Red Rose | Lady Lesso Fanfiction

Rose Extracts

"One Never Ever Rose."

"A handful of warm, cherry infused water."

"Fresh honey."

"Sugar cubes."

"Salt."

Astrid carefully recites glamourous little words in her head, chanting them carefully and respectfully. This is going to save everything. I have to be careful. I have to be specific with how I go about it as the librarian said. "To successfully make the remedy; you need to make the remedy specifically. Start by boiling water, adding in cherries for the flavour. Then add fresh honey, fresh from a honeycomb. Sprinkle in two - three sugar cubes, then a dash of the finest sea salt. Stir until the sugar and honey melt."

Rushing through the doors of the Ever school, Astrid makes an entrance on her deja vu run back into the kitchenette, the door breaking open with ease this time, no key needed. Rafal, thank you. She smiles, knowing Rafal's spirit is guiding everything right now, no matter how insane it sounds. Placing the once cradled jars and containers, Astrid lays all her ingredients on top glittery counter tops, dancing with a gold colour. She slices cherries into near microscopic fragments, they bleed red, staining a marble chopping board. Astrid can sense Lesso's bleeding heart bleeding out, being sucked dry by the afterlife; bleeding out all the cherries juice into boiling hot water, Astrid removes the pot of hot cherry water from the element. She starts drizzling golden streams of honey that zaps into liquid like a bee's stinger zapping skin. Golden liquid, sweet and sappy turns into white crystalised ant sized snow flakes, sweetening everything a tad more as Astrid coats the liquid with granulated sugar. Astrid blends two whites together, the final being harsher and tangier, salty and fresh; salt from the sea, returning to a different type of liquid, a powerful liquid. "Stir until the sugar and honey melt." Reciting and stirring, watching everything come together, curating a soft, rich heated liquid, bubbling each second the more all the reactions take place. Astrid watches as velvety red petals disintegrate being eaten alive by combusting sugar, being eaten alive by honey, all burning with hot water. All traces of amber gold blossom away, only leaving fragments of rose petals and a light maroon colour, washing against the pot as Astrid lifts it, splashing delicate ruby red water into a small mason jar.

Each time she runs, each time she steps the liquid dissolves even more. Initiating a dissolving heart of Lesso, aware of her limited time; Astrid embarks across the bridge separating both schools for the a thousandth time - it seems. This time, she doesn't care to stop at the foyer, she ignores all evil eyes and glares and forwards onward, stomping up miles of staircase to Lesso's bedroom all the way near the highest peaking tower. "A remedy will help her physically, a kiss will help her mentally." Astrid takes note of the librarians smooth and gentle voice reminiscing her ears. All Astrid can hear as she pulls and tugs the door handle to Lesso's bedroom is the librarians voice, soothing and gentle, stern but polite, encouraging and delightful. Oh please open! Please... this can't be! Dress dripping to the floor with it's frills, followed alongside Astrid as she slumps on the floor, leaning her back against the door, holding a now faded pink liquid containing mason jar close to her neck, craddling herself. She sobs uncontrollably, blushed cheeks turning magma in colour and temperature. Her brain bleeds with torn memories, now appearing black and white as Lesso's soul is near gone. Astrid hugs herself, digging her rounded nails in, begging for the feel of sharp nails she once was terrified of to stab into her. She looks up, missing the vision of Lesso towering over her. She squeezes herself tighter, imagining Lesso holding her tighter that one night, the last night she was healthy. Once a cold, sharp, blunt fiery woman now fading, chipping into nothing. Astrid hollers, screams and cries, chokes on air as she breathes out frantically. She holds her throat, attempting to stop herself screaming and crying. I miss you, forever, my witch. Now hysterical, Astrid lays on the floor, cheek blood red, fizzling out against the hard cold floor of the Never school. She closes her eyes, wishing for Lesso to magically open the door but gets something else in return. Red smog captivates her, engulfing her body, lifting her back to her feet. A translucent figure of a man lingers in front of the door, slipping his hand through the other side, digging his sharp nails into the slit of the door lock, vanishing again as soon as the door clicks. Rafal... Astrid winces herself next to the door, butterflies dying in her stomach when the handle twists, revealing a vast bedroom, shrouded in faint light. Ebony duvet blankets that Astrid once laid on are unmade, thick wooden headboard carved intricately appears dusted, the rest of the room is like a gothic graveyard, gloomy and decaying, just like the body that's next to Astrid's feet as she inches closer to the foot of the bed. Astrid drops the mason jar on the bed before she, herself, drops to her knees, slamming them hard, almost breaking them at the shock of Lesso. Her hair is faded silver, only a tinge of red at the ends, her face is melting into thin air. Astrid places her hand on her invisible cheek, instead meeting the roughness of the floor. She's evaporating! I need to hurry. Astrid touches her shoulder and holds it tightly, pursing her lips tightly against Lesso's fading lip gloss that once tasted like vanilla. Astrid sighs in a happy but exhausted, pushing her face further into Lesso's, kissing her as delicately but passionately as she can. She pulls back, placing a finger into Lesso's once voluminous teased hair, that's now falling flat like a river of grey metals. Astrid closes her eyes for a few minutes, thinking and preying she will sense Lesso's head moving. But she never does. Maybe I need to pour the remedy on my mouth? She does so, sipping a teensy bit, making sure half of it pours onto her lip. The wind chapped lips slowly uncrack, bursting with flavour and smoothness. She kisses Lesso again, this time as gently as she can manage, birthing a tear halfway through, closing her eyes. The tear glows yellow and pink, falling to Lesso's skin. Astrid, unaware, keeps her eyes closed, laying her head on Lesso's chest, awaiting a heart beat in a frozen motion. An unfrozen motion happens, Astrid's skin moves and crawls, tickling, something else moves, her heart as it beats at something familiar. Ice cold hands run down Astrid's back, words travel into Astrid's ears, quietly voicing; "I knew you were mine." Something else familar, the voice, berates Astrid's emotions. "Lesso!" She cries and throws herself into Lesso, hugging her tighter than ever. Lesso cries - the second time in her life, genuinely, with emotion, but laughs at herself as well. Astrid removes herself, looking into Lesso's gemstone eyes, sick and twisted like emerald, vibrant and glowing like her skin. Astrid smiles and runs her hands through those infamous curls, flaring in the air like flames as so do her eyebrows that are actually flaring up in happiness for once. "I feel so much better." Lesso smiles, brightly and contagiously, Astrid catching her joy too. Astrid stares at her, noticing her original mannerisms back, her hands strong but gentle, nails sharp and pointed. "Why did you get weak?" Astrid asks, hoping to confirm her theory. "Because, the school master cursed me again. I was already under a curse, a curse of pure misery. You broke it because you're my true love." Lesso holds Astrid's hand as Astrid holds her words, thinking. I knew it! He hated her, I knew he planned all of this mess. He wanted revenge upon her for all her wrong doing. He probably noticed she was bored and because she got Professor Dovey fired, to have me, he wanted to punish her. Suddenly, all the smog from the room clears, clarity appearing once again, the rich and intricate ebony wood revealing all it's detail, all the black and grey's in the room not seeming so gloomy. "Rafal..." Smiles Astrid at his help, again. "You met Rafal?" Lesso protrudes, seeming offended and insecure. "Yes, he helped me. He sensed your hurt and came back to help you. He helped me get the rose back from the school master. The school master locked me in my room, I had a dream, a weird one... I woke up and he was a ghost in my room who helped me out of the prison of a bedroom." Astrid states blandly, not trying to rile up Lesso who is growing angrier at what she just heard. "The school master what? How dare he! How dare he try and lock my little princess up? You know what-" Lesso's high heels finally have some purpose once again as she stands, charging to the door, Astrid bursts up pushing against her. "No, no! It's fine, he's not doing so well right now, he's in his tower reconsidering it all. I'm sure he'll let us be together, we've won now anyway." Fiery red eyebrows arch downward, one pointing upward in suspicion. "Rafal convinced him that the school master would destroy the school with his idiocy if he didn'tt let us be together - if he wouldn't support us, he's would not be a true Ever, Evers are always meant to accept love and help. Having two evil brother's would throw the balance off completely." Lesso sighs and turns back, tipping her head. "Why is he even back? I thought he hated me!" She spins back around, pointing her finger toward Astrid upset and mad. "He's tricking you! He ruined my life! He made me insecure of myself for years after we broke up..." She sighs and shakes her head, angered but voice croaking with sadness. "No, Lesso. He's not trying anything with me, trust me. He's here because, well. He still loves you, he never told me why he actually broke up with you but, all I can say is he doesn't hate you. He watches over you when he senses somethings wrong, he helps, he's the reason I'm here, he guided you to me. He sensed you were desperate, and so did he just now, he came back to help me get you back." Soft, velvety sleeves wrap around Lesso's waist from behind, attempting to comfort her. "He broke up with me because of the school master... it's always been the school master, he tricked Rafal into thinking I was going behind his back. We then had a big fight and Rafal nearly killed me out of anger, all because his stupid brother!" Lesso's fists point outward, revealing ivory bone behind reddening skin. "But-" She sighs, "I never really loved Rafal. So it's ok, I love you, you've saved me from everything, you broke so many issues I had, so many curses. I don't know how I could thank you." Both their hands meet, tugging lightly at each other's fingers, clasping them tightly, Astrid blushes at Lesso's beauty. "Oh, please, my love. I haven't even been back for an hour and you're already infatuated with me, so adorable." Tightening around Astrid's waist unleashes, the corset drops to the floor. "Darling, you don't need these, stop! They damage your stomach more than they do good!" Raising a finger to Astrid, Lesso softly scolds and holds Astrid's waist only shielded by her dress. "Come here, my princess." Lesso caresses Astrid's waist closer to her, pulling her alongside her as she walks to her desk.

"Now-" Lesso sit's on her throne-like chair, it towers right above her head as she sits in, placing her forearms on the chair arms, staring at Astrid in a condescending way. "I have a lot of work to do, my dear, I have to prepare for my lessons tomorrow! I haven't been here to plan my classes for a while now." Astrid nods her head and attempts to leave Lesso at peace; she walks off, interrupted by Lesso's long-lost cane as it barricades her stepping. Behind her, remains Lesso, extending her cane in front of Lesso, next o her hip. Lesso smirks and pulls Astrid back by her shoulders, clasping them both. "And, I want you to assist me." Lesso smirks, Astrid remains confused. "I can't help, I don't know anything about Never classes?" Lesso scoffs in response, "Oh, dear... I don't mean like that, just come here." She returns to her seat and looks directly at Astrid as she sheepishly returned near Lesso. "Come on! Don't be scared, you silly thing." She chuckles, grinning mischievously. Astrid throws her head back, feeling stupid and walks toward Lesso, gasping as she feels herself fall forward into Lesso's lap. "Now, why don't you just sit here and keep me sane?" Astrid feels herself over heating, Lesso being the source of that as she deeply caresses Astrid's thigh. "My little trophy wife." Lesso raises her leg, making some form of a platform for Astrid whilst she straddles Lesso's lap. "But I'm not your wife?" She turns back to Lesso, raising her delicate eyebrows. "Not yet." A long lanky finger of Lesso's touches the tip of Astrid's nose, playfully.