Born under a cursed moon, left to die by his birth father in the land of his enemies, a young hero grows to adolescence knowing nothing of his origin. He survives a deadly initiation into the royal guard of his new country, and he befriends the king's two sons. But he falls in love with the girl destined to be one prince's betrothed-and forges a magical link with the deadliest weapon in the kingdom, Lord Somer's Sword, the Fool's Blade. Younger readers will sympathize with the young hero's struggle to balance love, duty, and friendship, while older readers will perhaps see parallels with Andre Norton's famous Witch World series.