Summary

The first section is titled Part I: The Wedding. This takes place in 997 CE. Chapter 1 takes place on Thursday, June 17, 997. Edgar stays awake all night. He lives in a very small house with his parents and two brothers Erman and Eadbald, both older than Edgar. His father is a shipbuilder, and Edgar and his two brothers are apprentices. Edgar is in love with a young woman named Sunni who is married to an older man. Edgar has secured a job with another shipbuilder in another town, and he and Sunni are running away today to live there as husband and wife. Edgar slips out of the house when the church bells summon the monks to begin their day. Edgar is highly intelligent during a time when few people can read. He has a talent for building ships that will soon surpass even his...