Chapter 4: Erk's Tragedy
"Lady Louise?" Nino called as she knocked on the door.
"Just a minute." Lord Pent's voice sounded. A moment later, Lord Pent opened the door. "Can I help you, Nino?" He asked, looking somewhat confused.
"I, uh... talk about Erk?" She squeaked. All of a sudden she wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about it.
"Sure, come on in." He let her inside. Lady Louise was sat at their ornate desk.
"Something wrong with Erk?" Lady Louise asked.
"I think... he has a girl he likes." Nino mumbled. Lady Louise let out what was clearly an involuntary laugh. Nino frowned slightly. "Who is... Ella?" At the mention of the name, the room went deathly silent. The air became so heavy that even water would have been crushed. "Did I say something bad?" Nino asked, worried.
"Ella is..." Lord Pent sighed. "We prefer not to talk about it. But I suppose..."
"She likes Erk, Pent." Lady Louise told her husband. "And he likes her, too. I think we should tell her."
"H-he likes me?" Nino gasped.
"Of course, dear." Lady Louise grinned. "He doesn't normally keep people near him. You and Ella are the only people he's ever been close to."
"Who is Ella?" Nino was eager to know, but she wasn't sure why.
"Ella was..." Pent frowned. "Well, she used Light magic. She and Erk got along really well."
"That's not entirely accurate, dear." Louise said to him. "They were infatuated with each other." She sighed, her expression saddening. "It was love. Couldn't have been anything else."
"Oh." Nino sighed. "So, where is..." She stopped at the expressions on Pent and Louise's faces. "Uh..."
"Ella died." Pent mumbled. "We sent her Wandering six years ago. I knew it was too early, but she was an exceptional magic user, and Monks and Priestesses are supposed to Wander early." He sat down, wringing his hands. "She earned a name for herself pretty quickly, even though she was only a teenager. But, her reputation was too big. She was hunted and killed. So we were told, but they never found her body." Nino gasped and blanched at this.
"Do you... know who did it?" She managed to ask, then regretted it. It was insensitive. Pent and Louise stared at her with pained expressions.
"The Black Fang." Pent sighed. Nino shuddered, and felt horrified. Her father's group had killed Erk's love!
"I'm... I'm so sorry." She whispered.
"It's alright. You didn't kill her." Pent told the girl. Nino still felt bad. How did Erk feel, teaching someone from the people who killed his first love? Being with one of the people all the time? It must be painful for him.
"B-but still..."
"But nothing." Louise asserted. "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself for it."
"I was with the Black Fang, though! Why is Erk being so nice to me when I-"
"Because you are nothing like the rest of them." Pent cut in. "He knows that you didn't kill Ella. He likes you, Nino. Don't mention Ella to him, though."
"Erk was so crushed when he heard." Louise said sadly. "He didn't think he could cope without Ella. A couple of weeks after, he buried himself in his studies. He did nothing else. Did he tell about the picture book?" Nino nodded. "Okay. He collapsed because he hardly ate or slept. Just studied almost non-stopped. He tried so, so hard to take his mind off Ella." She had started crying. Nino was crying, too.
"I'm sorry I asked." Nino sobbed. "I shouldn't have-"
"We needed to talk about it." Pent said, clearly fighting back tears. "And some day, Erk will, too. Will you listen when he does?"
"Of-of course." Nino assured him.
"Don't try to replace Ella, though." Pent warned the young Mage. "You can't, and Erk will know that you're trying to. Just keep being yourself."
"Alright."
"You should get to bed." Pent said, walking to and opening the door. "Please don't mention any of this to Erk."
"I won't." Nino walked out, feeling miserble. She wished she'd never asked about Ella. She slowly made her way to her room.
-
The next day, a loud banging woke Nino up. Followed by a girlish scream. Nino wondered what was happening, that would make someone scream in this place.
"Probably a magic accident..." Nino grumbled, rubbing her eyes. The scream sounded again, making Nino jolt into a seated position. Then, there was shouting. Nino couldn't distinguish any words, but a girl was yelling. Then a pounding of feet. Someone was running, and someone was following them.
"Get back here!" The voice shot past Nino's bedroom door. Nino yanked the door open, and peered down the corridor. A wisp of pink hair fluttered around the corner.
"Pst. Is she gone?" Erk's voice whispered from somewhere next to Nino.
"E-Erk? Where are-?"
"Down here." Nino looked down, and saw Erk hiding behind the pot plant outside Nino's door. He looked very strange, scrunched up behind the plant, trying not to be seen. "Can I come inside? Quickly, before it comes back."
"S-sure..." Nino stepped in her room, holding the door open. Erk flew inside, then slammed the door closed. "What's going on?" Nino asked Erk.
"Stupid's here." Erk growled. "I don't know why, but for some reason she came here."
"Stupid?" Nino asked, confused.
"Serra." Erk said the name with extreme hatred. "The moment she saw me, she started chasing me, declaring her 'undying love' for me." He shuddered.
"L-love?" Nino gasped. Serra loved Erk? Would she take Erk away from-? She shook her head, telling herself to stop thinking like that. Erk was running away from Serra! Clearly he wasn't interested in her love.
"You okay, Nino?" Erk asked her. Nino nodded vigorously, still trying to dispel the foolish thoughts. "R-right." He sighed deeply. "I need to eat, though." He growled, his stomach mimicking him. Nino couldn't help but giggle. "But I'm too scared to go out there."
"Scared? Of Serra? She's only a cleric, Erk." Nino told him. Erk looked at her, a strange smile on his face. He then moved his long hair to one side, showing a large bruise on his neck. "Oh my... who...? Serra did that?"
"Yup. If she could use a proper weapon, she would have been more useful on that great journey we all had." He sighed again, his stomach growling louder. "Oh, I need fooood..." He whined.
"Do... do you want me to fetch you some?" Nino offered.
"Would you? I don't want to make you do that, but I'd be really grateful!" Erk looked relieved.
"I'll do it." Nino said happily. "I'll be about twenty minutes, okay?" She stepped outside.
"Mage-girl!" Serra's voice shattered the calm air. "Uh... Nino! That's it!" Serra flew toward Nino, who took an involuntary step back. "Have you seen Erky?" Serra asked.
"Erky?" Nino almost choked. Serra already had a pet name for him! "No, I haven't. Wasn't he running away from you?"
"Yeah, he was. Playing hard to get. But now I can't find him!" She sighed. "Why won't he accept me? All he ever does is run away."
"I'm... not sure." Nino replied carefully. "Anyway, I'm going to eat. I'm sure Lord Pent would let you join-"
"No! I need to find Erky! I can't be without him!"
"Well... good luck then." She said. Her stomach growled. Perfect timing. She thought. "Well, I'm really hungry, so I'm going to go, okay?"
"Fine. If you see Erk, bring him to me, okay?" She walked away.
"Yeah, right." Nino hissed, stomping toward the dining room.
-
"Is something wrong?" Pent asked Nino a short while later.
"Yeah." Nino growled. "She's here."
"You mean Lady Serra?" Pent asked. Nino nodded. "She's here on official business. She is supposed to collect some legal papers, and a few Mages, and escort them back to Ostia."
"She's chasing Erk instead." Nino grimaced at the thought.
"Ah, I see." Pent chuckled. "I didn't think of you as the jealous type."
"I-I'm not jealous!" Nino gasped, leaping to her feet. "It-it's just that Erk doesn't like it, a-and..." She blushed, and sat back down. The door opened, making Pent, Louise and Nino look. Erk was peering inside.
"Stu- I mean, Serra's not here, is she?" He asked.
"No, she's not." Nino told him.
"Oh, good." Erk said, relief evident in his voice. He closed the door, then sat at the table. "I got too hungry to wait any more, so I risked going outside."
"I'm glad you made it okay." Nino said, smiling. Pent and Louise were staring at each other, smiling a little.
"Me too." Erk sighed. "Cooks! My meal!" Erk called.
"Erky!!" Serra's voice screeched from the door.
"Shit!" Erk gasped, scrambling to his feet, knocking the chair over.
"Why d'you keep running away? I love you, Erky! Could you at least talk to me?" She dashed over to him. "I love you more than anything in the whole world! I want to be with you! Please stop running." She grabbed his hands. "Erky, I-"
"Get off him!!" Nino's voice blasted through the air. Nino dashed to Serra, and pulled her roughly away from Erk. "Take a hint, Serra! He's not interested!"
"Don't you dare talk to me like that!" Serra snapped. "I love my Erky, and I want to be with him, and-"
"He doesn't want you!!" Nino howled. Pent and Louise continued their meal in silence, watching the debacle unfold. "So just leave him alone!"
"I will do anything it takes to win him over!" Serra screamed. "I won't let you get in my way! You're not even a rival for his affection, so butt out!"
"That'll do." Erk said quietly. "Serra, leave now. We're trying to enjoy a meal."
"Then, could I sit with you?" Serra asked, suddenly sounding sweet and innocent. Erk sighed heavily.
"If Lord Pent says so, I cannot stop you. But I-"
"Can I, Lord Pent?" Serra asked, turning to the Marquess of Reglais.
"I suppose." Pent sighed.
"Yay! Thank you so much!" She sat Erk down on his chair, and sat on his knee. Nino growled with rage. "Bring me a chair!" She snapped to one of the nearby maids. One of them bowed, and left.
"Get. Off. Erk's. Knee!" Nino hissed, each word getting louder and more agressive.
"No." Serra huffed. "This is where a woman belongs. On her man's lap." She wrapped her arms around Erk. "And Erky is my man." She grinned wickedly at Nino, who seethed and scowled. Then, without thinking, or even planning to, Nino grabbed one of Serra's pigtails, and pulled it as hard as she could. Serra screeched in pain, then fell backwards off Erk's knee. "You bitch!" She shouted. "Why'd you do that?"
"Erk doesn't want you!" Nino told her. "Get it through your head!"
"You sound like a broken record." Serra glowered at her. "He needs time to get to like me, that's all."
"He's never liked you, Serra. He's hated you from the start! He-" She stopped when Erk wrapped his arms around her.
"That's enough." He said quietly to Nino. "You're ruining my image of you."
"Erk, I..." Nino blushed.
"Thank you for trying to help me, but I don't like seeing you so violent. Please, calm down." He guided her to her seat, and sat her down.
"E-Erky..." Serra started.
"Serra, what Nino says is true. I don't care for you in that way. You were my employer once, but no more. And you were a rubbish employer, too. Getting us constantly lost, almost getting me killed on several occasions, and commanding me like some sort of slave." He frowned at the memories. "I have no interest in being with you."
"But, Erky... I can change! Honest, I can! If it's for you, I'll do anything!"
"Then leave me be, Serra." Erk sighed. "I'm not going to be your partner. Friends, maybe, but no more than that."
"Is... there someone else?" Serra asked, sounding like she was about to cry. Erk placed a hand on Nino's shoulder. Nino gasped and blushed a bright red, and Serra actually started to cry. "I... I see..." She sobbed. Nino felt a sudden rush of happiness. Erk wanted her!
"I'm sorry, Serra." Erk said quietly. Serra fled from the dining room. The maid who was bringing her chair didn't look to please about having to take it back. Erk sat down in his own chair, and a cook placed a meal in front of him. "Thank you." He said politely.
"Quite a lunch-time show." Louise noted.
"Indeed." Pent agreed. The two were looking at Erk and Nino, glancing back and forth between the two.
"I'm just not ready to be in a relationship right now." Erk said, shrugging. "I'm still trying to get over Ella."
"But..." Nino began. Why did he put his hand on my shoulder? Was it just to chase Serra off?
"Sorry, Nino. I didn't mean to put my hand on your shoulder. I'm used to resting my hand on things; tables, chairs and stuff. I meant to put in on the chair, but it landed on your shoulder. I didn't mean to suggest that I was after you." He sighed deeply. "I'm sorry."
"It's... okay.' Nino replied, her sudden elation plummeting into sadness.
I get the feeling I might be going a bit too far with this… please tell me if you think so, too.