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The next few days are chaos. Everyone in District 13 is planning the wedding, making decorations and food. Excitement is in the air, and everyone is happy and chattering. The rebel's plan is to show footage of the wedding to the Capitol of District 13, the rebels, enjoying their time at our wedding - a time of happiness even in this war. I don't mind too much; wouldn't it be such a great scandal to the Capitol when they realize that their two favourite 'sellers' are marrying each other?
Finnick can barely sleep, and neither can I. We spend the days getting everything ready, though we don't want something too big or lavish. Something simple is fine. We decide on staying true to the District 4 wedding traditions, though Donnie and I have planned a few District 5 customs out as well.
The wedding day seems to come quickly, in a flash. I haven't had one vision or nightmare ever since Finnick proposed to me. I guess I don't have to train with weapons to 'cure' myself after all.
Katniss' prep team excitedly dresses me and fixes my makeup and hair. Katniss' prep team, unlike my own, keeps things to a minimum. They fixed the hem of my dress; I am taller than Katniss by a few inches and they had to add in another layer from another dress. They even made Donnie a mint green dress to wear, along with a fabric flower to put in her hair.
Donnie smiles, eyes gleaming with tears as she helps me into my high heels and fixes my hair for the last time. She kisses my cheeks lightly and holds my hand tightly as I walk towards the cafeteria, which has been renovated for the wedding. Where everyone was waiting to see me. Where Finnick was waiting.
Before the doors open, before I walk out into the arms of my new husband, Donnie signals me to lean down towards her.
"Mom, Dad, and Enkol would have been so proud." She whispers into my ears. I smile gratefully at her, unable to speak in fear of crying as soon as I try opening my mouth.
Enkol. Mom. Dad. Did I even dream about getting married one day? Not when I had to take care of Donnie. Not when I had to sell myself. The thought never even crossed my mind; no way Snow would have let Finnick and I get married, let us have happiness. Marriage was never even a pipe dream, a fantasy that I had imagined.
And yet, now, I stand in my wedding dress, moments away from marrying the man I love. And my mother, my father, and my twin brother are not here to see me. Here to meet Finnick. Here to hold my hand, wipe my tears, share my special day with me.
But I have Donnie. The last of my family, my baby sister, my caretaker, and my little genius. And she counts for the rest of my lost family.
And I hope that Enkol, mom, and dad are looking down on me, proud. Maybe Donnie is right.
Donnie beams one last time and slips out another door, presumably walking to the very front row, representing my mother, father, and twin brother.
My heart is beating loudly in my chest as I wait. I can just imagine everyone on the other side of the doors, waiting for me. Waiting for me, not Angel. Waiting for who I am, and who I am happy to become.
I try to calm my racing heart as the large doors swing open.
.
Finnick's POV
My breath catches when I see her standing at the doorway.
Beautiful. That's the only thing I can think when I see her. Gorgeous. Radiant.
And I know the cameras are watching, Panem is watching as she walks down the aisle to me. But I can only think about how in a few short minutes, she will finally be mine.
Her eyes never leave mine, a smile on her lips.
Her dress is a stunning pale blue strapless dress, the bottom looking like waves mixing in with each other in the ocean, wafting and floating around her. She drifts towards me effortlessly, as if she was walking on water. When she stands in front of me, my eyes cannot take everything in fast enough. She looks at me, her eyes so filled with love and happiness.
"You look beautiful." I whisper to her just before Dalton, a man from District 10 and our priest for today, starts talking.
"You're looking pretty handsome yourself." She smiles.
I was wearing one of Peeta's altered hand-me-down suits. Anxol was probably wearing one of Katniss' second hand dresses. It didn't matter. She looked stunning, as if the dress was made just for her.
Dalton begins speaking, and my hands find hers. She squeezes it reassuringly, clearly excited.
Her hair is in the tight braid around her head the Mags used to do, down to the hook holding the hair up. I choke up a little, remembering how Mags wanted to be at my wedding. She wanted to do Anxol's hair. Wanted to hold our children, she once told me. How impossible that hope is now. I am thankful, grateful, that Anxol has brought a bit of Mags to our wedding, at the very least.
There is a faint gloss on her lips, her eyes slightly lined with black. She was beautiful, even when she woke up with no makeup and only a shirt on.
But now, she was breathtaking. It was hard for me to pry my eyes away from her to listen to Dalton.
He asks us for our vows.
I go first.
"You are my beautiful, silly Angelfish, who, despite having the whole ocean to explore, decided to stay by me. I promise to make sure that you never regret making that choice. I promise to be everything you need and more in life; whether it be a listening friend of a playful lover. I, Finnick Odair, take you, Anxol Enkeli, to be my wife for every second in my life and for every second in the next. I promise to shelter you from the storms and to kiss you when it rains. To hold your hand when the sun shines, to love you in every weather, every situation. To love every single thing about you and to be both honest and faithful to you. I pledge to care for you both emotionally and physically in every way possible and to hold my darling Angelfish through whatever the world throws at us, whether it may be good or bad."
I manage to get the words out. I mean every single one of them, and I look to Anxol. She is smiling, tears shining in her eyes.
It is her turn next. I listen, taking in every word.
"You once told me that you wouldn't be the knight in shining armor to rescue me, but the fisherman who would always catch me. I promise that I won't take this for granted and to enjoy your embrace for every single day of my life. You are my shield who has always protected me, and I in turn will be the wall who will protect you. I promise that we will always be together to pick up the pieces along the road. I promise to be everything you deserve and to stay afloat even when the ocean is rough. I, Anxol, take you, Finnick, to be my amazing husband for eternity and to stay by your side the whole entire time. I will cherish every factor of our love and take care of you when you need it most and even when you don't. I promise to love everything about you, even the flaws - when I can find one - and to always find you and welcome you as your loyal wife."
She shakes slightly when she reads her vows, but her voice is steady and strong, carrying throughout the cafeteria. When she finishes, she looks up to me again, her familiar pale grey eyes meeting mine.
"I love you, Finn."
"I love you, An."
"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride!" Dalton proclaims, smiling.
As if there was a magnet pulling us together, our lips meet, her hands reaching up to wrap around my neck. I wrap my own arms around her waist, pulling her even closer.
We didn't pull away from each other. The cheering and applause around us felt muted, like background noise in our own little world together. It didn't matter that all of Panem was watching, that the Capitol was watching us. All that mattered was that her lips was on mine, not showing any signs of leaving anytime soon, that she was pressed close to me, and that she was now my wife.
.
It is one of the best nights of my life.
Anxol and I have the first dance, holding each other tight as we sway around the room. She dances with Donnie, bending down to accommodate her height, and I dance with Donnie too, spinning her around and around, delirious with happiness. Johanna refuses to dance with me, but dances with Anxol, the two of them laughing as the twirl each other around. Katniss dances with me, and Anxol dances with Beetee, smiling and talking to the genius who has been teaching her little sister. Boggs dances with Anxol formally, though he still wears his beam, smiling proudly at her like she was his daughter. Haymitch spins Anxol crazily, swinging her back and forth as the two of them laugh uncontrollably.
But she always comes back to me for another dance. And another. And another. Kisses in between swirls, pecks as we hold each other tight. A blissful, peaceful night.
Anxol and I join District 4 and District 5 customs together, bits and pieces of our home in this faraway place. I bring saltwater, and Anxol brings electrical wires. We stand in the middle of the room, ready to join our two very different lives together.
Anxol holds the wires, and I hold the small beaker of saltwater. Hanging from the wires were two lockets, see-through but framed with bronze guards. Donnie designed the wires and lockets herself.
Anxol hands me one of the wires, smiling as she does. Everyone watches, confused but intrigued by the joining of the two districts that they barely knew about.
She nods faintly, a encouraging and elated smile on her lips. I carefully let a few drops of saltwater drip into the special opening that Donnie left in the wires. When the water was coursing through the wires, Anxol stood on the tips of her toes and slipped the wires she was holding onto my head, the locket falling onto my chest. I gently slip the wires over her head, careful not mess the braid that Mags used to do. The wires and lockets looked more like necklaces, intricate silver wires like a chain, the locket a charm of each other.
When both of us were wearing our new necklaces, we leaned in close and kissed, holding each other close for the millionth time that night. As our lips met, the lockets lit up, a light, right next to our pounding, beating hearts.
Saltwater from District 4 and wires from District 5, generating electricity, light.
With the cameras and everyone's eyes trained on us, the lights glowing next our hearts, we showed Panem that water and wires don't just create destruction, electrocution, death.
It creates a light in the darkness.
.
They wheel a grand, beautiful cake out. Tall, blue, and looking almost too good to eat. Frosted by Peeta himself; the first step to his recovery. Waves of icing line the bottom of each tier, and Anxol and I cut the cake together. I put some icing on her nose, the way I did in the kitchen during the Quarter Quell so long ago. She sticks out her tongue at me and puts icing on my nose, too.
The cake is as delicious as it is beautiful. By the end of the night, everyone is delirious with happiness and frosting, a cheerful event in the midst of all the war and fighting. But no one is as happy as Anxol and I. It was a blissful, peaceful, perfect night.
Anxol and I are the last to leave the cafeteria. We thank everyone for coming and help clean up as much as we can. When everything is done and all the lights are off, I pick Anxol up like I did so many times before, heavy skirts and all.
She laughs, a melodic, delightful laugh, and hangs on to my neck, the lights still dangling from our necks. A symbol of our love, bright in this dark world, inextinguishable. Her skirt trails on the floor behind us as I run all the way to our compartment, finally setting her down.
We collapse on the bed, the mattress bouncing a few times with our weight.
She rolls on top of me, eyes sparkling in the moonlight. She presses her lips to mine and I smile, the taste of her lips never tiring me, always reminding me of all that I have.
Together at last.
It feels like perfection.
Thanks for reading!
AH! Wedding at last! How did you like it?
I, for one, loved writing this chapter. But then again, I am my own worst critic, so of course, there are a few things in here that I wish I could somehow change for the better.
But, what did you think of it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know!
Special thanks to Dear reader-we're book addicts for giving me the wonderful, amazing idea of the saltwater & wires generating a light. It actually does, and it was really interesting to do some research on it. Of course, my own description of it in this chapter probably wasn't exactly right for the terms and scientific stuff, but then again, when was I ever a scientist?
And, if you're reading this by now, I think you would know about the new image/cover thing that's going on through . If you're wondering, yes, I will be making a cover, but then again, I can't edit for my life. So please, please, don't chase after me with pitchforks if it's not what you expected. Brownie points for trying, I guess? It's a work in progress so far.
BUT, if you want to make a cover yourself, or just want to submit a draw or edit, that would be wonderful. It's all up to you, though, of course.
Any questions? Comments? Feedback? Suggestions? Feel free to leave it as a review!
Next chapter up tomorrow!