HALF THE WORLD AWAY
xi. THE TALES OF OUR PAST
❝STAY WITH ME?❞

SUNLIGHT HAD FADED INTO DARKNESS when Katrina and Thor had finally finished with the wedding preparations. The process had been long and tiresome, leaving everyone in a sour mood when Tia had closed her book and left to order the remaining supplies needed. The King and Queen of Meridian had their inputs, but stayed out of most of the planning. Now, the wedding was only two days out but it still seemed as if there were a million things left to do.

Katrina yawned, leaning against Thor's form. His arms were wrapped around her as he laughed about something with Loki. The three were currently out by the beach with a warm fire burning in front of them. Thor was unaware that the woman beside him was slowly falling asleep, but regardless, he kept her close and shielded her from the chill in the air. She was rarely out after the skies turned dark, but she didn't mind it.

"Is that what she said to you?" Loki asked as another round of laughter escaped from his lips, keeping his eyes focused on Thor. The two were talking about Thor's unpleasant experience with Tia earlier in the day, but Katrina had to admit that the same woman had shown her no disdain.

"I did not realize the mixed feelings since I was busy trying to be a wingman for Lady Alis," Thor chuckled as he shook his head. He sighed, looking at the fire. "Though, it was strange not to have someone bow down to us. I wasn't used to such anger from a person... Well, other than my enemies, of course."

"We're not in Asgard, Thor," Loki reminded his older brother, dusting off the sand that clung to his clothing. He had not been too pleased at the thought of going down to the beach, complaining about how the sand was getting into his shoes. Katrina had recommended he take his shoes off and wash his feet before they left, but Loki had refused to do that too.

"Yes, you are right," Thor mumbled, shrugging his shoulders. The Asgardian liquor the two of them had been drinking earlier had started to take a toll, making his words come out without much of a filter. "I believe Lady Alis was interested in Tia. Since it might not work out between them, I was wondering if we should introduce her to Sif."

Sif had earned herself a reputation of being an excellent warrior, but bitter and callous toward others. Thor remembered when the woman used to be more... generous. He and the Warriors Three had tried to do Freyja's job and attempted to set Sif up with a woman named Cahira. But, it had ended with Sif's heart being broken and it made her wary to ever trust anyone else ever again. Despite it being years ago, Thor wanted to correct his past mistakes and help his friend.

"Now, that is something I would like to see. Sif will bite Alis' head off," Loki joked. His gaze flickered to Katrina, wanting to know what she thought of Alis and Sif as a potential couple. A chuckle left his lips as he prompted Thor to look in the direction of his betrothed. "It seems as if we have bored Katrina to sleep."

Thor looked down at Katrina's sleeping form, unable to control the small smile that appeared upon his lips. "She is... beautiful," he whispered softly, readjusting himself so she could be more comfortable. He moved his cape to make sure she was covered, wanting her to stay warm.

Loki shrugged. "I've seen more beautiful women."

Thor shot him a look, causing Loki to raise his hands in defense as he laughed at his brother's predictable behavior. "Yes, there are beautiful women in the world, but to me... Katrina is the most beautiful of all," he spoke in quiet whispers, being careful to not disturb his sleeping bride.

"It has been less than a week since you've met her, Thor. How can you already be in love?" Loki teased, shaking his head as he picked up his cup of ale to take another sip. Sand stuck to the bottom of the glass, but Loki hadn't noticed yet.

Through his drunken thoughts, Thor took his brother's words into consideration. It wasn't a surprise to him that he had grown attached to Katrina. Perhaps, it was love. Thor wasn't sure. He had never been in love before, but he knew that he cared for the woman. "I wish I could make her happy," Thor confessed. His words confused his brother as he waited for him to continue. He sighed heavily. "I feel... I feel as if I am not worthy to have someone as Katrina as my wife. She and I... are so different. She's everything I could ever want..."

"Really, Thor?"

"I only hope we can find a way to rid her of the curse," Thor whispered.

"Are you crying?" Loki asked, eyes wide as he leaned close to get a better look at his brother. Perhaps, they have been too generous with the Asgardian ale.

"No!" Thor snapped, glaring at the dark-haired man. He groaned softly, raising his left hand to his head to clutch it as he focused on the fire that had begun to dim. "I think we've had too much to drink."

"Well, I've only had three glasses while you... I lost count after your tenth one," Loki recalled, causing Thor to scoff as he rolled his eyes. One of the guards at the palace had challenged Thor to a drinking contest. The guard, himself, could barely hold down his liquor. So, naturally, Thor had won. It had caused a worthy uproar as everyone gathered to watch and it was pleasant to see the people of Meridian warming up to the Asgardians.

The two quieted down when a snap was heard behind them. Loki raised his hand slowly, gripping the handle of his dagger that was still in its sheath. Thor reached down, taking a hold of Mjölnir. Was it more assassins? Katrina was still asleep, causing Thor to steal a glance at Loki as they waited for an attack. However, the unknown was eating the two alive as they turned to look at their attack. Thor prepared to throw Mjölnir, but paused abruptly when his eyes landed on a large turtle that munched on seaweed.

"Oh, a turtle!" Loki gasped, raising his hands to his chest as his eyes widened in shock. "We're doomed!"

At his words, the turtle looked in their direction but immediately lost instead as it went back to chewing on its seaweed. Thor chuckled, facing his brother again. The fire had turned into embers, shooting into the sky to join the stars overhead. Thor cleared his throat, setting his hammer into the sand beside him again. "I almost threw Mjölnir at it."

━━ ━━ ━━

In her eight hundred years of life, Katrina had received many pieces of advice. She did not remember all of them at any given time, but there would be moments when the words from the past would echo into her ears. Right now as she faced the darkness surrounding her, the only advice she could remember was her mother's words to be brave after she had a nightmare during her younger years. Be brave, Katrina. Do not let the fear overcome you.

She took a deep breath, standing to her feet as she looked for light in the everlasting darkness. The last thing she could remember was being on the beach with Loki and Thor. How had she ended up here? She took a step word, trying to make out anything in the pitch black. She could see herself as clear as day, yet there was nothing surrounding her. It meant she still had her sight.

"Hello?" Katrina called out, hoping someone would reply.

The logical part of her tried to assure her that she was trapped in a dream, but pinching herself didn't bring her to reality. Everything felt too real to be a dream. Yet, nothing made sense. Reality made sense. Right?

"Thor?" Katrina softly mumbled as she took a few more steps forward. It had become harder to control her breathing as she sped her walk, trying to find a way out of the prison she had found herself in. "Hello? Thor! Loki!" She shouted, breaking out into a run as she tried to get as far away as possible. "Is anyone there?"

Whispers sounded behind her, causing her to look back. Her eyes were wide as she tried to locate the source of the voice, but all she saw was darkness. Be brave, Katrina. Do not let the fear overcome you. Her mother's words echoed, but this time, not in her ears.

"This is a dream," Katrina whispered, shaking her head as she tried to rationalize her situation.

"Are you sure?"

A voice sounded behind Katrina, causing the woman to pause in her tracks. Her hands gripped the skirt of her dress to ground herself as she listened to the footsteps approach. She squeezed her eyes, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Be brave. Be brave. Be brave. Please, be brave.

She felt a hand clasp around her shoulder, causing her eyes to shoot open. But, it was not darkness that greeted the woman. Instead, she stood in the middle of a dead forest with the only light coming from the moon overhead. The only color that surrounded her was gray, standing out against the blue dress she was wearing. She still heard footsteps approaching her, but Katrina felt braver this time as she looked back. A soft gasp left her lips as she faced a woman she had only seen in paintings. The woman's long black hair had been pulled back in a tight braid, but sweat caused the strays to stick to her skin. She wore heavy armor, similar to something found on a Mahila warrior or a Valkyrie, and effortlessly carried a thick sword.

"Naina?" Katrina called to her when the woman was close enough, but it didn't seem like the other woman could see or hear her. Naina was the reason their bloodline had been cursed, but Katrina couldn't find any anger within herself as she followed behind the warrior. She listened to the mumbles that left Naina's lips, barely able to catch every word.

"I'm going to kill her," Naina muttered as her hands tightened into fists. She looked to the skies, narrowing her eyes. "You hear that, Hela?" she screamed into the air, taking heavy breaths. "I traveled to Helheim for you! I won't let you escape again!"

Katrina narrowed her eyes as she sped up to walk alongside Naina, trying to take in her features more clearly. A part of her wondered how she was able to see Naina and Helheim, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't curious about what was to come. Her great-grandmother's cheeks were stained with tears, reminding Katrina of the stories she had been told when she was youngner. Naina had gone against Hela after her lover, Dillon, had been wrongfully murdered by the Goddess.

Naina stopped. Katrina did too, watching the older woman closely. Naina pulled out her sword and held it out, staring at something hidden in the treeline. The sword glowed gold with energy, causing Katrina to take a step back. She followed the woman's gaze, trying to see what the other was looking at. But, her eyes couldn't pick out anything. Naina's brown eyes narrowed. "I know you're there."

"Who's there? Hela?" Katrina asked softly, trying to spot the Goddess of Death. She wasn't sure what she was witnessing. It could still be a dream... or perhaps, she was watching a memory. But, she knew her great-grandmother had died on Meridian at an old age. Naina had slowly lost her mind and had been taken care of by her daughter, Katrina's grandmother. So, was this when the curse had begun?

"I know you're out there!" Naina screamed, causing Katrina to flinch as the sound echoed throughout the quiet voice. It felt strange to hear nothing except their breaths. Nothing was alive, other than the two of them. "Come out and fight me!"

"Stop," Katrina whispered, shaking her head as she took another step away from Naina. She didn't want to watch this anymore, knowing the monster that would emerge from the shadows. She heard manic laughter coming from the treeline, causing the young woman to look at the source.

There, the Goddess of Death stood. Half of her face resembled a normal woman's, but the other half had skin decaying off the bone. Katrina could see the skull that stared back, causing her own eyes to widen as she stumbled backward. But, Naina showed no fear as she took a step forward.

"I want him back." Her voice was low and held an edge, unmoving as Hela began to approach. The world shifted around the Goddess, shrinking back as even the moon began to dim in her presence. Katrina couldn't breathe, facing the woman of her nightmares. Nightmare... Yes, this is only a dream, Katrina. Naina stepped forward, as if she was keeping Katrina behind her. "I will kill you."

"You think you can kill the Goddess of Death?" Hela asked softly, staring at Naina as she tilted her head. Sleek black hair fell in front of the decaying part of her face as she smirked. Her eyes flickered to the glowing sword, causing a scoff to leave her lips. "Who gave you that sword? Odin? He thinks you can kill me?"

"It does not matter where I have gotten the sword. It is the one weapon that can kill you," Naina spat out, getting into position as she readied the sword. "I want you to fight me!"

"For what? Your lover? His soul is gone. It belongs to me," Hela said, holding her head high. A dry laugh left her lips when she noticed that Naina was not about to back down. "But, if it's a fight you want..." Hela whispered, conjuring two swords in her hands as she stretched her limbs. Flesh held one sword, bone held the other. Her eyes flickered to Katrina, giving her a sadistic smile. "You watching, darling?"

"Don't hurt her!" Katrina pleaded with the Goddess of Death, trying to stop her great-grandmother. But, her hand only felt through the woman as she rushed toward Hela with a battle cry.

The wicked smirk on Hela's features was the last thing Katrina saw as their swords collided.

A gasp escaped Katrina's lips as she shot up in bed, rapidly looking around the dark bedroom. Her hands flew to her cheeks, wiping away the stray tears that slipped from her eyes. Immediately, she felt a hand touch her shoulder and the only thing she could do was slap it away. However, she felt herself calm as she met Thor's concerned gaze.

"Katrina..." he started softly, taking a seat on the bed to level himself with her. He took her hand, encouraging her to take deep breaths. "Are you alright? Was it a nightmare?"

"Thor," Katrina whispered, focusing on his features. She could hear the rapid beating of her own heart in her ears, but she tried to focus on the crashing of waves outside her window. It was too quiet in Helheim, but everything felt too loud now. She tried to gather her thoughts, staring at her trembling hands in Thor's unmoving ones. "I... I saw her. I saw Hela... And, I saw Naina."

Thor reached forward, slowly pulling her into an embrace as he rubbed her back. He wasn't too sure what to do, but he remembered how his mother had comforted him and Loki if they ever had nightmares. "Katrina, shh, I'm here," he said, holding the woman as she sobbed in his embrace. It had only been a few minutes since they had left the beach and he had tucked the woman in bed. He had been unaware she had been trapped in a nightmare. "You're safe. It was only a nightmare. Hela can't hurt you. She's trapped in Helheim."

"No... I keep seeing her... I think she's trying to tell me something. I think she's trying to say that Ragnarök is upon us," Katrina gasped out, pulling herself out of Thor's grasp. She had heard countless stories of the misery Hela had spread over the worlds until Odin had put an end to it. But, seeing her in person, so close. It made Katrina feel sick.

"I'm here, Katrina. I won't let Hela or anyone else hurt you. It was only a dream, love," Thor continued, reaching forward to brush away her tears.

He quieted down, waiting for the woman to say something but she stayed quiet as she stared at their interlocked hands. Thor wasn't used to caring for someone in an intimate way and it scared him, but he was willing to try for Katrina. She would be his wife in a few days. Then, it would be the rest of their lives together or... unless Ragnarök came.

Thor helped lay her back down, placing the heavy blanket around her as he offered the woman a warm smile. His mother always asked the same question after a nightmare. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She met his eyes, shaking her head. "No," she answered, continuing to hold onto his hand. And, Katrina gave the same answer that Thor had given his mother. She let out a soft sigh. "Will you stay with me?"

He smiled, nodding his head. After setting his weapons to the side, he took off his cape and armor to make himself more comfortable. Katrina moved to the side, allowing Thor to lay underneath the blanket beside her. There was still a space between them, but she felt comfortable knowing he was there. Most would find it unacceptable to sleep with a man before marriage, but she didn't care what was right. She smiled awkwardly at the man, realizing this was the first time she ever had a man in her bed.

"Go to sleep, Katrina," he said softly, reaching forward to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear before he rested his hand against his side. "I will be here to protect you till the morning sun. You need not worry."

"Thank you, Thor." Katrina smiled, nodding her head. She closed her eyes and hoped she would dream only of pleasant dreams when sleep came to take her.

♡

AT FIRST, I wasn't feeling this chapter since seeing my writing from 2017 gave me the ick. But, the whole scene with Hela was really fun to write! I feel as if I could have gone into deeper detail, but it is so late here and I wanted to finish this chapter ASAP. Perhaps, I might come back to it in the future and add more description. But, I'll leave it as is for right now. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! We're approaching the end of Act One and that feels like such an accomplishment to me because I have been slacking on this story for so long.

My original author's note mentioned my Peter Parker book, Wonder, and how there is a similar scene in there. I am actually planning on bringing that story back soon! Hopefully, in the next month or so! Slowly, but surely, I am returning to the Marvel fandom and it makes me happy!

So, we had a lot of information in this chapter! Sif and Cahira's relationship that ended in disaster and hints to my Sif fic (which should be posted after Act One ends of this book). We learned more about Naina and Hela! We'll learn more about Katrina's family history later. And, we had a cute moment between Thor and Katrina. He is already in love and honestly, it makes sense because he fell for Jane after knowing her for a few days. So, our boy wears his heart on his sleeve, no doubt. Katrina, on the other hand, is too scared to love but she's trying.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! The next one will be out soon!

━━ AMARA
[ original PUBLISH DATE ━━ 11.10.2017 ]
[ rewrite PUBLISH DATE ━━ 03.19.2022 ]