The stairs

You follow the stairway down into a dark, frigid dungeon. The sound of rusty doors swinging on their hinges can be heard from up ahead. After what feels like a thousand steps, you reach a wide hallway illuminated by dim candlelight. On each side of the hallway are rows of heavy metal doors that seem to go on forever.

Some of the doors are locked tightly, but more of them are left open. You peer into the chambers inside, and see an assortment of chains, whips and metal instruments.

Travelling further into the dungeon, you eventually arrive at a large iron door at the far wall. Curious, you push open the door and are greeted by a golden bounty of riches.

Silver tiara’s stack atop polished emerald helmets, with jewellery of colours you have scarcely seen before, all laid atop a small mountain of gold. You wonder if this would even be enough money for your kingdom to hire a sell sword company to keep away the Iron Born. Stepping forward, you hear a small click from under the floor, and the door behind you slams shut.

You spin around in panic, and desperately pull at the handle of the iron door. You soon realise that it is no use, the room most be booby trapped to catch any would be thieves, and from now on can only be opened from the outside.

The air in the treasure chamber is already thin. Shaking, you wonder how many days of oxygen are left in this windowless room, or whether hunger or thirst will kill you before the air has a chance to deplete. For the first few days you bang your bloodied fists against the door, desperately hoping to catch somebody’s attention, but your energy runs out faster than your will, and you curl into the corner of the chamber, waiting to be taken by ****.