DeKALB – Even at the age of 4, Eddie Turza of Cortland is a young man who knows what he wants.

“The first thing he decided was he was going to dress up as a knight,” his mother, Maggie Turza, laughed. “He loves everything knights and castles. The second thing he decided was that Maddy (Kane) be a princess. He made a date.”

The two best friends were among the estimated crowd of 600, many of whom dressed in medieval costumes, who attended the third annual Royal Children’s Ball Friday night at Altgeld Castle on the campus of Northern Illinois University.