When the sun came up the next morning, Catalina would not have known, if not for the Einherjar who came into her cell to place her in fetters once again and then deliver her to the Asgardian execution square.
As they slowly made progress up the stone steps of the dungeons, Catalina noticed her hair had strangely whitened, and only the tips were brown. Her lips and hands were cracky and dry, and her face was still tear stained.
Stress, she concluded, to say the least.
As they went down the long hallway, Catalina looked around, taking in the sights for what she knew would be the last time. She watched servants walk past her, as if they knew nothing of her sure demise, and guards stand faithfully at their stations. One of them bowed his head at her passing, although she was no longer princess, but his gesture made Catalina smile despite her impending death.
The execution square was packed as warriors and officials crammed to see the death of the former princess. Catalina looked to the post she would be tied to. A hooded man with a large axe stood next to it, although Catalina knew exactly who it was. Volstagg held the axe in his hands tightly, but Catalina could see them shaking. She looked up at him, and gave him a slight smile, then stood herself against the post. The guards tied her hands, neck and ankles to it, then stepped back.
Frigga and Loki stood in the crowd, watching as Volstagg picked up his axe, then set it down again. Frigga met eyes with her daughter, trying to figure out why she hadn't tried escaping yet. She saw nothing in Catalina's green eyes, nothing to give her hope. And as Volstagg lifted his axe again, Frigga began to fear her daughter had given up.
Loki was frozen in his place, watching Catalina's eyes dart about. He swallowed hard when she finally met his gaze, and he blew her a final kiss goodbye. She smiled at him, tears glistening in her eyes. She mouthed the words I love you, and Loki shut his eyes.
The crowd surrounding the execution post quieted, as Odin came into view. He stood next to Frigga, and placed his arm around her but she pushed him away.
Catalina drew in a breath as she saw Volstagg receive the signal to execute her. She stood as straight as she could, held her breath, and as the axe swung toward her, she closed her eyes. The crowd, Frigga, and Loki flinched and shut their eyes as the axe hit the post a millisecond later.
Frigga looked up when a gasp went through the multitude. The blade was in the post, but Catalina was nowhere to be found. She gasped, happiness gripping her as Catalina appeared again at the other side of the crowd, a scythe in her hand.
"You can't kill me." She stood straight and tall, determination and a true warrior-like confidence in her stance. Her shoulders were square and her fists clenched the scythes. Her eyes held Loki's mischief with an extra twinkle, daring any guard to try and lock her up again.
"Your confidence is misplaced child," Odin replied. He stayed in his place as guards closed in on the girl.
Catalina swept the scythe across the line of soldiers and split their weapons in half with ease. For a moment they stood shocked and fearful, but Odin's orders drove them forward. Catalina teleported away, wishing not to kill them, just frighten, but as she teleported again, this did not seem possible anymore.
Finally, Catalina took a deep breath. It was time. She unfolded her wings, the enormous black and white butterfly wings glistening in the sunlight and casting a shadow over the execution square. The crowd and soldiers gasped.
Odin immediately stood up, "kill her!" He shouted, pointing his scepter at her and shooting forth a ray of power. Catalina dodged and caught up her scythes again.
The Einherjar charged her, swords brandishing and a war cry driving them into the blade of Catalina's scythe. She beat her wings as soldiers tried to get at her, slicing them, regrettably, in half.
Suddenly the Warriors Three and Lady Sif stood in front of her, and Catalina hesitated. She did not wish to kill her friends, yet it seemed she had no choice.
"Sif, don't. I don't want to hurt you." Catalina began to back away.
"Put away your scythe, we have orders from the Allfather. Go peacefully my friend, please stop fighting."
"I will die if I do Sif, you-" a hand yanked on her wings, and Catalina realized what Sif had done. She had kept her talking, allowing a soldier to overtake her. From the corner of her eye, the blade of a sword came down, and Catalina struck back with her scythe, but a pain went through her spine, something so horrid and unbearable that Catalina fell to her knees.
She screamed, and her severed wings fell to the ground next to her and she screamed. The sound shook the nine realms as a strange blue power emanated from Catalina, knocking soldiers in her vicinity down. She screamed as tears fell down, the pain in her spine unendurable.
A blade suddenly ran through her middle, making her gasp and wake up. There was new pain, new blood. Images raced two and fro, and she saw a hideous creature standing before her, then it was gone.
There was also something new, different amidst the frenzy. A hand grabbed hold of her and lifted her to her feet and dragged her from the city. It helped her to run, and soon, it ran alongside her, across the Rainbow Bridge.
"Loki?" Catalina struggled to speak as she tried to run and breathe at the same time.
"Keep going, don't stop. I love you my sister," he disappeared and Catalina kept running until she reached the Bifrost, where Heimdall stood.
"Heimdall, move," Catalina said, blood dripping from her torn dress.
"No." Heimdall simply replied.
Catalina shook her head and grabbed his sword. A sudden strength enabled her to knock Heimdall into the wall of the Bifrost, unconscious. She heard the hoofbeats of the warrior's horses on the bridge, and she drove the sword into the platform. She knew not where she was going, but it didn't matter. Asgard was no longer her home. She turned the blade into the platform and the Bifrost's rays grabbed her and carried her away; Away from Loki, away from Frigga, and away from the place that would never be the same to her again.
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Once Upon A Dream (Thranduil Fanfic)
Fanfiction(Completed!) When Asgard sends its princess to Middle-Earth, Odin doesn't believe that she will remember anything. But when the Elven king Thranduil is allowed to give her a relic of old times, the princess will begin to learn a little more about he...
