Graham

Graham, the son of Sir Hereward, once served as a knight of Daventry under King Edward. He later became the King of Daventry. Graham's full name and title is King Graham of Daventry (formerly Sir Graham of Daventry). He has also been known as Grahame. Much is known about Graham's adventures, but very little about his past.

Rise to Knighthood
Graham was born to a long line of valiant knights, although his family did not stretch very far back into Daventry's history, several were defenders of Daventry; his grandfather was a great hero of renown, who defeated the Dragon of Herenna , and his father was a nobleman and the best friend of King Edward. He greatly admired his father.

As a child, Graham often played by Lake Maylie. With adults, Graham didn't much like people reaching out and ruffling his hair. He had hated the gesture. Graham had always had a sweet tooth. As a child, he was the first to snitch particles of pie, pastry, and confection from sills and counters where they were left to cool after leaving the ovens. Knights and ladies all knew to have an extra dessert ready when he came to sup. His sweet tooth lasted as he grew up, he never saw a pie he did not like.

As he grew, Graham began to study in several of Daventry's educational institutions. Graham received scholarly education through the Palace School, Daventry High School, and finally the Royal University where he graduated first in his class. He had specialized in knowing a lot about a wide range of things. No one subject could capture him, and he had devoured all the lore and learning he could listen to and read. He enrolled into the Knight School where studied many years to be a defender of the realm, before venturing on his first quest. Graham had traveled much in his youth, even to much larger lands (though he witnessed his own country was shrinking due to invading forces). It wasn't long until he joined the army.

As a knight, Graham tried to keep Daventry free of the invaders that had been shrinking the kingdom's borders since the loss of the magic shield. The task had been nearly impossible As a knight of the realm he was a man of privilege, though not unaffected by the famine and calamities of the hard years he was able to eat daily, and sleep secure in his bed.

The New Dynasty
Being the bravest and noblest knight, King Edward, who was childless, looked at him as a potential heir. Graham's father was proud that he was chosen to succeed the aging king. Unfortunately Graham's father did not live to see that event, having died during a border war when Graham was still young. Years later, just after Graham turned nineteen, he was indeed asked by the venerable King to recover Daventry's treasures that had been stolen from him during the years of his reign. Right when Graham returned to the castle after recovering the treasures, the King's heart failed him, and Graham was named King of Daventry.

About a year later, after Graham received a vision from the Magic Mirror, he traveled to the far away realm of Kolyma to rescue a beautiful maiden named Valanice from a quartz tower that an evil witch named Hagatha had trapped her in. After braving many perils, Graham succeeded and he and Valanice were married in the Monastery of the Blessed Wilbury, and she became his queen.

Before returning to Daventry and following the wedding, the monks repaired the bridge to the Magic Door so that Graham and his new wife could return the Crystal Tower and free the golden lion. King Graham and Valanice traveled through the magic door to the enchanted isle and freed the great golden lion from its chains, breaking the spell put on it by the witch. He took it to the land of its jungle home and released it, where it was joined by a tall man, wearing nothing but a loincloth. Using the Amulet, Graham and his wife returned to the gates of Daventry where they were met with fanfare.

A year or two later, Valanice bore Graham twin children, a son Alexander and a daughter Rosella. Unfortunately, Alexander was kidnapped in his infancy from Daventry and would not return for almost eighteen years.

The Troubled Years
Some years after the loss of his son, Graham embarked on a quest to rescue Ahi'aorina, queen of the fairies of the Old Wood from the giant Dunstan, to end the unnatural winter and bring spring to Daventry. He traveled east from Castle Daventry to the Old Woods to meet her husband, Quilli'ehennan. Continuing east he joined up with the minstrel, Shallan, whom he had a few adventures with including running into giant spider, being tossed into a pit that lead to caves of the Laburnum a family of bandits. He escaped the Laburnum, but lost track of the minstrel. Soon he met two gnomes who helped him get new clothes to help cross frigid Glass Mountains into the Kingdom of Sorrow. Soon he found Sorrowing Court and met the giant Dunstan and the Imps that ruled there. He soon found out that Dunstan and the Imps were not mastermind behind the kidnapping and were in fact a pawn in the whole ordeal. The evil efreeti Kuzgu who was in the guise of an Imp has been the one who had instigated the kidnapping. Kuzgu had made sure Graham's mind was transferred into a slizard. Graham escaped in his lizard for, and had to survive the imps in order to get his body back. Graham soon discovered that a great wizard was being held in the castle in a Glamour Manarvel. Graham recovered his body, and tricked the Imps into thinking he was still transformed, allowing him to defeat them. He helped free the fairy queen, who then helped free the wizard, Karn Megiddo. Together with Dunstan they defeated the efreeti. Because the spell forming the castle together had been broken it began to disintegrate, so Graham, Ahi'aorina, the Imps, and Wizard all escaped the castle before it completely vanished. But upon exiting the castle Karn turned on the group to try to destroy them. It turned out Karn had been behind everything, and was the efreeti's master. Graham defeated Karn by use of the Slizard. Having triumphed spring returned, and Graham was able to return to Daventry.

Several years later, Rosella seemingly contracted Imbrium fever. Graham came into her room concerned. He didn't think she looked too ill, but thought it might be better of stayed home to take care of their daughter. Rosella convinced them though that she would was being taken care of and that she would be fine. They wished her goodbye, and Graham and Valanice traveled to the far away land of Duchy Cumberford to attend the wedding of Duke Faust to the Duchess Aspen of Chouen for a few weeks. They later returned to find their daughter was "still" sick, but was going to be ok.

In the following years, Daventry endured terrible hardship in the form of many devastating earthquakes that ripped and tore at the very ground and destroyed many landmarks. Soon after, a vile three-headed dragon laid waste to the kingdom and began to demand the sacrifice of maidens for its bounty. For some years the dragon ravaged the realm, until the events of King's Quest III, in which Alexander returned after escaping the clutches of an evil wizard named Manannan and killed the dragon, finally bringing peace to Daventry.

During his reunion with his son and daughter, Alexander and Rosella, old King Graham suffered a heart attack as he was passing on his famous adventurer's cap (which he had worn through all of his quests) to his children. Too many strong emotions in too short a time is what felled him. With all haste, he was taken to the royal chambers, and the royal physicians were summoned. They could do no good. Nothing helped the king, neither their healing herbs and ointments, magical invocations, nor laying on of hands. Death seemed certain and certainly soon. With the help of a fairy named Genesta, his daughter Rosella traveled to the land of Tamir to obtain a magical fruit that would heal him. After eating the fruit the king's physical condition improved over several days.

Sometime after, a powerful and evil sorcerer named Telgrin invaded Daventry with his army and claimed the land as his own and stole Graham's soul, leaving Graham in danger of becoming one of Telgrin's soulless servants. Graham's body collapsed inside the throne room and was left by the evil wizard, who then took the globe containing the king's soul back to the floating castle, and put it in his study in preparation of turning it into his latest knight. Graham's unconscious and dieing body was placed in his bedroom while Daventry's healer took care of it, and Alexander went on a journey to the castle to save his father. Alexander was able to defeat Telgrin and rescue his father and the kingdom.

The Elder King
Graham who set out for a walk in the forest near Lake Maylie, one spring day almost a year since Rosella had returned from Tamir. The kingdom had was finally at peace, or so it seemed. Shortly before he returned to the castle, a sharp gust of wind Graham came east from the castle. When he returned to the castle, he found it missing. An owl named Cedric, saw what happened, and explained that his castle and family had been taken by an evil wizard named Mordack. Cedric sprinkled magic fairy dust onto the king, and they flew towards the land of Serenia, to meet Cedric's master, the wizard Crispin. Graham spent a few days in the land of Serenia, crossing the Great Mountains and the Northern Sea. When he reached Mordack's castle, he discovered his family and castle had been placed in a jar. After a magical dual, he defeated the wizard, saved the princess Cassima of the Green Isles, and was reunited with his family.

He traveled to the Land of the Green Isles with the help of Shamir Shamazel to attend Alexander's and Cassima's wedding.

While Valanice and Rosella were in the lands of Eldritch and Etheria, he had waited 15 minutes for Valanice and Rosella return so they could have lunch. After which they told him the story of their adventures there. His daughter eventually began to court Edgar in the land of Eldritch, and he would come to visit her in Daventry (according to the King's Quest Companion). It is implied that she and Edgar became the heirs of Daventry.

A few years later, King Graham, now older with whitened hair , was in the Throne Room discussing the Kingdom's surplus grain that year, with one of his officials, and the need to begin construction on a new silo. Not long after, the Daventry Official noticed in the Magic Mirror a bad omen, of the Mask of Eternity being destroyed by Lucreto. The cataclysm caused by the blast of magic from the cracked mask turned Graham to stone like everyone else in Daventry. Connor decided to check on the security of the king. He made it into the castle Dining Hall through a secret entrance. While there he viewed a portrait of his King, King Graham of Daventry. The king was shown wearing a green adventurer's hat and his hair having gone white. Connor soon found the king in Castle Daventry seeing that even King Graham was no match against the evil magic. King Graham and his family suffered the same fate as the rest of Daventry's mortal inhabitants having turned to stone. Connor vowed to his lord, with all his heart, that he would place himself in mortal jeopardy before giving in to the vile forces which held the king in thrall. Connor eventually defeated Lucreto and reformed the Mask of Eternity restoring Graham to his true self.

Personality and traits
Graham is an excellent King and adventurer, both gentle and brave.

Graham had always preferred to solve problems with his wits instead of his fists. After all, it was using his brain that had brought him to the throne of Daventry in the first place. Graham, the noble king is a man of few words and many deeds. He is famed throughout the Lands not only as the beloved ruler of Daventry, but as a brilliant scholar and a fearless adventurer. Not once but at least four times has he journeyed far from his home on perilous and incredible quests. No matter the villain he deals all by force or by wit. He was also quick to make friends, who helped him along his way.

Graham was a man of wit, wisdom, and learning, one of undoubted courage and fortitude. He was quick of wit, strong, clever, and learned in all the subjects taught at the royal university. He had a good use of his mental faculties as well as his knightly skills. He was not a large man, and he was not particularly tall, but he had a presence that awed. His body's length is just at six feet, and his muscles are long and low. When forced to arms, Graham beats his opponent with speed and skill, not muscle. It is his quickness that sets him apart from the rest of humanity. Nimble and fast of both hand and foot, and even nimbler and faster between the ears. He was always the proper and respectful one.

Graham's strongest assets were agility and speed, wit and intelligence; he expected to live by the latter and survive by the former.

In later years, when old King Graham's health began to fail, the royal physicians were powerless to help him. His stout heart had weakened. The shock and joy and return of his family was too much for him to take, causing him to have a heart attack, and he was dying. His health was fully restored after eating the Magic Fruit.

Graham was no longer the young knight who won the throne of Daventry. The responsibilities that were placed on the king's head along with his crown were many, and they have put a few deep lines in his face. Valanice finds them dashing and Graham thinks of them as laugh lines from the joy of living with her. Graham was no longer the slim knight he was in his youth. The decades had filled him out, but with hard muscles, not soft flesh. leaving him with very muscular and powerful arms and an obviously well maintained physique. His eyes were not quite what they used to be, and he would no longer care to attempt outrunning an ogre, but he was still in splendid physical condition at his age. The old king still remembered and continued to follow his father's wisdom, even if the choice was not always pleasant. Though Graham was renowned for his speed and agility, the ensuing years robbed him some of both, but he was still left with just enough to get over some precarious spots.

Graham is not the most impressive person. Graham's features were judged as "forgettable the moment you see him" by a contemporary and fellow Knight, Sir David of Bruce. However, Graham is more commonly described as being pleasant and strong looking, in a vague sort of way. He usually dresses, as is his custom, or in the manner of a squire or a rustic knight. Graham's usual attire was the short tunic, pants, and high boots of a Ranger . His head is topped with his crown, or with a long cap, rakishly adorned with one red feather, his adventurer's cap.

In his youth, Graham kept his dark brown (almost black, really) hair cut long to cover his ears. He had begun doing this during his first years in the palace school, on the theory if his teacher couldn't see his ears, the teacher couldn't pull them. The theory didn't work, but the hair length stayed. When he was older, his hair was cut to shoulder ling, and cleaner above his ears. His son Alexander would inherit his hair color from him. When old, his hair had turned to light gray, and it was mostly white in later years. Although unshaven by preference, he looks like the monarch he is. He sometimes grows a mustache or even a full beard.

His voice quiet and measured when he spoke, such was the aura of vitality and inner strength he projected, however he overshadows all others in his company. The authority he commands over his knights is absolute, but is not the authority of force and coercion. Rather, it is an authority derived from the absolute belief and trust he inspires in his people. Graham accorded all who spoke before him the same weighty respect, knights and common folk alike. His face was thoughtful and he considered what they had to say.

Caution was a virtue Graham had cultivated since his father had first explained to him about things not always being as they appeared. He was neither a rushing fool nor a timid one. He believed that his head, for instance, better served while firmly attached to his neck. He would give it in, in battle, if he must, but he refused to offer it around lightly.

Graham is kindhearted, gentle man. Graham is among the kindest and most helpful of people. It matters little to him if he is king; if he spies some folk or creature in need of assistance he feels it is his duty to offer assistance. A creature in need always touches the heart of King Graham. Graham's thoughts are always with his people first, before his own needs. . It is also said when Edward died the strong, brave king wept like a child.

Graham had a difficult time with his station and how to behave in the royal house, mostly because he had not been born to the velvet of a king's station. He had been born a nobody, to a minor noble family. He was not born a king (he had not been born to royalty on either side), his wife in contrast was born of royalty on one side only. Were it not for Valanice keeping watch over him, Graham would not have known the first thing about how a king should behave. He had troubles with the rules of his position. This suggests that Valanice as the daughter of a prince was born to a higher station than Graham had been.

Normally, Graham usually let Valanice walk before him, except when he feels she is in possible danger. In which case he walks before her. Although sometimes he still thought it better to have her in front of him, so it is better to see her and any who might threaten her. He usually bowed to Valanice to know he wanted her to go first.

Graham did not insist on a lot of formality like some monarchs did. All he asked for was his staff to do their jobs, he didn't want them to be distracted by extraneous bowing and scraping. Something he found embarrassing. Graham did his best to make sure each of his staff felt his or her position was more than a task. He made sure he remembered each of their names, and took the time to think of them now and then. Usually through birthday dinners for the children and gifts during the holidays.

There was some vanity to Graham's baring, he always stood straight, and was careful not to stumble, so as to not show weakness.

It is strange, that the man most have come to admire so much during his early adventures could be the same person who sent innocent girls off to be sacrificed to the fire-breathing dragon. Perhaps his good judgment and wisdom hadn't recovered from the shock of Alexander's kidnapping, or perhaps it was just poor advice on the part of his prime minister, Gerwain. Not all the acts and decisions he has made over the years have been good ones, but he has always done what he felt was best for Daventry, even to the sacrifice of his only daughter. Rosella has forgiven him for taking her to the dragon, but the memory of Graham tying her to the stake, awaiting death with her eyes open and dry, still sometimes disturbs his dreams. That she was rescued and survived only eases the horror a little.

Undertaking his quest for Valanice was rash, and undertaking it unarmed and with no provisions was foolish. However, King Graham was a true knight, noble of heart and sworn to aid the helpless. His determination to help was correct; to do anything less would demean him.

He has known little hunger in his life.

Graham's gift of understatement is said to be legendary.

Graham had great climbing agility, having scampered up and down ropes for years as part of his martial training. He was always considered the best climber in the army. This was a skill he maintained later in his life, and came to be useful when scaling the rope in the Great Mountains of Serenia.

King Graham seems to have developed the bad habit of having run-ins with particularly nasty witches. Dahlia would have imprisoned him for life or baked him into a Graham Cracker; Hagatha would have stewed him (perhaps serving the dish with a hearty green maggot wine); and the nameless hag of the Dark Forest, would have added him to her collection of slime toads.

Graham often liked to go out hunting with a bow now and then, and Valanice often went along. He had learned how to find and follow tracks. Hunting is generally considered a man's sport.

With the many years that had passed between the time Alexander was kidnapped, the pain of his loss did not come as often to Graham. Days went by in which Graham thought of Alexander not at all--which only compounded his loss with guilt.

Graham has a good memory and is well trained and able to remember whole pages of manuscript at a glance.

Titles

 * Sir Knight


 * King of Daventry


 * King of Humans
 * Human King
 * King Graham of Daventry
 * Sir Graham of Daventry

Behind the scenes

 * Graham's appearance may be inspired by the appearance of the Simpleton in the story The Golden Goose Book by L. Leslie Brooke (1905).
 * In the original King's Quest distributed by IBM, Graham was known as Sir Grahame.
 * If you ask "What is Graham's last name?" in KQ2 the game will reply with "Cracker". Actually this will also work if you just ask, "What is Graham's name", or "What is Graham's first name?"
 * If King Graham is killed by Dahlia in King's Quest 1 remake, he is turned into one of the gingerbread men, and put outside the Witch's hut, the game then described as having become a "Graham Cracker".
 * The Hero of Quest for Glory can say he is King Graham Cracker to the gargoyle in the Quest for Glory I. In response the gargoyle says he is Princess Rubella.
 * Graham has worn several different variations on his adventurer's cap, pants and tunic clothing style, and occasionally worn royal robes, see Graham's Wardrobe for more information on his clothing "variety".
 * Where does Graham put all the stuff he's carrying? The same place Superman puts his street clothes when he flies!
 * In KQ5 and KQ6, he is voiced by Sierra programmer Josh Mandel (who also wrote the text for KQ1 sci). Mandel would also reprise the role for several Fan Games.
 * Graham speaks with an olde style English in Mask of Eternity and Hoyle I. Daran Norris was chosen to play King Graham in MOE due to the game using all Screen Actors Guild talent. Graham's accent was likely changed in order to fit in with Connor's accent.
 * A graffiti message in Vohaul's Asteroid in SQ2, states "Sir Graham Cross Dresses."
 * Graham is discussed in the newspapers in Police Quest 1 and 2.
 * In Laura Bow 2: Dagger of Amon Ra, there is a tapestry depicting a scene of Graham in Hell.
 * Whittlin' Willy begins to tell a story of King Graham in one of the death scenes in Freddy Pharkas. There is also a nod to King Graham of Daventry on a note in the General Store.
 * Graham is considered not particularly large or tall man in Daventry. Compared to Edward in KQ1AGI this seems true.

King Graham (unofficial)
King Graham appears in multiple fan games and fanfiction, see Graham (fan games).