Candy only realized her mistake as she was sitting at the lunch table, telling her parents that she'd gone behind their backs and disobeyed them.

"Wait, sweetie, slow down. You mean . . . you went to the lowest level of the dungeons?"

"Yes, yes mother but listen. There's a boy down there - one who I'm sure is innocent. He needs to be free."

Her parents shared a look. One she most hated. The oh she doesn't know something that is so obvious to us, sweet little Candy. 

"We really don't know what encouraged you to go down there. Was it that boy, the gardener's son that encouraged you?"

Candy was already shaking her head. She wasn't going to tell them the truth, she went down to prove both to them and herself that she wasn't 'sweet little Candy'. But it didn't mean she was going to lie to the queen and king and give Joey a bad reputation.

"It was only me, mother. I promise. But you're not listening, that prisoner - the boy-"

"Candy, I think you're getting all riled up over nothing, alright? I'm sure it's fine darling!"

Although their words ignited a flame that burned in her gut, Candy kept quiet about the subject. Until dinner.

She waited until her parents were both in a good mood, smiling with their less-than-fake-than-normal smiles and laughing to each other like overgrown birds. (She couldn't think of any other insult.)

Putting on her most innocent and agreeable face, Candy began,

"Mother, father. I really must speak with you about something - or I mean, someone."

That got their attention. 

"Yes, sweetheart? What is it?"

"Well, I don't know if you remembered this, but there's a boy down in the dungeons. He really was falsely accused and deserves to be free."

She kept the fake, almost painful smile plastered on her face. Her mother smiled at her as her father shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Was she really getting to them?

"Darling, I really thought we dropped the subject," she glanced at the king for support for some reason. The table cloth was more interesting at the moment. The queen's fake smile slipped for one second before she turned back to Candy.

"I know, we did. So I . . . am bringing it back up again."

She kept her smile as happy as it could be, but it wasn't as easy for the queen to do the same.

"Candy, dear, the matter of this - this child in our dungeons. He's in there for a reason, and that's the end of it."

Laying in her bed, alone in her room, Candy wished she'd dropped the subject at that. Now, she was almost grounded. All the queen had said was, "Why don't you go to bed?" but it wasn't really a question. So here she was.

The little flame inside her grew a bit, making her toss and turn, sleep refused to come early. As she was sitting there, staring at the top of her canopy, a plan suddenly just popped into her head. She sat immediately up, encaptivated by this new idea.

Tonight. That's when I'll put it into action. While everyone is sleeping.

So after waiting as long as she possibly could, Candy pulled on a pair of darker clothes that she could easily move around in., that still looked like pajamas. First step; the kitchen.

Thankfully, the guards posted outside her bedroom were too busy in a debate of whether sword cuts hurt more than paper cuts to notice her slip away, down the hall to the stairs. She finally made it to the kitchen, drank a glass of milk, and took the short route to the dungeons.

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Just as she expected, the captain of the guards was waiting, posted at the entrance. It took him a moment until he realized she was there. Deep in thought, huh.

"Princess! What are you doing here at this late hour?"

"I'm sorry Captain it's just . . . I was wondering if maybe you'd escort me back to my bedroom. After seeing those criminals, down low, I don't think I'll have the bravery to walk back alone."

He hesitated for a small eternity before reluctantly agreeing.

"I'll just ask Jim to take my place then . . ."

"Oh, no need for that! It won't take long!"

Finally, she convinced him to walk her back upstairs. The plan was coming smoothly together. 

The closer they got to her bedroom, the faster her heart beat. She thought it might leap out of her and run down the hall. She kept smiling nervously up at the captain, worried he'd discover her plan and ruin everything. But he said nothing as they walked down the hall that led straight to her room.

Thankfully the guards were gone, taking their nightly routine of a sweep around the floor.

When they were about three seconds away from Candy's doors, she silently morphed into a dragon, stepping as lightly as possible behind the captain. In her dragon form, she had purple scales covering her back and head, with silver underbelly scales, deep blue horns, and pearly white wing membranes with dapples of silver over them. As a dragon, she was able to blend into her surroundings - it was easy when she'd had an entire childhood of practice.

As the captain was taking his last step, she lunged forward, pushing him into her room. She forgot her own dragon strength as she did so, accidentally sending him flying halfway across her room.

Before he had time to get up, she turned into her human form to lock the doors behind him. Knowing which room the other two guards were in by their none-stop chatter, she quickly closed the doors to the room, locking them inside.

Her heart somehow managed to beat faster as she hurried down the hallway to the stairs. Without warning, her bedroom doors burst open, shattered by the captain's strength. As he ran angrily down the hallway towards her, she couldn't move, suddenly rooted to the spot.

She could only move again right as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Princess, I do not know what's going on but-"

Sorry, she thought as she morphed into a dragon again, getting too big for him to hold on to her. She changed human again, bolting down the stairs. She couldn't fit as a dragon, but all this going back and forth was making her dizzy. She had the upper hand, seeing as the captain wasn't as comfortable as she was on the stairs.

She made it to the bottom in record time, determined not to slow as she changed back into a dragon to fly to the dungeon entrance. She yanked the door out of place, throwing it across the palace floor before changed into a human again to go down the stairs.

When she made it to the bottom, the first thing she noticed was the lack of keys. Handiwork of my parents, I assume.

It didn't really matter though. She took a deep breath, steadying herself before becoming a dragon for the umpteenth time. If she let her tail flop on the stairs, and really squeezed herself, she could push back just enough to work the next step in her plan.

Opening her mouth and letting the acid feeling gather at the back of her throat, she blew, straight at the door's hinges and handle. Fortunately for Candy, the door (as sturdy as it was) was wooden, so the moment the wood around the metal parts was hot enough, she kicked the door in.

She stayed a dragon, not wanting to make herself dizzy if she didn't have to. She ignored the shocked expressions that stared at her through the cells as she bounded through the walkway, her horns scraping against the ceiling above. When she made it to the last cell on the right, she scooted to a stop.

The boy was still there, laying on the ground asleep until he heard her (she wasn't exactly quiet as a dragon in such a small space).

She was more surprised at him for not being as surprised at her being a dragon. Something told her he knew it was her. Wrapping her talons around the cell door bars, she yanked it away. The boy cautiously stepped out, nodding his thanks. But she wasn't done yet. Nodding her head towards her back, she signaled for him to climb on. 

Even though she was still part human, as a dragon Candy couldn't understand people. The boy said something, and reading his body language, she realized he was refusing to climb on. She snorted at him.

This way it will be faster.

He pointed at the ground. It took a second before she realized he was telling her to change back. Reluctantly, she shrank back down, then without a word, ran to the spot where the door used to be.

She didn't have to look back to know he was following.

"WAIT! Save me! Save me!"

The other prisoners called to her but she ignored them. She was about to step onto the first stair, but her brain had other plans, making the room spin, and her head feel like it was as light as air.

"..okay?"

She suddenly realized the escapee was talking to her, giving him a thumbs-up.

Together they hurried up the stairs - the sound of angry and confused guards up ahead.

When they stopped at the door, there was room enough for them both to peer out without being seen.

"Alright, let me take it from here," the boy tried to shoo her aside.

"What? You? No."'

"I don't think you know this about me, seeing as we met just today, but I can also transform into a dragon so . . . move aside," he made a shooing gesture at her with his hands. She narrowed her eyes at him. 

"Can you camouflage?"

He bit his lip so she took that as a 'no'.

"Then no. I happen to be able to camouflage and besides if they see a dragon fly out of here, do you think they're going to leave you be?"

"I hate how you do that," he kicked a loose pebble across the floor as she tried to hide the smile creeping up. Maybe he wasn't so disagreeable.

"I'll take you, and hide you so they won't see. Then I'll fly us out of here, okay?"

" . . . Agh! Fine," he threw his hands up in defeat as she smiled satisfactorily.

"Alright then."