Port of Happy Return is the port where the Time Bandits arrive in Constantinople. Its name (“Happy Return”) fits the group’s return after the expedition to the Valley of Death and the trap for Theophilus.
It lies near the bastions, main barracks, forums and the governing triad of Palace, Temple and Hippodrome. On arrival, with lemon-colored sails, the group finds the city in mourning: bells, flags at half-mast, black veils. This is their first contact with the crisis of Zoé’s death. The reception committee includes Old Laus, halberdiers and porters.