Tirant, upon reaching land, concealed himself in a cave which happened to be in the territory of the King of Tunis, Scariano. A short time before, this king had asked the King of Tremicen to give him his daughter in marriage, which the latter was unwilling to do, for she was already married. In order to settle the affair in a friendly manner, the King of Tremicen sent the chief officer of his army as ambassador to the King of Tunis. The ambassador went hunting one day and found Tirant in the cave. He sent him secretly to one of his castles in Tremicen, where he kept him as a prisoner for some time. Finally the negotiations were discontinued, and the King of Tunis, with 50,000 men, marched against the King of Tremicen, who was not able to gather more than 20,000. In the meantime the unsuccessful ambassador had returned home and assumed command of the army of Tremicen. He asked his Christian prisoner, Tirant, to help in the defense of the kingdom. Our hero was quite willing to do so, and soon his skill, bravery, and strategies won for him great admiration and esteem. As a reward for his valuable services, he was liberated, but he remained in the service of the kingdom. The King of Tremicen with his family, including the husband of his daughter, had found refuge in the city of Tremicen. But a treacherous Jew admitted the enemy in large numbers into the strongly fortified city, and the king, his sons, and his son-in-law were all slain. The daughter, whose name was Maragdina, was taken to a castle, where she was obliged to remain with Scariano, the King of Tunis. This castle was soon afterwards captured through the subtle stratagems of Tirant, and Scariano was made prisoner. (Chaps. 299-318) When Maragdina saw the fair, manly, and handsome Tirant for the first time—which was some time before her husband had been slain—she wished that her husband were dead that she might be free to wed this wonderful Christian. But now that he was dead, there was still an obstacle; she was a Mohammedan, and Tirant a Christian. She suggested to our hero that he become a Mohammedan, but, she naïvely added, if he should insist that his religion was better than hers, she would very willingly believe it, and always say that it was better. Tirant answered her that he was betrothed to another, and that he must and would remain faithful to her. He treated Maragdina with so much kindness and affection that she finally asked him to baptize her. He sent for a gold basin and a pitcher of water, and when these had been brought to him, she came before him, knelt down, uncovered her head, and received the sacrament of baptism. (Chaps. 322-326)