Monster- Loki Laufeyson

Chapter 7

A few days passed and things had eased up around the castle. Amelia would have Thor and Bruce lead her on tours around the grounds as she marveled in awe of her new home.

Home.

There was the word again, the one that had plagued Amelias thoughts since she had first arrived. If she was as truly trapped here as she felt, was this castle her home? Where these teapots and knickknacks becoming her family?

Shaking the thought away, the young woman turned her attention back to the dress she was putting on. It was a pale pink, with lace trim and many, fluffy like layers. The dress sat off of her shoulders, framing her collarbones. The skirt on the other hand went down to mid calf, being modest enough for the traditional aspects of the castle. Her hair was curled from the braids she had in the day before and they lay rested upon her shoulders. Light makeup dawned her features, bringing out the light in her eyes.

"Well, don't you look lovely my dear." Wanda said, taking a look at the girl in front of her who had quickly become a woman. Natasha chimed in. "I might have a pair of heels you can borrow, if you'd be interested."

Amelia eagerly nodded, sending the girl away to fetch the shoes. The young woman looked herself in the mirror and couldn't believe what she was looking. The rose necklace still laid on her chest, her fingers quickly finding their way back to the pendent. She smiled, finding herself getting lost in the memories of her time before the castle.

"You ok there, sweetie?" Wandas quiet voice broke through the silence. Amelia, not even realizing that she was crying quickly pushed her tears away and picked up her hairbrush, needing to do something with her hands.

"I'm fine, just perfect." She mumbled, putting even more rouge on her cheeks just as Natasha came back into the room, lugging a pair of rose heels in behind her. "I could use a little help her!" She yelled out into the room, causing a giggle to erupt from Amelias lips. She quickly stood, grabbing the shoes from Natasha and slipping them on.

Looking in the mirror, she didn't even recognize the person looking back at her. What happened to the Beetles listening, coffee drinking and book reading quiet girl she was just days ago? Who is this woman looking back at her, wearing ballgowns and living in a castle? What happened to her??

"Oh dearie i'm sorry but I think the Master needs us for something. Feel free to show yourself around the castle, anywhere you wish. Ring the bell if you need anything!!" Wanda said, rushing out of the room with Natasha and Peter close on her heels.

"Alone at last." Amelia thought, picking up her skirts slightly and walking off. As she rounded her way through the endless hallways, she found herself in a large throne room. Everything seemed to loom over her head as she walked further in. Nothing was in the room except a large throne, sitting the middle of the room. Gold surrounding it on all sides, looking fit for a king. Amelias mind couldn't help but wander to who might have sat in this throne before the curse struck.

A few days ago, Wanda had sat down with Amelia and explained what had happened to the palace and everyone in it. Their memories, their lives, everything taken away in an instant. Hearing the story from someone it truly affected, hurt Amelia, but thinking about how hurt Loki must have been hurt much worse. The poor boy was only 17 years old, he was still a child. Don't we teach our children to not answer the door to strangers? Especially at night?? He didn't deserve this, none of them did. The only part Wanda refused to tell Amelia was how to break the curse. Natasha had said there was a way, but none would tell her. Something about not wanting to put pressure on Amelia.

Shortly, Amelia left the throne room only to find herself in a part of the castle she had never seen before. It was dark and threatening, nothing like the sunlight filled hallways that she was in just moments prior. The walls were filled with paintings of people now past, princesses, princes, kings, queens and lords all long gone. One in particular caught the you girls eye. The painting was of two brothers. One with golden hair and the hair with hair and eyes as dark as the night sky. This black haired man caught her attention, his eyes were so captivating she couldn't look away. It was almost like she had seen him before. He was standing up, one arm wrapped around his brother with a smile plastered on his face. He seemed genuinely happy.

A small flash of light caught her attention and moved her away from the painting and even deeper into the belly of the beast. Moving in, she found herself in a room with three story glass ceilings all covered in beautiful stained glass. But the architecture wasn't what had her attention. In the canter of the room, trapped under a glass cover stood a small rose with only 2 petals left. Curiosity took Amelia over and she moved to ever so slightly touch the lid.

"What on earth are you doing in here? Get away from that, you don't know what you're doing!" Loki yelled, appearing behind her, and ripping her away from the rose. The amount force behind the shove was enough to push Amelia back down the three steps it took to get to the rose. She landed on her wrist, bending it the wrong way. She looked up at the frost giant, shock and fear written across her face. No words were exchanged before Amelia took off and ran from the room, holding her wrist to her chest.

She flew through the hallways and back to the front door, where she had come in just days before. "Lady Amelia?" Thor asked, her group of friends coming out from the kitchen, watching as she took off towards the door. Wanda took notice of her expression and how she was holding her hand, something had happened. Something bad.

"I refuse to stay in the castle for one more moment. I'd rather die." Amelia said, ripping the front door open and letting in a gust of snow. "Amelia, please don't do this." Said Peter, his voice quieter than a mouse. She shook her head before rushing out the door, not once looking back.

As she raced through the empty streets, she tried searching for the road that would carry her home but failed to find it. Feeling as if she was running in circles, she finally look a different turn and ended up in some woods. Feeling very uneasy, she grabbed a fallen tree branch to hold in front of her, slowly creeping her way further into the woods.

That's when she heard it. The growling.

Wolves.

They quickly surrounded her on all sides, not leaving any room to escape. The growling kept growing louder and louder and Amelia held her tree branch tighter, ready to fight to the death. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the attack, but it never came.

Instead she opened her eyes to find Loki, attacking the wolves and keeping them away from her. She quickly got behind a tree, still grasping the branch. The wolves attacked Loki from all sides, one getting a good bite on his arm, drawing blood. Amelia cringed.

Loki was finally down to one last wolf, both circling each other. The wolf howled up to the sky and charged Loki head on. Yet, the giant was much smart and pushed himself to the side, breathing ice onto the wolf, effectively freezing it to death. Loki dropped to his knees, breathing heavily. The blood from his wound not having slowed yet, he would bleed out in a matter of minutes.

Amelia stood from behind her tree, and turned to run away. And she almost did, except this time she looked behind her and saw the monster, no, the man that saved her and couldn't leave him there to die. Quietly, she walked over to him and kneeled down.

"I'm going to help you, but you have to help me do so. Put your arm around my shoulder." She whispered, helping the giant stand. Now the closest together they'd ever been, she found how tall he truly was, towering inches above her. Silently, the two made their way back to the castle.

Together.