Prince Edward Charming climbed carefully down a steep embankment,  heading for the river.  Even with the taint that pervaded this section of woods, the water was quite good for drinking.  It was fast-flowing, and not very far from his shelter, so he generally refilled his supplies every other day or so.  Of course, there was one drawback...<br/><br/>As Edward approached the edge of the water and knelt down, he tried to keep as quiet as he could manage and pulled out his bottle.  He dipped it into the water with a smooth, slow motion, and held it there as it filled.  Ripples formed and spread from his hand, and he watched them carefully, until there came ripples back in answer.  He groaned and shook his head.<br/><br/>"Oh, my Prince!"  The voice was ethereal and fawning, but with an icy quality, and Edward cringed.<em>Why did I ever tell her that?</em>He scolded himself mentally before looking up, seeing the rusalka gliding toward him.<br/><br/>"Hello, Menka... How are you... " Edward answered in a voice that smacked of annoyance.<br/><br/>"I saw someone!  A man, a knight I believe!  And he was nice... and handsome... and I saw him... "<br/><br/>Edward raised an eyebrow as the ghost's voice trailed off.  Sighing, he lifted his full bottle and capped it as he stood.  "You didn't kill him, did you?"<br/><br/>The spirit looked hurt.  "No, Prince!  You know I don't do that... often... "<br/><br/>Edward rolled his eyes, but nodded.  "Fair enough."  He paused there for a moment, by the river bank, thinking.  The dark area of the forest had been growing as of late.  Could this stranger have had something to do with it?  Prince shook his head with a huff.  That was old thinking; he was no Champion anymore.  Things like this weren't his concern.<br/><br/>Still, he could feel a pull at his thoughts, impossible to deny.  The Tradition.  It made him more than a little nauseous, but there was practicality in it.  If the shadows kept growing, eventually his shelter would be enveloped, and then he would never be safe sleeping there.  He had grown to hate the maintenance required to keep the shack standing, and he was loathe to go through the process of building an entirely new one.  With a sigh, he uncapped his bottle and took a long draught before speaking to the rusalka, still looking up at him with a pathetic expression.  "Which way did he go, then?"<br/><br/>She pointed off into the forest, and Edward looked crestfallen.  There was nothing good to be had or done or seen that way.  Only darkness, and creatures of darkness.  Either this fellow was quite capable with a weapon, or he was going to need help very soon.  "Well, I suppose I'm off, then.  I'm sorry, but I don't have anything to give you today, Menka... The forest has been stingy as of late."<br/><br/>The rusalka looked a little disappointed, but nodded.  "I understand, my Prince.  I am always happy just to talk with you.  Come and see me again soon?"<br/><br/>"You know I will."  Edward gave her a faint smile before heading off.  Strange though it was, she was the closest he usually came to normal social interaction.  Without it, he might have already gone mad.  She really was quite pleasant, for a ghost, if a bit bothersome.<em>Intensely bothersome,</em>he corrected himself.<br/><br/>He set out down the river, seeking out a narrow portion where he could cross without immersing himself in the water.  He still didn't quite trust Menka.  Once across, he journeyed deeper into the shadowy forest, pulling his sword and brushing away the dry, gnarled foliage.  Hopefully this strange knight wouldn't be too difficult to track.