A compromise had been reached. By my will, humans would not own other humans as property.

  I was not human.

  Therefore, all of the tribe's slaves were transferred to my property, and then, the Dragon Priestess brought them to me, one by one, so that we could review their crimes. This as it turned out was faster than trying to come up with a legal code that just worked as a blanket, especially since I was also trying to teach them how to use a writing system that didn't rely on complex pictograms.

  A small platform had been raised, and by my direction, stands were built around it. On the platform would be the Dragon Priestess, standing right in front of me and facing the humans. To my left, the subject for review. To my right, a scribe and prosecutor. There'd be no defense attorney, we didn't really have people trained to do that yet.

  My judgement would be rendered, and from then on, used as the basis from which they would develop their own legal system based on their own values, something I did because I intend for them to develop at least a little on their own, and totally not because I realized just how difficult of a task it'd be to make an entire legal code myself.

  Two large men, warriors, escorted a man with his hands and legs tied, and put him to your left, while a third man, one of the tribal elders, using a walking cane for support, got on top of the platform to your right and stood firm.

  "Greeneye, you stand here accused of having stolen a week's worth of provisions from the hunter's cabin, for which you've served a year as a slave!"

  Right. They sort of managed the words correctly, but the old man clearly was having way too much fun acting up his anger as he raised his walking stick and smacked it onto the ground. The priestess stopped him as he prepared to strike.

  Right.

  "So you've heard most magnanimous Judge, this man is a thief who stole an entire week's worth of supplies from the hunters who keep us fed!"

  Right. "Speak, little human, do not lie to me, tell me the truth that lies in your heart, what did you do, why did you do it, and what did you do after?"

  Greeneye did not have green eyes, but I do vaguely remember babies can be born with lighter eyes that grow darker with age. He stepped forward, though he kept his gaze cast low. I've started to notice the only one who really looks at me is the Dragon Priestess, and never for long. How odd.

  "Merciful Great Dragon," Greeneye spoke, "it was- we were starving, and our rations weren't enough, my mother and father were ill, they needed more provisions! If not, they would've died!"

  I took that into consideration as I closed my eyes and brought my front claws together. "Those provisions could've fed a hunter for a week," I noted. Seven days of food for a grown man... Split three ways, would've only lasted maybe two days.

  "What was of your parents then?" I insisted.

  "They passed," he said, bitterly, "when I was caught the provisions were taken and they were left to starve and die without my aid, as I was turned into a slave! They did not survive the night!"

  Well. That's actually kinda fucked up really.

  The Dragon Priestess turned to face me. "Great one, I plead to you for mercy for this young man! He has paid for his crimes far more than he should've!"

  "Bah humbug, nonsense! Had he not stolen those provisions, one more hunter could've set out! Returned with game worth many more days of food!"

  I'm not unconscious of the fact that whatever magical function is doing the translating the words they speak to my language is definitely doing its best, but I suppose there are many terms and phrases which are simply missing from their vocabulary and so even though he's speaking animatedly, to my ears, it sounds a little weird.

  I'm not going to lie. I do feel sympathetic to the small human that lost its family and was made to suffer.

  Still... crime had to be punished. I pronounced myself - his punishment had been sufficient. "He is to go free," I spoke. "Thieves shall be punished by being forced to replenish that which they've taken, vandals to repair the damage they've caused."

  And a year of slavery in return for a week of food for one person seems like he's more than made up for his crime.

  He was untied, and he exclaimed his freedom as he did. Having already forgotten the human's name, I waited until the elder proclaimed the next one's crimes.

  "This man, Fairhair, slew another in a confrontation over a woman..."

  That one was a lot less sympathetic, two men fought over a young lady, egged on by that same young lady, and then in the resulting confrontation one of them killed the other. We didn't have a prison.

  There really weren't that many options on what to do with murderers, especially unrepentant ones like that fellow. He did not regret what he had done, and in fact, he claimed that his detainment was unjust because he simply did what one ought to do in a fight, slay the opponent without taking damage in turn.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  He claimed himself a strong, powerful warrior.

  I, meanwhile, thought him a dangerous lunatic. I'm not a psychologist, I'm not an expert in this sort of thing.

  I'm a dragon, my approach to things should and can be a lot simpler. Were we a society of abundance and plenty, the problem of someone being a drain on resources wouldn't be a hard one to deal with. I'm not exactly making a hard decision. This ant is a problem for the colony, and keeping him around us is a danger.

  "Let the punishment fit the crime. He is to perform forced labor for the rest of his days, to replace the labor of the man he has slain. Bring the woman as well, she too is to be judged for her role."

  It took a few minutes by my accounting, but the woman, Longlashes, was brought forward, and when faced with me, she spilled the truth in short order, she had indeed incited the battle, because she wanted only the greatest warrior between her suitors, and had not cared about the consequences of her actions.

  "Those who manipulate others into criminal activity are guilty, just the same as if they had extorted or coerced another," I declared, and the humans hung on my sentence, prepared for what was to come.

  I made some quick calculations. They counted their age in seasons, and they only really had concepts of the cold and hot seasons. I couldn't quite remember the explanation fully, and the lack of an actual proper calendar was an issue, something I'd work on later.

  "How many seasons had the young man lived, and how many more, would he have lived?" I asked.

  "He was a healthy young man of thirty six seasons Great Dragon," the Priestess informed me. "Why, he could've lived for another hundred even, become an elder!"

  I really didn't think it was the right time to ask how long they lived on average, and the idea of tracking life expectancy was no doubt foreign to them, so I'll just set an expectancy of ninety seasons or forty five years, and use that as the baseline.

  I declared that she would work until that young man would've entered his twilight years, that is to say, until she became ninety seasons old, and on the ninetieth of her seasons, she was to regain her freedom and rejoin society.

  More came, one after another, as many crimes as there were criminals, each different, yet, all the same. Some stole to survive, others stole because it pleased them. Some killed others in self defense, others, to gain an advantage.

  And then...

  A rapist was brought up to me. The tribe knew not rape as a crime, instead, his act was seen as the destruction of a man's property. I somehow hadn't expected that, even though I vaguely recall human tribal societies having that sort of thing be commonplace. Women quite often were seen as property.

  Well.

  That shit was over starting when I got here.

  "All humans are the same to me. Male or female are to be equal before the might of the Dragon!" I proclaimed. "Henceforth and by my will, I declare that women shall be afforded all the same rights, privileges, duties and obligations as men, and henceforth their legal status shall thus be treated the same as men!"

  No dissent would be allowed.

  Someone started to protest, but flames erupted from my nostrils, and I rose slightly, demonstrating a bit more of my height and the size of my teeth to the humans.

  I'm no elected president. This is no democracy. I'm an unparalleled engine of destruction, a living disaster, a flying calamity.

  Society cannot be changed overnight. Many will resist. I am all out of fucks to give about any of that, however, because I'm not here to submit to the whims and wills of the ant colony, they wanted me to rule, and that's what I'm gonna do!

  ...

  Actually, there wasn't that much dissent. Only a couple of older men.

  I guess they don't really understand just what it's all about yet. Ah, whatever, I have many, many years to do this. I'll live for a long time. I guess I can take it easy, somewhat. I guess I have enough authority.

  Many more came, and they too would face my judgment. In the end, after what felt like way too long, the day came to an end, and when the sun set, they left, and I slept for three days. Then on the fourth day, I rose again, and the cycle began anew, until all who had committed crimes were judged.

  At some point it became the norm for even those whose crimes were unknown to come and confess, especially when I gave leniency and clemency to those who confessed of their own will and promised to repair the damage they had done, redress the harm, and otherwise make amends.

  Getting absolutely sick of that, I decided, fuck it, we're setting up a system for this.

  "You," I said, pointing at the Priestess, nearly poking her with the tip of my claw. "Organize yourself, and gather people to become your subordinates. Do not bother me again with these trifling matters if they can be resolved by your own people. Let the punishment fit the crime as I've described."

  "Thy will be done, Great Dragon!" she proclaimed, raising her staff and shaking her hands. Her arms are a little thin. Maybe she should eat more.

  They're not a hunter gatherer society, they've figured out agriculture... well, somewhat. They know stuff grows if they plant seeds, but they're obviously not very good at it. They're not flush with food. They have hunters, and the forest has a great bounty, but it's clearly not enough.

  Maybe that was something I could teach them about.

  The less they had to focus on simply subsisting and keeping themselves fed, the more they could focus on advancing as a society, both culturally and technologically. And the faster they advanced, the faster they could reach the point where they wouldn't need to come bother me for this sort of stuff, could reach out to trade with faraway peoples, learn their techniques, and make me more cushions like the one I'm sitting on top of.

  It's already starting to wear from constant use, and the traders that brought it probably won't be back with another one that quickly.

  Wonder if I can go kill some other big monster somewhere and get another huge cushion as a reward.

  "Ah! I've come up with a great idea!" the priestess claimed. "We can offer the criminals that have offended against your great and majestic self as tribute, so that you may devour-"

  I turned my face aside so I could focus my glare onto her.

  "What part of 'no human sacrifices' is so hard to understand?" I growled.

  "... not even criminals?" she asked, sounding hopeful.

  I spread my wings and after waiting a moment for her to hit the deck metaphorically speaking, bracing herself, I took to the sky, flying high, breaching the level where the clouds gather and continuing on until the sky became a darker blue and I could see the stars far beyond the sun.

  Pretty nice actually. Good place to chill and think.

  Maybe I'll hunt a gorilla. I'm a little bit peckish. Oooh, I feel like some fish. The continent I was in is incredibly large. As I look down, I wonder... the sheer immensity of a planet is staggering. Even as big as I am, looking at the planet below me still makes me, myself, feel tiny by comparison.

  Oh, there's the ocean over there far in the horizon. Luckily, the forest my lair was in is by far the largest splotch of green on the continent, so it'll serve as a good landmark for me to return after my trip to the ocean.

  Alrighty then, time to go see if I can swim, if my breath works underwater, and if there's some giant fish to eat!