Chapter Text
November 14th, 20XX
1930
It was a quiet night. Outside it was pitch black and bitter cold. Snow was starting to fall in dusty patches against the roof. Even inside the frigid air was seeping through the cracks in the walls. Regto stood in the kitchen, washing the last of the dishes from supper. He shivered slightly from the icy water in the sink. Rudo was sprawled out on the floor underneath one of the blankets. All around him Regto’s books were on the floor as well. His eyes were locked on a book filled with faded drawings. He had been staring at the same page for a long time now.
“Whatcha got there Rudo?” Asked Regto as he finished up in the kitchen. “Flipping through that old storybook again?”
Rudo didn’t say anything, laser focused on a drawing of a man standing with a pack of wolves.
“Is that the story of the Wild Man on the Mountain? Want me to read it to you?”
Rudo just shook his head no.
Regto reached for a box of crayons on the shelf. “Want to try and draw your own picture of the story?”
Once again Rudo shook his head no, refusing to look up from the page. Regto stood over him and watched, contemplating for a moment.
It had been a couple months since Regto had given Rudo his gloves. The first few weeks weren’t easy. Rudo had spent practically his entire life unable to use his hands; it was a massive adjustment to be able to complete the most basic tasks. He was basically starting over from scratch. Regto had been beyond patient with him, teaching him everything from how to hold a spoon to how to tie his shoes. It was an adjustment for both of them, but certainly a positive one. Despite Rudo’s rough start in life, soon he was developing like any other normal toddler.
Except when it came to one fundamental thing. Rudo had grown quite a bit over the past weeks, in more ways than one. He was talking (When he felt like it) in longer sentences now, completing basic instructions, walking on his own and sometimes running. Around the house he would often be watching Regto’s actions closely and then trying to copy them a couple days later. Rudo had learned how to stir a pot, wash his hands, and turn on the stove (Much to Regto’s horror) this way. But even though Regto was constantly writing in his little book or reading one of the books he'd collected over the years, Rudo never seemed to try either. Regto had found a small box of crayons at the market to try and get Rudo to write or even draw. It puzzled Regto. He knew that illiteracy was fairly common among Tribesfolk, but Alto wasn’t like that. Of the handful of times Regto had spoken to Alto, the man was always carrying a handful of books. Besides, most kids at Rudo’s age could read and write a few words or at least try to. And Rudo was able to pick up how to do lots of other things that were arguably more difficult. Why was reading and writing any different?
Regto crouched down in front of Rudo and his book, pointing to one of the words. “Hey Rudo, do you know what word this is?”
Rudo looked up at Regto, then back down at the word he was pointing at.
After a few minutes without Rudo saying anything, Regto flipped the page and pointed to a different word. “How about this one?”
Rudo kept staring down, his face becoming more and more frustrated. Finally, in a fit of anger he slammed the book shut without a word.
Regto pulled the crayons and scrap paper down from the shelf and placed it in on top of the book. “Rudo, I want you to write your name for me.”
At first, Rudo didn’t move. Then, still hesitating, he picked up one of the crayons slowly. He was gripping it so tight the leather gloves squeaked with the movements. As he brought the crayon to the paper, he started to shake. Rudo finally made an attempt after what seemed like a while. His face was still contorted in anger, but in his eyes, tears began to well. After only a few strokes the crayon shattered under the pressure of his grip. “I can’t!” Cried Rudo, throwing the crayon pieces against the floor. He followed suit as he threw himself onto the floor in a fit of rage.
Regto didn’t speak or even react at the outburst. He just placed his hand on Rudo’s back, rubbing in small circles. Rudo didn’t respond, still face down and crying loudly. They stayed like that for what seemed like a good long while. Finally, Rudo’s sobs got quieter and quieter until he was only sniffling against the ground.
“Rudo, I’m not angry with you.” Regto’s voice was soft and comforting. “I just wanted to see what you knew.”
Rudo started to lift up his head, with eyes red and puffy from the tears.
“You’ll go to school. They’ll teach you how to read and write and other things. And you’ll get to spend time with lots of the other kids around here.”
“I hate other kids.” Rudo grumbled.
“Trust me kiddo, it’ll do you good to spend time with kids your own age.’ Chuckled Regto as he picked Rudo up. “Now let’s get you ready for bed; it’s getting late.”
Rudo didn’t say anything, continuing to grumble quietly to himself. It wasn’t long before he was fast asleep. Regto sat next to his bed watching him sleep for a while as he thought about the whole situation. Rudo going to school would be a good thing. Since taking him in the only person he was ever around was Regto. Children needed socialization with peers their age as part of their development. The Tribesfolk school wasn’t perfect; it was just a spare building that traveling teachers would use whenever one came to town. They didn’t even have separate classes. But it would give Rudo a chance to learn new things and possibly even make some friends.
But Regto knew how the Surebrec name was seen among the Tribesfolk. Even though months had passed since Alto had been labeled a criminal and dropped off the Sphere, people hadn’t forgotten. Whenever Regto took Rudo around town, people would stare with scornful eyes. Harsh whispers followed everywhere they went. Occasionally someone would throw objects or scream awful things at Rudo. Being a child did not spare him from the hate those around them held about his family. Regto tried to keep an optimistic mindset about it. While the older children would know, the younger ones might still be unaware of the whole story and could therefore make their own decisions about Rudo. Unless the teacher had been in town all this time, it’s unlikely they would be up to date on the whole story of the crime. If Rudo could have at least one person who he could call his friend, things would surely be alright in the end.
~
The sun had just reached over the horizon when Regto and Rudo left home the next morning. Regto had made sure Rudo was dressed in his best outfit (Meaning off white clothes with the least number of faded stains) before they headed off. It was awfully cold out; the snow had frozen into patches of ice on the hard ground. The two of them walked hand in hand towards the school. Regto had barely slept, his mind running a mile a minute of all the possibilities of today. He tried his best not to let it show.
“How remember the rules I told you?” Reminded Regto.
“Listen to the teacher, be nice to the other kids, don’t leave with anyone but you.” Replied Rudo, not even bothering to look to Regto.
“And what do you say to introduce yourself?”
“That my name is only Rudo.”
“That’s right.”
Rudo didn’t respond this time, just sighing as they continued walking. It was clear he had little interest in going to school; just going along with it all for Regto’s sake. Regto couldn’t exactly blame him for feeling that way. So far Rudo had pretty much been doing whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. And unless he had errands to run, Regto was pretty much always with him. It would be the first time since he’d taken Rudo in that he’d have to listen to others and be on his own. Regto wasn’t sure how he’d do.
As the two of them walked, children of various ages ran by them. Some looked to be around Rudo’s age, some were nearly as tall as Regto, and just about every age in between. A few were holding old notebooks or tattered backpacks, but most were empty handed. They walked in pairs and groups, chatting idly to each other.
These must be some of the other students Thought Regto.
At first the children didn’t pay much attention to Regto, throwing him a glance before going back to their discussions. But once they saw Rudo it became a different story. As soon as they saw him their expressions changed. Some of them were shocked, stopping dead in their tracks. Others would start whispering to each other, their voices going from casual to shocked or even outraged. Nearly all of them, regardless of how old they seemed, grew angry at just seeing him.
A sense of unease began to flood Regto’s mind. It was becoming increasingly clear that these kids knew more about what happened than he thought they would. Even if they didn’t know Rudo’s name, they could tell who he was by appearance alone (He was the spitting image of Alto for better or for worse). A part of Regto wanted to just turn around and take Rudo home. Spare him from whatever reaction would be waiting at the school. But another part of him wanted to keep going. Regto didn’t want him to feel guilty for his father’s actions; Rudo was his own person and deserved the opportunity to prove that.
Soon the two of them had reached the school building. By now most of the children were already inside; their faces crowding around the faded windows. Where the front door should be an older woman stood in front of a tattered curtain. She stared harshly at the two of them as they walked up towards her. Regto could feel his anxiety mounting, but he stood his ground as he gripped tightly to Rudo’s hand. For a moment neither of them spoke, just eyes locked onto each other unmoving.
“You must be Regto, and the little one here must be Rudo.” Spat the teacher, finally breaking the silence.
“Indeed, we are ma’am.” Regto held his hand out to greet her, trying his best to feign politeness. “We’re to enroll Rudo for-“
“That thing isn’t stepping one foot in here. I’m sure you know perfectly well why.”
Rudo didn’t say anything, just staring at the teacher.
“Ma’am, Rudo is here to learn, just like all your other students.” Explained Regto. “Surely he deserves the same chance as they do.”
“He’s a demon, the only thing he deserves is to be dropped into the Pit.”
In the windows the other students began to look down at Rudo alongside their teacher. They had the same hate in their eyes Regto had seen in the adults’ eyes. Suddenly, the teacher and Regto heard what sounded like growling. They looked down to see Rudo, growing angry. He began to bare his teeth as he growled like a defensive animal.
“See, look at him!” Cried the teacher, pointing accusingly.
Regto stepped forward, putting himself in between Rudo and the teacher. “He is a child who has experienced a great trauma in his short life. What gives you the right to treat him this way?”
Rudo continued to growl animalistically, his anger rising. It was clear it wasn’t going to take much more before he snapped.
“If I let him in around the other children, there’s no telling what he’ll do to him.” The contempt was strong in the teacher’s voice.
“Please, don’t treat Rudo this way-“
“My decision is final. If you don’t leave now, I’ll call for the Apostles on both him and you.” Argued the teacher before walking back into the school.
For a moment, Regto just stood there. He was so appalled and angry he wasn’t quite sure what to do next. March right into the building and give that teacher a piece of his mind? Let Rudo go off on everyone until they were sorry? Turn around and go back home? Regto had never felt this kind of rage before in his life. He always thought of himself as a very even keeled and rational person who didn’t let his emotions control his decisions. But he had never seen such overt and undeserved hatred before; no amount of logic could calm his fury. And for once, he didn’t want to want to calm his fury.
In the midst of his emotional toil, the growling had stopped and was no replaced with a weak crying. It took Regto a while before he even noticed the sound. He looked down to see Rudo no longer gnashing his teeth or shooting daggers with a single look. Instead, his eyes were locked in the dirt in front of him and tears steadily dripped down his cheeks. He didn’t scream or yell or cry out at anyone. As tears spilled down, he fought hard to keep his breathing steady and his shoulders still. But it was painfully obvious he wasn’t able to. All that anger had simply turned into a painful kind of agony. One that pulled Rudo out of his white-hot anger and into a freezing sadness.
Regto felt his heart aching seeing Rudo this way. His child so usually full of energy, for better or for worse, broken down to this. Without saying another word, he brought Rudo up into his arms. The two of them headed back towards their home without speaking. For once Regto allowed himself to stew in his anger instead of trying to move past it. His mind whirled with all sorts of awful things but gave himself permission to feel each of them. The whole time Rudo sobbed quietly into Regto’s shoulder. It wasn’t until they were at least halfway back home before Rudo spoke.
“Why is always so angry to see me?” Rudo’s voice was so small and pitiful sounding, still punctuated with quiet sobs.
The words hit Regto like a truck. All this time he had tried to spare Rudo from the reality of his past. To be fair, he never really asked about what had happened to his parents. It seemed that Rudo had almost instantly went along with the fact that Regto was his family now. On the rare occasion when he would ask why things were the way they were now, Regto had tried to keep things simple. He would usually just explain that Rudo’s father had done something bad, his mother and father were gone now, and he would always be safe with Regto. Rudo always seemed fine with that answer. But it was clear to Regto that those words were no longer going to cut it anymore.
“Rudo, I want you to listen to me very carefully.” Regto’s voice was unwavering as he stopped walking.
Rudo let out a long, shuddering breath. He had stopped crying, but kept his face buried in Regto’s shirt.
“There is a reason people are always angry when they find out who you are. But before I tell you, I need you to know that I do not agree with that reason. Do you understand?”
Rudo nodded, still keeping his face buried.
“Just before I found you, your father did something very bad. He hurt a lot of people, including your mother. And because of his actions, those people died. When the rest of the town found out what he had done, they sent him away. They sent him over the edge of the Sphere.”
Finally, Rudo lifted his head to look at Regto directly. “Is that why you took me in?”
“Yes, that’s why I took you in. Because I know that choices your father made are not the choices you would make. But the rest of the town doesn’t see it that way. The rest of the town believes that because your father did evil things, that you are also going to do evil things. That’s why people always look angry at you. In their minds, they want to hurt you before you can hurt them. People are always going to decide they don’t like you before they can know you.
“But Rudo, you don’t have to let them decide who you are. Just because someone decides how they feel about you, doesn’t mean you have to go along with it. You are the only one who gets to choose how you are. Do you understand?”
Rudo nodded his head yes again as tears started to form in the corners of his eyes once more. “And always remember that the same thing applies to others. Don’t let yourself decide how you feel about someone before you get to know them. You can be kinder than they are and give people the chance to show who they are before you decide for them. Promise me that you will always give people a chance.”
“I promise.” Rudo’s voice shuddered as he fought to keep from crying again.
Regto smiled and held Rudo tightly. “I love you very much Rudo. Don’t ever forget that too.”
“I love you too,” Rudo whispered as he buried his face in Regto’s shirt once more.
Regto could feel his heart swell hearing Rudo’s words. He couldn’t tell if the warmth he felt was from the sun above them or from his own joy. It wasn’t long before the two of them continued walking again. After a few minutes, Regto had a brilliant idea.
“You know what Rudo, we can worry about teaching you all that school stuff later. There’s plenty of cooler things I can teach you about for now!” Joked Regto.
“Is that because you can’t read and write too?” Asked Rudo blankly.
Regto feigned a hurt expression. “Of course not Rudo! how dare you accuse me of such a thing? I happen to have quite the knowledge base I’ll have you know!”
“That sounds like something someone who doesn’t know anything would say.”
Regto couldn’t hold back any longer. He broke down laughing wildly so hard he had to pause his walking. Rudo was not nearly amused, glaring at Regto with an annoyed expression once again. This only made Regto laugh even harder. He didn’t stop until they were all the way back home. The whole time Rudo continued accusing him that he did not have nearly enough information to be a real teacher. It wasn’t until Regto was able to recite the same speech in three different languages before Rudo begrudgingly agreed Regto might know a thing or two.
Regto was glad he hadn’t joined the other Tribesfolk in their judgements of Rudo too.