The Knight in Rusty Armor is a 1987 novella by Robert Fisher. It tells the tale of a knight obsessed with being a knight, so much so that he spends all his time in his armor and completely alienates his family. One day, he discovers that he cannot take his armor off, not even able to lift his visor for meals. He learns that the wizard Merlin may be able to help him, so he sets out to find him. When he finds Merlin, the magician shows him a path leading toward the summit of a mountain — the Path of Truth. He tells him that if he follows the path to the top, he will find himself without his armor.
The knight heads up the path, on the way passing through three castles: the Castle of Silence, the Castle of Knowledge, and the Castle of Will and Daring. Each one challenges him to question himself; only when he has realized some truth is he able to proceed. Along the way, the tears he sheds at these revelations rust away parts of his armor and cause them to fall off.
Finally, after one final challenge, he reaches the summit; shedding tears of love for himself and the world, the last of his armor is rusted away.
Contains examples of:
- 24-Hour Armor: Deconstructed. The knight started wearing his armor to eat and sleep, to the point he wasn't able to take it off after so long. It also caused his family to forget what he looked like.
- Ambition Is Evil: Zigzagged. In the Castle of Knowledge, Merlin explains to the knight how the ambition from the mind can give you material riches, but the ambition from the heart can give all that and true happiness.
- Beneath the Mask: The knight hides behind his armor, literally and figuratively. Truthfully, he relies on his knightly image for self-worth because he has no love for himself.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: The knight, in the beginning. His only concerns are rescuing damsels, fighting dragons, and other knightly quests.
- Complaining About Rescues They Don't Like: Some of the damsels the knight rescued weren't happy about it.
- Crushing Handshake: An accidental example. After the court jester suggests that titular knight might be able to find the wizard Merlin to help him, he offers a handshake in gratitude. Naturally, since he's still wearing his full armor, he almost crushes the poor jester's hand with his gauntlet.
- Deus Exit Machina: When the Dragon of Fear and Doubt appears, the knight tries to call for Merlin's help, but the wizard is in Paris, attending a wizard conference.
- A Dog Named "Dog": A squirrel called Squirrel.
- Drowning My Sorrows: The knight's wife is stated early on to have a drinking problem. Later on, he realizes that it began when he decided to keep his armor on all the time.
- Hates Being Alone: One of the knight's first revelations, in the Castle of Silence: he fears being alone.
- Implied Trope: All the characters have a name sans the titular knight and the king. However, the knight's inner voice calls himself Sam, which is possibly the knight's name too.
- Journey to Find Oneself: The knight's journey is one of self-discovery. The knight's king is also making the same journey, and not for the first time.
- Knight in Shining Armor: The knight, in the beginning, is obsessed with projecting this image, to prove that he is good and kind.
- The Mirror Shows Your True Self: In the Castle of Knowledge, the knight comes across a mirror. At first he ignores it, since he doesn't consider himself good-looking. Once he finally looks, he's surprised to see his reflection as a handsome, almost perfect-looking man. It's explained that the reflection represents his potential when he learns to love himself.
- Rule of Three: The knight passes through three castles.
- Talking Animal: Squirrel the squirrel and Rebecca the pigeon. Or rather, all animals talk — the knight merely learns to listen.
- Talking to Themself: The knight converses with his inner voice, once he starts hearing it.
- Your Mind Makes It Real: The Dragon of Fear and Doubt exists only while the knight allows fear and doubt in his mind. As he overcomes his fears, the dragon shrinks away until it vanishes.
