"It's fucking infuriating, that's what it is."

Katniss sat on the bed watching her lover. "They have to be running out of areas to search. I bet they'll find him soon." It felt odd to be the one calming down someone else. Usually Katniss was the angry one.

"They've been looking for months and still no trace!" Johanna shouted. "Sorry, it's not your fault," she apologized, moving to sit next to her. "I'm just so fucking angry at all the incompetent asses that Enobaria's sent out. They should have found Trogdor by now." Johanna rested her head on Katniss's shoulder.

Katniss mindlessly ran her fingers through the other woman's hair. Johanna was right. The scouts should have found something by now. "What if he's not in the border regions?" asked Katniss hesitantly.

Johanna shook her head. "It's a possibility, of course, and Enobaria has a few teams searching the other regions, but all signs point to Trogdor hiding somewhere in the border regions. We've even sent a few scouts into Elingdale without Queen Alma's knowledge. They have also found nothing."

"We should go."

"We didn't do so well the first time we met him, did we?" Johanna replied scathingly.

Katniss's eyes hardened with resolve. "No, but we do have at least some experience with him. How many of the queen's teams have ever actually encountered the dragon?"

Johanna paused for a moment before answering. "None, but I'm sure there's a good argument as to why we shouldn't do this. Just give me a minute to think of it."

"We could do so much good, and you know we'd both make great scouts."

"Yeah, but we should think before we rush into this. Let's give it 'til tomorrow at least before we volunteer." Johanna kicked off her shoes and flopped backwards onto her bed.

Katniss pressed her body against Johanna's. "You're going to agree, you know," she said.

"What makes you think that?"

She slid her hand underneath Johanna's dress, letting her fingers rest dangerously close to her breast. "You just can't say no to me."

Johanna laughed. "We'll see about that one, won't we?" She gently hugged the other woman, her grip tightening when Katniss tickled her stomach. Johanna laughed and flailed before wrestling Katniss onto her back. Katniss smiled up at her before lifting her head for a kiss. "I love you," Johanna whispered before pressing her lips against Katniss's.

"I love you too," she responded once they had separated. "So, do you think Molly thinks I was trying to kill you earlier?"

"You weren't?" Johanna laughed. Her voice took on a throatier, deeper tone. "Would you like to really make her doubt what's happening in here?"

"Oh, please yes," breathed Katniss.

Johanna and Katniss had both underestimated the serving girl. From the gasps, sighs, and squeals coming from her mistress's bedchamber, Molly could infer exactly what was happening.

"Lucy, could you get that?" asked Annie when she heard the knock on the door. "I'm not modest."

"You're not supposed to get the door anyway, m'lady," the servant laughed. "You're the princess. Let me do my job." Annie smiled at the woman and scurried into her bedchamber to dress. Her hair would still be sopping wet when she met with her guest, but at least she would be clothed. She cursed her navy dress as she tried to button it. Why did the upper classes insist on wearing such ridiculously complicated clothing? Finally, she decided that she was almost presentable and went out to see who had called.

She was surprised to find Snow, the queen's former advisor, sitting in her receiving room. "Good morning," Annie said warily.

"Hello, my dear," replied Snow, bowing in greeting. Annie shivered at the man's cold, reptilian smile.

"Please, do have a seat."

Once they were both settled, Snow continued their conversation. "I'm sure you're wondering why I came to visit."

"Yes. I thought you had been banned from the castle," Annie reached for the bell that would alert Lucy to come into the room. She did not want to be alone with this man.

"Don't do that." Snow's voice was commanding, but Annie did not drop the bell. Instead, she rang it as loudly as she could. The man reached out to grab her wrist. Annie tried to pull away, but he would not let go. She looked up at Snow's face as Lucy rushed into the room, surprised to see the shock in the man's features.

"Let go of m'lady!" shouted Lucy.

Snow loosened his grip on her arm, but he did not release her completely. "How did you do it?" he asked.

Annie looked at him quizzically. "I'm sorry, how did I do what?" Snow did not reply, instead just looking at her thoughtfully. Annie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "If you have nothing to say, I will have to ask you to leave," she said in the most authoritative voice she could muster. She waited for him to respond for a few seconds, but when he said nothing, Annie asked Lucy to see the man out.

"I'll be in touch," said Snow as Lucy led him out of the room. "You would do well to follow my instructions to the letter, if you value your child's safety." With that, he was gone.

Annie watched him leave, then collapsed onto a chair, confused and scared. How could Snow hurt the baby? What did he even want from her? She supposed she could curry Finnick's favor for him, but why would he choose to threaten her and not one of Finnick's many advisors? If he could harm an unborn child, certainly he could effectively threaten anyone in court into doing as he said. Was the man mad? Could he even carry through with his threats?

Lucy came back to find her mistress sobbing. She fetched a blanket from the next room and gently wrapped it around Annie's shoulders. "Don't worry, m'lady, he's just a bitter old man who lost his post. I told the guards on him, and they've taken him out of the castle. He can't hurt you."

Annie wanted to be reassured by her servant's kind words, but she was not convinced that her baby was no longer in danger. She thanked Lucy, but stayed seated in the same spot for the rest of the afternoon, thinking. The only conclusion she could draw was that her encounter with Snow had left her with more questions than answers.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I really hope you liked it. Thank you so much to Juliet's Shadow, stick-at-nought shady, HybridsRose, Odestalovebaby, Nola, and The Honey Crisp for reviewing! I love knowing what you think of the story so far, and would really appreciate it if you could leave a review. Thanks again, and see you soon!

~finnicko-loves-anniec