Katherine
I wake up suddenly with the covers being thrown off my body.
"Your Highness, you over-slept." The maid says. "We must quickly dress you for the arrival of the prince."
I open and close my eyes several times before leaning on my elbow. I try to focus on the room around me and on the meaning behind the maid's words.
"It must be early." I say, sleepily. "He is suppose to arrive in the middle of the day."
The curtains are pulled open and the room fills with a heavy morning light. I shield my eyes against it.
"He sent word last night of his early arrival. He is traveling during the night." I look down at my pillow and recognize the rumpled letter. I immediately remember feeling shocked and lost with his words. Since he was eleven...
"Your Highness." I glance at the maid. "We must get you dressed!"
I stand up hesitantly and shiver when my feet touch the icy floor. I pass through the same routine, yet they dress me in an elegant gown with intricate designs on the corset and the skirt. The material is warm and so they only dress me in a linen robe.
I don't have time to go back to the letter and hide it from prying eyes, for a maid pulls me out of the room and makes me follow her through halls and stairs to the main vestible. Several people are already there when I arrive. Magdalen notices me and approaches quietly.
"You look dazzling, Your Highness." She compliments.
"Thank you."
"It is quiet a surprise to see His Highness arrive so early in the day. Unfortunaly, my father and I must be on our way as soon as he arrives. Our belongings have already been taken to the ship."
"And so I have heard of your departure." I say, but my mind is still asleep and full of other thoughts. "I hope to meet again after this is all over."
"So do I, Your Highness." She smiles, genuinely. "It was explendid to make your acquaintance."
The sound of the horns echoes around the wide vestible and the doors open for us to step outside. The gardens are stained with small piles of snow and all of the trees are bare, with the exceptation of the pine trees.
I am able to hear the cheers on the other side of the walls and then the portcullis is raised. I climb down the few steps to the gravel and stay behind the small group. The king is at the front, ready to welcome his son. The same happens with Lord Heavensbee.
"Oh, there he is!" Magdalen exclaims, happily.
I round the group and stop on one of the sidelines to get a better glimpse at Peter. He is flanked at the back by the two guards who travelled with him. His dark-brown horse trots along the gravel path. There is still a great distance between us, but I can see the tiredness and glee in his eyes.
Instead of smiling, my mind can't stop thinking of the letter. I knew it would change our relationship. My feelings for him are strong. I care for him, perhaps even more, yet I don't know if I am able to give him the passionate love he wants from me. With a war raging on, love is the last thought on my mind.
They stop two meters from us and Peter is the first to climb down his horse. A guard grabs the reins as he walks to his father and hugs him unexpectedly. I notice him whispering into his father's ear and then the king's hands wrap around Peter's back. They pull away and his eyes fall on the people behind his father.
"Here." Magdalen calls, right next to me.
I am surprised at her action that I don't realise Peter is immediately in front of me, taking my face in his hands and kissing me in front of the people. I squeal at the touch of his lips, but I close my eyes and succumb to the power they have over me. His move urgently yet tenderly against mine. I grab the collar of his cloak and press my body closer to his. He is bringing out a peculiar fire within me and I must pull away.
His clear blue eyes stare at me, mesmerized with every contour of my face. "I came back."
"You did."
Someone coughs and we both look at the group. "I am sure His Highness has more important matters than to bid farewell to Lord Heavensbee and his daughter." Finnick teases.
Peter straightens and clears his throat. "I apologise."
Lord Heavensbee laughs. "Your Highness, you mustn't apologise for such an endearing moment. I do expect to see you and your beautiful beloved's wedding any time soon."
"Bid them farewell." I urge him, straightaway. He glances at me, confused with my sudden request. Peter complies and soon Lord Heavensbee and Magdalen are comfortable inside the coach, ready to leave. He approaches me and takes my hands in his.
"I must apologise for surprising you the way I did." He says. "I wasn't used to the idea of living more than a day without your presence."
"It's alright."
"Come with me." He entwines our hands and guides me through the gardens to the gazebo. He stops us in the middle and removes his gloves. "Here, I kept it safe."
He takes my wrist and ties the green ribbon I gave him.
"Thank you." I smile at him. His smile is the happiest I have seen, which makes me doubt the meaning of this private encounter. "I knew you would keep it safe."
"Well, of course!" He says. "However, there is something else I want to give you."
"What is it?" His eyes study the lake for a while before looking at me and lowering himself to one knee. My heart and breath are a mess and my hands tremble so uncontrolably, I have to hold the skirt of my dress. "Please, Peter. Don't do this to me..."
"Katherine, this week away from you made me think of a very important subject." He takes my trembling hand in his warm one. "If you read my letter, you will know my love runs for you from a very young age. I kept it hiding until the right moment to tell you. I confessed it in a moment of surprise. And so, I must declare it once more. Will you-"
"Peter, please stop." I pry my hand from his and make him stand up. "This isn't suppose to happen right now."
"Why? Katherine, I love you." He says, a note of desperation in his voice.
"We are at war. How can I marry you when there is the possibility of your death or even mine?" I try to make him see the consequences of our marriage, yet they don't seem to stuck to his head. "I won't marry you just to see you die in the next moment."
"You are afraid, aren't you?" He wonders. "You are afraid to let yourself love me. Why are you so afraid? Your love won't kill me."
"It will!" I shout. "All my loved ones are dead, because of me! Because I let myself love them. My love killed them. My love is a curse. I won't wish the same fate to you."
"It isn't." He grabs my hands in a protective manner. "The queen is the one who caused their deaths. If we defeat her, she won't ever again harm you or your loved ones."
"I can't let her kill you. I care too much for you to watch you die at her hands."
"She won't kill me, Katherine. I promise." He kisses my hands twice. "I understand your position, but at least consider my proposition."
"Peter..."
"We still have two weeks until the battle."
"It isn't too much time to think."
"I will wait for your answer." His lips are on mine and then they are gone. He is gone, too.
...
"My son, your prince, has accomplished an alliance with Esbart." Peter's father announces to a Great Hall filled with people. "We are ready to prepare our army and meet them in the fields. From there, together with Bluemoon, we will march towards Saldrian and defeat the queen once and for all!"
The hall fills with cheers and applause. I stand to the side, watching the people interact with each other. If they knew about the queen's request to have me in exchange for peace, they wouldn't be this happy. Either way, I have already made an impression on the commoners. They are the ones who matter the most. For three years, they were my... home. And now they are accepting me, again, into their world.
"I find it bizarre how these people can be so calm when in two weeks most of them will be cowering in a room." I turn around to face Finnick. "Your Highness."
"Commander, I didn't know you had such strong opinions."
"I keep them to myself. Who knows what will happen when they hear my strongest opinion?" He shoots me a smile. "The display of affection early in the day did make quiet the impression. Peter is, possibly, blinded by love."
"Do you remember-"
"I do. I just had to say something about it." Finnick says. "You may be my superior, but I have to advise you to choose correctly. Your answer will afect him gravely and he won't be prepared to fight with a disrupted mind."
"You do have a very strong opinion." I state, the impact of his words causing me to remain expressionless. They are true, so true. Nonetheless, his words are the ones I have been mulling over since this morning.
"Perhaps I should become a lord and find my own place in the royal council." He jests.
"You are more handy with a sword, Commander." I say, suddenly having an idea. "I would like for you to teach me how to yield a sword. I must be ready to use another weapon at the battle."
"You have decided to participate in the battle? Who gave you permission?"
"The king and yes, I am fighting with you. I, myself, will fight Coin. I know she will be waiting for me."
"If you want to yield a sword, we must start tomorrow. It takes time and a lot of practice, but time isn't our friend at the moment."
"It isn't."
"Finnick," Peter surprises us both. "I still haven't acknowledged your presence. I must apologise."
"You were too busy acknowledging another person." He glances at me, mockingly.
"You know how it is." Peter laughs.
"I do. Well, I must make my rounds. We will talk another time." He curtsies and leaves.
"So... I must tell you some news." Peter turns to face me. "Our display this morning has spread like wild-fire through the castle. People were asking me and I had to tell them the truth."
"Well, it was bound to happen."
"Are you upset?"
"No, I am good." My hand fumbles with the ribbon around my wrist. "Just... a lot of thoughts on my mind."
"I apologise for making you feel uncomfortable. It wasn't my intention."
"Of course not." I reassure him. "Only, it doesn't have to do with the display."
"Oh!" He realises and takes my hand in his, gently. "I am not pressuring you. Take your time."
"I read your letter only yesterday and the vibes I received from it with your proposition this morning are mixing up. There is a conflict happening inside my head."
"There is no need to complicate the decision." He smiles so softly, his eyes adquire another shade of blue. A peaceful, vulnerable blue. "My feelings won't change no matter the answer."
"Okay." I nod and he drops my hand.
"I must leave you, but we will meet for dinner. Alright?"
"Yes." He kisses my cheek and leaves.
I go to my room, hoping to hide the letter I left on the pillow. The bed is made when I close the door with no trace of the letter. The writing table is also clean. I empty the letter box and search for it, but in vain. It isn't on the floor nor under the bed.
I leave my room and try to find my maids. They were the only people in my room after I left this morning. The kitchens are a place of noise, scents and movement. I ask three people about my maids, but no one knows where they are. I am getting desperate by the second. Did they decide to run away, all three of them, with my letter?
The courtyard where the washing is done is empty. The white sheets flow with the winter breeze and my eyes catch the sight of a black stain on one of them. It looks like someone tried to grab the sheet. I scan the ground for more signs and a very small trail of a black substance leads to a dark tunnel.
"Help..."
"Who's there?" The darkness is too heavy to see.
"Help..." The voice is close. What if this is a trap?
The voice grows louder and soon, it is like a whisper next to my ear. I look to the left and to the right and I sense the presence of a body near me. "Are you here?"
"Yes." A very weak voice answers. I look to my right and make out a very faint silhouette of a body. I kneel down and touch the person, gently. My hands suddenly feel wet and immediately I know something is wrong.
"Who are you?"
"Water." The person isn't making any sense. I have to bring him or her to the light.
"I am going to help you." I search for the arms and help the person stand up.
I walk with a dead weight that drags its feet to the light. The courtyard is now occupied by some servants and they notice me right away. Some scream in horror and others run inside. I look at the person I carry and my eyes widen when I recognize her as one of my maids. Her face is wounded and full of blood. Her clothes are ripped and there is another wound on her stomach.
I lie her down on the ground and try to coax some words out of her.
"Dead. They are... dead." She mumbles, trembling in terror.
Someone pulls me up and away from my maid. One guard carries her in his arms, possibly taking her to the physician. What did she mean? Who is dead?
...
A maid is undoing the laces on my dress when the door is thrown open. Peter's shocked expression meets my own and I ask the maid to leave. "I apologise for entering your room so suddenly."
"It is okay." I assure him. "You have seen me in my night-dress."
"Not in the middle of the day." He jests and comes closer. "What happened?"
"I found one of my maids badly wounded. I was looking for them in the courtyard when something led me to a tunnel and I found her there."
"That explains your bloody dress." I look at the big stains on the skirt and sleeves.
"Peter, someone stole the letter you gave me." I tell him. "I think it might be connected to what happened with my maid."
"Why do you think that?"
"I left the letter in the bed this morning and when I returned it was gone. My three maids were the only people in my room after I left. But it seems they weren't. Something happened and they saw it. They must have or else she wouldn't be hurt."
"What about the other two maids?" He sits down on the chair by the fireplace.
"No one can find them. Yet, my maid mumbled something about 'they are dead'. Do you think it has to do with my other two?"
"From what you are telling me, they could have been killed by the same being that hurt your maid."
"Do you remember that village with those strange creatures?" I ask him, stopping in front of him.
"I do." He confirms, angrily.
"The trail that led me to the tunnel was made of black blood."
"What?" His eyes look at me, suspicious of something he isn't telling me. "Are you saying Coin was here? The guard has been doubled."
"I am not saying she was here. How could she? She can't travel from Saldrian to here in two hours."
"No, she can't." Peter sighs.
"Are you alright?"
"I am." His warms wrap around my waist and he pulls me to him to rest his cheek against my belly. I am suddenly reminded of an impossible dream. "I am relieved you are safe."
"I can look after myself." I run my fingertips through his hair.
"I know you do. I just worry too much." He glances up at me, with a smile.
"You do." I tease him. "Now, let me change dresses. We will meet in the Great Hall."
He stands up and I guide him to the door. The maid startles when she is face to face with us. Peter chuckles at her eavesdropping and leaves.
...
Dinner is loud and joyful with the return of Peter, but my mind swims in the thought of my maid. It confuses me how she ended up in that dark tunnel covered in wounds and blood. However, not being able to find the letter also confuses me. Something or someone took it for a certain purpose. Are they going to use it against me? Anything is possible...
I go to the physician's chambers afetr dinner. He greets me when I knock on the door and lets me in. "How are her wounds?"
"The wounds aren't deep, but the one on her belly needed special care." He tells. "She has opened her eyes once to then fall back to sleep."
He guides me to a long folding-screen and behind it is my maid lying down on a bed. Her expression is serene and her chest moves under the thin sheet. "Can you give me some time with her?"
"Of course, Your Highness." The physician curtsies and leaves. I find a stool and sit next to her. The moment her name leaves my mouth, her eyes open with a scared expresion.
"Calm down." I assure her, touching her arm. "No one will hurt you."
Her eyes focus on me and she takes a lot of time to recognize me.
"Princess..." Her voice whispers so quietly. "What..."
"How are you feeling?"
"It hurts." She murmurs. "My body and my head."
"I need to ask you something. Is that okay?" I plead. She nods softly. "Do you remember who did this to you?"
Her eyes widen and her hands clench the covers. I wait for her to calm down and to answer my question. "It... it was a shadow."
"What?"
"It saw us when we returned to the room. A parchment was in its hand and with the flick of the other, two of us fell to the floor in a bloody mess." The tears fill her eyes and fall down her cheeks. "I apologise, Your Highness."
I grab her hand to sooth her. "It came after me and - and..."
"Please stop. That's enough." I assure her. She will worsen if I push her too much. "Rest for now. I will pressure you no more."
I squeeze her hand and let go before standing up. On my way out, I thank the physician and leave more confused. A shadow? I try to look back on these last months and can't remember any shadow. In the courtyard where the guards train, I find Finnick. His eyebrows rise when he sees me.
"The sword lessons are only tomorrow."
"I have to ask you about what happened this morning." He pulls me aside and we talk on the corridor, away from prying eyes and curious ears. "Did any of the guards find other suspicious signs in the castle?"
"No." He says. "Why? Do you know something?"
"I asked my maid who hurt her and she told me it was a shadow."
"A shadow?" He snorts, humorlessly. "Could a shadow kill two people without leaving trails of struggle or blood?"
"I am not sure. She seemed very sure of her words, but it could be an effect of the trauma."
"When she is more clear-minded, we will ask her again." He advises.
"I only want to know where are the bodies of my other two maids." I say. "Do you think it was meant to be me instead of them?"
"Possibly. However, I have doubled the guard and there will be no more disappearances and deaths. You can rest assure." He smiles.
"I thank you for your help."
"It is my duty, Your Highness." He winks. "I hope to see you tomorrow here as early as you can for the sword lessons."
"I will be here."
...
"Peter?"
"Mmhh." His hand draws lazy circles on my arm. His body warms mine underneath the covers of his bed and I breathe relieved to have him back to hold me through the night. "I talked with my maid today."
"What about it?"
"Will you act serious about it? It is important." I lean on my shoulder to look at him.
"I would prefer to sleep with you in my arms and forget what happened today." He says, smiling sleepily.
"I can't forget it." His lips are on mine and he pushes me onto my back gently. I think back to all the times we slept in the same bed. This is the first time we have kissed in nothing but our night clothes. I pull away. "Are you trying to change my mind about your proposition?"
"Maybe." He smiles and kisses me again. One of his hands caresses my hip and I have to pull away before it turns into something else.
"Listen for a moment." I plead with him. He nods, pushing some strands of hair behind my ear. "I asked her if she knew who did that to her. She told me it was a shadow."
His hand freezes and drops from my face. "A shadow?"
"She said it killed the other two and it came after her. The shadow was holding a parchment in its hand, which means it might have been the letter you gave me." I tell him. His expression looks foggy. "Are you alright?"
"I am." He assures. "Now you are the one worrying too much."
"You are hiding something from me."
"I am not." He says, but his voice still holds a lie.
"Okay. Well, good-night." I turn my back to him and close my eyes.
"Katherine, don't -"
"If you are hiding something to protect me, stop doing it." I tell him.
"I am not hiding anything to protect you."
"Yes, you are. I know you, Peter." I say. "Just tell me."
"If I am, can I tell you tomorrow? I am tired from the journey." He excuses, turning my body to make me look at him. His eyes stare at mine, sleepily.
"Tomorrow I start sword lessons with Finnick."
"What? Why? You are excelent with the bow." He compliments, lying down. "There is no need for you to handle a sword."
"I just want to. I want to be good at both, because I absolutely am a disgrace as a princess."
"You will get used to it." He kisses my cheek and pulls me closer. "Let's just sleep."
"Okay." I tuck my head under his chin and fall asleep with the thought of lying to him about the true meaning of the sword lessons.
The meeting is here! I do hope you like it, because it took some time to write it. As for the next chapter, it may take some time to arrive, but you already know how it is. With my second year at college starting in almost a week, I won't have much time to write and I am sure my inspiration will disappear. However, I will keep my fingers crossed! Don't forget to review, follow and favourite :)