President Holmes steps through the chamber doors, leaving me alone. I stare down at the box in my hands to total disbelief. Suddenly, I hear a beautiful voice from behind me.
"General Snow…kinda like the sound of that." I turn around to see Lizzy standing there, holding Octavian against her chest. Without thinking, I run toward them and wrap them up in my arms. "Well, Glad to see you too…" Lizzy says surprised at my forwardness.
"No," I say softly. "Just give me a second." I bury my face into her hair and just breathe in her magical scent. The smell of the sea that makes everything else fade away. After a few more moments of quiet bliss, I look up over Lizzy's shoulder to see another family slowly round the corner. Katniss quietly steps forward, not wanting to interrupt my moment. Peeta follows close behind, leading Prim and Haymitch by their hands. I silently mouth the words, "Thank You." Peeta mouths back, "You're Welcome." Katniss just nods.
I lean next to Lizzy's ear and whisper:
"I love you…so much."
"I kinda love you too," she whispers back with a smirk. Suddenly, Octavian begins to fidget in Lizzy's arms. I lean over and plant a soft kiss on his forehead.
"And I love you, too, Little Man." The touch seems to calm him down again and Lizzy gently shifts him to her other arm. She catches a glimpse of the Mellarks over her shoulder and they walk up to join the conversation. Katniss immediately notices the Mockingjay pin on my chest.
"How's that working for you?" she says with a smile.
"I think it brought me a lot of luck the last two days." I see Lizzy's brow furrow with tension.
"So…" she says awkwardly.
"Go on, ask it," I say to her. "I know you're dying to know."
"Which one did they send you to?"
"6," I say quietly.
"Was it as bad as they were reporting on the news?" Peeta asks concerned. My response unsettles all of them.
"Worse…"
"I was so scared when they reported that General Sturm was killed," Lizzy says despondently. "I figured that you would be with him."
"No," I manage to reply, "He wanted to lead the team to District 2."
"I'm so sorry, Ares. I know how much he meant to you," Lizzy says placing her hand on my chest, "but I was just so happy to see you alive when they broadcast the funeral on the train."
"Yeah, about that," I say annoyed. "What are you doing here? It's not exactly…" I cut myself off when I remember Prim and Haymitch are here and I don't want to scare them. I was going to say "not the safest place," but settle for, "not exactly the quietest place right now."
"Well," Katniss replies, "When you receive a direct request from the President of Panem, you don't exactly ignore it."
"Holmes, asked you to be here?" I ask confused.
"She actually asked both of us to come to the Capitol," Peeta adds. "They even had a special train from District 12 arranged." Suddenly, what Holmes said about having all the old and new heroes standing shoulder to shoulder is starting to make a little more sense.
"Do you know if you were the only ones invited or…"
"Or if all the surviving Victors were invited?" a woman's voice rings out from behind us. "To answer your question, Sir, yes we were." She is almost fifty years old, but still has the same striking brown eyes that she did when she made her debut in the Hunger Games three decades ago. I recognize her immediately.
"Hello, Johanna," Katniss says nervously.
"Long time no see, Katniss. Same to you, Peeta."
"It's good to see you, Johanna." She is followed by an older Nordic fellow; tall with light blonde hair, a blond beard, and blue eyes. Johanna gestures to him.
"I'd like to introduce my husband, Thom. I met him when I went back home to District 7. He's one of the best lumberjacks I've ever known, except for me, of course." The rest of us smile politely until Johanna spoils the mood. "Thom, this is Katniss and Peeta, obviously married now with rugrats as well." Prim and Haymitch pull closer to Peeta's side. "Guess, I wasn't important enough to be invited to the wedding." She turns back to Thom. "The three of us used to kill people on television for other people's enjoyment." Thom must be used to such behavior because he doesn't miss a beat and stands there as silently as the trees he cuts down. "You know, we have a daughter as well, but she's much older. Didn't waste any time getting a bun in my oven, Katniss." Katniss just stares back at Johanna unable to say anything. "She's even in the military," Johanna says glancing at my uniform before her gaze shifts over to Lizzy. "Now, you must be an Odair." Johanna says with a not completely benign grin. "I'd recognize one of Finnick's clan anywhere." Lizzy beams back.
"Yes, I'm his niece…but it's Snow now."
"Snow?" Johanna spits back in disbelief.
"Yes, Snow," Lizzy says taking a proud step closer to my side.
"Lizzy," I awkwardly mumble through gritted teeth, but my brave wife is not fazed.
"I heard Annie passed away recently. Is that true?"
"Yes, two years ago…"
"Did she know about him?"
"Yes," Lizzy says starting to get angrier.
"That's probably what killed her then…" Lizzy tries to lunge forward, but I hold her back.
"It not worth it, Lizzy. Calm down." I whisper. Johanna turns to me next.
"You know, I'm not surprised they let you live…but I really wish they hadn't."
"You don't know him, Johanna!" Peeta shouts at her. Prim and Haymitch jump and run over to Katniss.
"Maybe not, Peeta…but I don't want to try to either."
"Are Beetee and Enobaria coming?" Katniss says angrily.
"Beetee's dead, Katniss! He's been dead for ten years, and Enobaria has been missing for almost twenty! You'd know that if you hadn't lost your mind, broke your promise to me, shot the wrong president, and then went and hid in coal country for over two and half decades. The three of us are the last of our kind!"
"What do you mean Enobaria disappeared?" Peeta asks nervously.
"Nobody knows what happened….well, almost nobody." The way she says 'almost nobody' sets us all on edge. "I have to admit, Enobaria vanishing did wonders for my recovery. She even made a little donation for my wedding to Thom." Johanna holds up her left hand and displays a thin gold band on her ring finger. "After her retirement, she didn't need her gold teeth anymore and graciously let me have a few." All of us have our worst suspicions confirmed. Johanna definitely killed her.
"What happened to you, Johanna?" Katniss asks dismayed.
"No, Katniss," she replies quietly. "What happened to you?" She looks down at my uniform and sees the Mockingjay pin above my name plate. "Obviously, you need to rethink who you trust."
"Obviously…" Katniss says staring right back at her.
"C'mon, Sweetheart," Johanna says grabbing Thom's hand, "Let's go and do what we came here for." They walk together and disappear into the Legislative chamber. We all stare at the doors as they close behind the two of them.
"Why did you let her talk to you like that? After everything you've done for this country?" Katniss asks me.
"Because, I know what was done to her…and I'd probably be the same way."
"Hello, Catnip…" When she hears his voice, Katniss freezes solid as a block of ice. It seems the difficult reunions aren't over for her today. Slowly, we all turn around to see Gale Hawthorne standing in one of his District 1 suits staring back at us.
Katniss is too stunned to speak, so Peeta does what he does best: speak up for the woman he loves.
"Hello, Gale. It's good to see you again."
"You too, Peeta."
"Gale…" Katniss finally manages to force out. "How… have you been?"
"It's been a very long twenty-six years, Katniss."
"But it looks like you've done very well for yourself, right? I'm sure you have a wife and children?"
"No wife, no children, Catnip. Afraid there was only one girl for me. Unfortunately, I let her get away." Katniss begins to tremble almost imperceptibly. She leans on Peeta who holds her tight.
Gale sees the two children and kneels down to them.
"Hey there, Cutie? What's your name?"
"Prim," she answers quietly.
"That's a beautiful name," Gale pauses. "I knew another girl named Prim once, a long time ago. I loved her a lot." Katniss now starts shaking. Peeta holds her even tighter. He turns to Haymitch next. "What's your name, buddy?" Haymitch buries himself in Katniss' skirt.
"His name is Haymitch and he's a little shy with strangers," Peeta says firmly.
"That's perfectly alright. A good name for a good man." Gale climbs back to his feet. "Well, it was good to see you all again. I'm afraid I have to take my seat inside. Ares, Mrs. Snow," he says nodding to me and Lizzy before walking past us to the chamber.
"What is he doing here?" Peeta says still holding Katniss. I realize the jig is up.
"He worked for Ohm. He took over the Special Defense Lab after…well, you know."
"And you didn't tell us?" Peeta says upset. Lizzy jumps in.
"We thought….that you'd be happier if you didn't know about him. We're sorry."
"No," Katniss says. "You did the right thing," she looks down at her children and then to Peeta. She begs him to let the matter drop with just with a glance.
"Mommy," Prim says. "Why are you crying?" It's true. Tears have started to roll down Katniss' cheeks.
"Oh, no reason, baby," she says wiping her face and forcing a smile. Prim is old enough to know when her mother is hiding something.
"Who was that man?"
"It's no one, baby," Katniss still says feigning a smile. "It's just someone that I knew a long time ago….but he's not important."
Half an hour later, we are all assembled in the Legislative Chamber. President Holmes stands proudly at the podium, looking the part of the strong, dignified leader. I stand directly behind her as Chief of the Defense Forces. Behind me, the three surviving Victors of the Hunger Games: Johanna, Peeta, and Katniss stand side by side in front of a giant UDP flag. We look out at the 26 representatives of the Districts who anxiously await President Holmes' words…even though they already know exactly what she will say.
In the gallery above, Gale and Amelia sit with the rest of the honored guests. Lizzy is nearby. Prim and Haymitch sit to either side of her, and Octavian is on her lap. I cannot help but think how strong a woman she is. Not only can she survive terrorists and wars, but she can do it while taking care of the children as well.
"I do not deserve her. I'm the luckiest man alive."
The time comes and the cameras begin their live broadcast to every corner of Panem. The eyes of the whole nation are upon us.
"Citizens of Panem," President Holmes begins. "I must address you tonight as your President to ensure that you understand the magnitude of the events that have shaken our proud nation to the very core over the last two days.
The United Districts of Panem was suddenly and deliberately attacked by air and ground forces of the Trans-European Commonwealth. Innocent civilians across the Capitol, and Districts 2, 3, 6, and 13 were tyrannically slain, key government structures such as the Defense Ministry and Presidential Mansion were destroyed, and thousands more across the country were kidnapped against their will. Their fates still remain unknown.
As you can see behind me, I have asked several important individuals to join me in solidarity at this horrible time. Some of them have already paid the dearest of prices for Panem's freedom, while others are continuing to pay for our freedom everyday with their own sweat and blood. I now ask all men and women of Panem to join in their sacrifice from this moment onward. Too many of our loved ones died in the fires of the Revolution to allow us to fail in our sacred duty now.
Our enemy's brash disregard for our independence and sovereignty cannot be ignored. The Supreme Lawgiver of the Trans-European Commonwealth, Pierre Grosfrere, along with the traitor, Rikard Ohm, have made their intentions of dominating Panem clear. I cannot, and will not, allow this threat to our security to go unchecked.
Therefore, under Article II of the Constitution of the United Districts of Panem, I, the President, with the unanimous approval of the Legislature, do hereby announce that from this day until absolute victory is achieved, that a STATE OF WAR exists between the United Districts of Panem and the Trans-European Commonwealth."