Brasidas Clovenstone, Victor, Thirtieth Hunger Games
Brasidas Clovenstone has been in a slump since his victory over three years ago. He doesn't know why he feels this way and he's not sure if he's changed one bit since then. Hands in his pockets he wanders the alleyways of his district hearing everyone's festivities. The victor of the Thirty-second Games, Rudy Saxby, is arriving today causing all the festivities in his district.
He takes one of the posters that line the walls of the buildings. Rudy Saxby looking gallant in the poster dressed in red staring away from the camera. His copper skin glistening in whatever they had put on him.
It's probably safe to say that Brasidas felt a little bit jealous of him. The victor from Ten seemingly being celebrated more than when he had returned victorious. He feels the sting in his heart staring back at his face once again.
He's met him before, and he seemed well put together despite what he's went through in the Games. The way he would smile at people nonchalantly looking somewhat childish and he disliked that. He didn't think he would be this famous, Rudy.
He remembers meeting him for the first time, shadowing Leroy, his former mentor, in order to mentor in the next few years. The way Rudy greeted him with such polite manners and that small smile despite his right arm being completely broken from his time in the arena.
Brasidas noted the tone of sadness in his voice, however, he hid it well. It took Brasidas a few days later to analyse their small conversation. Why he kept thinking about it he doesn't know but he wanted to know more, but he was forced to leave the room by Leroy and promptly whisked back to the district. Never seeing him again, only during through his televised victor's interview and now his Victory Tour.
From then on he would often compare himself with the boy from Ten after that day. Rudy was loved more by Panem than he had been. In the eyes of everyone else he was a golden child from Ten, a man full of happiness.
Brasidas, however? He was this boy that was kicked out of the Peacekeeper Training Academy for inciting violence against a senior trainee, who then joined the brutality of Secutor Academy in order to prove his worth.
He volunteered for the Games so that he can show his dedication to the district. He won for Two and yet they still didn't accept him afterwards. He felt angry when he returned from the Capitol, the few cheers he received not really meaning anything in comparison to what Rudy would receive. He scrunches the poster in his hand and throws it away.
He knows victory changes a person's mind, warps them into a twisted version of their own reality. Yet he doesn't think it affected him at all, there's no change in his overall thought process. What he feels now seems to be what he felt before volunteering but twice as worse.
Brasidas has never been one to handle his emotions but he assumed that after the Games it would change his way of thinking, let him be a better person. One that would help his image for the better but that doesn't seem to be the case.
He snaps out of his head, his mind took over once again, and he looks around to find that he's ended up at the Victor's Village. He furrows his eyebrows at the flock of Peacekeepers outside the fences and inside.
His slow walk turns to a run trying to enter the village only for him to be stopped by the Peacekeeper at the front. His worries escalate at what this could mean as he tries to push past and once more he is shoved back by the Peacekeeper.
"Name and identification." He says rather gruffly and Brasidas looks at him incredulously.
"I live here, that's my house!" He shouts pointing at a group of Peacekeepers exiting his newly painted home.
"We need proper identification, or we won't let you in." The man repeats prodding at him with his gun. "If you do live here then show us proof."
The grey painted home has been raided it seems, the light blue door hanging off its hinges. Flowers and chairs in his front lawn trampled and turned over. He can feel the rage brewing in his veins. He breathes calmly trying to calm himself.
The famous Clovenstone rage trying to bubble over. He can feel that same destructive force, that often put fear in the people of Two trying to come out. The same force that was capitalised by the Secutor Academy, the one run by Leroy. He used that anger to win the Games at any cost.
Taking a few small breaths again. He watches as Peacekeepers flood out of his home. He wants to know what they were doing to his home. He wants to know where the other victors are and as he looks back at the visored man in front of him with a straight face he turns around. There's too many questions in his head that remain unanswered.
"Fine." He says bitterly at the white cladded armour in front of him.
He begins to walk away trying to figure out how he's going to get back to his home. He thinks of what his home is going to look like after they're done with it, he has just finished redecorating too. He kicks a stray stone. There's a small tap to his shoulder turning around quickly to find Adrestia, one of his fellow victors. She flashes him a smile, but he doesn't return it.
"What the fuck is happening in there?" He asks her annoyed.
She takes him to one of the alleyways, away from prying eyes, looking around first before speaking. "It's Leroy, he's been arrested."
"What?" He looks at her with wide eyes and she tells him to be quieter.
"He's been taken to the Capitol; Ajax is trying to gather everyone back at the Justice Building." She says beginning to walk then looking back at him. "You coming?"
He nods his head, following the older girl in front of her. She doesn't seem that worried, but he could sense some panic in her tones as they weave through festival goers, not a care in the world at celebrating the newest victor. He wonders at times as to why Two have become so similar to the Capitol in the last few years.
They pass through to the Square and into the Justice Building. Ajax is standing at the top of the steps looking at the both of them ignoring the shouts and pleas of a man wearing a dark grey suit. Lyre stands there too trying to calm down the man.
They approach the steps taking it one by one, Brasidas following Adrestia as close as he can watching as the Square is being prepared for the arrival of the Ten victor. He can see the droves of Peacekeepers in their white uniforms guarding the backstage crew as they set up lights and cameras.
"What is actually going on?" He hears the man with a grey suit speak when he gets into earshot. "We are on a tight schedule."
"One of our own has been captured by your people, you can survive a few delayed hours." Ajax tells the man sternly and the man just huffs and goes back inside the safety of the building, Ajax greets him and Adrestia with a nod before speaking. "I'm sure you've heard Leroy has been captured."
"I saw the Peacekeepers raid our homes." Brasidas speaks up. "Can you tell me what this is all about?"
"Not here." Lyre Feldspar speaks as she goes back inside the building.
They follow her inside and into one of the rooms. His mind quickly finding that memory of the time he left to go to the Capitol. He can hear his mother's stern voice telling him to win and his father's harsh words telling him that this is his last chance at redemption.
He snaps back to reality when the door slams seeing the rest of Two's victors gathered around the room. Drusus looks at him with a smile letting him into the room. They're all here, all of Two's victors pooled into one room, he can feel the tension in the air, everyone knows of the situation, some more than others.
"Glad you all made it here." Ajax says arms behind his back, standing tall. "I'm sure you're well aware that Leroy has been captured by the Capitol."
"About time." Fossil jokes and Ajax glares at him, the older man just shrugs in return. "I know, I know, sorry."
Brasidas stands in the corner unsure of what is happening. Questions still linger in his head wanting to know what is happening. He looks back at Drusus, the current oldest of the victors as he leans back on his chair.
"I'm sure he's told you that he was captured for a reason?" Drusus says looking directly at Ajax, Leroy's second-in-command.
"Murder." He answers back and Fossil speaks up.
"Murder?" He says sitting up from his chair. "He murders people all the time, what with your barbaric ways, what's so special about it this time?"
"He's being charged with killing one of the victors." Adrestia speaks from beside Brasidas and he raises both eyebrows in shock. "Adlay Durum, from Nine."
"Adlay died more than two years ago," Drusus speaks up confused. "Why the sudden inquest?"
"I'm sure you're well aware at who it would be." Ajax said looking at each of them. "He's started."
"Can anyone please tell me what is actually happening?" Brasidas finally speaks and everyone turns to look at him, the newest addition of victors in Two.
"Boy, it's started. We're no longer safe here." Fossil says standing up. "I have to tell my family."
He goes to leave, passing both Adrestia and Brasidas, who still looks confused. Drusus stands and goes over to Lyre whispering something to her ear. The woman nods and she too rushes away from the room leaving only Ajax and Drusus now.
"Brasidas." Ajax said. "You will mentor this year's tributes along with Adrestia, if Drusus allows it?"
The older man only sighs as he sits rubbing his hands together thinking before nodding defeatedly. He's heard of the times where Leroy and Drusus would fight constantly on which faction would mentor the tributes. Leroy winning most of the times due to most of Two's tributes coming from Gladiolus Academy, owned by Leroy and Ajax.
He's not sure if he's ready to mentor. He gets annoyed quickly at times, but it seems like he doesn't have a choice. Adrestia leads him out of the room. His thoughts spinning at being this year's mentor. He walks out of the room with a heavy heart. When he closes the door and goes to walk forward he immediately bumps into someone his head hitting the other person's.
"Watch where you're going next time." He says annoyed and he looks up to see the boy that had consumed his thoughts as of late.
"I'm sorry, wait, you're that guy, Brasidas, right?" Rudy stands there with a smile holding out his arm, the one that was in the cast over six months ago now, fully healed. "I was hoping I'd run into you again."
"Really?" He says, a little too eagerly and he can see Adrestia smile before taking her leave. "I mean, why?"
"I just think you're cute, is all." He says smiling pearly whites.
Brasidas hated himself for blushing.
A/N - Hello! Another day, another prologue. Coming down from a high of that double bill DoG chapter. Welcome back to Tarot! And we see Brasidas Clovenstone, our boy from Two. He's a bit harsh on himself but he's always been, he regrets his life choices and now he's stuck. He's easily jealous of everything and everyone but he's trying to work through it, I swear I just won't kill him or something like that.
I'm still trying to piece together a cohesive subplot, lol, but I know where the direction is going. So now we have met three Victors. Ahab, Sibyl and now Brasidas with mentions of Rudy too, he will appear in later chapters. Then we couple that with the victor from Delusions of Grandeur we have a fivesome of goodness.
Leroy, the very first victor in this 'verse' has been captured but by who? He's being blamed for the death of Adlay Durum, the very first victor for Nine, who had apparently died of alcohol poisoning, but now that's all changed. I wonder what happened? Hmmmmmmmm.
Anyway, this is the second last prologue. I have a cast list ready and I will show it on the next prologue. I'll tease you guys just a little bit longer if that's okay? I'm just fine tuning a couple of things.
Thank you to everyone that has reviewed and submitted to this fic, I truly appreciate you all for your support. I don't know if any of you would enjoy this fic but I will for sure.
Cheers!
~Alec