Third: By Any other Name

Percival sat brooding by the lake long after Lilly had stormed off. He had to think of a way to show her that he truly did care about her. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, but he did know that it would be worth it in the end. In that one moment, he had seen Lilly just as she was, and he loved what he saw. He was determined to show her this, no matter what.

But he knew he couldn't push it too fast too soon. He would have to show simple acts of kindness first, and go from there. And the most simple act he could think of would be to give her a flower. But it couldn't be just any flower. It had to be special, just like her. Just like her…

-

He couldn't help but grin as he set down his gift in front of Lilly's door. He couldn't wait to see how she would react to the flower. He had thought hard before choosing a lily as the flower. He thought it only appropriate to give a lily to Lilly, and he hoped she appreciated his consideration. Or at the very least, noticed that the flower had the same name as her.

He went down to the Blinking Mirror to wait for her. The morning seemed all the more beautiful to him, since he knew that soon he would get to see Lilly Pendragon. But anticipation made the minutes stretch on to what seemed like hours. He was almost tempted to wake her up, but he wanted this to be a surprise. He would wait here all day for her if he had to.

At last he saw her at the top of the stairs holding his gift. His heart leapt excitedly and it was all he could do to stay in one spot and wait for her to descend. She was wearing a weather-worn outfit and her head was bare. To him, she had never looked more beautiful.

She froze at the foot of the stairs. He waited on bated breath. Please let her notice me. Her head held high and her eyes fixed forward, she passed right by him. That disheartened him slightly, but he wasn't about to let that get him down. Maybe she just hadn't seen him.

"Good morning, milady!" he greeted, his lips spreading in a wide smile. She paused and glanced in his direction. "Did you like the flower?"

"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The lily," he explained. "I was wondering if you liked it."

"You gave me this?"

"Yes, I did," he confirmed. She gave him a disbelieving stare and frowned at the lily in her hand. She flicked her eyes back up to him.

"Why?" The question stunned him. He hopelessly groped for words to explain.

"I thought you would like it. It's a lily, you see, and… your name is Lilly. Do you prefer a different type of flower?"

"Uh…" She had a blank look, which didn't really encourage him. "Who put you up to this?" she demanded. He tilted his head to one side, looking perplexed.

"What do you mean?"

"Who put you up to this?" she repeated louder. "Did Lady Chris ask you to do this?" She thinks Lady Chris asked me to do this? Ah, of course. She does not yet want to believe someone would be kind to her of their own free will. He would have to correct her mistake.

"No, milady. I did this of my own free will." He smiled gently at her. She stared blankly back at him. Not very encouraging at all.

"But why? Tell me why," she ordered.

"Because, I…" He paused, stepping forward and taking both her hands in his. He swallowed; he wished his heart would calm down. "I want to show you that I truly do care, Lilly. I would like to know who you really are, if you'll let me. I may even love you." Whoa. Where did that come from? He couldn't believe he had actually said that. Lilly pulled her hands away and laughed harshly.

"Very funny. Was that supposed to cheer me up?" He remained silent, stunned. "Well, it was a pretty pathetic effort, I must say, but it gave me a good laugh, anyway. You can give this to Chris, now." She held out the lily to him. He gathered his senses together to speak.

"No, that's for you," he said.

"Joke's over, so just drop it, okay?"

"I'm not joking. The lily is for you."

"Well, I obviously don't want it, so take it back!" She flung the lily at his face. "And don't you ever speak to me that way again, do you understand me?" She turned and stalked away, her hair whipping inches away from his face. He watched her go, feeling his heart breaking more with every step she took.

"Lilly, you don't understand. I meant every word I said." He sighed sadly. He bent down and picked up the lily she had thrown at him. I'm going to need a lot more flowers.

-

He went to Iksay that very day and took all his potch with him. He wasn't sure how many lilies it would take, but he was pretty sure it would be expensive in the end. But he would do it if it would help Lilly realize his sincerity. He entered the shop.

"Ah, hello, Sir Percival!" greeted the shopkeep. "Did your lady friend like the flower you gave her?"

"Ah… yes," he lied, smiling. "So much so that I'm here to buy more."

"Wonderful! How many would you like this time?"

"Um…" He paused, trying to think of how many he needed. He wasn't very good with math, so he would have to make an estimate. "Better give me eighty, just in case." The shopkeep gawked at him.

"Eighty!"

"Um, yes. Do you think I should get more?"

"No, no. Eighty lilies are more than enough."

"Wonderful. How much do I owe you?" The shopkeep named his price. Percival pulled back, nearly shrieking at the amount. He untied the bag of potch at his waist and emptied it on the shopkeep's desk.

"It's worth it. Could I perchance have this right now?"

"Right… now?" The shopkeep looked surprised. "That will cost you extra." Percival cringed; he was afraid of that. He had another bag of potch he kept with him in case of emergencies. He took it out now and emptied it as well. The shopkeep smiled and handed him his purchase. "Thank you for your business, Sir Percival. I hope she likes the flowers."

"So do I," he sighed as he took the expensive flowers. "So do I."

-

He had to wait until nightfall, when Lilly was asleep in her room. He just hoped that she would wake up before his work was ruined. He crouched down and carefully arranged the flowers on the floor. His breathing came in and out softly; he was careful not to breathe too hard as he worked. The weak light of the moon gleaming through the windows was just enough to help him.

He finished and stepped back to admire his work. Maybe Lilly would react to this the same way she reacted to his first gift. Maybe she wouldn't. He found that he didn't really care either way. He just wanted to express his feelings towards her. And if this didn't spell out for her exactly how he felt, he didn't know what would.

On the floor, the lilies formed the words "I love Lilly".