Twenty-six year old Jacob was an unremarkable looking man of moderate height and stocky build with very fast reflexes and remarkable skills with a sword and all other weapons including his own body. He had dirty blond hair and brown, intelligent eyes which were looking at his feet due to his nervousness. He was uncomfortable in the unchaperoned presence of a young, upper class, unmarried woman which was not in accord with the customs of his people. What followed surprised him almost to the point of stopping his heart.

“Sergeant Jacob Charles McManus of the royal guard, I humbly ask you if you could accept me to be your wife. I have fallen in love with you, and after discreet enquiries I believe you love me too, but I’m told you would never accept any woman with what you believe to be my character, for you believe it is incompatible with your sense of what is right. It is your honesty and unshakeable integrity to your duty, yet most of all to every citizen you deal with that makes you so remarkable. All talk of it, for few have those qualities, and in my twenty-three years I have found no other man who I believed would treat me so too. All the men I have ever met are only interested in my family’s wealth and what it would provide them. I know you care nothing for wealth, for you have given much away to those in greater need than yourself. That many nubile women are interested in you as a husband is bothersome to me, for so am I. I do not apologise for trying to steal a march on the others due to my position. You are a righteous man with out being a self righteous man, and that is a man any woman would be proud to call her man.

“I have been told your men will unquestioningly follow you into what they believe to be almost certain death, for unlike any other commander of the royal guard they would be following you, not being sent forward to die alone by you. I know they have done so many times in the past, and you did not fail them, for you were victorious. That you have risked your life many times to rescue private soldiers in the heat of battle makes your troops the best soldiers in the empire’s armies. Your men trust you with complete confidence. You have seen six times more conflict than any other in the empire’s armies and have always won with minimal losses. You are known to have used your own pension funds to support the widows and orphans of your lost brothers, for that you call them such is known to all. You are a man of such an impressive reputation that any woman would be a fool not to wish to bear your children. It is embarrassing to admit it, but I wish to bear your children. Here with just the two of us I am prepared to embarrass myself, for I am negotiating for the most important matter of my life. Please, before you turn me down, feel free to ask me anything. I shall answer any and all questions you may have as truthfully as I am able. There is much that is not known of me which I believe would help my cause, for whatever you believe me to be my character is actually far different. Please call me by my given name which is Joaqimma, my close friends call me Joa or Qimmi, both of which are fine, as is anything else you choose. Last of all, please remember I do truly love you and shall be upset for a long time if you reject me. That is not meant to be a sword to your throat, merely a statement from my heart.”

Jacob could not speak for a minute or two and Joaqimma waited patiently with her heart in her mouth. Jacob’s love and willingness to be her husband were not things she could command. For the first time in her life she was experiencing being a supplicant, and for a woman of her birth that was infuriating and terrifying. Eventually his calm restored Jacob replied, “Lady Joaqimma, if what I am about to say costs me my life so be it, for then, and I apologise not for putting it thus, the realm will have lost a true and loyal servant due to its own stupidity and arrogance. Indeed you have the right of it. Despite my background from the slums, I have striven hard to become a moderately wealthy person which as a first rank sergeant of the royal guard I have achieved. You must be aware I am an ardent believer in the emancipation of the ordinary folk and I strive to achieve that both politically as a voice in the house of representatives which my position as a sergeant of the royal guard entitles me to, and physically in what little free time I have in my efforts to serve in the free food programmes in the cities and villages both. Despite my heartfelt feelings for you, which despite my efforts to hide them you have somehow been made aware of, I can not accept you as my wife, for to me you appear to be no more than a frivolous ornament to the court. Since you seek marriage I feel free to be honest, again if it results in my death, so be it. To me you seem to be a useless, self serving member of the elite whose feet are well and truly on the necks of the oppressed poor. I am no bigot nor a liar, so I reluctantly admit yes I have loved you for a long time. I say reluctantly because as things stand I find that to be shameful. You would have to convince me, and my sense of fairness compels me to feel obliged to give you every opportunity to so do, that you serve some useful purpose to the ordinary folk who in reality are the realm, not the pampered wastrels referred to as the aristocracy. If you can not you become a part of my foolish youthful past. A past I shall remember with fondness, but also with embarrassment.”

Joaqimma in turn took a long time to respond, but eventually said, “My gratitude, Jacob, for telling me your truth, for few do when they deem it unpalatable. In truth, I have never hurt any for telling me their truth. Oft, my advisors have been at odds with me for that, and I have set aside the most vociferous of them for doing so, for it is my belief the truth is an invaluable commodity, one beyond price to those who need it. If one is not aware of reality one can not react appropriately and so one is constantly surprised by events, and worse one is constantly making mistakes. No one else is aware of what I am about to tell you in my attempt to win you to my side, which is I admit a lovelorn desperate attempt. I tell you in confidence, and shall accept your word never to repeat what I am about to say. If you so do and break your word, I shall have all the powers available to me used to discredit the tale and I shall immediately stop what I do. Whatever the consequences of that shall be shall be due to you not me. You have been warned. Do I have your word?”

Jacob considered for a moment and replied, “Lady, yes. You have my word, and I have never broken that to any.”

Joaqimma waited a while giving her time to think, and eventually said, “I am the unknown shadowy figure the media sensationally refer to as The Judicial Assassin and The Final Arbiter. Going back many years, when I was a child I used to cross dress as a boy for fun and to avoid my governess and the tutors. In these last few years I cross dress to avoid recognition should I ever be seen when I am working. I am self taught and trained from the writings of millennia though the basis of my training came from the military trainers who taught me self defence against potential assassins. I am the best assassin in the entire settled universe with a one hundred percent success rate. I only kill persons at the request of the assemblies of the nobles and of the folk. They give me all the information they have regarding a particular case when they ask me to kill someone and then I do my own research. I only kill when I am satisfied they should be dead, and most of them are oppressors of the poor who consider their social position entitles them to do what they will.

“They are casual murderers and rapists in the main. I judge that they should be dead by my own criteria which are much more stringent than those of either assembly. I refuse to kill anyone I do not deem to deserve it, or there is any doubt at all. Doubtless I have made mistakes, but I am sure I have always erred on the side of caution, for I accept only about one in fourteen of the assignments I am offered, and under my terms once I have refused an assignment that person is safe from the assemblies forever, unless of course they commit another such crime. My word is accepted as the final arbiter of a person’s fate. Years ago there was an incident when the assembly of the nobles went back on their word, so I killed the entire panel of leaders of the assembly and made it clear to the assembly why I did so. Since then the assemblies are aware that any agreement entered into with me is binding and if they break that agreement many of them will die. Yes, I am a killer, but my word is my bond, and I kill fewer in a year than than tobacco, alcohol and addictive drugs kill in a day and far fewer than motorised vehicles kill in an hour. I make no apologies for what I do, my price alone, which obviously I do not need and I tell the assemblies to give to bona fide charities that support the poor, serves as a deterrent to the assembly of nobles. Many of the free food distribution programs you assist with are funded in total by me. Twelve million credits for a single kill makes the assembly of nobles reluctant to use my services except under the most extreme of circumstances. They only approach me when their entire intelligence efforts have provided them with no information as to whom they are looking for to execute. They know nothing about me, nor of my methods, and despite their best efforts they have no idea who I am. That is how I serve the folk. Jacob, will you now consider my proposal of marriage, please, for I truly love you?”

Jacob was stunned, but after half a minute replied, “Lady Joaqimma, again you have my word I shall never repeat what you have just told me. I shall only agree to be your husband upon the condition that I shall be able to rein in the assembly of nobles, increase the influence and authority of the assembly of the folk and give the same rights to the commons that the nobles enjoy. The first step would be to enact a law that prevented the military services from being used as a police force anywhere within the empire. I have no problems with the military being used as emergency firefighters, emergency medical assistance, coastguards, mountain rescue and the like, indeed I see it as a proper use of the folk’s taxes that provides a wide range of training opportunities for the military. However, I do not think it acceptable that the military be used as a police force to maintain law and order on the streets or anywhere else if the commons are protesting. Far better I deem it to remove the injustice that the commons are protesting against. I have proven it can be done, for I never had any civil unrest to deal with when I was sent to calm matters in the western provinces which at the time were a tinder box of insurrection, due to excessive taxation and abuse of the commons by the so called nobility. There is nothing noble in hanging a starving farmer in order to rape his twelve year old daughter.

The lady interrupted Jacob. “How did you resolve issues of that like, Jacob?”

“I don’t like it, but sometimes an arrow in the dark is not only the best solution, it is the only solution.”

“I agree, and it is the Final Arbiter. Pray continue, my apologies for the interruption.”

“Usually local leaders would present their problems to me and we would discuss how best to amicably resolve matters.” Jacob smiled a wry smile and said, “It works but it cost me several hundred men. Not to armed conflict I hasten to add, but to local girls who had the full approval of their families to marry one of my troops. The local nobles were seriously unhappy at their loss of income, income I deem them to have had no right to, but as I pointed out to them they and their families weren’t being burnt alive in their beds as was happening elsewhere where the commons dealt with particularly punitive and greedy nobles by setting their houses alight in the middle of the night. Yes, all that will take many years to achieve, but the right to pursue that goal supported by yourself is my condition of marriage. Your nobility will shelter me from much political attack, which I only know how to deal with by troop deployment and I’d rather not cause a blood bath in the capital.”

“My love is such that I should have accepted almost any condition of yours. However, that condition is no more than I have been wishing for years, so I agree. I am more than happy to be your wife under those terms.” Joaqimma smiled and said, “Still, a blood bath in the assembly of nobles does sound like it could be rather educational, entertaining too. It would certainly give them something more serious to talk and worry about than this season’s fashionable colours for velvets. When I was younger the nobles bullied me and prevented me from doing anything that actually mattered to me, they still do to a certain extent though I have become good at side stepping their intentions. With a strong man at my side rather than any of the effete fainèants they have been trying to force me to accept I feel I could finally do some good. I would like it much if you would replace all the guards with men of your choosing. You have no idea the lengths I had to go to to arrange this meeting with no witnesses. Doubtless at some point we’ll be interrupted, and it would please me greatly if you dealt with any interruptions on my behalf.”

Jacob smiled and said, “As my first betrothal present I shall give you a few hundred of my best men who have family in the capital and would be delighted to be stationed here, starting with the platoon just the other side of those doors who from the sound of it are educating those fancy looking parade ground toys in pretty uniforms in some of the dirtier manœuvres encountered on a field of battle.”

“Will you kiss me, Jacob?”

The couple were still deeply involved when unannounced some of Jacob’s soldiers burst through the double doors dragging a semi-conscious colonel in by his ankles. The men were all, like the corporal leading them, older men in their late forties and early fifties who had families and most were grandfathers. Seeing their young commanding officer kissing the Lady didn’t even raise a smile on their deadpan faces. From his groans, the state of his face and his clothing the colonel appeared to have had a serious beating. Without a trace of a smile the corporal said, “Excuse me, Lady, Sergeant. Normally, I wouldn’t dream of interrupting serious military discussion concerning strategy or tactics, but this sorry excuse for a soldier seemed to believe he is the head of the guards here, and he insisted that he had words with you both. That was before he was abusive to Billy Ballistics, who in a few seconds reduced him to the condition he is in now. I’ve put Billy on a charge for hitting a superior officer since he’s only a private and this fop is wearing the uniform of a colonel. I dealt with the discipline myself, Sergeant, to save you the trouble.”

Joaqimma amusedly asked, “ Billy Ballistics? That can’t be his real name surely? What punishment did you impose, corporal?”

There was a grin on the corporal’s face as he said, “No, Lady, but Billy is a genius at ballistics, and most of the lads probably don’t know his real name. Billy Ballistics is what appears on all the paperwork including orders because every one knows who is being referred to that way. As to his punishment, I sent him round to his fiancée’s house and told him to consider himself under house arrest till ten tomorrow morning when he’s to report for duty. I need him to take a detachment of heavy guns and artillery outside the city to protect the palace, and he’s the only one I can guarantee to have the guns set up right, so that the palace is protected without risk of damage, though it’s possible the assembly of nobles building may sustain some damage, but the Sergeant said under present circumstances that was acceptable. Billy’s a decent lad who follows orders without question, so I didn’t think I needed to post a guard outside the house. I hope that’s all right with you, Sergeant, Lady?”

Jacob nodded to the corporal and asked, “I hope corporal Alexi Jevers here is acceptable as the new head of the guards, Lady Joaqimma?”

“He seems perfect, for he has an exquisite sense of justice. I consider forcing such a miscreant to spend the best part of a day under house arrest with his fiancée to be a most creative and appropriate punishment. I’d like to suggest that Sergeant Jevers be rewarded somehow. Are all your men thus, Jacob? What is going on with those heavy artillery?”

Alexi and his men tried hard, and failed, to suppress a grin at the Lady’s intimate use of their commanding officer’s given name. Disturbing the couple’s kissing when they had dragged the colonel in had tested their self control, but her subsequent use of Jacob’s given name was a step too far. Seeing the grinning, the Lady blushed a little but smiled at them to indicate no offence had been caused or taken.

“My men are pretty much like Sergeant Jevers, yes. They are all battle hardened front line troops which means they can think quickly under pressure and have a sense of what really matters and what doesn’t. Their manners are a bit rough sometimes, but they know how to get the job done, whatever the job may be. My troops tend to be a bit informal, but that does not imply any lack of discipline nor of respect. As for the guns, I wish to ensure that the palace is not occupied by the local troops in an attempt to persuade me to remove my troops from the area. A couple of shells close to the palace and an unfortunate one on the assembly building should persuade the local troops and their leaders too to dive down the nearest rat hole they can find for protection. It would appear that I am having to head off an internal coup rather than a revolution, but don’t worry about it, Lady. All shall be well. Sergeant Jevers was correct we need Billy’s skill not so much as to miss the palace which is a trivial task, but to make sure that the one that hits the assembly building lands plumb dead centre in the chamber.” The sergeant had a deadpan expression on his face when he said, “It will be an unfortunate accident, but you did say that a bloodbath in the assembly of nobles sounded educational and entertaining did you not? I live but to serve you, My Lady.”

The look on the Lady’s face was positively wicked as she replied, “You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that, Sergeant.”

The colonel recovering from his beating started to insist on being allowed to have his soldiers throw Jacob and all his troops into the local lock up pending courts marshal.

“Jacob, do you wish to talk to the colonel? For his presence is offensive to me.”

“Sergeant Jevers, you heard the Lady.”

The colonel had been dragged halfway back to the doors before Alexi was heard to say to his men, “Let’s clean him up a bit, Lads. The fountain seems appropriate. I’d be really upset if he offended the Lady again.”

Before the couple could resume kissing, some ladies in waiting entered from a door at the rear of the chamber. A middle aged, over weight and over bearing woman insisted on Joaqimma retiring to her private chambers immediately. Jacob thought it was clear that once there Joaqimma would be subject to a tirade of complaints and orders concerning her behaviour.

“Lady Elizabeth McFriel, you are dismissed. At this time I have no need of your services. Sergeant McManus, would you please be so kind as to explain why to Lady Elizabeth?”

“Certainly, Lady Joaqimma. That you have agreed to take me as your husband means according to custom a chaperone is no longer required when you are alone in my presence. That the Lady seems to believe she can intrude upon our courtship and give you orders I find offensive, so I would rather she were dismissed permanently along with any others too who believe they can behave like her with impunity. Let us be perfectly clear about the whole matter, for I believe you have a wedding to arrange. If you tell me which ladies you would like to assist you in the matter I shall have them contacted and travel arrangements completed. If you tell me who you wish to be dismissed I shall arrange their travel to where ever they consider their home to be. It has made me very proud to accept your proposal of marriage, and I am at your complete disposal. In the meanwhile, however, I have certain deployments to make on your behalf, so I must leave you to ensure appropriate troops are in place to ensure your safety. Should you have need of me, any of my men will ensure I am contacted. If you need immediate assistance, the guard I shall leave with you will deal with the matter. I’ll tell Alexi he is to return to you and take charge. Will that be acceptable?”

“Indeed, a most satisfactory arrangement. I shall feel completely safe under the care of him and his troops. Would you be so kind as to call two of your men in please, Jacob, for I wish to have a pronouncement witnessed by two persons who I know will never lie about what they heard.”

“I want two men in here now please,” Jacob shouted.

Two privates came in and one asked, “Your orders, Sergeant?”

“Just listen to the Lady please. And remember what she says. If necessary we’ll have it written down for you to sign as witnesses at a later time. As soon as we are finished, I want one of you to get Alexi back here with a dozen men to act as the Lady’s personal guard. The other to get a dozen men in here to act as her temporary guard. The only persons who are to be allowed into her presence are our troops and any the Lady says she wishes to speak to. Courtiers, politicians, parade ground soldiers, ladies in waiting, all the lot, even her relatives, keep them out unless the Lady says otherwise. That clear?”

“Yes, Sergeant,” was said by both men.

“As a member of the nobility I have the authority to act as a magistrate and a registrar. In both capacities I hereby serve notice to both of you that Sergeant Jacob Charles McManus of the royal guard and I Lady Joaqimma clan chief of the house of Helrigg are now man and wife. The formal public wedding matters shall follow in due course. I shall have this all produced as a charter, a copy shall be made for you each, stating your rôle in the matter. I ask my husband that you both be promoted, and I shall give you sufficient lands to be holders in your own right. I am grateful for your assistance in a matter that has made me extremely happy.”

The two men who like all the others outside the chamber were aware serious events were happening the other side of the doors they’d been holding fast had been nervous at responding to the summons. They’d been pushed into the chamber by their fellows who’d more or less all said, “You’re the seniors in the troop. It’s up to you.” That they’d been rewarded thus stunned them. They were hard men, family men, well remunerated for their absolute allegiance to their sergeant who despite his lowly title all knew was effectively the supreme commander of all the fighting forces of the empire, for the parade ground troops didn’t count. They never went to war, and were no more than pretty entertainment for the nobility to watch as they danced their way through complex routines on the parade ground. The reward of lands would ensure their families would never know lack nor want long after they and their Sergeant had joined their ancestors.

“Thank you, Lady Joaqimma.” They both said in unison.

“I think that is all, Lance corporals. I too thank you for your service to me and my Lady this day. Guard the Lady I love well.”

Now they understood what had been going on, the soldiers’ personal loyalty to their commander had expanded to include his wife, and Jacob knew they would follow his orders to the letter. If they exceeded them somewhat in their zeal to protect her he’d just live with it, for far better that than she was hurt because they had been lax. They were extremely loyal to their country, but that was paid for loyalty, their loyalty to Jacob was given by them, not bought by him, and it was orders of magnitude above that that had been bought with coin of the realm.

Rank in the fighting troops of the empire was unusual compared with other armies. There were sergeants of the first, second and third rank. There were corporals of the first and second rank, and there were lance corporals. All others were private soldiers of which there were dozens of ranks many of which were over lapping, and some of which were unique like Billy the Ballistics technician. There were no officers in the battle troops, and the entire membership of the fighting troops liked it that way. Officers in their opinion were useless nobility who had nothing to do with battle. In their line of work promotion was hard earnt, and the hearts of the two newly promoted lance corporals were bursting with pride. It would make little difference to their pay and even less to the respect they were given within their troop, but the prestige it garnered would be immense. Absolutely straight faced one said, “It was a privilege, Sergeant, Lady. My family shall bless both of you forever.”

The other said, “My Lady, I am accounted the best all round fighter in the army after your husband. Should you ever need a champion, it shall be my pleasure and privilege to slaughter any who causes your displeasure. I shall train my sons to take up that gauntlet, so when age slows me and causes my muscles to be less fell and stark than they are now you and your heirs shall always have a champion available to you. My and my family’s thanks for your munificence.”

That Lady Joaqimma had proposed marriage to a mere Sergeant rather than be proposed to by a member of the nobility scandalised Lady Elizabeth on both grounds. That she had solemnised the marriage herself was not customary but it was certainly within the law. Jacob kissing Joaqimma’s hand she considered acceptable, but when he briefly and chastely kissed Joaqimma’s cheek she was outraged and started spluttering her outrage in words that would have not been understood by any even had they been listening. The spluttering stopped when she saw Joaqimma put her hands to Jacob’s cheeks and kiss him passionately in a way she considered only decent in private. Lady Elizabeth fled the chamber when she heard Jacob murmur, “I love you, your Majesty, my Empress, my Wife.”