Erk, Serra, Priscilla - The Triangle of Love
By Davis(Davis3 on FFN)
Chapter 3: A Man to Man Talk with Raven

Note: I said that the Priscilla x Erk pairing would be the focus of this chapter and I am keeping my word on it. Also, you might see another pairing that may surprise you. Again, thanks for the reviews.

Erk, Serra, Priscilla – The Triangle of Love

Later that night, I ventured out of my tent in order to find Raven and speak with him about Priscilla. I never have talked with him before so I don't know what he's like. Hmmm....maybe I ought to ask someone about him first before I see him. I mean, I don't want to get on his bad side or anything as asking about Priscilla may make him do....regrettable things. It wasn't that late out, yet most of our group were in their tents, doing their own things, and the only ones outside were those who were on guard duty and if that wasn't the case then who knows why they were out.

I walked by the tent of our tactician and standing guard was Sain. Cheerful fellow he was, yet his mind was always focused on women. He often flirted with just about every woman in our group, including those who wish to be in love with me. Personally, I don't know why he does what he does, but one thing is certain with Sain....he knows how to do his job well. Flirting that is, as his guard duties are something left to be desired. All I did was wave to him and continued on my way. He didn't wave back as he was too interested in what was going on in the tent, but that was not my concern.

" Erk....what are you doing out at this time of night?" I spun around and saw Lucius standing behind me. He was like me, a magic user by trade, but I was a mage and yet he was a monk....an acolyte, one who uses the magic of light. I met him during Lyn's troubles with her granduncle, yet for some reason, his appearance has its questions. Some people say that he is a female, others a male. I could never really tell the difference so I just call him Lucius and try to stay away from the gender confusion that he has.

" I'm looking for someone." I told him.

" Who?" he asked me.

Then it dawned on me, like a discovery would do. Lucius often traveled around with Raven as they seem to be good friends. If there was anyone out there who knew about Raven other than Priscilla, it would be this guy for sure. " I am looking for the man named Raven for I need to ask him some questions." I said to Lucius.

" He is over by that fire." Lucius answered. How about that? He was a lot closer than I thought he was. I felt rather stupid for asking where he was for he was so close, but at least I got an answer.

" Lucius....do you....know much about Raven?" Look at who I am asking this question to! Of course he would much about Raven....maybe more than I need to know, but he should know nonetheless. He paced about for a moment before turning to answer me.

" He can be rather stubborn and he isn't much of a talker. If you want to speak with him, I could help you. I was on my way to see him anyway, so you might say that we both have business with him." And my business was different than whatever his was going to be. Raven was just sitting by the fire, staring at it when we approached him. He said nothing as we sat down by the fire.

" Lucius...."

" Yes, Lord Raven."

" Who is this?"

" He is a mage named Erk and he wishes to ask you some questions."

" You....the mage. Yes you....you're not here to ask about my past are you?" This was a real awkward moment for me, as I had heard from Priscilla a while back that Raven was rather secretive about his past and yet he'd lash out against those who went too far in asking about. Yet, I had to take this path as it was necessary to learn about Priscilla.

" No, not exactly." Was all I could reply.

" Then what do you want?" Raven asked.

" I....need to know about Priscilla." I answered. For a moment, I thought Raven was going to freak out when I asked that question, but all he did was relax, took a deep breath and began to talk.

" She has told me that you were the one who was her escort, right?" He began. I nodded my head in response. " So, you already know about her, yet you only know what you see on the outside, but not what is on the inside. Before I continue, why do you wish to know about her so much?" I explained to him that she was in love with me, along with Serra and that I needed to know as much about as I could before making a decision. Lucius just listened in on everything and as for Raven? He stared at me with a cold, heartless look, but then smiled and resumed.

" If that is the case, then I will tell you as much as I can. To start with, in case you may or may not know, we are brother and sister. I think our resemblances towards one another is very obvious to even someone like you. My sister....she is what she has always been and that is a princess, or a lady, whichever one works for you. But, she was always the shy one. Priscilla often had trouble speaking to other people, and she struggles to say the right words, but she does mean well." Raven said.

At last, I understood why she had trouble saying things from her heart. In my past conversations with her, she always appeared to be wanting to say something, but couldn't, but I never really knew that was the case.

" I still have more to tell you mage, so you'd better listen! Priscilla....she often hides her true feelings from others....even me. She says that she's fine, but in truth she isn't. Also, don't make her upset as she can't withstand that sort of thing much. I learned that if you allow her to have her way, she'll be in a happy mood." Raven said. That was something about her I never knew before. Having her own way makes her happy?

" Is that a wise thing to do for her?" I asked.

" She rarely asks to do things her own way and prefers to follow the directions and ideas of other people. Also, she is very caring towards other people, including those she doesn't know, and she doesn't seem to have any concerns of her own safety. I do worry about her, but she says that she'll be fine. You do know about her healing skills don't you mage?" He asked me. I nodded my approval, yet I wish he wouldn't call me mage. It sounds so informal. " She is renowned for her healing skills, but doesn't fare too well in battle, even for a magic user. One thing about her that makes even me slightly annoyed is....how she is seen around other people." Raven? Annoyed with his sister? What's the world coming to? Oh wait, he said only slightly, so that's no cause for alarm.

" Mage....the way Priscilla speaks to me is her normal way of speaking, but when she speaks to others....it is as though she were trying to forget about something, or at least trying to ignore it and pretend it were not existing." Now that Raven mentions it, Priscilla has been seen as being in a daydreamer mode....at least, that's what I call it. Before I could thank Raven, Lucius interrupted with something of his own.

" I forgot to mention it, but Priscilla can be mean, if you talk to her the wrong way. I say this for that is what happened the last we spoke to one another." That bit from Lucius made me ponder for a second. Was it meant to be a warning? Or maybe it was the fact that he did something to offend her? As I got up to say my thanks, I had to ask Lucius one little question, one that had been bugging me since I first sat down.

" Lucius....I need to know....what is your relationship with Raven?" There! I said it as seeing them together made me uneasy.

" We both travel together as mercenary's and besides, he is my Lord and I must go wherever he goes." That really made a lot of sense....okay, not really, but I will take his word for it. As I walked back to my tent, Priscilla came out from the shadows and stood before me. No doubt she had listened in on my conversation with Raven. Or, maybe she was just out for a walk and happened to find me.

" Oh? Um....Erk...." She sounded rather nervous, something that Raven mentioned.

" Lady....I mean, Priscilla." I sounded foolish as I had forgotten that she suggested that I call her Priscilla and not lady.

" Did you overhear everything?" She slowly nodded her head and for a second I felt cold. How could I face her, knowing that I inquired to know all that I could from her brother? Priscilla just stood there and spoke not a single word.

" Priscilla?"

" About....what happened between Serra and myself. I acted so foolishly that I've gotten you caught in our arguments over which of us should be in love with you. I didn't mean to drag you into this, but when I saw Serra, something inside of me just snapped and I unleashed my anger out on her, and I had no right to do that. Erk, if you don't want to see me anytime soon, I understand." As she began to walk away, I grabbed her hand, forcing her to stop for a second.

" You have done nothing wrong Priscilla. Both you and Serra show affection towards me for each of you have been in my company for some time. I don't see you as being someone being the type to cause trouble. Rather, I see you as someone of kindness and caring." I told her.

" Do you mean that?" she asked.

" I do." Priscilla then turned around and faced me once more.

" Erk, you know that both Serra and I love you right? I overheard what you and Serra spoke of earlier, and I wish to say my thoughts of you. My love to you was unexpected at first, but as you continued my service, you did so much for me. You were always concerned about me, much more than yourself and I found that to be so very sweet. From that moment on, whenever I saw you, I could only think of you and no one else."

" It was my duty to protect you," I said.

" And I know that, yet even after my contract with you was expired, you remained with me anyway. That made me so happy." It was like Raven said, if she had her own way, she would be happy. I had to admit, that when I said I'd stick around to protect her, I felt similar affections towards her. Priscilla is the very opposite of Serra, and at the same time, both of them are very similar. Each of them has their own qualities that I like and don't like, and I will strive to understand them all in time.

" Erk....I can't hide my affections of you any longer. This is the same with Serra is it not?"

" That is true."

" I see....then I will say this before I return to my tent. Erk....I have shown affections towards you for quite some and now, I reveal them to you. I want you to always be my side, for I love you with all my heart....yet right now, this cannot happen." Priscilla said as she held my hands. This made me blush and her eyes sparkled like nothing I have ever seen before. " I agree with Serra that you need some time in order to choose one of us, and like her, I shall not persuade you in anyway. Well....goodnight." Priscilla then gave me a kiss on the cheek before heading off towards her tent. As I watched her walk away, I realized that both she and Serra would be wonderful to be in love with, but I need more time to choose.

Already, I had gained valuable insights on both of them, yet I knew that much more information was needed. Serra has her charm and wild attitude, and Priscilla is sweet and gentle....and then there was me. My attitude was one of seriousness and being uptight. I took things too seriously and had a lack of fun in my footsteps. That doesn't sound like good match-ups on either side, but it will have to do I suppose. As I walked back to my tent for the night, images of that kiss from Priscilla filled my head. Starting tomorrow, both she and Serra will wish to see me again to further express their affections with me. I just hope that whatever happens, it doesn't end up with the two them getting into an argument.

End of Chapter 3.

Note: And there you go, the Priscilla x Erk pairing for those of you who are fans of it. I actually came up with a way to make things more interesting. Can you imagine Erk, Serra and Priscilla together in one place with no one else? Who knows what they'll do, that is Serra and Priscilla....let's find out....in the next chapter.

I just had to mention about Sain and I kind of touched up on the relationship between Raven and Lucius, seeing as how that pairing is quite popular these days.

Also, I noticed that one of the reviews(yes I do read your feedback as I enjoy it) appears to be a flame towards me, at least in my view. I suppose that a flame was bound to come up some time. I guess some people just can't be please. Don't worry, I won't let this comment weaken me at all.

R&R Please, and thank you.

--Davis--