HALF THE WORLD AWAY
iii. DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES
❝I WON'T LET HER HURT YOU.❞

THE MOST GLORIOUS AND TASTEFUL MEALS HAD BEEN CREATED FOR THE SPECIAL OCCASION — the head chefs, Etta and Vihaan, had spent day and night studying Asgardian cuisine and it seemed to be time well spent. Yet, despite their hard work, the dinner wasn't going as expected. In fact, Katrina felt as if she was suffocating as she pushed around the dumpling on her plate with her fork. She could feel King Odin's intense gaze upon her, but she tried her best to ignore it. He had been seated at the far end of the table while King Arman, her father, sat at the other end of the table. Katrina's mother, Queen Hira, was seated at his right hand while she was seated next to her mother. Across her Katrina, Thor sat while his friends and family were seated near Odin's side of the table. It was an awkward sitting arrangement due to the empty seats scattered here and there, but it was bearable.

It seemed that everyone was on the edge of discomfort — hard to ignore the bad blood between Asgard and Meridian. After all, the two entities had been at war with each other for a thousand years. Katrina could see the hatred that lingered in both King Arman and King Odin's stern expressions. However, Prince Loki seemed to find amusement in their current situation since the grin on his face never faltered. Katrina stole a glance towards Prince Thor, but quickly averted her gaze when she realized that he had already been watching her with a soft smile. Her cheeks burned, but her blush went unnoticed due to her tan complexion.

"So, tell us something about yourself, Katrina," Queen Frigga spoke up, using a soft voice but one that had silenced everyone else.

Katrina felt blind panic as everyone's heads turned to her, awaiting her answer. Her eyes scanned the dining room until her brown eyes landed on the painted scenery on the ceiling. "Well, I, uh, enjoy painting," Katrina blurted out. Her words had caused Loki to almost burst out in laughter as he covered his mouth to hide his smile. It was so obvious to him that Katrina was dying in her seat while no one else took notice — except for him. She cleared her throat, trying to ignore Loki. "Yes, I like to paint in my spare time."

"Marvelous!" Thor's loud voice thundered throughout the large dining room as he gave Katrina a warm smile. He looked at his friends. "Perhaps, Princess Katrina would be willing to paint all of us one day?"

"Wonderful idea, Thor!" Volstagg stated in his loud and gruff voice, but it danced on the edge of amusement. He flashed Katrina a smile, but then reached for his long bread. "Though, I may have to trim this long mane first."

Katrina's eyes cast downward as she tightened her grip on her fork, trying to distract herself from the nervousness that she felt. Prince Thor and his friends made her nervous — almost to the verge of uncomfortableness. She didn't know how she should act around them. Katrina wanted them to like her and that had caused her to tell a lie, something that she knew would come back to haunt her. After all, she couldn't paint. Hell, she couldn't even draw a straight line without messing up.

"Enough about useless hobbies, I want to know more about the curse that's on your daughter," King Odin spoke up staring straight at King Arman. Immediately, everyone had quieted down as they took in the tension between the two Kings. Queen Hira and Queen Frigga both picked up their glasses of wine and took a sip, knowing that their husbands had bad blood. It was hard to forget the last thousand years, but they were making some effort.

"The curse comes from my side of the family," Queen Hira spoke up, placing a gentle hand on her husband's arm. "If I'm being honest, I don't know much about the curse. It had been placed upon our bloodline after my grandmother did something to anger the Goddess of Death. I didn't know my grandmother. Nor, did I know my mother. My father told me that my mother had gone mad due to the curse... She had ended her own life shortly after I was born. But, uh, I do know that the curse skips generations, so I was spared, but my sweet Katrina wasn't."

Looks of sympathetic were given to Katrina, but she kept her eyes focused on her mother. Her expression was full of sadness and glimpses of guilt as she wiped away the few tears that had fallen. However, King Odin seemed unfazed by Hira's story as he continued to stare.

"And, how do you know?" Odin asked, narrowing his eyes. He seemed skeptical about the curse, but Katrina could see why. It seemed unbelievable that the Goddess of Death would curse strangers in a different realm. However, it seemed as if Odin knew much much more than he was letting on.

"She was marked..." Queen Hira whispered, keeping her eyes cast downward. King Arman gripped her arm, hoping to comfort his wife who was on the verge of breaking down. "When Katrina was born, we truly thought that the curse had skipped her as well, but it had appeared a few hours after."

"The Goddess of Death will never hurt you on my watch," Thor reassured as he reached across the table and placed a hand on top of Katrina's, giving it a tight squeeze. Her brown eyes stared at their interlocked hands for a few moments before she looked up to meet Thor's ocean blue eyes. He flashed her a smile. "I promise, Princess Katrina."

"Thank you, Prince Thor," Katrina whispered softly, giving him a tight-lipped smile before she pulled her hand away from his. She had no doubt that Prince Thor and his friends were capable of fighting the most vicious villains in the universe, but would he be able to provide anything other than protection? She sighed softly, glancing down at her manicured nails that were painted a soft blue. She had them done the day before with Alis — the latter had her nails painted red. She would miss the days that she could simply sit with Alis and paint each other's nails, but her simple life would be no more. She had to think of Meridian's future now.

Queen Frigga smiled at the interaction between Katrina and Thor, but Loki found himself rolling his eyes. He had spent the majority of the dinner studying the group, taking mental notes and figuring out what made everyone tick. "I'm sure Thor will have no problem protecting Katrina," Loki spoke, causing the attention to shift towards him. "After all, Asgard is much safer than Meridian."

"Loki," Queen Frigga warned gently, knowing that her son had the tendency to set situations ablaze. Loki liked to misbehave and that had almost caused Odin to leave the boy at home, but had decided against it due to his wife's wishes.

"What? It's true!" Loki chuckled, shaking his head. He earned glares from everyone in the room, but he continued. "If Father truly wanted to, he could have laid waste to Meridian in a single day. But, here we are, forming an alliance instead! I really do not see how having Thor marry Princess Katrina is a better way to gain control of Meridian."

"Loki!" Odin snapped, slamming his fist against the dining table. It had scared everyone else in the room, but Loki did not flinch at his father's harsh tone.

"Prince Loki is right," Katrina spoke up, staring at Loki's smug expression. She narrowed her eyes, feeling a surge of courage. She loved Meridian. It was her home. She would not allow anyone to disrespect it. "Meridian is on its deathbed and it would not have stood a chance against Asgard's armies. But, due to King Odin's kindness, he graciously decided that an alliance between our two kingdoms could end the war. Due to this marriage, countless lives will be saved. We may be under Asgard's control, but my people, my culture, and my kingdom will still be here."

It was as if a wave of silence had swept over the guests as they stared at Katrina in shock. Queen Frigga broke out of her trance first. "Spoken like a true queen, my dear," Frigga stated as she lifted her glass to give a toast to Katrina. "Your selflessness and love for your kingdom is very admirable. I know that you will be a worthy princess for Asgard."

King Arman nodded, giving his daughter a proud smile. However, it seemed that King Odin's mood had been spoiled by Loki's words. The tension was high, but everyone tried their best to ignore it.

"Say, how long have you been a warrior, Thor?" King Arman asked, wanting to know more about the legendary Thor. It seemed as if they had heard thousands of stories about him, but had never gotten to know who he truly was as a person.

Thor grinned, enjoying the fact that the attention was now on him. "All my life, I suppose," He answered, glancing toward Katrina to see if she was paying attention to him. "I've wanted to be a warrior since I was a child and to be able to protect my home and loved ones. Ah, but slaying enemies is fun on its own as well."

"Well said," Lady Sif added, giving Thor a warm smile. She was beautiful and, seemingly, the perfect match for Thor. It was a surprise that the two weren't getting married instead. Perhaps, they were just friends or the two were involved with each other. Katrina did not know or care. She was marrying Thor to save Meridian and that was all that mattered to her. Sif stole a glance at Katrina's nonchalant expression. "Sometimes, our journeys last months at a time."

Fandral let out a bellowing laugh as he patted Sif's back. "Our recent adventure was the most enjoyable! We slew hundreds of ogres—"

Katrina stopped listening to Fandral, causing his voice to fade into the background. It seemed that everyone was engrossed in their stories, but Katrina found herself watching the golden sunset. Soft orange light from outside filled the room and illuminated the golden chandelier above them, causing it to sparkle and send hundreds of different colors around the room. Katrina smiled at the sight of the lights but found her gaze drifting towards her husband-to-be.

It seemed that Prince Thor had sensed her gaze and looked toward as well. Her dark brown eyes met his striking blue ones which led Katrina to take in a deep breath. He smiled at her, causing her to feel butterflies in her stomach. It was a feeling that she could not explain. Katrina had read about these elusive butterflies in her books but had never experienced them for herself. She wasn't sure if she liked the feeling or not.

"Thor," Volstagg called out.

But, Thor seemed to be in a trance as he continued to stare at Katrina. It caused the group to chuckle, but one person decided to reach out and give him a shove. He huffed, tearing his eyes away from Katrina. "What is it?"

"As I was trying to say before, do you remember the drunken man we met a few days ago?" Volstagg continued.

Thor chuckled, nodding his head. "How could I forget? He wanted to marry Hogun."

Hogun, who had been quiet for the majority of the conversation, groaned as he shook his head. "I'm glad you find the situation amusing. I was the one who was chased down and being forced to marry a man I just met! He had even arranged a priest,"

While the Warriors Three, Lady Sif, and Thor laughed about their past adventures, Frigga and Odin seemed to be whispering among each other. King Arman and Queen Hira were engaged in a hushed conversation as well. Loki seemed more interested in the ocean outside, ignoring everyone else in the room. Katrina, however, observed everyone as she tried to figure out their personalities. They were a mystery that she needed to crack.

After a few minutes, Queen Frigga cleared her throat, gaining everyone's attention. She smiled. "Arman, Hira, wouldn't you agree that Katrina and Thor should spend some time alone? Be able to get to know one another?"

Katrina froze, immediately turning to her parents. She prayed that they would deny Queen Frigga's request, but they seemed ecstatic instead. Her eyes drifted to Thor who was already standing and prepared to leave. "Where should we go?" Thor asked, not knowing the layout of the castle.

"Meridian is beautiful, why don't you two stroll around the city?" Queen Hira suggested, smiling at her daughter. She knew that it had been a very long time since her daughter had left the palace's walls. The city surrounding the palace was the safest due to the many guards that strolled the area. She was positive that Katrina would be safe — especially in Prince Thor's company.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, my love," King Arman muttered, shaking his head. "It's too dangerous for Katrina and it'll be dark soon..."

"Katrina will be fine with Prince Thor," Hira countered, placing a gentle hand on her husband's arm. Thor grinned, gesturing to his Mjolnir that hung from his waist.

"Please, let them," Queen Frigga added, giving King Arman a smile that was full of reassurance. It would be hard to say no to her.

It seemed that Frigga's charm had worked on the King as he slowly nodded his head. "Be back before sundown. I will send the guards to retrieve you if you're out too late."

Thor immediately stood, once having King Arman's blessing. Katrina followed suit, surprised that her father had agreed to such a request. It had been so long since she's been outside the palace walls that she had almost forgotten what Meridian truly looked like.

"Have fun, you two," Loki's bored tone echoed in the room as he waved goodbye to Thor and Katrina. He would have loved to leave as well, but it seemed that he was stuck there till further notice.

Katrina felt nervous. But, it wasn't because she was alone with Prince Thor. No, it was about leaving the safety of the palace. For centuries, there had been very close observation of who entered and left the palace. Her parents had taken every precaution to keep her safe, but now, they were just letting her out. Her eyes wandered to Prince Thor, walking proudly beside her as he greeted every staff member.  Though, she had to admit that she did feel safe with him around since no one would be brave enough to go against the mighty Thor. Katrina couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips as she walked past the palace doors and into the city that she had missed.

♡

I'VE MADE A MAJOR CHANGE TO THIS STORY and it's really obvious, but I have changed Katrina's faceclaim to Sonam Kapoor. I feel like Priyanka Chopra did not fit anymore and I just felt uncomfortable with her as the faceclaim. Now, it's the lovely Sonam Kapoor and I feel like she fits Katrina a lot better.

I know that updates are coming out extremely slow for this story and the rest of my stories, but I am trying my best. It's been rough for me with this writer's block that's been plaguing me for SO long, but I am going to kick its ass.

Anyways, I hope this chapter was enjoyable! I haven't changed much, but the whole chapter was rewritten with 2019!Amara's writing and I hope it's better than 2017!Amara's writing.

— AMARA
original CHAPTER POSTED — 08.26.2017
rewrite CHAPTER POSTED — 09.14.2019