Another Fairy Tale /Ateez

Chapter 19 - The ship is sailing

You are my starlight
The moment we looked at each other
The dark nights are falling 
We shine in it

- Ateez, Light

"Traveller?", Rory asked amused. "You couldn't come up with a better name?" 

Ra sighed and even if Rory couldn't see it she was sure the girl rolled her eyes. It was a leader thing, you know? 

"My point is, you're not from this world and neither are the boys but you're the only one who's aware of that. You're the only one who can control it." 

"How do you know?", Rory asked confused. "I could be a random girl from another island. Why should I trust you?" 

Ra lead Rory to the end of the hall, revealing a beautiful viewing platform. The view of the sea was amazing and no ship would ever dare to go near the rocks here so it was a safe place, but Rory couldn't focus on that. 

"You can't trust me. But you can trust yourself.", Ra said and put her hands on her mask. For a second she hesitated but she figured it was the only way to make Rory trust her. Then she pulled it of, making Rory gasp in shock. 

"You- you're-", she tried to say but her head wasn't able to from a sentence. Rory was staring at herself. Not in a mirror or the water. Herself. The only thing different were the bruises. Ra's face was full of scars and she was covering an eye with a patch. Her hair was short and on her face were several red wounds. 

"Allow me to introduce myself. Aurora.", Ra said, almost embarrassed. Rory couldn't help but reach out to Ra's face, making her flinch for a second. Then she allowed it. When Rory let her hands wander, she could almost feel the pain herself. 

"Who did this to you?"

Ra laughed bitterly, shaking of Rory's hand. "Who other could it be than my own father? Power makes people do cruel things, just like fear. I stole the crown on my own and he burned my face. Honestly, I have no idea how I made it out of there alive. I fled to this island where many people were scared of the new king." 

"What about your eye?", Rory asked carefully, not wanting to step over the line. Ra softly touched the black patch. 

"He threw a knife at me. It's never gonna heal again, but at least I got another one, right?" 

It got silent between the two and Ra put on her mask again, careful to not touch her wounds. The traumatic experience kept her awake at night but at that exact moment she had realized her father was gone. And she was going to do everything to save the people from his reign. 

"Why are you hiding?" 

"We're literally searched for fugitives who want the King's death. Not exactly a group you'd like to invite for a tea party." 

Rory sighed wondering if she was as sarcastic as Ra but threw the thought away. It was all just too confusing. "I mean your mask. Your look shouldn't define who you are." 

Ra flinched. "Every time I look at the wounds, the anger comes back. Trust me, when the day comes, I'll take it off and face my father with all the anger I built up. The bruises keep reminding me for what I'm fighting for." 

A shiver ran down Rory's spine and she subconsciously touched her stomach. Scars of the accident were still there and they will never fully heal. But unlike Ra, they weren't reminding her of anger, they reminded her of all the losses. 

"So", Ra started awkwardly. "I assume you have many questions to ask." 

"Are we the same person?"