Although Katja and Loki thought that the en suite was dusty, the stairwell was practically made of dust. As the two trudged downward, Loki began to fall behind, his footfalls quieter than before and Katja could only tell by his breathing that he was behind her. It began to get dark, Katja only being able to make out the next couple steps, so Loki conjured a torch, its bright light unveiled that they had almost reached the bottom of the stairwell. Katja's patchwork shoe touched the cobblestone floor and Loki soon joined her by her side. 

"I know what this is if you would like to continue the tour," Loki whispered, almost not wanting to disturb the scary silence that the new setting had created. 

"Let us go, I do not like the feeling of this room." Katja grabbed his hand and tried to lead him back onto the stairs but he wouldn't budge.

"I never did either." 

"Loki you need not tell me. I can tell it brings you pain." Katja tried again, but he seemed to be glued to the ground.

"But I must tell you, Katja, when you asked why do I hate myself, it is not only my appearance that brings me pain but my entire life. From the moment I was born I was living under two shadows: Odin, who I was trying to live up to, and my brother, Thor, who I tried to outshine. Constantly I was pushed aside and time and time again Thor was praised for my doings and I was punished for his mistakes." Loki walked across the cold room and lifted something quite heavy, the clanking of metal made clear what it was. He moved the torch to it and the yellow glow revealed cuffs to the wall.

"I have had to bear the burden of these shackles for too long." He turned towards Katja, "These were mine, this room was my private dungeon in the Winter Castle, but now it seems that the Winter Castle is my private dungeon. It's funny, I always wondered how mother was able to visit me so often. It didn't strike me that our rooms were connected."

"Loki you do not need to wear these shackles anymore. Come, Loki, I beg you, let's leave!" She took the chain from his hand and dropped it to the floor, the impact causing the old, rusted cuff to form a crack.

"Katja, you don't understand! I may not be in the prisons but I am still a prisoner. I am still the monster I was, save for now the outside matches the inside!" Loki snapped out the torch and his piercing, blood red eyes cut through the darkness and stared straight at Katja, startling her so that she jumped and backed into the wall.

"Even you who I trusted is afraid of me. I'm not Asgardian because of what is lacking in my blood, but because of what is missing in my heart. You may think you can fix me but I am a dying animal, so leave me in my peace." He turned from her, and Katja knew better than to bother him. She found it funny, how he apologized earlier for being dramatic and yet he still was. Some things never change. 

Katja left the dungeon, left the en suite, and then walked into the library, the gleam in her eye and confidence in her step meant that she had a plan. So she sat at the nearest desk and drafted a letter, giving it to Dagrun to be delivered. 

++++++

"Gods, it disheartens me to see you, Tormod, looking so hurt and despaired. " Teodor clambered up beside Tormod, who was taking an angry stroll through the town. 

"Over what? A girl? Tormod, you know that she can't compare." The two pass under an archway, where several young ladies have their bare legs hanging down from above and Tormod caressed one of them, she gasped, but once Tormod reveals himself, the girl giggled. 

"Every man in town is just half of the man you are, look at me I barely reach your thigh," he then poked Tormod's leg. "Everyone here wants to be with you, Tormod, and it's not very hard to see why!"

"Teodor, she didn't want to be with me!"

"Yes, but-"

"She wants the chase!"

"Yes, but-"

"And that makes her the best prey!"

"Yes, but-"

"Don't I deserve the best?" Tormod crossed his arms, towering over Teodor. "Right from the moment when I talked with her, I thought 'she's gorgeous' and I fell. Here in town no one can see, just how beautiful she can be, so I'm making plans to have her forcefully wed to me!" Tormod spread his arms wide and the townspeople cheered.

And suddenly some fool ran through the village, screaming.

++++++

It was after lunch when the weather began to change and Loki realized something was wrong. Rain began to fall in large fat drops, the impact on the roof of the castle creating low echoes. But the odd part was that it was summer, and rain hardly falls during the summer in Asgard. Loki had run off since the rain had started and Katja was too preoccupied to chase after him. She was busy cleaning the dishes with her sister and Dagrun. 

"So," Katja began putting a plate under the water, "how are you treating my sister? Nothing I should know about yet?" Katja handed it over to Ingenbjorn who was drying them. 

"No, my lady, the wedding isn't until next month."

"Honey, she isn't invited! Don't tell her!"Ingenbjorn put the dried plate aside.

Katja splashed water at Ingenbjorn. "Hey, now I was only looking out for you and Dagrun, please. But I seriously must be invited to your wedding. I will be there even if I don't have an invite! And do please call me Katja."

"Katja, is there anything Ingenbjorn did as a little child? Any funny stories?" Dagrun sat on top of the kitchen counter, with Katja helping with the dishes, she had nothing to do. 

"I am glad you asked. This one time Ingenbjorn decided to go out with me into the forest-"

"NO! NOT THIS STORY!" Ingenbjorn put her hand over Katja's mouth and kicked her out of the kitchen. 

Katja knew that she would tell Dagrun the story later that night anyway, so, for now, she went in search of Loki.

Katja could faintly hear thunder in the distance when she found him. He was hiding under his desk in his room, curled up into a ball, his legs sticking out of the end. 

She giggled and tickled his feet, "Loki what are you doing down there?"

Kicking her hand away Loki replied, "Leave me alone, I'm trying to hide."

"From what?"

"No." He tucked his head in between his arms. 

"Why thank you for answering my question."

"Phour." His voice came out muffled. 

"What?"

"Thor! I am hiding from Thor! Can't you see what's happening, first the rain, and now the thunder that is approaching?" He popped out of the desk. "I have a room downstairs where I make my potions, if you hide with me down there, at least we will have protection. We need protection." He grabbed her arm and tried to lead her downstairs. 

"Loki, you are being ridiculous. When was the last time you saw him even?" She let him pull her down the spiral staircase that led to the lookout where Katja stole his jacket. 

"The last time I saw him was at the ball. The last time we held a conversation was when he abandoned me here!" Oh, right. Katja forgot about that. 

"Maybe it is time to make amends?"

"The only thing I am making is a fort to hide in!" The thunder crashed much louder and Loki whimpered. Katja found it adorable how scared he was. He tucked himself under the chair and blankets he had set up.

Then all of a sudden it stopped. The rain and the thunder were replaced my a heavy knock on the door. "Scoot over, Loki." Katja climbed under the blanket with him. 

"You are so lucky that I am not leaving you defenceless right now. You're welcome."

"Thank you."

"See? Always have protection. Admit that my fears were not irrational."

"Fine, they were perfectly-"

"LOKI? WHERE ARE YOU BROTHER?" Loki put his hand over Katja's mouth and cradled her into his side at the sound of the outburst. 

"Stay very quiet. If he cannot hear us, and Dagrun doesn't know where we are, then we might be safe." Katja would be lying if she said that she didn't like being this close to Loki, she just disliked that he was using her for a shield. 

"Brother, you know I can hear you."

"If we keep quiet, maybe he will forget," Loki whispered into Katja's ear, his breath sending chills down her spine. 

Thor lifted the blanket that was used as cover and Loki dropped Katja onto the floor, snapped his fingers, and vanished. 

"Just a moment, your majesty. " Katja used her tattoo to return him to the room. 

"Katja, I said no." Loki vanished again and Katja summoned him again.

"Loki, this is important."

"No."

This continued for quite some time, and Thor found it hilarious. His brother was just as before, bickering and being moody, the girl was stubborn and went along with his antics. Yet, both acted like small children. Eventually, their fight had ended with Katja placing her fingers in between Loki's so that they were holding hands, but also preventing Loki from using a spell to disappear again. 

"Loki, I wrote a letter to his majesty last night. Now his majesty has arrived, so perhaps it is best to listen to what he has to say."

"I need not listen to my brother." Loki crossed his arms. Thor laughed.

"Brother I am glad to see that you are behaving like your old self, long has it been since Asgard saw such temperament!" Thor laughed and clapped Loki on the back, "And may I add that your new wife is such a pleasure and compliments you quite fittingly! Much better than the girl from the ball, my taste was never that stellar." Loki's face became deep indigo and his gaze flicked to Katja who was just as embarassed as he. 

Thor turned towards Katja, "And please, my lady, Thor will do."

"As will Katja." She said and curtseyed. 

"Say, brother, where did you meet this fine specimen."

Loki smirked, "Why, brother, we meet at the ball."

Thor's face fell, "Oh Gods! Lady Katja, a thousand apologies! I did not recognize you from that night and I must admit that alcohol did not serve me well. Yet, Loki had some nerve as to not invite me to the ceremony!" He boomed and Loki's vials of poisons began to shake on their shelves. 

Loki sighed, his cheeks still purple, "Thor, we are not yet married, we haven't even begun courting." Katja pinched her nose in an attempt to hide her face. 

"I'm sorry for the embarrassment I have caused, yet Lady Katja, I was certain by the manner which you wrote about Loki in your letter that surely you were married and once I saw mother's ring upon your finger I thought it true. A hundred apologies." Thor bowed his head, and Loki shot Katja a look, his eyebrows raised and his classic grin on his face. 

"Thor, perhaps you would continue the discussion in the drawing room? It is quite ill-mannered to be speaking in private quarters." Katja suggested, already making her way up the stairs.

"Brother, I do say, had I not a maiden, I would surely marry yours." Thor attempted to whisper to Loki, but his voice was still loud. Katja blushed at Thor's mistake. Katja certainly wouldn't mind being Loki's maiden, yet she still was unsure how she felt with him. Loki was sweet and true, yet dramatic and unforgiving. He treated her poorly the night of the ball, but even then he was not overly rude. 

"Katja is not my maiden, nor will I ever have one, brother have you forgotten my curse so fast?" Katja's heart sank. How could she forget that Loki is incapable of love? He has shown kindness, but the two were not to be mistaken. 

They reached the dining room and Katja excused herself and entered the nearest room, which happened to be the Cyzicene hall. She left the brothers abruptly, without much reason why, but she needed to get away. 

She sat down on one of the benches that faced north, overlooking the gardens yet again. Although she was attacked there, she couldn't help but admire the beauty of the topiary and roses from above. The whole spectacle was new to her, she never had a garden of her own, let alone one as lush as the one before her. 

Katja wanted to go home, to wake up and realize that this was all a dream and that her abusive father was still alive and that she was living a much simpler life. She did not want to live a life with princes that she will never understand.  But she couldn't return home, Katja was a murderer and by now someone would have found her father's body, perhaps the bartender. And while she knew that she was imposing on Loki, she hoped that he was enjoying himself around her and maybe she wasn't being a bother. But after his comments today with Thor, she didn't know what to do. 

Katja did know that she liked Loki. 

Katja did know that she was afraid of liking Loki. 

And Katja now knows that Loki doesn't like her.

She hardly even noticed the faint teardrops on her hands as her heart broke into pieces. She cried more than she ever had before and became angry with herself. She knew more about Loki than anyone else, aside from Thor, yet Loki hardly knew anything about her. It was no wonder that Loki took no interest in her, he hardly knew her. 

But Katja was worried that he may not want to know her. 

"You know the roses were my mother's favourite." Katja was startled at the sound of Loki's voice. He put his blue hand on her shoulder and his chin on the top of her head. 

"So I've heard." Katja sniffled and rubbed her eyes. 

"Sunshine, why are you crying? Is it something I've done?" Loki asked, concerned. His hair fell onto Katja's face, it's black whisps made her skin tingle. 

"Do not worry yourself over it."

"I always worry about you and now that you're crying, I am even more worried. Please, tell me what's wrong? What can I do to help you?"

Katja turned to face him, her eyes now the ones that were red. "Are you that incapable of love?"

"I am." His face softened, his brows no longer furrowed, but his eyes held pity and self-hate. 

"Then kiss me, I doubt you."