People around the village often started rumors of what the dragon's cave looked like. I'll tell you this: It looked nothing like how they said it would look like. It was a series of giant, barely lit tunnels connected in the middle by a large, empty space, where there were huge stone pillars. I regained consciousness there, so I knew all that.

I looked around, but the dragon wasn't there. Good, I thought. My death is delayed.

I wandered around the labyrinth, dropping pieces of what was left of the the bread I stole that I left in my pocket. Then, later, I stopped walking, sat down, and ate the last pieces of bread. I couldn't find food, so I figured I should rest before trying to find food again.

"Hello?" I shouted. "Anyone here? Anyone with food?"
Silence surrounded the labyrinth. The last thing I heard was someone, or something, breathing, before I blacked out again.

I woke up to the sound of humming. I sat up straight, and as I did, I saw a boy about my age leaning against the wall, facing my left. He noticed me and explained, "I thought you were a threat. Sorry for punching you. By the way, I am Louis."

Louis was mildly muscular, but not really intimidating.
"Well, my name is Tom. Apology accepted." I replied.
Louis told me that he came from the nearby village of Yarmena, famous for their farms. Yarmena people often helped my people by supplying us with wheat for making our bread.

From that moment onwards, Louis and I became friends.

He told me how the dragon kidnapped him eight years ago.

That's the same year I partially blinded the dragon!

Since I did look a bit similar to Louis, he probably thought that I went to Yarmena or something, and got Louis instead. Heh, blind dragons.

Then, I realized something.

"The girl."

"What?" Louis asked.

"That year, the dragon took a girl from my village."

"Is she pretty?"

"I haven't seen her face yet. Did you see a girl around here somewhere?"

"Nope. Sorry, Tommy."

Then, we heard a voice coming from inside another tunnel.

"Looking for me?"

Standing before me and my friend was the most beautiful girl I've ever seen.