There's a Devil in the Church
Introduction
The boy was sat on the last bench at the back of the church. Of short black hair and mismatching eyes, he stood out from the crowd. Though as an orphan of the church, no one dared question his appearance. Æthelwulf was a kind soul, full of love and compassion for their God and the people of his village. Those around him believed he would go far and eventually become the priest he was training to be. But it was still early days, and at only ten years of age, he had a long journey ahead of him.
This Sunday was like any other, and most had gathered with him in their sacred place of worship and prayer. Enamoured with the high priests words, the boy would smile and nod at every sentence while blissfully unaware of the chaos unfolding outside. At least, until that chaos came knocking at the church’s doors.
A loud bang would stop everyone’s trail of thought, and all would turn to see a giant standing in the doorway. As some whispered and others gasped, the boy could only stare as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Their beloved priest would timidly ask the stranger to join them, but that move proved to be fatal and in mere moments, Æthelwulf’s world was turned upside down.
Everything became a blur as screams erupted. People tried to rise from the benches only to be shoved back down or worse. Others shrieked and wailed until the giant roared for silence. Sweaty hands would grip the bench as the boy stared wide eyed at his surroundings. He could smell something foul and it took everything in him to glance away from their captors. Someone had pissed themselves. He could see a couple of benches in front of him. But the smell came from something much more disturbing. A body lay limp on the ground, and although it was difficult to see, the stench was proof enough. An axe to the intestines.
He wanted to throw up, but he swallowed whatever tried to leave his stomach. If he moved even an inch, he could meet the giant’s blades. So he could do nothing but watch as the priest’s wrists were broken and he was beaten to the ground. These intruders were foreign. These savages were monsters. He didn’t know their language, or where they’d come from, but even their women were brutal as he glanced to see a red headed teenager seemingly overjoyed by what was happening around her. His attention was quickly brought back to the largest of them all however, who he now assumed was their leader. The giant spoke in a foreign tongue, and before Aeth had any time to try and decipher those words, the other giants around them sprang into action, and the boy felt someone grab him from behind.
His simple robes were torn as the man seemed to search for something. And when it seemed he didn’t find what he was looking for, he grabbed Aeth by his hair and spat in his face. The boy could do nothing but let it all happen. He feared for his life, and in this moment he was a lamb ready for slaughter. Blinded from the spit he’d begin to pray in his mind, hoping in this desperate moment that his God would hear him. In mid thought he’d feel himself getting shoved backwards, and suddenly he’d fall into other people who’d been forced to one corner of the church. Feeling that he was in safe hands, he’d rush to clear the mess from his eyes. And there he’d see their priest getting beaten, stripped and eventually tied up.
Everything seemed to be happening so fast. And yet it was painfully slow at the same time. Those that had been chained were taken outside, while he and the others stayed within. Had he been saved from their wrath? Was it over? As they were left in the church, he’d eye the cross that the Priest had worn. And in that moment, the boy became angry. Angry at himself for not being able to do anything, but moreso angry that those savages could just destroy everything within minutes. His entire world had crumbled, but it wasn’t over yet.
Smoke had erupted while the boy was lost in his rage. And soon the flames licked the walls and threatened to consume all inside. In a mad rush he’d lunge at the cross on the ground, as though that were more important than his own life. But in the midst of everyone screaming and smoke swirling around him, a pair of ice blue eyes met his through a slit in the church's wooden door. Time would almost stop as Æthelwulf imprinted the giant’s features into his mind, and in those few seconds he swore revenge on the Viking King, on the savage monster that unbeknownst to him, was his own father.