Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Hunger Games universe. All names, characters, and places belong to their respective owners.

Peeta spends the next day preparing for the journey with his men. I'm surprised by how easily he jokes with even the lowest of his crew, how he carries sacks with the rest of them, as if he isn't a man of a great wealth, a man who will inherit the country one day.

It's not until later into the day that Haymitch pulls me into his private office. It's a little room, perhaps the only room that isn't out of style in the entire estate, with dark wood panellings and family tapestries on the wall. It's about what you'd expect from Haymitch though, papers and boxes scattered all over the floor and a couple of bottles of rum shattered across the desk.

"Katniss," the lord says to me, "you've done well. The boy has asked for my permission to invite you to the ball."

"I know," I say with a disinterested shrug, "I heard."

Haymitch grins, "Atta girl, listening in, were ya'? And here I thought you were playing this game half assed, but you already have him twirling in your clutch."

I roll my eyes at him, "What do you want, Abernathy?"

"The Prince is out in the back of the house alone," he says, shuffling through some of his papers, "figured you could use the time with him. And could you grab me that bottle of liquor on the shelf?"

I toss him the bottle with a disgusted groan. The tip is helpful though, I hadn't spoken to Peeta all day and from what I know of boys they tend to be forgetful. It would be useful to see him for a bit, especially away from the men.

So, as I turn away from Haymitch, I head through the now bustling hallways and trudge out to the back of the house looking for Peeta. Much to my surprise, I find him half naked and splitting wood at the edge of the forest.

"Hey, Peeta," I say, crossing my arms over the light blue cotton dress Effie found for me in one of the storage rooms, "what are you doing?"

Peeta nearly drops the axe at the sight of me, a bright grin lighting up his face as he rubs the glean of sweat from his forehead with a rag. Without his shirt I can see the definition of his body, muscles taut from labor. "Katniss, hello!" he greets me, "I apologize for my state of undress, I didn't know I'd be seeing ladies."

I snort, "I'm no lady," I tell him, taking a seat on a nearby log, "I hear you're leaving soon…"

He sits beside me, slipping a brown tunic over his head. "About that," he says, catching my gaze, "I had the thought the other day-" he pauses for a moment, blinking at me.

"Yes?" I question.

"Well, I spoke to your father," he starts, "about what we were talking about the other night, about inviting you to the ball. He agreed to allow you to come, there was one more thing though. I was thinking-"

"Oh, Peeta," I say, turning my voice up in my best impression of a silly noble girls, "I'd love to."

The Prince smiles at me, his body shifting in my direction. "I was thinking," he starts again, "and perhaps this is too forward, that it would be rather convenient if you come with me tomorrow."

"Come with you?" I raise an eyebrow at him. "Whatever do you mean?"

My head is dizzied for a moment. His invitation is great progress in the plan, but I expected to have time to prepare for the journey, time to study with Effie and more importantly, time to prepare myself for what I would have to do to Peeta.

"I j-just," he blushes, "You're coming to the Capitol anyways, and with all the bandits running around, I figured you might be safer travelling with my men."

I nearly laugh at the irony of it all, him wanting to protect me from the bandits - when in reality I'm the one he should be looking out for.

"I would have to ask my father if I can take the carriage so early..." I trail off, "but thank you for the offer, Peeta."

"Oh, if you wish to bring your own, that's perfectly suitable," he says half heartedly, "but you can always ride with me and I can just make arrangements for your way back. The royal carriage is quite nice, perfectly comfortable for two, and I do think the company would be nice."

I smile at him, "That sounds nice."

"Great!" he says, widening into a grin. "I will speak with Lord Abernathy first thing before dinner."

"Katniss isn't ready," Gale protests, "the ruby isn't worth sending her in there unprepared, not to mention the fact that we could just as easily lose our shot."

"Exactly!" I exclaim, hitting my elbow against the desk, "I need more time. Isn't there some way we can stall him? Vandalizing the carriage worked for us last time."

Haymitch shakes his head, "Somebody will get suspicious. This is a golden opportunity for us, think of all the time you will have alone with the Prince, sweetheart. Even a girl like you can nab him with that chance."

My lungs tighten in panic at the prospect of being alone with Peeta for that long, bonding with him - physically and emotionally.

"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence," I spit at him.

"If you turn down the offer, how will it look, Katniss?" Haymitch questions me. "The Prince will lose interest and move on to another girl. Take advantage of what we have...I will even give the two of you a bonus."

Gale's eyes meet mine with a gentle shake of his head. Don't do it, he says wordlessly. Years of working together have allowed us to communicate with nothing more than a glance, but that doesn't mean I have to listen. As much as I hate to admit it, Haymitch is right.

"Fine," I say, "I'll do it, but if this goes poorly, remember, you're going to be the one to blame."

Peeta and Haymitch are late to dinner. Discussing the matters of my travels, I imagine. Either way, with neither the Crown Prince or the master of the household present, dinner sits cold and untouched at the table.

By the time they arrive at the table, it's a half hour past and I'm hungry - a bit cross as well, having been forced to sit in front of my supper and make conversation with the men for a good thirty minutes.

Peeta's eyes drift to me the second he enters the room, his mouth perking up in a secret smile as he stands beside an only somewhat drunken Haymitch.

"I'm very pleased to announce," Haymitch bellows, snatching a glass of liquor, most certainly not his, from the table, "that might daughter, Katniss, will be joining the lot of you on your trip back to the Capitol. May your journey be safe and your spirits high!"

At that, looks pass around the room, cheers and drinks spilling outward. Gale, however, is mostly silent, a tired look covering his face. There is no doubt in my mind he will find himself on top of some serving girl tonight. By the looks of it, the pretty redhead passing drinks around the table.

When we were younger, I was completely oblivious to his dealings, but now I know he took up with girls whenever he was worried or upset. Haymitch drank, Gale slept around...they were all just ways to push away the troubles of life.

Dinner is over in a shorter time than it took for Peeta and Haymitch to arrive. Hungry men eat quickly, I suppose. Sooner still, we are all sent into the cluttered parlor, cigars and drinks passed around as fiddle music flows through the room.

Effie, of course, chooses to resign herself as soon as the first match is lit, but I stay behind.

I should be happy. I ought to offer to dance with Peeta or at least get a conversation in with Haymitch, but I can't be bothered. Tomorrow's journey will be a new dawn for me, the start of a long job. The Lion's Ruby won't come easy, or without sacrifice, and I might as well at least take this moment to breathe and clear my thoughts.

And then I feel a tap on my shoulder, a break from the comfort of my thoughts.

It's Peeta, blonde hair mussed through and the first two buttons of his jacket undone. "Katniss," he says with a smile, "mind joining me outside for a walk?"

I can't really deny him, though I wish nothing more for the quiet reprieve of solitude.

"Sure, Peeta," I say, standing up from the somewhat uncomfortable wooden stool I've taken harbor on.

Peeta extends his arm to me, pulling me through the crowd of rowdy men and into the front garden. "I'm surprised," he says, "that your father allows you to sit with the men."

"Haymitch," I stop myself, "my father, rather, is hardly a man of traditional values."

Peeta laughs. "No," he smiles, "he is not. Though you have only benefited from that. I quite enjoy your spirit and brashness, I do have to admit."

I smile back at him, unable to come up with a comfortable response for his compliment.

"We have a long journey ahead of us," he ponders, making conversation as we walk along the side of the house, "I only wish to ask you one thing."

"What is that?" I look at him, my voice etched with concern. Had he brought me out here because he thinks me easy, does he intend to bed me so quickly?

The flutter of my heart is stopped by the innocence of his question. "I thought to ask you this personally, for confirmation. Do you have any obligations to Gale? I know you might not wish to marry him, for reasons of status, but I must ask if you care for him."

I laugh, shaking my head. "No," I tell him, "it's not like that with Gale. Come on," I say, slapping him gently with my closed fan, "let's head back before people start to get the wrong idea."

The packing is quick and swifty. Effie is delighted at the prospect of my joining Peeta, I have become an unexpected success in her eyes, another name to attach to her services. She does, however, express some concerns over my lack of wardrobe, but Haymitch is quick at putting the issue to rest.

"No boy who ever fancied women has stopped to inspect her clothes, except maybe to check the lines of her cleavage," Haymitch snorts. "The girl will be fine."

Effie turns up her nose. "Perhaps you haven't, but a boy of the Prince's caliber has different expectations for his women."

"I don't think," Gale speaks up, his eyes never quite reaching mine, "that Prince Peeta will notice whether or not the brocade on her dress is last season. When Katniss arrives at the palace, she can simply claim she forgot all her good dresses in the haste."

"Oh," Effie sniffs at that, touching her eyes with the silk of her handkerchief. "Why Gale, that is a rather ingenious plan. I didn't expect such a marvelous idea from your sort. And just imagine, what if by the time I arrive in the Capitol our Katniss is already engaged to the Prince - or perhaps even arranged to be his," her voice lowers, "official mistress?"

Gale tenses up at Effie's suggestion, his jaw tightening. "Ah yes," he says stiffly, "that would be great, wouldn't it, Katniss?"

The question is meant to be a dig at me. I know Gale's not too keen on recent developments, or more accurately, not too keen on my being alone with Peeta for so long.

I nod. "Of course," I say, mostly for Effie's benefit, "there is no greater honor than a position with the Prince."

Or more accurately, I think, the Prince's ruby.

A serving girl wakes me early in the morning. I'm used to waking up at the crack of dawn, mostly due to my hunting and the nature of thievery. "The thief comes in the night," as one of those religious books proclaimed. But I'm woken before the sun has even started to come up. It's still pitch black outside when the girl shakes me, urging me to come and get dressed.

Peeta's men, it seems, had decided to leave earlier than normal in order to throw any local would-be robbers off their tracks. So, with a little protest, I wash my face and prepare for the day to come.

The dress is a rich green, finer than something I'd wear of my own volition, but still sensible enough for travels. It's a heavy fabric, not quite velvet but hardly cotton, soft enough for the discomfort of a carriage, but warm enough for nights spent outside.

I'm not surprised to find a series of daggers woven into the sides of my underclothes - preparation, most likely the request of Haymitch, for the days to come. I wish for nothing more than to be able to keep my bow on me, but I suppose that would look too suspicious. Besides, if anything goes wrong, I can always snatch one off of Peeta's guards.

Peeta, I think, pausing as I slip into my shoes. I can only hope that the boy doesn't become too forward when I am his guest instead of him being mine. And more importantly, I can only hope he doesn't recognize me, doesn't realize where we've met before.

Because if he discovers who I am, we are all in jeopardy of losing our heads.

Author's Note: Big thanks to my beta, (raissapl on tumblr), for all her help and catching a few inconsistencies! I know it's been a while since I updated, but I'm finally back in the writing groove and hoping to get the next chapter out soon.

Thanks for reading. Make sure to follow, review, etc. You can check me out on tumblr at starveinsafety and everlarkfanfictionclub!