Darkness Desires the Purest of Souls

Emotional Games

A few weeks had passed since the incident at the lake and things were back to normal. Well, as normal as they could be, considering the Lady of Anatol, now going by Eve, still had no memory of who she was.  

The knights were practicing sparring after lunch when Eve waltzed into the training grounds like she owned the place.  

Riftan was not present as he was still in a meeting with Hebaron and Elliot regarding finances, trade, and other matters that came with being the Lord of Anatol.  

"Hello Sir Yulysion," Eve said cheerfully as she approached the knight. The men had taken a quick break to hydrate and catch their breath.  

"Hello," was all he said in return. He did not feel comfortable addressing her as Eve, but she also was not Lady Calypse either.  

"I want a rematch," she said calmly.  

"P-pardon?" The knight nearly choked on his water.  

Eve glared impatiently. "You helped Maximilian train in self-defense before her expedition and quite frankly you kicked her ass. I want a rematch and hopefully redemption." 

The young knight sat stunned for a moment. This was the first time the woman had acknowledged any part of her past as Maxi. What else did she remember? She had spoken about Maxi not as though she were recalling a personal memory but like she was someone else who had witnessed Maximilian's combat training as a bystander.  

"No," he said plainly. "I will not engage in combat training with you. It would not be fair to the lady since she has clearly not been herself lately."  

"Really, Yuly?" she teased, "What would Sir Hebaron say if he heard you chickened out of fighting a girl?" 

"The respect I hold for my Commander and his wife, both of whom I consider to be my friends, far outweighs any shame Sir Hebaron could bring upon me." 

Eve rolled her eyes dramatically. She continued to pester him until he relented. 

"Fine!" he exclaimed, "One match, hand to hand combat only. Even if you are not Lady Maxi, the Lord would have my head if I so much as accidentally scratched you with a training sword."  

She grinned with delight and took off her cloak revealing a white form fitting cotton top and black leather trousers.  

The young knight blushed slightly. Even if they had to stay here a year, he didn't think he would ever get accustomed to the lady wearing such things.  

They squared up and went at it. At first, he was off balance not used to the lady easily side-stepping his strikes or the ferocity at which she fought back. She was much stronger and faster than he remembered, more precise. He could tell from her posture that she was holding back, and even then, he surprisingly broke a sweat.  

He lunged at her and she pivoted but then spun on her heels and twisted her body as she sprang at him and brought him down. Her knee was on his chest and her hands were at his throat. She would be victorious as soon as he yielded.  

Just then out of the corner of her eye she saw Hebaron enter the training yard which meant Riftan was not too far behind. Yulysion had not noticed the other knights coming in. His eyes had closed as he caught his breath. 

This should be fun, she thought to herself. Riftan knew that she was more than capable of protecting herself, as he had witnessed her slaughter a pack of beasts by herself in the arena. Yet, he was still acting very protective of her as though he still only saw her as weak and helpless. For the most part he still saw her as "Maxi," the defenseless woman he had married.  

She was not Maxi, but it might be somewhat entertaining to pretend for a moment. Acting helpless if only for an instant just to upset him. She wondered curiously how he would react if she got hurt. How far could she push him? He would try to comfort her and hold her. She cringed. She hated physical touch of any kind, platonic or otherwise, but her curiosity got the best of her and overruled her fear of discomfort. How would Maxi's overprotective husband react? How much would it hurt him if she rejected any comfort he tries to provide her? Only one way to find out.  

She loosened her grip on Yulysion's neck and leaned over as though she were losing her balance. Yulysion unknowingly took the bait. She yelped as he flipped her over and pinned her down, straddling her. She cried out loudly as she hit the ground. Her eyes clenched shut as she began shaking and whimpering. 

"Got you!" Yulysion exclaimed triumphantly, before faltering. He looked down at the woman on the ground who had fought him tooth and nail and had brought him down just a moment ago. She was now trembling beneath him, almost crying. What changed? Was she really hurt?  

Yulysion felt a massive hand grab the back of his shirt collar, yanking him off of the upset woman as he was lifted into the air. Yulysion kept his head down. He didn't dare look up; he knew who it was.  

The redhead on the ground slowly rolled over on her side facing away from them. She was clutching her stomach, panting heavily, and groaning loudly as if she were in immense pain.  

The hand that still held him up by his shirt collar shook with rage.  

"C-Commander," the young knight spoke nervously, "She asked to spar, and she honestly kicked my ass right before-"

Before he could finish, Riftan dropped the frightened young man who hit the ground hard. He knelt behind his wife's trembling form, her back to him. He reached out and carefully placed his hand on her shoulder, but she cried out, flinching as though he had struck her. She wiggled away from him and curled into a ball while still lying on her side. He sighed heavily and stood slowly as his rising concern, frustration, and anger nearly overwhelmed him.

He rounded on Yulysion who quickly bowed his head in shame. Riftan was furious with Yulysion but he knew Maxi's new persona, "Eve," was at fault as well. He wanted more than anything to pull his wife into his arms and comfort her but the woman on the ground had adamantly tried to move away from him. His wife would have welcomed the comfort he provided her. The woman still laying on the ground had rejected his touch and brought him back to reality, reminding him that Maxi was not herself. He stormed off, emotions still running high. He barked out orders as the knights began the next section of their afternoon training regime.  

Yulysion closed his eyes, took in a few shaky deep breaths, and then turned to check on the lady, but to his surprise she was gone. He saw a flash of red at the far end of the training grounds. She had gotten up just fine and not only that but had swiftly fled to the other end of the yard.

She paused as she was about to step through the doorway, sensing his eyes on her. She looked back over her shoulder, smiled innocently at him, and winked before disappearing out of sight.

Author's Note: For the record, I love Yulysion, he's adorable. But... I honestly had a lot fun messing with him in this chapter.