The Hanging Tree: Born to Live.
He whispered for Her to come to the tree.
She glanced up at him. Staring into His loving eyes.
"But what tree?" She asked him.
"The hanging tree, where they slung my father for the three men he murdered," He told her, still whispering, sending shivers down her spine.
Her and Her love were both wanted. They lived in a world where every year, their rulers sent twenty four inesent childern to their death. They were both picked agents the horrible odds.
So they ran.
They ran away. And didn't look back. They traveled through the twelve cities that made their broken country. Never did they go to the Capital. The home of those who enjoy and look forward to watching those inesent childeren die every year.
Her love was the son of a famous criminal. He murdered the three men who killed her lovers mother. They hanged him in a tree just outside of the city that was farthest from the Capitol. It was the twelveth city and the poorest.
Her and Her love once made their home in the fourth city until they ran away. They had spent three years on the run from their government now. And not once did they question their choise to run. If they hadn't they would either have had to kill one another or watch one another be killed by some stranger that lost their innocence by doing so.
They were in the twelveth city and the government workers who were determined to kill them were coming close to finding them. They had decided to split up and meet each other every night. Tonight, they were going to meet in the tree that her loves father died in.
She nodded and He leaned down to kiss Her. After the kiss, She turned to leave.
He watched as His love left. He didn't want to spilt up and be apart from Her. The thought of the government finding Her and what they would do to Her haunted His mind.
He walked through out the city. He cot a few glimpses of Her through the crouds. When He saw the government workers in their white uniforms His heart quickend and His blood boiled under His skin as He thought of them coming closer and closer to His love.
Without thinking He ran for Her. He grabbed Her arm and pulled Her along until She was running just as fast as He was. They ran to the outscirts of the city and soon they where in the neiborhood where the miners lived. They didn't stop running until they came to the fense. They had been here before and knew that there was no danger in touching the fense like there should be. They climbed over the fense the last time they had been there but when He looked behind them He could see the distent blur of white uniform making its way to them.
He didn't understand, how could they know where they were going, how did they know what they were planning? And why are there more government works here then there were before? Realiztion hit him like a train.
They already knew they were in the twelveth city.
He looked back and pulled out a knife. He cut through the chains as fast as He could. He pulled it away and told His love to crual through and run.
"Don't you dare wait for me," He told His love.
"Just run, run as fast as you can and never look back. Run to the hanging tree."
His love did as He told Her and crawled through the fence and ran as fast as She could. He glanced back and saw that the government workers were coming in fast. He didn't waste anytime and crawled through the fence and ran after his love. She was yards ahead of him making Him feel satisfied to know that she was safe.
Soon she was to far ahead for Him to see Her. It was getting dark and He began to fear if She was able to find the tree.
By midnght he found Himself at the tree. The dim light of a lantern glowed in the branches. He smiled at the glow.
He called for His love and soon he saw Her joyful face in the landern light high above Him. He climbed the tree and sat with Her in the hanging tree. The robe neckless hanging bellow them.
"How long can we keep running?" She asked him.
"They knew we were there today, they may even know where we will be tomorrow," She told Him.
"That's imposible, we don't even know where we'll be," He huffed, not wanting to admit that She had a point.
"Just sleep, tomorrow with be better," He told her. But She didn't like that.
"No. Why can't you admit that we can't run forever!" She yelled at him.
"Its not even a question of if, this now a question of when," She told him as tears spilled from her eyes.
"But what is it we're questioning?" He asked Her even though He already knew the answer. He just wanted to hear Her say it, for her to let down Her pride and say it, then and only then would He to put down His pride as well.
"That they will find us and kill us. We once wondered if they would find us, know we must wonder when they find us," She told Him as more tears steamed from Her eyes. He held her close.
"We can't lose faith," he whispered in her ear. "Not now, not when we need it most."
That night they climbed down the tree and lead in a bed of katniss flowers that gathered around the hanging tree. They lost their innocence that night.
In the morning he woke up feeling guilty. He had made love at the tree his father died in. He sighed. At least it was with the womanHe loved.
He woke her up gently. When Her eyes opened, She looked up at him. She smiled. He smiled back and brushed the hair away from her face.
She got up and climbed up the tree. He followed her up but she wasn't paying him too much attention when she saw carvings in the tree. They read things like: Someone loves Someone or Someone hates Someone.
But there was thing that got her attention.
Are you coming. Is what it read in smooth letters, unlike the rigid letters of the promises to love or hate.
She ran her fingers over the words. They said too little but meant so much, in so many ways that She didn't understand.
"Strange things have happened here," She whispered.
"And stranger things will happen here. A place as rare and as odd as this place always have ways of surprising you," Her love told Her. She just nodded.
She began to hum a melody.
"Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where they strung up a man they say murdered three
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree."
She sang it as if She had known the words all her life. She glanced over to Her love who was watching Her with love, awe and pain. Before for they could say anything the loud sound of many huseling footsteps overwelmed the silent forest. He grabbed His loves arm and pulled Her down the tree with Him.
By the time they got down, three government workers in their white unifroms stood in front of them. He pulled out the bow that was straped to His back and ran for His quiver of arrows that were laying on the ground from the night before. The first arrow He shot hit one man's arm. He turned to His love.
"Run!" He yelled. When She didn't, one of the men pulled out a knife and tried to throw it at Her.
His instincts took over, He grabbed His love's arm and pulled Her behind Him. The knife hit the hanging tree instead. The second arrow He shot hit the man who threw the knife in the chest and he fell to his knees before landing flat on his face. When he fell on his face they all saw the tip of the arrow pocking out of his back.
He turned to His love again.
"Run! Now! I'll keep them busy!" He yelled.
"But how will we find each other again?" She cried.
"I will stop at nothing to find you again," He told Her before crashing His lips onto Her's. She was crying by the time they pulled away.
"Run," He whispered. She nodded and turned to run through the trees. He turned back to the two men that were still standing. He heard the one with the arrow in his arm mutter for the other to go after His love. His eyes widened and His instincse took over agian. Before the man could even start running after Her, He sent an arrow through his heart.
He turned to the last man standing.
"How about you?" He yelled.
"Do you have the nerve or stupidity to go after her?" He yelled.
The man reached for his gun but before his fingers could even curl around the trigger, He sent an arrow through his gut and the man fell to the ground.
He was breathing hard as He stared down at the three limp bodies. At the three dead bodies. At the three men He murdered. He had became His father. He was becoming the man in His loves song. She was right, it was no longer a question of if, it was know a question of when.
She kept running and running as Her love had told Her. Tears streamed from Her eyes. For all She knew, He was dead. She ran all day until the first stars hinted at the night, when Her legs finally gave in and She colapsed. No one was there to catch Her and She cut Her anckle on a rock. The gash bled out and She cried for Her love. But He never came. She was lost and Her love was gone.
Months past and Her ankle heated with the help of herbs She dared to test on herself. She searched for Him. It was the only think that gave Her life purpose; to find Him.
And of course, to keep His child safe.
Yes. She was expecting His child and could never be more nervous. Then, she thought of a scary idea that she couldn't bear to think of: He was caught and killed. Their child deserved a father.
He never stopped searching for Her. He promised He would find Her again and He was going to. Even if it was the last thing He did. He soon found a lake in the forest. Near that lake, He also found a clearing. The pefect place to make a home. He cut down trees and made a small cabin. When He wasn't working on the cabin He was searching for Her.
He screamed Her name on the nights He missed Her most. He wished He was with Her, there to protect Her. But no, it wasn't that easy. He had to find Her.
She traveled through the forest. Finding it more difecult to travel each day. Her child only had a few more months left. She had to find a safe place to have Her child. She couldn't have the child in the wild forest. It may just die as it is being born. If not it will die in the condistions of the wild. The thought brought tears to Her eyes.
One stormy night. He was searching for Her. She couldn't see throught the ran. She didn't know where She was going until She suddenly tripped over something.
She turned to see what it was. She brought Her lantern close only to see a decaying face. A human face.
She screamed in fear and stepped back. She looked around and realized that there were three man, laying dead on the ground. She realized that they were wearing white uniforms.
They were the three government from the day She lost Her love. She turned around to face the tree in front of Her. She was there.
She was at the hanging tree.
Rather then crying for Her love. She sang. She sang the song She made the day she lost Him.
"Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where they strung up a man they say murdered three.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where the dead man called out for his love to flee.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree."
She sang the new verse like She had sang the first verse that day; as if She had known the words all Her life. And She sang the two verses again, and then again until all She could think about were the words to Her heart melting song.
When He heard the song the first time He thought He was crazy. But then He heard it again, and again. It was only a faint sound. He could barley hear it over the pounding dumb the rain made against everything it hit. But He heard it. And He followed it. He followed the song that told the story of His life. And He knew if He followed the song that He would find out what would happen next.
With every step He took. The song and the voice of His love became clearer and clearer. Soon He couldn't take it any longer and began to run. He ran until He saw the dim light of a lantern. He stopped running all together and just stood there, listening to Her song and Her honey like voice. He slowly began to walk forward until He was in sight of the hanging tree.
And there She was. Facing the tree, singing Her song. He called His lover's name and She spun around to face Him. He smiled for the first time sense He lost Her and ran for Her. He held Her in His arms and refused to let go.
"I love you," He whispered in Her ear over and over again as She sobbed into His chest. When they pulled away, He looked down at Her expanded stomach. He gently placed His hand on Her stomach. He glanced back up at Her.
"A child?" He asked. She nodded.
"Our child?" He asked.
Of course!" She smiled. He smiled as well and hugged Her close to him again and for the first time sense they had been separated, they both felt that they had hope yet again. The kind of hope they hadn't had sense when they first ran away.
Less then a month later, their child was born. A baby boy. Healthy and strong. They gave him a name so amazing that those who heard it would not soon forget it. As She held their baby boy He lean over and smiled down at His Son and the Son smiled right back. He looked back at Her.
"This is amazing. I'll teach him to hunt and you'll teach him about healing herbs," He told Her. She smiled as He continued to tell Her about their future. She had never seen Him so happy in the time She'd known Him. She knew He loved Her and was thrilled to have a child of their own.
As their child grew, He taught him to hunt and She taught him about herbs. When their child was five, He couldn't help but notice how much His Son looked like the miner childern of the twelveth city. His Son had thick black hair and stromy grey eyes that would send shivers down your back when he glared.
Years slipped away and soon their Son as ten. Once, well He was hunting with His Son. His Son was a quite boy, he didn't ask many questions even though He knew His Son was a couriuse boy.
Their Son knew that His parents were hiding from something, he knew about the song, his mother had sang it to him when he was young, he knew his father killed three men to save his mother, he knew his grandfather killed three men as well only he killed the men because they had killed his grandmother.
But that was it, he didn't know about the games, he didn't know where his parents were from, he did know about the tweleve cities and he didn't know that the tree he loved to climb was the same tree his grandfather was hagged in or that the ground below the tree was were his father became a murdurer.
So that day when His Son was ten and there were hunting, He was more then surprised when His Son asked the question He hoped he would never ask.
"What are we hiding from?" The Son asked. He looked down at His Son in shock.
"I'm tired of guessing Father, please," The Son spoke boldly. He smiled at how bold His Son was.
"You have your mothers fire you know? Its wonderful, in the end its going to be what keeps you alive," His Father told him. The Son was told things like this often, his parents were always telling him how good he was at something and then tell him that it was what will keep him alive, he hated it when his parents did this even if it was ment to be praise, it only made him wonder more and more about his parents past.
"Father, that wasn't what I was asking," The Son told Him. His father sighed.
"You will know when are tweleve, I promise," His father told him.
"But what if we're not alive by then?" The Son asked. He didn't know why but he knew that who ever they were hinding from wanted them all dead. His farther sighed again.
"We are safe, we will be alive in two years and far after that," His father told him in a tone that told the Son that the topic was closed.
The Son waited for two years until finally, his father kept His promise and his parents sat him down in their little cabin and told him everything; where they came from, the games, the tweleve cities, how they ran away and finaly where they were.
"So your telling me that we're living only miles away from the twelevth city?" The Son asked. His mother nodded.
"Yes. But please, stay away from there. just because they stopped looking for us here, it doesn't mean they have stopped looking for us in the cities," She told him. The Son nodded.
"No. Don't just nod, promise us you with never come nere the cities," She pressed. The Son thought for a moment longer then he should have and he began to worry his mother.
"Well?" She asked, almost at tears.
"I'm sorry mother, but you raised me not to make promises that I may not be able to keep," The Son told Her calmly. She stared at Her Son. He was twelve and yet he spoke and acted like a man. She was proud and scared at the same time. She shook Her head. Damn Her Son's fire. How was it that what would keep him alive would be the same thing to kill him?
"Come son," Her love told their child.
"Lets go hunting, your mother needs some time." He stated. The Son nodded and headed for the door. Before following. Her love turned to Her.
"We always knew this would happen when he found out, but at least we know he's prepaded for the worst." He whispered to Her. She nodded. They both excapted that they would be most likely found before their Son was truely a man. That's one of the things that they had always tried to perpare him for. Her love gave Her a small kiss.
"We have raised an amazing young man who we both know will do amazing things. He was born to live, and he will". Her love whispered. She nodded and whatched as Her love left after their Son.
The Son grabbed his bow and arrows that his father had taught him to make on his own. Suddenly he wonder why his parents taught him the things he knew. When he heard a sound behind him, he whipped around and perpared to shoot. But rather than game or a government worker, his father stood before him with an aproving smile.
"I have taught you well." His father told him.
"But why?" The Son asked.
"Why did you and mother teach me these things?" He asked.
"Because we want you to survive when we are cot." His father told him.
"Is it not even an 'if' queastion?" The Son asked. His father shook His head.
"It stopped being an if question long before you were even born." He told his Son. The Son nodded. His Father placed a hand on his shoulder before he could move on into the forest to hunt. The Son looked back to his father.
"Son, when you do grow into a man I want you to start a family, a family in the cities, and I want you to teach your childern these things; how to hunt, how survive, how to swim in the lake, what herbs and plants are safe or dangerose." His father told him. The Son nodded.
"Alright, I promise I will." The Son agreed. After they hunted, His father went to return the game to their cabin. The Son couldn't help it, he had the chance to sneak out and see the city.
He crept through the forest until saw a chain fence. He walked to the fense. He listened for if it were powered. He lightly tapped the fense just to be sure. He grazed his fingers along the fence until he felt his hand fall through the chains. He looked down and saw that the fense had been cut. He smiled at thought of his parents excaping. He crualed through the fense. He realized he still had his bow and arrows with him.
He looked around. His father told him that the first thing he would see in the twelevth city was the area where all the miners lived. The Son couldn't help but notice how much he looked like the miners; all with thick black hair and stormy grey eyes. Suddenly, someone cot his eye. A girl, around his age was working in a garden. She looked nothing like the other miners childern, she was thin and fragile, with long blonde hair and pertty brown eyes.
Without warning the girl look up, staring straight at him. The Son stared back. She didn't seem to know what to do, neither did he. He tried to smile and wave at the girl. When she smiled and waved back his smile was no long forced. He couldn't help but admit that the girl was quite beautiful compared to the other girls and women around them.
The girl gestured for him to come over. He nodded and began to walk over when he saw something that made his heart stop. The white uniform of a government worker. The worker wasn't coming for him, it wasn't even facing him but the Son didn't care, he glanced at the girl who didn't seem to understand. He just shook his head as if to say sorry.
He turned and began to run for the fense, trying to be descrite but he could feel terror pump through him. He checked make sure no one could see him before going through the fence. He looked back. No one was there. Until he saw someone walking toward the fence, towards him. He perpared to run but as the person came closer and closer, he realized that it was the girl. She stopped when she saw him standng on the other side of the fense. The stared at one another again, only this time they didn't smile or wave. Suddenly, he heard his father calling for him. He slowly walk backwards, not wanting to look away from the girl. Until finally he had to turn away and began to run for his father's voice.
"Where have you been!" his mother cried when he walked into the cabin.
"In the forest," he lied. His moher shook her head.
"You scared me," she whispered.
"I'm sorry," The son muttered. He wasn't really thinking about that though, he was thinking about the girl. Why had she looked at him? He looked just like all the other boys. And why did she follow him?
Years went on and the son still thought of that day. Once when he was fourteen and hunting with his father he heard singing.
"What's that?" he asked his father. His father stopped to listen before smiling.
"Mockingjays," his father told him.
"Mockingjays?" the son question. His father nodded.
"Mockingjays, they love to sing. Go ahead, sing something, they'll sing with you," his father told him. The son took a deep breath.
"Are you, are you coming to the tree
Where they strung up a man they say murdered three
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.
Are you, are you coming to the tree
Where the dead man called out for his love to flee
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.
Are you, are you Coming to the tree
Where I told you to run so we'd both be free.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree."
They listened as the mockingjays sang with him. The son and his father smiled. He sang his mother's song again.
"Are you, are you Coming to the tree
Where they strung up a man they say murdered three.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.
Are you, are you Coming to the tree
Where the dead man called out for his love to flee.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.
Are you, are you Coming to the tree
Where I told you to run so we'd both be free.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree."
This time, the mockingjays didn't sing with him. The son glanced to his father who was close to tears.
"You have your mother's beautiful voice," his father told him.
"You sing so beautifully that your voice renders them silent. They only want to listen," his father continued.
"Your mother and I used to see them every now and then when we were on the run. She brought them to silence as well, I guess they missed her voice, now they'll miss your voice." His father smiled at the thought. The Son smiled too, he loved the look in his parents eyes whenever they remenised in their love for one another.
"I hope I find love like you and mother did," The Son told his father. His father laughed and clapped him on the back.
"Trust me Son, you will find love. We all do, wether or not we are luck enough to keep that love though, that is a another story," His father told him knowingly. The Son nodded.
"Thank you father," was all he said.
Another two years slipped by and the Son still thought of that day. And he finally grew the nerve to venture to the city again. His father had told him of a place in the city were it would be safe to sell game. It was in an abanded factury that the people of the city called the Hob.
He crualed through the fense and walked through the city with confidence, His game bag and arrows slung over his shoulder and his bow in his hand. He walked to the Hob, eyeing every government worker he passed. Suddenly he bumbed into someone, He turned to apoligise but when He turned and saw Her, His words left Him. Thin and fragile, with long blonde hair and pertty brown eyes.
The girl from that day that he never forgot. They stared at one another like before, she seemed just as shocked as him
"You," was all he could say.
"You," She replied. This was the first time he had ever heard her voice, it was soft and sweet.
"You, you're that boy, that boy from the fence," she gasped.
"How did you know, I mean, I look just like anyone else here; thick black hair and stormy grey eyes," He stated.
"True, but none of the other miners carry a bow," She told him. He glanced down at his bow, remembering that he also had a bow in his hand when they first saw one another. She took a step closer to Him.
"Who are you?" She asked. He thought for a moment before answering.
"I'm the one who was born to live," He whispered to Her. She smiled.
"Who are you?" He asked.
"The one who was born to heal," She whispered. He smiled down at Her.
"So you're a healer? You didn't really look like a miner," He told Her.
"Yes, I am. But I don't want to talk about that, I want to talk about you. Why are you here? Why were you here for years ago? Why were you in the foreset?" She asked the questions like She had been waiting to asked them for a long time. Before He could answer He He saw a government worker making its way over to them.
She saw as His smile dropped and He went pale.
"What's wrong?" She asked, remembering that He looked the same way the day they saw one another. He shook his head and slowly began to step back. She grabbed His hand.
"Where are you going?" She demanded. He gulped and looked back at Her.
"I need to go," He told Her as He pulled His hand away. Without thinking, He leaned down and kissed Her cheek before turning around running away.
"Wait!" She cried. He whipped His head back to Her.
"I'll come back, I promise," He told Her, He knew He was going to keep this promise. He glanced to the government worker who was now acompanied by about three more of his buddies and were no longer making it a secret that they were following Him. He gave Her one last glance.
"I'm sorry. I will come back to you," He told Her again. She nodded. And with that, He began to run for His life. He kept running and soon He could see the fense. He glanced over His shoulder, the government workers were only yards away. He ran even faster. He crawled through the fence and ran through the forest. He zigged and zagged, hoping the workers would get lost but it didn't work. He dropped his game bag so He could run faster.
"Father! Mother!" He screamed. Suddenly His father came out from the bushes ahead of Him.
"Father! Run! Their here! Get Mother and run! Their going to kill us if you don't!" The Son screamed.
"Who!" His father cried.
"THE GOVERNMENT WORKERS!" The Son screamed at the top of His lungs. His father began to run as well.
He started screaming for His love. When Him and his Son got to the cabin. His love stood up in surprise.
"We need to run," He told His love.
"Why?" She asked. Before they could answer. The government workers where banging on the door. He turned to His Son.
"Run," He told him. Gesturing to the window.
"What? No!" His Son declared.
"It wasn't a question, Run," He told him again.
"No! I'm not leaving you!" Their Son told them before pulling an arrow out and prepared to shoot the government workers if they came in.
"Son!" His love cried. Their Son turned to the pain in Her voice.
"You were born to live," She whispered. Their Son looked confited and a tear slowly ran down his cheek.
"Please," His love begged their Son.
"Please, run. Live on. It is our time."
"No it isn't! I was in the city! This is my fault! They saw me! And I ran here, I led them here. It's my time, not yours!" their Son cried.
"Run," was all His love told their Son. Their Son walked up to them and kissed them both on the cheek. He hugged His Son good bye.
"You were born to live," He whispered in his Son's ear. He could feel His Son silently cry into his shoulder. When His Son pulled away he told at them both.
"I love you," He told them before jumping out of the window. The workers bursted into the cabin just as their Son did. One of the workers told the other to go after their Son. Fear filled His heart.
"No!" His love screamed.
"He did nothing wrong! You have us, just let him go!" She screamed. One worker walked over to her and gave her a hard slap to the face.
"Don't touch her!" He screamed.
"We will do as we please, you have lived far to long without paying from your sins," The worker spat.
"Its about time you join your father in hell." Another snarled at him. He couldn't stop himself, He lunged for the worker who spoke of His father and pinned him to the ground.
"The only one's going to hell are you and all your cruel leaders," He hissed before the other government workers pried him off.
"I know the perfect place to kill them," one worker purred. They began to drag them to the hanging tree. When they got there, His love finally finshed the song of their lives.
"Are you, are you Coming to the tree
Where they strung up a man they say murdered three.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.
Are you, are you Coming to the tree
Where the dead man called out for his love to flee.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.
Are you, are you Coming to the tree
Where I told you to run so we'd both be free.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.
Are you, are you Coming to the tree
Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree".
She finished Her song only moments before they slung Her up in the tree next to Him. The last thing He heard was the mockingjays as they echoed the song through out the forest until they reached His Son's ears.
When the Son heard the song, he knew it was to late. He fell to his knee's and began to sob, moments later He was interupted by a voice.
"Where is the haging tree?" Her soft voice asked. He looked up and realized He was in front of the fense, She was standing on the other side looking at him with soft eyes filled with saddness. He stood up and slowly walked over to her.
"You," He whispered. She nodded.
"Its where my parents were just hanged," He whispered.
"And they were hanged because of me," He rasped, clentching his fist and squeezing His eyes shut to stop His tears.
"It wasn't your fault," she told Him.
"How would you know that!" He snapped.
"Because, you don't seem like the kind of person that causes their own parents death on perpuse," she told Him.
"Its only your fault if you do it on perpuse," she told Him. He looked into her soft eyes.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"Can we talk, you know, without you running away?" she asked. He grinned slightly.
"Of course. Come over, there's a part over here where you can crual through," he told her. She nodded and he led her to the opening. She crualed through and he offered her a helping hand as she came through.
"So you live here in the forest?" she asked. He nodded.
"Yes. You see, my parents were run aways, they were from the fourth city and were both reaped the same year. They didn't want to die or kill one another so they ran, they travelled through the cities until finally they came here. They were chased out of the twelveth city and met back up in the hanging tree, the tree my grandfather was hanged in for killing the three men that had killed my grandmother. Three government workers found them at the hanging tree, me father killed them to save my mother who had just became pergnant with me.
She got lost and they didn't find one another until one stormy night and my mother found herself at the hanging tree. My father built a cabin and they raised me to survive when they were cot for good. They raised me for now. And now I have never felt so lost," He explained with sadness.
"I promised my father that I would raise my own family, teach my childern what they had taught me," He told Her.
"What did they teach you?" She asked.
"How to hunt, how to swim, what herbs and plants are safe or dangerose, how to survive I guess, but thing I learned most from was how to love someone with all your heart. And now I'm learning about how it feels to lose the ones you love," He told Her.
"How does it feel?" She asked. He looked up at Her.
"It feels like the worst pain you could ever think of, the kind of pain you wouldn't wish for the ones you hate the most." He whispered to Her.
"Who do you hate the most?" She asked.
"The Capitol," He hissed.
"I agree, I'd rather be in the games then live in the capotal, sickly enjoying the deathes of childern." She shivered at the thought. He smiled at her. He had respect for his girl, she wasn't afraid to voice her opinion or ask questions.
"Was it your mother who was singing that song?" She asked.
"I don't know, her voice is so beautiful that the mockingjays go silent and just listen, but maybe they understood that it was important for me to hear it," He told her. She nodded.
"Have they ever gone silent for you?" She questioned. He grinned at the memory of His father and Him singing with the mockingjays when He was fourteen.
"Yes, they have," He told Her.
"Sing! Please!" She begged like a child. He laughed and stared into Her eyes.
"How is it, that I am able to laugh on the day my parents died?" He asked Her in a whisper.
"Because, your remembering them as the amazing rebels that raised you, not the people who broke the law and were just hanged," She whipered back.
"Now if you would please be so kind to sing to me?" She asked. He smiled.
"Fine," He muttered.
"Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where they strung up a man they say murdered three.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where the dead man called out for his love to flee.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where I told you to run so we'd both be free.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree."
He sang the words He had known for His life and tears began to stream down His face as He realized he would never hear His mother's beautiful voice sing that song ever again. The mockingjays stopping to listen to Him like they had for His mother. She stared at Him, He stared back. She slowly raised her hand to His face and lightly placed it on His cheek.
"You are the most beautiful person I have ever met," She whispered. He brought His hand to Her cheek as well.
"The feeling is mutual," He whispered back. Slowly He leaned forward and captured Her lips in His. She didn't pull away, only smiled agents His lips. When they pulled away for air He smiled down at Her.
"Thank you," He whispered. He could tell from the gleam in Her eyes, She knew He was refferring to helping Him see the good in the day. He felt an amazing feeling flow through His heart and He wondered if this was what love felt like. If it was, it felt amazingly good. She wrapped Her small arms around hHim and hugged Him close. He hugged Her back.
"Come on, I'll walk you back into the city," He told Her, She nodded and took His hand as He led Her back to the fense. They crualed through the opening. He walked Her back the garden She was in that day four years ago. She seem surprised by this.
"You remember were I lived?" She asked. He nodded.
"I never forgot that day," He told Her.
"Neither did I," She told Him with a grin.
"Good night."
"Good night, the one who was born to live." She smirked as She reffured to earlier that day. He laughed slightly before turning away.
"Wait," She called. He turned back.
"Yes?"
"Where are you going?" She asked. He shrugged.
"I don't know," He told Her.
"Will you come back?" She asked almost sounding worried. He smiled.
"Yes, I will," He told her. She smiled as well.
"Alright. Good bye."
"Good bye."
As He walked away He head a door open and close behind Him as She entered Her home. He walk down the streets of the sleeping city. Suddenly, the door opened and a woman stepped out; her black hair slow turning grey like her eyes, she look about in her late thirties, maybe early fourties. She called for Him to come over and He complide.
"Yes ma'am?" He greeted.
"Do you have anywhere to stay young man?" She asked. He sighed and looked down at His feet.
"Don't be looking at your feet, I'm up here, now answer me," She demanded with a serious look.
"No ma'am, I do not," He told her, looking up into her grey eyes. She smiled warmly.
"Well you do now, come on in." She gestured to him to come in to her home. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"T-thank you ma'am," He stammered as He walked in.
"Your quite welcome young man, you can call me Sae, people at the Hob call me Greasy Sae, I make stew there for all the hungery traders," She told him.
"Who can see in my son's old room," She told him.
"Where's your son?" He asked.
"In heaven, where he belongs with his father," She rasped. He looked up at her.
"What happened to them? If you don't mind me asking."
"No, no. Its fine, they both died in those horrible games," she told him.
"His father was reaped when I was pegnant with our son and then my son got reaped went he was about your age. You know, the worst part? I really thought they would come home to me, both times. My son's father, he made it to the last three. As for my son, well hew made it to the last two, only to be killed by the monster from the second city. That murdures bastared." She rasped the last part. She glanced to Him.
"Well that's my story, now what's yours, why were you wandering around with nowhere to go?" she asked.
"Well my parents were reaped as well. Only, they ran away. They were found today and hanged. They ran away about twenty years ago. Their raised me in the forest," he told her. Sae's eyes widened.
"Hot damn! You're the son of the run aways from the fourth city!" she cried as she ran up to hug Him.
"Your parents were like hero's to me!" Sae told Him.
"They were like hero's to me as well," he told her with a smile.
"Young man, you are staying here until your eighteen and the city gives you a home of your own." She declared.
"Is this just because of my parents?" He asked.
"Of coures not! This is because you clearly deserve a home and I can just tell, your worth the effert." She told Him.
"Thank you Sae," He told her.
"You know what? I think I'd rather you call me mama, as long as your alright with that of course," She told him. He nodded and smiled at her.
"That's fine with me mama." She smiled as He used His new name for her.
"Okay, now you best be off to bed, you've had a big day," she told him.
The next day, He went hunting, and as he hunted he looked for healing herbs. When He felt that he had enough, He headed back to the city. He walked up to Her door and knocked. She answered the door and when She saw Him Her face lit up.
"What are you doing here?" She asked. He handed her the herbs.
"I was hunting and I found some healing herbs for you." He smiled. She smiled back.
"Thank you," she told him.
"Anything for you," He whispered to her. He gave her a quick kiss and left. He headed for the Hob. He quickly found Sae.
"Hello mama," He greeted her. She smiled warmly.
"Hello, what do you have there?" she asked pointing to his game bag.
"Game, I was thinking you could use it in you stew," He told her.
"You're such a sweet young man, I'll only take some, you can use the rest for trading. I'm sure that some people will be thrilled to trade something for meet," she told him. He nodded.
"Yes mama."
As the years went by, He kept his promise to his father, He became a miner when he was eighteen. He married Her and they had a child. A baby girl; with thick black hair and stormy grey eyes like Him. When she asked him what they should name their daughter He thought back to the Hanging tree. He thought of the katniss fowers that plummbed there every sping.
"Katniss," He told Her. She nodded, understanding the meaning. As His little Katniss grew, He brought her to the forest. He taught her everything His parents taught him, only He never told her about where He had came from or about his parents or the hanging tree, He did how ever teach her His mother's song. Greasy Sae treated Katniss like any other child that she was fond of but He could tell that she was always looking out for His little girl.
When they had their second child; another baby girl, with blonde hair and brown eyes like her beautiful mother. He asked Her what they should name her. She thought of Her favorite flower.
"Primrose," She told Him. He nodded.
Katniss and Primrose.
Years later, long after He died. The second uprising came. His beautiful Katniss lead it.
And as they visited the forest He was raised in, she rested under the tree, with a smoothly writen question high above her head, where three family members died for love, but she would never know of this, All she did was stand and sing the song. The song of her grand parents. The song... of The Hanging Tree.
We were all born to live.