Hunger Games: Fandom Style

Let It Go

Let it go, let it go, let's all kill President Snow . . .
Author's Note: I really need to start proof reading these things before I publish them. Case in point: I just realized that Gwaine cannot be both piloting (Merlin: If you can call it that.) the hovercraft AND be back in District 11. Oops. Right, I'll just give that dialogue to Elyan, shall I? That's probably best.

Standing on the roof of the presidential mansion was a slightly surreal experience.
The sudden fire from the Peacekeepers pouring onto the roof made it slightly less so.
Leah jumped back, growling. This could get ugly.
Merlin swung down beside her and swept them off the roof with an almost negligent wave of his hand.
Will peered down the ramp at them, still looking slightly green. "Remind me again why you didn't single handedly take down the Capital years ago?"
"There was a curse," Merlin said absently as he scanned the roof for more threats. "Rather impressive one, really. It played on people's emotions to convince them not to try it."
"How come we're doing it then?" Harry asked.
Merlin's eyes narrowed. "It's breaking. There's only a thread left now."
"Who broke it? You?"
"Believe it or not, I'm not responsible for absolutely everything magical that goes on in Panem. Spells like that rely on feelings of fear, apathy, and hopelessness. When our friend Mr. Fowl threw us all in the Games, it was a direct challenge to that kind of thinking."
Arthur climbed down. "When who did what?"
"If you like we can all sit down and discuss the intricate details of about a century's worth of intrigue. Or we can do what we came for. Shall we?" Merlin gestured towards the door that led down from the roof.
"Right," Gwaine said, starting down.
"Not you Gwaine," Arthur said. "Someone needs to stay here to watch Baelfire."
"I'll do it," Red volunteered.
"Excellent," Gwaine said. "I'd hate to miss seeing Snow get what's coming to him."
Leah padded over to the door and nudged it open with her nose. She growled in frustration. As she'd suspected. Stairs.
Merlin peered over her shoulder. "Might be easier if you changed back."
I can't, she said irritably.
"Why not?"
Because unlike Miss Fairy Tale over there, I wouldn't have any clothes on.
Merlin choked. "Oh. Um. Good reason."
So unless you can magic me some up . . .
"Usually it's just easier to steal some. I've never tried before."
Thought so.
"What are we stealing?" Gwaine asked.
"Leah some clothes, if we happen across any."
"Can't you just . . ." Gwaine waved his hands.
"Not if we want them to fit, no," Merlin said testily.
"Surely it's come up before. What did you do then?"
"Usually just grabbed something from Gwen's closet."
Realization dawned on Arthur's face. "So that's why - " He burst out laughing.
"What?" Will asked.
Arthur just kept laughing.
"Yes, thank you. So glad the penny's finally dropped. And it only took, what, a thousand years? More?"
Arthur was still laughing as they descended the stairs into the mansion.
The stairs were too dark for anyone but someone with Leah's night vision. "Lumos," Harry whispered. A soft golden light filled the stairway.
"Handy that," Arthur whispered.
"Lock picking charm's even handier," Merlin murmured.
That caught just about everyone's attention. "Lock picking charm?"
"Haven't you ever used it?" he asked Harry.
Harry shook his head. "The twins have been looking for it for ages, but no one's known the incantation for years now."
"How did you forget the lock picking charm?" Merlin demanded.
"I don't know, I wasn't there when it happened!"
Merlin began muttering about the state of modern wizardry.
By unspoken consent, everyone stopped talking as they neared the bottom of the staircase. Whispers had seemed appropriate even at the top. They weren't really hiding, technically, but it didn't seem right to go about shouting either.
Of course, Gwaine starting whistling something cheery right about then, so there went the ominous atmosphere right out the window. But then, what could you expect from the man who, on a quest to retrieve the queen from the Dark Tower, had shared his dream about a cheese that tasted of apple pie?
The door was set to automatically lock every time it was closed. A keypad waited beside it.
"Right, in the interest of furthering your magical education, I'll refrain from blowing it to bits in favor of revealing one of the great magical secrets of the ages: Alohomora."
The door clicked open.
"There's no need to be quite so patronizing about it," Harry muttered.
Now, now, old age has to have a few perks.
"Hey!"
The others looked at him. They couldn't hear her.
And you're hearing voices. Must be going senile, old man.
Not funny, he shot back. Not after all those long years alone when he'd felt himself . . . slipping. Not after people had assumed the worst about Gwaine's visions and locked him up in an asylum. Old time treatments for insanity had been . . . interesting. By the time Merlin had found him, well . . . Some things even magic couldn't fix.
Leah caught the drift of his thoughts. Sorry. I didn't know.
I'm just oversensitive. He tried to shrug it off.
She saw too much to let him. They don't see how much everything that's happened hurts you, do they? You don't let them.
He flinched. It's better this way. No need for them to hurt too.
She thought back to her own experiences with Sam. Yes, she agreed sadly.
He studied her. He'd caught some of that. I'm sorry. The thought was gentle. She shrugged.
"Hey, lovebirds, can we get a move on?" Gwaine hissed.
"Shut up, Gwaine," Merlin said without any real rancor.
There were surprisingly few obstacles in their path. Then again, no one had really anticipated a fight from this direction.
Leah paused at the first intersection. Which way?
How should I know?
"Straight ahead," Will hissed.
"How can you tell?"
"Because of the great big bronze plaque that says 'President Snow's Office' on the door."
"Oh. Right."
"Dollophead," Arthur said, rolling his eyes.
"That's my word," he complained as they went forward.
The door was locked. "Harry?" Merlin offered.
"Alohomora," he chanted. The lock clicked.
Merlin shook his head. "Your accent is terrible."
"Next time you can do it."
"Okay," Merlin agreed. "Tospringe!"
The door flew off its hinges.
"Tacky," Gwaine said disapprovingly.
"The door was already unlocked," Will agreed.
"Everyone's a critic," he grumbled.
President Snow stood from behind his desk. He reached for something, probably an alarm. Merlin blew out the electronics in a wave of sparks.
The only other thing on the desk was a vase with a single rose left in it. The last petal was dying and ready to fall.
One by one, the former tributes filed in. Leah snarled. Arthur drew his sword. Harry had his wand at the ready. Will pulled his knives from their sheaths.
"That was surprisingly easy," Arthur commented.
"It really was," Will agreed. "But there is a small flaw in our plan."
"Oh?"
"We never decided who got to kill him."
"We could draw straws," Gwaine suggested. "Think you could summon some up for us, Merlin?"
Better make it quick, Leah advised. My self-control is slipping.
"That," President Snow said quietly, "would be unwise."
Arthur shook his head, hating what he had to say. "He's right."
The others looked at him. "What?"
"We can't start a new government on blatant murder. Not if it's going to mean anything."
"He never cared about anything like that," Will said furiously.
"Arthur's right," Harry said. "He needs to die. But he needs to stand trial first."
The president smiled pleasantly. "Oh, I'm afraid killing Snow is no longer the question. He's been dead for hours now. I ate him."
Merlin drew in a quick breath, instinctively stepping in front of Arthur. Leah growled and edged closer to Merlin. "If Snow's dead," he said, "then who are you?" He began rifling through his memories quickly for a shapeshifter who could be that convincing.
Snow stepped around his desk. "You know what your problem is, Emrys?"
The air shivered and tightened as Merlin drew magic to him. "What?"
"You spent so long fighting old enemies, you forgot that you were still making new ones." The shapeshifter slashed his hand through the air at the same time Merlin shouted an incantation. In the split second before the magic took effect, Leah lunged forward and bit down on the enemy's arm.
A shudder seemed to go through the very fabric of the world. Fire blossomed in slow motion in the air between Emrys and "Snow".
Then all three of them, Emrys, "Snow", and Leah, disappeared. Time sped up again, and the fireball blew through where the shapeshifter had been standing and dissipated into the air.
At the same moment, the walls of the office disappeared to reveal lines of Peacekeepers with blasters loaded and ready to fire. All weapons were raised at the small band.
"Fire!"