Deep down, I should have been well aware that even thinking about stealing right from the Royal Courtyard was something I would quickly come to regret. I was cocky then, but as I found myself bound, gagged, and in the process of being dragged down the halls of a place that felt far more like a crypt than a castle, I couldn't help but think that regret wasn't the first or last thing I was going to feel, tonight.

"You're going away for good, you filthy thief," one of my captors growled at me as he yanked on the rope that was wrapped tight around my body, dragging me across the dusty ground of the Royal Courtyard's interior like I was nothing but a bag of rubbish. "Don't tell me you really thought that you could get away with stealing from Her Majesty."

To me, it was hard to consider a ruler as cruel and heartless as our queen as deserving of a title like 'Her Majesty', but now wasn't the time for petty arguments. After all, I knew where I was headed—the Crimson Court; by now, who hadn't heard whispers of the carnage that resided deep within the castle walls? Men didn't return from the Crimson Court once they entered, why would I be any different?

Without much more light than what was graciously peering through the cracks in the stone walls, it was difficult to even get a feel for my surroundings. I had to rely on the rest of my senses to form any sort of mental image; however, there was only so much that touch and smell could tell me. This place was a place of death.

That said, it was the moment when we suddenly came to a stop in front of what looked like two enormous wooden doors, that I knew exactly where we were. Even the guards were nervous, shuffling their feet and exchanging anxious glances with each other as they waited to see which one of them was brave enough to give the doors a knock. After what felt like several long minutes, the guard holding my rope rapped on the door three times before waiting. "Come in," a voice that was loud enough to shake dust from the walls soon replied. "Bring the prisoner with you."

The doors then slowly opened to reveal what I could only describe as a throne room; the ceiling was vaulted high above me, and the walls were adorned by sconces, each carrying a dim flame inside them that gave the room just enough light for me to make out the shape of a shadowy figure in the back of the halls.

As the behemoth that was hiding in the shadows shifted around, and the sound of rattling and creaking bones filled the air, my captors then let me drop down to the floor in a heap. "Here's that thief you wanted to see, mistress. We caught him poking around in your garden."

"I'm well aware of our little guest's proclivities," the same booming voice from behind replied. "You are free to go, now."

My attention was far too focused on the looming darkness to notice the guards retreating without a word, but as the sound of doors slamming shut echoed through the court, it finally struck me just how trapped I really was. Even if my entire body wasn't bound up tighter than a roast pig at a feast, I had nowhere to run.

To make matter worse, as two blood-red eyes then pierced through the darkness, and their owner then stepped into view I felt the blood drain from my body. If I wasn't already laying face first on the ground, just the sight of the fire inside would have made my knees buckle. "So... you're the thief that thinks he can steal from me, hmm?" the beast behind the eyes asked. "That's quite bold, even for someone as small as you."

It took me a moment to recognize what I was facing. This wasn't just some monster—this was the Crimson Queen herself. After all of the tall tales, she was a dragon this entire time? It felt too farfetched to be true, but as evidenced by her impressive set of wings, the ruby scales covering every inch of her body, and by her long, winding tail that ended in a wicked-looking barb, there was no denying that I was face to face with a creature of legend.

Motioning a talon towards me, the Queen beckoned me forward. "Come. I wish to look upon the face of the fool who thought he could take from me without facing any consequences."

I was in no position to disobey to words of a dragon that could probably snap me in half without much effort, so I shimmied across the floor to her. Once I was close enough to feel her body heat lingering in the air, I stopped and stared ahead at her, and at the bed of human bones that she was comfortably nesting on. "Isn't this a surprise?" she pondered. "You don't look like much of a thief to me. I guess that explains why you were caught so easily."

Through the gag stuffed in my mouth, I attempted to plead with her for my life. "Please... I was just looking for something to eat," I mumbled, writhing around on the floor like a pathetic little mealworm. "I've never done anything like this before!"

It was foolish to expect anything more than a throaty laugh at my pitiful attempt of an excuse, but it was still worth the attempt. "I guess we do have something in common, then," she laughed as she wrapped a hand around me and lifted me high enough that I could stare right into the slits of her eyes. "After all, aren't we all just looking for our next meal?"

As she then let me fall back down to the floor once again, I found myself landing on what must have been the ribcage of someone that was just as unlucky as I had been, so far. "You're probably wondering what's going to happen to you," the Crimson Queen said as she reached over with one of her talons and sliced clean-through the bindings that were holding me tight. "Well, since I'm in such a good mood today—and since you're barely big enough to be considered an appetizer—I'm going to give you a choice."

With my limbs finally free, I sat myself up straight and scrambled far enough away that her breath wasn't singeing my skin anymore. "A choice?" I asked, stammering as sweat dripped down my forehead. "What kind of choice?" Of course, this was nothing more than a game to her; there had to be a catch, right?

Spreading out her wings, the Crimson Queen rose to her full height and gave me a crooked grin which confirmed every suspicion that I had. It was a spectacle worthy of a speech, but she only had three words for me. "Slave, or snack?"

It was only three words, but the malice that soaked every syllable made each of them feel heavier than lead in my ears. I couldn't particularly tell if she was enjoying the potent effect that her words had on me, or if she thought of it as nothing more than a nuisance. What I could tell, though, was that she had plans, and that my indecisiveness was wasting her time. "Well? You're taking far too long, thief," she grumbled. "I really thought my question was rather simple. If you don't answer me soon, I might have to decide to choose for you."

With that, I was snapped out of my fear-induced haze, falling onto my hands and knees and blurting out the answer that was hoping to hear.