Mira's POV:

Aisha Alyamani was an enigma, one that Mira couldn't figure out. She had spent weeks crossing the ocean to Fiore to join Fairy Tail and she has seemingly settled into life in the guild effortlessly. There was something underneath the bubbly confident personality that Aisha hid, she could sense it.

Master Makarov had sent us alongside Elfman, Lisanna and Cana on a training mission just before the Grand Magic Games. We had spent the last three months together training in the mountains and this mission had made her even more interested in Aisha. She had shown incredible skill and power, it was an almost certainty that she would be taking part in the Games.

Mira walked out of the cabin they had rented for the training mission and headed up a small little path, after a short walk she found herself at a scenic overlook. A small wooden platform with a bench sitting in the middle providing an amazing view over the mountain range, its jagged points dominating the skyline. The sun's warm red glow spread gently across the valley, the last sunset we would spend in the Mountains before the journey to Crocus.

At the centre of the platform was the person that Mira had been looking for, she was standing at the railing staring over the landscape. She slowly turned around and looked at Mira, a familiar smile on the Westerner's face.

"Mira, enjoying the view I presume?"

Aisha spoke in a heavily accented voice, her confidence shining through her words.

I smiled and walked up onto the platform with her, drawing my eyes over the Mage. Aisha was a striking figure who exudes confidence and calmness. In the three months that I had known Aisha, I felt like I still hadn't met the real Aisha. There was a barrier between the foreigner and the rest of the guild and I was desperate to find out what she was actually like.

"Of course I enjoy the view, this mountain range is one of the most beautiful places in the country."

Aisha couldn't help but laugh gently as I answered her, Aisha came closer and stood just in front of me leaning against the barrier. She towered over me, standing at least six foot tall. Her dark hazel eyes looked past mine and off into the distance, her eyes were usually so confident and stoic but she showed genuine emotion.

"Are you missing home, Aisha?"

Aisha sighed gently, closing her eyes.

"I do, I miss Hijaara badly. I've never been gone for this long."

"That's completely natural, especially if you haven't really left home before. Do you regret leaving to join Fairy Tail?"

Aisha looked at me curiously, looked thoughtfully for a few seconds.

"No, not at all. I just need to make myself busy."

"Don't just bury yourself in work though, if you need to you know I'll be here the whole time."

I walked over to the bench and sat down and was followed by Aisha who sat down next to me, she exhaled. Stretching her legs and looking over at me with a genuine smile on her face. Not the usual smirk that she wore.

"Thank you Mira, I do need someone to talk to. The guild has so many friendly people but I haven't been here very long, sometimes it feels like I'm out of place."

"Well I'll be here to find you your place, because Fairy Tail helped me find mine." I took her hands in mine and as her sleeve rolled up slightly it revealed a golden tattoo sleeve, the golden ink perfectly matching with her smooth dark skin. One that I had seen before but never questioned. The design consisted of interlocking circles all over her arm with a Harpy in the centre of the tattoo.

"Forgive me Aisha but I've been wondering, what do your tattoos mean? I've noticed them before but I haven't asked about their meaning."

As I asked her this she flashed that trademark smirk and looked at me.

"That is a relic from when I was a Daughter of Mai-at, I was a priestess back in Hijaara. If you're being pedantic then technically I still am a Priestess."

"You were a priestess?!" I couldn't contain my shock, that was probably the last thing I would've guessed Aisha was before coming to Fiore. She just didn't seem like she'd be able to live the priestess life.

"Being a priestess in Hijaara was totally different than it is here in the east, for a start I wasn't forced to live in some stuffy convent with a bunch of old hags. I also happened to really enjoy being a priestess." She had a wide smile across her face and I could tell from her expression she was experiencing nostalgia thinking about her home. "I could tell you some crazy stories from my time as a priestess, some of the other priestesses were much worse than me. She laughed to herself.

"When you were speaking to Master Makarov you said that you had fought in the war, why was a Priestess fighting?"

Her smile instantly vanished and I immediately felt a pang of guilt in my chest. "When the faithful of Anu-ai and his sister Mai-at are under attack, those of the cloth will go forth and defend them from the unbelievers. Laying down their lives for the protection of those who cannot do so themselves." She recited what seemed to be an oath and sighed loudly and once again looked down at her feet in shame, "When the war started I was only sixteen. When a war starts in Hijaara, the Daughters are automatically summoned by the king. So, we were on the frontlines as quickly as possible."

"You fought a war at sixteen!? How did you cope with something like that?" I felt nothing but sadness for Aisha, she had to go to war at such a young age, that was the same age that Lisanna was taken to Edolas…..

"It wasn't a matter of coping. I just had to fight, there wasn't a choice, it was my duty. Though we were stationed at a city called Osiris, and while I was there I made friends and I met someone special. Though they're all gone now, so there's no point in talking about it. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me, Mira, thank you."

Aisha stood up off the bench and waved goodbye to me, disappearing down the hill and leaving me alone to my thoughts.

Aisha's POV:

I never want to think about that again, the war is in the past and I don't have to go back. Just let it go Aisha. Those are the words I told myself again and again, trying to keep myself calm. I entered the cabin we had been staying in for the past three months, and went into my bedroom and closed the door behind me.

After a few minutes where I finally managed to calm myself down, I heard a knock at the door. It must've been Mira coming to check up on me.

"I'm sorry for worrying you Mira, I….." I trailed off as I saw who was standing at the door. "Cana, what are you here for? Come in." I took a few steps back as Cana came in and closed the door silently behind her, her face was expressionless and she looked at me with suspicious eyes that felt like they gazed into my very soul.

I cocked a curious eyebrow at her as she walked towards me until we were face-to-face.

"You're up to something, I don't know what but it's obvious and I can't believe you've fooled everyone. You come out of the west and join the guild with some story about hearing a tale from your granddad about a Fairy Tail mage. I don't believe it for a second."

I kept my composure and met Cana's gaze with a soft smile on my face.

"Cana, I cannot express enough how thankful I am to the guild. They have given me a second chance in life and I fully intend to make it count. The rest of the guild believe me because it's the truth, I'll prove my loyalty to you too."

"You're up to something Aisha, and I will warn you ahead of time. I have fought to protect the guild before and I would fight again, without hesitation."

"I am not looking for a fight, Cana, I am looking for a home. I just want somewhere where I can be safe and eventually start a family. I don't want to hurt the guild so you don't have to worry about it." I sat down on my bed and looked up at her, hoping to defuse the palpable tension that had gathered within my room.

Her stare had made me feel tiny, she was furious with me. "When I find out what you're up to, I will destroy you." She stood up and left the room, slamming the door shut. Leaving me alone with my thoughts.