A/N: Hey Guys! Here is chapter 10. I apologize for any mistakes in spelling and grammar. Sorry for uploading this early, i'm going to be busy on Saturday so I couldn't do it tomorrow. Thank you so much for the feedback and support. Please vote on the poll on the profile if you want either Gale or Peeta to be with Katniss. I know some of you were disappointed that Katniss and Gale didn't get their moment but never fear that chapter is coming up in the near future! I hope you enjoy the chapter! - Rage

The Tower – Chapter 10

Peeta's POV:

Katniss stirs and flutters her eyes open. 'Good morning,' I say with a smile

'How long was I asleep?' She asks, her head still on my chest

'Awhile.'

She gets up and takes off the bandage on my arm. By the look on her face, I know that it isn't good.

'It looks better.' She says

I look at the wound myself, 'I know what blood poisoning is, even if my mother isn't a healer.'

She looks at me sadly. I go to talk again but she silences me, 'Shh. Can you hear that?' I listen carefully, 'Stay here.'

Katniss takes out a small knife in her boot and walks slowly out of the cave. 'Katniss?' I whisper

Katniss's POV:

I walk out of the cave and hide behind the rocks as the horses ride slowly past us. I look at the five faces and instantly recognise one. It's Gale! 'Gale!' I shout as I get out of my hiding place.

He looks over at me and smiles. 'Katniss! I thought we lost you.' He gets off his horse and hugs me tightly. I hug him as well. 'I missed you.' He whispers in my ear.

I pull apart and look into his sparkly gray eyes. The remark was genuine. I smile and he smiles back. 'We have to get Peeta, he's hurt.' I say as I run back to the cave.

Peeta's POV:

She walks out and I am left waiting for her. Five minutes past nothing but the waves crashing onto the shores. Ten minutes and the sound of horses get louder. There is a shout and a hear voices. A shadow runs towards me, fast. Did they kill Katniss? Are they coming for me now? I will make them pay for what they just did.

I look around me searching for a weapon. My right hand finds a small, sharp rock. The shadow reaches the entrance and I start to throw the rock at it. 'Peeta!' The shadow calls

I stop and look at the shadow's face. It's Katniss. 'You're alive!' I shout

She pulls me into a hug, 'Oh course I am.'

'I thought the people on the horses killed you. There was a shout.'

'Sorry I scared you, the riders were Gale and the others. They found us!' Just then another person stands in the entrance of the cave. 'Gale! Help me get Peeta onto my horse.'

He grunts in reply and picks me up roughly. He doesn't say a word to me as he places me into Katniss's saddle. 'How far is the Forest of Ren?' I ask

'Far.' He answers dismissively

Katniss gets onto the horse with me, 'Gale said they couldn't find us in Ren so they went further and found us. We overshot by three miles.' She looks at my left arm, 'When we get to the Tower, we can get a physician to heal that.'

I nod and Gale leads us back in the direction we first came here from. I look at the other knights, Sir Thresh made it and so did Sir Beetee. Madam Luna is riding beside me and Madam Roses is off to one side.

'Where is Madam Drago?' I ask

Madam Luna looks at me and shakes her head, 'She didn't make it.'

Sir Danain and Sir Eleid both died when we were spotted by the Districtians and now Madam Dragon is down. The pain in my arm intensifies and I groan in pain.

Katniss looks at me concerned, 'Don't worry Peeta, we will get you medicine for your arm.'

'Thanks Katniss,' I answer. I look at Gale and see sadness in his eyes, 'Thank you Gale.' He looks at me confused and I explain, 'For finding us.'

Gale's POV:

'Who goes there!' The guard booms

'We are just travellers, willing to trade gems for a position in the Tower.'

'Gems, you say?' The guard says leaning down in interest, 'Where did you get your hands on them?'

'We "borrowed" them from the Kingdom of Panem.' I say smiling

'You guys must be experienced, stealing from a castle.' The guard says, 'How did you do it?'

'A thief never reveals his plan.'

He nods, 'Of course. Hope you get to the top.'

I nod and he lets us through. I don't know what he meant by the top. 'Nice job.' Katniss smiles at me

I smile at her, 'Thank you, milady.'

The Tower is a large clearing in the Forest of Ren and like its name there is a humongous tower in the middle. Surround it are burned down houses and tents with greedy people running back and forth. Most people fighting and pick pocketing each other.

Someone jumps onto my horse, 'How much for the thing.' She asks pointing to the steed.

I shove her off and say, 'Not for sale.'

We reach the entrance of the Tower. 'What you want?' The guard asks

I hand him a big fat ruby, 'Give me your best room.'

Thieves look at us and run towards the ruby but the guard kills them with his big sword. 'Sorry about that.' He says gruffly, 'Good for nothing idiots must be turning into goblins with all this gold and gems. This beauty takes you to the near top, but you can get top entrance if… you have something else.'

I hand him three small emeralds, 'Here, nothing more.'

He nods, 'This shall do nicely. Enjoy the top!' The guard passes us a piece of paper and opens the doors and we take the stairs to the top.

I can hear Katniss talking to the guard and giving him another small emerald. She comes back and climbs with us. When we reach the top floor the guard stops us and I hand him the piece of paper.

'Room 102!' He shouts even though we are standing right beside him.

He passes us the key and we unlock room 102, it huge and full of expensive things, must be a good life if you were a thief. 'Gale?' Katniss asks

'Yes, milady?'

'Why did you get the top floor? We only needed a place to stay.'

'If the kidnapper was here, then he would get top floor because of his bounty.'

Katniss nods, 'Good thinking. Do you reckon he is here now?'

'Possibly.' I tell her

We sling our bags onto the beds and sit down. Katniss gets Peeta to lie down and we all eat the leftover food in our bags. There is a knock on the door.

We all freeze and Sir Beetee and I walk cautiously towards the door. We are on both sides of the door, wielding knives and I hold up three fingers and countdown slowly. Two fingers, one finger and I open the door quickly and pull the person inside. I place my knife on his neck.

'Who are you and what do you want?' I shout

'I'm a physician.' He says trying to get the knife off his throat

Katniss runs to the man and I drop my knife, 'Are you ok, sir?' She asks

'Yes, I get that a lot. Everyone is on edge now days, thinking that an axe murderer or something is after them.' The physician sighs, 'I guess that's life in the Tower. Now where is my patient?'

Katniss leads him to Peeta and he observes the wound. 'How bad is it?' She asks

'If I came here any later then this would be done for.'

'Do you need to cut it?'

He shakes his head, 'No, just needs a dressing and time to heal up.'

Peeta sighs in relief. 'I thought I was going to lose another limb.'

'Another limb?' The physician asks

Peeta points to his wooden foot, 'They had to amputate it after I fell onto the dragon.'

When Peeta says the word dragon, the physician's face is indescribable. I laugh a little. 'Ok then… let me fix your arm up.' The physician says as he takes out his med kit.

He takes out a bottle of alcohol, 'Are you trying to get me drunk?' Peeta asks. Katniss giggles. He smiles and I frown.

The physician opens the lid and pours it on Peeta's arm. He groans in pain, 'I'm just cleaning the wound.' The physician says. He takes out a needle and thread and stitches Peeta's wound together. 'Done!'

The physician shakes Katniss's hand and walks to the door. I shake his hand too and he goes away, shutting the door behind him. Madam Luna gives Katniss a wet towel to cool down Peeta and she does.

I see Madam Roses with the map and Sir Thresh talking to her, I approach them. 'Do we have any plans on the kidnapper?'

'Should we knock on every room in the top floor?' Madam Roses asks

'That's too risky, you saw what Gale did to that physician.' Sir Thresh says

Sir Beetee joins us, 'Let's stay here for awhile and see if the kidnapper goes out of his room.'

'We don't know what room he is in,' Madam Roses says

'We can ask the guard.' Sir Beetee suggests

'Good idea.' I say and he follows me out the room

'How may I assist you, gentlemen?' The shouty guard shouts

'Do you know what room Blight is in?' I ask

'I don't know anyone named Blight!' He shouts

'He has a scarf on that covers his mouth and nose.'

'Oh yea, I know a person like that! Room 105!'

'Thank you.' I say

I return back to the room. 'The guard says room 105, we can go tonight.'

They all nod, 'Gale?' Katniss asks, 'Can you take care of Peeta for a second. I need to use the privy.'

'Oh course,' I say

I sit down next to the prince and look somewhere else, 'Prince Gale, why do hate me so much? Have I done something wrong?' Peeta asks. I don't answer him, 'Well I know this entire princess business is going on but I don't want us to be enemies.'

'I don't hate you, nor do I like you,' I answer genuinely

'Well... Is their something I can do to help us be friends?'

I sigh, 'I do want us to be friends, just not now. It's not the right time and place.'

He nods and I wait for Katniss to come back from the bathroom. 'She loves you, you know?'

I turn to face him, 'I guess we will find out at the end of the year.'

'How do you think she will decide?'

'It's simple, she will decide the one who she can't survive without.'

Madam Roses' POV:

I shake the bodies one by one. 'Wake up.' I say to them

They stir and mumble something. It takes them a full ten minutes before they fully wake up. 'Room 105, isn't it?' Sir Thresh asks

I nod, 'Come on, let's go!'

We arm ourselves with weapons and Katniss is the last one to leave. Gale places his hand on room 105's door knob and twists it slightly, 'It's locked.' He whispers

'Let me.' Peeta whispers. '3…2…1…'

Peeta kicks open the door and it gives way and the hinges fall on the floor. We storm in the room, it's dark and seems empty until we hear a muffled cry. Sir Beetee and Thresh walk towards the sound and suddenly a knife gets thrown into view. It hits Sir Beetee in the chest and he falls down. A shadow dances across the room and snatches Katniss, putting a knife on her throat.

'Don't move!' He demands. I feel for an oil lamp and light it up with a nearby match. I see the man now, it's Blight. 'Oh princess, there is a bounty on you, wanted alive.' Blight smiles, 'That means we can have some fun first before I hand you in!'

'Let go of her, you creep!' Peeta cries out and lunges forwards.

Blight presses the knife further into her skin, a small trickle of blood falls down her throat. 'I don't think that is wise, Prince Peeta. You have two options, leave now and take Johanna or stay here and watch as your princess gets tortured by me.'

'You can't do that, you need her alive!' Gale shouts

Blight smirks, 'I can hurt her but I can't kill her. Simple.'

The two princes continue shouting at Blight and I look around the room. I look at Madam Luna and see that she is carrying a bow. I point to it and she hands it to me. I hand her the lamp.

I position myself into the darkest spot, load an arrow and raise the bow. I can hit his face but he is too close to Katniss. If I hit his leg then he can possibly hurt her. I can't hit anywhere else besides his arm but then again that has a chance of hitting Katniss. Make up your mind! I pull back the arrow and fire. It hits him right in the arm and he lets go of Katniss. Katniss turns around and kicks him right in the groin. Blight doubles over and I shoot a direct shot on his face.

Gale's POV:

Blight falls down dead and I run back to Sir Beetee. He is still alive but I don't think I can save him.

'Milord…' He says weakly. I take his hand and examine the wound, It's not good. 'I think…' He coughs up blood and continues but I don't hear him. I lean further down, 'I think you will make a great King.'

I hear a muffled cry coming from the wardrobe door and I open it. Johanna is there, she is battered and bruised. Her body is naked and she has a gag in her mouth, her hands are tied back. 'Johanna!' I say in shock and lift her up.

I run back to our room and lay her on the bed. I cut off her ropes and cover her with a blanket. She is shivering and I put more blankets on her. Katniss comes to me and hugs her sister.

Katniss takes care of her for awhile and I lie down on my bed looking up at the ceiling, shocked at the events that had just happened.

'Thanks Gale,' Katniss says softly

'Any time,' I say

Katniss smiles at me and I smile back. Then I close my eyes and drift off into a restless sleep.