I've Got You

                                    

                                          
      I can't pierce the barrier! Come on! BREAK! Aria must be in immense pain. She's trying to buy me time. I must get through! Two seconds. I pull back and toss my blade aside. "Help me out old man!" I flap my wings and ready to charge. Aria is running out of pillar. I can feel the wind pick up behind my wings. One second.
        I charge forward at full speed. The barrier breaks just as I approach it. I swoop down into the arena. I race against the floor with the elemental's wind launching me forward. I can see Aria fall to the ground. I reach my hands out as far as I possibly can. I feel her head hit the palm of my right hand, and her side land in my left arm. 
        With not even a foot between us and the floor of the arena her weight bashes us into the ground. We scrap along the stone floor for a few yards. I feel my armor's over cloak tear away, and my exposed arm's bleeding. 
     We finally stop sliding. The dust settles, and I look to see Aria's tattered body in my arms. Thankfully my hand broke her heads fall. Her cloak still covers her face in darkness. Her uniform is torn down the side, and her exposed side is covered in a mix of blood and rubble from the pillar. I see a short sword in her grasp. I steady myself up on my knees and pull my arms towards me. 
      "Answer me!" I demand at the body in my arms. Aria gasp for air and opens her blue eyes. I sigh in relief. "Are you alright? Is anything broken?" I question. Aria pushes herself out of my arms.
       "Am I alright?" Aria questions me. She slowly stumbles her body onto it's knees. She forces her body weight up. "Am I alright?!" She shouts into the air before her. Still grasping the short sword with her right hand she forces herself to be standing. "I am," she begins as she thrust her right hand into the air above her. "THE NEWEST PRIVATE IN THE ROYAL ARMY!!" Aria shouts into the arena. I hear the cadets behind me cheer for the winner.
        "EVERYONE WELCOME THE NEWEST MEMBER TO THE RANKS OF HIS HIGHNESS' ROYAL ARMY!" Gelvain shouts over the loud speaker. The cadets cheer even louder. 
        Aria looks down at me. I don't need to see her face to feel the grin she's making knowing she made it against my trepidation. Aria lowers her arm and tosses the short sword down before me. I look down and realize it's mine. "Sorry," Aria pants. "I didn't intend to steal that." I slightly smile at the dumb reaction to her own bodily harm. Aria is covered in blood and rubble from her feet up her arm and face on her right side staining her light gray uniform, and she's worried that I might think she stole from me? I stand to my feet and pull off the strings that are left of my white cloak.
       As I go to tell Aria we should head to see Madam Wren, she begins to stumble under her weight. Her legs give into their exhaustion and her body falls. I catch her under her left arm, and lift her body weight up. "Let's get you inside," I turn back and lead us back towards the crowd and the royal castle. 
       "Hey Rowan?" Aria quietly questions from my chest.
       "Yes?" I force us to take tiny steps as the crowd of cadets begins to separate to let us pass. I see Jarolt running down the bleachers to meet us. 
        "Fuck you," I hear Aria say softly under her breath. I can't help but laugh as Jarolt meets us. Jarolt carefully takes Aria's other arm and helps me lead her under arena's bleachers and through the cadets. 
        Aria's head hangs low with exhaustion. The elemental runs up from behind to meet us. He looks to take in Aria's condition before opening the door for us back through the training facility. I hear Gelvain's voice over the loudspeaker behind us handling the situation with the group of cadets. 
        The three of us lead Aria through the training facility, through the grounds, through the back halls of the castle, down the corridor to Madam Wren's laboratory. The elemental leading us begins to bang on the door frantically while looking back at Aria with worry on his old face. "What is it?!" I can hear Madam Wren yell from within. "It's very rude to interrupt-" Madam Wren stops mid sentence as she opens the door and reveals us. Panic and worry takes her face as she looks past the elemental at Aria's now mostly limp body. 
        "Did anyone see her face?" Madam Wren questions the elemental with wide eyes.
        "No," he answers.
        "Did anyone see you come here with her?"
        "No."
        "Bring her inside," Madam Wren holds the door wide open and ushers us inside. "Quickly." Madam Wren looks down the hall before closing the door behind us. "Hurry on the table." Madam Wren hurries past us towards her work table. She quickly clears the table of papers, books, potions, and other tools. Jarolt and I carefully remove ourselves from Aria's underarms. Jarolt moves to take her legs and I grab under her arms. I signal to Jarolt and we carefully lift her body up. Aria cries out as we lay her on top of the work table. Madam Wren yanks off her hood revealing Aria's tired and exhausted face covered in blood, rubble, sweat, and tears. "Oh my dear," Madam Wren says in worry as she places a hand on Aria's forehead and begins to take in the damage to her body. 
         "I'm a private," Aria tells Madam Wren in a small weak voice. Madam Wren stops her scan and look at Aria in shock. Her shock fades into a soft smile.
         "You showed that prince," Madam Wren lightly brushes Aria's hair with her fingers. Aria's face breaks into a teary smile. I look to Madam Wren on Aria's condition as she finishes her scan of Aria's side. "Nothing seems broken," she tells me.
        "Go to the king," the elemental speaks to me. "We'll work on her condition, but the King needs to be alerted immediately."
        "I agree," Jarolt answers as he begins towards the door.
        "Update me on her condition immediately," I sternly say to the elemental before me and Jarolt take our leave.