Arthur Penhaligon



Arthur Penhaligon is the hero of The Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix. He is a twelve-year-old boy who is the rightful heir to a mysterious and dangerous universe called the House. According to the Will of the Architect, he is destined to take over all seven domains of the House and become the master of the universe.

Mister Monday
The book starts depicting a very tight security ring. This is described as existing within a star where twelve sentinels guard the first part of The Will of The Architect. The Will in its entirety was a set of laws written by the Architect to govern the House, but was broken into seven pieces and is now guarded by each of the seven Trustees. Mister Monday, afflicted by Sloth, holds the first part of the Will, but through a distraction in the first scene it escapes.

During a gym class, Arthur, an ordinary boy, has an asthma attack which is supposed to be fatal. Relying on this, Mister Monday and his butler Sneezer appear, intending to have Arthur inherit the first Key. Fulfilling Mister Monday's part in the Will, and on Arthur's death, conveniently inheriting it back again. Arthur is given the Minute Key(Lesser half), but it is then revealed, before the Hour Key(Greater half) is handed over, that Sneezer, who advised Mister Monday, is under the influence of the first part of the Will. Mister Monday and Sneezer both disappear. After recovering from his asthma attack with the aid of the key, Arthur also finds the Compleat Atlas of the House and Immediate Environs' in his possession.

Soon after, Fetchers, Mister Monday's dog faced servants in bowler hats begin to hunt Arthur in an attempt to retrieve the first half of the key. The Fetcher's presence in Arthur's Secondary Realm unleashes the strange Sleepy Plague, where people fall asleep and do not wake up. Despite eluding them, Arthur then encounters Monday's Noon, a formidable Denizen who wields a sword of architectral fire. He manages to take the Atlas from Arthur but fails in retrieving the key. After this, for the first time, Arthur enters the house

Running into trouble, Arthur is aided by an ink-filler named Suzy Turquoise Blue, one of the Piper's Children, who's throat the First Part of the Will had hid within. Suzy, the Will and Arthur then fight to obtain the Hour Key (with help from Monday's Dusk), in order to save his home Realm from the Sleepy Plague. Arthur forces Mister Monday to surrender his power to him, the Will's chosen Rightful Heir to the Kingdom, and becomes the Master of the Lower House.

Arthur chooses not to inhabit this role, as he wishes to return home. Morphing into a tall, formidable woman, the Will, now known as Dame Primus, remedies this by accepting the role temporarily on Arthur's behalf (until the time he becomes an adult). Arthur then returns to his realm with a cure.

Grim Tuesday
On Tuesday, Arthur is forced to return to the House, this time to the Far Reaches to gain the Second Key from Grim Tuesday. Because Grim Tuesday is afflicted with Greed, he has mined the Far Reaches almost completely, stretching so far down that it almost broke into Nothing, into a Pit, so he could sell it at a profit. Meanwhile, on Earth, people are suddenly buying and selling things at alarming rate and a worldwide monopoly on all assets appears to be occurring.

Arthur enters the Far Reaches, and is assumed to be a miner, sent to help mine the Pit. He is equipped and sent with a group to mine. Being mortal, Arthur is unable to keep up with the long walk down, and collapses, before Suzy Turquoise Blue (now Monday's Tierce) arrives to recover him.

She brings Arthur a pair of wings, and together they fly out of the Pit, facing peril. They break into the place where Tuesday houses all of his goods, and find Captain Tom Shevlocke (The Mariner), the adopted son of the Architect and the Old One. He pilots a Sunship and, with the help of Arthur and Suzy finds the Second Part of the Will, a sun-bear trapped on a sun, with a less than cooperative streak. Unable to obtain help from Dame Primus, the First Part of the Will and Acting Steward of Monday (because Tuesday has decided to hinder her by asking all of Monday's debts be repaid), Arthur is forced into a challenge of creativity with Grim Tuesday to win the Second Key, a pair of ornate gauntlets which Grim Tuesday uses to shape Nothing into various forms.

Drowned Wednesday
At the end of Grim Tuesday, Arthur received an invitation from Lady Wednesday, Duchess of the Border Sea, to a luncheon. Soon after, his hospital room is completely flooded and he and his friend Leaf are swept into the Border Sea. Leaf is taken by denizens on board a ship by mistake while Arthur is soon found by the Moth, a salvage ship.

Arthur is soon found by Wednesday's Dawn and taken to Drowned Wednesday, whose gluttony has transformed her into a monstrous whale and threatens to destroy the Border Sea. In exchange for curing her Gluttony by finding the Third Part of the Will, she will surrender her position and key willingly. However, Arthur is forced to enter her stomach and defeat the pirate Feverfew, whose is less than afraid to use the sorcery to kill him.

With the Carp, the Third Part of the Will, rescued and Wednesday cured, though poisoned to death by Nothing, Arthur takes the Third Key, a trident, in hopes of using it to defend himself against Thursday.

Sir Thursday
The Great Maze is not only a fantastic spectacle and place to live, it is also the training grounds and base of the Glorious Army of the Architect (the army of the House). It is also the part of the House that leads into Nothing. Nothing is prevented from reaching the House by large mountains covering one side of the Great Maze, but when Sir Thursday (the Overlord of the Great Maze and Commander-in-Chief of the Glorious Army of the Architect) orders that the gates through the mountain all be opened to allow many Nithlings through for training, the Army is plunged into deep and great warfare.

Arthur's attempt to go home through the Front Door is thwarted when the Lieutenant Keeper reveals that a Spirit-eater has taken his place. Forced into a meeting with Dame Primus and the high level Denizens of the realms he currently controls, including Monday's, Tuesday's and Wednesday's Dawns, Noons and Dusks, Arthur is unwittingly recruited into the Glorious Army of the Architect. Because all drafted officers have their belongings taken away, Arthur surrenders the Third Key and the Compleat Atlas to Dame Primus for safekeeping. Before he leaves, Dr. Scamandros gives him a ring that will indicate how much sorcery is poisoning him before he becomes a Denizen completely. Neither Suzy or Leaf can join him as Leaf must return to Earth to recover Arthur's pocket to defeat the Skinless Boy, the Spirit-eater who has stolen Arthur's presence on Earth, and Suzy is rejected by the army. At this moment in time, Arthur has a precedence of 6 in the house. With only 4 trustees left, the Architect must still exist, or the Will must have a higher precedence then Arthur in the House.

Arthur, to avoid drawing attention to himself, is asked by his immediate superior to use a false name, though his official documents will still read Lord Arthur Penhaligon. Under the alias Ray Green, an Ink-Filler from the Lower House, he befriends a gold-leaf applier named Fred Initial Numbers Gold. Arthur manages to avoid all the possible dangerous situations until he and Fred are forced to be washed between their ears. They are left without any recollection of who they are and must slowly recover their memories.

Unaware of his position as Rightful Heir, Arthur assumes he is a Piper's Child (and that his name actually is Ray Green), and becomes a skilled and successful soldier, fighting in armed combat and being praised for his abilities.

Eventually, Arthur manages to determine his identity and receives a letter from Superior Saturday, consisting of a threatening deal where if he willingly surrenders the First, Second, and Third Keys, he will be able to return to Earth; otherwise, she will wipe him from existence so he may never return. Still, Arthur ploughs on, receiving orders to meet Sir Thursday at once, along with all the other Piper's Children. Suzy appears at this point, having gained the pocket that created the Skinless Boy. Sir Thursday eventually promotes Arthur to Lieutenant for his suggestion to use the Improbable Stair to destroy the Nothing Spike, on the very centre tile of the Great Maze, only to reveal that he has known who Arthur (as Ray Green) was the whole time. When the plan goes awry, Sir Thursday's wrath gets the best of him. He kills two Piper's Children and flees using the Improbable Stair, with Arthur close behind (having paused to throw the pocket into the Nothing Spike, hoping the pocket would be destroyed). Sir Thursday beats his Dawn, Noon and Dusk, when Arthur distracts him and recovers the Fourth Key and the Fourth Part of the Will, claiming rulership over Thursday.

After recovering the Fourth Key, Arthur meets with the Piper, the second son of the Architect and the commander of the strange Nithling forces, which explains why they were so strong and organised. He claims to be the true Rightful Heir and offers Arthur a seemingly good offer. The Will dissuades Arthur and the Piper leaves after taking control of the Piper's children, which includes Suzy. Arthur then discovers that the Nothing Spike was destroyed, along with the Skinless Boy, and realises that at least his family and friends on Earth are safe. As Sir Thursday ends, Arthur's ring indicates that he is nearly a Denizen, despite the fact he has avoided using the First, Second, and Third Keys as much as possible and avoided using the Fourth Key almost completely.

Lady Friday
Retaining control of the Fourth Key Arthur remains in the house to deal with the next day of the week, Lady Friday, who Arthur believes has kidnapped his mother and his friend Leaf. Through trickery Arthur is transported to the Middle House and must battle his way with his recovered friends, Suzy and Fred (check Sir Thursday), to Lady Friday and to collect the fifth part of the will and the fifth key.

Penhaligon Family
Despite being adopted, Arthur comes from a very large and loving family. He lives with his parents and six older siblings, albeit the four eldest have moved out and live on their own.


 * Bob Penhaligon: Arthur's father; played the guitar in the band, The Ratz. His nickname during the time he played for the band was Plague Rat. Currently, he still writes songs and is on tour.
 * Dr. Emily Penhaligon: Arthur's mother. A medical researcher that works for the government. She is renowned nation-wide. She has gone missing in Lady Friday and is not among the mortals kidnapped by Lady Friday. (Possibly Superior Saturday?)
 * Erazmuz Penhaligon: Arthur's oldest brother, a major in the army and a father. Arthur used his advice when in the army of the architect.
 * Staria Penhaligon: Arthur's older sister, a serious theater actress.
 * Patrick Penhaligon: Arthur's older brother, an accomplished musician who was originally named Eminor.
 * Suzanne Penhaligon: Arthur's older sister, a college student.
 * Michaeli Penhaligon: Arthur's older sister, at a local college. Meets Suzy and Leaf in Sir Thursday when they enter her house looking for Arthur's phone. Friendly and caring young woman who seems to suspect that something mysterious surrounds her youngest brother.
 * Eric Penhaligon: Arthur's older brother, who is in his last year at high school. Quick-witted and athletic, Eric is the star-athlete of their high school's basketball and track team. Aloofness at school aside, Eric is fiercely protective of Arthur and will personally pummel anyone stupid enough to bully his youngest brother. Arthur openly admits that he is closer to Eric than any of his other siblings and has always looked up to him, constantly working hard and striving to impress him.