While Gray explained the situation to Lahar and Ur, Juvia was looking all around, overwhelmed with curiosity and amazement over everything she had seen so far. The Summer Palace itself had been built of bright yellow shining stone, with long flights of marble steps, one of which reached quite down to the sea. Splendid gilded cupolas rose over the roof, and between the pillars that surrounded the whole building stood life-like statues of marble and at the center was a garden of the most enchanting and radiant flowers that came from all over. Roses, Lilies, Jasmine, Ranunculi, Lotuses, Wisteria, Pansies, and Elstormerias. Such flowers had never been seen in her world and she thought that no blossom could compare to these.  Inside there were glittering crystal chandeliers hanging from a towering ceiling, immense paintings, rich carpets, silk curtains, tapestries, a huge fireplace, and a gigantic winding flight of stairs. The hallways appeared endless and lined with countless doors that led to rooms that she was just dying to explore.

"Well I don't actually know her name." Gray said to his two most loyal servants. "She can't speak."

"Looks to me as if the girl just washed up from a shipwreck." Lahar said observing her. "She's obviously in a state of shock."

"How terrible." Ur said sympathetically. "The poor thing."

They looked over to see Juvia peering up the long flight of stairs, wondering where they went. She tried to climb them, but she was still not used to her legs and she wobbled for possibly the sixth time this morning. Ur quickly went to support her.

"Come with me honey." She spoke warmly. "I'll get you out of those rags, clean you up, and find you something more decent to wear."

"I'll arrange for some dresses to be purchased for her convenience and have a bedroom prepared for her." Lahar said.

"In the mean time though, she can wear some of my mother's dresses." Gray said. "She looks about the same size Mother was when she was young."

Juvia smiled as Gray and his servants looked at her and spoke to her which such concern. She was right, humans were capable of kindness. They weren't all cruel and heartless. Oh if only her brother could see this for himself.

Juvia was then led into an ornate bathroom where Ur decided to run her a bubble bath. After filing the porcelain tub with hot water and bubbles, she lit some candles and brought out some special rose petals and oils. It was unlike anything Juvia had ever felt. Heated water that was scented like flowers and full of these bubbles that just floated about in the air. Something like this, she had never even heard of.  Once she was settled into the tub, her eyes were lit with wonder and she began to play around with the bubbles.

"My goodness, what a mess you've made of your hair." Ur chuckled as she dropped rose petals into the water. "Lucky for you though dear, I know the perfect way to wash a woman's hair. Now you just relax and leave the rest to me."

She began to wash Juvia's hair with a mixture of lavender oil and soap shavings, next she rinsed it with a pitcher of water, then proceeded to brush out the wet tangles with a comb. Ur was quite impressed with how incredibly silken this girl's hair was despite her condition, her fair skin was also something to marvel at. She couldn't recall ever seeing another maiden with skin so alabaster and radiant. After rinsing her with another pitcher of water, she dried her off with two towels, and wrapped her up in a white bathrobe.

"Now you wait here. I'll dispose of these old things and bring you something much more pleasant to adorn yourself with."

She picked up Gray's old shirt and the wreath from the floor. Juvia quickly stopped her by gently grabbing her arm.

"Why, whatever is the matter dear?"

She carefully placed her fingers over the wreath Ur held, the one that had been a birthday gift from her sisters. She may have been human now and was now living in the surface world, but she would never discard her whole life completely. Not all the memories of her beloved family.

"Oh I am terribly sorry." Ur apologized.  "I didn't know this was important to you. In that case, I'll just put it somewhere safe."

With that assurance given, she allowed Ur to leave. Later she returned with the clothes she had picked out for her. First she dressed Juvia into a corset and undergarments which was then topped with a petticoat and a sky-blue, gown of muslin and silk with a broad-deep neckline, a nipped waist, and mutton sleeves that slid off the shoulder. Afterward she parted the girl's hair down the middle and into ringlets that were pinned by a Lily flower barette. The finishing touches were a pair of slippers that were placed on her feet.

"Well you certainly are a lovely child." Ur remarked, looking over Juvia when she was finished. "Dare I say you're lovelier than any of all the women Lahar has tried to marry Gray off to."

When Juvia saw her reflection in the tall mirror, she was stunned with joy. She looked exactly like a real human girl and for the first time in her whole life, she thought that she was beautiful. When she first met Gray, she had been so worried that she end up looking atrocious to him, looking so awful that he wouldn't be able to lay eyes on her. Oh how could she possibly win his heart, if she couldn't even catch his eye? But thanks to this woman, she had a chance.

Juvia smiled at Ur and threw her arms around her in a grateful embrace.

"Oh! Well you're most welcome." Ur chuckled, surprised but not displeased by the girl's behavior.

Ur thought that surely Juvia was a princess for no commoner could be so fair of face and well-mannered. But the other maids were not as considerate. In fact they found Juvia strange an would laugh and gossip as they watched her move about and stare so wide-eyed. But Juvia couldn't help herself. It was just like she was in a storybook or dream come true. She was in the human world and surrounded by so many splendid and bedazzling things. How could she not act like giddy child?

"Look at her there." One pointed out. "Look how she gawks at everything."

"And it's so weird that she can't talk." Another said. "What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know, but the prince has actually asked her to stay for dinner."

"You're kidding? That little waif."

"Hush now! Both of you!" Ur scolded. "You forget your place!"

She dismissed the maids and then led Juvia down the next hall to the palace dining room where she would have the pleasure of sharing a meal with Gray this evening. However he wasn't sitting at the long table, he was standing by the window, looking out at the ocean, looking very troubled. But when Juiva saw him, she felt self-conscious. He was just so handsome, refined, sincere, and sweet. She thought he was magnificent from head to toe. Even as wonderfully dressed as she was now, did she really have a chance?

"Come on honey, don't be shy." Ur encouraged her. "He doesn't bite."

Juvia would have laughed if she still had her voice, so instead, she took a deep breath and slowly entered the dining room. Gray sensed her presence and turned from the window to look at her. Once again, the sight of her left him speechless. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in all of his life, with graceful swaying movements and those eloquent eyes that could speak better than any mouth could.

"You look wonderful." He said, making her blush and it only spread when he escorted her over to the table and pulled out a chair for her like a perfect gentleman. "Your room should be already for you by the time dinner is over and the dresses Lahar ordered should be ready by tomorrow. I hope everything will be to your liking."

Juvia smiled at him shyly, touched that he cared so much about her.

"And don't worry, I'll do everything I can to find your family and ensure that you're returned home safely."

That's when Juvia's smile fell and her eyes filled with sadness again. Alas, she could never go back to her family or her home. For the rest of her life, she would be barred from the sea.

"Oh dear." She thought worryingly. "What am I going to do for shelter? I can't just go find a cove to live in cause I can no longer breathe underwater. Maybe a nearby cave or grotto could work?"

"What's wrong?" Gray asked noticing the change in her mood. "You do want to go home, don't you?"

She didn't know how to answer. She just kept looking at him sadly and silently.

"Unless...You don't have a family. Are you..." He paused for a moment. "Are you an orphan?"

Juvia nodded.

"Oh...Oh I see. Then I guess that means you don't have anywhere else to go, do you?"

Juvia shook her head. Gray instantly felt empathy and compassion for her. Her parents were gone, just like his were. He figured that she had probably lost everything in a shipwreck. Her family, her friends, any chance of her having a home or a means of supporting herself. She was all alone in the world now.

"Well I'm not one to send a lady out into the world with nothing and nobody." He gently collected her hands into his own and tenderly looked her in the eyes. "Until further notice, you can stay here and I'll take care of you."

Juvia said nothing but somehow Gray knew exactly what she was thinking when she glanced down bashfully.

"You won't be a burden. I promise." He assured her. "Besides, it's nice to have a guest who I can actually talk to, instead of just constantly listening to one who goes on and on about how she'll only wear dresses spun from silk of the Eastern areas or that she must have a golden tiara with twelve diamonds or how only a buttermilk bath will keep her skin clean and flawless or how she absolutely refuses to let her feet touch soil."

Juvia gave him a confused look. Was that what human girls were like?

"Yeah, ridiculous I know." Gray chuckled quietly. "I don't want to get into all the details now but let's just say my most recent guests were very unreasonable."

"Unreasonable?" Juvia thought. "They sound down right impossible."

"I remember one time, I was having dinner with one of them and I thought I could help her pass the time waiting by telling her some of stories and legends from the sea that my father used to tell me. She just laughed, told me that only idiots believed in those tales, and started demanding what kind of robe and veil she wanted for her wedding. Truly an insufferable woman but she might have been right about my father's stories. Not many people would want to hear them anyway."

Juvia shook her head rapidly.

"What? You're saying you'd like to hear them?"

She nodded with an excited gleam in her eye.

"Are you sure? Because they can be pretty far-fetched."

But she just propped her head up on her hands, focusing all her attention on him.

"Alright. If you insist." He said, pleased to have finally met someone who would like to hear his stories.

For the next hour, Gray weaved incredible and fascinating tales of krakens, pirates, selkies, and many other mythical creatures from the sea while Juvia listened intently. She was impressed, he knew stories that she had never even heard of and he told them in such an emotional and exciting way. He truly was a remarkable man.

More so than she could have ever dreamed of.