Loki's Apprentice: A Tale Retold

Chapter 9: The Bitter Truth

"Then the girls were very angry with Beauty and said it was all her fault. If she had asked for something sensible, this would never have happened."

-Madame de Villeneuve

Evelyn watched as her father walked back to their little home with her other sisters trailing behind him. His whole demeanor was slouched, as if he felt defeated and scared. Evelyn tore her worried gaze from her father and turned to her brothers who were trying to lift the heavy chest to bring into the home. She tried to help, but they refused because it was too laborious and asked her to take care of the horse.

Evelyn would have protested, saying that she would have been able to handle the weight, regardless of her size, but she was too frazzled with all that had happened that day to be bothered with their remark. So she grabbed the horse's reigns and guided it to a little barn that they had made when they first settled on the little patch of land they now called home.

She ran her hands down the creature's neck as she enjoyed the warm light of the setting sun filter into the windows of the barn. She wanted to stay as long as she could in the barn, petting the horse with nothing but the sound of his steady breathing filling the air. The fear that had been building up ever since her father's departure had grown greatly in the past few minutes.

She knew something was wrong.

The look of fear and distress in her father's eyes when he glanced down at the rose had only confirmed that theory.

She glanced down at the beautiful rose in her other hand and wondered what harm a little thing could have caused.

She thought back to her father's words: 'Little you know what this rose has cost.'

She shivered involuntarily as the words echoed inside her head.

She placed the rose down on the beam of the stall decided to get to work so she could finally confront her father on the many questions that had already started forming in her mind.

She took off the horse's reigns and he neighed happily, she giggled as he nudged her thankfully with his muzzle. She then proceeded to his saddle and, with satisfaction she would have flaunted toward her brothers, lifted the saddle with ease. She smiled to herself before her eyes caught something fall gracefully to the floor.

She put away the saddle and picked up the piece of parchment warily. A seal of a snake was already broken and her fingers traced its waxy surface before opening it.

The household was filled with voices as each one of the children marveled at the sights within the chest. The children held each piece in their hand carefully while inspecting its beauty before passing it down to the next person to admire. All the while the Father sat silently watching his kids, but his mind was on other things. So much so that he didn't even notice Evelyn's absence until she came bursting into the house.

"It isn't proper to come ramming into the house like a beast, Evelyn." Loretta sneers after she jumped from her sister's sudden presence.

Evelyn didn't say a word, but was trying to catch her breath from the sprint she just made to the house.

"What took you so long?" Xavier asked, "Father was making us wait for you to return to tell us what happened on his journey."

Evelyn ignored her brother and only stared at her father, who was still staring at the floor in deep thought.

"What is this?" Her voice was quiet, but the fear that was laced in her words were enough to bring her father out of his trance.

His eyes met hers before landing on the off-white parchment shaking in her hands, and his face paled noticeably.