Prompt: You're a renowned hero sent on an impossible quest by the royal family, but this time, unbeknownst to you, they are rooting for your downfall.

**

The royal family summoned me that day. This procedure was unusual; usually, we received our assignments through Folwell to send messages. I didn't know whether to be happy, but I was almost jumping out of my skin because I finally got to step into the royal suite, which was closed off to the common folk.

The gate is always open, but one doesn't just step into the place where they live. I crossed the imaginary line into their private area with almost reverence. It didn't differ from the rest of the royal court, but everything was somehow more sparkling and shiny there. A servant-like figure stepped before me and gestured for me to follow.

I imagined that the king and his family were always seated on their thrones, but I don't know where I got that idea from; I didn't see any thrones or were not there. They probably are in the throne room. Why did I imagine they should be sitting on thrones in every room?

Sol, the king's younger son, was standing, looking out the window, and his whole figure was bathed in some otherworldly light. I imagined this, too, or perhaps the light streaming in from the window dazzled me.

So, the king's younger son stood there, and when the servant announced me, he turned and smiled, gesturing for us to sit down. To my surprise, the chair was uncomfortable.

"We have heard a lot about you, how you are a great and brave messenger! That is why we would like to reward you."

He gestured to his servant, who stepped forward with a red cushion. As he lowered it so Sol could reach it, I saw a red ribbon on it.

"This is the red ribbon with which we reward brave soldiers." Sol lifted the small ribbon and tied it around my right arm.

His proximity frightened me, and I even forgot to thank him. I just stared at him, even when he sat back down.

The servant cleared his throat and unmistakably nodded, signaling me to kneel and give thanks.

I did so, and when Sol extended his hand for me to kiss, the ceremony ended because Sol sat back down and began a less formal conversation.

"Now that I have honored you for your bravery, I want to entrust you with a delicate and personally important task." He looked at me expectantly.

I was still in awe of what had just happened. I never thought I would be so incredibly honored.

I nodded and replied tremblingly, "Of course, Your Majesty, whatever you wish! Command me!"

"Well, do you know the location of Dragon's Lair?" He gestured to the servant, who poured wine into his glass.

"Yes, Your Highness. I know where it is," I replied excitedly because the dragon that lived in the cave had always intrigued me, but I didn't know anyone who had ever seen it.

The servant poured wine into my glass, too, but I raised my hand to decline because I don't usually drink alcohol. Sol drank his own and reached for my glass. "You must bring me a dragon egg!"

"Ahh, I see," I replied because it didn't seem complicated.

"The cave is dangerous, but you are a very special goblin. I am confident that you will prove your bravery once again. The servant will give you a map showing the exact location of the dragon's nest."

He also drank the contents of the second glass, then stood up as if he had finished his task. "Now go, and may luck accompany you on your journey!"

He left, and the servant handed me a rolled-up paper. This must be the map, I thought.

I received a detailed map with all the passages and corridor names, though I couldn't reasonably interpret the dangers. I hoped my journey would be smooth, with my only concern being stealing the egg from the dragon.

The entrance to Dragon's Lair was a typical cave opening on the side of a cliff. It wasn't marked, but its menacing appearance and enormous size gave off a feeling that it was better for no one to approach it. But since this was my task, I set off, and after a few steps, I could already feel the cave's air, pleasantly cooler by a good ten degrees. The flickering light of torches illuminated the entire cave quite well.

I didn't see anyone inside, so I proceeded a bit more boldly. I couldn't just turn back at the entrance after receiving the bravery ribbon!

The cave initially went straight, occasionally widening, with a stone in the middle that you could pass on the right or left. Then it would narrow again, alternating like this for quite a while. When the passage widened, the obstacle in the middle varied a lot. Sometimes, it seemed like a massive ridge split the passage, or there was something resembling a bone, half fossilized. Or simply a much darker rock by the wall. When the path descended, the junctions began, and I had to pay attention to choose the correct direction in this labyrinth-like place.

The torches were placed less frequently on the walls, so I always stopped under one to study the map. On one such occasion, I saw a shadow while looking at the map. I started paying closer attention, and when I heard footsteps, I got scared and withdrew into the dim light to see who was approaching.

The figure walked with a torch in hand and looked like a soldier. Maybe he was the danger Sol had mentioned. I didn't quite know what to do since I couldn't hide anywhere, and his torch would soon illuminate me, too.

I took the cleaver from my backpack and held it behind my back so he wouldn't see it, then started moving toward him. When he saw me, he stopped without a word, threw down the torch, drew two daggers at an incredible speed, and charged at me, leaping to attack from above as he got close.

It all happened so quickly that I only had time to dodge. When the soldier knelt to see where I was, I saw the madness and determination in his eyes. He wasn't kidding.

I swung the cleaver a few times in my hand, ready to fight. The cleaver served me well again, finishing off the soldier so quickly that I didn't even remember exactly how I managed to overcome him. I was left staring at his bloodied corpse, the bloody cleaver in my hand.

From then on, I proceeded more decisively through the corridors, attacking any soldier I saw.

And their numbers kept increasing as I approached the dragon's nest. I entered a relatively wide circular chamber where an entire dragon skull lay. It was enormous, and only then did it hit me what I was about to do. Soon, I would have to face a giant dragon-like this to steal one of its eggs.

Choosing the right corridor, I suddenly found myself in the nest, which was situated in the middle of a smaller chamber. The top of the cave was open, probably where the dragon flew out. The nest, a mix of branches, twigs, and various materials, stood out from the cave floor.

The dragon was nowhere to be seen, so I began climbing the side of the nest. If I was lucky, the dragon would return when I had taken the egg. I saw a beautiful, substantial bluish-gray egg when I reached the top. But it was just one.

I stepped into the nest, realizing the egg was significant and would barely fit into my backpack. But this wasn't my biggest problem. I often collected eggs from nests but never took an egg from a nest with only one. This was a rule I always kept.

I just stood there, pondering what to do. Sol's request was explicit: I had to bring him the dragon's egg. Did he know there was only one?

I thought about it but couldn't take the dragon's egg. When I finally decided and started descending the side of the nest, I heard a deep, threatening voice from above, "What are you doing? Weren't you here to steal the egg?"

It was the dragon, its vast green eyes glinting in the dark. As it approached, I saw its red, scaly skin. It stepped toward me menacingly with its enormous claws.

"Yes, but I see there's only one. I never take an egg from a nest with just one," I replied, hoping the dragon would let me go.

The dragon stopped, no longer advancing, and sat back on its haunches. "But you're the brave knight sent by the royal family to take the egg, aren't you? I see the ribbon on your arm..." said the dragon.

"Yes, that's right," I answered.

"And you're not going to complete your mission? Do you know what will happen to you if you don't take the egg?" the dragon sounded astonished.

"I suspect, or rather hope, that Sol will understand... but wait, how did you know I was coming and planning to steal the egg?"

The dragon lifted the egg from the nest and placed it before me. "Look closer; this isn't a real egg. In fact, I don't have any dragon eggs right now."

I examined the egg more closely and realized it was carved from wood and painted.

"I don't understand..." I stammered.

"It's simple, and I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet. You seem like such a clever goblin!" The dragon smiled, at least it seemed so to me, as its mouth curved and its massive teeth showed. Or it could have been a threat, but in this context, I believed it was a smile.

"Why did Sol want me to bring him a fake egg?"

"Because, dear, it was a trap. Sol wanted you to fail and for me to kill you. It's a common practice with the royal family. When they no longer trust their people, they send them on this mission, and when they grab the egg, I strike from above," the dragon explained, moving its head closer to get a better look at me. "I've never met anyone who changed their mind before. And that has made me reconsider. I have no intention of killing you."

"So, you're saying this is all arranged with Sol?"

The dragon nodded, and as I looked at it, I realized I would have been in pieces if I had tried to pack the egg into my backpack.

"May I ask you a favor?" the dragon asked.

"Of course, anything!" I replied, not sure what to expect.

"Take this wooden egg to Sol. I'm getting tired of this arrangement. I'd rather move back with the other dragons; I feel lonely here."

"But this isn't a trap, right? You won't strike me if I try to take it?" I was suspicious.

The dragon laughed, which sounded more like thunder. "No, but let me help you. Were you planning to pack it there?" it gestured toward my bag.

I nodded and placed the egg in my bag. "Now go, Petibone. I'm glad we met. Thank you for freeing me from this task, from this cursed arrangement."

"So, what should I tell Sol? Maybe I can say I defeated you?" I hoped, imagining the look on their faces if they believed I had defeated a dragon.

"Probably not," the dragon assessed. "But tell him you outsmarted me and cleverly escaped with the egg."

We agreed on this, and I said my goodbyes and started back. Now, I just needed to figure out why Sol wanted to get rid of me and whether the wizard knew about it.