Katniss Everdeen had always lived a life of pure misery, from the moment she was born. Despite being told that her father was a kind man that the birds listened to when he sang, he died, just a few days after she was born. To support the two of them, her mother remarried when Katniss was three, but the man she married made their lives even harder than they had been.
It was obvious that the marriage between her mother and Coriolanus Snow was not a choice of love, a fact that Katniss would have realised, even if her mother had not told her. The man appeared to love no one, other than himself and his two spoilt daughters. He certainly never cared for Katniss' mother, much less herself, so it was easy for him not to love them.
When Coriolanus Snow came to live with Katniss' mother, he brought his two own daughters with him: Gliceria and Claudette. If ever there were spoilt girls, even when they were only five and eight upon their arrival, the two were certainly perfect examples. Whatever they asked their father of, they got, and Katniss was never given the same treatment.
Five years after the marriage happened, when Katniss was eight, her mother died of unexplained reasons. The young girl mourned from the moment her mother's heart stopped, but no one else in her household did, and they did not allow her to mourn for long, either. The funeral of Katniss' mother was planned for just two days after her death, but Coriolanus Snow and his daughters abused Katniss just a day after that.
First, it started as just the odd job, here and there, but it was enough to tire an eight year old. Of course, it was also enough to prevent her from ever having time to visit her mother and father's graves. However, as the years of life on her own increased, so did the intensity of her jobs. From the minute her mother died, Katniss had been written into a lifetime of servitude for Coriolanus Snow and his daughters.
However, despite the hardships faced by Katniss and the abuse delivered to her by the family her mother had married into, she grew into a beautiful girl, who never retaliated. She was still kind and never held any hatred towards anyone in the Everdeen household, and she never dropped the smile from her face, when she was in other people's company. She even sang as she did her hard work for the day.
It was somewhat lucky for her that she had the company of another servant on most days. The man, who was two years her elder and called Gale, had been forced to work in the Everdeen household, too, because he had seen Katniss' treatment outside of the house and argued against it. Coriolanus Snow said that, if he disagreed so much, he should help her, to lessen the load, although it was not something he had the choice over.
In comparison to Katniss' good nature growing with age, the spoilt nature of her two step-sister worsened. They were sometimes worse than their father in their commands and they took great pleasure in mocking the younger girl. Therefore, they each gained their own nickname from Gale, which he often used in their company: Gliceria was named 'Glimmer', after her love for sparkling clothes; and Claudette was named 'Clove', after her absurd request once, for only four leaved clovers in a bouquet.
It did not mean that Katniss ever had a name free of mockery, though. On the contrary, the two sisters took great amusement in her unusual name, as one of their many topics for amusement. They could also tease her for her relationship with Gale, and how neither of them would ever regain a decent place in society. However, no matter what they tried, Katniss would not stop smiling.
"Catnip!" a shrill voice from the doorway called, using one of the many names that Katniss' step-sisters had thought of.
Almost dropping the plate in her hands, in her haste to address them, Katniss span on her heels to face whichever one of them it was, wiping her hands on her apron as she turned. Then, as she let out a sigh of relief, she said, "I forgot how good your impressions of my sisters can be, Gale."
"I need to have something to fill my time here, and it often seems as if copying Glimmer and Clove is the only option," Gale reminded his best friend.
"You should be working," reasoned Katniss, turning back around to continue with the washing up. "What have you been doing this morning thus far?"
"I began the day by cleaning the dining room and the hallway, before I made breakfast. Then, once everyone was out of their room, I tidied them and attended to those who needed my help. And, now, I am here," answered Gale.
"That would impressive, if I were not for the fact that I recognise it exactly as my own list of chores," Katniss argued.
Gale shrugged, pulling himself to sit on the draining board, where the clean dishes were being placed.
"You will ruin your uniform, Gale," complained Katniss.
"I am sure that you would be able to wash it, if that were necessary," Gale decided.
Katniss paused the washing up, turning around slowly to face her best friend, with an eyebrow raised. "Of course. I never have enough work to do. I spend most of my time just sitting around." Sighing, she finished washing the last plate, before she asked, "And what are you due to be doing right now, Mr Hawthorne?"
Looking a little abashed, Gale jumped down, off the draining board, so that he could walk over to the table. There, he looked down at his list of jobs, before he turned to look at his best friend, telling her, "I am due to be the horses, now."
"And why are you still here, then?" Katniss replied, crossing the room, to pick up a broom from the corner. "Surely, as you finished your last task a while ago, you should be far into your next work."
"I swear those horses hate me," muttered Gale, looking down at the floor.
"I, on the other hand, believe you are a coward, who is only trying to avoid working," disagreed Katniss, walking towards the steps.
"I am sorry that I assumed that when a horse has its ears back and its teeth bared, it is angry," Gale grumbled.
Pausing in the doorway of the room, Katniss felt a faint smile creeping across her lips. "Fine. But I get to challenge you." Gale glanced up, so she knew she had his attention. "Complete this task in the time that it takes me to clean the house and I will do whatever you ask me to do, as long as it is not one of your own jobs. I have enough of my own to do."
"Whatever I ask?" repeated Gale. His best friend nodded. "Challenge accepted, then. I hope you are prepared to lose."
Even before Katniss got the chance to answer, Gale had already exited the room, so Katniss allowed her smile to grow. Without sounding too arrogant, she knew that Gale would not finish in the time she had given him; she could give him an extra few minutes and even that would not affect the outcome. She had been doing the same jobs for many years longer than he had, so she was practised in getting everything done quickly.
However, to be fair, she did go a little slower as she went around the house, taking a minute or so longer in each room she cleaned. She decided it would probably equate to about ten minutes extra, which, for her at least, would be more than enough time. She could not help but not hold out the same thought for her best friend, especially as he was with the creatures he seemed to hate so much.
It eventually got to the point, though, that, even though she knew she could take a little less time for preparing the midday meal, she no longer felt comfortable going at such a slow pace. Therefore, she soon began walking back downstairs, although, admittedly, she did waste a bit of time by taking no shortcuts. It did not surprise her that, when she reached the kitchen, no one was there.
She started preparing for the next meal immediately, planning in her head what she was going to say to Gale, when he eventually arrived. As he had to, did he not, because he was due to help her with the meal. She did not question his lack of appearance, though, until she had peeled, chopped and cooked all the food, before it was plated up, and she only heard another person when she heading into the dining room.
Once she had set the table, putting everything perfectly on it, Katniss waited for the three people to come in, before she moved again. Even then, she had to wait to dismissed, before she could leave the room, after curtseying and wishing them a good meal. She knew that she would only have a few minutes before she would be called back, to clear up and receive her next tasks, but she composed herself, before heading downstairs.
When she reached the doorway, through which she would enter the kitchen, she could not help but stop again. In front of her, her best friend finally sat, with his back to her, although he looked as if he were slumped uncomfortably. Too, in his hand that rested on the table, he tightly held a glass, which was partly full of a liquid Katniss could not identify from sight alone, but could guess what it contained.
"I did not realise you could drink whilst working, let alone this early in the day," she said softly, so she did not cause him to be frightened too much.
"It is not the kind of drink you have made the assumption that it is. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to know where that is stocked. It is actually only one of your herbal remedy potion things," Gale admitted, after he sat up a little straighter at the sound of his best friend's voice. "I know you usually charge for these, a price I will definitely pay, but I could not help myself."
"I will not charge you, Gale, but why ever would you need one?" asked Katniss, walking towards the man in the seat.
"I told you that those damn horses hated me," stated Gale.
Normally, Katniss would have objected to cursing in any form, but she understood his reason for doing so, when she knelt down in front of him. From only his flesh that she could see, she could tell that he had obviously not been lying about the hatred he and the horses shared. Any exposed skin seemed to be covered in bruises and deep wounds, which she guessed came from hooves and teeth of angry horses.
Instead of making a comment on the wounds, however, she picked up the glass of the table, smelt it, and then put it back down. "You need something much stronger than that."
"I must admit that, after all this time, I have guessed that," Gale agreed.
Katniss stood up, without saying anything, and walked into one of the smallest side rooms, where she kept her medical equipment. She had never been trained as a nurse, but her mother had had a knowledge of anything she would need to become one, and Katniss often found herself reading one of her mother's journals at night. In that way, she had gained all her knowledge.
As soon as she had collected the ointments she would need, as well as a stronger painkiller and some bandages, she headed straight back to her best friend. When next to him, she placed her equipment on the table, instructing him to sit on it, too, and then poured him a glass of the painkiller. She waited for the glass to be emptied, before she stepped right up to the edge of the table and started her work.
Gently, she rubbed one of the ointments onto all of his bruises, silently commending his ability to stay still when she needed him to. Then, she switched to the second ointment, which she applied to any of his deeper wounds that were, fortunately, not too bad. Bandages would have been difficult to use on his face and neck, so she was grateful for the lack of use for them.
"Your hands are so soft," Gale mumbled, as his best friend worked on a scratch at the base of his neck.
"And you are probably somewhat delirious," replied Katniss. "You do not need to talk."
"Sorry." Gale sighed, falling silent, but he spoke again when his best friend stopped applying the ointment and caught his eye. "Is something the matter?"
Katniss blushed considerably, as she looked down at the floor, out the window, anywhere but his eyes. "I have finished with your face and neck."
"And what does that mean?" questioned Gale, gently wrapping his fingers around her chin, tipping it, so that she had to look at him again.
"Unless you think you are able to apply it to yourself, you will have to take you shirt off for me to reach the rest of your wounds," Katniss told her best friend. "However, if there are wounds anywhere else on your body, after there, they are your problem."
"That is fine," Gale said, slipping his jacket off and laying it on the table.
As he slowly began to unbutton his shirt, Katniss looked away again, although she was still at a slight disadvantage because they were so close. Her only problem was she had dealt with very few men in general during her life, so she definitely had no experience with even partly exposed men.
"Katniss?" Gale's voice called her from her thoughts and she knew that she could avoid him no longer, so she turned to face him once more.
However, instead of letting her eyes linger on the skin that had become slightly mottled and broken, after its attack, she got straight to work. She followed the same routine of bruises first, and then deeper wounds, taking note of the fact that he had not been saved by a couple of layers of clothing. In fact, she realised that his biggest bruise he had was on his left shoulder, in the same place as the deepest wound was. She wrapped that shoulder carefully in a bandage, after she had applied both ointments, therefore.
"I do hope you have another set of uniform to wear," she admitted, concentrating more on the bandaging, rather than the words.
"Why would I need to?" Gale asked.
"Even though I hope desperately that this was not just a way to prove a point, I will be washing this set of uniform this afternoon. You will be rather cold without, will you not?" answered Katniss.
Gale chuckled, as his best friend finished bandaging his shoulder, but left her hand there, and retorted, "Perhaps I fancy rebelling against old Snow. I can imagine his face would be rather memorable if I were to wander around the house, with no uniform on, let alone no clothes at all!"
"Do not dare say things like that, Gale!" complained Katniss, pressing a finger to his lips. "You must be careful in what you speak."
"I jest, Katniss, I only jest," argued Gale, lifting his best friend's small hand away and holding it in his own larger one.
"Then, jest more apparently next time," Katniss grumbled, although the smile on her lips was as plain as the day. "I do not wish to worry for you, more than it is necessary."
Gale smiled too, but did not get the chance to reply, before he, with Katniss, heard someone clearing their throat at the edge of the room. They both quickly turned to see Coriolanus Snow standing, most definitely out of place, in the small, slightly untidy kitchen, whilst he was perfectly groomed, in comparison. He was staring at them both intently, but he did not speak straight away.
"Mr Hawthorne, Miss Everdeen. I wish to speak with the both of you as soon as possible," he eventually announced, his words slow, as he took time to carefully pronounce each syllable. "I have matters I wish to discuss with you both, as a matter of urgency. Therefore, you may leave the clearing of the dining room until we have finished speaking. Hurry upstairs, to my study, however."
There was no movement in the kitchen, other than the older man's departure, until they heard the door click and his footsteps begin climbing the stairs, away from the room. Then, they both turned to look at each other, a little fear in both of their eyes. Coriolanus Snow rarely wished to speak with them personally and, if he did, it was never an opportunity to thank them for their hard work.
Gale must have seen that Katniss was panicking a little more than he was, though, because he whispered, "There is nothing to worry about, Katniss. He might just be offering us a day off."
Katniss shook her head, but said nothing. She knew that Gale had no idea about her fear of the man because she always managed to mask it so well. She also knew that whatever lecture Gale would be forced to listen to, it would be the same as normal, meaning that she would have a lecture many times worse, almost as soon as he had been sent away.
However, she just pulled her hand out of her best friend's and stepped back, saying, "You might want to get changed, Gale."
"Relax," sighed Gale as he got to his feet, watching Katniss cross the room as he picked up his jacket and shirt from the table. "If you are scared about anything happening to you, I promise I will not leave your side."
"You do not need to worry about me. I must have handled much worse at more than one point in my life," argued Katniss, sitting down at the table and plaiting her hair, whilst she waited for her best friend to get ready.
Gale paused for another minute, before he headed into his room, to change into another set of his uniform.
After she put her hair into a braid across the back of her head and over her shoulder, Katniss rested her head in her hands. She never wanted anyone to know just how terrified of Coriolanus Snow she was, but, at times, she struggled. Really, it began when she lost her mother and the man she had remarried did nothing to mourn her, hurting his step-daughter, instead. Her fear had long been flourishing for years.
She could not even dare to imagine what Coriolanus Snow had in store for her this time. She had experienced so many hardships so far that she did not think it would still be possible to think of anything worse, but that was partially because she did not want to think of anything worse that could happen. Her life had been bearable before, just about.
What pulled her out of her reverie, finally, was the feel of a gentle hand on her shoulder, so she looked up to see Gale standing above her, in a crisp new uniform. "Are you sure that you are still feeling okay?" he asked softly, trying to smile at her.
"You must remember that nothing he says could bother me and, even if it did, it would give me no excuse to avoid speaking with him," reasoned Katniss, getting to her feet with a sigh.
Gale knew that he would get no further answer from his best friend, so he gave up on talking and walked over to the door, to open it for her instead.
She acknowledged his gesture with a nod, but she secretly appreciated being able to make the walk in silence. No matter whether or not Gale meant to reassure her with words, she could not help but become more nervous every time. There were only certain conversations that she could stand, which concerned Coriolanus Snow, and what he was going to say to them was not one of them.
It did not take the two of them long to reach Coriolanus Snow's study, as both of them knew that he would not appreciate them only ambling along, so they hoped he would be a little less forceful if they got there sooner. However, they also knew that the sooner they got there, the more time they would have to do their next jobs, so the sooner they could finish.
Gale knocked when they reached the study door and waited until he heard a voice from inside allowing them to enter, before he pushed it open. Then, once they were both inside and the door was shut again, Gale and Katniss stood in front of Coriolanus Snow's desk, waiting for him to finish. It seemed to take a while, though, for him to even notice their presence.
When he did, he joint his hands together and rested them on the desk in front of him, before he said, "Mr Hawthorne, you appear to have had some trouble with your jobs this morning."
"I did not realise I had, sir," Gale lied, his hands folded behind his back.
"Well, if that is the case, your pace of work must have slowed. Are you no longer bothered with your work, Mr Hawthorne?" Coriolanus Snow asked.
Katniss glanced to her side, noticing, on her best friend's face, the quickly covered look of shock at the suggestion. Then, she saw what he wanted to answer, so she nudged his shoulder to catch his eye. She knew that he wanted to say, 'Why should it matter? I got all my jobs done in the set time. And you cannot punish me, when I am already in a job, such as this one.' She did not want to lose her best friend and she certainly did not want his family to suffer.
Sighing, Gale looked back up, replying, "I am sorry. I did not realise that my work was not to standard today. I will try harder tomorrow."
"That is the right mindset to have," agreed Coriolanus Snow. He got to his feet and picked something off the desk, offering it to Gale. "However, you will start right away. These are your next tasks. Show me what you can do."
"And Katniss?" questioned Gale, taking the list of jobs.
"She will follow you away in just a minute. She is faster than you at working," Coriolanus Snow told the younger man in front of him, shooing him away as he sat back down. However, he said nothing immediately and he did not look like he was rushing to say anything at all, as he started doing some more of the work at his desk.
Katniss knew she could not push him to say anything, though, because he would become more angry for when he started talking and he would punish her more. Unfortunately, she knew from experience.
It was nearing ten minutes after Gale had left when Coriolanus Snow opened the drawer under his desk and took something out, which he put on his lap, before he looked at Katniss. "Miss Everdeen." He paused, letting the name linger in the air because he knew it showed no connection to him whatsoever and it meant that she was nothing more than a maid to him. "I would like to speak with you about Mr Hawthorne. What were the two of you doing earlier?"
"When he was cleaning out the stables, one of the horses bit and kicked him, sir," answered Katniss.
"And why could he do nothing for his wounds?" Coriolanus Snow continued to ask.
"I offered to fix his wounds up because, from mother's interests as a child, I have some medical knowledge," Katniss told the older man. "Too, it is difficult to administer any sort of medicine on yourself."
Although he looked unimpressed by her answer, Coriolanus Snow nodded his head. "And what do you think of his work effort?"
"I think he tries his hardest, sir. He is just not to the standard that I am because he has not had as many years of practise," suggested Katniss.
Coriolanus Snow glanced out of the window and at whatever was on his lap, before he spoke again. "How do you think I could motivate him to do better? Or do you not even think he could be motivated? Should this be the end of his employment here?"
Panicked, Katniss said, "I think he is motivated enough, sir; he was just a little slower today. You should not need to make him leave because, if you did, you would have to find another person to work here, and that person might not find the pay you offer suitable, or something similar."
"I could always just employ you," Coriolanus Snow suggested. "It would save me money."
"Of course, sir." Katniss dropped her gaze to the floor, worried she'd just lost her best friend his job and, therefore, all his family's income.
"Miss Everdeen, look up," instructed Coriolanus Snow. "Do not dwell on Mr Hawthorne. He must never distract you from your work."
"Yes, sir." Katniss forced herself to look up as she spoke, so she got to see an elaborately decorated white and gold envelope, the writing on it almost as impressive as the envelope.
"Do you recognise this?" Coriolanus Snow asked.
Katniss shook her head, unsure of why she should have. "No, sir. I have seen nothing like it before."
"If that is the case, why has it been in the room that you used to stay in, upstairs, for a month?" challenged Coriolanus Snow.
"It has?" Katniss repeated almost immediately. "I have not been in that room in more than a month. I only go into where needs cleaning."
"Do not lie to me, Miss Everdeen," Coriolanus Snow complained coldly, getting to his feet and walking over to Katniss. "I received a messenger from the Palace the other night, who delivered a second copy of these letters to me. After then, I went to see where the first letters were, only to find them in that room."
"Sir, I promise I have never seen them before," Katniss began to say.
"There were three envelopes in the larger one, but only one had been opened," continued Coriolanus Snow. "The one that was opened was yours."
"I did not open it, I swear!" argued Katniss, backing away from the advancing man.
"Tell me what it contained," Coriolanus Snow instructed.
"I cannot tell you what I do not know!" Katniss replied, shrinking away when the older man's hand connected with her cheek.
"Remember, mummy and daddy never protected you when they were alive," mocked Coriolanus Snow. "How do you think they will now? I know that you know that what is in that envelope, so you might as well tell me."
As Katniss concluded that Gale must have put it in her old room, as he was the one to collect the post, she shook her head. "I cannot tell you what I do not know," she said for a second time, although she was a little less hysterical the second time around.
"In that case, not that you ever would if you had read it, you will not be going to the Prince's ball tonight, at the Palace," Coriolanus Snow decided. "You may help Gliceria and Claudette get ready, but you are forbidden to leave this house. That means, however, that you will have no other jobs today. I hope you realise that I obviously cannot pay you the same as I usually would, therefore."
He stepped away from the girl, picked up her envelope from the table, ripped it into tiny pieces, before he threw it on the fire.
Katniss felt her heart shattering as she watched the white paper shrivel up, blackening as the flames engulfed it. Then, as it began to disappear from her sight, she stood up straighter and asked, "Where are your daughters?"
"In the same room as I found those letters," Coriolanus Snow answered, after he had taken a seat behind his desk and begun to work again. "If you can tamper with our post, I may tamper with the room that is no longer yours."
Without saying another word, Katniss walked out of the study, leaving the door swinging open as she quickly walked down the corridor. She was terrified at what she would find in her old room, other than the two spoilt girls. It may have no longer been her room, but she often still went there to make sure that nothing fell into ruin, and to also seek comfort from happy memories of the past.
It was the room she had shared with her mother because they both used to get terrible nightmares and seeking comfort with each other used to be the only thing that could settle their nerves. Therefore, more of the things in the room belonged to her mother, but they were once due to be passed down to her, when she was old enough; the only thing was that she was never old enough when she could use them.
One of her favourite things in the room, in fact, was the wardrobe. It was full of many beautiful and not too heavy dresses that her mother had worn when she was young, and still occasionally wore when she became older. The one she treasured most, though, was the silvery-white coloured one, which she had worn as her wedding dress, only for her father.
However, when Katniss pushed the door open to the room and entered it, she felt her breath freeze in her throat and tears pool at her eyes. On the floor, spread out like it had just been dumped there, was the beautiful wedding dress. The worst thing was not its apparent discard, but the fact that both her stepsisters were kneeling over it, ripping it to shreds.
She stood in the doorway, unable to move, no matter how much she wanted to save the dress. Even as she stood there, she did not try to keep up the appearance of never not smiling, as she let the tears fall down her face, without a thought for appearances. She just could not comprehend that she was seeing her mother's wedding dress being ruined.
When Glimmer finally looked up, a smirk covered her painted face, as she said, "Ahh Kitty Kat, my sweetness, you came. Claudette and I have been waiting so long to see you. We have not had the delight of seeing you for an hour or so."
Katniss still could not move, let alone reply to her stepsisters' taunting remarks, so she dropped her gaze back to the dress on the floor, when she heard the sound of a large rip being made.
"Come on, you scrawny mog," complained Clove, getting to her feet. "If one of us speaks to you, society dictates that you reply politely to us." She walked to where Katniss still stood, slammed the door behind her, and then grabbed Katniss by the arm, to drag her forward.
"Did father tell you that we have some tasks for you to do for us?" asked Glimmer as soon as Clove stopped with the younger girl, pushing the dress away, to the side.
Immediately, Katniss could move, as she pulled away from Clove, before she ran across the room, to retrieve the dress. When Glimmer discarded it in such a manner, she pushed it towards the fire, only for the bottom of it to catch alight. Katniss, of course, lifted it out before too much damage was made, but it was still enough to make things worse.
Glimmer was at her side in a flash, pulling the younger girl to her feet, a stinging slap to Katniss' cheek sent her way as soon as she snatched the dress back out of her hands. "If you touch that dress one more time, girl, I swear I will throw the whole thing into the flames, and you with it."
Her cheek still throbbing, Katniss' eyes looked down, following the dress as it crumpled into a pile. Then, quietly, she whispered, "Yes, miss. Sorry, miss."
"I cannot hear what you are saying to me," scolded Glimmer, grabbing the younger girl's chin and forcing her to look up. "I do hope it is nice."
"I said that I am sorry for my incompetence, Lady Gliceria. I will endeavour to improve my attitude," lied Katniss, not bothering to wipe her cheeks dry.
Glimmer frowned a little, but let go, wiping her hand on her dress as she stepped back. "If that is the case, you can begin by helping us immediately. You need to help us prepare for the Prince's ball, which you will not be going to because you are such a fool that you believed that hiding the letters would prevent us from going."
"Yes. You will not get the chance to meet the Prince," Clove agreed. "Do you know why he is holding this ball tonight? It is so he can look for a suitable wife. Imagine that. We could get the chance to marry the Prince. One of us will. That is, Gliceria or I will marry him."
Katniss bit back any bitter comments she wanted to say and forced herself, instead, to ask, "How may I help you?"
"Help us get dressed first," instructed Clove. "We would like your assistance in choosing a dress to suit us."
Of course, that meant that they were going to go through Katniss' mother's dresses, to choose the most sparkly and obscure dresses instead. They did not really need Katniss help, either; they just wanted her to see them discarding more of her mother's beautiful dresses on the floor, as if they were rubbish. However, eventually, they each chose a suitable dress for impressing the Prince.
Glimmer must have found the most crystal decorated dress in the whole wardrobe, which Katniss considered an impressive feat, as she didn't realise her mother had owned any. It was a soft pink, with silver crystals across the entire bodice, especially around the neck. It was obviously going to enhance her greatly, which was why she chose it.
Clove's choice was a peach coloured, frilly dress, which, again, Katniss did not recognise; she wondered if they had just been put in her mother's wardrobe for effect. Although it was obviously going to be as enhancing as her sister's, hers was not as elaborately decorated. It did not have crystals that made it look like she could be found in a gemstone mine, but the frills may have been even more ridiculous looking.
Katniss began by helping the sisters take off their normally strange dresses, before she replaced them with the new ones. Her fingers made quick work of the ribbon that tied their corsets tight, before she made sure that their skirts fell properly. She gave them each a pair of shoes to match their dresses, once she had helped them with everything to do with their dresses, too.
The jewellery that went alongside their dresses hardly matched, but they did not care, as long as it sparkled. And they certainly did. Glimmer's neck must have been nearly dragged down by the weight of the hundreds of jewels that surrounded it, but she claimed that she looked beautiful. Clove's neck, on the other hand, had been covered in golden jewellery, but chains and chains more than necessary.
Katniss hoped more than thought that she might have been finished after then, but she was mistaken. First, she had to do whatever elaborate hairstyle the sisters demanded, until they decided it was suitable. Then, after that, she had to paint their faces with the tonnes of makeup that they both thought was necessary.
When Katniss finally finished, she was more than relieved to realise that she could go to her room to cry, to mourn everything that had hit her at once. However, before she was dismissed, she glanced back, towards the ruined dress. She knew that she could not leave it where it was, for fear of losing it completely, but she doubted her stepsisters would let her take it.
"Ahh, of course," muttered Glimmer, right behind Katniss. "You want to know what happens to those rags, now."
The tears that had not left her eyes once, since Coriolanus Snow had spoken to her less than a few hours earlier, began to fall again, as Katniss listened to the dismissal of the dress. Glimmer walked forward and picked the dress up, with one hanging bit of the sleeve. "We cannot just leave it here, can we? It would leave the room in such a mess."
With a smirk on her face, Clove walked towards her sister, to suggest something to her that Katniss could not hear.
Glimmer's face lit up when she heard the idea, and she tipped her head to the side, to look at the younger girl. "I think that's an incredible idea, Claudette. But would she like it?"
"Why would she not?" replied Clove. "It could make her feel as if she's going to the Prince's ball."
Bad idea after bad idea came crashing towards her, so Katniss began to shake her head, trying to walk back, only for Clove to quickly appear behind her and stop her.
"There is no need to worry, dear sister. We will make you look beautiful," Clove said, her fingernails digging into Katniss' shoulder as she walked her forward.
The two sisters, of course, did not wait for Katniss' consent, before they pulled her maid's uniform off of her, only to laugh at her skinny body. When they eventually got bored, they made her watch them burn some more of the dress, before they put the dress on her. Then, they decorated her with makeup, not even they would wear, and yanked her hair into a ridiculous style.
"You look so pretty," laughed Clove.
"Any animal with no eyes would think so, at least," agreed Glimmer.
Katniss knew that, when she started crying, the makeup would smudge and make her look worse, but she believed she was long past the point of caring.
"You might as well leave, now," Glimmer instructed. "Go back to that hovel you call a home, and show that boyfriend of yours how beautiful you can look."
Both sisters dragged Katniss forward and opened the door, before they shoved her out and into the corridor. Then, as soon as the door was shut, Katniss ran away, taking every shortcut she had not earlier, so she could hide sooner. She did not even pay any attention to Gale when she quickly passed through the kitchen, scared of what he would think of her.
She shut the door to her small room downstairs as soon as she was inside, before she threw herself onto her bed, covering her face with the pillow as tears streamed down her face. She had lost everything she never really had and everything she even slightly owned had been ruined. No doubt, she would probably lose the last connections she had to her family soon, but there was nothing she could do to prevent it.
Even if he had never meant to, Gale had started the spiral of everything going wrong. He had collected those letters and hid them in her room, thinking that she would eventually find them. But she was not the first to. And she was the one who was blamed for them. She knew she had hardly been punished in Coriolanus Snow' eyes, so she dreaded what would happen when he and his daughters returned from the ball.
What her stepsisters did hardly surprised her because they never did anything with regard of Katniss' thoughts, other than to hurt her. Being forced to dress and prepare them for the ball was no hardship, other than knowing that she could not go. But seeing them ruin her mother's wedding dress in such a way, and then forcing her into it, made her realise how similar to witches they could be.
She could not brave facing anyone anymore, especially one that would ask questions. Although she may not have blamed Gale for what he did, as he thought he was doing the right thing, he was going to try to talk to her soon and she was not prepared to. She could only see herself as a coward, so she did not want anyone to see her in the same way.
However, not a moment later, she heard a soft knock on the door and Gale's voice saying, "Katniss?"
It took all of Katniss' effort to croak back, "Please stay outside, Gale."
"Why?" asked Gale.
"I am hideous and you do not deserve to see me in such a way," Katniss replied.
"I do not believe that you could be anything but beautiful," Gale argued, his words tying his best friend's stomach in knots. "I need to talk to you."
"No." Katniss pulled her knees up to her chest and pulled the blanket over her form, as she wrapped her arms around her knees.
"Katniss, please. I swear it is important." Gale sighed as he stood by the door, waiting for his best friend to answer. After waiting for a few minutes, only to hear nothing, though, he pushed the door open and entered the room. "Oh, Katniss."
"I do not want your pity, Mr Hawthorne," muttered Katniss, not moving into his sight.
"Why would I be giving you pity?" complained Gale, crouching down in front of his best friend and trying to lift the blanket that covered her, only to have her hold it tightly down. "I just want to help you."
"Why would I need your help?" Katniss asked.
"Are you not going out tonight?" Gale replied.
Katniss tensed when she heard his words, the blanket she was holding down clenching in her fists. "Actually, I think you will find that, thanks to you, I have been forbidden to leave this house tonight."
"What was it that I did?" questioned Gale.
"Has this household been sent any letters from the Palace recently?" Katniss paused, waiting to hear an answer that did not come. "And was one of them opened? And did they all get hidden in my room?"
"I did not want those evil stepsisters of yours to get hold of them, Katniss. I assumed that you would go into your room and find them," Gale began to try to explain.
"You imbecile!" shouted Katniss, finally sitting up and exposing herself. "How can I find something that I do not know exists? However, if Coriolanus Snow realises that we should have them, he can easily find them, and who gets the blame, then? I do, Gale Hawthorne. He blames me."
Gale froze where he was, staring at his best friend because of her words, rather than her appearance. He tried to speak a few times, before looking away, rubbing his face with his hands. "I did not mean to do anything to hurt you. I would never do anything to hurt you, Katniss. What did they do to you?"
Katniss sighed, unable to stay annoyed for any longer; it was not in her nature to be annoyed, let alone angry with her best friend. "My stepsisters- I had to help them get ready and I went into my room to see them destroying my mother's wedding dress. Once they were dressed, they put me in the dress and made me look like a clown. And, of course, I cannot go to the ball tonight."
"I am so sorry," Gale whispered, looking back up and wrapping his arms around his best friend. "If there was anything I could do to help, I swear I would. Even if the only thing I could do was kill Snow."
"Stop saying things like that," scolded Katniss, sniffling slightly as she rested her face on her best friend's shoulder. "You know he always walks in at the worst possible time."
"I have learnt that, yes," agreed Gale. "Now, are you sure that there is no way I can undo the damage I have done?"
Katniss nodded, tightening her hold on the back of her best friend's jacket.
"Fine. Then, we shall have our own ball, right here. Or in the kitchen, at least. We will put the Prince's to shame." Gale got back to his feet, his best friend still in his arms, and walked into the kitchen. There, he put her down on the table and let her go, so that he walk over to the sink and wet a dishcloth. "I still think you look beautiful."
"And that is why you are my best friend. You make me feel better when I feel like dirt," agreed Katniss, sitting still when Gale began to wipe her cheeks with the wet dishcloth.
Gale smiled, throwing the dishcloth behind him when he had finished. "Now, there is no need to cry. I do not want people to think that I have been mistreating you, when we are dancing together."
The hint of the smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, as Katniss took her best friend's offered hand, after he bowed deeply, and she slid off the table. Then, when he guided her other hand to his shoulder and he put his other on her hip, she whispered, "I must warn you that I have not had to dance for years. The last time I danced was before I lost my mother."
"Well, we will have to make the most of our mistakes, then," decided Gale, spinning Katniss around.
When the smile finally settled on Katniss' face, as she danced around the room with her best friend, she did not let it drop once. She may have still been hurting more than anything inside, but at least he had lessened the pain by apologising, and then making her smile. It may not have had all the same effects as a ball at the Palace may have done, but she still felt like a princess.
As she went to lean her head on Gale's shoulder, however, she jumped away at the sound of an unfamiliar voice complimenting, "You two certainly are enthusiastic dancers."
Katniss span around, only to see two people she had never see before, who both stood by the doorway. One of the people was a man with dark skin and black clothes, the only colour he wore being a flick of gold around his eyes. On the other hand, the female person wore nothing but colour; her dress, which flaired out at the waist, was bright pink, as were the shoes that were visible beneath her dress, whilst her makeup was a darker pink and her curled hair was gold.
However, neither Katniss, nor Gale seemed able to ask the people who they were, and just stared at them, instead.
Eventually, the two people got the hint and the woman asked, "Would you like to know who we are?"
Slowly, Katniss nodded, unsure whether or not she really did want to know. Of course, she wanted to know why they were there, but she did not want to hear if they were only there to make her hurt more.
"I am Effie, your fairy godmother, and this is Cinna," the woman motioned to the man beside her, "your fairy godfather."
"You are my godparents?" repeated Katniss. She had not met anyone with connections to her past after her mother died, so even friends of her parents were incredible.
"Fairy godparents," corrected Effie. "We are meant to come, whenever you really need our help."
"Then, why is the first time you have come today?" interjected Gale. Surprised, his best friend turned to look at him, but he carried on, without meeting her gaze. "I mean, for how long has she unnecessarily been forced into servitude, for a family that is not even hers. It is only a piece of paper that binds her to them, but you have never thought of coming to save her before-"
"Gale, stop," Cinna instructed, catching the younger man off guard by knowing his name. "We have not come before today because the hardships she has faced have made her who she is today. She is so strong and brave, due to having to face all her fears. Too, you are her best friend, are you not? You have done so much for her, but would you be here, if not for the conditions she is kept in?"
Gale fell quiet, so Katniss ventured to ask, "What is so special about today, then?"
"Are you not currently meant to be dancing with the Prince?" challenged Cinna.
"No, not really," Katniss quietly disagreed. "I have been forbidden to leave the house and any form of invitation I had to the Palace has been destroyed, really."
"You are unrecognisable now, however. Do you think anyone could complain about you, looking the way you do?" Cinna replied.
"They certainly could," decided Katniss. "I look horrible-"
"Katniss, have you looked at yourself in the past few minutes?" interrupted Gale.
Katniss turned to face him once again, only to see him staring at her, wide eyed. Tentatively, she looked down at the ruined dress she wore, only to realise it no longer looked in such a state; in fact, it looked better than she had ever seen it before. The top half of her dress hugged her form, silver creeping up her neck and down her arms. The skirt, then, gently flowed to the floor, the white slightly covered with a pale blue overskirt.
Without thinking twice, she dashed to her room, so that she could look in the mirror on the wall. Her hair had been curled softly, with a light dusting of silver glitter covering it. The same glitter dusted her cheeks and around her eyes, with white highlighting the grey in her eyes; it was only her lips that were a different colour: a pale pink.
Stunned, she slowly walked back to the kitchen, glancing down at the glass slippers on her feet. Then, once she had returned, she asked, "Did you really do this?" Both Effie and Cinna nodded, so she said, "Thank you, but I am still struggling to understand why."
"It is because you deserve to be treated well, every now and then," answered Effie. "You have done so much good. It is time you got some good, too."
"They speak the truth, Katniss," agreed Gale with a sigh, looking down, instead of at his best friend. "Go and meet the Prince. He will be able to give you everything you deserve."
"Gale." Katniss paused, walking over to her best friend and taking his face in her hands. "I do not have go, if you rather I did not."
Grey eye met grey, as Gale shook his head. "No. I must disregard any of my own thoughts now. If I want you to be happy, I need to wish that you find a rich man, who will look after you and provide you with everything you ever needed. I would never be able to do that for you."
"Thank you, Gale," whispered Katniss, standing on her toes to kiss his forehead. "I promise not to be gone for long. Despite him being the Prince, you are, primarily, my best friend and you do not deserve to be left on your own for too long."
"You must remember, too, that you must have left before the final strike of midnight," Effie told the younger girl. "Our magic will only work until then. After that, your dress will return to how it was before and you will look like nothing more than a serving girl to them."
Katniss nodded, stepping away from Gale slowly, before, five steps away, she turned back to look at Cinna and Effie. "What do I do now?"
"You go to the Palace, to win over the Prince," answers Cinna. "Outside, there is a carriage, with a footman and a coachman, waiting for you, but you have to remember that they are really nothing more than a pumpkin and some creatures that were seen running around in the garden. Like you, they will transform into what they were before."
Katniss went to speak, to thank them for their efforts once again, but they chased her out the door before she got the chance. They said that she might as well spend all available time with the Prince, so there was no point her wasting it with them. Therefore, she climbed into the carriage as soon as she got outside, becoming exceedingly nervous as she felt the carriage moving along, towards the Palace.
All too soon, they arrived and Katniss was helped out the carriage by an older man, who had straw-like hair and smelt a little like alcohol. Katniss thanked him, before walking up to the steps, about to enter the Palace. Luckily, no one was there to check who she was as, when walking up to the doors, she remembered she had no letter, so she just slipped in.
Once inside, she forced herself to walk away from the door, before she looked around, knowing she would be too stunned to move when she actually saw it. Indeed, when she did finally look up, she almost gasped at the beauty of it, after having been kept in plain conditions for most of her life. She could not even begin to imagine what it was like to live in such a place.
The circular ceiling of the room was taller than any she had ever seen before, and it was painted white, decorated with gold swirls and flowers. Tapestries, paintings and other decorations hung from the wall, surrounded by hanging sheets of material. Even the food was more elaborate than she had made or even tasted before, and it took up three quarters of the edge of the room. And, of course, there was the round dance floor, full of hundreds of brightly dressed people, all dancing to the music of the orchestra that played from the middle of the room.
Somewhere within those people, her two stepsisters would be dancing, although she thought it was just as likely if they were stood at the side, judging everyone with their father. But, most importantly, the Prince was somewhere around there, too.
"You look in awe of something, young lady," a soft voice stated.
Katniss span around, to look at the owner of the voice, who stood close to her, only to recognise the man.
He wore a dark blue jacket and similarly coloured riding breeches, which he filled out well, and had his hands tucked behind his back. The slight curls of his hair were almost a golden colour, and they fell into his eyes, which were a few shades paler than the outfit he wore. For some reason, the Prince had come out of his way to meet her.
Katniss curtseyed deeply, her face staying down as she stood back up. "I was admiring your home, your highness."
Sighing, the Prince stepped forward, and Katniss felt the tip of a finger sliding beneath her chin, to lift it. "I apologise, but I will struggle to speak to you, if you find the floor a more interesting companion than me."
Fighting the urge to question his choice to speak with her, Katniss said, "I was admiring how beautiful your home is."
"It is nowhere near as beautiful as you are," the Prince argued.
"I do not think that is true, your highness," disagreed Katniss, a blush creeping across her cheeks.
"Peeta," corrected the Prince. "And it certainly is. I have lived here all my life and nothing has ever caught my attention like you did, when you entered the room. I would like, therefore, to be able to tell my friends that I have danced with the most incredible girl in my entire Kingdom. Will you dance with me, now?"
Nervously, Katniss took the Prince's offered hand and allowed him to lead her forward, onto the dance floor. Very few couples stopped dancing when they reached the floor, but Katniss could feel every pair of eyes on her as she stood still. She had not factored in the other people in the room when she dreamt of dancing with the Prince, earlier.
"I must warn you that I have never really danced. The last time I tried was when my nest friend, who has never really danced either, tried to teach me," she admitted.
"And is she here today, to show me how well she can dance?" Peeta asked, bowing deeply as his dance partner curtseyed.
"He is not," answered Katniss.
"Oh. That is a relief. I suppose that means I have no competition here," decided Peeta, a smile flitting across his lips as the two of them straightened up.
Without thinking, Katniss replied, "You do not have much competition anywhere."
Peeta guided Katniss' hand that was not in his own to rest on his shoulder, before his own fell to her hip. Then, he said quietly, next to her ear, "I am touched that you think so."
Attempting to smile in the way he did, Katniss glanced around the room, before her eyes returned, to find that he had been intently watching her.
At the closeness she was in, though, she could study how he looked in more detail. She could see the thousands of shades of blue in his eyes, the length of his eyelashes, the faint scar through his right eyebrow. She could see how his golden curls fell over the tops of his ears, how there was a dimple in just one of his cheeks, how one side of his lips quirked up higher than the other. Most importantly, she could see how incredible he was.
"You are truly magnificent," whispered Peeta, tucking a stray curl behind Katniss' ear, before his hand returned to her hip, so that he could spin her around. "Do you know how magnificent you are?"
Katniss could not help but shake her head. She was a maid, not a respectable lady; she lived in rags, not in ball gowns; and, unfortunately, she was going to marry someone like her, not the Prince. Despite all that she dreamed of, she wanted to know whether or not he would still think the same about her, if he were to see her as she really was.
"I would do anything for you, to prove it," Peeta muttered.
"There is no need to prove it, now. We must part ways, must we not?" Katniss began to say. "The music has finished, which means you must switch dance partners-"
"Only if I am bored of the current one," interrupted Peeta. "I swear I will never become bored of you."
Katniss felt a large smile beginning to appear over her lips, so she replied, "I have never had anyone compliment me so highly before."
"You certainly deserve every word I say and more," Peeta decided.
They stayed together for the rest of the night, Katniss tightly holding onto one of the Prince's hands, whilst he guided her carefully around the room. Katniss knew that people were as interested in her after hours of dancing with the Prince and not moving for anything, but she had stopped caring. All she could think about was the man in front of her and how he made her feel.
They rarely spoke for the hours that they were dancing, though, and, if they did, it was the Prince who started the conversation. However, Katniss asked eventually, "How long does this party gone on for, then?"
"Like I said, we finish when I am bored of you," Peeta answered, stroking the girl's cheek. "And I said I will never be bored of you. The others might leave because I am here, with you, but I honestly do not care."
"Your words mean the world to me, your highness," replied Katniss.
"I have told you already that it is Peeta," complained the man. "And I wish to always be able to compliment you."
One strike.
Katniss felt a blush creeping across her cheeks, but she said nothing.
Two strikes.
"Do you know what the purpose of this ball is tonight?" Peeta asked.
Three strikes.
Katniss shook her head.
Four strikes.
Peeta brought his dance partner to a halt and took hold of her face in his hands.
Five strikes.
"This ball has been held for me to find a wife," admitted Peeta.
Six strikes.
"And you are perfect for me," Peeta finished.
Seven strikes.
Without waiting, Peeta captured Katniss' lips with his.
Eight strikes. Every thought left Katniss' mind as she returned his kiss.
Nine strikes.
The two both fought for dominance in the kiss, as Peeta pulled Katniss closer to him.
Ten strikes.
As Katniss felt everyone's eyes on her, she remembered the warning she had been given.
Eleven strikes.
Without any warning, Katniss pushed Peeta's arms away and ran.
Twelve strikes.
Katniss reached the door just as she felt her dress turning back to rags.
As she ran down the stairs, she felt the glass slipper on her right foot slipping, but she did not dare turn back when it fell off, for fear of someone catching her. Most of all, she was terrified that the Prince would catch up with her and see who she really was. She did not want to risk ruining what he thought of her, by him seeing her as a maid in rags.
So, despite only having one slipper still on, Katniss continued to run, without looking back. However, after having spent so much of her life in the woods, it did not take long for her to reach a road, just two away from the one on which her house was. She paused for just a minute, untying the ribbon on her other shoe and slipping it off her foot, to finish walking home.
It did not take long for her to reach the backdoor and enter the kitchen silently, where she put her other slipper in her room, before leaving it again. The first place she aimed for was her best friend's room, so she stepped up to his door and knocked softly, waiting for him to answer before she moved again.
Just a few minutes after she knocked, Gale walked to the door and opened, saying, "I expected you to be back earlier."
As he stepped back, allowing Katniss to enter his room, she sat down on his bed and grinned. "I did not notice the time passing. All too soon, it was midnight and I was still dancing with the Prince. I just forgot about everything when I was with him. It was incredible."
Katniss continued to retell her best friend everything that happened, still amazed at all that had passed in the past few hours. She was still struggling to believe that all of it had happened to her, the maid that nothing good ever happened to.
She continued to talk until they both agreed that they would not be let up from their duties the next morning, so it would be best to sleep.
The next morning, when Katniss went to assist her stepsisters, all they spoke about was the beautiful girl, who had captured the heart of the Prince. He had fallen completely for her and would have asked her to marry him that night, if not for the fact that she ran away before he got the chance. At the end of the ball, he announced that he would find her again and ask her to be his wife.
Butterflies began to appear in Katniss' stomach when she heard talk of the Prince's plan, especially as she had thought of nothing but him since he first spoke to her. Of course, she completed all of her everyday tasks to their usual standard, but her mind was obviously elsewhere. However, to Coriolanus Snow and his daughters, she hid her distraction, so they would not know.
That afternoon, Katniss set out into the woods, with her bow over her shoulder, with the instruction to get the ingredients for a meal that would impress them as much as the food last night did. She was not meant to know what kind of food that would entail, but Katniss did not argue about a few blissful hours alone, in the woods. They had always been her haven and would allow her to still be a perfect shot, even if her mind was still in the past.
Because of the exertion of hunting, she tied her hair into a braid as she went about, collecting any game she shot into the bag on her shoulder. However, it did not take long for her to gather all the meat she would need, so she began to head home, thinking about which herbs and vegetables from the garden she could use. There, she dug out all she would need with her hands, so some dirt ended up smeared across her cheeks and forehead when she began to move inside.
When she reached the kitchen, everything was eerily quiet. She thought at least Gale should have been in there, unless his current task dictated he should be somewhere else. When she looked up, though, she realised that she was not alone, that the six other people in the room had just been silently watching her. And one of them was the Prince.
Immediately, she dropped the bag of game to the floor and curtseyed. "Your highness, I must apologise for the state of the kitchen and myself. If I had known that you were coming here, I would have cleaned up-"
"Young lady, please look at me," interrupted Peeta, staying on the other side of the room, instead of moving over to tip her chin up. "I am not here to judge the state of anything. I am looking for the woman who stole my heart last night. I am searching the whole of my Kingdom, every household for her. And I will not stop until she is back at my side, as my wife."
Katniss stared at him, unsure of what to say. He was actually searching everywhere to find her. He really cared for her that much. She had never realised anyone could love her in such a way before.
"When she ran, one of her shoes fell off. That is what I am using to identify her with. The two other ladies of this household have already attempted to wear the shoe, but it did not fit." Katniss glanced up ay her two stepsisters, who had red rimmed eyes, and then back to the Prince. "Now, it is your turn to try."
Before Katniss got the chance to speak, however, Coriolanus Snow argued, "I forbade her to leave the house last night. There is no point in seeing if it will fit her-."
"Good sir, I care not for your opinion in this present moment," Peeta interrupted for a second time. "All I currently care about is finding my wife."
"And how can you not remember her face?" challenged Coriolanus Snow.
"I have a pretty good idea of what she looks like, sir, but I will go with what I vowed to do," argued Peeta, not catching Katniss' eyes, before he turned to look at her. "Now, young lady, please come here, so I can see if this shoe fits."
Katniss knocked her muddy shoes off by the door, before she paused. "May I retrieve something from my room first, your highness?"
Peeta looked at her for a few seconds, before he nodded slowly. "Hurry now. I have many other houses to visit and I have already wasted some time, waiting for you to return from outside."
Katniss was almost touched by his words, the slight care for her in his words, but she said nothing more as she walked quickly to her room. There, she picked up the only remaining proof of the night before she had and wrapped it in her apron, before returning into the kitchen. She left the bundle on the table, before she stepped up to the Prince. He did not say anything, but the man with bronze hair beside him knelt down, placing the other glass slipper on the floor in front of Katniss.
Her movements were tentative as she slipped her foot into the shoe, but covered it up again, before no one saw. Then, she stepped back, picked up the bundle off the table and handed it to the Prince. "You may want to look at what it contains," suggested Katniss, not lifting the skirt of her dress, to reveal how perfectly her foot fit, until the Prince had unwrapped the shoe.
A grin covered the Prince's face, before he looked up, his bright blue eyes shining. "I knew it was you!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Katniss' back, to spin her around. "You cannot believe how terrified I was when I saw you ran. I thought I had done something horribly wrong."
"You could never do anything wrong," Katniss replied without missing a beat, as soon as she was placed back on the ground.
It was less than a few seconds before Peeta's lips had captured Katniss' for a second time, regardless of anyone who was watching. And Katniss forgot to care, too. She was back in the arms of the man she truly loved and she could not imagine anywhere she would rather be.
When they finally pulled apart, Peeta announced to the girl in his arms, more than anyone else in the room, "This young lady will be coming home with me, now. She will be made my wife as soon as we can marry."
Katniss smiled softly, only pausing slightly to ask, "As long as my best friend can come with us. I do not trust the people here in the slightest."
"Anything for you, my love," agreed Peeta.
So Katniss and Peeta married, Gale never had to work as a servant again, and Coriolanus Snow and his daughters were evicted from the Everdeen household.
And most people lived happily ever after.
AN: Sorry it's slightly late and probably not proofread and definitely the longest stand-alone chapter I've ever written... But Merry Christmas, and I hope you've enjoyed all the one-shots I've posted this week! So please maybe review- even if it's as small as a smiley face- as a Christmas present for me, and then I'll do something nice for you!