Author's Note: This is my first fanfic about any Marvel guys so please don't flame me if I get anything wrong. I've only just recently watched Avengers/Thor and am currently watching Iron Man 1 &2 / Captain Avengers at some point. I just wanted to point out that in comparison to the other gods' names, Catherine's is rather human but it is a name that jumped out at me and stuck. The reason she's called that is simple enough as will be revealed later. I just thought I'd give you guys a heads up just in case you thought it was odd. Anyway please read and review. Constructive criticism is welcomed but no flames please.

Birds of a Feather

Chapter One

"The Arrogance of Kings"

Catherine liked to think that she was a fair minded and open hearted person and that she'd give anyone a chance if they merited one but sometimes she really couldn't stand Prince Thor. He was an arrogant battle hero who loved the call of fighting far too much for her liking. Not to mention, she suspected, the sound of his own voice. Always he was the centre of attention, drinking flagons of ale with the nobles of Asgard. When did he ever take things seriously like his father or even his younger brother Loki. Odin understood the calls of war but only when they were necessary. Thor had too much pride to not get riled up at the merest provocation offered by bitter former enemies. If Asgard was to be left to Thor, Catherine feared the days of peace would grow short indeed.

Tearing her thoughts away from the arrogant Prince, Catherine focused her attentions on choosing a gown for tonight's feast. In front of her lay a gorgeous selection of figure hugging floor length dresses, all shimmering in the light of the rising moon. Catherine ran a hand down the gown closest to her. It was of a shimmering gold with a silver belt and wrist links. The back was quite open but Catherine would welcome the feel of the evening breeze on her skin. The hall could be quite stifling during ceremonies. Moving over to the next dress, Catherine gently stroked the velvety dark blue material and smiled at the softness of the straps. It was a beautiful dress indeed but one that would draw too much attention to herself when the attention should be on the main event. Perhaps it was vain to think that way but Catherine had worn that dress many times before and it had caused more of a stir than she would wish tonight. Her hand slid to the next dress and she smiled softly down at the material. It was a soft shimmering gold like the first dress only it was a halter neck. It also had a heart shaped gap in the middle of her chest and above her breasts. She picked it up and held it against her. This was truly a beautiful gown and it had been a gift from her beloved best friend, Prince Loki, for her last birthday.

She took the dress into her bathroom deciding that this was a fitting occasion to wear her birthday gift when suddenly something occurred to her. She froze in the middle of closing the door. Would Loki really appreciate her wearing his birthday gift to a gathering which celebrated the coronation and success of his brother to the throne instead of him? Would it not be insensitive? She walked back out into her bedroom and laid the dress down. She would have plenty of time to wear this dress but she would not rub it in Loki's face and imply greater respect for Thor other than what she had which was grudging.

She picked out a strapless silvery gown, shimmering with beads and trailing to the floor. Smiling, she headed to the bathroom again and changed into it slowly. It was only the second time she had ever worn it but it fit her like a glove. Stepping out of the bathroom, Catherine made her way over to the vanity table and picked up a silver bracelet like object but a bit larger. Wrapping it around her neck, she turned to admire herself in the mirror. The accessory set off the outfit rather nicely. Her elbow length reddish brown hair stood out against her pale, cream like skin. Her pale green-hazel eyes peered over her reflection nervously and the silver ring, her family's ring, glittered on her right hand.

She smiled a little, seeing that she was as ready as possible, before making her way out of her room. She grabbed her handbag on her way out and locked her door with her room key and code. Turning around, she headed down the hallways to the celebration hall.

XMARVELX

The ceremony was longer than Catherine had anticipated and they hadn't even reached the coronation yet. King Odin spoke about his pride for his two sons. Decent of him to acknowledge them both, she told herself, even though Catherine felt like he had chosen the wrong one to be King. She didn't think kingship should be prioritised for the elder brother alone. Kingship should be given on merit and as far as Catherine was concerned, Loki was the more thoughtful and conscientious of the two brothers. She should know, she'd grown up with them both.

The hall was lit by golden lamps in the ceilings, raining down glittering light upon the crowds. There were two rows of guards in their ceremonial attire ready to welcome the new King-to-be as he made his way towards the altar at the front, where the coronation would take place. Catherine had to admit that the hall did look exceptionally grand for this occasion even if it was boring standing around and doing nothing.

The sound of trumpets interrupted her and with a loud cheer from the crowd, Thor made his way to the top of the steps, waving Mjolnir the mighty hammer in the air to the crowd. Catherine sighed distastefully at the look of smug arrogance that filled Thor's expression. Maybe if he wasn't so cocky and sure of himself, he'd have made a decent king but it was his over confidence and boisterous nature which made her worry for Asgard's peaceful future. Would Thor have them hold war with everyone to prove their superiority? She didn't know but she remained convinced that Loki would be a better king. But alas it was too late for that now. She tried to force a smile as Thor passed her and the rest of the crowd before approaching the altar.

Catherine's eyes rose up to one of the steps where she could see Loki, arrayed in his ceremonial attire, watching his brother as Thor knelt down before the altar. Catherine tried to read his expression but he had on what she liked to call his "proud brother smile". Oh it wasn't like she believed Loki didn't feel any pride towards his brother but she knew her friend well enough to know that there was a great deal of envy bubbling away inside him and for once she could hardly blame him. She knew that Loki could do a much better job. It was Thor's expertise on the battle field and his popularity with the people that had won his succession to the throne, she was sure of that.

The sound of the King's staff against the bronze floor silenced the crowds. The King straightened up and stepped forwards with a solemn expression. "Thor," he began. "Odin's son… my heir… my first born," he continued.

Catherine felt a surge of anger rise up in her stomach. It was as if the King was reminding everyone which brother had won and how important he was to the King. It wasn't necessary. She stayed calm and tried not to pay too much heed to it.

"So long entrusted with the mighty hammer, Mjolnir… forged in the heart of a dying star. It's power has no equal as a weapon to destroy or a tool to build. Tis a fitting companion for a king. I have defended Asgard…" the King began to make a long speech about the war and how long it had taken to garner peace in the realm of the nine kingdoms. Catherine fell into a peaceful tranquil state as she let herself be reminded of Asgard's proud history. The King's speeches might be long but they were interesting. Before long the speech was over and it was time for Thor to take his oath.

"Do you swear to guard the nine realms?" Odin asked.

"I swear," Thor replied solemnly.

"Do you swear to preserve the peace?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear to cast aside all selfish ambition and to pledge yourself only to the good of the realm?" Odin asked. He'd barely got his words out before Thor responded rather impatiently.

"I swear!" he cried out.

Catherine stared up at him in distaste. Too much in a hurry to be King, was he? She doubted Thor could set aside his selfish ambition that easily but then that opinion wouldn't be taken too lightly and so she'd just have to lump it.

"On this day, I, Odin, allfather, proclaim you…" There was a long pause after Odin's words, longer than should be. The next words that came out of Odin's mouth chilled the atmosphere in the room almost as much as the presence of the very creatures he spoke off. "Frost Giants…"

Mild panic spread through the crowds as whispers about the impossibility of Frost Giants getting inside Asgard spread like wild fire. Catherine looked around her in alarm as people began to move about, trying to get out of the hall.

"Stay where you are!" Odin's voice thundered over the crowd and Catherine looked over towards the altar where Odin, Thor and Loki were making their way through the path created by the armed guards. They left the room hastily and Catherine craned her neck to see which direction they were going but it was no good. They were out of the room before she could tell.

Meanwhile the hall filled with whispers again, people gathering together and panicking about how the enemy managed to slip into the city without detection. Rumours began to fly about how many there might be and whether the King and the Princes could hold them off for long. Catherine moved away from the bulk of the crowds and went to sit near the window, elbows on her knees, hands clasped in front of her as she stared out of the window.

It was hard to believe that war had come to Asgard when they were such advocates of peace and power but then the Frost Giants had never been the friendliest of races. All they could hope was that their numbers were few and that they could be dispatched quickly. Catherine sorely wished that the King had told them all to arm themselves and help chase them out but she knew that was a futile wish. There weren't many fighters skilled enough to deal with the Frost Giants and even though she would be eager to fight, she wasn't a fighter and had no real skills, much to her dismay. She had to admit she was rather envious of Sif's success in battle and the renown that came with it.

A cold feeling filled her nerves as she thought of the dangers awaiting Loki and the awful, terrible impossible chance of them not being able to defeat the invaders. The idea of Loki dying was far too terrible for her to contemplate and yet now that she was facing that possibility, she just couldn't get the idea out of her head. She brought a hand to her throat, feeling a horrible suffocating feeling set over her as she tried to imagine such an awful occurrence.

Shaking her head clear of such vain thoughts, Catherine began to wait for news.

XMARVELX

It wasn't even forty minutes later when the King and the Princes returned. The King approached the altar and the crowds' eyes followed him eager for what news he had to bring. The fact that he and his sons were alive was a positive sign at least.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this evening Frost Giants attempted to break into Asgard and steal the Casket of Many Winters. Fortunately our Destroyer sent them to their graves and the Casket is safe. I apologise for the disruption but the coronation will be postponed until we can find the breach in security. Please do not be alarmed. All will be well. Please, make your way back to your homes."

A murmur ran through the crowds as they began to disband and head out the door. Catherine slowly got to her feet and made her way towards the doors. She glanced back at the Royal Family and saw Thor staring bitterly away from his family whilst Loki looked around. His eyes briefly found hers in the crowd and she managed a small smile before she headed back to her apartment. It was times like these that she was grateful she had a separate apartment for her family now. Although she'd insisted on finding a modest one herself, Loki had paid for her to have a lavish apartment and would accept no money for it. As a prince he was extremely generous towards his best friend, not that she had asked for it at all.

She stepped through the doors and tossed her handbag on the table as she sank onto the couch. Well that was one hell of a coronation but she couldn't help being worried. After all it was an unprecedented thing that had happened. No one before had been able to break into Asgard so undetected. Even though the Destroyer had done its work, it didn't mean that the city was magically impenetrable again. If anything she had a horrible feeling that others would find a way around the Destroyer in which case they would all be in trouble.

After about thirty minutes of trying to make sense of it, Catherine gave up and got up, heading to the fridge and producing a bottle of pure apple cider, her favourite drink in the world. She poured a glass and set the bottle aside, downing the contents of the glass quickly and anxiously. When rational thinking drove you insane, alcohol was always there for you. She poured a second glass of cider and began to drink that when she heard her front door open. There was only one other person who had a key to her apartment and that was the one person she wanted to see.

"Drinking already?" Loki's pleasant manner caught Catherine off guard and she put her cider down carefully before approaching her friend who was stood, in his usual attire, by the door. She smiled warmly at him as she approached and was relieved to see him return it.

"Are you alright?" she asked immediately. He might think her silly for worrying about him but she couldn't help herself. He was her best friend after all. Okay, tell a lie, he was probably her only real friend but he was still the best.

"I'm fine," he smiled at her though there was something in his eyes that she wasn't sure about. She put it to one side as he reached out and gently took her hand. "Well that was quite a ceremony," he joked half-heartedly.

She let out a short slightly tired laugh. "Yeah, you're telling me." Her face became serious. "How many dead?" she asked, her eyes darkening.

"Two," Loki said looking away. "Not including the Frost Giants of which there were about six."

"Six?" Catherine asked incredulously. "They thought they could break into Asgard with only six?" The worrying feeling in her chest came back. Was it as easy as that to break in? She sat down on the couch looking disbelievingly into the distance. The slight pressure on the seat next to her told her that Loki had sat down with her and she felt him reclaim her hand in his. He put his other hand over it and when she turned to look at him, he was smiling at her.

"Don't worry, Asgard is safe. Thor is going to deal with the Frost Giants tonight." Loki told her quietly. "Myself and his friends are going with him to make sure of it."

Catherine's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Wait…. "going to deal with them" as in seek them out?" she asked. "In Jotunheim? You're going there? But it's forbidden?" she said in alarm, her eyes widening. "Loki if you all go there, you'll be in trouble! You might not be able to escape!" she said her shoulders tensing. She squeezed his hand.

Loki's hand covering hers stroked the back of her hand gently. "Do not fear. We are only going for answers, not a war. Thor just wants to know why they broke the Treaty."

Catherine looked away and scoffed. "Loki, you and I both know that he wants more than that."

Loki let out a low chuckle. "Then you must surely see why I can't stay behind. I need to make sure things don't go too far."

Catherine took a deep breath. Every cell in her body screamed out for her to stop Loki but she knew that as long as Thor was bent on going, then so would Loki to support his brother. She looked down and sighed. "I know," she whispered. "I just don't want you to get hurt in something that he'll surely cause… you know that right? I mean no real disrespect to your brother but he is reckless."

Loki chuckled again and moved his free hand to her shoulder, caressing it gently. "I know all too well. But maybe with me there we can prevent more chaos."

Catherine let out a low growl. "Damn you for being all noble" she muttered running her free hand through her hair. "Fine but can you at least try and come back safe?"

Loki laughed at her affectionately. "Of course" he said and with another squeeze of her hand, he got to his feet and she followed him. He smiled warmly at her before pulling her into an embrace. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and closed her eyes.

"This had been be an I'll-see-you-later hug rather than a goodbye hug," she weakly joked.

"It's a see-you-tomorrow hug," Loki smiled into her hair and pulled back. He turned and left the apartment swiftly leaving Catherine sighing in frustration.

She made her way into her bedroom and swiftly changed into a nightgown and grabbed the latest book she was reading. She sprawled out on the bed and began to read. The moonlight fell over the duvet in soft shades of silver, providing ample light for her reading. After a few minutes of trying to get Loki and his dangerous adventures out of her mind, she finally settled down.