Chapter 1
Katniss Everdeen sat by the hanging tree her father had told her about as she looked at the mess around her.
District 12 was in flaming ruins, Peeta was dead, Gale had disappeared and her mother and sister were tending to the sick.
"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?" her father's strong but gentle voice rung through her head
She sat on the ground with rare tears in her eyes as she thought to herself that Snow really had won. Then suddenly, she heard a familiar voice behind her...
"Hello Ms. Everdeen," the cold, menacing voice of President Coriolanus Snow came from behind her, no doubt there with some ulterior motive.
"Come to torture me even further Mr. President?" Katniss snapped bitterly at her tormentor, her back still turned from him.
"No Katniss," she cringed at the use of her name in his voice. "I have come to make you an offer,"
"What could you possibly offer me after all we have done to each other? I thought you wanted to kill me," Katniss laughed cruelly.
He got behind her as she could filled his breath tainted with blood vaporize around her like a poisonous gas "No keeping you alive seems... better"
Her head snapped and she looked directly at him. "Better? What do you mean by better?"
He ignored her question and got to the point.
"My offer is that you marry me," Snow smirked devilishly as her leaned in close to her, so close that his puffy lips practically brushed against her ear.
"WHAT? Are you kidding me?" Katniss' grey eyes widened as she almost threw up.
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Snow looked at her seriously.
Her expression softened "No..And you will keep my family safe?
"I have them under watch in the Capitol and my men won't sell them off as sex slaves to the highest bidder if you cooperate. What was that girls name? Prim was it? She'd make a good toy," he grinned evily.
"Don't you fucking dare bring my sister into this! Whatever you do to me is our business just please leave Prim out of this!" Katniss sobbed, desperate for her sister's life.
"Then we have a deal Katniss," his words sealed her fate.
She nodded and fell to the ground as she took solace against the tree.
"Papa, give me strength," she said to herself, loud enough for Snow to hear.
He looked at her confused.
"My papa and I used to come to this tree. He was a good man," she said, not remembering who she was talking to for a split second, thinking that Snow had some remnant of humanity in him.
"He must have been," his tone almost seemed genuinely sympathetic.
She closed her eyes for a minute and peace crossed her as she remembered her father one last time before emotionally shutting down.
The last thing she recalled was Snow lifting her onto his broad shoulder as he carried her to the hellicarrier. The same one they used for picking up the dead tributes in the Hunger Games.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
The next morning, Katniss woke up in a solo bed with Capitol maids surrounding her. "What a nightmare," she breathed heavily.
"Oh that was no nightmare," Snow looked down on her as he grinned amusedly.
She screamed and saw Snow beside her, who then covered her mouth with one hand and stroked her braid with another.
Her screams softened as she melted against his touch, quivering at it. She was surprised how calm it was, gentle, possibly even loving?
She brushed off the thought quickly as she cringed at the thought of Snow taking her innocence. He really couldn't be that big though. And his stamina was probably next to none so she figured it would be over soon.
"You should be excited" he said as he removed his hand from her mouth.
"Excited? Excited? What's there to be excited about? That I'll spend the rest of my life as a trophy wife to the president and a symbol of Capitol prosperity?" Katniss huffed.
He slowly slid his hand on the back of her neck and kissed his bride to be.
She started to thrash around and cut herself away from the kiss as her heart unwillingly beat faster and faster as every second passed.
He pulled away grinning as if he thought he had won at last.
She sighed as her dignity went slowly down the toilet.
"That was...I..." she was wordless.
"What was it dear?" the president asked with a devilish grin that Mephistopheles himself would be proud of.
"A mistake. A total mistake..." Katniss turned to the other side of the bed and sighed.
"A mistake? Our deal or..."
"That kiss! My feel...it was wrong okay," Katniss interrupted him.
"Well look here," he pulled her face close to his with a death glare in his blue eyes that lived up to his name. His heart was as cold as ice.
"I don't want to be married to a spoiled, arrogant brat who only won the games because of sheer luck anymore than you want to be married to an old fart who smells like blood!" Snow growled, practically mashing his flesh onto her's.
His usual sickeningly sweet smile curled on his face. "But I'm afraid Ms. Everdeen, that is the card that life has dealt us," he inhaled her sweet scent, a nice contrast to his own and let her fall onto the bed with a shocked expression on her face.
Katniss genuinely looked scared for one of the only times in her life as she saw the older man hovering above her.
"If that is what you are thinking, I will not have you until our wedding night," Snow smirked. "Breakfast is in 15 minutes and your clothing is laid out on the bed. Now I suggest you be snappy about it," he laughed cruelly before shutting the door.
"Please let this be an effect of the tracker jacker venom," Katniss curled up before getting her clothes on.