Chapter 210: Drawing Closer
"The strong and the capable are doomed to lead a lonely life," Owain said, as though he bore a great burden. "My father was a hero and his father before him, but we’ve never had peers who could march to glory with us, only those who served below and failed us when we needed them the most."
It seemed like a curse had befallen his family. Whether it was his father, his grandfather or any of their predecessors, at some point, their conquest fell to ruin. Every one of them could boast of some success, but whenever it felt like they would achieve real gains, a single defeat unraveled all of the momentum they’d built.
One or two key allies faltered, a brush with death came too close to taking the life of the current Marquis and it was over. Their path to additional conquest and greater glory was snuffed out like the flame of a candle.
Without the ability to summon enough soldiers from their vassals and strong champions to counter the elite forces among the demons, no one man could put an end to the demon threat along their borders. It had happened to his father on Airgead Mountain and after the events of this hunting expedition, Owain was beginning to fear that it would happen to him as well.
"This time it will be different," Jocelynn said, taking his hands in hers and meeting his eyes with a shining gaze. "You will be the first Duke Lothian, and I will be your Duchess," she said firmly, with the same faith that others used to say their prayers to the Holy Lord of Light. "You just need people around you who can help to keep your enemies from dragging you down."
"Such people are difficult to find, and harder to recruit," Owain said bitterly. "Even the ones who come from across the sea will arrive with their pride and arrogance, having never faced a demon in battle. They will die in droves before the worthy ones rise like cream to the top and by then, they will be too covered in their own glory to bend the knee to me."
"There are other capable men who could come under your banner, my Lord," Jocelynn said, her voice growing softer and more intimate as she leaned forward in her chair. The candlelight caught the golden highlights in her hair as she gazed at him intently. To Owain, her eyes seemed to grow larger in his vision, transforming into seafoam green pools that sought to draw him into their depths.
"In Blackwell County, there are captains of ships who are very capable warriors," she explained. "Men who live their lives fighting in the most unforgiving conditions when pirates and monsters of the sea descend on their vessels."
"These are captains of sailing ships," Owain said, finding himself distracted by the way her silk skirts rustled as she shifted closer to him. When had she come close enough to him to reach out and touch so easily? The wine must have affected him more than he’d thought. Or perhaps it was the way her eyes seemed to shine with admiration whenever she looked his way that left him inching unconsciously toward her as well.