Katherine

The harbor is a place of movement and sound when Peter and I arrive. Men and women shout at people to buy their products, one or two cats sniff the filthy ground for food and small boats berth at the wharf to unload crates and wooden boxes of unknown objects. The sea scents fill the air and I'm reminded of home.

We are meeting Lord Heavensbee and his daughter. Lord Heavensbee's arrival has been scheduled for three weeks, but now that Coin's threat isn't too dangerous, he can finally make a safe journey to Baluster without fearing repurcussions. He comes from Bluemoon, the kindgom of the sea. In my three years of running, I never once set foot on Bluemoon. However, I have heard the most exquisite details about the kindgom like its white sand and crystal clear sea water and the cleaness of the air. It sounds like an amazing safe haven that I never got to experience. Anyways, Lord Heavensbee is to arrive in a few minutes and Peter and I are to welcome him.

I shield my eyes against the strong sun with my hand and search the horizon for a ship with the flag from Bluemoon. I was never good with the history of Panem, but I'm certain the symbols are a fish jumping over a bright blue moon preparing to dive into the water.

"How are you holding up?" Peter breaks the silence.

We haven't been on the best talking terms since Gale arrived. One week has passed since that day and we only saw each other two times. I have stopped waking up in the night to go to his chambers for comfort. I let the nightmares wreck my mind and then I wake up drenched in sweat and debate a dilemma with myself.

"I'm good." The shadows under my eyes tell otherwise. "And you?"

"I have been holding up alright. I have been present in many of father's meetings." He says. "The army is almost prepared to march and attack Saldrian."

I drop my hand and nod to acknowledge his words. It's almost prepared... War is being prepared and I'm counting the days until it's finally finished; when it's finally time to face my fears and die.

"Katherine," He grabs my arm and gently turns me to him. "are you angry at me? Did I upset you in any way?"

"Our friendship is fine, Peter." I smile, but I can't hold it for long.

"I know you are still upset with my father's decision. However, you have to accept it." He grabs my other arm. "I don't know what happened between you and Gale back in Alighter, but you have to try to at least not let him ruin our friendship, if that is what you want to call it."

"I'm not letting him ruin our friendship." I say, still I know I'm lying to myself and to Peter.

He lowers his head and our faces are inches apart. "Those kisses didn't feel like friendship to me." He whispers.

I huff and pull away from his hands. "Why do you have to make it so complicated for me?"

"It isn't friendship when two people feel something for each other."

I open my mouth to answer, but the loud blow of a horn stops me. I look at the sea and a grand ship is slowly entering the harbor. The flag on the mast is the same as the one in my mind. Peter and I walk to the wide pier when a small boat departs from the ship.

"He is here to help us with what?" I ask.

"He is representing Bluemoon to discuss with my father a possible alliance before the war starts."

"And why did he bring his daughter?" A intense feeling takes charge of my heart and mind and I already hate the girl.

"Company?" Peter chuckles at his guess.

"We will see about that." I grab a fistful of the skirt of my dress and clench it hard.

It takes twenty-five minutes for the small boat carrying Lord Heavensbee and his daughter to reach the wharf. Three guards help them out of the boat and when he sees us, his face breaks into a joyous grin.

"Prince Peter!" He says, too happily, and quickly curtsies. "So wonderful to finally meet you."

"It is also a pleasure to meet you, Lord Heavensbee." Peter smiles.

"The pleasure is all mine." Lord Heavensbee glances back at his daughter. "Come closer, dear."

His daughter takes hesitant steps towards us and curtsies before introducing herself. "I'm Magdalen Heavensbee, Your Highness."

She has golden wavy hair done in an intricate hair-do and her face would be considered by most angelical with her angular cheekbones, a button nose, perfect lips and a delicate white complexion. Her turquoise eyes glance at me one time, but they are back again on Peter.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Heavensbee." Peter smiles and looks at me. They don't know who I am. For all I know, they think I'm a servant with a fancy dress accompaning the prince. "May I introduce you Princess Katherine of Saldrian."

Lord Heavensbee's eyes widen when he hears my name. He curtsies too quickly that he almost stumbles to the ground. Magdalen follows her father's gesture, also surprised to hear my name.

"Your Highness..." Lord Heavensbee says, overwhelmed. "What an honour to see you alive and well."

"Thank you." I thank him for his kind words, but deep down they mean nothing. I'm alive, yet I'm not well.

"Well, shall we go?" Peter proposes. "My father is awaiting your arrival, Lord Heavensbee."

"Oh, but of course!" He agrees.

The carriage feels too crowded when the guard closes the door. Magdalen sits in front of me, her hands are folded in her lap. She is very quiet and shy and those are the kind of people I'm suspicious of. I'm suspicious of everyone, but the quiet ones are the most sly and dangerous.

"Your Highness, if you wouldn't mind me asking," Lord Heavensbee says, his interest all on me. "how did they find you?"

I stop breathing for a second. How can I possibly tell this stranger to mind his own business without sounding rude?

"Peter, I mean, His Highness found me." I hope it's good enough to satisfy his curiosity.

"I found her in Alighter." Peter elaborates and Lord Heavensbee nods in understanding. "She was under the care of town people."

"It must have been extremely difficult for Your Highness to adapt to such a different way of life." Lord Heavensbee says, his words sounding like pity. "All the kingdoms were devastated with your disappearance and possible death."

"I am sure they were." I say, a little too harshly.

He nods, a small smile playing on his lips. The conversation ends there and the sound of the wooden wheels on the dirt roads fills the silence. The alliance with Bluemoon may be good for Baluster. The kingdom needs a lot of the help in this crucial moment, but there is nothing I can take from this alliance. Perhaps the respect of the people of Bluemoon and their support if I am to be their "leader". However, I don't make alliances with strangers. This alliance is merely political and diplomatic, but if there isn't trust, I'm out. I don't negotiate with untrustworthy people and if they don't understand my point-of-view, I will go alone to Saldrian and defeat Coin myself.

"How is the situation in Bluemoon, Lord Heavensbee?" Peter asks, out of the blue.

"We provide the kingdoms, except Hemalia, with fresh fish. That is our main exportation, yet these last few months we have seen a decrease in the exportations." Lord Heavensbe tells. "The waters are rough and dangerous this time of the year and there have been many shipwrecks. It is unusual, since fishermen are already used to the waters. And so, they have been afraid to set sail on the open sea."

"What are the consequences besides the decrease in exportation?"

"The most worrying consequence is the increase of poverty. The streets fill with more people every week. They come to look for scraps or to beg."

"What is Bluemoon trying to do to help these people?" I ask, feeling the need to know how much they are helping the people.

"It's impossible to help them with the queen on the throne. She has heavy guard on our streets." Lord Heavensbee says, no lie in his voice. "However, we have accomplished, very secretively, our goal to build a place that offers food and rest."

"That's extraordinary, Lord Heavensbee." Peter compliments him.

"Many lords and I contributed for the project. Our wealths were reduced by the queen, but we still donated a large amount to the project."

"What do you think of this, Miss Heavensbee?" Peter turns to Magdalen. She is startled by Peter's sudden question that a faint red colours her cheeks.

"Well," Her sweet voice speaks. "my father is a honorable man and he desires the best for Bluemoon. This project helped improve the situation, but it also helped a lot of people who were in need of a place that felt like home."

Peter acknowledges her words with a nod and a smile, finally ending the conversation. There's loud chatter outside the carriage and I pull open the curtain to glimpse at the people on the streets. I catch some staring at the carriage as it passes by. I recognize the square and I know we are getting closer to the castle.

"Does Your Highness enjoy reading?"

"What?" I close the curtain and stare at Magdalen.

"Reading, does Your Highness enjoy it?" She smiles.

I must look confused, but I'm thinking of how idiotic the question sounds. In one month, I have dived into the world of royalty once more. I had and still have to learn many of the rules, yet she expects me to find time to read when there's a threat looming over my head. She doesn't know what I went through and so I understand her ignorance. However, she could have some consideration and think about the question before asking it. I take a deep breath before answering.

"Oh, we are here!" Peter interrupts me and I know he does it on purpose.

The pavemented clearing leads to the drawbridge and the carriage is dark for a few seconds as we pass under the barbican. We round the front gardens to the main entrance of the castle and then Peter's door is opened. He steps out of the carriage, followed by Lord Heavevsbee and his daughter. I step out last. Peter offers me his hand and helps me out.

"If I didn't interrupt you, you would have told her what you shouldn't." He whispers as we walk slowly behind Lord Heavensbee and his daughter.

"You heard her question." I say. "I was going to tell her exactly what I thought of reading."

"Katherine, this is serious. We can't create feuds between them and us now that the situation is grave." He grabs my hands, stopping us in the middle of the gravel path. "Please and try to be nice to Magdalen. She is oblivious to what you went through, but you can't blame her for it."

"I don't blame her. I find her annoying."

He sighs. "Okay. Still, don't show her that annoyance."

I nod, to appease his worry. We meet his father, the council and some people of the court at the main entrance. While Peter's father is talking with Lord Heavensbee, I spot Gale on guard at the end of the circle of people. He meets my eyes and looks away immediately. He has been here for one week and his presence is constant even though he isn't beside me. We have met in the halls a few times, but we don't exchange words. I like our arrangement and I want to keep it that way.

"We were just talking of you, Peter." His father says.

"His Highness is an incredibly likable person. He will be a formidable king one day." Lord Heavensbee praises.

"Thank you." Peter thanks him and then looks at me to express his confusion with the raise of an eyebrow.

"There's much to discuss. Shall we?" The king says and we all follow him into the castle.

We walk down a long hall and the silence suddenly fills with chatter. The grand staircase comes into view as we enter another room. The high ceiling gives the room an enviroment of freedom and peace.

"Katherine," The king turns to me as well as the entire group of people. "would you mind showing Miss Heavensbee her chambers?"

I look at him, wanting to deny his request, but there are too many people staring at me. I want to let them down, to show them they don't own me and that I won't follow their rules. I glance at Peter and he pleads with his eyes to accept his father's request. Magdalen has her head lowered and her hands clasped in front of her.

"I wouldn't mind."

"Thank you." The king smiles and turns to Lord Heavensbee to continue their conversation. Peter stays behind with Magdalen and I.

"Meet me afterwards in the gardens." I nod. He stares at me for a moment debating something in his mind, but he ignores it and leaves.

I guide Magdalen up the stairs and then we turn right. The halls are lit with dozens of torches warming our way to her chambers.

"I apologise for sounding too curious Your Highness, but I must say His Highness isn't very good at hiding his feelings for you." Magdalen points out, out of the blue.

I glance at her and I have a great urge to pin her against the wall and threaten her for saying such thing or even directing her words at me.

"He isn't." I answer, just to satiate her curiosity.

"I never had someone look at me the way His Highness looks at you." She says. "Your Highness is very lucky."

Again with the luck. I am not lucky. I haven't had luck in so many years, to me, luck doesn't exist. I only have Fate playing with my strings and pulling them apart when things look too good and easy.

We pass the hall where my room is and turn left at the end of the hall. I knock on a door to see if someone is inside. I get no response and so I open the door and step inside the room. The fireplace is already burning, the curtains have been pulled open to let the late morning light in and the bed has clean sheets and blankets. Her room is possibly bigger than mine.

"When will my trunks arrive?" Magdalen asks, passing her fingers through the embroidery cotton blanket.

"I don't know."

"Does the castle have a library?" She asks, looking at me.

"I'm sure it does." I never thought to ask if there was a library in the castle.

We stay in silence, not sure what to say next. An awkwardness hangs in the air like a dark cloud and I clear my throat, while fumbling with the hem of my sleeve.

"I must leave." I say. "If you desire to leave your room, try to find a guard on the hall. They will help you with any itinerary."

"Thank you." She smiles.

"You're welcome." I nod and leave the room.

I walk back to the staircase, descend it and turn right onto another hall. An empty hall leads to a tunnel. It's dark when I step inside and the darkness lasts until I come upon a heavy-looking wooden door illuminated by a single torch. I pull it open and a gush of wind blows the skirt of my dress and my cloak back. A line of tall, naked red maple trees stands in front of me. The gravel pathway is moist under my feet, possibly from the snow that fell during this week, as I walk to the gazebo by the small lake.

The layer of ice on the lake has melted with the warm sun high in the sky, but the snow around the gardens persists on not melting. The gazebo feels cold when I climb the two steps and sit down on the pearl white stone bench. The sunlight glints on the surface of the lake as I stare at it, trying to pass the time.

Now that Lord Heavensbee is here, the preparations for war can finally begin. I have been dreading this moment since I ran away from Saldrian. I'm afraid to face Coin once more and to have her look at me like she did on the day of my father's burial. There was a killing look in her eyes and an inferno ready to be unleashed. She ruined my life and scarred me internally. I may hide my fears and emotions from others, but they are buried inside me wanting to explode and destroy what is left of my sanity.

I touch the ribbon tied around my wrist. Would things be different if my father had survived? I always believed Coin was the responsible for my father's death. No one suspected her, except me. Perhaps that is why she wants me dead. She doesn't want anyone to know her secret, because once they find out something big will be set free.

"I knew I would find you here."

I'm pulled from my thoughts by Peter's voice.

"Oh! That was quick." I say and I notice a small wooden box in his hand. "How did it went?"

"There was more laughter than politics." He says, sitting beside me. "I left since there was no discussion of attack plans or alliances."

"What is that?" I point at the box.

"This is a subject we have to talk about, again." He says, too seriously and I know this isn't going to be easy.

He unlocks the small box and then opens the lid. Two piles of nicely arranged parchments fill my vision and my chest twists in a painful way at the meaning of them.

"Why do you want to talk about it now?" I glance up at him.

"We have kept it in the darkness for far too long and this is the only subject stopping our friendship from moving forward."

"So... these are the letters you wrote to me?"

"These are your responses to my letters and also the ones I didn't send." He eyes me and I suspect he is waiting for my anger when it comes to this subject.

I take a deep breath and stand up. Right now, there needs to be distance between me and him.

"It's possible that I have my letters back in Saldrian, but I doubt it. Coin must have burned or destroyed all of my belongings." I say. "Anyway, there were letters I sent, but you never answered them. It was a sign something was happening between us. My last letter was, if I recall, me telling you our friendship had ended and there was no need for you to worry about me. And I guess you never received that letter."

"No." He says. "My side of the story, if I should call it that, is that yours stopped when we were fifteen. I kept sending mine to see if they got a response, but there was none. I don't blame you for not replying. I trust your side of the story, yet I want to understand what really happened. We both stopped receiving letters, so who is to blame for that?"

"Each other?" He gives a short, mirthless laugh.

"Maybe that's the best solution."

"Okay." I accept his answer. "Is this conversation over?"

"Is there more to say?" He asks, standing up.

"I don't want to end this conversation shouting."

"Then I think it's over." He smiles, sadly. "There isn't anything we can do to find out what happened. We have to move on."

"I can't move on."

"Why?"

"It isn't just the letters. My father's death and revenge keep me from moving on. I won't be able to move on until these things are resolved once and for all."

"I wish I could help you, Katherine." Peter pulls me to him and leans his forehead on mine.

"You can't." I place my hands on his shoulders. "They are personal matters and I have to do it alone. Except for this war. People have to help each other."

"Are you prepared to take on such an important role as the leader of this war?"

"I don't want to be the leader. I want to blend in with the others and let another take my place." I look into his eyes and I glimpse a secret in them. "Do you know something?"

"What?" He straightens up.

"You are hiding something from me." I wonder and I feel the hands on my lower back moving into fists. "Is the letters' conversation to cover what you really want to say?"

"In a way, it is. However, we needed to be clear on the truth behind the letters for me to say this to you." He closes his eyes for a second, exhales and then looks at me. "I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Leaving? I don't understand."

"I'm leaving for Esbart in the morning. My father is unable to go since Lord Heavensbee is here and so I'm going in his place. I'll be proposing an alliance to the representative of Esbart."

With every word, my throat closes slowly and it gets harder to breathe.

"When will you be back?"

"In a week." He says and his expression changes. "It isn't a long time, Katherine."

"I'll go with you."

"You must stay here where there are people to protect you. People you trust."

"I don't trust them."

"You don't trust Finnick?"

"It's different!" I snap. "And don't change the subject."

"Katherine," He leans down and whispers against my lips. "I'm not going away forever."

"I know..." I think of the possiblity of him leaving forever.

He pulls away and fetchs a letter from the wooden box. "Accept this letter, but only read it when you are alone."

"Why?" I accept the letter and stare at the yellow-ish parchment.

"This is the last letter I wrote to you, but I didn't send." He says and I glance up at him. "There are several details mentioned in the letter I want to say, but I think it's better if they are written."

"Okay." He smiles and pecks my cheek.

"We must go back to the castle. There is going to be a small feast welcoming Lord Heavensbee." Peter says, closing the box and picking it up from the bench.

"Was it your father's idea?"

"There was some influence from Lord Heavensbee." We descend the steps of the gazebo and make our way back to the castle. "How is Magdalen? Did you hold back the ugly words?"

"I did, but I thought of pinning her to a wall and threatning her for what she assumed of us."

"Well, I will assume you are probably jealous of her." He jests, reaching for my hand.

"What? Are you insane?"

"You are jealous of the way she looked at me back at the harbor. I wasn't oblivious to her curious eyes looking at me."

"You even acknowledge it! Well, you must have liked her eyes on you." I cross my arms and focus on the path.

Peter laughs, loud and clear. "Jealousy is eating you up, isn't it?"

I don't answer and then he is behind me and his hands are tickling me. I can't help the squeels that leave my mouth as I writhe in giddiness under his touch.

"Admit it, Katherine."

"No! Ah!" His hand touches my belly and I have to fight him.

We end up on the snowy grass, my cloak soaking wet and the back of my dress too. Peter hovers above me with a grin on his face, his hands pinning my down.

"Admit it." He insists.

"I am jealous." I say. "I don't want her to look at you."

He kisses me instantly and I immerse myself on the feeling of his lips on mine. Why was I so distant this past week? I almost forgot the touch and the taste of his lips. Peter pulls away as we try to regain our breaths.

"Do you," He exhales, still trying to regain his breath. "consider this friendship?"

The blue of his eyes is a shade darker.

"No."

I have to apologise for taking more than six months to write a new chapter. However, the reason is that I had no idea how to start this chapter. And so I had a writer's block for more than six months. That is over! The chapter is finally here. I feel that it starts good but it slowy turns to cheesy, but it's a good cheesy. There needs to be a bit of "cheesiness" for Katherine to admit her feelings for Peter.

Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to tell me what you think. Favourite, follow and review.

P.S. I have been rewriting the previous chapters, so you may notice a lot of changes.