𝔞𝔪𝔭𝔥𝔦𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢 ✩ 𝔣𝔦𝔫𝔫𝔦𝔠𝔨 𝔬𝔡𝔞𝔦𝔯

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CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

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Prayer was such a misconception to those sinful souls who merely completed such a blessed act as way of repentance. Oh, as dawn blossomed overhead the true meaning of this necessity was realised by Odelya. How delicate was the concept of beseeching a deity for one's most dire exigency.

As dawn blossomed over the horizon, Odelya performed this sacred ritual for the sanctuary of her beloved allies. Under such fragile conditions did she begin to realise her reunion with her true family had enthralled her into. Beside her lay, in a state of restless slumber was the valiant gentleman who willingly put himself up as a sacrificial lamb for the safety of her brother.

Positioned just below his darling heart was a   deathly wound inflicted upon him by a child of whom Odelya cursed down to the depths of hell. Oh, such a great extent would Odelya go to for her sponsors to send down a gift of healing worth more than any luxury the Capitol possessed.

Still nothing descended from the heavens in a parachute like an angel sent especially for them. Unbeknownst to her was it as to why Finnick was not delivering medicine to Apollo as a result of such a threatening injury yet surely if she were to ever be in his arms again, this would certainly become a source of tension between them.

Mere moments of comfort had been delivered to Odelya in a stage of rest for she had been up the majority of the night. Having undressed Apollo's wound from the leaves Florence had understood to be of healing properties, she had been tending to his damaged flesh in hopes of restoring some strength to his being.

Useless was her night of prayer and nursing for as they awoke the following morning,
Apollo was in the same state as before.

"Odelya," Apollo roused her from her half conscious state, "Odelya, where's Florence."

Such words projected her body forward ever so violently and clambered did she to her feet. Scanning the camp of which they had set up around the frozen lake, the little Flower was no where within her vision.

Dreadful thoughts spiralled their way through Odelya's mind and all sense of comfort was torn from her body

Dreadful thoughts spiralled their way through Odelya's mind and all sense of comfort was torn from her body. Oh, such a terrible decision was it to leave Florence unguarded, she should have stayed awake to protect her. Such a disgusting decision was made by herself out of purely tactless motives.

Pulling her out of such a self-deprecating state, Apollo rose from his position of slight solace and grabbed her with such a force it nearly took her off of her feet. Speaking her name loudly would have been his immediate response but the need for secrecy still remained.

"Apollo, darling," Odelya worried, "You must rest, I am perfectly capable of finding her by myself."

"Oh, shut up," Apollo dismissed her comment having an even stronger relationship with Twelve's tribute than the Siren herself.

Having followed suit in scanning the landscape for any trace of Florence, Apollo gestured to a specific patch of snow. Oh, how dreadful did it appear, the sight caused Odelya's stomach to drop down to the ocean's floor.

An ever present trail of blood droplets would surely lead them to Florence, whether they would be traumatised by the sight remained uncertain.

Odelya spoke words of comfort into nothingness in hope that this would somehow reassure herself that the Flower was safe from any danger. Hastily did they chase down the trail until it reached an abrupt end in a rather ominous clearing.

Oh, such a strange feeling were they met with. A combination of relief intermingled with slight terror - Florence was surely alive which was evident by her dreadful weeping yet held was she against menacing blades clutched in the hands of two known tributes.

Ripping Eleven's tribute, Clementine, from his darling flower, one could never have imagined that Apollo had a deadly injury impaling his every movement. Blaise whipped around to find Apollo's knife at his counterparts throat and it appeared at such a moment that they were in a stalemate.

"Give us our girl back and you can have yours," Apollo ordered, a sense of fear in his voice.

Blaise lacked any sense of hesitation as he urged the little Flower over to where the Siren stood to the side of Apollo, of whom still held Clementine in a tight grasp. Oh, how terribly did Florence sob into Odelya's arms as she was smothered in a loving embrace. Whispering sweet nothings into the darling child's ear, Apollo was reminded of the role he played in this particular arrangement.

Nudging her toward gently, Clementine mimicked the manner of which Florence had ran into Odelya's arms in the way of which she hurried to Blaise. In such a moment, Odelya realised that such children who threatened the life of her sister, were not morally evil. For how could demons hold one another in the manner of which angels did.

After she had brushed the tears off of Florence's face, Odelya handed the girl into the arms of a weakened Apollo. Of whom was in just a desperate need to hold their littlest ally as she.

"We have food," Odelya announced, after quietly discussing the matter with Apollo, "If you'd like to eat with us?"

Despite the looks of pure astonishment on their tear stricken faces, Blaise and Clementine accepted such an offer and followed them back to their frozen camp.

After apologies had been shared around dinner and the Flower had been patched up, Clementine had followed Florence in way of making flower chain out of the fresh snowdrops which hung above like a mobile above a baby's bassinet.

Perhaps having a few additional allies was not the worst possible suggestion.

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