Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

rid of those guards, or shall I tell him supper's on?'
    The Champion laughed, and dismissed the guards with a wave of his hand. They disappeared back into the entrance hall as the
    Champion strode majestically down the steps to greet Rupert and his party. Prince and Champion stared at each other thoughtfully, and Julia frowned as she realised neither man had put aside his weapon yet.
    The Champion worried her. He had to be at least forty, but he carried the massive war axe as if it was a toy. Old scars patterned a hard, unyielding face, and his constant slight smile wasn't reflected in the cold, dark eyes. Killer's eyes, thought Julia, and shivered suddenly. Just standing there, he made her feel . . .
    uneasy.
    'Well,' said Rupert softly, 'what's the situation these days?'
    'No change, Sire,' said the Champion. 'I still may have to kill you.'
    'For the good of the Realm?'
    'Yes, Sire. For the good of the Realm.'
    They locked eyes, and Rupert looked away first. The Champion glanced at Julia.
    'And who might this be?'
    'The Princess Julia,' said Rupert.
    The Champion bowed slightly. 'If you'll excuse me a moment, Sire, I'll see that a room is made ready for your guest.'
    He turned and made his way unhurriedly back up the steps to the entrance hall. Rupert swore under his breath and sheathed his sword with unnecessary violence. Julia glanced uncertainly after the departing Champion, and then sheathed her sword too.
    'What was all that about him killing you?' she asked quietly.
    'I'm a second son, remember?' said Rupert grimly. 'My brother's first in line for the throne, but there are any number of factions within the Court ready to use me as a figurehead in their grab for power. The Champion's duty is to preserve the Realm; he'd cut me down in a moment if he thought it would prevent a civil war. I've known that all my life. I was supposed to die on the quest, and save everyone a lot of bother. Instead, I've come back at a difficult time, and he's afraid I might try to take advantage of the situation, whatever it is.'
    'Would you?' asked Julia. 'Take advantage, I mean.'
    'I don't know,' said Rupert. 'I suppose ...'
    'Quiet,' said the unicorn. 'He's coming back.'
    A handful of courtiers and Ladies-in-Waiting jostled for position at the entrance-hall doors as the Champion made his way back down the steps, accompanied by four armed guards wearing scarlet and gold colours. Julia's hand dropped to her sword again.
    'It's all right,' said Rupert quickly. 'They're just an escort.'
    Julia glared suspiciously at the guards, and then seemed to relax a little, but Rupert noticed uneasily that her hand still rested on the pommel of her sword. A polite cough drew his attention back to the Champion waiting patiently before him.
    'Yes, sir Champion?'
    The Champion studied Rupert at length. 'Interesting scars you have on your face, Sire.'
    'Cut myself shaving.'
    'And what happened to your armour?'
    'I left it in the Tanglewood. It got in the way.'
    The Champion shook his head slowly. 'I've sent word of your arrival to the Court, Sire. I think you'd better pay your respects to your father.'
    Rupert winced. 'Can't it wait?'
    'I'm afraid not.' The Champion's voice was polite, but his cold, inflexible gaze allowed no room for
    disagreement. 'As you may have gathered, Sire, we have a problem on our hands.'
    Rupert nodded warily. 'You mentioned the Darkwood ...'
    'Yes, Sire. It's spreading.'
    Rupert stared at the Champion in disbelief. The Darkwood's boundaries hadn't shifted by so much as an inch in centuries. 'How fast is it moving?'
    'Half a mile a day. The Tanglewood has already fallen to the long night, and demons are loose in the Forest. The Darkwood will be here in a matter of months. Unless we find a way to stop it.'
    'Stop it? You couldn't even slow it down!' Rupert didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He fought down an impulse to grab the Champion and shake some sense into him, and struggled to keep his voice calm.
    'We came back through the Darkwood, sir Champion. The place is crawling with demons. We were lucky to get out alive, and we had a dragon with us.'
    'We have trained soldiers,' said the Champion mildly.
    'Oh yes?' said Rupert. 'Where?' He glared pointedly round the deserted battlements, but the Champion's gaze didn't waver.
    'Demons have been attacking the outlying farms and villages, Sire; we've had to send out every guardsman and man-at-arms we can spare to protect them. The outermost settlements are being evacuated,