Scene 1 - The Sacrifice
Elara used to think the bells of Hollowmere were beautiful - until they tolled for her.
Now their iron clang sounded like a death sentence.
She stood in the center of the village square, morning air sharp in her lungs, arms folded tight across her chest like armor. People pressed in from all sides, whispering, staring. Some looked pitying. Most just looked grateful it wasn't their daughter standing there.
Her throat burned from holding back the scream she wanted to let loose.
The elders lined up at the front, draped in red and black, their voices carrying over the crowd like a judgment.
"Elara of Hollowmere," the eldest intoned, "you have been chosen as this year's offering."
Her stomach dropped, even though she'd known this was coming. She'd mocked the tradition one too many times - called it barbaric, asked why they kept sacrificing girls to a beast no one had seen in years. Now here she was, punishment wrapped in ceremony.
She gave a short, bitter laugh, sharp enough to cut through the murmurs. "Of course it's me. Couldn't possibly pick someone who actually believes in this nonsense, could you?"
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Someone muttered, "Blasphemy." Another hissed, "Hush, girl, do you want the beast to hear?"
Elara lifted her chin. She refused to let them see her cry. "What do you expect me to do? Skip happily into a monster's mouth?"
The eldest elder's face hardened. "You'll go, as every chosen bride before you has gone. And you'll keep your tongue still."
Her mother's eyes found hers in the crowd - red, swollen, pleading. The sight made Elara's chest tighten. She wanted to fight, to scream, to run. But the truth was cruel: if she resisted, the dragon would come down from the mountain himself, and the whole village would pay for her defiance.
So she bit her cheek until she tasted blood.
"Fine," she said, her voice cool as stone. "I'll go. But don't expect me to curtsy while I'm being eaten."
A few nervous chuckles broke out before fading into silence.
The elders didn't bother to bind her wrists. They didn't need to. Once you reached the dragon's mountain, there was no way back.