Erk, Serra, Priscilla - The Triangle of Love
By Davis(Davis3 on FFN)
Chapter 8: To Please a Princess
Note: Now that it is summer....I have so much free time to continue with this love story, which seems to get more and more intense....for Erk that is. I read your suggestions about what Erk should do in terms of owing Priscilla and I have come up something along those lines.
Maybe Serra will help Erk like Priscilla did in the previous chapter....you'll have to read on to find out.
Erk, Serra, Priscilla - The Triangle of Love
" That was nice of her to do that for you, and I am grateful to both you and her, but if you really think about it, you now owe her big." Those words from Serra's lips kept me up for the remainder of the night. Priscilla had gone out of her way to help me, and now I must do something for her. It is the right and proper thing to do in a situation like this. It did make me think about one concept. Just a few days ago, both Priscilla and Serra were at each other's throats trying to win me over, and now it appears that they are at peace with the other's company.
People can really change if you allow them the opportunity to do so. Giving Serra that yellow gem has given her new life and new feelings towards and it is that which I owe Priscilla. I do not understand where and how she obtained that jewel, but that is not the point right now. Pleasing Serra was easy as she often bragged about her love of jewelry and I must admit....seeing her face when she wakes up and goes about bragging about her new jewel will make me happy as well. Now, as for Priscilla....she never really mentioned about what she loves, so owing her will not be so easy.
I do owe her, that I shall not deny, but what could I do for her? Give her a gift like I did for Serra? Hmmm....I'd have to ask her about that, without appearing as being too obvious. Maybe I could teach her magic? She is a Troubadour and magic will come to her naturally as she is a healer and that is a form of magic so that will not do. Take her sightseeing? No....that idea will never work as we cannot abandon the tactician and the others just for our own pleasure. So many ideas, yet all involve some kind of risk.
As the sun came up, my eyes could barely stay open. I had not slept at all due to thinking about Priscilla and what I could do for her. I needed some sleep, but I could not do so as today happened to be one of those missions the tactician enjoyed giving to us. Normally, he selects only a few to carry them out and everyone else stays in camp. I shuddered at the thought of being selected for a mission. In my condition and problem? Yet, I could not protest, else face the wraith of Hector.
He is very demanding and refusing him is not a wise decision to make. I have already seen what he is capable of, with and without a temper. Enough about him though as Priscilla is the one my mind must focus on. At that moment, Serra popped her head into my tent. She was wearing her new jewel around her neck with glee, but her expression did not match. " Serra....why the sad face?" I asked her.
" You know that today is "Mission Day" right?" she asked.
" How can anyone forget it?" I moaned.
" I came here to tell you that the tactician has picked you as one of the participants and it was insisted by Lord Hector. I guess our love triangle has made him wary of you and he thinks you have been lagging. I protested for you, but to no avail. I know you wanted to do something for Priscilla, but I guess it has to wait now." Serra looked as though she were about to cry. She felt sorry for me more than ever.
" I've been trying to think of someway to please her...but my mind is blank." I said.
" Why don't you give Priscilla something simple, like a flower, or maybe even a bunch of flowers. She is a princess and she may enjoy the scent and fragrance of flowers from the countryside. It's just a thought in case you needed some ideas. By the way, you look terrible. Did you get sleep like I asked you to?" I explained to her that I could not sleep and I gave her my reasons before running outside of my tent in a hurry....but not before giving Serra a quick kiss on the cheek.
She had given me an idea to go with and it actually worked well with this mission. I soon reached the tactician's tent to find only him and Hector standing there. I mentioned nothing to either of them and waited for whoever else was selected for this "mission". It turned out that only 5 people got chosen for this job: Hector, Kent, Oswin, Sain, and myself. Why the tactician made such choices is beyond my knowledge, but we all trust his judgment. Our mission was to enter a nearby field and scout it out for any enemy forces.
At first, I felt really bad as I had more important things to do than perform a simple patrol, but when the tactician showed us which field he was referring to....my heart nearly jumped out on its own. The field contained a vast array of flowers....so may colours and so many different shapes and sizes to choose from. This would be the perfect way to give Priscilla something as a means of thanks for helping me. The only problem was that Hector would get suspicious if he knew what I was doing, so I had to make sure that he doesn't figure it out.
It turns out that I wound up being partnered with Sain, which in my opinion was a good thing....in a way. I could go about my business picking flowers for Priscilla without being bothered by Hector and in case he does come to check on me; I have a good alibi. I told Sain the reasons behind picking up flowers. I had to tell him as he asked me why I of all people would be picking up flowers. I made sure that I didn't tell him all of the details as I knew Sain rather well. He was a ladies man, according to him and he constantly woos at every woman he meets. I find that rather unnecessary, but it is what he enjoys doing.
" So, from what you've told me....you're picking flowers for a certain someone?" Sain asked me. I did not mention Priscilla or Serra in case he goes after them and does his wooing thing so I simply nodded my head. " In that case, try those flowers over there. I'm sure that she'll like them." I guess when it comes to the ladies, Sain is an expert, but he never seems to succeed. I will not tell him that bit, else I may hurt his feelings. The mission was not as difficult as the tactician said it would be, but why would he make us do something like this? It was not for me to question, but it did have me thinking for a while.
As I picked the flowers, I thought about Priscilla and what kinds of flowers she may like, but then another problem reared its ugly head. How do I get these flowers past Hectors' eyes? If he sees me with these, he'll make me do things I'd never think of doing. Sigh....why does love have to be so difficult?
" Do you have enough flowers?" Sain asked me.
" I do....but how do I get these back to camp without our local lord from noticing?" Sain's face lit up, which meant he had an idea coming. " You're the kind of person who doesn't carry flowers around with him. I on the other hand, am common with such a thing. I'll tell you what, I'll carry them for you and claim to Lord Hector that I'm picking flowers for one of the ladies. He'll no doubt get furious, but your neck will be spared." Sain's idea sounded crazy, but I felt that I had to owe him something as well. I decided to ask about it. At first, Sain didn't give me an answer, but he then spoke up. " Owe me a favor? Come now....what do you take me for? You owe me nothing at all....except 50 gold for carrying them for you." I had a feeling there was going to be a price, but to please Priscilla, it was something I had no choice over.
I paid Sain the gold, which was a part of the gold left over from that "incident" and he took the flowers from me and placed them in a special pouch on the side of his horse. The way he did it made me feel comfortable knowing that the flowers were in capable hands. Too bad that the mission was an all-day affair as I wished it had ended sooner. My eyes were ready to go to sleep for an entire week, but it was my determination that kept me awake.
" Our mission was a complete success." Hector said as we returned to camp. I saw him speak to the others who came on the mission and my heart began to beat faster when he approached Sain. All I could hear were comments about the flowers and that was it. Sain rode away from Hector who then came over to me. He had no angry expression about him, but he didn't look very happy. " I wanted you to come on this mission in order to get some training done. You've been lacking as of late Erk and I won't allow that in this army. But....it was an easy mission don't you think?"
" I did find it a tad easy Lord Hector." I answered.
" The tactician was way too serious about it, but I can understand that. He wanted to test our skills and it proved to be a good teaching. You don't look so good Erk. Have you been getting your rest? I order you to go to bed right now!" Hector told me as he turned to head for his tent. For a moment, I thought it was going to be much worse than that, but like I said....people can change. Sain then found me a short while later and handed me the flowers I picked for Priscilla and he even wrapped them up....something I did not think of. I gave him my thanks and walked towards Priscilla's tent.
" You got her flowers after all didn't you?" asked Serra for she was walking by Priscilla's tent and saw me.
" It was not as easy as you might think Serra." I said.
" Well, I'll leave you to handle it, but you look really exhausted. Just don't fall asleep for a while longer and you'll be fine. By the way, I've been showing off my new gem and everyone is in awe of it. I feel so much happier now." Serra said as she continued on her way. I knew she could not resist the urge to show off that gem. I walked into Priscilla's tent and she was busy writing something in her diary, or journal, or whatever it was. My footsteps forced her to turn around and I hid the flowers behind my back just in time.
" Erk...."
" Priscilla...."
" Did Serra enjoy the gift?" she asked with that soothing voice of hers.
" Serra loved it, but I have to ask, even though it really is not necessary. Where did you get that jewel from?" Priscilla thought about it for a moment before giving me an answer.
" It was given to me long ago by my family and I was told to give it to the one person who deserved it the most. I know what Serra and I have done in the past when we did those things, but now we are seeing eye to eye. I wanted to see the both of you happy....even if it meant my love for you would be for naught."
" You're still a part of my love life, and I still need more time, but I am getting closer to that big decision each day that passes. Before I forget, these are for you, as a token of thanks for helping me with Serra and an expression of my love to you." I showed her the lowers and handed them to her. Never had I seen Priscilla's face react the way it did. She was on the urge of screaming with joy, but she did not do so and instead smelt the flowers before placing them on her bed.
" You didn't have to do this you know." She said.
" I had to....for my own personal reasons." I answered.
" If you insist and they are very lovely. I really appreciate this Erk." Before she could say another word, I decided to kiss her on the cheek and leave her surprised instead of the other way around. As I left her tent, she was blushing and looked as though she were in a dream. As I returned to my tent in good spirits, Hector approached me once again and his expression was the same it was the last time, only his eyes showed me great anger....or frustration.
End of Chapter 8.
Note: An odd cliffhanger wouldn't you say? Hector seems to be bent on giving Erk a hard time, but you can't really blame him can you? This chapter focused on the Erk x Priscilla pairing, so for those of you who like this pairing, you can put your swords away now and relax for a while. So far, each chapter has had the participants of the love triangle involved, but what if Chapter 9 did not follow suit, so to speak? Think about it for a while and all will be revealed.
Please R&R
--Davis--