Read Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising for Free Online Page B

have been white, but was now stained a dozen colours from dried mud and grime. She was young, barely into her twenties, and handsome rather than beautiful. Deep blue eyes and a generous mouth contrasted strongly with the mannish jut of her jaw. Long blonde hair fell almost to her waist in two meticulously twisted plaits. She was poised and slender and easily six feet tall. As Rupert considered the right courteous words with which to greet a Princess, she whooped with joy and rushed forward to throw her arms around him. Rupert staggered back a pace.
    'My hero,' she cooed, bending down to nuzzle his ear. 'You've come to rescue me!'
    'Well, yes,' muttered Rupert, trying to break free without seeming too discourteous. 'Glad to be of service. I'm Prince Rupert ...'
    The Princess hugged him fiercely, driving the air from his lungs. I was safer with the dragon , thought Rupert, as bright spots drifted before his eyes. The Princess finally let him go, and stood back to take a good look at him.
    He couldn't have been much older than she was, she thought, but the recent scars that marred one side of his face gave him a hard, dangerous look. His long slender hands were battered and torn, and covered with freshly dried blood. His leather jerkin and trousers had obviously seen a great deal of use, his cloak was a mess, and all in all the fellow looked more like a bandit than a Prince. The Princess frowned dubiously, and then her mouth twitched — all in all, she probably didn't look much like a Princess either.
    'Where's your armour?' she asked.
    'I left it in the Tanglewood,' said Rupert.
    'And your steed?'
    'At the base of the mountain.'
    'You did at least bring your sword?'
    'Of course,' said Rupert, drawing the blade to show her. She snatched it out of his hand, tested the balance, and swept it through a few expert passes.
    'It'll do,' she decided, and gave the sword back to him. 'Get on with it.'
    'Get on with what?' asked Rupert politely.
    'With killing the dragon, of course,' said the Princess. That's what you're here for, isn't it?'
    'Ah,' said Rupert, 'the dragon and I have talked it over, and I'm going to take him back to my Castle alive. And you too, of course.'
    'That's not honourable,' said the Princess flatly.
    'Oh yes it is,' said the dragon.
    'You keep out of this,' snapped the Princess.
    'Gladly,' said the dragon.
    'Whose side are you on?' demanded Rupert, feeling he needed all the help he could get.
    'Anybody's who'll rescue me from this Princess,' said the dragon feelingly.
    The Princess kicked him.
    Rupert closed his eyes a moment. When he got back to Court he intended to give the minstrels explicit instructions on how to sing their songs. This kind of thing needed to be pointed up more. He coughed politely, and the Princess swung angrily back to face him.
    'What's your name?' he asked.
    'Julia. Princess Julia of Hillsdown.'
    'Well, Princess Julia, you have two choices. Come back to my Castle with me and the dragon, or stay here on your own.'
    'You can't 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,