Upright
Rational, disciplined, and analytical. Justice, wisdom, fairness.
The King of Swords
The Rationalist.
Reversed
Ruthlessness, bad ambition, pressure for results.
Kings represent influences, or more commonly, people. In both cases, the King of Swords brings a sense of logic and rationality to the table.
As a person, the King is an intellectual rationalist and strategist. This is someone who is disciplined and analytical. At best, they produce (and influence!) justice, wisdom, social rationality, and fairness. The King is Swords energy manifested in a position of societal power: the logic and clarity can create great wisdom, but also can turn cold.
When reversed, the King of Swords can represent a person with these qualities who is negatively influencing the querent. It may also indicate that someone is acting like the King on a particularly bad day; at worst, the King is cold, judgmental, destructive, overly ambitious, and even malicious. You may find yourself in a situation of ruthlessness, unbalanced ambition, or pressure to produce results.