//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: Will you wake up? 
// Story: Feathers and Chains 
// by Griffonidas 
//------------------------------//

Aria walked into your room, happy to see you again, She wanted to tell you how she felt about you and was determined to tell you., but when she entered all her dreams broken by what she saw, before her were you, lying motionless on the bed with a unicorn mare pressing a pillow on your face.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!”. Aria shouted as loud as she could.

The unicorn looked at her, she smiled and with a flash was gone, Aria rushed to your side and retrieved the pillow from your face.

“Wake up, please… Wake up!”.
Aria was crying, she put her ear over your chest, your heart beat was weak and by the sound of it, you wouldn't make it. 
“Nonononononono!”. Said Aria, already panicked and tried again to wake you but you didn't respond. 

“Help please!”. Nurse Lily and a guard that was being released rushed to the door at the sound of the screams.
“What Happened?”. Asked the guard.
“Someone tried to kill him, call Captain Shining now!”.

The guard ran to notify the captain and Nurse Lily called for a doctor.
When the doctor arrived they started the reanimation procedure and the nurse requested Aria to wait outside.




Aria was curled on the hall, crying from seeing you dying on the bed, she only could hear the doctor trying to reanimate you and every time he stopped talking, Aria contained her breathing, before she could break on that hall a hoof rested on her shoulder, she looked at the hoof owner, only to see the Princess. 

“Princess?”. Weakly asked Aria.
Celestia nodded.

Aria forgot all the norms of behavior with royalty and hugged her crying on her shoulder, Celestia was surprised by the sudden action but after she started to pat Aria´s back.

“There, there, don’t worry he will be fine”. Despite how much Celestia defended her ponies, she still cared for all the creatures on Equestria. 
“That´s not true, he… he’s dead”.

Celestia broke the hug and lifting her head, asked. 
“Do you love him?”.

“What?”.
“I suspect by how you behaved in the captain's office, now tell me, do you love him?”.
“Yes”. Aria replied weakly, trying to undo the knot in her throat.

“Then do not lose hope”. The two waited for five long minutes, for Aria was a torment, which worsened when the doctor left the room, his face drained..

“How is he?” asked Celestia.
The doctor fell silent for a moment and that didn´t help Aria.
“He will make it, but he will be in observation by a nurse and I want somepony watching him all day”.

When the doctor finished Shining Armor appeared with a dozen of guards.
“Where is the prisoner?”. 
“He´s fine Captain and the killer gone”. Replied Celestia
“Also I want you to transfer him to my personal room in the medical center”. She added.
“Immediately”. Then he turned to the guards and said.
“Lock the castle, no one can enter or go out and I want somepony guarding the prisoner at every time”.
“I think that won’t be necessary Captain”. Said Celestia.
“Pardon?”.
“Captain Aria will take care of that”. Then the Princess motioned to the griffin, just to find she was missing. 
“Where is she?”. Asked Captain Shining.

Sobs and cries coming from the room caught everypony attention, when they went to look the source of the sobs, they found Aria on the bed hugging you, snuggling against your chest that was now rising and falling faintly. 

“You can go Captain, I will teleport them”. Commanded Celestia.
Captain Shining and the guards bowed and rushed to look for the assassin.

When everypony left the room, Celestia approached to the bed and Aria looked at her and tightened his hold.
“Calm down Aria, I will teleport us to my personal medical room”. And with a bright flash they were in a bigger room, on a massive bed.

“I have to go now, take good care of him”. Celestia disappeared with another flash leaving Aria and you alone.
Aria puts a blanket on you, took one of your claws and put it around her and with a final kiss on your cheek she fell asleep.




Aria woke up feeling soreness in his throat, yawning and scratching her eyes then she realized that she wasn´t in your room, desperately she examined her surroundings, when a movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention, there were you, sleeping peacefully, she sighed and quietly whispered. 

“I’m sorry, I will not leave you again”.

Then she leaned again at your side and saw how you slept, she kept seeing you for minutes until someone walked in the room and made Aria jump off the bed in a defensive stance. 
“Oh sorry dear, I didn´t want to wake you”. Said Nurse Lily.

Aria relaxed and returned to the bed.
“I will bring you something to eat and then I need to change his bandages”.

She just nodded and the nurse went for her breakfast, when the nurse entered in the room again, she saw Aria standing on a defensive stance again. 

She let out a small laugh and said. “Relax sweetie, there´s nothing to worry, if anypony want to reach to this room, first has to pass through four guards and only Captain Shining, the Princess and I, are allowed to enter this room”.

The nurse placed the breakfast on a nearby table and looked to Aria.
“There´s a bathroom in the left door, go and take a bath, I will change his bandages”.

Aria looked at you, trying to decide if she could let you alone with the nurse, resigned she got up from the bed and went to 
take a bath, she entered into the shower and let her worries go away with the water.

When she finished, she went to the Bedroom and found that Nurse Lily had finished putting the bandages and wasn’t here, she looked at you, seeing how peacefully you were sleeping, your feathers were a mess and your breathing weakly.

Aria couldn´t do much more than wait for you to wake up, so she ate her breakfast and then she lay by your side.
“Please wake up, I couldn´t tell you how I feel for you”. With tears eyes she looked at you with the hope that you'll wake up, nothing happened and she sniffed and kissed you.
“I love you”.





Your eyes were tired, every breath burned and your head ached, like if somepony has been screaming to you for hours, slowly you opened your eyes to find yourself in a dark room, this room was bigger and seemed more expensive, you examined your surroundings.

“Where am I?… I´m dead?”. You said to nopody.

Then a shadow suddenly appeared on a nearby door, it was Aria with tears in her eyes.
“Aria! What a…”.
You were stopped by a white blur, embracing you tightly, a pain on your right side confirmed that you weren´t dead, you were shocked and didn´t know how to react, so you copied Aria´s action and hugged her back.

“What happened?”. You asked.

She didn’t respond, just tightened the hug and started to cry, you were confused so you broke the hug, you could see her with a streak of tears on her face with red eyes and holding Aria by her shoulders, you asked again.
“Aria what happened?”.
“Someone tried to kill you”. Replied Aria quietly, not wanting to remember the traumatizing scene.

As you hear her words you remembered everything that happened with the assassin.
“And who saved me?”. 

“I caught the assassin in your room trying to kill you but he escaped and when I rushed to help you, you…”. Aria said, choking the last words and tears falling again.

You wiped her tears with your claw and hugged her.
“It´s ok”.
“No!, it’s not ok, I was scared, seeing you dead on the bed, I tried to wake you but you weren´t responding... I believed that had lost you!”. 

You were taken aback by Aria´s burst and quickly replied.
“You were worried for me?, I’m just a murderer, why do you care about me? ”.

She lowered her head and weakly replied.
“Because I… I love you”.
“What?”:
“Because I love you”.

You leaned to hear better and asked again.“What do you s…”.  Before you could finish, she gave you a quick kiss on your beak and said. 
“I love you”.

You were dumbstruck by her words, thousand of thought crossed in your mind and caused you a headache, you grabbed your forehead with your claw trying to ease the pain.

“What´s wrong?”. Asked a worried Aria.
“My head hurts”. you winced by the pain growing in your head

Aria leaned on the bed and put your head on her chest and began to caress your head, you were blushing and hesitantly asked.
“What are you doing?”.
“It’s something my mom did when I had a headache”.

The pain in your head started to disappear, so you didn’t complained again, you closed your eyes and with the gentle touch of her, you fell asleep.