Three members of the Bravery Militia deliberated at their meeting place. Each studied a map sprawled out on a wooden table. A stack of papers documenting all of Crow's Pond residents sat nearby. The Hunter's Guide Against Dragons shook in Gillis's arms.

"We have to meet the dragon's demands. It claims the peasant is more valuable than a horde of gold. I have no reason to believe that, but regardless, dragon's are tenacious and won't stop until their desires are met." Gillis said.

Noa shook her head. "I won't be able to sleep if we surrender the little girl."

"Let's be grateful its asking for a peasant rather than a princess."

"I'd be just as upset if the Dragon asked for a princess," Noa said.

"Would you rather choose the other option and have the dragon pillage Crow's Pond until it retrieves his prize?" Gillis spat.

Raik knocked on the table. "Can we all agree none of us will be satisfied until everyone from peasants to princesses are safe?"

Gillis furrowed his brow at the youngest member of the group. "We're Crow's Pond best defense but are outmatched when it comes to certain creatures. Dragons top the lists. Keeping everyone safe? You'd have a better luck slaying a werewolf on a new moon night."

"For once, I agree with Gillis," Noa said. "We will have some kind of loss because the dragon proposed a chariot scenario. Do you know what that is Raik?"

The young man shook his head.

"Imagine a chariot filled with innocent people moving at a remarkable speed on a pathway. Further down, a person lays passed out on the dirt road. You play a wizard who's watching the event unfold. You can use a spell and redirect the chariot but doing so will lead it off the pathway and into the woods where it will crash and kill every passenger. Or, do you allow the chariot to remain on the pathway and run over the one person?"

Gillis clapped his hands. "In our case the peasant girl is the person on the road; the remaining population of Crow's Pond represents the chariot's passengers. I rather have one person die than a whole bunch."

"But could you live with yourself knowing that you were the reason the person on the road died? We must not forget that the person is a peasant girl is young, perfectly innocent, and undeserving being captive."

The three fell into silence.

Raik knocked on the table once more. "The chariot scenario ends with a period once a decision is made, but our decision can end with a comma."

The other two looked at him wearing a baffled expression.

"Interesting. Go on," Gillis said.

"I agree that we won't be able to successfully defend Crow's Pond from a dragon attack. Her buildings are flimsy and dull blades gather in the armory." Raik drew a breath. "We must give in to the Dragon's demands and hand over the peasant girl. But we won't stop there -- that's our comma."

"I refuse to go along with this plan," Noa interrupted, but Raik raised a hand to hush his fellow member.

"The dragon claims that the girl is more costly than gold. Though the idea is unclear to us, we know that it will care for her. Once she's captive, we wait for days. Perhaps weeks. When the dragon relaxes its guard, we will take the peasant girl back."

Noa nodded in agreement, but Gillis shook his head.

"And then what? The dragon will storm Crow's Pond and reclaim its prize," he said.

Raik cracked his knuckles, "Then we'll have to slay the dragon while we're at it."

The young man's last statement convinced Gillis to nod in agreement.

"There is one issue. We have to convince the peasant girl to be the dragon's prisoner," Gillis said.

"That won't be a problem," Noa said. "Though she might be young, the peasant girl has more adventure in her bones than the three of us combined. When we propose the plan, she'd act as if she was the fourth member of the Bravery Militia."

"Perfect. If she's going to be a part of our group, we must know her name."

Noa smiled.

"Her name is Valari."

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