#promptsinpanem

[promptsinpanem]

you really got a hold on me

Summary: After the death of Leeg 2 in battle, instead of sending a replacement soldier to Squad 451, the Mockingjay is sent home. Hijacked!Peeta, Mockingjay-au.

Rated: M for sexual content.

Prompt: Grow Together

On the fourth morning of Squad 451’s mission, Soldier Leeg 2 hits a mislabeled pod. It doesn’t unleash a swarm of muttation gnats, which the rebels are prepared for, but shoots out a sunburst of metal darts. One finds her brain, and in the instant it pierces her skull, Katniss swears she hears a cannon fire. Instinctively, she looks to Finnick who is also staring with wide eyes.

The following evening, Boggs gets the call. “Everdeen, Odair, pack your things,” he says. “You’re heading out on the next train.”

“Train to where?” Katniss says. They’re already at the last station.

“Back to Thirteen,” Boggs says. 

“What about the mission? We’re not even close to the mansion yet!” Finnick demands.

“Squad 451 has been dissolved. Everyone else is being reassigned,” Boggs says. “The pod mishap with Soldier Leeg has Plutarch a little shaken. They want the Mockingjay home.”

Katniss shoulders her weapon defiantly. “I’m not leaving. They need me here.” It’s a lie, of course, she’s hardly been allowed to fire her weapon since she’s arrived. But she can’t leave now, not when she’s so close. “That was the deal,” she says. “I kill Snow. You call Coin back and remind her of that!”

“I’m not going to change her mind,” he says, sounding tired.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Let’s take a walk,” he says.

Katniss falls in step with Boggs and they weave around the encampment, outside the earshot of the others.

“You’re a wildcard,” he tells her. “You’re too unpredictable, and as this war comes to an end, you become a bigger and bigger threat to her.”

“I’m not vying for the presidency, if that’s what she’s worried about,” Katniss deadpans.

“True, but there will be a lot of people waiting for your endorsement. It’ll carry a lot of weight, especially if you’re a respected war hero.”

“How can I be a war hero, when they won’t even let me sniff the front lines?”

Boggs stops and gives Katniss a knowing look. “She doesn’t trust that you won’t sneak off into the night with my Holo, and storm the Capitol by yourself.”

Katniss presses her lips together tightly, and tries not to look too guilty at the accusation. 

“I’ll do whatever it takes to capture Snow alive,” Boggs says. “We’ll be sure to save him for you when you get back.”

It’s a long three days on the train back to District 12, and when they disembark the hovercraft in Thirteen, Katniss heads straight to Haymitch’s door. He seems to be expecting her, and hardly looks up from his reading when she storms into his compartment.

“The propos weren’t being well received,” he tells her. “The districts are united. Everyone’s seen enough of you blowing things up with a bow and arrow. The focus now is getting the people of the Capitol to lay down their weapons and surrender, and we all know who speaks the Capitol’s language better than anybody else.”

“Peeta,” she admits reluctantly. 

“Yes, and they don’t know you’ve had a rocky reunion. No one has seen you two together since the rescue.” He sits back in his chair and glances out the door to make sure no one else is around to hear. “There were two options discussed. Bring you and Finnick back to show the Capitol all the happy times to look forward to, or send Peeta to the Capitol in a Squad 451 uniform.”

Katniss pales, remembering what Boggs told her before she left. That she was a threat to Coin. “She wanted to send Peeta to kill me?”

“You know as well as I do that the boy wouldn’t be coming home either.”

She scowls. Of course he wouldn’t. Boggs would put a bullet between his eyes before he got off the train. If not him, probably Gale.

“Peeta’s already dead,” she says darkly. 

“Could be, but I’m not ready to give up on him yet.” He sighs when she’s unmoved. “He’s made a lot of progress. Sending him to the Capitol with all of those bad memories? He might never recover from that.”

“He’s gone, Haymitch,” she says, and she’s even angrier now because she feels she might cry. “You have to let him go.”

“You and me, we made a deal to try and save him. Remember?”

She sets her jaw and looks away. Outside Haymitch’s compartment, she notices a name has been added. Beneath H. Abernathy reads P. Mellark.

“He’s out of the hospital unit?” she says, surprised.

“Yes, he’s been reassigned to my bunk.”

“He’ll kill you in your sleep,” she says with a humorless laugh.

“And I’ll probably deserve it, since I left him behind.”

******

There’s a strategy meeting on her schedule for the day, and she heads down to the command center early, since that’s the only thing on her schedule for the day. When she arrives, she finds that Peeta, Plutarch, and Beetee are already there, speaking quietly over a map similar to what was projected with Bogg’s Holo. She steps back into the shadows, recognizing this isn’t a conversation she’s meant to hear.

“This is the tunnel,” Peeta says, pointing to a path that runs at the bottom of their field of view. “It connects the prison cells to the mansion, that’s how they’d take us whenever we needed to film something.”

“This might be our best entry point,” Beetee says. “Since Boggs and Hawthorne are already familiar with it from the recovery mission.”

“The entire place is booby trapped. Even worse than what’s in the streets,” Peeta says. “You can’t send soldiers in there.”

“Maybe if we can send in something armored to hit every possible touch point to guarantee we trigger any traps ahead of time,” Beetee says.

“No there are cameras,” Peeta says. “And if there’s anyone left in the control room watching, this will definitely be the place they’re looking.”

Beetee nods. “So the cameras will be our first target. What’s the fail safe for surveillance?”

“Biometric sensors,” Plutarch says. “A pulse needs to be detected to mobilize the weaponry.”

“So send in a robot,” Peeta says dumbly.

“It’s also needed to activate the doors,” Plutarch says. He pauses, realizing something. “Hawthorne’s squad caught a pack of mutts this morning. They have them trapped in a school building. We may be able to use them.”

“Snow’s going to surround the mansion with refugees and threaten to blow the place sky high,” Peeta says. “You need to get all the civilians evacuated and convince them to seek shelter elsewhere.”

“We already have something in mind for that,” Plutarch says. He pulls out his pocket watch to check the time. “I’ve got to go prep for our next meeting,” he says. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Katniss scrambles back toward the door to pretend she’s just arrived. “Plutarch,” she greets.

“Oh Katniss, it’s so wonderful to see you back safe,” he says. “It’s such a shame what happened to Soldier Leeg. We were so worried about you.”

“I only wish I could have stayed behind,” Katniss says, it’s a long shot, but there’s no harm in at least trying. “To avenge her.”

“And you wouldn’t be our Mockingjay if you didn’t feel that way,” he agrees. “But we have more use for you yet.”

Plutarch leaves along with Beetee, leaving Katniss alone with Peeta and the guard she now notices posted in the far corner.

“Sorry they’re not letting you storm the Capitol,” Peeta says from his seat, but it’s obvious he’s indifferent by his tone. “It must be really hard for you, not getting to play hero for once.”

“They brought me back, because they couldn’t send you!” She says harshly. She knows it’s not fair to blame him, but everything about him frustrates her.

“It’s not like they give me a choice.”

She folds her arms over her chest. “Wouldn’t have mattered. Peeta wouldn’t have cowered in a bunker, he would have been the first volunteer to lead the charge.“

“And it would have been stupid,” he says with a scoff. “A high profile target on the brink of insanity shouldn’t be on the front lines. Every resource left in the Capitol would have been aimed right at you. It puts everyone around you in danger.“ 

“They know what they signed up for.”

“That’s easy for you to say. They’re the ones who’d be skinned alive and tortured to death so your face stays pretty for the camera. Me? I don’t have the stomach for it anymore.”

She stops short. How many people did he watch die while he was being tortured? Suddenly she feels selfish and small, and hates him all over again for exposing what a terrible person she is. “I have to be the one to kill him,” is all she can say in response.

He looks like he pities her for a moment, but it quickly passes. “The only one who will kill Snow, is Snow himself, and he won’t be going out alone.” She doesn’t break his gaze. She never planned on coming home, he must realize that. He shakes his head, growing frustrated. “This sick game you two are playing. Don’t you see the path you’re on? Nobody wins”

“Aren’t you angry?” She spats back. “After everything he’s done to you?”

“Sure I am, but I try to funnel it into something productive. Me going to the Capitol is not productive.” He frowns, like he hates to admit it when he adds, “Sending you isn’t either.”

“Well neither is me sitting here.”

“The rebel army isn’t going to lay down their weapons because the Mockingjay isn’t on the battlefield,” he says flatly.

“You don’t get it.”

“Of course I don’t. You think you’ve suffered the most, so you’ve earned it,” he says. “But last time I checked, you still have your sister, and your mother, and Gale. Hell, I’m still here, even though you haven’t a clue what to do with me.”

“Don’t,” she says lowly. “You’re not him.”

Snow took him and sent a mutt in his place. She remembers him on the beach, telling her that no one needed him. The absolute dread that filled her at the thought of losing him. A part of her died in that arena when he was left behind, and she’s fractured more and more, every time she’s faced with this imposter. The only fire she still has burning within her is vengeance. Killing Snow is all she has left.

He studies her face carefully, like he’s working all her thoughts out on his own. As if he has any clue. He shakes his head, and sighs dismissively.  

Plutarch enters then. “Oh good, you’re still here,” he says. “We’re meeting next door.”

He leads them to another room where all the victors and Coin are already gathered. Katniss takes a seat beside Haymitch and Peeta sits on his other side.

“First we’d like to welcome back Soldiers Everdeen and Odair, and commend them for their bravery in the Battle Against the Capitol,” Plutarch says solemnly.

Katniss’s eyes meet Finnick’s across the table, and they both roll their eyes in unison. Based on the way Annie is wrapped around his arm though, the odds of Finnick stowing away with Katniss on the next hovercraft out are about as likely as Haymitch deciding to tag along.

“We have a problem,” Plutarch continues. “It seems we have to reevaluate the focus of our propos. People of the Capitol enjoyed the fighting when it was happening in the districts, but now that it’s moved to their backyard…”

"It never bothered them before,” Finnick argues. Back in the Games, the Capitol loved that sort of suspense.

“No one wants to worry that the Mockingjay herself will break down their door and fire an arrow into their chest,” Plutarch says. “We have their attention at least, and we plan to use it. If anyone can convince the people of the Capitol to join our cause, it’s the Victors. They feel like they know you. They trust you.”

“They couldn’t care less if we were dead!” Johanna says with a roll of her eyes. “Besides, the propos are pointless to them. They’d rather die than surrender to a life of drab gray and standard issue rations.”

“Not if we put drab gray in style,” Plutarch says. “So far all of our footage has been about joining the war effort. We need to change our focus to what Panem will be when the fighting is over.” He’s pacing around the room now, flashing his hands around each victor with a buzzword. “Strength!” He says beside Johanna. “Hope!” He says along Beetee. “Rebirth!” Between Finnick and Annie. Then, when he gets to the District 12 side of the table he concludes with, “Romance!”

Peeta goes stone faced. “No. We had a deal,” he says. “I give intel and I run training drills for the camera, but no more star crossed lovers. We’re through with that.”

Plutarch looks like he’s getting nervous, like he expects Peeta will launch across the table ravenously at the first sign of showing any emotion.

“You’re in a unique position here, Peeta,” he says. “The Capitol used you as their mouthpiece in the early days of the war, and they haven’t heard from you since the rescue. Snow has tried to discredit you, but that’s hard work, since it makes him look like a liar.”

Peeta rolls his eyes. "You want me to smile and pretend like I agree with everything you say? I’ve done that enough already and I’m done. I’m not some piece in this damn game!”

Katniss’s eyes snap toward him, and for a minute she forgets how to breathe. She waits for a sign, some kind of proof that he remembers that quiet talk before their first Games, but he never even looks at her. It was just a coincidence. A cruel coincidence. 

“They need to see that you’re okay here. That you’re not some prisoner too,” Plutarch says, which is almost comical, with the armed guard lurking over Peeta’s shoulder. “We’ve held off on the reunion long enough. We need to show them what happily ever after looks like.”

Peeta stands from his seat.

“Where are you going?” Plutarch demands.

“Home. Back to Twelve. Thanks for the rescue. I’ll be sure to pay my taxes, or however you work all of this out, but that’s where my civic duty ends from now on.”

“We can’t sustain any more mass casualty events, Mr. Mellark,” Coin finally says, her voice always so calm and calculated. “But I suppose there are other ways to persuade the citizens of the Capitol to lay down their arms. Another Hunger Games, perhaps, pooled from families who are unwilling to surrender.”

He sits back down, and glowers at Katniss, as if this were all her fault. It’s not like Katniss is crazy about the idea either. In fact, it only reminds her of what Boggs told her before she was sent back. Coin’s not just interested in convincing the Capitol to join their side. She’s interested in erasing Katniss as the brave warrior leading the charge, and recasting her as that naïve little girl, too dumb with love to cause any problems. When the dust clears, they’ll remember that the Mockingjay called the people of Panem to fight, and then abandoned them on the battlefield.

She’s seething by the end of the meeting, and hardly pays attention to Plutarch’s brainstorming ideas. While Peeta has been able to turn all of his frustrations on Katniss, she has no problem redirecting them to him in the same way.

As they stand to leave, she stops Peeta before he can pass.

“It must be really hard for you,” she says tauntingly, mirroring his earlier tone. “Having to smile pretty for a camera." 

"Play nice, kids,” Haymitch says in a warning tone.

Peeta shakes his head. “Aren’t you angry they keep using us like little play things?”

“I try to channel it into something productive,” she says coolly. “Besides, what do I care? I’ve kissed you hundreds of times, and it’s never meant a thing.”

******

While hunting with Gale in Thirteen, they’d occasionally drift outside their allotted quarter mile radius. The animals weren’t aware of their hunters’ restrictions, and Katniss and Gale would often find themselves following tracks that led them two to three miles away from the bunker.

It was on one of these trips that she’d stumbled upon a lake, similar to the one she used to visit with her father back in Twelve. It even had a cabin, although it had been blown to bits, leaving only the ruins of a foundation behind, but the dock that stretched fifty feet into the water was still in reasonably good condition. 

Katniss had been reminded of the lake when Johanna mentioned some of the therapeutic methods her doctors were discussing to help her overcome her fear of water. Katniss had even gone so far as requesting the lake be tested for radiation, and it had been deemed safe for swimming.

The lake seemed like the perfect setting for Plutarch’s new propos, and Finnick, who’d never gone more than a few weeks without access to water, was thrilled with the suggestion. 

Cressida and the rest of her crew had stayed back in the Capitol to collect war footage, so a new team is assembled with Fulvia as director, a slew of amateur photographers from Twelve handling the cameras, and Katniss’s prep team tirelessly tailoring an assortment of District 13 jumpsuits into something sleek and stylish catered to each Victor’s best assets.

A blanket is set out on the docks and filled with foods from each district. Now that the supply lines have matured, there’s a bounty of fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables. The feast practically screams: Not from a can! Which is probably the only thing people in the Capitol have had access to in the last few weeks. There’s even a bottle of white liquor tucked away discreetly, which was probably placed after hours of debate, to show that the new Panem will still imbibe. 

They’re all deemed too pale from living underground for months, and her prep team airbrushes them shades of bronze, before sculpting their hair into something windswept and fresh.

It’s autumn, but it feels like spring. The leaves on the trees are warm yellows, oranges, and reds, and the air is warm too. Katniss stretches out on the dock beside Johanna, and soaks in the heat from the low hanging sun.

Johanna presses the bottle of white liquor into Katniss’s hand and smiles wickedly. Katniss sits up enough to take a swig, and grimaces as the liquid burns down her throat. “That’s terrible,” she says, passing the bottle back.

“It gets better,” Johanna says and takes another drink.

Finnick is already stripping naked and jumping into the water. He crows when he breaks through the surface. “It’s a little chilly,” he shouts, but seems to be acclimated after a few laps.

“Where’s Lover Boy?” Johanna asks lazily.

Katniss had seen him arguing with Fulvia earlier, probably over the fact that her direction notes stated “Peeta should kiss Katniss” and not “Peeta should hit Katniss with an oar.” After that, he went for a walk with Annie to cool down, and the last time she saw them, they were skipping rocks off the water from the shore.

She takes the bottle from Johanna and takes another drink. “Probably trying to empty his stomach now, so he doesn’t vomit on camera when he has to touch me,” she says. She sits up and dangles her feet over the edge, letting her toes comb through the water.

“He’s just embarrassed,” Johanna says, sitting up to match Katniss’s position. She hesitates before her toes can touch the water though, and instead swings her feet through the air. “He knows he’s still attracted to you, and he doesn’t want to give you that sort of power over him again.”

“He’s not attracted to me,” Katniss argues. “He told me I wasn’t even pretty.”

“Believe me, he is. We have group therapy together. It’s all he talks about." 

Before she can process it, Peeta approaches, with his hands buried deep in his jumpsuit pockets. Two people with cameras follow closely behind, and position themselves at different corners of the dock to capture the right angle. Peeta presses his lips together and lets out an annoyed sigh, before sitting down on the dock beside her. “Fulvia says I should talk to you,” he says, sounding bored.

“Mission accomplished.”

“That’s what I’d say.” He leans back on his hands to stare out at the water. “What are you two up to?”

“We’re racing,” Johanna says.

“To the bottom of that bottle?” He shakes his head when Johanna offers it to him.

“Johanna’s winning,” Katniss says.

“Did Haymitch teach you that game?”

"No, he’d never share,” Johanna says.

Katniss isn’t drunk, but she’s feeling a bit light headed, and she gets up to pick through the picnic before she loses her wits, especially now, knowing what Johanna has just told her. When she turns back, Peeta is stripping down to his underclothes, and preparing to launch himself off the edge of the dock.

“Where are you going?” she says.

“For a swim,” he says dumbly.

“You don’t know how.”

He looks unconvinced. “I survived an arena full of water, of course I know how to swim.”

“The belt was a flotation device,” she says. “You would have sunk without it. The only thing you know about swimming, you learned from me. I gave you a lesson once.”

“In that case, I must not be very good at it,” he says wryly.

“I could teach you.”

He smirks. “I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you.”

Maybe it’s the influence from the white liquor, or maybe it’s something else, but suddenly she begins to strip down to her underclothes and steps up to him. Lifting an eyebrow in challenge, she says, “Let’s find out then.”

Peeta narrows his eyes skeptically, like he thinks he might be walking into a trap. Then he grips her by the waist, and tosses her off the dock. The water is freezing, nothing like the tropical waters in the arena, and it takes a moment to get her limbs to start moving. She breaks through the surface, teeth chattering, and lets the light current drift her back into the sunlight.

"If I can trust you not to kill me just now, you can trust me this far,” she says, splashing the water in front of her.

He jumps in after her, and bobbles uneasily to the surface. The lake isn’t too deep, and within a few strokes toward the shoreline, she can already feel the bottom.

She goes over a few basic things, like treading water and how to float. He picks up on them right away, and they practice some simple strokes. It’s all very clinical, and boring to watch, and Katniss knows they’ll want better footage than this.

“Is it okay if I splash water at you?” she says.

“What do you mean?”

She flicks a few drops at him with the tips of her fingers to demonstrate. “I wasn’t sure if… like Johanna…” she tries to say diplomatically.

“No, it’s fine.”

She splashes some water at his face, and he does the same. They splash back and forth a few times, and again, it’s all very superficial. 

“I think they’re getting impatient,” Peeta says, nodding towards Fulvia  who is making get on with it! gestures from the shore. “We should probably just get it over with.”

She hasn’t kissed him since the arena, and she’s certain there are snipers up in the trees, ready to neutralize him if he has a psychotic break and tries to drown her. She flinches when his fingers brush her neck, and he draws his hand away quickly, flexing his fingers behind his head, while he debates a safe place to touch her.

She’s always depended on Peeta to take the lead, but that won’t work now, so they just kind of circle one another, with their chins touching the water, neither willing to make the first move. His eyes keep flitting down toward the surface, and she realizes that her underclothes are pretty much translucent from the water. His smile is almost sheepish at being caught staring, but then his expression darkens, and she realizes how she must be looking at him. Cheeks flushed, lips parted, shallow breaths. She looks like she wants him to kiss her.

And then he does. And the floodgates open. 

She remembers the night of his rescue, as she approached his hospital room. She was so excited to see him she felt dizzy, trying to picture what they’d say. What they’d do. She was certain he would kiss her, and she wondered if it would feel like those kisses on the beach. The ones that left her wanting more. 

When he kisses her now, she feels it again. That stirring that leaves tingles to the tips of her fingers. That guides her arms around his neck to pull her body flush against his. That leads her legs to frame his hips when he urges them there, aided by the buoyancy of the water. And then she feels it. But it’s not her this time, it’s him. Firm between her legs.

They’ve slept beside one another dozens of times and she’s always been aware of the effect she’s had, but he also went to great lengths to hide it. And now, feeling him pressed where her body seems to be calling for him most, her hunger turns to starvation when his hips roll against hers.

She’s too overwhelmed, and she breaks the kiss, swimming away, and climbing back on the dock where Finnick, Annie, and Johanna are gathered. Finnick drops a towel around her shoulders, and she wraps it around her body. She knows she’s shivering from the cold, but she can’t ignore that buzz still humming through her.

Peeta wades back to the dock a moment later, but only pulls himself up enough to lean on his elbows. He rests his head on his arms while he catches his breath. 

“You getting out bud?” Finnick says with a teasing lilt.

“In a minute,” he says shyly. 

She feels his eyes on her for the rest of the afternoon. It cools down quickly after the sun sets, and they build a fire near the shoreline for warmth. Katniss sits beside Johanna, nibbling on the remnants of their picnic, when she feels Peeta sit beside her.

She can’t quite look at him after their kiss, but she doesn’t protest either, when he directs her to sit between his legs, and she leans back against his chest, soaking in the wonderful familiarity of being wrapped in his arms.

She offers him a bite from the apple she’s eating, but he waves it away, and catches her chin with his finger before she can look away.

“I’m going to kiss you,” he says, and she’s already nodding before she fully comprehends what he’s said, and then they’re kissing again, framed perfectly behind the flickering flames from the fire.

“You need some privacy?’ Johanna says, throwing a dinner roll at Peeta.

He catches it then rips off a bite with his teeth and throws it back at her. "Yeah, you mind?” he says. And for a second, it reminds her so much of Peeta, the real Peeta. The one who nudged Caesar Flickerman aside after their first Games when he tried to interrupt their kissing. When he returns to kissing her, she pretends it’s still him, letting herself melt completely against him, holding onto that feeling for as long as she can.

******

They’re called into the command center the next day to preview the propo, but as they watch, Beetee informs them that it’s already airing in the Capitol. As expected, the primary focus is on Katniss and Peeta, with some extended shots of Finnick swimming, and a few clips of Johanna and Katniss laughing over the bottle of white liquor. Annie’s barely in it at all, which isn’t surprising, since the news that Finnick Odair is off the market, is not popular among the Capitol Elite. 

Peeta walks out of the room before the propo finishes playing, leaving Katniss to face the images of them kissing alone. She sinks into her seat, hoping to become invisible, and is grateful when it’s over and the meeting is adjourned. 

She returns to the command center later in the evening, when she knows that Gale will be calling in to deliver his daily briefing. They linger on the line after the rest of the senior personnel have left.

“You all seem to be having a great time back there,” he says coolly.

She feels the color drain from her face. “You’ve seen the propo?” She’d told him about Plutarch’s plans to film one, but she hasn’t spoken to him since they shot the footage.

“Yeah, it’s been on an almost endless loop here,” he says. “Men, women, and children were weeping in the streets at the sight, begging to be rescued,” he adds flatly.

“Funny,” she says. “You know I’d rather be out there with you.”

His laugh is tired, like he’s done repeating this same conversation again and again. “Let’s not kid ourselves,” he says. “Sure, you want to be here, but you couldn’t care less if I were around.”

“That’s not true.”

“Right. As your hunting partner.” He sighs heavily and rests his forehead in his hand. “I’m sorry. It’s just hard seeing you kiss him like that again.”

She touches her lips without thinking, and then quickly lowers her hand. “It’s nothing,” she reminds him. “He still hates me.”

“Didn’t look like it.”

Her knees snap together tightly at the memory of Peeta moving against her, and she looks away from the screen.

“I’m doing whatever I can to end this,” she says. “That’s all I want. You know that.”

“I could think of a dozen ways to end this war tomorrow, but you wouldn’t like any of them.”

She can’t shake the image of the Nut. The mountainside crumbling as those trapped inside scramble through the chaos in search for a last gasp of air they’d never reach. She doesn’t want to think about the horrors Gale would be able to unleash against his true enemies. 

“Just stay safe out there,” she tells him, still unable to look at him.

“You too.”

It’s late, past lights out, and she runs into Peeta wandering the corridors on her way back to her room. Peeta used to do the same thing on the train, but it’s another connection she’s unwilling to acknowledge.

“You’re up late,” he says.

“I had a call,” she says, her eyes staying trained on his feet.

“Gale?”

She hates that she feels guilty at the implication, like it’s something she’s trying to hide from him because she’s doing something wrong, when she knows that she isn’t. “They just finished supper out there, it’s usually when they send back their status for the day.”

“You want me to talk to him?“ He says, and that edge has returned to his voice. The one he’s used around her ever since his return. "Let him know you’re still being faithful.”

“I don’t owe him anything, or anyone else either,” she says.

His laugh is humorless as he shakes his head. “Ah, yes, there she is. Classic Katniss Everdeen.”

She scowls at him, eager to change the subject. “What are you still doing up?”

“I had a dream,” he says. “It was unsettling.”

“A nightmare?” 

“Not quite.” He puts his hands in his pocket and tilts his head thoughtfully. “You were in it though.”

“Did I get to kill you?” She says in a tone that’s disturbingly hopeful for the thought.

“No,” he says, and the smile he flashes looks genuine. “But you were implementing some unconventional torture methods.”

“Like what?”

“You wouldn’t want to know.” He lifts his eyebrows smugly. “Gale might be interested though.”

“What are you talking about?”

He stares at her, hard, like it would take a novel to explain it to her, then lets out a loud breath. “I don’t like you,” he says bluntly.

“You don’t like me? Join the club.”

“I’m still trying to figure you out. Sort out a lot of things up here,” he adds, tapping a finger against his temple. He takes a few steps to close the distance between them. He’s looking at her like an animal hunting prey, and she knows she should be scared, that she should probably run. But instead, all she can feel is that stirring in her chest. The one she gets when he kisses her. It doesn’t help when he says, “I don’t mind kissing you though. In fact, I kind of like it.”

“I could tell,” she says, aiming for indignant, but she doesn’t sound at all convincing, the way her voice is trembling.

He smirks tilting his head to the side, so that their faces are impossibly close. “I didn’t hear you complaining either.”

“If it seemed like I liked it, it’s only because I miss him.”

He lets out a quick rush of air that sounds like the wind getting knocked out of him, but covers it with an incredulous laugh. “Gale?" 

She should leave it at that, and let him think it. Then she can walk away and be done with whatever this is. "No,” she admits instead. “Peeta.”

There’s no hesitation before his lips crash into hers. She welcomes them, her arms circling his neck so he can’t stop. He stumbles forward, propping his arm against the wall behind them to keep them upright. She could kiss him forever, she thinks, but then she’s reminded that this isn’t Peeta. It’s like Gale told her back in Two. Kissing Peeta now is like kissing a drunk person, it doesn’t count.

“I shouldn’t be…” she says, pulling away.

He sets his other hand on the wall so that she’s caged between his arms. “What? Using me because you’re lonely? I get lonely too, you know.”

They kiss again, until she can clear her head.

“Kissing you now is different…” she says. “Then before."  

“What do you mean?” He humors her, but it’s obvious he isn’t interested in talking, because he immediately steals another kiss.

“It’s like kissing is just the start of something else,” she says.

He grins wickedly. “Isn’t that the point?”

“There are plenty of other reasons to kiss a person.” She has kissed Peeta a thousand times before, and it never turned into this.

“Yeah? Want to show me?” He leans in for another kiss.

She turns her face away before he can. “I’m done here,” she says.

He sighs heavily, and pushes away from the wall when he recognizes he won’t be getting anywhere otherwise. “I used to be terrified every time I kissed you,“ he admits. "I can remember that now. I think that’s why it was so easy for the hijacking to take, since there was so much kissing.”

“Why were you scared?”

He shrugs. “I was afraid I’d fool myself into thinking you’d love me back. But now, I don’t really care what you think of me. That’s probably why it feels different.”

Katniss realizes that’s the biggest difference between Peeta and Gale. With Gale there are expectations of how well she’ll love him back, while Peeta couldn’t care less if she ever loves him at all. Even before.

“That doesn’t seem fair,” she says.

“Fair?” he says. “Isn’t it the same thing you used to do to me?”

“I’ve always cared.”

“Have you? Is that why you’ve been sitting vigil by my bedside since my return?”

“I was a little preoccupied by a crushed larynx, if you can remember,” she snaps back.

He glares at her.

“Nobody touched my memories,“ she says. "And even I can’t make sense of half of them. So, sorry for the way I’ve treated you. I’m still trying to figure things out, same as you.”

“Yeah, well I’m sorry for a lot of things too, but it doesn’t seem to do us much good.”

“It does if trying to strangle me is on your list,” she deadpans.

He laughs, but it isn’t that cold, dismissive one. It’s a quiet and amused snort that even he seems surprised by. “Goodnight, Katniss,” he says, and the moment has officially passed, because now he’s backing away.

She’s not done though. “You brushed against me before,” she says, before he can turn away completely. “In the lake. And I felt it.”

He stops, and lifts his brows curiously. “Yeah?”

“You’d never done that before either.”

Even with the distance between them, she can see the shift in his eyes as they narrow, his pupils dilating until they turn black. He lets out a slow, deliberate breath that seems to suck the air from her lungs. “Did you like it?”

She leaves without answering, but when she returns to her compartment, she sits on the shower floor with her legs spread, and touches herself where she felt him before. Her fingers circling until she captures that sweet release she’s been craving. And when her eyes flutter open after her pleasure has waned, she realizes she was picturing him.

******

Training now is different than it was for Squad 451. There’s still target practice, and enough running to make Katniss puke, but now the focus is also on medical training to aid in relief efforts. The plan is to send the Victors in after the final offensive line reaches the City Center, when the Capitol is already secured, as a part of the liberation. 

Katniss hates the role, but is happy that medical training means she gets to spend time with her sister.

Delly, Peeta, and Prim have been playing a game called “Real or Not Real,” which Annie introduced them to. It involves Peeta describing a memory, and then Delly or Prim tell him if it actually happened. When they play around Katniss, it’s mostly superficial. Peeta asks about former school teachers, or what kind of food was served at the harvest festival. Occasionally he’ll ask about events from the Games, but never anything involving Katniss.

Over reflection the other night, Prim admitted that when Katniss isn’t around, the questions are almost exclusively about her.

Ever since the incident in the hallway, Katniss has been avoiding him. It doesn’t help that, according to Haymitch, Peeta had another setback yesterday that required him to be sedated much of the day. Katniss doesn’t admit what happened between them, but by the way Haymitch talks, he already knows. Either because Peeta told him, or they caught it on the security cameras.

Whatever his setback was, it must have passed, because Peeta’s almost cheerful today. Cracking jokes with Delly and Prim, and no longer staring at Katniss like he’s going to devour her at any minute.

Katniss doesn’t mind the reprieve, and she sits idly off to the side, practicing her stitches, while the three play their game.

"Hey Katniss,” Peeta says, catching her attention. “Pearls come from coal. Real or not real?”

She lifts her eyes to meet his. He’s smiling at her, which means he must already know the answer, and she can’t help but smile back. "Only in the Capitol,” she says. 

He furrows his brows, like he’s still stringing pieces of the memory together. “Effie told us that, we used to joke about it.”

She nods. “You gave me a pearl once too. On the beach.”

“I did,” he says in a tone that’s a mix of a question and an answer at the same time.

“I still have it,” she admits.

This seems to have unlocked a new memory and he presses his lips together, his eyes scanning across his workspace like he’s reading words off a page. “I gave you a locket too, didn’t I?”

“It was your token,” she says encouragingly. “It had a picture of my mother and Prim… and Gale.”

He nods. “I guess I already knew then, about you two.” He looks unsettled for a moment, and Katniss wishes she could take back what she told him. He’s quiet, his expression almost settling into that broody look he’s always sporting now, but then he scrubs his hand over his face to clear it away. He flexes his fingers a few times in front of him and lets out a heavy breath, which reminds Katniss to breathe again too. “Your favorite color is green,” he finally says.

She’s surprised when he says it. Because it’s less about remembering something she’s told him, and more about why she had told him in the first place. It was the conversation they had on the train, after they’d argued over her keeping secrets. In that moment they had called a truce, and decided to become friends. He’s doing that again now, and all she has to do is get over her pride and accept his kindness, something that has always felt impossible for her to do.

“And yours is orange,” she says.

“Like Effie’s hair,” he agrees with a smile, like they’re keeping a secret. And just like that, she recognizes it. That Peeta really is still there.

******

She hears him in the hallway every night. 

Peeta’s always walked with a heavy gait, and his footsteps are unmistakable at night when he roams the halls in search of sleep. She usually ignores it, but things feel different now, and this time, when she hears him stomping by, she opens her door.

“Another unsettling dream?” She says.

“Unfortunately not tonight, no,” he says. “Well it was certainly unsettling…” he shakes his head, unwilling to humor her. “I probably won’t be sleeping tonight.”

“What do they give you?” She asks, leaning lazily against the doorway.

He scratches behind his ear sheepishly. “They’re trying to wean me off the heavy sedatives, because I was forgetting how to breathe on them. So now I just get sleeping pills.”

“Which make the nightmares worse,” she concludes.

He looks at her with uncertainty for a moment, then nods.

“You want to come lay down?” She says and gestures over her shoulder toward her bunk. “It used to help – for both of us.”

“I probably shouldn’t,” he says, but he doesn’t make a move to leave. “Is Johanna in there?” She nods, although Johanna’s dead weight at night, since she swipes Katniss’s sleeping pills on top of her own. The morphling she siphons while “observing” in the hospital wing probably doesn’t help either. “Maybe that’s okay then, since we wouldn’t be alone.”

He climbs into her bed, and she settles beside him. The bed is small for one, and they have to tangle their limbs to fit, like when they shared a sleeping bag in the first Games. She hardly sleeps, because she can’t stop watching him. He looks just like Peeta when he’s sleeping. The rhythmic rise and fall of his chest is the same, and his long tangle of lashes flutter against his cheek the same way when he drifts between sleep cycles. He even smells like him, she notices, as she tucks her chin against his chest.

She rolls onto her other side, so her back is to him, hoping that it will allow for her mind to rest. When sleep finally takes her, she dreams of their last night on the beach, when he’d lovingly tucked her in and she imagined that beautiful meadow from the song she’d always sing. 

When she wakes, she’s immediately aware of the weight of his arm draped across her waist, and the firmness of his chest against her back. She peers at him over her shoulder, where his nose is nuzzled between her shoulder blades. 

It’s always hard to tell what time it is in Thirteen without windows, but they at least set the lighting system to simulate the sunrise and sunset, which they claim optimizes a person’s circadian rhythm. The overhead lights are starting to glow faintly, which means the morning alarm will sound in the next hour. 

She doesn’t want to disturb Peeta, but she needs to stretch her limbs from the cramped position she slept in. Her hips tip back, ever so slightly, bumping into his in the process, and she feels him, hard against her thigh. That dull ache strikes her again, creeping from her chest to low in her belly. She tucks her cheek back against her pillow and tries to ignore it, hoping to catch a few more minutes of sleep while she still can. In her lucid haze, she feels curious, though, and she swivels her hips back more deliberately. 

This seems to wake him, and he takes in a sharp sort of breath that’s caught in his throat. His arm tightens around her, hand splaying flat across her stomach to press her pelvis into his. He swells against her back, with an almost imperceptible thrust, while his breathing grows heavy in her ear. 

She remembers the feel of her own fingers circling between her legs the other night. It’s all she can think about with his fingertips brushing so close to the elastic of her sleep pants. It’s embarrassing how much she wants him to touch her, and while he wears his arousal fairly obviously, she can feel her own starting to dampen her underclothes. 

His hand dips lower, touching the bare skin from where her shirt rides up. She angles her hips toward him, and her legs fall open in invitation. He’s still moving against her, picking up his pace when she hooks her thigh over his. His fingers stretch, palm bracing her against him, as he ghosts over the fabric of her pants. So close. 

Her breath hitches in anticipation, and her hand covers his to urge it lower, but then his fingers start to flex, slipping from her hand, and he pulls himself out of bed abruptly. 

“I should go. The wake up call will be soon,” he reasons, as he hurries toward the door. 

She feels like she’s had the wind knocked out of her, and she slumps back on the mattress, haunted by the heat he’s left behind. She closes her eyes tightly and tries to calm the current humming through her body, but she’s still wound tight when the morning bells start to ring 30 minutes later. 

The next night, she sits in bed watching the door and waiting for the sound of his footsteps. She practically pounces when she hears him approach.

“Can’t sleep?” She says casually, bouncing lightly on her heels to hide how eager she is to see him. 

“Haymitch is snoring,” he says, and the light in his eyes, and the way his body seems to follow her every movement, like he’s caught in her magnetic field, makes her think he was just as eager. 

“Is that what it is?”

He drops his voice an octave, tipping his face toward her slightly to maintain discretion. “He’s been fermenting grape juice in the closet. The first bottle was rancid, but he said the next bottle was good. He finished them both.”

She steps aside so he can enter, and follows him into bed. There’s no pretense after that. She listens for him, opens the door, and then they sleep. Just sleep. 

People must know. There are cameras in all of the corridors, and Peeta sneaking into her room should draw concern, given that he’s tried to kill her. She wonders if maybe that’s why Coin allows it. 

During the day, they don’t talk about it. They play Real or Not Real, skating around mostly safe topics, and she even shows him the plant book they’d been working on, pointing out all of the sketches he did. That night he brings her a pile of scrap paper with all the various plants he remembers from the last arena, and the next day they find spaces for them, getting help from her mother, Finnick, and Annie for the ones they’re unable to identify.

She goes nearly a week without a nightmare, but one night she dreams she’s in the Capitol with Squad 451. Boggs steps on a landmine that blows him in half. Mutts whisper her name as they chase her through the streets. One catches Finnick and he’s ripped to shreds. Prim stands at the gates of the President’s mansion and catches a silver parachute, just as it explodes.

She’s trapped and can’t wake up. She feels like she’s underwater, paddling desperately toward the surface that only seems to drift further and further away.

“Katniss,” she hears her name whispered just like the mutts in her dream. She can’t escape it. “Katniss,” she hears again.

And then she feels his lips on hers. Firm and familiar.

“Katniss, it’s not real,” he says, and then he kisses her again. “Not real, Katniss. It’s not real.”

“Peeta?” She says, finally coming back to herself. She’s crying now because he’s here. Peeta. He came back to her. 

“Sorry,” he says, referring to the kiss. “You wouldn’t wake up.”

They’re both sitting up now. Her at the head of the bed and him in the middle. She’s still struggling to catch her breath from outrunning her nightmares, and she wants to keep them behind her, a thousand miles away if she can get there. She rolls forward on her knees to close the distance between them and kisses him again. It’s one of those kisses. One that awakens everything inside of her. One that will linger in her thoughts for months — maybe longer.

Whatever hesitation there was last time vanishes in an instance, and he pulls her into his lap, spreading her legs so they frame his hips. She’s the first to grind against him, and he pins her there with a hand on each thigh. She rolls her hips achingly slow along his length, separated by layers of sleep clothing, and she feels him harden beneath her. It makes her feel powerful, so she does it again, repeating the movement until he’s bucking up to match the motion. He urges her to lay back against her pillow, and his body blankets hers. He kisses her again, his tongue sweeping into her mouth with every thrust of his hips, like he’s making a map of her, in search of every place that makes her tick. 

He shifts his weight onto one arm, and his other hand sweeps down her body and under her shirt. He finds her breast, nipple pebbled within his palm, and when he pinches it between his fingers she hisses. He grins at the way she seems to unravel, and continues to massage her breast experimentally, to draw out new sounds until he’s satisfied. 

Johanna stirs in the bed beside them, and they freeze. Their eyes meet cautiously, waiting to be caught, but then Johanna just rolls over with a heavy sigh, and gives back into sleep. It doesn’t matter though, the spell has been broken.

“I should go,” Peeta says, sitting back on his knees.

Every nerve in her body seems to be thrumming. “Stay,” she insists.

His lips are swollen from their kisses and his sleep pants are still tented in his lap. He breathes deeply while he considers her request, but it’s obvious he can’t think clearly when all his blood has settled elsewhere. Eventually he nods, swiping his slick chin with the back of his hand and moving to adjust himself to effectively erase the impact of their activity, then he stretches back beside her.

She rolls onto her side to face away from him and stares at the wall. She knows she won’t be sleeping tonight, she’s too wired from her nightmares and now from the kissing too. 

She tips her hips back, hoping to find him again, but he’s facing the opposite way, pretending to be asleep. She can’t stand it anymore, this tension she feels around him that leaves her starved for release. If he won’t help her, she decides she’ll take care of it herself. She closes her eyes and tries to remember the feel of him hard between her legs, her toes curl in anticipation, as her hand dips beneath the elastic of her pants and underclothes. She gasps when her fingers sweep through her damp heat and circles her sensitive bundle of nerves.

Peeta rolls back over at the sound. “Katniss?” He murmurs, sounding exasperated when he realizes what she’s doing. His hand follows her arm to between her legs, where his fingers find hers. “Let me do it,” he grumbles in her ear. 

His breath hitches in the back of his throat when he touches her arousal, and he moves his fingers experimentally through her folds. “Have we done this before?” He whispers and she only shakes her head. His breath shudders again, sending a shiver down her spine, especially when she feels him tug her hips back to bump against his groin. “I couldn’t remember,” he says, and he must be talking about the other morning, when he was so quick to leave. “I thought I was having an episode.”

“No, this is real,” she says, her head lolling back against his chest, as he teases her center. “Keep going, I want you to.” She’s so wet that his fingers just slip around aimlessly, but when they finally find her clit, she lets out a strangled sounding cry before she can stop herself. He closes his other hand over her mouth to silence her, and then repeats the motion again with more confidence.

His hips are moving against her from behind, while his fingers circle around her clit with fervor. The sensation is overwhelming and she tries to anchor herself to anything she can wrap her hands around. The rigid muscles of his forearm as it flexes between her legs. His hand over her mouth. She reaches backward to touch his face, buried in the crook of her neck. His cheek is smooth, save for a short patch of stubble he must have missed while shaving. Her fingers tangle through his hair then settle around the nape of his neck to hold him steady. 

He lavishes the sensitive flesh along her throat. His teeth grazing lightly before his tongue swirls around her pulse point, sucking it between his lips. There will probably be a mark in the morning, but right now it feels too good for her to care. 

The pressure on her clit stills when he moves to dip a finger inside her. Her walls stretch then tighten around the intrusion. “More?” He murmurs, then grins against her neck at her eager nod. He adds a second finger, pumping them effortlessly through her arousal while using the heel of his hand to catch her cleft. 

It all feels so good, so impossibly good, she bites into his hand to keep from making a sound. He seems to like it, so she bites harder, until she breaks the skin. They’re practically feral as they move together in a frenzy of thrusts and strokes. She’s so close to cresting something when something strikes Peeta.

“Get off of her!” Johanna is shouting, standing over them with her History of Military textbook, which is the closest thing to a weapon within reach.

Katniss realizes how it must look, Peeta’s hand around her neck, while she shudders with desperate gasps. He rolls away quickly, and leaves their compartment without a word.

“We were just sleeping,” Katniss says defensively. 

"Who cares if you were fucking?” Johanna says. “You can’t be alone with him like that, he could kill you.”

At lunch the next day, Katniss can hardly look at anyone at the table. Her hair is down, and she smooths it over her neck constantly to hide the marks Peeta left across it. Peeta sits across from her, and she feels him watching her while he flexes his bandaged hand on the table.

“What happened to you?” Delly asks Peeta.

“I had an episode last night,” he lies, or maybe he isn’t. Maybe they both had a momentary lapse in sanity. “Bit my hand too hard trying to break out of it.”

“Good thing no one got hurt,” Johanna says pointedly. She turns her glare to Katniss. “So Katniss, hear from Gale recently?”

Katniss hunches further over her stew. “Yeah,” she mumbles. “They’re keeping count of all the pods they shoot down. Gale’s ahead of everyone else by nearly 100.”

“Must be killing you to not be there with him,” Johanna says coolly.

Katniss looks at Peeta and then looks away. They’re silent through the rest of the meal.

As they exit the cafeteria, Peeta pulls her aside to say, “Johanna’s right. We probably shouldn’t be doing this.”

*****

The rebels will be taking the Capitol any day now, and it’s decided that a Liberation Tour will take place. The surviving victors will stop at each district, en route to the Capitol, to distribute rations and gifts in celebration. Peeta volunteers to decorate sweets, and takes over the kitchen in Thirteen to do so.

Ever since he decorated the elaborate cake for Finnick and Annie’s wedding, people are fascinated to watch him work, and he’s in no short supply of assistants, starting an assembly line that at one point, Greasy Sae even joins.

Katniss is almost disappointed that his decorating has become so popular, because it means she never gets to see him. He’s always too busy demonstrating tasks and supervising others. And she misses him, now that he doesn’t sleep in her compartment anymore. 

On the last evening of prep, when he’s putting together the final touches, she finally catches him alone, and helps him clean up and pack the tiny boxes of chocolates.

“Where do you think you’ll go after all of this is over?” Peeta asks.

It’s a weird thought to have. When this is over. She never pictured making it to this point. “I don’t know,” she says. “Back to Twelve, I guess. There are too many rules here.”

He frowns. “Have you been back? Since…”

“A couple of times. Your house is still there in Victor’s Village. We went inside to borrow one of your suits for Finnick and Annie’s wedding. There’s a group of people who’ve already moved back. They’ve been sifting through the rubble before the ground freezes.” She takes a deep breath, dreading her next words, “Giving people a proper burial.”

His expression is impossible to read, and she doesn’t push it. She changes the subject instead. “What about you?” She asks brightly. “Where will you go?”

“I don’t know. Wherever they’ll let me,” he says. “I’m not sure the doctors in Thirteen are through with me yet, and there are some Capitol doctors from the hijacking program that are willing to help fix me, under the terms of their surrender.”

“You’d stay in the Capitol?” She asks, and the thought makes her sad, because even though there are so many bad memories there, Peeta always seemed to flourish in the Capitol. He could be happy there, now that they aren’t trying to kill him.

“You think Gale will go back?”

“To Twelve?” she says. She tries to picture the Gale from Thirteen, going back to making rabbit snares in the woods. “Probably not. I don’t see him being happy there. He’s too good at the whole ‘war thing.’”

“So are you,” Peeta argues. “You’re the Mockingjay, after all.”

“My abilities as a soldier start and end with my ability to shoot straight. You can ask Boggs, he’ll be happy to tell you all about it.”

“You’ve been begging to get back into the action for weeks now,” he reminds her.

Ske keeps her head bowed while she focuses on her work. “Because I wanted to be the one to kill Snow. For a while, that felt like the only thing I had left. If I cared about anything else, it might get taken away again.” She blinks rappidly to stop the tears threatening at the corners of her eyes, covering it with a half hearted laugh.

“But you don’t feel that way anymore?”

She meets his eye for a moment, then looks away. “I don’t know.”

“Is that why it’s been so hard? To choose?”

She rolls her eyes and pushes the box away once it’s full. It always comes back to this. She sets another empty box on the counter and begins to fill it. It's the last box left.

“What? Between you and Gale? Not you too,” she says flatly. “Why would you care? You don’t even like me.”

He ducks his head sheepishly at the remark. “Yeah, but I’ve got a lot of money riding on this.”

“Ah, the frivolous riches of a Victor. Sorry to say, but I’m not choosing anyone.”

The way he looks at her leaves her paralyzed beneath his gaze. “Good,” he says. “That’s what I was betting on.”

“In that case…” she says, trying to relieve the tension. It takes a moment for her knees to stop trembling, and she leans her entire weight on her elbows instead. “You should come back to Twelve. When this is over. You know, for Haymitch. We’re the only family he’s got left." She pauses, the words sitting like ash on her tongue. "We’re the only family you’ve got left.”

His smile is sad, as he returns his attention to his work, and she senses it’s time for her to go. “I’ll be okay,” he says. 

She turns to leave, but he stops her before she can reach the door when he says, “Hey, Katniss. You loved me -- before. Real or not real?”

It feels like all the air has been sucked from her lungs, and she stands there motionless. She turns, only enough to meet his eye from over her shoulder. “Real,” she finally allows herself to admit.

He nods thoughtfully a few times then returns to his work, and Katniss rushes out of the room before she does something stupid like tell him that she still does.

******

They leave the next morning. The remaining victors: Katniss, Peeta, Finnick, Annie, Johanna, Haymitch, and Beetee. They’re the only victors left. They take a hovercraft to Twelve, where a train is waiting. Not the cargo train that transported soldiers to the battlefields. This is the same train that took them as tributes to the Games. 

While in Twelve, they deliver aid and assist in the recovery effort. Katniss holds Peeta’s hand after he digs through the rubble, and locates a piece of the old bakery sign. He doesn’t say anything for the rest of the day, and he excuses himself as soon as they board the train, skipping dinner to retire to his private car. 

Katniss considers going to him, but Haymitch shakes his head. “It’s a lot for him to process at once,” he says. “I’ll keep an eye on him tonight.”

The train zigzags through the districts, and each night, Katniss has to remind herself that this is a good trip. That all of this will be over soon. During the day, she revels in the smiling faces who welcome them, knowing they’ll all sleep safely tonight with full bellies, and no worries of the Capitol’s wrath reaching them again. She finds herself sharing a train car with Johanna most nights, and they whisper over their fantasies of Snow meeting his final demise. 

When they visit District 4, they stop at the ocean. Even Johanna steps into the water, ankle deep, to absorb the salty air, and the blissful calm that comes with it. 

Finnick pulls them both aside on the beach. “We’re not leaving,” he tells them. “Annie and I, we’re staying. She’s pregnant, and the stress of going back there? She just doesn’t need that right now.”

Katniss hugs him tightly, and when Johanna hugs him too, she hears him tell her, “Give him hell for me.”

That night, Johanna is the one to lock herself away, so Katniss sits with Peeta and they linger in the dining car long after the meal has ended. 

Haymitch enters. “The rest of the tour has been postponed,” he tells them. “We’re heading straight to the Capitol?”

“Why?” Peeta says. “What happened?”

“Snow’s dead,” he says, and lets the statement linger into silence for a long moment, while the news sinks in. Katniss knows that both Peeta and Haymitch are waiting for her to respond. To laugh, to cry, to blink even, but she can’t seem to do anything at all. 

Peeta picks up the conversation for her. “How?” 

“A suicidal banquet was held after the rebels breached the mansion tonight,” Haymitch says. “They’re pulling his body in the morning.”

“Why wait?” Katniss says, finally finding her voice again. 

“They set the room on fire after, there might not be much left.”

“Were any of our soldiers hurt?” Peeta asks. 

“No,” Haymitch says, giving Peeta a reassuring grin. “We had some good intel.”

“So it’s over then?” Katniss says slowly. 

“They’re currently checking the line of succession as we speak. We’ll have to identify everyone who was in that room, then cross names off the list until we find the first one left alive. Hopefully, whoever that is, they’ve already been captured. But I know I’ll be sleeping better tonight.”

Katniss returns to her private car and orders a bouquet of white roses. She spends the rest of the night plucking each petal one by one until there’s nothing by bare stems left in the vase. She still doesn’t know how she feels. She’s not even numb, she’s just lost. They won, she should feel like they’ve won, but she doesn’t. It’s not even the fact that she wasn’t the one to deliver the killing blow. It was never a game. None of it. Nobody was ever going to win. It was no way to live.

When there’s a knock on her door, she doesn’t even have to guess who it is on the other side. “You okay?” Peeta asks. 

She shrugs. “Are you?”

“Will any of us ever be?” He replies. “Can I? Could I?” He asks shyly, nodding into her compartment. “Would that be all right?”

She steps aside wordlessly to welcome him into her bed. She couldn’t imagine spending this night beside anyone else, and they spend it like they have every night before, wrapped around one another to fend off the unknown horrors that could lie ahead. 

In the morning, they arrive in the Capitol, where Boggs is waiting to escort them.

“You decided to sweep in at the last minute to take all the credit?” He teases. Relief swells in her chest, and she doesn’t care if it’s against protocol, she hurls herself into his arms to hug him tightly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my word, about Snow,” he says into her hair. “We couldn’t get to him in time.” 

She’s still conflicted by the news, but she’s too elated to see that Boggs is safe. “Who cares, the bastard’s still dead, right?” He looks at her warily. “And let Coin know, I have no interest in being a king maker. So long as you and Haymitch support her, I won’t stand in the way.” She leans forward to lower her voice. “I’m not telling her who I’m voting for, though.”

Boggs ruffles her hair affectionately. “Get out of here and go be a kid for once.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” she says with a mock salute as she backs away. 

Gale’s arms circle her a moment later and he swings her through the air. “About time you showed up. How was the vacation?”

“Vacation? More like giving you the opportunity to finally pull your weight around here.”

A hovercraft flies low overhead, showering silver parachutes below. One floats into her hands and she recognizes the intricate decorations on the packaging. It’s the sweets Peeta made in Thirteen, mixed in with the ration packs that are being supplied. She hands it off to an empty handed Capitol child, and searches the crowd for Peeta, but he’s already slipped away. 

******

It’s the first day of spring, her favorite day of the year.

Katniss wakes up at dawn and pulls on her father’s old hunting jacket. The morning air is still brisk with the bite of winter, but she doesn’t mind. She pulls out her thermos and warms her chest with a sip of pine tea. 

The fence is never charged anymore, but it still stands as a fortress around the district. Thom installed a few gates though, including one at Katniss’s request, right outside of Victor’s Village, and she slips out into the woods with ease. 

She checks her snares, then picks off a goose with an arrow. There’s a patch of mint that’s turned purple in the winter months, and she fills her spare satchel with it, picking off a few leaves to add to her thermos before she heads home.

As she cuts through the meadow, she pauses at the gaping hole in the earth that they hastily cleared out before the ground could freeze. They’ve filled it back in, best as they could throughout the winter, but the ground is lumpy and uneven. She notices the perimeter is dotted with a few dandelions, and she plucks them from the ground to lay upon the mass grave.

When she returns to Victor’s Village, she drops off her game bag, where Sae is eager to unload the day’s offerings, quickly putting her granddaughter to work prepping a stew to serve the volunteers later in the day. Katniss isn’t sure how this arrangement worked out exactly, Sae and her granddaughter moving into the spare bedroom in her house, but since there’s always a meal waiting for her whenever she comes home, she doesn’t mind it. 

The only part of District 12 that was left unscathed by the firebombs was Victor’s Village, and since the houses are huge, there are two to three families bunking in each one for now. That’s why it isn’t surprising to see smoke billowing from Peeta’s chimney across the way. Delly’s been living there along with all the other orphaned merchants who decided to return. 

Peeta’s house has a special oven that the Capitol installed when he moved in. It’s made of stone, the same type they had at the bakery, and can heat things at over 1000 degrees, twice as hot as standard kitchen ovens. Delly has been too nervous to get it started, and all of Katniss’s offers to figure out how to light it have been politely rebuffed (as if Katniss has a history of blowing things up), so every attempt at baking bread has been pale and lumpy. Judging by the thick smoke coming out of the chimney though, it looks like that may have changed today.

"Are we finally going to get the good bread today?” Katniss calls out as she crosses the courtyard toward his old house.

She’s stunned, stopping short at the base of the porch steps when it’s Peeta who opens the door. She hasn’t seen him since the liberation of the Capitol a few months ago. There were a few events they had to make appearances for, like the signing of the Treaty of Surrender, but then she went back to Thirteen, and eventually Twelve, while he stayed behind for treatment. 

“It’s been a while,“ he says. "We’ll have to see if I still have it in me.”

She’s rendered speechless, and can only blink dumbly in response. He looks good. His hair looks freshly cut, his skin looks clean, and he’s even put some weight back on, which was near impossible on Thirteen’s rations. He looks more at ease than she’s ever seen him, even before the first Games. His smile is bright, and he’s lost any trace of that clouded look he had before.

“You’re back,” she finally manages to say.

His smile widens. “Guess I am.”

“Since when?”

“The Capitol released me last week and my train didn’t get in until this morning,” he says.

“Delly didn’t mention it.”

“I kind of asked her not to. I hadn’t decided if I was coming back for sure, until I got off at the train station.”

“Does Haymitch know?” She says

“He’s the one who picked me up, actually.”

“Typical,” she says, folding her arms across her chest. “That man, always keeping secrets.”

“It was probably my fault,” Peeta admits.

“Don’t worry, I get it.” She shifts her weight between her feet. She can’t think of anything to say. All she knows is that she doesn’t want to leave. “How are you?”

“Better.”

“You look it.”

“Thanks, I think,“ he says with a laugh.

“No, I mean it. You’ve lost that,” she waves her hand in front of her face, “look.” She grimaces and shakes her head, she always says the wrong thing, but he doesn’t seem bothered. “It’s good to see you smiling again.”

He takes mercy on her by changing the subject. "Are your mother and sister back too?”

“No, they stayed in Thirteen to finish her doctor training. She has a few more years left in the program.”

“You didn’t stay with them?” He says, looking surprised. 

“Well, now that I’ve lost my Mockingjay privileges, I’d probably only last a week before they kicked me out for disobeying orders.”

“You think they’ll come back when she’s finished?”

“I hope so. Otherwise, I’m the most experienced healer in all of District Twelve.”

“We’re doomed.”

She laughs. “Hey, I treated you once, and you didn’t die, remember?”

“A ringing endorsement, if I’ve ever heard one,” he says wryly. “We’ll just have to strategically hide the fake leg.” Their laughter fades in the warming spring air, and they linger in silence.

She doesn’t want to go, but there isn’t a reason to stay either. She rolls her lips together, and gives him a formal nod. “Well I’ll let you get back to it,“ she says.

“Hey, you want to go out sometime?” He says abruptly, before she can step away.

“Like on a date?”

“If that’s what you want to call it,” he shrugs. He leans against the porch railing, tracing his finger along the worn wood while she mulls over the question.

“Seems kind of formal. Aren’t we technically married?”

His nose scrunches and he scratches behind his ear, letting out a nervous laugh. “I don’t know. Are we? That’s been a point of contention with my therapy. No one knows the answer for sure.”

“Not real,” she says.

"Good,” he says, nodding a few times before the corner of his mouth twitches into a small smile. “That’s probably something I’d want to remember.”

She’s caught off guard by the statement, when she shouldn’t be. He wanted it to be real, she’s always known that. What surprises her, is even considering marrying him some day, and thinking she wouldn’t mind it.

It’s too much to think about, so she quickly changes the subject. “Why would you want to go out with me anyway? You don’t even like me,” she reminds him.

He flashes a contrite smile, like he realizes he’ll never live that comment down. “Yeah,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck, and he tilts his head to the side to avoid the late morning sun. “But I think I could be persuaded.”

“Wow, that must have been some therapy,” she says dryly. 

“I don’t know, the objective was to make me sane…”

The statement hangs into silence, and he frowns, probably thinking she’s been deflecting his original question, and maybe she has. 

“You can say no, too,“ he says quickly, as if he senses the growing tension. "That’s kind of the point of asking. If you’re not interested I’ll buzz off. I don’t want you to think I only came back because I assumed I’d win by default.” He grimaces. “Because it’s not winning. You’re not some prize…”

"You doing anything right now?” She says, interrupting him.

“Aside from surgically extracting my foot from my mouth, not much.”

She grins. “I hope you don’t need a healer for that.”

He laughs, his smile bright and again at ease. 

"You want me to show you around?” She says.

His eyes cut across Victor’s Village, and then past the gate where the town used to be, before it was turned into rubble. “It didn’t look like there’s much to see, based on the last time I was here.”

“That’s because you don’t know where to look.”

While most of the area around the square is still piled beneath dense rubble that’s hard to clear, the structures in the Seam were all made of thin rotting wood, saturated in coal dust. When the fire bombs fell, there was barely even ash left behind, that’s how easily it burned. That’s where most of the rebuilding efforts have been focused since the end of the war. It’s a blank canvas. 

Of the eight hundred District Twelve survivors, fewer than two hundred have returned so far. Most have stayed in Thirteen. Others, like Gale and his family have relocated to other districts, since people are allowed to move freely between them now. While Twelve has started to rebuild, a lot of volunteers from other districts have come in on the train to help. They stay for a week or two at a time to offer spare tools and a helping hand. Now that the damage to the Capitol has been mostly cleared, they’re starting to ship heavy duty trucks, capable of moving a couple tons of stone and dirt at a time, far more than the fleet of horse drawn carts Twelve was initially using.

The Seam is close to the train station, because that’s where the tracks run — where the coal is. So they’ve set up some temporary trailers and tents for volunteers to stay, and a pop up market, made up of simple, covered stands, where they sort out goods for distribution. It’s also become the natural spot for trading basic services.

Katniss has her own stand, where she prepares pelts and deerskin leather when she has it. Delly joins her most days and helps her sew the smaller pelts together into something more usable. Unfortunately, deerskin isn’t great for shoes, but Delly has designed some fur lined work gloves that Katniss is getting pretty good at making too. Sometimes they make salves and herbal remedies using whatever plants Katniss has collected in the woods, and treat whoever is in need of it, since they both had extra medical training in Thirteen. It’s a real catch all kind of stand.

Delly’s the only other familiar face in Twelve to Peeta, so Katniss figures she’s the only other person he would be interested in seeing, and that’s where they go first.

Delly squeals when she sees him. “You made it!” She says, launching herself into his arms. Katniss becomes painfully aware that she didn’t think to hug him back when she first saw him. In fact, they’ve been hovering just out of the other’s reach through the mile walk over here. 

“I made it,” he confirms.

She pulls away. “Did you start the oven?”

“Nice to see you too, Delly,” he teases.

She ignores him and guides him a few stands over, where there’s a paltry spread of Delly’s pale, miss shapen loaves and a plate of neglected cookies.

“What is this?” Peeta says, trying not to sound too horrified, although he obviously looks it.

“The bakery,” Delly says.

“I made cookies,” Katniss chimes in weakly.

He touches her arm and smiles at her gently. “You made something,” he agrees. She should be annoyed with him for being condescending, but this is the first time he’s touched her in months, and all she can do is smile at him dreamily in response. He turns back to Delly. “Well you seem to have this covered, what do you need me for?”

“Fill this stand,” she says, unamused. 

“I was planning on helping out with the cleanup effort,” he says. All Katniss can focus on is his hand leaving her arm and tucking loosely into the pocket of his slacks. She misses his touch already, even with him standing right next to her.

“And what do you think all those volunteers are going to eat?” Delly says.

“There aren’t any bread bushes in season,” Katniss adds. “I checked.” This earns her another smile, and it emboldens her to brush his arm this time.

Peeta takes notice, watching the tentative path of her fingers down his forearm while he rolls his bottom lip between his teeth. “I suppose I can find the time to do both,” he says, catching Katniss’s hand in his, and their joined hands hang between them.

“Funny how that worked out,” Delly says, a knowing glint in her eye. 

“Well seeing as you and Katniss are able to clothe, feed, and heal the entire district on a daily basis, it’s the least I can do.”

Delly is distracted by something over Peeta’s shoulder. “There’s Thom,” she says. “I’m going to check to see if we’re still on schedule for today. Katniss, is Sae working on supper?”

“Goose and rabbit stew,” she confirms.

“How do I look?” she asks Peeta.

He looks perplexed. “I don’t know? Cold?” he says, noting her flushed cheeks.

She rolls her eyes and turns to Katniss for approval. “You look great,” she says.

“What was that about?” Peeta says as Delly saunters away.

“You of all people have to ask?”

His eyebrows lift with understanding. “Oh,” he says, looking embarrassed for not recognizing it sooner. He looks down at their joined hands, and brushes his thumb over her knuckles, then retracts it to comb his fingers through his hair. “Well it sounds like I have to get started on a couple dozen loaves of bread for tomorrow, so I should probably get going.”

“You’ll need supplies for that, right? I can get you a cart and show you the storage warehouse.”

Thom gets them a spare cart and Katniss helps Peeta fill it with flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. He jokingly asks if there’s an industrial stand mixer stashed away, and she knows he isn’t serious, but she’s pretty sure she can pull a few strings through Sae or Boggs or Prim to get one shipped in from kitchen in Thirteen. “Give me a few days,” she says. 

“How’d I know you were going to say that,” he says, loading the last of the flour into the cart. 

The ride back to Victor’s Village is long, since the cart constrains them to only the cleared trails. Peeta looks awkward behind the reins, lifting and pulling on them occasionally, even though the horses know the paths well enough to walk them on their own. 

“It’s kind of a dark thought,” he begins, after they’ve been riding in silence for a while. “But you would have made a good mentor.” She looks at him quizzically. “You’re resourceful,” he elaborates. “You know exactly what’s needed and how to get it. You took a district made only of ash and figured out a way to thrive.”

“I hardly did it on my own,” she says. 

“Take the compliment,” he says, his grin teasing. “It’s a part of my therapy.”

“Being nice to me?”

His eyes don’t leave the road. “Identifying the qualities that explain my feelings towards you.” 

She purses her lips while she studies his face. “I have a list too,” she admits. “I started it kind of late — later than I should have. And hadn’t even realized I had started it at all, but while you were…” she trails off with a sigh. “Not at your best. I made a list of the qualities you still had. To remind myself that you were still in there somewhere.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“Well, you decorated Finnick and Annie’s wedding cake so beautifully, so you were still a painter, and a baker. And you wandered the corridors at night because there were no windows in the Thirteen compartments. You could never sleep without opening a window, it always made you feel suffocated. There were smaller details too. You never took sugar in your tea. And you double knotted your shoelaces,” she finished, nodding toward the laces on his boots. 

They sit in silence for a long moment. “I’m sorry,” she says quietly. “For giving up on you.”

His smile is easy, but strained. “I don’t blame you. I said some pretty awful things to you.”

“Nothing that I didn’t need to hear.”

“You didn’t deserve it,” he says adamantly. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Neither did you.”

The cart pulls up to Peeta’s house and she helps unload it. “I’ll go bring this back,” she says, taking the reins. 

He stops her with a hand on her hip, and she pauses on the step of the cart, turning to face him. “Well, goodnight Katniss,” he says, lingering shyly.

She stays there too, waiting. Finally he works up the nerve, and brushes a chaste kiss against her lips. It’s over almost before it begins, but somehow it leaves her feeling like she’s flying. She can’t stop smiling, and he can’t either. They’ve shared hundreds of kisses, thousands even, but she thinks this may be her favorite kiss of all.

******

When she wakes, the other side of the bed is still warm. Her fingers stretch, tickled by the coarse hairs that pepper his chest. Her palm flattens across the broad expanse, where she can feel it rise and fall rhythmically. She lets her hand drift lower, the muscles in his abdomen tensing beneath her touch as she brushes past his belly button, to where the blanket is draped over his lap.

When they started sleeping together a few weeks ago, he teased her for immediately getting dressed after. She was always worried about something happening in the night that would require a quick escape. “What if you were naked,” she’d asked, and he only laughed and said, “Then I’d be naked outside.”

Sae’s got her granddaughter downstairs though, so now he puts his undershorts back on to sleep in, so he can remain decent, just in case. 

“No nightmares?” He says now, his voice still husky from sleep.

“Not today,” she says. Today is the first time in seventy six years that there won’t be a reaping. "Today is a good day.”

She tugs on the elastic waistband of his undershorts to free him, then wraps her fingers around his velvety skin. He hardens quickly within her palm, and she shifts in the bed, sitting up to hover over him. 

“A very good day,” he agrees, his eyebrows quirking upwards and his smile lazy when she takes him into her mouth. He hums his approval. “I think I could spend the whole day right here.”

She hitches a leg over his waist to straddle him, and he catches the hem of her nightgown as it rides up, stripping it up over her head. “They’re having a celebration in the town square this afternoon,” she says, hissing when he weighs one of her breasts in his hand. “At two. We should be there.”

He groans. “We can sleep in then.”

She leans forward to kiss him, and he takes advantage of this new position, tipping her hips back to roll her center against his length.

He grins, carding his fingers through her loose hair to push it behind her shoulders. She loves when he smiles while he kisses her. His lips are pulled tight, so it’s shallow and full of teeth, but he’s happy. A few months ago, it felt impossible that he’d ever feel that way around her again, so now she revels in every sign of it.

She breaks the kiss and smiles apologetically. “My mother and sister are coming for it. Their flight gets in this morning.”

He grimaces, checking the sunlight trickling into the room to gauge what time it is. “When? Am I going to have to sneak out the window?”

“At least you’ll be decent,” she teases.

He pins her hips and bucks his off the mattress to thrust against her a few times. “Hey now, you started this,” he reminds her.

“Under much duress on your part,” she says, biting her lip when his fingers dip between her legs. His thumb swirls through her slick heat, circling her clit lazily.

“Exactly. I’m not sure I even like you.”

She arches an eyebrow as she poises his hardened cock at her entrance, his want for her clearly evident. “Still?”

She sinks down onto him and his eyes slip shut. He smiles, content. “No, I think it might be something else.“

“Something else, huh?”

As they move together, she knows this would have happened anyway. That her fire always needed his gentle strength to survive. That she could live a hundred lifetimes, and always find herself right here.

So after, she asks him, “You love me. Real or not real?”

And he tells her, “Real.”

#promptsinpanem #specialchallenges #fivetenfifteen #submission #absnow

[jennagill]

Please participate in PIP 😊

Hello sunglasses, it was sweet to receive this request.

I am excited to read all of the fantastic submissions in the next round of @promptsinpanem ! There are still so many thriving writers chock full of creativity these days too!

Ya girl is definitely tapping out for participating though.

#def weird to not participate since I have for nearly all of them? maybe I skipped one? #bless Jessa and absnow #life. work. promotion. kids. general exhaustion. gestures vaguely to the room. can’t remember the last creative thing I did. so sad. #promptsinpanem #everlark fanfiction

[katnissdoesnotfollowback]

Featuring: The Rim of the Sky

Summary: It starts in the night, when the rim of the sky is pitch black, so dark that even the stars can’t touch it. Soldiers in orderly lines, wrapped in sleeping bags, huddled against the growing chill in the air. They aren’t really soldiers. Not like the enemy. And not like the ones leading them. The boy and the girl sleep beside each other for weeks. Months. Although he still doesn’t know her name.

Everlark in the Dark Days and the failed assault on the Capitol.

Rating: T+ for MAJOR CHARACTER DEATHS, violence, mild sexual content, child soldiers, blood mentions.

A/N: Now that I've gotten you all nice and cozy with several of my HEA Everlark fics, I now drag you waaaaaaaaay back to 2014 with the piece that really started to gain me notice as a writer in the fandom. It wasn't the first fanfic I shared but until I posted The Rim of the Sky, there were maybe a handful of super kind people reading my fics. I wrote The Rim of the Sky for Day One (Red) of Round 6 (Peeta's Paintbox) for promptsinpanem. I'd been lurking for five rounds of PiP already. I'd written pieces for at least one prompt every round but didn't work up the courage to finally post until Round 6. And this is what I chose to share. Why, you ask? I still don't really know. Long story, but this piece was a massive emotional dump of words. Please note the plural on that MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH S tag above. There is no HEA for this one.

Have I warned you all enough? Scared several of you off even trying to read it? While that saddens me because I still think it's one of my better pieces in terms of language and writing craft, I can understand people wanting to steer clear.

The Rim of the Sky on AO3

#words are peetas thing not mine #ten years of fanfiction mania #the rim of the sky

[thgfanfictionlibrary]

E Rated Fics Masterlist (29)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19 / Part 20 / Part 21 / Part 22 / Part 23 / Part 24 / Part 25 / Part 26 / Part 27 / Part 28 /

Created: December 17th, 2023

Last Checked:-----

Everybody's Got a Dark Side-shesasurvivor (ao3) Summary: When Katniss reminds Peeta about the time President Snow visited the study, it accidentally triggers an episode. Then Peeta decides it's time to reclaim Katniss… and the desk. Hijacked!Peeta smut, post-Mockingjay.

Favorite Holiday-Diana_Flynn (ao3) Summary: Misery loves company, except when it's your own family. Katniss Everdeen is hiding out from her dysfunctional family on Thanksgiving when she bonds with the last person she expected to - Peeta Mellark - the practically perfect man who she considers ruined her Halloween. Why does he have to be so gorgeous… and be so unavailable?

It Happens Any Way-hutchabelle (ao3) Summary: The trial is over. Katniss is free to return to District 12 but only if accompanied by her fake fiancé, Peeta Mellark. The problem is he’s still recovering, so time spent with him is dangerous, especially if he suffers another hijacking episode. How do the star crossed lovers of District 12 find their way back to each other when all the cards are stacked against them? It happens anyway and any way they try.

Lost and Found-Peetabreadgirl (ao3) Summary: Katniss Everdeen takes a much needed break from life on a deserted island, where she comes across the hidden treasure of a lifetime. Tarzan!Peeta request by Mega-aulover on Tumblr.

Say My Name-marycontrary82 (ao3) Summary: Peeta teaches Katniss a lesson she'll never forget. Modern day AU -One-shot - Rated MA for language and sexual content.

Something New-wheather79 (ao3) Summary: A glimpse of how Katniss and Peeta grew closer during the Victory Tour. Drabble. Everlark.

Sparked-HEA_andallthelike (ao3) Summary: She didn't expect his words, and she never imagined she could react the way she did. The consequences of it all, sweeter than she could have ever dreamed.

Sugar-promptsinpanem (tumblr) Summary: Desperate to find financial security for her family, Katniss Everdeen goes to whatever lengths it takes to bring home a paycheck. Peeta Mellark just wants someone to make him feel normal again.

The Apothecary's Daughter-LilyMaid (ao3) Summary: After a devastating illness the people of Panem find themselves on the brink of extinction. In response the games are canceled indefinitely and replaced with a breeding program to increase genetic diversity in the population.

Wrapped in Green-katnissdoesnotfollowback (tumblr) Summary: Wrapped In Red!Peeta is a horny boy and I am here for it. He likes to dress Katniss up in nothing but those naughty red stockings, spank her, and then rail her into the mattress when the kiddos are fast asleep

#e #masterlist #everlark #everlark fanfiction #thg #thg fanfiction #e masterlist

[sillymarigolds]

Well it has been a hot minute. I wanted to share something with all of you wonderful THG/Everlark peeps! This WIP based on @promptsinpanem's "Peeta's Paintbox" has been sitting on my computer unloved for a while because (a) I'm not sure what I'm doing with it and (b) I'm more time poor than usual.

I've signed up to @promptseverlark's Summer "This Would Have Happened Anyway" challenge and am hoping that will give me a big kick up the gluteus maximus to get back into writing because I miss Everlark and all of the beautiful creativity they inspire.

Without further ado...

Peeta's Paintbox (A WIP)

Since coming back to District Twelve, Katniss, Haymitch and I have come into our own rhythm of sorts.

Katniss hunts, Haymitch drinks, and I bake.

Despite not having done it in over a year, my body remembers the bakery’s hours. I rise with the earliest of bird calls when dawn still lies faint on the horizon.

Each morning I bake fresh bread. I add different spices, seeds, and nuts; try new combinations that would have made my mother frown.

Peeta's Paintbox (A WIP)

Since coming back to District Twelve, Katniss, Haymitch and I have come into our own rhythm of sorts.

Katniss hunts, Haymitch drinks, and I bake.

Despite not having done it in over a year, my body remembers the bakery’s hours. I rise with the earliest of bird calls when dawn still lies faint on the horizon.

Each morning I bake fresh bread. I add different spices, seeds, and nuts; try new combinations that would have made my mother frown.

I think my father would have liked the cranberry, orange and almond. He always loved when we could get oranges. He would carefully take off the rind to grate into cakes and divide the orange into segments – always eight –  putting aside four for his baking and then giving one to each of us brothers, saving the last one for himself.

When the bread is baking, I start on cookies to take to the workers clearing rubble and burying the dead. I would prefer to make little iced cakes, but they are difficult to carry and distribute. I tried once, but the icing melted in the midday sun and smeared across the inside of the carry boxes.

The cookies I make never taste right. Father always said he would only tell me the secret ingredient when I got older. Now the secret has been buried with him.

I have been past where the bakery once stood, and there is nothing left but ashes. I almost went to laugh at the irony, but my throat was so dry that all I could do was choke out was a cough that brought tears to my eyes. I had to wipe my eyes on my sleeve and come straight home before the sadness turned to anger.

I keep busy, walking through the streets handing out cookies to the crews that cart away what is left of the old District Twelve. I want sometimes for it to be back as it was, but other times I cannot wait to see it rebuilt from the ashes. I just wish there hadn’t been a need for all this suffering to make change. I take as indirect a route as I can manage, trying to soak up the hours until I know Katniss will be back again and I can start making dinner, keeping my hands and my mind busy.

I think about painting. The catharsis it gave me after I returned from the first Games. But my studio upstairs lays untouched. It feels haunted by the past. 

Today lots of crews have gone home early, so I find myself back hours before the twilight. I walk into the kitchen, looking around for a task. Each baking sheet, mixing bowl and spatula has already been scrubbed and is sitting drying in the afternoon sun. The kitchen benches have already been wiped down, smelling faintly of lemon.

I turn and walk through to the living room. The mending basket is empty, and the kindling box neatly stacked full. My fingers start to itch, feeling idle. Today is Katniss’s favourite kind of day in the woods, sunny and cool, so I know she will be gone some hours yet. Sinking down into the rocking chair, I close my eyes and curl each one of my fingers slowly in turn, pretending I am combing them through her dark hair.

I rock gently back and forth, curling my fingers over and over until I feel my heart skip a beat and then thud hard against my chest as if to compensate. My breath catches and I can feel the blood pulsing in my ears, accelerating as if to reach a crescendo. My knuckles are white as I grip the arms of the chair, eyes screwed shut.

My name is Peeta Mellark. I live in District Twelve. I survived the Hunger Games twice. I was tortured and survived.  I am safe now.

I am safe now.

I am safe now.

I start to whisper the words until I feel my heart slow and my grip loosen.

I decide to have a glass of water and I am greeted by a rainbow projected across the kitchen floor as the sunlight scatters through the glass mixing bowls. Each colour looks so vibrant and beautiful individually, but the collection of them spread at my feet stirs something inside me. It makes me think of the tubes of paint lined up beside the easel upstairs.

#the hunger games #everlark #thg #thg fanfiction #wip #work in progress

[mega-aulover]

Sneak Peek Dragon of Midland

You know having a dragon isn't always what it's cracked up to be..., especially a sassy one named Peeta.

I'm working on my submission of @promptsinpanem here is a sneak peek: (if you haven't read it you can do so by clicking TDoM ) Warning it hasn't been touched by my beta @norbertsmom

**KPKPKPKPK**

Queen Verity had a massive army. And there were unconfirmed rumors that most were mercenaries from other lands. Closing her eyes she thought of the map, she studied daily. Thus far there was no clear way to lay siege to Highland Castle. Its walls were thick and some said protected by deep magic. Only a magical being could break through their defenses.

Haymitch said she had the ability to breach it, but her magic would be depleted. Their hopes lay in Peeta. The dragon could easily take down the walls once he was born. However, Katniss did not want to use Peeta. She didn’t want to think that this was his destiny. 

Katniss did not want to have the blood of her people spilled, or for that matter the blood of the people of the Highland. But then again peaceful diplomacy had failed. The people of the Midland did not have access to food or water. The people of the Highlands had access to the land and to the water. 

They could trade with others as they border the Iron Sea. The only territory they did not broach was the Verbotem Forest and the Western Mountains. No one from the Highlands was permitted to go there. There were stories of beasts of unnatural semblance called Muttations that roamed those woods.

Finnick was lucky to have made it back. He was a man now, a very good looking one. Her cheeks burned pink as she recalled his golden physique.

“I see you have a crush.”

The voice startled her.

Katniss looked around and then realized it was Peeta. She stood and walked to the egg.

“Now you wish to speak to me?”  

Katniss could see the dragon moving within the black onyx egg. The voice within her head sounded young. However, Katniss felt that it was wise beyond its years.

He chuckled. “I do not like to share.”

“I am not some trophy to be won.”

 “I did not call you a trophy.” Peeta was taunting her intelligence.  

“But you are treating me as if I am chattel or a bed,” Katniss was getting angry. She had never treated anyone thusly. She had the utmost care and respect for everyone.

Peeta laughed at her outrage. “You are so innocent,” he said in a haughty voice.

“Take it back.” Her anger flared, and she could not understand why. She was tough  and had done things she was uncomfortable with to better her people.

“No,” he purred.

“You mock me.”

“I am only being truthful with you.”

“No you are annoying me.”

Peeta laughed. “You will never mate with another human.”

“I must marry one day,” Katniss said, lifting her nose in the air.

“Is that right?” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

“I have to…to think about available candidates. It is only natural that I find Finnick handsome.” 

“Hmmm,” Peeta said. And if he were present Katniss would have sworn that he lifted his eyebrow, mocking her.

“I must produce an heir…and Finnick is fit. He could provide me with strong heirs.”

“So, you wish to marry.”

His voice was so cheeky. She stomped her foot. “Yes. I’ve always wanted to get married.”

“Liar.”

Her cheeks burned brightly, they were hot to the touch when her cool fingers flew to them.

“Be quiet!” Katniss demanded.

Peeta laughed. 

Angrily Katniss stomped away from the egg and climbed into bed.

“Aren’t you going to say goodnight, sweetheart,” Peeta cooed.

Katniss growled in response, turning her back to him and went to sleep.

In the morning she was at practice.

She was dressed in all black with leather trousers, and chain mail. She spun around as Finnick swung at her with his sword. His skill with a sword had improved. Katniss thrust her sword using the flat edge of her sword and pushed him back allowing her to kick him in the back. 

Finnick fell to his knees but quickly got up and hunched over. “You’ve grown as a fighter?” 

“I’ve had to join the night parties to gather grain.” Katniss noticed the muscles in Finnick’s arms, and this tiny distraction put her in peril. Finnick was nearly on top of her before she felt a burst of energy pulsed from her amulet and knocked Finnick on his back.

“FINNICK!” Katniss ran forward. 

Finnick groaned before he sat up. “Well, that was unexpected.” 

“Are you hurt?”

“Not just embarrassed,” Finnick said, giving her a grin. “When did you start using magic?” 

“I didn’t. I’ve never…” She stammered. “It just happened.”

“I told you I don’t like sharing.” Peeta’s voice wound through her head.

“Oh, shut up!” Katniss replied.  

“Sorry?” Finnick said. 

“No, not you,” Katniss replied. “It’s the dragon.”

“He’s…” Finnick alluded as he touched his mind.

“Yes I can hear him again,” Katniss sighed.  “He’s annoying.”

“Are you two done flirting?” Haymitch said. 

Katniss felt heat rush to her cheeks. She could hear Peeta laughing at her. She wished he would be quiet.

***

This is the map that I made of my fantasy world...enjoy!

#The Dragon of Midland #Fantasy #Hunger Games Fantasy #Fanfiction #Midevil #Katniss #Peeta Dragon #Queen Verity

[everlarkficquestions]

Hello I wanted to know if you could find a fic for me it was about Katniss and Peeta get in a car accident on their way to prom. Peeta’s mom sends him to a far away place to get better with his prosthetic leg. He finds out later that his mom took him far away to keep him from Katniss. His mom would call him and the friends that also had prosthetics mean names. He found out what she was doing and went back home to ask Katniss for forgiveness. Thank you.

Hi @everlark30

The story you are looking for is If You Forget Me by Titaniafics / Titania522.

The story has been taken down from AO3, but the individual parts may still be available to read on @promptsinpanem

#+ #fic finder #deleted work

[jhsgf82]

what fics are you currently reading? what do too recc? what are your all time faves? what are you guilty pleasures? what do you look for when searching for a fic?

Well, it can be tough to keep up with fic reading and writing, especially when you have a lot of WIPs. I do try to read, though, because I enjoy it. I read when I need a break or before bed, whenever I find the time and feel like it.

That being said, I'm not reading one fic in particular right now, or even several. I tend to jump around, reading whatever I come across that seems interesting and oftentimes re-reading favorites. Whatever I'm in the mood for. I tend to read more one-shots these days because it's less of a time commitment.

So, I don't usually like to rec fics because I don't want to exclude anyone and cause any hurt feelings. There are soo many fics and talented writers out there. It can be kinda overwhelming at times; it definitely was when I first started reading THG fics. I have authors I subscribe to and A LOT of fics I've enjoyed and would rec, but it's just too many to list out. I'd tell you to look at my bookmarks with the rec button checked on AO3, but it's kinda a hot mess right now, haha.

Also, it depends on what you like, what genres/tropes, styles, ratings, etc. And since I don't know what you like (or what all you've read so far), best I can do is mention some resources:

@everlarkficquestions has a really nice masterlist. Not every fic out there has been included because it's practically impossible to keep up, though they've done a great job of it. I like having the neat categories to scroll through.

There are some prompt/drabble blogs out there if you like drabbles/ficlets, such as @seasonsofeverlark, @talesofpanem, @promptsinpanem, @everlarkficexchange as well as some newer ones: @promptseverlark and @ouateverlark. The latter two are just starting out, but be on the lookout for those fics to come. Some of those drabbles/ficlets have been turned into multichapter fics as well.

@thgdiscovery randomly features THG writers and their fics, so you could scroll through there and see if anything jumps out at you. And @mrs-hawthornes-toreadlist features a bunch of current and older fics as well.

You can also just go to AO3 and search with filters for the tags you want to read.

What do I do when I search for a fic? Any and all of the above. I like the masterlists a lot, and I save a lot of fics for later, so I usually have no shortage of fics to read/re-read, although sometimes I get "reader's block" and don't know what I want to read, lol. Usually, something will jump into my head that I feel like reading, though, and I'll go looking for that. Or, I'll scroll the lists.

I read a lot of AUs, though I also like canon and canon-divergent "This would have happened anyway” and “Growing Back Together.” I enjoy friends to lovers, roommates, single parent, age gap, etc. I actually read a little of everything, so... Most genres/tropes are not off limits to me for reading; I will usually give anything a chance, though I do have my preferred ones and my no-nos.

Hope that's somewhat helpful! Good luck!

P.S. If I’ve left off any helpful blogs for fics, feel free to add to my list! I haven’t been around for as long as some of you, so I’m open to suggestion! 

#Everlark fanfiction #fics #fic recs #fic blogs #prompt blogs #shameless self-promotion of two of my own group blogs #I tend to read Everlark and I'm assuming you want that if you're asking me but not all of these blogs are strictly Everlark #so you get a bit of variety there #I don't know of too many other specific pairing resources #just general THG #multi THG characters #or Everlark #THG fanfiction #fanfiction

[awhiskeyriver]

hello! i really loved the bet and how you handled the whole story 🥰❤️ is it okay if i request a fanfic au from you? 🥺 it's okay if you're too busy or if you don't feel like it, but if you do want to, here's my request:

modern au where peeta is a famous songwriter writing songs for and about katniss 🙈

i just felt that he would be that type of guy. especially when I heard "The Joker and the Queen" by ed sheeran, it reminded me of the bet and how peeta must have felt then. I'm just so glad Katniss was able to love and appreciate him like the king that he is. ❤️ Again, I love your work, I love how your brain works, and I love how you write your stories.

Aww this is so sweet. Thank you so much! I'm always open to requests. Right now I'm just trying to finish up The Tutor and repost Eggshells, so I can't guarantee when I'll get to this but maybe I can try to work off your prompt for my @promptsinpanem submission! Just depends on where inspiration strikes, tbh. But I like the idea!

#anon #ask #fanfic #writing #the bet

[daydreamsandcaffeine]

what fics are you currently reading? what do too recc? what are your all time faves? what are you guilty pleasures? what do you look for when searching for a fic?

Currently reading: One fic I'm reading is Wildest Dreams by @geeky-writes / @geekymoviemom. It's a WIP but is updated every Monday. I'm giving this one a shout out cause it's a fic I bid on for Fandom Trumps Hate. I gave geeky some prompt ideas, and she's gone above and beyond, and I'm so excited to see where it goes. :)

Recs: I don't want to accidentally leave someone out, so I'll give general blogs. @everlarkficquestions is a great resource for fics. There's also @promptsinpanem, @seasonsofeverlark, @everlarkbirthdaydrabbles, @everlarkbirthdaygifts, @everlarkficbackfriday, and I'm sure there's others I've missed, but these blogs have stories you can read. Who knows maybe you'll discover an author you really enjoy.

Guilty pleasures: I don't know; I just read whatever I'm in the mood for really.

What I look for: Again, whatever piques my interest at a given time.

#asked and answered #anon asks

[promptsinpanem]

Dragon of Midland

Summary: The Realm of the Midland and the Realm of the Highland’s are warring. A battle that began eons ago, and their will only be peace in the land when the dragon is found and given to the rightful heir to Panem. Fantasy HG

This was part of @promptsinpanem​ the story I always wanted to write You can read the first part HERE

Special Thanks to my incredible beta @norbertsmom who edited 20K in less than a week.

Rated M for Violence, War, Death, Witchcraft, Magic, Graphic Scenes of Violence, Canon typical Violence, 

See the end for Latin Translations

PART 2:

Ch4 The Egg

That Evening

Katniss had never felt so connected to another creature whether it be human or animal. She stood by the fireplace, watching the egg. It was held in a cradle made of stone with hot stones around it. They placed the cradle close to the fireplace. Haymitch said it was important to keep the egg hot.

Her hand traveled to her amulet. She played with the gold talisman. She picked it up and stared at it once more. It looked like two golden birds wrapped around a black pearl. The day she had been crowned Queen, Haymitch had surprised her with the Amulet. It added fuel to the fire that was in her mind. She was immersed in a cauldron of ambiguity.

Her life was an enigma. She didn't learn of her birthright until she was eighteen, and then there were two more years of silence until Finnick brought her the egg. She dreamt about it from the time she was a babe. Haymitch had all of the answers, but it was easier to blast open a mine shaft than get anything out of him. No matter how many times she broached the subject of her past, Haymitch eluded her questions. She was frustrated, she was fighting a war she did not understand. She was a Queen with no heritage.

It wasn't until Finnick left that Haymitch told her he was going to privately train her to use her magic. Haymitch did not want anyone else to know that she was magical. He did not let her leave their dwelling during the day. It was only with the advent of Peeta that she was allowed to join the raids.

Katniss stepped back from the fire. She sat in her chair, looking out into the inky darkness. Questions kept swirling in her had her people had a visceral reaction to the amulet?

What was the meaning of this amulet?

Why was Peeta bonded to her?

Why hadn't she heard his voice again since last week?

She reached out once more with her mind, but she received silence in return.

Katniss hugged her knees to her chest. For as far back as she could remember, her people mined for precious commodities that were traded with the people of the Highland. Then one day Highland raised their prices, then blocked the only source of water, and refused to trade. The people of Midland were pushed deep within the caves of the Midland Mountains.

Queen Verity had declared war with them.

Katniss did not want to fight. Nonetheless, they prepared for war. For weeks, their strongest men and women trained. They looked for the best scenario on how to lay siege to Highland Castle.

Queen Verity had a massive army. And there were unconfirmed rumors that most were mercenaries from other lands. Closing her eyes, Katniss thought of the map she studied daily. Thus far, there was no clear way to lay siege to Highland Castle. Its walls were thick and some said protected by deep magic. Only a magical being could break through their defenses.

Haymitch said she had the ability to breach it, but her magic would be depleted. Their hopes lay with Peeta. The dragon could easily take down the walls once he was born. However, Katniss did not want to use Peeta. She didn't want to think that war was his destiny.

Katniss did not want to have the blood of her people spilled, or the blood of the people of the Highland. But, then again, peaceful diplomacy had failed. The people of the Midland were cut off from trading with other lands. They did not have access to food or water except for what they could find in the mountains.

The people of the Highlands had all the access to the land and to the water. They could trade with others as they border the Iron Sea. The only territory they did not broach was the Verbotem Forest and the Western Mountains. No one from the Highlands was permitted to go there. There were stories of beasts of unnatural semblance called Muttations that roamed those woods.

In order to reach the cave where Peeta lay, Finnick had to cross Vebotem. He was lucky to have made it back. He still would not speak of the horrors he faced there. Finnick had left a youth tinged by idealism. He returned as a man, grounded in realism, a very good-looking man. Her cheeks burned pink as she recalled his golden physique. He smelled like saltwater, but also sweet like honey. Katniss bit her bottom lip as she thought of how good Finnick smelled.

"I see you have a crush."

The voice startled her.

Katniss looked around and then realized it was Peeta. She stood and walked to the egg.

"Now you wish to speak to me?"

Katniss could see the dragon moving within the black onyx egg. The voice within her head sounded young. However, Katniss felt that it was wise beyond its years.

He chuckled. "I do not like to share."

"I am not some trophy to be won."

"I did not call you a trophy." Peeta was taunting her.

"But you are treating me as if I am chattel or a bed," Katniss was getting angry. She had never treated anyone thusly. She had the utmost care and respect for everyone.

Peeta laughed at her outrage. "You are so innocent," he said in a haughty voice.

"Take it back." Her anger flared, and she could not understand why. She was tough and had done things she was uncomfortable with because they had benefited her people.

"No," he purred.

"You mock me."

"I am only being truthful with you."

"No, you are annoying me."

Peeta laughed. "You will never mate with another human."

"I must marry one day," Katniss said, lifting her nose in the air.

"Is that right?" His voice dripped with sarcasm.

"I have to…to think about available candidates. It is only natural that I find Finnick handsome."

"Hmmm," Peeta said.

Katniss could picture him, as if he were with her in human form, lifting his eyebrow, mocking her.

"I must produce an heir…and Finnick is fit. He could provide me with strong heirs."

"So, you wish to marry." His voice was so cheeky.

She stomped her foot. "Yes. I've always wanted to get married."

"Liar."

Her cheeks burned brightly. They were hot to the touch when her cool fingers flew to them.

"Be quiet!" Katniss demanded.

Peeta laughed.

Angrily, Katniss stomped away from the egg and climbed into bed.

"Aren't you going to say goodnight, sweetheart," Peeta cooed.

Katniss growled in response, turning her back to him, and went to sleep.

In the morning, she was at practice. She was dressed in all black with leather trousers and chain mail. She spun around as Finnick swung at her with his sword. His skill with a sword had improved. Katniss thrust her sword using the flat edge and pushed him back, making him turn around, which allowed her to kick him in the back.

Finnick fell to his knees, but quickly got up and hunched over. "You've grown as a fighter?"

"I've had to join the night parties to gather grain." Katniss noticed the muscles in Finnick's arms, and this tiny distraction put her in peril. Finnick was nearly on top of her before she felt a burst of energy pulse from her amulet. It knocked Finnick on his back.

"FINNICK!" Katniss ran to him.

Finnick groaned before he sat up. "Well, that was unexpected."

"Are you hurt?"

"No, just embarrassed," Finnick said, giving her a grin. "When did you start using magic?"

"I didn't. I've never…" She stammered. "It just happened."

"I told you I don't like sharing." Peeta's voice wound through her head.

"Oh, shut up!" Katniss replied.

"Sorry?" Finnick said.

"No, not you," Katniss replied. "It's the dragon."

"He's…" Finnick pointed to his temple.

"Yes, I can hear him again," Katniss sighed. "He's annoying."

"Are you two done flirting?" Haymitch said.

Katniss felt heat rush to her cheeks. She could hear Peeta laughing at her. She wished he would be quiet. Katniss cleared her throat. "What is it, Haymitch?"

"Come along, we have news."

Katniss sighed as she left Finnick behind and walked along with Haymitch.

"The spy?" Katniss whispered.

Haymitch pulled a piece of parchment from inside his coat and handed her the missive. Her heart fell as she read. Queen Verity is planning to hire mercenaries. Katniss only had two battalions, nearly the entire population of Midland. Queen Verity had nearly double that.

"I need to know how many, Haymitch?"

"I will find out."

Ch5 Queen Verity

That Next Night

Verity awoke with a scream on her lips. She could see the flames, while light blasted through her body. In her bed, she shook her fists balling the silken sheets.

For the majority of her life, she had one singular dream. It was always the same. A woman stood upon a turret looking down at her Kingdom. Then the sound of rushing waters, followed by being engulfed by flames so hot they were white. There was no potion, no sacrifice, nothing took away that dream.

The Witch told her it was nothing. When she was younger Verity believed the Witch. However, as she grew older and began to look like the woman on the turret, Verity thought her dreams may be part of a prophecy. The Witch told her that it was a memory of how her parents died. They were burned in a burst of flames.

Satisfied with the explanation, Verity put the dream aside. Then recently she had begun having them more frequently. Now Verity wasn't so sure.

She lit a candle by her bed and looked around the room. Everything in the room was white, even in the darkness. White was the color of her family crest.

Her family motto was Puritas Vincet.

She picked up her mirror to glance at her features.

Verity was older now, into her third decade. Thankfully the magic of the old woman kept her looking young. She had ruled from a young age. Then one day when she was ten and five the old Witch told her there was a disturbance in the land.

At the time, Verity had been expanding her kingdom. They had been waging war for a long time with the people of Midland. The Midland kingdom was composed of a collection of chiefdoms and she had conquered the majority of their lands. Verity had successfully laid siege to the last vestige of power Ore Silvae and had driven the remnant into the Midland Mountains. She had gifted the property to Lord Undersee; he had slain the Chieftain In-Nucis Lyme.

It was her intent when she was twenty and five to cut off their water and force them out of their hiding place. She had sent engineers to see how she could cut off Midland from the water they needed. The engineers had found a way to collect the water into a small lake at the foot of the Midland Mountains.

However, the Witch had always guided her in matters of state, and never once had the old blind bat been wrong. Verity trusted the woman because she had saved her life against Midland. They had killed her parents, and she swore vengeance and to uphold the code.

When the Witch told her that there was a threat to her power in the Midlands, Verity was delighted with the woman's words of warning.

Though the dam she built allowed irrigated water to trickle through the Mountains, she controlled the waterway and they were powerless, and at her mercy. The water that drained into Denby Lake gave Highland increased yield in their farmland and weakened Midland. Verity laughed at their pathetic claims for peace.

Getting up, she padded to the window and looked down at the courtyard. The smooth white stone reflected the moon above. In the distance, she could see the gently sloping green pastures of her kingdom. She'd been the stewart of these people and proclaimed Queen by her people.

She lived by the code set up by her family, the code they ruled by. The code that ran through her veins.

To protect one's self-interest

To live for fortune and glory

To demand reward

To question those placed in authority

To win at all costs

To maintain the purity of the Highland

To persevere unto the end

To Spare No One

To Show Strength instead of Weakness

She was instructed by her mentor that the people of Midland were to be destroyed as they were evil bottom dwellers who killed her parents and would kill her if they got the chance. Anyone caught dallying with those vile creatures was immediately put to death.

The people of the Highlands were a better class and they were being terrorized by the people of Midland. They had foolishly come for peace as if they had any right after what they had done. They were barbarians.

Verity knew a war was coming and she was preparing her people for that eventuality.

"ANOTHER RAID," came the cry from the courtyard.

Verity slipped on a robe as she quickly descended the stairs toward the courtyard. 'Twas beldam that night as the alarm was sounded and wounded were brought in. Poor farmers burned, terrorized, half-dead serfs of her realm. Her white robe floated around her as she ran toward the injured, her gut twisting in horror.

"Close the gates," she ordered.

The fools were letting people in. They needed to keep people out!

"Quickly," Verity reached out to a young squire. "Fetch me the old Witch."

The squire's eyes widened. "The Witch?"

Verity struck down the boy. "I am your Queen, fetch me the Witch," Verity ordered.

The young squire jumped up, and bobbed his head, "Yes, your grace," he said before running off to complete his errand.

Verity moved forward. An old lady with grizzled gray hair and soulful brown eyes sat in a corner clutching a young girl. Verity hated blood, hated the sight of death and destruction. But most of all she loathed weakness.

"What happened?" Verity demanded.

"They attacked our village, your Highness," The old woman trembled.

"The one on the outskirts of the Castle?"

"Yes." The old woman said not daring to raise her eyes.

Fury swept through her at the account. Verity lifted her hand to slap the old woman, but instead, she walked away. The woman was not worth her time. The people of Midland were becoming more daring. They were raiding the village that lay on the outskirts of the city of Highland.

She found a guard. "Quickly, gather riders. They are attacking the Highland village."

The man looked pale at the order.

"GO!" She growled.

The man nodded and ran.

Verity rubbed her aching head. She dispassionately watched a streak of blonde run out. Verity stood and watched as Adeline ran forward with a healing kit.

"May I help," Adeline asked, kneeling down on the ground.

"Fine," Verity said. "And be quick about it Delly."

Adeline nodded and ran into the small crowd of people.

"My daughter, she, she…" the woman cried.

The bereavement, the sense of hope was like a wave that Adeline couldn't take. She quietly asked, "If you let me examine the child?"

It was then the woman saw who she'd been speaking to, her eyes widened, "Oh your -"

"Please allow me," Adeline held out her hands.

The woman opened her arms to allow Adeline to see the child. The child was wounded.

"Come with me, we have to take her to a quiet place so that I can heal her."

Adeline led the woman inside the stable, the only place Verity deemed worthy for the surfs.

From the door, Verity could see Lady Crane and Lady Undersee snickering and calling Adeline Cartwright, Delly. Verity laughed because Adeline flinched when she heard them use the nickname.

"You're grace," the young squire said bowing.

"Thank goodness," Verity said.

The squire backed away slowly.

"Witch!" Verity walked up to the blind woman and demanded. "You couldn't foresee this?"

"There are things that not even the wisest eye can foresee, Your Grace."

"Why does this keep on happening?"

"They are a blight on our people and must be eliminated," the blind Witch said. "They have a leader, but I cannot see them."

The Witch's voice hissed, and Verity's skin prickled with fear.

The witch said nothing. She stood facing the northeast, in the direction of the Midland Mountains. She sniffed the air as if trailing a scent. What is it that I sense? Who are you?" Her hands lifted and she whispered, "Equum et cinerem reuela qui redolet, da mihi potentiam suam mihi revelandi faciem!"

"Did you hear me?"

The witch stood still but then said, "Gah!"

"Care to explain what happened?"

"I cannot see who their leader is but they smell of horse and ash," the Witch said.

Verity arched an eyebrow, obviously, their leader was a warrior.

"You must find their leader and destroy him," the Witch said. "They are powerful."

Verity closed her eyes. She knew her control was tenuous at best. Her Lords and Knights were unloyal. She did not trust them and knew this leader was a threat to her throne. "How do I find them?"

"You must camp out on Denby at the foot of the mountains. There they will be revealed."

Verity thought about who was the closest to the Midland Mountains. Lord Undersea was a day-and-a-half ride to the foot of the mountains. The Cranes were the closest, but Lord Crane and his son Seneca were not strong enough. "I will send Undersee and his men to keep watch and engage in battle."

"That is a wise tactic, my Queen," the Witch said.

Ch 6 The Boon

That Night

Katniss had another exhausting day of training, followed by planning, then she and her riders had gone out to Crane, a village that was located southeast of the Midland Mountains. They left at twilight and rode for three hours to reach the village. They were able to take a few chickens, a good haul of vegetables, and most of all, hay. Another group was even able to bring back water from Denby Lake as well as fish.

They had wells in the caves that were connected to the above-ground river. However, because of the dams, Queen Verity had erected they needed to ration water. When they opened the dams the water within the wells rose and they were able to gather it and store it in specially constructed tanks. The extra barrels of water were always welcomed. Especially when they caught fish as well, an extra bonus of meat.

No one was maimed or killed in the raid, for which Katniss was very thankful.

They arrived shortly before daylight.

"The raid was successful?" Haymitch asked.

"They were not waiting for us," Katniss yawned.

"Good," Haymitch nodded, as he walked with her. "And you are sure no one saw you?"

"No, one saw me."

"You adhered to the plan?"

"Yes Haymitch, I adhered to the plan we devised."

"Katniss," Haymitch said in his authoritative voice. "What is the fifth rule?"

Katniss stopped walking; she couldn't believe Haymitch was going to make her recite the fifth rule.

"What is the fifth rule of the code?"

Biting her tongue she recited, "To obey authority."

"I understand you are my Queen," Haymitch said. "But I must insist you follow my rules. I only demand you follow them to keep you safe."

Katniss's ire dampened. Haymitch was the only parent she ever had and he loved her as if she were born from his loins. "I know."

They continued walking.

"Have we heard from the spy?"

"Not yet," Haymitch said. "But things cannot be rushed."

"I know, but I just wish I knew what that woman is planning. Haymitch, there are too many variables at play, and the more information we have…"

"Child, I taught you that."

Katniss shut up.

Haymitch gave her a look that showed he was as frustrated as she was.

When they arrived at her chambers, Haymitch spoke. "You should rest."

Katniss nodded before entering her chambers alone.

Rue, her chambermaid, was waiting.

"Milady," Rue said, bowing her head.

Katniss had told her not to bow, but Rue always bowed her head or curtsied, much to Katniss' frustration.

There was a hot bath, and she sighed with pure pleasure. "How was he?"

"The egg was restless, Milady," Rue said.

"Thank you for watching him."

"'Twas nothing, your Grace."

"You have returned," Peeta said. He sounded different to her ears, not childlike as if he were older.

"Good night, Rue."

"Yes Milady, you as well."

Katniss shut the door. Wearily, she faced the egg. The surface of the egg swirled with twinkling lights as if it contained the power of the universe.

"Are you upset with me?"

Katniss didn't answer back.

"I am sorry for vexing you. It is amusing; your temper is hotter than dragon flames."

Katniss could not help but smile.

"I see I amuse you as well."

"Sometimes when you are nice to me," Katniss said, hovering over the heat.

"You smell of horse, go bathe. I'd rather not die of noxious fumes." And there it was again, the familiar cheekiness.

"I will cede to your request but only because I cannot withstand my own stench," Katniss answered.

"Where did you go? I could not sense you."

"We went on another raid," Katniss muttered as she removed her clothes and folded them into a neat pile.

"I noticed Finnick did not go with you?"

"No, he did not." Katniss was too tired to take his bait. She stretched as she said, "Sejanus went with me and so did a few others."

"Sejanus, who is he?"

"He is a knight. Technically he is more of a boy than a man." Katniss yawned. "He is very polite and sweet. His mother is a wonderful cook. His father is ambitious and aspires for his boy to do great things."

"I see he does not excite you like Finnick does."

Katniss laughed as she sat in the water and sighed. Her sore muscles were relieved.

"No one excites me like Finnick does," Katniss recalled the way Finnick's muscular arms gleamed with sweat.

Peeta grumbled something.

"What did you say? I did not understand you."

"What is so appealing about that preening peacock?" Peeta asked.

"What is a peacock?"

"A bird whose male has a lot of pretty feathers and prances about like a fool."

"Finnick does not resemble a fool, Peeta. He is quite fit and tall," there was laughter in her voice as she described Finnick. Peeta's silence was golden. "Why are you so jealous of him?"

"We are bonded Katniss. I have been waiting for more than two millennia for you. I have dreamt of your coming. When your hands touched me, I knew your heart immediately. I will not willingly share that which I have been waiting for."

She did not expect this answer. She lifted her hand out of the water and felt the warm air in the room. Magic wove itself through her fingers. Her mind went to the impending war with Highland. "We do not have enough of an army. What if I die?"

"I will never allow such a thing, I swear it," he said fiercely.

"Peeta I am human, mortal. I have a date of inception and I have a date to expire. I have been fighting all of my life. And I know that this war may be my end."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Peeta said.

"Peeta…"

"Katniss, your life and mine are irrevocably intertwined. If you are harmed, I am harmed. If you die, I shall die."

Katniss sat up, in the bathwater. "Can a dragon be killed?"

"If you should perish, I shall perish. My heart belongs to you, Katniss."

Katniss sunk low in the water. Forbidden tears came to her eyes; she could not imagine him dying.

"Do not sadden yourself, Katniss; our journey is just beginning." He said tenderly to her. "Go on and finish bathing."

"Peeta," she said, sounding a lot younger than her years. "Why did you choose me?"

"The logical answer would be you are the one true heir of the house of Ehrlich. But I chose you because your heart is as pure as the driven snow. You have no malice toward your fellow man. Now even as we speak you do not wish to harm your enemies. You still wish for peace."

"I."

"Katniss, there is evil in this land that must be purged."

Katniss could not dispute this fact. Queen Verity was becoming more tyrannical as the days passed.

"You are the only one who can save the land and its people. Together we shall bring peace to the land."

"But they have a bigger army."

"Have faith," Peeta said.

She opened her hand, summoning the sponge. It flew into her hand. She began to gently wash her skin until the stench of her horse had been removed. The conversation and the reality of their situation weigh heavily in her mind. Getting out of the tub, she dried herself and hummed.

"You are tired."

"I am," Katniss said, looking into the fire. "I am very tired, Peeta."

"Sing for me?" Peeta asked.

"How do you know I can sing?"

"Your humming is not lamentable."

Katniss chuckled as she climbed into bed.

"I may sound like a hog right before they butcher him for a feast."

Peeta chuckled. "Humor me. I was lonely without you."

Katniss sighed and pulled her legs to her chest. She understood what he meant. Tonight as she rode, she missed the sound of his voice.

"A boon."

"Fine."

She began to sing a song she heard Maude Ivory sing when she was little. "Filioli, audite vocem meam praeter vos. O virgo mulier! Rex noster puer, festina et vide; Terra tua, tibi vera. Sol et luna duce nos; Vsque ad horam gloriae nostrae."

Katniss stopped singing. "I told you I would sound atrocious." Peeta did not reply. Getting comfortable in bed she closed her eyes.

As she fell asleep she heard him say, "Your voice is as pure as your heart."

A smile bloomed on her face as she fell asleep.

Ch7 The Scrimmage

One Month Later

"Lord Undersee," his squire Owen called.

"Owen," Lord Undersee greeted. He was surveying the latest map of the area.

The Queen had ordered him to the fringes of the Mountain. There were rumors amongst the Lords that the deadliest raids were not the fault of the nomads that lived in the Midlands. It was said that they were carried out by the creatures that resided in the Verbotem Forest.

Lord Undersee didn't know what to believe. There was dissent amongst the Lords because of the higher taxes, and their lands were being raided from both the west and the east. Although the taxes hurt, Lord Undersee was devoted to his Queen.

Their Queen had conquered more lands granting her the most valiant Knights. Lord Undersee had benefited from those earlier victories. He was bequeathed land and one of the ruins to rebuild. He swore to uphold the Queen and her Code. The Code had been good to him.

The opportunity to serve the Queen was an honor. He came out of his tent and looked toward the mountains. They were steep and formidable. One could not march a large group of men without first sending scouts to mark a trail. The Queen was wise to ask him to take a small contingency. The Queen never descended into the fray of battle herself. She had a keen mind and was a fine strategist.

Lord Undersee and a small company of thirty Vassals and Knights had camped out near the village of Denby. They erected tents and made sure they were hidden in the woods so as to not be detected by those on the mountain. A full moon cycle had passed since they had been given the order to lay in wait for the enemy of his queen.

"Our scouts report that there is movement coming from the mountains."

"Show me." He followed his squire to an outcropping of trees.

"We spotted horses," his Vassal Brutus said.

"Here," Owen extended him a slim conical cylinder.

Lord Undersee took the looking glass that they used to spy from distances. He could see horses standing guard. One of the horses had a bridle. Also, wild horses were not prone to gather in the mountains. They preferred open fields of land. These horses had to belong to their enemy.

The problem Lord Undersee had was he did not know where the horses came from. The people of Midland had a myriad of entrances and tunnels in the mountains. His group once came upon an entrance, but easily became lost within the depths of the mountain. The horses were a favorable sign. It meant the enemy was going to attempt another raid.

It was still light outside, but they had less than an hour before the sunset. He counted three horses, not much of a fight. He could easily win this scrimmage. It would be a feather in his cap before all of the other Lords.

"No doubt they are getting ready for another raid," Owen said.

"Prepare the men," Lord Undersee commanded.

"Yes, My Lord," Brutus said.

Lord Undersee wanted very much to hand a trophy to his Queen. As he walked toward where his horse was kept he noted the Queen's carriage was approaching. He was surprised, it was a two-and-a-half-day ride from Highland Castle. The Queen must have stopped off at Briota Ius, Lord Cartwright's Castle for the night. The men dropped to their knees. Lord Undersee quickly bowed as the carriage came to a halt before him.

The Queen's personal guard opened the door.

"Your Grace."

"Lord Undersee," Verity answered, once she had safely exited the carriage. She wore a white gown that blended into a soft blush. She wore her breastplate, and her blonde hair was woven into her crown. At her hip, her sword. "I came to survey the situation."

"So magnanimous of you. My men will be inspired by your presence."

The Queen walked to the map on the table where he had been standing before Owen sought his attention. "Two fortnights have passed, and your last report was less than inspiring?"

"We have not seen any movement from the mountains. We have kept constant vigil, your Grace. And…"

"Is this map recent?"

The Queen cut off what he was about to say. "Yes, your Grace. It is the latest. I was studying it when I was called by my Squire."

"Oh?" Verity raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, we have new news."

"Please, do tell," Verity said.

"We were just getting ready to engage the enemy in battle."

Verity extended her hand and nodded toward the spying device he still held in his hand. He immediately handed it to her.

"I only see three horses grazing."

"Yes, we suspect they will be riding today. It is my hope to catch them unaware."

"You should not travel up the mountain," Verity said. "Your men shall be trapped."

"What do you suggest?"

The Queen examined the map. After a moment she pointed to a spot on the map. "You and fifteen of your men proceed to this point here and hide, this way when they leave the mountains, they will be surprised, and you can easily overwhelm them."

"An advantageous plan, my Queen." Lord Undersee nodded to Owen who bowed and walked away to gather the men he would be taking up the mountain.

"My five guards will be at the ready to assist you, if necessary."

"Thank you, your Grace," he bowed as he left the Queen's side.

Lord Undersee walked to his tent. "My horse," he called.

His Page Richard came with his horse. "My lord."

Lord Undersee mounted his steed and rode to meet his men. It was time to defeat the leader of the Midland.

A cool wind whipped around the Midland Mountain. On a wide ledge, there was a small patch of overgrown grass. The horses brayed as they grazed. They had a long night's voyage. Patiently waiting for their riders.

Within the Mountain, Katniss wore dark tights with padded leather trousers. She wore a gray chain mail underneath her matching breastplate. Katniss did not wear the armor the other riders wore because of her chosen weapon. She carried her bow and a sheath of arrows.

"Remember you must be careful," Haymitch said.

"I know, Haymitch." The plan was to travel to Denby. They dared not risk going further.

"Perhaps you should stay tonight."

"Haymitch, our resources are low. We have not left the mountain in a moon cycle because we have been training. We need the hay for the animals; they cannot provide us the milk we need for our young. Without the hay, we cannot fatten the animals that we slaughter to feed our people."

"Finnick can go in your stead," Haymitch suggested.

"Milady," Rue said, handing her the sword and scabbard.

"Thank you," Katniss replied as Rue helped her strap the sword and scabbard on.

"Katniss," Haymitch began.

"I am their Queen and this is my responsibility."

Haymitch was about to speak when someone called his name. They were bringing in the horses. Katniss went to her horse Arrow and began to put his saddle on. He was a magnificent beast with a white mark on his forehead that looked like an arrow.

"Perhaps Haymitch is right and you should stay," Peeta said.

"You do not have to answer to hungry children," Katniss muttered as she worked on making sure her saddle was tightly buckled.

"Katniss, you shouldn't be taking risks." Peeta sounded alarmed. "You should be waiting for me to hatch."

"Peeta, you know that I was raised with the Code of Old."

"Do not recite the Code of Old to me," he said testily, sounding like Haymitch when she outsmarted him.

Cheekily she questioned, "Have I vexed you, Peeta?"

Peeta chuckled. "My kind was there when the Code was written."

"Well then if you know the Old ways, then you can understand that heavy is the head that wears the crown. I must protect my people, especially the weak and defenseless."

"Katniss, I cannot be there to save you if something goes awry," he said.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I must do my duty." Katniss took a deep breath.

"The dragon thinks you should stay behind?" Haymitch came up behind her.

"How?"

"When you speak to him, you mutter under your breath, and there are times you get a look on your face of clear annoyance. Other times you look as if you are far away."

"Oh," Katniss didn't even realize how strange her behavior would have appeared to her people. Only a handful knew of Peeta's existence. Including Mags, a frail old woman who knew a great deal about dragons.

"I did not realize you could communicate through your mind with him."

Katniss finished her preparations and looked to Haymitch. "I thought I was speaking out loud."

"The bond is strong between you then."

"It is," Katniss sighed.

"What did he say?"

"He argued," Katniss rolled her eyes heavenward.

"And I am assuming your answer was the same."

"Yes, he doesn't want me to leave and put my life in danger. "

"I cannot stop you, but stay alive."

Katniss nodded and mounted her horse.

Haymitch watched her joining the other riders he personally chose to ride with her. Blight, Sabyn, Wovey, Sejanus, Otto, Ginny, Wolf, Marcus, Tanner, Mizzen, and Lyme. All except for Sejanus were experienced warriors.

Something, though, did not sit right with him.

"What is the matter, Haymitch?" Finnick asked, appearing by his side. He had an apple in his hands.

"I do not feel this trip to be advantageous," Haymitch said.

"Do you want me to round up a few warriors and follow from behind?"

"Yes, do that."

Finnick nodded and walked away.

Katniss looked back to Haymitch and nodded.

The party took off and left through the main entrance of their peaceful realm. The thunder of the hooves resonated in the shaft. Normally Katniss would have felt the resounding joy of being able to leave to the world outside.

She'd only been topside a handful of times in her life. The freedom of inhaling the crisp warm air that was heavy with the smell of the peat and flowers invigorated her. This time, however, her stomach was wound tight.

Haymitch was never wrong. She needed to be vigilant.

When they came to the tunnels where they would split up, Katniss put up her hand in the signal to stop.

The riders came to a stop and waited.

"Tonight, we must be careful."

The riders looked upon one another. These raids were always dangerous.

"How so, your Grace?" Marcus asked.

"Haymitch had one of his premonitions," Katniss replied.

"What do we do now?" Lyme asked. Lyme was a Knight who was the strongest and bravest of warriors.

"We need the hay," Ginny commented.

"We shall break up and make our way topside through different entrances." Katniss decided quickly. "If there is no danger, ride to the village as planned. Take as much as you can carry and return back to Midland through a different path. Agreed?"

"Agreed," they all replied.

Katniss paused to look at each of them in the face. She then reiterated what Haymitch had told her before they left, "Guard yourselves well."

The riders all nodded.

The riders broke up into smaller groups and went into side tunnels. Sejanus, Lyme, and Wolf remained with her. Katniss spurred Arrow forward into one of the side tunnels. If there was something waiting for them there wouldn't be too many casualties.

She reached out to Peeta, "Wish me well?"

"I can protect you with our connection but you must stay in the shadow of the mountains," Peeta said. "Remember that you must stay within the shadow, I cannot help you otherwise."

Katniss felt a surge of energy coursing through her veins as she rode swiftly through the tunnel. When they came to the exit, Katniss slowed down. They were on the eastern side of the mountain. The farming fields were located to their west, around three hundred or so yards.

Katniss leaned forward, her ears catching the sound of something faint.

"What is it, Milady?" Sejanus asked.

"Do you hear that?" Katniss attuned her ears.

"It is the sound of battle," Lyme said.

"Your Grace, we need to get you to safety," Wolf urged.

"I cannot."

"It's not safe," Wolf tried once again.

Katniss closed her eyes, wishing she could see them. Things around her morphed. She could suddenly see things that were happening hundreds of yards away. It was dark out yet everything was bright as day as if she were standing in the midst of the battle.

Otto, Blight, and Ginny were not on their horses. The horses were fleeing. Her people were fighting against the Queen's men who wore the traditional white smock with the Queen's silver crest. Sabyn was atop of her horse and had slain a man, two lay on the ground, and one was injured. In the end, there were too many and they dragged Sabyn from her horse. Sabyn slapped her horse's hindquarters and it flew back into the mountain with the others' horses. "Otto, Sabyn, Blight, and Ginny were outnumbered and captured." Katniss could see them being restrained before a bald man with no neck slung them each over the backs of the Queen men's horses. "They are taking them to their camp."

"What do we do?" Lyme asked her hand on the pommel of her sword.

"We rescue them," Katniss said.

They crept out of the entrance quietly. Katniss could see Queen Verity's men leading her own people to a campsite hidden in the trees. She was no longer within the shadow of the mountain. She could no longer feel Peeta with her. Katniss was alone and must survive by her own wits.

"What is the plan?" Lyme asked.

"We follow them. Find where they are keeping them and bring them home," Katniss said.

They moved just outside the enemy's campsite. There were lit torches scattered throughout the camp allowing them to see what was happening. They unmounted their horses and hid in the trees. They watched the guards take Otto, Sabyn, Blight, and Ginny down from the horses that carried them. They were taken to a centrally located tent and were forced to kneel.

Katniss's heartbeat increased as she watched the tent's flaps open up. A tall beautiful blonde woman with a crown woven into her hair walked out. All of the men in the camp bowed or kneeled. This woman was Queen Verity. This is the woman Katniss was fighting against.

"Your Grace," a man dressed in richly colored robes called. "These are the Midland rabble we caught at the foot of the mountains."

"Excellent," the Queen exclaimed.

"Do you know who I am?"

Silence greeted her.

"I am your lawful ruler, Queen Verity."

There was no answer.

"I will spare your lives if you tell me who is your leader?"

If they didn't speak there was no doubt the Queen would certainly torture them. Her cruel treatment of her own people was legendary. Katniss could only imagine what horrors awaited her people.

"How many are there?" Katniss asked quietly.

"I have counted ten and six, but there must be more because there are easily nearly thirty horses," Lyme whispered.

"I saw them bring one into that tent over yonder," Wolf said.

Katniss turned to Wolf, Sejanus, and Lyme. "We need to get them out. I will make my way to that tree there and attack from the air. Wolf, you set all of their horses free and spook them into their midst. Lyme, you retrieve our people. Sejanus, you stay with our horses."

With the plan in place, Katniss knew her rain of arrows from the trees would be the most effective. As she moved about she saw a shadow hiding behind a tree. Katniss recognized him by his honeyed saltwater scent. "Finnick?"

Finnick grabbed her.

"Your Grace, what are you doing? You are outnumbered? Queen Verity is yards away."

"Finnick, I have a plan."

"Of course you do," Finnick muttered.

"How many are with you?"

"Seven, including myself," Finnick said.

"Wolf is going to let loose their horses into their camp. I need three of your men to climb the trees and shoot into their camp to cause more confusion. Lyme is going to go in to get our people and I need someone to have her back. Sejanus is there," Katniss said, pointing behind her. "Waiting for us with our horses."

"Katniss…" Finnick's words died on his lips as they heard the horses stampede the camp. There was no time for Finnick to speak to the men who came with him.

"Just have them clear a path for Lyme, and once she has Ginny, Blight, Otto, and Sabyn free, get out," Katniss urged, pushing Finnick away.

"QUICK, SAVE THE QUEEN!" A man shouted.

"TAME THE HORSES!"

Katniss quickly ran to the tree and climbed up. Another wave of horses came in as well and had sent the entire camp into upheaval. She could see Lyme making her way toward Ginny. From her vantage point, Katniss could see two men had spotted Lyme. She fired two arrows in quick succession at the two men who were running toward Lyme, swords drawn. They fell to their knees. As soon as the men fell it sent the camp into a further tizzy.

"WE'RE BEING ATTACKED!" A man yelled.

Finnick and his men attacked the camp. The chaos they unleashed by releasing the horses was replaced by the sound of clanging metal.

From her vantage point, Katniss could see the Queen had a sword in her hands but she was not using it, instead the woman was hiding behind some barrels. Lyme freed their people and was leading them away. Katniss was making sure their paths were clear, satisfied when they had made it out. Katniss then noted below that Finnick was fighting a brute of a man when another approached behind him.

From the safety of the tree, she shot Finnick's would-be assailant in the throat. Finnick drove his sword into the belly of the man he was fighting.

There was a torch nearby. Katniss climbed down to the nearest branch, hung down, lit one of her arrows, and sent it into the center tent where the so-called Queen was hiding.

The Queen screamed for water.

Katniss scrambled down the tree and ran with Finnick by her side. The others saw them leaving and started to make their way out as well. Katniss stopped at a torch and lit another arrow and shot it at another tent; it went up in flames and one of the trees caught fire.

Katniss caught the Queen watching her, but neither woman acknowledged the other. Instead, she turned and ran back to where the horses were. Finnick was atop her horse Arrow and was headed her way. He leaned down, extending his hand to her. Katniss grabbed his hand and was hefted up on top of her steed in front of Finnick. Together they joined the others.

As soon as she was within the shadow of the Mountain she began to glow as her connection with Peeta was reconciled.

"ARE YOU WELL!" Peeta's voice was panicked.

"I'm alive and well. We are all safe," Katniss sent back.

"Behind you!" Peeta warned.

Katniss looked back around Finnick. Her eyesight was enhanced once more. She could see there were four of Queen Verity's men following them on horseback. "We're being followed!" She shouted.

"What do you want me to do?" Finnick shouted back.

The queen's men were determined to catch them and would follow them into the tunnels. She and Finnick could try to lose them, but Katniss did not want to take the chance. "Slow down!"

"What?!" Finnick shouted.

"Slow down!" She shouted again.

Finnick slowed down and Katniss lept from the horse. "GO AHEAD!" Katniss ordered. She wanted to make sure they were safe. They spurred their steeds to move quickly to safety.

Standing to her full height, she located the four riders. Katniss felt a burst of energy pooling in her middle.

"Blast them," Peeta suggested.

Katniss concentrated on channeling her magic to her fingers. She yelled, "Prohibere," and a burst of magic exploded from the amulet and she used her hands to direct it at the riders. The Queen's riders were blasted off their horses.

Katniss could feel her energy waning. "Peeta," she whispered.

"Mea Carum," Peeta replied. She felt warmth spread through her body, giving her strength.

Katniss turned around and ran to where Finnick was waiting for her. "Go!" she shouted as she grabbed Finnick's hand and was hoisted back up on the horse.

Arrow shot forward into the nearest entrance to the caves. They rode at breakneck speed through the tunnel. When they made it back, Katniss turned to Haymitch, "Did the other riders get through?"

"Yes, and some have already returned with hay."

Katniss smiled, but then everything faded to black.

CH8 Revelation

Same Night

Verity was livid.

The Witch had told her to come out here. She said it was imperative for her to be present. Verity had listened to the woman and set out to the camp.

Verity thought that it would be a quick visit. One with a victorious outcome. Instead, it was a total fiasco.

She was sitting on a stool that was provided for her.

Verity stewed.

She watched Lord Undersee and his men battle the flames. Her once pristine dress was dirty. Her crown was askew, and her hair was a hornet's nest. She had twigs, and leaves and Merlin knew what else, was within it.

Lord Undersee, after rescuing her from behind the barrels, had left her by the ridge with two of her guards. She watched four of his men take off after the two Midlandians who had just escaped from their camp.

Verity closed her eyes and recalled the gorgeous male specimen and the female archer. The man was tall, muscular, chiseled, no doubt a man who knew how to pleasure a woman. The archer still looked like a child. She was slight, not very tall or impressive, and she wasn't pretty. There was something about the protective way that the man held the archer. It was as if they were lovers.

Mirthlessly she pulled a twig out of her hair. The archer stuck in her mind. Her skill with a bow was impressive. She shot arrow after arrow with quick, precise efficiency. Her flaming arrow made its mark, causing the fire, setting a dead tree to burn.

It was proof that the Midlandian's troops were well trained. Something her own were not. It reinforced the idea that she needed a capable army.

"Your Grace."

Verity looked up to see a young boy, no doubt a Page, kneeling before her with a chalice of water.

Taking the chalice, she drank deeply.

The young boy slowly backed away; his head bowed.

Verity breathed heavily as her mind began to replay what happened. She could not believe how quickly things had deteriorated. One moment she was about to interrogate a woman from the ragtag Midland raiding party, the next she was being pulled away as horses ran amok. It was all a carefully orchestrated rescue plan.

"Your Grace." Lord Undersee bowed deeply.

Verity nodded at the man.

"The fire is finally out."

Verity looked over his shoulder. The camp was burned. Thankfully this region did not have a dry summer. If the brush was dry, the entire region could have burned down.

"I want to know how this happened?" Verity demanded.

"They used the cover of darkness to their advantage." Lord Undersee did not look up, his head was still bowed. "Their leader must be cunning to outwit…"

"Outwit…" Verity growled. "Outwit whom?"

"I…I…I.." Lord Undersee stammered. "Whoever leads them, they had been…able to,"

"Tread careful, Lord Undersee."

Verity had gotten a look at whom she believed to be the new leader of Midland. It was a horrific beast appearing from the darkness. At first, Verity thought the woman was a man. She was over six-foot tall with a thick neck, cropped hair, and a muscular build. It was her face that betrayed her true sex. Given the time of night, a man would have had hair on his face. In the firelight her face looked soft and clean; it also revealed the leader to be an older woman.

"Outwit my men." Lord Undersee quickly said.

Verity raised an eyebrow.

"His men snuck up behind my Vassal guarding the horses and knocked him out. Spooked the horses before letting them lose in our camp. I myself removed you from danger."

"Was there only one man guarding over thirty horses?" Verity asked. It was irresponsible to have just one man in charge of so many horses. Lord Undersee needed at least three to four men.

"One Vassal, your Grace."

Verity stood, wanting to kick him. Lord Undersee winced as she neared him, but Verity walked away. She looked into the face of the men that were left. There had been thirty men, not including her five personal guards, or Lord Undersee and his Page. Lord Undersee only had only ten and four men left, and the boy. Four riders were out there following that riffraff. One of her guards was injured and another was dead.

Her hands balled out of pure anger.

The leader of Midland was an experienced warrior. She exploited the weaknesses in security. She then marched into camp easily and released the prisoners with fewer soldiers, half of whom were women. The Midland leader battled alongside her people. Whilst Verity hid herself behind some barrels. She noted how the Midlandians protected their leader and did not leave her side until she was out of their camp. None of Verity's subjects came to find her and stow her away to safety.

"No one paid heed to my person. I was left vulnerable, nearly burned when their archer set your tent on fire," Verity said facing the darkened night sky. There was something in the air that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. As if some door had been torn open tonight.

"For that, I should be put to death," Lord Undersee said.

Verity turned her eyes to him. He was right, his inept leadership was at the heart of this fracas. But he had found her in the end and brought her to safety, and set two guards with her.

He also did, on her order, send out four men after the last two Midlandians who had left the camp. Verity believed she could have broken the young girl she was going to interrogate. Someone needed to pay.

"Bring me the Vassal that was guarding the horses."

"Yes, your Grace," Lord Undersee said, turning to a man with his hand in a sling.

The others stepped away from the man. The man paled.

"Step forward," Verity said.

The man fell to his knees.

"If not for you, we would not have been attacked and lost many valuable Vassals and Knights."

"Your Grace," the man said terrified.

She took out her sword and ran it through him. His eyes went wide as his life drained from his face. Blood splattered on her dress and the man fell to the side.

"If you fail me, this will be your payment," Verity screamed at the gathered men before stomping away.

She stood at the ridge peering into the darkness. Suddenly a flash of bright light blinded her. It was followed by a rush of wind that knocked her over. Verity tried to grab onto something, but there was nothing in front of her.

"Your Grace!" Lord Undersee quickly caught her and helped her stand upright.

It took a few minutes for her eyesight to come back. As soon as it did she looked to Lord Undersee. "What was that!?"

"I do not know," Lord Undersee said.

"Do you think they are dead?" Verity whispered.

"I do not know."

"Lord Undersee, take two of my men and go up there. I want to know what happened."

Lord Undersee nodded, bowed, and left.

Verity was left waiting. "The rest of you salvage what you can. Make sure that we have shelter for the night. Set up a night watch. And someone, bury the dead."

The others began to do as she ordered. When Lord Undersee returned, she was comfortably sitting in her own tent. She had been using Lord Undersee's tent when the attacking Midlandians set it on fire. She had bathed and was wearing a blush-colored gown with white embroidered flowers and a white fur cape.

"Your Grace," Lord Undersee bowed.

"Well?"

"We found their bodies." Lord Undersee stopped speaking.

Her heartbeat furiously in her chest as terror filled her bones. "What happened to them?"

"They were burned. Unrecognizable. The Midlandians have some sort of weapon we've never seen before."

Verity stood and grasped the edge of the table. She turned around and faced Lord Undersee. "What are you not telling me?"

"Their flesh was burned, but their clothing was not singed. It did not even smell of smoke. Their horses were not even harmed."

Her skin was pin pickled. She expected them to be dead, but she didn't expect this. What sort of weapon did Midland have that could burn someone's flesh off but left their clothing untouched?

Verity wanted to go home, but it was dangerous traveling at night. Her mind grasped at straws until she came to one conclusion. The Witch would know what to do. She would have the answers.

"Tomorrow we leave for Highland Castle at first light." Verity sat down and wanted nothing more than to be hidden within the walls of her gilded cage.

PART 3:

Ch9 The Birth

Forty-Eight hours after the Scrimmage

Forty-eight hours slipped by quickly. Peeta was silent in that time. She had not heard from him since the battle at the foot of the mountains. It was true, she had not woken up until yesterday afternoon, but he would have said something by now, especially since Finnick had brought her a meal while she was in bed. The egg had become red hot. Katniss wondered if the fire was getting too hot. "Peeta, can you hear me?"

The egg moved and she felt the compulsion to pick him up. Her hands glowed as they neared the fire. She was not burned when she touched the egg. Gently, she lifted it from the stone cradle.

"Please be alive."

At that moment Finnick and Haymitch entered her room.

"Milady, is that advisable?" Finnick looked as if he was going to kick the egg from her hand.

The egg began to crack and Katniss wanted to scream as she felt the pain Peeta was feeling. Katniss gritted her teeth because she didn't want to show Haymitch or Finnick weakness.

She doubled over in pain.

"Haymitch!" Finnick panicked as he caught Katniss. "What is happening?"

"It must be the bonding," Haymitch said.

Katniss began to shiver.

"Milady, let go," Finnick ordered.

"No she cannot let go of the egg," Haymitch said. "It will kill them both."

"I have been waiting a long time for you," Peeta said, his voice was deep like that of a man's. "You have the heart of your father, Aldrich of Everdeen, the Just, and the fortitude of your mother, Astra of Ehrlich, the wise."

"Peeta?" her mind called out.

"I will answer all of your questions.

Katniss saw herself flying through the air. She sat atop a giant beast with wings. His leathery skin was smooth to the touch, but it was hard. No doubt an arrow would not penetrate the scales.

Looking down, she saw how small the trees looked. Frightened, she closed her eyes.

"Do not be afraid," Peeta said. "I will always protect you with my life. I swear it."

Katniss held on for dear life, squeezing his neck.

They flew higher until only clouds were beneath them. They reached a castle set high upon a mountain peak and landed. There were two women standing at the entrance, both fair with hair spun of gold. One had the same amulet Katniss wore.

The woman smiled at her, and her eyes were filled with awe. "Mother?"

"Daughter?"

The woman by her side gave her mother an annoyed look. Katniss frowned and it came to her that the other woman could not see her.

"You are correct, only your mother can see you."

"She's so beautiful," Katniss whispered.

"You are of the people of the Sky," her mother said. "You ride a golden dragon with blue eyes and blue underbelly."

Katniss turned around but could not see Peeta.

"Nobel Draco cor suum solum dabit cordi nobili," her mother said.

Katniss tried to translate her mother's ancient words. "A noble dragon give me…"

"Close." Her mother grabbed her hand, "Tell me how old you are?"

Katniss wanted to tell her but she wanted something more than just pleasant and worthless prattle. Squeezing her mother's hand she said, "I need the truth. I need to know what happened to you and to my father Aldrich. I want to know why I was raised by Haymitch."

Her mother's eyes widened then she looked over her shoulder. Then she nodded and said, "I cannot tell you about your past, Katniss, for my future has not happened."

Katniss felt crushed.

"Patience child, your dragon is very special. You are bonded in the ancient way…your dragon would give his life for you." Her eyes suddenly became bright blue and glowed. Her voice sounded like the voice of thunder, "When the time is right, you and your dragon will become one and you shall reign over the land peacefully."

"Mother, I love you. I have loved you from my first breath. Never doubt that."

"And I, you, my daughter." She then gave her a sad smile.

A tear slipped down Katniss' face.

"Peeta," she called and she felt her heart rate increase. Felt her skin become heated. Suddenly, she was pulled and brought back.

Upon opening her eyes she felt weak. Her knees buckled and the world before her spun.

"YOUR HIGHNESS!" Finnick yelled as he caught her.

The egg fell by her side and was pulsating an intensely bright light.

"My lord, she burns with fever!" Finnick could not hide the panic from his voice.

"It has begun," Haymitch calmly said. He took off his cloak and wrapped it around the egg, then put it on Katniss' lap.

"How can you be so calm at a time like this?"

"Lay her on the bed, make sure you do not touch the egg, place it by her."

Finnick nodded, lifted Katniss up, and ran to his Queen's chambers. Haymitch followed close behind.

Haymitch closed his fist. He found Rue waiting anxiously by the door, "Go find Mags."

"Aye, My Lord," Rue said, running.

He entered the room, feeling helpless. Katniss lay sweaty and pale. Her fingers were curled on top of the egg. Haymitch laid his hands on Katniss' forehead. And his hand burned. "She's burning."

"Look Haymitch, the egg has cracked, do you think it was from the fall?"

"No, he is hatching."

Mags walked in smiling gently. Her long silvery hair trailed behind her. Her weathered face had seen the full breadth of the human experience. She settled her hand on Finnick's hand.

"She will be fine. Her spirit has to go on a journey. She cannot finish the bonding without learning about her past. If she is not complete…she and her dragon cannot be joined in the way of the Sky Denizens."

"What do we do?" Haymitch asked.

"We make her comfortable, the room has to be warm," Mags said.

She held her hands over Katniss and the egg. "I have not seen a connection between a dragon and its rider in such a long time. He protects her even in this spiritual journey. He cares for her deeply." Mags chuckled.

"What?" Finnick asked.

Mags laughed as she sat down. "She needs an extra blanket."

Finnick moved to get one.

"No, not you, Finnick," Mags said. "Haymitch, get her the blanket."

CH10 Highland

A Day and a Half Later

Two Falcon's had arrived at Highland Castle today, one for Madge and the other for the Witch. Adeline was keeping an eye on the Witch. The woman seemed agitated after receiving the message via Falcon.

Adeline spotted the Witch. She followed behind discreetly listening for the clicking sound of the woman's cane as she moved quickly through the corridors of the castle. Adeline slipped through the empty corridor following her. Her hands were clammy. She needed to discover if the Witch had sought out an army for the Queen. It was fortunate that the Queen was gone. She had left to check on the progress of Lord Undersee.

"Delly," Madge called. She stood with Lady Crane, a woman as venomous as a spider.

Adeline winced when she heard Madge call for her. She loathed when people called her that.

"Madge," Adeline greeted.

"How dare you address me by my given name as if we were familiar and of the same rank."

Madge wasn't a bad sort, but when she was with Lady Crane, she acted just like her.

Lady Crane smirked at her, raising her nose at Adeline. She circled her. "With all the land and property your father has, you would think he would dress you in riches."

"We've had to make sacrifices to be able to pay the taxes the queen has levied upon us. I would rather pay the queen than spend money on a gown," Adeline replied.

Madge became incensed. Recently she had a gown made for her with white and silver embroidery. It cost more than the purchase of a horse.

"Delly, we've had word that the Queen returns," Madge bit out.

"I can prepare her quarters and make sure she and the rest of the group have a meal and warm baths waiting for them," Adeline replied.

The Queen used her noble ladies as if they were servants. Adeline did not mind the work; it gave her access to the Queen's innermost circle where she could retrieve information.

"Yes, you always were good at the domestic things," Lady Crane laughed. "Come along Lady Undersee."

As the two women left, Adeline once more oriented herself to find the old Witch. She quickly looked out the window. She spotted her in the inner ward. Quickening her steps, she made her way to the inner ward, then slowed down to act as if she was mindlessly ambling in the courtyard.

It was imperative that she keep an inconspicuous profile. From what Adeline had gathered, Lord Undersee had been sent on a secret mission to camp near the village of Denby. Adeline knew instantly they were trying to spy on the Midlandians. Taking a deep breath, she crossed to the inner ward making careful to appear preoccupied.

Her father had been a follower of the old ways. He upheld the old Code that held people to a higher standard. A Code where chivalry and honor meant something to people. Kings and Queens of old ruled the land with fairness based on the code.

They understood the old ways. Magic was no secret; it was not something to be feared, but rather something to be revered and trusted.

These days, the avarice of gluttony, vanity, and deceit had become the vanguard of their society. The people of Midland still upheld the old ways. There were many Lords who followed Queen Verity for fear of retribution. Their ranks were growing.

Adeline checked each building to see if the witch was inside. It was the sound of horses braying uncontrollably that caused her to walk toward the stable. When she found the witch giving orders for a carriage and horses to be drawn for her, Adeline hid in the shadows listening.

"Quickly," the Witch ordered, tapping the cane she used to walk about on the cobbled floor.

"Aye, Mistress," the groom said as he and four other men prepared the horses.

"I must get to the Queen," the Witch murmured.

Adeline knew what she was about to do was dangerous. She walked into the stables. "Oh, what is amiss, Mistress?"

"What brings you to the stables?" the Witch asked.

Even though the old The Witch was blind, she was giving Adeline a curious look. It was a rumor that the old Witch could read minds. Adeline brought to her memory lists of things that needed to be done in preparation for the Queen's return.

"Lady Undersee and Lady Crane received word that the queen was on her way back. They tasked me with the responsibilities to make the castle resplendent for the Queen's return. I need to make sure the stables are ready to receive the horses and then, of course, make sure the Great Hall has fresh linens…" Adeline opened her mouth to say more but the witch waved her hand.

"Enough, child."

A Page ran in from the inner ward. He looked no older than Adeline's brother Daniel.

"Mistress," the Page said, kneeling on the floor and handing the Witch a parchment.

The Witch snatched the paper from the boy.

Adeline noticed it contained no noble seal. The wax seal resembled a skull. She turned to speak to one of the grooms. "The Queen will be arriving along with Lord Undersee's men. I need you and your men to have enough feed for all of the horses."

"There will be no time for that," the Witch said. "The Queen will need provisions delivered to Lord Undersee's castle."

"Yes, Mistress," Adeline said bowing.

"Call forth Lady Undersee and Lady Crane. No doubt Queen Verity will need her consorts with her. Make sure you are with them; she will need her servant as well."

"Yes Mistress," Adeline said. She peeked through her lashes at the folded parchment the woman held. She could read several lines.

"Good," the Witch said as she was helped inside of the carriage.

Adeline had to get the news to Haymitch. The Queen had hired mercenaries to invade the Midlandians.

CH11 Dragon

A day and a Half Later

"The people are worried, Haymitch," Finnick said. "She's been ill for nearly two days."

Haymitch knew this took time. Katniss was strong, her magic was strong, and her heart was strong. But this could take a moon cycle and they did not have the time.

"Rumors are rampant that Katniss is dying," Finnick said. His eyes traveled over her lovely face.

Their people were scared because they feared invasion. Having Lord Undersee capture four of their warriors was proof that Queen Verity was going to attack them. Without Katniss to lead them, they would not be able to survive. "Tell them she is recovering."

Finnick looked at him and nodded before leaving.

Haymitch felt a tear slip from his eye. She looked gray laying on the bed. "She will live, won't she?"

Haymitch looked to Mags, who was busily singing and humming.

"Do not fret, Queen Katniss is on the last leg of her journey. Her dragon is protecting her."

On the bed, Katniss's head tossed and turned as she was led into another journey. She came to a river surrounded by the forest, the wind playing with her dark tresses. As she walked on the stones in the river. There was a cave in front of her.

"I'm waiting for you," Peeta's voice faltered through her mind.

Katniss walked forward into the cave. It was hot within the cave. She stood dressed in white watching as molten earth gathered around her. A figure began to form out of the fire. He was muscular with blond hair and blue eyes. His shoulders were broad and well defined.

"Peeta?"

He walked up to her and held out a hand to her.

"Are you a man?" Katniss questioned as she put her hand in his.

"I wish I were, Mea Carum. Where a dragon's treasure lies is where his heart lies."

"And where is your treasure?"

"Right in front of me." Peeta placed a gentle kiss on her hand.

His lips were warm on her skin and it caused her eyes to grow wide as she realized just how much Peeta meant to her. Even though they did not kiss on the lips as she had seen others do, this was far more intimate. She felt her cheeks heat up.

"Come, there is much more to see."

Katniss was once more in the air. "Where to this time?"

"Your father awaits you," Peeta said.

They landed in a field. There was a great forest in the distance. There were tents with flags with the image of her mother's amulet flying in the air. Katniss saw a man sitting by his lonesome.

He was handsome and he had dark hair and gray eyes just like hers. He was tall and lean. His hand sat on top of the pommel of his sword. This man was a warrior, even when resting, he was ready for battle.

"Sire," a man with a beard approached.

"Castor?" The man greeted.

"We are ready," Castor said.

"My lord, if we succeed, then by morning you shall have your daughter back."

"My wife died giving birth to my only babe," he said.

"Her death will not go in vain," Castor said.

"Yes," he said. "Tell Haymitch I will be there momentarily."

"Yes, my King," Castor said bowing.

Katniss gasped. "Peeta…"

"Go to him," Peeta said.

Katniss moved through the field. "Father?"

He looked up and his eyes widened. "Katniss, you're all grown up. You're as beautiful as your mother."

Katniss smiled gently. "I'm afraid my mother was more beautiful than I."

"I disagree," he said, touching her cheek. His eyes traveled over her face. "My beloved child. You are free from the hands of Snow and Gaul."

"Who are they?"

"They are the villains who destroyed our happiness in their bid for power. Your mother, Katniss…"

"I know she's no longer with you."

"If you are from the future, then I am not with you?"

Katniss shook her head. "Haymitch reared me along with Finnick of Odair."

"My squire?"

"Yes, he is valiant and trustworthy. He found my dragon."

Her father's eyes widened. "Your mother said that you would be a rider just like her mother before her. She said you were powerful just like I am."

"How did Snow and Gaul steal what is rightfully ours, father?"

"Lies, my daughter, lies…"

"I need the truth, father."

"Your mother's sister wanted the throne for herself. Your aunt stole you and handed you over to Coriolanus Snow. She allowed for Snow and his army to invade the Castle in the Sky. Gaul didn't want you, but she wanted to have the heart of a dragon."

"I don't understand. I thought a dragon and their rider were bonded."

"A dragon will not share their heart if the person doesn't have a pure heart."

"My aunt did not have a pure heart?"

"No, she was envious. Her dragon never gave his heart in her service. Gaul knew this and killed your aunt and as your aunt's dragon lay dying she took its heart. A dragon's heart is steeped in magic and Gaul consumed the magic to become more powerful than I. The only thing she fears is a dragon's fire. That will kill her."

"Aldridge?" Haymitch called.

Her father looked over her shoulder. "Your dragon is strong." Her father then took a dagger and cut his hands and a wave of energy seeped out of the wound and enveloped a large form behind her. "Donum tibi concedo, si heredem meum serves. Concedo tibi unum velle." Her father fell to his knees.

"Father!" Katniss said, alarmed.

"No, my daughter, I am fine. Go with your dragon."

"I love you father," Katniss rushed out.

"I love you too, my precious child."

Katniss smiled sadly before she was pulled away once again. She moaned, feeling parched. "Water," she whispered.

"Quick, fetch me fresh water," Finnick said.

Suddenly Katniss cried in pain. Blinding energy shot out of her body and she was levitating over the bed, hovering over the egg.

"HAYMITCH!" Finnick cried.

Haymitch came running in.

"No need to be alarmed. This is the final stage. The dragon is being born," Mag's said from the chair.

The egg cracked and broke and a small dragon came out. It cried and it immediately sought out Katniss. She floated back down to the bed and the dragon curled up next to her side. It hissed at Finnick before laying its head on her shoulder.

Mags chuckled. "Hello little one, you have been waiting for a long time for a heart like hers."

The dragon mewled and flapped his wings.

Katniss opened her eyes and smiled tiredly before shutting them again.

"She will be fine, though we are going to need a bigger room for her and her dragon," Mags said.

"What do you mean?" Haymitch asked.

"That dragon will age quickly to mirror her in years. Within the next week, he will grow and become an adult. And he will demand to be by her side at all times."

Finnick turned to Mags. "Will we still be able to train?"

"Not with you, he doesn't like you," Mags said tenderly. "You, my dear boy, will have to find another girl to marry."

Rue came into the room with a parchment in her hand. "My Lord, this just arrived."

Haymitch took the scroll and broke the seal. He quickly read it. "The Queen has hired the mercenaries. Our spy is sure that they saw the seal."

"When do you think they will get these extra men?" Finnick asked.

"I don't know, but I am hoping that our spy will tell us soon," Haymitch replied.

CH12 Lord Undersee

That Evening

Verity had been waiting nearly three days at Lord Undersee's Castle. One of the wheels of her carriage had broken on the way to the castle. She had been tired of traveling and wanted a warm place to sleep. Then the storms came. Verity was convinced this territory was cursed. Driving rain and thunder prevented her from reaching Highland Castle. She loathed it here.

Today was the first day that it did not rain or thunder. Verity hated his small castle. It had thick musty walls, and it never was warm no matter how many fires were lit. She sat in the great hall in a raspberry-colored gown with silver embroidery and white crystals. She wore her crown, as her fingers tapped on the chair.

"Your Grace," Lord Undersee's Page came forward. "A carriage approaches."

Verity stood. Everyone in the hall stopped and bowed as she walked to the entrance.

Her questions about that night persisted as she waited for the Witch to arrive. As soon as the carriage stopped at the entrance to Lord Undersee's castle Verity finally breathed easy. Behind the Witch were more carriages. Lady Crane and Lady Undersee stepped out. Behind them was Lady Cartwright. Verity rolled her eyes at the fat heifer.

"Your Grace," the Witch said.

"Bring her to my chambers," Verity said, marching inside.

A Page went out to help the blind woman out of the carriage and into the castle. The Witch was led up the stairs and down a corridor to a private room. These were Lord Undersee's private chambers. He had given them to Queen Verity whilst she stayed there. The women were tightening up the strings of the bed.

"Get out," Verity ordered.

"Yes, your Grace," the women said as they left the room.

"What took you so long," Verity said.

"I came as soon as you called."

Verity paced and then she said. "I have not been able to sleep. I have not been able to eat."

"Your grace, what has you in such a state?" the Witch questioned.

"We lost so poorly against Midland."

The Witch did not speak, only leaned on her cane.

"I need an army."

"You have an army," the Witch said.

"This rabble does not an army make."

"My army is so poorly trained that they are incapable of stopping the weakest of Midland's warriors."

"I understand your need."

"I need an army, Witch."

"Fine, I will show you what you need. But I need to know what happened that night?"

"I will tell you all you need to know." Verity stood straighter, "As soon as you provide me with a capable army."

"Is there a window in this room?" the Witch asked.

Verity took the old blind Witch by the hand and guided her to the window. The old woman stood and smelled the air, before she waved her hand.

"Revelare," she chanted.

The sky opened around them and suddenly they were standing at the port. Verity could see the Iron Sea and the ships traveling to the Village of Ion.

"You will soon have a legion at your disposal. They will be arriving, weather permitting, in a fortnight. "

Verity laughed at the sight of the ships. Soon she was going to be able to bring down a mountain. Taking a deep breath, she smiled.

"Now what happened that night?" the Witch demanded.

"Lord Undersee followed my strict instructions. We were able to capture four raiders. They brought them back to camp so that I could question them."

"Then what happened?"

"One moment, I was speaking to Lord Undersee, then the next, we were attacked." Verity stood still and grasped one of the ornate bedposts. "None of the men who were with me were able to put up a fight. Out of thirty-five men, only eleven survived. Some succumbed to the injuries they received when putting out the flames. The Midlandians didn't have a great number, a handful from what I could tell."

"You are angry, and rightfully so."

"You should have seen their leader."

"You saw their leader?"

"Yes, I did." Verity looked off into the distance. "She was a tall woman, more beast than a woman. She had a square face and wielded a sword as if it were an extension of her hand. Their people are better trained, have more discipline, and are loyal to her. She marched into the camp and plucked her people like daisies and marched back out of the camp."

"Describe her to me once more?"

Verity stopped moving. She stood before the old blind bat. "I have already described her to you."

"Describe their leader to me once more," the Witch demanded.

Verity sighed. "The woman was tall, muscular, and with blond cropped hair. At first, I thought her to be a man."

The Witch looked disturbed.

"What are you not telling me?"

"That woman you fought was not their leader."

"How could it not be, she was strong, they protected her."

"No, that woman was not their leader," the Witch repeated.

"I am telling you, I saw that woman. She is the one they follow."

"SILENCE," the Witch said, pounding her cane on the floor.

Verity became quiet.

"Come here child," the Witch ordered.

Verity came to stand before the Witch. She watched as her leathery hand reached out right in front of her face. The woman's hands slowly mapped out her face with her fingers. When her fingers connected with her temples, Verity felt someone invade her mind.

She began reliving everything from that night, the screams of the men, the braying of the horses. The muscular man with the golden face. The Witch rewound her memories over and examined each one over and over until she felt something warm trickling out of her nose.

"Please." Verity could feel the Witch's power trapping her. She could not move, not until released.

"I have not found what I am looking for."

Suddenly the Witch stopped at the explosion. She slowly played the memory backward until she came to a stop at the insignificant archer.

Verity hadn't paid much attention to the child. She could feel the Witch concentrating on the face of the archer.

The Witch gasped and backed away.

"What is it?"

"She is your enemy, the real leader of Midland. She is cunning and she must be killed before she grows powerful."

Verity wrapped her arms around herself as her skin erupted in tiny cold prickles. "How do we stop her? She has the ability to burn men without touching their clothing.

"We need to get back to the castle. Today, we'll leave today."

Adeline stood outside in the corridor. Her suspicions were confirmed. She clutched in her hand several tics, a bag made out of linen with hay inside that was used as a pillow or if long enough, a bed. She hadn't been able to send the message to Haymitch. She had to get them the information as soon as possible.

That meant she had to deliver it herself. She could send a message to her father. He was helping to amass an army for Midland. They could help on the day of the siege.

She pushed away from the door and walked carefully to another door and found an abandoned room just in time. The door of the Queen's temporary lodgings opened. Adeline kneeled and bowed her head as she tried to calm her nerves.

After some time she began preparing the room.

"We found her," Lady Crane shouted when the room to the door burst open.

Adeline had just finished arranging the bedding for the night.

"What…" Lord Undersee said, stepping into the room. "You were fixing the accommodations for the evening?"

Adeline bowed her head. "Yes, Milord."

Lady Crane huffed in frustration and left the room.

"The room smells fresh," Lord Undersee said.

"It's the anise, Milord, it is an old wives tale; it supposedly aids in good sleep."

"My wife believed in such things," Lord Undersee said. His wife had passed a few months back.

"Your wife was a great lady, Milord." Adeline wished Madge was as kind as her mother. Their mothers were once great friends.

Lord Undersee nodded. He cleared his throat. "Is there anything I can do for you, Lady Cartwright?"

"Perhaps I can," Adeline began.

"Go on."

"If it is possible, I would like to send my father a message. He worries over me."

"I shall lend you my personal falcon."

"Thank you, Milord."

PART 4:

CH13 The Army's

The next morning Katniss stood in front of her mirror. Peeta was laying down, his eyes were attentively following her.

She pulled a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Katniss needed to make an appearance to let the people know she was well. She dressed carefully in a smoky colored gown with silver and pearl embellishments. Her hair was down, and she looked regal but not as beautiful as Queen Verity.

Squaring her shoulders, she put her crown atop her head. She needed to look strong and healthy to her people. They were scared and with good reason. It was now known that Queen Verity had a powerful Witch by her side.

"You look beautiful, my queen," Peeta said.

"I'm nervous."

"Don't be, besides, they'll be too busy looking at me."

"Oh really?"

He stood up and stretched. "Well look at me. I am a beautiful specimen. Gold with blue underbelly, blue eyes, impressive teeth."

"Teeth?"

"Well yes." He flashed her his teeth as if he was smiling.

Katniss laughed. "Are all dragons cocky?"

She felt Peeta's laughter before she heard it. He was a beautiful creature. And since waking up yesterday, they could not only read each other's thoughts but each other's emotions.

His head butted up against her hand.

"You are a sight to behold," Peeta said, sitting on his hind legs. His spiky tale cured around him.

"Thank you."

Mags was right; he was growing rapidly. Yesterday evening he was about the size of a cat. This morning he was the size of a large dog with wings. Peeta had not yet flown, but Mags counseled that tomorrow he would be about the size of a horse and would begin to fly and by the end of the day he would be strong enough to carry her. Then their training would begin.

"How old are you?"

"A tricky question. My soul is thousands of years old. Currently, my body is that of a ten-year-old dragon, but I am aging even as we speak. My heart, however, is the same age as yours."

Katniss understood. There was a knock. Katniss looked up to see Haymitch at her door.

"I received news," Haymitch said standing at her door.

"From the spy?"

"It's not good." Haymitch handed her the notice.

"A legion of mercenaries will be arriving in port in a fortnight."

"They're getting ready to attack," Haymitch said.

"Haymitch, that's nearly four to six thousand men, not including her own." Katniss' heart sunk. It meant they needed to attack within those two weeks so that they could have a better chance at winning, but Peeta still needed at least five more days to grow to his full size.

"Do not lose heart, Mea Carum," Peeta whispered.

"Ready?" Haymitch asked.

"Yes."

Finnick was waiting outside. He smiled at her. Peeta caught him and she could hear him growling. "Behave," Katniss said.

"Tell him to keep his eyes off of you," Peeta said.

Katniss put her hand over his head as they entered the large space where she'd been crowned. Her people began to make a path for her as she walked to the throne.

"It's the Queen." She could hear them say.

"A dragon." Her people whispered.

"See, I am irresistible," Peeta smugly said.

Katniss wanted to laugh.

Peeta extended his wings and flapped them, and the people ooohed and awed over him.

Katniss would have rolled her eyes, had she not been before the entire population of Midland. She sat down and looked at her people. There were a little over fourteen hundred people within the caves. Out of those, they had only eight hundred warriors. This war was a suicide mission. Everything had to be planned out, from the archers, cavalry, and infantry.

Peeta sat by her side, looking majestic.

"You can do this, Mea Carum," Peeta whispered, looking into her eyes.

"My people, you humbly chose me as your leader, and today I ask you to join in a risky venture. As many of you know, Queen Verity and her people of Highland are amassing an army to attack us. We have been preparing for this for years."

Katniss paused to look into the faces of the people who followed her. Even Rue stood there with a slingshot in her hand; she had volunteered to be her Page. Her eyes sought out Lyme who had fought valiantly to rescue her family from the clutches of Queen Verity. Next to her stood Ginny and Sabyn, both had a fierce determination on their faces. Even Sejanus had grown since that rescue.

"I have just received word that the Queen and her Witch have a legion arriving on the shore of Ion in less than three weeks."

A murmur spread through the group.

Peeta roared and people became silent.

"Which means we have but one week to get ready and to attack Castle Highland." Katniss stood. "Queen Verity has raided our cities, killed our loved ones, driven us from our lands. She has tried to starve us, but we have prevailed because she has not been able to dampen our spirit. We survived because we banded together and have formed a family."

"An unconventional family," someone shouted.

And everyone laughed.

Katniss smiled and walked down a step as she beheld all of their beloved faces.

"A family that defends what is ours. We have the opportunity to catch them unaware before their mercenaries arrive and I ask you today to join with me to do the impossible."

The crowd looked at one another and then one by one she saw them lift three fingers to their lips and then hold them up into the air. The people had spoken; they were going to war against Highland.

The following day, people were shocked when they saw how big Peeta had grown overnight. There was great excitement when the image on her amulet was used as their banner. Katniss knew then it wasn't two birds, but two dragons in midair, courting.

Peeta's wings flapped as he stood in the throne room.

"Easy," Mags said to Peeta. "Watch the way he springs up into the air. He will do the same when you are riding him, My Queen."

"Please do not call me that," Katniss begged.

Mags turned to face Katniss. "That is your birthright. You are our Queen. You are descended from the noble wizards of Everdeen and you are from the noble line of Ehrlich who have elfin blood in their veins. That pretender that sits on the throne will have her day of judgment and so will her so-called Witch."

Katniss opened her mouth but did not say anything. Instead, she walked to see Lyme and Otto running hand to hand in combat simulations. Finnick stood off at the side.

"Ready for your lesson?" Finnick asked, grabbing his sword.

"Ready," Katniss said.

As they practiced, Katniss felt a burst of energy. She looked up to see Peeta flying. He was now larger than a horse. He landed in between her and Finnick. Everyone around them gathered. They all marveled at his beauty.

"I am ready for you to mount me," Peeta said to her, although he was giving Finnick a slanted view.

Katniss neared him and gently placed her hand on his left flank. "Easy, Peeta."

Finnick rubbed the back of his neck.

"We're going to have to find you a wife, Finnick," Katniss joked.

"Are dragons really protective over their treasure?" A small little voice asked.

Katniss turned to see one of Rue's sisters looking up at Peeta curiously.

"Yes, and Peeta sees us as his treasure," Katniss said, sweeping her up into her arms.

Rue's sister giggled.

Peeta lay on the floor watching her, his blue eyes gleaming.

Later that night, Katniss brought him to a room that was twice as large as the room where they were training. Above, there was a large opening and they could see the night sky.

"You'll be able to enter the caves through here. Though I don't think you'll be able to be with me below."

She could hear Peeta's heavy tread as he walked behind her. He was already larger than an elk.

"I'm going to grow tonight to my adult size," Peeta said. Peeta lay on the floor and said. "Get on my back."

They had flown early in the evening but only around the mountain once within the sight of Haymitch.

Katniss slipped on his back. "I'm going to need a saddle when you're bigger."

"Haymitch is already at work on one," Peeta said. "I heard him and that Finnick fellow speaking about it."

"You know you have to let go of the entire I hate Finnick thing."

"Never."

"He's more like a brother to me now."

"Really?" Peeta asked, lifting up into the air. His wings flapped as they flew up into the night sky. It was littered with hundreds of twinkling stars. He was no doubt probing her for the truth.

"Peeta, you can feel that I am telling you the truth."

"I know you are telling the truth, but I can smell his excitement whenever he comes near you."

Katniss laughed, "Could we stop speaking about Finnick and really ride?"

"Yes."

Katniss clung to his neck as he went side to side. The wind rushed through her hair. Their minds and emotions were linked and she leaned left instinctively when he leaned left, and when he flew through a cloud she laughed. Her hair floated around her and she could feel the cool wind as it lifted the locks of her hair around her. Katniss laid her head on his neck. Letting him know just how much she cared for him.

When they finally landed, Katniss yawned.

"I guess you're leaving me now."

"Ah that is where you are wrong," Katniss said. Picking up the sack she had dragged all the way up to the room. "This is my sleeping tick."

Katniss found a perch and rolled out a tick thick with fresh hay and placed several blankets on top. She brought with her a pillow stuffed with feathers. "I'm going to bed here for the night."

She could feel his happiness.

"Good night, Mea Carum."

"Good night, Peeta."

The next day when she awoke the cave was empty. She reached out and found that he was flying.

"Good morning," he sounded happier and his voice was thicker like that of a man.

"Where are you?"

"Getting breakfast," Peeta answered.

Katniss knew Peeta was going to be big, but she hadn't pictured him being taller than the walls of Highland Castle. His wingspan took up the entire space. He was stocky and muscular. He could easily knock over the ten-foot thick walls of the castle.

"Peeta," she whispered.

"Hello, Mea Carum," Peeta greeted.

Katniss stood and she held out her hand to his face. His eyes were large and twinkled with delight at her awe.

"I brought you breakfast," he said.

Below, on the cave floor was an elk.

"Thank you, but how am I going to bring that down by myself?"

"You can call that manservant," Peeta said.

"You mean, Finnick," Katniss chuckled when she felt his revulsion.

"Is that what you call him?" Peeta asked, sounding innocent.

Katniss laughed.

"Ugh and here he comes," Peeta said.

"Merlin," Finnick muttered.

Haymitch looked up but didn't bat an eye. "Tell me, can you breathe fire?"

Peeta looked at Katniss. He grinned.

"He says, yes."

"Good," Haymitch looked around, then pointed to the elk. "Once you eat then you begin training. We leave tonight for Highland Castle."

Katniss nodded. For the rest of the day they trained. They ran drills against objects that Haymitch launched at them through catapults from the mountain. They dove and spun. And discovered his scales were fireproof. They took the scales that Peeta shed to make her armor.

By the time the evening fell, they were ready to make the march into the world above ground.

As they walked from the Mountain, a gray falcon flew into Haymitch's hands.

"It's from the spy," Haymitch said.

"Well?" Katniss asked.

"There are more than a thousand knights, vassals, and Lords who are willing to battle against Queen Verity. Adeline and her father are waiting for us. They will march and meet us at the castle."

"See Mea Carum, all will be alright," Peeta said.

In Highland Castle, the Witch stood on one of the towers near the drawbridge. Something disturbed her sleep. She dreamt of fire and brimstone. Her nose was filled with the scent of sulfur as if the gates of Gehenna were opened and were waiting for her.

After she had dreamt the same dream thrice she stood and went to the highest point in the Castle. It was a place where she could find solace. A wind blew and it carried with it the scents of the Midland. The Witch sniffed the air and her skin prickled as she recognized the scent.

"A dragon?" She whispered out loud in the emptiness.

She once more sniffed the cool air. "Impossible."

She waved her hand and uttered, "Revelare."

The world warped around her and she couldn't see the dragon but she could feel its magic. It was a powerful ancient beast. A dragon would not leave its den unless it had a reason to do so. It would either seek food, another dragon to mate with, or, the most deadliest reason: it had given its heart to a human. There were a handful of times when the dragon would not give their heart to the rider because the rider was not worthy.

That was not the case this time. The dragon had a rider and that rider was the leader of the Midlandians, the female archer. Once more the Witch tried to conjure up the face of the girl, but she was hidden.

Another wind blew and the scent was stronger.

The Witch left the tower. Fear coursed through her as she quickly made her way down into the tower to the inner ward. She quickly walked across to the castle.

The Witch marched into the Great Hall where most of the Lords, Knights, and Vassals were already bedded down for the evening. She headed up to the Queen's room.

The Queen lay with her latest paramour Lady Crane's cousin, Lord Seneca Crane. The Witch flipped her hand and the door violently swung open.

"Get up," the Witch ordered.

She could hear Crane shoot up from the bed, searching for his sword.

The Witch leaned on her cane, she sounded bored and was glad for once that she had lost her sight. "Leave."

Verity sat up and sighed.

"My Queen?"

"These are matters of the state," the Witch said.

"Leave," Verity confirmed.

"I shall be right outside," Lord Crane said, grabbing his clothing and his sword and left.

"What is it?" Verity asked testily.

"The Midlandians are on their way, you must call all of your Lords," the Witch said, leaving.

Verity stood up from her bed and quickly donned a robe. "Wait, when will they be here?"

The Witch stopped walking and turned to face Verity. "They will be here in two days."

"What of my army, you said a fortnight. Could there be a chance that they will arrive in time before the battle?"

"I shall send a falcon," the Witch said.

That night Verity dispatched falcons requesting for the Lords who were not in the castle to arrive with their men. Her hands shook as she wrote.

Her Lords and their armies began arriving within a day and a half. This stopped Verity from feeling overwhelmed. Then that evening she received reports that a massive army was traveling toward the castle. Supposedly the serfs had joined the leader of Midland. That insignificant girl had inspired the riff-raff. They would be arriving at any time.

Verity was in her bedroom pacing. Not all of her Lords had arrived yet. She needed wine. "Adeline!"

There was no reply. Getting up, she opened up the door where Adeline slept. "Adeline?"

"Milady?" Lady Crane said getting up from the bed.

"Where is Adeline?" Verity walked into the room and pulled the bed sheets. "Where is that fat cow?"

"Your Grace, she left three nights ago, her father had an emergency," Lady Crane said.

"Get up and get me a goblet of wine," Verity demanded.

Her hands shook as she stood waiting. She wondered where the Witch was, why wasn't the old woman by her side. She headed for the tower where the Witch slept. Verity knew how to lay siege to a castle and she could, under normal circumstances, defend her home. As it was, she had a battle plan.

Nonetheless, Verity recalled the ease with which the archer had defeated them at the foot of the mountains. And the archer had a secret weapon that Verity did not know how to defend herself against. She thought furiously, recalling the scrimmage. There had to be something she could use against the girl.

Verity stopped moving. It wasn't something, it was someone. She needed to lay a trap. Her mind quickly composed a plan. She needed the Witch to help her.

Going to the tower she opened the door. "Witch."

The witch was reading a note from a falcon. She turned to face Verity.

"I need you to help me set up a trap," Verity said.

"Oh."

"Yes, I need you to use your magic to help me trap the archer's man."

"What do you mean?"

"The archer has a lover, a very good-looking man. If I can lure him, then he could be used to bargain with."

The Witch laughed gleefully. "Of course, my Queen."

CH14 The Final Battle

The next morning the sky was clear. Katniss opened her eyes to the sound of the Mockingjays singing. They had skirted the village of Highland Castle and set up camp looking up the hill at Highland Castle.

Katniss sat up in her cot, yawning.

"Good Morning, Mea Carum."

"Good Morning, my dragon," Katniss greeted.

"Why are you feeling guilty?"

"Do you think we should've allowed all of those people to join us?"

Many in the villages under Queen Verity's rule had joined them when they saw Peeta. Their numbers had increased. The serfs were armed with simple rustic tools: pitch forks, axes, and scythe.

The night before they were surprised when a woman named Johanna from the Petula Forest had traveled with about a hundred of her kinsmen to join their army. They all wielded an ax as if it was an extension of their arms. They were making armor for as many people as they could from the scales that fell from Peeta.

"It is their destiny to be here," Peeta said.

"Milady," Rue said, entering the tent.

"Good morn, Rue," Katniss said.

"Let us get you ready for the day."

Katniss chose her dress carefully. It was one that Mags had made for her. It was a white dress with gold and blue dragons embroidered on it. Rue was braiding her hair, and she left it half down as she put her crown on.

"You look lovely," Peeta said.

Katniss smiled, she could feel him next to her tent, no doubt peering in with his special vision.

"Oh, here he comes again," Peeta grumbled.

Katniss laughed.

"Is it the dragon?" Rue asked.

"Yes."

"Is it Finnick again?"

"How'd you know Rue?"

"He doesn't like Finnick," Rue shrugged as she finished.

"Your Grace," Finnick called.

"I will be right out," Katniss called. She turned to Rue and winked. "We really do need to find a wife for Finnick."

"Agreed," Rue said, her doe-eyes shining brightly.

Katniss left her tent and found Finnick waiting for her wearing a smock with the emblem of her amulet.

"Milady, Haymitch waits for you," Finnick greeted.

"Of course," Katniss said.

Katniss walked toward Peeta. He was waiting for her patiently. The moment she touched him she felt their magic intertwine once again.

"Haymitch is that way."

"I will be right there," Katniss said, climbing atop Peeta.

Peeta shot into the air. Without speaking he knew exactly what she wanted to do. They flew above the castle in stealth mode. Peeta, Katniss had discovered, could make himself invisible, and she was also invisible when she was riding him.

They flew along the sides of the walls looking for any imperfections in the castle structure. They also looked for magical protections. The castle walls were ten feet thick, and they were nearly thirty and nine feet tall. Katniss counted four towers. It had an inner ward with stables, a keep where the Great Hall was located, a separate structure for a kitchen, and a newer building that housed soldiers.

They could see the dark magic the Witch used to fortify the walls of the castle and the keep, but not the wood buildings within the castle walls.

"What do you think?" Katniss asked.

"It is formidable, but not impenetrable."

"Which way do you think is the best way to get into the castle?"

"I can blast down the door of the drawbridge." Peeta then added, "That is the spot where the least amount of magic exists."

"And how will our people get in if the drawbridge is gone?"

"Magic. You can create a portal to the wooden buildings."

"I didn't know I could do that."

"With a hole in the magic, you can transport them from one side to the other."

"I think we should go back."

"Yes, no doubt Finnick misses you," Peeta snickered.

Katniss sighed. "Peeta." Katniss struggled to speak. She knew Peeta could feel her emotions. But she needed to say the words. They were bound in a chivalrous love. One that was pure and innocent. "I am devoted to you Peeta, my heart belongs only to you."

Hearing her words, Peeta roared out of glee. She could feel the way his heart melted and beat for her the same way hers did for him. They landed and she lay her cheek against his neck.

"Your Highness," Haymitch called.

Peeta lowered himself to the ground. Around Haymitch, the men who wore armor.

"Go, they are already impressed by me," Peeta said cockily.

Katniss got off and shook her head.

"Your Grace," the men bowed when she approached.

"Please arise," Katniss said.

"These are the Lords that have pledged to help you fight against Queen Verity," Haymitch said.

"It is true you are descended from the house of Ehrlich," a heavyset man with a purple tunic said. He was looking at Peeta.

"We thought you were a myth, a legend long buried," A man with kind eyes said.

Katniss examined the group. She was surprised to see a few women amongst the gathered men.

"Which one of you is Adeline Cartwright?"

A blonde woman with a curvaceous figure stepped forward.

Katniss bowed to her.

There was a mummer between them at Katniss' action.

"I uphold the old ways set by Arthur Pendragon and Merlin. I pay homage to the woman who has this day helped in defending the weak and the defenseless. I have heard of the great daughter of the house of Birota Ius, and how she helped heal the sick and the lame. All the while putting yourself in danger by helping the people of Midland."

Adeline wept as she tried to get Katniss to stand. "Your Grace, I am nothing but your humble servant."

Then one by one the men began following Katniss' lead.

"I will be honored to have you fight amongst us, Adeline."

When Katniss stood. She looked at each of the men. The entire camp gathered around her. "This fight shall not be easy. There is nothing that I can promise you other than some of you will not see another dawn. We have been an oppressed people living in the shadow of fear. No longer! Today we take back our freedom. If they wish to burn us, then we will burn them."

A roar was lifted from the mouths of the men and women gathered.

"Nicely done," Peeta said.

"Thank you. Now, let me communicate our plan to Haymitch."

On the tower, Verity gripped the stone. Her red dress with black crystals flapped in the wind. She could not imagine how many men were gathered just behind the castle; they all wore a tunic with two large gold birds surrounded by a circle over their armor. Last night, she had the same dream. She dreamt it over and over again. She was afraid for the first time.

"Do not fret," the Witch said.

Then she heard a deafening roar. "What was that?"

"It is the hysteria of the rabble."

"Will our plan work?"

"Without a doubt," the Witch said.

An hour later the army was positioned. There were catapults ready to fire at the castle. There would be three waves of warriors entering the castle. On the field, Katniss stood in the gold armor made from Peeta's scales. Her sword was by her side and she carried her bow and sheath of arrows.

"Are you ready?" Haymitch asked.

"Yes."

"Katniss," Haymitch said.

Katniss turned to face Haymitch. "Your parents would have been proud of you. I am proud of you."

Katniss wanted to embrace him, but she stood straighter and said, "Thank you, I think of you as my father."

Haymitch's eyes filled with tears. He coughed and then said, "Stay alive."

"I intend to," Katniss said. She walked away to where Peeta waited for her.

She climbed on board.

"Come Mea Carum, let us finish this."

Together they took flight. They flew to the front of the castle. "Ready to show them, your magnificence?"

"Are you finally admitting that I am more beautiful than you are?"

Katniss laughed. "Well, let's see what they think."

Peeta materialized and Katniss could see the fear on the faces of the archers and Knights who stood on the ramparts between the towers.

"I am Queen Katniss of the House of Everdeen and I offer you the opportunity to surrender."

Queen Verity appeared on the wall; her face stony. "I would rather die than surrender."

"If that is what you wish," Katniss said.

"Fire," Queen Verity said, pointing her sword at Peeta.

The archers released their arrows. The arrows bounced off of him. Katniss could feel Peeta's magic swell as his fire gathered within him.

"Hold on," Peeta said right before he let loose his fire on the door. Katniss concentrated and together her magic and he blew the drawbridge apart. Splinters of wood and pieces of stone flew in the air.

"Are you alright?" Peeta asked.

"Yes," Katniss said. Her magic was still intact.

"ATTACK!" she heard Finnick yell. The catapults began assaulting the damaged walls. Katniss could see the magic surrounding the walls had weakened.

"Now," Peeta urged, as the walls began to crack.

Katniss closed her eyes and made concentric circles with her hands. Portals opened up into the different buildings as she and Peeta had planned.

On the wall, Verity could not believe what she was seeing. That archer was no archer. She was riding the dragon and she was using magic that Verity had never seen before. Golden rings opened and she saw the Midlandian warriors pass through them. She ran to the other side of the rampart but did not see them.

"Where are they going?" She demanded.

"I am not sure," Lord Undersee said.

"Fire at them, now!"

"Archers aim for the Midlandian warriors passing through those gold rings!" Lord Undersee ordered.

As Undersee gave the order and the archers fired down on the rings. The cry of battle could be heard coming from within the inner ward as the Midladian warriors poured out from the wooden structures.

"Lord Crane, do something," Verity demanded.

Seneca and his father ran down with a group of men. There was fighting within the castle; they were being plucked easily. The dragon flew above and it unleashed its fire at one of the towers that had cracked, no doubt the magic the Witch had used was not effective against the might and power of a dragon.

It was then she recalled her dream of being consumed by fire.

She staggered and held on to the wall as she sank to her knees. The Witch had known of the dragon.

Verity felt betrayed by the Witch; she had foreseen this and had done nothing to save her. Once again, she was alone. Getting up, she took her sword. She rushed to the tower where the Witch resided.

Around her metal clanged as the Midlandian warrior fought against her Knights and Vassals. She ducked and wound her way through the courtyard. She could see Lady Arachne was fighting too, but a woman with an ax sliced her throat.

Katniss saw the Queen as she made her way to one of the towers. "Look, there is the Queen."

"You are safer with me."

"I have to fight her," Katniss said. "Besides, you are always with me."

"Fine."

"If you want, find Haymitch and bring him to that tower," Katniss said as she watched Verity enter the tower. "Drop me off there."

"Stave alive, Mea Carum."

"I will, my dragon."

When the men saw the dragon approach, they quickly left the tower. Katniss jumped down and ran to the entrance; it was empty; she could hear footsteps followed by a woman screaming, "Witch!"

Katniss crept down the stairs until she saw the queen enter a room off to the side of the stairs.

Verity stood in the room staring at the Witch.

"You deceived me; you knew I was going to die today."

The Witch laughed.

"Why?"

"Do you know how easy it was to fool you?"

"My parents were not killed by the people of Midlands." Verity made the connection.

"The witch cackled, no I killed them."

Verity felt as if she was struck, her insides hurt as she crumpled to the floor.

"When I learned of your dream. The die was cast and you were going to the vessel that I would use to destroy my enemy, the daughter of the true King and Queen of these lands."

Verity looked up at the Witch. She held a knife in her hand.

"You are not even noble. You are a child that I stole and brought to the King and Queen, who were childless. You were born to farmers, I believe. They called you Juno Phipps. I have endured your groveling these thirty years, feeding the milk of hatred so that you could become my sacrifice."

"You mean the raids?"

"Hired thugs from the Verbotem Forest."

Katniss ran through the door. "Let her go Witch, or should I say, Volumina Gaul."

The Witch grabbed Verity and snatched her knife, putting it to her side. "Do you know how long I have been waiting to meet you? So long that I had forgotten my name."

"Let her go."

"I'm sorry," Verity said to Katniss, sobbing.

"It's okay," Katniss said. "I know it's not your fault. You didn't know you had a venomous snake with you."

The witch laughed and dug her knife into Verity's side.

"No!" Katniss said a burst of energy flew from her hands and hit Volumina in the heart.

The woman fell, releasing Verity, who scrambled away.

Katniss panted. Some of the magic she'd used broke the wall of the turret they were in.

Then the Witch laughed maniacally and stood. "I killed your aunt and consumed the heart of her dragon. It made me more powerful than Merlin himself. You cannot kill me, but I can kill you and in the process, kill your dragon."

Katniss didn't react.

"Your father told you," Voluminal laughed.

"Yes he did, and he also told me how to kill you."

Voluminal raised her hands and shot dark light that contained sparks of fire. Katniss cast a protective bubble around herself. They volleyed magic back and forth. Her magic was impressive, but it was no match for Gaul's. And soon she began to grow pale.

"Yes, here comes your dragon to your rescue…"

"No, Peeta," Katniss whispered.

"How fitting, you love him deeply." Volumina cackled, "Love is for fools." She intensified her attack.

Blood began dripping from Katniss' nose.

"Your dragon is weakened. One more blast and you shall perish, and so shall your dragon, Peeta."

Verity stood up and looked through the turret. The broken walls were just like in her dream. She stood looking down at her kingdom. The fight below was waning and they were winning. She was not going to die as a puppet and she was not going to let the Witch win. This was her destiny. Verity took her sword and with the last of her strength, she stabbed the Witch through the heart.

She screamed in pain. "What have you done," the Witch screamed. She staggered.

"Katniss," Haymitch screamed as he came in through the door. He pulled her away.

"Justice," Verity said as she once again crumpled to the ground and stilled.

Then came the familiar sound of rushing waters. Gaul looked and saw the dragon before he opened his mouth and flames so hot they were white consumed her.

Outside of the turret, Peeta felt Katniss' heart beating weakly. She was near death and he roared in pain. Suddenly her heart stopped beating and Peeta closed his eyes. As he did, he recalled her father's words.

"Donum tibi concedo, si heredem meum serves. Concedo tibi unum velle."

"My life for hers and a love that will replace mine," Peeta whispered as he fell to the earth.

Katniss coughed as she came back to life. "Peeta."

"Girl," Haymitch held her, embracing her.

"Where's Peeta?"

"I don't know."

Katniss stood and looked around. "Haymitch, I can't feel him."

"Katniss, you should rest."

Haymitch's words fell on deaf ears as Katniss ran down the stairs and through the inner courtyard. "PEETA!"

"Your Grace, your dragon…" Finnick said, pointing to what was once a wall.

Katniss ran, "PEETA!"

She saw him lying still. Tears filled her eyes.

"No, no, no, no, no, no," she uttered as she ran to him. Katniss fell to her knees, her hands touched his beloved face. "Peeta," she said as the realization that he was dead. Her hands shook, and uncontrolled magic poured through her body. "NO!" She yelled and flames flew out of her hands and wrapped them.

Katniss wished herself dead. She could not live in a world without him. The flames consumed her, consumed the ground, and lapped up the water in the moat. In her grief, her body lifted from the ground, and magic pulsated from her body in a riot of colors.

Beneath her, the flames wrapped protectively around Peeta's inert form.

Her father's words floated around her "Donum tibi concedo, si heredem meum serves. Concedo tibi unum velle."

Men and women lay down their arms. Her love for this creature could be felt in their hearts. They stared and wept at this act of courtly love and suffering. A life for a life. A heart for a heart.

Her body floated down into the fire.

CH16 The Heavens

"They need to live," Adeline whispered.

Finnick put his hand over his heart and knelt. One by one they all sank to their knees. The Midlandians saluted their Queen, by raising three fingers in the air.

They had won the battle. The Witch was dead and so was Verity. But they had lost their champion and their Queen.

Adeline wiped her face. "Someone so noble cannot be dead."

Haymitch wept. "I failed her," he said.

"She knew the risks," Lord Cartwright said sadly, shaking his head.

"You cry over this," Madge, who had climbed out from the rubble, stared at them.

"Be quiet!" Adeline yelled. "You know nothing of love or of friendship. They died for one another. You betrayed the memory and legacy of your mother for what, Madge?"

Madge stood defiantly.

"You sold your beliefs for the sake of vanity. And yet they fought for you. They died for us so that we could be free. I just wish to have a love like theirs."

"We shall write songs to the dragon and his rider who this day gave us freedom. Who slayed the evil contained in this castle and died in the name of honor with a love so pure," Finnick said.

As they spoke the flames began to get hotter. The flames went from a dull red to bright orange. Then to a yellow, to a blue and finally it burst into white. It felt like the burials of the old kings where they set their bodies adrift in a sea of water and lit them on fire.

Lyme rose up and she began to sing in a broken voice. "Filioli, audite vocem meam praeter vos. O virgo mulier! Rex noster puer, festina et vide; Terra tua, tibi vera. Sol et luna duce nos; Vsque ad horam gloriae nostrae."

Rue's young voice joined hers. They were joined by other voices from Midland. Ginny, Blight, Wolf, Otto, Mags. Those who had survived the battle sang the song of old. Their voices lifted into the sky. The song of a maiden fair, who gave her heart to her people and to her land, and finally to the one she loved dearly.

As the sun set in the western sky, the inky stars appeared one by one as if called by the moon.

"Look," Rue stopped singing and pointed to the heavens.

In the heavens, the stars move their positions. Everyone stared in awe as the stars banded together forming a crown above the white flames. A light shone down from the heavens onto the white flames creating a cocoon around the dragon and their queen. The cocoon was lifted up into the sky and it became a gem on the crown in the heavens.

A gentle breeze wove itself amongst the people gathered. The wind lifted up in a column and the cocoon burst into hundreds of milky glittering stars and two bodies floated down from the heavens onto the earth.

They were beauteous to behold.

A blond man and their queen, in a gown of white, were embracing each other.

Their eyes opened. Katniss sat up, followed by the man.

"Peeta," Katniss whispered in awe as she beheld him. She touched his strong face. Saw the warmth in his blue eyes.

"Mea Carum," Peeta said gently cupping her face.

"You're a man."

"Yes, and quite a good-looking one."

Katniss laughed through her tears.

"May I kiss you?" Peeta asked with a trembling voice.

Katniss nodded.

Peeta placed his lips on hers. And her heart was filled with his love. Magic fluttered around them and peace descended upon the land.

The End

Puritas vincet / Purity will Prevail

Equum et cinerem reuela qui redolet, da mihi potentiam suam mihi revelandi faciem / Reveal the rider that smells of horse and ash, grant me the power to reveal their face to me

 Revelare  /Reveal

Filioli, audite vocem meam praeter vos. O virgo mulier! Rex noster puer, festina et vide; Terra tua, tibi vera. Sol et luna duce nos; Vsque ad horam gloriae nostrae.”  Little children, hear my voice, Me beside you, Oh virgin woman; Our young king, fast and see; Your land, true to yourself. The sun and the moon, guide us; Until the hour of our glory. (note this was translated from the Song from Brave: Noble Maiden Fair (A Mhaighdean Bhan Uasal)Emma Thompson, Peigi Barker)

Nobel Draco cor suum solum dabit cordi nobili.  / The Nobel Dragon will only give his heart to a noble heart.

Donum tibi concedo, si heredem meum serves. Concedo tibi unum velle. / I grant thee a boon, should you save mine heir. I grant thee one wish. 

Prohibere / Stop

Mea Carum / My dear : My Cherished One

Ore Silvae / Edge of the forest 

Birota Ius / Cart Right

#promptsinpanem #specialchallenges #fivetenfifteen #submission #mega-aulover

[am2c]

Made for @promptsinpanem For Kika

#promptsinpanem #pip #for kika #everlark #thg #doodleam2c #something i did super quick yestarday #and i'm kinda proud of the background lol

[sunsetsrmydreams]

This began as a prompt posted by @mellarked-katnisseverdeen "What would've happened if Peeta went to work in the Mine?"

It was preread and beta'd by @awkwardeverlark @justajjfan and @lovely-tothe-bone. Thanks so much guys!

All mistakes are mine!

For @promptsinpanem and kika. 

The Mine. Rated M

Peeta and Katniss grow together in the shadow of the Mine.

Katniss Everdeen elbows her way through the group of miners clogging the large metal building at the edge of District Twelve.

Diminutive stature notwithstanding, Katniss was now considered a full fledged adult as her last reaping was just over two months ago.

When the vividly pink woman from the Capitol pulled another girls’ name from the reaping bowl, she had been almost underwhelmed. Katniss had been prepared to go, knowing deep down, it was meant to be.

But it was a different Seam girl dragged to the stage that day.

She couldn’t figure out why it felt like the hand of fate sweeping the board clean. She continued on with her work, feeling strangely detached. Hunting, making her trades, caring for her family. It’s all just the business of living but she can’t help but feel that something is missing in her life, though she’s afraid to examine it further.

As she makes her way up to the worn wood counter, her thought is interrupted when she catches a thread of conversation that makes her drop onto a nearby chair.

“Peeta Mellark, the bakers kid, is working in the mine.”

Katniss can feel the color leach from her face.

“Yeah. I saw him comin’ out of the Justice Building with a hardhat.”

The very idea of it makes her sick to her stomach as she listens closely to the gossip spreading around the Hob. Every account is different, ranging greatly from person to person.

Every set of eyes caught a different view of the story and rushed to relay their parts. Katniss hung on their words, her brain trying to turn each recounted scenario over in her mind.

“Peeta refusing to marry the cobbler’s daughter before storming to the Justice Hall and signing up for the mines.”

“Peeta being tossed out on his ear by that harpy Mrs. Mellark as she rants how glad she is to be rid of him at last.”

“Peeta finally hitting his witch-of-a-mother back and being dragged away by Peacekeepers before being banished to the Seam.”

The tales grow more fantastic as she listens. But one thing’s for certain; people are saying that Peeta is now contracted to slave his life away in the same darkness that killed her father.

Katniss can’t repress a shudder as she hauls two unwanted squirrels off of Sae’s counter.

“You goin’ to be alright, girl? You ain’t lookin’ so hot,” Sae asks kindly.

“I’m fine,” Katniss states, shoving the remaining game into her bag before she darts out of the Hob and walks at a brisk pace until she reaches the Merchant quarter. Her stomach lurches as she treads closer to the bakery, stepping quietly up the back steps to knock.

The door is pulled open and a blonde head peeks out. Her heart thumps loudly...but it’s only Bran, the oldest Mellark son. With wide, disbelieving eyes, Katniss looks over his shoulder to find Mr Mellark peering at her sadly and with a small shake of his head, he returns to his work.

She takes the two small loaves in return for her squirrels and stumbles back down the stairs, lost in a haze as she walks the main road back to the Seam.

Peeta should’ve handed her that bread. He would’ve smiled at her and wished her a good day in the same warm voice as he had every trading day for the last two years.

Katniss looked forward to each and every one of those moments. He was the one person who had cared enough to save her after her father died and over time, Peeta had become something more to her...something special. Always with a kind word, smile or deed, Peeta made her hard days a little brighter.  

Cheeks flushed with anger, Katniss kicks a stone across the dirt road. How could this happen? How could Mr. Mellark allow his youngest son to be removed from the bakery?

Still absorbed in her thoughts even after the walk home, Katniss absently calls to Prim as she steps through the door and into the kitchen to prepare the rabbit she had saved for dinner.

“Prim, I’m home.”

Shaking, Katniss attempts to make the required cuts to remove the pelt and though she hears Prim’s soft footsteps, she doesn’t turn around trying desperately to get a handle on her emotions.

“Is everything okay?” Prim asks, eyes following Katniss’s jerky movements with concern.

“Yeah, it’s fine,”she says, a weak attempt at normal.

It’s so rare that a Merchant ends up in the mine that the knowledge would’ve spread like wildfire through the district. Prim’s next words shouldn’t have surprised her...yet somehow they did.

“I heard Peeta Mellark started at the mines today.”

The words were said softly but they caused Katniss’s stomach to twist anyway, her movements frozen with the knife in hand, fingers clenched so tightly the knuckles turned white.

The reaction was not lost on Prim and her sweet sister hugs her gently, making her eyes sting.

“I know Peeta always liked you, he was always staring at you in school,” Prim smiles. “You can really keep a secret Katniss, because until this moment, I didn't know you liked him too.” Katniss chuckled weakly, unable to summon the words to dispute it.

“You should talk to him.”

“I can’t.”

“I know you’re scared, probably even more so now, but Katniss...some things are worth taking a risk.”

Katniss smiles at her little sister, who all of a sudden, doesn’t seem so little. “I’ll think about it,” she murmurs and returns to her work.

******************

The talk dies down, no one has the energy to gossip for long.

Katniss is out a whole hour earlier than usual after another terrible night. Nightmares have plagued her since her father’s death and now they feature Peeta trapped in the dark. A constant reminder of why she should never seek him out.

But it’s out of her hands today.

Lost in her own head, Katniss didn’t see the stocky form walking down the path until she was practically on top of him. Her eyes met his and even through the layers of soot and grime she knows it’s Peeta. All blue eyes and dusty rumpled curls, but really it’s his smile that sets him apart. Shy and sweet..and always aimed at her.

Blue eyes take her in, and her own move over him in turn.

“Good Morning, Katniss.” His voice was low and gentle and the way he says her name makes her melt...it’s been too long.

“Hi Peeta.” Still of few words but she just can’t stop herself from returning his smile. She clears her throat, “are you just off your shift?” It’s a roundabout question that will confirm everything and he doesn't disappoint.

“Yeah, they put all the new recruits on the night shifts,” he confirms. “I live five houses down to the left. Moved in last week,” he points to an identical row of shacks to the side of them.

“Are you..okay?” She blurts.

“I’m feeling pretty good right now,” Peeta grins at the blush that stains her cheeks. “You can come see me if you want,” he scuffs his toe in the dirt and peeks up at her shyly.

“Maybe,” Katniss whispers and it’s enough to make him grin wider.

“I should go,” she says as her heartbeat kicks up.

Peeta must notice her pulling away but he doesn’t hold it against her. “Yeah, me too. Have a good day Katniss.” And with that, he turns and walks down to his new home.

Her eyes follow him the whole way.

**********************

Katniss avoids him for the rest of the week. Though she still leaves early enough to prop herself against the corner of a house, just out of his view, needing to see with her own eyes that he makes it home safe. By the end of the week, she sees that he’s already losing weight and his shoulders are starting to slump.

Guilt burns through her. Peeta was there for her when she was at her lowest and now she can’t even drop by his house to make sure he’s okay? She has no idea if he knows where to get food or supplies. Surviving in the Seam is very different from living in town.

With a sharp nod to herself, Katniss continues to the woods with one thing on her mind. She will be visiting Peeta tonight with something worthy of settling the debt of her childhood.

The woods are plentiful. Boasting wild apple trees and the last berries of the season. The snare lines gives her two rabbits and she shot a few squirrels with her bow. Just then the wind turns and she hears it, a faint gobble coming from the other side of the hill and Katniss grins to herself as she rushes silently to the covey.

A turkey would make a fine gift indeed.

She lets her arrow fly.

****************

Tired from the hunt but flushed with pride, Katniss carefully made her way out of the woods with her bounty of not one...but two turkeys, stuffed in her large game bag. She was forced to shed her father’s old flannel shirt so she could tie it into a sack for the rest of her haul. Shrugging her jacket back on over her undershirt she pulls the bags over her shoulders.

She moves slowly toward the bustle of the hob, muscles straining under the weight of her game bag. Sae is more than happy to take one of the turkeys and both of the rabbits. It’s a fair amount of coin that she quickly places in her pants pocket.

Katniss heads off to town for the rest of her trades. Two squirrels to the baker for two loaves of bread. The scowl was free.

Berries to her friend Madge, the Mayor’s daughter who was never one to gossip but does ask about Peeta. “Is he alright?” “Have you seen him?” “Is he really working in the mine?” All Madge’s questions were met with her quiet but affirmative answers. It reminds Katniss that she has somewhere to be and with a quick goodbye, she hurries off her destination.

With her load lightened, she makes good time. Turning up in front of the fifth house on the left, she scuffs her boot not quite ready for this moment. The night shift doesn’t begin for at least two hours so she bites her lip, hoping she’s not about to wake him and reaches out to knock.

Katniss hears a ruckus inside before the door flies open, startling her. When her eyes focus, she’s met by a solidly muscled chest, pale with just the faintest sprinkle of blonde hair. A white, unbuttoned shirt frames it perfectly.

“My eyes are up here, Everdeen.”

Katniss feels heat rushing to her cheeks as her jaw snaps shut. Peeta’s amused tone doesn't help the situation as embarrassment flows through her. She is seconds away from running when his soft voice coaxs her to meet his eyes.

“I was just kidding, Katniss,” he adds, hurriedly buttoning his shirt closed. “Would you like to come in?”

“Okay.” She brushes past him as he holds the door open for her.

The inside of the tiny shack is sad and bare and she shouldn’t be surprised but she is. Not a single remnant of his town life can be seen. A threadbare couch, rickety table and chair are the room’s only occupants.

The Baker might get more than a scowl from her the next time she sees him.

How dare they send Peeta away with nothing but the clothes on his back! A throat cleared behind her and she turned quickly. Now it seems he’s the embarrassed one with streaks of pink highlighting his cheeks and it makes her heart kick hard in her chest.

“I know it’s not much…” Peeta trails off, because what else can he say?

She scrambles to think of something to lighten the mood. “I guess it could use a little color.” It makes him chuckle and Katniss beams.

“Can I get you some water?”

“No. I just ...I brought this for you.” she says, pulling the large bird from her bag.

His sapphire eyes are wide and glued to the turkey, “Katniss, I can’t accept that, I have nothing to trade.”

“It’s not a trade. It’s for you,” she tells him stubbornly.

“Why?”

She wonders how he could ask that. “You gave me food once, when I needed it.”

“You mean the bread, from when we were kids? I think we can let that go.”

“It’s not just because of that. I just... want you to have it.”

“Katniss, it’s killing me to admit it, but I don’t know what to do with a bird that size,” he says ruefully. “You should take it home to Prim.”

This is not going the way she pictured. Katniss would hand him the turkey, he would be grateful and smile then her debt would be paid.

Then it dawns on her. He doesn’t know how to process the bird. All his family’s meat had come from the butcher and her squirrels were only a single meal and were already prepared for cooking by her own hands. Peeta hasn’t learned how to parcel it out, canning soup and drying jerky so he’ll have food for later. A process she happens to be familiar with after years of winter preparations for her family.

Katniss knows what she needs to do.

“I’m not taking this turkey anywhere Peeta Mellark. We have over an hour before you have to get ready for your shift and you’re going to help me gut this bird,” she shakes it by the neck for emphasis. At his raised eyebrows, Katniss realizes this is probably the most she’s ever said to him.

A smile stretches across his face followed by a bark of laughter. He flings his arm towards the kitchen and offers gallantly, “after you.”

By the end of the hour they have the turkey parted out into several meals. The bones soaking in water for broth, and a large portion cooked for his dinner and breakfast tomorrow. The meat and soup pot takes up most of the banged up coldbox, seeing all that empty space made her glad she had come by today.

Katniss closes the metal door and turns, catching Peeta watching her thoughtfully, “I’ll be back tomorrow, same time.” She states as she loops her game bag over her shoulder and starts for the door.

“Katniss...” she hesitates as Peeta carefully takes her hand. “Thank You.”

His large hand envelops hers and a quiet, “you’re welcome,” leaves her lips before he pulls away and she walks outside.

The skin of her hand tingles all the way home.

**********************

The following day Katniss gathers all the herbs she can find, along with more apples, mushrooms and acorns. The snares yielded four rabbits and she shot as many squirrels, making it a good haul. She made her way through the meadow with a skip in her step, rushing through her trades, selling all but two rabbits to Sae so she could skip the bakery.

Katniss walked briskly home to drop off a rabbit and collect all the unused jars, and supplies she could find before going straight to Peeta’s.

His door swings open at the first knock, a grinning Peeta stands before her wearing a smartly buttoned grey shirt.

“Hello Katniss,” his eyes darted to her game bag which was full to bursting.

“My eyes are up here, Mellark,” she blushes when he laughs at her joke, causing her to chuckle a little herself.

“Please come in,” Peeta says through a smile, ushering her through to the kitchen. She can feel the warmth of his hand hovering over her lower back, wishing for a moment he would let it settle there.

Weeks go by in the same fashion, and to her surprise, the comfort and ease she feels around Peeta continues to grow. They talk, more and more and Katniss is sure she’s never said as much in her whole life. And he laughs when she makes a joke even if it's one he’s heard before. She lives for his smiles, lucky for her they are plentiful and cause her own.

*********

The woods have been generous, allowing her to fill her family’s winter stores as well as Peeta’s. The beauty of the turning trees and fragrant cool air infuses her with energy. So, while winter is always on her mind, this year, it doesn’t loom as fearfully as in years past allowing her to enjoy her days and evenings with Peeta.

Now, most of the time anyway, she arrives empty handed...but he’s no less happy to see her. They talk and laugh, small innocent touches become the norm, and while she can see the exhaustion in his face, Katniss can see joy there too, it makes her giddy to think she’s the cause.

One day, they’re diligently canning more soup and he suddenly stops, looking at her intently, his usual smile is absent and it makes her frown.

“Katniss…” Peeta glances over to his rapidly filling pantry, “why are you doing this?”

She shrugs, dipping the ladle back into the soup pot.

“Is this all about some imagined debt? Because you don’t owe me anything,” he says gruffly. Peeta reaches out and stills her motions, setting her work to the side. And when he turns the full force of those big blues eyes on her, she caves.

“At first...it was about repaying a debt,” Katniss offers, her voice just louder than a whisper.

“And now? What is it for you now, Katniss?”

“It’s for me,” she answers simply.

Moving another step closer before standing on her tiptoes, Katniss leans in quickly and presses a quick kiss to his cheek but she finds herself lingering there, nuzzling his jaw gently.  Peeta brings his hands to her waist to steady her. Pulling away slightly, she meets his eyes as they darken, a sigh breathing out as he moves forward to return a kiss to her cheek.

Peeta leans away, his hot eyes fixed on her, waiting. He would never take more than she allows and knowing that is enough to give her courage to lean up and meet his lips.

The kiss is her first.

It’s soft and warm and she moves nearer just as he drawers her closer. He breaks the kiss sooner than she would like but soothes her with a flurry of tiny pecks across her face, making her chuckle.

It is the first of many days spent this way.

************

It’s been more than a week since she’s seen him. Katniss had to spend every last minute she could in the woods, taking advantage of the temperate weather to gather as much as she was able before the cold blew in, sending her quarry to their burrows.

She’d missed him.

Just seconds after her knock Peeta swung the door widely, his smile falling into confusion as Katniss jumps into his arms, knocking him off balance. They crumple to the floor and her flurry of desperate kisses makes him laugh and their teeth clink. Katniss tries to refocus him to the task at hand and is successful when she slips her cool hands under his shirt. A low groan vibrates his throat and makes her shiver.

Peeta’s head thumps lightly back to the floor as he studies her with heavy lidded eyes.

“I missed you too.” Peeta runs his hands up her arms and over her back. She doesn’t know if it’s his words or his wandering hands that cause her entire body to flush as heat settles in her core.

Still atop of him on a dust covered floor, and Katniss knows there’s no place she’d rather be. She carefully moves her legs to straddle him and his eyes go wide.

“Katniss-”

She can feel him hard beneath her and gives into the urge to press against him. A gasp rises unbidden and Peeta moans in return as his hands drop to her hips. The pressure of his grip is euphoric and she moves again.

Katniss sits up, gaining the leverage she needs, and not to be outdone, Peeta follows. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kisses him deeply, grinding her center against him, chasing that burning pleasure. His hands loosen their grip and move up her sides until he brushes the underside of her breasts. At her nod, those hands cup over her breasts. The sensation is as overwhelming for her as it is for Peeta who can’t stop his hips from thrusting up, her loud moan is all the approval he needs as he does it again and again

“Katniss..sorry..I’m already close,” he grunts in her ear. The feel of his lips at her ear, hot and soft is enough to send her flying to her peak. As she gasps and shakes through her release, Peeta wraps his arms around her tightly, thrusting harshly twice more before coming with a loud groan that she can feel vibrating through her chest. They collapse onto the floor in a breathless heap, the occasional shudder still running through them.

“I’ve loved you forever you know...”

Peeta’s voice was sleepy, hardley a whisper. She probably wouldn't have heard it if her face wasn't tucked into the crook of his neck. She pulled away minutely and his muscles went rigid as he cautiously met her eyes.

Katniss waited for a wave of fear to roll her under but it didn’t come, having drained away, drop by drop over the months they’d spent together.

She wasn’t quite ready to return the words though, so instead, she leaned up and kissed him. His body slowly relaxed, a grin lit his face as he hopped up and offered her a hand up off the floor.

******

The beauty of fall was gone, giving way to the somber notes of winter. Grey permeated everything in the district, lowering Katniss’s mood.

Quotas had been extended at the mine so her evenings with Peeta were also cut short. Many afternoons he barely had the energy to eat before laying his head in her lap.

“I’m so tired, Katniss.” he whispers before falling into a fitful sleep for their remaining time together. After seeing the purple hollows under his eyes she can’t begrudge him that extra hour of much needed rest. Katniss contented herself with his presence, running her fingers through unruly curls, pressing light kisses to his forehead until it was time to wake him.

****************************

A distant rumble of thunder wakes her out of a sound sleep. Katniss leans up slowly, scanning the dark room, trying to explain the feeling of dread welling in her chest. She's warm, she'd bundled herself in every layer she owned before bed, it makes her groggy and sluggish and she shakes her head to clear it.

A horn blast wales through the night. He heart leaps into her throat, it only takes her seconds before she’s flying off the bed and racing out of the house, leaving her hunting boots sitting lonely by the door.

Her panic forces the air out of her lungs. Faster, faster until she reaches it.

The Mine.

Body numb with cold, Katniss stares at the gaping maw before her. The entrance is dark and unforgiving, if there are other people around she doesn’t see them...can’t see them.

Katniss’s eyes are trained on the mouth of that unforgiving beast, begging it silently to release it’s jaws and relinquish its prey. Finally, there’s movement and the clang of metal as men heave out onto the frozen ground.

But none of them are Peeta.

She wants to scream.

Katniss claws her way through the crowd to get a closer look, but all the forms are rangy and unfamiliar. She moves closer, gliding right through the mine guards as they try to hold back the crowd. Walking ever closer to the black of her nightmares.

To get Peeta, she will go down there herself.

Just as she reaches out, another metal bang vibrates her eardrums, and another load of men spill out into the dark. She looks them over but can tell immediately they are Seam. The wail has just started to build in her throat. Her eyes swing to the back frantically searching, eyes catching on a crumpled form on the steel floor. Blonde hair peeks through the soot but his eyes remain closed. Katniss starts to leap in after him but is grabbed from behind and hauled back fighting and screaming, but a voice from her past breaks through.

“Katniss, calm down, I’m going to get him. Run to your mother and tell her to get ready.” Gale says. She hasn’t seen him in years, not since he started in the mines. She’s not sure she can trust him with this.

“I’m not going to leave him! I’m not going to do that!” She screams and tries to shake herself loose.

“You’re wasting time he doesn’t have. Go now. We’ll be right behind you.”

His words finally register and she meets Gale’s eyes.

“Go! Run!”

As soon her feet hit the earth, she’s running. Back to the Seam. Back to the shack she calls home.

Katniss throws open the door, screaming for her mother. Giving her what little information she has as the words shake out through dry sobs.There’s a commotion only minutes later, four miners carry Peeta on an old wooden door and move him quickly to the table Mrs. Everdeen has prepared.

Peeta is awake now, but she almost wishes he wasn’t. The sounds of his agony breaks her heart, sending streams of tears down her cheeks. She watches her mother spring into action, looking Peeta over carefully before using shears to cut the fabric away for his mangled leg. Even that caused Peeta to cry out and her mother moved quickly to the head of the table, sorting through different vials until she found what was needed.

Katniss moves closer to his side and his pain filled blue eyes meet hers. Tears cut trails down the dust on his face and she feels so helpless, like all she can do is hold his hand and cry. Her mother tips a vial into his mouth and he sputters weakly. Katniss watches his eyes blink slowly, then they remain closed.  

Her mother pulls her away and tries to explain but the jumble of words doesn’t quite make sense. Words like crushed, blade, sleep syrup, amputate. Time speeds up and Katniss turns to the side to cough up bile on the floor.

“I’ll ask Gale to hold him down.” Her mother says.

“No.” Katniss chokes.

“Katniss, it has to be done, the longer we leave it, the higher the chance a blood clot will kill him.”

“Can you wait...just...wait. Please.” She’s begging now.

Her mother frowns, “I’ve dosed him with sleep syrup, he’ll be okay for now but it won’t keep him out when we remove the leg.”

Katniss gathers all the strength she has left.

“Don’t do anything...I’ll be right back.” And with one more longing look at Peeta, she heads for the door then breaks into a run.

Sprinting across town to the richest house in the district, it’s after curfew but she can’t bring herself to care. It feels like she’s been darting through shadowed streets for hours but it's only been a handful of minutes.

Katniss pushes herself harder.

She arrives at Madge’s dizzy and heaving but she bangs on the door as hard as she can and when it opens, she’s surprised to see her friend standing there instead of a servant.

“Katniss! Was he down there?”

Breathless, she can only nod.

“Is he hurt?” Madge asked worriedly.

“Please,” Katniss managed to weaze. “They’re going to take his leg….do you have anything?”

“Wait here.” Madge shuts the door quickly, leaving Katniss to slump against the wall for support, her legs shaking so badly she can hardly stand, the shock setting in.

She hears a creak and Madge is holding out a small box full of glass tubes, “It’s morphling. It will help.”

Katniss stares at the box.

“Take it Katniss!” Madge’s words wake her and she snatches the box before racing back, through the dark and deserted streets.

She doesn’t remember returning home or handing the box to her mother. All she knows is that she’s standing over Peeta, watching his chest move as he breathes. Katniss lifts her hand and gently pushes the curls away from his face. If he wasn’t so pale, he could just be sleeping.

Her mother approaches with a syringe full of morphling and injects it into his vein. “Katniss, you should go outside. You don’t need to see this.”

“I can’t leave him.”

“He’s going to need you to be strong when he wakes up. Go outside and Prim will come get you when it’s done.”

A hand is at her shoulder, pulling her away. She tries not to resist as she’s dragged outside and propped against the wall, a heavy blanket shoved into her hand. There’s a heavy chill in the air as a wave of exhaustion hits her, sinking her down onto the rough wooden porch. She notices for the first time that her bruised and bloody feet are visible through large holes of her woolen winter socks, she tucks herself under the ratty quilt. Crying, Katniss drops her face into her hands and tries to think of anything other than what’s going on inside.

She begins to think of Peeta, the first time she made him laugh, the first time she kissed him. Katniss gets lost in memories of his smell, his sweet smile, his warmth and the feel of him under her hands.

An hour ticks by, then two. The sun was just starting to crest when Prim came outside to fetch her.

“Katniss?”

She tries to scramble up but her frozen muscles creak with the effort, tripping and almost crashing into her sister. Prim stays calm, grabbing Katniss’s shoulders firmly.

“He made it through the surgery.”

Katniss begins to gasp for breath until a relieved sob breaks free.

Prim hugs her tightly, “He’s going to be okay, Katniss. We were able to save his knee, that will make all the difference when he starts to walk again.” Prim says as she releases her grip.

“Can- can I see him,” Katniss manages through tears.

“Yes, of course,” Prim says, quietly leading the way inside.

In a daze, Katniss walks across the fire warmed room, ignoring the instant pins and needles that prick her skin after being in the cold for so long. She sidles up to the table and takes Peeta’s hand. It’s warm. So unlike the pale coolness when he was first brought here. Taking note of the sheet draped over him. Noticing the empty space on one side where his lower leg should be.

It doesn’t matter. Not to her.

Her mother sets a stool nearby and Katniss gingerly sits at his side, gently stroking the skin of his hand, leaning up to brush the curls away from his face.

Katniss can’t seem to stop touching him. Needing to reassure herself that he’s alive. She wants to see his eyes, but can’t begrudge him this deep sleep. Safe from the pain and their reality as he starts the long road to recovery.

A hand perches on her shoulder. Her mother is looking at her kindly, “We have to keep him asleep for the next three days, that should get him through the worst of the pain and give the incision a headstart on healing.”

“Thank You,” Katniss squeezes her eyes shut, causing a tear to run down her cheek. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if…”

“I know, honey.” With a final squeeze, her mother wanders back to the kitchen to speak to Gale.

Katniss watches her mother walk away, the last vestige of her harbored anger evaporates. Because her mother does know.

She knows exactly what it’s like when the thought of being without someone makes you want to stop breathing... but she saved Peeta last night, now Katniss would not suffer her fate.

Peeta’s face is relaxed, his breaths are deep and rhythmic, the gentle cadence makes her eyelids start to droop. Bone weary but not wanting to leave his side, she leans down and softly kisses Peeta’s cheek before laying her head beside him as sleep rolls her under.

********************************

On the third morning her mother shooed her out of the house so she could check Peeta’s incision and change the dressings. Katniss meanderes her way through the Seam, she doesn't realize where she’s going until she’s standing in front of Peeta’s house.

She half expects him to throw open the door, a wide smile and a joke on his lips.

But he can’t.

Because he’s laying on the kitchen table in her house, drugged to sleep and missing a leg.

She shakes herself. He’s alive. That’s all that matters. It’s no secret that he will be staying in the Everdeen home for the foreseeable future. Pushing open the door, Katniss quickly walks inside, taking note of the dried dandelions on the table and she promises to bring him more in the spring.

Moving over to the pantry, she starts packing up the food that they had made together. Stopping to stare at a jar of turkey stew for an obscene amount of time, long enough that her eyes started to sting and water.

Shaking her head she continues to load her game bag with as many provisions as she can carry. She’ll have to make at least two trips to move it all, Peeta had been well stocked for the coming winter.

With the top shelf of the pantry nearly empty, she can’t help but see it.

It’s a little green paper box that has been carefully constructed by a loving hand. Like something you’d see at a merchant shop in town. It would house a bauble or trinket, maybe a special sweet.

It seems private, but she can’t stop herself from reaching for it.

Katniss stares at the box in her shaking hand as she carefully removes the top. Inside, nestled on a bed of velvety dried moss is a small silver color band most likely made of tin.

The design, that has been painstaking and lovingly carved.

Tiny katniss flowers.

Her knees buckle and she slides to the floor, tears spilling down her face as Katniss clutches it tightly to her chest.  

****************************

She returns home much later to a groggy but awake Peeta.

Her mother had had him moved to Katniss’s room once his incision was no longer in danger of reopening. But it's been so long since she's seen his eyes. They were duller than she remembers but the elation that must show on her face makes him smile, it may be small but it means everything. It means he’s alive, it means he’s still with her.

The beginning of his recovery is difficult but he bears the strain with dignity. Katniss is truly shocked when not one of the Mellarks show up to check on him. They must’ve heard by now, surely.

In her disbelief she slips up and mentions it, immediately wanting to kick herself when Peeta's face falls.

“They won’t be coming, Katniss. Not now, not ever.”

“How could they not at least stop by after what happened?”

“I was disowned the day I left the bakery. I have no doubt my mother went directly to the Justice Building to make it official so I’m no longer part of that family.”

“But why?”

“My mother had arranged for me to marry.”

A chill courses through her.

“I refused. I didn't want my parents' marriage, a lifetime of misery. I suppose my mother thought she could beat me into submission. This time I couldn’t let her and when she tried, I caught her hand and flung it away. She started screaming about calling Peacekeepers but I told her I’d save her the trouble... so I left. Walked around the district and then headed to the office to apply for the mine, when I got there, a box of my clothes was waiting.”  

The tears came unexpectedly and she quickly wiped them from her cheeks, but of course he saw.

“Katniss...don’t cry...not when I’m getting to the good part.” He begs as he pulls her hand away, cradling it between his own.

“The good part?”

“The best part, I think.” He says sweetly. “When I left that life I felt free for the first time. Whatever choices I made were my own. I had planned to save up for a year or so. I wanted to woo you, show you I could be a worthy partner but you ruined my plans Katniss...and you made me happier than I ever thought possible.”

She fumbles through her jacket pocket, then places the small green box on his chest.

“I found it. When I was packing up the food.”

“How do you know it was for you?” He jokes and her eyes go wide before narrowing with her scowl.

“I seem to remember you saying that you've loved me forever.....I think you want to marry me someday.”

“Supposing I said something like that, what would your answer be?” Peeta stares at the small box that now rests in his hand.

“Yes.”

“What?!” It’s almost a shout.

“My answer...it’s yes.” She shrugs, as if it was inevitable, as if she would have always said yes.

“I don’t...I don’t have anything to offer you now, maybe we shouldn’t.” He looks to the place where his lower leg should be.

“Peeta Mellark, are you taking back your proposal?” Her scowl is back full force.

“NO! But..”

“I said yes and that's the end of it.” Katniss unceremoniously removes the ring and places it on her finger before carefully cuddling into his side.  

“Whatever you say Everdeen.” Peeta murmurs with sleepy eyes and an adoring smile. “So...does this mean..”

“That I love you?” She can hear the breath hitch in his chest. “Yes, Peeta. That’s exactly what it means.”

He gathers her closer and she can feel his smile when he kisses the crown of her head.

“I love you too, Katniss.”

*****************

The first snow had just begun to fall when their whole world changed.

Katniss was packing up the last of Peeta’s supplies, loading the last jars into her bag. Thinking over the events of last night, and this morning when they had quietly announced their engagement. 

Mother and Prim were happy for them.

Katniss hummed as she let herself out of the little shack. The sound cut off by a loud siren blast.

Not for the Mine…..but for the Reaping.

People, startled and confused, started making their way to the square. She could hear crying children, followed by the angry raised voices of adults.

What could the Capitol possibly want now?

With her family safe at home, Katniss decided to find out.

She moved into the throng, bumped and jostled until she finally stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Twelve as the screens in front of the Justice Building lit up.

A gasp echoed through the crowd as they were addressed by a serious looking man dressed in grey military garb.

The words that followed made her heart pound so hard she could barely hear over the sound.

“People of Panem.” His voice boomed. “Today We Celebrate Your Freedom!”

*********************

#pip #promptsinpanem #kika

[badnovels]

Reunion

Summary: Katniss Everdeen, now a successful musician, reluctantly returns home for a high school reunion (and second chances).

Written for @promptsinpanem.

You can read it here on AO3. 

✨ beautiful moodboard by @vitsignat!

#lord this was rushed but at least I finished #promptsinpanem #everlark #hunger games #fanfiction #for kika

[everlarkficquestions]

Hey there! Real life has been crazy and difficult lately, and I’ve been dipping in and out of Tumblr, AO3, etc. as time allows. I was recently re-reading some of my old favorites on ff.net and noticed that everything by Sponsormusings is missing! Did she delete everything? I swear they were there not that long ago. I am heartbroken.

Hi! I was gutted when I found out sponsormusings had deleted everything. It looks like she probably did it at the end of 2022. Someone alerted us in January of last year about it. I checked to see if maybe they were orphaned on Ao3 with no luck. They're definitely gone 😟 The good news is that you can still find all her @promptsinpanem submissions.

I hope real life gets better soon. It was good to hear from you ♥️

#honeylime08 #deleted fic #deleted fanfiction #~

[jhsgf82]

What's special delivery about? Sorry I can't see it

Oh really? Did you try going into the Read More? It's an old Prompts in Panem I stumbled upon by muttpeeta. Not sure where else, if anywhere you can find it, but Peeta is a delivery guy and Katniss keeps ordering a bunch of stuff around the holidays because she has a crush on him, lol. It was cute. 

I thought it was on the promptsinpanem site but maybe it’s on muttpeeta’s page. Let me look. 

Yeah, I think it’s actually just on muttpeeta’s page. I can’t seem to find it in prompts. I thought I was looking there.