Katniss POV
The next morning comes quickly. The night had been spent in merriment and dancing. Everyone retired to bed late into the night. However I found myself unable to sleep. Instead I climbed high into the treetops till I could gaze upon the moon. I stared at its unwavering beauty and tried to keep my thoughts at bay. Unfortunately it was no use. Blue eyes invaded my every thought, pushing away my ability to think straight.
I tried to think of strategy and instead I thought of blue eyes in awe during my song. I tried to focus on what training may be necessary but all I could see was blue eyes watching me as I danced in the firelight. I tried to think of my sister but her beautiful light blue eyes were not her own, in their place were rich blue eyes as deep as the ocean. Every thought I turned to was replaced by a certain Prince and I wish I knew why.
It was distracting, I could think of nothing else. Yet I couldn't find it in myself to be upset over this distraction. Rather I found it pleasant and the fact that I felt such feelings startled me greatly. So startled I would turn my thoughts in a new direction. But it did me no good. Every turn led me back to consuming blue eyes. Confusion and bewilderment infested my night.
With the sun's rise I descended the trees to the clattering sounds in the campground below. Annie and Rue had risen early and their smiling faces greeted me.
"Good morning Katniss." Annie cheerfully addressed me. I can see on her face the effects of last night's sudden turn of events. She still looks at me disbelievingly, yet with joyful acceptance.
She smiles widely as she offers me a carved wooden bowl filled with hot gruel and a crudely made spoon. I take a seat on one of the logs surrounding the fire and begin to eat.
The others wake shortly after. One by one they descend the ladders and join me for breakfast.
Finnick and Peeta are the last to descend. Finnick walks straight to where Annie is standing and wraps his arms around her waist. He presses his lips to hers, sweetly. She smiles into the kiss and he spins her around quickly before setting her back on the ground. He presses one last kiss to her temple before grabbing his breakfast and taking a seat.
In my peripheral I can see Peeta watched the same exchange I did. He smiles widely. From a noble you'd expect that he'd frown upon love between two people of such different social classes. But Peeta never does anything I would expect from a noble. Rather he hasn't done anything I expect.
"So what now?" Johanna voices loudly.
"Now we train. We'll need to be as prepared as possible for when we fight the Queen. Johanna, I want you training with Gale. You are good with an axe but you'll need more. Finnick I want you to train Annie. And I mean train. Peeta…you're with me." I bark out quick orders. Gale scowls and jerks his head towards the woods. Johanna rolls her eyes and follows him. Finnick giddily takes Annie's arm and leads her in a different direction.
"Keep an eye on those two…make sure that training is all they plan on doing today." I murmur to Haymitch. He grunts and stalks off in the direction Annie and Finnick went.
"Come on your highness." I say with hints of sarcasm.
Peeta dutifully follows behind me as I lead him in the opposite direction of Finnick, Annie, Gale and Johanna.
His footsteps are heavy and loud, every twig seems to find its death beneath his feet. The loud crunching echoes in my ears. Realistically I know that the sound is not nearly as loud as my mind has exaggerated it to be. But I am not thinking realistically right now because I can feel his presence behind me more strongly than I can hear him. It's as if lightening is flowing between us, igniting my veins. I suppress the shiver before it can run through my body.
"I hate to ask this, I know how juvenile it is…but how much further are we going?" His deep voice rumbles behind me.
I stop suddenly. I'd been so distracted by the effect his presence was having on my mind that I had completely forgotten the purpose of being in the woods alone with him. Training.
"We're almost there." I mutter quickly. I rapidly scan the woods around me. There is a small clearing not fifty feet to our right. I veer off in that direction with the Prince on my heels.
Once we enter the clearing and have reached the middle I swiftly turn around and he nearly collides with me. The fronts of our bodies so close, with each breath we nearly touch. I take a large step back and he releases a long, shuddering breath.
"You are already proficient with a sword, but your hand to hand combat could use some work. As well you should learn the basics of the bow." He nods, his eyes fixed on mine. I force myself to look away.
I spot a large tree on the edge of the clearing. With my knife drawn I march towards it and carve a target into the bark. Peeta still stands in the middle of the clearing where I left him. His eyes have followed my every move.
I stride back towards him and pull my bow from my back. I grab one of his hands that hangs limp at his side and thrust my bow into it. His fingers curl around it and brush against mine. The spark ignites once again and I drop his hand quickly.
He stares at the foreign object in his hand. His eyebrows knit together in confusion. He holds it gingerly, almost as if he is afraid to break it.
"Grip it tightly." I instruct and he follows. "Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Keep your feet square. Straighten your back." He does as I ask but his shoulders are still slouched slightly. I step behind him and raise my hand to his shoulder, hesitating slightly before placing it over the firm muscle. I pull back slightly so he straightens his shoulders and stands straight.
"Now rotate your chine over the shoulder of your bow arm," I imitate the motion and he copies my stance. "You'll need to tuck in your hips." I demonstrate and he manages to achieve the same motion.
"Relax your shoulders a bit, don't be so tense. You might hurt yourself." I continue to show him the proper stance and he learns quickly. I only have to guide him when it comes to his arm posture. A shiver runs down my spine when I gently maneuver his strong arms. My hand may have lingered longer than I had wanted it to, but I couldn't force myself to pull away. What is he doing to me?
When he fires the first arrow it grossly misses the target. Frustration paints his face. I retrieve another arrow and tell him to try again. Another miss.
I heave a heavy sigh and retrieve another arrow. I hand it to Peeta and watch him nock it. I carefully study him as he takes his stance.
"Wait." I call out. "You need to keep your back straight but relax a little bit. And your arm is to low." I walk up behind him and adjust his stance. Slipping my foot between his I nudge the left one out slightly. I lift his arm slightly and command him to hold it there.
"You need to relax." I try to say in a soothing tone, but soothing is not my strong suit.
Peeta POV
The feel of her so close to me steals my breath and my entire body tenses.
"You need to relax." She says.
I wish I could, but you have no idea the effect you are having on me Katniss.
I try to calm my mind but the distinct scent of Katniss fills my nostrils. It is mossy and earthy but still feminine and entirely her. I try to relax but the feel of her body pressing close to mine only tightens my muscles.
"Relax." Her attempts at soothing are almost laughable. Her voice is transparent and the frustration and anger shine through.
Our training continues for the rest of the day. Once the sun begins to set Katniss gathers all the missed arrows while I pull any arrows from the tree. However none made it past the first ring of the target. There is definite improvement but not as much as I would have liked. It's disappointing but I still consider this a good day because I spent it with Katniss.
Yet I can't help but feel conflicted. I had admired Everdeen greatly. Always considering him to be my hero and role model. I looked up to him. He did everything I could never have the courage to do. Then I joined him and I saw him helping the needy and I knew he was the only one I could trust with helping me usurp my mother. Then I learned of Katniss and I thought she was Everdeen's and I was jealous of him. He had everything…freedom and the love of the girl of my dreams. But now I learn that Katniss was Everdeen…is Everdeen. She had lied to me; they all had lied to me! We had a magical evening together at the ball…there is no possible way I felt so much and she didn't. I knew that she was just as mesmerized as I. But now I am plagued with doubt. Was it ever real? Is she just a marvelous actor? Can I still trust her after all this deception?
Everyone returns to camp for the evening meal. We gather around the fire and enjoy the roasted pheasant Rue had caught and the green salad she had gathered. It was certainly not comparable to the finery of the meals I had eaten in the castle. No, it was far more than those meals ever were. The food may have tasted sensational, but I had never had such wonderful company…and that made all the difference.
Finnick and Annie looked love sick. Completely infatuated. Judging by the way Haymitch is rubbing his temples I'd say keeping them focused on training was a full time job.
But what is really of interest is that way Gale and Johanna have not looked at each other since their awkward entrance earlier. They had both stormed into the camp, instantly setting everyone on the edge of their seats. Gale looked grumpier than usual and Johanna's neck and cheeks were flushed red. Even now, every time they happened to catch the others' eye they would instantly turn away. Their behavior had been uncomfortable all night. I couldn't help but wonder what had transpired between them. Yet of course when we asked they both quickly and loudly denied that anything was wrong.
After dinner was finished and the camp area cleaned we all sat around the fire exchanging chitchat.
Finnick cleared his throat and attracted the attention of everyone around the fire.
"Annie and I would like to make an announcement." Finnick spoke clearly, hesitantly. Annie blushes and tries to conceal her smile.
Eyebrows raise all around the fire and all eyes were turned towards the two.
"Annie and I..." Finnick speaks slowly, a wide smile threatening to consume his face. "Next time we are able to stop in town, we would like to see a preacher. You see Annie and I are getting married."
Authors Note:
Hey all! Thanks for all the reviews. I'm sorry for the delay my life is pretty busy lately and there hasn't been much time to write. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review!