Disclaimer: I OWN everything in this story, steal it and I eat you. :)

Rating: 18+

Summary: A fallen prince sold to the quadrant's Liege and a woman plagued by memories of who she used to be are thrown together as the prince - Syvoke - tries to destroy his Master... uncovering lies and false ploys that cause him to try and fix the war he has triggered.

Author's Note(s): THIS IS A NANOWRIMO 2009 FIC. So expect quick and regular updates, please ignore spelling/grammar errors, though I will try and limit them.

Shameless Commercial: GO READ: Fourth Stage - By: Mara Miller located on fictionpress dot net. .com/s/2736738/3/

Repentant Binds

Chapter Eight

Syvoke fingered the pay card idly as Evelly and Syssex finished their meals. The two tiered cafeteria was noisy above them, but the lower level was quieter as it always seemed to be. The archway to the market was across the room and he could see the lifts beside it constantly revolving for those changing levels. Even the pay card stations located at the doors were alight with the quiet buzzing and clicks from those using them.

The sound made his thoughts churn again. Syssex had brought the pay card down to him two days ago, while he was recovering from the further injuries he had sustained four days ago... a week in other words. Master Xyvelt had apparently left it for him with the General the first day he had been there. All that pocketing of fallen auketts and slipping items past the pay stations had been useless.

"It's good you finally ate something," Syssex commented, glancing up from his meal and to the empty tray before the Pet before lifting up to him. "Evelly was worried about you," he chastened. It felt almost unusual to tease him after a week of little communication and being away for many hours attending to his Master's wounds. In many ways, the two of them shouldn't converse any longer after their Master's had fought one another... or rather, his Master beating his into a bloody mess. It was considered bad manners amongst Pets, or usually their Master's who would forbid them from communicating at that point. Sometimes it was like being child when you were a Pet... someone always telling you who you could and could not play with.

"Sy!" Evelly squeaked, coughing as her drink went down the wrong side.

Syvoke chuckled shortly and looked away to observe the room in a way of distancing himself from the comment. It was hard to ignore the way his chest tightened to think of her worrying over him... even thinking of him. Being around her was difficult enough without the added wondering. Something in him had shifted since he mistook her for her. ...Including his vow to destroy Master Xyvelt. No longer would he stand by and allow himself to be chained. Tonight would decide for certain if he had any hope in the endeavor at all or if extreme measures would have to be taken just to make progress for once.

"I'd hate to ask, but," Syssex began.

"Then don't," Evelly interrupted, biting her lip and sending a pleading look to the SS who paused.

The Pet turned back from the double tiered cafeteria and eyed his friend. "Ask what?"

Syssex frowned. "Who was she?"

"She who?" Syvoke answered, his eyebrows furrowing. "What are you talking about?"

The SS gave a sigh. "Her, the one you mistook Evelly for. Who was she to have stuck such a way with you?"

"I'm going to class," Evelly declared, her tone a bit curt and earning looks from both the men. Her face flushed as she rose and caught those penetrating black eyes on her and turned away quickly. Leaving her tray, she quickly left the table.

"Syvoke?" Syssex asked after a moment, interrupting the staring the man had been doing. It was slightly unnerving.

"You're still asking?" Syvoke questioned, moving to rest his forehead on his palm and looking the other way and towards a plant that was situated in the corner. He heaved a sigh and leaned back in his seat, looking back over to the SS he called a friend. "I get it, Evelly isn't her. If you're worried I might try something, you're mistaken."

Syssex shook his head. "No... I'm not asking about Evelly," he lied, though the truth was close. "Curiosity is all. You don't seem the type to hold onto things, so I'm surprised that woman you seem to be remembering often has."

Syvoke was silent. His breathing quiet, yet his mind flickered over every prominent detail in his mind of the woman he had never seen since that day. A farness in his eyes seemed apparent as he looked to the table. "We only met once. Our fathers had matters to speak of and I was forced to escort her for the day while they conversed."

"One day?" Syssex interrupted. Something was putting him on edge. Was it Evelly he was talking about? Then why did her father and his have anything to speak of? He set down his drink and scooted over the tray as the Pet looked up as though just now realizing he had spoken aloud. "What the stars did she do to get you so twisted around her finger in that short of time?"

"Twisted? Heh," Syvoke paused with an odd grunt and looked to the silver haired man. "I suppose that's what it seems like now. It wasn't like that at all then. I knew she came with that asshole father of hers to try and get information from me about King Corvock--"

Syssex interrupted again. "Wasn't King Corvock your father?"

"...Yes," the Pet spoke, a bit of crispness to his tone. A bit uneasy about referring to the man that way. It was his fault he was dead. Had he not been angry with him and always leaving, perhaps he could have stopped it... warned him. Anything...

"Syvoke?"

"Huh?" Syvoke glanced back to his friend and shook his head. "Yeah, yeah..."

Syssex frowned. "Perhaps I have asked too much."

A moment of silence lingered and Syvoke shook his head again. "No, its fine. It isn't like any of it matters any more. What's been done is done." and every memory will be at rest the moment Master Xyvelt's Liege status ends. "While the Kings spoke, I led her around every inch of the castle. Giving her false leads and it took most of the morning until she realized I wasn't giving her real information," Syvoke murmured and a bit of a twitch of his lips occurred, but he forced it back. It was best to stay indifferent about the ways she made him feel. The expressions she had...

"I see little has changed about your personality," Syssex interjected. His lips curved into harsh lines of chuckling. The information was worrisome, but it was beginning to sound as though it couldn't have been Evelly. Her father couldn't have been a king. The thought relaxed him, but did not explain how those two came to meet, which was the intent of his questioning to begin with. "You are still pissing people off."

"It was kind of funny, really," Syvoke continued. "Her quiet anger suddenly dissipated and then I had to deal with the conniving fighter she was. I don't think her father had intended for her to attack me for information, even if he was the type to show up unannounced."

"Attacked?" Syssex leaned forward. "Are you serious?"

Syvoke shrugged. "She had a temper, a vicious one. Cut at my arm with a dagger she had concealed in the folds of her outfit. Though I am still a little uncertain where she had hit it, her clothes left little to the imagination with the low sloped neckline and the way it cut open below her breasts..." The ex-prince took a sharp breath and leaned back, crossing his arms. "She was something different..."

Syssex felt something worrisome build again. He questioned his thoughts of how Evelly had been and who she was now, but the facts did not add up. Evelly's weapon of choice to carry back before she lost her memories had been a set of daggers, though she claimed she didn't know how to use them and only carried then as she was required to have some form of protection as an SS... in case of attack to other students. The laws had been different then...

" Then she demanded I bed her and tell her what she obviously wanted to know, else she kill me," Syvoke said. "I laughed and somehow after that... I guess I gave in. Afterwards, she of course wanted to know something... anything... but," the ex-prince shrugged. "Despite not liking King Corvock... I wasn't about to betray him either."

Syssex watched as Syvoke's face turned from amusement into something cold.

"I should get going," Syvoke stated before the SS could speak. He stood and grabbed the trays. "I'll see you tomorrow. I'm going to get some more sleep before class tonight." Without a second more, he turned and left. Dropping the trays off as he went. Things hadn't gone well after they copulated. Not at all.

~*~

The time ticked to thirty four and Syvoke opened his eyes from his false sleep, looking to the faint clock on the ceiling. It was one of the few working items in the room, not that it surprised him. After all, he had to fix it first. The sound of a mellow snore from Evelly on the floor beside him brought him back to reality and out of the sleep he had almost succumbed too. A breath sucked in as he looked down. His heart beat quicker and his mouth went dry at the way she curved against the pile of blankets she had brought in. She wouldn't let him sleep on the floor with his injuries and he felt to uncertain of himself to let her sleep in the bed with him.

Another minute ticked and the ex-prince carefully sat up. His body protested, sore from the healing he had undergone. The wounds were all closed, but the skin was faint and tender. He was a fool to sneak from the room, but he wouldn't give Bi'velic the satisfaction of thinking he bested him by not doing what he should be able to do.

Syvoke slowly maneuvered around the woman, grabbed his shirt and slipped out the door into the main room. The door slid nosily shut behind him, but he could hear Evelly snore again. His black eyes darted to the room door he was headed towards. Hopefully Syssex would leave him be for the night, he hadn't lied entirely earlier. There had been a class, but battle tactics was shorter than he would have wished - especially with Evelly there. Years ago he would have excelled in it, but now... now it was a lot of remembering and getting his brain to function the way it did. He used to be good at it... good at it like Evelly seemed to be.

With a look behind him to his room, he opened the front door and stepped out into the quiet hall. Like it almost always was this time of night on the second day of the week, there were few about and those that were had obviously been training too hard to care that a Pet was walking about.

Syvoke shoved his hands in his pockets and clenched his fists. Bi'velic would be in the training room tonight and tonight he would find out just what the man's motives were.

To Be Continued...

~*~

A/n: Sorry for the longer wait, busy weekends and a break is nice. ^__^