Seat of Gold

Chapter 1: Golden Chair

The entire place was brimming with the Highland's riches. Stacks of gold, the most lavish of jewelry, and bags of gold coins scattered everywhere. I was finally going to score the biggest robbery of my life.

The dwindling species of Shapeshifters has become an alarming issue. I, the strongest of the shifters, am forced to watch as my people die in droves. The kingdom pushed us away. They were scared of what we could do. They called us the filth of the earth. We had since moved to the outskirts of the Highlands, forced to live off the earth, with not a single coin of gold at our disposal. I did not want to turn into the monster they said we were, but the only way my people could survive was with gold, and the kingdom's royal vault was exactly where I could find it.

I had successfully infiltrated the castle without spilling any unnecessary bloodshed. These guards are only following the orders of their king; they need not die for my cause. I entered through the kitchen, and as I snuck through the counters and table tops, I noticed a particularly peculiar-looking chair. It was jagged, crooked, and poorly made, and yet it fascinated me. Perhaps it was because of its imperfections that made it so unique, or maybe because in that chair, I saw myself. It was different, and as such, it was segregated from the other chairs. My people did not choose to be shifters; it was the hand that we were dealt with. It was no use moping any longer. I was familiar with the castle's innerworkings. After all, it was my ancestors that built this castle. I continued to make my way to the royal vaults by crawling my way through the hidden, tight, and hollow spaces behind the walls.

After half an hour or so, I found myself in the royal vaults. I had reached my goal. As I was packing my pelt with gold, I heard slight footsteps. My heart started beating faster and faster as I realized that the footsteps were not coming from the other side of the vault door; they were coming from the hidden passage where I came from. There was no doubt in my mind, it was a thief. Like me, they knew the hidden passage inside the walls. This person knew what they were doing. I did not have time to hide, nor did I have the place to do so, and so I had to use my shapeshifting powers. I had only a split second left before I was spotted, and the first thing that came to my mind was THAT chair from the kitchen. I turned myself into a poorly made chair just to hide from a fellow thief. It was truly a new low for me. I waited in anticipation for the thief to reveal himself. What do they look like? Are they a muscular brick powerhouse? Will they be a small-framed but quick thief? Nevertheless, I was ready for whatever came out of that passage. You can only imagine the relief I felt when the person who I was so cautious of was a mere 5 foot elderly man, donning a white spruce mustache.