PRIDE (Leona x Reader) [Twisted Wonderland]

Chapter 4

Leona's room was dark, even with two open windows for moonlight to stream inside. He stood in the most shadowed part of his room, where the glint of light between you obscured his face instead of lighting it for you. He'd sent Jack away before talking to you. The door was closed. You swallowed.

"I'm not supposed to be here, I think."

You waited for Leona to respond, but he just listened.

"The witch from the castle said that I'm from the past. He said his name was Crowley."

"He's the headmage of the academy," Leona said.

"He said he wanted to set time right, or something. And that I was supposed to be dead... He had a book... A book of death records." You tried to meet his eyes but he didn't even seem to be looking at you. "I don't think he came after me, when I left. But... I don't know what to do. Where am I supposed to go?"

Your voice hitched. Where did you even want to go? Even if you returned, would you just live in the forest, until you were eaten by wolves or bears... Or vultures?

"And you came to me for this?" He sounded annoyed, again. You suddenly felt guilty. Was this too much to ask of someone? Of course it was. It still stung to be turned down. Turned away again.

"You saved my life," you murmured, a little hoarsely.

"So?"

So indeed. If anything, you owed him. But still... "No one's ever saved me before." Especially not for free. Your mind flashed back to your Grandmother. Or, maybe you should call her Mrs. Linkin, now. If she hadn't liked you calling her that before, she definitely wouldn't approve of it now.

He clicked his tongue, and it sounded like a hiss. You stepped to the side, awkwardly, guiltily. You shouldn't have come here.

"Even if I let you stay here, Crowley will still find you, eventually. He doesn't come to the dorms very often, but if he wanted to..."

So that was how it was. Crowley was a higher power. A witch stronger than all of the rest of them. "Is he your king?" you asked.

Leona tipped his head, and you could from there see his scrunched nose and curled lips. "Of course not. This is a school, not a kingdom. The only one of royal standing here is me. And--gah." He growled and took a step away from the window. "I told you, he is the headmage. His magic is more potent and practiced than anyone else on campus."

Your skin crawled. If a man like that wanted you dead, there was no way you could fight it. "Is there no where else I could go?" you asked.

Leona walked over to a dresser at his bedside and lifted a trinket of brilliant gold. "If you want to return anywhere outside of the school, you need one of these." He held it out to you, and you examined it.

It was shaped like a key, a very large one, with an amber yellow jewel twice the size of your thumb at the base. You reached out for it, and he pulled away.

"This one belongs to me," he said. "If I gave it to you, there would be no way for you to get it back to me."

"How do I get one, then?" you asked him hopefully.

"From Crowley," he said. Your face fell. "I'm not sure where he keeps them, though. It's possible the other professors have access to them as well."

He turned away then, as if that was the end of the conversation.

"W-wait. What do I do then?"

He shrugged.

"D-do I go now? Maybe I should try to look for them. But, what if he's there, waiting for me? He might expect me to come back—"