The Prince and the Pilgrim (©1997)

by Mary Stewart

The prince, our hero, is named Alexander. He is but a tiny infant when his father, Prince Baudouin, is brutally murdered by the King of Cornwall in a remote corner of England. Aided by a trusted servant, Alexander's mother escapes the same fate by fleeing with her son to a safe and secret haven. When Alexander comes of age he sets out to Camelot to seek justice from King Arthur and avenge the death of the father he never knew. The pilgrim is named Alice. We first meet her when she is a pretty child accompanying her father, a royal duke, on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. While growing up into a beautiful young woman, Alice also experiences many adventures. Among them is the rescue of a young French nobleman who has in his possession an enchanted silver cup. Many believe the chalice to be the mysterious and much-sought-after Holy Grail. Prince

Alexander is diverted in his quest for justice by the enchantments of Morgan LeFay, the seductive but evil sorceress. She persuades him to attempt a theft of the Holy Grail so that she can own it and thus gain power over King Arthur and his court. As a wise man once said, "Everyone has their own grail." Alexander's search for the mysterious cup, Holy Grail or not, leads him to Alice. Together the prince and the pilgrim find what they've really been seeking: love, the greatest mystery of all.