Collared
Kuno awoke in the room. The wooden ceiling was the first thing she saw. Her head was still buzzing from the magic-depressant, and she felt groggy and listless.
The changeling rolled off the bed with a low groan, landing shakily on her hooves and then shaking her head a few times and try and clear it. Her room had a new addition: a chair and desk, with a hoofful of books spread across it.
Kuno made her way over to the desk, pushing the books around to glance at their titles. There were adventure novels, romance novels, fiction and nonfiction. All different kinds of books. Daring Do was a recurring theme.
It was utterly bizarre. Kuno didn’t know what to make of it.
A single royal guard had taken her into custody, and was apparently keeping her at his own house. These were not normal cell furnishings, she was sure: she had spent as much time as possible as far away from jail cells as she could. But a wooden room, with newly-installed one-way-window, a view to a garden, and a collar? These were not normal imprisonment conditions.
And it would a unicorn to install the one-way-window, that much Kuno knew. So Warden had gone to all the trouble of making up this room to keep her contained? If the Royal Guard at large knew of her position, and her existence, then she was certain that she would have been taken to the Canterlot Palace for public execution. Or banished from Equestria at the very least.
And yet, here she was. If Warden was alone as her jailor, then he would have had to contract somepony out to make his one-way-window. It was a lot of trouble to go through to keep a single changeling contained, and now there were books for her to amuse herself with, as though Warden was concerned about her mental wellbeing as well.
Her ruminations were interrupted by the appearance of a shadow at her feet, and before the touch came at her shoulder, she knew it was coming. A notepad was thrust under her nose.
I am leaving for the day. Do not try to escape.
Kuno pondered on suggesting that the guard just make ‘Do not try to escape’ the header of all the notes. But under that was another sentence.
You will be allowed to use the rooms while I am away. Is there anything special you need?
Kuno blinked at that, looking up at the guard. “...Special?”
The guard nodded once.
“As in... dietary?” the changeling queried, confused.
A tentative nod was her answer.
Kuno gave a derisive laugh. “You could start by finding me a willing pony to take love from. Other than that, no. I will slowly waste away and die no matter what you feed me. You could get me a better collar though. One with a bell.”
The guard looked her up and down, his expression clearly confused, wondering if she was being sarcastic or truthful, before he about-faced and walked away.
Kuno took a few steps forwards, and laid her hoof on the door in time to hear it vibrate, clicking locked. The changeling rolled over onto her back, wiggling slightly and splaying her wings out. She calmed her breathing, and then closed her eyes, concentrating. It was odd not being able to hear anything, but she could feel the vibrations of the guard’s hoofbeats against the wooden floor through her sensitive wing membranes.
She heard him walk down the hallway, pause, and then come back. By the time the door opened, Kuno had rolled back over onto her stomach and was looking up at the guard expectantly.
The hoof that was not holding his spear held the tether outstretched.
Kuno gave a long-suffering sigh, and reached up to throat, finding that the padlock there was open. She stepped closer to the guard, cooperating, allowing the tether to be clipped into place. The guard snapped the padlock shut, and then held the other end of the tether. She was led out into the hall, trailing behind Warden. He ambled up to a post near the bathroom, and then hooked her tether to the iron ring.
And then, Warden carefully walked past her, sliding his helmet on and walking out the front door.
Kuno very quickly discovered that Warden was meticulous in his preparation. With her tether just outside the bathroom, she could reach the facilities in the bathroom itself, some of the kitchen, the table at which they had eaten dinner, and, if she stretched as far as she could, she could just touch one of the windows with a hoof.
The drawers in the kitchen had been emptied, the cupboards in the bathroom were bare (except for a vial containing magic suppressant pills: some kind of sadistic joke), and everything that she could use to fashion into a weapon or perhaps some kind of tool to free herself, had been removed.
So instead, Kuno did the only thing a changeling in her position could possibly do.
She ran a hot bath, and lazed around in it with a half of a magic suppression tablet to take the edge off her pain.
While indulging in her amphibious side, Kuno tried the soap, scrubbing it across her form and the vigorously rubbing at her chitin to make sure the scent was removed. After that, it was just lazing. The half tablet she took had mulled her senses, and dulled the pain that had been building in the base of her wings and behind her eyes. Time was meaningless like that, and before she knew it, the flat of a spear was waking her up.
Kuno’s eyes fluttered open, and she blinked up at Warden, giving a grunt of acknowledgement. awkwardly, she slipped and slid to her hooves, the water slippery with the soap in it.
A steadying hoof from Warden helped her crawled free of the tub, and then a towel was thrown over her shoulders. Some vigorous rubbing across her form got her dry, and she was pleased to find that the towel came away clean, with just the faintest hint of brown at its edges.
Warden was still watching her from the doorway.
He waited for her to be done, and then led her to the table. Once more, she was given bread and stew, a rather bland meal. Kuno sat at her side of the table, chewing on her bread and stew glumly. The tether was just far enough away that she had to lift the centre of it off the floor, and it was putting a constant slight pressure on her collar that was infuriating. Ever little sway and jolt of the tether, she could feel quite acutely as a tug or pull on her collar.
Kuno finished her meal first, and then sat there, watching Warden as he finished his own.
“So... why are you keeping me here?” Kuno asked of the guard.
His ears pricked upwards, and he gave her an uncomfortable look before returning to his meal.
“You know the silent treatment won’t work very well since I can’t hear shit anyhow,” Kuno stated, chasing a crumb across her plate.
Warden looked up at her again, and pursed his lips. He paused in his eating, and then pushed away from the table, coming around with the notepad in hoof again. He scrawled something across it, and then pushed it under her nose.
Found you in the field.
“No, really?” Kuno asked in a sarcastically awed tone.
The pegasus frowned, and then wrote something else down.
You’re a changeling.
“Your powers of deduction are astounding,” Kuno said with a shake of her head.
Couldn’t leave you in the field.
“Well that’s understandable,” Kuno admitted, tapping a hoof against her chin, and then waving that same hoof at the house. “But then, this isn’t a jail. Not a proper one. You’re the only one guarding me, and this,” she plucked at her collar, “is not standard prison attire. Why are you keeping me a secret from the rest of the guards?”
Warden looked dismayed at that, at how easily the changeling could put two and two together. There was a long pause, and he hesitated over each word as he wrote out a short sentence
They’ll kill you.
Kuno nodded at that. “Most likely, yes.”
Can’t let them.
“Sure you can,” Kuno stated with a wave of a hoof. “It’d be quite easy, in fact.”
The thud of the pegasus’ hooves against the table made no sound to Kuno, but she felt the impact in her bones. The pegasus scowled at her deeply, his eyes narrowed.
“Are you really that concerned about me?” Kuno asked glumly. “I’m just a changeling. Surely your conscience could abide a single changeling dying?”
Warden frowned deeply at her, and then shook his head, scrawling a single word across the notepad and tossing it at her over his shoulder.
Cant
Kuno peered at the single word on the paper, frowning to herself. “So... you’re just going to keep me here? Forever? You realise that you’re killing me as surely as if you turned me into the other guards?”
The pegasus returned to his seat, and began to finish his meal. He gave her a curt nod, looking unhappy.
“So... let me go!” Kuno said.
An emphatic shake of the pegasus’ head was her only answer.
Kuno growled, pushing at the table with her hooves and turning her head, effectively ending their conversation.
It was several long minutes before she felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned towards him, narrowing her eyes. “Murderer.”
The pegasus pursed his lips, and shook the end of her tether in her face, motioning towards her room.
Kuno sighed, and then dropped down off the chair, stalking to her room and splaying herself out on the bed, huffing and closing her eyes.
There was a tugging at her collar, and it was removed completely. Something thudded down onto the bed besides her, and then she felt the concussion of the door to her room closing.
After a few moments, Kuno opened her eyes, to find a new collar sitting besides her on the bed. A cute red collar with a bell on it.
The changeling sighed faintly, scooping the collar closer to herself and batting at the bell in a depressed way. She couldn’t hear it jingling.
It took her only a few moments to get the collar on and fasten it into place. There was no padlock on it, but she guessed that Warden would add one the next time she was to be taken out of her room.
Kuno sighed and pulled herself over to the desk, selecting a book and beginning to flick through it, batting at her new bell in a glum way. At least now she had an indicator of how her hearing was returning. If it would ever return.
Not that it would matter if she didn’t find a way out of there. In a week—maybe more if she continued to get regular meals—she would be dead.
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Hmm defiantly following this one looks interesting! Please continue
EEEEEEEEEEE-
*Composure!*
That is to say, I adore this story! Do go on ~ :D
What are your intentions guard
; ;
B-but no bell hearing for the bell collar? That... That's just downright EVIL! ; ;
Wow, this is a fascinating story and I really look forward to reading more of it!
Booya. That's about all I can say.
Next Time, on An Affliction of the Heart:
"Scrape some of the chitin from your hooves into this slot."
*scrape scrape scrape*
"More."
*scrape scrape*
"You know, ponies usually have questions for me when this happens."
*scrape scrape*
"Like where I've taken them... what I want..."
...
*scrape scrape*
DRAMA
Yeah, but seriously, I like this. This is good, interesting. Keep it coming, keep it coming.
Somehow the image of Kuno batting the bell is sickeningly adorable. No idea why, but if it continues you may be responsible for the next pandemic
1547879
Already read and favorited. I saw the connection, but that only helps with the idea that this story might not have any real surprises. Seeing what your other fics have done, I'm sure I will be proven wrong. But, I will keep my skepticism for now.
1548919 Oh, there will be surprised. More 'omg drama' than anything else, though.
Gah, the bit with the bell was so sadly cute.
"Anonymous Pegasus posted a new story..."
*clicks like and favorite*
Now, to read that description...
Yes, that's how much I like your works.
Very good so far. I'm lookin forward to seeing more updates
we've already answered the question can a Changeling Feel love... So... Yeah
his ententions were clear from the start but I'm curious on why he's doing what he's doing perhaps he wants evidence that changelings aren't evil? Hmm can't wait for ch. 3
Seems you have a thing for Changelings and romance tags, eh? Sounding interesting, not sure what to expect next though. I take it he doesn't want to be found out for harboring a changeling?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOT ANOTHER CAN CHANGELINGS FEEL ROMANTIC LOVE STORY
Sorry, couldn't help myself. 
Well, this one has a good premise I suppose, not to mention different with using a female Changeling with a male pony (as far as I know, not too many of those); even though doesn't so far explain Warden's reasons for keeping Kuno (or Fleetwing, as she's once called herself) locked up and with himself. Don't know if he had a previous lover or something that was killed, which while maybe not a Changeling, was labeled as a traitor/threat to Equestria. And doesn't want a death on his hooves again, even if she was a part of the invasion. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/shrug_Queen_Chrysalis.png Ah well, guessing it'll be all explained in due time. Also not sure what the sudden compliance is about, with taking drugs when she could very well refuse, even if she IS weak and thus, not able to put up much of a fight against a member of the Royal Guard trained in combat.
While haven't read any of your other Changeling-based stories (the main ones, that is, read What is love? No offense to those others, just wasn't aware of the first until a certain point I think and by that point, decided not to maybe read or didn't make attempt, and then the sequel eventually came out) and not sure if same dynamic/rules to Changelings applies here from your own headcanon or whatever, I am hoping that a Changeling's ability to feed on love will heal even the most serious of injuries, cause that'd be sad if Kuno were to remain deaf forever.
Assuming you even would believe in or do something like that. Just cause, sure it'll all be thrown for a loop, once Kuno starts to unknowingly feel love from the Royal Guard who's currently holding her hostage and doesn't seem to care right now if she dies, I assume. Well, looking forward to future chapters, seeing where it all goes! 
Edit: Added a note about the compliance in drug-taking.
Edit 2: Added note about your headcanon in regards to Changelings, if same stuff applies to Changelings as in your main stories with Changelings.
Yeah, that Changeling is pretty much the most adorable thing ever. I'm stealing insulin tomorrow. But seriously I hope you keep updating this story, Its sweet so far. a Deaf Changeling is a great plot point (Heh, plot.) I am left wondering why she wanted a bell though, A joke I am guessing? I would imagine the guard stressing over the changeling stealing his love, or her dying. Internal conflict woo! but I like the viewpoint, keep that. Not to imply that you would change it randomly. I feel like the guard needs more character however. He has the 'softer than he should be' thing, but I feel he needs more. If you want my advice? give him a hobby or something. I mean you don't have to listen to me. I also like the magic supression pill thing. That is another great... story point, and I think a lot can come out of it. The only other thing, is this; the changeling seems resigned to her fate to die of hunger. This makes for a somewhat uninteresting story under normal circumstances. Considering the viewpoint, we have the story of a Changeling waiting to die, which can be boring. Its not a boring story certainly, but however this does mean the plot (heh) is driven by the guard, more than the changeling. Know what I mean? So either the guard has to be a lot more intriguing, or the changeling has to try and escape.
I'm not sure if you were looking for a critique or anything but you got one!
1581810 Actually, the guard has a hobby
The vegetable patch outside, the garden...
1581850
You are completely right. It totally missed that. Huh. I am sorry for doubting you.
1581960 Oh, it isn't stated that he's a gardener by trade and like, in the 'guard reserve'. The reserve guards were called in after the Canterlot invasion to help keep the ponies in check and guard key infrastructure in case the changelings had other things planned.
I'm just slow to build up to all these things, I guess.
This is marked as romance though
so you can guess what's gonna happen.
Thanks for the critique and suggestions though!
And it would a unicorn to install the one-way-window
I think you meant: And it would take a unicorn to install the one-way-window
Def tracking
I can see why this thing dosnt havee any dislikes....
This seems like a realy nice story, a guard want to keep changeling as a pet beause he is afraid that he will be killed by guards, but do not want changeling to do any damage to other ponies, seems like a big battle inside the guard is taking place between his duty to the country and kindness to poor dying creature.
However I find it rather weird that the guard did not gathered informations that changeling need love to survive, and the fact that changelings during invasion did not kill anypony, and now Shinning armor/Cadence shield just damaged and killed many of changelings and guards are doing the same, it seems that changelings are far more peaceful race in the end.
I mean, for hundreds of years they have been feeding upon ponies without doing any damage to tham and even without tham knowing about it, and now after 1 invasion guards are going to kill every changelings like they are some mindless monsters.
I wonder do if Cadence would know that her and shinning armor spell took away so many lives and now that ponies of Equestria are killing tham or letting tham to strave, do her heart would not be hurt to the point where she would rush to changelings aid and feed tham with love so they wont die ( ignorance sometime is indeed bliss ).
"In" is superfluous in this case and is not needed.
The guard needs to learn how to use apostrophes, they really are not that hard.
"And a leather bodice as well."
To continue the BDSM line of thought another reader has instilled into my mind.
static.fimfiction.net/images/story_images/28911_r.png?1338246420
Hmmm Warden what are your intentions?
I laughed a little when she said she couldn't hear the bell haha kind of like the Polar Express
it would take a unicorn. A little mistake in chapter 2 there.
nice work, this is turning out pretty well.
Awesome!
Three times as many grammatical errors, but still:
Quick question. How does a quadruped about face?
Perhaps getting her that collar was his way to show that he is a bit of a bellend????
Bit of interesting fetish this Warden has, huh>
Kuno; language. Do not try to escape
1868059 she told him her name was fleat feather or something. he doesn't know it is Kuno.
Awww. Poor Kuno, I hope she gets her hearing back soon. I'm quite sure of it. This stallion doesn't seem like your run-of-the-mill guard though...
1. She sighs a lot
2. What the fuck is "about-faced" supposed to mean?
3. >Cant - this needs an apostrophe
2560506 About-face is a military term. Usually it means to turn clockwise 180 degrees from the position you are currently facing.
2564966 ._.
2560506
If you were held captive against your will, you'd sigh a lot too.
About-face is a military term meaning to turn 180 degrees.
'Cant' may be a typo, or it could be that Warden is hastily scrawling his notes to Kuno, and just neglected to write the apostrophe in favour of speed.
Right after she thought of how weird it was that she couldn't hear, it said that she heard Warden walk down the hall.
2887162 Military is gay
...huh. Sometimes it seems silly to comment early on on an already completed story, but I think if I was that changeling I'd be guessing that the guard wants a private little shapeshifting
sex dollpet.oh yes, ebony feels that pain. she was once held captive by a royal guard that went rougue, and he liked her.
this is getting depressing...
Okay, so is Warden his REAL name or is it like a joke or something (cause he's sort of her jail warden)
Hmmm...?
1581850 He's a GUARDener.
3417840 what anime is your profile picture from? It looks familiar!
Damn! Morbid much?
but cool story bra!
What about fimfiction
Ha ha I made a funny NOT