Kindred

Epilogue

Epilogue

The fire was warm against Katniss' skin, fanning her frantically beating heart and causing it to flutter. She sat with her feet in front of her. Knees bent, hands out. Her stomach churned with nerves, making her feel a mixture of nausea and excitement. She wanted to do this, for that she was sure. However, the constant niggle at the back of her head, reminding her that she didn't know what lay ahead, was responsible for her anxiety.

There was no one else in the house. They wanted to do this by themselves. If the Capitol got wind of the situation, they would demand to know every detail; have it broadcast; make it the most momentous occasion of the century. Maybe it was . . . To Katniss it was. But she didn't want any of that. She didn't want to be showered in frills or forced in front of a camera for this. She had spent a large part of her teenage life in front of a Capitol Camera, things that no one should be forced to share thrown out into the masses. This one time, Katniss wanted to have peace in her life. She wanted to do this on her own.

Well, not entirely on her own.

Katniss smiled at Peeta, who sat by the fire in a position that mirrored hers. The flames licked and flickered in his bright, blue eyes, making the tears that had gathered on the bottom lids glisten like diamonds. Katniss felt choked up herself, but she had said that she was going to be strong, and for that she wished to stand by. They had discussed this at such length and Peeta had put so much passion and love into the words that he spoke when he first purposed the idea . . . Katniss couldn't say no. It took her long enough, but now she knew who she was meant to take this step with.

And that was with Peeta.

Peeta baked the bread himself, adding that perfect personal touch that made this event so much more flawless. The dark winter evening made the fire burn so much brighter, matching that of the flames that used to haunt Katniss behind her eyelids when she fell asleep. The flames that sometimes still did. Fire symbolised bravery; fire symbolised passion; fire symbolised the love that had turned into an inferno over these many years since the rebellion ended.

Katniss wondered if she and Peeta would still be here if Willow hadn't been brought into their lives. Would they have still somehow found their way to each other? Or would they have spent the rest of their existence staying in their respective houses, not even exchanging as much as a single word? The thought alone sent a fearful shiver down Katniss' spine and she chose to ignore it, pushing the idea itself to the back of her mind.

Peeta picked up the knife and Katniss saw that he was trembling a little. She leaned forward and placed her hand on top of his. He looked up and met her gaze, eyes alight with what Katniss could only describe as raw emotion. She threaded their fingers together and they sliced two pieces off from the loaf together.

"I toast this bread, as a symbol of my everlasting love for you," Peeta said, his slice speared through the poker. He reached out and held the bread over the fire, letting the flames consume it.

Spearing her own slice, Katniss reached out and grasped Peeta' hand, holding it tight in her own. "I toast this bread, as a symbol of my everlasting love for you," she repeated.

"Unlike this fire, my devotion to you will never die . . ."

". . . and unlike this bread I will never let my love go stale . . ."

"I will be your husband through the labyrinth of life, never leaving your side . . ."

". . . I will be your wife, who will cherish and adore you . . ."

At the end of the toasting ceremony, the couple who have been joined in matrimony are supposed to look each other in the eyes and say 'forever'. However, both Katniss and Peeta had the same idea, a change to the play on words to make the service completely theirs, and no one else's.