This is the book jacket blurb:
Set in the mystical land ruled by the king of Barataria, in an ancient era, with the gods grown old and fairies and magic everywhere, this romping tale carries its hero, a poor but cheerful peasant named Bunthorne, all over the world, from his home town, called Titipu, to royal castles. Bunthorne begins as a humble peasant, but one with a secret: his family has suffered a curse laid by a neighboring sorceress. This enchantress, who has holed up in dread Castle Adamant, has sworn that no one in Bunthorne's family will ever marry. Bunthorne, ever the slave of duty, sets out to lift the curse, aided by a motley group of friends: a disgraced earl out to restore his name and fortune, a lonesome yet lovely fairy, and a spunky girl from the next village over. The girl (who loved a sailor, long since lost at sea), the peer and the peri help Bunthorne as he quests to save his family. But along the way they find that the witch's curse has deeper implications for the whole land, threatening the king's effort to bring the flowers of progress to his kingdom and drawing Bunthorne toward a final, fateful confrontation demanded by the curse's wording: the statutory duel. And the quest becomes personal for Bunthorne: the merryman and his maid (the lass who loved a sailor) draw closer together. Can Bunthorne save his beloved family and the town of Titipu? Will the girl leave behind her dead sailor and become Bunthorne's bride? This page-turning saga of fantasy and romance will leave you breathless!
The answer to this puzzle
Saxifrage's Puzzle Page