Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

wedding.'
    King John closed his eyes and groaned loudly. 'As if they weren't costing enough already.'
    'And we've got to work out some way of politely informing Baron Oakeshoff that Harald isn't going to many his daughter after all.'
    'Pity about that,' said the King. 'Now the Barons will be more trouble than ever. Have we had any taxes from them yet?'
    'Not a penny,' said the Astrologer. 'They're not going to pay up as long as they think they can get away with it, and we can't use the Royal Guard to persuade them until the demons stop attacking us.'
    'And the Champion expects them to give me an army,' sighed the King.
    'Politics never was his strong point.'
    'He's loyal to the throne,' said King John. 'That's why I made him Champion. Do you know, Thomas, after all these years he still makes me nervous. There's something almost inhuman about a loyalty that's never questioned. He's killed over a hundred men at my command, and never once asked why.'
    'When a Champion starts asking questions, it's time to get a new Champion,' said Grey dryly.
    The King laughed, but there was little humour in the sound. 'Life wasn't always this complicated. Do you remember when I first came to the throne, Thomas?'
    'Aye, John, must be all of thirty-five years since the High Warlock placed that crown on your head. In those days there was still gold in the coffers, the Barons knew their place, and the Darkwood was just a patch of ink on the maps, little more than a legend.'
    'A long time ago, Thomas.' The King tugged pensively at his straggling grey beard. 'Where did it all start to go wrong? I've done my best down the years, but for every problem I solved two more sprang up to take its place. When I came to power the Forest Kingdom was a rich land, a healthy land; a power to be reckoned with. We had such plans, you and I ... Now look at us; two old men fighting our own barons just to hold the Land together.
    'We're all that's left of the old order, Thomas. On the day I was crowned, a hundred and fifty knights bent their knees and made the oath of fealty to me. Where are they now? Dead and gone, all of them, lost in one stupid little war or another. All my brave knights . . . Now chivalry is no longer fashionable, and honour is a thing of the past. Times change, and I've lost the ability to change with them.
    'It's been so long since I could rest, Thomas. So long since I could sleep at night without my troubles invading my dreams. So long since my poor Eleanor died ...'
    Grey leaned back against the King's leg, and they sat quietly together a while; two old friends, remembering happier days.
    Shadows filled the Court as night slowly fell. King John stared out across the vast, empty hall with its wood-panelled walls and soaring rafters, and ghosts came to stand before him in their shining armour, swords held aloft as they silently roared their loyalty to the throne. All the heroes of his Realm, the questors and champions, the stalkers and avengers of evil, dead and gone down the many years. King John sat staring at an empty Court, and one by one the ghosts left him, until all that remained was his throne, and his Kingdom.
    'You know,' said King John finally. 'It's not so much making bad decisions that bothers me; it's just that I spend days on end weighing up the pros and cons, and I still make the wrong decision!'
    The Astrologer chuckled quietly. 'That's why you keep me around, John. I may not be the High Warlock, but my small magics do come in handy now and again.'
    'Indeed they do, Thomas.' The King ruffled the Astrologer's hair affectionately. 'What would I do without you?'
    They sat together in companionable silence, the King's brooding eyes fixed on yesterday.
    'Fifty-five isn't old,' he said suddenly. 'I'm not as young as I was, but I don't feel old.'
    'Time catches up with all of us eventually,' said the Astrologer.
    'You seem to be putting up a good fight,' said the King tartly. 'Look at you — your back's as straight and your hair as dark as it was forty years ago.'
    'I dye my hair.'
    'And you wear a corset.'
    'Only sometimes.'
    'Only when you're chasing a new wench.' The King chuckled evilly. 'Man your age should have more dignity.'
    'Every man should have a hobby,' said the Astrologer complacently.
    The King laughed, but his habitual frown soon returned. 'What is the matter with the Barons anyway?
    They've never been this bad before.'
    'It's the Darkwood, John. Our wealth comes from mines run by the Barons; it's their gold and