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Arthur's early years as King were spent in war, for vast were the invading hordes which rolled in from the East and North to claim Britain as their own. With only a modest force of men, brave Arthur rode from his Coronation celebration to the invading front to view the enemy. From high upon a hill, he saw before him a land already conquered, with great swaths of farmland turned to the use of the invaders. Plumes of dull smoke arose from where more British villages were being put to the torch; razed and emptied, they would be rebuilt by the Saxons, Danes and Norse to house their own families and clans.
"Look you well upon this, Arthur," spoke Merlin in a voice deepened by countless years. "For these men claim our lands and goods to feed their wives and children, but yet their destruction knows no pity or control. Any leader of men can incite warriors to bloodlust for greed, or for vengeance; but it is a true King who can lead men in the defense of those who have nothing to offer them."
These words fanned a deep spark within the young Arthur, stirring it into a burning flame -- the desire to defend his people and return what was rightfully theirs. He stood slowly in his stirrups and turned to face the men who had followed him. Catching and holding the gaze of each, he raised the shining Kingsword into the air, holding it high until its power and meaning could be understood by all. And then with a great cry he whirled his horse and plunged towards the plain, with the echoing cry of "For Britain!" on the lips of every man who spurred his mount to follow him.
On that day was won the first of twelve great battles against the invaders. With each successive victory, Arthur's fame grew. Both his own people and the invading Chieftains spoke his name with awe and fascination, for it seemed as though he were blessed with an inability to fail. Some whispered that it was the influence of the Kingsword, saying it was the legendary blade Excalibur whose wearer could not be defeated or harmed; some said it was the blessing of the Old Gods, whose ways Arthur respected; even more claimed it was divine favour from the new God of the Christians, whose banner flew next to the ancient serpent of the Pendragons. But all agreed that this new King led his warriors with a keen mind for strategy and a valour which belied his young years.
The loyal barons and knights of the land flocked to Arthur's banner, and when they assembled on the field at Mount Badon they numbered among them the greatest lords of Britain. They swept through the remaining Germanic host like a great wave upon a crumbling shore, scattering the remnants and setting them upon the sea once more. And upon all lips was one name, the name of their King and deliverer.
For Arthur, the long years had brought him strength and the beginnings of wisdom. Where some Warleaders might have pursued their foes and ravaged their lands in vengeance, Arthur set his eyes upon another goal: a united nation, one which espoused the ideals of honour and justice. He quickly decreed that he would set his castle in the center of his new kingdom, equally close to all the nobles who had hosted him during his long campaign.
Upon this model of fairness he also decreed a new Order of Knighthood, where all would be brothers-in-arms and would strive together to defend the rights of the common people. This was greeted with enthusiasm by many nobles; one among them, Leodegrance, pledged to build a great round table for the hall at Camelot -- so that all Arthur's Knights might sit in equality to discuss matters of importance. The King was well pleased with this gift, though none realized that the greatest gift from Leodegrance was yet to come.
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