Richard had gone into town every day since Kahlan's confession of not believing in love. He tried to convince himself that it was because he wanted to better acquaint himself with the city, but he knew it was because being in the Confessor's Palace only depressed him more. He hadn't spoken more than a few words to Kahlan the few times they saw each other. More often than not, when Richard came back to their room, she was already asleep. Richard would climb into the bed carefully, sleep a few hours, and leave before she awoke.

He was convinced that Kahlan thought Richard was depressed.

He wasn't.

Richard was proud of the facade he put on, acting as if sadness was over taking him and he couldn't bare to be in the same room with her. Granted, the day after their conversation that is exactly how he felt. He had gone into the city to try and relieve his mind, only finding that the entire city of Aydindril marveled over the Mother Confessor's mate. The towns people often asked him if he wanted anything, offering him objects free of charge. Richard always declined, and if he found something he actually liked, he paid for it. Over the span of two days, Richard was certain he had seen everything the city had to offer. He started to shrug off the offers of free items and he would wander the streets with no particular agenda.

Until he saw a tiny bouquet of white lilies, wrapped around the stem with a blue ribbon.

It was the third day that he was going into the city and he had rushed out of the bedroom, noticing Kahlan stirring at an earlier hour than usual. He heard her mumble when he swiftly closed the door and rushed out of the Confessor's Palace. He had never been into the market place that early, it was just a little after dawn. As was the routine, vendors kept offering him free items, imploring him to take some of their merchandise. He continued to go through the same streets he had been the previous days, but was compelled to take a right where he usually took a left when he came upon the honey cake stand. The new street didn't have much to offer, the stands more run down than those in the central market place. He was about to turn around when he saw the bouquet.

An old woman wrapped in a shawl was sitting behind the little wooden stand, her graying hair piled atop her head in a bun, strands of unruly hair erratically sticking out. Her face was wrinkled and worn, and her stand offered very little to buy. There were a few bronze trinkets, various colored stones, small wooden bowls with designs carved into the sides, and the lone bouquet of white lilies.

"Why hello there, Lord Rahl. Are you interested in anything an old woman has to offer?" Richard was surprised at her smooth voice, one that didn't seem hindered by her age. Normally, he would have been taken aback that she knew him by title, but he had quickly learned that everyone in Aydindril knew the Lord Rahl. What had shocked him was that everyone was quite friendly, even though his predecessor had wreaked havoc upon them. He assumed it was just because of his standing with Kahlan, but other times he wasn't sure.

He smiled as he strolled up to the stand, the first smile he had since learning Kahlan didn't believe in love. "Why yes, I believe you do."

The old woman beamed up at him. She was missing a few teeth, but her smile was warm and genuine, and Richard couldn't help but smile back. She fumbled with her shawl, wrapping it tighter around herself.

"What's your name?" He asked, suddenly interested in learning more about this woman. She looked shocked at the question, hunching her shoulders a bit as her cheeks reddened.

"Maria." She was looking down at the frayed ends of her cloth, picking at them.

"Well, Maria, aren't you just a breath of fresh air?" Maria returned her gaze to him and looked as if she were glowing, she started nodding her head as she looked down at her stand. She looked as though she were ashamed of what she had to offer.

"Anything interest you, Lord Rahl?"

Richard picked up the small bouquet of flowers, rolling them slightly in his hands. Three lilies bound together by a tiny blue ribbon. The simple elegance of them was astonishing. He lifted up the flowers and looked at Maria.

"I think I would like to give these to the Mother Confessor. An elegance to match her own." Maria blushed and moved her hands to shoo him away.

"As you wish, Lord Rahl."

Richard shook his head as he put the flowers back down on the table. "Maria, how would you like to help me plan a surprise for the Mother Confessor?" Her eyes grew wide as as she nodded her head vigorously, causing Richard to smile so hard that it hurt.

"What .. what do you need?" Maria stammered out, her hands unable to remain still.

"Well, first, I'm going to need a lot more of these lilies." He smiled at her as she shuffled around the stand, urging him to follow her.

It took Richard and Maria three days to gather everything Richard needed. He thanked the spirits for the timing, knowing that Kahlan was going to be in meetings all day. Richard now had all the time he needed to set up.

Maria had shown him where she had acquired the lilies, and Richard was shocked to see so many of them growing freely among the meadow. Maria explained that not many people come back into the area, most scared that since it was in a poorer sector that they would get robbed or harmed.

After gathering a couple dozen lilies, Maria had kept them behind her stand and added to the amount each day. Richard would go into the market place more alert, paying more attention as to what the vendors were selling. One insistent woman kept shoving various pieces of jewelry in his face, and Richard had to lift his hands in front of him in order to make her take a few steps back. He became aggravated and started pushing through the tiny crowd around the stand, but something caught his eye.

Instead of pushing through the crowd to escape, he was now pushing through the crowd to get closer. Richard picked up a small bracelet, sapphire stones adorning the silver. The silver band was small and the blue stones encircled around the entire thing. Richard dropped a small bag of gold on the table before making his way out of the crowd with the bracelet in hand.

Richard had noticed that Kahlan didn't wear much jewelry, but he knew she was fond of it. The only jewelry he had seen in her room was her mother's blue necklace, and Richard quickly came to the conclusion that blue had a personal meaning to her. When he showed Maria his newly purchased gift, she giggled like a little girl and praised his taste. Richard laughed and gave the old woman a quick hug, instructing her to grab the lilies. She had followed him into the Confessor's Palace and into the Mother Confessor's room, resting the lilies on the nearest table that was large enough to hold them. Maria was quite giddy to be in the Mother Confessor's room, and was reluctant to take Richard's payment, saying that being allowed into the palace was enough. Richard shook his head as he pressed the bag of gold into her hand, telling her goodbye and that he would soon see her again.

It had taken Richard around an hour to adjust everything to his liking. The amount of lilies gathered was perfect, providing just enough of the white flowers to shower the floor evenly and create a moderate sized bouquet. He wrapped the stems of the bouquet in a thick blue ribbon and placed them on the center of the bed. The smell of honey cakes enveloped the room, and the light from the candles made the room glow. He stood by the window and watched as the moon made it's way into the sky, leaving only the candlelight glowing behind him.