After returning from the battle at the Rust Mountains, what awaited Will was not a fairytale ending or another terrifying threat, but the commonplace events of his everyday life. His friendship and a fierce battle with his dependable ally, the swordsman Reystov. An adventure in a snow-filled forest with the troubadour Bee. A battle with an ancient indomitable giant. And prayers and conversation with the god of the flame. Penned by the Paladin, these are the stories of a single winter.

Now that he's of age, Will leaves the temple on his own and sets out into the world as a warrior, priest, and sorcerer of Gracefeel. Incredible things, both good and bad, inevitably lie ahead...but the immediate future is uncertain. Two centuries have elapsed since the battle against the High King of the Eternals. Are there any humans left in the land beyond, or is Will truly alone now? Even if he finds other people, will he find allies in them? Or is the darkness of the outside world deeper than he ever dreamed?

Will has now come into his own as the Faraway Paladin. With strong friends and an even stronger spirit, he has saved Beast Woods and its people from their plight. There's great cause for celebration...but all is not well in the land. Strange happenings are afoot, beginning with plants blooming out of season and dying at random. At Duke Ethel's request, Will and Menel are off to investigate, not knowing that their journey will lead them to an ominous prophecy and the Rust Mountains, the capital of the dwarves.

Though wary, Will and his allies at last set upon the forbidding Rust Mountains where the foul dragon Valacirca awaits. A bloody battle is all but certain, and words of warning come from every direction imaginable-including from the god of undeath. Yet not even a nostalgic reunion can deter Will. He means to stay his course and fight. Thus the curtain rises on a tense clash in the lost underground kingdom... Is Will strong enough to hold his own against a dragon feared by even the gods, or will this be the Faraway Paladin's last stand?