Chapter 208: A Hero’s Homecoming
Less than a month ago, an impressive column of knights, Templars, soldiers, and the many servants who supported them, marched out of the Summer Villa in the name of justice. Their armor had been polished until it gleamed in the sun, their banners snapped crisply on the wind and they resembled a sacred host, blessed by the Holy Lord of Light himself, ready to slay the demons responsible for Sir Broll’s violent murder and dismemberment.
Now, the column that returned to the summer villa looked very little like the one that had left. The shining armor and bright tabards had been covered by a layer of grime that no amount of attentive cleaning in the field could remove. The banners hung limply, covered in even more dirt and grime.
Most notably, however, the column that returned was little more than half the size of the one that had left. Almost every man remaining moved with some awkward stiffness as each one attempted to find ways to put less strain on the injuries that had yet to fully heal.
At the head of the column, Owain held his head high, seemingly the only one returning with the bearing of a conquering hero. His armor was dull and dirty, his body smelled of blood, smoke, and ash, and other than his hands and face, he hadn’t properly bathed but he refused to allow any of these things to diminish the aura of pride and victory he radiated.
From his saddle hung several tails taken from flat tailed demons, proof of his prowess in combat against the demon enemies. Whatever tragic fate had befallen many of the soldiers under his command, it was clear that his personal abilities as a slayer of demons couldn’t be doubted.
In the courtyard of the Summer Villa, Jocelynn, Confessor Eleanor and a dark-haired knight stood awaiting Owain’s return. Samira, in her guise as a fake Ashlynn, was conspicuously absent for the return of her husband.
Eleanor had already circulated word that her condition was ’delicate’ and that she may face a ’difficult birth’ if she didn’t have sufficient bed rest. The lie served two purposes. At the moment, it offered a convenient excuse for why the socially awkward servant would be absent from so many functions. Later on, once news of her difficult pregnancy spread, it would make her ’death in childbirth’ more believable to anyone hearing the news.
Falsehoods like this never sat well with the confessor and she wore a bitter expression on her severe face as the gates opened to admit Owain Lothian and his column of soldiers. Falsehoods could be tolerated in the service of revealing greater truths, but as Eleanor looked at the triumphant young lord riding through the gate, she promised herself that she would find a way to cleanse the filth she’d been forced to taint herself with.
"Welcome home, Brother-in-law," Jocelynn said, striding forward to offer a deep curtsey in greeting. "I knew that the hero of Lothian March would return victorious," she added, standing up straight and flashing him a dazzling smile.