Savior (A Yogscast Fairytale)

Chapter 14

~Joakim's POV~

I wake up and walk over to my mirror, looking at my uncovered face. I decided to sleep without the mask, opting to leave it on my bedside table instead. I reach up, scanning the scars with my finger as I think about how I got them, and how it led to my brother, who I barely ever knew, getting killed. I finally pull my mask on, tying it behind my ears and covering my scarred flesh. Then I turn, heading out the door and toward Zoey's room. I'm going to tell her the truth, before she does something drastic over grief. I am about to knock on her door when a hand grabs my arm, pulling it behind my back and away from Zoey's door. Another hand covers my mouth, and I am pulled backwards, into the hallway. There is a pain in my neck, then the world goes black.

I open my eyes to find myself chained to a wall in the dungeon, and a familiar face looking at me from the other side of the bars. I fight the chains holding my hands back, growling, and Lewis smiles. "Oh, Rythian, were you going to break your promise? I told you not to tell Zoeya. Now, my friend, you shall be punished. Enjoy your time here, because when you leave, you will be leaving the castle, Joakim." He laughs and leaves the dungeon, the door clanging shut. How did he know I was going to tell Zoey? Am I that predictable? Whatever, I can stay in this freezing dungeon forever. What I'll miss is Zoey. I mean, the cold never bothered me anyway...

(Does anyone know what that's from? If you do, I'll give you some Skittles)

I sit in the cell, on the damp floor. My hands are by my sides, and my back is against the wall that they are chained to. I hear a clanging sound, and someone runs down the stairs. Can't be Lewis... I see a flash of red, and suddenly Zoey is standing before me, well, on the other side of the bars anyway. "Hello, Zoeya." I say simply. "Why are you in there?" She asks quietly. I sigh and turn away, facing the wall. "Because I should be dead. Because I'm a criminal, Zoey. Because my brother gave up his life so I could live, even though I shouldn't." I say, barely a whisper. But Zoey gasps, so she must have heard it. I hear the sound of a turning lock, and the cell door opens behind me. Suddenly I am being embraced from behind. "Rythian I thought you died!" Zoey exclaims. I frown, still not turning. "Your father threw me in here, because I was going to tell you he truth. He doesn't want you to know that I'm still alive, he wants you to think that I'm my brother. I don't know why, probably because of my past." I say. Zoey grabs my shoulder, turning me to face her. "Rythian, you are completely normal. You made some mistakes, but that doesn't make you a bad person!" I shake my head. "Yes it does. I killed 6 people, 6 innocent people! I'm not normal, I'm a monster." I say, putting my face in my hands. I feel a hand on my mask, and I push Zoey away, pulling my mask back up. I removed the enchantment a while ago, so Zoey can pull it down if she tries. "Rythian, why do you wear a mask? I want to see your smile!" She says softly. I shake my head. "No one has seen my face since I was 7, since the day my mother died. I got this mask the next day." I say, thinking. I am distracted, and Zoey takes her chance. Before I can react, she reaches forward and tears my mask off.

~Zoey's POV~

Rythian's hands fly to his face, but not before I see the scars. "Give me my mask." He says, though it is slightly muffled by his hands. I shake my head, pulling his hands away from his mouth. Then I run my thumb along the scars, tracing each one. Rythian is frozen, fear in his eyes. "Where did you get these?" I ask, tracing a large one that goes straight through the side of his lip. He shifts his head, pulling away from my hand. "I got them from the fight I had with the last two guards. They sliced my face up quite badly, so I started wearing this mask to keep people from questioning it." He says, his voice so quiet it is almost a whisper. I frown and look at them more closely. There must be at least 13 scars across his cheeks and chin, some more prominent than others. The most obvious one runs diagonally down his cheek, through his upper lip, and down his chin. I trace that one with my thumb, stopping when I reach Rythian's lips. "Your face is beautiful, even with the scars. They are a part of you, just like your hair and clothes." I say. Rythian shakes his head, and I smile. "Yes, they are. I want you to keep your mask off, you look better without it." He shakes his head again, more violently. "Zoey, don't you see? Xephos will kill me as soon as he finds out that you know the truth. In his mind, I should have died when I was 7, and we should have never met." Something comes to my mind, and I smile. "Rythian, you have killed before, but you are good as well. You saved me, before you ever knew me, from an Enderman when we were 3. One of the guards you killed, wasn't his name Simon Honeydew?" He nods. "That is the guard that told my parents he saved me. The same guard that threw you out. If we tell my parents that, won't they change their minds?" I ask. He thinks for a moment, then breaks out into a grin. "Zoey, you are a genius." Then, before I can react, he leans forward and kisses me. I immediately kiss back, and our lips move in sync. I put my hands around his neck, pulling him closer. And suddenly, the door slams open.