Chapter 212: A Heavy Burden
"This must have been weighing heavily on you," Owain added. How could he have forgotten? Jocelynn was such a tender girl, barely an adult. Her cleverness made it too easy for him to forget that at her core, she was just a soft hearted maiden.
The warm firelight cast flickering shadows across the delicate features of her face and highlighted the graceful curves of her body as she pressed against him. Her eyes were moist with tears she must have been forcing herself to hold in even as her voice trembled when she asked about her sister’s death.
She was perfect. Her features were achingly beautiful and her body tempted him even now to ravish her in the most sinful of ways. But the pain and uncertainty in her eyes evoked a much stronger, more primal urge to be a man who could protect her from the world’s cruelty and hurts.
"You are not your sister," he reassured the young woman quivering in his arms. "Her crimes, whatever they were, aren’t yours to bear. You don’t have to feel guilty because of what she might have intended to do."
"Witches are evil existences that must be destroyed on sight," Owain insisted, his eyes growing flinty and hard. "But I’ve said nothing of your sister’s wicked nature because of your kindness and selflessness," he praised her, gently stroking her cheek.
"Because of me?" Jocelynn asked, her voice quivering with uncertainty.
"Slaying a witch is a feat that could earn a lifetime of glory," Owain said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. After all, only the defeat of a demon lord could eclipse the slaying of a witch. "But if I told the world that your sister was a witch, what would have happened to my darling Jocelynn? Your love for me was obvious, even then, and it was as pure as your sister’s heart was black."
"All of this hiding away your sister’s crimes, concealing her death, isn’t it all so we can have a chance to be together?" Owain said. "All of this, I do for you. For us. For a future where we can be together. Why else would I destroy your sister so resolutely?"
This poor young woman, Owain thought. She must have agonized for months with fear that he would hate her or suspect her of being a witch like her sister. No wonder she’d worked so hard to find a way to strengthen his forces. She was clearly desperate to display her loyalty and to prove that she would be an asset to him after her sister had nearly trapped him in a marriage to a witch.
"My dearest Jocelynn," he whispered. "As soon as you told me of your sister’s mark, I confirmed it for myself. I’m sorry I couldn’t just accept your words, but once I saw the truth, I did not hesitate to destroy that evil woman," he said.
"You don’t need to fear that she placed a hex on me or anything else," he added. "I never gave her a chance to fight back or use her witchcraft. Since she couldn’t harm me, even if she desired to, there’s nothing for me to hold against you. You are my shining pearl from the sea, pure and bright, selfless enough to sacrifice even your own family in order to do what’s right."
"You don’t have to work so hard to prove yourself to me," he said, tapping her gently on the forehead. "It must have been hard for you to put together a plan to recruit potential knights to my banner. I will meet with the men you wish me to meet, but don’t feel like you need to do this again. It’s better that you focus your thoughts on the family we will create together in the future, isn’t it?"