Why is Will important in the novel?

Will is a ward of Baron Arald. He was left on the doorstep of Castle Redmont when he was a baby with a note saying that his mother died in childbirth and father died a hero. Will is a slight built young man who is not as tall as his fellow wards. This makes him a target of bullying by his fellow ward, Horace.

At the age of fifteen, Will has his Choosing Day. Will requests to be an apprentice to the Battleschool because he believes his father was a great knight. When he is rejected, he is devastated. Will is chosen to become an apprentice to Halt, a member of the Rangers Corp. He is taught how to acquire information without being seen.