Thus Trefor meets Aurorielle on the threshhold of manhood. Now he finds the quest set him by the Fay to be a crueller one than he could ever have imagined. Aurorielle's captor, Sir Robert, is on his way, so time is short. To save the land from famine, Trefor must free Aurorielle from the dream in which she is held captive. He need only speak a few lines of doggerel, which will cause him to lie in eternal sleep in her place. But whether he does so or not, one thing is certain - Trefor can never see her again. Now that he has finally found her after all his troubles, he realises this is the one thing in all the world he least desires.

Did God truly want this for Trefor - to lie in an evil dream forever, knowing he can never again see the most beautiful thing God made, having looked upon her as he falls into the dream? This is Trefor's agony. He has a few short minutes in which to find out just what his faith means, before he must decide. Only then can the King of the Angels reveal what he truly intended.