10 The Lady of the Forest

Sky quickly hid behind a nearby tree and shifted nervously as he watched her. She was wearing a deep green dress with frills near her neck. Her dress had a dark green line going down the center with several other lines extending out. She had pure, shiny, blonde hair with a crown made of leaves wrapped around her temples and light green eyes. She stood barefoot on the grass as flowers now grew around her feet. From afar she looked like a giant leaf standing above the stump. Despite her beautiful appearance there was a serious look on her face as he finished laying the last of the bell shaped flowers and stood up straight. She was two feet taller than Sky and looked almost angelic with the rays of the sun falling down around her.

"Is staring all you're going to do?" She asked, still looking forward at the stump.

Sky shifted his weight nervously from one leg to another as he wondered if she was talking to him.

"Yes, you, the one hiding behind that tree there," She turned her head in the direction of Sky, "I'm talking to you."

Sky slowly made his way out from behind the tree, tripping forwards on a nearby shrub as he made his way into the clearing. "Um.. Hello." He finally said.

She turned to face him. "So you're the one huh?" She said as she took a good look at Sky, "To think that our hopes are placed on you, how the great have fallen."

She turned around and started walking towards the forest on the other side of the clearing. "Follow me." She said after nearing the entrance of it.

Sky furrowed his eyebrows, nothing she was saying made any sense and now she wanted him to follow her. He looked down at the stump to his left, something about it still did not sit well with him. "W-Why's this stump standing a-alone in this clearing?" He asked nervously.

"That is not a stump." She replied coldly, turning around to look at Sky, "That is the grave of Capricorn, a powerful warrior who lived long ago."

Sky stared at the stump as the nervousness disappeared. He knelt down next to it and reached for it before feeling a sharp pain below his wrist causing him to crawl backwards and let out a squeal.

"Do not desecrate his grave with your dirty hands!" The woman warned, there was a dangerous glow in her eyes.

He looked down to see a thorn covered vine growing from the grass, the one responsible for the deep cut that now clung to his hand. He slowly got up and washed his hands in the stream before returning and kneeling in front of the stump.

"Is that better?" He asked, showing the lady his wet hands.

She stared at him in surprise, being completely caught off by the action. "...Yes..." She finally said, the hostility gone from her voice.

Sky touched the top of the stump and ran his fingers around the edge. "He's...happy..." Sky finally said as he removed his hand from the top and pushed it onto his left and lowered his head in a prayer.

"But also lonely..." He said as he got up to his feet.

The lady stared at him. Whatever sign of annoyance and hostility she had when they had first met had disappeared as she once again took a good look at Sky. "Maybe there's still a chance..." She said under her breath.

"Let's go now." Sky said, being met with a puzzled look.

"Go where?" She responded.

"Weren't you going to take me somewhere." Now it was Sky's turn to be annoyed.

"There is no longer a need for that." She said, returning back to a serious look, "I have seen what I needed to see."

Sky stared at her, completely confused as to what was happening. "You're talking too vaguely..." Sky muttered under his breath.

"Maybe now, but soon it will all become clear… when you arrive at the Nightmare Woods." She finished.

At the mention of the Nightmare Woods caught Sky by surprise as he jumped a little. "How do you know about that?" He asked, his eyes sharpened as he finished the question.

She smiled. "So you do have some fighting senses… though I am not your opponent today." She finished the last part as she walked forwards and grabbed Sky's hand. He fought desperately to pull it away but the strength of her grip prevented him. The lady waved her hand over the cut as a wrap appeared around his hand. It was made out of a thick green leaf and stung as it settled.

"It has ambrosia, it'll heal your wounds faster," She said as she took a step backwards and waved her hand causing a green stone to appear in it, "Take this too, a parting gift and token of appreciation for being the first in a long time to pay respect to Capricorn."

Sky quickly pulled away from her rubbing his injured hand as he stared at the stone in her hand. "What is it?" He asked, his curiosity once again getting the better of him.

"A greenbell." She said as she grabbed Sky's hand and placed it in it.

"One more thing Sky, make sure you tell 'it' that it's time you learned about the prophecy." She said as she walked past him.

Sky stared forwards trying to process what she had said before quickly snapping around. "What proph-" Sky stopped mid sentence, the woman that had been with him had disappeared, leaving no trace that she had ever been present with the exception of the flowers on the stump. "What the hell just happened?" Sky stared at the stone in confusion before stuffing it into his pocket and returning the way he had came, rejoining Kronos and his mother.