up the icy stairway.

Halfway up the young dragon slipped, nearly tumbling to his death down the rugged mountainside. His father held on to the stone, and hoisted the rope up, bit by bit. When the youngling was back on the staircase they continued climbing.

The long twisting path eventually levelled off onto a platform, which in turn led into a cave. Gratefully they moved inside, away from the wind and ice. They shook the snow that clung to their coats loose and followed the cave. After a few turns they found themselves in a colossal cavern. Below them a small village sprawled out in the belly of the mountain, and the entire cave was lit by glowing moss.

A snow fox guard jogged over to them, and pointed his spear.

"Stand and be recognized." He drawled, a lazy smile creasing his muzzle.

"Oh come on, Slick!" The adult dragon growled. "You know it is us."

"Procedure." The fox laughed, lowering his spear. The two dragons lowered their hoods, and removed their face coverings. The two were remarkably similar in appearance, with two powerful, deep red horns each that curled out of their heads. A strong muzzle, and a frill that ran down from their forehead to tail tip, their underbellies were a vibrant orange. The main difference between the two was that the young dragon's eyes were a grey in colour where the adults were a dark hazel.

"Conflagris and Flame, back from the hunt." Conflagris, the adult dragon grumbled. The fox nodded, smiling at the drake's frustrated expression.

"Good to see you sir. Do you mind me asking what you've brought?"

"I got a snow bear, and an ice boar."

"And I've got two seals!" Flame declared proudly. The fox, Slick, nodded appreciatively.

"Ooh, I have been craving some seal meat for a while now. I hope your sharing."

"I'll give you some if you share some of those stormwing eggs you've got." Flame countered. Slick grinned.

"Of course, you've got yourself a deal."

The two red fire dragons continued on their way, going down the long stone path to the village below. Conflagris sighed with relief. Here in Frosthelm, they were safe. The mountain was an unassailable fortress to any attack from Malefor's forces. The three narrow staircases that led to the village were easily defended and could simply be blocked off in case of emergency. Even an aerial assault was all but impossible on the mountain town. The strong winds and common storms that raged across the plains of ice made any such attempt a folly. Frosthelm was one of the safest havens in the land.

"Though," Conflagris thought as he and his son, Flame entered the village, "it is ridiculously dangerous to leave. Harsh weather, ice, and being as close to Dante's Freezer as we are makes it a risk to even go out for food."

He and his son moved through the stone huts of the village, and all around them the villagers greeted the returning hunters. They asked how their journey had been, if they had encountered any trouble and what had they brought back with them.

The two answered quickly, but hurried on towards their house. Their home was a squat, stone building. Its walls encrusted in moss and packed with dirt to keep the heat inside. They entered through the door made of wood and furs, and sighed with relief as the warmth washed over them.

The inside was larger than the small outside let on. It was fairly spacious, but with only three rooms. A main room, which functioned as the kitchen, dining room, and work area. The other two rooms were for the family to sleep in. One for Conflagris and his mate, and the other for Flame and his sister.

"We're home!" Conflagris called out, closing the door behind him. A light blue dragoness, several years older than Flame stepped out of one of the rooms and rushed to them, embracing the two. She was of slight build, and had the same two horns that her father and brother had, and her eyes were the same grey as Flame's but that was where the similarities ended. Her face curved into a beak, rather than a muzzle, and her underbelly was a light green to their orange.

"Oh thank the ancestors you two are alright! I heard there was a bad blizzard and couldn't help but fear the worst." She whispered, hugging the two closer together.

"We're fine Autumn," Conflagris murmured, patting her on the back, "it was just a little chilly, nothing major."

The dragoness pulled back and punched her father lightly in the gut. "Chilly my ass. The guard's water skins froze solid within minutes of going out there, and they were heated."

"How's mom doing?" Flame asked, worriedly shrugging off the packs and his fur coat.

"Better. Svellb says the fever is finally starting to abate." Autumn grunted, taking a peek at Flame's packs. "Hey nice catch there runt. Maybe you're not useless after all."

"I'm not a runt," Flame declared haughtily, "I am almost as tall as you. And I am definitely not useless. You're the useless one, all you do is sit around and knit or something like that."

"I weave blankets and clothes for the villagers," Autumn sighed, "and you will always be a runt, no matter how big you get. So get used to it."

"Settle down you two." Conflagris muttered, placing a paw on each of their shoulders. "Can we see her now?" he asked Autumn after the two finished glaring at each other.

"Yes, I'm sure Svellb won't mind." Autumn led the two into the room she had just left. Inside they found two female dragons, an ice blue who lay on a bed of pillows, and a decrepit brown who stood beside her. The ice dragoness was covered in blankets and coverings, which she tossed and turned under fitfully, occasionally coughing. Flame walked cautiously towards his mother and sat down beside her head.

The ice dragoness had four horns instead of her children's two. Her face ended in a beak like Autumn and her under belly was green. Her eyes, which at the moment were shut, where a dark grey. Svellb the healer used to have a set of six horns, but they had long since broken or fallen out. Her muzzle was filled with only a few fangs now, and her brown body was tinged with green. Her eyes were a piercing violet.

"Hey mom, I'm back. How have you been?" Flame asked gently. The ice dragoness turned towards Flame and muttered something intelligible. Flame looked up to the old healer, who shook her head.

"She's improved since last week, but her delirium is still prevalent. Did ye get what I asked for?" She directed the last question to Conflagris.

"Yes, Svellb. I have it here." The large fire dragon murmured, gesturing to the ice boar still visible through the door.

"Well harvest it then. I can't do it and prepare the poultice at the same time!" Svellb commanded in her creaky voice. She turned to a small table where a bag of herbs lay.

"Flame, Autumn, can you prepare the bear and seals for storage? I will get this beasties' spleen for Svellb."

The two siblings nodded and left the room to gather up the three carcasses. Conflagris turned back to the ice dragoness and planted a small kiss on her forehead.

"Don't worry Milona. You will get better soon. Just be patient."

Milona moaned and coughed in response, but her eyes never opened. Conflagris turned from the room and gathered up the boar.

The three dragons worked in unison, skinning, gutting and carving the meat from the bones. Flame worked on the seals he had caught, separating all of their parts into different piles. Autumn worked on the giant bear, but copied Flame in design. Conflagris moved with more intense care. Carefully carving up the stringy beast and reaching inside to root around in its guts. After several minutes of searching, he produced a slick organ, it was different from the others as it was a snow white in colour, and smelled faintly of peppermint.

Svellb swooped in and took the spleen from Conflagris. She then returned back to her herb work, clutching the spleen like it was a new born child. Finished his important task, Conflagris proceeded to carve the boar up, as his children did.

Flame was the first to finish. Taking some of the meat and organs from one of his piles, he started up a small furnace and began frying up their meal. He threw in some of the few spices they had in store with a casual motion, sprinkling the precious herbs with practiced grace.

Autumn finished next, she gathered up all of the meats from both hers and her brother's piles and left the house to store it in the back freezer, taking several trips to do so. Once she had returned, she picked up all of the hides, from both of the seals, and the bear and started tanning them.

Conflagris finished the boar not long after and put the meat away back in the freezer store room and then busied himself crafting tools from the beasts' bones and claws. Everyone busied themselves with their chores. Each worked diligently, accepting the fact that they had to work together without complaint to survive in this brutal world.

"Dad!" Flame called out to his father over the sizzling of frying meat. "Is mom going to get better soon?"

"Of course Flame," Conflagris said, tying a thick bear claw to a wide bone to make an ice pick, "she will be up and well before you know it."

"It's just that ever since she got hit with that poison arrow, she has barely left bed. I am starting to worry that…"

"Flame!" Autumn scolded, looking up from her tanning and glaring at her brother. "She is going to get better!"

Flame sighed and returned to his cooking.

Svellb finished grinding the snow white spleen of the ice boar into a thick paste and carefully scooped it into a bowl. Then, taking the mixture of herbs she had prepared while waiting for the spleen to be harvested, she poured the paste into the mixture and started to stir them together. They blended easily into a greyish slop.

The old, brown earth dragoness healer shuffled over to the bed Milona lay upon and pulled the blanket away. A thick, white bandage covered one of her forelegs. Placing the bowl down on a small bedside table, Svellb peeled the bandage back. She grimaced at both the sight and the smell. The wound beneath was a sickly sight, puffy flesh oozed pus, the ice blue scales were falling away from the dying skin like leaves from a tree.

"Ach, I had hoped my earlier poultice would have slowed the venom down."

Taking a small knife in her paw, Svellb carefully cut away the dead flesh, peeling away the rot to reveal the clean wound beneath. Taking the bowl of grey sludge in one paw, and turning the sleeping dragoness over, she slowly poured the mixture onto the wound.

The effect was immediate; Milona cried out in pain and jerked away from the healer. Instantly Conflagris was in the room.

"What was that! What is going on?" He roared a look of distress over his features.

"Hold her down!" Svellb commanded, trying to keep the writhing ice dragoness still as she continued to apply the medicine. Conflagris looked between the healer and his mate, wavering.

"Do ye want to save her or not!" Svellb growled, just managing to keep hold of the bowl after Milona hit it with her flailing paws. Conflagris ran over and forced Milona back on to the bed, whispering sweet nonsense to her.

With her patient back under control, Svellb poured the rest of the concoction onto the wound. The mixture bubbled as if boiling over the wound.

"What is it doing?" Conflagris asked, panicked. Flame and Autumn appeared at the door, worried.

"The ice boar's spleen, when mixed with certain herbs is known to be able to kill off most kinds of poison." Svellb grunted, taking a clean bandage and wrapping it over the wound. "This should purge the venom and save her life."

"SHOULD!"

"There is always room for maybes in medicine. But it is her best chance for survival. The only other option would have been to remover her leg. Do ye want that instead?"

"Well, no…"

"Then be silent!" Svellb hissed. She finished tying the bandage on and backed away. "I will remove the bandage in two hours' time, and clean out the wound. If it hasn't finished purging the poison by then, then there is no hope of her keeping her leg. Until then… Is that seal nuggets I smell?"

Svellb limped out of the room and eyed the pan of frying meat eagerly.

"Yes ma'am." Flame nodded, walking over and moving the pan from the furnace. "Do you want some?" He asked, offering her the pan. Without replying Svellb picked a nugget from the pan and popped it into her mouth.

"Mm. Young Flame, ye are as excellent a cook as your mother." Svellb sighed after swallowing the treat.

"Thanks." Flame blushed, putting the pan down on the table. Conflagris and Autumn joined Flame and Svellb in the main room, and sat down for their meal. When each had taken their fill of the crispy seal nuggets, Conflagris cleared his throat to speak the moment of grace.

"We thank you, dear ancestors, for giving us this chance at life. Were it not for you, we would never have emerged in this world, so ripe with life. Even in these dark times, even in the harshest of lands we thrive, because you gave us the will to live. So we thank you, dear ancestors, for your sacrifices, and your dreams, and for your sweat and blood, for it is what let us live this day. You have passed the torch, and we will continue the struggle. Be at peace."

"Be at peace." Autumn, Flame and Svellb intoned once the fire dragon had finished, bowing their heads. And with the meal finished, and the night bells ringing, they set off to bed. Svellb and Conflagris returned to Milona's side to watch over her, while Flame and Autumn returned to their beds, for their night's rest.

"Come on, get up!" An anxious voice cut through Flame's dream of cheese muffin surprise and he woke with a start. He sat up blearily, blinking several times to clear his vision. Autumn stood above him, the ice dragoness's face inches away from his. He started back in alarm.

"What!" He cried in shock, and then yawned tiredly.

"Mom's awake." Autumn whispered, excitedly. Flame's exhaustion instantly vanished, replaced by nervous excitement.

"Is she alright?"

"See for yourself." Autumn snickered, leading Flame from his room and into their parent's room. Conflagris sat next to Milona, a look of relief on his face. Svellb sat on the other side of the bed, examining the wound beneath the bandage. Milona's eyes were half open, and she spoke weakly with her mate.

"Mom!" Flame cried out in joy and rushed over to her side, grinning. Milona turned her eyes to Flame and smiled warmly.

"Morning Flame, how was your sleep?"

Flame embraced her, all but throwing himself onto the bed. "I'm so happy you're okay! We've been so worried!" Flame wept, burying his face into her shoulder.

"Flame," Conflagris scolded, shaking his head, "she is still not well. Don't go tackling your mother while she is trying to recover."

"Oh shush now, Conflagris," Milona chided, hugging Flame back, "it has been a long time since I have gotten to hug our babies."

"Oh come on mom, I am not a dragonling anymore." Flame complained, releasing Milona and climbing off of the bed.

"So I hear! Two seals. Why Autumn was about your age when she caught her first all by herself."

"Mother! Don't tell him that!" Autumn whined, stepping up beside Flame. Her fire dragon brother glanced over at her, a smug smirk of superiority on his face. Autumn sighed. "Great now look at what you've done…"

"Come here honey," Milona smiled, "I need a hug from you too."

Autumn complied, a childish grin creeping onto her face.

"The injury is healing smoothly." Svellb declared, replacing the bandage. "The swelling has gone down and it looks like the poison has disappeared. I suspect another week in bed and ye will be able to get back to your normal lives."

"Thank goodness." Conflagris exclaimed tiredly.

"However," Svellb declared, cutting off the cries of delight, "it would heal much faster, and with less complications if I had some life crystals. Me stock ran out a few days ago when a group of hunters came back from an expedition into Dante's Freezer."

Milona and Conflagris looked at her nervously. Svellb continued on, seeing their hesitation.

"I was going to request another group to go out and resupply, but I have been too busy with Milona here. With the poison gone, I can use life crystals to close the wound, but I need someone to go out for some. If ye would be so kind as to gather some for me, I would gladly heal the wound, and leave ye some to spare."

Conflagris and Milona eyed each other with concern. The nearest crystal garden was dangerously close to Dante's Freezer. By going to get some they risked attack from the numerous predators that lurked there.

"You don't have to go." Milona whispered. "My wound will heal regardless, I will be fine."

"But with no life crystals in stock every dragon here is at risk." Conflagris argued. "And like she said, there is always the possibility for complications in healing. Your wound could become infected while we wait. Plus she promised to give us some; we could use a supply of our own. Think how much safer we will be while out hunting if we had life crystals to heal our wounds."

Milona relented. "Alright, but just be careful, I don't want to recover only to lose you while on a pointless quest to make me heal faster."

Conflagris nodded in promise, and pecked her on the forehead with a kiss. "I will head out immediately. I'll return with two sacks of crystals, Svellb. Your stock will have plenty to spare."

Svellb nodded in thanks.

"Can I come too, dad?" Flame asked, perking up at the thought of and adventure.

"No Flame, it will be too dangerous."

"But I am a great fighter! You said so yourself. Plus I could carry another sack; we could bring back more crystals. Please dad, I really want to help."

Flame looked at his father, eyes pleading, Conflagris sighed. "Fine! But you have to stay away from as much fighting as possible; if you have to run away, then head straight back to home. I can take care of myself, so no heroics."

Flame nodded, realising this was the best offer he would get.

"We will leave immediately." Conflagris reaffirmed, and then he moved close to his mate and kissed her gently on the snout. He then turned and left the room. Kissing his daughter on the head as he headed out. Flame moved to follow, but Milona stopped him.

"Just be careful Flame, I don't want to lose you either."

"Don't worry mom, I will be fine." Flame promised. He kissed his mom on the cheek, and hugged Autumn goodbye. "I love you!" Flame called as he left the room.

The two hunters packed up all of their supplies, donning their many furs and collecting their survival gear. Once the two were prepared, the set off, promising to return soon. They hurried out of the mountain village, and took off into the now clear skies. They had no idea what was coming from the south; no idea that their lives would be changed forever. No idea that their frozen paradise would be wreathed in flames.

Characters created by Dardarax:

Conflagris

Milona

Autumn

Svellb

Slick

This was rather short considering the time it took to bring out. But since I had also been doing a great many other things at the time, I feel content. It was originally going to be longer, but I realised this was the best place to end it for now, especially with that dramatic ending. ;)

In case you are wondering no this is not the second resurrection; it takes place before that, six years before that. In fact, this chapter takes place just before the end of DotD. This will be a full length story, not a flimsy short one, and I think I will update this every two chapters I update on Dark Legacy. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was fun to write, but things heat up (literally) in chapter two, so bring some burn salve. :P