"Deep in the meadow, under the willow,

A bed of grass, a soft green pillow,

Lay down your head and close your sleepy eyes

And when again they open, the sun will rise."

"Here it's safe, here it's warm

Here the daisies guard you from every harm

Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you."

Tears run down my face, Katniss's crooning edging them on.

"Deep in the meadow, hidden far away

A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray

Forget your woes and let your troubles lay

And when again it's morning, they'll wash away."

Through my watery eyes, I can see that Katniss is crying.

I'm sure all of Panem mimics her.

"Here it's safe, here it's warm

Here the daisies guard you from every harm"

The final lines are barely audible.

Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you."

The forest rests. Eerily still and quiet before the little black and white birds take up the tune, weaving their own notes into the lullaby. Katniss's tears drip onto her young ally's peaceful face. Her cannon fires, and I can almost hear the agony of the other districts and especially the Capitol. Katniss presses her lips to Rue's temple, her eyes lingering on the innocent face.

I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand, not even trying to contain the sobs that wrack my whole body. It seems the last innocent person in the Games is gone, forever.

Katniss cuts the backpack off the other body laying in the clearing. The boy from District 1. The boy who killed Rue. I almost feel smug. An arrow skewered through the neck seems like the right payback for Rue. Katniss pads over to Rue's body, gently rolling her over. She takes her backpack off with care, as if Rue is only asleep. Katniss then reaches slowly into the right pocket of Rue's jacket, and pulls out something. A roughly carved wooden charm, shaped like a flower or a star. Rue's token. Katniss carefully places it into her own pocket and begins to walk away from the bodies. She pauses. Her eyes keep flicking back to Rue, her small body curled up in a nest of netting. Like an animal sleeping.

Unable to leave Rue like that, Katniss retreats into the woods. A minute later she comes back with armfuls of blossoming flowers. They may be weeds, but to me, their violet, yellow, and white petals are beautiful. Slowly, one stem at a time, Katniss decorates Rue's body. Covering the ugly wound, the spear still sticking out. Outlining her face. Weaving them through her hair.

The television will have to show it. They always show the body. As Katniss walks away, the view pans back to the body, though spending considerably more time over the District 1 boy's dead body. It doesn't matter, though. People have seen it. A show of empathy, of love. Something that has probably never been seen in the Games before.

"Bye, Rue," Katniss whispers. She presses the three middle fingers of her left hand against her lips and raises them to the sky. My dry eyes tear up once again. Even though I'm alone, I do the same, gesturing with love at the screen.

---

A silver parachute floats down, landing in front of Katniss. A gift from a sponsor. Katniss looks confused, but opens it. A small loaf of bread rests inside. It's made of a dark grain and in a crescent shape. Seeds dot the top. I've never seen this type of bread before, but recognition fills Katniss's face.

"My thanks to the people of District 11," she says, raising her face to the sky. District 11. Rue's district.

As night falls, Katniss climbs high into a tree. Two faces grace the sky as the anthem plays. The boy from 1, Marvel, and the girl from 11, Rue.

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I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for all the recent votes, it really means a lot to me! Keep it up, please.

I had Katniss take Rue's token, and while that's not canon, I thought it would add a nice touch and might play a part later. Also put in the audio of the lullaby (from Mockingjay part 2, but it's the same song) at the beginning because I thought that added a nice touch.

Have a good day!

-YourLocalSwimmer