Initial Situation

Medieval Mail Order Bride

This initial situation contains lots of potential for conflict. The Sultan and Custance have never met one another in person, and they come from totally different cultures. And yet, she sails all the way to Syria to marry him because he simply heard she was awesome.

Not only that, but the Sultan's culture is historically a pagan one, while Custance is Christian through and through. Despite his hasty conversion, we suspect that his new faith may not be deeply engrained in him and his friends by the time Custance arrives.

Conflict

Monster-in-Law #1

The Sultan's mother is unwilling to convert and is upset at her son's marriage to a foreigner. She conspires to kill her son and his allies, and to put Custance out to sea in a ruderless boat.

Can we just say? This conflict is a serious one: the Sultan has asked his mother to give up the only faith and culture she has ever known and to accept a foreign stranger as his wife. It's probably not surprising that she refuses. Of course Custance isn't given a chance to negotiate with the woman. Since Custance's Christianity is non-negotiable, it's not likely that this conflict could be solved, anyway.

Complication

Monster-in-Law #2

Custance washes up on the shores of Northumberland, and is taken in by a kind Constable and his wife. After a while, she marries the King of Northumberland, whose mother manages to get her cast out to sea again.

The plan was for Custance to marry the Sultan of Babylon and live happily ever after. The Sultan's mother's plan was for Custance to die at sea. Custance's arrival on the shores of Northumberland changes all that and introduces a whole new cast of characters into the story. Just as we're starting to get used to the new plan, however—for Custance to live happily ever after in Northumberland—another mother-in-law complicates things. As they tend to do.

Climax

Son, Is that You?

After traveling to Rome on pilgrimage, the Sultan comes face to face with his son, Maurice. He's struck by the boy's resemblance to his mother. We think the meeting of Alla and Maurice is the climactic moment of the story because it has the potential to bring about a reunion of the main characters. At this moment, all of the tangled complications that have been woven by scheming mothers-in-law can be undone, and we're pumped to see the results.

Suspense

Identities Revealed

After hearing about Maurice's mother, Alla debates with himself about whether or not it is his wife. Finally, he asks the Senator to take him to to meet the woman.

Will Alla come face-to-face with Custance? Will they be reunited? Or will fate yet again conspire to keep the lovers apart? These few narrative moments step up the suspense quotient by describing Alla's inner conflict, which could potentially prevent the reunion.

Denouement

Almost Happily Ever After

Alla comes face-to-face with Custance after many years apart. The husband and wife reunite with each other and with Custance's father. Then they travel back to Northumbria together.

The suspense ends with Alla and Custance's reunion. Custance's father says their marriage is cool with him and we sally forth into denouement. Custance also finds out that Alla had nothing to do with her second boat ride and that her evil mother-in-law has been taken care of. She returns with Alla to Northumberland as his rightful queen. With Maurice set to become Emperor of Rome, all is as it should be.

Conclusion

A Widow Returns Home

Alla dies, and Custance returns to Rome where she lives a life of piety and almsgiving with her father.

Alla and Custance don't get to live happily ever after together, but they do get some happy times. Then Custance returns to her roots, ending up right where she was at the beginning of her story. This seems to give the Tale a pleasing symmetry. Maybe it is a happy ending. We suspect the pious life Custance ends up living in Rome is what she really wanted all along.