Chapter Text
A week of preparations were required for King Knight's plans. Firstly he completed his work in the section he'd been wiping clean of his wondrous golden sheen and chose intentionally to begin his next set of duties in a portion of the castle he'd been rather starkly against visiting. As it was a hallway rather close to the throne room and the pretender lord.
Next, he'd had to refurbish some royal vestments. King had chosen to continue primarily using his gilded vestments while switching out his back plate for that of his rodent regalia. It tooks some doing and a little bit of tinkering to combine the mechanical elements and lesser subject presence on his person but they knew their place and were well behaved if often fed. The rather distinct contrast of the plate's coppery look was shrouded by his particularly well maintained King's Mantle.
Finally, he prepared what armaments remained in his possession. Firstly, his Dueling Gloves which were now stained gold in a shameful reduction of their true meaning. Second, his Turncoat Mantle appeared as any other king's mantle and was easily hidden during his usurpation. Finally, his healing hammer was left as simply a novelty toy, the fools knew not the empowering humiliation of a squeaking hammer to the temple!
Thus, with preparations made, and a stern set of instructions for his lesser subjects the night before, King felt himself properly prepared for the night of his grand escape. He'd spent his days prior to lull this region's higher concentration of guard into a sense of security around his presence. He loathed how they likely saw him as helpless and inferior to themselves, the gall! However, their gazes shall mean nothing to him once his plans come to fruition. It was the third day of this act shortly after mid-day and a servant had informed him that food was available to him at this hour and he instead informed them that he would be taking his dinner in his room which would distract the staff for a time as they expected him to seclude himself in the act as usual.
As the swift pattering of the servants hooves against gilded and plain stonework echoed off in the direction of the kitchens which King had positioned himself opposite from the Gilded lord with all the decorum befitting his station switched his dueling gloves for proper gilded gauntlets before sprinting off towards the armory. He was certainly the image of a grand and daring lord. This image lasted for all of thirty seconds before he turned into the treasury itself and nearly fell on his rear in shock as the room was not empty.
Before the king in the center of the room was the captain himself with his sword drawn at the commotion of the gallivanting golden knight. He sneered and his stance while still rigid and focused relaxed some as he began to chide the would be escapist.
"Well well well, what brings the royal baron of bubbles to the King's treasury at such an hour?"
King Knight puffed his chest up in indignation.
"Step aside Knave, or I'll enforce my decree personally!"
The guard captain stepped forward and to the side a pace sizing up the knight before him with an unimpressed glare. As he did so he revealed a pedestal upon which stood a glass box covering King Knight's Sceptre and Crown. He'd held onto both since even before his coronation but they were seized as 'punishment' for his actions alongside the enchantress.
"And how do you plan to 'enforce your decree' when you've nothing but toys left to you? I implore that you try, your 'highness'."
King Knight's face hardened beneath his tilted helmet as he wracked his mind for a solution until the captain's earlier jeers brought a singular idea to his mind.
"See for yourself, peasant! IF YOU CAN!"
He flung the bucket at the captain who in a swift motion sliced the metal apparatus in half and for his trouble received a splash of magically infused gilded paint and soap directly into his exposed eyes. He let out a yell of agony as he stumbled out of stance while attempting to wipe his eyes with one hand. He only succeeded in clearing one of the foul paint and soap enough to see King knight bizarrely sprinting off to the side before pulling out a toy of all things? He then attempted to charge the foolish brat.
The captain was not allowed a moment more's momentum as king pulled out his healing hammer and with a comically extended horizontal strike flung the square of glass straight into the captain. It then promptly shattered upon the older man's previously smug face. A torrent of glass shards lodged themselves into his exposed face and the now enraged and blinded captain swung wildly at his surroundings.
King quickly maneuvered around his blinded opponent and quickly grabbed for his exposed prizes. The weight of his crown was an instant balm to his psyche. His sceptre a wave of strength with each twirling of its form. In a display of dramatic flourish he climbed upon the pedestal and loudly proclaimed to his opponent. He slightly bent his knees in preparation...
"What a shame it is that you cannot witness the ascension of a true monarch. But alas it is simply above your station!"
"Argh... You spoiled brat, should've thrown you from your little tower when I had the CHANCE!"
The Guard captain then swung downwards in a wild swing of his blade directed at the source of the taunting. However, it only found the bite of stone as a momentary silence held the room before the titanic impact of a pair of spinning gilded boots collided with his helmet.
King Knight had leapt from his position in an all too familiar spin before bouncing off his opponent's helmet subsequently knocking him unconscious. As he landed and spun his scepter in victory the concussed form of the guard captain fell backwards to the ground with a metallic echoing thump.
"It seems your role was to be trampled underfoot."
Our regal rabblerouser allowed himself a moment to enjoy his victory over the prideful captain before promptly scurrying around the room to grab a few bags of money. With his funds and fineries properly settled he began his manic and jubilant run through the castle's grounds. For the next half hour an ever growing number of guards began to pursue him but due to the much lesser presence around mealtime their response was too slow to catch up to him before he'd gone and reached an edge of the battlements. One of the guards bellowed out a warning as King Knight vaulted onto a section of the wall's edge.
"Stop right there! The King won't allow this! Return to your room at once!"
King let out a loud boisterous laugh.
"Oh don't worry about me, I certainly approve of this. Starter subjects!"
He dramatically leapt off the battlements and for a moment the guards were stunned as a few of them leaned over the wall's edge in abject horror before suddenly King Knight was flung into the air. A set of ropes attached to several propellor rats from the mechanism in the now slightly unhinged backplate tethered his flying ascent as he propelled himself slowly downwards off into the distance. He'd leapt off a portion of the castle almost opposite the gateways dooming his pursuit. The image of the laughing Gilded Knight would haunt several of these guard's minds for quite some time after...