So this is is a tale of fairies and fantasy I hope you enjoy, thank you to javistg for Betaing

Her father was dead and her mother was sick, and the taxes to the cottage were due. Lord Cray was a hyena circling around them to throw them out. He was a Baronet appointed by the king; a favor secured by Baron Heavensbee to collect taxes. Cray took advantage of his gained position to unfairly increase his own wealth. The taxes were raised to the unheard, one gold coin equaled a total of ten silver coins or 240 denarii. Nearly a man's yearly wage.

Katniss was seventeen and, by the law of the land, eligible for marriage and had no worth. In the eyes of man, her sister's ugly cat Buttercup had more value because he was a good mouser. Katniss trembled at the thought of what Cray could do to them.

Her mother had value as a healer but her father's death had caused her mother's soul to become ill. There was nothing to cure a broken heart. Nothing that Primrose or Katniss could conjure up to make her mother happy. If their mother had been well, they could have gotten closer to the ten silver coins they had to pay.

So far, they had amassed seven silver coins and two hundred denarii. Not enough to pay the current taxes. Katniss fitted herself for the storm that approached.

The knock on the door made the crockery on the mantle shake. Katniss opened the door, and there stood Cray. His eyes slowly traveled down her form.

"Good Morrow, Miss Everdeen, is thine mother about?"

Katniss curtsied forward out of sheer need, she was a lowly farm girl, and he was a man with a title. What she really wanted to do was scratch his eyes out. "No, my Lord."

Thankfully, she did not have to lie, her cousins the Hawthorne's took her mother out.

"In the name of Baron Heavensbee, I am here to collect the taxes." He looked about the small cottage as if he was appalled by the rustic nature of their modest dwelling.

"I am sorry, sir, but we do not yet have the completed coins for the taxes."

His sly grin caused the hairs on her neck to stand up. She did not like the feeling she was getting from him.

"Thine taxes are due, by the next fortnight." He reached out with a gloved hand and brushed her cheek. "Unless ye come up with a way to pay me," his eyes stopped at her lips, "Baron Heavensbee will be forced to toss ye out."

Katniss withdrew from the door trying to bite down her instincts to slam the door on the decrepit man's face. She knew if she tried to be fresh with Cray, he could hurt her or Primrose.

Her sister, although only twelve, was beautiful. Her tresses were flaxen and her demeanor was that of a true lady.

Katniss, however, was not. She was, as her cousin Gale told her, made of sterner stuff, for she was stubborn and, at times, acted without thought.

"Yes, sire."

"I look forward to thine payment," Cray sneered. "Anon."

Katniss held herself perfectly still as he inspected her the way a good mare was looked at before a purchase. She did not want to move, for the first time she felt like the prey she hunted in the forest.

"Sire, we are late," one of his men said.

Katniss was glad for the man.

"Alas," Cray said as he turned to leave.

Katniss stood frozen at the door as the man, who was short in stature, was helped to mount his steed.

As Cray and his men took off, her sister put her hand on her shoulder. "What are we to do?"

"Do not fear, dear sister." Katniss released the breath she held.

"We can ask our cousins for the money," Prim suggested.

"No, Prim, we cannot."

"But they are our cousins, surely they can show charity to their own kin as our father is now gone."

Katniss closed her eyes; she had many reasons for not asking for her cousin's help. Gale had designs on her, she could see the way his eyes followed her. For some reason, he thought her an award he would be given. She had heard Gale refer to her as, 'his bride, as valuable the reward that were given in the new popular game of Jousting' when speaking his brother Rory.

Any other woman would have been flattered; her cousin was considered handsome. She had heard the whisperings about him when they ventured into town. He was a good match.

Marriages betwixt cousins were common amongst the nobility. But not among the poor, unless there was a reason, like the situation her family faced.

Still, Katniss did not want to marry her brooding cousin. She did not wish to be tied down to a man. She did not want to care for another human being. The death of her father had taught her the great pain associated with the loss of a loved one. She also saw how ill her mother became.

Her mother had been a vibrant woman. A capable healer. Strong and courageous. Now, her mother was reduced to a shadow, limply sitting in her father's chair looking out into the void. Katniss wanted no part of that rite of passage women were expected to go through.

Katniss shuddered, Cray wanted to use her, and Gale, her cousin, wanted her for a prize.

She glanced at her sister's expectant face and knew she had to come up with a truthful scenario as to why she would not ask Hazelle to help cover what they owed, money they would have to pay back since Hazelle had her own taxes to fret over.

"The Hawthorne's are in the same predicament as us." Katniss placed a fake smile on her face as she spoke to ease her sister's fears.

"I did not think of that."

"Come, let us finish preparing the meals. Our cousins will be joining us tonight." Katniss was relieved her sister did not continue probing her.

Prim smiled.

Katniss buried her worry and that night, as she stared at her cousins, she knew none, save Posey, would ever know what it would be like to be a woman. All were strapping lads, and they would never be put into compromising positions, forced to renege on their virtue in lieu of a roof.

Gale's word would be respected, no matter how asinine and archaic.

During the meal, she did not want to look at him, but she swore she saw him lick his lips in her direction when she did chance a look at him.

Katniss scowled at him.

"Katniss," Gale called.

Katniss gritted her teeth momentarily before approaching him.

"Ye are fetching this evening."

"What do ye want?"

"This is what I like about ye, ye are direct. Ye do not expect flowery words."

"Dear cousin, please proceed, I have much work to do to accommodate thine family." She said through clenched teeth.

"I have in mind to make ye my wife. A prize such as thine-self must not be wasted. Tis advantageous for me to marry ye, as this land is fruitful and I can make better use of it than thine father ever did." Gale looked around the house, his eyes calculating its worth.

Katniss wondered what would happen if she grabbed the heavy pan and swung. Would he think she were such a value?

"I will speak to my mother about this and she will entreat thine mother and, within a fortnight, we shall be married. Ye will provide me with a great many children."

Katniss watched Gale walk away and her scowl grew. She did not understand why men thought she had no ability to think for herself. Or, for that matter, that her value was associated with a man.

Later on, as she lay in the loft with her sister, Katniss needed to get out. Her thoughts were chaotic. Her father's death had blindsided them; he had been gone less than a moon's cycle and it was up to Katniss to prep the fields for planting.

She needed to be as practical as Hazelle had been when her husband passed away last winter. Katniss took care of the farm, the animals. She even repaired the roof. She took up hunting to feed her family. She also spent many sleepless nights worrying about the future.

In many ways, Katniss wished her mother was strong once again. She wished her mother could face the uncertain future. Cray's threats, Gale's proposal, and her illness worried her. The problems that arose after her father's death combined with his loss caused her heart to constrict. Katniss sat up in her tick, a sack she filled with hay, feeling trapped. Suddenly the room became smaller. Katniss crawled from her pallet and climbed down.

Her father Alvin had built the cabin, the old house became the barn. It boasted three chambers, a loft, a small room with a bed her father carved, and a smaller room in the back for her and Primrose. Hazelle, Posy, and her mother were in the chamber with the bed. The boys were relegated to the girls' room. Katniss and Primrose were relegated to the loft.

The cabin was replete with people. The walls were caving in on her. The cabin with Hazelle and four children made the house seem smaller. Katniss needed air immediately.

With trembling hands, she quietly opened the bolted door of the house

"Katniss where are ye going?"

At the sound of her sister's voice, Katniss turned and whispered back, "I need the fresh air."

"In thine shift?" Primrose said in a strangled voice, she clutched her wool blanket about her shoulders.

Katniss looked down, she was not wearing any other clothing, no kirtle, or apron, she did not even have hose or shoes on. If found, she would be labeled a Jezebel.

"It is just…" her words failed her; Katniss was of plain speech. She never could wax poetically like her father. She looked longingly at the outdoors.

A soft snore caused Katniss and Primrose to stop speaking.

"It is the middle of the night, and not safe" Prim whispered. It was not advisable to go out in the middle of the night. In fact, it was dangerous for a maid with drunkards, murderers, thieves, and all types of villains.

"I just need fresh air, Prim, please." Katniss could not hide the desperation from her voice. She was a practical girl and not one drawn to flights of fancy.

Prim came out and hugged her. "I know Cray's words weigh heavily on thine shoulders."

"I have to find a way to raise the coin Cray demanded," Katniss whispered.

"I shudder to think what that man could do to ye."

"I need to think, Primrose, and I cannot do it with our cousins about. They fill our home with a most disturbing atmosphere."

"Rory smells of rotting cheese," Prim complained.

Katniss laughed softly.

"Well at least take father's bow and arrows with ye," Prim said giving Katniss the weapons they kept by the door. With only three women in the house, they needed to be careful.

"Thank ye, Prim," Katniss whispered. She stepped outdoors and her sister shut the door behind her.

Katniss began running. As soon as the cool night air touched her cheeks, a smile impregnated her face. She headed straight for the woods in her night.

The woods were a comfort for Katniss. It was the place she could feel her father's presence and most connected. Her mother always said her father had fairy blood in him. Katniss was not sure if they were spun stories to keep to precarious children from mischief at night. However, she did know two things, her father was most natural in the forest and his voice was so beautiful that even the birds stopped to listen when he sang.

The woods always made Katniss feel alive.

She ran to a small clearing where her father had told her the fairies liked to gather. Katniss settled on a soft tuft of spring grass. There once was a ring of stones located here, now there was a semi-circle. There were rumors about the mystical power of this place. Her father Alvin was full of stories about the fairies and the mischief they caused.

Her mother did not like the stories, but she never stopped them from being told.

Her father always said the King of the fairies loved this spot. He told her they were bakers and loved presents. Her father said this spot in the woods was a place of deep magic. A place where the mortal world met the immortal one.

There was a song that spoke of a love between a fairy and a human. A broken heart and a lover who willed themselves to die was the result. Her mother forbade the song to be sung in their home. She said that one should never invite the fairies because they caused mischief. Katniss had only heard it once but, as she looked up at the canopied sky, she could see the dark stars peeking through the leaves of the trees.

The song bubbled up from within her heart. It began as a hushed hum, but soon the words slipped from her mouth as if they were threaded with the strings of her soul. Her voice carried through the darkened forest and, unbeknownst to Katniss, it attracted small woodland creatures.

Katniss poured her grief, her fright, and her frustrations into each word of the song.

"What a lovely tune."

The male voice startled Katniss.

She found herself staring into a beautiful male face, it then occurred to her he was floating. "Augh!" her yell startled several birds and they took off flying.

Katniss quickly got up and ran. But, as she escaped, she found herself right back where she started.

The man sat on the patch of grass she had been occupying. Thinking he must have outrun her; she ran in another direction but, once more, found herself coming to the same spot.

This time, she did not run. She stalked toward another direction, taking her time, only to find herself face to face with him again. Katniss once more attempted to walk away, but irrevocably found herself back at the same spot.

"Are Ye tired yet?" He had a bit of a brogue accent and was looking at his fingernails as if bored.

He was lying down, no, Katniss corrected herself, he was hovering, over the spot. It was an unnatural sight but, given what she had just experienced, perhaps it was she who stood on unnaturally un-firm ground.

She crossed her arms, frowning at the man.

Upon closer inspection, he was of medium height, with broad shoulders, wavy blond hair, and mischievous blue eyes. They were mesmerizing, really, and Katniss looked away from him.

"I want to go home."

"Sing me another song, and I will let Ye free," he sat up and patted the spot next to her.

"Why would I sing ye another song, when ye have trapped me here," Katniss fumed. "And, may I add, against my will."

"Huzzah," he exclaimed grinning. "Sit down and have a laugh, I promise not to harm Ye."

His smile was convincing as he stood and made a careful path toward her as if he knew she would run at any moment. It was as he stood that the moonlight drifted down and highlighted his pointy ears.

Katniss wondered if this was a dream of sorts, her father did say this was a magical spot. "What manner of creature are ye?"

"I am a fairy, my name is Peeta."

"Are not fairy's small?"

Peeta chuckled, "There are all sorts of fairies. There are tiny fairies and giant fairies. Just like there are red-bearded dwarves, black-bearded dwarves, white-bearded dwarves, and giant dwarves."

"May I?" Katniss asked, pointing to his ears, fascinated. She was as curious as a cat, thus her father called her kitten.

"Ye may," Peeta said, pushing his blond locks to the side.

His ears were soft, just as hers were, but the natural curve pointed up instead of down as her own.

She saw the way his blue eyes glowed in the dark and dropped her hands.

"Convinced, Katniss?"

"How did ye know my name?"

"Ye are the daughter of Alvin Everdeen, are ye not?"

"Prithee, how do ye know of my father?" Katniss wondered if he could read her mind.

"He was a great friend of the fairies. We taught him the song Ye were singing, and he told us he had sired flowers, one named Katniss, with eyes the shade of the moon, and one named Primrose, who was fair and as delicate as her namesake."

"Ye knew my father," Katniss whispered, she could not help the tears that came to her eyes.

"Come now, child, sing me a song," he pleaded softly.

"If I sing ye a song, will ye let me go?"

Katniss saw the way his eyes dimmed at the prospect of letting her go. Just as swiftly his eyes brightened again.

"Well, Ye'd have to promise me your firstborn." Peeta's voice was soft beguiling.

"My firstborn," Katniss shrieked, her mind quickly going over what that meant. Her father said that when a fairy took interest in a mortal, they never let go until they obtained what they sought.

"Yes, thine firstborn."

Katniss thought quickly, this was a bargain that needed renegotiation. "My freedom is not worth a first-born child."

"My sweeting, what has more worth than a woman's firstborn?"

"My mother's health," Katniss blurted.

Peeta blinked and neared her as if searching her for the truth. "Ye care not for Your own wellbeing, do Ye?"

"I fear for my sister's future. If my mother dies, it will be fraught with adversity." Katniss thought of what hardships her sister would have to endure if she joined a nunnery. Those places were of ill repute and, no doubt, the stigma would prevent Primrose of ever seeking a good husband.

"Very well, sing me another song and give me Your firstborn."

Katniss thought it through. Laying with him would be a lot easier than laying with Baronet Cray. Her hands shifted to her belly, if she wore loose clothing, she could hide her belly and she could come to the forest to give birth and cover her up her sin. With her mother recovered, they could use her skill to heal to make up the coin owed.

"I give ye my word when ye return home tonight. Your mother will be in pristine health and, with time, the memory of her suffering will fade. But Ye must not break the oath. Your sister's future will indeed be saved."

He looked earnest and, above all, Peeta's eyes held warmth.

Katniss convinced herself she would do this for her mother and Primrose. "Thank ye, my sister means the world to me."

"The price ye are paying is high, I hope it is not too hard on Your future husband."

"Oh, I intend to never marry." Katniss asserted, thinking about what she was about to undergo. She never had wanted to marry in the first place, this was a means to an end. "So, when do we begin?"

"At any time." Peeta sat down before her his eyes alight with glee.

Katniss nodded. She undid the ties of her shift and began to widen the collar.

"If I may ask, what are ye doing?"

Katniss could feel her cheeks heating as she gripped the side of her shift that had fallen over her shoulder. "Ye said ye wanted my baby?"

"Yes?" His face took a puzzled look.

Katniss let go of the shift, letting it slip from her form and pool at her feet.

Peeta blushed, though his eyes did not part from her form. He stood before her. "Ah…child…"

Katniss did not let him speak. Instead, she looked up, and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. His lips were warm, they tasted sweet.

"Please," Peeta slipped from her arms. He stood a few feet away, his hands on his hips.

"Is not this what ye agreed to?" Katniss wrapped her arms around her nude form. No doubt he found her hideous. Who knew what fairy women looked like? "Do ye not find me pleasing?" Katniss was genuinely confused.

"Well…" he stammered, turning his face before looking at her form. "Augh, ye are lovely sight bathed in moonlight." His hands shook. "I do not think Ye understood me."

"Ye want me to lay down with ye, how else am I to give ye a child?"

Peeta's mouth was opened.

"I may be untouched," Katniss looked away from his slack-jawed stare. "Nonetheless, I do understand that I have to lay with a man to have a child."

"Ye think I," he said. Then he crossed over to her. "Forsooth, I have never met a human such as Yourself. Ye have the voice of a siren, the innocence of a lamb. The stubbornness of a bull, and yet Ye are loyal to Your family. Willing to spoil Yourself, for the sake of another." He softly placed a kiss on her forehead. "We must break bread and eat from its bounty. I pledge thee my fealty."

Katniss was confused as he maneuvered her to sit once more on the soft tuft of grass and handed her the shift.

Glad to have her clothing, Katniss began slipping it back on. Once dressed, she glanced up and saw a fire with a loaf of bread that contained nuts and other berries of the forest. "Come, we must have a toasting."

Katniss paused, his words sounded too final. Her father always warned her to question people's motivations. "Why is this important?"

"I will declare Ye my mate, once we are mated it will be for life."

"But I do not wish to marry," Katniss sputtered.

"Tis not a marriage in the way a mortal marries, Katniss." His eyes twinkled and Katniss could feel something within her open, it burst forth from the center of her being and spread to the tips of her toes. Her heartfelt a warmth it hadn't felt since her father's passing.

"It is not?"

"No, when fairies mate, it is something deeper, binding," his hand took hers and his thumb carefully caressed the back of her hand. It sent shivers up her spine. "If something were to happen to ye, then it would affect me as well. My world would cease to exist."

His words caused her to open her eyes. Peeta's eyes were serious. Gone was the impish mischief she had detected earlier when she had first met him.

"I thought fairies could not die?" Her words were hushed

Death was something Katniss was well acquainted with. Death did not care for status, wealth, race, creed, or sex. It took without mercy or regard to those left behind in devastation. The instant fear she felt over the idea of losing her mother and sister was replaced by peace. Sensations washed over her. Some she recognized as her own, others she could not pinpoint.

"We do when someone does not believe in us, or when our mate dies…then we stop existing. There are tales of our kind moving on to the next when bonded with a mortal. The soul of our mate tugs at our beings, never wanting to be apart. Sometimes we pull the soul of our mate into our own existence."

There was something alluring about becoming his mate. Knowing they would never be parted. She understood the hardship, having experienced it with her mother. Her mother was so broken by the death of her father that, in the beginning, Katniss had to spoon-feed her just to keep her alive. Katniss slept by her mother's side to keep her body warm.

Her father was faithful, loyal, and loved his family without conditions. He doted on them. They were serfs, impoverished, and tilling a land that was not their own for a master that held no charitable demeanor in their chests. Katniss realized that, if she entered into a union with Peeta, she wanted him to hold those values as her father did.

"Will ye be faithful and noble toward in spirit and heart?"

"Always," Peeta answered.

The thick timbre of his voice pierced her heart, and Katniss knew he was not lying. She did not know how, but she could feel his earnest intention, his desire for her, and the tenderness he felt for her as well. It did not frighten her, though. There had always been a part of her that understood that, when and if, she ever decided to go down this path, it would be with someone extraordinary.

"Will ye have a toasting with me, a mo chuisle?"

"I will allow it."

Peeta tore a piece of the loaf and skewered it before offering her the loaf. She followed suit and, when he put the bread to toast, she mimicked his actions. When the piece was a golden brown a chalice with liquid appeared, floating in the air. Taking the bread, he dipped it and offered the bread to her lips.

"It is the brew that yokes us together. The elders call it tósta, it is a toasting wine."

She sniffed the bread soaked in the dark liquid, it smelled fruity, like un-ripened berries. The mixture of the smoky bread, with its rich nutty flavor and the sweet tartness of the wine, caused her soul to warm. A small groan slipped from her lips at the taste of the food. Katniss realized his lips tasted like the bread. Her eyes opened wide as she felt a small spark ignite deep within her womb.

Once the bread was eaten, the chalice still remained. Katniss frowned wondering what came next.

"Now we drink of the tósta, to complete the act."

Peeta gripped the stem and encouraged Katniss to do the same. They sipped from the chalice at the same time. She hadn't noticed the aroma of blackberry and other earthy spices in the wine before. She could feel the way the sweet velvety juice smoothly settled in her belly-warming her interior.

Peeta placed a chaste kiss on her lips and began speaking some words in a language she did not recognize. She felt heavy, as if sleepy. So, she closed her eyes and, momentarily, heard whispered words around her in the same language. She had flashes of a starlit world and colors that only existed in the heavens. an older man with blue eyes similar to Peeta staring at her, but Peeta's arms were wrapped around her.

There were others surrounding her in a great hall, but the ceiling looked like the cosmos. Katniss swore she even saw her father standing next to the man with the blue eyes. "Papa?" she muttered.

The entire scene before her became fuzzy. Her knees buckled. Peeta carried her.

"Peeta," the man growled.

"Go home, my mate, I will visit Ye at home for the next fortnight," Peeta whispered into her ear as he kissed her lips.

"No, I don't want to," Katniss said, not wanting to let go. She was sure that, if he did, she would never see him again.

But it was too late she saw herself slipping from Peeta's arms. "NO, PEETA!"

Few Notes:

a mo chuisle - is an Irish saying that means darling or sweetheart, it comes from a chuisle mo chroí, which means "pulse of my heart"

Tósta - a toast