WESSEX 893 AD As the threat of yet another Viking invasion looms over
his troubled realm, Alfred, King of Wessex, reviews and strengthens his
defences. Among his many concerns is the fate of Edward, his stable boy,
who he believes to be the bastard son of revered warrior Matthew, who
died serving the Saxon cause. If his heritage can be proved, Edward is
not only heir to vast fortune but, more importantly, he has the blood of
a warrior in his veins - something the Saxons are likely to need in
spades. More worryingly, Alfred fears that if Edward's true lineage ever
became known, there would be those who might seek to exploit him or,
worse still, use him to usurp Alfred's rule. He confides in just two of
his closest advisers and they conspire to send Edward to the relative
safety of Wareham on the pretext of having him train Governor Osric's
magnificent black stallion, a horse thought to be all but unrideable.
Edward is treated with disdain when he reaches Wareham and regarded as
being too puny to be a warrior. However when the barely-trained members
of the fyrd find themselves outnumbered, isolated and confronting a
dreaded Viking warband, it is Edward's quick thinking and extrao
