Chapter Twenty One: Nurturing Magic
21.1
Adam stared around the room and got up, shifting his paperwork to one side as he walked over to the wall and put his hand on it to feel if it was still stable. He let his body rest on it as he looked up into the air. Was this all in his head? "Belle?" he asked unsure what to do and Belle took a slow inhale.
"Adam, is there water near you?" she asked him and Adam walked back over to the table to where there was a silver jug with water as well as a cup with some in it where he had been able to take a sip if needed. He looked into the jug and saw some hazy images, they were just blurs to him. "Okay. I'm standing beside the jug," he said and heard Belle sniff a little.
"Belle, princess, what's wrong? Is everything okay? Are the children okay? Is your father okay?" he asked and Belle quickly calmed herself down.
"I'm sorry about that," she said and Adam sighed with relief. "We're well apart from we miss you a lot. I hope we can be together soon, Adam," Belle told him and Adam smiled sadly. He sighed and pushed a hand through his long hair.
"I know, I wish we could be together as well but this seems like the best option for right now. We don't really have a plethora of options and if putting myself in a little more danger means that you are safe then I'm willing to do so. I can't tell you with the children listening what is happening but I'm doing what I can for us to all be together again."
Adam sighed and looked down at the paperwork. There were other magic users whom he wanted to investigate and open a case about but that information wasn't something he should say aloud. He needed to keep this information between him and those he trusted most with that information, usually this would include Belle but he didn't have space to talk with her in private.
"You know that you're intelligent, rely on that, my love," Belle said and Adam laughed weakly. "Believe me that you are intelligent and strong and loving. I just think that I should tell you that are you alone…"
"Yes. It's just me in here," Adam said before he grew more concerned with what might be said. If there was any threat of danger then he needed to move his family immediately it didn't matter what it took. He could not have them put in danger.
"Isabella has shown signs of magical ability. I think it's a positive but I needed for you to know," Belle said and Adam froze. That was…new information to him but magic didn't have to be some evil thing, magic itself wasn't evil or not evil, it was all about how you handled it and what you chose to do with it and in the case of Isabella.
"Yes, I think it's positive. She has you to show her the right way in which to help people. I have no fear that with you as her mother that this is a very good thing." Adam said. No he wasn't going to say that Isabella was going to curse Leo. Maybe when they were older she would be able to do that for him but it wasn't something he was going to place on her . She was a small girl. Maybe there were other people who could get rid of this curse once and for all.
"Don't forget that she has you as her father," Belle reminded him and Adam smiled softly as he thought about that. No, he would never be able to raise Isabella as well as Belle was doing. He only could do things half as well if at that but being her Papa was very important to him. Belle must know that.
"I'll do my best. Tell the children that I love them. Thank your father for me," Adam said before sighing. "I love you, Belle. I love you so much more than I can explain. Take care of yourself and of the children for me, okay?"
"Love you, Papa," Isabella yelled out and Adam laughed at hearing his daughter's voice.
"Thank you, Bella. I love you too, so very much."
Adam heard some whispering between Belle and Isabella and he saw the colors fading in the water until he could no longer see or hear anything. He sat back and closed his eyes but allowed himself to smile in a relieved manner. He had to do his best to help his family, the family he loves so deeply.
21.2
Belle turned to Isabella and wrapped her arms around the little girl. She kissed her forehead thinking about how her daughter would never be cold or cruel to other people unless she was pushed to the point where one couldn't truly fault her for that. Adam had probably been a good boy until he turned four and saw the world around him or at least the world that his parents had made for him as something to spoil him and that he had control over until that power was stripped away in the worst way.
Still, apart from his distorted self-image, Adam had grown and developed and was showing how good of a person he truly was. She and Adam adored Leo regardless of how he looked or that she had given birth to someone most people would consider an animal and not human. She looked over to her baby boy. "I'm sorry," she apologized to him despite hoe he was too little to understand.
"Sweetheart," Belle said softly as she turned to her daughter, "How long have you been able to use spells and enchantments, did someone show you?" she asked. It would be strange if someone had shown her. Since the curse had extended throughout the whole castle they knew of many who had had experience with magic in terms of being cursed by it but Isabella's magic seemed different than that, stronger than that.
"Papa?" Isabella asked not quite understanding.
Belle paused. She knew that Adam didn't know how to wield magic and charms and those things or else he wouldn't have to search for those in the kingdom with magic and he would be able to break the curse that was on their son.
"Papa showed you the magic? What do you mean?" she asked gently and Isabella bowed her head.
"No. Papa didn't show me but I love Papa and it happens when I think I want to see Papa or I want Papa to smile or I don't want Papa to be scared and all alone," she said and Belle smiled softly as she looked over the girl. She saw so much of Adam's goodness in her. How could Adam not see this light that he had helped Isabella grow and nourish.
"First of all, Papa has our love so if it's too painful to think about Papa, tell me and I'll be able to remind you that Papa is strong and can beat through the things that trouble him. Papa would say that he wants to take care of us and that all you need to do is be yourself," Belle said before smiling as she looked down. It was hard to be both the mother and the father here but she had to trust in her knowledge of Adam and that he was always going to be supportive of her.
"As for those things that you said, they're really good that you care so much about Papa. Papa loves us so much and he's only by himself to keep us safe and happy but I think that if he knew you worried for him, he would think about how nice and kind and sweet and thoughtful that you are," Belle said and Isabella grinned happily. "So, this magic happens when you get worried about Papa?"
"Yeah," Isabella twitched a little, "Mainly."
"Okay. Tell me next time something happens, please," she requested. She should have known that her daughter wouldn't carry mean thoughts or have the ability to hurt others. The magic had to be pure and maybe it wasn't enough to turn Leo human but maybe one day it would be that strong and their family could come back together again.
21.3
After doing some more reading, Adam decided that he needed to talk this over with someone else. There was no way that his daughter was evil in his mind, he kept seeing her as a sweet little girl but his own biases with what magic could be were working against him. He managed to find the woman he was looking for in the kitchen.
He saw her turn and talk with the head chef and he watched the two of them patiently before noticing that they were watching him.
"Monsour," Chef Bouche said and Adam blinked but stood. He was glad that the chefs own well-deserved arrogance had led him not to say things like your lord or master or that type of reaction. "Is something wrong?"
"I was just hoping to have a work with Beatrice," he gestured to Mrs. Potts and she looked at him and nodded.
"Adam, is there something that needs to be done?" she asked him and he smiled gently before gesturing for her to go into the dining room with just him. He led her over to the table and pulled out a chair for her. She sat in it and looked at him like a mother concerned over her child.
"I just learned some information that I needed someone to help me with. I'm sure that Cogsworth and Lumiere could both provide me with their own answers but other than Belle's, yours might be the most valuable to me."
"A woman's topic?" Mrs. Potts asked him and Adam smiled weakly.
"Belle has informed me that Isabella has some magical abilities. She was able to send word to me through these magical abilities," Adam told her and Mrs. Potts nodded slowly.
"Just because she is showing some magical abilities, that doesn't mean that they're in danger," Beatrice said and Adam smiled.
"According to Belle it's something that she may have been born with or something that has come out due to her own experiences. Belle assures me that they are all safe and I think we can acknowledge this as a gift that Isabella has. However, how do I deal with that?" he asked bluntly and the older woman just watched him.
"You nurture it, you remind her that her Papa loves her and that he supports her and will protect her," Mrs. Potts said and Adam shifted in his seat.
"But is that good enough? I know very little about magic but I have the idea that it has been villainized too much. I want to show openness and acceptance to those who use magic but am I unqualified to raise a magic-user?" he asked and Mrs. Potts laughed.
"Adam, you just need to do what you're doing but hopefully soon as a family unit. You need to love her unconditionally and help guide her through life. With you and Belle as her parents and everyone else loving her so much, I think that she has a bright future. You're a wonderful papa despite, excuse me for saying this, you not having a good one yourself."
End of Chapter Twenty One
Thank you for reading
Thank you to those who left reviews on Chapter Twenty
DarthLeia19, KathyMesser
