I stripped, hands trembling violently, and Ava came back with a couple of dresses over her arm. Seeing my state, she stroked my head softly, then blinked, looking down at my tattoo, and reaching down to touch it with her fingertips, causing me to moan inadvertently. "What's this, Sasha?"

I looked up at her helplessly, blinking back tears again. "It's... a tattoo. Mistress Eve gave it to me to control my orgasms, and so she could... breed me whenever she wanted... I'm not pregnant, am I...?"

Ava closed her eyes and moved her hand up to rest on my belly. "No."

I nodded softly, wrapping my arms around myself as I huddled up on the couch. One less thing to worry about.

She opened her eyes and looked down at me for a long moment. "Actually... wait right here."

She went outside, and I trembled alone on the couch. I couldn't run. I almost wished Ava was the traitor, I could ask her to kidnap me and bring me somewhere safe... but no, if she had that ability, she probably would've done so when Princess left me in her custody.

If Eve was here, she'd protect me... I wanted to cum. I wanted my Mistress. I was starting to cry for real again, and started to sniffle it back.

I couldn't even ask Ava to make me cum because I had let Mistress take that from me... if I never saw her again... I couldn't think about these things.

It's not like I hadn't suffered pain before, but I had read somewhere that stoning was one of the most painful forms of death. I wasn't sure how one measured that, though... like, you're not going to hook up electrodes to someone that's being stoned... presumably....

I flopped down on the couch, and stroked the side of it absent-mindedly, trying to focus my body on sensations rather than thoughts... although I'd want to do the opposite soon enough....

Ava returned, and patted my shoulder. "Up."

I stood up, and raised my arms as she put a white, barely-opaque top onto me, then stepped into the white, barely-opaque shirt.

"White shows blood best, and if things get really bad and you think you are genuinely going to die, raise the blouse to wipe the blood from your face-- it'll show people the tattoo, and remind them of just who you belong to, and if that's not enough, I'll step in."

"...you'll step in?"

"I'll make an over-telegraphed play to kill you, reminding them that the Princess's enemies want you dead."

"...but... you aren't... won't you get killed then?"

"I'll escape with my assassin skills. Or not. It doesn't matter, Princess Asperia and Eve falling out entirely would be very bad, as you pointed out earlier. Losing an assassin compared to her...."

"...You're very loyal."

She looked at me strangely. "She's my owner, my friend, and more importantly, the Crown Princess of our Kingdom."

"...she had you tortured for hours, though."

"A torture I could easily remove, in a room I could easily escape. It was her way of saying 'prove your loyalty to me, Ava, or leave'."

"I just... nevermind."

Ava stared at me for a long moment. "You were hoping I was secretly a traitor and would kidnap you."

"...a little, yeah. The tall girl seemed not to want to kill me, and if that was you...."

"That's a very traitorous thing to say, Sasha. You'd be best not to say it again."

I pressed my body close against hers. "Sorry, I'm scared, okay? I've never... being at the edge of death was always an in the moment thing, rather than something that I could see stretching out before me."

She stood like a rock for a moment, then wrapped her arms gently back around me. "I do understand that. Look, I'm not at my best, but we're going to go in there, and I'll sacrifice my reputation for your life, if it's needed. Possibly my life too. Okay? You're in no real danger."

I looked up at her, tearing up. "But I can't let you die... I..." ...did I love her? I wasn't sure, but I was absolutely sure I couldn't let anyone else die.

"It's not your decision." She petted my head softly. "Just be a good girl and listen to me, okay?"

"...okay." There was no way I was going to call out for help if it meant she was going to die, but that straightened up my shoulders a little. I was protecting Ava, in a way... I already had protected her.

It was so much easier to think of myself as a protector, rather than a lone girl who was about to get hit over and over and over again.

We arrived at Princess's court holding hands, and she finally let mine go, and gave me a reassuring smile that didn't reach her eyes. Did she hate me? No, I felt... that was emotional deadness in her eyes. She had just tortured herself for the Princess, learned of Velt's death like I had, heard my outburst, and was now guiding me to my possible death, and was ready to throw herself in my way.

I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed, for her sake, not mine, and said softly, "It's going to be okay."

I wasn't about to let this kind and beautiful woman die.

I took a deep breath, and strode up in front of Princess's throne. She reached out and petted my head gently. I could feel all eyes on me.

"Sasha, do you feel you can endure the trial of hands without casting magic?" I was doubtful if I could endure hit after hit without reflexively defending myself, but I nodded up at her resolutely-- I needed to prove to her I could control myself.

It'd have to be a trial by fire. Or, in this case, a trial by fists, I guess.

She looked over the court. "Now, Sasha here has gravely insulted me-- Sasha, would you care to repeat those insults?"

I lowered my head. "...no, Princess."

"This despite my status as the Crown Princess, despite her being my fiancee's slave... now. You've all gotten to know her a little. We're going to have a trial of hands for her. I trust you all to decide if she can change. If you accept her, and she changes, it will reflect well on all of you. If you accept her, and she insults me again... well, I will know you are all too gentle. I leave the decision to you, my beloved treasures." There was genuine affection in her voice as she called them that-- or at least she was Sasha-level good at faking.

I glanced up at her, and her eyes were closed-- a ritual "justice is blind", perhaps, or could she just not bear to see one of her "treasures" beaten up and potentially killed, despite calling for the trial herself?

Ava took me to the center of the room, and faced me towards a crowd of women-- most of Princess's harem, it looked like. I'm sure there were a few familiar faces, but my vision was blurring a little and I was trembling and it was hard to focus. She let go of the hand, and stepped back into the crowd of women.

There was a long silence. It seemed everyone was hesitating again.

Finally, Ava stepped forwards again. "I'm one of the few people who heard the disloyal words spills from your mouth, Sasha." Her voice was stern, harsh even, and I shrunk back. "I'm not the best person to judge if you deserve life or death, exhausted as I am, I leave that to my sisters... but pain? You certainly deserve that much." She mouthed 'stand up straight' to me, and I did, looking into her eyes and trembling.

She cupped her hand and slammed it into the side of my head in one quick movement, and I fell to the floor, utterly disoriented, the room spinning around me. I tried to get up, but it took me a few tries, and I stood up as straight as I could... Ava had already moved on.

A woman with lizard-like hands and teeth moved up before me-- Yeen, she must have been transforming her teeth as well as her hands, now. Her face was in utter disgust as she stared up at me... had she always been this short. Her mouth began to move slowly, and it took me a moment to focus on her words-- my ears were still ringing from Ava's strike. "I don't think Sasha knows how to act with respect towards others. I could endure it when it was disrespect to me... but to our Princess?" She raised her hand, and gave me a gentle pat on my cheek. I blinked.

Yeen closed her eyes, and continued. "But since she insulted me -- you all know how -- I don't feel confident that I can say that her offense towards me hasn't colored my view of her. I leave the verdict to you, sisters." She walked on past. An unexpected mercy, although maybe it'd sway others to be more harsh to me.

A spiky-haired girl walked up to me, stared at me for a moment, then wordlessly punched me in the stomach, hard, and pain blossomed through my body. I doubled over onto the ground, sobbing for a few moments, before slowly struggling to my feet, which was already harder than I thought it should be...

I felt something drip down from the ear on the side Ava had hit me on, and reached up to touch it, and... it was blood. Ava had probably used an assassination technique on me, and I was going to die regardless.

I raised my eyes to the next woman walking up to me, not one I recognized, though I fixated on her golden eyes, and then she slapped me in the face, hard, and I sobbed, stumbling, but managed to stay on my feet. I tried to blink back my tears and look brave, but it was really hard... I was probably going to die here, without raising a hand or saying a word in my own defense.

Valentine walked up in front of me, and stared down at me, making a fist, and then slowly relaxing it. "I was... disappointed to hear Sasha had insulted our Princess this way." She stood there for a moment. Was she unsure what she wanted to do? Did she think I deserved death now? I looked up into her eyes, and she looked back, a conflicted look on her face.

"I've been with her longer than all of you. Sasha's the bravest slave I've ever known... and the loyalest... and also, by far, the stupidest. I have no doubt that if our Princess had swords aimed at her, Sasha would throw her body in the way even if weaponless... but she also insulted her without a thought when trying to save our sister Ava. This is because she was grieving over our sister Velt, who was a traitor, and deserved the death that befell her... but I think many of us can remember her kindness and sweetness as well, and how much she welcomed us when we came here." ...Valentine had literally just gotten here too.

"She's a good girl." Even given the situation, my tail wagged just a little... Valentine was sticking up for me... she thought I was a good girl....

"I too grieve for Velt's death, because she let herself be tempted by power, and have thought of the blood I have on my hand from hitting her, the stain that will never go away... but Sasha wasn't tempted by power. She's a stupid, loyal girl who throws her body in front of her friends. I think she can learn from this." She raised her hand to flick a finger against my forehead, and then suddenly I was flying backwards, only to be caught in Valentine's arms again before my head hit the floor. Her mouth moved, but I couldn't put together the words for a moment.

"...usually in control of my strength, and I am very upset in multiple ways right now, but that could have killed her... and I, for one, don't think she deserves death, my sisters."

Valentine gently set me back down on my feet. Hopefully that wasn't permanent brain damage she had just caused... I whimpered softly, and she reached up and tousled my hair. "Sorry. I hope I see you again, Sasha," she said softly, and walked past me.

And then there were more girls. Some I had seen, some I had not, one by one, walking up to me.

A slap against my cheek.

A punch to my boob.

Another slam to my stomach.

No one was as gentle as Yeen, or as harsh as Ava, but each strike hurt, and some made me fall, and everyone waited until I climbed to my feet again.

I couldn't keep this up forever, and while the crowd in front of me was dwindling, it was slow.

Finally a taller woman gave me a hefty slap, and I fell, and tried to struggle to my feet, but couldn't.

I looked up and saw Velt in front of me, face as bruised and bloody as I imagined mine must be, blood dribbling down from her lip, and she smiled down at me, serene, and I struggled back up to my feet and looked into her eyes.

"Thank you for being mad for my sake," she said softly, "but it really isn't necessary. As long as I saved her, I've repaid my debt. That risk was my choice."

I reached out to her, but she wasn't there, and, in fact, it seemed I had just grabbed something soft... a breast. The woman in front of me stared at me in bewilderment, that I'd managed to do something so lewd and stupid in the middle of a trial of life and death.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I--" I quickly removed my hand, and a powerful slap to my already horribly bruised cheek, knocked me to the ground, and my eyes started to flutter closed... no, fuck it... I wasn't going to die off of some ecchi slapstick bit.

I struggled up to my feet, but I was feeling like I couldn't go on.

Another girl stepped forwards, and launched a fist into my stomach. Not as hard as some, but I stumbled, nearly vomiting... should I raise my shirt? But then Ava would be in danger... is that who Velt had meant to save?

Was that an actual vision, or was I just getting so braindamaged that I had trouble recognizing reality?

I was already slowly climbing to my feet.

The crowd in front of me had diminished... or maybe I just couldn't see in front of me very well anymore....

I fell down... and next I felt a gentle pat on my head. "Good girl."

Another vision, or was that an actual girl? It was too hard to distinguish anything through the pain and the tears.

Again... just once more I had to get up...

A shock of pain.

Again... I couldn't stand anymore. Someone lent me a hand, helped me up...

Another slam to my arm, which hurt immensely and I screamed, but I managed to stay on my feet.

Again and again and again and again and again.

I was trapped in hell, no one was killing me, but it was constant pain and I'd die soon enough... maybe I'd blissfully pass out, and find out if I was alive if and when I woke up....

Another slap, not even the worst one, but I found myself curled up and whimpering on the floor... I slowly struggled to my feet.

One woman stood in front of me, beautiful and powerful, and all the world seemed to fade away around her.

Princess.

"Have you learned your lesson, Sasha?"

I sobbed and tried to get out the words, and coughed up blood, and just nodded.

She poured something out of a bottle into her hand, and held it before my lips. "Drink." I sipped from her fingers, and horrible itching spread through my entire body, and I jerked back for a moment... and then realized, I was being healed?

I moved back to her hand and sipped again, lapping up all of the potion in her hand, licking her fingers as my body itched horribly and shuddered, desperate to live, and Princess reached out with her other hand, and stroked my head softly.

"You survived. Good girl."