The Roses and Hibiscus Chronicles - Coriolanus Snow

Epilogue

Egeria had just left the room; she mentioned that Mrs. Snow wanted to see him. The house was bustling with activity as the announcement for the 73rd Hunger Games was approaching, and Snow and Indila were celebrating their 52nd anniversary today. So, all the kids were there. Crassus arrived from District 2 with his wife. Elana was also present with a friend she lived with from a few blocks away, and Incipium lived in the palace with his family — his wife and his two daughters, who were the only grandchildren Snow and Indila had.

All of them had already gone to see Indila in the bedroom. She could not get up; she had been sick for some months now, and there wasn't much left to be done. The doctor said it was as if she had swallowed small particles of poison for most of her life. Snow coughed and cleaned the blood from the sores — the poisonous sores. He didn't feel any guilt; he could never have known it.

Snow entered their room and closed the door softly. "Good afternoon, my love. Did you want to see me?" Indila nodded. "Here I am." He sat next to her, near the bed. She was weak and could barely speak. "I need you to do something for me," she pointed to the jar of water on the nightstand. "You didn't call me just to drink water, I suppose."

"No, I called you here to end all of this." Snow felt empty; he understood. He knew this time was coming soon, but he didn't feel prepared yet. "No, Dila, I can't." She insisted, "Please, I know you still carry it with you; it has to be you." Snow looked at the ground.

"Come on, I want to meet your songbird, Lucy Gray." Indila had strength for nothing, but she could still make fun of him. He chuckled, "I don't know why I told you this story. Even in this situation, you still make fun of me." She smiled, "Don't take my credit; you have never told it for real. It took me years to fit all the pieces with the information you let go." For Snow's luck, Indila had also shared a lot of things with him during all these 52 years.

"What about the farmer boy who wanted to run away with you so you wouldn't have to marry that evil, handsome, foreign dictator?" Indila laughed and coughed. "You are so silly, Coriolanus. I'll miss you." Snow took a look at her face, picturing the way she once was when they first met. "Do you regret, my love?" Her eyes seemed to be far away.

"No," she took a pause. "No, I don't. I love our children, all three of them, equally, with my whole heart. We built a beautiful family, after all." Snow smiled, "We sure did. I'm proud of them. Crassus is a general at our main base in Two; he couldn't make me prouder. And Incipium helps me the most now; he is very interested in the challenges in this country, very loyal to Panem and the Capitol." Indila coughed again, but this time on purpose. As Snow said nothing, she continued, "And Elana is a brilliant stylist. You don't like her occupation; she loves it." That was true, but there was one more thing that worried Snow about Elana. "She should get a husband; she's already old for that, but maybe..." Indila rolled her eyes. "Coriolanus, she has been living with this girl who is a 'friend' for almost 30 years now. What do you think she means to her?" Indila had a point. Maybe he just didn't want to believe his little princess did not follow the life he planned for her. There was silence for a moment.

"I was happy with you and the kids, Coriolanus, I truly was," Snow smiled. "What kids?" he teased. "Our youngest is 46." "You are right," she said and continued, "Our work is done, that's why I kissed them goodbye, and that's why I asked you to put the poison in my cup. Don't make it more difficult, darling, let me go."

Snow felt like crying but held himself. "Don't you want to see your granddaughters growing up?" "I do, more than anything. I love the girls, but I don't want them to remember me like this. I want them to remember me through your memory, of when I was stronger and younger." Snow kissed her hand, his head filled with memories—good memories he had spent by her side. It was not easy to let her go.

He spilled the poison into the glass and completed it with water. "Don't look at my dead body. I want you to fulfill your promises of not crying at my death." These words hurt him. "Oh, Dila, that was a long time ago..." "But I know you meant it," she interrupted him. Snow kissed her forehead, then kissed her lips one last time. When he got to the door, he could hear her sweet and weak voice, "I loved you, Coryo." Snow always knew it was true. "I loved you too, Indila." It was true this time; he had never fallen in love with her, but he had loved her, truly. "In your own terms, I know you had," she replied. It was true, in his own terms.

"Goodbye, my princess."

"Goodbye, Mr. President."

Snow closed the door so she could not see him crying.