In Ruins (with Equusheart and Shazman)

[EquusHeart]

Hava's footsteps crinkled softly in the grass and leaf litter as she slowly picked her way along the hillside. Placing her feet carefully on the slightly rocky path that lead up the slope. Every once in a while she would place a hand on a large boulder to help keep her balance as she navigated the terrain. Sitting atop the hill sat Hava's destination, a great cluster of decaying stone.

Countless of hundreds of years ago these crumbling piles of stone had once been apart of great kingdom. Though the name of that kingdom had long been forgotten, lost to the vast seas of time. What had once been a grand castle with halls filled with warmth and light, was now nothing more than a empty shell. Cold and dreary.

At night the ruins took on a dark appearance, which only fuelled the many rumors that this place was cursed or haunted. Stories of ghosts and strange horrid creatures prowling the deepest parts of the ruins were enough to keep most people away. Except for Hava. Ghost stories didn't really scare her any. Besides, she was here in search of healing plants, not ghosts.

Sometimes certain plants, rare ones that couldn't be found anywhere else, preferred to grow in the shadow of ruins like these. The reason why was a mystery even to Hava, though she suspected it was the way the stone was carved. Somehow Hava had gotten it in her head that she just might be able to find some of those plants here. Ghost moss, for example, sometimes liked to cling to old stone. Hava had only read about Ghost moss, but she was eager to find some and figure out what properties it held.

Reaching the top of the hill, Hava paused to catch her breath before entering the ruined castle. As she passed through the large columns of stone that had once been the main hall, Hava briefly found herself wondering what this castle might've looked like. Hava took her time exploring the ruins. Weaving her way from the main hall and kitchens to a large room. Hava guessed from the size and the wood flooring, that it might've been a store room of some kind.

Across from the doorway, hanging from the far wall Hava spotted a large curtain of green and yellow moss. While it wasn't the ghost moss she had been hoping to find, hanging moss also had it's uses and a cluster this size couldn't be left behind. 25thHava was halfway across the room when the floorboards groaned beneath her feet. Hava looked down at the discolored wood she stood on. She had barely decided to turn back when the floor groaned again before giving way from underneath her. Hava screeched as she suddenly found herself falling.

Hava groaned as she sat up from where she landed. Rubbing her head, she looked up at the hole she'd fallen through. How stupid of her not to check to see if the floor was rotted before stepping on it. Grumbling, she then looked down to see what it was that she had landed on. It was firm, yet soft at the same time. What she found stunned her.

What she had landed on and was now straddling, was what appeared to be a man dressed in armor. A knight. What immediately struck her as odd, was the knight was not a corpse, but he also showed no sign of the passing of time. In fact, it looked as if the knight were simply in a really deep sleep, his handsome features stilled in silent repose.

After a moment, Hava blinked and shook her head to bring herself back to her senses. Wiggling herself, Hava tried to work to get off of the knight and in her haste, she ended up losing her balance. Her hand slipped, causing her to fall forward, her lips pressing into his cheek before she rolled off of him and fell to the hard stone floor.