At the conclusion of the famous Tournament of Losers, Warloff finds himself one of the coveted winners, set to marry Lord Marian, second son of the Earl of Bellowen. The marriage promises a life for his children that Warf never could have provided them on his own, a dream come true. Even better, his betrothed by Right of Tournament seems a genuinely good man, sincerely interested in marrying Warf and helping to raise his children. Not everyone feels like celebrating, however. Somebody wants Warf out of their way, and just days after Warf and Marian begin to build a new life together, Marian goes missing. Everyone says he's run off with his former lover, a woman he could not stop loving or leave behind. Everyone tells Warf to forget him, accept Marian is gone, take the money offered by the throne, and build a new life with that. He'd be stupid to refuse it. He'd be an absolute fool to go after Marian and do whatever it takes to bring him home.