Frostbite had always regarded Roakrin as a regretful moment of weakness. She had fallen for his tricks back when he first came to the clan and had her heart scarred once more by having someone leave her behind. She cursed herself for being so weak, to let his sob story beneath her scales, when she was regarded as the Frozen Heart - a dragon that held onto no such sentiments.
So now, when he decided to approach her again, she regarded him with cold, hate-filled eyes.
~~~
Roakrin shook in his scales as he approached the Shrine. Roalyr was next to him, his grown son trying to encourage him to go through with his plan. While Baronesse and Omichli had decided they wanted to move to greater horizons, Roalyr decided he wanted to stay with the Lapidians, growing attached to both of his parents, as he regularly stayed with Roakrin but would go to help his mother on the weekends.
"Come on dad, didn't you want to apologize?"
Roakrin
did want to apologize, but was terrified that the Ice Priestess would hit him with a book or worse. Frostbite lived up to her name most of the time, being cold and sharp, and Roakrin had been lucky to see the softer side of her when he had first come to the Lapidians before spectacularly messing it up by being a womanizer.
Now, he stood outside her place of practice while shaking in his skin like a scared newborn fawn. Roalyr pushed him forward once more, almost all the way to the entrance, not letting his father get a chance to escape.
Roakrin hissed at his son's insolence but straightened up his robes before stepping deeper into the shrine. He looked to the side and noticed Scorch, the Shrine Keeeper, and her ward Adanadi, watching - or in Scorch's case, listening to - him from the shadows, making him feel judged. He took a deep breath to steel himself, and continued onwards, finding the quarters of the Ice Priestess. He tapped his talons on the door meekly and waited a response.
"Enter!"
Roakrin gulped at the sharp voice that came from the other side, a shiver racing down his spine as he pushed open the door. There, Frostbite sat a desk studying, reading her book with a gentle expression, though he knew that her soft features would harden once she looked up at him. He stayed quiet and just observed her for the moment, watching the sheen of ice around her feathers and face glimmer while the aura of her magic shimmered in the air around her.
The silence caught her attention however, and she looked up at him, her eyes immediately narrowing into a frosty glare.
"Oh, it's you"
The disgust in Frostbite's voice made Roakrin feel small and pathetic. He had no reason to think she would have greeted him warmly, but it still hurt to be regarded as such hatred. He could feel his expression fall when he was about to speak, but he was cut off.
"No. You don't get to feel like the victim here. Not after the stunt you pulled."
Roakrin gulped as he felt the air around him chill, and he saw the Ice Auras were pointed at him, sharp shards glistening in the light. She wouldn't actually hurt him, right? That was just a scare tactic.... right?? He shuddered and then tried to straighten himself out and stand up taller.
"I've come to apologize..."
A shard of ice hit the wall next to him, causing him to flinch and throw his forearms up.
"A simple apology won't fix what you've broken, Roakrin."
The growl in her voice struck him in the chest and he straightened up again.
"Please Frostbite, What I did was wrong and -"
Another shard of ice hit the wall again, this time on the other side and even closer than the one before it.
"Get out of my chambers!"
"Please, will you just listen to me!"
"What? So you can tell me another sob story and worm your way into my heart again just to leave the next morning once more?!"
She flung all of her Auras at him, causing ice to shatter everywhere. Roakrin tried to dodge as much as he could but a few still struck him, leaving cuts behind that, while superficial, still hurt and caused him to bleed on the floor. He heard a small squeak come from Frosbite after the last of the shards hit the floor, and he saw a look of shock and regret wash across her face, like she couldn't believe she actually hurt him. He sighed, pushing the sting of the cuts to the back of his mind.
"Please, Frostbite, I just want you hear me out...."
~~~
Roakrin shut the door quietly behind him and sighed heavily as he leaned against it. His shirt was shredded and wrinkled, his robes were left askew, and he felt his heart racing. He hadn't expected for her to almost kill him and then when she finally let him speak, she tried to kill him again, but in a different way. By the end of it all they were sitting on opposite sides of the room cursing themselves and each other for how it had went. At least, however, Roakrin didn't feel like Frostbite hated him anymore. Or, at least as much.
"You had better come back this time"
They were her parting words, laced with as much malice as he had expected for one of her title. He knew if he didn't he'd probably have a target on his back for the rest of his life. He shakily left the door after he had a moment to calm his racing heart and went back the way he came, going towards the exit of the shrine.
He stepped by Scorch who was calmly sweeping the floor, but she had to have heard him because her blind eyes looked towards him as he passed.
"Next time, please find somewhere other than the Shrine to engage in such activities"
Roakrin felt the blood rush to his cheeks when Scorch said that and scampered out. He left the Shrine and for the first time since entering Frostbite's chamber he felt he could breath freely, looking up at the stars. He heard someone stretch next to him and glanced over as Roalyr let out a loud yawn.
"Must've gone well for you to take so long."
Roakrin scoffed at Roalyr's statement and shook his head. The nocturne couldn't help but think he had gotten himself into more trouble than he had been in before he visited Frostbite.
~~~
Roakrin had wanted to leave things as they were for a few days, to let both him and Frostbite cool down from their altercation. Really, it had gone much, much better than he expected. After all, he thought for a moment there that it was the end for him, or that at the very least she would've forcibly thrown him out, but she hadn't.
However, Frostbite hadn't given it a few days. No, she had shown up on the doorstep of his cabin the next day, and he felt his heart drop into his stomach. Maybe she
did want to kill him and leave the past in the past. After all, she never came back for him the first time around when he avoided her for the days after it happened. He shakily opened the door and greeted her carefully.
"Come."
It was all she said before she turned around and began walking away. Roakrin stood at his doorway for a few moments, staring after her. Eventually, Frostbite turned around and scoffed.
"Well are you coming, or are you going to stand there and look like an idiot all damn day?"
Roakrin gulped before racing out after her, following the Ice Priestess back to her chambers at the shrine. He gulped, wondering why she brought him here, and stupidly opened his mouth to speak.
"Uh, Frostbite, I don't think we sh-should -"
She cut him off by smacking him atop the head with her tail.
"Hush, you moron. I brought you here to show you something"
Roakrin watched in silence as Frostbite went over to her bed and pulled back the blanket, revealing two eggs.
"Children. Just as you asked. However, these are my children. They will be raised here, in the shrine, where I will have them taught to behave and learn to care for their clanmates. None of the stupidity you live up to shall be learned by them."
Roakrin sighed. He had almost expected as much. Frostbite was nothing like Lyra, who had willingly let him raise Roalyr and his siblings. No, Frostbite wanted her children to live up to her expectations, not his. He was helpless but to nod and looked away, causing him to miss Frostbite rolling her eyes.
"Tsk. I thought you were more passionate. I was going to let you come spend time with them, but either under the supervision of another Shrine worker or a clanmate appointed by the council, but since you seem so lax about it-"
"No! No, I would love to come see them. Every day, if you'd let me."
Frostbite actually smiled at him before looking down at her eggs, caressing them lovingly.
~~~
Roakrin was present in Frostbite's chamber for their birthday, both parents watching their eggs with excitement.
The first to hatch was a little dark Nocturne, who looked fairly close to her mother despite the pink wings that closely matched her arcane eyes.
The second child to hatch of their clutch of two was a colorful boy, who looked more like Roakrin but was still unique in his own right.
Frostbite lovingly curled around her two hatchlings, caressing them with her paws and tail as she let them rest, looking at them with such a rare expression of adoration.
"You don't mind that they both take after me?"
Frostbite gave Roakrin a confused look and rolled her eyes before nuzzling her children.
"You don't define them, Roakrin. They are my children, and I would love them no matter who fathered them. I'm just glad to have two little ones to call my own."
