Author's Notes: Before we begin, I'd just like to give an honorary mention to a certain guest who commented on chapters 13 and 16 of Frozen Flames. Your words were so kind, so open-minded, so friendly and well-meant that it truly touched my heart. Thank you for those two reviews. No, really, thank you.

Anyway, as promised, here's the reboot/rewrite of Frozen Flames! I can only hope that it turns out far better than the original. Considering that's not such a high bar, well... we'll see.

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS IMPLIED TORTURE AND DARK THEMES.

The waiting was the worst part. Not the cracking of the whip as they "persuaded" his dam to obey them, not the knowledge that this was all his fault, but that he was forced to sit and wait for the inevitable. His only ray of light in this nightmare was that the time it took his dam to agree to check the weather grew shorter and shorter, which meant Adlyn was hurt less and less.

Small consolation, indeed, but at the moment, Starfrost would take it. These humans, they were worse than the predators his dam had warned him of when he was still a hatchling. At least they were merciful enough to kill their victims in the name of survival. The humans of this island were so much crueler, with so little purpose. Why would they willingly hurt others of their own kind for no reason? Even his dam's explanation, that humans made no sense, wasn't enough.

And they call us monsters.

Rumbling caught his attention, the feel of several pairs of feet stomping down the cold stone hall towards his cell, and Starfrost tensed. Was it over already? Had Frostwave conceded before too much damage could be done to her soul-sister? All he could do was wait.

The scent-taste was the first thing he picked up about Adlyn's condition. Fresh wounds, with the faint trace of blood underneath; fear, so much fear; more pain than he had ever sensed before; it all combined into one horrifying image in his mind. They had hurt Adlyn far more than before, in a far shorter period.

The humans stopped before the cell door, a younger male marked with a yellow diamond holding Adlyn up, to Starfrost's displeasure. One male unlocked the door, and while the diamond-male led Adlyn in and began tending to the latest wounds, Starfrost rapidly scraped the bone at the end of his tail across the stony surface. A warning to the diamond-male, one that he always gave, despite his inability to carry it out. One that was always ignored.

It took longer than normal, perhaps because her wounds were more severe than usual, but once the diamond-male was done, the monster-humans locked Adlyn and Starfrost in the cell again and left. Once the vibrations of their steps faded away, the Silver Horror slithered over and spread a wing over Adlyn's body, careful not to touch her back.

"They hurt you more," he rumbled, and the young female nodded slightly. "Why?"

"Frostwave told them about a storm to the south."

"I don't see why that's bad."

"It happened about a week ago. They weren't very happy about missing their chance."

Starfrost was silent; there were no words for this that he hadn't already said. Adlyn seemed to accept this as her cue to sleep and recover, and curled her limbs beneath her body. Ever so loosely, the Silver Horror coiled around her compact figure, letting the heat radiating from him warm the female. Adlyn was like an egg, or so his dam claimed. She couldn't handle the chill of the cell like him and his dam, so one of them needed to keep her warm while she slumbered.

When Frostwave returned, he would relinquish the task of warming her soul-sister and begin a watch for their next meal while the two slept. For now, Starfrost would simply watch and wait, just like he had for the past three years.

Her mother's grip on her hand tightened as she and Adlyn approached the docks, but Adlyn didn't flinch. It wasn't nearly as bad as training with her uncle in using a spear. She still had some aching bruises on her back from their last spar. Adlyn did look up at her mother's face, however. Her jaw was clenched tight in a scowl, her eyes were focused straight ahead and never strayed—it was enough to make the little girl pick up the pace, if only to avoid her mother's infamous death glare. Soon, the creaking of wood replaced the thud of footsteps on hard soil, and the two were standing before a large, unfamiliar ship with two men on deck.

One, Adlyn didn't recognize, though his clothes were different from what the villagers wore. The other was her father. Here, her mother released her hand, and Adlyn watched with quiet curiosity the scene that unfolded.

"So. Gunnar was right when he said you were leaving." At the sound of her mother's voice, her father looked up. Dark where her mother was light, he was very different from the rest of the village. Not quite Viking. At least, that was what her uncle claimed.

"I have to make sure, Vigdis. I need to know if anyone else survived."

"And what, you were going to leave us behind while you had Trader Olaf take you there? A wife belongs at her husband's side, whether in war or peace. A family belongs together." Vidgis pulled Adlyn close, hands resting firmly on her shoulders, and turned an accusatory look on him. Her father was silent, pensive, his gaze low, before he turned to the other man.

"Olaf, are you willing to take two more passengers? I can pay you for the trouble," Ragnar asked, already reaching for the pouch at his waist. The man – Olaf – glanced to Adlyn and Vigdis before nodding and holding out a hand.

"They can come, as well. But don't get up to any funny business down below. There's only one room for sleeping, and we all have to share it."

"I understand." Golden coins flashed in the sunlight as they changed hands, and Adlyn soon found herself being lifted onto the boat by her father.

"Dearest, we're going on a trip. Can you watch over our things while Mum and Da finish packing?" he asked. A grin, a nod, and a chirp of, "Yes, Da," were his reply.

Adlyn watched her parents leave the ship and return to the village, then devoted her time to intense staring at the basket her father had already packed and curious thoughts. This would be her first time leaving the island. Who knew what lay beyond the horizon? Would she need her training spear? She hoped one of them remembered to pack it. Uncle Gunnar said that practice was the whetstone of skills, whatever a whetstone was, and only practice would keep her sharp. Sharp was good, right? Everyone else seemed to think so, so it must be good.

She'll be sharp, then. She'll be the sharpest girl in the Archipelago! She'll make Uncle Gunnar and Mum and Da proud!

Even though her back still hurt from all the times Uncle Gunnar hit her during practice.

Author's Notes: Sorry for how grim this version starts off. I promise, it gets lighter! ...Eventually.

A big, actual shoutout to MMM and Fanfic Hunter! MMM for being so devoted despite the long wait, and Fanfic Hunter for being a decent, understanding person!

Alas, MMM, this story won't be exactly the same. Adlyn's had a BIG personality change, as have most of my original characters. Silver Horrors have had an even bigger overhaul, both in design and ability, and are, I hope, far more realistic (for dragons, anyways).

Fanfic Hunter - Thanks for the compliments, and your advice to our "special" guest (who hit more stories than just mine, I believe) is something everyone on the Internet should probably keep in mind: There will always be people out there with different tastes, so we should just agree to disagree and move on with our lives.

Now to get off my high horse and tell y'all about my new poll. It's an idea I had regarding a new direction Frozen Flames could go, so if you'd like, go ahead and vote on it.

Until next time, Wild Cat, out!