Or not

Instead of rushing over to embrace you, however, Brighid remains at the entrance to the canyon. You can see her trembling even from this distance.

"Brighid?" You call out to her. "Love, are you alright?" She does not respond, however, and her trembling only intensifies. Moving carefully, not wanting a repeat of the killer cramps you received last time you awoke in this place, you set Riama down and slowly get to your feet, then shuffle your way to your Soulmate. As you draw nearer, you can see that Brighid's face is awash with tears and her emerald eyes are staring fixedly at the floor. She can clearly hear you approaching, as her ears swivel and twitch to catch the sounds of your footfalls, but if you didn't know better, from her posture you would think she is struggling not to flee from you. It takes you much longer than you want it to, but eventually you come to a stop immediately in front of the woman you love and softly ask her again, "Brighid, my love, please tell me what's wrong."

At your declaration of love, a terrible sob escapes her throat and she starts to turn away from you, but you catch her by the arm and she freezes. You gently, gently pull her back around to face you, then place a hand under her chin and lift her face up. You seek out her eyes, but she turns her head and refuses to meet your gaze. At last she says, her voice tremulous, "How can you call me that? I do not deserve your love. I shouldn't have come, I'm sorry, please, Aidan, please let me go..." She tries to pull away again, but you keep a firm grip on her arm. She is so much stronger than you that there's no way you could restrain her with a simple hand on her arm, but she nonetheless stays put when you refuse to release her. You notice with a heavy heart that she is not wearing her collar.

You take a step closer and wrap your arms around her, pulling her into a hug. Instead of hugging you back, she stiffens and another sob escapes from her throat. Being soothing isn't working, so you try another approach. You order her in a soft but stern voice, "Brighid Fireheart, tell me why you are not wearing my collar." A great shudder runs through her body and she begins to openly cry.

"I betrayed you!" She wails and collapses to the ground, body wracked with sobs. "I was your Soulmate and I let that ... thing ... fuck me. I wanted it to fuck me! I wanted it to keep going forever, Aidan! I'm not wearing your collar because I do not deserve to! I was wearing it, wearing your token, even as I came for a monster and begged it for more!" Her eyes flick to yours briefly and you can see the complete, all-consuming despair in them before she turns her head sharply away from you again.

Confusion fills you as her words wash over you like stormy waves upon a rocky shore. But I paid the price to heal her Trauma! This shouldn't be affecting her so badly! you think to yourself, but your intuition tells you not to say anything of the sort out loud. Instead, it nudges you in a different direction, and you tell her in the same soft, stern voice, "If you no longer wish to be submissive to me, you may always take off your collar and return my token, but that is not what you are doing, Brighid Fireheart. You are punishing yourself for failing to follow my commands." You turn her head towards you again and command her, "Look at me! Look me in the eyes." Her eyes snap to yours, though they are still filled with anguish. Good enough for now, you think, and continue. "I am the Master in this relationship, Brighid. It is not for you to decide your punishment unless I tell you otherwise, and I have not. That you openly admit your transgressions is the mark of a good girl, but trying to subvert your Master's will has earned you additional punishment." Paradoxically, perversely, she actually begins to calm down at your words, and her eyes slowly, oh so painfully slowly, begin to clear.

"Given my choice, I would have addressed this matter in a place more comfortable than this, but you have forced my hand, so let us begin. I will question you thoroughly, read aloud the list of your transgressions, and from that list and your answers to my questions, determine your punishment. Do you understand and agree?" She nods in response, her head moving jerkily.

"First, do you want to continue being my submissive? I am not asking whether you believe you should, or whether you deserve to, but whether you want to."

Her voice cracks, but she answers, "Yes, Master. With all my heart."

You nod gravely and tell her, "Then please put your collar back on for this. I cannot make you do it, so I am asking you to. You do not wish to leave my service, and as of yet I have not released you. As your Master, I should not pass judgment on you when you are not wearing your collar." She whimpers and fresh tears flow down her face, but she reaches into a small pouch around her waist and pulls out the collar; a good sign that she still kept it with her. You hold her hair out of the way as she shakily raises it to her neck and, after a few tries, latches it back around her throat. "Thank you," you tell her. "Now that you are again wearing my collar, I will ask you once more: Do you, Brighid Fireheart, agree that as your Master, it is my right and only my right to pass judgment on your disobedience and determine the punishments you will suffer? That by wearing my collar, you give up the right for anyone else to punish you for transgressions of the Master-slave relationship? And further do you agree to accept my decisions in matters of punishment without complaint or appeal?"

"Yes, Master, I do."