It took us quite a bit of walking before we arrived to Vanya's camp. The extent of setup was amazing to me. A simple yet sturdy tent made from tanned fabric stood to the left of a stone fire pit, embers still smoking from early that morning. A makeshift hammock was hung in between two trees bordering a river, a fishing pole resting inside. Twine was also tied between trees with clothing hung on it to dry. Animal traps were set up here and there around the border of the camp. When I looked up, I noticed a platform on the wide, outspread branch of one of the trees with wrapped packages on top. I knew that had to be what she had caught so far. The leaves that fell from the trees overhead made the scene a tranquil one.

"Vanya, this is amazing... I would almost rather stay out here with you over the rooms at the guild," I told her as Eldrid perched on my shoulder. Vanya gave a small smile and nodded.

"Many thanks, Mistress. I still have much work to do. I truly hope that we stay a part of Fairy Tail for a long while," Vanya replied.

"That reminds me, what is going on with Elfman?" I questioned. Vanya sighed and blushed slightly.

"I shall tell you momentarily. Right now, I believe I might be able to cure your bruising and wounds if you will trust me."

I looked back at Vanya, eyebrow raised. She had never expressed much desire in healing, but at the same time I knew the tribe she had come from had taught her every art imaginable, from fighting to medicine. The difference between her and Xavier was that her healing was all natural, no magic at all. Though she didn't speak much, she was knowledgeable about so much.

"It's in the water. I found some Jewelweed and Lavender around here and mixed it from some oils from town. I sensed that this water was pure enough to be used for healing, so I made it so. It is still drinkable, as well," Vanya explained. "You must bathe in the river and then you should become healed."

"You have to get naked!" Eldrid chirped out, flapping her wings and taking back off into the air. I shook my head and laughed, beginning to shrug off my clothing. As I did so, Vanya went over to the hammock and removed the fishing pole to make room for herself. The aqua-colored gems she wore on her ears, hands, wrists, and around her neck shone in the fall light. She propped her tan feet on the tree trunk in front of them, showing her dark green Fairy Tail mark. Her simple brown dress had tassels on the end that slowly fell down from her leg. She put both of her hands behind her head. With her dress only covering the shoulders, her toned arms were visible.

"You wish to know of my relations with Elfman," Vanya sighed as I stepped into the warm water. It smelled sweetly of herbs and made my skin tingle. "I have feelings for him, yes. He reminds me of my late father. Unfortunately, I can see that he has feelings for Miss Evergreen. He openly displays an interest in me, but I can see it in his eyes that his soul belongs to her. It is truly troublesome to me, he would be such a perfect king to my people."

I cupped water in my hand and let it trickle down my bare back. I could feel my burning fever begin to fade. "I'm sorry about that, Vanya. I wish I could help you, I know how much you try to look out for your tribe. I always forget that you are next in line for the throne when your mother passes. How will that work?"

"Ah, now you wish to delve into my history now. You forget I'm a princess because it is not of much importance. "

I remembered the talk Elysia and I had earlier that morning of people's pasts. While Vanya had told me of her royal bloodline and that she had been granted time away from her tribe, I supposed I didn't know much more than that. There had to be more to her than an Indian throne and jewels.

"I really would like to know more about you, Vanya. We're in a safe position now where we can focus on each other, so why not start?"

With one smooth motion, Vanya swung herself from the hammock and crouched at the bank of the river. I propped my arms up on the ground, myself, still soaking.

"My mistress, I do trust you immensely. You have managed to show me and my people how kind others outside of us can be. However, if you would like to learn of my past, we must travel alone together for a while. Though you show us all equal kindness, even compared to Sir Yolric, I would prefer us to become closer if you wish to know that much about me."

I had to admit, Vanya made sense. I would never just tell someone every detail about my life if we were not extremely close to begin with. Having some time away from the guys would be nice, too. Sometimes I felt like I was starting to act more like them than I did myself.

"Alright, how about we take a few far-off jobs? You, me, and Elle can go and get to know each other. We should learn a lot about one another just from that alone. Maybe that will make you feel more comfortable with me," I suggested, submerging all but my head in the healing waters. Vanya gave a genuine smile and sat straighter.

"I would greatly enjoy that. You always let me use the practices of my people, and for that you have my gratitude." Vanya stood up and stretched her arms out. I could see that something came to her mind that made her perk up even more. "We must do a Karma Ritual before departure. This will make it to where no bad luck comes our way. Would that be okay, Lady June?"

"Hey, that's fine with me. You'll have to teach me how to do it, otherwise we'll be the ones getting bad karma," I joked. Vanya reached for my hand and pulled me from the water when I took it. Still holding my hand, she spun me around and grinned.

"My waters have worked and your bruises are fading before my eyes. In this case, we shall do the ritual tomorrow night in front of the guild mates. We must have an audience for it to work," Vanya spoke, for once changing her tone to that of excitement and joy. I had no idea what emotion I wanted to feel first; shock that her waters had worked over Xavier's magic, happiness for her joy, or complete nervousness that she wanted a ritual to be done in front of everyone.