Tiny, as tiny as a mouse though instead of sleek grey or brown fur covering her she was clad in forest green, too small to make out the details from where Elisandra was on the ground, and she had the most beautiful gossamer wings.<br/><br/>Raised in a culture where women were allowed, encouraged, to educate themselves Vesta had spent entire days talking to priests and scholars, both ones that roamed the great library and others who she simply had brought in off the streets after being borne on a litter through the bazaar and hearing them talk.  Sometimes the dissonance of their teachings, teachings that not only contradicted one another but outright called the other foolish, made Vesta question everything she knew and believed.  Other times they painted such compelling truths in her head that even though there was no proof to be held in ones hand it settled in her heart as right and correct.  It was from this corner of her heart that the princess' mistaken understanding of Elisandra sprang.<br/><br/>The beautiful, enchanting girl-creature was a dryad.  She lived in the forest, probably in the tree amongst whose branches she had vanished, she was beautiful and nymph like and magical and protected her forest and knew it as Vesta knew her childhood palace and Aica his palace.  It was she, smaller likely than the bastard in Vesta's belly, who had labored to gather the food for them, to start the fire, to lead them to this place and deliver this bounty.  And Aica, in his affronted anger, had been kicking her home!  Kicking her tree and not being properly grateful for what she had done.  And he wanted her to ignore the dryad?<br/><br/>Confronting him head on, not something she normally shied away from, wasn't a battle she had the energy for right now.  Nor was she able to think properly, her hunger and exhaustion making her feel thick and slow and to harbor other dark thoughts, such as when she'd almost turned and attacked Aica for taking so many of the raspberries.  Though she knew his actions were borne of the same hunger that gnawed at her, and how she truly understood that phrase now, she still wanted to pick up a burning log from the fire and smash it across his face to defend her food, the food she and her baby needed!  Intellectually Vesta knew that they should share, and if Aica was able to hunt better and provide better than he deserved more food, but survival and maternal instinct made Vesta want to kill him.  Fortunately in the face of hunger all other emotions soon dulled and withered off, leaving only a listlessness in their wake.<br/><br/>"Yes, Aica," she agreed, though to what specifically was known only to her.  "The stream is there.  I will be go do it.  If we let the water boil and say a prayer of cleansing over it then any humors or ague will be driven away then we can cook the soup."  Heavy helmet in both hands, Vesta left the campsite.<br/><br/>"Forgive him," she said quietly by the stream, head tilted up to the branches above as she scoured the inside of the helmet with a handful of pebbles and sand.  Other than dirt from the forest, and leaves, the helmet was clean.  The skull had been long, long fleshless and she doubted any sickness lurked but still she did as Aica commanded, if only to have the chance to talk quietly to - at - the dryad.  "Please forgive him, Hamadryad or her sister as you may be.  He is weak, as i am, from hunger and a dark cloud hangs over his head.  He's not going to harm your forest and he will be as grateful for your bounty as I am."  Listening, and getting no response, Vesta could wait no longer and returned with the freshly cleaned helmet, now full of water as well, to the camp.<br/><br/>"Aica," she said, "you're so clever about things.  So good at making things.  Could you devise some way to keep the pot," she slightly lifted the helmet away from where it rested in her cradled arms, "from tipping over while the fire heats it?"<br/><br/>And hurry, her mind demanded, hungrier than ever for food now that it was laid before her but not yet prepared.  Just the sight of the tubular green leaves left on the onions made her mouth water, body if not mind knowing the rich nutrients that they contained.