Tones of Grey (Lady Lesso x OC)

Taking Care

Sofía's POV:

I headed to the castle with Lady Lesso by my side, though we didn't talk through most of the way. Every step was a reminder of the pain searing through my neck and the exhaustion in my body. I could feel her glancing at me every so often, but I kept my eyes forward, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.

As we turned into one of the castle's dimly lit corridors, Lesso finally broke the silence. "Why?" she asked, her voice filled with an edge of frustration.

I frowned, not understanding. "Why what?"

"Why didn't you let me help you?" she clarified, her tone growing sharper and stopping her tracks. "Why did you refuse to lower the barrier?"

I paused, leaning against the cold stone wall for support, trying to catch my breath. "I... I didn't want anyone else to get hurt. I'd rather die than see you, or anyone else, hurt because of me. The shadow is only after me."

Lesso's eyes blazed with anger. "Do you have any idea how it felt to see you battling, struggling, bleeding out almost to death? Feeling powerless to do anything about it?!" Her voice broke, and she took a step closer, her face inches from mine. "Watching you suffer like that was unbearable."

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I just didn't want anyone to suffer because of me."

"And you think we want to watch you suffer? Do you think we want to lose you?" Her voice was softer now, but the intensity remained. "You have no idea what it does to us, what it does to me, to see you like this," she said, pointing out at my hurt and bleeding body.

I looked down, unable to meet her gaze. "I was protecting you."

Lesso's hands clenched into fists at her sides, her jaw tight. "Protecting us? By sacrificing yourself?" She shook her head. "That's not protection, Sofía. That's recklessness. And seeing you like that, it was... it was torture."

"I'm sorry about making you feel like that, but I stand by my choice."

Lesso's expression hardened, and she took a step closer. "You don't get to make that choice alone. You promised me. You promised me you'd drop the handkerchief if you were truly in trouble! An hour into the Trial! You get attacked by a fucking Forest Soldier, a powerful creature, more than any that was shown to you during class! And knowing that, you decide to charge against it. You kill it—I'm now pretty sure it was with the lighting we saw—but you are severely bleeding. Look at what it did to you!" she yelled, pointing at the bite in my neck. "Around nine hours! Nine hours bleeding whilst facing other monsters! Other classmates! Why, Sofía? Why did you break the promise?!"

"Because I had made another one to you. And it was to win the Trial for you. And for me, that meant at all costs."

"Oh, and you thought I would care more about that promise, did you? Because it would be so fucking useful to win the Trial and then have to bury your dead body!"

I winced at Lesso's words. "Lesso, I..." I began, my voice faltering.

"Don't," she interrupted sharply. "Don't you dare justify this with promises, Sofía."

"I didn't want to seem weak," I whispered. "I didn't want you to think I couldn't do it, that I wasn't strong enough." Tears streamed down my face, mixing with the sweat and blood on my skin. "I didn't want to fail you, I didn't want to disappoint you. I was your champion. It's the reason you brought me to the Schools in the first place. And even if we've moved passed me being only that to you, it doesn't mean the words have just disappeared from my head."

Lesso's anger softened slightly as she listened. She reached out, hesitated, then gently brushed a tear from my cheek.

"So," she sighed, "I brought you here because I saw potential in you. I want you to succeed, yes, but you know that it's not at the cost of your life. That's why I made you promise yesterday that you would come back to me."