[ WP ] The king 's jester is not who he say he is .

The bells on my ridiculous hat jingle and jangle as I perform another cartwheel for the king and his court. They applaud, of course. If there's one thing I've learned in my years of doing this it's that nobles only regard each other with suspicion. The commoners are only a threat if they look like a threat to them, and a court fool is beneath suspicion. After all, a fool ca n't do anything quietly, let alone slip poison into a goblet. The court does n't know who I really am; they think I'm just a jester, an amusement for them to laugh at. In reality the jester they had sent for is dead in the moat. The half-mask that he had with his costume conceals my identity. 
 
 The king is sitting at his table at the end of the hall, laughing with the rest. His guards are just behind him and above him there's a balcony. Two young courtiers there, seemingly drunk. You could easily get past them, drop to the floor, kill the guards and reach around the chair to slit the king's throat without being seen. I make eye contact with another jester. The two of us run towards each other, collide and exaggerate the fall. The court laughs some more, and I take advantage of those few moments of laughter to tug on a bell. It's secured by one string; easy to cut off and render yourself silent. 
 
 I get up at the same time as the other jester; I may not be trained in the same way as the others are, but I have similar skills. I'm acrobatic enough to do flips and somersaults, and in my line of work synchronisation between you and your colleagues is key. The jester and I bow. The court applauds again. 
 
 I look around; the court will probably expect one of the others to be the focus now, which means most eyes are off me. In the walls there are a few bricks slightly out of place. I could use those as footholds to climb up, jump across the chandeliers and finally leap down with a blade onto the king. I could even use some throwing knives if I wanted to, and escape through the window. 
 
 A jester raises a torch to his face and breathes fire. It's an old trick, but effective. I could get the torch, walk up to the king and use the trick on him to burn him. 
 
 The jesters have started moving around the room. I join them, performing a few tricks here and there. I keep my eye on the others; they could very well prevent me from carrying out my task effectively. I make my way towards the king's table. I tell a few jokes to put him at ease. The last thing I need is for him to be suspicious of me. His wine goblet sits full on the table. His guards also seem amused. They're not paying full attention. I could put my hand out and slap myself on the forehead, and with my other hand subtly slip some poison into the goblet. There are a few pouches in this costume; one might have something lethal in them. 
 
 I look around. The other jesters are also making their way over here. It's now or never; I have to act fast. They're just a few steps away. 
 
 The closest jester leaps around, somersaulting over the table. He jumps around on his feet. I notice his hand reaching behind his back. I dive over the table and tackle the jester to the floor. I twist his arm. He lets go of the dagger. I pick up his blade and stab the jester in the heart, then spring to my feet and fling it past the king's face. It embeds itself in the neck of another one of the jesters. 
 
 Acting fast, I jump back over the table. Another jester comes back at me with a dagger. I duck, and the dagger goes into one of the jester's comrades. I spring back up and headbutt the jester. My mask breaks and the jester goes down. 
 
 I stand there for a moment, panting. Three would-be assassins lie dead on the ground, a fourth alive but unconscious. I turn towards the king and nod. `` You're safe, your majesty.''
