It was a warm and cloudy day, the kind of day where the sky and the sea seem to melt into each other in a gray haze while dark clouds crawl through the damp air. Maru sat on the edge of the eastern pier, totally engrossed in her book. She felt the wood move as someone came up behind her, but didn't bother to look up. She was at a good part.

Penny sat down beside her and looked over her shoulder. "What are you reading?"

That got Maru to look up. She smiled and showed Penny the cover. "The Dragon Riders of Seradona. Finally."

"I'm so glad you're reading it! It's one of my favorites!" Penny was practically squealing. "Have you gotten to the part about Princess Ulara at the ball yet?"

"No!"

"Well, I won't spoil it." Penny bit her lip, literally trying to hold back information. "But! Imagine a scene with a princess at a ball! Then come to terms with the fact that it will be nothing like that."

Maru laughed. "I'll remember that!" She showed Penny the page she was on. "I'm at the part where Tam and Syla are sabotaging the orcs' siege engine."

"Oh, I love that part! Tam is such a great character. I love his story arc."

"He seems kinda like a jerk to me," Maru said.

"He does, at first," Penny agreed.

"But I like Syla. I might have to go home and read the rest of this chapter, since it's getting darker outside."

Penny looked up at the sky. What had been a gray mist was now a dark monster, with full, wet clouds rolling in over the sea. "Wow, that storm is close."

"Yeah." Maru put her bookmark in and closed the book. "It looks like the clouds are sitting right on top of the ocean-"

Their peace was shattered by a bright flash and a crack of thunder louder than anything either of them had heard before. Penny shrieked.

Maru grabbed her wrist. "Run!"

"Where?!"

"Fish shop! It's close and it's covered!"

Maru and Penny sprinted along the pier, toward the fish shop. As they ran, the thick clouds opened up, dropping sheets of heavy rain.

By the time they got to the shop, both Maru and Penny were soaked. Penny's clothing stuck to her. Her hair, normally perfectly coiffed, hung limply between her shoulder blades. The ends were ragged and her hair was surprisingly thin. Maru didn't look much better. Her shirt and overalls were heavy with rain, and her meticulously straightened hair was frizzy and coily.

Both girls were panting and laughing, trying to catch their breath and glad they'd made it inside alive.

"Hey, ladies!" Willy came down from upstairs. "That's one heck of a storm out there, I'm glad you came in. Would you like some trout soup?"

Penny cringed. "Well, I can't really afford-"

"Two bowls, please!" Maru set her book down and got 500G from her pocket.

"Thanks, Maru."

"Of course! No problem."

Willy looked at Maru's book. "What's that? The Dragon Riders of Seradona, huh?"

"Yeah!" Maru slid it closer. "It's about an army of orcs marching across a continent, conquering and enslaving anyone they can. The citizens of the kingdom of Seradona are not here for that nonsense…"

Penny giggled, and quickly put a hand over her mouth.

"...so they organize themselves into an army! And they ride dragons! Until the orcs showed up, they were peaceful farmers, using tamed dragons for agriculture and trade. The Princess Ulara encourages them to resist, even though her father, the King, wants to form an alliance with the orcs! He's not very smart."

"So the leader of the resistance...is a princess? How does that work?"

Penny answered. "She's awesome! She's smart, she cares more about doing what's right than doing what the kingdom expects of her, she's passionate, she works hard, she comes up with these amazingly creative ideas…" She turned to Maru, who was listening and nodding. "She kind of reminds me of you."

Maru smiled. She could feel her cheeks getting hot, and hoped the darkness of the shop and the clouds would hide her blushing.

"So, an awesome princess and a bunch of dragon-taming farmers versus some orcs. That sounds interesting!" Willy set down two bowls of trout soup, along with spoons and napkins. "Take your time, ladies, I'll let you stay until the storm lets up."