//------------------------------// // Secrets // Story: The Trouble with Gryphons // by Broniesrponies2 //------------------------------// An infirmary was set up in the basement. I carried the assassin down myself. None of the embassy staff were awake. We did everything that we could in complete silence. A surgery was set up. The princesses had been watching, but had no real way to tell us things. I decided to simply state my request to the air. "We need a surgeon. One who can fix up this gryphon straight into the basement. He must return home after giving us instructions in post-operation treatment." We continued to clean up the dirt and disinfect the area. After five minutes, a surgeon dressed in scrubs appeared the doorway. Night Raven stood guard at the doorway while Midnight assisted. I watched, partly curiously, partly worried. I needed this gryphon alive. It was more than I could have hoped. Most gryphons had a strong sense of honour. General Feltha was using a recent trade agreement to leverage support for his cause according to Ando. That meant that this gryphon would be honour bound to help me. It was time for some planned Stockholm syndrome. The anaesthetic was quick and clean. The broken shoulder got a swift look. The surgeon checked the break and the set before moving on to the other arm with it's cut bicep. Nothing important had been cut, except for the muscle and there was a surprisingly small amount of blood. He had to reach in and find the connections of the torn muscle before magically knitting it and then the wound. Then he returned his attention to the shoulder, repairing the bones with magic. He turned to Midnight and started hissing out instructions. "Excuse me, but I need to be the one to treat her." I said, interjecting. The surgeon looked at me. "Why?" he asked. Midnight's face bore an expression that said the same thing. "In my world, we had a condition known as Stockholm syndrome. It occurs when a kidnapping victim bonds with their captors. It can result in the captors simply releasing them or the victim wanting to stay with their captor. What we want is for this gryphon to want to stay in my care. That means that we treat her well, feed her well, ensure that she is comfortable and treat her courteously. Midnight, can you cast a spell that makes Night Raven look and sound like me?" "Yes, I can." "Good, we need a few days. Doctor, what do you suggest for post-operation treatment?" "You need to ensure that she doesn't develop a fever. If she does, send a message to the princesses and they will send me. As for those arms, you need to make sure that she exercises them regularly. Now, I must return." The doctor vanished in a puff of magic. Midnight walked over to me. "She will awaken in five minutes, what are your orders." "Cast the spell on Night Raven. Ensure that it neither wavers nor fades. He must pretend to be me sick in bed. It will give me long enough to perform post-operative procedures. Night Raven, can you speak as I was speaking?" "I might have to say 'Pardon my attitude, the sickness is affecting me' a lot, but I should be able to manage." "Good. Please bring a bed down here and ensure that nopony can hear anything. Then get to your tasks. Can you make the sickness look like a mild poison?" "Easy." "Then please do so. Meanwhile, our guest will wake up soon." I said, turning to the table that my assassin was lying on. She was gently shifting about, fighting off the effects of a magically induced sleep. I took up a damp cloth as the two Equestrian guards turned and strode through the doorway. "Make that two beds please!" I called after them. I turned back to the gryphon and started to study her face. It was strange. Anthropomorphosis didn't include removal of fur when it applied to ponies, but the feathers of a gryphon were replaced from the large, coarse feathers of an eagle to the almost fluffy feathers of baby geese. Equestrians had hands as well. They also lost their tails while retaining wings and horns. Their muzzles were also shrunk into normal human faces. Gryphons were almost the same in that regard. They didn't have beaks, but as opposed to the manes of the ponies or the hair of humans, they had long beautiful feathers that behaved like hair. This one had the appearance of shoulder length brown hair. She was sweating. I leant down and started to mop at her forehead with the cloth. At the touch, her eyes snapped open. The unexpected contact returning her to instant wakefulness in an instant. She sat up quickly, one hand groping at an empty sheath. She ran into my hand halfway. I gently pushed her back down. My other hand returned to her forehead. She looked up at my face, seeing me for the first time then tried to roll off of the table, only to yell as she rolled onto her recently set shoulder. Following that, she flopped back down and I rested my hand on her chest. "Before you try to move again, we should talk. Do you understand?" She glared at me, but nodded. As long as my hand was on her chest, she couldn't sit up and both of her arms were still painful from the surgery. "Good. Firstly, you should know that because of your most recent actions, you have nothing but my deepest respect. I know that gryphons are honourable people. Most of them at any rate. Do you consider yourself honourable? Do you have a code?" I asked. She looked up at me again, still not wanting to speak, or not able. Either way, she nodded. As it occurred to me that she might not be able to talk, I started again. "Are you thirsty? I don't know the after effects of that poison that I cured you of. I have some water here, or would you like to drink something else?" I asked. She parted her lips and managed to croak out from a dry throat. "Water" "Okay." I said and gently lifted her up to vertical. Then I picked up a jug of water that we had been using to clean the gryphon's wounds and a glass that had been on the tray with it when we had grabbed the whole thing for the trip to the basement. I filled a glass. She tried to lift her arms, then let them drop with a wince. "Tilt your head back. When you are done, start tilting forwards again. I will stop." She did as instructed, tilting her head back obediently. I lifted the glass to her lips and started to pour water into her mouth. She drank half of the glass, then tilted her head forwards. I tipped the glass back and took it away. She gasped slightly then looked at me. "Why?" she asked, her voice still weak. I tilted her back down. "Why what?" I asked. "Why are you being so kind to me? I tried to kill you. Why aren't you locking me up? Keeping me as a prisoner is dangerous. Not only that, but you are the lead diplomat. You have work to do. Why are you looking after me personally?" "I should be kind to everyone. I am especially kind to you because I need you. As to why we aren't locking you up. You have an honour code. I do believe that you would not wish to kill me. Yes, you did try to kill me, but you didn't. We can't judge people by the crimes that they tried to commit, but only the ones that they succeed in committing. I stopped you from killing me. You were bested. My only real worry was that you would attempt suicide. The reason that I am looking after you personally is even more simple. I injured you myself. Right now, I have no reason to dislike you. I have reason to hate the one who hired you, but I don't hate them either." "I don't understand." "I don't expect you to. Basically, my luck is extremely weird. I have no luck when it doesn't matter, but I have perfect luck when it really counts. Some envy me, others pity me. Right now, I have no idea what kind of luck I have been having. Right now, though, my two guards should be returning with a bed. I advise that you sleep. There will be another bed coming down after that. The door will be locked from the outside. I will not have a key. Can I trust you in the room with me while I am sleeping?" "Yes. Should I stay on the table?" "No. You get the bed. I will use the table." She looked at me again. "What is your name?" she asked. "Josh. And yours?" "Kriea" (pronounced cree-a) The door opened and Night Raven backed into the room, carrying a bedframe. Midnight was holding the other end. A floating mattress and bedding followed them into the room. I looked at a clock on the wall. It was almost dawn. "Never mind the other bed. You two get yourselves ready for your own ordeals. I will set up the bed." The two guards nodded, then left. I dragged the bedframe over to a corner, Kriea watching from where she was lying on the table. Next, I dragger the mattress and placed it onto the bedframe. I spread a sheet over the mattress, then placed pillows at the head of the bed. I turned to Kriea, and walked over to her. She started herself up and I finished, lifting her to a sitting position. Then I turned her to her side so that her legs were dangling off of the edge of the table. She wiggled forwards and then popped herself off of the edge of the table. She started to fall forwards, still dizzy from blood loss and other factors. I caught her in a hug, then placed her left arm across my shoulders. Confusion showed in her eyes as I carried her over to the bed. "I can walk" she said quietly. "This helps me feel better." I replied. "About what?" "About what I did to you. Hurting people is never a good thing and I always feel terrible about it. I hurt you terribly. The least I can do is to look after you. Honestly, that's about all that's keeping me from tears right now." "But it was self defence" she said as I sat her down onto the bed and she laid down on her back. "Nevertheless." I replied, then went to fetch the blanket. Kriea looked at me again as I brought the blanket up her body. "It was my first, you know." "What?" I asked, resting the blanket on her chest and sitting beside her on the bed. "My first kiss. You were my first mission too. They raised us to be assassins. On our eighteenth birthday, if there are any contracts, we take them. Yesterday was my birthday. I'm happy that it was you, even though I wish that the circumstances were different." "We can talk about that later. For now, go to sleep." She closed her eyes and I kissed her on the forehead. I stood up. "Please sleep beside me tonight." "Are you certain?" "Yes." I sat down again, then looked at her. "Then I will." I shifted myself to the floor, took off my shirt and rolled it up before putting it under my head as a pillow. As I was drifting off to sleep, I heard a sniff from the bed and sat up. "What is wrong?" "You are doing all of this for me." "Yes." "Even though-" "Yes." "Why?" "Because I love every inhabitant of this world. I want to help you." She sat herself up, tears rolling down her cheeks. I got back up onto the bed beside her and embraced her. She rested her head on my shoulder. I held her in my arms as she slowly drifted off to sleep. While she was crying onto my shoulder, a thought shot through my mind. What the fuck am I REALLY doing to her?