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// Chapter 3: Remembering the Past 
// Story: Feathers and Chains 
// by Griffonidas 
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The three griffins exchanged faces of concern and started to search for you on the shore of the lake. 
“Great, now we need to look for a dead body, thanks Thunder”. Said Jhol.
“Hey, it’s not my fault that he tried to escape”. Replied Thunder.

When they were distracted, you jumped out of the water, landing on Thunder with your claws on his neck, raised your claw to kill him but Aria stopped you.
“Gavin stop!”.

You stopped and looked at your Aria. "but he atta..." But before you could finish speaking, a claw hit you in the stomach close to your broken ribs, the pain you felt was the worst of your life, you could not bear the pain and collapsed on the ground, coughing blood.

The blow Thunder gave you was not fatal, but your inner wounds bleed again.
“Do you need to kill him again?”. Sarcastically asked Jhol.
“He attacked me”.
“But you tackled him first”.
“Shut up you too”. Aria said, annoyed by their discussion. “Thunder because you seem to like him so much, you will carry him to the castle medical center and I don’t want him to be noticed, then you are dismissed”.

Thunder murmured something while carrying your weakened body and put you on your back.
“What you say?”. Asked Aria with eyes that seemed like daggers.
“Yes ma´am”. Then they took fly heading to the castle, your newly opened injuries drained the little energy you had and fell unconscious on Thunder´s back.




“That scum should be in a cell”.
“He´s a griffin citizen”.
“He´s a monster and will try to escape again!”.

You were waked by the Captain Shining shout, when you saw him, you growled at him and tried to escape but you couldn´t get up, you were lying on a bed with shackles on your claws and paws and tried to take off your shackles but the pain on your right claw proved that it was a bad idea. 

“See, he´s trying to escape”. He threw an accusatory glare to you.

You were angrily growling but a press on your chest snapped you off your fury, you looked at the owner of that claw, it was Aria.
“Relax, you promised me to be a good griffin”. 
You relaxed and rested your head on the pillow, still angrily looking to Captain Shining.

A yawn of you confirmed that you were still tired because of your wounds, Aria looking this, Said. 
“Captain Shining my prisoner needs to rest, could you leave?, I will see you later”.
Shining with a snort replied. “The last time he was with you, he escaped”.

Aria just rolled her eyes. “That was an accident and if you do not trust me, you can take the key”.
The captain looked to Aria for a moment and shook his head then he turned and walked outside of the room.

When Shining was gone, Aria noticed that she still had her claw on your chest, blushing she quickly retired her claw, you still were watching at the spot Shining was standing seconds before. 
“Umm… are you hungry?”.
“No… *grumble*, Yes”. She giggled at the sound of your stomach betraying you.

“Ok I will bring you something to eat, don’t go anywhere”. She chuckled at her joke and went to get you some food.
She didn't take too long, so that your stomach doesn't have to keep complaining, when Aria returned, she was carrying a bowl in his beak.

She approached with the bowl and said. “Here, let me help you”.
You grabbed the bowl and replied. “I can eat by myself”. And you tried to lift the bowl to eat but the shackles were too short and you couldn't reach it. 

“But you can´t… “. Before she could finish his sentence, you reclined to reach the bowl, but the pressure on your broken ribs made you scream in pain and almost drop the bowl.

“I told you to let me help you”. She then took the bowl and lifted it to your face. “Here, eat”. you gave a little bite, but the taste was horrible and you spit it. 
“It tastes awful”. You said while you stick out your tongue.

“They don´t let us eat meat here, so this is the closest thing”.
“And what is?”. 
“Mushrooms now eat it or I will make you eat them”.

You closed your mouth and shook your head like a little griffin.
She arched an eyebrow and had an evil smile. “Is that so”.  Then she slightly poked you on your right side, making you yelp and quickly shoved some mushrooms in your mouth.
You swallowed the mushrooms and your eyes watered, when you could control your urge to puke, you glared at Aria, who had an innocent look.

“You see, you liked”.

She was enjoying your company, you instead were angry with her and didn´t want to see her.
After you finished your meal, an awkward silence reigned, you didn´t want to talk to Aria and she was nervously fidgeting with her claws like if she wanted to say something.
You were watching through the window, watching some Pegasus flying through the sky.

“You know”. She said, catching your attention, you turned to see her
“I recall seeing you somewhere but I can’t remember, where did you live?”.

You made again your blank face to avoid her to interrogate you, one thing the assassins taught you, was to never speak or bad things could happen to you.

“Oh come one, the face again? I trusted you and you should trust me, please”.
You looked at her and saw her big puppy eyes and tried to resist, you were an emotionless assassin dammit but at the end she won. 

“Okay! But I will only respond the questions that it deems necessary”.
“Yay, tell me where did you live?”. She said as she sat next to you.
“In the city of Talos”.

“What!? I lived in Talos too!, do you went to the griffin elementary?”.
“No”.

“The Stormclaw flying school?”.
“No”.

“Then which school you went?”.
“To any”.

“What?, Your parents didn't send you?”.
You keep silent for a moment and then answered.

“I never knew my parents”. 
“… Oh I’m sorry, I didn´t know”. She felt sad for you and continued
“Who took care of you?”.
You looked at her and replied. “I can´t answer that”.

She rubbed her chin thinking in another question.
“What did you do before being an assassin?”.
“Beg on the streets, eat from the garbage and steal what I could”.

Something in Aria´s head was trying to tell her that she knew you from someplace but she couldn´t remember, maybe you were a friend of her childhood or her remember you for the wanted assassins records, she was lost in thought and didn´t hear you asking her.

“Aria?”.

She kept trying to remember where she knew you, but she was brought to reality by your shout.
“Aria!”.
“What!”.

I need you to scratch my ear, I'm itchy.
“Why don´t you do it".

You lifted your claws, shaking your shackles so she could see them.
“Oh, yea sorry”. Then she started to scratch your ear, when she began to scratch, you closed your eyes and started to fall asleep, and involuntarily started to purr, she giggled and whispered in your ear.

“Enjoying yourself?”.

You were taken off from your sleepiness by her commentary and blushing you answered.
“Of course not, in fact you can stop”. But she didn´t stop.
“Aria I told you can stop”. 
“But your ears are so fluffy”. She started playing with your ears, you tried to get away from her but because you were chained, you couldn't do much, she spent some time playing and laughing, until you got tired and infuriatingly said.

“Can you stop now!”.
She frowned “Oh come one, you are a grumpy griffin”.

You rolled your eyes and turned your head to the other side, trying to sleep but Aria had other plans, bringing her claws at your side, she began to tickle you.
“Aria jajaja… please stop”. You yelled with the little air that you had, but she ignored you and increase her pace, you tried to get away, but it was useless, she just stopped until one of her seizures make you hit your wounded side making you yelp. 
“Sorry sorry”. 

You looked away and didn´t say anything to her.
“I'm sorry for hurting you”.

“…”.

“Please could you forgive me”. She then made the sad puppy eyes.
You tried to still be mad at her, but you couldn´t do it and with a sigh you replied.
“Ok I forgive you”.

She suddenly embraced you and didn´t noticed that she was hurting you again, you gave her a pat on the back and she broke the hug.

You knew that after you tried to escape the last time, she wouldn´t leave you alone and you didn´t want to suffer again, so you decide to make her to tell you a little about her. 
“I told you a little about myself, what about you?”.

“Well, my parents were merchants and they wanted me to become a merchant like them but when I finished the school I went to the military academy and became an Imperial guard”.

“Why?”.

“Because when I was a little griffin, some griffins bullied me and I wanted to be strong and stand by myself”.
“I know what you mean, when I was younger I usually protected little griffins from bullies, like this griffin that I stole her bits bag”.

A memory in Aria´s mind awakened and hesitantly replied.
“Why do you did it if you protected griffins?”. 

“Because I hadn´t eaten in three days and was desperate”. You answered
“But I felt bad for her and one day when she was attacked by some bullies I helped her to escape”. Then you frowned and added “And those bullies used me like a punching ba…”.

She slapped you, you were confused by her sudden change of mood and she had an angry face, also your legs were chained to the bed so you couldn´t do nothing.
“That´s for stealing my bits”.

You realized was she was meaning.
“You were that…”. You hesitantly replied.

She grabbed your head. “And this is”.  You shut your eyes preparing for the incoming pain but instead of pain, you felt her beak met yours with a kiss.