Part Two of the Shieldmaid is a prequel.

To ensure the survival of his family, a peasant boy is sold by his family as a slave. A merchant promises to give the boy an education, but uses him as a slave for his services. Fate gives a twist to the journey and leads him to distant Constantinople. There he finds a patron in Harald Schönhaar who trains him in the emperor's famous Varangian Guard. Will the young Björn ever return to his homeland, or find happiness in the new world.