Fable: The Return Chapter 18

The King continues his journey through Wraithmarsh in his quest to save Albion.
==Chapter 18==
"Sleeping again, Hero?"
The king opened his eyes and saw only white light, the ground didn't seem to even be there. He was lying in a world of pure white, no walls, no floors, no restrictions in sight. He came to his feet and laid his eyes upon Theresa standing in front of him, her traditional grin spread across her lips. She stands slightly slouched with her hands cupped together at her waist.
"I suppose I am," he answered, finally.
"You did very well against the Knights Aberrant. It is a shame that they were destroyed, but they served their purpose so I suppose it was a fitting end for them all."
"I have the mask, it's safe."
"I know, its evil weighs strongly upon you. Can you feel it?"
"Yes…"
"Good. Then it has not taken hold of your mind, or your body. You truly are strong, Hero. I cannot express to you how difficult it was for my brother to cast Jack's mask into the fire behind the Golden Gate."
"It almost took me, Theresa." The king confesses. "But I remembered what I had to do, I remembered that I am a Hero of Albion. I could not let it take that away from me, no matter how tempting its offers were."
"You must always remember this, the horrors that the mask promised you are what will come to be if these masks fall into the hands of the Court. You now hold the most powerful of the three, but this will only bring forth the wrath of the Court. The next most powerful is Jack's mask, but it was destroyed long ago. The one that is now your concern is the mask of the Knight. He…is by far the wildest of the three, and the most vicious."
"I thought the Knight was the weakest. Is that not what you said?"
"He is indeed, which states all the more how powerful the other two are. If the Knight of Blades wears his mask, then he will be able to wield his blade. This is something I have yet to tell you, Hero. All three members of the Court wield their own powerful blades, the one that the world knows of is the Sword of Aeons which belongs to the Jack of Blades. But, the other two are unknown to those who live here in this realm."
"Where are the other two blades?"
"They are within the Void along with the Sword of Aeons, without the masks the Court is unable to bring the blades with them into this realm. This is why you must retrieve the masks before they get their hands on them."
"I understand, where am I going next?"
"I have already told you that the Knight's mask is hidden somewhere in The Northern Wastes. to get there, you will need a ship. It just so happens that you are in Wraithmarsh, and the port town of Bloodstone is a few mere miles away."
"Reaver…"
"I understand that Reaver us untrustworthy, especially now considering his recent attempt on your life. But Reaver has always been like this, when your father first sought him out in Bloodstone, Reaver attempted on several occasions to betray him. He has also attempted to betray you on more occasions, this is his nature. Reaver will never forget what he has done, nor will he forgive those he has wronged. He is a pirate turned business man who only wants to be in control. You must remember that small fact about him, he is all business. As hard as it is, you must forget about Reaver's past in order to bargain with him. It is never right for Heroes to squabble, no matter the wrong doings of either party. You must go to the Northern Wastes, The Court may already be on their way…"
"I understand…"
"Good," Theresa smiles. "Now go, it is time to wake up." Her voice fades along with her body. The pure white world blinks away with the opening of the king's true eyes. His dreams are replaced with the gloom and fog of Wraithmarsh. Behind him is the opened Demon Door, still emanating its odd hum of the portal. Slowly, he stands up and collects himself. Several feet in front of him is an old, mossy signpost. One sign reads, "Darkwood, Greatwood, Bowerstone." The other reads, "Oakvale." The king follows the direction for Oakvale immediately. This path just so happens to carry the most fog, along with dark Will energy. He soon disappears into the heavy white fog, and ignites a small flame on one finger to light his way.