The horses trotted slowly on the rocky path that led to the seeress' cave. It was a chilly winter's morning. The winds blew aggressively at them, but it didn't bother the two individuals on their horses. The sun had not risen yet, although the tall trees covered any means of sunlight. The only light in the forest were the lanterns that they had carried with them. The air carried the scent of moss, dirt and dry leaves. The forest was quiet. No sign of life was seen. The only sounds heard were the whistling winds, the creaking branches, clattering hooves and their silent breathing.
A singular Nyya tree, the tallest in the forest, stood in the heart of the forest. Its heavy roots bulged out of the ground. Its big branches seemed to make the place darker as it covered the sky. Strange symbols were carved on the tree. The tree had been standing here since the beginning. Its hanging vines looked like curtains as they covered little of the wide entrance that led into the tree. The falling leaves followed the wind as it danced around the tree. As if they were being called back by the tree itself.
They stopped their horses in front of the tree. They went down and were careful not to step on anything that would disturb the one who lived inside it. The first girl brushed down her long sleeved magenta gown and adjusted the hood of her cloak on her head. The other woman wore the same thing, only that hers was black. They tied the horses' reins to one of the bulged out roots. The other girl ran back to the first woman. She looked scared.
"My lady. We should have brought a few guards with us. What if she harms us? This is not safe."
But the lady did not respond. She walked towards the entrance, the hem of her gown dragged on the floor. She stopped. She had never been this close to a Nyya tree before. She had heard tales of how it would devour anyone who disturbed it or caused harm to it, and she was disturbing it now. But she wanted to meet the seeress and this was the place she resided in. So, she shook herself, let out a sign and walked inside, with her maid tagging behind her.
The inside of the tree was much darker than the outside. The lanterns helped to illuminate a bit. The vines above them gave the tree its own kind of ceiling. The ground was like smooth sand. They had walked far enough when they saw a pale-skinned woman slumped forward, seated on a tree stump. The branches held her so that she would not fall. Her long black hair intertwined with the vines and covered her entire body except her face. Her face was expressionless. Her grey eyes were dead. Was she dead? The lady asked herself. She didn't come all this way to find her dead. She moved closer but her maid grabbed her arm.
"Please, my lady." Her maid begged her but she refused. She pushed her hand off her arm and walked towards the seemingly dead woman. She reached out her hand to touch her.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
She screamed and jumped backwards with her maid as the woman, now alive, jerked forward. She clenched her yellow teeth, ready to bite the person who had dared disturb her 'sleep'. The strange woman's face showed anger at the two girls and then she started laughing. She sat down on the stump and stopped laughing. She smiled eerily at the girl wearing the magenta gown.
"Lady Ayimina. What are you doing in such a place as this?" The strange woman asked.
"Nyyamä. I see you already know my name. Do you know why I am here?"
"Of course, I know. I know why you are here." The strange woman said with a smile still plastered on her face. "You are here for answers."
So, the woman knew. "Yes. Tell me the answers."
"But you haven't asked the questions."
"I thought you knew everything."
The woman chuckled lightly. "I don't know your questions."
Lady Ayimina glared at her before responding. "Who would I get married to? I want to know."
The woman shook her head, smiling. "That's what you want to know?"
"It's a test." She smirked.
"A prince. You would marry a prince."
"And how many children will we have?"
The woman looked down and was silent for a moment. Then, she looked up.
"You will have four children."
Lady Ayimina smiled. She wanted to know more.
"Will I have sons?"
"You will have one son."
Disappointed, she asked another question.
"What kind of prince would I marry?"
Nyyamä glared at her. "You should not know that."
"Tell me." Lady Ayimina ordered.
Nyyamä hesitated for a little while. "Alright. I will tell you." She stood up with the vines still around her body. They followed her movement.
"The Crown Prince."
The lady's face showed disgust. "The old man?"
"No." Nyyamä scowled. "His eldest son."
Lady Ayimina's face lit up with a smile of joy and relief. She would become Queen.
"You will not become Queen."
She lost her joy and her face turned into a frown. She had no idea that she could read her thoughts and she wasn't expecting that.
"But I am getting married to the heir whose father is also the heir to the throne. How will I not become queen then? Would I be replaced?"
Nyyamä inched closer. "Yes, his father will become king but there will be another queen."
"Who is the other queen?" Ayimina asked furiously. "Who is the other woman that would take my place?"
Nyyamä smiled. "The prince would be king for a while and you will be queen for a while. But she will be queen forever."
"Who?'
"His sister."
The woman was confusing her mind.
"He doesn't have any sisters."
Nyyamä chuckled. "Yes, he does. She will become Queen and have one and many children. Your children will bow down to her children and you will bow down to her."
Ayimina spat on the ground, which shocked Nyyamä. "Never! He is the heir to the throne. I will become queen! How dare you curse me?!"
Suddenly, Nyyamä's eyes turned white. She was no longer smiling.
"She will become queen and don't you dare try to stop it. Let it simply happen or it will happen in another way. I have answered your questions. Now, leave this place."
"My lady, let us leave here. It is not worth it." Her maid begged.
Ayimina refused to leave. The woman's answers brewed more questions in her mind and she wanted more answers. She would not leave without answers.
As if the tree knew that, roots started to come out of the ground and wrapped themselves around the girls. They screamed in terror as they were carried outside through the entrance. The woman started laughing. After they had gone, Nyyamä stopped laughing and went back to the same position as she had been found. Slumped body, dead eyes and an expressionless face.
