𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐰 ❅ 𝐥𝐨𝐤𝐢 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞 - 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡

"𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐬."

❅

"What are you reading?"

Belle's question snaps Loki out of his trance, the frost giant quickly shutting his book and attempting to subtly put his arm over the cover in an attempt to hide the title.

"Nothing."

"You forgot to mark your place," Belle says, gesturing to the book as Loki sighs and removes his hand. "Guinevere and Lancelot," Belle reads, making her way over to sit on the snowy bench in the alcove next to Loki.

"Well, actually, King Arthur and the Round Table," Loki answers, still a bit embarrassed after being caught reading in his favorite place. "Knights and men and swords and things."

"Hmm," Belle laughs. "Still, it's a romance."

"All right," Loki scoffs.

A comfortable silence falls upon the pair, Belle admiring the blue roses around the alcove as Loki places his book to the side.

"I never thanked you for saving my life," Belle finally says, getting the courage to look him in his ruby red eyes.

"Well, I never thanked you for not leaving me to be eaten by wolves."

Belle laughs at Loki's remark as loud chattering echoes from inside the castle, most likely from one of Thor's jokes or Steve's inability to speak about anything besides when he fought in a war or his husband.

"They know how to have a good time," Belle says, pointing her chin towards where the laughter was radiating from.

"Yes," Loki agrees. "But when I enter a room, laughter dies."

"Me too," Belle nods, thinking back to her repetitive, cyclical routine in the village. "The villagers say that I'm a funny girl, but I'm not sure they mean it as a compliment."

"I'm sorry. Your village sounds terrible," Loki remarks bluntly, making Belle laugh at his forwardness.

"Yes," she agrees. "Almost as lonely as your castle."

"What do you say we run away?"

Belle watches as Loki searches one of the shelves of the library nearest the fireplace, humming in success as he locates the object of his search.

"Another 'gift' from the enchantress," Loki explains as he blows the dust off of the unused book before placing it down on the table in front of them. "A book that truly allows you to escape."

Belle gazes at the pages in front of her, a world map quite literally glowing with golden stands wrapping around the globe. "How amazing!"

"It was her cruelest trick of all," Loki shakes his head. "Just another curse. The outside world has no place for a creature like me...but it can for you."

Belle watches Loki as he reaches his hand out to hers and softly grasps it. The intricate designs running down his palm are made aware to Belle as Loki grasps her soft hand with his cold one, slowly bringing it to rest atop the page of the book.

"Think of the one place you've always wanted to see," Loki says, shifting his hand slightly so that it now laid on top of Belle's. "Find it in your mind's eye. Feel it in your heart."

Belle closes her eyes, Loki's cool touch remaining as her anchor to the world. She slowly pictures the place that her father had described to her as a young girl every night she couldn't sleep or awoke from a nightmare.