My role is to protect the King

My role is to protect the King, against the spies and assassins sent by his enemies to betray or kill him. This is my life, and I enjoy every minute of it. At the court they fear me: I know all of them, I know what they want, what they plot, their crimes, their vices, their weaknesses. Some of them are dangerous, traitors or potential ones. I have ears in their games, their parties. I walk among them and I can scent their fear.

The King have all the other monarchs and princes, the Pope, the viper in Holland, the Emperor, plotting against him. Many of the nobles are their agents, ready to poison their rivals, or the King’s loyal servants. One by one I discover them, unmasked them, get them  to work for me, or dispose of them after inflicting suitable pain: I want them to suffer, the best way to protect the King.

I am particularly careful with the women. They excel at treachery, taking advantage of the King’s fondness of their sex. They have to be monitored, those bitches. They appear to spend their time rubbishing each other, vilifying the ones who are not as rotten as they are. Few of them are worth the time the King spends with them, far from it. But I am not to judge her Majesty.

His Queen was very loyal

His Queen was very loyal, for a long time, but she failed lately, and I know how it happened, I know the culprit. I have enough evidence but will keep it to myself for now. I do not want to trouble the King, who has his eyes on someone else. I know that that person is in trouble, she’s the target herself of many attempts at destroying her reputation. Indeed she has sinned, and I have researched how and when it happened. Once I have concluded my investigation, I will inform the King.

Then there is his brother, Phillipe de France, duke of Orleans, and his absurd Lorraine companion, who cannot be trusted either, not because he would deliberately betray the King, but because his judgement is always failing. My enjoyment is to prevent him causing real trouble by being negligent, or by mischief. Phillipe is the King’s reliable support, ready to protect him, but they cannot reconcile their different characters.

Scourge of the kingdom

 In all this what I enjoy most is the investigative work, the slow uncovering of lies and hidden conspiracies. I like unmasking the traitors, the poisoners, the spies, place them in front of their crimes, and let them wriggle. The worst of them are the satanic, scourge of the kingdom and mankind. For those I have no pity, they deserve their fate, on the pyre.

Yet I know how sweet life can also be. I have known this with my lovely Claudine, who was murdered by that infamous devil. I am still mourning her, and will look after her grave for as long as I live.

I am of course a fictional character. The real chief of the King’s police was Gabriel-Nicholas de la Reynie, whose official title was Lieutenant General of the Paris Police. He was a great man, trusted by Colbert, and dealing not only with criminals and trouble makers, but also with issues of public safety, health and cleanliness of the streets. Like me he had to deal with the sinister poisoners, and history recalls him as the one who uncovered Catherine Monvoisin, sorceress and poisoner. I am honoured to have become his alter-ego.

You may well ask, and what are you doing these days Fabien Marchal? Well, as you may recall I once studied the spying profession in ancient Rome. I like to take a historical view of subjects close to my heart. Today I am studying the great investigators and detectives who protect their masters for the greater good of mankind.

Inspired by the character of Fabien Marchal from the series Versailles