Still being pursued by the Piebalds, but resting for now, Fitz is woken up by Nighteyes. Dutiful is almost fully with the Cat and Fitz, through the Skill, learns of Peladine. Waking up, Fitz, Nighteyes, and the Fool flee, trying to escape the pursuit. Unfortunately, they are cornered by the standing Skill Pillars and take their last stand. Saying their goodbyes, Nighteyes and the Fool convince Fitz to escape through the pillar. 

After narrowly escaping from the Piebalds, Fitz leads Lord Golden and Prince Dutiful to rest before moving on. Fitz and Dutiful are at odds, taking turns being aggressive to one another. But, playing good cop/bad cop with Dutiful, Lord Golden slowly gets the story of what happened to the Prince. 

Fitz, the Fool, and Nighteyes wake up alone with Laurel and the Piebald prisoner having left. Fitz is concerned even more with the Prince's situation, so they set out to catch Dutiful instead of follow the deserters. A chase, a fight, and an escape later, Fitz and company run from the Piebalds with a sullen Farseer in tow. 

Fitz, Lord Golden, and Laurel wake up and continue following the trail left by Prince Dutiful and the Piebalds. They encounter a trap that happened to chasing villagers and surge forward into an ambush of their own. They capture a young Piebald that Laurel seems to have a connection with. Fitz is convinced that the only way to find the prince is to get information out of this man any way he can. 

Fitz, the Fool as Lord Golden, Nighteyes, and Laurel wake up and continue tracking Prince Dutiful and the Piebalds. As night nears, they enter a village with an inn, unfortunately named the Piebald Prince. Fitz's mind clouds, and the party discovers the tragedy that befell their quarry. Will they catch up in time, or will they discover that the prejudiced villagers exacted their "justice" against the Prince? 

In the morning, Lord Golden and Tom Badgerlock gather up supplies and Laurel to leave Galekeep in disgrace. Fitz, as Tom, takes the lead to track Prince Dutiful's group. They meet back up with Nighteyes, and Laurel starts to get a bit suspicious of Fitz. At night, Fitz reaches out with the Skill and fully connects with someone who is not Dutiful. 

Fitz, as Tom Badgerlock, tracks down the injured Nighteyes, planning their next moves and reconnecting. Back at Galeton, Lord Golden has come up with a plan to be excused without suspicion. He purposefully gets drunk during the dinner, flirts with young Sydel, and makes a fool of himself. Tom collects his master, and they prepare to pursue Prince Dutiful in the morning. 

Fitz dreams as Dutiful, hunting through the hills of Galeton. Lord Golden has to manufacture an excuse for Fitz during the morning hunt to go to where Nighteyes has treed the Prince. Nighteyes is injured, the Prince is missing, and there is more than meets the eye to the Cat. It's now on Lord Golden to create an excuse for Fitz, Beloved, and Laurel to chase after the escaping Dutiful. 

Lord Golden leads the way into a dinner with Lady Bresinga, Civil, the Graylings and their daughter Sydel, and the huntsman. Fitz stands guard the whole time, trying to not fall asleep and gather information. After dinner, Fitz goes to the kitchen where he sees a suspicious meal being brought out of the keep. He goes back to the rooms and happens upon Lord Golden and Laurel close together. 

The journey from Buckkeep leaves time for Laurel and Fitz to get to know one another. Fitz is reunited with Nighteyes along the journey to Galeton, and the party receives a royal welcome. Lord Golden drops and the Fool makes an appearance before the charade continues, which reinvigorates Fitz in their hunt.