HALF THE WORLD AWAY
vii. THE STRUGGLES OF A POLITICAL MARRIAGE
❝DESPITE IT ALL, I CARE FOR YOU.❞

"YOU SHOULD CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY, PRINCESS KATRINA." It was the first thing the healer, Myria, had said after she had finished examining Katrina. Her cold nimble fingers remained on the tender skin around the princess' neck, causing her to shiver as she kept her eyes turned toward the ceiling. "Nothing's broken," Myria said, moving her hands to Katrina's jaw as she turned her head from side to side. "Any bruises should heal before the wedding day, so I wouldn't worry too much."

"Thank you," Katrina mumbled softly, feeling the woman's hands leave her skin. But, she could still feel the burn of the scratches the assassin had left. It was something she wasn't used to. If anyone on Meridian dared to leave a mark on her, they would be arrested and dealt with before the pain had time to set in. The only injuries Katrina was used to were the ones where she would trip over her massive ballgowns ━━ though, the guards had learned to catch her before she could fall ━━ and the papercuts she would get from the pages of her novel. But, this was something new. And, in all honesty, it scared Katrina.

Sif's dark brown eyes had not left Katrina or the healer, watching the latter's every move to assure she wouldn't hurt the dainty princess sitting on the stone bench. Her arms were crossed over her chest, shifting every so often with unreleased energy the warrior was harboring. Katrina was sure Sif had a million other things she would rather be doing, but she still stayed to protect her. And, Katrina did appreciate it.

"Where is she?!"

Thor's booming shout sounded from beyond the open doors, causing the three women in the room to share a look. Myria moved to the side, bowing her head before the Prince of Asgard could enter the room. And when he did with his younger brother Loki, his eyes immediately darted to Katrina. He rushed toward her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder as he looked over her for any lasting injuries. "What happened?" he asked first, but before Katrina could answer, a string of questions left his lips. "Who did this to you? How badly are you hurt? Do you wish to return home?"

"Maybe let her get a word in?" Loki said, twirling a dagger in his hands as he leaned against the wall near the entryway. He wore a nonchalant expression, keeping his green eyes focused on the clean blade.

"Right," Thor cleared his throat, looking back at Katrina. He leaned down. It forced Katrina to meet his deep blue eyes, causing her to take in a shaky breath at how close he stood. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes," Katrina stammered, feeling her throat dry as she forced herself to look away from the man. He smelt of sweat and blood, a consequence of the battle. Though, it did not seem as if he minded as he smiled at her response.

"Are you sure?"

"She's fine," Sif answered that time, moving forward as she let out a heavy sigh. She stole a glance at Katrina before looking up at Thor again. "We managed to escape before anything unfortunate could have occurred, but I hope you would be more careful next time."

Despite the slight scolding, Thor still nodded his head. "Thank you, Sif."

"It is my duty," Sif said, returning Thor's nod with a solemn one of her own. With that, the woman left the room after saying her goodbyes. She mentioned something about finding the tratiors to the guards, but her voice faded before Katrina could catch anything else.

It was Loki to break the silence Sif had left in her wake, causing the attention to drift to him. "Well, no harm is done then," Loki grinned, stashing his dagger away as he made his way to the couple. His tone held hints of amusement, but it made sense since he was the God of Mischief. Though, Katrina wondered what he had done to earn him such a title. She was sure there was a story behind it, and the woman wanted to hear it. Loki gave her a small smile as if he had read her thoughts before he looked to the healer, Myria, who still stood silently. "You are excused."

"Thank you, my Prince," Myria said, giving them all a quick bow. She gave Katrina a small smile and a wave before leaving the room with her supplies but left some Asgardian healing paste for the princess to take.

Once Myria had left, Thor let out a huff filled with frustration. "If I am honest, I thought I had lost you, Katrina," Thor confessed, stealing a glance at Katrina's unchanging expression. "I know our marriage is only a political arrangement, and it must mean nothing to you, but I want to make the most of it if the two of us are forced into it. I may not love you, but I do care about you. It is my duty to protect you and I failed."

She blinked, not knowing how to respond to such words from a man she barely knew. It felt as if she was the main character in one of her romance novels ━━ a princess falling for a knight in shining armor. It was a familiar fairytale and one she was accustomed to, but this felt too real. It felt awkward and made Katrina feel as if she was suffocating. She did not hate Thor, nor did she mind the idea of marrying him. But, she felt as if her life had been written by someone else. She felt as if she did not hold the pen, but some stranger did.

Still, she smiled and nodded her head. "Thank you, Prince Thor," the woman whispered, stealing a glance at Loki, who had silently watched the scene unfold. "I care for you as well and..." Katrina trailed off, looking at her hands that had the smallest cuts from the battle, "I am truly sorry you are being forced into this arrangement. I know you are losing the most, considering Asgard would have won the war regardless. Asgard has nothing to gain from an alliance with a dying planet."

"An alliance will benefit us all," Thor reassured softly, placing his hand on Katrina's shoulder before he gave it a slight squeeze. "It will be worth it in the end."

"Great, we've gotten all the melodrama out of the way," Loki huffed, bored out of his mind. "If anything, Katrina should be trained if she is to live on Asgard for the rest of her days. I won't be surprised if more assassins try to, well, assassinate her."

"How strange is it for us to be attacked by assassins?" Thor muttered, voicing his thoughts as he pulled away from Katrina to face his brother. "The only ones who knew of Katrina's coming to Asgard were the two of us, mother and father, and Sif."

Loki shrugged his shoulders, giving Thor his usual smirk. "I can only imagine they were in the crowd when you foolishly announced Katrina, the princess of our rivaling planet, was there."

"No, this was organized," Thor spat out, becoming riled by Loki's condescending tone. "We can not have future attacks like this. It will not look good to either the people of Asgard or Meridian."

"I'm sure the people of Asgard would love to see Katrina's head on a pike," Loki reminded, causing Katrina to wince at the imagery. If anything, she felt as if she had stepped into dangerous territory and could not trust anyone around her.

"Loki," Thor scolded, shaking his head. He seemed to hold his tongue, leaving Katrina to wonder what was running through the blonde-haired man's mind. "I will tell Father of these attacks. He will determine the fate of the assassins that were caught today; the others will be found soon enough."

Katrina kept quiet, listening to Thor and Loki bicker about the possible origin of the assassins. Thor was convinced the attack was an inside job while Loki leaned more toward the coincidental side. Katrina saw both their sides, listened to both their arguments. Yet, she did not know who she leaned more toward. But, she knew she did not want to believe it could have been an inside job. She did not wish to distrust and fear the people around her.

"Loki, our family has seen enough tragedy!" Thor gritted out, catching Katrina's attention with his harsh words. His words were crypt, but it seemed as if Loki knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Don't you dare!"

"I understand you are still in mourning over her disappearance," Thor sighed, shaking his head in visible grief. However, it seemed to enrage Loki, who had closed his hands into tight stark-white fists. Katrina frowned, wondering who they were talking about.

"Whose disappearance?" Katrina asked, causing Thor to look in her direction. She kept her eyes between the two men, filling curiosity fill her at the mystery the two spoke of.

"Nadia Mar━━"

"Do not say her name!" Loki snapped as he almost struck Thor, keeping his hand frozen in the air. It caused Katrina to gasp softly at the show of violence by the usually playful man. Thor, on the other hand, had not reacted as he kept his calm blue eyes focused on Loki. "I..." Loki gritted his teeth, "do not want her brought up."

Nadia Marcani. It was a name Katrina was familiar with, considering she had met the woman a few times during diplomatic meetings. Nadia was the crowned princess of Sol Luna and the only daughter to King Gabriel ━━ someone who had aided Meridian many times over the centuries. When Nadia had disappeared, it had not only devastated Sol Luna, but Meridian as well.

"Loki, it is alright to mourn her," Thor said to his brother, reaching out to comfort him. But, Loki pulled away abruptly. He stood to the side, taking in a shaky breath as he tried to calm the redness he felt and saw.

Before anyone could get another word in, a maid rushed into the room. She bowed, clasping her hands together. "Prince Loki, someone is here to see you," she relayed, trembling ever so slightly. "They told me it was urgent."

Loki cleared his throat, bidding goodbye. "I should go to meet my visitor."

After him, the maid had disappeared as well. It left an awkward silence to engulf Thor and Katrina. She played with the hems of her dress' sleeves, preoccupying her hands so she wouldn't have to think about the man before her. Though, she didn't have to worry for long as the Queen of Asgard entered the room with a prominent frown and a stern expression.

Immediately, Katrina stood from the bench as she bowed to show her respect. It was expected of her to show respect to someone older than her and to make sure she upheld Meridian's beliefs and values. "Queen Frigga, it is a pleasure to meet again."

"No need for formalities, my child," Queen Frigga reassured, giving Katrina a kind smile as she embraced the woman tightly. "I heard from Sif what had occurred, and I feel humiliated to know this is how Asgard had treated you. I am truly sorry."

"We intend to find out who sent the assassins," Thor added, standing taller than both women. His mother smiled at him as well, nodding her head at his words. "Perhaps after the marriage, the people of Asgard will be more accepting."

"The struggles of a political marriage, I suppose," Frigga sighed, shaking her head. She stood tall and proud, much like her son Thor. It must be where he got it from. Her eyes drifted to Katrina again. "Are you sure you are alright?"

Katrina nodded. "I am fine."

Despite her reassurances, Frigga continued to fiddle with her hands and her eyes darted from Thor to Katrina. Her lips were drawn in a thin frown in her resting moments, making the fake smiles even more apparent. She didn't seem happy. And, nor did Thor when he noticed his mother's distress.

So, Katrina continued to speak. "I am sure I will have plenty of wonderful experiences here. We can not let one unfortunate event bother us too much. Hostility from both sides is to be expected."

The two nodded, but Frigga was the one to speak. "It is to be expected," the woman sighed, giving Katrina another forced smile. She looked to Thor, patting his shoulder. "I will see the two of you soon. I must speak to your father on this matter, but I will be joining the two of you soon on the tour."

"Of course, Mother," Thor nodded, saying goodbye. Katrina did like Queen Frigga, the woman seemed kind with a hint of mischief within her eyes. Wise beyond her years, but still lightened enough to know when to smile and accept what was happening. She seemed different from her husband. From what Katrina had seen of Odin, he seemed to be a strict and cruel man. He made her nervous and Katrina hoped she would not have to interact with the King of Asgard as much. "Come," Thor's voice brought Katrina out of her thoughts as she looked to his extended hand toward her, "I'll show you around my home."

Katrina smiled, taking the man's hand. "Lead away, Prince Thor."

♡

LIKE LAST TIME, this chapter is still a filler / transition into the next chapter! Not much happened, but I wanted to show the effects of the marriage on both Thor and Katrina! Of course, the two realms are not happy either and I really want to explore the political side of everything this time around! The love story will be a lot slower than last time! I want it to be more realistic than I previously had it!

Also, I kept the mention of chancelloramidala's character, Nadia Marcani! She is no longer writing the book, but the character does belong to her! Nadia will still be mentioned here and there in this book, but she is a part of Loki's past. And, it plays a lot into who he is at the moment of the story! Anyways, go check Luna out! She is amazing!

Despite it being kind of a filler, I do hope you all enjoyed the chapter! More will be out soon! My goal this year is to definitely get this book finished! It has been almost 4 years in the making and it is time to end it and move on!

━━ AMARA
[original PUBLISH DATE ━━ 10.20.2017]
[rewrite PUBLISH DATE ━━ 01.05.2021]