Later that evening:

President Rosa Snow's POV:

I pull my cashmere blanket over my feet as I settle down to watch the games, I should really be out in public somewhere tonight observing and partying with my people as we prepare for the victor to rise out of the arena. But I can't be bothered, there will be plenty of time for that later. Right now I have a bottle of my favourite wine from district one and a dish of sushi fresh from four as I watch the tributes continue to sit around and not fight.

My two shining stars from district two are close to both each other and the boy from eleven but neither of them realise it, oh what I'd give to see the two of them team up and take him down. I wouldn't be able to stand another district eleven victor.

My distaste for the outer district kids has always been constant, as a young girl I revelled in the victors from glamorous one, strong two and beautiful four. Heck even the smart kids from three or five were more entertaining than these, the ones who tended to spend the games making friends and dying off slowly. But there he was the kid from district eleven still surviving, who knows how?

We've been too lax over in eleven for a while now and they are getting cocky. I make a plan to order more peacekeepers over there, after the games of course they will be subdued for a while but I don't trust those young victors over there they are getting too close to bringing home a third and we could have trouble on our hands.

There is a knock at the door disturbing my train of thought, "Enter" I call.

"Madam President" Ajax says with a bow as he steps into my room, he is my head peacekeeper and a dear friend. When his time in the peace forces comes to an end I plan on promoting him to my senate then who knows where we could end up.

"Ajax what a surprise, my friend, come join me" I gesture to a chair beside my couch

"I'm afraid I can't stay Rosa" he says informally "I'm here on official business"

"A shame" I reply "what's so important it couldn't wait till after the games?"

"One of the tributes, the girl from four has been proved a criminal"

"How so?" I am intrigued that quiet girl seems incapable of anything. Yes there were the rumours on the interviews earlier this evening but I just put that down to Nina being her usual sensualist self.

"She's a thief Ma'am been found guilty of stealing from her Grandfather's house, it's been happening for a while now but they've just pinned it on her. Apparently one of her friends who took the stolen goods from her confessed all." So the rumours were true, the grandfather did a good job hiding it.

"Has the friend been punished accordingly?" I ask

"Yes, fifteen lashes of the whip"

"Excellent, Look into why the grandfather lied yesterday too" I ponder my options with the girl for a moment "I'll fetch Syrio to deal with the girl in the games, we'll make a show of it"

"I'll send for him myself Rosa" Ajax smiles "and may I say you look stunning today"

"You may" I smile "Come to me after your shift ends, I have a surprise for you" I add in a seductive whisper

"Of course" he kisses my hand and vanishes out into the corridor; I lick my lips and smile in anticipation of tonight. But first I have a criminal to punish.

Ten minutes later my head Gamemaker appears looking as exhausted as usual, as well as a little flushed proving he must have run the whole way here.

"You asked to see me Madam" he stutters, he's such a nervous wreck it's almost funny if it wasn't so irritating.

"You let a criminal compete in the games" I screech "Tell me the meaning of this" I wave my hand towards the screen.

"A criminal madam?"

"The girl from four has been found guilty of theft from her grandfather"

"Her mentor? But they were only rumours, started by Nina this evening no less"

"Yes they were true, her friends in four have confessed to receiving the stolen goods" I exclaim "I want her dealt with; I can't have someone who flaunts the law being allowed to win the games. The penalty for theft in four is execution and I want it carried out tonight"

"Yes madam, right away madam" Syrio bows deeply and leaves my room.

I turn back to my television screen to watch the action, after a couple of slow scenes of Cane munching on some dried fruit and Ursa sharpening the sword she took from Tiffany's corpse earlier the camera finally cuts to Miriam who is still hiding out on the upper floors of the betting parlour.

Right now she's dozing by a doorway a knife held tightly in her hand, she has no idea of the trouble she's causing back here. She is even less aware of the punishment that now awaits her; I on the other hand can barely contain my excitement.

"Attention tributes" the clear loud voice of our announcer Marius Bloom sounds through the arena, there are a couple of quick shots showing the other tributes looking alert before the camera stays on a sleeping Miriam "Miriam Blackthorn from District four" the girl bolts up her eyes open wide in fear, I smile as the voice continues "You have been accused, tried in absentium and been found guilty of at least twenty counts of theft in Victors Village" Miriam screams and jumps to her feet rushing to the door and down through the building, there's no escaping your fate my dear I think "Therefore as the law of Panem states you are to be sentenced to death. No odds will favour you now"

Miriam is outside the building now, as she runs from her inevitable fate the ground opens up around her and snakes rise into the arena, first I can count them, ten, twenty, fifty, hundreds. "Oh Syrio" I laugh "just when I'm about to write you off"

The girl continues to run and I must admit she is pretty fast, but not fast enough the snakes bare their large fangs and bite at her ankles she tries to continue to run as they snip and bite at her. Her feet are bleeding now leaving a trail of blood as she swerves through the arena down alleys and along the streets. But she runs with no sense of direction she doesn't even realise she's entered a dead end until it's too late. A large white wall stretches above her. She tries to jump and grab it, tries to climb away from her fate, but the snakes have caught up they bite at her feet and ankles at first before moving up to her legs, she collapses with a scream.

"Please forgive me" she cries as the snakes continue to bite and crush the little criminal "please, please, please" she breaks down into sobs mixed with screams of pain "Let it end" she wails as the snakes reach her neck. Moments later it does end, a snake bites her neck and she goes limp.

BOOM!

"Send Syrio a bottle of his favourite liquor for that fine show" I order loudly "oh and bring me a glass of mine"

Nina Ricci:

I wake up on my own bed in my own clothes and slide a finger into my mouth. I still have my tongue they didn't come for me in the night. I'm not going to be turned into an Avox slave!

I'm not alone I realise and look up to see the president stood over me "Ma'am" I say my voice shaking.

"You are popular Nina" she says "and you are liked. Luckily for you the rumours were true and Miriam has been punished accordingly saving you my dear from punishment. The consenquences could have been grave for spreading rumours that could have harmed a potential victor. Be careful to mind your tongue in the future my dear or we may have to mind it for you"

"Of course Madam President"

The Fallen ... D4 ... Miriam Blackthorn

Final Three: Adrian Ursa Cane

A/N: Oh gosh those last two chapters have been a mission to write, I hope you enjoy them while I get to work on the end of the story.