Alpha Dragon
"I shall teach you and maybe in twenty years, you shall be competition."
"Twenty years?" she scoffed.
"It will take at least that long to train your human brain in the game of warfare."
"Only if I may teach you checkers."
"Humph, when you beat me, I shall learn your silly game."
We moved to the table holding my chess set. The pieces were heavy gold and silver, the board black and white marble. I'd stolen it from a king in a faraway realm. The fool thought he'd captured a dragon. I challenged him to a game for my freedom. He'd agreed, and I won. The set was not part of the bargain, but I swiped it before he knew of its loss. No one holds a dragon without losing something. Usually their life.