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The Beastmaker's Dragon

Spring was dancing through the valleys below, but in the thin air of the mountain-peaks, winter still held sway. It was nothing Sayn's treasured, magical dress couldn't handle, of course, but unfortunately, she wasn't wearing it at the moment. She shivered slightly inside the long, warm coat she'd wrapped herself in to keep the chill at bay, while her Great Winged Beast descended towards her goal - the opening of a seemingly-natural cave near the mountain's snowy peak. The rock-shelf in front of it was narrow at best, but her construct handled it with instinctive aplomb, folding its great, leathery wings at just the right moment to make a smooth landing.

Dismounting, she waited just inside the cavern for a bit, waiting for her ground-bound escort to catch up. The pair of customized beasts were clawing their way up the sheer mountainside with talons of steel - a dramatic sight to be sure, but far slower than her own aerial conveyance. Eventually, however, they clambered over the edge and into the cave, to take up position on either side of her. They weren't part of her Iron Legion - those steel-armored constructs were simply too heavy for mountain-climbing - but more basic battle-beasts made primarily from hardwoods and bearing an appearance somewhere between feline and canine. Their backs and shoulders, however, were large - like the back-hump of a large oxen of bulldog. A casual observer would have probably assumed that this was designed to lend them greater strength of the forelimbs, the better to climb mountains... but she, having customized them herself, knew better.

Flanked by these burly beasts, she began to walk into the cavern, carefully keeping her breathing steady and her mind quiet. She knew exactly what she needed to do. She knew exactly how to do it. Her information came from the Hydra itself, which made it as good as gospel. There was really no need to dwell on how messy and potentially deadly things could get if something did go wrong, or her information_did_ turn out to be faulty... nope, no point at all. If anything, showing any sign of nervousness could be a fatal mistake.

Her heels clicked loudly against the stone floor as she walked. She'd once been rather unsteady on any kind of high heels, frequently using floor-length dresses to avoid the necessity of wearing them at official occasions. A while back, though, she'd spent a week in a Dragon's cave, wearing heels so long they might as well be stilts - and while that week was somewhat hazy, her body remembered. Ever since then, she'd had no trouble keeping her balance on lesser heels, and often wore them with her fancy dresses - they certainly did do wonderful things for the shape of her legs, and helped make her look taller, which was no small consideration. Of course, not even Elven Craftsmen or Master Artificers could make high-heeled shoes that were actually comfortable, but for short periods of time, when a good impression was important, they could be suffered...

There were no barriers in her way, she noticed - mundane or magical. Perhaps something entirely imperceptible that would alert the one who dwelt within to her approach, like a magical door-bell, but nothing more elaborate than that... more evidence that she was in the right place. The cavern wasn't straight, like some she had visited, but rather twisty, so she only saw the den at the end as she turned a corner. Even as her heart-rate ratcheted up, she nodded to herself - she was definitely in the right place.

In a large-ish chamber before her, a Dragon was watching her warily. His scales were ruby-red, though some of them - particularly around his neck and face - tended more towards a sunset-orange. She'd learned, by now, that Dragons didn't have different scale-colors the way humans had different hair-colors or eye-colors - rather, a Dragon's scales shifted through all the colors of the rainbow as they grew older. A newborn hatchling was pure white, its scales gradually darkening through pink to red as it grew to maturity. They'd go through orange to yellow, then, and when they reached a vibrant green, the Dragon was considered to be in the prime of his or her life. Beyond that, they'd verge into blue as the Dragon approached senescence, eventually reaching a vibrant indigo if they got old enough - though it was somewhat rare for them to reach such age. And, of course, those who delved into forbidden secrets of magic would have the color drain from their scales altogether, leaving them jet-black - forever marked by their trespass. She idly wondered what color Aterxeus' scales would have been, had he not been marked with that blackness... but for now, the important thing was that the Dragon before her was quite young. An adult, by their reckoning, but only just barely.

Of course, that still made him significantly older and bigger than her... though the jury was out on whether he was also more powerful. She could feel his draconic will in the chamber, pushing against her, but it was a feeble thing - as easily swept aside as ignored altogether. And so, she simply stepped into his home without so much as a by-your-leave, letting her eyes linger only briefly on the rather pathetic layer of golden treasure that he had spread out thinly on the cavern's floor. He was glaring down at her with angry eyes as she approached, and finally hissed "Who are you, and how dare you enter my home unbidden?!" She paused, then, and lifted an eyebrow at him before answering. "I am Sayn, The Beastmaker, Empress by Conquest and Goddess by some reckonings. All the world bows before me in recognition of my power. Your 'home', the mountain in which you've made it, and the land upon which that mountain stands all belong to me."

Part of her quailed at displaying such rampant arrogance, but she let none of it show on her face. Instead, she calmly unbuttoned her coat while the Dragon drew back his head, wide-eyed at her declaration. While letting the heavy garment drop to the ground behind her, showing off the sleek, imperious black dress she wore underneath, she calmly continued to answer his question. "As for my purpose here... I have come with an offer for you. For you are the Dragon Rubicundus, are you not?" He nodded silently, his wide eyes now glued to her dress. It wasn't the sort of thing she usually wore at official occasions - it had too much of the 'evil queen' about it; all black frills and accents of bony white, sleeveless but accessorized with black silk gloves that reached to her elbows.

"Umm... an offer, you say?" Rubicundus asked hesitantly, lowering his head and visibly trying to recapture his earlier air of frustrated superiority. She nodded sharply. "Indeed. The position of Dragon-Consort to The Beastmaker has stood empty and unoccupied for too long. I am here to offer it to you. Even if you aren't a terribly impressive specimen, you are a Dragon, after all..." She closed out the sentence with a superior smirk, and was rewarded with a visible flinch and a guilty glance around at the cave's rather unimpressive collection of treasure.

She was certainly managing to keep him off-balance, but he still rallied and raised himself to his full height as he absorbed her statement fully. "I have heard of your search for a Dragon-Consort. I have also heard that you regularly cavort with lesser beings, including_Griffons_, and that you therefore shall never find one. There is nothing you could offer me that would make me even consider going against the will of all Dragonkind." She clicked her tongue and shook her head at this. "Offer you? You seem to have misunderstood something. What I offer is the chance to serve me directly. You will repay me for this privilege with your services - and your body."

He bared his rather impressive set of fangs at her. "Such arrogance! Empress you may be, and a Scion besides, but I am a_Dragon!_ And a Dragon's pride will never allow him to bow before a lesser being..." She sneered up at him, and then snapped her fingers. It was now or never. By her side, the two unassuming beasts scythed their steel claws into the cave floor, attaching themselves to it as if they were bolted down. Then the humps on their backs unfolded, revealing them to be arms - big, burly, powerful arms with sinew made from steel wire and granite fingers. Each of the beasts had only a single, huge arm now reaching up from its back, but between them, the two provided a full set - which now reached up with remarkable speed to grab the head of the astounded-looking Rubicundus.

Using the leverage afforded by their solid attachment to the floor, they pulled his head down, hard - bending his long, snake-like neck and slamming his jaw into the gold-strewn floor with a resounding smack. Before the Dragon could recover from the shock, Sayn strode forwards, not stopping even when she reached his huge maw - but instead planting one stiletto-heeled shoe directly in his scaly forehead. "Lesser being? Such insolence. I think it clear that of the two of us, you are by far the 'lesser'! If your 'pride' tells you otherwise, then make haste to discard it... and bow before me!"

Rubicundus' eyes goggled as he tried to focus through this sudden turn of events. Then they widened as he realized that his current position gave him an upskirts vantage - and that while Sayn was wearing long, sheer, black stockings, complete with garters and garter-belt, there was nothing between them, leaving her pussy entirely uncovered. Feeling his eyes on her naked mound, she leered down at him. "Hmm? Enjoying the view from down there? Behave yourself, and you _might_earn a taste to go with the sight." She twisted her foot, drilling the heel of her shoe into the scales of his forehead, making him wince. "But first, I will need to see some proper contrition... and obedience. Your head is where it belongs, but the rest of you remains standing... for the last time, _ kneel before your Mistress! _"

That order, spoken with all the cool, sharp authority she could muster, hung in the air for a moment. Then the huge, red-scaled body before her seemed to crumble, its powerful legs bending to bring his belly flush with the ground. A confused whimper rose from beneath her foot. Smiling, she moved her leg, then reached down to pet the spot she'd just been stomping on. "That's more like it... seems you can_learn! Now then... I made you an offer before, but it seems I was overly generous. Maybe with suitable..._training you will one day be worthy to be my Concubine, or even my Consort. But for now, you can be my dog. You may lick my feet and roll over to show me your belly, so long as you always answer obediently to your Mistress' voice..."

As she spoke, she reached over to a small pouch tied to the side of one of her 'armed' beasts, and withdrew from it a long, thin strip of black-dyed leather: A dog's collar, albeit oversized. She waved it in front of the Dragon's wide, vaguely-unfocused eyes, showing him a cruel smile. "What say you, then? Speak your will, while you have it still. Do you want this collar? Do you wish to serve me, body and soul? If you truly don't, you need only say no - then I will leave, and find a more likely recruit, while you return to admiring your pathetic excuse for a hoard..."

He was breathing heavily, now, his whole body shuddering. He wasn't trying to resist the stone fists that still held his head in a firm grip, though - powerful though they were, they were unlikely to be able to resist the full strength of even such a young Dragon. She let her offer hang in the air for a spell, then lowered the hand that held the collar, and turned around with a disappointed sigh, as if preparing to leave. She heard a sharp intake of breath behind her, and then finally a shaky voice "Please... please collar me, Mistress. Please make me your dog... I will be good and obedient, I swear..."

Turning back around, she smiled beatifically and mentally commanded her beasts to relinquish their grip on his head. He did not raise it, however, and remained as low as he could get as she approached him again. She could feel his scaly hide shiver at her touch as she petted him once more. "That is what I like to hear... you will have your chance to prove your words, make no mistake..." she crooned, dangling the collar hypnotically before him. "Now... raise your neck so that I might put this on you."

He did, instantly, and she wrapped the thick leather strap around his red-orange neck. As she did, she could see the electrum threads woven into the back of the leather - glittering with powerful enchantments. The collar was the product of a collaboration between Korlin and Aterxeus - the Kirin's enormous magical might, and the Black Dragon's extensive knowledge of artificing. As she closed and buckled it around Rubicundus' neck, those enchantments finally activated. Grinning, she made the hand-gesture she'd been taught, and found a leather leash suddenly in her hand - connected to the simple-looking collar. She gave it a tug, and Rubicundus made a strangling noise. Then he began to shrink - and the collar with him. Or rather, the collar shrunk, tightening around his neck and forcing him to reduce his own size in order to keep breathing.

She let it continue until he was the size of a small dog. "There, that's better..." she declared as she reached down and petted him again. He looked up at her with large, worshipful eyes. The Hydra's secret had clearly been thoroughly on point - among all the varied multitudes of the world, there indeed was such a thing as a Dragon with naturally submissive tendencies. A proud, powerful young Dragon who was secretly wishing that someone would come along and bend him to her will, make him submit and serve...

Smiling down at him, she then lifted her skirts. "Well, I promised you a taste, if you behaved yourself... and I suppose you have managed to do so. So come, little doggy, and put your tongue to work. You might as well get accustomed to serving me with it - do well, and I _might_forget that it ever spewed such foolish insolence." Wordlessly, eagerly, the tiny Dragon leaped between her legs, and climbed up her skirts - his foreclaws clinging to her knees as he buried his snout in her crotch, his long, slender tongue eagerly lapping up the juices that stained her labia before plunging all the way inside.

His tongue was clearly untrained and inexperienced, but there was no shortage of enthusiasm, and it had impressive reach considering his currently-diminutive size. She allowed herself to relax a bit, and simply enjoy the sensation. Acting like this, so harsh and arrogant, did not come natural to her... even when she acted the dominant with Thielwen or Silas, it was with a softer touch. This felt more like playing a role in a theatrical performance... without the benefit of a script, even. It was exhausting, and promised to remain so - she'd have to carefully balance punishment and reward, giving him the submission he craved without pushing him too far. Still, it was well worth it, she decided as she leaned her head back and allowed a low moan to escape her lips - feeling the tongue in her pussy redouble its efforts, dancing around in a frenzy as its owner caught this sign of approval.

A slow, shuddering orgasm built in her gut, driven as much by the sheer, erotic novelty of the situation as Rubicundus' oral efforts. There she were, standing fully-dressed (as an Evil Queen out of fairytales, even) in the midst of a Dragon's cave... holding said Dragon on a short leash as it obediently pleasured her. She let it rush through her, making her knees momentarily buckle, and felt the Dragon between her legs eagerly lap up the resulting spurt of orgasmic juices. She waited for the brief spell of dizziness to pass, then took a firmer grip on the leash and yanked him away. He tumbled back out from under her skirts with a surprised yelp, muzzle gleaming with her juices.

She waited a moment for him to get his bearings, then pointed downwards. "Sit!" He blinked once, confused, then his mind caught up and he slammed his rear end down, taking up a suitably dog-like posture. She grinned and petted him on the head. "Good boy..." Then she glanced down at his highly-visible erection, fully emerged from its sheath and literally vibrating in the air. Lifting an eyebrow, she poked at it with the pointy tip of one of her shoes. "What's this, hmm? I hope you don't expect me to help you with that... you haven't come close to earning that yet..." He whimpered, sounding rather canine about it, and his cock twitched noticeably at the touch of her shoe.

Sighing, she rolled her eyes. "Oh, I suppose... if you beg me in a suitably pathetic fashion, I might have to take pity on you..." His mouth opened and closed, and he seemed to swallow - obviously, begging wasn't an activity he was accustomed to. Chuckling, she started walking around him, giving the leash in her hand a slight twist as she did - expanding the collar and thus letting him grow a bit bigger. Just to the size of a large dog rather than a small_one. "Please..." he finally groaned, and she leaned over him from behind, resting her breasts - accentuated by the underbust corset she wore under the black dress - against the back of his head. "Please _what?" she whispered in his ear, grinning. "Please... Mistress... give me... release. I'm so hard it hurts!" He finally managed to stammer out.

"Hmm..." she said, reaching around him to run a single, silk-covered finger up his raging hard-on, feeling it vibrate under her touch. "And what's got you so aroused, then?" she asked, and he panted for a few seconds before he found the breath to answer. "You, Mistress." She chuckled in reply. "Very well, then... if that is true, then I suppose my gloved hand will be plenty enough for you..." Wrapping her fingers firmly around his shaft, she began to move her hand up and down, jacking him off. He groaned and stiffened against her, his panting growing sharper.

It wasn't as if she had any significant experience in dealing out hand-jobs... but on the other hand, it wasn't exactly an arcane mystery, either. Firm grip, maintain pressure, sharp up-and-down movements... heck, a lot of her (extensive) knowledge of oral pleasures could be translated directly - like focusing on the sensitive head, or occasionally varying the rhythm. Of course, in this case, none of that mattered much - having his secret, impossible desires suddenly turn into glorious reality clearly had Rubicundus every bit as aroused as he claimed. After just a dozen or so strokes, she felt his cock jump and throb in her hand, before firing several long, ropy spurts of cum in a broad arc across the gold-strewn floor.

She jacked it a couple more times, just to make sure he'd emptied his balls completely, then lifted her hand from his still-hard cock with a sigh. Despite the impressive trajectories, there were visible, white stains on the sheer, black gloves, and she now waved it in front of his face. "Look at the mess you made... clean it up, right now." There was no need to raise her voice this time - she simply infused it with quiet authority, and was rewarded with the sight of a Dragon bowing his head and licking his own cum off her fingers with barely any hesitation.

After waiting for him to do a thorough job, she withdrew her hand and straightened up with a sigh. "All right, then - enough laying about. Get up - it's time to head to your new home." Rubicundus initially obeyed, getting to his feet and following along on the leash as she headed towards the exit - but as she paused to let one of her large-armed constructs lift her heavy coat into place, he glanced hesitantly back towards the (slightly cum-stained) treasure strewn throughout the cave. Sayn followed his eyes, and clicked her tongue. "My constructs will collect your... 'hoard' and carry it back to my Seraglio. Really, though, this pathetic collection isn't worthy of the Beastmaker's_Dog_. I'll have to see to it that you are provided enough gold for a suitable... 'doggy-bed'."

Of course, despite the attitude she put on, the fact was that even such a relatively unimpressive Dragon-hoard was worth more money than most people saw in a lifetime. She'd be able to carry through on her promise, of course, but only because she had access to the Imperial Coffers... which were, by now, loaded with a downright sickening amount of money. The still-recent debacle on the Southern Continent had, among other things, seemingly inspired a lot of City-States to become tremendously precise in calculating their Imperial Taxes... leading to an unexpected influx of funds that she'd yet to come up with any good use for. A lot of public works that would normally have drawn on the treasury were instead being built with charitable donations and volunteer labor from her every-more-crowded churches... well, it didn't hurt to have some reserves to draw on, in case of major disasters or other mishaps, of course.

Putting those considerations aside, she quickly reaffirmed her domineering character - she'd need it, shortly. Leading Rubicundus out through the twisting tunnel, she found the entrance - with all its frigid air - empty. Her Great Winged Beast was in the air already, on her command. Tugging on the leash, she once again relaxed her control, letting the ruby-scaled Dragon grow to nearly his full size, leaving him to take up most of the tunnel even with his wings neatly tucked in close to his sides. "Down." He obeyed her command instantly, lying down on the ground, even as he gazed out at the empty air with an increasingly conflicted expression. Her long heels gave her excellent purchase as she stepped up on one of his forelegs, and then swung one leg over his back. "Well?" she asked, as she settled down between two peaks of his back-ridge. "You get to be my steed for the journey home. A step up from being a mere dog! What do you say, then?"

A shudder went through his long, scaly body, sending an odd shiver through her groin in the process. Then, in a breathless voice, he answered. "Thank you, Mistress..." Then he jumped forwards into the empty air, spreading his wings and taking to the skies with her on his back. As far as she knew, that was a historic first. The Griffons had been enslaved as aerial steeds by the Elves, and by a number of unscrupulous humans since. And now, with conditions and relations improving steadily under her reign, a number of them had proven willing to act as airborne conveyance for suitable recompense, assuming their rider maintained a sufficiently respectful attitude. But Dragons? A king's ransom could sometimes buy a young, foolish Dragon's assistance, as a flying engine of destruction - but there wasn't enough wealth in the world to convince one to let a 'lesser being' ride on his back, and even the Elven Empire at its peak had not had the strength to compel one.

Some rather apocryphal legends spoke of a Scion of the God of Mystery successfully persuading a Dragon to let her ride it - but there was very little real evidence that the God of Mystery had ever spawned any_half-god children, never mind that mythical Scion. (The recently-revealed fact that he had a steady, if secret, relationship with the Goddess of Life, Shigami, helped explain _why, too...) As such, Sayn was most likely the first person ever to ride on the back of a Dragon - and she'd managed to make him thank her for the privilege. More than anything that had gone before, this made it clear that she truly and wholly had a Dragon, however young and inexperienced, in the palm of her hand. As long as she kept up this game, played this role of the ruthless dominatrix, he would likely do anything she asked and love her for it...

Though Rubicundus was far faster on the wing than her own, rather clumsy Great Winged Beast, there was still plenty of time en-route to explain to him, in detail, the nature of their arrangement. He would be, as far as most people knew, her Consort - and for matters pertaining to the Dragons, he'd be the one she called on. The collar, in addition to its other enchantments, was invisible to all except the one who wore it and the one who had put it on... though, of course, the two who had _made_it - Korlin and Aterxeus - would be aware of its existence whether they could see it or not. It made for a rather practical setup, for several reasons.

Well, the political dimensions were obvious. The vaunted 'pride' of Dragonkind was maintained, or close enough to it, and Rubicundus would still be able to project an appropriately draconic aura of awe and raw power. However, he'd also be walking a delicate balance between keeping up appearances... and avoiding giving her any offense that he might have to pay for later, in a more private setting. That would be _fun._She'd drawn some inspiration from her original stay in Aterxeus' cave for that - specifically, from the way he'd assigned her to be his maid, but also strapped her into some ludicrously impractical shoes that essentially guaranteed that she'd display frequent bouts of clumsiness... and thus provide him with ample excuses to 'punish' her appropriately.

She also explained where he'd live. There was no doubt that, upon his arrival, Orichaniel would immediately offer to give up his room, which had, after all, originally been set aside for the Dragon-Consort. "But of course, a dog doesn't need fancy chambers. Living in the yard should be plenty..." She felt him shiver underneath her as she once again restated his subservient position. Well, it wasn't as if he'd ACTUALLY be chained to a post in the Seraglio gardens, of course. Rather, he'd simply make his den below it, in the same way he'd previously made one in the mountain they'd just abandoned.

She'd learned a lot about Dragons, recently - out of curiosity as much as to prepare for today's stunning coup. What she hadn't heard from the Hydra, Aterxeus had let her in on, with a remarkable lack of concern for his race's deep secrets. Dragons were, first and foremost, beings of magic- to almost as great a degree as the Kirin. It was woven into their very beings. All Dragons were capable of wielding a handful of magical effects on pure instinct, requiring no arcane words or gestures - indeed, many Dragons never studied magic beyond that. Their famous, fiery breath was simply the first and simplest of these effects - after all, there was no way a purely biological reaction could create such a fearsome weapon.

Even their flight was driven by magic, their wings - far too small to carry their scaly bulk - merely providing steering and general control. This generally came second in a young Dragon's development. And then, there was a third magical power, which heralded a Dragon's first step into maturity - the readiness to move out of their parents' den and into their own: The ability to shape solid rock to their will, creating sheltering caves in the mountain-peaks they normally called home. But as the Hydra had illustrated, they were far from limited to stone cliffs - ordinary bedrock worked just as well. So Rubicundus would simply reach down, and bring up a suitable amount of rocks to form a tunnel with an outlet in the gardens - down to a cozy, underground den beneath her Palace. "If you mess up the foundations, or the central pond, or the underground tunnel leading out to the sea, though..." she said threateningly, grinding one sharp heel into the scales on his back. She didn't want to threaten with any particular punishment, though - too risky. He might decide that he rather wanted to try it, after all, and mess something up on purpose!

A month later, Sayn walked through the moonlit, springtime garden in the center of her Seraglio, once again focusing on getting into character. Her 'costume' helped. It was based on the long, black dress she'd worn during her first meeting with Rubicundus - in fact, it was basically a stripped-down version of it. Gloves, stockings, stiletto-heels, bottomless garter-belt, and a sleek, black corset that left her breasts both exposed and enhanced. It was rather reminiscent of Thielwen's signature outfit - which was hardly surprising, since it was _based_on it - but the different color and a few other, subtle changes ensured that it gave off exactly the opposite impression. She wore it whenever she visited the Dragon's den, sometimes hiding it under other clothes as she crossed the gardens to his 'door'.

That was unnecessary at this juncture, though - it was night-time, and most of her Consorts were slumbering blissfully. There was no-one to observe her as she approached the small hill where the stone-supported entrance to Rubicundus' underground lair yawned darkly. There was no physical door, but with a bit of subtle help from Korlin, the young Dragon - who was a fledgling student of magic at best, beyond what his draconic nature had gifted him with - had managed to erect a pair of magical wards at the entrance. In the silvery moonlight, they were vaguely visible, like a shimmering in the air.

The first ward informed him that he was getting visitors, and exactly who it was. The second ward, shortly afterwards, could become a firm, impenetrable barrier if he did not want visitors - or would otherwise activate the glow-orbs that lit the descending tunnel. Of course, with Korlin lending her assistance on that second one in particular, it would _not_bar Sayn's path. This was purely symbolic - Rubicundus would never dream of trying to stop her - but it was a very nice symbol at that: A reminder for him that she could stride into his home, his den, his hoard, any time she liked... and bend him to her will.

Her heels clicked on the stone floor as she descended the winding, magically-lit path. Soon, she came into the den itself - where a gleaming pile of golden treasure, far larger and more splendid than what Rubicundus had possessed before, served as the Dragon's 'doggy-bed'. (The gold was only on loan, though - it still belonged to the Imperial Treasury, and was merely being 'stored' there, for safe-keeping.) A golden throne stood beside it - donated by Aterxeus to celebrate his 'little cousin' earning the position of Dragon-Consort to The Beastmaker... with a wink that would probably have made poor Rubicundus blush even more scarlet than he already was, had he the ability. Sitting before it was the Dragon himself - already resized to a dog-like scale, and indeed keeping an appropriately canine posture. He looked prayerfully towards her as she entered - then flinched as he saw what she carried.

As she marched up before him, he cringed away. "Have I... displeased you, Mistress?" he hesitantly asked. She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Have you? Tch. Foolish, foolish... you really don't realize it, do you?" He shook his head choppily, pulling it a bit away as if expecting a slap at any moment. Not unreasonably so. Fixing him with her best Imperial Glare, she continued. "I saw you today, with Thielwen. Going at her pretty roughly, you were. Shaking every bone in her body, by the looks of it."

Confusion was written across his face. "But Mistress... Lady Thielwen asked that I mount her, and specifically requested roughness... she seemed quite pleased with my services, in fact." Smiling sweetly, Sayn squatted in front of him and reached out stroke his chin. His eyelids flickered at the pleasant sensation despite his obvious worry. "Tell me, dog... is Thielwen your Mistress? Is it her orders you are sworn to follow? Her feet you long to sleep at?" His teeth were almost rattling as he answered. "No... no, Mistress, it is you! Only you! But... you ordered me to serve the women of your Harem as well..."

Sighing and shaking her head, Sayn stood back up again. "And that is why I call you foolish. In servicing the ladies of my Harem - my friends, lovers and confidants - you are expected to give them what they need, not what they ask. Thielwen is pregnant. Even if her lusty nature compels her to request such rough treatment, it should not be given. By all means, serve her desires when she asks, but do so_gently_ - regardless of her own preferences in that regard. Is that understood?" Wincing, he ducked his head, his voice little more than a whisper. "Yes, Mistress. I'm sorry, Mistress. It won't happen again."

She nodded, smiling pleasantly again. "I am glad to hear that..." then she swung the hardwood paddle in her hand through the air with a whistling sound "...but I do hope that you don't assume an apology alone will settle this. If so, you are even more foolish than I thought." He cringed away again, but answered in a hoarse voice. "No, Mistress. I am... ready to accept my punishment." Nodding, she gestured with the paddle. "As well you should be. Turn around, then - and raise your rear."

Breathing in sharp bursts, he complied - turning on the spot, then lowering his head to the ground and straightening his hind-legs, exposing his rear. Reaching out, she roughly grabbed his tail with her left hand and pulled it up and out of the way. Underneath, a tiny, star-shaped hole winked between his scales - and further down, a small bulge could be seen. Dragons kept their balls far better protected than just about any other race, but at that size, his scale-coating was thin. She gave the paddle a few practice-swings, and took up position beside him, where she could wield it more easily.

Then she let it fall, repeatedly and harshly, across his ass and testes. She used far more force than when she played with Thielwen - even before the Elf's pregnancy had compelled her to act with more care. Thin though it was, a layering of Dragonscales could absorb a fair bit of force, so she had to put her back into it if she wanted to make sure he _felt_it. Judging by the gasps and whimpers from the front of his body, though, she was succeeding at that.

Another difference was the cues. With Thielwen, she could tell when it was time to hold off or stop outright by the coloration. Red was good, but if the bruising started going beyond that, into purple, it was a clear sign that she was going too far. Rubicundus' scaly rear-end, though, wasn't going to get any redder than it already was. So instead, she relied on another cue - the tail in her left hand. It was twitching with every blow that fell, but as she kept up the merciless beating, the twitching grew more pronounced. When it started to actually struggle against her grip, she knew he was near his limits - the point where the pain was causing his tail to instinctively seek to protect the pummeled parts, regardless of his conscious will.

She delivered a couple of more full-force blows, aimed squarely at his most sensitive spot rather than spread out a bit where some of the force might dissipate against his flat, scaly ass - as a kind of finale. Then she let go of his tail and lowered the paddle. Whimpering, he curled into a ball before her, breathing jerkily, his tail wrapped neatly around his tortured groin. She let him lie like that for a bit, until his breathing started to stabilize - then she prodded him with the paddle and gave him a curt command. "Roll over."

There was only the slightest hesitation as he pushed past his body's instinctive reluctance to expose itself again so shortly after the pain had ended. Then he unfolded himself, flat on his back with his feet in the air, belly, throat and balls exposed to her steely gaze. Shaking her head, she sighed and poked at the vibrant, twitching erection this maneuver had also revealed. "What is this, hmm? You are supposed to be learning a lesson... not enjoying your punishment." It took him a moment to get his still-jerky breathing under control and answer. "No... Mistress... I have learned my lesson, truly... I just cannot help it... your presence arouses me so..."

With a gusty release of breath, she straightened up and pulled one foot out of its high-heeled shoe. "Cannot be helped, I suppose..." she said, grinning down at him. "You're just a dirty, horny little dog, after all." Then she planted her stocking-clad foot directly on his twitching cock, trapping it between the arch of her foot and the hard scales of his stomach. She watched him groan and twitch underneath her for a bit, then began to move her foot, basically grinding it against the smooth, muscular shaft. "What's the matter?" she taunted as she teased his cockhead harshly with her toes. "Isn't your Mistress' foot good enough for you?"

The answer came in the form of a drawn-out groan and a spurt of slimy, white cum staining his crimson belly, as his tormented testicles gave up their load. She continued to toy with the spurting limb for a bit, then sighed and lifted the foot free. "And now you've gone and ruined one of my stockings... again. You know what to do." He did, indeed. Still panting after his orgasm, he rolled himself over and pulled himself into range so that his long, snakelike neck would let his head reach its mark. His tongue danced across the sheer, black fabric as he cleaned off the jizz that had stained her foot.

Once it was clean (or, well, soaked in dragon-spit instead of dragon-cum), she put it back in its abandoned shoe, and looked down at him with a raised eyebrow. His cock was still fully unsheathed, still hard as a rock, twitching against his cum-stained belly. "Such a greedy puppy..." she mumbled, shaking her head. Then she grinned down at him. "But I suppose I could go for a... nightcap. A little something to sleep on." His head - previously lying back against the floor with a dazed smile painted across his snout - immediately lifted, hopeful desire dancing in his eyes.

Clicking her tongue, she pulled on the leash, and he quickly rolled back around to his feet, even as she loosened his collar and let him grow to a more pony-like size. Then she led him over to the golden throne and draped herself elegantly across one of the armrests. "I will allow you to service my ass... prepare it well." She'd barely finished speaking before he darted in, his long tongue hanging from his mouth. It danced across her sphincter, lavishing slippery saliva on it - then pushed through, into the dank warmth of her rectum, to lubricate her insides as well. She suppressed a shudder of pleasure - his tongue was gaining experience rapidly, and his oral skills grew by the day. At this rate, he'd soon be a force to be reckoned with in that arena. Was he just a quick study, or was it sheer dedication that drove him - a burning desire to better serve her? She wouldn't be surprised if it was the later...

She let him work for a bit, then crooned back at him "Enjoying the taste, puppy? K'teshi was riding me earlier today... blew a big load back there, filling me up nicely... if you're thorough, you might be able to find some leftovers." She saw his body freeze, with even his tongue growing still inside her for a split second. Then a shudder went through him, his eyes half-lidded, and the dancing tongue redoubled its frenzied efforts, as if trying to lick every square inch of her ass it could reach. She couldn't help but chuckling. The historic rivalry between Dragons and Griffons could be counted on to turn any situation extra-humiliating for him - not to mention being a direct reminder of why he, as all Dragons, had been forbidden from becoming her Consort.

Once she felt confident that a suitable layer of lubricating spit had been spread around, she gave the leash another tug. "That will do, puppy. Now get up there, and show your Mistress what you can do, hmm? Impress me..." His tongue withdrew so quickly, she could actually hear the snap. In a flash, he was on top of her, mounting her, his prehensile dick twitching and jumping as it searched for the right hole. With a firm grip on the leash, she let him grow a bit more, giving him a better angle... from pony, to full horse... not that he really needed the help. The tapered cockhead found its mark with ease, and he pushed forwards eagerly, stretching open her sphincter with his thick, hard member. At his present size, his dick was similar to Achidias' equine member, but it rapidly grew thicker towards the base - as she was quickly reminded when he shifted his loins and pushed into her, seeking full penetration.

His body was heavy and powerful on top of hers. His cock, thick and hard in her bowels, filling and stretching her. She couldn't resist. The slightest twitch of the leash, and he grew a bit more. Just a teeny bit more... enough to strain her sphincter, and mix some pain into the pleasure. Enough to let his cockhead push hard against the curvature at the depths of her ass, where only the Golden Ram Theokrios had ever managed to pass beyond. Enough to make him just a bit bigger and stronger and more deliciously masculine on top of her.

This was the hardest part - a razor's edge of submission and domination. Having him on top of her, inside of her, made her want to submit to him... made her want to let go of the leash, and just... let him get as big as he wanted, let him fuck her as hard as he wanted, as long as he wanted... it had nothing to do with Draconic Will, and everything to do with her personal fetishes. But the only reason he was there, the only reason he stayed by her side, was that she never let go of that leash. She had to remain clearly and overwhelmingly in charge _,_even when she was beneath him.

So she kept her hand wrapped tightly around the leash, and ground her hips back against his as he paused there, seemingly hypnotized by the sensation of her ass clutching his cock so tightly. "I told you to impress me, not bore me, puppy..." she purred. "Are you going to start moving soon, or do I need to go to one of my Consorts to get my needs sated?" This got him moving, right enough, and his voice - far deeper at this size - rumbled down from above. "I apologize for my tardiness, Mistress. I was merely awestruck for a moment at the mercy and generosity you show an unworthy dog such as I."

There was no need for her to answer that, which was fortunate indeed, since she rather doubted she could have - at least with anything suitably arrogant. Her hand still clutched the leash tightly, but that was it - the rest of her body was rapidly surrendering to the rampant power of the huge dragon-cock now pounding her ass. There, too, Rubicundus' skills were growing steadily - mostly thanks to all the time he spent 'practicing' with the other ladies of the Harem. Most of it was still the raw, bone-shaking power of a large, potent predator, but he was learning how to make the most of what he had. The muscles lining his cock were working, twisting and shifting it even as his powerful hips sent it sliding in and out of her ass with long, brutal strokes.

She wasn't even really conscious of giving the leash another, microscopic twist. She doubted he was aware of it, either. But inside her, he grew again, imperceptibly, pushing the level of stretching, the depth of penetration, just a little bit into the dangerous zone. It nudged, just barely, against the hard limits of her body, reminding her that however experienced and well-trained, her ass could be pushed too far if she wasn't careful. And she came, hard, biting down to avoid giving her ecstasy a voice. She could already tell that it would only be the first of several orgasms. A Dragon-cock, powered by one of those great, scaly beasts, was something special - every woman in the Harem could attest to that.

Egged on by her earlier words, Rubicundus rode her long and hard, his muscular cock - so perfectly attuned to her body, and then made just a teensy bit bigger - pounding her eager asshole over and over again, sending shockwaves of pain-tinged pleasure through her body with every thrust. Around the third orgasm, she lost the ability to keep her jaws shut, and moans of ecstasy began to escape through her teeth. These, of course, only encouraged him. His thrusts grew shorter, but also faster and more powerful, and his prehensile dick began to twist itself into different shapes every few seconds, as if it was trying to hit every sensitive spot inside her - and if so, it succeeded.

Finally, just when she thought that the waves of pleasure would surely turn her mind to mush, robbing her of all will and wearing down even the resolve that had allowed her to maintain her grip on the leash so far, he came to a shuddering stop, and she felt a slimy heat spread through her bowels while he groaned through clenched teeth above her. It was an intensely pleasurable sensation all by itself - but less intense than the thrusting had been. As the orgasmic haze receded just a bit, she was able to take a deep breath, steady herself, and get back into character - or, at least close enough.

"I do not recall giving you permission to cum, dog!" She barked up at him, and felt his post-orgasmic lethargy turn to frozen panic. Feeling that she might have overdone it a bit, she softened her voice, and patted him on the chest. "Ah, but you have done well, so perhaps I can overlook your... lack of self-control just this once. Certainly, you have done what I asked of you..." A slight twist of her hand made him shrink - not a lot, but just back to large-pony-size, from what had to be something in the neighborhood of 'draft-horse-size' earlier. Then she tugged on the leash, and he obediently stepped back, dismounting her, leaving her asshole gaping and dripping with hot, white jizz in his wake.

Once he was off her - and she had gotten (somewhat shakily) back to her feet - she pushed him back down to dog-sized so that she could look gravely down at him and wag her finger. She'd had a sudden idea, somewhere in the orgasmic afterglow, and it tied in nicely to her ad-libbed complaint. "Now, I said I'd let your indiscretion pass - this time - but it concerns me that you have such poor control... or perhaps you merely need to work off some excess energy, hmm?" Still looking suitably chastised, he eagerly nodded at that, and she flashed him a beatific smile - which, very reasonably, made him pull back a bit with a worried look on his face.

"Oh, well, in that case, I have a task for you which might help with that." She tented her fingers, and looked down at him, grinning broadly now. "Listen carefully, and obey... tomorrow, you will hold your piss all through the day. In the evening, when your bladder is straining painfully, you will go to Thielwen's chambers, and offer her a challenge. Tell her that if she can manage to drink down the entire contents of your bladder, you will give her an unforgettable night. Make your size... oh, something horse-like. Big enough that it'll be a challenge, but not so big as to make it insurmountable." He was nodding along, clearly absorbing her orders with habitual dedication, even if he didn't quite understand WHY she'd ask him to do something like that to one of her Consorts.

"Then, if she accomplishes this challenge - which I have little doubt she will - you will mount her... go for her ass, you can be a bit rougher there... and pound her until she begs for mercy, or you can't get it up anymore. Whichever happens first!" Letting her grin slip back into a mischievous smile, she looked at him with half-lidded eyes. "Do you understand your orders, dog?" He nodded, face still mystified as if he was searching for the inevitable 'catch' and not seeing it. "I hear and obey, Mistress. It shall be as you command." Leaning over, she rubbed his head for a bit, making him croon with pleasure. "Good boy. Now, I must get to bed. I suggest you try to get plenty of rest, too..." She said the last bit as an aside over her shoulder as she headed towards the den's exit, high heels clacking against the floor.

Around sunset the next day, Sayn watched from her windows as Rubicundus emerged from his den - roughly the size of a horse, as she'd commanded - and headed towards Thielwen's chambers. She already knew how things were going to go in there - and so, she made a point of heading to bed early, ensuring that she'd awaken at morning's first light. At that point, she sat around for a while, dressed in a robe, admiring the sight of the springtime garden lit by the early-morning sun, and contemplating what she'd get for breakfast.

After a while, her vigil was rewarded - and she caught sight of Rubicundus, staggering out of Thielwen's chamber with an exhausted look. Barely looking around, he dragged himself straight to his den and disappeared into the darkness, while Sayn chuckled quietly to herself. Even the burgeoning virility of a young Dragon had its limits... while at the moment, Thielwen's appetites seemed to have none. Oh, she'd been a lusty one ever since Sayn introduced her to sexuality, but ever since her pregnancy - be it due to some hormonal change in her blood or a psychological impact - her desires had seemingly gone into overdrive. Despite Rubicundus' huge popularity among the other women of the Harem, the males were left far from neglected - Thielwen immediately laid claim to any spare time and energy they had. Any time she wasn't working - though, admittedly, she DID have quite a bit of work to do, what with the continuing integration of the Elven Nations into Sayn's Empire - she was either having sex or looking for sex.

Sayn let him rest through the day, while she did her own work and occasionally amused herself with one of her consorts. Then, around evening, she sat back in her work-chair and made a magical hand-gesture that she knew would remotely activate one of the collar's enchantments - sending a mild, electric shock through Rubicundus' neck. Just enough to alert him to the fact that his Mistress was calling on him, demanding his presence. If she wanted, she could use another gesture to send a more severe, painful shock... though she hadn't found the need to do so since she originally demonstrated this feature to him.

A few minutes later, she heard a respectful knock on the door and opened it with a thought. Rubicundus, dog-sized as usual, walked through it, looking much refreshed after presumably sleeping through most of the day. His eyes swept hungrily over her as she turned her chair around to face him. She wasn't wearing her usual, black getup - in fact, she was completely naked. Legs crossed, she let one bare foot dangle in the air in front of him while a challenging smile flitted across her face. He got the message and, while groveling before her, began to lick her foot, tongue eagerly lashing across the sole and between her toes. Since she usually wore sheer stockings around him, this was basically a treat for him...

She waited for him to finish, ignoring the tickling sensation. Then, once she felt that he must have tasted every square inch of the foot by now, she shifted her legs around to leave the other one now elevated in front of his face, and started talking. "So... did you learn anything last night, hmm? Work off some energy?" Gazing adoringly up the length of her shin, towards her face, he answered between licks. "Yes, Mistress. Lady Thielwen's endurance thoroughly outstripped my own. And she handled the challenge without trouble..." his eyes shone with something like awe. "She actually seemed to...enjoy it..."

Chuckling, Sayn shifted her foot so that his tongue could more easily reach and caress her heel. "That's Thielwen, all right. She has her little... foibles. Feel free to call upon her in the future if you need to empty your bladder - I'm sure she'd be delighted." She shook her head ruefully, then, talking as much to herself as to the Dragon who grovelled before her, licking her feet. "Frankly, the amount of piss I've seen her consume would probably sicken a human, or most other races for that matter, but she's an Elf, after all. Made of sterner stuff - so it doesn't seem to do her any harm..." as her words trailed off, however, she noticed an odd gleam in Rubicundus' eyes, and wrinkled her brow. Was he thinking what she thought he was thinking?

Quickly changing the subject, she pulled her thoroughly-wet foot away from his dancing tongue, and spread her legs while pushing herself forwards in the chair. "Now, then, if you're quite done amusing yourself with my feet... I think it's time I gave your oral skills another review. Come, show me what you have learned - if you impress me, you might earn the touch of my bare hand..." She called his leash to her hand with a gesture and pulled him forwards - quite unnecessarily, of course, as he dived for her groin the instant she gave him leave. Still, the symbol, as always, was the important thing - and she held him firmly in place while he applied his tongue to her pussy with desperate eagerness.

His oral skills were, as she had observed earlier, growing by leaps and bounds. She could only try her best not to let it show too much, as she leaned her head back against the chair's headrest and closed her eyes with a satisfied sigh, simply enjoying the steady waves of pleasure washing through her as he alternately licked across the outer parts of her pussy - inner and outer labia, clit and clitoral hood, even the sensitive area around her urethra - and plunged his tongue as deep inside as he could reach. Slurping sounds could be heard as he drank down her free-flowing juices like a fine wine, and his panting breath made it clear that he was fiercely aroused despite his exhausting trial the night before.

She let him lick her to three slow-building, spine-tingling orgasms, and only then wrapped her hand around his leash and pulled him away. His tongue waved in the air for a moment, desperately trying to catch some last drop of her sweet juices, then it retracted into his snout, and he looked apprehensively up at her. She smiled gently, and petted him generously. "You are improving, pup... still a long way to go towards true mastery, but I cannot fault your dedication to the art." He preened at her words of praise, ruby scales practically glowing with pleasure.

"Sit", she then commanded, and he, of course, complied. Then she twisted the leash and let him grow. From small dog to large dog to pony... that would do. He was still sitting in the same way, just taking up a lot more floor-space now - and the throbbing erection between his hind-legs was more obvious than ever. Looking at it, she shook her head and sighed. "Still? Even after last night?" He quivered slightly at her gently-scolding words, but still managed to answer. "Always, Mistress. No matter what exertions have gone before, your scent, your taste, your beauty will never fail to rouse me for action." She laughed. "Truly, your tongue is becoming talented, in more ways than one! Well, I suppose you have earned this..."

Kneeling before him - still holding firmly onto the leash, a physical reminder of who was in charge regardless of who was on top or who was larger at the moment - she wrapped her free hand around his thick cock. At his present size, its girth was such that she could only just barely reach around it, and she couldn't help but lick her lips. But, no, it wasn't time for that - not yet, and probably not for a while. Instead, she vigorously jerked him off, gripping his shaft tightly in her bare hand and enjoying a sensual thrill as she watched him shiver with pleasure just from her undiluted touch.

As usual, he didn't last long - a fact that she found strangely flattering. Clearly, the bit about how arousing he found her mere presence wasn't just words. Soon, she felt his cock throb and pulse in her hand and, with his whole body trembling, he began to fire off thick ropes of hot, sticky jizz. Considering where she was, most of it splattered across her face, chest and belly, or dripped into the gap between her thighs. She waited for the last, anemic spurts to emerge, coating her hand and splashing on her bare arm, before glaring up at the shuddering Dragon. "Still such a messy puppy... now look what you've done..." she said accusingly, and his eyes - previously closed in pleasure - flew open to look guiltily down at her cum-stained body.

She gave the leash in her hand a harsh twist, and he yelped in surprise as the collar tightened more severely around his throat than it usually did. Shrinking rapidly to keep up, he was soon back to his usual, dog-like size... and then kept going, until he was no larger than a housecat. Gazing sternly down at his now-diminutive form, she held out her cum-covered hand. "You had best get started cleaning up your mess, little puppy... or you'll be at it all night." He mewled, his voice strangely high-pitched at this size, and began to lick her slimy hand. Once he had finished with that, and lapped up the odd stains that had found their way up her lower arm, she leaned back to rest her head against the seat of her chair, behind her, while shifting her legs around so that she was sitting down with them well-spread instead of kneeling - leaving her inner thighs, previously holding up a small reservoir of hot cum, thoroughly coated by a descending flow.

Then she simply shot him a challenging glance and closed her eyes, relaxing her body, letting him work. At his present scale, with such a tiny tongue, the task before him was a large one indeed - she towered over him, and her body had intercepted most of his cum-load. At the time he had shot it, his gonads had probably been bigger than his head was now. Still, he went at it without hesitation, attacking the challenge with burning dedication. First he licked off the thickly caked-on layer of jizz coating her thighs, stopping for a moment to enjoy a few laps at her still-juicy pussy in between, and then worked his way up her flat belly.

She felt him climb her body like a mountain, tongue moving tirelessly, lapping up his own ejaculate. It dove into her belly-button, likely leaving it cleaner than before they started. It danced over the smooth surface of her tits, encircling her nipples, stimulating even as it cleaned. Finally, it caressed her neck, rising steadily to attack the lines of heady-smelling cum that had marred her face. As his tongue ran smoothly across her lips, picking up some traces there, her eyes opened and stared into his. "Careful now, little puppy..." she whispered, hardly opening her lips. "Cleaning is your duty, but a kiss is a privilege for Consorts only, far above your station still." He froze for a moment, there, and she could feel his still-hard cock throb against her belly.

His tongue retracted into his snout, and he spoke with a slight lisp, indicating that the task - which had taken more than fifteen minutes already - was starting to weary him. "I would not dream of acting beyond my station, Mistress. Merely being in your presence is a privilege I hardly deserve." She nodded briefly - with him so close, there was no reason to move her head more than a few millimeters. "You may earn it yet, little puppy. Now finish your task..." He did, swiftly and efficiently, licking up every stray drop of sperm that had landed on her face. His stomach had to be rather full at this point, she thought as she grandly gave him leave to return to his den, opening the door for him as he bowed before her and thanked her for the privilege she had granted him that night.

Days after, however, part of that evening's entertainments were still clear in her memory - that strange look in Rubicundus' eyes when she'd talked about Thielwen's more depraved appetite. It was making her think in new circles, consider new options... and so, she decided to explore them, inviting Thielwen to share her bed one evening. The lusty Elven Princess came eagerly, of course - wearing her customary, white fetish getup (which she wore basically all the time in the Seraglio these days, saying that she wanted to make the most of it while it still fit), and already wet between her legs.

Sayn treated her as roughly as she dared, applying her growing experience in the dominant arts. She colored the Elf's alabaster ass-cheeks crimson with her paddle, successfully spanking her to a moaning, masochistic orgasm. She bound her down to the bed with silken ropes, legs spreadeagled, and mercilessly teased her for nearly half an hour before allowing her to reach a climax that practically gave the Elf-girl an epileptic fit, shaking in her bondage while her eyes rolled back in her head. She planted herself on Thielwen's inhumanly-beautiful face, with the shapely nose lodged against her asshole while she was licked to a delicious orgasm of her own.

Finally, she had to decide whether she really wanted to do this. Nothing was stopping her from just heading to sleep with the beautiful Elf-girl by her side - certainly, Thielwen wasn't going to complain! It was obvious that she'd enjoyed herself immensely, and she was currently making happy, moaning noises as she licked Sayn's asshole, her arms bound behind her and attached to a knotted rope that went between her legs, rubbing against various sensitive bits every time she shifted. But, at this point it felt silly to shy away. It was a small enough thing for her, and she knew that her dear friend would get a tremendous kick out of it. Heck, she'd actually done it before, by accident and in the throes of pleasure - it was just a matter of taking the last step and doing it deliberately, while clear-headed.

And so, she guided the back-bound Elf down onto her knees, on the floor beside the bed, and seated herself on the edge of it with her legs spread. Burying her fingers in Thielwen's golden-blonde locks, she pulled the Elf's head firmly in between her thighs, holding it in place there while the lusty girl's tongue eagerly began to dig into her pussy again. "You've been very good tonight..." she whispered down at her submissive friend. "So I've got a reward for you." A pair of emerald-green eyes, pupils hugely dilated, stared eagerly and curiously up at her from between her legs.

With a greater effort of will than she cared to admit, she relaxed her bladder, and watched those eyes grow wider. They kept staring, maintaining unerring eye-contact, while the soft lips beneath glued themselves to her pussy, forming an airtight seal even as the tongue danced around her urethra, teasing and stimulating it even as it sprayed hot piss into that beautiful, shapely mouth. From this angle, she couldn't watch Thielwen's throat work - but she could feel the suction every time she swallowed, downing mouthful after mouthful.

Once she had emptied her bladder, she sighed and released Thielwen's head. The Elf-maiden, however, remained where she was for a bit longer - carefully tracing the contours of Sayn's pussy with her tongue, as if making sure that no errant drop had escaped her. Only then did she sit back, smiling up at Sayn. "Thank you for this gift" she said simply. Shaking her head, Sayn could only think to answer "You're welcome" as she rose from the bed and undid the knots that held Thielwen in bondage, letting the ropes fall to the ground in a pile.

A few minutes later, the two of them were lying close together on the bed - with Thielwen resting a hand on her still-flat belly as had become her habit, and smiling slightly. "I still don't get the appeal..." Sayn told her, shaking her head again. "I really don't, and I doubt I ever shall. But it's not like I have any particular objections to peeing, per se - heck, I tend to do it several times per day! And if being on the receiving end of it can make somebody else happy, well, I guess there's no harm in that..." Thielwen nodded, still smiling. "I'm glad to hear you say so. It's not for everyone, I'm well aware... but I'm honestly surprised to see you go as far as you have. I recall you having... more objections to it."

Sayn grimaced. "Yeah... I think I overreacted a bit when I caught you and Silas at it like that. It was early in the morning, you know? Maybe I was just grumpy... well, consider my commandment from back then rescinded. Just don't expect a kiss after you've been doing it - not 'till you've rinsed out your mouth thoroughly, anyway!" Thielwen giggled in reply - a beautiful sound, as always. "Duly noted. Might I count you among those willing to... provide, when I find myself craving that particular kink, then? In truth, I have relatively few options. Both Achidias and K'teshi refuses to let me partake from them, and Slira isn't an option, due to her... nature."

Thinking about what that_meant made Sayn gag. Slira had a cloaca, which - among other things - meant that she basically didn't have a separate urethra or anus. Presumably that meant that, like with birds, all of her 'waste-products' were ejected in a single mass. "Now, Orichaniel doesn't mind, but because of _his nature, the flavor is just... off." Thielwen continued, blissfully unaware of Sayn's thought-process. "Which rather takes something out of the whole experience." "Off?" Sayn asked, before she could stop herself. She was starting to feel rather nauseous. "Well, yes... it's... sugary, basically." Thielwen sounded strangely offended, while Sayn blinked in confusion.

"As best I can figure, his plant-like body uses sugars to balance its fluids, where we use salts. I expect his blood would taste sweet as well... ah, that came out a bit creepier than I intended!" Thielwen giggled again at that point, while Sayn found herself simultaneously pondering the Flower-Dragon's bizarre biology, and regretting the fact that the Elf-girl had gotten past the point where she blushed whenever she was forced to discuss sexual matters outside of the moment. It wasn't unexpected, perhaps, but still kind of a shame - it had been a very pretty image, and funny besides. Sighing for this lost pleasure, she asked the obvious question. "What about the other girls? Lutra and Aishee?" Thielwen grinned. "Aishee doesn't really understand the concept, for obvious reasons. In her natural environment, she passes water through her body constantly, after all - if she can be said to have urine at all, it is in a rather diluted form. But Lutra, ah... she has proven quite happy to help."

Sayn couldn't help but laugh at that. No surprise there - Lutra was quite the free spirit, and had a bit of a dominant streak besides. She was well aware that the Elf and the Otterkin got together on a regular basis, and that ropes and rough play was involved - she just hadn't been aware of exactly what they got up to. It had never worried her - if anyone knew how to keep things safe and sane, it was Lutra. "So, just Lutra and Silas and now maybe me, then?" She asked, already knowing the answer. "Oh, not quite... Rubicundus actually approached me not long ago and offered me a chance to partake of him. He must have heard of my... interests from one of the others, I suppose. I never would have dared to approach him about it myself, obviously!" Thielwen sounded suitably awed, and Sayn had to hide a mischievous smile.

It wasn't that she enjoyed lying to her Consorts about the nature of her relationship with Rubicundus... but on the other hand, having a juicy secret like that was viscerally satisfying. Seeing them all treat the great, red Dragon with the awe and respect traditionally accorded his kind, while she alone saw his true nature, was enough to make her giggle all by itself. "Well, you know Dragons - they love secrets almost as much as they love gold!" she said, carefully keeping her voice level. Thielwen nodded absently. "He even said, afterwards, that he would not object to letting me taste it again..." there was a dreamy note to her voice. Sayn couldn't help but wonder if Dragon-piss just had a particularly special flavor, or if it was simply the act of doing it with such a big and powerful creature that made the difference. She was betting on the later, but maybe she was biased due to her own kinks in that regard...

Shrugging it off, she brought the subject back around. "Anyway, I suppose I don't mind playing into this kink of yours now and again..." An idea occurred to her, and she flashed a grin at the smiling Elf-girl next to her. "Actually... anytime we spend the night together, if you want a 'taste', just wake me up in the morning with your tongue. I kinda' like the idea of getting to spend more time under the warm, cozy covers without having to get up for my morning piss!" Thielwen's eyes flashed eagerly at this, and she demurely said that she would take that under advisement. Unsurprisingly, she woke up the next morning to the sensation of a skillful tongue digging into her pussy, and sleepily carried through on her promise by releasing a stream of strong morning-pee into the eager mouth it was attached to. Thielwen, for her part, signed for the delivery by licking her to a languid good-morning orgasm, after which they lingered and dozed in the warm bed for a pleasant while longer.

With this experience under her proverbial belt, she spent another day mulling things over and making plans. Then, the following evening, she ventured down into Rubicundus' den again, wearing her usual, jet-black gear. She found him waiting before the throne, dog-sized and sitting neatly as always, an expectant look on his face - along with some relief when he saw that she wasn't carrying the paddle. Smiling, she leaned over to pet him on the head, enjoying his murmur of simple, pure joy at her touch. "I have been impressed with your loyalty, devotion and obedience of late..." she intoned, and smiled as he glowed with praise.

Then she lowered her tone, and watched the glow fade "...but your lack of self-discipline and self-control concerns me." She shifted her hand to scratch him under his chin, bringing his head up so that she could look him in the eye as she continued. "Thus, I have prepared a challenge_for you. If you accomplish it, I will reward you with new pleasures... and it will also go a long way towards showing that you are ready for promotion to Concubine, with all the new possibilities and _responsibilities that title brings with it." She definitely had his attention now, his eyes wide and intent. "However, if you fail... I will show you that there are far worse torments than those a paddle can deliver." Her voice was icy at that point, and a shiver went through the diminutive Dragon before her. "What would you have me do, Mistress? Speak, and I shall obey..." he croaked, throat obviously dry.

Leaning further forwards, she brought her corset-enhanced breasts down to his eye-height, and let her hand reach down between his legs - where, sure enough, his cock stood tall and rock-hard, summoned forth by her presence as always. She ran her fingers lightly over it and chuckled. "Ah, it is quite simple, little puppy..." wrapping her fingers around the smooth shaft, she gave it a couple of slow jerks, feeling it tremble in her hand. Then she let go. "For the next week - starting tonight - you are not allowed to cum." He froze, and she straightened her back so as better to glare down at him.

"And don't imagine that you can just hide down here in your den for the next seven days either, oh no. I expect to see you up in the garden, every day from sunrise 'till sunset. Say that you're enjoying the sun, if anyone asks - the weather-mages are promising clear skies all week, so you'll hardly be lying." He nodded, automatically, as he absorbed her orders, face still crestfallen. "Now... if anyone approaches you and requests your services, you will of course comply. If you see any male-female pair having sex in the garden while you aren't otherwise occupied - other than one involving myself - you will subsequently approach the woman and offer your services. Use the same orifice as the one who went before you - I know how you enjoy your 'sloppy seconds'." He did, indeed, always seem to get particularly aroused when she let him mount her immediately after she'd had some fun with one of the other guys... but under these circumstances, this aspect was only going to add to his torment.

"Either way, you will ensure that your partner attains at least one orgasm, and preferably more - but you will stop before you reach release yourself." she said, finishing her dread proclamation. "Is all that clear?" The dog-sized Dragon numbly nodded. Narrowing her eyes, she asked again, sharper this time. "I said, is all that clear, dog?" Swallowing, he managed to croak out the correct answer. "Yes, Mistress. It shall be as you command." Smile restored, she gave him another pat on the head. "It shall indeed. And fear not - I will not visit your little den, nor call you to my chambers for the duration of the week. I know how much my presence... arouses you, so it would be rather unfair, no?"

Turning around, she walked back out of the chamber, giving him a final sendoff as she glanced over her shoulder to see him sitting forlorn on the floor, his cock practically jumping between his legs. She raised a hand with a single finger extended. "Remember... if you cum even once before sundown seven days hence, you will fail at the challenge... and suffer the consequences." He shuddered, nodded, instantly remembered her earlier correction, and croaked out "Yes, Mistress. I understand, Mistress." With a final nod, she left the den - wondering as she did so whether she was going too far this time.

Dutifully, Rubicundus spent his time sunning himself in the garden from sunrise 'till sunset the next day - though, he didn't get to do much lazing about. The weather was as pleasant as had been promised, and spring had grown deep and warm. As always, that brought most of the Consorts out of their chambers to enjoy each other's company in the park and pond - even though the water there remained somewhat chilly. While some of them remained reluctant to approach the intimidating-looking Dragon, others were not... and of course, her second condition kept him quite busy, for rarely did an hour pass without someone finding their way into somebody else's orifices.

It was Slira, the Sirrush Consort, who took up most of his time. Her upbringing on the Southern Continent meant that she lacked much of the respect and awe that the other Consorts had for Dragonkind in general - and on top of that, she was both used to handling and attracted to large, predatory reptiles. Furthermore, her sexual appetites were second only to Thielwen's (and perhaps Silas', if one included the Faun-Concubine in the equation) - so not only did she frequently request the big Dragon's attention directly, she was also, just as often, found bent-over elsewhere in the garden, getting railed by one of the other males... usually, once again, Silas, who was best equipped to handle her peculiar body-shape. Which, of course, meant that immediately afterwards, Rubicundus would approach her and offer to show her a better time... an offer she inevitably responded to by lifting her tail and showing off her well-stretched, Faun-cum-lubricated cloaca.

Still, she was far from the only one having fun in the sun, and few of the girls were inclined to turn down his advances. Even Korlin, who never approached him herself, gave him consent with a mischievous smile when he approached her after she'd been mounted by Achidias in her natural form. Most activities in the garden stopped at that point, with everyone turning to behold this particularly fantastic spectacle - a red-scaled Dragon mounting a gold-and-white Kirin, the two most powerful creatures in the world coming together in mutual pleasure. Or, at least, in Korlin's pleasure. After pounding her to a shuddering, eye-rolling orgasm, Rubicundus dismounted, his cock still unstained by cum.

Meanwhile, Sayn was enjoying a relaxing vacation from domination - mostly by feeding her original passion for submission, working off all the accumulated stress from having to keep up her imperious persona. Lutra and Korlin were her go-to partners for this - the Otterkin's silken ropes and strong hands easily turned her bed into a lake of pleasurable torment, while Korlin required no tools or accessories. When she put her mind to it, the beautiful Kirin could send Sayn to her knees with a touch, a word, a whisper - a simple tightening of the chains of love that always lay invisible about her. A dominant Korlin was the sweetest, most delicious of pleasures, giving her that special, glowing sensation of being like putty in a pair of firm, loving hands that would never do her wrong.

Alas, it was a rare treat, for Korlin was always busy with her work - something Sayn could ill resent, seeing as she was uncomfortably aware that the Kirin's dedicated labors were a big part of the reason why she had such ample free time, despite ostensibly leading an Empire that spanned two continents. And while Lutra's skills certainly were excellent, sometimes she just wanted to be dominated by, well... someone with a nice, big, hard cock. Achidias and K'teshi could always be relied upon for a nice, rough pounding, of course, but not for anything more elaborate than that. The pride and confidence that had allowed K'teshi to dominate her so easily during their first meeting had already leaked out of him by the time of their _second_meeting, and it hadn't exactly leaked back since - like Achidias, he was rather in awe of her, and could not easily abandon that even while he was on top of her.

She had, however, found an alternative in an unexpected place. Orichaniel, the Flower-Dragon, had devoted himself to mastering every aspect of his new role as the Flower-Dragon Consort to The Beastmaker - and had thus applied his sharp intellect to learning her likes, dislikes and preferences just as readily as he had used it to learn the ins and outs of her government. Perhaps it was not a surprising attitude, considering that he came from a culture that regarded the ability to please a female as an important skill for any male, to the point where it was taught and studied in their schools...

She had a feeling that, much like with herself, acting dominant didn't come very naturally to him - but his intellect and sheer charisma seemed more than capable of covering for any lack of talent in that regard, and once he'd realized how much she enjoyed it, he applied every effort to pulling it off. And it certainly worked - a lack of hands was no barrier when he could speak with such firm authority that she instinctively responded, bending and spreading as he commanded. And his tail, as Thielwen had learned much earlier, could deliver a fierce spanking, with the hard 'bud' at the tip adding some extra sting and some interesting imprints when it was applied to her buttocks.

Spending time with him, she had ample opportunity to taste his sweet, syrupy cum - reminding her of Thielwen's earlier statement about all his bodily fluids being sugary. After tasting it a few times, she mentioned to him - casual-like, when they were resting and cuddling after an intense session - that her only real problem with going 'ass-to-mouth' these days was the potential taste. As long as there was no... lingering flavors, she didn't really mind doing it, and under the right circumstances, it could even have an erotic thrill to it. He got the message well enough, and in subsequent sessions she frequently found herself ordered to clean his ribbed, flower-like cock after it had finished reaming her asshole, and did so without reluctance - the overpowering sweetness of his cum effectively obliterated any other flavors that might have been clinging to the textured tool.

While she was indulging her submissive impulses with Ori and others, however, the other ladies of the Harem grew discontent. Three days after the start of the challenge, Lutra came to Sayn's chambers looking mystified. "Do you know what's up with Rubicundus? For the last several days, he's broken off every session before he reached his climax. Not just with me, either - all the girls say the same thing." Sayn, keeping her face carefully straight, assumed a thoughtful look. "Strange... have you tried asking him about it?" Lutra shrugged. "Yeah... he just mumbled something about me not being 'worthy of a Dragon's Seed' and shuffled off." Sayn rolled her eyes and sighed. "Sounds like some kind of pride-thing. Guess he's still adapting to being among us 'lesser beings', on some level."

Lutra echoed the sigh and nodded. "Yeah, sounds about right... do you think you could talk to him or something? He seems to listen to you, and... well, I kinda' miss that feeling, you know? That warmth..." Her eyes took on a faraway cast, and Sayn had to giggle. Yes, being filled with dragon-cum was a special sensation - it was hot, hotter than what any other creature she'd ever been with could produce. Meant you could really feel it, whether it was filling up your womb or pushing into the depths of your ass. So she couldn't blame Lutra for feeling a bit frustrated by its absence... indeed, she had been counting on getting such a reaction from the rest of the Harem.

With artful thoughtfulness, she rubbed her chin and grimaced. "I don't know if talking to him would help. He agreed to come here as my Consort, because of my accomplishments - what he's willing or unwilling to do with the rest of you isn't really something I can dictate to him, you know?" Lutra's otter-like face drooped, but then recomposed itself when Sayn suddenly smiled, as if she'd had a bright idea. "Tell you what..." she said, leaning forwards conspiratorially. "Why don't you and the other girls turn it into a kind of challenge? I mean, if he thinks you're 'unworthy', all you can do is _prove_yourselves worthy!"

At that point, the game was essentially over. Lutra, Slira, Thielwen and even Aishee threw themselves into the 'challenge' with aplomb, with only Korlin staying above it with a mischievous smile - though she never refused Rubicundus when he approached her after she'd had some fun with one of the other male Consorts, and indeed seemed to have temporarily abandoned her usual habit of keeping most of her liaisons to the privacy of her own chambers.

From Thielwen applying her talent for incredibly filthy dirty-talk - made even more effective by the silvery purity of her voice - to Slira begging for bigger, bigger, bigger until her overstretched cloaca was wrapped around him tighter than a fist, poor Rubicundus was endlessly assailed by 'contestants' eager to be the one who finally broke his resolve and milked him of his cum. He had even less time to rest, now, seeing as the ladies constantly approached him to request another chance to 'prove their worth' - requests that he could not refuse, due to Sayn's orders. In the end, he lasted an agonizing three days - six, from the start of the original challenge.

It was evening, depressingly close to the point where the sun would sink below the walls of the Palace, granting Rubicundus leave to retreat to his den and try to calm himself down in preparation for facing the final day of his trial. However, after two days of trying their best individually, the girls of the Harem had begun to cooperate, putting their combined efforts towards breaking his will. Bathed in the red sunlight of the evening hours, poor Rubicundus was furiously fucking Slira, near his full size and trying desperately to get her off so that he could call it quits and retreat.

However, behind him, Thielwen was busily at work - applying all of her years of experience in the fine art of ass-licking. Elven dexterity and focus allowed her to constantly move her head to match his thrusts, never missing a single lap as her tongue danced around and inside his spit-slicked sphincter. Meanwhile, Lutra and Aishee were 'coincidentally' having a particularly torrid tryst in the pond right in front of him, emitting loud moans and slobbery sex-noises just to make sure they had an impact despite the Dragon's firmly-shut eyes.

Finally, with a pained groan, Rubicundus' legs buckled and he nearly collapsed on top of Slira, who laughed delightedly. "I got him!" She called to the others. "I can feel it in my womb... mmmmm... so hot, and so_much!_" The other girls cheered and laughed. Nobody noticed the Dragon's head turning with hesitant dread towards where Sayn was standing, in the doorway of her chambers, leaning casually against the door-frame. She caught his eyes and gave him a hard glare that made him shiver. Pulling out of Slira - who seemed to have reached a powerful orgasm just from the sensation of being filled with his hot cum - he staggered away and disappeared into his den. When Lutra subsequently approached Sayn and asked her, with a worried look, if it had really been a good idea to push the Dragon that way, she calmly reassured her. "He's just surprised. Give him a bit of time to mull over what happened and he'll be over that silliness, you'll see."

Rubicundus, however, was not seen at all the next day. Around evening, Sayn invited several of her Consorts to her chambers - Achidias, K'teshi, Orichaniel, Silas, and Korlin... basically, everybody who had a dick. It was a rather bigger party than she usually entertained, but with the exception of Ori and Korlin, all of them had felt a bit neglected while the ladies worked on the 'Dragon-Challenge', so they eagerly responded to her call. Korlin had arrived first, and was already waiting for the rest of them when they trooped in, wearing her human hermaphrodite form. Sayn, too, was waiting - naked, on her bed, wearing a big grin.

With so many different body-types, fitting this mini-orgy together required quite a bit of logistical finagling - but by then, the Consorts were all well-accustomed to this, and highly aware of each other's strengths and limitations. They deftly worked together to surround Sayn with a forest of hard, throbbing cocks. Silas or Korlin were usually beneath her, whether she was on her back or on her belly, while Achidias and/or K'teshi mounted her, from one end or the other. Ori, with his jungle-born agility, was flexible - able to take on any position, and indeed take advantage of any unoccupied orifice.

She constantly had a cock in every hole, sometimes more when the position allowed for it. Only K'teshi's large knot precluded any additional invasion of whatever orifice he was occupying - even Achidias' significant girth did not prevent Ori from sliding his shorter but far more heavily-textured shaft in alongside it, or Silas from doing the same, stretching either hole to the limit. Korlin displayed particular flexibility, switching to her true shape whenever the situation allowed for it - her length and girth being significantly greater in that form.

Floods of cum filled Sayn's womb and belly - the later often from both directions simultaneously. The air in her chambers grew thick with the scent of jizz, sweat, and her own free-flowing juices, while moans and groans rang out constantly. In the increasingly lust-charged atmosphere - which probably got a lot of help from Silas' aphrodisiac sweat - she soon stopped caring about where the cock running across her tongue and into her gullet had last been. She hungrily gobbled down whatever was put before her, shaking with repeated orgasms as she was double- or triple-penetrated on a non-stop basis. When the cocks dangling before her started to be interspersed with tight, heady-scented assholes, she happily put her tongue to work there too, licking drops of salty - and occasionally sweet - sweat off the variously-colored sphincters that were pushed into her face.

With every orifice soon packed with repeated cumloads, every thrust had a slimy, sloshing sound to it, and white goo bubbled out around the edges of her sphincter and labia alike as the pressure inside grew too great - staining her ass, thighs, and the sheets below. Sometimes, a cock would pull out of her mouth just before it shot its load, spraying all over her face, hair and chest, even as she eagerly spread her mouth as wide as she could to catch as much of it as possible. Those who were beneath her did not seem to care, often applying their teeth (or beak, in Ori's case) to her nipples, when she was facing the right way around.

Eventually, one by one, her Consorts began to run out of steam. K'teshi and Achidias went first, staggering out the door (which Korlin helpfully opened for them, Sayn being too caught up in the flood of pleasure to shape a suitably coherent thought) to return to their own chambers and get some sleep. Orichaniel hung in there for a little bit longer, then he too retreated, leaving her with two familiar faces - Silas and Korlin, both possessing literally supernatural virility. Together, they kept pounding her cum-packed holes, filling the already-overflowing orifices with more bubbly white slime, sending more delicious orgasms shuddering through her exhausted body.

Finally, Korlin apparently decided that she'd had enough, and backed out - pulling Silas (who would happily have continued for another hour on his own, most likely) along by the ear. She gave Sayn a knowing, mischievous smile before she closed the door behind her. Finally alone, Sayn lay panting for a while, catching her breath and waiting for the last orgasmic aftershocks to finish vibrating through her. Then she pushed herself upright, and took stock of the situation. Her body was practically caked with sperm - it covered her face, chest and belly, it ran down her thighs and legs, it plastered her hair down to her skull... and the bed was little better. She was practically sitting in a small lake of cum, which was still growing larger as dollops of mixed jizz gurgled from her gaping pussy and pulsating asshole. She'd need one hell of a bath, and her servitor-constructs would have their hands full cleaning up the room. But first...

She shuffled her way to the edge of the bed, pursued by the cum-lake which continued to follow the indentation her weight made on the sheets. Despite the multi-hour orgy, her mind was still sharp - she'd had herself a nice cup of stimulant-heavy tea beforehand, the same kind she'd used many years before in order to handle 12 horny Beastkin in a single night. It was nowhere near as strong as some of the stimulants her temporary Consort, Ssinizz the Lizardkin, had been known to use, but it was plenty strong enough for her purposes.

Reaching the edge, she sat up there, shivering as she felt the hot cum run down her now-vertical legs to drip ticklishly from her toes. She gazed over at an unassuming, seemingly-empty corner of the room, near her (rather oversized) closet, and spoke a release-phrase, dispelling the wall of illusion Korlin had put in place there before the others arrived. Emerging from behind this barrier, invisible until then, was a sad sight indeed. Rubicundus, dog-sized as usual, was looking truly miserable, which was rather understandable when one noticed his new accessories.

A leather muzzle covered his snout - magically reinforced, just so that he couldn't break it too casually, and linked to the collar so that it would grow and shrink with it. Humiliating to be sure, but largely symbolical. Less symbolical was the gleaming metal that could be seen between his legs, surrounding his throbbing, pulsating cock like a miniature cage. This had been custom-ordered from a skilled craftsman, who probably had no idea what it was for and had merely been honored to get an order from The Beastmaker herself, and later enchanted by Korlin to give it a variety of important features.

Three metal rings encircled Rubicundus' shaft, evenly-spaced and connected by a vertical rod of the same gleaming, silvery metal. This kept going past the uppermost ring - which was lodged directly beneath the flared cockhead - and bent around the tip to... disappear. Sayn, of course, knew it didn't end there. The rod was shaped like an elongated U - and half of it was currently lodged down the Dragon's urethra, filling it completely. It had been inserted while he was larger, and he had then been forced to shrink until it fit snugly - after which the three rings had been closed, activating their enchantment. They could be opened only with Sayn's command, and until they were, the whole arrangement would also grow and shrink along with the collar.

The leash of said collar was currently wrapped around one of the wardrobe's legs, chaining Rubicundus in place, but it instantly appeared in Sayn's hand instead when she made the appropriate gesture, and she gave it a tug. The red Dragon, looking thoroughly miserable, rose from the floor and approached her - limping noticeably while his metal-encased cock swung heavily beneath him, throbbing constantly with hours of unreleased desire. Once he stood before her, she casually reached out a naked toe and poked at the tormented tool, making him flinch violently even at that light touch. It felt very hot and very hard, and pulsated constantly as it struggled to break its unyielding chains.

She chuckled down at him. "You seem rather... aroused. Did you enjoy watching your Mistress get repeatedly violated by other, worthier males that_much?" The muzzle kept his jaws tightly shut. He could not answer - only look up at her with large, pitiful eyes. She shook her head sadly. "You _do understand why I had to do this, don't you? Discipline is paramount in any good dog, and where it is lacking, restraints are used instead. The leash, the muzzle, the chain... the cage." She nudged the metallic implement with her toe, sending another violent shudder through his scaly body as her touch was transmitted through the hard metal down through his sensitive urethra.

A piteous moan escaped from between his tightly-clenched lips, and she felt herself wavering. But she'd gone this far - gone to so much trouble to set up this crazy 'punishment'-scenario. She couldn't just clap her hands now and say "Right, everything's forgiven, let's get you out of that nasty getup." She had to play it through to the end. So instead, she looked severely down at him. "So, my undisciplined little puppy... have you learned your lesson?" His muzzled head nodded eagerly, eyes big and full of prayers of mercy.

She touched her lips, and put on a thoughtful air. "I wonder if you really have... well, I suppose a test is in order." Turning over, she draped herself over the edge of her cum-soaked bed, showing him her still-gaping asshole, with its worn-red edges and its steady dribble of escaping jizz. "A fresh challenge, then..." she said, smiling at him over her shoulder. "Come, mount me - you know where, and you won't lack for lubrication. If you can manage to make me cum, I will call your punishment complete, and remove the muzzle and the cock-cage afterwards. But you will still have failed to demonstrate any real improvement. If, however, you can manage to make me cum_thrice_ without giving up... I will concede that you have learned your lesson, and give you the reward I prepared in expectation of your success at the previous challenge."

Even as she talked, she gave the leash in her hand a twist, increasing the size of his collar... and two other things. He shuddered and winced as he grew to match - with the cock-cage in place, the penalty for not responding_immediately_ to any changes in the collar's size were severe. If he did not shrink fast enough, the rings surrounding his shaft would tighten painfully. If he did not grow fast enough, the rod filling his urethra would torment it ruthlessly. She let him reach a horse-like size - that was really the minimum for having a chance to pleasure her at the moment, what with the stretched-open condition of her holes.

She tugged on the leash, pulling him forwards, but it was hardly necessary. Despite the pained look in his eyes, Rubicundus seemed ready to take on this final challenge. His foreclaws landed on the stained sheets beside her head with a squishing sound as he covered her body with his scaly bulk, and she felt metal - made warm by his radiant body-heat - touch her sphincter. It took him a moment to find his aim - clearly, he had little to no control over the muscles of his prehensile penis at the moment, the built-up pressure within having rendered it rigid as stone. Then he pushed into her, and she moaned slightly at the sensation - the cock-cage granted his normally-smooth shaft a set of defined, stimulating ridges, made even more noticeable by the contrast between warm, smooth skin and hot, hard metal.

Unable to use the tricks and twists that his penis-muscles normally enabled, he could only fuck her in a straightforward, powerful fashion - which he did, plunging his metal-caged shaft in and out of her cum-lubricated ass with all of his power and weight behind it. She felt him shiver and tremble above her with every thrust, and while it could not move properly, his cock was constantly jumping and pulsating within her. It was clear that the sensation of his Mistress' sloppy, well-fucked ass clutching his neglected cock so tightly was keeping him on the frenzied peak of pleasure, his body desperate for orgasmic release but unable to find any due to his blocked dickhole.

She could hear him groan through the muzzle. It was hard to tell if pain or pleasure drove his voice, but in either case, it was clearly intense. Of course, he _had_been watching for hours, his cock painfully erect within its cage, as his Mistress was pounded and pleasured... if it hadn't been for the cum-stopping rod, he likely would have blown his load across the floor before that session had finished, without any touch needed. After all that time, his whole shaft had to be excruciatingly sensitive...

Of course, her own insides - rubbed raw by repeated intruders - weren't much better off, and a tasty anal orgasm was building in her gut. She didn't resist, but let it rise freely, moaning out loud as it finally washed over her. Her pussy and asshole squeezed down reflexively, sending a small deluge of cum oozing out between her labia - and tightening harshly around the hypersensitive rod in her ass. She heard him hiss in pain above her, and his thrusts stopped - until her ass relaxed, it was essentially impossible for him to move.

Panting, she felt her muscles begin to relax in the wake of the climax. Now, of course, was the moment of truth. Would he simply pull out, and end his torturous punishment, or would he push on and try to earn true redemption? Ah, but she already knew. Even if she'd only known the young Dragon for a month and change, she already had his measure - he was an open book, at least to her! Whether he suspected the nature of the promised reward or not, he could not reject the challenge she had set. No matter how tender his shaft, no matter how painfully his balls churned with unreleased cum, he would carry on to the bitter end.

As he began to thrust away at her once-again-loose asshole once more, she couldn't resist giving the leash in her hand another twist. She'd had Achidias and Silas penetrating her ass together, earlier. At his current size, Rubicundus couldn't fill her to that degree, and her sphincter clung only lightly to his thrusting shaft. The hissing breath above her became strangled, and she felt him grow inside her, to draft-horse size and maybe a bit further - enough to make her body strain against the sheer mass of his cock. Enough to make her tight around him despite all that had gone before, despite all the oozing lubrication...

Of course, that tightness would both increase his burning, unreleased desire to cum, and increase the painful pressure on his severely sensitized, metal-caged cock. The impact was clear from the continued, gasping note in his labored breathing, as well as an increased intensity in the shudders that regularly ran through him. However, the shift wasn't entirely one-sided. After all, she loved feeling so full, so stretched - and the added sensation of the hot metal pressing against her insides, adding a touch of something more unyielding than even the hardest dick-meat, only served to increase her enjoyment.

So while the Dragon's whimpering breaths made it clear that his situation had just become even more torturous than before, he was also getting a shorter sentence for his trouble. Despite his jerky, hesitant pace - like a man chewing with a sore tooth - he was pushing her quickly towards a second orgasm. She let it build up steadily inside her as she felt the hard flesh and harder metal continue to drill into her, the topmost, curved bit of the central metal rod grinding repeatedly against sensitive tissue as it hit the depths of her ass at the peak of every stroke. Then the climax washed over her, sending yet more spurts of deeply-stored cum bubbling out of her pussy... and making her stretched-out ass clamp down harshly on its intruder.

The whimpering about her descended into something that sounded almost like sobbing, and the large, scaly body above her twisted and shuddered while her ass closed around his sensitive, tortured cock like a hot, slimy vise. Was he going to chicken out after all? She pondered this vaguely as the disorienting pleasure rolled through her. Maybe he'd pull out as soon as her ass relaxed enough to allow it, and end his torture rather than endure yet more of it... but no, she knew that wasn't going to happen. Even if his dick throbbed and ached like it was about to explode, even if his balls were swelling with unreleased loads and straining against his scaly hide from the inside as if they were trying to escape, he would carry on.

Sure enough, as soon as her orgasmic convulsions ended and her ass unclenched, he began to move again - his thrusts jerky and shuddering, his breath coming in sharp, stuttering bursts from above. Domination did not come natural to her, no - not the way submission did. But she had always been a creative soul, to say the least - and she had found a surprising pleasure in designing sadistic trials and torments for her pet Dragon. This had been the most elaborate yet, and seeing Rubicundus throw himself into it with such desperate vigor gave her a warm glow... that only served to hurry her towards her next orgasm. The relationship she had forged with him over the past couple of months was very different from the one she shared with the rest of her Consorts, even Thielwen - but it was no less close for it.

She started to move her hips - pushing back against his hesitant thrusts, grinding her sphincter against the thick metal ring at the very base of his cock, twisting her ass around the throbbing shaft, generating more slimy, slobbery noises as lubricating cum was pushed from the edges of her ass to ooze slowly down her slit. He shuddered and groaned with every shift of her hips, but his thrusts, however jerky, continued - and the third orgasm was building rapidly, driven as much by the emotional as the physical. Not wanting to drag out the poor Dragon's torment longer than necessary, she eagerly embraced it as it rose, making her breath swift and shallow.

As the third and final climax hit her, she watched the thick, scaly legs in front of her shake and threaten to buckle, and heard choked sobbing from above. She couldn't help but marvel at it while the pleasure flooded her mind. She was doing that to a Dragon, with her ass... pushing him to the limit, bringing him to the edge of tears... and he did it willingly, just to prove himself to her. Truly, she had found a most marvelous pet...

Once the ecstasy had finished having its way with her, she deliberately forced her ass-muscles to relax as quickly as she could, and heard the breathing above grow a little bit steadier in response. After clearing her throat, she gave a small tug on the leash. "You've accomplished the challenge, pup... you may pull out now." He did, slowly, wincing all the way, while she shivered at the sensation of the hot metal sliding through her sphincter. Once he was off her and sitting behind her again, she turned over to sit on the edge of the bed once more herself, and glanced at his now rather large form.

His large, thick cock was caked with cum scooped from her ass, but she could still tell that it was even more swollen and tender-looking than before - the rings, previously tight around it, were now digging into the dark-red flesh in a no doubt painful way. It was hard to tell, considering, but she thought she could see a small pattern around the tip, as if some small amount of cum had managed to force its way out, sliding alongside the thick, metal rod, to push aside the foreign jizz that otherwise stained that fat, throbbing cockhead. If so, that spoke volumes about the pressures that had to have built up inside that whole system...

With a gentle smile, she trained her gaze on his face, and found his eyes large, trembling and moist, staring pleadingly back. As she reached up, he lowered his head into her hands, and she unbuckled the muzzle, pulling it off his face. His jaw immediately fell open, and he panted gratefully for a second before managing to find his voice, thick and rough at the moment. "T...thank you, Mistress..." She lifted an eyebrow, but he did not appear to have anything else he wanted to say. So she simply nodded, and bent at the hip to bring her face closer to his jerking, cum-stained, caged cock.

Reaching out, she touched a single finger to the metal near the tip, and spoke the key-phrase. "Good boy..." She heard his breath catch in his throat above and grinned, even as the three rings encircling his cock sprang open with a sharp, metallic sound, scattering small droplets of cum in all directions. She then watched as the entire 'outside' portion of the torturous implement began to uncurl itself, the U-bend at the tip straightening out and turning the central rod into a straight bar. It trembled visibly in the air before the grabbed it, and slowly began to pull.

Rubicundus groaned through clenched teeth, his neck and tail flailing, and his sharp nails dug into her hardwood floor. Inch by inch it emerged, and she saw that her earlier perception had been correct - there was a thin, shimmering layer of cum covering the slick metal. If she had truly been as sadistic as the act she put on, she might have declared that proof that he hadn't really passed the test, and plunged the rod back inside, resealing the cage. For that matter, she'd also contemplated ordering him to lick his own cock clean before she would touch it - an act that his long, dexterous neck made entirely possible. But she wasn't really a sadist - and she knew that she'd already pushed him to the limit. She could push him further still, if she wanted - he had surrendered himself wholly and fully into her hands, and if she wanted to, she could break him. But she didn't. She wanted him to have as much faith in her hands as she had in Korlin's.

So she just kept pulling on the rod, watching him wince as the first bead emerged from his tortured urethra. There were three, spaced evenly and matching the position of the three external rings. Beneath the first, the cum-layer was more pronounced - no wonder his cock had seemed so swollen, his urethra had to have been expanding it from inside due to the built-up cum-pressure! Indeed, several thick drops of it oozed out of the trembling dickhole once she'd pulled out the second bead, and she could feel a push against the bottom of the rod, against the last bead...

She knew what was coming, once she pulled that one out. For a moment, while that gleaming, silvery bead blocked the hole at the tip of his rock-hard, pulsating cock, she hesitated and took a deep breath. Then she freed the beast with a final tug. A deluge of hot, creamy cum emerged immediately, like lava bursting from a volcano. Rubicundus emitted a rattling moan, and his whole body seemed to curve backwards so as to thrust his loins forwards. She imagined that she could almost see his balls pulsate through the slick, scaly hide that covered them, as they finally emptied themselves. Then a burst of hot, stinging sperm blinded her.

She waited for the deluge to die down, feeling the spurts lash across her already-gooey body like a hot, wet whip. Once the last, few anemic spurts had splattered across the floor in front of her, she wiped her eyes clean and looked up at the towering, scaly beast before her. His head hung limply from his neck, tongue lolling from the corner of his maw, eyes rolled back in his head - like he'd been knocked unconscious or something close to it just from the sheer intensity of his long-restrained orgasm. His cock, still hard, jumped and twitched between his legs, now coated with a new layer of cum. She reached down and rubbed a hand lightly across the slimy surface.

It jerked in her hand, and a a moan emerged from Rubicundus' mouth, his head jumping and shivering. Then fresh ropes of hot cum burst from the tip, once again painting her face and chest, as he climaxed for the second time in as many minutes. With a resigned sigh, she wrapped both hands around the spurting limb, closed her eyes, and began jerking it with slow, regular strokes, milking him of all the pent-up orgasms he'd been holding back. Again and again it shuddered in her hands and unleashed yet another hot load, drenching her, the bed, and the floor.

She wasn't sure how many times he came - she just kept going until she'd managed to jerk him for a few minutes without a fresh burst of hot cum exploding across her. Then she wiped the layer of warm Dragon-cum from her face, opened her stinging eyes, and then returned her hands to their task - now with a different purpose. She caressed and massaged the hard, smooth layer of muscles that covered the draconic cock, providing it with that prehensile flexibility - easing the knotted tension and twitching cramps that the prolonged erection and subsequent torments had left them with. She could feel them softening between her hands - and even managed to draw one more halfhearted load out of him in the process, splattering mostly across her legs and the side of her bed, lacking the power and pressure to reach any higher.

Even so, the erection itself didn't go away. It persisted in standing at attention before her, despite its obvious fatigue - she could only give it a parting pat and straighten up. Looking up, she could see that Rubicundus had used the time during her massage to regain his senses, at least in part - his eyes were still a bit unfocused, but they were looking down at her adoringly rather than staring into space or into the back of his skull. She clicked her tongue. "QUITE the mess you've made this time - probably your biggest yet." He winced at this, eyes scanning her cum-covered body, but she just chuckled and reached up a hand to scratch him under the chin. "Oh, but I suppose it can be forgiven, this time. A mess doesn't stand out much when you make it on top of another mess, after all." He crooned in response. "Thank you, Mistress... you truly are merciful..."

She nodded as imperiously as it was possible to, when your face and hair was caked with the cum of half a dozen different species. "Indeed - and since you have proven your new-found discipline, I will, as I promised, reward you for it... so, lay down your head before me now." He eagerly responded, shifting his body backwards so that he could plant his lower jaw on the cum-stained floor between her legs. She reached down to give him a quick pat on the head before continuing. "Now, open your mouth - as far as it can go." This proved to be quite far indeed - his flexible jaw and neck allowed his snout to spread apart to the point where it described a right angle lined with nasty-looking fangs, and a long, pink tongue curling at the bottom. She could practically look right down his throat.

Shifting her hips a bit so that she was sitting right on the edge, she spread her legs a bit further, then reached down two fingers to pull her cum-caked outer labia aside. It was easier than the first time - not so much because she'd had a bit of practice, now, as because she'd been busting for a piss for over an hour. She'd been holding back since before the orgy started, and the tea she'd drunk then seemed to have increased production a bit. It had been difficult to maintain bladder-control during those last three orgasms. And now, finally, she could open it with a sigh.

The golden liquid described an arc through the air, hitting Rubicundus' upraised palate and drizzling down to his tongue and the bowl of his lower jar from there. As the pressure eased, the arc shortened until the stream was splashing directly down across his tongue. A small shiver of pleasure ran through her - partially just from the joy of finally emptying her painfully-strained bladder, and partially from the sheer perverseness of the situation. Never mind flying on Dragonback, she was _certainly_the first to have a Dragon willingly act as her personal toilet. Or, at least, the first non-Dragon. Who knew what they got up to with each other in private? Maybe they were like the Kirin, driven to extremes of kinkiness by the sheer boredom of their centuries-long lives.

The stream finally slowed to a drizzle, and then to a couple of stray drops that ran forlornly down her crack to disappear into the general mess of her bed. Looking down, she realized that she was seeing a solid lake of yellow contained within the Dragon's lower jaw, completely drowning his tongue... and it took her a moment to figure out why. When she did, she smiled sweetly down at him. "You may swallow." He did. The gaping maw closed like a bear-trap, and she imagined that she could almost see the 'gulp' travel down his scaly neck. She certainly_could_ see the vague, dreamlike look in his eyes - and the way his hips twitched and jerked. Had he just cum, again, after everything that had gone before... just from that perverted act of submission?

She petted him on the head again, more thoroughly this time. "There you go... another title and role you have earned. You are my dog, my steed - and now, my personal toilet." His mouth opened only a crack, and his voice emerged as an awed whisper. "Thank you, Mistress. I am honored, and will happily serve you thusly whenever you have need of me." She smiled and gave his brow a more thorough rubbing. Then she leaned back again, nodding. "Also... since you have now proven your discipline, I suppose you have fully earned the title of my dog, with all the rights and privileges that brings with it. So from now on, you may sleep at the foot of my bed, if I am not otherwise occupied at night... merely come to my door and scratch at it, and beg with suitable humility when it opens."

This actually seemed to make Rubicundus' vague eyes focus and widen, as if it had brought his mind back to the surface somewhat. His voice sounded thick as he replied. "I...I am endlessly grateful, Mistress. Your grace and mercy knows no bounds." She flashed him a half-smile with a raised eyebrow. "Indeed? Do not forget, there is no gold nor gems under my mattress. I thought Dragons preferred to sleep on such things." He shook his head violently, still keeping it low so that he could look worshipfully up at her despite his current size. "No amount of gleaming gold or shiny gems could hope to rival the radiance of your presence, Mistress. I would rather bask in that, than sleep on all the treasure in the world."

She couldn't help but laugh at this rather hyperbolic declaration of love. Giving the leash - which she still held firmly in her hand - a quick twist, she shrank Rubicundus back down to the dog-size that had become standard for them, and slipped down from her bed even as he rose into 'sit' position. Reaching out, she pulled him into a (rather gooey) hug, and felt his body first stiffen against hers, then relax as if melting, the scaly neck resting against her shoulder. "You truly to love me a great deal, do you?" She whispered almost directly into her ear. "Endlessly, Mistress." He declared, in a quiet voice, and she thought she could feel his heart beat faster in his chest. "Even though I'm sometimes cruel to you?" He shuddered against her, as if recalling the night's torments - and those that had gone before.

"You are _never_cruel, Mistress..." he finally replied. "The touch of your whip is a lover's caress. Harsh lessons you may teach, but I grow greater for them, the better to earn my place at Your side." She laughed again, and squeezed him an extra time. "Always with the talented tongue." she mumbled. "Though, I do not _have_a whip. Perhaps I should acquire one, now that you mention it..." Another slight shudder went through his body, and she felt something hard, hot and slimy poke against her belly. With a dangerous chuckle - which sent renewed tremors through the now-diminutive Dragon - she broke the embrace and leaned back with a sigh.

Throwing a rueful glance back at her bed - which resembled a marshland more than anything else - she shook her head. "Well, I don't think anybody is sleeping on THAT bed tonight... it'll take hours for my servitors to change the sheets, the covers and the mattress, and clean everything else." Pushing herself to her (somewhat unsteady) legs, she looked around and shrugged. "Well, first a shower is in order, I think... perhaps you should join me?" She cast a critical eye down at him, and he managed to simultaneously look embarrassed and eager. His ruby-colored scales were, indeed, extensively smeared with slimy cum by now - mainly from her embrace, admittedly.

They showered together, rinsing off the caked-on layers of cum and sweat with the steady stream of hot water - a luxury enabled by the many enchantments of movement and heating that were woven into the castle's plumbing. Smooth skin and gleaming scales were soon cleaned off, though her tangled mop of hair took more work. Rubicundus spent most of the time staring hungrily at her wet, naked body as it gleamed under the running water, his cock somehow remaining ready for action even after everything that had happened.

Eventually, she took pity on him, and after carefully washing off her hairless groin and rinsing off the insides, sending large globs of cum washing back out, she commanded him to 'make sure it is properly clean' - leaning back against the shower's walls while his snout eagerly attached itself to her labia and his tongue pushed inside. While he worked, tongue digging deep to seek out any traces that the warm water had missed, she reached between his legs with one foot and began to caress his cockhead with her toes, sometimes shifting to rubbing the side of his shaft with the arc of her foot.

It had the expected effect, and the two of them wound up cumming nearly simultaneously - the rather unimpressive spurts of jizz that emerged from him being swiftly washed away by the flowing water. Afterwards, his cock seemed to droop a bit... but it never went below half flag. It really did seem like her presence kept him permanently aroused. Well, hopefully not when he was asleep - otherwise, he was in for a mildly uncomfortable night, she thought as she emerged from the shower and began toweling down herself and her pet Dragon. His newly-washed scales gleamed brilliantly when she was finished, making her wish that she could get away with parading him down the streets of the city that had grown up around her Palace, on a leash, showing off to everyone what a beautiful and marvelous 'dog' she had.

Back in her bedroom, the servitor-constructs, summoned with a thought, were already hard at work. It wouldn't be the first time she needed a replacement mattress - spares were in storage for just such an occasion - but it'd still take a while, and while the stimulant-tea she'd drunk earlier in the evening kept her alert and mobile, it didn't stop her from feeling bone-weary after all the strenuous activities she'd gone through. So, after pulling on a comfortable robe to ward off the chill of the early-spring night, she collected a spare duvet, blanket, and pillow from her wardrobe, and headed towards the door with the leashed Rubicundus in tow. He looked questioningly up at her, and she grinned as she answered the unstated question. "Why so bemused? I have made a mess of my bedroom, so I suppose I shall have to sleep in the doghouse tonight..."

She slept like a Dragon, that night... on top of a pile of treasure (with a nice, thick duvet preventing the coins and jewels from digging into her back), while Rubicundus - at his full and natural size, for once - wrapped around her like a living siege-wall. It didn't do her back any favors, but she couldn't find it in her to complain - after all, how many little boys and girls had, over the ages, dreamed of sleeping on a mountain of treasure, guarded by a faithfully-devoted Dragon? Perhaps not that many, now that she thought about it - for most, it would be too outlandish a scenario to even dream of...

The next while was pleasantly relaxed. Rubicundus, acting on her orders, made the rounds to every woman in the Harem on the following day and congratulated them on 'proving their worth', offering to deliver a solid load of hot Dragon-cum to the orifice of their choice as a reward. This was eagerly accepted in every case, and things returned to normal - well, the new normal, that was, where the regular garden-orgies under the spring sun now also often involved a size-shifting Dragon. Said Dragon also wasn't slow in taking advantage of his new 'privileges', and unfailing turned up at her door in the night whenever she failed to bring a Consort to bed with her.

He always appeared on her doorstep with large, puppy-dog eyes, a piteous whine, and a raging erection... and if she did not immediately invite him in, he would immediately throw himself in the dust and eloquently beg to be allowed to rest at the foot of her bed, often mixing in more outrageous flattery about how all gold had lost its luster since he first beheld her, or how her radiant beauty haunted his dreams, rendering his sleep restless... he was really quite good at it, making her suspect that he rehearsed his pleas in advance. Regardless, she never turned him away. Most of the time, mind, a spot at the foot of her humongous bed was all he got.

She never touched his cock during those nightly visits - though, admittedly, she DID sometimes allow him to 'serve her purpose' in the morning, and in the process got confirmation of what she thought she had seen the first time. Whether she let him grow big enough that he could hold the entire contents of her bladder in his mouth - until allowed to swallow - or had him handle it while still dog-sized, resulting in several mouthfuls, his cock never failed to jump and spurt - shooting a load, all untouched, just from the sheer, submissive pleasure of lowering himself so deeply for her sake.

However, one day he knocked on her door well before sunset - knocked, not scratched - and when she let him in, he was about as big as he could be while still fitting through the door. Of course, there were still several people out in the garden at that point, enjoying the still-pleasant weather and/or each other's bodies, so of course he had to keep up appearances. She still lifted a sharp eyebrow at him, however, and as soon as the door closed behind him, he shrank down to dog-sized and groveled before her. "I apologize for intruding in such a fashion, Mistress, and will gladly accept any punishment you find suitable... but I fear I have grave news that must reach your ears sooner rather than later."

She sighed and sat down in her comfy work-chair, nodding. "Very well. Speak your piece - I will consider your punishment in the meantime." Lifting his head from the floor, he nodded gravely and sat - canine-style - before her as he explained. "I just received a summons from the Circle... the closest thing Dragonkind has to a ruling body. It's made up of the oldest, wisest and most powerful Dragons alive - when a decision affecting all Dragons needs to be made, they are the ones who make it." Sayn nodded, narrowing her eyes. She'd had hints that the Dragons had some kind of governing body before, but considering how aloof and mysterious they were in general, details had been hard to come by.

"So... they are the ones who decided that I should not have a Dragon-Consort, then?" She asked lightly, and he nodded, swallowing. "Yes... their decision to that effect was announced years ago." Shaking her head, she sighed. "Well, then I suppose it isn't a great surprise that they might call on you... nor any great mystery what they might want you for." He nodded glumly. "Indeed, Mistress. Though I had begun to hold out hope that they might... ignore me. I am still considered young, after all, and the Circle has a history of being tolerant towards 'the folly of youth'. Others redscales have, in the past, gotten away with throwing themselves into human wars as mercenaries, despite the Circle's policy of non-interference in such matters."

Despite the gravity of the situation, Sayn could not help chuckling at this. Reaching down, she scratched his chin. "Is that what brought you to my side, puppy? 'The folly of youth'?" Rubicundus winced at that. "Never, Mistress! My love and devotion for you knows no age, and if you would allow it, I shall stay at your feet until my scales are indigo. I merely hoped that the Circle might... misinterpret things in my favor." She smiled gently at him, to show that she had only been teasing him, then sighed once more. "Hope is nice, but in this case, apparently in vain."

He nodded again, still looking glum despite the caress of her fingers. Then, with a moan, he threw himself on the floor again. "Please, Mistress, tell me what to do... I would happily stand up before the Circle and declare my undying love for you, and tell them that no decision of theirs will take me from your side... but I fear that this might have ill consequences for your Empire." She shook her head, laughing ruefully, and slipped from her chair. Tenderly cradling the base of his skull between her hands, she lifted his head from the floor. "Indeed, that would be an altogether wrong tack to take, my dear puppy. What we have is a special thing, and it should be shared only with those who can be trusted to understand it... and not with a pack of crusty old bluescales who think they know better than everybody else."

His eyes glowed with joy between her fingers - happiness that she understood his dilemma. It wasn't that he was ashamed of what he had become, as such. Indeed, she had little doubt that he would have carried through with his offer if she told him to - and for that matter, if she took him on a leash through town for all to see, dog-sized and decked out in muzzle and cock-cage, he would have walked proudly by her side. Buuuuut, having to explain exactly how it was that he'd come to live as the submissive puppydog of a (half)human, to an older Dragon, would be excruciatingly awkward and embarrassing. Of course, it would probably also cause all kinds of trouble for her Empire, as he had so rightly pointed out - if the Dragons decided that she was an enemy of their kind they could cause a LOT of damage, despite their small numbers.

So in this case, her desire to help the young Dragon she had adopted as her pet, and the larger political considerations, were pointing in the same direction. With an arrogant grin, she rose to her feet, summoned Rubicundus' leash to her hand, and pulled him up as well. "And anyway, the answer is obvious!" She declared, and watched him blink with confusion. "All you have to do is bring your Mistress along. I will tell the Circle what it needs to hear. Simply carry me to the meeting on your back, as is your duty as my steed, and I will handle the rest..."

Various emotions chased each other across his scaly face as he looked up at her. Consternation, disbelief, relief, wonderment, and finally determination. There was no need to even mention that no 'lesser being' had ever addressed the Circle before, or that bringing her there - on his back, no less - would breach at least a dozen established rules and traditions. However, devoted as he was, he likely couldn't even fully form the thought that an entire group of old, powerful Dragons might be more than his Mistress could handle - and so, he simply nodded firmly. "Of course, Mistress. It was foolish of me to worry - I am only your dog, after all, and the most I can aspire to is to carry you to the meeting. To concern myself with anything else would be to reach beyond my station. I sincerely apologize."

She returned the nod, implicitly freeing him of all responsibility for how this mess might turn out. "Exactly. When and if you become a full Consort, dealing with such matters will, indeed, be part of your duties. But you are still far from there. Although, perhaps once I have seen to this matter, we can begin discussing the steps necessary to raise you to the status of Concubine..." His head rose eagerly at that, and his scaly tail actually started wagging. All traces of the depressed attitude that the Circle's summons had brought with it seemed blown away. "I would be honored, Mistress..." he said breathlessly, and she graced him with a smile even as the wheels in her head turned. The Dragons, the Circle... how to best deal with them...

Six days later, she was in the air, on Rubicundus' back, looking down at a broad, flat, rocky plateau, which looked somewhat like a mountain that had had its peak simply sliced off. Heck, for all she knew, that was exactly what it was - the combined stone-shaping abilities of the Dragons currently crowding it could probably have pulled it off. She counted over a dozen, all with scales shaded between bluish-green and indigo-blue. Not a single black amongst them, though she couldn't say whether the Circle simply didn't allow those who had been thus marked by trespass against the laws of their Creator, or if those liable to take such steps just tended to be too focused on their own magical research and studies to bother participating...

True to the name, they were standing in a circle, and as someone who had been summoned to their presence, Rubicundus was supposed to land in the middle - to face questions and condemnations from every corner. He did not, however. On her direction, he instead landed on a small outcropping outside the circle, like a miniature plateau on top of the plateau. Scaly necks swiveled as the Dragons of the Circle took in this breach of protocol with scandalized expressions, eyes growing wide and hard when they spotted her own, diminutive form on his back.

As soon as he'd touched down, she jumped off and strode forwards, giving him a quick, reassuring pat on the snout as she passed by - before taking up position in front of him, at the very edge of the raised area, making it clear that anyone who had a problem could talk to her. She was wearing the ancient, heavily-enchanted Elven dress this time - it wouldn't likely offer much protection from Dragonfire, if it came to that, but it worked just fine against the freezing cold of the higher altitudes, enabling her to look splendid immediately after dismounting, without having to awkwardly struggle out of a coat or cloak first.

After a bit of rumbling and murmuring, the Circle broke up and reformed into something more like a half-circle, approaching her perch from all directions. One of them strode in front of the rest, with a bit of extra space on both sides, even - the Circle's unofficial speaker, the 'first amongst equals'. The Dragon's scales were deep indigo, but she moved with grace and ease still - and as she approached, Sayn realized that she was, indeed, facing the first female Dragon she'd ever met. Something about the shape of her head, and indeed the body, gave her a clear, feminine aura, despite the whole 'huge, scaly killing-machine' thing. Well, she'd only met four Dragons up till now, and one of those had specifically sought her out to apply for a Consort-position, so perhaps it wasn't that surprising that it had taken this long to meet a female of the species...

The indigo Dragon paused far enough back from the small plateau that she wasn't _quite_breaking out of the half-circle that now surrounded it, and cocked her head. "I assume we are addressing the notorious Beastmaker..." she said, in a voice that was strong and melodious despite crackling with age. Sayn nodded imperiously. "You are indeed. I am pleased to finally meet the Circle who reigns over Dragonkind. I have been hoping for such an opportunity ever since you unilaterally decided that I couldn't have a Dragon in my Harem..."

She was keeping her voice firm and cold - she'd had practice, fortunately - but it wasn't easy. The combined will of the assembled Dragons, all old and powerful, was_fierce_. It was pushing against her like a gale, a HURRICANE, like it was trying to send her flying back off their mountain as much as drive her to her knees. Her attention was evenly divided between keeping her legs from buckling, and her voice from cracking. It was fortunate indeed that she'd rehearsed everything she was planning to say beforehand - extemporizing would require mental resources she could not currently spare.

Her response - and her stubborn refusal to buckle under the combined weight of their disapproval - sent angry mutterings through the Circle. The indigo female before her, however, just blinked slowly and nodded. "I see. I suppose that would seem somewhat insulting to one who fancies herself the Empress of the World. However, I am afraid it is not a subject up for debate. It is a matter concerning the pride_of Dragonkind. Any Dragon who joined your Harem would stand alongside not only a Kirin, but also a Centaur, a Mermaid, a Beastkin, an Elf, and even a G_riffon - as and equal. And that is, quite simply, unacceptable."

She was looking right past Sayn now, her eyes boring into poor Rubicundus, who quailed back from her censorious glare. Sayn, however, just shook her head and sighed lugubriously. "Ah yes, that famous 'pride' of the Dragons... based, from what I can tell, on your assumption that you are the very crown of creation, the greatest of the Children of the Gods..." Her dismissive tone made a lot of eyes narrow angrily around the half-circle, but the speaker just shook her head. "I would not put it that way. We respect the Kirin, and consider them our equals in many ways, and our betters in a few. Certainly, we respect their dedication to the cause of their lost Goddess - and I, personally, have no trouble understanding why they might choose to support your Empire. However, we can respect them without necessarily _agreeing_with them..."

The indigo Dragon certainly knew her stuff, Sayn had to concede - several centuries of political experience would do that, she supposed. By bringing the subject around to the Kirin and then neatly tying it off with a little, philosophical bow, she'd headed off any attempt Sayn might have made to use the Kirin's approval of her - and, indeed, a Kirin's willingness to stand in her Harem - as an effective argument. Pulling a bit of her strained mental resources aside, she shuffled around some of her prepared lines. "But every other creature in this world is just a 'lesser being', is it?" She said, raising an eyebrow and buying time with that simple, if loaded, question.

The Circle's speaker shrugged. "A somewhat impolite, but largely accurate term that many of our kind uses for the sake of convenience... I, myself, prefer to be more specific when referring to other races." Sayn nodded ruefully, chuckling to herself - just loud enough that the surrounding Dragons could still hear it. "I see, I see, how terribly civilized of you... but what it really all boils down to is that you consider yourselves 'above' my little Empire, hmm? No need to get involved in the politics of 'lesser beings', and thus no need for a voice in the Palace..."

The indigo Dragon shrugged, shuffling her wings. "You seem to delight in posing our decisions in the crudest way possible... but yes, we have no desire to get involved. We prefer to stay aloft of such things, both literally and figuratively - we have discovered over the centuries that empires rise and fall just fine without our involvement. I have seen it myself." She shook her head sadly, and Sayn reluctantly nodded to acknowledge the 'hit' that had just been scored on her. With that scale-color, the Dragon before her would be at or near the 800-year mark - old enough to have personally seen some of the short-lived human empires she had read about in the history-books. Some powerful, charismatic and ambitious prince would decide that the city-state he'd inherited wasn't big enough for him, and set out to unite mankind by the sword. Usually, he'd manage to conquer large swathes of the continent (often with a Kirin at his arm, tempering the bloodshed and softening the iron-fisted tyranny as much as possible), then eventually die - prompting the 'empire' to immediately rip itself apart as prospective heirs turned on each other and rebellious provinces seized the opportunity to claim independence.

She'd like to say that HER Empire would be different - but almost by definition, she wouldn't know if that was true until she, herself, died. At least she'd have more time than most of her predecessors - as a half-god and Scion, she'd probably live to see 300, assuming nobody managed to assassinate her before then. Still, she could only nod and acknowledge the point. Then, however, she shrugged. "Nonetheless... while I can lay no claim to the skies, the land belongs to me. Including the mountains and caves where you keep your hoards... and, indeed, this pleasant plateau that you use for your little meetings."

Leaning forwards, she narrowed her eyes and sharpened her voice. "So, let me make this clear... if you all want to keep using my land in this fashion, you will fall in line_._ Anyone who has a problem with that is welcome to pack their hoards unto their back and remain airborne for the next few centuries." This ultimatum sent a ripple of rage through the surrounding Dragons, and even the normally-composed speaker recoiled, anger flaring in her eyes and smoke rising from her nostrils. Before she could recompose herself and come up with a suitably smooth retort, however, one of the other Dragons leaped forwards with a roar.

He was a big, bulky sort, with heavy muscles rippling under green scales that were only just starting to turn vaguely bluish at the edges. His eyes were whirling with red-hot anger, and flames licked from the corners of his mouth as he stomped across the plateau to stop right in front of her little perch, between her and the speaker, staring directly down at her and baring his teeth. "Enough!" he shouted, spittle flying. "I cannot bear to see our pride so belittled by a mere human any longer! That was the last straw!" The green Dragon's will was like a roaring fire, seeking to devour her - but she focused herself into a fine edge, and let it part around her, flowing past.

Behind her, she felt Rubicundus stir, the pressure of his will embracing her. She could feel his desire to protect her - but still he remained silent, standing like a bright-red statue at her back. It wasn't so much discipline that held him back, as an unshakable faith in his Mistress. One that might, at a glance, seem unwarranted... but the fact was, she'd expected just such a reaction, and prepared for it. She smiled nastily up at the fire-breathing monstrosity posturing before her. "You might want to watch your words, Dragon. I am only half-human, as you should be well aware."

He snorted dismissively. "I am, indeed, aware of your little toy soldiers, made from twigs and grass. Hardly a threat to a Dragon! Why, I could burn your whole pathetic excuse for an army to cinders by myself, if I had to! So don't think you can act high and mighty here, amongst creatures of TRUE power..." He glared nastily down at her, even as the indigo-scaled speaker's head rose over his shoulder. "Cholarix... I must remind you that you have stepped out of the Circle." Her voice was firm and chilly, but the green Dragon just glanced back at her and huffed. "So be it. I meant what I said - I do not need the authority of the Circle to deal with this arrogant child, and I cannot endure watching you treat her as if she had any right to be here any more, Supinea!"

Sayn, for her part, watched their interplay with interest, and was ready with a challenging smile when Cholarix' head swiveled back to focus on her again. "Shall I take that as a challenge to a duel, green-scale?" She asked lightly, and watched his nostrils flare with renewed anger. 'Green-scale' wouldn't normally be considered an insult, but in this context it was a reminder that he was rather young for the Circle - most of the other members were primarily blue, with shades of green or indigo indicating more precise seniority. The heavyset Dragon glared down at her, and flames again flickered between his clenched fangs. "Do you think I'm bluffing, little girl? I could turn you to ashes in a split second. If you imagine that enchanted dress of yours could protect you from my fury, you are even more deluded than I thought!"

She sighed, shook her head, and wagged a finger at him. "That wasn't what I asked, green-scale. Do. You. Want. To. Fight _ . _ Me?" His eyes widened, and over his burly shoulders, she could see Supinea take a step back, her eyes equal part thoughtful and worried as they looked up, down and to both sides. Unlike Cholarix, she'd clearly realized that it was a trap - but she still couldn't actually _see_the steel-toothed jaws about to close on her unwitting colleague. "Cholarix..." she said sharply, a warning in her voice, but he ignored her. Incensed beyond reasoning, the green Dragon barked out his answer. "Fight you? I'll kill you!" Then his maw opened, and she was staring into a furnace. She snapped her fingers.

The ground under the green Dragon's feet collapsed in an instant, sending him plummeting several yards - enough to make his rapidly-descending head bash against the solid rock of Sayn's little platform, slamming his jaw shut and leaving him reeling. Even a Dragon couldn't easily shake off being uppercutted by a mountain! By the time he regained his equilibrium, it was already too late. Arms crafted from ironwood and bear-leather, with sinew and muscle made from steel wire and fingers of granite, were emerging from the walls of the pit-trap, grabbing his legs, neck, and wings. A solid four punched out of the platform right in front of her feet, wrapping around his jaws in an improvised muzzle, clamping his mouth shut and chaining him down to the rock.

All around her, the Dragons of the Circle stepped back, eyes wide and often scanning the stone_they_ were standing on, wondering if that, too, was ready to tear them down. A couple opened and beat their wings as if getting ready to take off - then realized that such a step would mark them as cowardly (or at least jumpy) in front of their peers, and thought better of it. Only Supinea didn't look too surprised - instead, she lowered her head with a groan, shaking it sadly. Leaning forwards, Sayn looked down into Cholarix' slowly-focusing eyes, and lifted an eyebrow with infinite superiority. "You've got a lot of guts, challenging me while standing on my land, Dragon..." she said quietly.

He hissed through clenched teeth and struggled against the powerful arms clinging to him, but there were too many of them, and they held him too firmly. He might as well have been trying to tear up the surface of the plateau itself. Well, not that she wasn't a bit nervous when she watched him strain against the restraints - despite rigorous testing, this was the first time she'd properly used her newest constructs. She'd created the first one not long after her second encounter with the Unicorn - after trying and failing to repeat the feat she performed at that time.

It had occurred to her that, hey, having limbs emerge from the very ground to carry out her commands was a useful sort of trick - and if she couldn't do it reliably, well, she could cheat! And so, she'd started working on what would eventually be dubbed her 'Heavyarm Beast'. Their bodies took inspiration from various burrowing animals, particularly moles and badgers, and their noses were diamond-tipped drills that could tear through even solid rock, while their large, powerful hands shoveled the resulting rubble backwards. They'd been carried to this mountain days earlier by some of her more fleet-footed beasts, and had finished their work not long before the first Dragons arrived for the meeting of the Circle. A large hollow had been carved out just in front of the raised area that her first scout-bird had spotted, the roof a thin layer of stone held up by countless powerful arms... until she commanded otherwise. And thanks to the transmitter-beasts she'd devised a short while earlier, she'd been able to coordinate the whole thing from the comfort of her Seraglio. Presumably, the Circle had given Rubicundus his 'invitation' six days in advance so that he might have plenty of time in which to stew and worry, but instead, it had provided her with ample time in which to set up her trap.

A trap that was working every bit as well as she could have hoped. Each construct was using only a single arm to hold the Dragon, while the other was buried in the solid stone beneath, anchoring them - and the two arms were connected by a thick, solid steel cable. For all his power, Cholarix couldn't break them, and with his jaws clamped shut, his most obvious weapon was disabled. If he'd been more clear-minded, it might have occurred to him to shrink himself to escape the grasping hands, or to use his stone-shaping ability to enlarge the hole until the constructs lost their anchoring-points - but then again, if he'd been clear-headed, he probably wouldn't have accepted her challenge in the first place, and she had no intention of letting him regain his balance now.

Instead, she gave him a hard look. "You've already lost, green-scale. Yield." Anger flared in his once-again clear eyes, and he struggled once more, sending small tremors through the rock. "Never!" he hissed through his forcibly-clenched teeth. With a sigh, she twisted two fingers, and behind him, several of her Heavyarm Beasts shifted their grip. Of course, she didn't really need to make those gestures, but it felt more satisfying that way. Granite-fingered hands that had previously held Cholarix' wings clamped to his body now pulled them open, while others grabbed the now-exposed wing-bones near the base. Then they pulled forwards. A whimper escaped from between the Green Dragon's teeth, his eyes suddenly swimming with pain. "Yield, or I will tear your wings from your shoulders and leave you to crawl in the dust like a worm for the rest of your pathetic life." Her words were cold, sharp, and carried a ring of dreadful finality. Around her, other Dragons gasped, winced, or half-started forwards to assist their fallen peer, before glancing at the ground beneath their feet and thinking better of it.

Before she had even recruited Rubicundus, she'd made a study of Draconic anatomy - with some help from Aterxeus, of course. Not so much for offensive purposes, as for safety - she needed to know the weak points of a Dragon's body, so that she knew where NOT to aim when 'disciplining' her new pet. And the wing-joints, well, that was a Dragon's most glaring weak-spot. A Dragon's flight might be magical, but without functional wings for guidance, they were about as agile and maneuverable as a hot-air balloon. Add to that the Dragons' self-image as the lords of the sky (the very foundation of their frequent conflict with the Griffons), and you had a just-as-significant psychological weak-spot.

He hesitated, eyes darting desperately, mind racing (probably in circles) as he sought a way out, any way out. But there was only one, and as she slowly curled her finger in front of his eyes, prompting the constructs to pull his wings forwards until the bones could be heard to creak, he finally saw it. "I yield!" he gasped, his whole body shuddering as if speaking those words had been the equivalent of lifting a mountain off his shoulders... which probably wasn't far off, considering how heavy such ingrained, racial pride could be. With a smile and a nod, she clapped her hands, and the constructs released their hold on his wings - letting them fold back up, somewhat twitchily.

With the rest of the restraints still in place, she leaned over to whisper in his ear. "I'm going to let you up now. Don't do anything stupid. You get to walk - and, indeed, fly - away after fighting me, which is more than most can say. Challenge me again, and I'll tear you apart, starting with your wings... but certainly not ending there. Understood?" As she spoke, she pointed a finger upwards, and watched his long, reptilian face freeze as he felt a granite fist rest gently, but warningly, against the scaly hide covering his balls. "I understand..." he whispered, eyes flickering.

This was the touchy bit. She had no particular desire to humiliate him any more than she already had, but once she released him, should he immediately take to the skies and resume his assault from there, she'd be hard-pressed to stop him... or, indeed, survive. So she had to make sure that he_feared_ her, at least enough to outweigh his clear and obvious_hatred_. Apparently, it had worked. Once she commanded her constructs to release their grip on him, he simply clawed his way out of the trap, and - without a word - walked a few steps away to spread his wings. She could see him wince as he did - the joints were probably still sore from the rough handling.

As he flew away, disappearing among the clouds, Supinea, the indigo-scaled Dragoness, sighed and took a step forwards as she had done at the very beginning. "I hasten to make it clear, Beastmaker, that Cholarix was acting as an individual when he challenged you, and not as a member of the Circle. We have no desire to seek conflict with you or your Empire..." Her head swiveled and her eyes panned across the other, remaining Dragons, as if daring them to disagree. No-one did. Several were murmuring and glaring after the disappeared Cholarix rather than paying attention, though. "Fat lot of good he did for our pride!" she heard one blue-scaled female grumble to her neighbor.

Sighing again - this time more at her peer's distractability than anything else - she refocused on Sayn, and her eyes sharpened. "So. Let me see if I understand your position correctly, Beastmaker. As long as we nest, live and build our hoards on this continent, which you have claimed as your own, you consider us de facto subjects of yours?" Sayn nodded. "Essentially. Though, I should perhaps mention that I also control a fair portion of the Southern Continent at this point. So if you wish to nest beyond my authority, you may have quite the journey ahead of you."

Supinea accepted this correction gracefully and, with a composed look, asked "And what, exactly, is involved in being part of your Empire?" Several of the other Dragons turned to stare at her in surprise as she posed this question, some half-opening their mouths as if to protest such a possibility being even considered - only to then shut their jaws again, glancing over at the yawning pit before Sayn's perch, and the unpalatable alternatives it represented. Sayn, meanwhile, shrugged in a deliberately-casual manner. "Oh, not that much. I prefer not to get overly involved in the governance of subject groups. For the most part, as long as you don't bother anyone, you'll be free to continue as you always have... but you will_be subject to Imperial Law, and if you break it, there _will be consequences."

She had their undivided attention, now, and she took advantage of it to gesture towards Rubicundus, who had been watching everything with awe lighting up his eyes. "And that is why you should be THANKING this young fellow, not blaming him. He has entered my Harem, yes, and even carried me on his back. In doing so, you might say that he has abandoned his pride. But in actual fact, he has put himself in a position where he can protect the pride of all Dragons!" With appropriately dramatic gestures, she explained her point to the captive audience.

"Suppose a Dragon decides to supplement his hoard by raiding a merchant caravan... or takes a 'pet' who is unhappy with this arrangement... or starts a quarrel with a Griffon-clan over territorial rights. Normally, I'd_have to get involved, _personally. Meaning I'd appear in the cave of the troublemaker, with an army of Beasts at my side, deliver a humiliating defeat, and finally hand down an appropriate punishment. What would that do to your precious pride, hmm?" The winces on the surrounding faces answered that question. "But now, instead, I can and will simply leave such matters to my Dragon-Consort. It's his job, even! That way, he can fly out and handle the issue, quietly, Dragon-to-Dragon."

She caught the eye of every Dragon she could manage as she continued, in a level but sharp voice. "Rubicundus did not abandon his pride. He sacrificed it, for all of you. He alone bears the burden of being seen in a subservient position, even if it is beneath a demigoddess like yours truly - sparing the rest of you from having unfortunate displays like what you just witnessed become commonplace, and indeed common knowledge. Tell me, would any of you have that courage? Would any of you care to take his place? If you do, speak up! I will take your applications under advisement." None of them spoke up. Several flinched back from the intensity of her voice, while others looked at the young Dragon behind her with renewed respect. He seemed rather embarrassed by it.

Some of the older-looking Dragons, Supinea amongst them, were just nodding thoughtfully at her speech. "I see... a fine point." The indigo-scaled Speaker of the Circle said slowly, lifting one weathered foreclaw to scratch her chin. "Of course, anyone engaging in caravan-raiding or keeping unwilling pets would be violating the restrictions of the Circle as well - but dealing with the Griffons are another matter." Her eyes were sharp, but somehow in a more political fashion, than a predatory one. "If we and the Griffons are to both be members of your Empire, then I assume we stand as equals - and that the rules you speak of apply to them just the same as us?"

There was a fair bit of choking around the Circle, from Dragons who seemed to find it hard to digest the idea of being equal to the Griffons in any way, shape or form, but others were mirroring Supinea's thoughtful look. Sayn, who could easily see where that thread was going, nodded. "That is exactly true... meaning, indeed, that if the Griffons impugn on your_territory or otherwise causes trouble for you, you may call upon the Imperial authorities to correct and, if necessary, _punish the trespassers - without having to risk your own wings in the process."

A few of the Dragons winced at her choice of words, and instinctively glanced back across their shoulders - where their folded wings presumably bore old, long-healed scars from past scuffles with the proud Griffons. Any fight between Griffons and Dragons tended to result in a general lack of 'winners' - many Griffons had plummeted from the skies, trailing fire, after encountering the fearsome breath-weapon of the Dragons... but it only took one Griffon getting behind and above a solitary Dragon, to cause terrible damage to his or her wings. Enough to ground them for months or years, or even a very long lifetime.

While the Dragons reflected on such past victories - and humiliating defeats - Sayn put on a lopsided grin and gestured back towards Rubicundus again. "For any such concerns, you may of course reach out to your duly-appointed representative in the Imperial Court... who would, indeed, be able to bypass me entirely and take the matter directly to the Griffon-Consort, potentially resolving a conflict without it every being known to anyone else." Supinea was nodding again, but there was a sharp cast to her expression.

"This all sounds quite advantageous..." she finally said, sounding slightly sarcastic. "It is enough to make one wonder, as humans say, 'when the other shoe will drop'." While some of her peers blinked in confusion at an idiom which did not, indeed, make much sense to anyone except humans and perhaps the Elves, since few others actually wore shoes, Sayn chuckled in reply. "Very perceptive. There is, after all, just ONE other matter where the Empire intrudes somewhat on the lives of its citizens... on the subject of taxes."

The very word sent a shudder of sudden horror through the assembled Dragons, and Sayn quickly raised a reassuring hand. "Oh, rest assured, I am not going to come around to take a chunk out of each of your hoards... Imperial Taxes aren't retroactive. However, all future transactions will be subject to taxation. So any time you add to your hoard, be it through trade, mining or inheritance, a small percentage will have to be paid into the Imperial coffers - any government needs funds to function, after all." Supinea's reptilian face looked strained, and several of her peers looked downright horrified. "You ask for much..." she said hoarsely, eyes narrow.

Sayn shrugged and smiled pleasantly. "Oh, well, it's not as if the tax-code is non-negotiable. Special provisions can be made. If some particular aspect of it clashes with local traditions and beliefs, compromises can be reached. And there is always another option - providing labor and assistance to the Empire in lieu of coin. This approach, sometimes referred to as 'serving tax-time', is popular in various groups, including among the Griffons - and I am certain I could find worthy tasks for any Dragon who decides to take advantage of that option. " She gestured, once again, back at Rubicundus. "For appeals concerning troublesome portions of the tax-code, or questions about serving tax-time instead of paying your due in gold, you may call upon your representative in the Imperial Court..."

She had to speak a bit loudly, since the Circle had broken down into several small but lively debates - the Dragons seemed somewhat split about which would be worse: Sacrificing a portion of their profits - and thus slowing the growth of their hoards - or 'lowering' themselves to work alongside 'lesser beings' in order to get off. As she had hoped, presenting them with those two options had made them focus on the inherent dilemma, rather than contemplating ways to resist or avoid her authority altogether. Of course, her earlier display of strength had probably also helped to ensure that their minds wouldn't be too quick to travel in that direction.

Supinea looked around at her debating peers, then sighed deeply. "Very well, then. It seems that the Circle has much to take under consideration. Might we request a more detailed record of your Empire's laws and, particularly, tax-laws?" Sayn nodded, all smiles. "Of course, I did not come unprepared... Rubicundus? If you would..." The young, red-scaled Dragon nodded eagerly, and finally stepped forwards - hovering over her as she reached up to a saddlebag attached to the saddle he now wore, and pulled out a thick, heavy book. She presented it before the indigo-scaled Dragoness, who delicately stepped around the gaping hole in the ground in order to get a better look. The book, freshly bound and printed, was a complete record of Imperial Civil, Criminal and Tax-Law.

Supinea, whose head was now close enough to Sayn that they could speak, in low voices, without much chance of being overheard by anyone except Rubicundus, lifted her eye from the leather-bound book to Sayn's face with a quirked eyebrow. "You came prepared, indeed... and with absolute confidence in your ability to bring us to heel. No wonder you failed to wilt under the weight of our gathered wills." Pausing, she glanced back over her shoulders at the other Dragons, and lowered her voice another notch. "That detail about 'tax-time' is a clever one... and I will not attempt to prevent those who wish to from using it. But I would like you to know that I haven't missed the underlying trap."

"Trap?" Asked Sayn, lifting her own eyebrow to match. "Whatever do you mean?" Supinea hissed, as much amused as angry from the sound of it. "Hah. Play dumb if you like, but at least accept my compliment. It is a clever scheme, after all. Using greed to force different species to work together and interact, while simultaneously providing them with a ready-made reason to commiserate and relate to one another. Did you come up with it yourself, or did you Kirin lover help? No matter - you have implemented it well, regardless."

She sighed, then, and shook her head - with the kind of tired sadness that one often saw in the elderly, as they watched the world spiral out of control around them. "I fear it will work well on my brethren. If anything can be said to be stronger than our pride, it is perhaps our love of gold. So you will get your wish - Dragons who integrate into the societies below our peaks, who chose to live in your cities instead of remaining in the mountain-tops where their ancestors have dwelt since the Gods walked among us. Dragons who think of themselves as equal to the other races, and find nothing strange about being subject to the same laws and paying the same taxes. I only fear that in the process... we will loose everything that makes us Dragons."

She was already pulling her head away, having said her piece and essentially acknowledged the defeat of Dragonkind as a whole, at least in the long term, but Sayn stopped her with a sharp question. "Tell me - what do you think makes a human, human?" Supinea paused, blinking in confusion. She seemed to think for a moment, then shrugged. "I cannot say. I fear I have not devoted as much time to studying the race to which you belong, at least in part, as perhaps I should have." Sayn, however, just grinned. "If you had, indigo-scale, it wouldn't have helped you. Indeed, if you had studied mankind during all the centuries you've lived, you might have told me that the nature of humans lay in bloodshed, betrayal, enslavement and rampant greed."

Sighing, Sayn shook here head slowly. "Men have always fought one another. Brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor. Backstabbing and manipulation were weapons of choice as much as sword and bow. Voracious greed drove them, for wealth, for land, for the pleasures of the flesh. They enslaved the Beastkin as well as each other. They cheated Merfolk with lopsided deals, and shot Griffons down from the skies in order to mine for precious minerals in their mountains. They hunted the Elves to near extinction, killing them whenever they could be found while calling it justice."

Straightening up, she looked Supinea directly in the face. "That is what makes a human, human - historically, at least. And that has, indeed, been lost. I have tamed mankind. Curtailed their worst impulses. Forced them to coexist instead of conquer. To deal fairly with other races, and seek mutual benefit instead of advantage. Does that mean they aren't human anymore?" Supinea looked thoughtful for a moment, then bowed her head, just a bit, in something that didn't quite look like a nod. "I take your point, Beastmaker. Whatever the Dragons may become under your rule, they will remain Dragons. And perhaps, though I doubt I shall live long enough to know the truth of it myself, they will even become a better sort of Dragons..."

A short while later, she was again in the air, sitting comfortably in Rubicundus' saddle as they flew away from the plateau. Behind her, the Heavyarm Beasts were busily at work, filling in the hole they'd once made - after all, it was the traditional meeting-place of the Circle, so it wouldn't do to leave any dangerous pits there! Of course, it couldn't very well be repaired perfectly, so the gap would remain as a pit of jagged gravel - and as a visible reminder of what happened if you pissed off the Beastmaker. She figured that would have a beneficial effect on the Circle's future debates.

"May I ask a question, Mistress?" Rubicundus asked hesitantly as they flew back towards the Palace - and the Seraglio. She nodded automatically, though he obviously couldn't see her while she was sitting on his back. "You may." The words did not seem to come easily to him, despite his usually silvered tongue. "Mistress... you told them all that I am your Consort, and that they may bring all kinds of important matters to me... but in truth, I am merely your dog. What shall I do when they call on me regarding matters of tax or conflicts with the Griffons?" That question had, of course, occurred to Sayn too, and she knew the answer she wanted to give - but it had to be delivered with some care, to fit into the power-dynamic they'd built between them.

"Well, for now, you will bring such matters directly to me, and I will make decisions that favor the Dragons enough that they will not suspect your lack of authority." she said, then sighed. "Ideally, however, I would see you advance to the rank of Concubine as soon as possible - at that point, you may begin to take on Consort-level work on a trial-basis, as training and practice for eventually reaching that status in truth." Translation: He'd basically be working on even terms with the rest of the Consorts at that point, despite obviously still being 'unworthy'.

She felt his body shudder slightly beneath her. "I am eager to prove myself worthy, Mistress." he rumbled, and she patted him comfortingly on the shoulder before saying, with an imperious tone; "You will have your chance, puppy... as soon as we reach home, I will prepare suitable trials for your advancement to Concubine-status. They will not be easy, nor, perhaps, pleasant... but I have faith that you will handle them. And should you fail, I will prepare suitable punishments through which you can earn redemption..."

---

It is generally agreed that the sight of The Beastmaker descending to her mostly-completed Palace on the back of a ruby-scaled Dragon heralded the beginning of the Golden Age of the Beastmaker. With the addition of the Dragons to the Empire, vast wealth poured into the Imperial Treasury through taxation, and young Dragons eager to avoid said taxes lent their incredible strength and magical powers to the betterment of the Empire. At the same time, the newly-integrated Elven Nations steadily produced more and more Ansibles, which were judiciously placed in major population-centers - both human and not - around the Empire, improving coordination and communication throughout.

Everywhere, the lives of Imperial Citizens improved. Roads were paved and sewer-systems laid down, schools and universities were built, Healer's Colleges in particular being constructed and funded throughout the Empire, calling on anyone with even the slightest spark of magical talent to join and train. The numbers of Healers available soared as a result, even as herbs and herbalistic recipes from the Southern Continent enabled simple doctors and pharmacists to deal with many minor complaints and issues themselves. At the same time, the growing degree of integration led many Healers and doctors to branch out or outright specialize in health-issues specific to other races, from Griffon wing-injuries to Merfolk gill-rot.

All of the races who lived under the Beastmaker's benevolent reign thus found themselves richer, healthier and safer than ever before, and even those who did not believe that she was a Goddess and worship her as such, sung her praise. Her naysayers and opponents, meanwhile, seemed to melt away, either giving up rather than oppose someone who could bring _Dragons_to bear, or simply accepting that public opinion had turned definitively against them and stewing in silence.

This 'Golden Age' would, alas, last less than a decade before the peace was shattered on that terrible night of fire and blood...

• Excerpt from A Brief History of the Empire of The Beastmaker, by High Scholar Marova

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_ END _