"Antonia." The human's tenor voice was full of self-confidence. "I know you can hear me in there." He wasn't yelling, just projecting his enough that it was easy to hear throughout the castle. "You know I'll come get you, or is that what you're hoping for?"

He let out a chuckle and the sound, the knowing in it, made the scales flare in aggression on the back of Bucky's neck.

"Who is that?" He didn't bother stopping the subvocal growl from underpinning his words.

A look out a window showed a large knight seated on a bay charger, his helmet under one arm, not a single perfectly coiffed blond hair out of place. His expression was pure arrogance, his mouth twisted in a self-satisfied smirk.

"You always did play hard to get, Antonia," he continued, drawling his words. "Remember when you'd tease me at court? Those low-cut gowns; I know you wore them for me, even if you pushed me away when I tried to take what you were offering."

The loud slam of metal took Bucky's attention from the conceited prick. Toni was moving slabs of solid steel from one shelf to another, lifting with a soft grunt before deliberately slamming them down on each other. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line and she didn't acknowledge him.

"We're going to be wed, Antonia; you know that," the knight kept on. "Howard hasn't cancelled the contract. You'll finally be mine. That's what you always wanted, wasn't it? That's why you let me get my hands under your skirt, remember? I do. Your have such pretty legs."

Toni let out a scream of rage and threw a sledgehammer across the room. It flew into a pane of glass, shattering it into bright shards that scattered over the floor.

"Tiberius fucking Stone!" she snarled the name. "He's still supposed to be at sea! I'm not ready!"

"That's what you're running from?" Bucky asked as he used the end of his tail to sweep the glass against the wall.

She gave him a sharp look, but it immediately softened when she saw he was honestly curious, not attempting to judge her.

"Some of it." She looked away.

"I like doing this." She gestured around to the machines, metal and glass that surrounded them. "This is what I want to do with my life."

Bucky nodded, understanding. "You're exceptional at it."

"I'm a genius. But it doesn't matter to Howard, or to fucking Tiberius and his wandering hands." She sneered. "Even if you tell him 'no'. Repeatedly. Fighting back seems to encourage him."

"What." Bucky had looked out the window again, but he snapped his head back around to stare at her.

Toni smirked ruefully, wrapping her arms around herself. "I like trousers and belts. Men can't just push them aside and try to take what they want."

He felt frozen in place, just for a moment, as though his own ice was imprisoning him. Then, for the first time, Bucky realized why anger was described as hot. It burned through him.

He didn't bother with quiet or stealth; he burst directly through the keep wall. He wasn't hunting. This was slaughter.

"The structure's still sound. In case you're wondering."

Bucky looked up from where he sat, found Toni picking her way towards him through bloody snow and bits of torn and bent armor. At least she'd taken the time to wrap herself in furs.

"I propped up the wall with some spare boards; it'll take me a few weeks to fix it. Maybe less, if you help carry the stone. Then I don't have to rig up a pulley system."

He nodded in agreement.

He felt content; there wasn't a bit of shame or regret in him for his display of temper or the damage he'd caused while in its grip.

"Is that…that's Tiberius' favorite lance."

Bucky removed it from his mouth, eying the now-blunted tip. "Toothpick."

Toni smiled up at him, the softest, sweetest expression he'd ever seen on her.

"No one's ever done anything like that for me before. I've always saved myself."

A moment later she was hugging him. Or, well, had her arms wrapped as best she could around one of his legs, despite the cold he radiated.

He reached down and, very gently, keeping his claw arched away, patted her head with one finger.

"You're a good man, Bucky." Her voice was muffled against his scales.

"Dragon."

"Mmm."