Long ago, Medeus, king of dragonkin, conquered the continent of Archanea, giving rise to an age of fear and despair for its entire people.

That tyranny was broken, however, when an unlikely hero intervened. A young man hailing from the Altea region appeared with a divine like blade in hand. Fang of dragon and blade of light locked in battle; and in the end, blade prevailed. For some after, the land enjoyed an age of peace.

However, after a century's passing, the Shadow Dragon returned. He forged an alliance with a fiendish sorcerer who sought to rule the world, and their combined might topple kingdom upon unsuspecting kingdom. Again, the darkness threatened to engulf the continent. It fell upon the king of Altea, sole descendant of the dragon-slaying hero, to sally forth with the divine blade and fulfill his blood destiny.

His son, Prince Marth, remained at home with the boy's mother, his elder sister, and a garrison manned by Altea's neighbor and ally, Gra. Thus the boy applied himself to the ways of both pen and sword, until one day…