"What do you mean?" I whispered, numbly. He sighed, and massaged his forehead with a shaking hand.

"Your mother was a career. So was your father. They fell in love during their time at the academy. It was difficult for me... Your father was my best friend. But everyone could see that they were perfect for one another.
Your mother, Magnolia, was very beautiful. She had blonde curls down to her waist, your dark eyes and a beautiful smile. She was kind and strong and clever. And when she threw her knives, they never missed.
When she was 16, she had you. She cursed herself for it; she knew what danger she was placing you in.
When we were 18, it was time for the Reaping. The volunteers are picked due to their ranking in the academy's tests. The rest are killed. It's good motivation to rank well and volunteer for the games.
I wanted you to grow up with both your parents against the odds."

"But that's impossible," I objected, quietly.

"Not impossible," he told me, shaking his head, "We realised that if one of your parents was entered into the Hunger Games, the Academy would be forced to spare the other to take care of you."

"So you volunteered to compete against my mother?" I asked, slowly.

"No. Not to compete against her."

"Why, then?"

"To protect her."

I fell silent, mixed emotions coursing through my mind.

"Why? Why did you want to let her win?"

"Because I loved her."

I stared at him, my eyes wide, and he nodded, his eyes shining with tears.

"So what happened?" I said, hardly daring to listen to the answer.

"We were the favourites to win." Kieryan told me, "We were fast and strong, young and attractive. Everyone loved us.
We were, of course, in the career group. Until we reached the final eight.
The District 1 girl and the District 4 boy were already dead. We decided that it was time to leave the career group. Your mother killed the district 1 boy with a well-aimed knife to the back, and the district 4 girl fled."

"Who else was left?" I whispered.

"The District 11 girl, the District 12 boy, and the two tributes from 7." He said, ticking them off his fingers.

"So what happened next?"

"We ambushed the District 7 camp, and killed both of them. Then Caesar announced a feast.
We were starving; the arena was a wasteland. And we reasoned that we were the only pair left, so our chances of escaping with food were high.
I wanted to go alone. But your mother insisted on coming.
We headed for the Cornucopia, and heard two canon shots. When we arrived, the District 4 girl was there, the tributes from 11 and 12 lay dead at her feet.
I knew this was my chance. I headed towards her, and waited for her to throw her knife before throwing mine. I hoped that we would kill one another and your mother would live."

"But it didn't work out that way did it?" I murmured, quietly, tears welling up in my eyes, "Because she died. And you lived."

"She threw herself in front of me," Kieryan told me, his eyes haunted. "She told me that she'd worked out our plan to save her, but she wasn't going to let me die for her. Because..."

"Because?" I prompted, my voice breaking.

"Because she loved me."