Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

when a determined voice carried clearly from the trees behind
    him. 'Stand fast, Prince Rupert; I'll fix him.'
    There was a slight pause, and then thirty feet of annoyed dragon erupted out of the trees, showering Rupert, Julia and the unicorn with leaves and broken branches. The dragon's powerful wings brought him quickly to the raised drawbridge, and held him in position as his wickedly clawed feet reached out and dug in, rending the thick wood like so much paper. The guard in the gatehouse had a brief but clearly audible fit of the vapours, and then ran away, screaming for help. The dragon's wings beat strongly as he threw his weight against the windlass holding the drawbridge up. Light shimmered on emerald scales as great muscles bunched and corded. There was a sudden squealing of chains, and Rupert, Julia and the unicorn stood well back as the drawbridge slammed down across the moat. The dragon glided down to join them, while Rupert and Julia applauded loudly.
    'Nice one,' said the unicorn. 'Now they'll probably send the whole bleeding army out to fight us.'
    Rupert led his party across the drawbridge, which shuddered under the dragon's weight. Something stirred in the moat, and Julia peered dubiously at the shifting scum covering the murky waters.
    'Do you keep crocodiles in your moat, Rupert?'
    'Not any more,' said Rupert absently, keeping a watchful eye on the huge double doors at the other end of the Keep. 'We used to, but then something set up home in the moat and ate them all.'
    'What was it?'
    'We're not sure,' said Rupert. 'It doesn't really matter; if it can eat crocodiles, it can certainly guard a moat ...'
    The massive oaken doors swung slowly open before them, and Rupert led his party out of the Keep and into the Castle's courtyard. He stopped just inside the inner gates and stared about him, frowning. Even this late in the day there should have been traders at their stalls, haggling with a bustling crowd of villagers and townsfolk. There should have been conjurers and gypsies, knife-sharpeners and tinkers, beggars and priests. There should have been guards at the gates, and men-at-arms watching from the battlements: Instead, the vast empty courtyard lay still and silent before him. No braziers or torches disturbed the courtyard's gloom, and the shadows seemed very dark. Rupert moved slowly forward, the noise of his soft footsteps resounding in the quiet.
    'Where the hell is everybody?'
    His words echoed hollowly back from the towering stone walls around him, and there was no reply.
    'I've seen livelier graveyards,' muttered Julia.
    'If I see anything that looks even remotely like a cross painted on a door, I'm leaving,' said the unicorn, rolling his eyes nervously. 'Something's wrong here; I can feel it in my water.'
    'Oh shut up,' snapped Rupert. 'If there was a plague they wouldn't have opened the gates to us, dragon or no dragon.'
    'I take it things aren't normally this. . . peaceful,' said the dragon.
    'Not usually, no,' said Rupert tightly. He came to a halt at the bottom of the long flight of steps leading up
    to the main entrance hall, and glowered warily at the closed entrance doors. 'There must have been some kind of emergency in the Land. Something so menacing that the Castle itself had to be stripped of its defenders, and then sealed against the outside world.' He stared up at the unmanned battlements and catwalks, and shivered suddenly. 'But what kind of threat ...'
    'The Darkwood,' said a quiet voice.
    Rupert spun round sword in hand as torchlight spilled suddenly into the courtyard. At the top of the flight of steps, a tall, imposing figure swathed in shining chain-mail stood half-silhouetted before the slowly opening entrance-hall doors. Broad shoulders topped an impressively muscled frame, and the torchlight glowed ruddy on the huge double-headed axe in his hands. Julia drew her sword and moved protectively in beside Rupert as a dozen armed guardsmen burst out of the hall to reinforce the silently watching figure.
    'Friends of yours?' said Julia casually.
    'Not necessarily,' said Rupert.
    For a long moment nobody moved, and then the tall figure lowered his axe and smiled.
    'Welcome home, Prince Rupert.'
    'Thank you, sir Champion. Good to be back.' Rupert bowed slightly, but didn't sheathe his sword.
    'Surprised to see me?'
    'Just a little.' The Champion stared thoughtfully past Rupert's shoulder. 'I see you found a dragon.'
    That's right,' said Rupert calmly. 'Now do you want to get