"Freesias are my favorite," she murmured to herself, her voice so quiet it was barely audible. "You had them in your backyard, and their scent always seemed to linger around the house." She smiled, a bittersweet expression, her emerald gaze far away. "They smell like you."

Nia lowered her head, her hair cascading over her freckled cheeks. "I wish I could see them again. I wish..." She drew in a shaky breath, her fingers trembling against her lap. "I wish we could have one last walk in the woods. Just you and me."

Her communion was almost complete now. She could no longer feel her toes, her feet, her legs. The roots had spread through her whole body, her flesh slowly turning to bark. There was no pain. Not physically, at least. The role of Oracle was a great honor, and someday soon, Nia would become part of the forest itself, immortal, one with nature. She would be honored and worshiped like her predecessors, and her name would be remembered, spoken with reverence.

The day she'd been chosen over a decade ago, despite being a girl of only thirteen, she'd accepted her fate with grace. Her childhood friend, however, hadn't taken it quite so well. She could still remember the feeling of fingers clutching her shoulders, the tears, the begging, the pleas for her to reconsider. The village guards, dragging her friend away kicking and screaming. Speaking out against a council decision was forbidden, even for a child, and her friend had paid with exile. It had been the last time they'd seen each other.

"I miss you," she whispered to the wind. Another flower bloomed across her cheek, and a few more petals fell from her hair. "I wish I could see you. Just once. Just one more time." The meadow was as beautiful and lonely as ever. Nia rarely saw people anymore, sitting alone in a field of blooms day in, day out. "I wish you were here."