Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

intricately ornate Court gown into a simple silk wrap that revealed tantalisingly brief glimpses of upper thigh every time she moved. Tasty, thought Harald, and not exactly backward in coming forward, even with her husband present. Not for the first time, Harald wondered what Darius and Cecelia saw in each other. There was no doubt they made a formidable political team, but her affairs with the younger guardsmen were common gossip. Darius must have known, but he never said anything. Takes all sorts to make a world, thought Harald sardonically.
    'Well, my Lord Minister for War,' he said politely, 'this is all very pleasant, I'm sure, but what exactly do you want from me?'
    Darius smiled at the Prince's bluntness, and sipped unhurriedly at his wine. 'As yet, very little, Sire. But rest assured that my friends have your best interests at heart.'
    'Really?' said Harald amusedly. 'How very interesting. I was under the impression your friends had the interests of the Forest Land at heart. That is, after all, why I'm here.'
    'By helping you, we help the Land,' said Darius earnestly. 'Your father is no longer fit to be King. He has abandoned the Barons to the darkness, insulted and attacked the Landsgraves in open Court, and now he threatens to draw the Curtana! He must know the Barons won't stand for that. He's all but inviting a
    rebellion.'
    'The Barons need a King,' said Harald calmly. 'They haven't enough men to make their separate stands against the Darkwood, and they know it. Their only hope is an army; a single armed force strong enough to throw the darkness back. They tried bullying the King into giving them more men, only to find he doesn't need their support any more. Assuming, of course, that the Curtana will work on non-human minds. If it doesn't, it'll be too late to try to raise an army. Small wonder the Barons are desperate. If the sword doesn't work, we all go down into the darkness. If it does work, King John could become the greatest tyrant this Land has ever known. With the Sword of Compulsion in his hand, his merest whim would become law. However, with King John overthrown, who would control the army? The Barons don't trust each other, as any one of them could use the army to make himself King.
    'So, the barons need a King, but they don't want King John. And that, my Lord Darius, is why you requested my presence here tonight. Isn't it?'
    Darius studied the Prince narrowly. 'You show a keen grasp of the situation, Sire. I didn't realise you had such an interest in politics. In the past you've always seemed more concerned with other . . .
    pursuits.'
    Harald laughed. 'But then none of us are always what we seem, are we, dear fellow?' The habitual blandness fell suddenly from his face, revealing hard, determined features dominated by piercing dark eyes. 'I may act the fool, Darius, but don't ever take me for one.'
    'Why pretend at all?' asked the Lady Cecelia, frowning prettily.
    'It disarms people,' said Harald. 'They don't see me as a threat until it's too late. Besides, it amuses me.'
    His face relaxed into its usual lines of vague amiability, but his eyes remained cold and sardonic. Darius smiled uncertainly, his mind racing as he struggled for the right approach to use with this new, unexpected, Prince Harald.
    'Your father undoubtedly means well, Sire, but he is an old man, and his mind is not what it was. He listens too much to his pet Astrologer, and not enough to those courtiers whose privilege and responsibility it has always been to advise him. With the darkness already gathering outside our walls, we can't afford a King who'd gamble all our lives on a single magic sword that might not even work. If the King won't listen to reason, he must be made to listen.'
    'You're talking about my father,' said Harald softly. 'If I thought you were threatening him ...'
    'We're not,' said Darius quickly. 'There's no question of the King coming to any harm.'
    'You're forgetting Sir Bedivere.'
    'A mistake, I promise you. I don't think any of us had realised just how unstable the man had become.'
    Harald looked at him coldly.
    'Please believe me, Sire,' said Darius slowly. 'The King will not be harmed. My associates and I have a great deal of respect for what he has achieved in the past. We merely feel that the pressures of his position have grown too great for him, in his old age. The Forest Land needs a younger, more capable ruler. Such as yourself, Prince Harald.'
    The Prince just smiled at him. A silence grew