In the country of Liones, sometime during the reign of King Arthur, a queen named Elizabeth dies after giving birth to a boy named Tristram. Meanwhile, her husband, King Meliodas, goes missing after a jealous sorceress leads him into the forest. After being rescued by Merlin, Meliodas returns to his home and mourns the loss of his wife. When he remarries and has more children, the king’s second wife envies Tristram’s claim to the throne. She plots to poison Tristram, but one of her own sons drinks the liquid and dies. During another attempt, the king almost drinks the poison, but when his wife stops him, he remembers their child’s death and realizes she has been plotting to poison Tristram; he sentences her to be burned at the stake. Tristram, however, intercedes on behalf of his stepmother and saves her life. Tristram, accompanied by Gouvernail, a gentleman scholar, goes to France for his studies.

In France, Tristram learns the arts of chivalry, language, hunting, and music. He is 18 when he returns, and his father and stepmother are pleased to see him so handsome and full-grown.