The Insolent Steed

I strode onto the gridded squares of the inlaid chessboard, ready to inspect the silent battalions awaiting imperial review. Yet what insolence met my gaze—the white knight dared to turn its carved wooden snout completely away from my presence, facing the flank in blatant disrespect! Did this varnished steed believe it could evade a sovereign muster? After a pause of withering disgust, I enacted swift corrective protocol: I seized its flared mane with both rigid gloves, braced my boots against the dark walnut square, and wrenched. The stubborn wooden base scraped sharply against the felt lining until it swiveled flush, snapping into strict martial alignment. With its snout now pointed directly toward the fray under my decree, my vanguard stands disciplined.