Once there was a king in Thule, who had lived his life in loyalty,
Save for a golden goblet, a gift from his beloved on her deathbed.
He treasured the cup above all else, always drinking from it at feasts;
And whenever he drained it dry, he could not help but weep.
Seeing death drawing near, the king counted how many cities he possessed;
He gave every city to the crown prince, keeping the golden cup for no one.
By the sea stood a palace, and within it an altar for sacrifice,
Where the king held a grand feast, entertaining the knights around him.
Then the old drinker rose, swallowing the final blaze of life,
Before hurling the sacred cup into the raging waves.
He watched the goblet fall, watched it sink into the deep sea.
Then he closed his eyes and never touched a drop of fine wine again.
—Goethe, "The King of Thule"
Georgiana found it difficult to explain to certain people that reading was a form of relaxation. Or perhaps she was beginning to understand why, when Ariana and Aberforth needed Albus, he had chosen to search for the Deathly Hallows with Grindelwald instead.
He could temporarily escape that suffocating feeling and experience a surreal sort of ease.
She or he could do nothing, so all they could do was flee, even if he appeared profoundly irresponsible in the eyes of his other relatives.
After leaving the restaurant, they took a carriage out of town and continued north until they reached a small village hidden in the forest.
It lay right beside the sea and had a sandy beach suitable for landing boats, making it an ideal hiding place for smugglers.
Even though the Qing Dynasty had continued the Ming dynasty's maritime ban and closed the country