Happy Halloween! Here's some spooky fun- I really enjoyed writing this chapter and hope you are happy with it! :)
Peeta's boot crushed the Minister's neck as Antonius's hands flew up to try to shove Peeta backwards.
"It's the end of the line for you, Minister," Peeta said smugly. "I'm sure President Snow would have wanted to deal with you himself, but I'll apologize when I see him. I think this is more fitting. I know you are the one responsible for all of the tests and torture. Corialianus forbade the use of tracker jacker venom and yet under your orders, it was consistently used on me. You were the one who insisted the experiments be carried out. And it was you, Minister, who told the scientists that I was magical, wasn't it? 'Drain the boy of every drop of magical blood', you told General Duartyr. But you had no idea, did you? General Duartyr saved me and hid me away, so that you couldn't touch me. He helped me overcome the venom. He helped me remember myself. He helped me remember all of the shit you put me through." Peeta withdrew his sword as he glared down at the man in hatred but someone screamed as a flaming arrow flew through the air and lodged itself in Antonius's chest. Peeta stepped back, a dark smile covering his face. Antonius's screams filled the air as the fire spread across his body. Many men hid their faces. Rye and Bing stared at their brother in horror. Peeta was calm, smiling, even. Later, some would question the cruelty and sanity of their colonel. He stood there and watched a man burn to death, even as Antonius pleaded for help near the end. Peeta's eyes were dark and cold, and Bran's shoulders sank low.
"What have they done to my son? They turned him into a monster."
"Sorry to disappoint you, Pop," Peeta said loudly, turning slightly to face his father. "It wasn't the Capitol that messed me up. This all happened much closer to home. But then you knew that, didn't you? She must have told you what she did to me." Bing frowned and nudged his father.
"What's he talking about, Dad?" Bran shook his head sadly, tears welling in his eyes.
"Oh you don't want anyone else to know? Tell them, Dad. Tell them that my own mother sold me into slavery."
"What? Dad… is this true?"
"I didn't know, Peet. I swear I didn't know, until she told me recently."
"You knew she hit me. She beat me for no reason, she made me think I had done something wrong. That there was a problem with me! I was a CHILD, Dad, and you let her do it! You hid me behind your legs, tending to my injuries but would cower when she came after us. You were supposed to be my FATHER but you were a COWARD!"
"I'm sorry, Peeta," Bran cried, taking a step forward. He didn't bother wiping the tears from his cheeks as he faced his son. "I'm so sorry. I didn't see how serious it was. Your mother regrets it! She feels terrible for what she did. We have a chance to start over now. Your mother has revealed everything, now let's try to move on and be a family!"
"She actually SOLD him?" Rye asked Bing in horror.
"Don't look at me like that, I certainly didn't know anything about it!"
"Your ten year old was slated to be used for experiments and to be turned into a genetic muttation. Your sixteen year old WAS used for experiments and was turned into a weapon. This is what I am now, Dad! Look at me and remember, the night you all let them take me!"
"Holy shit," Rye muttered under his breath. Peeta was glowing… that wasn't meant figuratively; his skin was literally turning shades of red, as if he had inhaled fire. As the clouds parted, the blood moon cast its light over everyone's faces. Peeta seemed to soak in the light of the moon, so that its red glare seeped into the boy's pores.
"What is happening," a soldier in the distance asked.
There was soft laughter behind them, as a dozen or so Peacekeepers crept out of the darkness. Caius Snow was clad in Peacekeeper garb but it was jet black, his soulless eyes staring out of the mask. Peeta's troops moved back away from the mansion, while Peeta stood still, remaining next to the smoldering body on the ground.
"My My Mellark, letting off quite a bit of steam, aren't you? If my child spoke to me that way, she would be severely punished. Weren't you taught better than that, boy?" Peeta tensed at the way Snow sneered the word.
"Speaking of letting off steam," Peeta ignored him and glanced down at the ground. "You and your father always did assign me to take care of your 'problems'," he spat the word, "I just took care of another of yours."
"Yes," Snow's eyes trailed over his former Minister. "Regrettable as it is, Antonius has served his purpose."
"And what purpose would that be," Peeta scoffed.
"Oh, he had several. Though I knew I would have to be rid of him in the end. He did like to disobey me. As he did with my father. But his main purpose was served here. You see, I know someone even more determined to make Antonius pay. And it seems that she did." A flicker of fear appeared in Peeta's eyes before he shook his head.
"I don't-"
"You see, Mellark, I knew that wherever you were, she must be close by. And just look," he turned, gesturing behind him. Peeta's face drained of color as a group of Peacekeepers dragged forward a bound and gagged Katniss. Rye gasped loudly.
"How?"
"Let her go," Peeta's voice echoed in the night. One of the Peacekeepers shoved her forward, so that she fell onto her stomach in front of Snow. Her hands bound behind her back, she was defenseless and unable to move. Peeta started forward but the Peacekeepers next to Snow drew their rifles and pointed them at him.
"The Mockingjay, finally bound at my feet." He kicked her over onto her back and she glared up at him in hatred.
"My father destroyed one Mockingjay. It's only right that I clip the offspring's wings."
"I said, LET HER GO." His voice did not waver. In fact, it was deep and commanding with a touch of threat to it. The soldiers started muttering, their heads twisting and turning to try to see what was going on. The clouds had parted again and Peeta stood in the red moonlight, his fists clenched in anger, his face screwed up in rage and determination, his eyes shining with fury. Dark clouds of smoke began to surround him, as if he were calling it forward. He opened his hand and a flame appeared in his palm. One of the soldiers nearest to him cried out and jumped back. Peeta held the flame up, his eyes wide and mystified.
Connect with the power inside you.
Peeta opened his hand wider and the flame only grew. His clenched fist lowered to his side and a dagger of flame appeared there. Yet Peeta wasn't burned or injured in any way. He held up the dagger to inspect it before lowering his hand again. Even Snow looked taken aback.
"Is Peeta holding… fire," Bing asked his brother softly.
"Seems that way," Rye replied, not knowing what else to say.
Peeta shot fire toward the Peacekeepers and they jumped out of the way before the flames could touch them. When he took a step forward, thunder crashed before a bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of them.
Soldiers on both sides trembled in trepidation. Snow watched with narrowed eyes.
"So it's true. You do have powers. And she has been the key to unlocking that power all along." Peeta held his hand in front of his face, the flames gone. Tiny bolts of lightning hovered over his palm and he could feel the power surging through his veins.
"I'll say it one last time. Let the Mockingjay go." Snow yanked Katniss to her feet and faced her toward Peeta. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the magic in his hands.
"You want her? Come and claim her." Peeta held out his arms and the air was filled with fire and smoke. The flames formed a circle around Peeta, Snow, and Katniss, cutting off the other soldiers. When a Peacekeeper stepped toward his leader, the flames grew twice as large. Rye and Bing moved closer to the fire, their rifles readied, their stance steady and prepared to defend their little brother.
"Rebel troops," Rye cried out. "Prepare to engage!" The troops lifted their rifles and the Peacekeepers did the same. Rye squinted through the smoke but couldn't see what was happening.
Snow gripped Katniss's braid and held her still and electricity crackled in Peeta's eyes.
"Your time is up, Snow. Your people are rising up against you. The time of the Snows is over."
"You think so, do you? Even if you manage to defeat me, there is my daughter you must deal with. She is next in line."
"Actually, Aurelia is the rightful leader, Caius. Not you." Caius's jaw clenched.
"Yeah, I know that after trying to frame Felix and me for murdering your father, that you tried to dispose of the documents saying that your father wanted Aurelia to take office. Not you." Peeta closed his hand around the flame in his hand, almost as if he were playing.
"Your daughter isn't happy about being skipped over. She's been working against you for ages. I guess that Daddy's little girl was tired of being punished. Just so you know though, I fully support Aurelia for office. She's going to use her power to erase everything you and your evil family have done to Panem. And then she is going to lead the country with kindness and justice. We'll at last have peace where you would have us continue our lives with terror and poverty." Snow's eyes flashed as he pulled a long blade from his uniform and held it to Katniss's throat. Peeta's face darkened, his eyes turning as red as the moon.
"Enough of this." He shot a flame right at Snow's face; Snow ducked behind Katniss but the flame found its way behind her and struck him in the eyes. Hollering in agony, Snow released Katniss and clapped his hands over his face. Peeta pulled Katniss back in his arms and quickly burned away the ropes that held her. He pressed his forehead against hers as she stroked his cheek, before they both turned back to Snow.
"I actually don't want you to die yet, Caius."
"What?" Katniss nearly screamed.
"Katniss, look. We don't need to waste lives. Snow's soldiers are just humans who were led astray. Imagine how much more powerful Panem could be if we all united and bring our forces together!"
"I want him dead, Peeta," she snarled. "He owes me. He owes YOU. I want revenge."
"Then take it, my love," Peeta took a step backwards. "He's yours. The soldiers can't see what's happening. If you truly want to do this, then I won't judge you. Standing right in front of him, though, has changed something inside me. I don't need to stoop to his level of evil afterall."
"But Peeta-"
"Katniss, don't you understand? The worst thing isn't that he tortured me or turned me into a weapon. It's that he and his father were able to change me. I was always a sweet-tempered kid, I smiled at everyone, I never raised a hand to fight unless absolutely necessary. I dreamed of marrying you and building you a sturdy house and baking bread for a living. A simple life. They robbed me of that. For years I thought my new identity was a soldier. A mindless weapon who just followed orders. But now? I want to be that sweet-tempered kid again, Katniss." Katniss couldn't help but smile at her husband's wistful tone.
"I want that simple life. I don't want to be a soldier. I don't want to kill anymore. And you did that for me, my love. You saved me from myself and made me realize my destiny. The Peace Maker. Not the soldier. For a brief moment, I thought fighting was the only way but now," he held a small flame up between them. "I've been shown a different path."
"You will never be the same, Mellark," Caius tried to sound smug but his voice was full of pain. "The poison we put inside you will stay there. You can be triggered at any time, and you could easily murder your little whore there."
"Shut the hell up! Peeta, you are such a good person. And I'm so proud of you. But I will still fight for my country. I'll follow in my father's footsteps."
"I don't fault you for it, sweetheart. I'll be right here, by your side."
Katniss squeezed Peeta's hand and approached Snow. He was still grunting in pain, pressing his fingers to his eyes.
"Can't you do something about his face? I want to look into his eyes when I kill him."
"Sorry love, guess I was a little overenthusiastic," Peeta shrugged sheepishly.
"Hear me, Caius Snow. You've lost tonight. The Mockingjay has beaten you. And you will die at MY hands."
"Hurry it along then, Mockingjay," Caius snarled. "Your little witch has done quite a number on my face."
"Keep talking and I'll have him use more flames on you. Not lethal, Snow. Just excruciatingly painful." Caius growled loudly and reached out to swipe at her. Which she easily sidestepped and that made her giggle. Her giggle turned into a laugh, which infuriated Snow even more. He continued to swipe, thrusting his knife into the thin air.
"Come here," Peeta tugged on Katniss's hand and spun her to face him. Clutching her cheek, he leaned down, his lips hovering over hers.
"Really? Now?"
"Just a moment while the world is on pause," he whispered, pressing his mouth to hers. Her hand came up and tangled in his hair. For a brief moment, the world was right.
When the smoke and flames cleared away, the troops saw Peeta and Katniss standing back to back, ready to fight. Katniss held her bow, aimed and ready, while Peeta held a flame in his palm. People would talk about how powerful the couple looked for years to come. The Mockingjay and the Magic-Maker. Peeta was back to a normal color now, his eyes a stunning shade of blue, while his wife looked fierce and beautiful behind him. Peeta nodded to a peacekeeper near him.
"Your leader is defeated. There's no more point in fighting, and we seek peace. Let's unite and work together to restore Panem's greatness."
"You don't look very peaceful at the moment," the peacekeeper nodded toward Katniss's bow.
"The Mockingjay fights to bring an end to this war. Let it be brief and peaceful. We don't wish to waste anymore lives. Soldiers, will you join with us?"
"Soldiers," Snow cried from behind them. "Kill them all!" Katniss lowered her bow slightly.
"Why continue to listen to him? Look at him, crawling on the ground and begging."
"I am NOT begging! Loyal Peacekeepers, destroy the witch!" A bullet grazed Katniss's elbow and more bullets came. But as Peeta extended his arms, an invisible wall formed around the two of them and the ammu bounced back.
"Kill the Mockingjay," a Peacekeeper yelled, raising his rifle into the air. Katniss unloaded her quiver while Peeta protected her from the soldiers' weapons.
"Peeta! Do we help?" Rye asked anxiously.
"Stay back, Rye. The Mockingjay is protecting her people."
"And our brother is protecting the Mockingjay," Bing muttered.
"With POWERS," Rye whispered excitedly.
Bran gazed at his son with sad eyes. He had expected Peeta to be fighting but all he was doing at the moment was protecting Katniss.
The Uniter. The Peace Maker. The Protector. Bran thought back to Violet's story about Red Moon and it all became so clear.
A protection spell kept him safe until he could leave his home.
It was his destiny to endure such horrors so that he could be here, now, to protect the Mockingjay.
He had been wrong. His son was no monster.
Katniss's arrows flew yet when the soldiers fired back, the Mockingjay still stood, unharmed. A peacekeeper got an idea and fired his gun at Rye. Rye staggered back but it was unnecessary; Peeta willed his powers to extend over the crowd. He would be content if he never had to pick up a weapon again. The Protector. That was his destiny and he was looking forward to fulfilling it.
Katniss's arrows seemed neverending and yet the Peacekeepers continued to attack her.
"ENOUGH!" A voice rang out of the darkness as a small hooded figure stepped out onto the lawn.
"Miss Snow," some of the soldiers muttered.
"Peacekeepers, drop your weapons!" The soldiers exchanged looks, unsure who to obey now.
"Soldiers, do not listen to my daughter! She has no right to give you orders!"
"On the contrary, Father," Aurelia stepped forward and pushed her hood back. She held up a long letter, which nearly reached the ground.
"What I hold is a letter penned in my grandfather's hand. The late Corialianus Snow declared in his last will and testament that I, Aurelia Cassandra Snow, be the next one to become President of Panem. Not my father." There were mutters from both sides and Caius let out an angry yell.
"Kill her too!" This gave the Peacekeepers pause. They had been assigned to protect the young Snow since she was born. She had been her grandfather's whole world. They had no doubt in their minds that Aurelia spoke the truth and the letter in her hands was legitimate.
"As the rightful leader of Panem, I order you to arrest my father, Caius Snow, for treason and for the murder of my grandfather, Corialianus Snow. Then I order you to lay down your weapons against the Mockingjay. I bear her no ill will. Nor do I wish any harm on her husband or any of their troops. It is over, Capitol troops. We are no longer at war. The rebels are Panem citizens too. Now you will treat them as such."
The Peacekeepers looked from Caius, who was kneeling on the ground and holding his face with both hands, to the young Aurelia, to the Mockingjay and her witch husband.
"Caius Snow," the Captain who had fired at Peeta, "you are under arrest. You shall await trial at which your fate will be decided. Lock him in the cells below."
"Appropriate," Peeta nodded as Aurelia approached him and Katniss. "That's where they tortured me for ages. Where they killed Duartyr."
"I heard Father talking about using live tracker-jackers and that was enough for me. I'm sorry it took me so long, Peeta."
"We all have to learn in our own ways, Aurelia. These soldiers aren't just going to accept that the rebels are not their servants anymore. It will take everyone some time to adjust to a new Panem." Aurelia turned and bowed her head to Katniss.
"You've done your country a great service. I imagine the original Mockingjay would be very proud of you."
"Thank you, Aurelia. I just have one request."
"Name it."
"If he is convicted at the trial… allow me to be the executioner. One clean shot and it will be through. But I need to be the one to do this." Aurelia glanced
warily at Peeta, who nodded.
"I know why this is important to you. As a loyal daughter, I hope he does not have to die. As a new candidate for President, I understand that he does. If it's in my power, I will make sure you are assigned the task." Katniss nodded.
"Thank you."
"Soldiers, spread out and inform the other Peacekeepers what has happened and order them to lay down their weapons as well. There will be no more attacks on the rebel troops. And we are about to have even more company very soon."
"Paylor should be here any moment," Rye said as he jogged to Peeta's side. "Should we be out there to make sure they don't open fire on the-" His eyes went wide and his words trailed off at the sound of an approaching hovercraft. All of them tossed their heads back and squinted at the insignia.
"That's a Capitol craft," Aurelia said, confusion and suspicion lacing her tone.
"Can you call them off?"
"I don't… I don't know that craft. I mean, I can try to… Captain, fetch me a loudspeaker."
"Right away, Miss Snow." Peeta's eyes narrowed as he continued to inspect the Capitol insignia.
"Everybody run!"
"What? Peeta-"
"RUN!" Katniss didn't have time to question her husband's bizarre change of mind. She was snatched into the air and flung over his shoulder like a bag of flour. At the same time, she heard an earsplitting boom and then, saw only black.
