𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐰 ❅ 𝐥𝐨𝐤𝐢 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 - 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐧

"𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞, 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫: 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢 𝐚𝐦, 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢'𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭? 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞, 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐭: 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭?"

❅

"Thank you, Belle," Mrs. Potts remarks softly as Belle quietly shuts the doors to Loki's bedroom.

"We are eternally grateful," Thor adds, uncharacteristically quiet and somber.

"Why do you care about him so much?" Belle asks quietly, approaching the group of former servants.

"We've looked after him all of his life," Mrs. Potts answers simply.

Belle's brows furrow in confusion. How could these 'people' still be so loyal to him after all the pain and suffering he's caused them? she wonders.

"But he's cursed you somehow. Why? You did nothing," Belle finally says, sitting down on the step next to Thor, Clint, and Mrs. Potts.

"You're quite right there, dear," Mrs. Potts says with a sigh. "You see, when the master lost his mother, his father ignored the sweet and innocent boy to instead favor his eldest son."

Thor winces at the teapot's words. "My brother felt neglected; and, quite honestly, I don't disagree with how he felt."

"Brother?" Belle gasps before she can stop herself, her mouth gaping at the candelabra's confession.

"Loki was adopted as a baby," Thor continues. "He was found abandoned in a small chapel in a war-ridden area that my father and his soldiers were scouting out during a small skirmish with a surrounding nation.

"Our mother and father never told either of us, for they feared that it would cause a rift between us. Mother made Father swear that he would never treat Loki differently because of his parentage, but after Mother died, it was only so long before Father turned his attentions solely on me. The breaking point was when Loki was mischievously snooping around Father's study one day to look for something to play a joke on me with when he came across the adoption papers."

Belle's heart twists for both of the brothers and their unfortunate circumstances.

"Finding out that he was raised by a lie twisted Loki's heart and made him to be just like his father," Mrs. Potts continues. "And we did nothing to help him."

As Belle looks around the group of unwillingly cursed individuals, she suddenly feels a bit of understanding towards the Frost Giant asleep in the other room.

"We should let you sleep, Lady Belle," Thor finally says, breaking the silence. "It's been a long day."

"Good night, you all," Belle replies softly, standing up from her perch on the step before descending from the wing and back towards her own bedroom.

How, in the midst of all this sorrow, can such hope and love endure? Belle thinks to herself silently as her footsteps softly echo against the ornate stairs before her. Through Thor and Mrs. Potts' story, Belle has suddenly learned that her and Loki shared more in common than she originally had thought.

Belle barely remembers her mother at this point, only blips of memory here and there that feel more like dreams at this point. Losing her mother at such a young and formative age had forced Belle to grow up much faster than a young child should--but she had her father there with her every step of the way.