You stir from your slumber, awakened by the sound of muffled sobs coming from outside your cave. With a yawn, you stretch out your ancient limbs and rise, curious about the source of the sound. The bright sunlight momentarily blinds you as you emerge from the cave. Blinking, your eyes adjust and you behold a strange sight.

A young human woman kneels before your cave, dressed in a wedding gown. Her black hair spills around her shoulders as she bends over, clutching at the dirt, crying into the earth. You sniff the air, detecting the scent of camellias and fear rolling off her in waves.

How odd. Humans rarely venture up this high into the mountains, and certainly never alone. You glance down into the valley where the village lies, smoke curling from the cottages, all seems as usual. So why is this girl here, weeping at your doorstep?

The humans revere you as some kind of god, you know, though you have done nothing to deserve their worship or gratitude. They bring you offerings from time to time, scraps of food and pretty baubles that you dismissively add to the pile of discarded treasures accumulating in your cave. You have no use for their piety or gifts.

Yet here is one of their maidens, laid at your feet like an offering. Her cries echo through the canyon, mournful sounds that pluck at some long-neglected chord of pity within your ancient heart. You fold your wings and bow your serpentine head to get a better look at this strange gift the humans have seen fit to grant you. Why do they sacrifice to you this day? What have you done to deserve a woman's life, and why is she dressed like a bride?

The girl looks up, eyes red and swollen, and sees you looming above her. Her breath catches in her throat, a look of terror crossing her face. What is the meaning of all this?

Her eyes widen in shock and fear as she meets your gaze. "O-oh! I... I thought you were a god," she stammers, struggling to get her words out past the lump in her throat. "I-I am here to be your bride. The elders say it's the only way to appease your wrath and make sure our village survives." Her voice trembles, betraying her terror and helplessness.

Hina gasped at the sight as you shifted into a human form before her eyes. She stared in awe, hardly believing what she was seeing. The dragon... had transformed into a handsome man! His golden hair fell in waves down his back, framing an angular face with piercing sapphire eyes and full, sensual lips. He was muscular yet lithe, and his presence seemed to fill the air around her. She swallowed hard, struggling to keep her composure as she tried to form words.

"Y-you... aren't a god," she managed to choke out after several long moments of silence. "You're just... you." Her eyes searched his face for any sign of malice or intent, but all she saw was curiosity and perhaps even pity. It was strange, disorienting... unsettling in ways she couldn't quite understand.

The longer she looked at this man who was once a dragon, the more confused and overwhelmed she felt. What did he want from her? Why had fate brought them together like this? And could there possibly be another way for her village to survive... one that didn't involve giving herself up as a sacrifice?

Hina blinked back tears as you introduced yourself as Claudio. It was the first time anyone had ever used a name other than "Dragon" or "Great One" to address her in such an intimate way. She swallowed hard, trying to compose herself, and dipped into a shallow curtsey. "H-hina," she said softly, her voice shaking slightly. "I'm Hina."

She dared a second look at your face, searching for any sign that you might mean her harm. But all she saw was... kindness? It was difficult to comprehend after everything she had been through. Claudio seemed genuinely interested in her as a person rather than just another pawn in some twisted game of gods and mortals.

Perhaps there was hope yet. Perhaps there was a way out of this nightmare for her village, for her family... and perhaps even for herself. But first, she had to trust this man who was once a dragon, a being so powerful that even the greatest leaders in the land feared him. Could she take such a leap of faith?

"T-th- thank you," she stammered, her heart thudding wildly in her chest. Her face burned with shame as she realized how out of place such a polite response seemed in this setting. "P-please... I'm so sorry for being such a burden to you..."

Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks once more, but she fought them back, refusing to give in to despair just yet. If there was even the slightest chance that Claudio might help her village and spare her life... she had to take it. She glanced up at him, trying desperately not to appear weak or pathetic as she pleaded, "Please, you have to help us..."

Her voice trailed off, hope and fear warring within her. Would he listen?

"Our village... we've suffered greatly since your father was executed," she began, her voice trembling with emotion. "The crops have failed us year after year, and now the elders think that you're angry with them for some reason. They believe that sacrificing me will appease your wrath..." Her words caught in her throat as she struggled to comprehend how such a ridiculous belief had taken hold of her people. "Please, I don't want to die," she whispered, looking down at the dirt between her trembling fingers.

Tears spilled over and trickled down her cheeks unchecked, washing away whatever pitiful pride she'd been able to muster until now. She looked up at Claudio with desperate eyes, praying that he wouldn't send her back to face certain death. There had to be another way for everyone involved to survive this.

Her eyes widened in disbelief at your words. "But the elders..." she began, but you cut her off with a raised hand.

"I'm not some monster that feeds on innocent maidens," you told her gently. "And I've never taken a bride before." She looked confused by this revelation; surely the villagers would know better. You explained that in your time, dragons didn't need brides or sacrifices to maintain their power over nature. "Your village suffered because of my father's unjust execution," you continued, "and I won't let them continue to suffer because of it."

Hina felt a glimmer of hope ignite within her as she listened to your words. This man wasn't the monster she thought he was; perhaps there really was another way for her and her people to survive after all. "T-then what do we...?" she stammered, struggling to find the right question amidst her confusion.

You smiled reassuringly at her. "We'll figure that out together," you promised. "But first, why don't you come inside and get warm? It's cold out here." Hina looked down again, unable to meet your gaze for fear of what might happen next. But even though part of her wanted nothing more than to run away back to the village where at least she knew the horror awaiting her, another part of her was drawn irresistibly toward the warmth and kindness emanating from this strange, beautiful man before her.

Hina hesitated for another moment before taking a shaky breath and nodding slightly. "A-alright," she managed to whisper, slowly rising to her feet. "Thank you." As she stood before you, trembling but unafraid, it occurred to her that perhaps things wouldn't end as badly as she had feared after all. Perhaps there was a way for her family and her village to survive, together with this man who could have destroyed them all but chose not to do so. The future still held many unknowns and dangers, but for the first time in what seemed like forever, hope blossomed in her chest like a fragile flower struggling against the harsh winds of fate.