She was afraid. Truly afraid. She had never been a warrior, never been brave. She was afraid of pain, and even more afraid of death. Even in her dreams, whenever she ran into a fight, she would dodge if she could. If she was caught, she would surrender without waiting to be interrogated, telling them everything she knew. So every time she woke up, she would feel ashamed. If she had lived in wartime, she would have been a shameless traitor. But she lived in peacetime, and all she had to do was muddle along, so in her dreams she could do those shameful things with a clear conscience. But even a coward in her dreams won’t keep cowering when the time comes to be brave. People are sometimes driven to it, just like most heroes, who emerge from extraordinary times that become legends.
