Chapter 1

Leila wondered how she got into this whole mess. Caught stealing a pie from the market, of all things. As she sat in the damp cell of a dungeon, she thought back to all the successful heists she pulled off for her starving family in her youth. She came from a poor family of three. Her mom, a human weavess. She was seen regularly on the market, selling a different assortment of fabrics. Her mom had fallen for an elven traveller who visited the town she grew up in. Before living together, her dad had lived mostly in the woods. Travelling the world. Living of plants and herbs he found. On a particular day, he came into town with a ripped tunic. He got to the market and began searching for fabrics he could use to repair the damage. This is where he had met Leila's mom. As time got by, they grew closer and eventually decided to move in together. Even though they were poor, they got by. Until Leila. The third mouth was too much for the poor couple, which meant there regularly were days when they had to dine with only a bowl of water. As Leila got older, she learned to swipe small items here and there. An apple here, some carrots there. All to get her family to actually eat for a change. She seemed to be quite adept at it too. The elven grace from her father's side and feminine charm from her mother were powerful tools. This didn't mean she liked stealing, but it had to be done to survive. Something had changed after both of her parents had passed away, though. As Leila walked over the market, she would feel an urge to swipe one of the impossibly red apples in one of the stands. She didn't need to do it any more, she reminded herself. Her mother had thought her weaving, and her father had taught her all he know about the flora and fauna in the woods. But still she felt the desire to pick up the apple, and hide it under her robes. After that fateful day, the stealing only continued. It was like a new obsession. Every time she swiped an item, she felt a little warmth spread through her. Like her parents were still with her.

She had continued honing her skills and charm until she was basically stealing a whole day's worth of food every day. And she was living comfortably of it, too. Now she was 24 years old. Her years of living on her feet, stealing things, had given her a slender build. Her dark brown, chocolaty hair fell down to her shoulders and hid her slightly pointed ears, and her eyes were piercing blue. She was considered quite beautiful. The combination of human and elven heritage making her alluring to both races. She had been approached plenty of times by emboldened men, but refused all the offers she got. She was content living her life in peace. Or as peaceful as a thief's life could be. Until she got caught.

The day had begun as any other. She woke up, had breakfast, and then went out to the market. She had gone over to the stand with fruits and vegetables. As usual, it was bursting with life. All colours of the rainbow were displayed there. Red apples, yellow lemons, green spinach. There was something for everyone. When she walked away from the stand, she had enough food to feed herself for two days. Nobody had noticed a thing, as per usual. The rest of her day consisted of reading books she had "lent" from the library in the town next over, and foraging the woods for additional spices for dinner. At a certain point in the day, she got a craving for something sweet, and decided to go through the market again. There was this stand with the most delicious bread, cakes, and of course, pie. Her mouth watered as she thought of the desserts, and she started on her way to the market. She had her hood up as she walked through the streets, so that nobody could recognize her. On her way to the market, she passed a few stores. A blacksmith, a woodworker, and a tailor, to name a few. As she was walking, she saw a few kids sitting against a wall. They looked alone and hungry. Leila felt a tinge of sadness. She could relate to these poor kids. Hungry for food, but no money to buy any. When she got to the stand with the deserts, she successfully swiped a whole pie. A whole pie! A big one, too. The fat baker behind the stand must be absolutely blind or something. Then Leila remembered the kids and hesitated. Should she get some food for them? She looked at the man behind the stand. He still seemed to look elsewhere. Leila quickly swiped another, smaller pie and turned around. She was about to walk towards the kids, when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Got you, you little thief. You're coming with me." The baker said with his low voice. Leila tried to resist and run away, but the baker had about 100lbs on her. She didn't stand a chance.

After the baker had brought her to the sheriff of the town, the guards had searched Leila and her home. To their shock, they found a house filled to the brim with stolen goods. Food, clothes, books, and even a few shiny coins. They had locked her up immediately, and she had been sitting in that cell for two days now. She didn't know what was going to happen next. Would they just execute her? Would she be let go with a warning? Leila didn't know what to expect. In the mean time, she would just sit there. Waiting.

In the early morning of the third day, the door to the dungeon opened. Leila looked up. The light blinded her, and she couldn't make out the person coming in. "Are you the thief?" The man asked. Leila could tell he was a guard, but he wasn't dressed in the typical uniform. "Yes." She said, looking down. "The princess has requested to see you." Leila's heart skipped a beat. She stood up and let de guard shackle her hands. "Let's go." The guard said. A few minutes later, they stood before a big, wooden door. Leila had never been in the castle before. On the way to the princess' chambers, she had to fight the urge to swipe the beautiful things she saw. The guard opened the doors and pushed Leila inside.

As Leila stood in the chamber, she heard the heavy doors slam shut behind her. She looked around the room. "So," she heard a feminine voice say. Leila looked to her left, where the voice came from. "You are the thief who has been plaguing our town." A woman with long blonde hair was sitting on a chair, wearing a light pink dress. Her green eyes were staring at Leila. "Yes, my lady." Leila said. She noticed the woman was holding a book. "What do you have to say for yourself?" Leila gulped. "I'm sorry, my lady. I just wanted to feed some poor children. "We both now that isn't true." The princess countered. Leila looked down. "What will happen to me now?" The princess got up from the chair. "That all depends on you." Leila looked up. "What do you mean, my lady?" The princess smiled. "The punishments for your crimes is death." The room fell silent. Leila's heart hammering in her throat. "But there is another option," the princess continued. "See, I have been hearing rumours of a revolt. And I can't have that. I need something to get the minds of the people off myself and my life. And here you are. An infamous thief who has been getting away with so much thievery, the whole village would love to see you punished." The princess stopped talking again and stood up. She laid her book on the table and turned her back to Leila. "So here is my proposal. Option one, you will be hanged at dawn. It will entertain the rable for a little bit, but they will band together sooner or later. No, I need something more... prolonged. Which brings me to option two. You will live, but will be locked in the pillory for two weeks. Should be enough time for me to make a more permanent solution." That last part seemed to be more to herself than Leila. "I will give you time to think it over. Guards!" The two doors opened, and the guards entered. "Put her back in the cell. I will have an answer at dawn." With those words, the guards grabbed Leila and dragged her outside.

Leila sat in her cell again, thinking about what to do. Both options were pretty terrible. She would either die or be humiliated in front of everyone in town. But death was certain, so that was out of the question. She was much too young to die! There was still so much loot to, well, to loot. "I guess I will have to endure being put in the pillory for two weeks." Leila thought to herself. The alternative was too grim.

At dawn, a hard bang was heard on her cell door. Leila looked up and saw the princess, escorted by two guard, standing before the door. "So, have you decided?" The princess asked Leila. "Yes, my lady. I will accept the pillory for two weeks." The princess smiled. "A wise choice. Guards! Take her to the pillory. Immediately." The guard nodded, and took Leila by the arm. "I want the whole town there!" The princess shouted as Leila was pulled outside. When they arrived at the pillory, Leila noticed there were a few people already waiting. The guards opened the pillory, and fastened Leila's hands and neck. Leila stood before a giant crowd of people. The pillory made her adopt a humiliating position. It stood on two low wooden pillars, which meant she had to bend down to get into it. Now, with her neck and hands fastened, she was bent forward at an angle. She was conscious about the fact that there were people behind the podium where the pillory stood as well. "Must have a stellar view from back there," she thought to herself. She crinched. She could almost feel all the stared from the men in the audience. "Welcome people!" The princess began. "We have been plagued by thievery for too long. Our food has been stolen from our plates, our books from our library, our jewels from our necks." A few peasants yelled in agreement. "Well no longer! Here is our thief! Caught stealing a pie of all things. Seems her sweet tooth has finally got the best of her!" She walked to Leila and smushed her cheeks together with her hands. She snickered. "She has been sentenced to two weeks of the pillory. She is yours for this duration. Do with her as you please." The crowd roared with enthusiasm. The princess turned to her. "You will be brought here at first light each day. At sundown, a guard will come to collect you. I am not unreasonable. You will sleep in your cell." Leila wanted to make a sarcastic insult, but the princess was already walking down the steps of the pillory podium. She watched as the princess got on her horse, and was escorted back to the castle.

The day went on. Many people came to mock Leila. Some slapped her behind, others insulted her. This went on until the baker came up the stairs. "Hello little thief," he smiled. Leila saw he held a pie in his hands. Not unlike the one she had stolen from him from the market. "See what I've got here? One of my famous pies. The one you tried to steal!" The baker lifted his hand and slapped Leila on the face. "Well, you wanted the pie. Now you can eat it too." He cut off a large piece and stuffed it into Leila's mouth. Because her hands and neck were bound, she couldn't resist the pie getting slammed into her mouth. Even if she wasn't bound, she doubted she could fight the baker. The baker was in a whole other weight class than her. As she felt the crust of the pie fall into her mouth, she swallowed. She could still feel a few chunks of the pie on her face. "Now you've had your dessert. I hope it was as good as you thought it would be." He laughed. "Because there is plenty more where that came from!" As the crowd watched on, the baker cut off another piece and forcefully stuffed it into Leila's mouth again. She wasn't even done franticly swallowing the second piece when the baker was already cutting a third. "Here comes another!" The crowd cheered as Leila was forced to eat the whole pie.

When the sun went down, a guard came to collect Leila. The crowd booed as she was taken away. As the pillory was unlocked, Leila fell to the ground. *Urrrrrrpp* The guard looked at her in disgust. "Get up!" He yelled. Leila tried to stand, but her incredibly engorged belly weighed her down. The baker had seemingly started a new trend. After she was force-fed the whole pie, more peasants came with desserts. Cakes, tarts, you name it. And they all got stuffed into her mouth. One after another, she had to swallow to not drown in the onslaught of food. Her stomach felt like it was about to burst. The guard pulled her up by the arm, and half-dragged her to her transport. As he closed the door of the cell, Leila lay down on the hay in the corner. It wasn't the most comfortable, but she was so tired. Her bloated belly put her in a food coma. Only one thought was flickering through her mind before her body forced her to fall asleep, "what would tomorrow bring?"