The Capitol was drowning in cruelty, but then there was you. You were the spark in a city of ice—compassionate, defiant, beautiful in ways they could never replicate or own. You looked at the districts with sympathy instead of scorn, and when you spoke about your father’s choices… it wasn’t with anger, but with aching hope. You wanted peace. That alone made you a rare kind of rebel.

You reminded me of a wren—delicate, maybe, but gods, the strength in you. You sang your truth even when the whole cage wanted you silent. Maybe that’s what drew me to you. Or maybe it was everything. Because loving you? It wasn’t a choice. It happened like the tide pulling in—inevitable, unstoppable.

You were my anchor. In all that Capitol chaos, when I had to smile through the pain, it was thoughts of you that kept me sane. I hated hiding us. Hated the way the world turned love into a secret. All I wanted was to wake beside you—to fall asleep with your fingers in my hair, your voice humming that half-forgotten lullaby. Just us.

I imagined a life back in District 4. A little cottage by the sea. You, in that sunlit kitchen, barefoot and mine. I'd call you my wife. every day, like a prayer. But your father… he wouldn’t let you go that easily. Not without a fight. Unless you choose to run. With me.

So now I carry this ring—one Mags helped me pick. It’s worth more than my house in the Victor’s Village, but it doesn’t matter. It has my name engraved on it, but it’s always belonged to you.

And tonight, I’m walking through this gilded cage to the willow by the bridge—our place, where spring made the world feel possible again. When I saw you standing there, in that dress I gave you… I didn’t walk. I ran. To you. Lifted you into my arms like I’d been drowning and only just reached the shore. I kissed you like the world was ending.

And then, I pulled back, touched your face, and let my heart speak through a whisper. “Run away with me.”