Blood Roses
Summary: For all his seeming omnipotence in Panem, Snow was sensible enough to know that he wouldn't live forever. Therefore, he needed to groom a successor. Among the candidates is a brilliant, ambitious young woman named Alma. Yeah, I went there.
Prologue: The Game Begins
Victory Tour of the 45th Annual Hunger Games
It's her first time at the Presidential Palace.
Bu she's determined it won't be her last.
Her father's name may have opened the door – how typical of him, to manage to continue helping her even after his death – but it's she who is determined to walk through that door and into something better. She's young, she knows (she's just turned 25) but it's never too early to get a start as a power player on the political scene, and that's exactly what she intends to do.
She knows what the rest of Panem sees when they look at the citizens of the Capitol: the ridiculous outfits, the extreme plastic surgeries, the exaggerated accents. And in many ways, yes, that's the typical Capitol citizen, but there is another class of the elite, operating somewhat more … behind the scenes. Those of strength and intelligence, those who don't mind a little fun and frivolity but don't wallow it. The nation's thinkers and planners and game makers, who keep the machine of government humming and running smooth.
She knows which group she belongs in.
The evening is going as expected. Her mother fusses at her for not wearing a more elaborate outfit or "at least dyeing your hair a celebratory shade darling, really…"
She knows her outfit is subdued, especially by Capitol standards; the dress is sleek and black, and only a few jewels adorn her bare skin. er Her makeup is understated, though she did use something that she hopes will make what her mother helpfully refers to as her "drab gray eyes" look blue. Her hair she has put up in a simple style, opting to keep it its natural red. Her hair is one of the few things she's vain about, and she doesn't like to alter it.
Amidst the elaborate gowns and suits and all the bright colors, everyone demanding the most attention from their neighbors, she knows that she's the one that stands out the most.
And by the end of the evening, her mother is praising her "fashion strategy."
It's not enough. A triumph of wardrobe is not enough for her.
But it's a start.
The presidential welcome music sounds, and they all look up. President Snow stands above them. He just turned 45 this year, and his brown hair and beard bear the faintest shades of white. The white rose is in his lapel, as always. She watches, sees the smile that doesn't reach his eyes, and wonders what he is thinking.
What she wouldn't give to know what the most powerful man in the country is really thinking…
It takes her a minute to realize his gaze is resting on her. She feels her heart beat faster, in fear, or excitement or both, and she tilts her chin up, meets his gaze evenly, gives him her most impassive expression. A different sort of smile catches at the corners of his mouth, and then they are all toasting the Victor, and before she knows it, the evening is at end.
He might just have one of his people tracking down her records right now. In fact, she hopes he is.
Because then he'll learn not only who her father is, but who she is, and what she can do. Her scores and early graduation from the most prestigious political academy in the Capitol have to count for something…
He has been collecting them, she knows, to stay in touch with the pulse of the times, the bright young minds of the Capitol, employing them as speech writers, directors, game makers, and she may be the youngest yet, but she wants to be part of that group.
She wants to do things, she wants to change things. She wants to make history.
She wants nothing more than to be his protégé. And nothing less than to be his successor.
She wants to hold this country in the palm of her hand.
Author's Note: In the books and on the wikis, it states that Coin is in her mid-50s, and Snow is about 75. So estimating her age to be about 55, that puts 20 years between them, which is why she's 25 and he's 45 here.