A/N: And here's Chapter 2. I wanted to upload this one really quickly, since I left Chapter 1 in a cliffhanger. Also, I might want to clear something up ahead of time: I know Mushu's a dragon. However, Panem is supposed to be the grim future of our world, and in our world, dragons don't exist. So, to make sense in the context of the real world, so to speak, I made Mushu a red-haired human in this fic. I know, I don't really like doing stuff like that. In any other Disney fanfiction, I would've kept it like so. Another thing you might want to know about Snow White, Belle, and Cinderella's princes: I was looking for names for Snow White and Cinderella's princes, and I found out that Disney France called Snow White's prince "Florian," and Cinderella's prince "Henry." Thus, I'm using those names for them. And finally, the Beast's name really and truly is Adam. That's about it. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
District 4
The boy tribute's name was Eric, which filled him with shock. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Looking around at his peers, like a deer in headlights, Eric slowly made his way through the crowd and climbed steadily onto the stage. He locked eyes with Ariel, who gazed at him with worry and concern. She clearly was not worried about herself, but she was terrified for him, and vice versa. Eric's family was not nearly as vocal as Ariel's was, but as he turned to face the crowd, he could see the indescribably pained looks on their faces. And so he stood, silent, trying desperately to look emotionless, yet the immense shock of the moment clearly plastered all over his face. Still, he had to keep his composure. As long as Ariel would make it out alright, he would remain happy.
Ursula took this time to ask for volunteers. Unsurprisingly, no one stepped forward. Ariel had five sisters, true, but they were all too old to participate now. If Ariel had been picked last year, it was almost certain that Alana, the second youngest, would have stepped forward in a heartbeat. However, she was nineteen years old now and thus was a year too old to volunteer for her beloved sister.
As Merlin finished the dreary Treaty of Treason, he motioned for the young couple to shake hands. Hesitating at first, the two clasped each other's hands tightly while gazing into each other's eyes with love, concern, and uncertainty of the future. They both knew all too well that they were in for several weeks of absolute hell.
District 2
As Fa Mulan stood there amongst the eighteen-year-olds, she waited expectantly for District 2's escort to announce the female tribute's name. Granted, she was going to volunteer anyway, but she was curious to see whether her own name would be called or not. To be completely honest, Mulan was still feeling quite uneasy about the idea of killing other people for entertainment purposes. In fact, she found the whole concept of the Hunger Games sickening. However, it was considered a great honor in her district to participate. The residents here applauded their tributes and treated them like gallant heroes, training them to fight and kill from terribly young ages. This was the upbringing Mulan had. Yet, deep down, she was still a human being and knew that this game was wrong.
Her train of thought was cut short when the girl's name was finally announced. Goodness, that concert really took his sweet time. It was not Mulan. In fact, Mulan did not even recognize her name. She observed the petite little girl climb up the stage with a nervous look on her face. Goodness, this girl couldn't be a day over thirteen. Short stature, skinny body, soft eyes, frail and sickly complexion, and she carried herself so… delicately. As if she could be tipped over and shattered into a million pieces with a gust of wind. Did this little thing seriously come from the same district as her? A district that raised most of its children to kill? Mulan could not believe her eyes.
And then, the District 2 escort asked for volunteers. As everyone turned to face her, Mulan suddenly froze for a moment. At that moment, she knew she had no desire to partake in this game. It was wrong. It was barbaric. It was despicable. The Capitol leaders were inhuman monsters for forcing the district children to kill each other for "fun." Mulan was not afraid of the games in the least, it was simply a matter of morality that made her think of these things. Of course, all this had not truly dawned on her until it was time for her to volunteer herself. But at the same time, she could not let that poor girl go into the arena when everyone was counting on her to volunteer.
"Well? I'm waiting! Do we have any volunteers at all?" The shrill, irritating voice of the escort shrieked again. Good God, this man was irritating. Mulan never did like this man, Chi Fu. Purple suit, overly tall hat, and a perpetual frown on his already quite ugly face. Anyone who attempted to greet him in a friendly manner would always be met with a disapproving scowl. He was quite obviously extremely confident in himself, and always – I mean ALWAYS – had his nose up in the air. It was especially unpleasant when he started to get impatient, like he was right now. But again, Mulan did not wish to be used as a killing machine for entertainment purposes. Then, she heard it…
"Dishonor! Dishonor on your WHOLE family! Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!" Yes, Mushu's obnoxious voice rang in her head yet again. A few days back, when the two were talking about Mulan volunteering for the Hunger Games this year, she was stupid enough to voice a little bit of uncertainty regarding the whole ordeal. Since it is SUCH a great honor to fight in the games in District 2, and backing out is considered cowardice, Mushu wouldn't let her hear the end of it until Mulan finally had to take it back. It was somewhere during Mushu's long rant in response to Mulan's statement that he spewed out the line about her family and her cow. That one little line had stuck inside her head ever since, and had just now found its way back.
Mulan could see literally every single other teenager there staring at her, expecting her to volunteer. Not too far away, stood a certain red-haired boy glaring daggers at her. Yep, that was Mushu. Oh God, here it came again; "Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!" It rang louder and louder in her head by the second. Over and over again. Ugh, make it stop…
"Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!"
"Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!
"Dishonor on your cow!"
"Dishonor on your cow!"
"Dishonor on your cow!"
"Dishonor on your cow!"
"Dishonor on your cow!"
"Dishonor on your cow!"
"Dis-"
"I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" Finally, she did it. At that moment, her head cleared up. No more obnoxious voices in her head referring to her horse as a damn cow. All her inhibitions suddenly gone after finally bucking down and doing it, Mulan fearlessly marched through the crowd and onto that stage to meet Chi Fu, who looked severely irritated.
"Well young lady, it certainly took you long enough," he huffed. Without another word, Chi Fu reached into the glass ball containing the boys' names. Sending another glare at the female volunteer, he then proceeded to speak; "Our male tribute's name is… Li Shang!" Ah, perfect. Shang was going to volunteer this year anyway. Fortunately for him, Shang did not have to debate whether to volunteer or not like Mulan did. Of course, he probably wouldn't have hesitated early as much, as he was far more hardened than her. Even as he walked across the stage to stand next to Chi Fu, his eyes had nary a hint of fear or hesitation in them. Rather, he looked confident and dignified. One could tell he actually did feel honored to be selected for the games, as was typical for this district.
Chi Fu, having gotten over his slight annoyance with Mulan, now seemed quite pleased with his tributes. And why shouldn't he be? Two strong, athletic young warriors trained to kill since childhood were exactly what was expected from District 2. Observing, Mulan didn't even think he looked this pleased with last year's tributes. With his face beaming with pride, Chi Fu spoke his closing lines: "Now citizens, let us give a round of applause for our tributes; Fa Mulan and Li Shang!" As the entire audience clapped, Shang and Mulan grabbed each other's hands and triumphantly raised them in the air, confidently showing the world that they were ready to take on the games. Despite her outward confidence, however, Mulan still felt a sense of unease. Was she truly okay with killing another person?
District 11
Pocahontas stood on the stage, head bowed and eyes closed. She had just been selected as her district's female tribute, and she wouldn't dare show a hint of fear to her people. While she did feel some relief in not seeing any of her loved ones chosen, she couldn't help but feel terrified of participating herself. She was a pacifist, she loathed violence of any kind. How in the world was she to get by in the games? Nonetheless, she was not going to allow her district to see any signs of weakness in her. So she simply stood there, completely still. Silent. Waiting for her male companion's name to be announced…
"John Smith!"
Pocahontas could not help but look up and gasp in horror. Oh no, not John. He was such a good man, why did he of all people have to be picked? Trying still to keep her cool, she watched as John came up onto the stage beside her. As she observed him, she noticed that he actually didn't look afraid in the least bit. Granted, he didn't look happy either, but it was clear that he was unafraid I the face of death. He seemed more… angry than anything. Pocahontas was quite fond of John, and now that she thought of it, the two of them had never actually discussed the topic of the Hunger Games. They had always talked of more pleasant subjects, which made it all the more heartbreaking for her that he was selected this year. Nonetheless, they were going to have to talk about the events to come now, and she wished to know what was on his mind during these awful times. She made a mental note to have a heart-to-heart talk with him later. Oh, if only this were a dream…
District 5
Hercules stood there on the stage, speechless and mortified. Not so much because he was going into the Hunger Games, but rather because his beloved Megara was. He could also see the distraught look on Megara's face. He knew exactly why: he had volunteered as tribute even though she begged him every single year not to. But Hercules couldn't help it. He was eighteen this year. Thus, this was the last year he would be able to do anything. Megara knew exactly how much it pained him to see others go to their deaths every single year. The two of them talked whole-heartedly about this so very many times. As much as she insisted that Hercules not volunteer, she knew deep down that he most likely would have anyway. And when she herself was selected, all bets were basically off. As much pain as it caused her, she was not in the least bit surprised when he raised his hand to volunteer. Giving her beloved Wonder Boy a sad but reassuring smile, Megara swore to herself that she would protect him at all costs.
It was a miserable day for all in Panem, at least for those living in the districts. The people of the Capitol, however, were having a ball. As they watched their sick television show, Capitol families everywhere laughed and made bets as to who among the terrified, helpless children would be chosen to be sent to their deaths and who among the braver faces would volunteer. When each selection was made, loud uproarious laughter could be heard from miles away, and there was enormous cheering at the final group of tributes.
From District 1, a Career district, Aladdin and Jasmine both volunteered in place of other children. These two strong, confident Careers had been trained to kill since a young age just like Mulan and Shang, and had both eagerly agreed beforehand to volunteer as tributes this year. From District 3 were Milo Thatch and Kidagakash Nedakh, otherwise known as "Kida." Milo had never been a fighter, instead contributing to his district using his intellect and worldly knowledge. As loved respected as he was within the technology district, he was quite visibly nervous and it was agreed by most that he barely stood a chance. His fiancée, Kida, was not as tech-savvy. However, she was a strong fighter and had nary a hint of fear in her eyes. Unfortunately, her strength was not equal to that of the tributes.
From District 6 were the shocked and overwhelmed Naveen, who had been extremely carefree until being chosen, and his far more straight-laced lady friend, Tiana. From District 7, Tarzan and Jane. Like Kida, Tarzan was strong and capable, but was not quite on the level of the Careers, while poor Jane was clearly terrified beyond belief. From District 8 were two of the most hopeless tributes of the bunch: Cinderella, who had to be dragged onto the stage by her stepsisters while kicking and screaming in terror, and her love-struck boyfriend Henry, who simply volunteered out of overprotectiveness for her, not because he had any survival skills whatsoever. Together, the poor couple looked like a pair of deer in headlights.
From District 9 were the enraged Adam and the quiet, intellectual Belle. Adam was clearly angry to the point of almost being in over his head, while Belle, while undeniably intelligent and sensible, was visibly nervous and clearly was not a survivalist. District 10 had the pitiful, helpless Aurora and her slightly more capable boyfriend, Phillip. Aurora was sobbing uncontrollably from the moment she was chosen till she was led offstage when the reaping was done, with Phillip calmly embracing her the entire time. And finally, District 12 had yet another completely hopeless couple in Florian and Snow White. Florian, overcome with shock and fear, quite literally looked as if he was about to puke, while a similarly petrified Snow White looked even paler than usual. With her eyes wide open and both hands clasped over her mouth, many Capitol members betted that she, Aurora and Cinderella would be the first ones to go.
With that, the 36th Annual Hunger Games was ready to begin. Each pair of tributes was shipped off to the Capitol to train and prepare for what was going to be an absolute nightmare. When all was said and done, and each pair of tributes was selected, their escorts said the exact same thing; the one iconic line that all Capitol members waited for and all the tributes dreaded. The one line that perfectly summarized the fickle, disturbingly lighthearted manner with which the Capitol treated the televised massacre:
"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!"
A/N: WOOT! Chapter 2 is finished! Sorry nothing really uneventful happened in the first two chapters. The next chapter or so will focus on training, interviews, skill demonstrations, and tributes forming alliances. That might take about… 3 chapters or so? Immediately after all that, the fun stuff will begin!