HALF THE WORLD AWAY
x. ERRORS IN JUDGMENT
❝I'M LOOKING FOR SOMEONE.❞

DESPITE BEING RIGHT BEHIND THE OTHER WOMAN, Katrina had lost her in the sea of people as they rushed past with thousands of blue flowers that matched the colors of Meridian's oceans. A deep breath left her lips as she moved past the crowd and headed back upstairs to her bedroom, wanting to be left alone for a few minutes to reflect on Tia's words. It was the first time she had heard such angry words from someone on Meridian. She didn't forget the assassination attempt on her life back on Asgard, but that was to be expected. For some reason, Katrina hadn't suspected someone from Meridian to be so vocal about their dislike for the Asgardians. After all, it was Meridian that benefited the most from their alliance.

She closed the door behind her, moving to take a seat on the chair of her vanity. Her tired reflection stared back, making Katrina wish she had gotten enough sleep the night prior. Yet, dark circles marred her features but she couldn't bring herself to care too much about them. She hoped that in a few years, people would forget about everything that had happened and would be able to put their differences aside. Katrina knew that she, herself, would be the one to set the example.

Still, she couldn't help but daydream of living on a faraway island surrounded by nothing but water as far as the naked eye could see. She wanted a home along the coast where she could grow plants of all kinds. She wanted to be able to open her eyes in the morning and see the peaceful sleeping face of the person she loved with all her heart. Katrina wanted to be atemporal, but she knew that as each second passed, she was moving closer and closer to her downfall. There was no escaping destiny.

A knock on the door pulled Katrina from her daydream, causing her to spend the next few seconds fretting over her appearance as she tried to appear presentable. She would have enjoyed a few more moments of peace, but it was back to being Princess Katrina and the endless responsibilities that came with it. "Come in," she called out before the door opened to reveal the grinning face of the God of Mischief. She smiled in greeting. "I did not realize you were here as well, Prince Loki."

"I'm glad you're happy to see me," Loki said as he walked deeper into the room, looking around to take in every little detail of the room. It made her frown, not being used to such scrutiny from someone else. "I hope you don't mind me asking this, but why are you sitting here... wallowing in self-pity?"

Her eyes widened at the question before they quickly narrowed into a glare. "I am not wallowing in self-pity," she snapped as she stood to her feet, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared at his mischievous grin. He seemed to like getting a reaction out of her.

Loki hummed as he circled around the room for a moment longer before he made his way to where Katrina was standing. "I'm sorry... Is sitting in a dark room, staring sadly at your own reflection not considered a form of self-pity?"

"No, I wasn't━━"

Katrina stopped talking, knowing there was no changing Loki's mind. She sighed as she looked out the barred window, noticing that the sun was the highest in the sky. It illuminated the room in a light glow, but the room would dim whenever the clouds would block the light. It was almost mid-day, meaning that a meal would be served soon. It would cause the palace to settle, even if it was only for a moment as everyone replenished their energy.

"Well," Katrina started as she focused on Loki. He wasn't much taller than her, only a few inches. "Why are you here, Loki? I thought only Thor had traveled to Meridian today."

"I wasn't planning on coming since I made quite a large breakthrough in the..." Loki paused for a moment, trying to find the right word to use, "...investigation that I am currently... investigating."

Katrina narrowed her eyes at Loki's cryptic words, but chose to ignore them. Anything that Loki did in his spare time was none of her business. "Alright, and? You still have not explained why you are here."

Loki held out his hands as if he had been caught doing something wrong. "Thor is downstairs ━━ quite upset, actually ━━ since none of the guards are allowing him to come see you. He's like a kicked puppy downstairs, waiting for you to arrive," he explained, causing Katrina to feel some guilt. After she had gone after Tia, she had returned to her room to think. She didn't realize how much time had passed. "Now, you see why I am here."

"How'd you make it past the guards then?" Katrina asked.

With another grin and a wave of his hand, Loki had disappeared from sight. Her eyes widened for a moment, but then she remembered what Queen Frigga had mentioned at dinner when they had all gathered for the first time. Loki was well-versed in magic.

"Okay, you can reappear," Katrina laughed, watching as Loki materialized before her eyes.

"Impressed?"

"I would say I am." Katrina smiled, nodding her head. However, her curious nature seemed to take over. "What else can you do?"

"Oh, I can do so much more, Katrina, but now is not the time nor place," Loki reminded, leaning against Katrina's vanity. "There's someone impatiently waiting for you downstairs."

"So, you're here to convince me to cheer Thor up?" Katrina tried not to find the situation amusing since Thor's behavior seemed a bit childish, but also endearing. It was sweet to think that Thor actually wanted to spend time with her, considering that every time they were together, something had gone wrong. And, to be honest, Katrina figured she was boring to Thor. He was the epitome of bravery and strength, having countless stories from the many years he had been alive. While he had been able to live a life worthy, Katrina had spent most of hers behind locked doors.

"My brother has grown quite an attachment to you," Loki confessed with a shrug, causing Katrina to frown. Truth be told, it was flattering to hear that Thor liked her that much to grow an attachment. If the prophecy was correct, she would die sooner rather than later and Thor would be left alone. Though, someone like him would have no trouble finding another suitable wife or husband ━━ whoever he preferred.

She sighed, noticing that the amused grin had never left Loki's lips. She wondered if anything ever bothered the God of Mischief. "How are you so carefree, Loki?"

"You will have to elaborate on that question, Katrina."

"The only time I've seen you upset is when you're arguing with Thor," Katrina continued, letting out a frustrated sigh. All the emotions she had tried to bottle up seem to pour out, no matter how hard she tried. "I know I barely know you, but does nothing ever bother you?"

"Something is bothering me all the time, actually," Loki said in a stoic tone, taking a step toward her. He reached out, placing a gentle hand beneath her jaw as he moved her head to face the far wall of her bedroom. "For example, the wall painted over there," Loki pointed to the wall on their left before tilting her head to face the wall on their right, "is a different shade of blue than the wall over there."

Katrina pulled herself out of his grasp, studying the tones of the walls before she realized that Loki was... right? The right side of her room was painted a lighter color than the left, causing her to wonder how she had never noticed something so glaringly obvious before. "You are quite... observant."

"Yes, that's because I do not spend all of my time staring at myself in the mirror," Loki teased, taking a glance at his own reflection in the mirror. He became quiet, keeping his gaze focused on himself.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

She noticed the empty look on his face, making her frown. "Loki, is something bothering you?"

He snapped out of his thoughts, giving her a smile again. "Yes, your walls are still bothering me and need to be repainted.

She rolled her eyes at his attempt to change the topic. "I am serious, Loki. I suppose we will be family in a few days' time and I want you to know that you can talk to me."

"Has Thor told you anything?" Loki asked suspiciously, but calmed when Katrina shook her head. A sigh left his lips as he tapped his fingers against the vanity. "I'm looking for someone... I went to a psychic the other day and they gave me a vision of this woman ━━ someone who will be equally as powerful as myself. She is supposed to help me learn my true potential."

"Do you know who it is?"

"No," Loki sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not sure who she is supposed to be... An enemy, a lover, a friend? I... don't know. All I know is that she is worlds away and shrouded with magic, but that doesn't make much sense."

"She could be in a different realm," Katrina wondered, tapping a finger against her chin as she tried to think of what the psychic could have meant. In her experience, the words of a psychic could not be trusted. But, it seemed as if Loki was entranced with the words said to him. "And, you said she was someone as powerful as you? Perhaps, she knows magic as well."

"I think so too," Loki hummed. "But, I do not know when I am supposed to meet this woman. If she is meant to be an enemy, I want to be the one to destroy her first."

"Let us not jump to conclusions," Katrina reminded, shaking her head at his words. "Not everyone is out to get you, Loki."

A loud knock sounded at the door, causing the two to step away from one another and create a respectable space. Despite having done nothing wrong, they didn't want someone to assume there was an affair going on. It was the last thing either of them wanted. The door swung open to reveal a smiling Tia as she walked into the room, but Katrina didn't notice the slight falter when she noticed Loki in the room.

"Lady Tia," Katrina greeted, nodding her head at the brown-haired woman.

"Princess Katrina, it is a pleasure to meet you," she said, bowing to show her respect. Tia did not acknowledge Loki as she stayed focused on Katrina. It seemed as if Loki had noticed as well, but he didn't comment on it. "Come, I needed your opinion on some things for the wedding! Everything's coming together smoothly."

Katrina and Loki followed Tia out of the room, noticing that most of the staff had disappeared. No doubt, they were having lunch in the main dining hall. It was mid-day, after all. She leaned close to Loki, speaking quietly so Tia would not hear. "Do not say anything that may upset her," she said. "She is not fond of Asgardians."

Loki chuckled, nodding his head as if he understood. "I do not blame her."

"I know that all the festivities can become overwhelming," Tia started, looking back at Katrina with a soft smile. "So, I decided to come fetch you when most were gone. It would be easier to deal with than when everyone is running around."

"Thank you, Tia. It is most considerate of you," Katrina said, returning the woman's smile. She looked around, noticing the decorations that were already in place. The colors were all whites and blues with accents of gold. No doubt, her father must have picked out Meridian's colors for the wedding. Katrina did not mind. It was peaceful without all the staff, allowing Katrina to think.

"Anything for you, my Princess," Tia said.

She led them outside where Alis and Thor had been waiting for them, causing a smile to form on Katrina's lips. They were having a conversation of their own, laughing about something one of them had said. At the sound of footsteps, they looked over. Thor's face lit up when he noticed Katrina, walking over to give her a hug. "There you are, my dear Katrina!"

She smiled up at him. "Hello, Thor."

"Alright, everyone gather around," Tia said, gaining their attention as she walked over with a few members of the kitchen staff. Each of them had a plate, holding a different flavored cake on each one. "First thing on the agenda is picking which flavor cake we'll be having."

Tia was enthusiastic as she spoke, but her attention was completely focused on Katrina. She had ten flavors laid out for them, urging them to try each and every one. Katrina found herself enjoying the progress. After all, you only married once (sometimes). She hummed, taking a bite out of the last one as she nodded. "I think I like the chocolate one the most."

"I agree," Alis chimed, taking another bite out of the cake she had been eating. She had taken the plate completely from the chef, but he didn't seem to mind as he smiled happily. Even Loki had taken a plate too, eating his own slice happily.

"I think that is a perfect choice, Katrina," Thor agreed, nodding his head.

"Excellent, chocolate it is!" Tia said, writing it down into her book before she dismissed the chefs. Next, another group of staff members walked in. This time, they all held variations of blue flowers. "Time to decide which flowers to pick."

Katrina sighed, taking a glance at Thor as the two of them noticed all the staff members that were lined up in the background with various items that they would need to make decisions on. "This is going to be a long day, huh?"

Thor smiled. "At least, we'll spend it together."

♡

REWRITING IS GETTING EASIER? But, I think it is because I strangely have inspiration for this book at the moment. I feel guilty that I neglected this book for so long when it once held my heart, so I want to try and get as much progress made as possible! I cut out a lot of stuff from the original chapter because a lot of it is irrelevant and it was stupid stuff that the high school version of me wrote.

I have to admit that this book is still very PG, but honestly, I am okay with that? I know that my writing is a lot darker than it used to be, but writing something that feels like the younger version of me wrote is kind of comforting.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! It had a lot of Loki and Katrina bonding and I will always love their brotp! Also, hints toward my Loki fic! Please check it out if you want! I need to start writing for that book more too!

━━ AMARA
[ original CHAPTER PUBLISHED ━━ 11.07.2017 ]
[ rewrite CHAPTER PUBLISHED ━━ 01.20.2022 ]