As Loki wrapped the Beast's shoulder, he voiced the question he had been wondering for a while, "What's… what's your name?"
"My… name?"
"Yes, your name. I can't continue to go around calling you 'Beast,' can I?" Loki smiled slightly.
"I, uh, suppose not," the Beast was quiet for a moment. The Beast's vibrant blue eyes met Loki's soft ones, "My name is Thor."
. . . . . . . . . .
"I don't usually leave the asylum in the middle of the night, but they said you'd make it worth my while…" came the sinister voice of Monsieur D'Arque. Gwenevere pulled out a sack of gold and tossed it in front of him. His long fingers pulled the string on the bag, opening it up, as he took out a gold coin and scraped it against his chin. "Aah, I'm listening," proclaimed the villainous Monsieur.
"It goes like this. I've got my heart set on marrying Loki, but he needs a little… persuasion. I have tried my own forms of persuasion, but he seems immune to my feminine charm." Gwenevere leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms.
"In other words, he turned her down flat," Larissa added.
Gwenevere jammed an elbow into Larissa' ribs and gave her a look that screamed, 'Do you have to remind me?'
Turning her attention back to the head of the local Insane Asylum, "Everyone knows his father's a lunatic. He was in here tonight going on about a beast in a castle."
"Laufé is harmless," D'Arque drawled.
"The point is Loki would do anything to keep him from being locked up."
"So you want me to throw his father in the asylum unless he agrees to marry you?" The girls nodded in agreement, "Oh, that is… simply despicable. I love it." He gave a cruel grin.
. . .
Inside of Loki's cottage, Laufé had just finished packing his belongings.
"If no one here will help me, then I'll go back alone. I don't care what it takes. I'll find that castle and somehow I'll get my boy out of there."
Laufé gave one final look around his house, making sure he had the essentials. When he was finished, he left to begin his journey.
Seconds after Laufé was out of sight, Gwenevere and Larissa arrive with D'Arque. They broke open the door and stepped inside, looking for one of the residents.
"Loki! Laufé!" called Gwenevere.
There came no answer.
"Oh, well, I guess it's not gonna work after all. Better get going, then!" Larissa said, heading for the door.
Gwenevere followed her out and put a firm hand on her shoulder.
"They have to come back sometime, and when they do, we'll be ready for them. Larissa, you stay here. Don't move from this spot until Loki and his father come home." Gwenevere commanded.
"What?! Why can't you stay here with me?"
"Do you really expect me to stay here and freeze?" Gwenevere said with attitude as she walked away.
Larissa kicked the side of the house, causing a pile of snow to fall on her head.
"Forget what she said, I am not staying out here in the snow." Larissa said as she walked into Loki's warm house.
. . . . .
Loki walked outside and saw the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. The gardens were covered in innocent, untouched, newly fallen snow. He raced down the stone steps, his light green cape gliding behind him. He jumped off of the third step, landing face first into the snow. He laughed and rolled onto his back. As he spread his arms and legs, he began making a snow angel.
"I haven't felt like this since I was a child." Loki smiled to himself, remembering the good times he had.
He heard barking and lifted his head to see a Footstool and Sleipnir running and galloping toward him. He sat up as the Footstool jumped into his lap, wagging a tassel.
"Well hello there, boy!" Loki laughed and the Footstool barked in response.
Loki scooped some snow into his hands and tossed it at Sleipnir, who had been attempting to get a frozen icicle off of his tongue. When it hit him, he jumped and neighed.
Loki stood up and started to run away from his horse, who quickly caught up to him and nudged his back with his nose.
. . .
Thor watched Loki from his balcony, laughing as the horse continually nudged Loki, sometimes causing him to fall forward into the snow.
Thor looked back at the limping rose that had lived inside of the glass dome for years. Thor had forgotten how many. Its petals were almost gone, only five remaining. He turned back to watching Loki, who had climbed up a tree and was making the snow fall onto Sleipnir and the Footstool. He sighed.
Thor thought back to the previous night. Loki had the chance to escape, to leave him bloodied and unconscious in the snow... but he didn't. No, Thor had brought him all the way back to the castle while Loki let Thor ride on his horse's back as he led the way. It must have been a long and confusing journey back, but Loki did it. Thor didn't know how long it took them to get back, or how long he had been unconscious. When he had awoken, Loki was already bandaged up and didn't seem to be in too much pain.
"Good," he thought, "I'm glad he wasn't hurt by my foolishness."
Thor had known that it was his fault that Loki had attempted to flee, but he didn't admit it aloud. It would hurt his pride.
Loki had jumped down from the tree and was making something in the snow. Thor couldn't tell what it was, but it had quite a large snowball on the bottom.
Loki's laugh traveled all the way up to Thor as Sleipnir rolled around in the snow.
That's when it happened. Thor's heart started to beat faster, his face got hot. His stomach felt odd, and he was afraid he would vomit.
Loki's laugh was the sound of wind chimes on a warm Spring day. The sound of birds chirping in the morning. The sound of rain against the window as Thor lay in bed at night. Loki's laugh was pure happiness.
Thor smiled.
Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts walked up to him.
Thor turned to them, "I want to do something for him," he said excitedly, "But what?"
Lumiere beamed, "Are you saying what I zink you are saying?"
Thor nodded slightly.
"I told you," Lumiere whispered to Cogsworth, who rolled his eyes.
"Oh, that's wonderful! Just wonderful!" Mrs. Potts said happily.
Ever the literal one, Cogsworth answered Thor's question, "Yes, how lovely. Well, there are the usual things: flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep..."
"Ahh, no no! It 'as to be somezing very special. Somezing zat sparks his interest," Lumiere stated.
Thor thought for a moment, "I have no idea what interests him. Do… do any of you know?" Thor asked shyly.
The three thought for a moment. "I've got it! He was very interested when we mentioned the library last night. Why not introduce him to the library, Master?" Cogsworth suggested.
"Brilliant! I will do that now. Thank you, Cogsworth!" Thor picked up the clock and kissed his head, then dropped him into the snow.
"Oh my, oh my. You're very excite- Eh?"
Thor had already rushed out the door. He ran through the castle on all fours, coming to a stop at the doors that lead outside. Straightening himself up, he walked outside.
"Loki?" he called out. Saying his name caused his stomach to flip.
"Over here, Thor!" his voice came from Thor's right. Again, his stomach jumped when Loki said his name.
Thor followed the sound of Loki's voice, leading him to a large snow figure.
"Do you like it?" Loki said as he patted the snow.
"Um… Yes," he paused, "What is it?"
"It's a snowman. Haven't you ever built a snowman?"
"Actually, I haven't." Thor admitted.
"Well you're in luck. It's not finished yet, so you can help me."
"I'd be happy to. What should I do?"
"He needs a head, so make a snowball big enough to be a head."
Thor did as he was told and made a big snowball.
"Thor, I think that's big enough." Loki said.
Thor didn't stop rolling the snowball around.
"Thor-you can stop now..."
Thor didn't hear him, and he ended up making a ball that was bigger than the bottom of the snow man.
"Thor- Thor!" Loki shouted.
"What?"
"I think it's big enough." Loki laughed.
He looked at the snowball he was rolling, "Oh." He rolled it over to the snowman.
"How do you think we should get it on? You made it very large."
"What?" Thor said, clearly misunderstanding what Loki had just said.
"How do you suppose we get the snowball on top of the other two? It's… quite large." Loki repeated.
"Oh! Erm…"
"Oh, I know. We need to put the smaller ones on top of the bigger one, making the top the bottom and the bottom the middle and the middle the top!"
"I do not understand that which you speak." Thor said, his royal accent coming out.
Loki rolled his eyes dramatically and smirked at Thor. He went to the snowman and took the top off, placing it in the snow, "Put this one," Loki pointed to the medium sized ball of snow, "On top of that one." He pointed to the one Thor had just made.
Thor went to the first ball, picked it up, and carried it over to the larger one, "Where should I place it?"
"In the middle on top of the bottom one. Here, I'll help."
Loki guided Thor as he placed them together. Thor stood back and looked to Loki for approval.
"Well done! Now for the next one." Loki walked over to the smallest ball. He and Thor reached for it at the same time, their hand and paw touching. Loki gasped slightly and pulled back his hand.
Thor noticed this, of course, "I-I'm sorry-I didn't mean to-" he stammered.
"No no, I'm sorry," Loki apologized quickly, "I shouldn't have done that. It was quite rude."
They stood in an awkward silence until Loki broke it.
"Well, come on, let's get this one on!" He said more enthusiastically. He picked it up and walked over to the nearly finished snowman. Standing on his toes, he reached up and placed the head on.
Loki turned to Thor and smiled, "He looks great so far."
"So far? What more is there to do?" Thor asked inquisitively.
"He needs a face, doesn't he? Help me find some small stones."
Thor did, and within a few moments, they each had a handful of pebbles of varying sizes.
Thor put the two biggest pebbles on first, creating the eyes. Loki made the smile and the buttons.
He turned to see that Thor had two sticks in his hands, "What are those for?"
"He needs arms, does he not?" Thor mimicked.
Loki narrowed his eyes. Thor laughed and stuck the arms on.
The pair stepped back and admired their creation.
"Oh, Loki! I had forgotten-there's something I want to show you."
"What is it?"
"It's the-," he caught himself, "It's a surprise." He said with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Well, lead the way, then!"
Loki followed Thor inside, walking behind him. As Thor led him down various hallways, Loki studied him.
His fur was such a rich golden color. It looked so soft. Oh how he wanted to just… reach out… and feel it. And so he did. Loki ran his fingers over a spot of fur on Thor's back, gently and light enough so Thor wouldn't notice.
Thor did notice it, of course. How could he not? It felt nice, and he hoped Loki would do it more in the future. Thor almost missed the door because he was so distracted.
He cleared his throat, "We're here, but first you have to close your eyes." Loki looked at him questioningly, "It's a surprise."
Loki closed her eyes, and Thor waved his hand in front of his face to make sure. He turned to the door, opened it, and took Loki's hand, leading him inside. He hoped he wasn't being too forward (or pushy.)
Just as they entered the room, Loki asked, "Can I open them now?"
"No, no. Not yet. Wait here." Thor walked away to draw back the curtains. As the brilliant sunlight spilled into the room, Loki flinched reflexively as the light hit his face.
Thor walked back and stood behind Loki, "All right. Now."
Loki opened his eyes to see a gigantic library filled with books. He gaped.
"I can't believe it. I've never seen so many books in all my life!" he said, entering more into the room.
"You-you like it?" Thor asked nervously.
Loki smiled wide, "I think it's wonderful."
"Then it's yours."
"Really? Oh, thank you." Before he realized it, Loki wrapped his arms around Thor's waist.
. . .
"Oh, would you look at that?" Mrs. Potts said as she witnessed the display of affection.
"Hah! I knew it would work." Lumiere praised himself.
"What? What works?" Chip asked innocently.
"It's very encouraging." Cogsworth said.
"Isn't this exciting!" the Feather Duster squealed.
"I didn't see anything!" Chip complained.
"Come along, Chip. There are chores to be done in the kitchen." Mrs. Potts started leading him away.
"What are they talking about? What's going on?"
. . . . .
"Excuse me, where can I go to bathe?" Loki asked the Wardrobe.
"Ah, just down the hall. Third door on your right!"
"Thank you. Oh, do you have any clean clothes I can change into?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"Hmm… Something cozy. I want to go to the library and read after I bathe."
"Alright, let me find something," Loki waited patiently as he listened to the sounds coming from inside of the Wardrobe as she sifted through the clothes, "Ah, here we are."
Loki thanked the Wardrobe, took the clothes, and walked to the bathroom.
. . .
Loki stepped out of the bath and wrapped himself in a fluffy white towel. He dried himself off and pulled on a pair of navy blue fleece pants, a grey short sleeved shirt, and a red sweater. He dried his hair as best he could, brushed it out, and left the bathroom.
"Now, where is that library…?"
Loki wandered the hallways slowly, finally getting a chance to really look at anything and everything. He walked down a flight of stairs that connected to the grand staircase. He stopped to look at a large painting he had never noticed before. The painting featured three people. Two were wearing a crown, so Loki took an educated guess and decided that they were once the king and queen. The features that stood out to Loki the most were the man's piercing blue eyes and the woman's flowing golden hair. They were standing behind a young boy, each with a hand placed on either of his shoulders. The boy was a perfect replica of his parents. He looked to be around eleven years old and had golden hair and vibrant blue eyes…
'Just like Thor…' Loki thought to himself. He wondered if this was a portrait of Thor's family, 'No, it couldn't be. Thor is a Beast…Come to think of it, why is he like that? Maybe I'll ask him one day."
Loki eventually found himself standing outside a familiar set of doors. He opened the doors and stepped inside. He smiled to himself, "This truly is the greatest gift anyone has ever given me." He stated, "Now, where to begin?"
He decided he would start at the top and work his way down. He climbed up a ladder and started to look for an interesting book.
. . .
An hour and a few novellas later, Loki finally settled in a large red armchair. He felt the velvet fabric absorb his warmth, making him feel even cozier.
He had already organized the books he chose by subject, then alphabetically by title. He closed his eyes and pointed to a random book. Opening his eyes, he saw that he had chosen a book about pirates. He picked it up and began to read.
Sooner or later, Loki had drifted off.
"Thor, come play in the snow! It's simply breathtaking!" Loki laughed without a care in the world as he twirled around in the snow. Thor hit him with a snowball and Loki did the same.
Thor took his hands and spun him in a circle. Loki looked around and saw that he was in a ballroom.
"Dance with me, Loki."
Thor danced Loki all around the ballroom. As they danced, flowers began to bloom all around them.
"Loki, you're perfect." He repeated his name over and over again, "Loki… Loki… Loki…" Thor leaned down and…
"Loki… Loki? Wake up, Loki." Thor shook his shoulder softly.
"Mmm… Thor…" Loki mumbled in his sleep.
Thor stepped back when he heard Loki say his name. 'Did that just happen' If Loki was dreaming about him, he surely didn't want to wake him up. But he also didn't want Loki to wake up in pain from sleeping on an armchair all night. He debated what he should do and decided that it would be best if he brought Loki to his room. He took a book out of Loki's lap, folding the corner down and placing it on the ground. Very gently, he lifted Loki from the chair and took him from the room.
He looked at Loki's sleeping form in his arms, 'He looks so peaceful…' he thought.
He nudged Loki's bedroom door open with his foot and carried him to the bed. Laying him down on the covers, he moved a lock of hair out of Loki's face. He smiled down at the one who was beginning to hold his heart. He covered Loki with a blanket at the foot of the bed and ran a large furry finger down his face.
As Thor left Loki's bedroom, Loki opened one of his eyes and saw Thor's retreating form. He smiled to himself and snuggled up under the blanket, falling back to sleep, dreaming about Thor.
. . .
"Good morning, Loki dear. How did you sleep?" Mrs. Potts asked as he walked into the dining room.
Spotting Thor already at the table, he smiled, "Wonderfully, thank you. What's for breakfast?"
"Oatmeal, fruit, and toast. Is that alright with you?"
"That sounds delicious, actually!"
"Oh, marvelous, dear. Go sit down and I'll serve it to you."
Loki sat down across from Thor, "Good morning, Thor." He smiled.
"Good morning, Loki." He smiled back.
Mrs. Potts came over and served the two their breakfast. Loki picked up a spoon and started to eat his oatmeal. Across from him, Thor was gobbling up his food directly from his bowl using his mouth. Mrs. Potts sent him an admonishing look. Loki turned away and tried to ignore it, but Chip came to the rescue. He nudged the spoon with his nose, and Thor reached out for it. Loki looked at him in wonder as he tried to eat with the spoon, but with little success.
Loki put down his spoon and lifted his bowl as if in a toast. Thor looked at him and did the same, and they both began to sip their breakfast out of their bowls. However, unlike Loki who finished his bowl normally, when Thor finished his bowl, he shouted to Mrs. Potts, "This is not only delicious, it is amazing. ANOTHER!" before smashing his bowl onto the floor. Shocked, Loki slowly began to pull away from Thor, and helped Mrs. Potts and Chip clean up the mess. Thor, embarrassed, told the others that he was "going to go out and work", as he left the room in an awkward shuffle.
. . .
Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, and Lumiere watched from the window as Thor and Loki attempted to feed some birds.
'There's something sweet and almost kind about him, although he is sometimes ill-tempered, coarse, and unrefined. Despite this, he grows better each day, and... he's dear to me, and so unsure. I wonder why I didn't see it there before.' Loki thought to himself. He was trying to attract some birds to Thor, who shoved a handful of seeds at them.
Laughing, Loki took a handful of seeds and gently spread it out across Thor's hands, creating a small trail. A bird landed in his hands, and he looked up, thrilled.
'He glanced at me a few times today and when we touched, he didn't shudder at my paw… No, it can't be. I'll just ignore it, but then again, he's never looked at me that way before.' Thor thought to himself as he watched Loki duck behind a tree, leaving him with the birds.
Loki began to feel doubtful again, but turned his head around the tree and laughed at Thor, who was covered with birds.
'This feeling is so new, and a bit alarming. Who'd have ever thought that this could be? He's a man and so am I. True, he's no Prince Charming, but there's something in him that I simply didn't see.' Loki thought as he threw a snowball at Thor, who had looked at him proudly after the birds flew away.
The Objects watched Thor as he began to make a snowball out of a huge pile of snow.
Loki threw another snowball at Thor, who dropped his huge pile of snow on his head just as he was about to throw it. He chased Loki around a tree, but he ducked around the other side and snuck up on him from behind.
"Well, who'd have thought? Oh yes, zat's right, I did." Lumiere said proudly.
"Oh let it go, you fool." Cogsworth tried to scold him, but he was feeling too happy to.
"Well bless my soul." Mrs. Potts said warmly. If she could, she would have put her hand on her heart.
"And who'd have guessed zey'd come togezer on zeir own? I was sure zat we would need to help zem."
"It's so peculiar. We'll wait and see in a few days more, but there may be something there that wasn't there before." Mrs. Potts sighed.
. . .
Loki was reading his favorite book to Thor by the fireplace as the Objects looked on from the doorway.
"Yes, perhaps there's something there that wasn't there before." Cogsworth affirmed what Mrs. Potts had said earlier.
"What?" Chip asked innocently.
"There may be something there that wasn't there before." Mrs. Potts told her son.
"What's there, mama?"
Mrs. Potts smiled, "I'll tell you when you're older."
. . .
Thor had his fair share of bath times, but none quite like this.
"Tonight is ze night!" Lumiere exclaimed.
"I'm not sure I can do this…" Thor admitted hesitantly.
"You don't have time to be timid! You must be bold, daring."
"Bold. Daring." Thor emerged from the tub and shook himself dry. His fur was flat for just a moment before it poofed out.
"Zere will be music, romantic candlelight-provided myself, of course-and when ze time is right, you confess your love!"
"Yes, I-I con-No, I can't."
Lumiere scoffed, "You care for ze boy, don't you?"
"More than anything."
"Well zen you must tell him!"
A Coat rack began to cut Thor's hair. A few minutes later it stepped back, "Voila. You look so...so..."
Thor looked at himself in the mirror, "What is that?"
"Pigtails, you daft man!"
"Stupid." He grumbled.
"Ah, perhaps a little off the top." Lumiere suggested.
The Coat Rack began to cut and chop again. He stepped back for the second time.
"How's this?"
Thor looked at the new hair style, which was a simple pulled back ponytail, "It's wonderful."
Cogsworth entered, "Ahem. Your Loki awaits."