Previously In Fanning The Flames: Cato, upon seeing a threat to Glimmer, refuses to fight Gale and Katniss. The four make clear gestures of rebellion and join together against arena hazards. The four of them and their families are evacuated by rebel hovercraft to the still existent District Thirteen.
Chapter
They weren't kidding when they said life in District Thirteen was tightly controlled. Every morning, we would get a temporary tattoo on our arm with that day's schedule. Appropriately, Bathing was at the end, at which point the ink washed off. The morning of the 21st, I put my arm in and saw 0800 Propaganda right after 0700 Breakfast. In the dining hall, Katniss pointed out that she received the same assignment. Cato made a show of choking down the broth; Katniss and I shook our heads as if to say to each other at least it's not one of Greasy Sae's more 'inventive' concoctions. "Since we're not officially married yet, we were put in our families' compartments," I complained.
"Tell me about it!," Cato agreed. Yeah, your parents really kill the mood. Looking around the table, there was a rare moment of Katniss and Glimmer being in agreement.
"Where'd Haymitch go?," I said to no one in particular.
"There's no drinking alcohol here," Prim answered. Haymitch abruptly going cold sober? Yeah, that's not good. I felt for him, but it needed to happen. I never had an interest in booze and he had too much of an interest, but this still reminded me of how simple and plain life is here. The Seam is many things, dirt poor chief among them, but not so simple and plain. Thirteen had acknowledged the medical talent of her and her mother, although they did not yet respect the full extent of it. "While working in the hospital, I've passed by the room where they have him locked up. It sure doesn't sound pretty. His friends Jack and Chaff are in the rooms on either side." Haymitch sometimes recounted his drunken adventures with those two. Chaff won five years before Haymitch and Jack won five years before that. All three of them had turned to alcohol to dull the pain.
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Finnick was in the meeting room with the four of us and an assortment of District Thirteen officials. He was clinging to a slight young woman with long dark hair and greenish eyes – Anemone Cresta, commonly known as Annie, a District Four girl who won the next Games after my father died. Plutarch explained their presence with "Meet the other two-victor couple".
Glimmer cheered this with a rambunctious shout of "Lucky Annie!".
I was incredulous and it showed. "Some couple – Finnick's bedded practically every woman in the Capitol." And probably some of the men. It seemed like only a slight exaggeration. While many other victors were common sights in the big city, none had nearly his track record. Waiting for Katniss and angry at the Capitol, I hadn't obsessed over the female victors like many guys at school, but I wouldn't have minded a piece of Sapphire Silversmith, hoo boy!
Annie defended him. "They have Finnick only in name – no true touch, glance or desire. Oh, so you were unaware of Snow's secret side business? The bastard pimps out attractive victors and threatens their loved ones to ensure compliance." Is there no limit to that man's evil? "I'm Finnick's true love, but that's not good enough for Snow!," she shouted. Her outburst and a stare into the distance seemed emblematic of her damage from the arena.
"I feel so sorry for him. After all, I chose dear Catnip over vapid pretty girls. Finnick wasn't allowed to make that choice until now." I caught myself and added "All of these ladies are both very attractive and very intelligent."
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With that out of the way, Heavensbee moved to announcing his main plan. "Would you three couples like to share a wedding and broadcast it? This is a wonderful chance to strike back at the Capitol, by showing Panem the happiness they've tried to take away from the six of you."
A poor tomboy and a rich girly girl trying to plan for the same wedding. This is going to be fun. Katniss sarcastically fired back, "Sure, we can do the paperwork in Coin's office sometime on the same day."
Alma said, "That was my first idea too, but I was thinking of a bit more than that."
Plutarch interrupted his boss. "A lot more than that!" He was firmly on the rebels' side, but he was still imbued with the way things are done in the Capitol. He started waxing poetic about fancy plans, and Glimmer started squealing with joy.
Alma interrupted back. "You know how I feel about frivolity, Heavensbee."
"We've been over this. Charge it to the propaganda budget. How do you feel about that?," Plutarch challenged. The District 13 boss grudgingly approved. That was only part of their compromise; it would be simpler than Plutarch wanted while fancier than Alma wanted.
Katniss still wanted to keep it straightforward, and announced "Weddings are so much simpler in Twelve; we already had that in the arena and I wouldn't mind continuing in that direction."
"True enough, my Catnip, but I hate the Capitol almost as much as I love you," I said. I would do well to keep those priorities in the right order. Katniss went along with it. She was right – in a way, we did already have the simple wedding she would have wanted if she was to have a wedding at all. I suppose she saw Plutarch's logic as clearly as I did. She certainly thought of Prim - the youngest Everdeen liked these fancy things as much as a Seam girl was able to, and the maid of honor's enthusiasm would carry over to the bride herself.
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Heavensbee moved to suggesting a date. "How about August 26th?"
Glimmer declined. "That's Lustre's birthday – I want to keep that her big day, not mine." What a nice touch. Anyway, Vick's was the 15th – none of the other Hawthorne or Everdeen birthdays were anywhere near this time of year. There were no objections to having the ceremony the day before that.
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Coin continued to seem put off by the plans, and snapped "As for the rings, we aren't exactly flush in jewels and gold." Glimmer continued to look shaken.
However, Cato stepped up for his woman of all of three weeks. "You want some gold? I got some gold right here! Make the rings out of this if you have to!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out an aureus, the largest of Panem's gold coins, an inch in diameter. I thought they were mythical objects.
I had been trying to tell Cato about the circumstances in District Twelve, and I didn't care for this casual display of wealth. "One of those things could feed my family for nearly a month!"
"Our rings made out of my token for the Games where we met," he answered levelheadedly. Oh.
Glimmer gladly suggested details. "How about engraving the date, the person's name, and that of their spouse? My father's a metalworker in the jewelry shops back home." Mightexplain why your father is still alive, I thought, feeling venom that I knew better than to display publicly. "He can surely take care of it. Lustre is a promising young artist; I'm sure she can come up with some nice lettering." Cato nonchalantly agreed and so did the two of us. Finnick and Annie declined, explaining they had brought heirloom rings with them.
Apparel was the next topic. "We are in the middle of a war – how would the guys feel about wearing uniforms?," Plutarch suggested.
"Sure, whatever," I agreed.
"I wouldn't mind either." That's my Catnip. Glimmer gave her an incredulous look, and the gesture was returned. In all seriousness, Cinna would work on all three dresses – being a style genius with a simple and classic fashion sense, he could accomplish a lot with District Thirteen's limited fabric supply. However, the grooms wouldn't see their brides in the outfits before the ceremony. We would wear khaki ceremonial uniforms instead of the gray field uniforms. The other military folks in attendance would wear the simpler attire.
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I walked ahead with the other two guys as we left the meeting. Finnick jokingly 'offered some nautically themed advice'. "Remember, gentlemen, it's the size of the boat, the motion of the ocean, and staying in port long enough for both passengers to disembark." I was amused, and Cato found it hilarious.
"What's so funny?," Katniss called out.
"Nothing, Catnip," I said defensively. "Not that I had any problems with that," I said to Finnick evenly.
Odair got serious. "To share that with someone I actually love, that's the only point, I'm ecstatic that the day is almost here."
Cato made himself heard first. "I had many girls in my bed back home, of everybody's free will mind you, but until I had Glimmer, I hadn't realized what I had been missing."
"I understand, though at my age it was merely hot empty kisses," I agreed.
"Oh, it irritated my mother," Cato continued. "My father had her and her alone, everyone says. She does like Glimmer more than Sunstone and Mink like me, that's for sure."
"Ah, who wouldn't like Glimmer?," Finnick interjected. "Even when her beauty is not at issue, she has a gift for making people like her."
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When I saw Glimmer in the hallway, I solemnly told her "Katniss does not forgive and forget easily. Remember that. I certainly keep it in mind".
"Well, I can't make everybodylike me," she said, dejected but not pouting.
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We began our military training in the meantime, starting with weapons instead of formations. A no-nonsense middle-aged woman going by her title 'Soldier York' was in charge of the rifle range. Katniss and I transitioned fairly well from archery to rifle shooting. Cato was quite happy about learning how to use yet another kind of weapon. Glimmer was no better with this particular ranged weapon. Or did she just look bad compared to Katniss? York was not amused, yelling "Shinesmith! You're not going anywhere! Even if you weren't pregnant, you can't shoot worth a damn!"
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In short, the ceremony would blend the marriage traditions of our four districts. The wedding would be held in the Collective, the major auditorium Thirteen also used for more mundane large gatherings. District Four newlyweds touched saltwater to their lips, and our friends from the fishing district had brought plenty with them. After we were through with the wedding itself, we would progress to the dining hall for a meal much beyond Thirteen's usual fare. The native cooks were somewhat stymied by that. Lyme contributed a chocolate cake recipe. Katniss and I could use another toasting, and the other couples were interested in learning the ritual.
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It had been left unsaid was how much Katniss and I missed being in the woods together. This fact, lost in the recent chaos, came rushing back now with the thoughts of food and the weapons recently placed in our hands. They needed us for the rebellion, so we should be able to insist on this and various other conditions. Sure enough, Coin grudgingly would allow us into the District Thirteen woods, with time and distance restrictions, as well as having to turn our catch over to the communal kitchen. Even limited, we couldn't resist the opportunity to do what was second nature to us. We would add Rory and Cato to our hunting party, and Coin gave us grief about that too. I'm starting to like her less and less. "Too many hunters would deplete the woods, but we could still use more than two, and I really want to teach these guys," I explained. They would have their own thoughts about being added to the group.
Cato, who was fast developing a skill and passion for the rifle, was quite pleased with these plans. He butted in with "I get to kill and eat? Awesome." Typical Cato, although killing food animals would indeed be an improvement.
"It's time for me to get started?," Rory said in a timid voice.
I answered him confidently. "Rory, Katniss and I had already been out in the woods for months by the time we were your age."
Katniss would be comfortable with none other than a bow, using the one from the arena. It had been locked in the armory, and the three of us joined her as she went to retrieve it. I insisted that they issue Rory a smaller archery set in my name. Cato and I would be carrying service rifles in single-shot mode; I was even able to spin that as part of our training.
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The animals of this wood were not used to being hunted, and that bit of hesitation greatly improved our success rate and was much more tolerant of our trainees' lack of experience in the art. Stealth was not one of Cato's virtues; I heard many branches snap. Rory largely stayed behind me and to my left. We had caught and picked several small things when Rory pointed out a small group of deer. He aimed at the small one close to him, and somehow managed to get a decent shot in on its side. The other animals were obviously startled, but Katniss had already been tracking the middle one and led it perfectly. Cato and I took out two of the farthest and largest ones, both of us squeezing out headshots. "That's enough for now!," I cheered. We pooled the smaller game into Rory's bag. Cato hoisted both his deer and Rory's as Katniss and I dragged back our own kills. "Was this a good idea or was this a good idea?," I gleefully stated once we got back to base.
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Appropriately, our table was served first that evening, some venison plain and some in a stew. "You can celebrate your first kill by eating first," I said primarily to Rory but also to Cato. "Normally it is not so quick and grand a kill as this – the odds were in your favor."
The Hawthornes and Everdeens had that meat before on the rare occasions Katniss or I had managed to bag deer. It was a new taste to Cato, and he went all food critic on us. "It's very strong, that's for sure. Almost overpowering by itself, but quite pleasant in the stew," he said. Fair enough.
One of the natives came over to say "We are well fed here, but normally not so heartily as this. Congratulations."
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We visited the medical bay and I saw someone present a vial to Katniss. There were only a few like it on the shelf it came from. "You might just want this," the medic announced.
"What is it?," Catnip asked.
"Birth control shot. Your mother might mix up something from the woods, and that's better than nothing, but this is the good stuff, kind of like morphling instead of snowcoat as a painkiller. There's a certain someone who used this stuff regularly, stopped, and is pregnant now."
"Glimmer? Well, those shots must be effective if they kept that whore from getting knocked up until now," Catnip joked. After all, Katniss hadn't even kissed a boy until she was past sixteen, and I heard Glimmer had lost her virginity on her fourteenth birthday. Katniss confidently rolled up her sleeve. Annie was offered the next vial on the shelf, but declined.
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Tomorrow was the big day. I was waiting with Cato making idle talk. "Where's your name come from?," I asked.
"Most of the men in my father's family are Julius or Cato. Mother considered this a reasonable alternative to Julius 2," Cato stated. "Odd that you'd be asking that question, Gale," he needled.
"Father said a strong wind blew the night of my birth and that I'd grow to be as strong as it. He was right, and now that wind is fanning the flames of rebellion, flames that burned in me even before he died," I spoke.
He followed up with "What day was that anyway?"
"March 3rd," I said to give a simple question a simple answer.
"May 8th," he said with just as little fanfare.
"Whaddaya know, that's Katniss' too," I shot back.
"Would make for a kickass birthday party," Cato suggested.
"If we live to see it," I said solemnly.
Finnick showed up and put us right back into a lighter mood. "Well, I'm December 3rd and Annie is November 11th. Sorry if that spoils the fun," he said.
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Four's ringbearers were our fellow victors Hook and Lotus. Rory, Brutus and Hook waited outside while us guys put on uniforms. The clothing was the same, but we carried different weapons. There was nothing merely ceremonial about my combat knife, Cato's sword or Finnick's trident. My blade was the same one Katniss and I used in the arena. Prim, Lustre and Lotus came out with the brides, having helped them dress. Katniss was dressed green, Glimmer was adorned in pink and purple, and Annie wore blue. The gowns were similarly styled, including the appropriate district number in lace on the shoulders. I also noticed arrows in the lace patterns on Katniss' sleeves. I traced the left sleeve with my right hand as I said, "Perfect. You're even more beautiful than usual while making a statement. Classic Cinna." The others also had
Rory and Prim sure did look cute together. It was amusing to see Brutus and Lustre standing next to each other, since they had an even larger age difference than Cato and Posy. Lustre distributed the wedding bands she had made with her father. I noticed that the packages said 'SF1' and asked her about this. "Shinesmith Forge is a company name I thought of, and I always wanted the first item to be my big sister's wedding ring," the little shiny one explained. Rory let me have a look, Lustre's fancy lettering reading 'Gale and Katniss August 25th 74'. Katniss, Cato and Glimmer reported similar results.
Cato's mother was the only other person in the room with the nine of us. "Remember that you're still alive because a man listened when his woman told him to do something," she said to her son. Katniss and I both applauded her for that.
"Yes, mother, giving me instructions is Glimmer's job now, and I rather like what she tells me to do." Is it even possible for Cato and Glimmer to keep it in their pants? Glimmer winked, her groom's ribaldry perfectly understood.
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Teresa walked into the Collective ahead of us and announced "They're almost ready".
I heard Beetee respond with "We just went live." We walked into the auditorium together. Finnick and Annie were front and center. We were to their left. Cato and Glimmer were to their right.
Mr. Shinesmith, Mr. Cresta and Mrs. Everdeen walked up to meet us. As Sunstone stood with his daughter, he addressed Cato directly. "We all know how excited she is to be with you. Live up to it."
Mrs. Everdeen was one of the first to speak to the crowd as a whole, paraphrasing some things said upon our arrival. "We are lucky to be at a wedding instead of at funerals. I haven't seen men look at their women like that since my Jacob. May you all have many decades of feeling like that. Gale, welcome to the family officially."
As we walked, I saw Haymitch wave. They must have let him out of the drunk tank, at least for this. I loudly commented on the ringbearers for the cameras' sake. "Three of the attendants are our fellow victors. The other three are victors in a way, since they'll never face the reaping again."
Hook and Lotus opened their palms to reveal the specific rings they were bearing. They spoke in unison with an enchanting story about the pieces. "Several past victors have married, but there was only one two-victor couple before this - Popeye and Olive from our district fifty years ago. They are no longer with us, but they knew about Finnick and Annie, and willed their rings to them for when this moment could finally come." Finnick and Annie took the rings and put them on. The loudest cheers came from Cecelia Weaver of District Eight, the only previously-married victor in attendance. Her non-victor husband Alexander and their three daughters were present but not as loud. Lustre, while getting out Glimmer's band, put it practically right in front of a camera lens. Cato and Glimmer also put their own rings on, but we let Rory and Prim slip ours on.
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Some of our parents read district-specific vows which we'd answer together. Mr. Shinesmith spoke first. "Gentlemen, will you be the husbands these lovely ladies deserve?"
"We will."
Ms Anthony was next. "Ladies, will you be the wives these gallant gentlemen deserve?"
"We will."
We had decided to skip the particularly unromantic District Two statements. Mama Odair and Papa Cresta read the District Four style vows in unison. "Will you serve faithfully as the captains of each others' hearts?" Six voices confirmed.
Ingrid and my mother also read ritual statements together. The words seemed second nature to them, and ended with "Will you honor and cherish the ones you've chosen, throughout all the highs and lows this life presents you with?" The six voices rang out again.
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Coin presented us with the marriage certificates and we all rushed to put our names to them. There were plenty of witnesses, but each couple needed to have two adults not related to them officially sign off as such. Cinna was first for us. Haymitch's hand was steady enough to write. Brutus, Cashmere, Hook and Mags joined Abernathy in signing for mentorees, as had happened for past victor weddings. Now it was official. Then each couple kissed. I looked out of the corner of my eye while Katniss and I were still locked in our embrace. Rory and Prim, I saw that. Very cute. Your lips were definitely touching. Cato and Glimmer, I saw that too. Are you unaware that you have an audience, or are you very aware? Your tongue is definitely in her mouth.
District Four tradition was particularly prominent at the end of the public ceremony. Existing married couples in the audience joined us newlyweds on stage. They started singing a song comparing marriage to a long sea voyage. Katniss quickly added her voice to the chorus. Her singing was one of the many beautiful things about her; I wish she did it more often. As the last verse faded out, the mothers of Finnick, Annie and Glimmer broke away to hand their children small vials of water. My mother, as well as Mrs. Everdeen and Ms. Anthony, stood up for the same purpose. Finnick dipped his finger in and painted it onto Annie's lips. Annie returned the favor and the rest of us followed suit. Glimmer loudly said to Cato "That saltwater stings, but nothing assaults my lips quite like your kisses", and Cato gladly gave her another demonstration.
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Now the spouses were given a chance to speak. As usual, we spoke in district order, ladies first, so Glimmer started. The elated young woman practically squealed, "I first thought I simply had my latest piece of eye candy. I'm so glad I was wrong! Now we're going to be a family! I hadn't thought about our future because I didn't think we had one. Cashmere, Brutus, Haymitch, what a brilliant idea!" They all drew tremendous applause. Brutus was already standing behind Cato. Cashmere and Haymitch rose from the victors section, Goldman much steadier than Abernathy of course.
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Cato replied in a calmer but still enthusiastic manner. "This woman was the first to crack my shell. One of my fellow District Two tough guys is here with us today, and he of all people would understand how difficult that is." Brutus rose to applause again. "That reaping footage was of the prettiest young woman I've ever seen. When we met, embraced and kissed, it couldn't have felt more natural. I see it in her eyes. It's over - I'm a goner. I never knew about sweet love, and never had one like her before; now it's two as one. This won't be a walk in the park, but I can't be afraid of the dark. I shall always cherish the attentions of one so beautiful. Love of my life, I'm pledged to you – I'll honor and stay forever true to you, my Glimmer Rose." That must be the clean version for the benefit of Glimmer's parents.
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Annie reprised the role of the bride almost catatonic with joy. "I'm so glad this day finally came! Finnick saved me – before either of us faced the arena, while I was in the arena, and afterwards. He cares for and understands me like no one else. Look at what he turned down because he'd rather have me. That's for real."
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Finnick responded with "I'll never forget when I first met her – can you believe that someone from District Four didn't know how to swim? I first felt the magic as I began to teach her that and she began to teach me how to move past the horrors of my arena. I will never forgive Snow for torturing us because I balked at his vile business. I just know he rigged the 70th Reaping and turned this lovely girl into 'crazy Cresta'. But at least I had taught my beautiful little fishy how to swim back to me." I applauded his mixture of love and hate.
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Katniss said both some expected and some surprising things. "I had never thought about love until a few weeks ago, but it felt so natural with a friend so close. Then he wanted us to be married even for what little time we thought we had left together. That's when I realized for sure he was the one forever. We were on a battlefield and he still took the time to kiss me good morning – ain't that somethin'? Now I get why so many girls are such romantics. Also, as usual, Cinna's handiwork was brilliant. May there be a reason for this dress to be used again - I do hope Prim and Rory's relationship grows up with them. It seems it didn't take her as long to find what I've found." They both beamed at the special mention. While still holding hands, they pivoted to peck each other on the lips again.
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I felt more relieved than anything right now. "May 'the rest of our lives' truly mean something. The Announcement was the happiest moment of my life – so far. I only wish it didn't take the arena to make us realize how great we are for each other."
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An armless man was near the front of the mob as we made it out of the auditorium. He had declined a prosthetic hand to hide the one he lost in the arena. Chaff. Haymitch's main drinking buddy. And from the same district as Rue. "Mrs. Hawthorne?," he said to Katniss looking quite full of himself.
Ironically, the only one of the three brides not to take a married name was the first to be addressed by one. "Nope, still Ms. Everdeen," Catnip interrupted.
"Anyway, most everybody from District Eleven was extremely touched by your love for our little flower. More importantly, it touched off a major riot in Zone B. The bouquet seen 'round the country. That milestone in the rebellion was just before Cato ran his mouth."
Once we actually made it to the dining hall, the cakes came out first. One was shaped like a block of stone or a diamond, depending on how you turned it, frosted silver. The next was a blue fish. The last, mine and Catnip's of course, was a green tree. Ours had an adaptation of Rory's token design right above the 'Katniss and Gale', but with the three Everdeens joining the five Hawthornes. In Twelve, only the lucky could afford even a bit of cake at weddings, so these chocolate monsters went above and beyond for us. Glimmer was handed her machete, metal gleaming. It was physically cleansed of Logroll's blood, and using is as a tool to help celebrate these happiest of times would go a long way towards mentally cleansing it. She wrapped her hands around the handle and Cato put his on top of hers. They pushed down into the cake; soft sepia sponge and silver sugar sunk to meet the blade. "It's my wedding so I'll have dessert first if I damn well please," Cato joked at his mother.
We each fed our new spouses, and then handed pieces to our attendants. Rory said "it tastes like Lyme's candy." That made Vick and Posy rush to grab pieces, making them the first two to be served after the nine of us.
"That woman and her chocolate. I swear, she never needed to take a lover because she gets off on that stuff instead," Brutus said. He at least had the courtesy to whisper the ribald comment.
Dinner was mainly more of the venison stew; our four-strong hunting party had certainly provided the kitchen with plenty of raw material for it.
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"We'll show the footage and discuss the reactions later." Plutarch announced. Cato and Finnick began to carry their brides; Katniss walked alongside me as it always had been and always will be.
Each of the warrior couples would have compartments near each other. The toasting would be carried out with District Four seaweed-flavored bread. People besides the six of us began to clear out. We didn't want Plutarch's video cameras around; we'd compromise by taking some still pictures, and the media staff would combine those with footage of the toasting Katniss and I did in the arena. I wielded mine and Katniss' knife again. "It's important to the tradition that the couple makes the fire themselves," I intoned. Katniss was working on exactly that while I cut a couple slices of bread, passing the knife and the remainder of the bread to Glimmer; she gave them to Annie in turn. Those who had not laid the fires touched the lighters to them. "May we always burn passionately for each other," I continued just as solemnly. The end of the speech had more levity, as I said it through the crunching bread and changed the words to fit our situation. "And now six have become three."
We went through the doors and closed them; Glimmer and Annie had been lifted again while Katniss walked through the opening. Annie was the only one of the six to go to the marriage beds untouched; Katniss and I had our one time, and we all know Finnick, Cato and Glimmer were anything but virgins.
"I do want us to carefully undress, savor the view," Katniss suggested, and I had no intention of complaining about that. I started gently tugging at her back zipper while she unbuttoned my shirt. As I pulled the zipper down further, the dress fell. Evidently it had a built-in bodice, leaving nothing blocking the view now. He gaze was also impatient, so I dropped my pants and undershorts in one motion as I often did. We both effortlessly kicked away the hems of our lower clothes.
As she folded the gown, she said "I love you, Gale Thomas Hawthorne!" I was rather surprised when she added "Lift me up, carry me to the bed".
"What?," I responded.
"I put on a brave face out there, but this is our moment. I may be the toughest girl in District Twelve, but I'm still a girl," she explained.
"Make no mistake, Catnip, we're the adults we've had to be for years; this just makes it official. Yet this moment is wonderful in its simplicity. I am just a man in the presence of the most truly beautiful woman he has ever known. Oh, you're very pleasant to look at, even without Cinna's magic, but your spirit is what really shines. I had a feeling this day would come. I love you and only you, Katniss Ingrid Everdeen," I said with my bride in my arms. Katniss laughed as I laid her down on the bed.
"Even Cinna's magnificent efforts don't make me feel nearly as desirable as you are making me feel right now – your beautiful glance, wonderful smile, and perfect touch….well, it seems you are very much in my presence," she said as she smiled. Indeed, there may as well have been a gun barrel sticking out from between my legs. I rubbed between hers, soon moving faster and in circles. Her convulsing took to a similar pattern. As I tasted her, in between increasingly ragged breaths she said "That's right, we're here to make love, not talk about it, oh yes." She guided me into her, even that simple touch sending shockwaves throughout our entire bodies. I wrapped around her as I thrust, my legs around her hips of course, but also pulling her upper body even closer to heighten the already overwhelming sensations. I had half a mind to cradle her head and kiss her as furiously as I knew how, which was rather powerfully, but we both reveled in the moans of pleasure escaping her otherwise unoccupied lips. I began to scream her name as loudly as she was yelling mine. As we spasmed, I stayed inside her. Now we kissed passionately, as I was running my fingers all over her.
As we separated, she turned face down. She rose from the pillow, supporting her head with a hand on her cheek, and turned around to say "Until recently, I hadn't even known about the feelings that would come with this day, but right now I just want you to take me again."
"With pleasure…the greatest pleasure." I was behind her, but simply at a different angle to access her pink front. She gripped the pillow and the sound of her pleasure was muffled by it. "Soft and sore," she said of her crotch after the new waves of pleasure overwhelmed us, "but I wouldn't have it any other way." We began to fall asleep in each other's spent embrace, just as in the Training Center; had it really been less than three weeks? We were on our sides now. Her head rested on my chest, giving me a wonderful view of her chest. Her hair ran wild, the braid long since having come loose. She pulled the covers over us and said "Goodnight, my groom."
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I was knocked out of my slumber. Glimmer was still making a racket courtesy of what Cato was doing to her. In a zombified state, I got up and yelled through the wall. "Mrs. Adams! They can hear you all the way over in District Three!" How Katniss was sleeping through it I don't know. It stopped and I climbed back into bed, the most wonderful soft warmth there to greet me. I nearly instantly returned to my slumber.
.
I felt Katniss' mouth trailing its way down my chest until it gripped the barrel itself. "Good morning, wife, or am I still dreaming?"
She lifted her head long enough to say "No, you got up, that's for sure" before returning to licking my shaft. I soon arched back, about to burst. She climbed off with her mouth, only to climb right back on with her legs. This time, we did have our lips occupied with the burning touch of each others'. Her tongue was inside my mouth as sure as my pole was inside her hole, and I shivered right before I filled her again. She went to her dresser to pull out a set of the standard civilian clothes for the day, her beautiful naked hips staring me in the face. I walked over and gently turned her around, leaning her upper body back on the top of the short clothes cabinet. "Apparently we'll never be done with each other," she said while smiling yet again. I entered her while standing up and gently caressing her chest with my outstretched hands. The look in her eyes a few feet away was something I'd never forget and never want to forget. We added today's clothes to each others' bodies as carefully as we had removed yesterday's.
.
Once we were all dressed and in the light of the hallway outside our compartments, Cato said "You know how it is…"
I interrupted him to yell "…for you two! Some of us are a little more considerate!"
"We were also able to keep it down," Finnick added.
"But still, what a choice for my first and last!," emoted ecstatic exhausted Annie.
I turned to her and responded "I'd drink to that if they let us drink here."
"Cheers!," Katniss added. Her staggering was fake, part of a humorous imitation of Haymitch in his usual drunken state, but it was a wonder any of us could walk at all right now. The other three heartily agreed with the last part, the one they could speak on.
.
In the dining hall, the cake trays had not been picked clean quite yet, and Glimmer took six pieces of the gray stone back to her table to acknowledge Lustre's 14th birthday. I bore eight tree branches to the Everthorne section to assist in belatedly celebrating Vick's 11th.
.
The six of us were due back in Propaganda to review the broadcast. Plutarch was ecstatic. "That was brilliant! We have copies of District security camera feeds, to show just how well it went over. We'll splice that into the short clips we rebroadcast. We're dueling with the Capitol techs, so we have to hit hard and fast when we do have control."
Walls of District Twelve respect signs facing each other, imagining they were with us and we were with them, combined with clips of the actual procession. Katniss and I naturally gestured back at them, even though only the few of us in the studio were there to see it. A crowd mouthing words, undoubtedly the District Four song. Annie burst into tears as Finnick soothed her. "Your ship and its crew of two," Katniss hummed almost under her breath, one of the lines she remembered. Even One and Two were starting to crack, as they watched their native daughter and native son be joined to each other. Some people from Glimmer's district danced and flashed jewelry; some from Cato's raised their ring hands and nodded appreciatively.
Plutarch offered some context. "It is common for District Two men to take younger wives, but it's usually something like forty and thirty instead of eighteen and seventeen. At least someone didn't have to go through the Peacekeepers first. Note that they're wearing titanium; even the simple gold bands would be extravagant there."
We saw many from the other eight districts were cheering, when Plutarch's sources could get footage from amongst the riots. I knew those crowds weren't just happy for the six of us – they were hopeful for the future we could bring for ourselves and everyone else in Panem, that which we all deserved
.
Later that day, I procured a large metal dish from supply, explaining it as a wedding gift, which it sort of was. Katniss asked "What's the curved mirror for?" as I took her to bed, the dish placed behind it.
"You'll see." And 'Glato' will hear.
I knew how to get her to make more noise than usual. She gladly took it at face value, and the mirror channeled the echoes towards the Adams bed.
Now Glimmer yelled at us to complain. "Everdeen!"
A comeback was part of my plans for this little prank. "Turnabout is fair play, shiny."
.
We would soon be back to the work of winning a brighter future. We were having a short honeymoon, that's for sure.
A/N
That was some serious lemon near the end - it was their wedding night for crying out loud… and they were crying out loud. ;)
Katniss' comment on Gale compared to the prep team/Cinna paraphrases from a part of Ellenka's Love, Thorns And Fire. That woman writes some amazing Gale/Katniss, and is a major influence on my presentation of the pairing.