A maiden knight--to me is given
Such hope, I know not fear;
I yearn to breathe the airs of heaven
That often meet me here.
- "Sir Galahad", Alfred Tennyson

Everyone knows what paladins are supposed to be. Therefore, when Karlenius was chosen, he knew exactly what he was supposed to be. He knew also that he was precisely the same person he had been the day before, no more wise or Lawful or Good than the him of yesterday. Then he feared to speak, lest he unthinkingly dissemble; feared to swear, lest he trap himself in ill-considered pledges; feared to do any thing that might be Evil; feared, in short, to fail. So he began to act, which is not the same as lying.

On stage, performers become queens, knights, mighty wizards. Karlenius had an easier role: he was a paladin playing a paladin. All he had to learn was to speak as a paladin would speak, to do what a paladin should do. Sometimes, when people pretend to be braver than they are, the pretending makes it true. They might even forget that they are pretending. For those who never forget, it suffices to remember that once the farce has begun, one must never break character; that would be a great betrayal, a betrayal of expectations.

In time Karlenius grew stronger, and the fears fell away from him. He was glad; that would make it easier for him to play his role.