Chapter 4

(Gale POV)

I pour cream into my cup of coffee and stir it. It's funny. I never used to have things like sugar or cream for my coffee, I had to drink it black, but now I can't even take a sip of it without it. I feel Madge's hand rest on my knee under the table next to me. I smile over at her and notice her ring catching the sunlight and casting a prism on the wall as the light bounces off of it. I love seeing that ring on her hand and knowing what it means.

"Now, we need to get some details sorted out promptly before the official announcement is formally made. First things first though, have the two of you decided upon length of engagement?" Her father asks from across the table.

We look at one another and I nod at her, letting her know this part of the decision is all up to her. I won't push her to marry me a second sooner than she's ready though I do sincerely hope she'll heed my plans about marrying prior to the next reaping.

Madge turns to her father. "We aren't certain yet. I'd say probably the end of the year. A Christmas wedding perhaps?"

It's farther away than I'd like but still before the next reaping. And it will be after she's turned 17. And I should be finished with my school by then and she might too if she really works hard. Yeah, I can do Christmas. I reach down to where her hand rests on my knee and give her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Hmmm, well, that could work. A Christmas wedding. Yes, yes that will be good." He father thinks it over aloud.

"What else do we need to decide right away?" I ask, pleased that we have the date out of the way.

"There will be engagement parties, I'll make you aware of those dates once I have them set. Several of the reporters that are already here have made requests for personal interviews with you so make yourselves available when they contact you."

"Why would they want to interview us?" I ask. I know getting married is a huge deal but can't figure out why a Capitol news outlet would care about us.

"You're the next Mayor of District 12. All eyes will be on you and the upcoming wedding. The Capitol likes to be aware of what's happening in the districts. It's leadership changing over will be something of interest to them. They'll want to know all about you and how you and Madge became a couple." He explains then adds. "I don't need to remind you that they will be looking for you to be an example of perfect Capitol behavior."

"Understood." I tell him knowing full well he means I'd better stay inside the boundaries of the fence. And I think he may be right, I'll need to watch it and definitely not take Madge out there right now. If people are going to be watching me like he says they will, I'll have to be very very cautious with what I do.

"Now, your family may be asked for interviews as well. Please ask them to be prepared should any reporters contact them. If need be, I can have someone on my staff prep them on proper interview etiquette."

My family? No, that can't happen. Not the way that my mother feels right now. "Um, I'm not sure my siblings are old enough to be doing interviews."

"Your mother will be suitable for the task. And I believe you have a brother who would be old enough as well."

"It's just that they're rather shy and I'm not sure they'd be comfortable." I try to reason, knowing there's o way I can let my mother talk to anyone right now.

"I have an idea. What if we held a press conference? Just did all the interviews at once and had everyone there. Gale and I, yourself, his entire family. That way it would be a little less overwhelming for them seeing as how they're new to all of this." Madge suggests.

Her father thinks it over and then nods. "Yes, that could be arranged. I'll let you know a time once I've confirmed the details. I'll see if I can arrange it for this evening."

I relax only a minor amount. I know my mother is going to fight me on this nonstop. The group interview idea will help though in that one of us can guide the answering of questions and step in if someone in my family isn't giving the right sort of answer.

"Anything else we need to discuss?" Madge asks him.

"Your wedding planner will be arriving this afternoon to begin planning the details of the actual wedding."

"A wedding planner?" Madge echo. Clearly this idea is news to her.

"Why of course. There will be far to many details to oversee without someone to handle them for you. Her name is Ethney and she comes highly recommended."

"I see." Madge says quietly and I can tell she didn't want a Capitol wedding planner. I've never asked her what she wanted in her wedding ceremony and it makes me wonder now.

"I think that will cover things for the immediate future. Now, if you two will excuse me, I've got to get to my office. Gale, I'll see you this afternoon." Her father says as he rises from his chair and pushes it under the table.

Once he's gone, Madge turns to me. "So I guess you told your mother about us."

"What makes you say that?"

"Figured that was why you were trying to get out of having her do an interview. She's not taking it well I assume?"

"She's just a little surprised. She'll come around." I lie as I lean forward and kiss her forehead.

"Did she say why she isn't happy? Is it just our ages or is it because it's me and who I am." She asks me, her blue eyes looking hurt.

"She didn't go into much detail. But like I said, don't stress about it, she'll come around soon enough." I lie again. I just can't stand the thought of telling her what exactly my mother said. I figure it's one of those things you're better off not knowing about. It would just make her feel bad and that's the last thing I want her to worry about.

"Oh." Is all she says quietly.

"Hey, I like the idea of a wedding at Christmas." I tell her, trying to raise her spirits again.

"It'll still be before the games. I know it's farther out than you probably were wanting though."

"Hey, listen, we can wait as long as you want. Even if it's after the games. Even if it's after you're 18." I tell her, hoping that she knows I really mean what I'm saying.

She shakes her head. "No, Christmas sounds nice."

"I never asked you before but what do you want our wedding to be like? Any ideas on any of it?"

"The ceremony is the part I care the most about. We'll most likely have a large reception but that part doesn't matter to me as much. But I've always pictured the ceremony as private and meaningful."

"Just promise me one thing, okay?" I ask of her as I pull her hand to my lips and kiss the back of it.

"Anything." She says.

"If at any point you want something a certain way and that fancy wedding planner of yours isn't listening, you let me know about it and I'll make sure you get whatever it is that you want. It may be a Capitol affair but it's still your only wedding day and it should be however you want it to be."

"Thanks. I love you, you know."

After I leave her house for school I realize I should probably mention it to some of my friends. Thom at least. I don't see him much with me living in town and now being on early release from school and all but he's still one of my closest friends and I want him to hear it from me first.

I find him, Al and Sara in the hallways before classes begin.

"Hey, I've got good news!" I say as I stride up to the group.

"Oh yeah? Lemme guess, you're moving back to the Seam and your friends will actually see you again?" Sara, Al's girlfriend guesses, being a smartass.

"Not moving back. Getting married actually!" I announce, freely letting my enthusiasm show.

They all three stare at me for a minute. "Dude, you got her pregnant? Aw man, that sucks!" Tom finally says.

I shake my head, slightly annoyed that this is what people keep thinking right off the bat. That I'm marrying her because she's having a baby. "No, just marrying her cause I want to. No baby involved." I clarify.

"Since when are you you the marrying kind? Until Madge you couldn't even hold a real relationship longer than a week or two without bailing." Al points out.

"Key point being what you just said. Until Madge. Everything is different with her. She's amazing and I can't imagine not being with her."

"Wait a minute, if you marry that girl that makes you the next Mayor! They aren't seriously going to make you Mayor are they?" Sara laughs as if it's the most hysterical thing she's ever heard. Sometimes, I really can't stand the girl and now is one of those times.

"Yeah, I'll be Mayor, but not right away. I'm still interning until I'm ready for it." I reply, pretending to not be irked by her laughter.

"Well, that's something you don't hear everyday. Gale Hawthorne, getting hitched of his own free will." Thom says shaking his head in disbelief.

"Anyways, just wanted you guys to hear it from me before you heard it in the rumor mill." I say, deciding I've had enough of this conversation and starting to regret telling them. Not a one of them seemed happy for me. I walk off without another word and head to class. I can still hear Sara laughing behind me as I walk away.

By the time I'm getting ready to leave school just before lunch, the word is spreading pretty fast and I know I have Sara to thank for that. She's told practically everyone and it's nothing but solid whispers all around me. And I don't fail to overhear some very untrue things being said about Madge and a baby. At first I tried to correct people but then it was just too annoying so I started ignoring it. We aren't having the wedding until Christmas so let them see for themselves that us getting married has absolutely nothing to do with a baby of any kind. Seam people get married at 18 all the time so I can't see why us getting married is such a huge slice of gossip. True, it's Madge, daughter of the Mayor, but even still, the way folks are talking you'd think we were the first people to ever get married under the age of 40.

Tripp catches me on my way out and stops me.

"Is it true? You're getting married?" He asks me, straight up.

"Yeah, I asked her and she said yes." I tell him and then I realize that Madge probably wanted to be the one to share the news with him. He's really her friend after all. "But hey, can you maybe act surprised when Madge tells you about it? I think she'd probably want to be the one to tell you about it."

"Congratulations! You know, I had you pegged all wrong in the beginning. I really thought you'd break her heart but now I think you may be the best thing that's ever happened to her. I'm really happy for you guys! And of course I'll pretend I'm hearing it for the first time when Madge tells me, no worries on that." He says and I can tell he's being completely genuine.

"I really appreciate that, thanks man." I thank him, happy to finally have a positive response from someone for a change.

(Madge POV)

I work on my schoolwork right through lunch, not stopping to take a break or to eat. I'm still feeling like it's to hard to keep up with the workload and I'm still behind but I've really buckled down and I'm slowly making progress. I'm hoping if I work hard enough, I can at the very least get caught up to where I'm not late turning in assignments to my tutor. That would be nice.

My wedding planner arrives and Gertrude calls me down to the dining room to meet with her. She's a tall, slender woman with raspberry colored hair that matches perfectly with the dress suit she's wearing.

"Ethney Kingston, wedding planner of your dreams!" She introduces herself as she holds out a hand to me.

I take it and give it a mannerly shake. I highly doubt that she's going to be the wedding planner of my dreams. I really don't even want one. Maybe a coordinator on the actual day but the ideas and decision making I'd wanted to have the final say in. I'm hoping she'll be flexible, at least a little. "Madge Undersee, thank you for coming." I reply in my proper voice.

"Soon to be Madge Hawthorne!" She shrieks. "Don't you just love weddings!"

It's the first time someone has called me Madge Hawthorne and I can't help but blush a little as I smile at the sound of my future name.

"Now, first things first. I'm told this will be a Christmas wedding, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Christmas day itself or just at Christmas time in general? We need to nail down a specific date."

I hadn't asked Gale what he would want so I have to figure this out on my own I guess. "Um, Christmas day I think."

"Wonderful, wonderful." She says as she jots down something in a notebook. "Now, we have lots of planning ahead of us but for today I'd like to get a feel for what you envision on your wedding day. From there I'll draw up some idea boards and we can discuss them at our next meeting. So tell me, what do you want to see on your big day?"

I relax a little seeing that she's going to give me a chance to say what I want before she launches her Capitol style ideas at me. I'm lucky. Most Capitol people wouldn't be so kind. "The ceremony is what I care most about. I'd like something small, private and intimate."

"Hmmm, and the reception?"

"That part doesn't matter so much to me. It'll be big and I'm sure it'll be extravagant but I really want the ceremony to be small and special."

"When you say small, how small are we talking? 50 people? 75?"

I almost gasp. "More like less than 10."

To her credit, she doesn't outwardly balk at my number though I'm sure she's cringing inwardly. Just jots more notes on her paper and then continues. "And for the reception, what sort of guest list size to you see there?"

"As many as it needs to be. Like I said, that part can be as big as it needs to be."

"And what about wedding party thoughts? Any bridesmaids? Groomsmen?"

Hmmm, I hadn't thought about that part yet. I don't really have anyone I could make a bridesmaid. Katniss maybe but she'd hate that sort of thing and the awkwardness between us hasn't really fully dissolved yet. I doubt she'd want to stand alongside me as I married her best friend given how she reacted at the mere thought of us dating. "Maybe a flower girl, but no bridesmaids." I finally decide. Posy would make a precious flower girl, only I'm not sure will allow it. I'll have to ask her first. Or have Gale ask her rather.

"And were there any themes you want me to play around with?"

"Just make it something romantic and Christmasy." I tell her. I know it leaves a lot for interpretation when I'm that vague but I just don't really know how to explain what I want.

"Romantic, I can do!" She agrees as she excitedly claps her hands together. "Now, talk dress to me. Do you have a designer already in mind?"

"I haven't really had time to think about it yet. I want my dress to be simple but still romantic and elegant. I guess just show me some work of designers who could do that for me."

"Alright, this gives me enough to get some ideas working. Let's meet tomorrow, about the same time and I'll show you what I've come up with. Sound good?" She asks as she slaps her notebook shut and beams across the table at me.

"Sounds great! Again, thank you for meeting with me." I genuinely thank her. She actually seems like she might be okay. Like she might not try to make my wedding day an outrageous and tacky spectacle of an event. I guess I'll know more once I see her idea boards but at least we're off to a good start and I'm not already dying in misery or fighting someone on putting me in something like a purple sequined wedding dress. Yes, it definitely could have been much, much worse.