Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

leave me here,' said the Princess. 'That wouldn't be honourable.'
    'Watch me,' said Rupert.
    Julia blinked, and then peered at the dragon, who was staring at the cavern ceiling and blowing different-coloured smoke rings from his nostrils.
    'You wouldn't leave me here alone. Would you?'
    The dragon grinned widely, his many teeth gleaming crimson in the firelight.
    Julia glared at him. 'You wait,' she muttered ominously.
    'Can we make a start now, please?' asked Rupert. 'My unicorn's only going to wait two days for me to return.'
    'You ride a unicorn?' asked the dragon. Rupert glanced at the Princess, and felt his face grow hot.
    'It's not easy being a Prince. It's to do with Bloodlines; the last thing any dynasty needs is bastard pretenders to the throne popping up all over the place. So unmarried royalty have to be kept. . . pure.'
    'Right,' said the Princess. 'That's why the elders sent me up here.'
    The dragon coughed tactfully. 'Is it far to your Castle, Rupert?'
    Rupert started to answer, and then had to grab Julia's arm for support as his head suddenly started to swim. His legs trembled violently, and he sat down quickly to avoid falling.
    'What's the matter?' asked Julia, as she helped Rupert lower himself to the cavern floor.
    'Just need a bit of a rest,' he muttered groggily, passing a shaking hand across his aching temples. 'Hot in here. I'll be all right in a minute.'
    The dragon regarded the Prince narrowly. 'Rupert, how did you get up the mountain?'
    'Followed the trail until the scree blocked it. Then I sent my unicorn back, crossed the scree, and used the stairway.'
    'You came all that way on foot? In this weather?' Julia looked at Rupert with new respect. 'I came in mid-summer. I had an escort of seven guards and a pack mule, and it still took us the best part of four days to manage it.' She took his battered hands in hers, and winced. 'You're so cold you can't even feel your wounds, can you ? You must be frozen to the bone; it's a wonder you were still on your feet.'
    Rupert shrugged uncomfortably. 'I'm all right. Just a bit tired, that's all.'
    Julia and the dragon exchanged a glance.
    'Sure,' said the dragon. 'Look, why don't you warm yourself at the fire a while, and then I'll fly you both down. It's a lovely day for flying.'
    'Sure,' said Rupert drowsily. 'Lovely day ... for flying.' His chin sank slowly forward on to his chest, and sleep rolled over him like a tide. The Princess lowered him gently to the floor, wrapped furs around him, and then washed and bandaged his hands. Rupert knew nothing of this, but for the first time since leaving the Darkwood, his rest was free of nightmares.

    A few hours' sleep did much to restore him, and all too soon Rupert found himself perched awkwardly on the dragon's shoulders, hugging the creature's neck like he'd never let go. The Princess Julia was sitting right behind Rupert, and holding him just as tightly, if not more so.
    'I hate heights,' she confided in a small voice.
    'You're not alone,' Rupert assured her. He looked around at the dark clouds filling the sky, and shivered as a bitter wind swept over the narrow ledge outside the cave mouth. 'If this is a good day for flying, I'd hate to see a bad one.'
    'Ready?' asked the dragon, flexing his wings eagerly.
    'Uh ...' said Rupert.
    Then hold tight,' called the dragon, and running quickly forward, he threw himself off the ledge and fell like a stone. The wind whistled past them as they hurtled down, and Rupert squeezed his eyes shut. And
    then the breath was knocked from him as the dragon suddenly spread his wings, and with a series of bone-shuddering jolts, the fall quickly became a controlled glide. After a while, Rupert cautiously opened his eyes and peered past the dragon's neck to take in the view. He then rather wished he hadn't. The cultivated fields far below lay stretched out like a pastel-shaded patchwork quilt. The Forest lay to the north, with the Darkwood clearly visible, like a canker feeding on the body of which it was a part. Rupert swallowed with a suddenly dry mouth as the base of the mountain rushed up to meet him at harrowing speed. On the whole, he just might have preferred to walk down after all. The dragon's massive wings beat strongly to either side of him, and then stretched to their full extent as the creature soared in to a slightly bumpy landing that jarred every bone in Rupert's body. The dragon folded his wings and looked about him.
    'There you are. Wasn't that