Part 3: Sir Percival
At first he wasn't sure how he felt about her, other than the fact she sells the best apples and her eyes are the exact shade of cinnamon.
He always sees her in the marketplace, her cart right in between the baker who sells the softest bread and the old woman with a gleaming gold tooth and an array of odd trinkets from faraway places that he's never heard of.
Lately, he finds that he's been gravitating towards that corner of the street. No longer content with asking Elyan to grab him an apple when he goes on his break, Percival decided venture over there himself to meet the girl whose family owns an orchard on the outskirts of Camelot.
He watched her as he approached, feeling his nervousness grow as she smiled and waved him over. She didn't look particularly beautiful – not like those Princesses that stayed in the palace. But there was always something cold and untouchable about those young women, a sense of falsity and overly polite mannerisms that made Percival feel like an uncultured brute. So, he surmised, as he looked at her brown eyes, brown hair that hung below her shoulders, brown tattered dress and her set of slightly crooked teeth; there was something lovely about her humble countenance and the way the corners of her eyes crinkled slightly when she smiled.
They talk for a little while – short and stilted introductions where Percival soon realises that she knows a lot about him while he knows almost nothing about her (other than the apples, of course). They talk about her parents orchard and Percival's lack of armoured sleeves (which she declares is "very dangerous" and "frankly strange") and he finds that he hasn't laughed so much in such a long time. Before he realises it, a young guard comes and finds him with the reminder that sword training is almost set to begin.
He bids her goodbye, accepting the apple that she forcibly pressed into his hand. He is about to leave with a brief word of thanks when she speaks up just as he turns to go.
"Will I see you tomorrow?" she asks shyly, an undeniable smattering of hope colouring her voice.
He shrugs nonchalantly, trying his best to act casual and not at all flustered "Well, I have training and patrols…"
She waves her hands wildly, her cheeks colouring "Oh, I only meant if you had time! Not that you should feel obligated to come and see me or anything…" she trails off awkwardly.
Percival shifts the weight on his feet, evaluating what he should say. Contrary to popular belief, he was not use to the attention that women offered. Sometimes, the other knights would take him to tavern just to watch his face turn red when one of the more brazen young ladies would try to garner his attention. Once, a lovely woman full of sinful smiles and dark glances trailed her cold palms up his arms, catching him unaware. He ended up jumping from the shock, sending the woman (who was sitting on his lap, without permission) tumbling to the ground. It was fair to say that no amount of Percival's awkward apologies relieved the woman of her intense humiliation, and he wasn't at all surprised when he never saw her come over again.
But this girl, Priah, he thinks her name is, is quite different from the woman at the bar even though he barely knows her. But there are some things that he has gained from his apple visit and his routine lurking around the markets, and he's surprised to find that she's oddly endearing.
She's so unsure of herself and full of nervous habits, such as the way she would shred the hem of her sleeves out of nervousness around him. He noticed the way that she spoke, unfiltered and honest but lacking grace and subtlety. She's perhaps one of the least eloquent people he's even met in his life and yet he feels like he could be friends with someone like her. A kind and honest person who smiles like she means it and is interesting without trying too hard to be.
He glances up at her, realising that he had been silent in thought for a few moments too long. Holding up the apple she gave him earlier with a grin, he thanks her and gives her an honest reply of "I'll try to visit if I can".
She nods in response, looking a little embarrassed but quite pleased as she wipes her hands on the front of her worn apron "See you later then Percy!"
He turns away, heading back up to Camelot castle. It's not until he's in the midst of annihilating a young knight in training does he realise she called him Percy.
A/N: Majorly long wait, I know! Hopefully you liked Percival's little chapter anyway - review if you can?
Also, whose chapter/section do you like the most so far? I'm curious...
Love, DecoyDream x