Avalon_ The Return of King Arth Stephen R. Lawhead

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It reminds me of the old adage, Some aspire to greatness, some achieve greatness,
and some have greatness thrust upon them. You have certainly had greatness thrust
upon you. But tell me, did you also aspire to greatness?
My aspirations have always been very simple, James replied. To be a good man,
a good husband, and a good friend. My father was such a man, and I have always
tried to be like him.
Trent swooped. You mention your father. May we talk about your family for a
moment? Even by today s fairly relaxed standards, your early life must have been,
shall we say, somewhat confused?
Nothing could be further from the truth, James protested mildly. You are
referring to the recent discovery of my true parentage. The man I knew as my father,
John Stuart, raised me and loved me as a son, and
Yet, interrupted Trent, although your mother was legally married to the Marquess
of Morven, she was living with John Stuart at the time of your birth a relationship
which was to continue for many years. Isn t this so?
Yes, that is true.
Then if, by your own admission, he continued quickly, your parents were living
an elaborate lie, how can your childhood be considered normal in any sense of the
word?
Simply because it was, James insisted gently. You see, my parents loved each
other very much, and they loved me. It was out of that love that sacrifices were
made which people today may not understand. One of those sacrifices was to give
me a solid, normal upbringing in a stable, happy home. In this, they succeeded
admirably, and I have always been grateful all the more, now that I know the
truth.
I see, replied Trent, adopting a tone which implied that he was far from convinced.
Moving on, let us turn to the upbringing you mentioned just now. You grew up
here, in a small Scottish town, an uncomplicated rural town, a town that depends
almost totally on tourism for its continued survival. It is in many ways as far from
cosmopolitan life as possible very far from the world of politics and government,
diplomacy, trade and commerce, and the complex affairs of the great nation-states
which make up the world we inhabit today. How, I am wondering, could your
upbringing have possibly prepared you for the r�le you are about to play?
Out of the corner of his eye, James saw Cal standing behind camera two, face ashen,
shaking his head in misery. He realized, too late, that it was going to be a hatchet job
blood and butchery transmitted worldwide, the new King of Britain cut down to
size by the BBC s most trusted and admired interviewer.
Steeling himself for the onslaught, James looked Trent in the eye, and replied, Your
question appears designed to imply that I somehow lack the proper qualifications to
be King of Britain because I did not grow up insulated from life by a cloak of royal
privilege.
Trent waved aside the observation. Not at all, he said genially. I was merely trying
to determine how it is that you see yourself fulfilling a very demanding r�le on the
international stage when, by your own admission, you have had no proper training or
upbringing?
Mr. Trent, James countered, did you know at the age of five, or twenty-five, that
we would be having this conversation today?
James paused so Trent could murmur, Of course not. Then he continued, None
of us ever knows what life will throw in our path. There is no way to be completely
prepared for every possibility. That being the case, it is my belief that people do best
in life when given a good, solid base on which to build. So, the question becomes:
What makes for the best base, the best foundation?
Now, then, I would have thought that children raised in stable, safe communities,
surrounded by caring and competent adults, and granted the freedom of their
environment not forgetting plenty of fresh air and exercise, and time to think and
learn their own hearts, and develop their own particular skills I would have
thought that children raised like this are best equipped to meet the challenges of life
in an unpredictable world.
Trent made as if to break in, but James had begun to find his rhythm, and wasn t to
be put off his stride.
Further, I think that the world you speak of, this world of high finance, global trade, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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