The mage moved the damsel and her father to the spot where she had arrived by horse (less than two days ago).

She was even more fretful now about walking up to the dragon.

She clung to her father in happiness and asked if would like some food now. He must be hungry.

He pushes her back a bit and regards her with a proud smile "Lovely Daughter. You did so well. On your first cause. Don't worry, I have had meals since you left. I actually even have various coin from my career, you may remember I showed them to you when you were very young."

The smile on her face fades away, she leans in and places a balled fist lightly on his chest. "A trick? Or as you call them motivational arrangements?"

She looks up to his face to see an expression well known. An expression she used to sometime giggle at. An expression her dead mother used frown or scold him about.

He had set up a false belief in her and done it for her first act as a petitioner.

Her balled hand trembles a little "Daddy! Do you have any idea? Do you know what came possibly close to happening to me? The Warrior Woman captured my gaze, and I was so unsteady, I left my self open and didn't look away. She took me by hand and led me away. Do you know what your trick could have done to my life? Even the envoy considered it a settled matter. A debt of claiming on me. I was so afraid! For a trick, to motivate me?"

He father pushes her back just little to try to see her eyes "One look from me of the Warrior Woman tells me. You were never at risk. Maybe you still are too young to read people well enough when you are unprepared. But what is this about freedom? Your future is quite nice looking, you landed a whale with the merest hook on a thin thread."

She turns away and heads in towards the dragon. Her father follows with little worry.

She gets to the clearing and walks a bit slower as she sees the dragon.

The dragon lifts its head to match her eye level.

"Please do sit over here on this side" says the dragon to the obvious delight of the girl. She was being sorted to the preferred side.

"You are correct. My presence was responsible for much of the inner thought sharing you experienced with my friend."

The dragon stands tall and dips its head to the level of her father.

Immediately, the father is lost in a vision.

His daughter is claimed and serves an odd alien man dutifully, but confused.

She sings and dances in skimpy clothes at his finger snap.

She sits on a bed near a balcony that overlooks over a large realm, with her hands clutching her upper arms. The alien man is there, and she asks "Do You like me? Do you care for me?"

He replies that this all so interesting and new, he had to experience it for himself.

He leaves, and she collapses to the bed in sobs.

The scene moves away from the room and balcony to a man much like the father. Dressed in nicer clothes, seated with prestigious people, all eating fine food and drink.

"What a joy it is to have a successful child. My daughter is a well known petitioner!"

The scene fades away, and there is nothing but grey and silence. Silence for a long time.

"M.my.. my wife was a great petitioner of wonderful nuance. I am always ready with a handful of tactics, but she was more wise and knew when to not use a tactic. Giving the others time to think.

She told me when I got sick, I needed to be more than I am. To look after my daughter. No one else would care for her like we did."

The father comes back to reality, but the dragon speaks into his mind 'None of that vision could ever happen, but it reflects her feelings of how she was afraid. Your daughter would be sad if I sent you to the other side. Go to her and draw nearer to me if you get cold in the night.'

The father joins his daughter and she hugs and clings to him like a happy small child. Devoting herself to forgive her father since the dragon found him acceptable.

As the night draws near, the dragon lays down as before. Sending off a mental message to a nearby warrior with dented armor 'Come visit this place again in the morning'.