Peeta
A month had passed since the traveler had come when from my balcony I spotted a horse running full gallop towards the castle. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a young woman riding behind her father. So she had come. She was here, of her own accord, because she was courageous enough to take her father's place. I rang the servant bell for Lavinia, and she came running in instantly. "Lavinia, prepare the guest bedrooms. One will be permanent. She's here. You know what to do." Her eyes widened in pleasant surprise, and she grinned at me, her face shining in excitement. And for the first time in a long while, I smiled back.
Pollux, my other Avox, opened the door for our guests as I rushed downstairs as fast as I could with my wooden leg. My heart beat fast against my chest; I hadn't been this hopeful in ages. I turned towards the hallway and ran a hand through my unruly blond curls as I passed the mirror on the wall. I wanted to make a good first impression on her, whoever she was. I had to be on my best behavior this time; I couldn't let my temper get the best of me again.
I took a deep breath and went to greet my guests; where they were already having tea in front of the fire. The sight in front of me nearly stopped me dead. Nothing could have prepared me for this. She was beautiful. The maiden stood nervously behind her travel-weary father, fidgeting with her long dark braid, and her silver eyes bore deep into my soul. She scowled at me, and my heart skipped a beat. She was perfect for me.
"Good evening," I said brightly.
"Good evening, Your Highness." The old man bowed down respectfully. The young maiden with the dark plait curtsied, although a little more subtly. "This is my daughter, Katniss Everdeen."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Peeta," Katniss said as politely as she could, and I was pleased by her effort, for it was obvious by her posture that she was a bit weary of me.
"The pleasure is mine," I breathed as I took her in, and she bit her lip. "Have you come willingly?"
"Yes I have, actually," she said, raising her chin so that her storm-gray eyes were level with mine. "I have come to take my father's place and live with you in the castle." Never had I been so impressed by anyone before; her bravery was inspiring.
"Very well then, finish your suppers and then one of my Avoxes will show you to your rooms. As you have come of your own accord, Katniss, you may stay. As for you, old man," I turned to her father, "you must leave tomorrow at sunrise, and you may take whatever riches you may wish to take home. Once you leave, you must remember that you can never come back to my palace again."
I then turned back to Katniss, "Take your father into the next room and help him fill two trunks of whatever possessions you may find fit for your brothers and sisters. It is only just that you send them a precious remembrance of yourself. Goodnight, Katniss. Goodnight, old man." And with that, I left the room, more pleased than ever before.
Katniss
I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. Prince Peeta was a very strange man indeed, and I had to chastise myself when the thought that he was rather handsome ran across my mind. But then I reminded myself that I was a prisoner here, and he couldn't be any good. This state of mind, however, only lasted until I was distracted by sight in front of me as I led Papa into the room full of riches.
I gasped as my eyes took in the cupboards full of lovely dresses and beautiful shoes and jewelry worthy of a queen's, and the capes and swords worthy of a king's. For a minute I wondered if this had belonged to anyone before, but I figured that did not matter now, as the Avoxes had dragged two tremendously large trunks inside the room and stepped back to let us in and have our pickings. "Papa, look at this place!" I exclaimed.
"Yes daughter, it's the same room that I was led to during my last visit. The prince is very wealthy. I'll be glad to have your help in choosing the riches this time."
I then started to open the chests and divide the splendid dresses for my sisters, choosing the small, light colored dresses for Prim and the larger, more revealing ones for my elder sisters. I filled the trunks with the dresses and also all the shoes I could find for Delly, for I knew how obsessed with them she was. I then went through the last chest and found a heap of gold, and I suggested to Papa that perhaps it was best if he took this instead.
So then we emptied the trunks and filled them with the gold jewelry, but the more we put into the trunks, the more room they seemed to have, so we put the shoes and dresses back, along with a few shields and swords and capes for my brothers, and then closed the massive trunks, which were too heavy to lift. "The Prince has fooled us! There is no way Mockingjay can lift this! Not even an elephant could do so!" Papa exclaimed in exasperation.
"Don't worry, Papa," I assured him calmly. "I'm sure the Prince had good intentions. You were able to take riches before after all. We'll just leave the trunks here and come pick them up in the morning. Surely he'll let us know how we can take them home then."
The next morning we were astonished to find that breakfast had already been served in the small room where we had eaten supper the night before. We ate heartily, munching on scrumptious cheese buns and delicious strawberries and many delicacies, and soon it was time to leave. The Avoxes led us outside to the courtyard where a carriage loaded with the two trunks we had prepared were already loaded up into it, Mockingjay and another strong horse tied to it. They kicked the dust impatiently with their hooves, and I bid farewell to my father.
"Goodbye, Papa," I said tearfully as I hugged him tightly, taking in his scent of wild woods and coal for the last time. "I will miss you and all of my brothers and sisters dearly."
"I love you, my dear Katniss. Please take care," he responded tenderly as he pulled back to kiss my forehead the way he always did when I was a little girl. "I'm sorry you have to stay here." His voice broke in sorrow.
"I'm not. I love you, Papa, and I wasn't about to let you stay in this place when I could do something about it. I'll be fine here, I promise. You taught me to be brave and independent and that's exactly what I'm doing right now," I said fiercely, and we hugged one last time before he turned and rode the carriage, disappearing out of sight quickly as they passed through the gates. I ran back inside the castle and locked myself in my room, crying myself into exhaustion.
Peeta
"Where is Katniss?" I growled as I paced through the dining room. "She's supposed to be having dinner with me."
The Avoxes exchanged anxious glances until finally Lavinia came up to me and handed me a piece of folded parchment. I tore it from her grip and unfolded it impatiently. I clenched my jaw as I read the scrawled note:
Prince Peeta,
I am afraid that I cannot have dinner with you today. I am still grieving the loss of my family. Please do not be upset or take it personally. I will join you as soon as I feel better.
Katniss
I crumpled up the paper in my fist. "This is an outrage!" I bellowed in fury. "Have I not given her everything? Have I not been in my best behavior for her since she arrived? And now she refuses to eat dinner with me after she came to live here willingly!" I roared, tossing the crumpled note on the polished floor in disgust.
Lavinia's eyes widened with terror as I stomped my way angrily towards Katniss's chambers, running after me immediately. When I reached Katniss's door, I pounded my knuckles against it, nearly tearing it down. "Come out of there!" I yelled.
"No!" I heard her stubbornly reply.
"You promised to have dinner with me tonight!" My head was starting to hurt, and I could tell that I was losing control of myself again.
"Well I changed my mind!"
That did it. "FUCKING DAMN IT, IF YOU DON'T COME OUT OF THERE THIS INSTANT I WILL BREAK THE DOOR!" But just as I was about to slam my shoulders against it, two pairs of arms held me back, and I turned to see that it was Lavinia and Pollux, who were shaking their heads at me in warning.
"What am else am I supposed to do when she won't come out!" I protested.
Lavinia gave me a stern look, and Pollux tightened his strong grip on me when I tried to let go, so I finally deflated, letting my shoulders sag. "Alright, alright, I'll let her be," I gave in, and they released me.
Katniss
I breathed hard. My body trembled in terror as the tears streamed down my cheeks. I had only been here a day, and I was already miserable. I didn't want to eat. I didn't want to do anything anymore, ever. And the dark prince's fury was not making things any better. I knew he was dangerous, but it wasn't until now as he roared and threatened to break the door that I realized just how much.
He could kill me any second.
Or worse, he could threaten my family if I didn't do his bidding. But no, I was too afraid to come out of this room. Suddenly, I heard his voice again, this time much calmer. "Katniss, I'm sorry. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. Just…please eat something; I don't want you to starve. I will have Lavinia bring your dinner to your room." He sighed. "I'll let you be now."
"Wait!" I said as I hear his heavy footsteps move away from the door. I ran up to it and leaned against the mahogany wood, pressing my forehead and palms against it. There was a pause. "I-I will dine with you tomorrow. I just need some time to adjust. Please do not be cross with me." I bit my lip anxiously. I needed to stay on his good side if I wanted to survive, if I wanted my family to remain safe.
I heard him lean against the other side of the door, "Really?" He almost sounded hopeful.
"Yes. Really."
"All right. Thank you. Goodnight, Katniss."
"Goodnight Prince Peeta."
"Please, just call me Peeta."
"Peeta." I whispered after a few seconds, but by then he was gone, his loud tread echoed by two silent footsteps behind him, perhaps his Avoxes.
I sighed in relief and then sat back down on my bed. I wasn't the least bit tired, but I was hungry, I realized. Not long after I had that thought, I heard a soft knock on my door, and then a key fitting into the lock as Lavinia stepped in with a tray of food.
My stomach rumbled at the smell and I stood at attention as she approached me and set the tray down on the bedside table. There was a bowl of lamb stew on it and some cheese buns, a glass of water, a mug of hot chocolate, and a glazed pastry to go along with it for dessert. I beamed at Lavinia. "Thank you," I said sincerely as she nodded at me. I had no idea how they had figured out that lamb stew and cheese buns were my favorite, but the stew tasted even better than Greasy Sae's and the cheese buns were ten times more scrumptious than the ones from the bakery downtown.
Dessert was just as delicious, and after I finished eating dinner, Lavinia helped me into a nightgown and had me sit down in front of the dresser so that she could brush my hair. Once freed from my usual braid, my long, dark hair tumbled out in waves down to my waist, and she combed it gently and carefully, almost massaging my scalp. I yawned sleepily, and when she was done, she pulled back the covers of my four-poster bed and pulled the covers over me after I laid down on it. The last thing I saw before I closed my eyes was the canopy above it, a lush green color that reminded me of the meadow from back home.
Peeta
Katniss showed up for breakfast. They served us porridge and fruit and coffee and some of the pastries I had baked. I hadn't told her that I was a baker yet. I hadn't had the chance to tell her much of anything really.
"I'm sorry about last night, Katniss."
"That's alright," she said, her eyes not looking up from her bowl.
"Did you enjoy your dinner last night?" I asked politely.
"Yes, I especially liked the cheese buns," she smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, which seemed red from crying, or perhaps lack of sleep. Maybe I should have asked her how she slept instead.
"I baked them myself."
"Oh?"
"Yes, I do a lot of baking…what about you, what do you like to do?" I wondered if there was anything else I could do to make her feel more at home.
"I like to read."
"I do too." I took a spoonful of porridge and gulped it down as she took a tentative sip of her coffee. "We have many books here." She nodded. I don't think she understood just how many books I owned. "I'll show you after breakfast, if you'd like."
"I'd like that."
We ate in awkward silence for a while. "I could also show you my rose garden," I offered. "In fact, I've yet to give you a full tour of the palace."
She agreed to this, and after breakfast we spent all day walking through the many halls and rooms of the castle. Katniss seemed delighted at everything she saw. It was obvious that she wasn't used to so many luxuries. It made wonder about her life, and it occurred to me that I barely knew anything about her. So I asked her about her life, and after a while, she opened up to me and told me a few things: that her favorite color was green, that she had six brothers and six sisters, and that her mother had died giving birth to her youngest sister, Primrose. She told me about the woods near her cottage, and how much she loved to sing and dance and hunt. She cultivated crops for food with her siblings while her father and some of her brothers worked in the mines. They didn't have much money, but they lived decently. I wondered how much their lives would change now that they had so much gold.
In turn, I told her about my curse and the evil Snow and how I lost my leg during battle. But I also shared happier details, such as how the color of the sunset was my favorite shade of orange and how I liked to spend my afternoons painting landscapes and my mornings baking bread or tending my garden.
"So you have hallucinations because you can't find your true love?" she asked, perplexed.
I shrugged. "Yes, I suppose you could put it that way…it's my curse until I find my cure."
"Is that why you requested that I stay here with you?"
"Yes. But you don't have to marry me unless you want to."
"Good. I don't like being told what to do," she huffed.
"I won't do that anymore, Katniss," I said seriously.
And she smiled.
"I think it's time I show you the library. Close your eyes."
I opened up the wide set of double doors, taking her gently by the hand and leading her into the darkened room. I then let go of her and headed silently towards the far wall, which contained a large floor-length window covered by heavy navy curtains. I pulled them back as the sunlight exploded into the room. Jogging back to Katniss, I stood slightly in front of her, telling her to open her eyes as we both faced the window, and I heard her gasp behind me, her breath a feathery touch against the back of my neck.
"Is that the forest?" was the first thing she said, before her eyes adjusted to the light and she took in her surroundings.
"Yes, and you may go in it whenever you like, or watch it from here while you're reading."
"This place is wonderful!" she exclaimed, her silver eyes shining in delight.
"Do you like it?"
"I love it!"
"Then you can have it. It's yours." I said.
Her eyes widened, "Prince Peeta, I couldn't…"
"Peeta," I corrected her. "And of course you can. This is your new home now. You can read any of these books whenever you wish," I pointed arms towards the tall, endless shelves that covered the 20-foot walls of the library; the only place that didn't have books was the one with the floor-length window facing the wild green forest and garden outside. "If there's anything else you desire, you need only ask me."
"But wouldn't going into the forest be leaving the castle grounds?" Her eyes did not know where to look; I watched her touching the windowpane as she gazed out at the dark green forest, then biting her lip when she saw the infinite supply of books behind her.
"The dark forest is actually part of the castle grounds," I began carefully. "But you're not allowed to go there at night. That's when the wolves come out. And the mutts…." I trailed off.
"The mutts?" She turned me in question.
"Yes," I gulped. "Terrible monsters, the mutts. They're like… they're sort of like werewolves. Wolves with human eyes. They show no mercy. If they see you, you're dead. I believe they're part of the curse," I said distantly, remembering a cold, dark night many moons ago. I hadn't just lost my leg during battle- I had lost it to the mutts. Snow had thrown them at me, as if he had full command of those evil creatures. I shivered. I wasn't quite ready to tell Katniss the full story yet. "I'll have Pollux accompany you when you go hunting during the day, as a precaution," I told Katniss.
She frowned. "How do I know you're not just trying to frighten me so that I will not attempt to run away?"
"If you run away, it is your choice. But keep in mind that I will no longer be able to protect you out there. And I might take your father again." I regretted the last part as soon as I had said it. I didn't want to threaten her, but I was terribly afraid of her leaving me, almost as terrified as I was at the prospect of her getting hurt.
Her eyes glared at me as she turned her lips into a scowl. "Well excuse me for forgetting that I was your prisoner," she spat. "I should have known…" she shook her head and ran out the doors before I could stop her.
"Katniss!" I called out, running after her, but she was already gone.
Katniss
It was nearly dark by the time I reached the forest. I knew that I couldn't really leave Peeta, but I had to get away from him for at least a while. I took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh, minty scent of pines as I walked deeper into the woods. I wanted to get lost in them and never go back into the castle, but that was no longer an option. Besides, I had to be back before it became too dark; I didn't have my bow with me to defend myself should one of the mutts come after me.
If they're even real, I snorted skeptically. He was simply trying to scare me. Little did he know that the only mutt I was afraid of was him. What had he thought? That giving me all the books in the world and a haunted forest would make me happy while I was being held prisoner and my father's life was on the line? As if! I was foolish to believe for even a second that this false sense of security and freedom would be the key out of my golden cage. He could spoil me with gifts and put me in the nicest room, but it was still a prison. I wasn't free, and I never would be. I wondered what was worse: being married to Gale or being Peeta's prisoner. I shuddered at both prospects.
Distracted by my thoughts, I soon became lost in the woods, and the sky had darkened considerably since I had first stepped into them. I stopped in the middle of a clearing and looked around. Everything appeared the same, and I was no longer sure which direction was which. I sighed and cursed myself.
Now look what you've done, Everdeen.
It was then that I heard a low growl coming from my left, and I turned and gasped as I was met with a pair of dark eyes right before it launched itself at me. I screamed as I turned and ran the opposite direction as fast as I could, my footsteps matching the rapid beating of my frantic heart. They show no mercy. If they see you, you're dead. Peeta had warned me about the mutts, and now one of them was chasing after me. This was it, I was going to die here, alone and frightened in the dark woods, slaughtered by an evil beast. As soon as I felt its hot breath on my neck, I knew it was over. Peeta would assume that I had run off and then he would kill my father, or worse, my entire family. And all because of me.
The beast threw itself on me and shoved me down on the ground as I tasted dirt, my knees and elbows stinging as I landed on them, my body unable to lift the heavy weight of the monster. My lungs were unable to take in oxygen and my face was being shoved down. I had just given up when I suddenly felt the weight lifted off of my body and I gasped in as much air as I could, lifting myself up slowly.
"Katniss! Get out of here! What are you doing here? Run!" It was Peeta, and he was bearing a large sword with a golden hilt in hand. He slashed the mutt's shoulder with it, but that only made it angrier. My mouth fell open in shock as I noticed how large it was; it was nearly twice the size of Peeta, its dark fur glistening in the moonlight, its teeth gnashing in midair. Surely he didn't stand a chance.
And yet. I couldn't leave him here to fend for himself, not after he had saved me. I owed him now. I felt something nudge my shoulder, and I turned around and noticed that it was Peeta's white stallion. The horse whined and trotted around in fear, nudging me as if begging me to mount him so he could run off already. But what could I possibly do to help Peeta against such a large monster?
Distract it. I bent down and picked up a large rock while Peeta struggled with the ferocious beast. I threw the rock as hard as I could, and I hit the mutt right on its left eye. The mutt turned to me and roared. "Peeta!" I yelled.
Peeta picked up my cue and stabbed the mutt in the same eye that I had it with, digging in the pointed blade until it was far enough to impale the mutt's brain, killing it instantly. He pulled the sword out, gritting his teeth in disgust as he wiped it down on the grass. He then limped towards me. "Katniss," he hissed, "you should have run…when I told you to. You never listen." It was then that I noticed how much he was bleeding, and I caught him just in time before he hit the ground, unconscious.
