Catalina fell to the ground when the Bifrost landed her in a dense forest. Her legs shook and it was becoming increasingly harder for her to breathe. In spite of this, Catalina stood shakily to her feet and began to run again. She ran blindly through the the brush, sharp branches and thorns tearing her dress, stabbing her feet, and scratching her arms and ankles. Blood ran down her body, and her once blue dress was now purple and threadbare.
She slipped and tumbled down a slope, her back scraping the ground, branches and stones digging into her flesh, and a shooting pain in her ankle. There she laid, her body wet with blood and sweat. She couldn't move, the pain had overtaken her.
So many images raced past her, and she began to fear that no one would find her, that she would die. As she lay silent, staring into the tops of the trees, her head spun and her stomach churned. She closed her eyes, hoping to never feel it anymore; hoping to never wake again.
~~~
"What have you brought home my love?"
"A baby girl, she needs immediate care. Have any of the maids any milk?"
"None of them, but Remethiel has regrettably miscarried. Shall I inquire of her want for the child?"
"Do so in haste Valadhiel."
"Ada, what have you here?"
"A baby ion nin; A girl."
"Will you name it?"
"No my son."
"Remethiel has agreed to foster the baby."
"Good, bring the child to her."
~~~
Catalina's eyes fluttered at the sound of many voices. She felt herself being lifted off the ground, the person holding her taking great care to not touch her open wounds.
"Bring her to the healing room immediately."
"Inform His Majesty that she's here."
"Will she survive?"
"I don't know....."
Catalina could hear rushing footsteps and her body speeding up.
"Dear me Sir, what have you brought?"
"It's Princess Catalina, she's injured badly, please hurry, she'll die."
Catalina was set down onto a flat surface.
"Put her on her side- oh Valar, her back is in shreds."
Her eyes shot open when she felt many wet clothes touch the tender skin and muscles. The maids gasped at her sudden movement.
"Catalina, can you hear me?"
She looked up into the russet brown eyes of a familiar face. She knew exactly where she was.
"Feren....?" She choked, coughing blood.
"Don't speak, keep as still as you can." Another voice said and placed her hand over Catalina's forehead. Iellwen.
"She's in here Ada," Legolas rushed in with his father close at his heals.
Just then, the maids touched her spine, where the sword had cut her wings off. Catalina screamed, a wave of pain running up and down her body. Her form shook, her hands trembled and blood leaked from her mouth.
Thranduil looked on in horror, bad memories flooding back into his mind. Her agony pained his heart, and he shut his eyes. He pushed past Legolas, away from the healing room.
"Ada...."
"Leave him Legolas," Feren said.
"Hold her down," Iellwen grabbed herbs and elven medicine, applying them to Catalina's wounds. "Hold her I said!"
Catalina writhed, and the maids struggled to hold her down because of her strength. Feren came and held her shoulders firmly.
"Fallana sina rusva soun, fallana i' panta harwa, anfaug de he' sakkata, stora i' agar, Ar' lei he' coia no'."
Catalina's labored breaths stopped, and her eyes closed. Her body went limp, but her sense of hearing was not completely gone yet.
"Atara, naa re ba (Mother is she dead)?" One of the maid's daughters cried, and Legolas's eyes widened.
"No Tilda, she's just unconscious. It is better this way. Her body will heal now. She feels no pain now."
Legolas and Feren sighed in unison, relieved beyond expression.
Once the maids had bandaged each major wound, Iellwen nodded to Feren to deliver the princess to her former room.
"Will she survive?" Legolas asked as Iellwen began dabbing at Catalina's cuts and bruises.
"We'll see Prince; it is up to her now."
~~~
"It is good to see you My Lords, My Lady. Do come in."
"How does the child fair?"
"She is growing well My Lord. Her eyes are bright with a healthy sparkle. Unfortunately, she cries quite often. I believe the malnutrition has taken a great toll. Oh dear, excuse me, she's crying again."
"Lady Remethiel?"
"Yes My Prince?"
"What have you named her?"
"Manwathiel. It was supposed to be our new baby's name, but unfortunately it was lost."
"I am sorry."
"Don't be...."
"She has beautiful eyes, so green like the little truffles outside."
"Indeed they are. Would you like to help me sing to her so she'll rest those tired little eyes?"
"Yes ma'am, what song?"
"The one your mother sang to you."
"Alright....Um...."
"I'll help you."
~~~
Catalina woke to the sound of quiet singing and a warm cloth over her eyes and forehead. Pain still lingered in her back and middle, and there seemed to be more bandaging than there was herself.
She listened to the voice sing and stroke her hair, a sadness accompanying the woman's voice.
"Iellwen?" Catalina squeaked, her throat tight and dry.
The cloth over her eyes lifted and Iellwen looked down at her. "Don't speak, you'll make the blood come up again."
Catalina ignored her, "what happened, how did I get here?"
"I told you to keep quiet, but since you asked, I know not the slightest thing about how you got here. You were simply carried in by Feren and I cared for you."
"Has Odin sent anyone to retrieve me?"
"No," Iellwen sighed and placed the cloth back over Catalina's eyes. "I told you to keep quiet."
Catalina lay still for a while, listening to Iellwen start to hum again. The song was familiar, something she knew she had heard before, but she couldn't remember where.
Just one more thing I can't recall.
She also began to wonder why Odin hadn't sent anyone to recover her. If he had wished her death, he would have sent Einherjar to follow her and finish her off. Heimdall must have known of her position in the nine realms, it was impossible for him not to know. Perhaps Odin decided to leave her to be a problem for the elves.
Her back and middle ached, and she grimaced. Maybe Odin had foreseen her death and resolved to let her die in Midgard. Catalina glared at the canopy of the bed. How deceiving the people closest to you could be. She wondered if anyone missed her, or if anyone was looking for her. She wondered if Loki yearned to see her as much as she yearned to see him.
I hope so, she thought.
"My Lord," Iellwen's voice made Catalina open her eyes, and the cloth that was over her eyes slid off.
"Princess Catalina," the elven king's footsteps came quickly to her. "What has happened to you?" He asked, kneeling to her level.
"Don't call me that," Catalina said.
"Call you what?"
"Princess," she replied. "The title no longer belongs to me."
"Have you been banished?" Asked the king, his blue eyes watching Catalina's hand open and close over her wound; she was in pain.
"Yes and no: I was supposed to be executed this morning.... It's still morning isn't it?"
"No, the moon has risen-"
"Oh, well, I was supposed to die, and so I ran away. I-" Catalina stopped and coughed, trying to hold back the blood in her throat.
"I told you not to speak too much," Iellwen appeared from the washroom and made Catalina drink a peculiar liquid. The blood stopped.
"I see," King Thranduil stood up and went over to the window. His gaze followed the moonlit paths outside, and the small herd of deer grazing in the little clearing. "You fought your way out I assume."
"Correct," Catalina confirmed faintly. "And now I suppose he has banished me here."
"Very well, you'll remain here." The king turned and walked past Catalina's bed to the door. "Until Odin sends for you, you will be kept here." With that he was gone.
Catalina sighed as the door closed. Her head throbbed and there was a gnawing pain in her back. She lay limply in bed, her breaths shaky.
Until Odin sends for you.....
Would he ever? She wondered.
~~~
"I apologise for the delay My Lord, what have you to say?"
"We are going to war."
"......"
"The North has declared war. Begin gathering the troops."
"As you wish My Lord."
~~~
"As you wish My Lord."
Catalina woke with a start at hearing the phrase.
"Catalina, lay down, you'll tear the wound." Iellwen gently pushed Catalina's shoulder so that she slowly settled back down. "Try not to hurt yourself while I'm gone."
"Where are you going?"
"Just across the hall to get more herbs and such."
Catalina rolled her eyes. How bad did Iellwen really think she was? She could keep herself out of trouble for a minute....
"Just how mischievous can you be?
It takes but a minute or two to go down the hall and back again."
Catalina looked over to the window where King Thranduil sat with a book open on his lap.
"It happened only once," Catalina retorted. She had torn her wounds open again when she had sat up too quickly, and had given Iellwen quite a scare.
"You might never heal if you speak so sharply to the king my lady," the king said, not looking up from his book.
"That is how I obtained my battle scars, thank you very much." Catalina said.
Thranduil had meant the remark to be a light-hearted one, but upon hearing Catalina's response, he looked up.
"What?"
"High treason and attempted murder of the king.... I wasn't really going to kill him." Catalina lay with her eyes closed, unwillingly recalling back the painful memory of Odin sending her into the dungeons to wait out her time until her execution.
"Why would you do such a thing?"
"That is the question I asked: why; he never quite answered me."
The elven king sighed and closed his book. That word why seemed to be appearing often within the last few years. He too asked why, and perhaps, now that Catalina, as it seemed, was here to stay, he could find the answer to that word.
"Why did you return me?" Catalina's strained voice asked from the bed.
Thranduil stood up, frowning.
"Return you?"
"After the Last Alliance you returned me to Asgard. Why did you do that?"
"You remember?"
"No, but my mother.....Frigga told me." Catalina listened to the king's footsteps as he came to sit next to her bedside.
"I returned you because the war had driven you to near death. I couldn't have you die, so I brought you to Asgard to heal."
"You never asked to have me back?" Catalina asked, turning her green eyes to look at the king.
"I couldn't," he replied.
"Afraid of Odin?"
"No, he simply told me it was best you stayed in Asgard."
"Then what was the reason for sending me here for ten years? It could not have been simply for alliance purposes."
"The alliance was involved, yet Odin allowed me to see you for those ten years. I nearly sold my soul to get you here. "
"You wanted me here?"
"Yes."
Catalina frowned and looked away. Why on earth would Thranduil- of all people- want her?
"So Valadhiel was right?"
"I suppose so," the king said.
"You knew me before?"
"Yes, we were close friends."
"How close?"
The king paused and looked at her.
"Very close." He said and got up. "You should rest, you're injuries need to heal."
Catalina sighed as he shut the door behind him. No wonder why he had always acted somewhat uncomfortable and awkward in her presence during those ten years. He had known her very well before, and now, she was probably different than what he remembered.
Catalina closed her eyes, hoping to find more answers.
~~~
"I'm very sorry, are you alright?"
"Yes sir."
"Here let me help you."
"No, I can do it myself."
"Please, I insist."
"Why would you want to help me? You are a prince."
"It is the polite thing to do my lady. What is your name?"
"Manwathiel."
"That's very pretty."