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Toma flew.

She flew hard and fast, refusing to turn, to look behind her, or to even slow down, anything that would remind her of the place she'd just left and all that had happened to her there. But the emotions kept coming back, the pain, the fear, the shame, and over and over the terrible helplessness of her position that had allowed Juneas to rape her, again and again and again... She clenched her claws and roared at the empty sky around her, as if it could somehow understand her anger.

And then Asara had come to free her, had actually succeeded, and Juneas had been right there, at her mercy... And the other dragoness hadn't let her return even one claw-swipe of the damage he'd done to them. When Asara had grabbed her paw she'd nearly turned on her, taking out her anger on her green scales instead of the white ones she wanted so badly to dig her claws into; it had taken every ounce of self-control she had to stop her from attacking Asara, and the anger still burned inside her, making her limbs tremble and her breaths come fast and heavy.

The wind abruptly changed as she approached a sharp range of cliffs and sent her tumbling down into the forest, but she didn't bother to catch her fall and crashed in the mud at the edge of a narrow river. Her wings kept flapping for a moment before she noticed, folded them, and stood; she had been flying low, fortunately, and was unhurt aside from a few bent scales. She looked around at the trees next to her, trees she'd narrowly missed in her fall, then at her paws, and after a moment lunged into them, lashing out with both forelegs and with her jaws, felling tree after tree with her powerful strikes. She kept going along the riverbank, destroying every trunk within her reach as her rage boiled over and she released herself onto every standing object she could find. After a while weariness made her pant for each breath, her paws hurt from slamming into the tough wood so many times, her head hurt from snapping back and forth as she butted and bit at the trees her paws had missed, but she didn't stop, couldn't stop, until her anger burnt out and finally she collapsed among the destruction she'd wreaked on the forest.

Toma laid there for some time before managing to raise her head and look around; she was crying, she realized, as she turned her head to gauge her surroundings and found her vision blurred. Her breathing was still heavy but now it came in uneven bursts as she cried, bellowing in sadness this time as the weight of her experiences hit her anew. That the torture was over didn't lessen its impact, and she let her head fall back to the earth, sobbing brokenly and digging her claws into the ground, pulling her wings up to shelter her head from the world around her.

He'd raped her. And not just once, and not after he'd defeated her in battle; he had raped her while she was bound and helpless to stop him, while humans looked on and mocked her weakness, and then done it again, and again, no matter how much she fought, threatened, begged, pleaded with him to release her and leave her alone... He had given no thought to her well-being except what was necessary to keep her alive so he could continue to abuse her, he'd taunted her, mocked her, then beaten and humiliated her whenever she showed even the slightest resistance, and now...

That she'd managed to get away didn't stop the memories from haunting her. Still she saw his face in her mind, heard his voice ringing in her ears, smelled him and his horrible arousal on her scales... She rolled into the river and let the water wash over her so it could carry the scent of her former captor away, wishing it could clear away the memories as well. He'd tormented her every day for so long, and she hadn't been able to lay even one claw on him in response... Why had she let Asara stop her? Why couldn't she have just torn her paw from the other dragoness' grasp and pounced on him anyway? She should have. Should have pounced, bit, flamed, done everything she could to tear him apart... Why hadn't she?

Because I'm too weak, Toma thought miserably. I couldn't even control whether or not a dragon mounted me, much less put up a fight against him when he did. If I couldn't do that, how could I have found the strength to fight through Asara to get to him? I don't deserve to get revenge, not a dragoness as weak and pitiful as me.

Be reasonable, another part of her mind said; the humans had ambushed her and she had never had a chance to fight against them or Juneas. No dragoness could have stopped him in such a situation.

She knew that was right, but it didn't change what had happened. She still could have found a way... She could have put a claw to her own throat and threatened to slash it if he didn't release her, she could have played submissive until he gave her enough freedom for her to have a decent chance to escape, she could have done any number of things--

But she hadn't. She hadn't been strong enough.

And now she was free again, free to go her own way, to try to get her life back--as if she could ever return to the way things used to be after what had happened. What dragon would see her as a worthy mate now, what dragon would yield to her in a territory dispute, what human would fear her presence? Who would even respect her? No one... No one, except those who knew and understood what she'd been through. Asara.

Toma emerged from the river and shook herself dry, looking up at the position of the sun and trying to remember which direction she'd flown. Only Asara would understand, only Asara would be able to shelter her, comfort her, share the pain of what Juneas had done to them both...

She leapt back into the air and flew again, back the way she'd come.

---

Asara finished her discussion with the two generals and prowled over to Juneas, who laid dejectedly in his chains in an open space near the outer wall and was guarded by a full thirty soldiers. He didn't look at her when she approached, just kept his eyes on the bare ground in front of his bridled snout, and after watching him for a moment she laid down on her side to check herself for wounds.

There was a set of small cuts in the scales of her belly where he'd nicked her with his hind claws, and her ribs were sore from the fall they'd taken, but other than that she seemed to be fine. She couldn't have hoped for a quicker, easier result for the battle, really; not many humans had died, neither she nor Juneas had been seriously injured--and, of course, they'd won.

And now Juneas was her captive. For so long she'd suffered at his claws, and now finally she had him at her mercy... When she'd pictured moments like this one in her head while lying in his dungeon she'd always expected to want to gloat, to beat him, to mock and humiliate him in front of his own defeated soldiers; some more sadistic part of her had even fantasized about things like jamming the phallic "toys" he'd used on her up his own tailvent, or castrating him so he would never again be able to do what he'd done to her so many times, or...

But she felt none of that now. Seeing him here humbled, defeated, and waiting to be punished for his actions had let all her former anger die away, and all it left behind was sadness. Even if the pain of her torment had numbed somewhat, even if it was over now, even if soon he would have to face the consequences of what he'd done to her... For twelve years he had abused her, and what she remembered of those twelve years of such terrible experience would not fade, not now that she had seen it end, not once he'd received his punishment, not a year from now, and likely not for the rest of her life.

She was at least able to keep tears from forming in her eyes, for this sadness was one she'd lived with for years, but it didn't change the fact that it was there, and that the mere scent of him nearby made her instinctively tuck her tail tightly between her hind legs; she sighed, curled up and laid her head down on the ground, trying not to look at the chained dragon lying next to her.

Asara rested for most of the afternoon, then since she felt up to it she flew off to hunt. Eventually she found a herd of deer and snatched a few, and when she returned to the fortress late that evening one of the generals was waiting for her. "Yes," he said once she'd landed in front of him, "we will be able to make it back to Gairvel without you. The humans who live here have been informed of what we will do with Juneas, and we have placed the highest-ranking humans in charge of the fortress. You may leave with him in the morning."

She nodded. "Thank you. But I'm going to need to take a few soldiers along with me; the flight is long enough that I don't think we'll be able to make it in one day, especially if the wind is against us, and I'll need some soldiers along to guard him while we rest and manage his restraints so he can eat and drink along the way."

"Of course. How many do you think you'll need? ...and now that I think about it, how would they travel with you? It would be so easy for them to slip off your back in flight, especially such a long one; how would they be able to ride safely?"

Asara thought for a moment, then said, "while I was held captive here, Juneas occasionally allowed me to fly, but when he did he strapped a saddle to me so some of his men could ride on my back and hold onto the reins of the bridle I was forced to wear to make sure I didn't try to fly away. We could have him wear that."

"How many men could it hold?"

"Five, I think."

"Well, I suppose we should send that many with you, then. I will choose five men from the army and tell them to pack a day's worth of supplies and be ready to fly with you and Juneas tomorrow morning; they'll come to you when they're ready. We'll also have to find the saddle..."

"I think I can handle that," she said, and turned to Juneas, who raised his head to look at her. "Is the saddle you made me wear when I flew in that storage room with the rest of the things you bound me with?"

His eyes widened for a moment, but he just tilted his head and grunted once through his gag before putting his head down again.

"There's your answer," she said to the general. "There is a storage room next to the cell Toma and I were held in; the saddle is in there somewhere."

"Then we'll have it brought out here for you to use on him in the morning." He turned and walked away again, and she settled down to rest up for the long flight she and Juneas would have the following day.

Shouting woke Asara again around midnight, and she opened her eyes as a blast of wind washed over her; she looked up to see Toma hunched against the ground before her. She hurried to wave off the guards with a flick of one of her wings, then the other dragoness began to crawl over to her. Her cheeks were wet, she shuddered occasionally and Asara could hear sniffling, and she huddled against Asara as soon as she was close enough.

Asara shifted to better curl up around her, draping a wing over her side and nuzzling at her neck. She didn't have to say anything for her to know what this was about, and Asara just leaned against her as she continued to sob. "It's all right," Asara murmured, stroking her tail with her own. "Just let it out... There's nothing to be afraid of anymore. You're safe now, and he'll never be able to hurt you again."

Toma whimpered and kept crying, but her shudders eventually faded away, and after a little while she looked up and said, "how... How do you just sit there peacefully after all that he did to you? How can you stand it, stand all those awful memories he left you, and not feel so weak every minute of every day? I..." She shivered and huddled even tighter against her, head drooping almost to the ground.

She looked away. "That I've felt the same way long enough to grow used to feeling it every moment of every day is not something you should want to learn."

"Then... Then what are we supposed to do? What can possibly make such a feeling go away?"

She paused, unsure of what she could say. "I-- I don't know. I sincerely hope you will figure it out more easily than I do; you only suffered his treatment for a month, while I was his captive much longer, and if not for my own weakness he never would have had you captured."

"But if you hadn't stopped resisting him, he never would have let you go. It would never have ended..."

"I would have borne that, if only to keep another dragoness from going through what I did."

"That's not what I meant," Toma laid her neck across hers. "If you had not given in, if I had not been captured, if he had not released you and allowed you to go to your human friends for help... He would still be free to torment a dragoness, whether that dragoness was you, or me, or some other, if you had not done what was necessary to escape."

"Such weakness is not something to be proud of. If I had been stronger, you would still be safe and happy in your territory--"

"And you would still be his helpless captive. If I had heard news of your plight, I would have wanted to help you... And I did, in a way. You cannot tell me that you would have preferred to continue suffering at his claws instead of having a chance to get away from him."

"But it was true. He tortured me long enough for me to grow used to the treatment, as awful as it was... Remember the night you arrived, when I allowed him to bind me and mount me without offering the slightest bit of resistance? I had accepted what he did to me--grown to enjoy it, even. That he captured you to take my place only meant that my weakness had caused another dragoness to suffer; at that point I could have spent the rest of my life as his captive without it meaning very much to me."

"But you're free now... You don't have to think that way. It's over."

Asara paused, and cocked her head to one side. "Yes... It's over. We aren't his captives any longer. And that means... That means there's no reason to-- to fear him anymore." She nuzzled the other dragoness softly on the snout. "He will never be able to hurt us again."

"Never again," the other dragoness returned her nuzzle, then yawned and laid her head down on her paws.

She sighed and looked around the quiet fortress; most of the humans had gone off to their shelters, and it was late... And they would have a long journey in the morning. Maybe it was time for her to sleep as well. She yawned and flexed her wings, but paused when she heard the clink of chains and turned--just her head, so she wouldn't disturb the copper dragoness leaning against her--to see Juneas watching them. His head was tilted slightly, and something about his posture... He seemed a little confused, but there was something else there, too, and she couldn't quite place it; the chains were distorting his body language. Sorrow? But then he saw her eyes on him and looked away again, growling a little and clenching his claws as he fought his chains momentarily for a more comfortable way to lie down.

Toma stirred, then raised her head again, wiping the dampness from her face with the back of a foreleg. "Where is this man you spoke of, who is going to punish him?"

Asara licked the last of the tears from her cheeks. "Juneas and I will be flying north tomorrow morning to go to his city. You can go with us, if you'd like."

"I would," she said after a moment, and the two of them settled down and slept curled up together for the rest of the night.

They awoke the next morning to find cows being slaughtered for their breakfast, and after Juneas' bridle was removed the three dragons ate eagerly in preparation for their journey. The five assigned soldiers walked over not long after that, another group trailing behind with the dragon-saddle, and once they were done the light meal they began to set up Juneas for the flight.

"Is all this really necessary?" he growled as the humans released the short chains connecting his shackles, allowing him to stand; there were other men holding up his bridle and waiting for him to put his head down for them, but he ignored them for the moment. "You defeated me fairly in battle and I surrendered, and in any case I doubt I'd be able to best both of you together if I tried to fight again."

Asara snarled and pressed the saddle down onto his shoulders. "For twelve years I wanted little more than to see you bound with the same chains that held me for so long, and my next desire was a chance to torture you however I could while you were helpless. You'll be glad to hear I've moved past that second part," she bared her teeth, "but if you don't cooperate then anger might tempt me to consider that desire once again. Now let them bridle you so we can get moving."

Juneas lowered his head meekly and let the soldiers put on his bridle, then once he was properly saddled and the five soldiers and their supplies were loaded on they finally removed the chains from his wings. The two dragonesses picked up the long, heavy chains between them, and after one final check to make sure all was secure they spread their wings and flew off to the north.

---

Asara touched down at the edge of the courtyard, hurrying to fold her wings and get out of the way so Toma and Juneas could land safely. The open space went from empty to overcrowded in just a moment as the two other dragons returned to the ground, and Asara raised her head to speak to the men on Juneas' back.

"Have Toma help you take off his saddle and bind his wings again, then wait here while I find King William. Hopefully he'll be ready to see us, but we could end up waiting for a while if he's busy or he hasn't come up with a suitable punishment yet."

Juneas snorted and pawed at the ground, growling past the bit in his mouth, only for Toma to bare her teeth and grab his reins roughly in one paw, forcing him to lower his head all the way to the ground. "The dragoness who defeated you gave you an order," she snarled, "and if you know what's good for you, you'll obey it."

"Don't be too hard on him," Asara cautioned. "He's not going to fly away, he just doesn't want to wear the chains--not that I blame him, but it's not his choice to make. I'll come back, or send someone to get you, as soon as I can." She turned and walked towards the front entrance of the castle, waiting for one of the guards to approach her as they always had whenever she'd visited there before her capture. Surely King William would have reminded them of how they'd used to accommodate her...

Garrett waved to her as she rounded the corner of the castle and the front door came into view. "Asara, welcome back! I'm happy to see you return in one piece, and judging by the dragons you came with, am I right to assume you were successful?"

"Yes," she lowered her head to sniff at his shoulders. "The battle went very well for us, too; the army didn't lose many soldiers at all."

"The King will be happy to hear it."

"Is he ready to hold trial for Juneas, do you know?"

"I'm not sure, but he does want to see you before you bring that dragon before him. Come on, he's probably eager to hear your news."

King William was waiting alone in his audience chamber, and smiled when the two of them entered. "Ah, Asara, I'm glad to see you back here safely, and from what I heard you were successful! Congratulations."

She sat on her belly before him. "Thank you. The generals want me to tell you that they lost only fifty-three soldiers in the battle, and that they should be back in another month or so."

"More good news! That is excellent. Now, I have heard that two other dragons returned with you, one of them in chains; would those be Toma and Juneas?"

"Yes. Have you been able to devise a punishment for him?"

"I have. Now listen and tell me if you think this will work..." He explained what he had in mind, then said, "but I wasn't sure if it would be too difficult for you to have him around, after all the bad memories you have of him. Will that be a problem for you?"

She shook her head. "No, I won't mind seeing him every day; I think I grew used to his presence after so much time in his fortress, to be honest. But there is something else I want to be sure is in there: after he took such sexual advantage of Toma and myself, I thought it would be... appropriate to have some aspect of his punishment be a more specific response to what he did to us. Punishing him for ever being aroused, for example."

William chuckled and shook his head. "Asara, no man of any species can control whether he's ever aroused."

She thought for a moment, then said, "what about punishing him for attempting to relieve any sexual desire?"

"That would be more reasonable. And maybe... I'm not sure if this is something you'd want, but what if he was occasionally allowed to, as a reward for prolonged good behavior? I think it would help to encourage him at first, if he refuses anything, and we might need an incentive for him if he's resistant. Would you mind that?"

"Oh... That's actually a good idea," she flicked her tail as a couple of thoughts crossed her mind, of ways she could use that mode of encouragement to torment or humiliate him in return for what he'd done to her so many times. "So it's settled, then?"

"Yes." He nodded to Garrett. "Bring Toma and Juneas in, please, but be sure nobody else enters aside from his guards. This will be a private trial."

Garrett bowed and hurried off to retrieve the other two dragons. William and Asara waited in silence until he returned, Toma, Juneas and the five soldiers who'd ridden on his back in tow, and after the main doors were closed Garrett moved to stand behind King William's throne. Juneas was directed to sit directly in front of him, with Toma and Asara on either side, and once Juneas' bridle had been removed King William began to speak.

"Juneas, you have been brought here today for trial regarding crimes you committed against one of my subjects and against one other, which you will be punished for." He paused and glanced at Asara, then continued, "is it true that you imprisoned Asara against her will at your fortress for a period of approximately twelve years?"

Juneas did not hesitate. "Yes," he said, voice low.

"And is it true that you imprisoned Toma for approximately one month?"

"Yes."

"Is it also true that while you held them captive you took repeated sexual advantage of each of them, against their will?"

He growled a little. "Yes."

William paused again. "And do you have any remorse for what you have done?"

He cocked his head to one side. "Why should I? I used my power to enforce my will on those weaker than me until someone with more power than myself came to enforce his will upon me. That is how the world works."

"Yet instead of using that power for the benefit of all, you used it for your own gain. By assuming a position of power, you have a responsibility to those less powerful than yourself, to better their lives when they themselves cannot, and doing so gives you the respect of others with power along with the adoration of those beneath you."

"And I did!" he snorted. "The humans who lived in my fortress were happy there, and never had to suffer through hardship."

"But what of the dragonesses who stand beside you now? Their lives were forever changed by what you did to them, and you cannot possibly consider that change a good one."

"But you are about to change my life, as you put it, in a similar way. I assume you've brought me here to be either executed or imprisoned; how is that any different from what I did to them?"

"It is different because, unlike them, you have done something to deserve this punishment. Neither Asara nor Toma did anything to provoke the way you enslaved and tortured them, but by doing such a thing to a dragoness I care very much about you have given me every right to punish you for it. Now," he stood and took a deep breath," do you have anything to say before I announce your punishment?"

"...yes," he lowered his head and glanced at his two former captives. "I said before that I don't regret what I did, and I still think that, but... I have to apologize to both of you for how my actions affected you. I never considered how my treatment of you two could make such a difference in the rest of your lives, and even if I don't regret doing what I did, I am sorry that it hurt you so much."

Asara had to fight down a sudden surge of tears at his words, and didn't trust herself to meet his gaze when he looked up at her.

"Will you ever be able to forgive me?" he murmured.

Toma growled at the notion, but Asara finally summoned the strength to face him again. "I... Not yet," she said after a while. "You took away twelve years of my life, years that I cannot get back, and all the terrible things you did to me are still much too fresh in my mind. But maybe... Maybe, in time, I will be able to forgive you."

He pressed the end of his snout against one of her paws for just a moment. "That is all I needed to hear."

William watched them a moment longer, then coughed and said, "Juneas, I have decided on the terms of your punishment: you will be confined as a prisoner and as a slave of my kingdom for a period of thirty years. A company of guards will be assigned along with Asara to watch over you; the manner of your treatment will be theirs to decide, and you will follow whatever orders they choose to give you until your sentence comes to an end. You will receive further punishment in the manner of Asara's choosing if you attempt to escape, or refuse to cooperate or obey orders; additionally, you will be punished for any attempts you make to mate or to masturbate, but Asara may choose to reward you for good behavior by giving you permission to do so."

Toma chuckled at that, while Juneas groaned softly but did not protest.

"Do you understand these terms?" William finished.

He sighed and laid his head on the floor. "Yes."

"Good. Asara, you may lead him to the rear courtyard and confine him there for now. His guard will be assigned by the end of the day, and my architects will be along later for your input on a prison that will be constructed for him." He paused, then added, "Toma, I'm sorry if I'm not familiar with your wishes, but did you want to be involved with this as well?"

She pawed at the floor. "No. I have humans on my old territory who must be wondering what happened to me, and I'd like to return to them and the lands I was taken from."

"Of course. I would be more than willing to provide food and shelter for you if you wish to stay and recover your strength for a few days..."

"That will not be necessary," she turned and began to walk towards the exit. "In fact, I'd like to put all this behind me as quickly as I can." She paused and inclined her head briefly to Asara before walking through the doors the guards hastily opened for her.

"In that case, I have other matters I must attend to," he sat back down on his throne. "Oh, and Asara, I would like to have you join me for dinner tonight, if you're able."

"I'd be glad to," she purred, and turned to Juneas' guards. "Bridle him, please."

He growled and lashed his tail with irritation. "Do you really plan to keep me bridled for thirty years?"

"You forced me to wear it for ten," she countered.

"Yes, but I had a reason: I had to prevent you from escaping or attacking me or my men. You know I've accepted the fact that you defeated me and that I'm not going to try to escape or attack you, and you're tying me up anyway."

She bared her teeth. "Are you refusing to obey me already?"

He glared back at her for just a moment, but then he lowered his head, sighed, "fine," and let the soldiers bridle him.

Asara tilted her head and wrapped the end of his reins around one of her forepaws. "I'm sure the King will find some task for you to perform before too long, so you'd better get used to following my orders. Here's a simple one, for practice: follow me."

Juneas grumbled, but at a tug of his reins he followed her, head low, back to the courtyard to begin his sentence.