Katniss POV
Finnick and Annie don't return for the entire next day. I blush to think of why.
"That was a nice thing you did for Finnick and Annie." Peeta's strong voice resonates behind me.
He sits on the seat beside me.
"They deserved it." I say simply. It's true though. I've never seen a couple more deserving of happiness.
"I agree." I turn my head sharply in Peeta's direction; I must've spoken my thoughts out loud.
We both shift unconsciously and find ourselves closer. The warmth of his proximity runs through me and I move away quickly. His presence makes my heart race.
"Katniss I just wanted to say that I think you are…" His statement is cut off by a simple four-note melody.
"Time to go." I state quickly. Rue is signaling us from the East road. A carriage is approaching. Everyone quickly assembles, except for Finnick and Annie.
"Should someone alert Finnick?" Peeta asks.
"No, let him and his bride enjoy their time." I say quickly.
Everyone nods and we begin our ride to the East road.
"Positions." I quickly call out. I grab hold of a branch and pull myself into the tree. Madge takes the reigns and they all ride to take their positions. I quickly scale the branches and scan the road. I hear a faint noise and look around. Rue is perched on a tree branch up the road. She gives me the signal indicating that the party will be along shortly. I nod my response.
Complete silence, except the singing of the birds and the whistle of the wind through the trees, envelops the forest. Slowly the sounds of the approaching carriage break the silence. I hear the four-note tune and look to Rue. She signals, 'three carriages.'
I mimic Rue's four-note tune and look down to Gale and give the same signal. He nods.
The first carriage comes into view, surrounded by a host of soldiers. I pull my bow off my back and nock an arrow. Now I wait. The carriages begin to pass me by, I wait till the second carriage passes and loose my arrow. It lands in the rump of the lead carriage's horse. The horse, in response, lurches forward and nearly runs down the foot soldiers. Panic erupts and I smile. Panic is the perfect scene for our exploits.
I fire another arrow into the wheel of the first carriage. It jams right into the axel and the carriage halts. The second one crashes slightly into the first and the third crashes into the second.
My crew jumps from their hiding places and our work begins. Rue scrambles down from the trees and sneaks to the last carriage. She'll begin the search for valuable items.
Peeta, Gale, Haymitch, Chaff, Thresh, Marvel and Cato are all engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the foot soldiers.
"What in God's name is going on?" A thundering voice comes from inside the middle carriage. All the soldiers momentarily stiffen but what interests me is that so does Marvel, Cato and Peeta. The three of them both quickly pull their hoods farther over their faces. I know it will impair their vision and that worries me. I scamper down the tree myself and turn to see the scene before me.
A large man emerges from the carriage; he has jet-black hair and a very strangely trimmed beard. His piercing blue eyes are cold and icy as he stares around him.
The soldiers seem to have an invigorated fighting spirit. This man must be their commander. They fight with renewed vigor that seems to momentarily surprise a few of my men. While before we had caught them by surprise now we were on equal footing. I fired arrows into the havoc, hitting a calf here or a sword there.
"Ah!" I hear Peeta's pained cry and I turn and dash to where I last saw him standing.
My heart races in panic when I see him kneeling on the ground with a bloody gash on his arm in front of him stands a large soldier in his steel armor. His sword is raised high and I can see momentary hopelessness cross Peeta's dirt stained face.
Acting on instinct I rush forward. I'm to close for a proper shot so instead with an arrow in hand I rush behind the large soldier. With all my force I thrust my arrow into the missing link in his armor right near his shoulder. The soldier cries out in pain and drops the sword. With a swift kick to the head the soldier falls unconscious.
"Peeta are you alright?" I ask worriedly as I fall to my knees in front of him. I gingerly take his arm and study the wound. It will need care to avoid infection but I can't do that here. At least he'll be all right till this mission is over. I rip a section from my cloak and tie it as a makeshift bandage.
"Katniss." He whispers. "That is Seneca Crane. He's the head of the military. If he's here then these are very important people. Or it is a trap for you. Please be careful."
I nod swiftly and we part to continue the fight. Gale, Madge and Marvel are fighting the only remaining conscious soldiers. There are about a dozen left, I'd go to help them but it seems the situation is under control. Haymitch however is currently sword fighting with Commander Crane. It appears that all is under control so I follow Peeta and Chaff to the carriages. Chaff pulls open the first carriage. It is empty. Strange.
"Everdeen you scoundrel!" I hear a man's voice coming from the direction of the third carriage. Chaff and I exchange glances.
"Your turn." I chuckle and he lets out an amused grunt before we rush to the carriage. If Everdeen is needed today Chaff will have to pose seeing as Haymitch is otherwise occupied.
Cato and Thresh are hesitating before two elaborately dressed nobles.
"Sir Cresta, Lady Cresta!" I hear Peeta exclaim in surprise. His hands fly to cover his mouth. Annie's parents! Oh this can't end well…
"I know that voice." Sir Cresta's eyes light up with recognition. He lunges for Peeta and before he can move Sir Cresta grabs hold of Peeta's hood. He yanks it back and Peeta's blonde curls fall haphazardly.
"Your highness!" Sir Cresta exclaims and Lady Cresta' gasps loudly behind him. "It can't be. Your mother…she told us you were dead. She claims Everdeen captured and killed you, along with Miss. Mason and our dear sweet Annie. What is happening?" He asks curiously.
"Sir Cresta I'd love to explain but now is not the time. Is this a trap set for Everdeen?" Peeta's voice is serious.
"Yes. Commander Crane said this would be the best way to trick Everdeen and to capture him. He asked if someone would be willing to risk their own safety to help our country bring such a notorious criminal to justice. After the death of our Annie we felt so passionately about Everdeen's capture that we volunteered. But I'm starting to regret that decision. Please your majesty…is Annie alive?"
"And well Sir. I promise. Please, my mother is wrong about everything. I beg your help now. Everdeen cannot be caught. I will take you to see Annie in exchange for your assistance." Peeta barters. Sir and Lady Cresta let out a happy sob at the news.
"I'll do anything your highness."
"I need you to act distressed. Call for Crane. If he is distracted and comes to help you we can capture him and end this fight. The remaining soldiers will flee after the capture of their commander." Peeta explains and Sir Cresta agrees.
"Help! Help!" Sir Cresta cries out.
Peeta takes the sword from his belt and points it towards Sir Cresta's chest.
"Trust me." Peeta pleads and Sir Cresta nods.
The rest of us scatter out of sight. I roll underneath the carriage as the footsteps of Commander Crane come into view.
Commander Crane immediately engages Peeta. The clang of metal fills the air. They are equally matched in their skills; this fight could go on for a fairly long time if we let it. However right now I am not that patient. Knowing this is a trap obviously has me a little anxious.
"Ah what do we have here?" Crane sneers. "Our beloved prince. Oh you are alive your highness. That brings me unspeakable happiness." His voice oozes with derision. "We were so worried your highness. We thought you dead."
"Quiet yourself Crane. There is no need for your mockery." Peeta growls.
"You're right Prince Peeta." Crane over pronounces each p and spits as he does it. "We are indeed better off without you. You are a shame to your mother and your country. It would be better if you were. Perhaps I'll have to see to that."
"Better men than you have tried Crane." Peeta retorts. Crane's face twists in rage. Clearly he values his reputation to highly and is highly insulted by such a simple comment.
From where I lay under the carriage I maneuver my bow and nock and arrow. I take aim towards the hand in which Crane is holding his sword. I draw in and hold a breath and wait for the two men to stop moving for the briefest moment of time. It takes a few minutes but the pause eventually comes. I aim and fire; the arrow dings off Crane's sword. The arrow knocks the sword from Crane's hand and it clatters to the ground several feet away from where Crane is standing. Peeta takes his opportunity and presses the blade to Crane's throat. I can see that Peeta doesn't intend to kill him, just scare him into cooperation.
"Tie him up!" I yell gruffly before rolling out from under the carriage. I emerge on the side opposite of the fight. That way Crane has no chance of identifying me as Everdeen who shot the arrow from under the carriage. I tuck my bow safely under my cloak before walking around the carriages.
Chaff stands behind Crane, tying ropes securely around his wrists and legs.
I sidle up beside Peeta and whisper "Throw him in the first carriage." Peeta nods.
Crane yells angrily from his place inside the carriage. Rue is busy calming the beasts still tied to the first carriage. She murmurs quiet songs and in minutes the chaos is controlled.
Gale, Madge and Marvel have subdued the remaining soldiers. Indeed a few have fled into the woods. But those that remain are quaking in fear.
Gale's voice booms over their heads. "Stop shaking. We are not going to kill you. No we have a special mission for you. If you wouldn't mind escorting Commander Crane back to the palace it would be greatly appreciated." His voice carries hints of sarcasm, especially when he says greatly appreciated.
The soldiers nod quickly, so quickly they might give themselves whiplash.
"Go!" Gale roars when they do not immediately jump up and do as he had commanded. They jump now. There are only six. Two jump on the carriage and begin to steer it away. Rue jumps to the side as they do. The other four find the nearest horses and follow quickly.
A small laugh creeps up from my chest. The Queen would be horrified to know that her own soldiers could be frightened so easily. Oh yes she would be livid indeed and I must admit that makes me very happy.
Peeta stands with Sir and Lady Cresta. The others all look to me with uncertainty and I shake my head back and forth. They want to know if we should begin to loot. In this situation I am not entirely sure it is appropriate.
"Your highness please," Lady Cresta pleads, "what is going on?"
So Peeta begins to explain. He tells them of how they had been captured and joined up with Everdeen. He told them of previous raids and of delivering the gold to those in need. He told them of our visit to the Hob and asked if it was true that they had visited there before. They confirmed. Peeta then asked if they had gone to the Hob, knowing that Everdeen would barter there, then why did they turn on Everdeen. Sir Cresta looked ashamed but admitted that when Annie was captured his allegiances changed. However now, knowing she was alive, he regretted that decision immensely.
When Peeta's explanation was finished the Crestas noticed that everyone was lingering around.
"What are they waiting for?" Sir Cresta looks confused.
"Well this situation is unusual for them. No one was quite sure what to do." Peeta states.
"Wouldn't Everdeen want them to begin looting?" Sir Cresta asks. Peeta's eyes don't even flicker to me at the mention. He is very good at protecting my secret.
"Everdeen told them not to."
"He's here?" Sir Cresta looks shocked. Why does everyone seemed shocked to know that I actively participate and not just direct and command. Silly nobles.
"Please," Lady Cresta begins, "Take whatever you wish. We want to help." Peeta smiles warmly at her. She steps forward and gently grasps Peeta's shoulders. "It's so good to see you again your highness." She hugs him quickly before stepping back.
The looting begins and soon there is a very large haul tied up in sacks. Everyone is tying them to the horses.
"May we please go and see Annie now?" Lady Cresta whispers to Peeta. I stand only a few feet from them and I nod slowly. I suspect Peeta has glanced to me for confirmation.
"Yes. Of course." Just as I suspected Peeta had noticed. "You'll need to be blindfolded. I hope you understand that we have a great secret to keep. They nod anxiously and Madge and Rue gently and securely tie the blindfolds on. Gale rides with Sir. Cresta behind him and Peeta with Lady Cresta behind him.
When everyone is ready we take our leave and begin the ride back to camp.
Back at camp everyone begins to unload and the sacks are tied to rope and pulled up to the storage hut. Sir and Lady Cresta are seated beside the fire and the blindfolds removed. They gape in awe as they take in their surroundings. Almost everyone begins removing their cloaks and the Crestas gasp when they see Cato.
Cato quickly tells them his story and begs their secrecy, which they willing agree to.
It is getting late and the sun has begun to set. Annie and Finnick will be along soon for dinner.
Just as I predicted, only a few minutes later, I hear the rustle of footsteps and Finnick's joyful laugh.
They emerge, hand in hand, from a bush on the edge of camp. Annie smiles up at Finnick before turning to look at the rest of us. However upon surveying the camp I watch her eyes land on the faces of her parents.
"Father. Mother." Annie gasps.
AN:
Hey everybody! So I really appreciate the comments and reads. Please let me know what you think. Your comments make my day. Also they so often inspire me to take new turns with this story! Seriously I really take your feedback into consideration. Is there anything you really want to see happen in this story? I would really like to hear your thoughts.