Alton

Alton was the twelfth known monarch and a king of Deltora. Alton was the ruling monarch shortly before the Shadow Lord's second invasion. He was the father of Endon. Alton was the son of Queen Lilia.

History
Alton was the son of Queen Lilia, assuming the throne after Lilia had died. Unbeknownst to the king, the city of Del was in shambles; Crian, the blacksmith, and others sent hundreds of letters to Alton and the kings and queens before him, asking for help. Alton, trained by the Rule to just sign what he was given by the chief advisor Prandine, secretly a Shadow Lord servant, so never knew of the city’s plight. During Alton's reign, one of his trusted servants died in the king’s service. Alton adopted the servant's four-year-old son, Jarred, allowing the young boy to grow up with Alton's own son, Prince Endon. In the 35th and last year of Alton's reign, Josef, chief palace librarian at the time, was ordered to burn The Deltora Annals by Prandine but chose to fake their demise and his own and make his way out of the palace, where he learned how the king and others had been deceived.

35 years into Alton's reign his wife died, seemingly of a severe fever, not long before Alton himself. Alton suffered the same "fever" as his wife, and it kept him to his bed for two weeks before he died. In reality, both of them had been slowly poisoned by Prandine.

The Forests of Silence
Endon was crowned as the king of Deltora by Prandine immediately after Alton’s death. King Endon was deeply saddened by the deaths of his mother and father, as was Jarred. Alton's body was placed in the palace chapel, where his son mourned him. Because the Rule prevented anyone else from disturbing Endon while he was mourning, Jarred took the opportunity to read The Belt of Deltora, which convinced him that Deltora was in danger without the Belt of Deltora's protection. Jarred excitedly burst into the chapel while Endon was still mourning over his father’s body. Endon, still grieving, tired, and confused after Alton's death, was easily manipulated by Prandine into thinking that Jarred was a traitor. Alton was cited by Crian as a reason that the royal family was not to be trusted, as the old blacksmith had saved the king's responses to his letters. Jarred attempted to defend Alton, but Crian was unmoved. Seven years after Alton's death, when Deltora was invaded by the Shadow Lord and the Belt of Deltora was shattered, Prandine confronted King Endon and Jarred, admitting that he had poisoned King Alton and his wife.

Physical appearance
Alton wore golden robes in his life. He sported a long, plaited beard and wore the Belt of Deltora only once in his life.

Personality
Alton is implied to have been a kind individual. He seemed to have been well-liked by his nobles in the palace, and Jarred and Endon both mourned his passing. Alton was a jolly man, known for his loud, booming voice and laugh. Alton was also quite compassionate, breaking the Rule to a small degree by allowing Endon and Jarred to be friends.

Conversely, Alton was also easily led by Prandine and the Rule. He never glanced at anything that Prandine gave him, simply signing whatever Prandine laid in front of him. Crian criticised Alton as a weakling and a fool because of this, as the city of Del languished in poverty while Alton lived in ignorance.

Abilities
Alton, as the king of Deltora, had access to all of the palace's guards and resources, though he normally delegated these powers to Prandine. As one of Adin's heirs, Alton could access the magical powers of the Belt of Deltora, though he never did so.

Trivia

 * Alton was the first king and monarch of Deltora mentioned in the series.