The story of Prince Valiant is set in the time of King Arthur. Valiant, also called Val is a Nordic prince from Thule, located on the Norwegian coast. Early in the story Val encounters the witch Horrit who predicts he will have a life of adventure, but noting that he will soon experience grief. Arriving home, Val discovers that his mother has died and that his father has lost the throne of Thule to his enemies. With his mother gone and a father deposed Val travels abroad. Val eventually becomes friends with Sir Gawain of Camelot and while traveling Val saves Sir Gawain from a robber knight who attacked them on the road. Val and Gawain decide to take the villain to Camelot for judgement from King Arthur, while on the way the whole party is at one point attacked by an enormous beast. They all at length succeed in killing the beast, but Val is outraged that Gawain still seeks to have the robber knight tried before King Arthur after the knight helped defeat the beast. The young prince naturally speaks up in his outrage before the great king, his queen Guinevere and his feared wizard Merlin and so a career at Camelot is born. Val acquires the Singing Sword, Flameberge, a powerful magical blade which is the sister sword to Excalibur apparently created by the same enchanter who forged Arthur's famous sword Excalibur. The original owner of the Singing Sword is Prince Arn of Ord (not to be confused with Arn Magnusson of Sweeden), Valiant's rival for the maid Ilene. The two men put aside their differences when Ilene is kidnapped by Viking raiders on her way to Ord. Arn hands Val the charmed sword to help him hold back their pursuers while he himself rides ahead to free Ilene. The pair continue in their efforts to rescue Ilene, eventually discovering that she has been killed in a shipwreck. Arn gives the Singing Sword, Flameberge to Val after that adventure and the two part as friends. Because of his great deeds Val is knighted by King Arthur and becomes an honored Knight of the Round Table. Soon after, Val helps his father to regain his lost throne as King of Thule. On a Mediterranean island he meets the love of his life, Aleta, Queen of the Misty Isles, whom he later marries. After years of marriage, Val and Aleta have their first child, a son named they name Arn. Young Arn is named after Val’s old friend, Prince Arn of Ord who first gave Val the Singing Sword all those years ago.