The knights of Camelot are said to be the bravest, strongest warriors in all of the kingdoms. The knightly code they share and the lives they swear to protect brand them as brothers. They fight as one, eat as one, breathe as one. It should be no surprise then, with all that brotherly sharing, that they all dreaded the same daily event. Training with Prince Arthur.

It wasn't that the crown prince lacked talent. The knights many bruises were a testament of the young man's aptitude on the battlefield. Arthur was not a coward, nor was he in any way deficient as a leader. No, what the knights dreaded was that Arthur did not take defeat lightly, even by those who were sworn to protect him. He was a ferocious fighter and it was rumored by many of the younger, newer knights that he was unbeatable. The veterans of the group did nothing to dissuade this line of thinking, less their naïve brothers get cocky.

Day after day, quivering new bloods were sent onto the field to face the young prince in open combat. Arthur would wait quietly, his sword drawn casually in his hands and when the young knight approached he acknowledged him with a knowing smile. This smile, more than anything else, sent shivers down the knights spines. It was a smile of a man completely confident in his skills, a man who, if you were his enemy, would not hesitate to cut you down.

It did not take long for at least one of the knights to make a fool out of himself and it was clear that Arthur thoroughly enjoyed it when they did. The older knights knew not to take the princes teasing to heart. After all, no one could deny that Arthur cared a great deal about the individual safety and happiness of each of his men. The new bloods, however, often became frustrated at Arthur's jibes and mocking laughter. They wanted someone to take the young prince down a peg or two, but could not think of anyone up for the job. They would never realize that the man who would accomplish this seemingly impossible task was not a knight at all, but someone who hated the daily trainings with similar vehemence.