It was as she lay, that she turned to see moon beams glisten, and then a shadow shifted on the wall. She sat up, and leaned closer to see what was there. A dark figure walked forward, and began to speak.

"Hello child, it's a pleasure to see you again."

The proud voice resonated in her ears, like a distant echo in her cell, and the towering figure of the grand duke walked into the light. The thief looked towards the door, the guards hadn't moved from their station, and she hadn't heard him come in. She had thought she'd be left alone in personal reflection until the morning, but it seems the duke was able to circumvent her basic decency.

The duke's eyes shone in the moonlight, the silver light on his sclera contrasting against a golden iris. He seemed a demon come for her soul, but be he demon or man, she cared not, meeting his gaze once more with the palid muddy gaze of her lowly eyes. 

" Does your vow of silence continues? That's fine, but I'll hope you listen to me child, for I think we can help each other."

He walked a few steps closer, his face cutting out of the light, yet his eyes shining brighter in the darkness. 

"A thief of your skill seems wasted with the dead, if you agree to my terms I shall help you escape your fate."

He loomed over her, his words continuing to echo in her mind.

"My fate is not yours to decide, my lord." She said, speaking in a raspy drawl, searching for a face behind the eyes that blinded her in the darkness.

"And certainly not anything I'd want to change, my fate is death, now leave me to it, for you have nothing I could ever need."

Silence reigned for a moment, till he spoke once more.

"Truly nothing hm? The saints must be jealous to find one so devoid of worldly vices." He laughed to himself as his eyes smiled at her. "But that's not true is it? You and me are creatures of desire, we need things, and I know exactly what you desire most, child."

"And what is that? Does the grand duke believe a lowly thief such as I need something better than an honorable execution? If his lordship and I are creatures of desire, then what does he need? A bit more land, a bit more gold? Perhaps a pretty little concubine to sate his lust?" She said batting away his words.

"We both know that worldly possessions matter little to those like us." He stepped closer once again.

 "No what we need is the same isn't it  ▊ ▊ ▊?" Her eyes widened as he said it. Like a hot prod driven into her skull, it burned deep, how could he have known that name? She grabbed onto his darkened form and pulled herself up through the pain of her heels. 

"Leave me, you golden shadow, you hollow creature, I shall die in the morning and that name will be lost to time as it always should've been."

She began to lose her grip, and let go of the duke, falling back into her cot, her heel's still burning with fresh pain. He backed away into the moonlight once more, with a dissapointed look now clear on his face.

"Very well, this talk was quite enjoyable for me, so I hope you enjoy your death." He began to walk out of the room, before turning around once more. "Ah, but one last question, what do you want to be done with your corpse? Usually it'd be burned and left to ashes, but as an apology, I'll give you a proper burial if you so wish."

She wasn't looking at him, but she responded nonetheless. "Take it home and put it on your mantle for all I care."

"Very well, I'll return the favor of this lovely chat soon, enjoy the rest of your life child." He opened the cell door and she could hear the guards shock and confusion. Their chatter was the thief a small chant as she fell into a deep sleep.

Her execution was a grand event, despite being closed to the public. She saw noblemen and women surround her from above the central wooden stage where she was to be drawn and quartered. The chatter of the crowd was defeaning, as they feasted and the wait staff ran around them like mice seeking to be unnoticed. The crowd was soon drawn into silence when an old man entered the room, with a large entourage at his back. He stood with a grandiose cloak and richly embroidered clothing, and waved for the crowd to stand as he made his announcement in a booming raspy voice, proudly bearing the item she had failed to steal.

"Hear me, for I am your emperor! I welcome all to bear witness to the criminal who committed the highest treason against the crown, and is convicted for the theft and robbery of nearly everyone in this room.For these previous crimes, the attempted theft of the grand crown of the Irisian empire, the thief known as Madame Red is sentenced to be drawn and Quartered." He gestured for the executioner to come forward. The man was dressed in black clothes and a hood hiding his identity from the crowd, sharpened a large flat ended sword to begin the process.

"It is now that we call upon the criminal to speak and give their final words for the witness of his holiness, the archbishop Soren." Said the emperor, as a man dressed in pure white robes, lined with golden thread and accents emerged from the opposite side of the central stage, the crowd watching his every step with baited breath.

"O dear girl who has strayed from the righteous path of gold, I pray your sins to be forgiven in the next life you lead. Your crimes shall not be forgiven in this life, but as your soul returns for your next journey, let the pain be a reminder to all to remain upon the golden path, so that we all may one day rest in the pure fields of Le Dragon D'Or." He was a very charismatic speaker, very few had the skills to enrapture the audience quite like a priest preaching to their flock. She ignored him, as he softly grabbed her chin, holding it up to look at him.

"Come child, let us hear your words, and let them guide you in the next life." He looked at her with a kind face, softly touching her cheek as a blindfold covered her eyes. No words were spoken, and the archbishop closed his eyes and kneeled performing a small prayer before exiting the stage and joining the emperor's entourage.

Her knees were sore from kneeling for so long, despite the blind fold, she looked up. She couldn't see, but she remembered where the emperor must've been. A fair bit of murmuring continued before a wave of silence washed over the crowd. She heard footsteps approach, creaking the wooden platform she was left on. She hoped he didn't make it quick, she hoped it would be agonizing to watch, a horror of blood and viscera to burn the memory of her death into their minds forever. She thought it might be funny if someone fainted, she smiled faintly before a swift chop left her head rolling on the ground.

Madame Red the legendary thief who terrorized the empire's nobility for the last decade was now dead, and would fade into the memory of the people as the cautionary tale of a commoner who did not know her place, and was divinely punished for her actions against the house of the golden dragon.