Beauty and the Monster ⚤

Chapter Five : The illusion spell

Needless to say, after the dream unsettling him so, Loki spent every waking hour absorbed in matters of state. The tasks of ruling the kingdom and over seeing the day-to-day running of the palace were, although tedious, a welcome distraction.

The days passed by and turned into weeks, and although he succeeded in pushing Belle to the back of his mind, his thoughts still drifted to her the moment he allowed his concentration to waver. He would then chide himself most vehemently.

Eventually however, late one evening he gave in to his curiosity and, wearing the guise of Odin, took a stroll along the Bifrost to Heimdall's observatory.

After wasting several minutes making idle conversation regarding the weather, planetary alignments, and star constellations, Loki casually enquired after his 'young ward' under the pretence of hoping she was adjusting to her new environment.
Obediently, Heimdall informed him that she seemed very well, and regularly took walks in the surrounding woodland and nearby village.

Smiling warmly, the gatekeeper then added how the young beauty had caused quite a stir amongst the local men there.

Inexplicably, this innocent remark irritated Loki and he had to bite his lip to keep from snapping at the oblivious Watchman.
Why he was filled with such irrational jealousy, was completely beyond him. Fearing he may arouse Heimdall's suspicions, he hastily thanked him for the information and left hurriedly, feeling agitated without knowing why.

He did not sleep that night, and instead set about perfecting a new illusion spell that he'd been working on since taking Odin's 'place' as king.

He worked mixing potions at the work bench in his chambers until daybreak, by which time he was pleased with his results.
Now all he needed was to put it to the test, which would require a test subject....

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Belle rose with the sunlight as she did everyday, but instead of heading out to bathe she dressed hurriedly in her new, much more simple dress, eager to make it into the village early in order to avoid Ragnar and Sigurd.

As much as she enjoyed company and was thankful for how the local villagers had welcomed her, these two men were getting to be rather over bearing and tiresome.
They made no secret of their intentions to woo her, and she wasn't accustomed to such forwardness.
Besides, due to her having a genteel, innocent nature, neither of the men interested her in a romantic sense. But trying to dissuade them was proving rather difficult.

To her relief, there was no sign of either of them when she arrived in the village, so she was able to go about her business in peace.
She returned some books to the library, and chose several more to lend. Then she went across to the bakers, purchased her bread, and then onto the farmer where she bought eggs and milk.

Unfortunately her relief was short lived, due to having spent so much time chatting to the farmers wife, Sigurd had now appeared on the village green.

Nearby, Loki stood unnoticed leaning against a wall, observing quietly.

To everyone else, he appeared almost as himself; a tall, lean, handsome man but rather than black his hair was dark auburn, and he sported a neatly trimmed beard. His clothing also looked much more modest, dressed in a simple shirt and cotton breeches.

He looked on with quiet contempt as a broad, blonde-haired fop of a man swaggered eagerly towards the Avonlea beauty.
She greeted him kindly, but Loki's keen eyes noticed the way she seemed to stiffen slightly when the man casually draped his arm around her shoulder.
His face leant in closer as he whispered something inaudible in her ear, and her cheeks seemed to colour in embarrassment.

Before he realised what he was doing, Loki found himself striding purposefully across the green towards the pair.

In retrospect, he could've just conjured some ice with a wave of his hand, and laughed as he watched the unfortunate fool slip and fall on his arse..
.....but it was too late now.

Belle glanced back over her shoulder, silently wishing for a way of escape, when suddenly her gaze fell upon Loki and he could tell by her reaction that his newly improved illusion spell, was a success.

He couldn't even be bothered to hide his self satisfied smile as he took in the way her expression changed from startled surprise, to one of pure joy.
Her smile was warm and her eyes seemed to sparkle, making him feel slightly uncomfortable without knowing why.

Before she spoke, he put a finger to his lips, gesturing for her to keep quiet.

The blonde man turned, having seen her beaming face, but by now Loki was behind them

"Good day Belle, looks as though I've arrived just in time!"
He announced, startling Sigurd, causing him to drop his arm from her shoulder.

"Good morning your-"
Belle replied but stopped herself quickly,
"..umm..I mean you're...back."
She stammered instead.

Loki, purposely placing himself between the pair, gestured for her to hand him the basket she was carrying.

"Here, allow me to take that for you it looks heavy"

She could hardly believe her ears and eyes. How was it possible that prince Loki, now king of the Aesir, was here offering to carry her bread and milk!?
Usually she was fiercely independent, but any argument seemed futile.

Her eyes briefly met with his and she felt her knees turn to water, so all she could manage was to squeak a small 'thank you' in response.

"Don't mention it. I'm just doing my duty as a gentleman..."
Loki quipped, eyes sliding to look poignantly at Sigurd.
"....besides, it is always a pleasure to assist the fairer sex."

Belle couldn't look him in the eye again for fear of blushing ferociously due to his choice of words.
She mentally scolded herself for being so shy and easily embarrassed.

"Who are you, Sir?"
Sigurd was now demanding,

Loki slid the basket over one crooked arm and held out his free hand to shake,
"Lopt, I'm an acquaintance of the lady"

When Sigurd didn't move, Loki grasped him forcibly by the hand, gripping slightly too tightly, and gave it a firm shake anyway.

His actions were so animated and amusing, Belle had to stifle a giggle.

"I'm Sigurd, son of Siegfried."
Sigurd replied gruffly, but Loki had already lost interest, releasing the fop's hand he turned back to Belle.

"Allow me to escort you home safely. Who's to say what sort of riff raff you could end up bumping into around these parts."
He offered her his arm, and trembling slightly, she took it and allowed him to begin leading her away...leaving the disgruntled looking Sigurd behind.