\n Juneas followed Asara back around the castle and down the stairs to his cell, the chains that linked his shackles clinking as they dragged along the ground. She still seemed unhappy, if her lashing tail was any indication... probably some combination of having to stay around him, not being able to keep him tied up like she preferred, being reminded of her initial capture by the worry that Elric's forces might try to ambush her if she flew off alone--and even some lingering disappointment from her unsuccessful search for a mate that she'd just returned from. Either way, she certainly wasn't in a good mood, and as they'd probably be together in his cell for a while he took it on himself to try to distract her.

\n

\n "I do hope the King listens to me," he began. "Finding and defeating that brown dragon would make Elric much less of a threat, and I don't think they'd see it coming. Usually after being attacked like we were, we'd be expected to be as careful as possible and wait for their next move..."

\n

\n She growled, stopped and turned, directing him into his cell with a jerk of her head. Her jaws parted as if to respond, a low growl rumbling in her throat, but then she paused and shut them again, and after hesitating for another moment finally spoke: "the problem will be finding him... and finding him somewhere where we'll have a chance to defeat him. The King has ordered that he not be kept in chains," she added to his guards. "Release him, and put the shackles and bridle away."

\n

\n He held still gratefully, watching while the guards removed the shackles, then groaned and stretched his limbs now that his range of motion wasn't so inhibited. "Thank you... I don't think he'll be especially difficult to find, especially if we keep a good watch. He needs to eat, which means he'll most likely be hunting for his meals if he at all resembles a proper dragon, and he'll probably be alone when he does. That's our opening."

\n

\n Pausing, Asara cocked her head at him, looking him up and down; he growled uneasily back at her, not sure what to make of her critical eye. Then she said, "you know, Juneas... After keeping you tied up for so long, you look strange to me when you're not in chains! I know I cannot keep you restrained with the threat of war hanging over us, but I'd like to have something on you just so you'll look less naked..." She chuckled, and swung her gaze around to the guards. "Go into the storeroom and see if you can find a good stout collar for my slave, would you?"

\n

\n "Of course, dragoness Asara," the guard bowed, and two of the humans went to search through the gear they had for him.

\n

\n "Asara!" Juneas growled in complaint, pawing at the ground in agitation. She knew he wouldn't flee or disobey either way, there was no proper reason for her to put anything on him...

\n

\n She tossed her head, showing a bit of her teeth. "Oh, do be quiet, would you? A collar won't slow you down or get in your way, and having you wear one is hardly the worst I've done to you--especially when you're free otherwise. There's no reason you can't stoically endure wearing a collar like you have everything else I've done to you..."

\n

\n He sighed, but when the guards returned with a collar for him he lowered his head wordlessly for them; she was right, of course, and like it or not he was hers to do with as she pleased... At least she didn't torment him like she used to, like she'd be well within her rights to do after all he'd done to her. "Good dragon," she purred, and the guards closed and locked the steel collar around his throat: a snug fit, but not too tight to get in the way of his breathing or swallowing.

\n

\n He held still while the humans put the circlet on him, and kept his head lowered to her for a few moments afterwards before raising it back up again, sitting back on his haunches and lifting a paw more to get a feel for the metal band he'd only caught a glimpse of before having it put around his throat, and was too close to his head for him to see... But after making Asara wear a collar like this for so long he could so clearly envision how he must look with it on. Satisfied, he looked levelly back at her, objection to the collar fading quickly... If she wanted it on him, then he would obey.

\n

\n After a little while she broke the silence. "But if that dragon has been hunting nearby, then surely I would have seen him by now. Dragons don't hunt from the ground, and can't hide up in the sky, especially not if he's a brown... He couldn't possibly be doing his own hunting without me seeing him, not if he's hiding anywhere near the city."

\n

\n "Or perhaps he knows to hide from us, and does his hunting far from here, or at night. No better way for him to hide from you than to be far away when you're about... Though now that Elric has made the first move, he may not hide from you--us--much longer. It's hard to say... But I still think we should look. Everything changes if we can catch him."

\n

\n "Or if he catches us," she growled. "We were almost captured yesterday without his help."

\n

\n "They only managed to get so close to us because we didn't know we were being hunted! Now we know more of what's going on, and we can be better prepared. The worth of being able to find him is too great not to risk it; we should look, at least before Elric begins to attack King William or the city or whatever he has planned next."

\n

\n She shuffled her wings and sat down on her belly, turning her head to begin washing her side. "If King William agrees with you, then I will go with you to hunt for this dragon... And if we find him, and if he is alone, then I will fight him."

\n

\n "Are you sure?" Juneas turned his gaze to her lithe, dark-green-scaled form, then stood straight and still to show her his own larger, well-muscled body and limbs, toned by the hard labor that was tasked to him on most of the days of his ten years of enslavement. "I am better suited to fighting than you are, and I would hate to see you hurt... Allow me to defeat this dragon, if we should find him."

\n

\n "When I fought you for my freedom and Toma's against yours..." She looked away, but recovered quickly. "When we fought, I defeated you. Stronger or no, I am the better fighter."

\n

\n "Then perhaps he would have to defeat me just for the privilege of fighting you." While a human describing a dragon might not know what to compare it to--making it hard to know just how big and tough this brown dragon was--Juneas still balked at letting her fight him, especially when neither of them knew anything about his size or strength or fighting skill. If she was hurt or maimed or killed, if she lost and had to let him take her captive... He could not imagine just standing and watching her duel him, unable to do anything else, while they fought in attempt to capture each other, and he ground his teeth together at the thought, his tail lashing.

\n

\n "He would never agree to such terms, no matter how confident he was of defeating you," she shook her head. "Fighting one duel is exhausting; to fight two in succession and win them both would be nigh impossible. Not unless he could fight on successive days, and surely he would bring soldiers to the second, either openly or in secret, to ensure he won... I do not trust this Elric, and if Elric truly raised this dragon, then I do not trust him, either, or expect him to show much of a dragon's honor."

\n

\n "All the more reason why I should fight him! You are more important to King William; if a duel was interfered with, and I was brought down somehow, then you would be free to return to the safety of the castle."

\n

\n Asara looked away again. "But then you would be their captive... if they didn't choose to kill you."

\n

\n "Better me than you," he pawed at the floor, but settled back onto his haunches after a moment. "Let me fight him, if we find him. I am larger, I am stronger, and I have more fighting experience..."

\n

\n She snorted. "You say all that, and maybe it is true... And yet I still defeated you."

\n

\n This time he looked away, his head dipping submissively. Not at the thought of the fight where he'd lost his freedom--he had long since accepted his position, and that he deserved to be treated as he was after what he'd done to her and to Toma--but from being unsure of how she'd react to what he was about to say. "I... threw that fight. I wanted it to end quickly, so I did something very risky, and you got the better of me."

\n

\n That made her pause. "Why?" She was sitting very still now, all her attention on him, not even her tail flicking.

\n

\n "I did not want my soldiers, my subjects and their families, to suffer for what I had done. Even before you arrived... It was like hearing the cock crow in the morning, seeing Toma fight me after you had-- After how you had begun to act differently," he corrected, to try not to anger her. "I did not show it, I wanted to let everyone think nothing at all had changed, but... I started to realize that what I was doing to her, what I had done to you, was wrong. When you arrived, I could not just give in to you, but--" He looked at the floor between them. "Surely you noticed how accepting, and cooperative, I was once you had defeated me."

\n

\n She tilted her head just a little. "I noticed..."

\n

\n "Because I had realized then, finally, far too late, that my actions were unacceptable, unspeakable... What I did to the two of you was horrible. When you came to capture me and take me away for punishment, I knew then that I deserved whatever you might want from me, and did not want my subjects to be hurt or killed defending their Lord--their Lord, a criminal. So I tried to end the fight as quickly as I could, whether you were brought down or I was. I dove and dragged you down with me... then your strength surprised me, you threw me beneath you, and that was the end of it. I prevented heavy losses on both sides--and I allowed you to bring me to justice."

\n

\n Asara was silent for a while, watching him, thinking; he only sat there and waited, head low, watching her until she was ready to respond to him. She remained motionless for a little while, her breathing a little rapid, her gaze not meeting his, and for a few moments her eyes shown with what might have been tears, but she turned her head and blinked them away. He gave her all the time she needed to think and to master herself, until she finally opened her mouth to speak.

\n

\n "For so long in your dungeon, trying to keep up my strength, trying to forget what your latest round of torment had felt like..." She shuddered. "I wondered if you cared. I wondered if you realized the horrors of what you were doing to me, if you were acting entirely for your own pleasure and not thinking of what it did to me, or if you knew full well how hard it was for me to be abused as I was. I did not think a dragon could be so evil as to knowingly inflict such suffering on another, but you seemed to think so carefully about your subjects..."

\n

\n "I was selfish," Juneas sighed heavily. "I was so selfish when it came to my own pleasure... I did not care what happened to others as long as I got it, didn't consider what it might do to them--but I was not evil. I did not do what I did because of how it hurt you... I want you to know that," he pressed the end of his snout to one of her forepaws, and for once she didn't flinch away. "I am so sorry, and I did not mean to hurt you as much as I did."

\n

\n "Thank you," she whispered, seeming to not trust herself to speak further. So again he waited there, keeping still, keeping her company, his nose resting against the scales of her forepaw... Again she was quiet for several minutes, but this time she did cry, tears rolling slowly down her snout while she lay there with him.

\n

\n Finally she looked up, and gently nuzzled his neck for a moment. "Thank you for the apology," she said again, softly.

\n

\n He purred in response and slowly pulled his head back, pausing to rub his cheek to hers for just a moment on the way by. "I will apologize as many times as I can until it is enough for you to forgive me... No matter how long it takes."

\n

\n She tilted her head, not shying away from their brief nuzzle. "Of course..." She shivered a little, flicked her tail, then brought her gaze up again and said, "but I believe that I should be the one to fight this dragon, if we find him. This is my territory and it is my right to defend it... not yours."

\n

\n He blinked; that line of thought had not occurred to him, and after a moment he lowered his head to her again. "I understand."

\n

\n Asara purred and tilted her head just a little to him. They sat together in silence for a little while, each thinking about what the other had said, then she cocked her head to one side and said, "you truly mean to stay until I am prepared to forgive you for what you did to me?"

\n

\n "I do," he bobbed his head in affirmation, growling once to make a point of it. "I did awful things to you, before, and I want you to forgive me, I want you to be able to move on... I don't want you to hate me."

\n

\n "You know, Juneas..." She slowly extended a forepaw, stroking his face a couple of times with it and making him purr before settling again, her tailtip flicking. "You have matured a great deal since I first met you... Even since I brought you here. I'm glad, and I'm glad to know that now you care about my feelings as well."

\n

\n "It's how I wish I'd been from the beginning. Otherwise I never would have done what I did, never would have hurt you... the only downside is that I would never have met you had I not sent my men out to find a dragoness. I will stay here until you are ready to forgive, until I have apologized enough, no matter how long that takes... I may not want to leave you at all," he put one of his forepaws on hers.

\n

\n She faltered a little at that. "Not... not leaving at all? But you are a slave here. You do manual labor, you are usually kept in chains, you must wait to be fed and to be let out to exercise... Back on your territory you were a Lord! How could you want to stay?"

\n

\n "Because if I left this place, then I would leave you as well."

\n

\n "Juneas..." she growled softly.

\n

\n He shifted a little closer to her. "As I just said, the one good thing about what I did is that I met you at all. You are an incredible dragoness, Asara... You are so graceful, so beautiful, so intelligent, so proud, and so strong in both body and spirit! To be with you is worth whatever station I have in this kingdom."

\n

\n She tossed her head and growled more loudly, but said nothing... so he pressed on.

\n

\n "It makes me happy to see you, to see you happy... And it pains me when you are sad, or hurt. I miss you when we're apart, and when we're together nothing matters to me more than your well-being. We've been together so long now, and I care so much about you... I could not bear the thought of leaving you. I care for you far too much."

\n

\n She flinched back and away from him now, her tail and wings twitching, head drawing back, but it was too late to stop now; he had said too much already, he had exposed so much of his feelings for her, and after she had cut him off the first time he'd been about to admit to it... Regardless of how she might react, he simply had to say it, and say it now.

\n

\n "Asara, I love you."

\n

\n The green dragoness froze. She did not move a muscle, staring at him with wide eyes, breath growing rapid again, not purring or growling or crying or baring her teeth... He waited expectantly for her to leap on him, to hug him in shared love or attack him in rejection--as painful as it would be!--but she stood stock-still, as if trying to process what she had just heard, the seconds dragging into a minute, then more, while he waited for her response. Why wouldn't she speak... He had bared his heart to her, told her how much she meant to him; why would she not tell him what that meant to her, how it affected her? He had to know!

\n

\n "Say something," he said softly, the silence growing unbearable. "Please."

\n

\n She remained motionless for another moment, then two... And then she turned and fled.

\n

\n He bellowed and leapt forward. "Asara, wait!" he cried, making to follow her, but the guards brought up their spears to stop him and he had to remain in his cell and watch as she hurried up the steps, snapped her wings open and flew away as quickly as her wings could carry her. "Come back!" he howled after her, but she did not listen, and he sagged in place, watching the cloud-dotted blue sky for a little while before turning and slowly walking back to the center of his cell. He felt like crying; he had told her how he felt about her, that he loved her, and she had flown from him. Rejected him.

\n

\n A couple of the guards slowly walked over, but he curled up with his back to the door and covered his head with a wing, ignoring them even when they prodded at his haunch with the butt of a spear; the last thing he wanted to do was explain what had happened, and thankfully they let him be after a little while. He whimpered, watching his love flee from him over and over in his mind's eye, then finally closed his eyes, trying to think. Perhaps the thought of being loved by him, knowing their past, had just frightened her... She had not said 'no' to him, after all, just flown away, maybe to think about it, and the thought gave him hope--just enough to keep from weeping in despair.

\n

\n Sighing, he swished his tail before curling it about himself once again; he had told her how he felt about her, and all he could do now was wait to hear if those feelings were reciprocated. As painful as it might be... He would have to wait.

\n

\n Asara was gone for some time, and doubt and worry nagged at him all the while. He loved her... What would he do if she did not return those feelings? What could he do? And if she didn't, how would she treat him? There was no way he could have avoided saying it, not then, but now to think that she might come back angry and abusive and keep him bridled and chained no matter what from now on so he couldn't talk to her or touch her or... He quivered at the thought and tried to shut it out of his mind. Being a slave because of what he'd done to her was one thing, but to be punished for admitting his feelings would be unbearable.

\n

\n And what if she'd just needed to think, but was ambushed by soldiers again? He didn't know where she'd gone, or for how long, or who might see her... It wasn't safe outside the city, not alone, and not when she was so distracted by what he'd said to her. If she was captured because of this, if something happened--he shoved that out of his thoughts as quickly as his last unpleasant musing, whimpering quietly to himself. Locked in his cell, with nothing to do but wait... Being so anxious would only make things harder, and he tried to settle down for a nap.

\n

\n Eventually he was roused by the sound of approaching wing-beats, and he leapt up and hurried over to the bars of his cell once again to look out at the sky, to see her when she returned... He saw the shape of a dark green wing for a moment, but nothing more, and she did not walk down the steps to his cell, instead heading away towards the other side of the castle. He sagged again, head and tail drooping, and lay down on his belly there, watching the sky, swishing his tail, waiting for her... Needing to speak to her about this. At least he knew she was safe, now, but the delay made his worry return just as strong as it had been before he'd heard her approach--what was she doing? Was she demanding permission from King William to keep him bound except if there was a battle to fight? Was she planning to beat him or punish him some other way for saying something she hated so much? Or was she preparing to come down that ramp and, he hoped so badly, tell him that she loved him too, and nuzzle him gently, say she was sorry for flying off to think, wanting to spend time with the dragon who she loved and who loved her back? He just wanted to see her come down those steps so he could know, and enjoy or be broken by her choice...

\n

\n He had to wait another hour without any clue as to what she might be doing before there was activity at the top of the stairs, but the figure that walked down to his cell was not a dragon's, just a little human, alone-- Not just any human, King William! he realized, and rose to his feet, lowering his head and forequarters to bow to him just as all the guards arranged in ranks to do the same. He smiled and bade them to rise again, then gestured towards Juneas. "Open his cell, please; I would like to speak with him."

\n

\n The guards hesitated, glancing between King and dragon. "Should we chain him first, or fit him with a muzzle, my King? To keep you safe..."

\n

\n "No, no, that's not necessary. Just let me in, so that I may discuss a few matters with him."

\n

\n They seemed doubtful and kept glancing up at him, but after a moment they bowed again, and two of them pulled open the heavy barred door far enough to admit the King. He entered, and said, "hello, my good dragon. I need to speak with you about a couple of things, if you don't mind... Though we might walk to the far side of the room for a little more privacy, I think."

\n

\n "Of course, my King," he lowered his head respectfully, and padded slowly across his cell to the far wall, following the King, and lying on his belly when the man stopped and turned. "What do you mean to speak about?"

\n

\n "There are two topics on my mind," he said. "First, I have discussed the matter you brought up this morning with my generals, and they and I agree: being able to find and kill or capture Elric's dragon would greatly reduce the threat of Elric's presence, so greatly that it would be foolish not to attempt to engage him while we have the opportunity. So you and Asara will be allowed to search for him and confront him, together, in whatever manner you wish, until Elric begins to attack the city and its citizens."

\n

\n He inclined his head... Not asking about Asara yet despite his mentioning her. "Good... We will do our best to track him down."

\n

\n "Of course. I must however urge you to be careful in your search, and if you engage him... Be wary of traps, ambushes, anything that could get you or her captured. None of us want to see you or her captured to force me into ransoming your lives and freedom..."

\n

\n "We will be careful, King William."

\n

\n "I would expect no less." But then he sighed, turned, and began to pace slowly back and forth. "However, there is something else you and I must discuss... And that is Asara."

\n

\n He leaned forward almost without realizing it. "Have you seen her, or spoken to her? Is she all right?"

\n

\n "Yes, I have spoken to her... Whether she is all right, I cannot say. You have put her into a very difficult situation, Juneas, telling her that you love her; with your history, with all that she has felt about you in the past, you must understand that her being able to accept your feelings is very difficult."

\n

\n "But how does she feel?" he pressed. "How much did she tell you?"

\n

\n His pacing slowed. "Asara confided in me, and I will not betray her trust by revealing what she said to another... I'm sorry. You will have to wait for her to be willing to discuss it with you."

\n

\n "Well, is she nearby? On the grounds? I want to hear from her..." his tail lashed. "Surely you understand; the longer I wait after telling her, and seeing her fly from me--the harder it is to bear not knowing how she feels."

\n

\n "Yes, of course; I have been in love too, you know," he chuckled. "But I'm afraid I must ask you to wait as long as you can... I can tell you that revealing your love for Asara has greatly distressed her, and that distress and distraction is the last thing she needs during the dangerous times ahead. Please; if you can, then do not bring it up again until Elric has been dealt with. If she had flown from you a week from now, when Elric and his dragon might be roaming in the open... She might not have returned safely."

\n

\n "I understand," he sighed, head drooping again. "I will try not to press her for a response, if that is what you want... But now that my feelings are known to her, it is hard to say if we will be able to be near each other without thinking of it."

\n

\n "Yes, I know..." King William was silent for a few moments, then stopped and looked him in the eye. "Do you truly love her?"

\n

\n "Yes!" he said earnestly, bobbing his head for emphasis. "With all my heart, I do."

\n

\n The King smiled a little. "Then I wish you the best when the time comes... There are very few who deserve for their love to reject them. Good luck in your search for that dragon, Juneas; I have other matters I must now attend to. Good day," he said, and after Juneas bowed again he left the cell, walking quickly back up the stairs and out of sight.

\n

\n Once King William was gone he settled down again, a little less moody than before; he was happy that they would be allowed to search for the brown dragon, but his thoughts were focused on what he'd said about Asara. The King had said he'd spoken to her, and that she'd confided in him... And then he had asked his feelings, and wished him luck--and those were things he would not have done had she told King William that she did not love him! So she had not rejected him, was not planning to abuse him in response to what he'd said... She was merely trying to understand her own feelings, and that could only be an encouraging sign; perhaps she loved him after all.

\n

\n But if she did, then had she flown from him like that? If she loved him, then she should have wanted to embrace him, tell him she also felt that way, savor that connection... not flee as quickly as she could. Why? he asked himself: why did she fly from me? If she loved him, she would have embraced him, if she did not, she would have struck him or told him no--so what did leaving him in such a hurry mean? Why would she feel that she had to get away from him?

\n

\n Fear, he finally realized. She had flown out of fear, fear of his feelings, fear of her own and what they might mean... As King William had said, asking her to love him was something that was sure to be very hard on her after what he'd put her through in his dungeon, for all those years, and to suddenly be confronted by those feelings, not understanding her own or maybe even resisting her own because of their history-- He sighed and swished his tail before curling it about himself again. No wonder she'd fled... Surely she was afraid of loving him, after how he'd abused her, how he'd made her feel so weak.

\n

\n And she still thought herself weak! She thought she was weak, so she feared, she didn't think she had the courage to follow what her heart urged, and when she realized feelings that her mind told her she could not have, she took the route of the coward--retreat--instead of using her strength to master herself, understand her feelings, understand she should not deny them... But she was strong! he thought with a growl. Asara was a strong dragoness, in body and spirit, but what he'd done to her had stripped away her confidence and she no longer realized that strength.

\n

\n And there was his answer, the solution to her confusion and his want of acceptance: if he could get her to remember how strong she was, he thought, then she would confront her feelings for him, think through them... and hopefully realize and tell him that she loved him.

\n

\n The thought made him purr softly, and when he tried to nap again he found it much easier than before.

\n

\n
\n Asara did not return to his cell that night. While he could occasionally catch a whiff of her scent in the air, or hear her walking somewhere on the castle grounds, or even hear her speak a few times, he did not see her; but he did not call out to her, or ask the guards to let him out, or try too hard--no need to press the issue now. He could give her as much time as she needed to think, give her space, let her work it out on her own... They were her feelings, after all, and pressuring her for an answer wouldn't help her. As much as he would like to hear her respond--hear her say that she loved him as well!--he would wait for her to be ready, and let both of them focus on Elric and his dragon in the meantime.

\n

\n Elric's dragon--the perfect opportunity for her to rediscover how strong a dragoness she was.

\n

\n Juneas could hear her moving about again after he'd eaten his breakfast, could smell her on the air... Morning would be as good a time as any to begin their search; might she be coming to get him? He stood and stretched and approached the bars of his cell, looking up the stairway as far as he could--there was a large shadow there, just beyond the edge of his line of sight. Definitely large enough to be Asara... but why was she just standing there? He considered calling out to her, but said nothing, watching the shadow and waiting, and after half a minute or so it finally stirred and walked downstairs.

\n

\n The green dragoness' tail lashed as she approached the bars. "Good morning, Juneas."

\n

\n Don't press her, he reminded himself, don't demand an answer from her... Just keep your mind on what you must do. "Good morning, Asara," he lowered his head to her. "Shall we begin our search for the brown dragon, or do you want to wait a little while?"

\n

\n She hesitated, stared at him, then blinked and dipped her head a little. "Yes-- Yes, of course, I would like to go looking for him. Have you eaten?"

\n

\n "Yes," he tilted his head. "I'm rested and fed, and I'm ready to fly whenever you are."

\n

\n Asara sighed, then seemed to perk up a little, her wings shuffling restlessly against her back--perhaps relieved that he hadn't attempted to bring up the events of the previous day, he thought. "I'm ready, as well, and already informed King William that we would spend the day searching. Come along; we may have a lot of flying to do."

\n

\n The guards opened his cell, and she led him up onto the castle grounds, to the open space between the great stone structure and its outer walls where they were meant to take off and land. After glancing back at him--twice--she spread her wings and took off, circling steadily upward into the sky; Juneas waited for her to be far enough up for him to have room, then growled, crouched, and leapt into the air, surging up after her until finally she leveled off and he could draw even with her.

\n

\n "Where should we search first?" he asked while the two of them lazily circled above the keep.

\n

\n "He must be at least a few miles out of the city, if not farther; otherwise we would have caught his scent at least once. The Southern plains are unlikely... he wouldn't have any cover to take shelter under, and there isn't much prey for a dragon."

\n

\n "What is there on the other side of the mountain? If there are any hunting grounds nearby that you don't travel to often..."

\n

\n She looked in that direction, then banked to fly towards the mountain; he followed close enough beside her to ride her wake, as she was faster in the air otherwise. "That could very well be it! I do my hunting West of the city, most of the time, as there's another dragon's territory to find if you go too far to the North... The far side of the mountain is as good a place as any to start."

\n

\n "Lead on," he growled, head turned downward to scan the ground while he flew.

\n

\n Her course led them towards the mountain itself, and his gaze wandered from the ground to the other scenery, as they were surely too close to the city find the brown dragon already... First he looked around the sky, then at the mountainside, then his flight partner--his eyes turned to her shapely belly and rump for a few moments, but he looked away again before she could notice. Again he examined the mountain, and this time noticed the cave on the Southern slope, not far below the tree line, though with a clearing around its mouth for a clear entry and exit.

\n

\n "Is that your cave?"

\n

\n Asara's flight jerked a little; she seemed a little surprised by the question, or maybe she'd even forgotten he was with her... "Yes, that is my home, though it's been rarely used these past few months, while I've been away and now that there have been threats to my safety... It is a comfortable cave, though."

\n

\n He thought for a moment. "I'd like to see it, if you wouldn't mind showing it to me."

\n

\n She hesitated again, and he realized belatedly what it would mean, to show him the cave where his soldiers had ambushed her, where her life had been so changed... "I wouldn't mind at all," she said, however, and though her tail quivered a little it could have just been to correct her flight. "It's not a large entryway, so I will land first, and once I fold my wings you should have room."

\n

\n "Very well," he said, and pulled off of her wake to circle, low, while she went in to land on the open ledge outside. He came back around, flared his wings, and dropped to the ground beside her, but kept his distance as best he could--her tail was lashing, he could hear a growl rumbling from her throat... Perhaps this wasn't the best of ideas, to make her think about what had happened here, he sighed; and with that breath, he sniffed the air.

\n

\n It smelled of male dragon.

\n

\n She growled more loudly and raised her snout, weaving her head this way and that while he raised his head to do the same. "There was a dragon here... Recently, if not still here now."

\n

\n "Yes, I smell it too. The trees are thin enough for us to have seen him if he was outside, and we would have seen him fly away if he left so recently," he bared his teeth, flexing his claws and digging them into the ground. "Either he's here, or he's marked the area."

\n

\n Her head cocked a little to one side, looking towards the peak of the mountain... "I smell humans, as well, but it's fainter."

\n

\n "We should check inside," he said more quietly--better not to announce their actions if there was somewhere nearby, though a dragon's voice wasn't meant to speak very softly so they were more helped by the dragontongue than by any decrease in volume. His tail lashed; he wanted to lead when an ambush might be coming, but he didn't know her cave at all, and with another ambush very possible... "Is there anything flammable or valuable inside?"

\n

\n "What? No, I don't think so, I don't keep anything in my cave... Why?" she gave him an odd look.

\n

\n Juneas peered into cave as deep as light would allow, bobbed his head, took a deep breath... then loosed a very short burst of fire, which traveled a short way in before extinguishing and revealed nothing but bare rock walls. The entryway, at least, was safe...

\n

\n "Let's look inside, then," she growled, her own teeth bared, clearly unhappy about there being an intruder in her cave.

\n

\n "Be careful..." he nudged her neck once with his snout, but dropped back and let her enter first.

\n

\n She didn't look angry at the contact, or the warning, just tilted her head briefly before padding softly inside, body tense and ready to spring in any direction necessary, head low and tail lashing while she sniffed the ground to locate the dragon's scent. He watched her go in a few steps, then followed behind and off to one side, so she could jump backwards if she sensed a trap. She found nothing in the outer chamber, though the scent of unfamiliar male dragon grew much stronger--he must be inside!--and with a snarl she went to the very back of a cave, through a short passage and into another, larger, back room.

\n

\n "Well, hello there, pretty one."

\n

\n It was the brown dragon.

\n

\n He sat on his haunches at the very back of the cave, his tail curled about himself with its tip flicking gently back and forth. Asara snarled and bared her teeth, and Juneas stopped beside her, also growling but taking the opportunity to size him up: true to the word of the captured soldier, he was fairly large--larger than Asara, though not Juneas' size, and not as well-muscled as he was either. But that wouldn't make dueling him any easier, not if he knew how to fight...

\n

\n "Who are you?" Asara demanded. "What are you doing in my cave?"

\n

\n "Oh, is this yours? It doesn't smell much like you, and since I haven't seen you use the cave since I found it... My name is Karst. With whom do I have the great pleasure of speaking?" Juneas growled again when he thought he could hear the dragon purring, the presence of the other male and his scent making him want to lash his tail and stamp and roar...

\n

\n "I am Asara, and this mountain and the surrounding areas--including the city--are my territory. You are trespassing, and the humans you associate with are causing trouble. I will not have either of those on my lands."

\n

\n But he ignored her challenge. "Asara... A beautiful name for a beautiful dragoness. And who might you be?" he turned his head towards Juneas. "I had heard that she keeps another dragon as her slave... would that be you?"

\n

\n He clenched his foreclaws against the ground. What was he doing? Didn't he realize they were there for a fight? Why would he be so slow, so casual-- Because they were away. "Don't stall with us. I am Juneas, and Asara and I have come to drive you off her territory, not to talk."

\n

\n "Oh, have you now? Asara, is that true? Would such a sweet, pretty dragoness be here to fight me?"

\n

\n "You are intruding, and your humans threaten mine. If you do not take them and leave, immediately, then I will have no choice but to force you to."

\n

\n "I see," Karst sighed. "Well, if we must fight, then I will not face you both in battle--it will be a duel between myself and the possessor of this territory."

\n

\n "Of course..."

\n

\n "And if we are to duel, then we must both have something the other wants at stake. You want to make me and my humans leave. I want this territory, and I want you."

\n

\n Juneas snarled, and she jerked as if she'd been struck. "What?"

\n

\n He smiled. "Why would I drive away such a treasure as you? No, if I defeat you... then I will claim not just your lands but your body as well."

\n

\n "You would not dare!" Juneas roared.

\n

\n "Those are my terms."

\n

\n "And what reason do we have not to attack you together, and forget about the terms?" he stepped forward, screening Asara with a wing--Karst's threat had her shivering, her tail twisted between her hind legs.

\n

\n The brown dragon was unfazed. "If you do... Then I will signal my humans outside, and they will see to it that neither of you escape this cave. Asara will duel me, or they will attack."

\n

\n He snarled again; he knew he'd smelled humans... No matter. These were stakes they should have been prepared for already, when Elric said Karst was prepared to abuse her, when they chose to duel Karst for control of the territory... But the threat of being raped again, by another dragon, had clearly shaken Asara, and he turned to nuzzle her gently. "It's all right, Asara," he murmured to her. "Duel him. You can defeat him, I'm sure of it... I believe in you."

\n

\n "But if I lose..." she looked away, growling softly.

\n

\n "Do not think about it... just fight. You defeated me; you can defeat him. You're strong! You can do this."

\n

\n She was silent.

\n

\n "I believe in you," he repeated. "Show him how strong you are."

\n

\n She shivered again, for just a moment, then growled, raised her head, and stood up tall and confident; Juneas quickly moved out of the way to let her face her opponent, who had remained silent and still throughout their brief exchange. "I accept your terms, Karst," she said levelly. "Let us go outside, and we will begin our duel from the mountain's peak."

\n

\n "Of course," Karst tossed his head, and the three dragons left the cave, Juneas between him and Asara and growling, his tail lashing. He didn't want to see her defeated... didn't want to think of the consequences of it, didn't want to imagine the horrible things the brown dragon might do to her. But there was nothing he could do about it now... All he could do was watch them fight.

\n

\n He and Asara paused in the clearing outside to watch Karst emerge, but he turned his head to look into the trees above the cave entrance and called, "Magnus!"

\n

\n An armored human soon walked out of the trees, looking towards Karst and appearing confused. He said something Juneas couldn't make out, then he and Karst began to speak in a language he did not know; he sighed and swung his head over to nuzzle Asara again.

\n

\n "You can defeat him. Just don't doubt yourself, don't worry about what will happen next, and concentrate on the duel."

\n

\n "I know..." she said softly; she wasn't keeping her tail so tightly tucked against her rump anymore, and was shivering less--perhaps she was already taking his advice. "And you make sure that human, and any others he might have, doesn't interfere."

\n

\n He growled. "If they do, then so will I; roar for me if they try to. And if they interfere and it doesn't seem like we can win, then return to the castle as quickly as you can. We can't afford for you to be brought down."

\n

\n "Or you."

\n

\n She seemed a little surprised it had slipped out, and he didn't respond; he just nuzzled her gently again before looking back over towards Karst and the human. They had finished their discussion, and more humans were appearing from the trees, with weapons and equipment and even a couple of war machines--he stared for a moment at the wicked-looking harpoon loaded into one of them, with its deep, double-barbed tip... good thing they hadn't forced Karst to call on them, he thought with a little shiver.

\n

\n "Juneas, you and my soldiers will withdraw to the base of the mountain, then Asara and I will have our duel."

\n

\n He inclined his head briefly, and nuzzled Asara one last time. "Good luck," he murmured to her, then gestured with his tail: she took to the air first and flapped slowly up to the mountain peak, and once she was clear Juneas spread his own wings, leaping skyward and circling, making gradual progress towards the base of the mountain... and keeping his eyes on Karst and his humans all the while. But the humans didn't turn back up the mountain, they just followed him down the slope, all-- He missed a beat of his wings, he stared so intently.

\n

\n There looked to be a few hundred humans walking down the mountainside. Maybe half of Elric's reported force.

\n

\n How could I have missed seeing or smelling so many? he thought. There's no way-- It doesn't matter, he growled to himself. Making sure they don't interfere in Asara's duel is what matters. He stopped his glide and landed in an open field farther down the slope, near the mountain's base, and waited, watching to be sure they didn't turn back, to be sure they didn't aim their war machines or bows up towards Asara... And so he could see when the duel began. It took the slower humans a few minutes to join him, arraying themselves a couple dragon-lengths away in the field, but they too mostly watched the two dragons at the peak of the mountain.

\n

\n If they spoke while waiting for Karst's soldiers to leave, he was too far to hear, and Asara was still aside from her slowly flexing wings and lashing tail. Juneas' belly felt oddly light and empty in his anxiety, worried for her health, her safety, their future if she should lose... That she would be fighting for that future when he could only watch and hope for her victory. "You can defeat him, Asara," he said under his breath, kneading at the ground with his foreclaws. "I know you can..."

\n

\n Karst and Asara kept apart for another minute or so, sizing each other up, maybe exchanging threats he couldn't hear... Then the brown dragon roared and lunged at her.

\n

\n They were too far away for him to see precisely how they attacked each other, but he still tensed and shifted his weight, mimicking the actions he thought she should take with slight movements of his head and legs and wings... Like he'd hoped, she leapt over Karst's lunge, landed on him, then tangled and wrestled with him for a few moments before they separated; they both hesitated another moment before she sprang into the air, and he followed right on her tail. They were too far away and too darkly colored to see if either was bleeding--not like his own white scales, where any wound would be visible from the other side of the city.

\n

\n Asara was lighter and faster in the air, and waited until she had enough distance on her opponent before turning and diving at him with claws and fangs extended, roaring her fury at him; Juneas winced as the two collided, but she seemed to come away from it more quickly and easily than he did, still flying and moving without any signs of pain... He groaned and lashed his tail as he thought he saw the darker line of a gash on her side, but he thought he could see blood dripping from Karst's foreleg too: however much he'd hurt her, she'd hurt him more. His head turned to glance at the soldiers, but they were also just watching, gathered around their two war machines and looking nearly as fidgety as he was.

\n

\n They came together a few more times in the air before Karst broke away, trying to climb again so he could have the advantage of height when they came together again, but she was gaining on him and bit the tip of his tail before he could lash it away. She didn't hold on long, just enough to slow him, but he still let out a high, loud roar of pain, then another as he wheeled away from her again. She was winning!

\n

\n Juneas was nearly too distracted by the fight to hear the creaking of wood, and turned his head to see one of the war machines fire its harpoon--right at him. Close as he was, unexpected as it was, he could only register in his mind that the thick, barbed spear was flying towards him before it struck, piercing through the thick scale and muscle of his chest until it finally stopped with its point lodged against one of his ribs. The weapon was heavy enough that the impact knocked some of the wind from him, and he stumbled backwards with a confused bellow of shock and pain.

\n

\n Why had they attacked him? Why hadn't they attacked Asara, to interfere... why go after him instead? He cried out again and clutched the shaft of the harpoon that protruded from him, and it was then he noticed the chain dangling from it, the chain that led to a weighted steel ball: it was a harpoon that was meant to stick in him, stay there, and slow him down--maybe even keep him from flying.

\n

\n The soldiers surged forward to attack him, weapons raised, archers already firing their bows, and reason took over following that moment of shock. They were attacking him because it would not interfere with the duel, but would distract Asara, and because capturing or killing him would make their fight against King William much easier--but they weren't aiming to capture, not with the barbed weapon they'd shot into him. First he needed to keep them off him, to try and deal with the weight grounding him--fire! Turning carefully to keep weight off his left foreleg, he roared and spread his jaws wide and loosed a sweeping jet of flame into them; they were spread out enough that he didn't set too many of them alight, but the two war machines did catch, and he slowed them down long enough to look down at the harpoon stuck in his chest.

\n

\n With the barbed tip he'd seen, he couldn't pull it back out without doing considerable, painful damage to the muscle of his chest that might only cripple him further if he tried. The chain and the ball itself were well-made, which left the shaft of the harpoon itself... He'd have to break it there in order to fly, and defend himself properly--and with a few hundred humans to fight, he needed to be able to fly.

\n

\n Bellowing again, he reared back, clutched the center of the spear in one forepaw and struck its end with his other, hoping they hadn't metal-reinforced the shaft... The force of his paw against the harpoon made it shift inside him, drawing another howl of pain, but the spear broke and the half with the heavy ball chained to it fell away. Yes! He roared again, spread his wings and lifted off, wincing at the pain of his flight-muscles shifting around the weapon, but he fought through it and stayed in the air, circling upward, his breath labored while he struggled against the pain and the pierced muscle in his chest.

\n

\n But he finally managed to get high enough, and he wheeled around and dove down at the soldiers, not roaring but drawing in all the breath he could manage... to breathe his fire on them again. Again, they were spread out to make sure he couldn't take down too many of them with a single burst, and the fire didn't seem to be lighting on them as easily as it usually would, but it still did its damage, and he made sure to focus on the groups of archers: even if the humans weren't burning too well, it would burn their weapons!

\n

\n Pulling up and trying to regain his altitude hurt just as much as taking off had, and he could feel the point of the harpoon scratching back and forth against his rib with every strained beat of his wings. He wasn't going to be able to do any more than glide before too long, and there was blood welling up and dripping down the shaft of the spear now... He heard a cry and looked towards the mountain to see Asara and Karst grappling for position on the mountain's peak, both of them bloodied but neither seeming wounded as badly as him. Knowing he couldn't afford to distract her, he swallowed another howl of pain and gritted his teeth so hard it hurt, anything to distract from the harpoon stuck in him...

\n

\n Juneas still had humans to deal with. Strength flagging from his wound and the blood spilling from it, he furled his wings and dove again, aiming for the center of their force... As expected, they saw him coming and spread out in a circle around where he was aiming, bunching together around that perimeter and waiting for him, daring him to land there; he waited as late as he could before letting go what felt like the last fire he had, launching it into one side of the circle while he opened his wings again, slowed himself enough to change his direction and landed in a flurry of slashing claws on the other side, tearing into the humans waiting there before they could react.

\n

\n His claws took some, and his weight killed more; their weapons scored blows on his legs and underside, and the impact of landing sent a fresh wave of agony through his chest, but he stayed up and didn't waste time once his four paws were on the ground again. Spinning, he swept his tail through the soldiers who'd managed to dodge behind him, and he froze those in front of him with the loudest roar he could manage before plowing forward to bowl them over. Not the best way to kill them, but it knocked them down and confused them, and he set about tearing through as many of the humans as he could, as quickly as he could. His legs, tail, chest and belly took many strikes from their weapons, and one clump of them managed to needle him with their spears for a few moments before he sent them flying with another hard swipe of his tail... But none of those little wounds were nearly as serious as the spear impaling his chest, which made him wince and groan in pain with every movement of his left foreleg or wing... Even his heaving breaths hurt, and he was starting to feel dizzy and sick from the pain.

\n

\n Karst's soldiers dispatched, he weakly looked back up the mountain: the two duelists still wrestled, but Asara was now clearly on top, seeming to be going for his neck with her fangs--almost over! he hoped, standing on three legs with his left foreleg held up off the ground to keep the weight off it. He wanted to get up and fly closer, see what was going on, call out encouragement, but he knew any movement wouldn't just hurt, it would make the wound worse, it would exhaust him further... And he needed to keep up his strength for the flight back to King William's castle, assuming Asara managed to defeat Karst.

\n

\n Finally Asara and Karst seemed to go still, and after a moment there was a high, long roar: for a moment he feared that it was of pain, but then he saw Asara stepping back and rearing onto her hind legs--it was a call of triumph! She had defeated him! He roared more softly in answer, wincing again and shivering at the redoubled wave of pain and cutting his call short. Asara eventually turned to face him, but she was too far for him to see her expression... After a few moments she said something to Karst, then spread her wings and glided down towards him--a path Karst meekly followed.

\n

\n "Juneas! Are you-- How bad is it?" she said hesitantly after landing and looking him over, most of her attention on the spear.

\n

\n He groaned, trying to keep still. "It... It hurts if I move too much, or breathe deeply-- No, don't try to pull it out!" he growled when she raised a paw towards it. "It's hooked at the tip, it could tear the muscle apart if you pull on it."

\n

\n "Then how do we get it out? You're bleeding really badly!"

\n

\n "I know," he wheezed. "I know. We need to get back to the castle--"

\n

\n Then Karst landed next to them both, looking around at the destruction Juneas' fight with the humans had caused. "Ancients, Juneas... You are even stronger than I'd feared. You defeated them all, and it almost looks like... like ragefire!"

\n

\n "Ragefire is a myth; don't be absurd. But they got to me first," he snarled, gesturing towards the half-spear with his nose.

\n

\n "And you still managed to-- to..." He tossed his head in disbelief. "Five hundred trained soldiers instructed how to fight a dragon, and you slaughtered them."

\n

\n He growled and ignored the other dragon; now was not the time to roar at him about his men attacking him like that, not with every beat of his heart making him weaker. "Asara... Let's get him back to the castle."

\n

\n She peered at his chest. "Are you sure you can fly?"

\n

\n "Better to fly back than lie here and wait for you to return with the King's surgeons and all the equipment they'd need."

\n

\n "If you're sure..." She nuzzled him briefly, then backed up and spread her wings. "I'll go up first, and once you're off the ground I'll support you as best I can. And Karst, you follow us," she growled at him.

\n

\n Now that the numbing adrenaline of battle had left him, now that the energy of fighting for his life had faded, getting airborne felt more painful and more difficult than it ever had before. He gasped for air and kept his left foreleg clutched to his chest throughout, the pain making him dizzy and nauseous--if that wasn't from the blood he'd lost.

\n

\n "It's okay, Juneas, I've got you," Asara said, coming up beneath him and supporting his underside as best she could without taking the air out from under his wings. Her head reached up to rub encouragingly against the base of his neck, and after taking a moment to steady himself he began the slow, painful journey back to the castle. If not for Asara holding him up he wouldn't have made it; he could feel himself growing weaker by the moment, and it was getting harder and harder to get his flight-muscles to obey him as the harpoon slowly dug a larger and larger tear through his chest.

\n

\n They didn't land so much as fall to the ground when they finally reached the outer courtyard of King William's castle, and soldiers came rushing out to meet them, along with King William and his guards. Asara didn't give them time to ask questions; she carefully wormed her way out from beneath Juneas, shot Karst a warning glare, and said, "King William, find all your best surgeons at once! Juneas is badly hurt and needs their help. Soldiers, get the guards from you Juneas' cell and tell them to bring chains; the brown dragon, Karst, has been defeated and must be secured and taken to that cell in order to draw out Elric."

\n

\n "Asara... Tell them to hurry," Juneas groaned, rolling onto his right side and trying to take slow, shallow breaths despite his weariness to minimize the pain; but after the fight and the flight back to the castle, all of his chest burned from what the wound had done to him, he felt so weak and dizzy, his senses failing...

\n

\n "What happened?" someone said, but he couldn't turn his head to see who.

\n

\n "I dueled Karst... while Juneas battled against Elric's soldiers. Five hundred of them. I won without being hurt too badly, but Juneas was not so lucky-- Juneas, stay with me," her paw found its way to his, and she squeezed it gently. "Is there anything else as serious as the spear in you?"

\n

\n "No..." he said. "But be sure... sure the surgeons know that it's... hooked... And that it needs to be carefully... removed..."

\n

\n "I will tell them. Just be strong; you're such a big tough powerful dragon... I know you can handle this." She squeezed his forepaw again.

\n

\n "Thank you..." he said, managing a purr for just a moment, but he was just too weary for it to last; he squeezed her paw in return, once, then the pain and loss of blood was just too much for him and he lost consciousness, going limp and still.

\n