Volume one of "A Reluctant Warrior" tells of the adventures and travels of Ranulf, from his lowly beginnings as a ragged orphan, to becoming a national hero and lord of the manor. His adoptive parents send him to the Athelney court of King Alfred to become a scholar, but he becomes involved in the defence of the realm. The British Army is on the brink of an important victory over the Vikings when he is captured and made slave.