A/N: Chapter 3 is about an argument over whether Lord British or Blackthorn is a better ruler for Britannia, and what sorts of lives two fugitives live as the family who owns Greyhaven have them stay there as their guests.
Chapter 3
Greyhaven
"Now, Anthony, thou dost understand Lord Blackthorn's Law of Honesty by heart, dost thou not?" a young woman named Charlotte was asking her son one evening while in the living room of their lighthouse, Greyhaven.
"Yes mother," her son, Anthony, said back, "'Thou shalt not lie, or thou shalt lose thy tongue.' Did I get it right, mother?"
"Yes, thou didst, son," Charlotte said proudly. "Thou art beginning to see the light of the law in thy life, indeed! Now, let us recite the Law of Compassion next. Canst thou say it by heart?"
Anthony thought for a moment, and then said, "'Thou shalt help those in need, or thou shalt suffer the same need.'"
"Excellent!" his mother said, "Thou art correct again. Now next, tell me the Law of Valor, son."
"Pardon me, Charlotte," said Charlotte's husband, David, who was passing through, "Thou hast been drilling these lessons about Blackthorn's laws and ethics into our son's head from day one. Dost thou not think his mind could use a little rest right now?"
"First of all, dear, it's Lord Blackthorn," said Charlotte, "He is king now, not Lord British. I do not believe British is coming back, anyway. And second, thou must remember that Anthony has to know these lessons by heart. He, too, has to grow up sometime, and I want him to do so with a wise, intelligent mind, which is easy with Lord Blackthorn on the throne."
"But Charlotte, Blackthorn's laws are not as perfect as thou dost think they are," said David, ignoring her usage of "Lord Blackthorn," "Dost thou not think that thou should slow down a little and think for thyself a little bit? Blackthorn is forcing Virtue on people, and by following him fanatically, as well as drilling all these Blackthorn-based lessons into Anthony's head, thou art helping him and his Oppression thrive."
"But I do think for myself, David," Charlotte said a little impatiently, "I chose to put aside Lord British and accept Lord Blackthorn, and look where it's gotten us. We have a good home, good riches, a lifetime's supply of reliable possessions and goods, and-"
"Those are all good things," interrupted David, "but they have cost us-no, they have cost thee and Anthony-thy mental and spiritual freedom, and if thou dost keep stubbornly going down this path, it will ultimately cost thee thy souls. And being part of this family, I do not want that to happen to you, or Anthony."
"Oh, thou art calling me stubborn now?" Charlotte exclaimed indignantly, "What dost thou know that we do not? British never enforced the use of Virtue on anyone, no wonder so many did not follow it nearly as well as the Avatar! But Lord Blackthorn does enforce them, and with a sharp mind. And all this gossip around Britannia about three Shadowlords makes no sense to me at all."
"I have tried to explain the truth about them to thee before," said David wearily. He had quite clearly had this dispute with his wife several times before. "I mean, thou still dost not take me seriously-"
"Can I say something here?" Anthony suddenly asked loudly, "I'd like to give my view on this conversation?"
His parents looked at each other, and then nodded.
"I'm with mother, and with Lord Blackthorn, on this one," he said. "Father, thou dost know I love thee, perhaps more than mother does, from the look of this. But I need some focus in my life, and studying the rules of a good substitute king has been the best thing that ever happened to me. Thou dost understand, right?"
David lowered his head in disappointment. "I do understand, son," he said. Charlotte looked triumphant, almost smug. David hated it when she looked like that; she seemed so arrogant.
"I thank thee, father," Anthony said, getting up and giving him a hug.
"Now, canst thou give me a chance to finish tonight's lesson in the Laws of Virtue, David?" asked Charlotte.
"Yes, I suppose so," said David.
"Good. Thanks. Now, as I was saying, son, what is the Law of Valor?"
"'Thou shalt fight to the death if challenged, or thou shalt be banished as a coward.'"
"Very good, Anthony."
David decided to get up and check with Greyhaven's two visitors for a bit.
Greyhaven was located south of Trinsic, the town of Honor, at the Cape of Heroes, and it ensured that all ships sailing through there could find safe passage through those dangerous waters among the several islands there, including the Isle of Deeds, where Serpent's Hold was located. It was a very good place for travelers to visit and find shelter at, for in addition to the usual bedroom, dining room, and lighthouse tower, it had a spare bedroom with two large beds for guests to sleep on, a large living room with enough chairs for five people, a fireplace in the living room, and plenty of bookshelves and books for reading. It even had a slightly fancy entrance chamber, where two potted plants and a grandfather clock were kept to lighten up the room, and an extra large storage chamber for the owners and guests to keep their larder, goods, and supplies.
At this present time, two men were guests at this hospitable lighthouse, Sir Arbuthnot, Lord British's royal minter, and Kenneth, British's court musician. They had to keep their reasons for refuge at the lighthouse a secret from Charlotte and Anthony, what with their devotion to Blackthorn and all, but when they learned that David, the man of the house, did not agree with his wife's sentiment toward Blackthorn, they did tell him their reason for finding refuge, to escape Blackthorn's tyranny, and he promised to keep it a closely guarded secret from Charlotte and Anthony, knowing that if Anthony knew, he wouldn't hesitate to tell his mother.
At that particular moment, Sir Arbuthnot was sitting in front of the fireplace reading a book about the history of Britannia. David walked over to have a quiet talk with him; he knew his wife and son wouldn't overhear or eavesdrop, for they were too busy doing their lessons to bother to try.
"Art thou doing well, Arbuthnot, sir?" David asked him quietly.
"Indeed, I am," the coinmaker replied. "Dost thou recall that Shamino and Dupre requested that I make a special Codex coin to summon the Avatar back to Britannia, to hopefully defeat Blackthorn and these Shadowlords and perhaps also find Lord British?"
"Yes, I do," David confirmed.
"Well, I meant to tell thee, but Charlotte and/or Anthony were constantly too close by," Arbuthnot explained, "I have finished it, and 'tis indeed a beautiful coin, if I do say so myself, and Shamino and Iolo have received it by now, and are likely to be summoning the Avatar back soon with it. Tell me," he asked more quietly, "Dost thou think that the Avatar will truly be against Blackthorn's regime? For I would not want him to be deceived by, or side with, the enemy. Even some of the best followers of Virtue, like Charlotte over there, for example, have been twisted or corrupted by a twisted and corrupted system of law."
"I cannot say for certain, Sir Arbuthnot," David replied, "But while he was a very devoted follower of the virtues during his first quest here, I never heard any reports of him being a zealot or a fanatic. I think it likely that he will support Lord British, myself."
"I truly hope thou art right," Arbuthnot said, "And I mean it, I truly have hope that he will. But if his quest here ever brings him to Greyhaven, and I'm still here when that happens, I shall ask him myself about the current regime and the nature of the true Avatar. If he can reveal the truth to me, I shall feel much better."
"And I am sure thou shalt," said David. "I shall see thee later; I must look in on our other guest, and then I have the first shift at the revolving light tonight."
"Of course, good night, David," said Arbuthnot.
Kenneth was in the guest bedroom just then, practicing his hands at playing a harpsichord the owners of Greyhaven had put there to entertain their visitors. That was where David found him. Kenneth stopped playing as David entered and approached him.
"Good evening, David, my friend," he said regally.
"Sit Kenneth," David said with a nod of his head, "Sorry to interrupt thy practice, but I just wanted to check in before I start my shift in the tower."
"I thank thee," Kenneth said, "I am doing just fine. I was just practicing one of my favorite royal songs, 'Stones,' because I am trying to memorize the pattern of the notes for a possible visit from the Avatar and his companions."
"Really? Why?" David asked.
"Come over here, and I shall whisper the answer in thy ear."
David came over to him, and Kenneth said, "If played correctly on Lord British's private harpsichord, this song can open a secret chamber in his quarters where he keeps his Sandalwood Box. The king keeps a secret treasure inside it that the Avatar will ultimately need in his quest, though they say that only Lord British himself can open the box. I am not certain what the treasure is, but it must be absolutely pivotal to bringing the true king home, if it's so secret, and only British can open it!"
"That sounds rather heavy to me," David remarked. "I hope then that the Avatar does come here during his return. But I swear, I will keep this a secret from my family, for if they knew, who knows what might happen?"
"Thanks, David," Kenneth said. "That means a lot to me. Perhaps thy old sextant device could be of help to him, as well."
"True," said David, "I have no further use for it myself, nor does my family, and it may prove to be valuable to our virtuous hero, too."
"David!" he heard Charlotte call from across the room. "Do not forget thy shift! It starts very soon!"
"Yes, Charlotte," David said politely. "Well, I must get back to work, Kenneth. I hope thou dost do well with thy music. I'm sure many people would be grateful for it." He winked.
"I am certain, too, my friend," Kenneth winked back as David started to leave. "I am certain, too."
In chapter 4, we see a dark picture of Waveguide, the last lighthouse, where rumor has it that those who own and run it perform dark experiments and commit bloodshed galore. Are the rumors true? Find out in the last chapter!