"Sophie, look! This is the den your father used to live in!" With a dashing wave of his hand, Hall transformed the stone wall before them, revealing a massive, ice-caverned chamber that exhaled frosty mist.
"Here?" Sophie blinked at the freezing cave, then turned to Uncle Hall with skepticism.
"Yep! Your dad and I were the rarest twin dragons in millennia—and the finest ice dragons of our time!" Hall puffed his chest proudly. *Ah, so that's where Bradlee gets his antics!*
"An... ice dragon?" So her father—or rather, Kareina's father—was an ice dragon. An ice dragon and a phoenix's child? Kareina was lucky! Yet, growing up without parental love... Sophie's heart ached for her.
"Yep! Impressive, right? Just because I hatched a split second later, he bullied me for *thousands of years*!" Hall shuddered at the memory. *If only I'd cracked my egg first! I could've been the big brother!*
"Well, at least you had each other. Never lonely, always a partner in crime!" Sophie quickly consoled the suddenly melancholic dragon.
"Exactly! The whole Dragon Valley was our turf. Anyone who disobeyed? *Wham!* We ruled unchallenged!" Hall's eyes gleamed with nostalgia.
"Uh-huh..." *So Dad and Uncle were basically tyrants. Why "ice dragons"? Might as well call them "Tyrant Lizard Kings"!* Sophie stifled a giggle.
"Uncle Hall, can we go inside?" Eager despite the biting cold (which, oddly, didn't affect her), Sophie yearned to see her father's past. Reborn as Kareina, these were *her* parents now—her family. And that included Hall and the still-confusing Bradlee.
"Sure!" Snapping back, Hall led the way.
"Wow... it's *gorgeous*!" The cavern glittered like a crystal palace. Sophie's eyes sparkled brighter than the ice. She'd heard of Harbin's winter wonders but never visited. Yet here—an entire frozen grotto—left her breathless.
"Uh..." Hall rolled his eyes. *Like father, like daughter.* He'd never understood his brother's taste for slippery, frigid caves over cozy stone dens.
"Look! A *bug*! It's like amber—no, *clearer*! So pretty!" Sophie's shriek echoed as she pointed at a frozen beetle embedded in the wall.
Hall barely suppressed another eyeroll. *All this fuss over an insect?*
The tunnel's icy wonders—tiny trapped plants, glinting droplets—kept Sophie gasping. Hall's eyelids twitched from excessive exasperation.
Finally, they reached the vast central chamber. Sophie felt dwarfed by its crystalline grandeur. But...
"It's *too* clean. Where's the hoard? Don't dragons love shiny treasures?"
"Uncle Hall!"
"Hmm?"
"Where did my father go?"
"After your mother left, he chased her to the Divine Realm. Probably the youngest dragon to ascend!"
"And his treasures?"
"Uh... *maybe* he took them?" Hall's scales prickled with sweat. *How does she know about the stash? Did my brother leave a will?* His "borrowed" loot seemed doomed.
"*Ohhh.*" Sophie pretended not to notice his panic. Truthfully, she lacked nothing—gems were just eye candy.
"Sophie, it's *so hot* here. Let's leave!" Hall blurted the lamest excuse imaginable.
"Sure." Gazing at the surrounding ice, Sophie bit her lip to keep from laughing. *Gotcha!* Now she had leverage. *But first—back to Silei! How's he handling a bride-less wedding?*
Outside, Sophie frowned. "Uncle, how did you recognize me? Have you seen the Phoenix Pouch before?"
"Phoenix Pouch? What's that?"
"This!" She waved the pouch fearlessly. With Hall around, who'd dare steal it?
"Ah! The *Infinite Bag*!" Hall's eyes lit up.
"Your father poured his soul into crafting this. He claimed it could hold the *entire world* and never fill. His courtship gift to your mother—even the drawstring's made from his own whiskers." Nostalgia softened his voice.
"Once, I stayed up *two nights* waiting for him to sleep so I could sneak it. The second I touched it—*bam*! He woke up and beat me silly!" Hall pointed to a missing molar. "Knocked this out! Not that he got off easy—I pummeled him until he was *unrecognizable*! But..." He grimaced. "My claw nicked the bag, staining it with his blood. He sulked for *ages*."
"How'd they fix it?" Sophie inspected the pristine pouch.
"Your mother! She embroidered a phoenix over the stain with her own feathers." Hall gestured admiringly at the design.
"*Oh.*" Sophie hugged the pouch. Her father's blood, his whiskers, her mother's feathers—it was like carrying them with her.
"Uncle, thank you. Could I... ask a favor?" She hesitated. *What if Hall can't defeat Bradlee?*
"Name it!" Hall beamed. *Our bloodline thrives!*
"I need to return. Bradlee kidnapped me *mid-wedding*. My husband must be frantic!" Clutching his arm, she summoned her best pleading eyes.
"*WHAT?* That *brat* ruined your wedding?!" Hall's roar shook the valley.
"BRADLEE! GET YOUR SCALES HERE *NOW*!"
"Don't worry, Sophie. I'll *educate* him!" Hall turned, all gentleness.
"O-okay..." Sophie wiped sweat. *This man's mood swings rival Sichuan opera masks!*
"By the way, which dragon clan's your husband from?" Hall asked brightly. *Which lucky whelp won my niece?*
"He's... not a dragon."
"Ah! Phoenix then?" *Pity. Could've matched her with a fine dragon lad...*
"Not phoenix either." Sophie met his gaze squarely. "He's human."
"*Human?*" Hall's pupils shrank. *A* worm *stole our jewel?*
"Yes. I love him. *Only* him." Sophie's voice hardened as Hall's expression darkened. *He's going to oppose us.*
"Perhaps you just... haven't met better options?" Hall mused. *This calls for drastic measures.*
"Old man, what's the *racket*?" Bradlee landed grumpily.
"Gather everyone! We're throwing a grand feast to welcome Sophie!" Hall announced—then whispered, "*Invite every unmarried male in the valley! Your sister's future's at stake!*"
"Sister? *My* bride? No way! Find me a replacement first!" Bradlee hissed back.
"Sophie says phoenix maidens are *exquisite*. Pity you're not interested..." Hall sighed dramatically.
"*Phoenixes?* Gimme! The more the merrier!" Bradlee's shout drew stares.
"*Idiot!* Want the whole valley snatching your brides?" Hall thwacked his head.
"Right, right! I'll round up *every* bachelor—even the hatchlings!" In a blur, Bradlee vanished, his voice trailing behind.
**Will Sophie escape this dragon matchmaking scheme—or find herself betrothed to a scaled suitor?**