13: Wedding

Gale POV

I'm impressed with Katniss's acting ability. It's a lot better than it was last year. Then again, we've had a lot of practise, I think in disgust. It was probably a good thing that Katniss's time ran out before Caesar could question her more on the baby. It'll give us a bit more time to prepare for the doubtless onslaught of questions that we'll have to deal with today. The Capitolites seem very pleased with this piece of news.

A good sign. The more enthusiasm they show about a child of two victors, a child of Katniss and me, the better. The more chance that they will force Snow into cancelling the Games. I still have doubts that he will listen though. Snow could make it out that he has no choice in this as District 12 has no other female victor that could step in to take Catnip's place if she could drop out. Snow would have to change the entire Quarter Quell.

Which is against the rules that have been laid down seventy five years ago, at the start of Panem as I know it. The same rules that most of the Capitolites love. It would mean cancelling something that they have celebrated for their whole lives. The daunting task of what it will be to truly convert the Capitolites to the rebellion dawns on me suddenly. The realisation hits me like a ton of bricks. For our purposes, we need to take on their whole way of life against all of their upbringing.

It won't work just to have them enchanted by Catnip's fiery dresses and our love story. And it isn't just the end of the Hunger Games that we want. It's the entire system that we are trying to overthrow. And I doubt that many Capitolites are big on the idea of having to split their wealth among the Districts. About not being born superior. It will take a lot of persuasion to make them willing to give up their lives of effortless luxury.

But for now we don't have the time or the resources to do that. Now all that we can do is use the fancy outfits and the love story to enchant them. It's irritating, but it's all that we can do. It's quite surprising that they are taken in by it all and that they are so worked up about it really. I mean, nobody in any District other than perhaps District One was really interested in our love story, but for some reason it captured the attention of every Capitolite.

Portia should come in soon with my wedding outfit. It had better be something decent like most of the other outfits were. It's shallow, but I don't want to marry Catnip wearing some ridiculous costume. I'm hoping for something plainish, like one of the fire suits that I wore on the victory tour. Katniss looked amazing in her dress last night though. It may not have been the traditional District 12 style, but I can't deny that for once the Capitolites formed a decent style.

Portia entering the room interrupts my train of thought. She has her skin dyed pale green, the sort of colour of some leaves on sunny days. Green is Catnip's favourite colour. I've always preferred more metallic colours like gold or silver. Katniss says that green reminds her of the woods, the one place where she can feel free and herself. Gold and silver remind me of the woods as well, but in a different way. They remind me of arrowheads, of the wires in my snares, of hunting. Portia looks stupid with it though. Green is a nice colour, but not on a persons skin. For the one decent style that Capitolites have formed, I bet they've made one hundred others like this that make it look like people's bodies are decaying.

Hung over Portia's arm is a suit. It is charcoal grey, same colour exactly as coal dust. I'm not sure if she did that on purpose or if it's just a coincidence. Like most of my other outfits, it has buttons with tiny flames running through them and around the wrists are embroidered tongues of flame made from the fabric that Cinna designed for the fake fire. It must have taken ages for the people in the Capitol to make it. It probably cost a lot too. Probably more than a months wages for someone working down a mine in District 12. Probably more than a years wages knowing the wasteful, extravagant nature of the Capitol.

"I'm sorry Gale," she says to me. "But the Games will go ahead tomorrow. A lot of people wanted them to be cancelled because of, you know, the baby. It wasn't enough though. Katniss still needs to go into the Games. I'm really, really sorry. You'll see her at the wedding today though. Cinna's just getting her dressed up now." Unsurprising. I didn't expect the Games to be cancelled. And Portia's gone back to thinking of clothes.

I find Cinna a lot better than Portia. Not just because he was the inventor of the fake fire, but because there's something about him. Portia is a typical Capitolite- shrill, overdramatic, shallow. Cinna is smarter, he sees things more clearly. He's the type of person that the rebellion could use in the Capitol, especially considering how much fame and attention he has ever since he designed the fire outfits for Katniss and myself. Maybe he's already in the rebellion. I doubt it though. He would have given us a sign.

I try to ignore Portia's tutting and cooing as I pull the suit and trousers on. She claps her hands like an over-excited child and I grimace, wondering if she even understands the reality of the Hunger Games or the state of Panem at the moment. Part of me feels sorry for her and part of me hates her. It must be horrible to be so blind to reality, but on the other hand she is lucky that she doesn't have to worry about it. That she had everything handed to her on a silver platter. Knowing the Capitol it would probably be a gold platter actually, maybe platinum.

She combs my hair and puts some smelly Capitol dyes and powders in, then places a golden crown on my head. I notice it's similarity to the crown from when I was crowned victor by Snow. This time it seems almost mocking. I'm sure that it was his idea, to taunt me by giving me victory and then snatching it away the very next day. The sick bastard is probably sitting in his office right now smiling at mine and Katniss's predicament.

Eventually Portia stops fiddling and pronounces me ready to get married. Honestly I was ready half an hour ago. Yes the dresses Katniss gets from the Capitol are beautiful as are my outfits, but in the end it's just a reminder. A reminder of who we are getting married for. A reminder that this won't be a ceremony in District 12 with our families and just a few friends, but a party where game makers and President Snow are invited.

After a short drive, we arrive at the destination of the wedding. My mind places it from Capitol broadcasts, but it takes me a moment to register where we are. We're at the Presidential Palace, where President Snow lives. Right in the heart of the Capitol, right among the centre of our enemies. It's even more extravagant than I realised.

Plenty of people come up to me as I exit the car, congratulating me on my success in the Games and my coming marriage with Katniss. I nod at them, saying thank you and that I couldn't have done it without the Capitol. I'm not very convincing though, I know it. I just can't bring myself to be convincing to these people. I don't even know who half of them are.

I'm not allowed to see Katniss until she comes down the wedding aisle, which is an annoying tradition. It makes the wedding too formal and I don't need to be formal with Katniss. It also means that I need to hold up all the conversation on my own, instead of relying on her half the time.

"Hello Gale Hawthorne," another Capitol man says as he pushes a few others aside. I expect them to be annoyed and push him back, but they don't. "Your Games were certainly the most interesting that I have ever seen and probably the most interesting that I will ever see. Seneca left behind quite a legacy."

"Seneca quit?" I ask feigning ignorance. "I guess with all the money and fame he must have gotten for my Games he didn't need to work anymore, but I thought he enjoyed it. Although I guess the Games didn't really turn out how they were meant to. And who are you?"

"Seneca quit breathing," the man says. "I apologise for not introducing myself. My name is Plutarch Heavensbee. I'm head gamemaker this year and was in charge of muttations for the past two years. The foxes and the wolves were my design. Sorry about that," he says, looking slightly rueful.

I'm torn in how to communicate with this man. The emotional half of me wants to tell him to go die a painful death at the teeth of the mutts he created, but the logical half of me knows that he is a good potential source of information. Even if he'll never join us he could still be useful. Unfortunately he seems smarter than the average Capitolite and is unlikely to give me much info. The logical part of my brain wins out.

"So is there anything you could tell me about your plans for this year's Games?" I ask him. "Seneca did leave quite a shadow, you'll need something really impressive to make your own reputation. I'm guessing that it will involve a lot of mutts because that's your thing, but anything else you could say?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you much," Plutarch responds. "Conflict of interest and all that. Would love to though, your girlfriend is the favourite tribute. She's loved by everyone around here, including me. And not just because I got a promotion because of her. I liked her spunk. Don't think she likes us much though. She marked a snowflake into the dummy with her arrows in the training session. Great shooting though."

"Well I can definitely see why everyone likes her," I say. "And wants to sponsor her. Twelve in training is pretty amazing, even allowing for how amazing she is. But I know that she's all the fashion, I've seen plenty of mockingjays painted around the Capitol in my short time here," I try to steer the conversation over to rebellion symbols.

"I have one myself," he says, lifting up his sleeve. There is a wristwatch there. Definitely expensive. The ring is gold with a flame design and in the middle of the watch is a mockingjay that shimmers with fire. Probably some sort of Capitol technology. "I find her very inspiring."

"I just want to get to see her," I reply to him. "I don't want all this extravagant partying, I just want to meet my bride and marry her. The amount of money that went into this for something that only a small portion of people will even go to just seems wasteful to me. District 12 isn't overly luxurious."

"If you suppress your morals it can be quite enjoyable," Plutarch mutters. "It's something that comes as second nature to me. Necessary for my job, I'm sure you understand. It's quite necessary for yours as well, isn't it? Because if you help Katniss win, you hinder twenty three other tributes."

He's right, but I don't care. Catnip is the one who deserves to come out alive the most. Katniss is the one who is most important for the future of Panem. And besides, whatever I do twenty three tributes will die. That is President Snow's fault, not mine nor Katniss's nor an other mentor's. Their deaths are on him.

"True, but they die anyway. Same in your job though." I realise the truth as I say that. He may support the Games or make the deaths painful, but I doubt that he has any control over the outcome. Seneca Crane is an example. He went against what was wanted of him by Snow and his followers and he would have- might have- died for it. If Plutarch wasn't doing it someone else would be. If no one else would they would just round up twenty four children and execute them.

No outcome will work out well for the Districts. Probably a lot of Capitol people don't support the Games, but are too afraid to show it to us. They probably think that us tributes and victors support the Games because of all of the interviews. Even Plutarch admitted that it was necessary to suppress morals to be a game maker. Snow has been very clever keeping everyone separated.

"Exactly," he says. "And that's why it's so easy. All I do is to provide a good show of the inevitable. You should go now. Your orange-hair stylist is calling you. You need to be on that aisle in a few minutes. Good luck and put on a good show." Plutarch is different to my expectations of head game maker, but I don't think that he'll hesitate to make the arena deadly.

I push through the crowd to get to Effie. She huffs at me for being late and gestures that I walk up the aisle to a large white altar. Religion hasn't been practised much here since before the first rebellion, but I've heard that people in the Capitol liked to keep to the tradition of blessings at an altar for marriage.

The entire crowd falls silent as I slowly walk up. Their eyes are on me, I can feel it. I look across the crowd as I walk. I reach the altar and their is a deep intake of breath from everybody around me. Katniss will be coming soon. It can't be too soon for her to take the attention of me. I'm not good with speeches.

I see Katniss for the first time here. Cinna has made a few adjustments to her wedding dress, but it looks very similar to how it did yesterday. Her hair is braided behind her and she is also wearing a crown similar to the victory crown. The applause for her entrance is deafening. I know how uncomfortable Katniss feels with this sort of thing and give her a reassuring smile. Soon it will be over. And then, a snide voice in my mind says, she will be in the arena, which will be much worse than a simple wedding.

Katniss clasps her hand in mine and I squeeze it tight. This may be one of the last chances I get to spend with Katniss and I want to make the most of it. My eyes water slightly, but I rub the tears away inconspicuously with the back of my hand. My heart thuds in my chest as I appreciate Katniss for what may be the last time.

President Snow comes up to us and I realise in anger that he will be the one marrying us. He starts to give a bullshit speech about how lucky we were and how amazing it is that such love could blossom in such harsh conditions and a load of other rubbish. I bet someone else wrote the speech for him. He seems like me in that he hates making false speeches to please the masses. Finally, he cuts to the chase.

"Do you, Gale Hawthorne, promise to love and cherish Katniss Everdeen for as long as you both shall live? Do you promise to protect her and make her happy to the best of your ability?" he asks me. I notice the 'to the best of your ability' implying that protecting her will soon not be within my ability.

"I do. Katniss, you are the love of my life. I will do everything I can to help you in any way I can. I promise."

"Excellent. And do you, Katniss Everdeen promise to love and cherish Gale Hawthorne for as long as you both shall live? Do you promise to protect and make Gale happy to the best of your ability?" I feel Katniss's muscles clench with anger and I stroke her hand trying to calm her down. She can't explode here.

"I do. Gale, I may die in a few days, but if I do I promise my last thoughts will be of you. I love you Gale."

President Snow gives a smile. It looks unnatural on him and he is close enough that I can smell the blood on his breath over the powerful rose scent. The way he looks at me reminds me of the way that I look at an animal I have caught in a snare. Triumphant and unpitying. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

I reach forward with Katniss and place my lips on hers. They are so soft and delicate, softer than I would have expected for someone like her. I remember when Clove tried to slice them with her knives and nearly wince. Gently, I push forward with my tongue. Katniss's mouth is warm. It feels good. I'm aware of her feeling around my mouth after a moment I retreat. She does as well and we break apart.

We hold up our still clasped hands as the Capitol cheer. Suddenly, the cheers break of into gasps. My heart misses a beat as I look around, and then downwards. Katniss's dress is burning up from the bottom. There is a black material below it that I can see. She is looking at me though and I realise that my clothes are doing the same. The burning finishes and I gaze at Katniss.

The original white wedding dress is completely gone. In it's place is a black and white pattern of feathers. Wings come from Katniss's arms and I realise what the outfit reminds me of. It's a mockingjay, like on Katniss's pin. The creature that the Capitol didn't want to exist, but it does. The symbol of the rebellion.

I look down at my own clothes. Any colour other than white has completely disappeared and flames lick over the fabric. My own arms have wings attached to them as well. I'm not a mockingjay, I'm bigger and bulkier. Still the same basic built though. The protector of the mockingjay.

I step ahead of Katniss, taking the attention off her. It's my job as her protector for the time being. Outside the Games she won't need my protection, but inside I'm the only one who can as her mentor. Around me, I see the cameras and screens shut off. They probably disguised it as the end of the wedding.

"People of Panem, I need you," I say. "I need you to help me protect Katniss through these Games. Katniss and her child," I say, remembering the lie. "I really hoped that the Games could be cancelled, but they haven't been. You will see Katniss in the arena tomorrow. And I need you to sponsor her."

xXx-X-xXx

Next chapter the Games will begin. Hopefully updates will be quicker then as action scenes are more fun to write than a slow buildup of rebellion. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please follow, favourite and/or review. Thanks to those who have already done so.

-MoonOfPluto