The tale of a Holy Soul

Imagine being a kid with no aim, no goal. That was my life. I was just a wandering soul. I was just an orphaned kid who was forced into the life of a monk. It was nothing but training day after day with all the other kids sent to train to become a monk or sister. I didn't have any friends at least none who really close to me. Though my studies were extremely boring I spend most of my time in the library of the holy city that was home to the Order of the Goddess. A place blessed by the goddess herself. Of course, I did get into some trouble. I used to mess around playing games or pulling pranks but this all had to change.

"Roland you need to stop this nonsense." said the Order of the Goddess Knight-in-Training who had to stop Roland and a few other boys from messing around in the sanctuary and pranking the order of the falcon.

"Yes, yes you do." said the inquisitor of the order. No one liked those guys but they were the enforcers of the cardinal and what they say goes, "You need to get your act together Roland you are on thin ice. You need to learn so respect. Do you understand me!?"

"Yes sir," said Roland.

"Good, then we should have no issues here," said the inquisitor.

"Thank you for your service and time, sir," said the knight of the order. The inquisitor left the room and The knight closed the door behind them. "Roland the Inquisitor is right you can't just keep messing around with your life, you are a talented kid you could become some sort of knight like me or a falcon, or a priest you just need to focus on your studies and get your act together." The knight then left.

What's the point of it, I'll just be studying all my life. Thought Roland but he did not want to be kicked out of the holy city it was the only home he knew. Then there seemed to be a loud sound that came from the main part of the sanctuary. Roland then ran out of his room to see what all the commotion was about. Out in the sanctuary came a few town tugs and sneaky burglars and a few girls with red hoods.

One of the thugs said, "Okay we are taking this place in the name of Dullahan."

One red hood said, "And we just wanna steal some stuff." most of the priests and other monks were on the floor unconscious. Many knights rushed in as well as the order of the falcon men and guardians of the order and sister knights. They all fought for a while but despite the strength of order as well as the numbers the thugs overpowered them. A sister was about to be hit by a barrage of bullets from one of the red hoods but Roland got in front of her and blocked the attack by forming a shield of light. Roland then joined the fight he grabbed his choice weapon a hammer it wasn't the best it was a pure steel hammer. Roland had never been in a real fight before, he had done a lot of sparing before but no real fighting. Roland slammed his hammer into dozens of thugs knocking many of them out but he preferred to slam his shield of light into his opponents not only did it work as an effective attack but it healed his allies. It was a unique skill only he knew how to do because of his studies and combat skills he was the smartest holy warrior in the city. He taught himself this new holy magic. Thanks to him they were able to beat the mob that attacked. The Inquisitor was pleased by him and the guardians of the order began to trust him for this he was given a specially blessed hammer. The only problem now was that he needed to think about what he was supposed to do with his life now he just didn't feel like he wanted to live a life as falcon corpsman, a guardian, a priest, a holy knight, and he especially didn't want to become an Inquisitor. He didn't really believe in all this Goddess warship nonsense but he did it anyway out of respect and dedication. If he did want to be anything it was to be a Librarian of the order he spent most of his time in the library anyway but he still loved to do outside things. Eventually, the pressure from everyone in the whole city became too much for him.

Now imagine changing from a wandering soul to a person who dedicated all their life to another being. That is what I did, I devoted my entire life to this one person. Every action I made from the time I met her I dedicated to her.

Late at night, Roland was out in the courtyard swinging his hammer trying to beat down the scarecrow that was in the courtyard for training. At the time Roland was using it to let out his rage. He was so angry at the world at his very existence he hated how bad and cruel the world was how corrupt it was, how not even the power of the goddess could help they cleanse the world yet he was angry at himself for not being good enough for letting not being perfect, for expecting himself to be perfect, for not wanting to exist. With every thought that went through his head.

"Ahh!"

"Hiya!"

"Ahhh!"

"Rah!"

"Uhhh!" he kept pounding the scarecrow blow after blow with his hammer of blessed metal and enchanted by holy magic.

"Um, hey there." said a voice.

"Huh," said Roland, stopping his frenzy of attacks to see who was speaking to him.

"Hey there." repeated the voice, "What'cha doing?" Roland that a beautiful girl with orange hair and the looks of a goddess was right behind him, he was stunned but only for a second but it wasn't because of her looks it was because she was wearing the garbs of a mother superior even though she looked around his age. He then remembered the tails of this girl.

"Oh, you must be Maria right?" asked Roland, still not facing her directly but only letting her see his face through his hood.

"Yeah that's right and you're Roland," said Maria.

"Oh, sorry for my disrespect mother superior," said Roland turning back around in shame.

"What do you mean?" asked Maria, "Oh no need to apologize, I don't like to go by my title anyway. Please call me Maria."

"Okay… Maria," said Roland.

"So what are you doing it's pretty late to be training," said Maria.

"Just training to get some thoughts off my mind," said Roland.

"What thoughts?" asked Maria.

"You ask a lot of questions. I am thinking about my future I am not sure what I want to do," said Roland.

"Yeah I know I hear a lot of people expect you to do tons of things I get that I seem to be filled with some divine power of some sort. I mean I am happy to help people but it can be hard sometimes to have this much power," said Maria.

"Then just don't, don't give in to what people want you to do just do what you feel is right," said Roland.

Maria smiled and said, "Then you should do the same silly."

"What?" asked Roland.

"Just do what you feel is right." said Maria, "I bet you'll figure it out. I hear you are pretty smart."

"Thank you I suppose," said Roland.

"You're welcome I am happy to help you know." said Maria, "Well goodnight. Don't stay up too late." That was it that was how I met and fell in love with Maria I may not have been that big of a moment to some people but it was the biggest moment of my life. From that day on I trained as a paladin the holy warrior. I trained hard and I continued my intense studies. As Maria grew stronger in divine holy magic, I grew stronger in combat and I sharpened my own holy magic. Maria dedicated her life to helping and healing the world and I dedicated my life to protect Maria. As the order waged war against demons and devils I stood by Maria's side protecting her on the battlefield.

"So today the Saintess of salvation Maria will choose her guardian paladin from all of you." said The Grand Inquisitor Uriel to all of the legendary paladins from the holy city. Roland was one of the thousands of paladins in the holy city there was little chance that Maria would choose him. Sure he was top of his class and a well-respected Munk but so was everyone else in the room and there were plenty of Paladins who were as young and charming and respectable as he was. Yet in the end.

"I choose you," said Maria to Roland he had his eyes closed the whole time but when he opened them he saw Maria right in front of him pointing right at his chest with the same smile she gave him the day they met. Roland was astonished it had been years since then and they hadn't seen each other since then. Roland was absolutely changed by Maria but he didn't have that much of an impact on Maria but he came forward and excepted the honor. From that day on he performed his duty to protect Maria who eventually became known as Savior Saintess Maria and because of the great lengths he went to protect her he became known as Roland of Honor.

"Huh so that's the story of how you became the great Paladin you are today," said Rochefort, "I tale of devotion, huh so you have nothing of your own aye, you are just here to protect Maria."

Roland said, "Yes, I would do anything to protect her."

Rochefort said, "Well that's a bunch of bull****"

Roland said, "Rochefort would you please watch your tongue."

Rochefort said, "Excuse me, you may be the most loyal person I have ever met but, you make no action you may protect her but that's all you are to her a protector."

Roland said, "And I am fine with that. I may have given my heart to her but I doubt she will ever give hers to me."

Rochefort said, "Yet you still protect her, you still worship her like a goddess."

Roland said, "Yes, this is why I was blinded from the truth of the order of the goddess."

Rochefort said, "Well there is no hope for you, you're going to get yourself killed trying to protect her."

Roland said, "And you're any better, you lost an eye for that D'artagnan."

Rochefort said, "Well at least I am on equal terms with her." there was a gunshot right outside the tavern the two heroes were in, and in came D'artagnan.

D'artagnan said, "You may be in the musketeers but I have no interest in you Rochefort at least Roland here is a gentleman and honorable when it comes to Maria."

Rochefort asked, "Am I not honorable or a gentleman? I do get the ladies to swoon over me while still being loyal to you."

D'artagnan said, "You are neither. You fool."

Roland said, "Even if I am Maria does not think of me romanticly."

D'artagnan said, "Roland she is so focused on her sainthood that she barely has a chance to think of romance."

Roland said, "Just another reason to love her."

Rochefort said, "He's hopeless besides who even knows if she would want him what if she would want some other man, oh sorry Roland didn't mean to make you jealous."

Roland said, "Should there be another soul Maria loves more than me so be it. I will still always protect her."

Rochefort said, "You have issues, Roland."

D'artagnan said, "Maria is lucky to have a man like you. Not many men would endure a woman falling in love with another but fear not Roland I don't think Maria is in love with any other man."

Roland said, "Maybe but she definitely won't fall for me. Now I think I'll leave you two love birds alone, for now, I think I am going to spend some time training."

"Love Birds?!" said both members of the Musketeers.

Roland said, "You know they say people who fight a lot have the strongest attraction to each other." D'artagnan became flushed with red to Rochefort's surprise.

Rochefort said, "Thanks Roland, maybe you're right."

D'artagnan said, "No he's not I am just red with rage you idiot."

Roland was just out swinging his hammer practicing against the scarecrow. Of course, no matter how hard he hit it, it wouldn't break. Ever since he came back to hero town with Rochefort and the others he would usually spar with a warrior or a paladin but today no one was out. So, It was just Roland and his hammer he was impressed by Kriemhild's skill with an ax and tried to mimic her style she was the best paladin know to the world, Roland respected her and her husband a lot they were both extremely skilled paladins it was just amazing what they could do on the battlefield together, Roland wanted something like that, he wanted what Kriemhild had a true love but that was never going to happen. Just then he heard a rustle in one of the bushes. He turned to face it and prepared his weapon. Then out it came, Maria emerged from the bushes.

Maria said, "I knew I would find you here."

Roland asked, "Maria what are you doing in a bush?"

Maria said, "Well looking for you, you are supposed to protect me."

Roland said, "You were safe at the village, you were with the goddesses right so I knew you would be safe besides you are the one who wanted some alone time, not that I don't appreciate it but it was your idea."

Maria said, "Fine you're right but what's on your mind you only train like this when something is on your mind."

Roland said, "You know me so well but it's nothing."

Maria said, "Really, you're going to lie to me, Roland. I don't know why you do that all the time. You lie to me quite a bit and I know it, you keep a lot of secrets for someone who sore to protect me. I don't like it."

Roland said, "I don't lie to you."

Maria said, "Really then tell me right now what are you thinking about."

Roland said, "How amazing you are at healing people and how devoted you are to your sainthood."

Maria said, "That was a lie. Why do you keep do it that?" Roland was pinned down Maria was starting to look a bit upset and Roland didn't know what to do, she never acted like this before she usually just talked about how good the world is, or how we could fix it, or how beautiful it was or offer friendly advice.

Roland said, "I lie because I… I am… I am in love with you okay."

Maria said, "That is another lie there is no way you are in love with me if you were then you would have told me a while ago."

Roland said, "No that is the truest thing that I have ever said, Maria, I love you with all me might, even if you don't love me back I still love you. You are the one who saved me from a life of despair you are the one person I live for, the one that I would give my life for. I hid my feelings for you away because I was your paladin I shouldn't let my feelings get in the way of yours or my divine duty and because I thought you would not love me." Roland was now on his knees as he dropped his hammer and he looked away from Maria ashamed.

Maria said, "I love you too." Roland looked back with surprise but saw the genuine feeling in her eyes, he could not ask for anything more. Thank the goddess, he found true love.