Reviving a wilted garden - Lady Lesso x reader

chapter 2- I saw someone on the bridge

a/n- this chapter is a short one but I just want to get chapters out as regularly as possible. if you like this so far please vote so I can see who is reading, thanks, Tallulah <3

You stood, outside the palace. It was late so there weren't many people around.

"Look, Artemis are you sure this is what I am supposed to do" you looked over your shoulder at her, she had her face pressed against the gates as she stood on the other side, you sighed "Artemis, if there is a wolf coming for me. It's not gonna come for you too"

Artemis looked around with fear, two hands hugging the steel bars like a prisoner. "You never know! I look more like a princess than you." She whisper shouted into the night.

At this point you had fully turned around to talk towards Artemis "what are you talking about I am literally in a gown?" you furrowed yours brows at her as you pointed to your gown that was a silk damask one of sage green and lilac flowers with large puffed sleeves and a full voluminous skirt.

"Yes, but, I'm wearing pink!" She whispered through the gate.

You were about to reply again when you felt something latch onto you from behind, its claws pressing into your stomach, just enough so that it pained you slightly but not enough that it punctured your skin, and then you heard a shriek, it was Artemis of course. You heard the grunting of the large wolf and you could smell it too, like rotting flesh and sewers. You wanted to throw up, you couldn't decide if it was because of the wolf or just how nervous you were to be going back.

Before you knew it the wolf had began to run. Its heavy feet padded on the floor and the wind swept your hair that Artemis had tried to style to perfection a mere few hours ago. You could still hear her voice now and smiled at the recollection 'you must have your hair nice for when you arrive, otherwise you won't look like a princess' you remembered her saying. Well, your hair definitely wouldn't look anything short of a tangled mess when you arrived.

Then the wolf dropped you.

You remembered this all too well from your teenage self so you weren't necessarily scared, just uncomfortable.

Then a different pair of claws picked you up and this time you heard a different shriek, not that different from the last but this was the cry of the bird or bird-thing or, whatever it was that had its claw wrapped around your body that shivered in the cold of the night. Then you went through the portal, it made you feel even more nauseous. Travelling between fairytale worlds wasn't pleasant, especially not in the clamping hold of some creature.

Then it dropped you and before you knew it you could smell the sweet aura of the flowerbed that you were immersed in. You groaned and then sighed.

"Ah, y/n!" You heard a voice gasp and then a hand pulled you from the earth

You looked at her face for a second, not saying anything

The woman offered you a hand to shake "Its Dovey, Clarissa Dovey"

You shook her hand gently "oh hello, lovely to meet you" your attention was no longer on the woman but on the giant crystal school that sat behind her, de ja vu. She saw this and smiled

"quite strange to see it again when you have been gone so long isn't it?" She turned her gaze towards the school's colossal towers that shimmered in the moonlight and then back to you. You were nodding at her statement until the trance you were in with the building faded and you looked at her once again and she looked at you.

She looked you up and down, especially at your hair that had half fallen out and was in a mess. "Someone had a rough ride" she joked

"I must look insane" you laughed smoothing your dress down and pulling your hair behind your shoulders.

"Let me show you inside" she began to walk away and so you followed "you'll be happy to hear that the students don't arrive until tomorrow, you be able to get some rest before the teacher meeting tomorrow although I can't promise it will be easy. You're the newbie teacher this year. Lesso always likes to give the Newbies a hard time"

You were curious at the name "Lesso?"

"Yes, the Dean for Evil, anyway most of the teachers, the good ones are perfectly lovely so there is nothing to worry about" you are both about to walk into the doors.

You looked over to your left and saw a figure on the bridge, you could see from here their bright red hair. You stared for a few seconds, almost stopping walking completely.

They could see you looking at them as they turned around and walked slowly back into the shadows of the darker school. How strange, you thought.

"Anyway" Dovey's rambling pulled you from fascination "this is the main corridor as you enter, down there on your left if you keeping walking you will get to the common hall for both of the schools where we will welcome all the new students tomorrow and give our yearly speech to them all. Up those stairs there are the student dorms, shower rooms, closets and salons. Up that set of stairs are the indoor classrooms and this way, are all of the teacher dorms" as she told you this she gestured to each corridor and staircase before tiptoeing away.

The school had changed greatly since you had last been there, it seemed to be focused much more on beauty and princes.