Prince Valiant's father's kingdom of Thule is conquered by Cynan when King Williem orders one of his men to spare Cynan's young son, After the family is exiled and ends up living in a swamp abroad, Valiant dreams nightly of two men, Arthur and Merlin, discussing the just New Order to be established in a place called Camelot and calling him to be a knight there. He decides to journey out to find this realm to become a Knight of the Round Table and return to overthrow Cynan and reclaim his homeland.

While traveling toward Camelot, Valiant encounters Arn, a young man living in the woods who offers him food. He has never heard of Camelot but goes after Valiant when he enters the dangerous marsh nearby to ensure he comes out alive. Valiant encounters a wild man and ends up fatally wounding him in self-defense, and when he takes his body to his mother with Arn, she is ready to make them pay...

Valiant and Arn stop in the village of Bridgeford and meet Rowanne, a young spirited woman spurning the advances of the immoral sheriff, Robert Draconarius, whom Valiant bests in combat. Robert and his men try to damage the forge owned by Rowanne's father Cedric as Valiant and Arn sleep there and frame them for it. When it accidentally ignites, Robert goes to his brother the baron and tells him of the traveler seeking Camelot - whose legacy Duncan Draconarius has worked to keep secret from his people. The next day Valiant and Arn are wrongly accused of arson while ...

As the journey to Camelot continues, Rowanne is captured by a Bridgeforder seeking to earn some money by returning to the village with her and collecting the reward Duncan offered to a bounty hunter. But the real bounty hunter is also seeking Rowanne, giving Valiant and Arn twice as many enemies to worry about tracking down and fighting.

While giving chase to a not-quite-dead wild boar, Valiant stumbles into a booby-trapped cave occupied by a mad Viking named Tor who seems convinced Valiant wishes to attack him. Valiant learns Tor himself was seeking Camelot on a mission for peace but is the sole survivor of an act of treachery. As they try to evade the same traps to locate Valiant, Rowanne learns that Arn is harboring a dark secret.

Valiant, Arn, and Rowanne finally reach their destination and are prepared to present King Arthur with Tor's ring to announce the Vikings' offer of peace. But they have the ring stolen from them and are locked up by a guard. Upon escaping, they hear someone making plans to hide the ring from Arthur for his own reasons, and try to reclaim it and stay ahead of the man's supporters attempting to prevent their getting the message out.

Rolf, King Willem's Lord of Arms, has arrived at Camelot bearing a letter and gift from Valiant's father. But Val refuses to accept either, still hurt that his father never gave him his blessing when he left the marsh for Camelot. Too busy with a rigorous training session that week, he inadvertently ignores Rolf.

After Rowanne has a series of troubling dreams she interprets to mean that all is not well at Bridgeford, she returns with Arn. Eventually, Valiant follows and learns that Duncan's attempts to suppress the growing word of Camelot is leading to hangings of all who mention it, and he will do the same to the other two whom he has captured. All three are determined to fight their enemy, but Valiant and Cedric cannot free them without more manpower. Cedric reveals a noteworthy blade in his possession with a connection to Camelot.

King Arthur's half-sister Lady Morgana is in Camelot for Sir Mordred's return with yet another story of victory (against the Vikings), but Valiant senses something evil about him and is struck by his insistence that Camelot will fall if not constantly in battle with the enemy. Merlin helps Valiant remember why he recognizes his shield: it was lost in the cave by the one who led the attack on Tor, destroying the Viking ambassadors and dooming their peace mission. But King Arthur is not ready to believe this and, after Morgana fails to poison Valiant since she ...

Sir Gawain surprises everyone by announcing his engagement to Queen Ilene of Perilous Garde. With King Arthur abroad and Queen Guinevere needed in remain in Camelot, Valiant, Arn, and Rowanne are chosen to attend his wedding. While the land bordering it is devastated by drought, Perilous Garde seems to be the ideal kingdom even Camelot has yet to become, and Gawain is set to give up his knighthood to stay there, as the three are invited to do. But the visitors notice confusing events and actions, and soon learn of the price of such prosperous living. But it seems ...

While the fierce King Ian of Kengary is visiting Camelot, the Draconarius brothers arrive seeking shelter. Arthur is disgusted to have them there since his former friend Duncan was jealous of relationship with Guinevere years before to the point where he became his enemy, and only lets them stay a night because she allows it. Planning to complicate for his old rival, Duncan is set to present King Ian with his story of Valiant's robbing his power while serving Arthur so the potential alliance between Kengary and Camelot will crumble. But things don't go as planned, and...

Camelot hosts a tournament for many knights from abroad to choose new members for the Round Table. Sir Harold, a knight with many stories of his exploits to tell including one of a legendary battle, gives Arn encouragement that he can indeed attain knighthood someday despite his low status just as he did, and Arn comes to see him as a father figure whom he considers leaving and squiring for. But Rowanne and Valiant grow suspicious that Harold has a secret about his identity, and try to break it to Arn but are met with refusal to believe it. Arn has to question who ...

While King Arthur and Queen Guinevere are away, Merlin is in charge and continues their just policies, though they are unpopular with one nobleman who approaches Morgana. She slips a potion into Merlin's drink that causes him to fall asleep...but will eventually cause death after he lingers for a day dreaming of a second chance at life with his lover, Linet. Valiant, Arn, and Rowanne look through his study for an antidote and find the name of one of his friends, "The Mighty Om", whom they approach for help. The short but clever if odd scholar concocts a potion that he...

Valiant and Arn go on a mission led by a reluctant Sir Gawain to meet Sir Percival near an old Roman fortress guarded by a supposedly-mad man after King Arthur receives a warning from him concerning security. Gawain wants to rest and revel with his old friend, forcing Valiant and Arn to take matters into their own hands when one of their men is murdered with a threat against King Arthur. The gatekeeper, Julian, is suspected but escapes prison, and Lord Cynan's men attack.

A gala takes place at Camelot to honor Sir Gawain and Sir Bryant, the heroes of the Canonwolde siege. However, Valiant and Arn, ordered to polish the saddles and repair the carriages in the stables, won't be able to attend the festivities.

The charismatic Prince Edwin is a new favorite in Camelot and holds a special interest for Rowanne after he saves her life. Both he and Prince Valiant appear to be the most likely candidates to win a coveted commission that could soon lead to knighthood. Valiant's barely contained jealousy of Edwin only drives Rowanne away from him and closer to her enthusiastic admirer.

King Arthur has Valiant lead a party, including Rowanne, escorting Duncan to Kengary so King Ian may punish him for causing Derek's death. Word reaches Camelot just after that Kengary is now in civil war with Derek's clan fighting Ian's for his not killing Duncan, and the company learns this during their journey. Despite trying to prepare himself for his fate, Duncan is overwhelmed that virtually all of Kengary now wishes him dead, but Valiant's anger makes him determined to hand him over. After chasing him down on a crumbling bridge, Valiant is carried downriver with...

While running an errand, Valiant witnesses a young boy being beaten by his master for returning a poor man's money the master stole, and intervenes. The boy, Denys, hides in Valiant's wagon and begs to be allowed to stay rather than return. He proves himself hardworking and intelligent, and has a great deal in common with Valiant since he too has had the dream of a call to knighthood by King Arthur. But when his master arrives attempting to reclaim him and Valiant stands up to him, King Arthur's search for the cause of his circumstances reveals a shocking secret about...

While trying to learn why one of Merlin's friends has lost contact with him, Valiant, Arn, Rowanne, and Sir Bryant encounter people saying their village was destroyed by something like a dragon. Then they find the fort they were headed for completely, inexplicably destroyed, and a neighboring one in the same state. They approach the son of one of King Arthur's vanquished enemies living nearby, Lord Maldon, who houses a Chinese guest who seems to want to distance himself from Camelot. Valiant learns that Lord Maldon is in league with the Vikings against Camelot and has...

Valiant, Arn, and Rowanne regroup with the army and set sail for Thule. But Valiant wonders if when the battle is over he should live once more with his family or return to Camelot to become a Knight of the Round Table and serve King Arthur. And he only has so long to decide before plans for the battle will take up his thoughts and energy, especially when he must defeat a Viking attack to ensure they reach their destination...