There are times the ones people call "Heroes" are, in fact, not heroes at all, but very vain, unkind, self-centered individuals who hog glory. There are also times the ones people call "villains", are not villainous at all, but in fact, are kind, gentle, souls just trying to help, and sometimes having to make very hard choices to save the most lives possible. -- Anon Guest
Mathilda Moonsky wore golden armour and rode a white steed. She had a cloth-of-gold cape and plume in her helmet. She had a magic sword and shield. Everywhere she went, there were stories of her magnificent deeds.
She also left a trail of bodies and injuries in her wake. So long as the biggest evil was destroyed, defeated, or diminished, all was well. Victory could be claimed and the hero moved on without a single look back.
Two months later, the Cleric came. Her name was Endurance Hamlin, and she always arrived in a hurry. She had recipes in a big book and a pack full of medical supplies. She had some small druidic talents, enough to encourage holly and mistletoe, then use it to create magical berries that could take the place of a day's rations.
She could heal so many at a time, and wore her magics thin every day. She wore herself ragged patching up the great hero's damage. Every night, she cried herself to sleep.
Something had to break.
So the Hellkin Cleric began to teach. She taught how to make her balms, how to heal the damage. Whenever she found someone with natural talents, she taught them how to use it. An army of healers.
One of them said the truth that Endurance had been trying to avoid.
"Some cancers need to be cut out."
It was a regrettable truth. The one doing the most harm was the hero of story and song. She had to be stopped. Or... subverted.
Endurance still didn't want to be the devil that killed a hero. "Perhaps we can remove her causes for heroism?"
With an army of Druids and Clerics on her side, Endurance skipped ahead of Mathilda to combat the next bigger evil on Mathilda's hit list. And found the opposite of evil there.
Just because they were Unwelcome People, didn't mean they were evil. They were just living their lives and not even impeding the lives and welfare of others. Mathilda was going to destroy them and anyone in her way just because they were Orcs.
It was her first battle as an official villain. It would not be her last, but at least she saved a lot of lives that day.
[Photo by Nik Shuliahin 💛💙 on Unsplash]
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