Madouc having angered Casmir by refusing to be part of a marriage alliance he's devised, the king punishes her and humors Queen Solace by making Madouc the prize in a quest for the Holy Grail (a relic which would draw pilgrims to the cathedral being built under the instigation of the treacherous Brother Umphred, who has revealed to Casmir that Dhrun is Suldrun's son). Madouc's response is to seek the Grail herself, since that seems the best method of preserving herself. Casmir, distracted by other matters, accidentally gives the royal blessing to the journey. Together with Pimfet, Madouc sets off on a journey for the Grail and for the identity of her father. While she fails to find out who her father truly is even with the help of the Faries and Twisk (as he used a pseudonym while courting Twisk), she does discover what seems to be the Grail. She and Pimfet travel to the castle where the Grail is, and through cunning manage to kill the Ogre Throop and retrieve the Grail, a task that hundreds of knights had tried and failed. Unfortunately, Casmir reneges on his promise. Though his life is spared, Pimfet is still punished harshly despite retrieving the Grail, and Madouc begins to truly hate Casmir with all her being.