Posy giggles as Delly skips along the path with her. Peeta and I sit on the bakery steps and watch them jump and skip across the pattern Delly's drawn in the dusty earth
"Remember you have to hop too Miss Posy" Delly tells her as she disregards the rules of Delly's game completely
"So" Peeta catches my attention "what's up with you today?"
"Nothing, why?"
"You just seem to be ... in your head" if anyone were to notice it would be Peeta. Darius and I bonded because we were both alone in a very large population of people. Peeta and I bonded when I chose an apprenticeship with his father at their bakery. He didn't need me, he had his three sons and Lavinia sometimes when she wasn't attending Katniss. By the time his second son, Rye, joined the guard and Lavinia got engaged to the oldest son, Bannock, I had learnt everything I needed to. I stayed on for a while to help out and still visit as often as I can. Mostly with Posy on days like today
"Maybe" I shrug
"So, what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, it's just been an eventful morning"
"I see" I know he's waiting for me to explain so I do
"Gale's been real pissy lately, he keeps snapping at me and Posy saw him with a girl earlier. He's purposefully being difficult, more so than usual and the girls" Peeta smirks and nods his head "what?"
"All of your problems are Prince related"
"Exactly"
"No I mean, why does it bother you so much? You say you hate him yet spend most of the time worrying about something he's said or done"
"That's because he's a pain in my ass and I don't hate him. He's just ... himself"
"Okay, then why does it bother you that he was with a girl earlier?"
"Because Posy saw"
"And you explained it away, so why are you still thinking about it?"
"I should have to explain things like that to her. He should be more careful … and apart from that, he's the heir to the throne. He should be worrying more about that and finding a good wife to form an allegiance and strengthen this country"
"Madge" Peeta snorts "you don't care about that stuff, not that much anyway" he chuckles "I think you're jealous"
"I am not" I state and I mean it "the whole thing just makes my skin crawl, they're degrading themselves"
"Okay, I'll pretend I believe you"
"Oh shut it Mellark, we're not all in love with royalty you know" Peeta blushes and smiles at his hands
"Have you seen her today?"
"No" I chuckle and nudge his arm "I'll go and see her tonight, do you want me to give her a message?"
"Uh yeah actually, just wait here a minute" Peeta returns with a few folded sheets of paper and I raise my eyebrow at him
"That was quick"
"I wrote it yesterday"
"You wrote her a letter?"
"And a poem" Peeta blushes
"You're such a sweetheart, you know that"
"Rye doesn't think so" he says sullenly
"Yes because Rye is all you should aspire to be in life and knows all there is to know about romance"
"He's getting married isn't he?"
"To Delly" I remind him "who's girly and romantic enough for an entire settlement" he smiles a bit "Katniss will love it" he grins. I turn back to the game Delly and Posy are playing and smile as Posy cheats. Delly, long given up on explaining the rules just carries on beside her "Posy, you ready to go?"
"Alright" she hugs Delly and runs over to Peeta and I. Peeta gives her a cookie decorated with a pink posy and she jumps up and down then hugs his leg. I promise I'll return tomorrow and hug them both before Posy and I start back towards the fort gates and lunch.
There are voices emanating from the King's official meeting room when we get there. Posy looks up at me and I tell her we should wait here until they're done. The King's meetings never take long on Sunday's, I'm surprised he has any at all. Come to think of it, I'm almost certain he doesn't have any today. I take a step closer and the voices get louder, the King is shouting, uh oh. Then the queen's much calmer voice murmurs something so I step closer again
"It's your responsibility Gale, I gave you the time you asked for but it's been long enough. It's time Gale" I take another step closer
"I'm not ready"
"I've left this as long as I can Gale but you need to take a wife"
"I don't want to"
"You have to Gale. Apart from the fact it's your duty to our nation, you need to stop gallivanting. You think we don't know what you get up to" I can almost hear Gale swallowing "you're not a boy anymore"
"I take it you've already got someone in mind then?"
"There are plenty of eligible young women"
"Fine" Gale sighs in defeat
"Gale I'm sorry, I hate to force this on you but it has to happen" the King says softly, his tone genuinely apologetic
"Who knows, it may all work out perfectly Gale" the Queen speaks softly but as though she doesn't really believe it
"Yeah sure Ma" Gale sighs. I dart back to Posy and sit beside her on the floor where she plays with the flowers she picked earlier
"Oh Madge, hello" I smile up at the King as if I wasn't just eavesdropping "hello Rosy Posy" he says as he lifts her "quhwa, you're heavier than you used to be Pose"
"Mamma can carry me"
"Your mamma's not aging like daddy is" the King laughs "have you been harassing Madge?"
"Nu uh, we went to the bakery and picked flowers and oh, oh, mister Peeta gave me a cookie and it was pink!"
"He did not"
"Uh huh"
"Well don't you think you should thank Madge for taking you?"
"Thank you Madge"
"That's alright Miss Posy" I say bumping her nose with my finger "I enjoy it just as much as she does"
"Thank you Madge"
"Of course your Majesty" I curtsy because I couldn't with Posy on my lap and he dips his head.
When I pass the meeting room the door is closed but quiet, Gale and the Queen must have left already. When I get close to Gale's chambers I hear something smash and freeze mid step. Then something heavy hits the floor with a crash and I burst through his door. Gale stands in the middle of the room, his belongings strewn around him, his dresser over turned and his arm raised ready to throw a flask. He looks over his shoulder at me and slowly lowers his arm
"What are you doing?" I ask carefully
"What are you doing?" he retorts
"I thought it was thieves ransacking your room"
"So you ran towards them?"
"Luckily or I would have raised an alarm all because you're having a tantrum"
"I'm not five" he huffs
"Are you sure?" I ask, looking around at his room
"Leave me alone"
"Not if you're going to keep throwing things, I have to clean this room you know"
"I'll get someone else to do it"
"You think that's fair?"
"Fine, I'll do it" he spits
"You and I both know that's not going to happen"
"Gah!" Gale throws his head back and tugs on his hair "what is it with you?" he asks himself, I think "you drive me crazy, you're maddening yet I-" Gale's shoulders sag "never mind, could you give me a minute" normally I'd stand there and list some of his not so favourable qualities but the desperate and pleading look he's giving me has me nodding and closing the door. Could marriage really be that terrible to him? Do the relationships he has really mean that much to him, he wouldn't be able to give them up for love and a wife and a family?
"Madge, I've been looking for you" a voice distracts me down the hall
"Katniss, I'm sorry. I've been with Posy, is everything okay?"
"Yes, I just haven't seen you today. I thought you might want to go for a ride?"
"Sure, that sounds great actually".