Chapter 278: Contending For The Throne
"Ha," Bors snorted, nearly spilling his wine when he heard Loman say he wanted to contend for the Lothian throne. "A little late for that, don’t you think, Priest Loman?" Bors said pointedly. "You’ve sworn your life to your Church. What do you have to do with the succession at this point?"
"Just because I wear the Church’s robes at the moment, Father," Loman said in an attempt to separate himself from his father’s distrust of the Church. "That doesn’t mean I’ve ceased to be your son. That doesn’t mean I stopped caring about the people of Lothian March. In fact, it’s the opposite." Seeing that his father was listening with no intention to interrupt, Loman continued pressing his point.
"Father, all these years, I thought that the best thing I could do for Lothian March was to use my position to protect the souls of our people while Owain led the charge against the demons," Loman said. "As brothers, I thought we could learn from the era of Four Lothian Brothers, supporting each other from the throne and temple equally."
"Those four nearly signed our family legacy over to the Church," Bors countered. "If my great-grandfather hadn’t taken the throne, all four of them would have been Templars and even he had to be persuaded to give up the power of a holy sword to rule the march and carry on the family. I’m not sure that they’re such a good example for you."
"I think they are," Loman countered. "All of them were deeply devout and unified in their desire to cleanse the land of demons. The harmony between the family and the Church was never greater and the people prospered for it. Our gains may have been small," he said.
"But our barons grew stronger under their rule, and more lines of noble knights were founded during their reign than under any other Lothian Marquis," he added. "Their descendants now manage many more villages than we’ve established in the years since then. The people prospered because of the unity between the family and the faith."
"And that’s what you want to do by contending for the succession?" Bors asked, taking another large gulp of potent wine. "Do you want to become the Holy Marquis of Lothian March?"
"No," Loman said, shaking his head. "I have to put down the stole to take the throne. I cannot keep a priest’s position and rule over secular affairs. The Church has learned its lessons well. A king must compromise his faith at times to rule his people. A priest who compromises his faith in such a way is no longer fit to be a priest."
"And a king who will not compromise his faith isn’t fit to rule," Bors said, finding himself in agreement with his son. "So why is it that you think that Owain isn’t fit?"
"Because a king or a lord may compromise his faith in order to rule, but he may not compromise the integrity of his authority," Loman said. His fingers tightened around his wine cup as he gathered his courage. Everything he’d discussed so far, from the era of Four Brothers to the balance between faith and rule, had all been leading to this moment.
The words that would follow could never be taken back, could never be forgotten, and might shatter their relationship as father and son. The consequences of that happening were dire and contemplating them had kept Loman awake for many sleepless nights. But the consequences of doing nothing, in his mind, were even worse.
Taking a deep breath, Loman steadied himself and met his father’s steely gaze with an unflinching look of his own. When he spoke again, his voice carried the same measured tone he used when speaking to men who had come to confess their crimes. The guilty had to stare directly into the truth of their own actions, and his father could no longer be allowed to hid from the truth of what had happened.