From Monster to Protector

A knock came to the door of a small church as the sun rose. The old priest, Father Gregory, went to the door and, when he opened it, was met by a weak and tired large man, "Can I help you, my son?"

"Is there a spot, in your graveyard, that I can buy?" He asked, his breathing heavy and his face pale from exhaustion.

"Yes, are you alright, my son?" He shook his head and Gregory spotted the blood soaked rag around his calf, "That doesn't look go, please, come in, let me help you," Ro'tov nodded and limped, following the older man into a back room. The priest hurried to find things to help patch up the wound, "What happened?"

"I am nothing, I am nobody," Ro'tov mumbled, "I am useless, let me die," Gregory approached the man as he sat on a chair, placing things on the ground and turning the large man's calf to see the wound, "Why are you trying to help me? I am nothing."

"Who convinced you of this, my son?" He asked as he undid the bandage, "What happened?"

"I was fighting for my former master, and got injured, and she discarded me," Ro'tov explained as alcohol was poured onto his wound before Gregory began stitching up the wound, "I deserve nothing more but death for my loss of utility," The priest didn't answer as he finished patching up Ro'tov's wound before sitting in front of him, "Thank you."

"It is my duty, to help those who need it and that I can help," He replied, "Did you say your master discarded you?" He nodded, "All for an injury, what a waste of a servant."

"I know, sir, I am a waste."

"I am sorry, I didn't mean you, I meant your master's behavior," Ro'tov looked at him confused as the priest stood and found some bread and water for the injured man, "You were harmed while serving her and this is how she repays you."

"I lost my utility."

"Why do you say that?" The priest, trying his hardest to convince Ro'tov that there is another way to look at things, "Does not having a master mean that you are nothing?"

"Yes, I have been a servant from my beginning and this is the end of the road for me," Ro'tov explained, "I am masterless and I am nothing but a waste of space."

"If you had a new master, would you have a purpose?"

"Who would want me to be their servant with a bad leg?" The priest nodded before shrugging, "That is what I thought."

"What is your name, my son?"

"Ro'tov Gild-, just Ro'tov, sir."

"Well, I am Gregory Jiti, The priest replied, "And, Ro'tov, as much as the way this relationship is phrased isn't what God would want me to do, but if having a master is what allows you to continue or to find the purpose in your life, I will be that master for you."

"But I am injured."

"You can heal," The priest replied quickly, "You will be my assistant, helping me with the harder tasks that my aging body cannot do as well as it could in my younger years," Ro'tov nodded, tears forming in his eyes, "Don't cry, my son, you and all of God's children are worth more than what some cruel master thinks about you."

"I can't help it, my body is exhausted, I don't know why I am crying," He wiped his eyes, "I walked all night, the little I could."

"Eat and drink, I will go prepare the extra room for you to rest and stay in," Ro'tov nodded as his new master walked off and he ate the bread he was given and drank the water to quell his painful hunger and thirst. A new page in his life was starting, a new chapter. Maybe he wouldn't have to kill, beat and intimidate to be considered a good servant with the priest. Ro'tov was no longer Ro'tov Gildheart but instead Ro'tov Jiti, a priest's assistant.

He slept the rest of the day and the night as the priest went about his day. Ro'tov hadn't had real rest in many years, ever since becoming Lady Gildheart's servant. The tired man awoke in the morning, disoriented and confused about what day it was and what had happened. The servant man got dressed and left the small room he had been given, looking for the man that was now his master. It was an early morning and usually, it would mean heading to the doors of Lady Gildheart's quarters waiting for her to awaken, emerge and go on with her day. The routine he had held for many years was suddenly not applicable.

Ro'tov sat down on the benches of the church as he awaited the priest's awakening. The calmness allowed his mind to wander to the darkest corners of his memory and relive the violence he had committed to innocent men and women in order to obey the commands of Lady Gildheart. He was, in fact, a monster, Ro'tov was her monster and now he was free, "You are up early, my son," The priest spoke as he noticed Ro'tov sitting in the main room of the church, "Is something troubling you?"

"Not really, master, I am just very disoriented by this change of environment."

"I am not going to ask you to use that title for me, Gregory or Father would work," He replied with a smile, "The people here call me that, and as far as the lord above is concerned, we are all equal in our lowliness compared to his greatness."

"Even the lords? Even the king?"

"Yes, the king might have been chosen to lead us but not chosen to replace God's power," The priest said, "Today is Sunday, the holy day."

"I have never heard that name for it."

"People from the village will come here to worship God, you are free to join us or to simply watch it happen," He explained, "Help me prepare the room."

"Yes, Gregory," The servant man limped slightly as he helped the priest clean up the main room of the church. This type of work was new to him, he would usually realign teeth or rearrange bones in someone's hand or face. It was unusual for him to straighten out books, rearrange candles or to realign specific tokens placed on the altar. The priest took his time to teach him what to do and how to do it, not caring for mistakes or repeated ones either. The whole first experience of serving his new master was unusual, seeming out of place in his mind. Ro'tov had to readapt his actions as he moved from the rough and punishing actions to slow, careful and delicate movements.

"It is soon time," The priest announced as he headed to the door, "Will you be joining the ceremony?"

"Maybe the next one, Father Gregory, I don't know what it is like," He replied as he opened the doors for the priest. There were already people chatting outside before the chatter fell quiet and the people stared up at the doors. It wasn't up at the priest who stood confused before turning in the direction they were looking, it was at Ro'tov.

"Is Lady Gildheart here for someone?"

"That's her servant, isn't it?"

"Who is she here for?" The crowd fell into a frenzy of chatter and Ro'tov simply sighed. His reputation was known in all of the lands of his former lady, the bruiser, the bully, the murderer, the Gildheart's monster, all things he had heard before.

"I see that your reputation follows you like a ball and chain," The priest commented, "Oh listen here, people of Telda, the man you are speaking of is no longer bound to Lady Gildheart," They looked at the priest confused, "She cast him out once he could no longer serve her, she is the one to be called a monster, not him," The crowd seemed to calm down, "Now let us enter the church on this holy day," Ro'tov smiled as he had never really experience the feeling of being stood up for, "Today is the day of Saint Troft, a day of forgiveness and peace," He began as everyone sat down, "Let us forgive those who can deserve it," Ro'tov closed the doors, "I have chosen to forgive the man standing by the door, being a servant is not something I would wish for anyone if their life is to serve Lady Gildheart, he was forced to commit crimes that he would probably never done if he was simply left to his own devices."

Ro'tov didn't realize that there was this much to the religion that Lady Gildheart simply dismissed as the work of controllers and manipulators trying to reduce her power. Ro'tov had dismissed it as well while still remaining slightly curious of the actual matters that religion brought with it. It united people, it created communities, that was more than obvious by the way the people listened to each other, talked to each other and helped each other with the priest's guidance or advice. Maybe religion wasn't trying to control people but simply gave a way to follow, maybe even rules.

"Thank you for attending today," The priest bid farewell to the visitors as they walked away from the church and the servant was left with his master, "What did you think of it? I know that Lady Gildheart is very critical of us priests and the way we act."

"I have never really followed any form of religion, mainly due to Lady Gildheart's disdain for it," Ro'tov replied, "Is there some sort of rules or codes to follow?"

"There are, there are many that each and everyone of us should follow to attain the afterlife that the lord above has promised us," Father Gregory explained. The two men discussed the ideas of the religion the priest followed as they cleaned up and organized it for the next day. It was a view on the world that explained everything, except for the existence of the divide between servants and rulers, between the king and the commoners. All these questions, all of the ones that Ro'tov asked, the older man was very happy to answer or discuss with him. Some of the questions he answered on his own as the older man pointed him into the right direction. Despite not being a very young man, he seemed very clueless to the ways in which someone should understand the world. Ro'tov hadn't been exposed to such open thinking as Lady Gildheart was the complete opposite of Father Gregory and it was very evident.

As days went by, Ro'tov's leg healed and he worked as a simple farmhand and the assistant of the priest. His mind had developed to think of himself in the same way the priest wanted him to think of himself. That was the thoughts of a man, a free man who was doing things as he wanted. The job the priest had offered him had allowed him to give back to the people who he had been forced to act against, to begin to repay for the pain he had caused. Father Gregory was a respected man in the small town of Telda and working with him as his assistant reforged his image, improving it for the immediate future. He was the gentle giant of Telda, no longer was he the Gildheart monster. It was a change of title that he enjoyed, no longer needing to bruise those who didn't pay their taxes in time or respect Lady Gildheart.

The night fell as the summer sun slowly set behind the mountain. The old priest headed to his quarters as Ro'tov sweeped the main room, "Goodnight, Father Gregory."

"Goodnight, Ro'tov," He often went to bed later than the priest to finish the basic chores that the older man couldn't really do all the time. It was simple for him as with a healed leg and no need to fight for the old man in judgment by combat, his body was as healthy as it could be. As he headed to the back room, he heard men whispering outside of the church and heard something rubbing against the wood of the door. Was someone trying to enter the church? He hid behind a door that led to the back room as the dimly lit main room was visible through the small gap between the door and the doorframe. He watched as four men entered the church and began looking around.

"Find the old geezer, we were sent here to teach him a lesson for talking like that," One of them, potentially the leader, said as the three others began looking around. All Ro'tov had to defend himself was a broom and a metal fire poker that had sat next to the empty fireplace of the church's living quarters. His past would serve him well as he quickly grabbed the fire poker and waited for the first man to push open the door that he had hid behind. He readjusted his grip on the broom and the metal tool as his heart began racing, it would be like before, fighting for his life but instead of for a cruel master for a man that treated him as an equal.

"Over here guys," One called out as he held the door open. Ro'tov took his chance and drove the metal rod into his chest as he pushed him out of the doorway and beat down his short blade with his broom. A moment of shook froze the three men as the giant emerged from the doorway after having impaled their friend and slammed him to the ground, "Fuck," His dying breath led to the three men all readying to fight Ro'tov who exchanged his broom for the fallen man's blade.

"Who the hell is this guy?"

"Isn't that the servant we were told of?" Fear filled a man's eyes as he tripped over a bench and Ro'tov leaped forwards, roaring as his blade went through the man's chest and into the bench. The two men quickly tried to fight back before the fire poker tore through the soft flesh of one man's face and the final man took the chance to flee, leaving his three dying comrades to die. The man was still standing as Ro'tov stood up and grabbed him by the throat and slammed him through a bench. However, Ro'tov didn't let up and hacked the disfigured man to death before giving chase, just as the priest woke up from the second loud roar from the gentle giant of Telda before he dashed out of the church in pursuit of the fleeing man. The man looked back in terror as the rage filled man began to gain on him as they ran. He chased him down the cobblestone street that ran through Telda that then gave way to a dirt path. This path was one that Ro'tov had seen too many people trip over the sudden worn change of paths and it was likewise for the terrified man who, as he fell, dropped his blade. Ro'tov closed before he could get the blade and his shin slammed into the man's head as he put himself in the perfect position from crawling towards his sword. The fire poker became a metal beating stick that beat him to death as Ro'tov grunted and breathed heavily. The metal tip dug into his soft flesh as the man's body fell completely still but it still took a few extra hits before Ro'tov finally stopped and dropped the fire poker, "Forgive me, father, for I have sinned," He fell to his knees and put his hands on his lap before closing his eyes, "I did this to protect the man who has protected numerous times, if I am to be punished, so be it, I will accept all fates that are bestowed upon me," He mumbled to himself before the towns people began emerging thanks to the loud chase that had just happened. They spotted the kneeling giant with a beaten and mangled man lying dead next to him and blood on his face and hands, "I ask you for no forgiveness, my father, you will give it to me if you choose to do so."

"Ro'tov, what happened?" A man asked as a crowd began forming, "Did you kill him?"

"They were sent by someone to do something to the priest, I don't know what," He replied, "They broke into the church and were discussing it."

"They? There is more than one of them?" The crowd that had gathered moved aside as the priest walked through, "Father Gregory, are you alright?"

"Ro'tov, what in God's name have you done? Why are there three corpses in the church?" The priest bellowed, "Why did you need to kill three, actually four men?"

"They attacked me and were trying to harm you," He replied as he looked down at the dead man, "Give me a shovel, I will bury them, they are human beings, they deserve some respect."

"What do you mean, they tried to kill you and hurt me?"

"Someone sent them to put you in your place, Father Gregory," A shovel appeared from the crowd and it wasn't just him who began digging as the village helped move the three other men to the spot they would be buried and three other men joined in for the digging of their graves. Ro'tov had done something truly horrible and excessive as his rage was unleashed but he had done it to protect, not just to kill, this was the difference between his older self and his new self. Before, he did what he was told and killed to kill, now, he thought for himself and killed when it was absolutely necessary. The villagers of Telda seemed to understand that thinking and he wasn't shund for what he did, he even received some praise for standing up to four bandits.

"The benches are ruined," Father Gregory spoke out loud as Ro'tov sighed once they were back in the church, "What is wrong?"

"The men, their clothes had a symbol," The priest looked at the larger man confused before he lifted his shirt and the branded symbol on his back was revealed, "This one."

"The Gildheart crest?"

"Yes, she sent them, they are her men," Ro'tov claimed, "This cannot stand in these lands."

"Why do you say so?"

"Men cannot rule each other in fear, they need to work together, men cannot harm to get power, they must earn trust and loyalties," He replied, "Beating up a priest to make him quiet and attacking him in the middle of the night is a crime."

"What do you suggest we do about it?"

"Take it to the only level it belongs, directly to the king, Father Gregory," Ro'tov exclaimed, "That is who deals with lords and who gives judgements."

"It will be a judgement by combat."

"I know."

"I do not want to put you at risk of dying for this," Father Gregory paused, "But if you insist, we shall journey to the capital tomorrow."

"It is how we can end the tyrannical rule of Lady Gildheart," Ro'tov stated, "I don't want her to harm anyone anymore, she belongs locked up for her crimes that no one could complain about because I would simply crush their champions," The priest nodded his head, "Now I will crush her champion and show the world that the Gildheart monster isn't a monster anymore but a champion for those who cannot defend themselves!" His passion made the older man smile, "Is something funny?"

"You are a passionate young man, I will grant you that chance and I will head to the capital to request an audience with his highness to ask for such a trial."

"Thank you, Father Gregory."