my gaze sweeps across the crowd of people at the reception and my hand clenches tighter around the glass of champagne. the people are dressed in their finest attire, faces adorned in makeup and glamorous dresses glinting in the lights. they're laughing. smiling. praising the bride and groom.

i turn to see matthias heading briskly toward me, looking extremely handsome in his traditional black suit that has orange flames embroidered on the sleeves. his bowtie is back – it seems to be somewhat of a thing now – while the pocket has a creamy cloth tucked into it that matches the color of my red dress. i can almost sense his presence now. we've become so familiar with each other's movements that i have accidentally memorized the way he walks. he doesn't even have to say anything for me to know he's there.

a small grin is plastered on his face as he makes his way toward me, shoes slightly clicking on the cement. "hey. you okay?"

"yeah," i reply with a sigh while my eyes scan over the people again. "just nervous with the crowds."

matthias nods in understanding. ironically, it's his social anxiety that's much worse than mine, though he has to stuff it down for the sake of our reputations. the cameras are everywhere tonight. he can't risk a picture of him looking completely terrified, and i know that the emotions behind the constant smile are battling for victory over his facade.

"have you seen your brother?" he asks me for the sake of changing the subject.

i nod, pointing to roy, who's engaged in a conversation with gale hawthorne. when katniss had first described her friend back in the train on the way to the capitol, all i could picture was my brother- and i was right in doing so. they're so similar that it's uncanny. in the two years roy has been working in the mines, they've become like family to each other. it means i now have three older brothers looking out for me.

roy and gale both stand the exact same way: backs ruler-straight, one hand holding a glass of cherry red wine while the other rests at their side. they stick out among the shorter members of the party, even though roy is three inches shorter than gale. the latter spots me watching them and lifts his lips in a small grin, crystal blue eyes sparkling from the dancing lights around us. i automatically smile back.

caesar flickerman is here, of course. he and a camera crew follow mine and matthias's every movement, almost like they're some sort of second shadow. it's hard to have a conversation that the rest of panem isn't listening in on. they've mentioned my dress about six times, and made several comments about how matthias won't stop smiling.

except it's not our wedding.

katniss and peeta haven't left each other's sides since the actual ceremony ended. her dress - made by cinna, of course - flows out from her like a ruffled ball gown. it sparkles and shines every time it hits the light. there are two intricate silver pieces that start at the middle of the dress and work their way into forming small wings that frame her collarbones; i'm worried that they'll poke peeta in the eye at some point.

the groom's suit is unforgettable, so katniss isn't the only one that steals people's breath away. flames seem to flicker across the black material every time he moves, but as far as i can tell, he's not actually on fire. i've always stood by katniss in the several pictures matthias and i have posed with them in fear i'd be burned. it seems silly coming from the second girl on fire.

they both wanted a small wedding, but you can't exactly get that when you're a victor of the hunger games. haymitch is here, of course, and he was a groomsman. the only others were roy and finnick odair, whom katniss and peeta have become close friends with due to mine and matthias's friendship with the district four victor. annie cresta was the other bridesmaid aside from me. prim, obviously, was the flower girl, though she's a little old for it– she's fifteen now, the exact age i was when i was reaped. watching her walk down the aisle with her basket of red rose petals was enough to make my heart melt.

matthias and i were the best man and maid of honor. to us, it seemed terribly cliche, but the very thought of having to pick anyone else to fill in the roles was enough to give katniss and peeta headaches. effie pointed out that the capitol would eat it right up. she was right.

since katniss doesn't have a father to give her away, she asked gale to do it. he had actually been peeta's first choice for the best man. however, effie explained that it would be far too complicated to have him fill both roles for some reason, and so matthias was fit into the position.

the look on gale's face as he walked katniss down the aisle is something i will never forget.

caesar flickerman is heading toward us with those obnoxiously large cameras in tow. matthias stiffens beside me as it appears that we may actually be interviewed this time. usually, they'll just pass by and zoom in on us or have caesar make a few comments and leave. i swallow thickly, trying to calm my thudding heart.

matthias holds me a little bit closer and we both let smiles light up our faces. i take a sip of my champagne for good measure, while matthias starts chattering about anything he can think of. we've gotten pretty good at acting after two years of having most of our lives on camera.

"there they are!" caesar exclaims over the music in the distance and people's voices. matthias and i turn toward him as if we've just noticed he's there. "our favorite couple of district twelve!"

i'm very relieved he didn't say "star-crossed lovers." i'd probably throw my drink if he had.

"don't let the bride and groom hear that, caesar," matthias jokes lightly. i smile up at him, feeling immensely proud that he's being so strong. his face is relaxed and his aura calm; you'd never guess that his heart is hammering against my own and he's freaking out on the inside. only i can tell that he's racking his brain for the right thing to say. he grips onto my free hand so the cameras can't tell he's shaking.

caesar laughs and i try to focus on the ruby red color of his hair instead of the cameras flanked around us. red- the color for burning coal, the only acceptable hue for a wedding in district twelve. he had the capitol residents participate in a poll to see which color he should dye it for this occasion: yellow, red, or orange. red won by a long shot.

he turns serious, leaning toward matthias and pretending to mutter in a voice only he can hear, "so, matthias, when are you planning to seal the deal?"

caesar leans back with an expectant look on his deeply tanned face, eyebrows raised. matthias beams down at me; i don't have to guess to know it's genuine. "soon," he promises.

"aw, come on!" caesar frowns to the cameras. "you could give us a few more details than that!"

matthias chuckles and holds my hand a little tighter. i squeeze back in an attempt to let him know that it's okay, he's okay, and his act is beyond phenomenal.

"well, i can't do that when she's standing right here, can i?" matthias asks. then, to make draw the audience in further, he adds, "you'll have to ask me later."

caesar lets out an "ooh" and glances at the camera to his immediate left. "hear that, folks? looks like there might be another wedding in twelve soon!"

he lets out his famous bellowing laugh, causing matthias and i to fake chuckle. thankfully, peeta walks by and instantly grabs the attention of both the cameramen and caesar. there's a knowing look in his blue eyes when i lock gazes with him. he had done it on purpose.

matthias sighs in relief once they're gone. his breathing is unsteady, and the smile has completely dropped to unveil his true state of panic beneath. his beautiful eyes are filled with unrelenting panic, he can't stop whispering beneath his breath, and he's suddenly become restless. my hand isn't holding onto his anymore due to the fact that he's running his through his hair as if he's merely fixing it. despite the fact he has momentarily let his guard down, the instinct to appear flawless to the capitol has been programmed in our heads.

"they're looking at me," he mumbles, this time just barely audible above the constant noise. "they're looking at me."

"what?" i ask gently, attempting to at least steady his hands by grasping both of them in my own. a deep crease of worry forms between my eyebrows. "who is?"

"all of them," he replies shakily. this time, he stutters a bit due to his jaw trembling. he swallows nervously as his eyes dart around the tent. "make then stop!"

i turn and survey the crowd. no one is watching us.

"matthias, look at me," i order, voice hushed but stern. his ice blue eyes finally lock directly onto mine. "we're going to go somewhere else, okay? somewhere they won't be watching."

the best thing to do in situations like this is to pretend to agree with him- at least, that's what's been working with him. it seems to make him less jittery if he thinks he's not going insane. not that he is, of course, but he seems to think so when it comes time to film.

matthias nods gratefully at my suggestion. i guide him through the clusters of people who want nothing more than to talk to us until we're in an empty corner of the large tent. it's much quieter here due to the fact that there's no one around and the music is far away.

"listen to me, okay?" i repeat, putting both hands on the sides of his face and forcing him to look at me again. "focus on my voice. block everything else out but my voice. only me."

his eyes squeeze shut so tightly that he must be seeing colors beneath his eyelids. his breaths come out of his mouth, short and quick and uneven. my thumbs softly graze his cheeks in a soothing manner as i prepare to speak.

"the capitol? they love you," i remind him, though i know i'll never be able to fully rid of his nerves almost every time the cameras show up. "they're probably too busy admiring how handsome you look to notice any faults you have. you're precious to them- anything you do will make them idolize you. they love you. i love you."

matthias's eyes open again. he whispers in a less shaky voice, "i love you."

i pull his head downward and tilt mine to the side, letting his lips meet mine. he responds almost automatically, allowing his hands to rest on my waist. i notice they're not trembling anymore.

despite the fact that it's been years since i was fifteen and i kissed him in the arena, i still get that same feeling brewing in my stomach. the one that fills me with buzzing, nervous energy and makes me feel like i'm standing on clouds. now, i'm eighteen and he's nineteen and we are not the same kids who left that arena.

i'm extremely gentle with him, making sure i'm not squeezing his face or using too much force. i can feel his shoulders relaxing and the tension in his body evaporates as he deepens the kiss. once i know he's calm, i break away and smirk at him. "we are in public, you know."

"to hell if i care," matthias whispers before bringing me back.

and i know i will never, ever get used to this feeling i have that makes my heart almost burst with so much emotion. there is nothing stronger than what i feel for him, and what he feels for me in return.

because it's just like emmanuelle said: i love matthias, and he loves me, and i will never feel the same way about another person the way i feel about him.

THE END.

gif is thalia being all cutesy for the camera

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when u cry bc matthalia is so beautiful and this is the last part of the epilogue and caged is over and finnick was at the wedding with annie and they were part of said wedding and katniss and peeta got married and soon matthias will propose to thalia and then they're gonna get married and my bbys are so broken and they said they love each other

^accurate representation of my feelings right now. i've had to retype that four times bc i'm SO EXCITED.

this story has finally come to an end. i know i said the epilogue would be three parts, but i feel like this would be a really great way to end it. matthalia will always live on in our hearts!!

thank you for all your votes, comments, tears, and especially for following thalia all the way here. thank you to old readers and new ones alike. i love you bunches and let's pretend we're all in a big group hug rn and whenever you may be reading this!

goodbye for now, and remember:

#matthaliaforlife

xoxo,
kristyn

UPDATE DEC 2019: i finally finished editing this book and i'm honestly so pleased with it now. i fixed some plot holes and even changed katniss' faceclaim, which has made me a lot happier with this book than i was before. 

if you want to learn more about thalia, matthias, and asher, be sure to check out my meet my oc's book, "sunshine" and the pinterest board for caged! the link to my pinterest is in my bio