A/N: So I didn't know if I should make this story romance and humor, romance and action/adventure, romance and friendship or what? I wanted to make it humor simply because of Serra, but there is also some action in here too so I contemplated that genre. I also wondered if friendship was a good genre because this story stars Erk and Serra getting closer as people. I also considered drama, since there's some stuff of that in here, too.
Well, I don't know. So I just put general and I guess that's fine. xD
I really love this pairing :) Serra is probably one of my most favorite characters in the whole series (others including Lute, Lyn, Eirika, Elincia, and Mist and Devdan xD). Anyway, I love this pairing, I really do. The clash is just too much fun! I'm sure SOME people out there agree right? :D
BTW, there might be lots of mistakes in grammar and such. It's 12:16 AM right now and I kinda don't wanna check...
Anyway, on with the story! :)
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Enslaved
"Okay, everyone!" Hector's commanding voice rang above the army. "Obviously, it's snowing." He gestured around him, at the awful weather. "It's going to impede all of our movements; the going's gonna be tough. But we can't let stupid sky feces stop us." the blue-haired general looked behind him at a man with brown hair and green clothes. "Mark, tell us our strategy."
Said man walked up and nodded. "Alright. First off, we need people with strong resistance in the front lines. Information tells us there are lots of mages in front of us so we need to be ready. Veterans and fliers in front, mages right behind them. Healers and more vulnerable people need to stay in the back. We also need thieves to stay near the front; this fortress has lots of doors - and chests - that are ripe for the picking." At the word "chests" the thieves in the army shuffled impatiently in the snow, a vibe of anticipation emanating from them.
"We're going to need to split up into two groups. One will go north, one will go east." Mark pointed toward the two directions. "Combat fighters, head north. Mages and archers go east; you'll find mostly mages in that path. Keep groups well-rounded; at least one thief, one healer, two mages, and two melee fighters in each." Mark looked toward Hector, indicating that he was finished. The axe-wielding lord took over.
"We're meeting at the throne room," Hector said. "Marcus, stay with Merlinus," -the purple-haired paladin nodded dutifully- "Our objective is: defeat Kenneth and seize the throne. Questions?" the army's silence was answer enough. The blue-haired lord smirked and nodded. "Alright, troops. Get in formation. Let's go!"
At his command, the army started moving forward.
One unit moved away from his group. His hair was blonde and he wore a long red cape. He had light and flexible clothing. He twirled a lockpick between his fingers. He stopped in front a young purple-haired mage.
"I say this every battle, but I just feel so bad. You, having to go through all that torture. You really don't deserve it. " the blonde-haired thief shook his head emphatically. "I'm sorry, Erk."
Erk immediately understood. He pressed his palm to his forehead and muttered, "You have no idea."
"You know, if I was Hector, I would make Sain watch over her. That way, they could annoy each other."
"ERK!"
"Speak of the devil..." the thief said.
A young girl with pink pigtails bounded up to the mage. As she ran, her white robes swelled behind her. In her hands was a golden staff with a small blue gem at the tip. She put her hands on her hips.
"Erk, you're supposed to be protecting me! You need to learn how to take my orders," she said pompously.
Matthew slapped Erk on the back. "Good luck. You're gonna need it."
"Thank you..." the mage said as he watched Matthew quietly slip away.
"Erk, are you even listening to me?" the cleric said, obviously annoyed. "Just wait until Hector and Eliwood hear about this. I'm sure they'll do something horrible to you!"
"Hear about what? I did nothing wrong!" Erk said, exasperated.
"Why, hear about your insubordination! I am your superior after all. You should be listening to everything I say and obeying my every command without question."
"I am not your servant." The mage sighed and turned away from the pink-haired girl. "I'm not going to deal with this. We need to catch up to our group. We're far behind."
With that, he began trudging through the snow as fast as he could.
"I'm not done talking to you!" Serra shouted at him. "Come back this instant!"
A moment passed. He did not turn back.
She tried again. "Erk! Come back here!"
Another moment passed. She started shivering. Cold... she thought.
"Hey! W-wait up!" and she bounded after him.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
By the time Erk reached his group, they were already engaged in battle with many of the Black Fangs finest mages. Chanting voices were everywhere as glowing magic-users readied their attacks. Flashes of all kinds of magic were thrown all about. Flux symbols appeared underneath the feet of unsuspecting soldiers, sending them all flying. Anima magic appeared out of thin air to attack. Light spells downed many as they engulfed soldiers with blinding light.
Erk looked back briefly to see if Serra was following him. She was a bit behind, but close enough that he could still easily protect her. But he wondered how long that will last. Her boundless energy would surely cause her to run off.
Like she always does.
Which made his job so much more difficult. Many times, Erk wished he was never assigned to be her guardian. She was annoying, talkative, loud, completely unmanageable, unbearably cocky, and she never SHUTS UP. It took more than enough effort and patience to get her to calm down and stay close enough to him so he could guard her, but it took so much more patience to keep listening to that cocky, pretentious voice continue to yammer on and on about useless things.
Quite frankly, Erk just did not have that kind of patience.
"Erk!" a man's voice said.
The mage whirled around. With a large sweep of his sword, a red-haired mercenary downed an enemy mage.
"Where's Serra?" He demanded. "Lucius has been injured!" the mercenary quickly gestured toward a monk with light blonde hair. The monk was on the ground, breathing heavily. The sword-wielder spotted a soldier targeting Lucius. With a loud yell, he jumped in the air and sliced through the offending soldier.
Erk looked around him to find the loud-mouthed cleric. but she was already running toward the injured monk.
"This is nothing my divine skills can't handle!" he heard her say. He saw her raise her staff, close her eyes, and begin chanting.
Abruptly, Erk looked down. A large symbol glowed purple underneath him. He quickly dodged to the side. A black ball of dark magic flew upward from the symbol, missing him by mere inches. He landed on his back, the snow cushioning his awkward fall. Looking up, he saw his enemy begin another spell. Erk scrambled to his feet and hastily pulled out his Thunder tome. Chanting under his breath, he dodged once again to avoid another dark symbol forming beneath him. With his right hand, he traced out a magical insignia in the air and his palm began to glow. The Flux spell flew harmlessly upward from the snow and the shaman began chanting once more.
But Erk was faster. His incantation finished, he pushed his arm outward and yelled his spell's trigger word.
"Thunder!"
Magical clouds gathered over the shaman, power churning within them. The enemy looked up and tried desperately to finish chanting. Another Flux symbol had just begun forming on the ground, but it was too late.
A flash of yellow burst from the clouds. Snow flew everywhere. The next instant, the shaman was dead.
But Erk had no time to celebrate his victory. He turned to the left, his hands still glowing, and unleashed another bolt of lightning on a nearby soldier. The soldier crumpled to the ground, smoke rising from his back.
"Go! Erk!" he heard someone say. He turned around to see Serra jumping up and down, cheering him on. Erk slapped his forehead.
"Serra, stop it. Just stay still and wait for another ally to get hurt, okay? I can't concentrate with you making all that noise."
"Don't act like you don't love how I cheer for you! My charity is endless," she said, smiling confidently.
Erk turned away from her and pointed out a soldier who got hurt. "There. Someone's injured. Do your job and leave me alone so I can do mine."
Serra seemed unaffected by his bitter tone, pronouncing a loud "Okay!" and skipping merrily to the injured soldier.
Erk shook his head. Suddenly, he sensed something to his right. He thrust out his hand, blocking the burst of light magic that tried to reach him. Streaks of light stretched out all around him, threatening to engulf him, but he was unfazed. Taking one step forward, he moved his hand to the left, redirecting the magic to hit the ground.
He turned back to the offending priest, power surging through him. He created a more complex insignia in the air, power emanating from his body. He raised his hand high above his head for one second...
Then brought it down, a bolt of lightning coming with it. It hit the mage with such force, the resulting shockwave knocked over the surrounding soldiers. Erk's group took advantage of the opening and quickly dispatched the felled soldiers.
"That was impressive!" Serra's voice said from behind him. "But it's nothing compared to my unparalleled skills!"
"This is not a competition." Erk ignored the strong urge to just walk away.
"You know it's true. This army is lucky to have someone like me!" the cleric announced confidently.
Erk knew more ways than one to contradict that last statement. Massaging his temple, he turned and walked into the fortress.
"You are just a never-ending headache..." he muttered under his breath.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Once inside, away from the interfering weather, the battle became considerably easier. In no time at all, Erk and Serra reached the throne room. The bishop Kenneth laughed maniacally as he shot bursts of light magic at an unfazed Lyn, who seemed to effortlessly dodge each incoming attack.
Eliwood yelled at the crazed man. "You are a holy man! How could you use divine magic for evil!"
Kenneth only laughed harder at the red-haired lord's statement. "Hahaha! You mean the foolish magic those mislead priests of the 'gods' perform? That is not power! I live to serve Lord Nergal! And he granted me true power!"
And, as if to emphasize his statement, he sent a large burst of magic at Hector. Hector crossed his arms to block the attack, but the sheer force of it knocked him down.
"Damn mages! God, I hate them," he said between clenched teeth.
"Hector! I got him!" Lyn yelled as she jumped over him and ran toward the bishop. Kenneth shot another burst of light magic at her, but she dodged to the side. Doing a somersault in the air, she landed right in front of the bishop and raised her sword. Kenneth jerked to the side, trying to avoid it. The blade sliced into his arm.
"ARGH!" he yelled out in pain. "You will pay!" He raised his hands above his head to perform another attack, but Eliwood came up beside him and slashed him with his rapier. Again, Kenneth had to dodge to the side to avoid serious injury.
But the bishop noticed too late. He had landed right in front of Hector.
The axe-wielder smirked at him.
"Payback time."
With that, he raised his axe and beheaded the bishop without another word.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
"Yippee!" Serra exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "We won!" She triumphantly raised her chin and declared, "Of course, we couldn't have done it without my superior abilities."
"Serra stop jumping. You look ridiculous," Erk said, trying hard to calm down. This girl irritates me to no end...he thought.
"Well, gee, Mr. Grumpy. But you know it's true! If I wasn't here, this army could never have gotten this far. What, with the power I have over men, I'm pretty much the connecting piece of the entire army!"
"As usual, you say completely outlandish things," Erk said, shaking his head.
"Do not underestimate my natural charm and beauty, Erk. Why, I'm sure I have even you enslaved by my beauty!" Serra said, smiling widely.
Erk rolled his eyes. "Oh, this again. I assure you, Serra. I am in no way attracted to you."
"Oh, don't deny it, Erk. I know you can't resist me!" she sidled up a little closer to him, but abruptly pulled away, a thoughtful look on her face. "But surely, Eliwood and Hector MUST hate you so for trying to steal me away from them." The pink-haired cleric frowned. "Being admired by so many men is just SO hard..."
The young mage gaped at Serra for a moment. Her confidence is just so... He couldn't even finish the thought for lack of a good word. But he regained his composure and, closing his eyes, he turned around. "...I'm leaving." He promptly left the young cleric, plowing through the snow.
"Wait! You need to escort me to my- Ah...CHOO!" the cleric sneezed and sniffed, feeling her nose begin to run. She put a hand on her forehead and felt her burning temperature.
"Oh, no..." she said sadly. "Poor Eliwood and Hector... They will be so sad to see my beauty defaced by sickness..."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
The army had to immediately leave the fortress in order to stop the assassination of Prince Zephiel. They climbed down the mountain as fast as the terrain would allow. However, once they reached the base, the lords noticed their army's exhaustion and decided to set up camp.
The descent down the mountain as well as the sudden change in weather and temperature proved to be too much for a certain sickened cleric. The moment her and Priscilla's tent was raised, she collapsed onto her bedroll, her face flush from the fever and her chest heaving from the exertion.
Seeing her roommate's distress, the gentle troubadour knelt beside the cleric.
Priscilla was the unfortunate roommate of the talkative girl simply because of her vast patience; she was probably one of the only people in the entire army who could tolerate Serra without going berserk.
The red-haired healer placed a cool hand on Serra's forehead. "Oh, dear. You're burning up."
Serra groaned. "Eliwood and Hector will be so worried when they see me like this. Why, I'm sure they would be so stricken with grief..."
But she could not go on. Her body was racked with coughs. She turned to the side so as not to cough into Priscilla's face.
Priscilla frowned. "This is unfortunate. We're leaving at the break of dawn tomorrow. We're gonna be marching all the way to Bern for the rest of the day."
"Marching?" Serra gasped weakly. "Oh, no! I must tell Hector of my sickness. With his infatuation over me, he can't possibly make me do something like that, especially with my illness!" she went into another fit of coughs.
Priscilla looked thoughtful. She once took a look at Hector's face. He did seem very much in a hurry. "I don't think it would be a good idea if we postponed the march. However, you could ride on my horse with me if you'd like."
Serra's eyes widened and despite her sickness, she jumped up in joy. "That would be great! Me, on a great white steed... My beauty would increase ten-fold!"
Priscilla seated Serra back onto her bed. "Well, my horse isn't white, but, yes, perhaps you're right."
The pink-haired cleric sneezed into her sleeve before saying, "Of course I'm right! After all, even without a horse, my power over men holds them all enslaved to me."
The red-haired troubadour stood up and said, "Um...sure. Well, I'm going to see Merlinus. I'll make a poultice for you so you can sleep tonight."
With that, she left the tent, leaving the sick cleric on the bed to imagine herself on a great white steed, with all the men in the army bowing down to her beauty.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
The army had been marching for almost a day now. In fact, the sun was just a few hours away from sunset. But the army continued on; the need to get to Bern and protect the prince was too urgent. At the rate they were going, they expected to reach the capital by nightfall.
Making sure to get as much reading in while the sun is still up, a certain purple-haired mage was among the soldiers quietly reading one of his tomes as he marched.
And for the longest time, which was, in fact, the entire day, he had the strangest feeling that something was missing. He managed to ignore that feeling all day, but it kept pestering him in the back of his mind.
What was it?
Erk sighed and closed his book. What could it possibly be?
And then it hit him. He almost stopped marching at the absurdity of the realization.
It was Serra. The thing that was missing was the obnoxious, loud-mouthed Serra. Ever since he had first been assigned to guard her, she was always around him, whether they were marching, fighting, eating, or even just hanging around the camp when the day was done. Of course she still irritated him, but her high-pitched voice going on and on about this or that, the conversations she always pulled him into, forcing him to interact with other members of the army... She made so much noise that he had gotten quite used to it by now.
In fact, he kind of misses it...
The purple-haired mage shrugged his shoulders and continued reading while skillfully stepping over a rock.
He should enjoy the silence while he can. It's only a few times he could get a break from her. He should take full advantage of the one given to him by the gods.
It took him exactly two minutes.
With a sigh, Erk closed his book and began searching the faces surrounding him. It took him a while but he found what he was looking for: pink hair. He ran toward it and saw that it was slightly elevated and very near the cavalry and mounted units.
She's on a horse? Erk wondered. But why?
As he neared the cleric, he saw that she was on a horse. With Priscilla. Erk furrowed his brow in confusion. What happened?
When he approached the pink-haired girl, the first thing he noticed was her slumped position. That's odd... he thought. She's so proud, her posture is always upright.
Then, he saw her face. It was flushed. Her eyes were barely able to keep open.
She looked like she was about to fall off. The only thing keeping her from doing so was Priscilla, who was sitting behind her, her arms on either side of Serra to prevent her from falling.
"Priscilla!" Erk called, catching said girl's attention. "What happened to Serra? She looks awful."
Priscilla looked at the girl sitting in front of her. "She's really sick. I think the mountain climb , then the snow and the fighting, and then the immediate descent took its toll on her. She was hardly able to get up this morning."
Erk studied Serra's face. Her usual energy was completely absent, replaced by pure exhaustion. Not a word was coming from her mouth. No remarks about her unimaginable beauty, no over-confident statements about her importance and power in the army, and no declarations of her unparalleled skills and endless charity.
This was not the girl Erk knew. This was not the obnoxious, talkative, over-confident cleric he was so used to.
Serra covered her mouth with her arm and erupted into a fit of coughs. Priscilla rubbed her back gently and murmured soothing words.
Erk frowned at Serra's state.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, he missed the cleric's talkativeness. He missed her brash confidence and her loud personality.
He wanted the old Serra to come back.
"Will...she be okay?" he asked haltingly, concern laced in his voice.
Priscilla smiled at him. "Sure she will. It's just a fever."
"Right... Just a fever..."
A silence passed. She'll be okay... She will most definitely be okay...
"Priscilla?" the red-haired healer looked down at him. "Thank you. For taking care of her." He meant every word.
She smiled at him. "Everyone else thinks she's annoying, but her skills are a boon to the entire army. She heals quickly and efficiently. She's really quite good at what she does. Despite her upstanding nature."
Erk almost expected Serra to say something like "Well of course I'm a boon to the army. My powers are unmatched!" But she didn't. When he looked over at her again, she was coughing into her sleeve. Erk frowned.
Priscilla must have seen his distress. She attempted to ease his worries. "Don't worry, Erk. It's only a fever. As long as she doesn't do anything overexerting, she'll be fine. And anyway, she's much too brash and energetic to let something like an illness to keep her down."
Erk felt grateful for her words, for they were true. Serra won't stay sick for long. She can't. She'll be fine. There's nothing for him to worry about.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
When the army reached Bern's capital, it was drenched in darkness, though they could hear fighting reverberating around the halls. Almost immediately, Mark's voice flowed over the army.
"Same strategy as the previous battle in the mountain fortress. Two groups! Keep them balanced and well-rounded. At least one thief and one healer in each! Make sure to keep your guard up. The torches are doused. You never when an enemy will sneak up on you."
Hector took over. "Meet at the Prince's room! Our objective is to protect Prince Zephiel! GO!"
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Before going to join the army, Priscilla and Erk dropped Serra off at Merlinus's tent. The troubadour gave Merlinus quick and simple instructions to treat the sick cleric. Once she was done and had ensured that the item keeper understood what he needed to do, Priscilla galloped off on her horse to join the fray.
Erk cast one last glance at the pink-haired cleric before running off after Priscilla.
He hoped the battle won't be too long.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Hector's forces quickly gained ground within the castle. In less than an hour, they had already gotten two new recruits: a green-haired mage girl and a silent, dark assassin. The two groups had merged back into one as soon as they were able and situated themselves in front of the prince's room to fend off enemy attacks.
Without Serra to hamper his progress, Erk was fighting with deadly ferocity. He didn't know why. Maybe it was so the battle could end quicker. Maybe it was so that he could just focus on fighting and not worry about Serra. Or maybe it was just something else entirely. Whatever it was, it was like he had one goal in mind: kill as quickly and efficiently as he can.
Shooting bursts of lightning and fire in all directions, he was quickly dispatching enemy soldiers left and right.
His hands were glowing yellow as he prepared to unleash another devastating Thunder attack when he heard a familiar voice behind him.
"Where is everyone? Why is no one taking care of me?"
He whirled around. His eyes widened in fear and disbelief. "Serra? What are you..." he trailed off. Serra's eyes were dull. Her face was flushed with fever. She was looking upon the scene before her with an uncomprehending look on her face. What was she DOING here?
"W-what's going on?" he heard her say. "Everything is so loud..." she closed her eyes and covered her ears to block off the noise.
"Serra! Don't do that! You might get hurt!" He tried, but she was too far away and the fighting was too loud. He started to run up to her when he spotted something to his left. An enemy archer was notching an arrow onto his bow. The archer held up his bow, aimed, and shot so fast Erk couldn't possibly have done anything to stop it.
And then, with growing fear, he realized the soldier was aiming for Serra.
Time seemed to slow down. The arrow kept inching toward the unsuspecting cleric. She was rooted to the spot with her eyes shut closed and her hands covering her ears.
Erk dropped his Thunder tome. His hands stopped glowing. He didn't even care. He needed to get to Serra and fast. He started sprinting toward her as fast as he could, hoping against hope that maybe- just maybe- he could reach her in time.
But he knew it was impossible.
The arrow, straight and true sliced through the air, toward the girl he was supposed to protect. Erk's eyes widened, fear grew within him. NO! Please, no!
One moment the arrow was in the air, hovering just outside of her clothes.
The next moment, it's tip was buried into her side.
Serra's eyes snapped open. Her arms fell to her sides. She looked at the arrow protruding out of her body. Her eyes grew wider and wider. Her mouth opened in disbelief. Her face grew pale. Blood splashed onto the ground.
Then, she crumpled onto the floor.
"SERRA!"
Erk was by her side in an instant. He touched her fevered face. It was burning, burning. And so pale. So, so pale. He held her in his arms. No... Is she dead? Is she okay? Will she survive? No... Please, St. Elimine. Please, let her be okay. He stared at the arrow that had buried itself into her side. Blood...her blood... was already pouring out of it. Her once impeccably white clothes, stained red.
Something in him snapped.
His arms slid off the wounded cleric. He vaguely noticed Priscilla ride to Serra's side and whip out a staff. He reached into his cloak and pulled out an Elfire tome. He stood up and began chanting.
Power surged within his body. The tome began glowing so fiercely, it blinded all who looked at it. His cloak billowed behind him from the sheer power emanating from his body. Erk's eyes flashed dangerously.
When he set his eyes on the archer whose arrow had pierced Serra's side, the magic power within him reached an unimaginable peak. He was breathing hard, trying to contain that power inside him.
By the time he had stopped chanting his power was so great, it was pouring out of him, causing him to glow a dark red color.
His eyes locked on the now terrified archer. Rage engulfed him. He had only one thing in mind.
He opened his mouth and spoke one word.
"ELFIRE!"
All at once he unleashed the power burning within him. Magical fire shot out of his body and engulfed the archer in flames. A terrified scream reached his ears for one moment.
But only for one moment. The next moment, he was dead.
But the power did not leave. No, the power was fresh, and wanted more kills to satiate its hunger. Erk surrendered to it. Using every bit of his energy and rage he fueled the magical fire, egging it on. It engulfed all the enemy soldiers surrounding him.
Terrified screams reached his ears, but he did not care. Serra was hurt. All because of them.
These soldiers... No, these monsters. They hurt her. It was all their fault. She was weak to begin with. She was sick. Hardly well enough to move.
And they hurt her.
More power surged within him. He stepped forward, glowing red, his eyes wanting to kill, wanting his fire to burn every enemy soldier around him. He took another step.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. He shook it off.
"Erk!" a voice shouted at him. He ignored it.
"Erk! Stop! We've won! They're retreating! And we need to get Serra to a room!"
At the sound of Serra's name, he stopped. The magical fire disappeared. The surge of power within him slipped away. Only an empty numbness was left. He turned to look at Serra's crumpled form. She wasn't bleeding anymore, but her face was pale. Deathly pale.
Erk helped Priscilla hoist her onto the troubadour's horse. He was going to follow them, but a voice behind him called his name. He turned to face Canas.
"The thieves stole a lot of treasure," the shaman began. "Merlinus needs our help to inventory them."
The mage wanted to protest. He wanted to be by Serra's side, but he decided against it. Priscilla probably would have chased him out of the room anyway so she could do her job.
Erk nodded dutifully and followed the shaman.
Images of a wounded Serra dominated his mind. He prayed with all his heart that she will be okay.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
The moment Erk was done helping Merlinus and Canas inventory the items, he quickly approached the lords asking if they knew where Serra and Priscilla's room was.
Lyn was the one who answered. "She's just around the corner. I had heard what happened and I visited her. She's fine, Erk."
"I'd rather see for myself," the mage replied. He thanked her and walked quickly to her room.
When he got there, he didn't even bother knocking. He burst into the room.
"Oh! Erk!" Priscilla said upon seeing him. "She's awake. She's still quite weak, but fortunately the wound wasn't very deep or serious at all. And her fever's gone down, too! She's perfectly okay."
And indeed she was. There she was, alive and well, sitting in her bed, grinning broadly at him. "Hi, Erk!" she sniffed to clear her nose.
The first emotion he felt was relief. Relief that she was okay. That she was even back to her talkative energetic self. Privately, he thanked the gods over and over.
And then the second emotion hit him.
Actually, it didn't hit him. It kicked him right in the stomach.
Anger flared up inside of him. He clenched his fists and walked right up to the cleric.
"What were you THINKING?" he screamed at her.
Both healers jumped at his outburst. Priscilla sat there, stunned. But Serra recovered quickly. "How rude! You would speak thus to your superior?"
"Oh, don't even START that with me!" Erk said angrily. At the point in the conversation, Priscilla promptly stood up and left the room, not wishing to be a witness to the pair's bickering.
"You could have gotten hurt worse than you were! You could've gotten killed!" he continued.
Serra raised her chin defiantly. "No one was there to attend me! Only Merlinus and he was asleep! I merely went to see where everyone was. I told Hector I needed vassals. I can't believe he hasn't given them to me by now!"
"That's not the point!" Erk yelled. "The point is you were sick! You should've stayed put!"
Serra was about to say something else when she stopped and her eyes grew wide.
Erk wondered why. Is she actually listening to me?
She grinned at him. "I knew it!" she exclaimed. "You're completely infatuated by me! You must be, because you're so worried about me!"
"Of COURSE I'm worried about you!" Erk yelled even louder. He was so irritated right now. "You're always running around, leaving yourself completely defenseless, and making protecting you that much harder! You have no weapons, no armor and you're easily wounded. How could I NOT be worried about you, Serra?"
Serra's eyes widened at the volume of his voice. He's really mad...
"And then, you get horribly sick and still you go running off into a dangerous battle and you got hurt!"
Erk turned away from her, massaging his forehead. Serra just stared at him. He's really, really mad...
"You're such an idiot! What if you got killed? You were sick and frail! You were totally defenseless and no one was there to guard you! You were an easy target! How could you have done such a stupid thing?"
He turned back to the cleric. She looked surprised. And for once, she had nothing to say. Seeing her expression, Erk calmed down a little. Maybe I got through to her.
Serra looked away, trying to find something to say. "Y-you're really mad..." she managed, albeit haltingly.
Wrong thing to say. Erk flared in anger again. "Of COURSE I'm mad! You were so foolish!" Erk raised his arms toward her. Serra cringed and closed her eyes. Oh, no... He's gonna hit me! He really hates me...
She waited for his hand to connect to her face.
But it never came.
Instead, a feeling of warmth engulfed her. Erk held her tight within his arms. A soft warmth radiated from his body to hers. Chills ran up and down her spine. She was completely speechless.
"I thought... I thought you might die," Erk said into her ear. "Why did you do something so stupid?"
Serra was so surprised. Erk- dark, secretive Erk- was hugging her? She never thought this would ever happen. Especially not to her. She just sat there, not knowing what to think about it, while she fumbled with her words. "W-well... I don't... really know..."
Erk only held her tighter. "I'm just so glad you're okay."
Serra's face grew warm, and her eyes grew wide. A smile played on her lips. Warmth spread throughout her entire body. Her heart started beating triple time.
What a pleasant feeling... she thought as she wrapped her arms around him.
Erk couldn't believe he was doing this. Serra, the girl he thought he had no patience for, the one who kept saying that he was infatuated by her, really was the girl he was infatuated with. The irony was too great. A day ago, he hated even being close to her. Now, it seemed like being close to her was all he wanted to do. He buried his face in her neck, reveling in the warmth she was giving off. He closed his eyes. All he wanted to do is hold her... All he wanted to do...
"I knew you loved me!" she said, completely shattering the moment.
Erk's eyes snapped open. Irritation began creeping into his mind. He pulled away from her, blushing deeply. "I said no such thing."
"Don't deny it! You love me! I bet you always have!" Serra declared, smiling widely.
Erk contemplated just saying the truth, but decided against it. "...Rubbish."
Serra squealed. "I knew it! Your denial completely states the obvious!"
A vein in his forehead throbbed as the familiar feeling of irritation came back. But a thought entered his head, making him very curious. "Even if I did- not saying I do-" he began, "why do you care so much?"
Once that question slipped out of his mouth, Serra immediately stopped, hesitant.
A moment passed as she thought about the question. Erk shuffled impatiently in his seat. Can't she just answer the question?
Then, she lifted her chin and said confidently, "Because perhaps I might just love you, too."
Erk stared at her, a smile threatening to overtake his mouth. He couldn't believe how happy that single sentence just made him. Sure, Serra was an over-confident, obnoxious, loud, arrogant girl, but she was not a liar. He wanted to hold her again, to whisper in her ear that he really did love her, to tell her that he will always protect her no matter what...
"Oh, no!" the cleric suddenly said.
"What?" Erk asked, wanting to know desperately what was wrong.
"I completely forgot about Hector and Eliwood! Once they find out that I'm in love with you they will be crushed!" Serra said, her face actually horrified. "Not only them, but everyone else in the army! Oh, those poor men! They will all be so heartbroken!"
And then the irritation came back. Again. "I wouldn't worry too much about that."
"You might not care so much, but I am after all the object of their affections! Why, they all might just charge headlong into battle just so that they can be killed from their grief of losing me!"
"I really wouldn't worry too much about that," Erk said, trying to control his irritation.
"I need to figure out a way to break the news to everyone gently..." Serra said. She looked up at Erk. "Get me water. I could think better if I had something to drink."
Erk gaped at her. She still treats me like this? Even though we just... He couldn't even finish the thought. He only looked away and said. "I am not your servant."
"C'mon, Erk. Even though we love each other, I am your superior. You should still obey all of my orders without question," Serra said, matter-of-factly. "Now, go on. Get me water."
"...Fine." Erk got up, and started to leave the room. As he approached the door, he seriously contemplated leaving and not even coming back. He knew she would be bounding up to him tomorrow, complaining about his negligence, but it was better to get some reprieve from her overpowering personality, right?
He looked back. The look on her face when she saw him glance back at her was all the answer he needed.
He knew he'd be back. Because even though she was obnoxious, loud, talkative, brash, thick-headed, and really arrogant...
"I know I'm beautiful, Erk, but I'm thirsty!" She made shooing motions with her hands. "Go and get me water!"
...he was enslaved to her. Like she always said he was.
Rolling his eyes at her audacity he turned and left the room.
You know, he thought. In a way, she is awfully cute.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
A/N: Hmm... not too sure about the ending.
And I'm not sure I captured their personalities well enough either...
I think the fight scenes need more work...
And maybe I should work on my emotions too...
But enough of what I think! How about you guys? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Wanna vomit on it? I love hearing other people's opinions!
So, if this story goes well, I think I'm gonna start posting up more one-shots on Fire Emblem couples. They're a huge help on inspiration and that's exactly what I need right now. Especially since I wanna get back into writing my Golden Sun fic that I discontinued... I need all the inspiration I can get.
But not only are these one-shots good inspiration, they're super fun to write, too! :)
And did I ever tell you I love this pairing? Serra's one of my favorite characters! :)