As a child, I was always intrigued by the noble understanding of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Living in a child-like fantastic world, this legend was filled with integrity, justice, chivalry, compassion and noble strength. All the while the principles echoed in my soul. I dreamed of becoming a part of something so valuable that I would die for it. I longed to defend something. Something bigger than myself. Soon blocks of wood and sticks became swords. My brother and I would recruit our friends in the neighborhood to construct weapons to defend this kingdom from an onslaught of hordes. These hordes were bigger and wicked than you could ever imagine. But we were the good guys. Willing to do what was right and honorable. The biggest argument between us often was who would represent the King and have the honor of wielding Excalibur (Arthur's renowned sword). Afterall, when Excalibur came on the scene no one could resist its might. Whatever it took, we would defend the honor of the kingdom. If that meant going down fighting... so be it. But be rest assured, the kingdom would continue to stand. Arthur and the knights were my heroes. To be like Arthur was my dream. To be like the King is what I desired. As I grew up, I put away the play swords, but the echo in my soul never left. This was evidenced by my choices in movies and my avid interest in history.
