For those of you who are confused, this is a little prologue:
Panem used to be divided into thirteen kingdoms (twelve districts and the Capitol). They have been fighting amongst themselves for power for as long as most can remember (District 4 citizens wouldn't come to District 3 and if they did they wouldn't be welcomed, etc). That all changed when the Capitol and District 2 played dirty. Joining forces, they took down the other districts and now Panem is united into two kingdoms, one ruled by the Capitol and one ruled by District 2. The Capitol's deal was that if 2 joined forces with them and they won the war, 2 would be given half of Panem and get to rule themselves while the Capitol controlled the other half and the rest of the Districts.
The war has just ended. There are a numerous amount of prisoners and as a result, both kingdoms have to fill up their dungeons. Katniss Everdeen was a citizen from District 12 who was captured in the war. Now she and other prisoners from District 12 are to be taken to the King of District 2 to decide their fate. The problem is that fate has something in mind for Katniss Everdeen.
"Bring forth the prisoners."
The great double doors swung open and in stepped the General. He strode forth with a proud swagger, still in his armor, polished after battle. His breastplates reflected the lights of glittering chandeliers dangling from the ceiling. Behind him a small army of soldiers imitated his walk as they pushed a group of people in chains and ropes towards the throne. Their ragged and tattered boots left an ugly trail of dirt and blood on the royal red carpet.
"Your Majesty." The General and his crowd kneeled down before the steps that led up onto the platform that held the velvet-and-gold throne. The throne was being occupied by a brawny, well-endowed man dressed in rich, flowing robes and a fur cape. A golden crown rested on top of his tousled blonde hair. His eyes, of which were a piercing blue, stared at each prisoner in turn and received many stone glances and glares.
Although her expressions were free of emotion, Katniss's heart beat wildly inside her chest. This king did not look like a merciful, considerate man. The icy gaze of his eyes held wrath and anger.
"Arise." Even his voice had an undeniable coldness woven through it.
Immediately the General and his men stood up again, dragging the prisoners along with them. Katniss tried not to wince as a soldier jerked her up by yanking her braid. The last thing she needed to show in front of this king was defeat. Defeat made you look vulnerable. Defeat made you a target.
The king had risen as well. He seemed to tower over them all, making them look puny in comparison.
"Citizens of Panem," He boomed, "You stand before my people and I today as prisoners of war. You have failed to protect what's left of your kingdoms, and now they rest at the hands of the Capitol and myself."
A prisoner in the back let out a howl of fury and tried with all his might to stumble towards the king. The guards yanked him back and slapped him in the face, hard. A handprint immediately formed on the young prisoner's throbbing cheeks.
The king let out a peal of cold laughter. "You see, disloyal subjects? This is why you now stand before me. Your people are too weak and foolish to know where you stand. You are now completely under my mercy."
The same prisoner who had screamed before hacked a gob of spit onto the royal red carpet, leaving a hideous milky stain. The guards reached for their swords, but stopped when the king raised a hand.
"Some of you will learn. You will see the error of your past ways and gradually accept the life given to you. Those of you will soon be living better off than you were before, I can gurantee it. I care about my subjects. Others will not be so fortunate. You will never see the error of your ways; a few of you will try to change everything to the way it was, and for that you will pay the price with your life. Disloyalty and treachery will not be tolerated in this kingdom. I understand that this is a pretty big change for most of you, but I recommend you to bear with it since you will be living in it for a long, long time. Or perhaps not."
He didn't even have a chance to sit back down before screeches of protests went up all around the room.
"We'll never live with your rule!"
"You're a disgrace to Panem, you filthy, cheating..."
"The irony is that YOU betrayed us by joining up..."
"We'll never surrender...always keep fighting for justice..."
"We'd rather perish than live with you as our king! District 12 FOREVER!"
"DISTRICT 12!" The prisoners chanted.
The king inclined his head, a sadistic smile flitting across his face. "If that's what you wish, so be it. Brutus!" He turns to the general, who immediately stood to attention. "What do you suggest we do with these prisoners?"
Katniss watched Brutus's look of confusion turn into a wicked grin of sharp yellow teeth. "Sire, I would throw most of these prisoners in the dungeon and kill some in the meantime. I'd leave them to rot, Sire, but keep some of the women, Your Majesty." A cold feeling grew below Katniss's stomach.
The king let out a howl of cold laughter. "Excellent, Brutus. Take the men to the deepest, darkest of our dungeons."
Katniss's heart sank. Her voice blended in with that of the other women's, except hers called for Gale, who was being dragged away. Katniss's heart swelled as she saw some of the Peacekeepers treated Gale, slapping him in the back of the head everytime he made an attempt to turn around. They better not hurt him! They better not kill him...
The only remaining prisoners in the room were women, forced to stand in a straight row facing the throne. There was a rigidity hanging about the room that did not want to be broken. Unlike most of the women in the room, Katniss was trying to meet the king's eye. The others were either glaring with every fiber of their being or glancing down, hoping to avoid anybody's gaze altogether. Katniss didn't believe in showing her fear. They'll hurt her more if they saw that she was afraid, she decided. And so she decided right then and there to never show much emotion except for hatred, which spoke for itself.
"My fair ladies." Mockery glittering in his eyes, the king stepped down from the platform and strode over to them. He was too close for Katniss's liking. She tried to scowl and glare at the same time as the king walked down the row, inspecting every prisoner up and down closely. "What shall it be for you?"
Katniss didn't know (and she wasn't sure she wanted to know), but if the king asked what was to become of him, she'd answer immediately, rotting in hell. It was more of an easy way on him, in her mind. He deserved so much more than that.
She was the very last one in the row. As he approached her, she forced herself not to turn her head away. Her lip curled in disgust and her body tensed when she knew he could feel her uneasiness. To her dismay, the king stopped right in front of her. Their gazes met, both cold, both icy, both narrowed. The other prisoners held their breath as Katniss and the king held a staring contest.
His eyes, two gleaming sapphires made out of ice, pierced into hers. "My lady, to what do I own the pleasure of your-"
But to what he owned the pleasure of hers, she never found out. Her hands suddenly reached up-and striked his face.
For a moment, it seemed as if time had stopped right then and there. The crackling fireplace was the only source of noise, for one could hear a pin drop on plush carpet. Everyone looked as if they were gaping statues.
Then the spell was broken and gasps echoed from around the room, most of them uttered from the king's men. The women stared in horror. Some buried their faces in their hands, others stared at her, and still others looked down. Katniss exhibited such courageous leadership skills. She was a good warrior and they had looked up to her, may she rest in peace.
But it seems that was not to be.
Katniss's heart pounded lividly inside her eardrums. She hadn't meant to do that, hadn't meant to do that at all, but now it was too late. She forced herself to remain emotionless and rigid as her mind swirled with horrible ways she could be executed. It took all her strength to keep herself from trembling, but the worst seem confirmed as she looked back at the king and saw the slow, menacing smile spread across his face.
He put a hand on his throbbing red cheek. "Take the prisoners into the dungeons. They are to be in different cells from the men."
Immediately, the soldiers scrambled and began dragging the women off. Nobody uttered a word and the only sound in addition to the fireplace were the clinking of metal chains.
"Not her," the king said softly as a soldier reached for Katniss Everdeen. He looked at the king in surprise, but the king's face showed he meant business. So the soldier strode back towards the others to escort them to the dungeon.
"KATNISS! KATNISS!" The cries of a little girl made Katniss's heart leap. She opened her mouth to answer, but they were already gone.
The king turned to the remaining Peacekeepers in the room. "Take her to my chambers."
What'd you think of the first chapter? I appreciate any comment, concerns, or feedback you have. Please review and tell me if you like it so far or what I can do to improve or just your opinion of this.
This first chapter is kind of like a prologue of its own; that's why not too many details are included but I was planning to include more in the next chapter, including first person POV'S, that is if you'd like another chapter at all.
So I had this idea for awhile and I'm quite excited to start working on it. I checked around and there are a bunch of other fics about Panem being a kingdom but I believe they all pair Katniss up with Peeta. I hardly read Katniss/Peeta fanfic so I don't know most of them, but I believe mine is unique in its own way.
Oh, and if you liked this, I wrote another story called Freedom of a Mockingjay, also Cato and Katniss AU. Check it out if you'd like :)