Tenth: Aftermath of Gustav

He kept hoping he would wake up and it would've all turned out to be a terrible nightmare. But unfortunately it was no nightmare: it was very real. He sighed, sitting heavily in a chair. With the memory of that final obstacle looming threateningly, he felt a sickening dread deep down inside his body. How was he ever going to get past that?

"Maybe he knows. Sir Percival?" He stirred, glancing up at Samus and Reed. He was surprised to see them, and yet was comforted by their appearance. It made him think of Lilly. The servants made their way over to where he was sitting.

"Yes?"

"Sir Percival, something seems to be bothering Miss Lilly," Samus reported. "We can't seem to figure out what's wrong." Percival didn't know what to think of this. Did this mean Lilly was still upset over her father? He hoped so, though of course he did worry about her at the same time.

"Well, her father was just here."

"You mean Mayor Pendragon was here!" gasped Reed.

"He didn't stay long," Percival assured them. "Just long enough to chew me out and forbid me to court Lilly, that's all. Oh, yeah, and he wants Borus to marry her."

"Sounds like something he would do," said Samus with a nod. "But why would Miss Lilly be upset about that? She knew when she invited her father that he would probably act that way."

"You know… that's what I've been wondering too," said Percival, cupping his chin thoughtfully. Lilly knew her father well enough that she should have expected such behavior from him. Why, then, did it upset her so much? "She yelled at him when he dismissed me because of my social status."

"She did?" awed Reed. The servants stared at each other in amazement. "Excuse us, Sir Percival. We need to be on our way."

"All right." Percival watched them leave. He wondered if he should go pay Lilly a visit. He longed to see her and to hold her, but he worried going to her so soon after the disaster with her father would only make things worse. Why did she do this to me? Ugh.

-

Samus stood nervously in front of Lilly's door, hesitantly raising his hand to knock. Their mistress was in one of her worst moods yet and he had no desire to do anything to upset her further. Taking a deep breath, he rapped his knuckles on the door.

"I told you two to go away!"

"Miss Lilly, we've just been speaking to Sir Percival," Reed told her from his safe distance. There was a pause and the door opened for them. Lilly stood before them, looking slightly frazzled with a slight red tint to her eyes.

"You spoke with Percival?" she demanded. "How is he?" That question was unexpected, and it took the men a few moments to pull to their senses.

"He's… okay," answered Reed slowly.

"Don't lie to me!" she shrieked. "Is he angry? Is he upset? Tell me right now!"

"Um, he seemed a bit preoccupied, but I think he'll be all right," mumbled Samus. He and Reed were stunned. Since when was Lilly actually showing her concern for other people? "How are you doing, Miss Lilly? Sir Percival told us Mayor Pendragon came."

"Oh, he came all right," she snapped bitterly, stalking back into her room.

"So… what did he think of Percival?" asked Reed. They already knew the answer; they just wanted to hear Lilly's version.

"Father didn't even give him a chance! He dismissed him right away! Can you believe the nerve of him? He didn't even try to get to know him! All he could hear was 'small farming village'. It's just…. Urgh!" She pounded her fist into a pillow.

Samus and Reed gazed at each other, each hoping the other would say what was on both of their minds. They had known both Gustav and Lilly Pendragon for many years. They knew very well that not too long ago, Lilly would've acted the same way as her father concerning Percival. In fact, they had been under the impression that this was the very reason she asked her father to come. Why, then, did her father's actions upset her so?

"Um… Miss Lilly? Do you remember when you first met Sir Percival?" wondered Samus, tensing his shoulders just in case. Reed got ready to bolt for the door.

"When I first met him?" She frowned, trying to recall. "I think Chris introduced me to him here at Budehuc."

"Yes. We were there too," nodded Samus, glancing at Reed in hopes he would jump in. The other gave a brief nod. Sighing, Samus reluctantly went on. "Do you, ah, remember what you said?"

"Why should I? That was months ago."

"I remember," continued Samus. "When you heard he was from Iksay, you said, 'Why on earth would Zexen allow a dirty farm boy in as a knight?'" Lilly gaped at him in shock. Reed confirmed the story with another nod.

"I… I wouldn't have said that!"

"Yes, you did," chimed in Reed. "I remember that distinctly. You also called him 'lower-class filth' and an 'ignorant country bumpkin'." Lilly was too surprised to be angry at them for bringing this up. She did remember saying those things now, and she felt guilty about saying them. That was why her father's words had hurt so much: she used to think the exact same way, but now knew better.

"Where is he?" she demanded. "Where's Percival?"

"Still in the bar, I think," said Samus, puzzled.

"Okay. Out of my way, you two!" They hurriedly jumped to obey. Lilly swept out of her room and downstairs to the bar. She couldn't fight this anymore, especially after what just happened with her father. It would be hard, but she was finally ready to surrender.

-

Percival had just decided to stop moping and go see Lilly. He got to his feet and headed out of the bar. To his great surprise and delight, he saw the lady of Tinto coming down the stairs. She didn't look her best, but he didn't mind.

"Lilly!" She came to a stop halfway down the stairs. He rested his hand on the banister, smiling up at her. "I'm glad to see you up and about."

"I need to talk to you about what happened," she said. There was something different about her. He couldn't pick it out exactly, but it was almost like she wasn't guarding herself any longer. He smiled inwardly at that.

"Yes, I've been thinking about it. I wanted to apologize to you. I should never have told your father I was from Iksay; it ruined everything."

"No!" She shook her head. "You shouldn't apologize for that! He would've found out sooner or later! The truth is…" She paused, taking a deep breath. These were going to be hard words to say. "The truth is I should be apologizing. I asked him to come, knowing he probably wouldn't approve of you."

"But Lilly, he's your father. He had to see me," Percival argued. "And though he doesn't approve of me now, I will work hard to prove to him I'm worthy of you." Lilly flushed and couldn't keep a smile from crossing her face.

"You are so stubborn, Percival."

"But of course, my lady. How else can I win your stubborn heart?" She laughed, feeling much lighter now. Though there was still one last thing eating at her.

"You know those things he called you? When… when he said you were a dirty country bumpkin and a common farm boy?"

"Yes, I remember," he nodded.

"Well, I… I don't agree with him any longer," Lilly confessed. Percival's eyes lit up in surprise and hope.

"You don't?"

"No." Slowly Lilly descended the stairs until she was standing next to him. "I think that… I've fallen in love with you, Percival." Saying those words didn't feel strange to her at all. She knew that was what she had felt all along. Delight glowed from Percival's face.

"Do you really mean that?"

"Yes," she answered, smiling. She allowed him to take her in his arms. This wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Percival had gone through so much to win her over that she was convinced he would never hurt her.

"May I kiss you now, Lilly?" he asked in a whisper. She pulled out of his arms.

"One thing at a time, okay?" she requested.

"That's fine by me," he agreed, smiling at her. "You're worth the wait."

The end