A/N: This here oneshot is a part of the SYOT Verses 2021 Victor Exchange Project, so basically what that means is, 20 or so people created Tributes, and then we were randomly assigned another Tribute's form, with the task of writing a one shot where said Tribute wins the Hunger Games. I was assigned the lovely Dove Briar, a girl from District Seven created by TeamShadow here on FFN and this is her story as she journeys through the 45th Annual Hunger Games. To those who've read my other work, Dove is in no way associated with either of my verses, not because I don't love her, but because I follow Collins' canon in The Preamble, and therefore I couldn't have a 7F win between A Common Defense and my next story in that verse (The 72nd Games), purely because Johanna mentions being the only living female victor from Seven. I've already established the first 50 victors in said verse, so I couldn't really swap one out either. Because Semper Idem's verse is focused on career Tributes, Dove really wouldn't be able to do anything there. This was a very long winded way of me saying that this is a stand alone piece in a stand alone verse. The year 45 was chosen when I generated a number between 20 and 150, it has absolutely no significance and it also happens to be a nice sounding number. If you want to read more stories from this project, there's a community on Anya's (glimmerglint) profile where you can read everybody's story. Now that I've gotten all the disclaimers out of the way, sit tight and enjoy the story!
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She's just fourteen when he dies.
Dove's father, he never stood a chance. That's what they all tell her, that he wasn't going to get better anyways, that he's in a better place now.
Bullshit.
She knows something could've been done to save him, she knows the doctors didn't try hard enough to cure him of his ailment, because Dove heard them talking:
It's going to be an extra thousand dollars.
Or else what?
We'll have to pull the plug on him.
Something tells her she shouldn't have been listening to that or any conversation between her mother and the nurses, but Dove's painfully curious as to what's led to her father's condition. Did he overwork himself? Was he in the lumberfields too long that his heart gave out? All Dove has is questions that'll go unanswered to "preserve her innocence" or some lame excuse like that. What innocence? She scoffs at the very notion, My childhood stopped at the same time my father's heart did.
Because the crux of the matter is this: Glenn Briar is dead, and he wouldn't be if his family could afford it, if Dove could afford it.
The crux of the matter is this: if Dove Briar was born anywhere else, her father would still be alive.
πππ
Two years fly by one after the next.
Dove's been working hard in the forest, hacking at trees until her arms go numb and then sighing and picking up the axe again. It brings home some money for the family.
But it's not enough, it'll never be enough. Because they've still got outstanding medical bills, money to pay nurses who failed to save Glenn, and after that they've got to eat something, so the house is cold at night and they're forced to huddle if they don't want their fingers and toes to freeze off.
At least summer's better than the winter in that regard. Dove doesn't think she'll be dying of frostbite anytime soon, but that's hardly the silver lining. It's hardly the silver lining when her name's in the reaping bowl ten times, all for grain and oil that never last the full month. It's something, that's what she reminds herself, it's better than nothing. She wishes she could say she's brave enough to take additional slips for Aspen and Orion, but the reality of it is, if either of them get reaped, it's one less mouth to feed. And if she gets reaped, wellββ
Dove doesn't want to think about that.
Yet she's not given a choice when the escort takes the stage, the wig on her hair representing a pine tree because "Seven's the District that produces lumber and isn't that so cute and funny?" She reaches into the female bowl first, the one with thousands of slips, ten of them reading that it's Dove Briar who'll be sent to the slaughter. Ten isn't all the slips, it isn't even most of them, or even just one percent of the slips in the bowl, so Dove takes comfort in that.
But one slip's enough to change somebody's life for the worse, and it's a slip with Dove's name that's pulled.
Her stance is nervous as she walks up the stage, her bones trembling despite the fact she wants more than anything to exude confidence. Because it's so hard to be confident when every sign points to imminent doom.
Dove doesn't cry though. She doesn't allow herself to.
πππ
She doesn't really talk on the train. Her District partner Kirnan does enough of the talking, just twelve years old though already filled with spite from the world. Dove wonders if he knows Orion or Aspen, but she doesn't wonder enough to ask him. There's no point in small talk between two people who'll be dead within a week.
Her mentor's named Luther, and though Kirnan mainly keeps him occupied, the older man looks to Dove on occasion and asks her, "Do you need anything?"
She doesn't. Not from him and especially not from a bunch of Capitol pricks who couldn't do anything to save her father. Dove just looks out the window as the world slips through her fingers, and she even laughs a bit because isn't it just so fucking ironic that right when she thought her life couldn't get worse, she won the only lottery nobody wants to win?
Dove needs to get over herself. Everybody here's miserable, why should she be any different, especially when she'll be dead unless she bites her tongue and decides to feed into the mindset of the people who killed her father. They killed her father and they'll kill her next, and because she's dead, she can't work and her mother and the boys will starve. The Capitol killing Dove's father was the beginning; it seems they want the whole family rotting six feet under like they never should've been born at all.
πππ
She really hates her outfit. It's a tree, same as Seven is every year, and the felt itches and burns against her skin leaving her uncomfortable and distraught.
Though being on a chariot in front of the entire country's somehow less embarrassing than being seen and picked apart flaw by flaw by her "prep-team," who's supposed to help her but instead fill her mind with negativity on how she's too skinny and squeamish and a loser and forgettable and wow it's such a shame they've gotten stuck with Seven yet again.
Kirnan's slightly more optimistic about it all, laughing and trying to get the Capitolites to sponsor him, but Dove's not an idiot so she won't get attached to him. She won't get attached to somebody so much weaker than her that she'll have to live through their death since they'll die before she does.
But that's when she realizes, maybe those are the perfect allies, those so likely to die they won't betray her the way the world did her.
(That's not to say she can't be the world.)
πππ
She decides she'll ally with Kirnan, and on the first day of training she meets Roewan from Eight and Donamira from Eleven. Neither are older than fifteen, this should be fun.
"The fuck would you want to ally with a basket case like me?" At the end of the day Roewan asks. There's certainly something off about her, Dove's got no clue how she's going to survive on her own, but then again she's not sure Roewan's going to survive with her.
At least she's entertaining, "Why not?"
Kirnan seems⦠upset with the decision, his arms crossed and the frown on his face more prominent than usual. When the two of them discuss it later that night, he simply says to Dove, "Do you really think a shithead like her is going to do us well in the arena?"
If either of her brother's had spoken with the language he just did, Dove would wash their mouths with dish soap. But Kirnan's not one of her brothers, even if he's the same age. Maybe he's right, Roewan fell off the chariot the previous day and her fingers are bandaged from the aftermath of trying to feed one of the horses, but again, at least she's entertaining.
Donamira's definitely more disciplined. The next day at training, she's the most focused, insisting the four of them focus on learning about medicine. Says her mothers back in Eleven ran an apothecary, and that's why she knows a thing or too.
When she's surrounded by all the herbal remedies, Dove can't help but wonder if any of them could have somehow saved her father. It's a stupid thought, she knows it's a stupid thought, but still, Dove loathes that after two years, he's still the ghost in the back of her head.
She doesn't expect to do too well in her private session, and part of her wants to just scoff at the Gamemakers instead of actually performing. But that would just get her into trouble, not that trouble means a thing when she's already going to die. Still, she abstains from putting on too dramatic of a show.
Dove hurls her axe against a target several times, it makes contact usually. She reads off labels from plants and medicines, but it's overall not too special.
She gets a six. Better than she was expecting, and not good enough that people think she's going to be a threat.
Kirnan gets a four, Donamira a five, and Roewan⦠she scores a zero⦠How is that even possible?
"I forgot to show up," She says with a chuckle, not too concerned about it, "It is what it is."
Dove remembers what Kirnan said, "Do you really think a shithead like her is going to do us well in the arena?"
No.
But she doesn't need Roewan to succeed. She doesn't need any of them, just herself.
πππ
The concept of an interview was always jarring for Dove, and now that it's arrived it's somehow even scarier than she imagined.
Caesar Flickerman asks her when she's on stage, "Is there a reason you've chosen to ally with the allies you chose?"
Yes⦠because I'll miss them least when they're dead, but she can't say that. So instead, Dove bats her eyes and says, "I think that even the underdogs deserve a fair chance," with a half-smile on her face.
The audience seems to like her answer, clapping and cheering but it doesn't feel good the way Dove thought it would. Because she's reminded, these people are her enemies, she shouldn't want to please them.
So when Caesar asks another question, "Is there anybody at home who you miss?" her reply is less gentle.
"Well, I miss my father," She crosses her arms in frustration, "And even if I win, I'll still miss him because of all of you!"
Apprehensive, Caesar pries for more details, "Because of us?"
Dove nods, "Yes, because of you Capitolites and the way you've upcharged medicine to the extent to which he died of a treatable illness."
The smiles on the crowd's faces have faded, replaced with expressions of confusion and disgust.
Good. I didn't want them to like me anyways.
πππ
60.
She feels pressure building up in her chest as she stands on a platform, overlooking a forest of snow. Just because she's familiar with forests doesn't mean she's familiar with this one. Dove's never been so cold.
45.
To her right, the boy from Four stands tall with a somewhat menacing look on his face. She does her best to ignore it, because Dove knows that if she gets on his bad side, she'll be screwed.
30.
Luckily though, Roewan's on her left, giggling like an idiot. As useless as she's continued to prove herself, Dove's comfortable with her. She knows that out of anybody in the arena, Roewan Bedford's least likely to kill her.
15.
Her platform lowers on the ground and she looks behind herself. If Dove wants to live, she has to make a run for it. She sees Kirnan and Donamira doing the same, and that comforts her even more.
10.
She begins to wonder, am I actually doing the right thing? But then again, now's really not the time for self doubt, especially when-
5β¦ 4β¦ 3β¦ 2β¦ 1β¦
"Let the 45th Annual Hunger Games begin!"
And then she's off.
πππ
Roewan follows her into the wilderness, neither of them speaking a word because they know that they won't truly be safe until they're far far away from the cornucopia. Dove notices Kirnan and Donamira following behind them, and again, she feels better.
Step after step in the snow, Dove feels like she's running for hours when it's only been ten minutes, ten minutes filled with the roar of cannons in the air before they all stop.
"I think we're safe," Donamira stops in her tracks and takes a deep breath, "Well at least, I think we're safe for now."
Roewan sits in the snow and starts drawing patterns, "I think⦠a lot of people died in the bloodbath."
"No shit," Kirnan pouts, "I counted ten I think."
It was actually eleven, but Dove doesn't correct him. She doesn't want to seem too focused on it all.
And that's how it starts. She's determined to be the last one standing when it ends.
πππ
The night begins with the howl of a wolf followed by faces in the sky. Dove was right. Eleven.
She doesn't recognize any of the fallen, and she doesn't really care about them either. Roewan on the other hand, she's laughing because, "That guy Taffton's my District partner. He was so convinced he was going to win, but I knew he wouldn't last a day in here."
Donamira's partner's still alive, but she's not too worried about him, "Reese's an absolute trainwreck. I honestly have no clue why he's still here, but I'll take it."
Again, it's a simple time. But Dove knows that simple won't last, especially when she hears footsteps before going to sleep that night.
πππ
She awakes to the sound of Roewan's screams, turning her head to see the girl flailing on the ground as she struggles to break loose from the grip of a wolf prying at her flesh.
"Help me!" She screams, but Dove doesn't know if she wants to. Because one more person dead means there's more of a chance for her to win, so she's complicit as Roewan gets torn to shreds whilst Donamira and Kirnan sleep peacefully.
The snow turns red from her blood before a cannon fires and the wolf runs away, and once Kirnan and Donamira wake up, they both have the same question, "What the hell happened to her?"
All Dove can do is sigh and say, "I tried to save her, I really did but it was too late by the time I realized what was happening."
Roewan's eyes are still open and her terror is still visible, but Dove tries not to break because of it. She's already seen death in the form of her father, and that's the worst thing she'll ever see as far as she's concerned.
πππ
Another cannon fires that day, and the sky at night reveals it was the girl from One who died that day as well. Dove wonders what happens, because she was a part of the big alliance, and it's odd that she died on just the second day.
She's curious, but she doesn't complain in the slightest.
Dove feasts with Kirnan and Donamira on the remains of a deer they smashed to death with rocks. Even if it's raw, at least it's food, and she won't do anything about it if either of them get sick from it. Besides, she knows a thing or two about being helpless in times of sickness. They melt snow in their hands to drink, and it's almost peaceful.
Emphasis on almost, because another cannon fires that night and Dove finds herself curious once more about who it'll be.
Donamira laughs, "I bet Reese finally got himself in trouble and paid for it."
"Based on what you told me about him, that sure would make sense," Dove agrees, and part of her thinks it's hilarious that somebody who's supposedly even more incompetant that Roewan managed to live longer than her.
But she doesn't miss Roewan, no. Dove's grown incapable of missing anybody besides her father. Even if she died at the Capitol's hands the same way he did, it'll never be the same.
πππ
The next night's sky confirms it was Reese who died, him and the boy from Two, the predicted Victor dead while Dove and two of her idiots are still alive and kicking it⦠well, that's a strong phrase for it, but they're not dead⦠or at least, they're not dead yet.
Maybe just maybe⦠she should change that.
Kirnan'sβ¦ easy enough to kill, easy enough that she could just snap his little neck in two, and then Donamira'sββ if she saw Dove killing Kirnan she'd be so worked up over it, it wouldn't be hard for her to knock out two birds with the same stone.
But she can't⦠that would be playing into what the Gamemakers want, for Dove Briar to go fuckin' crazy and betray her allies for their entertainment. She's not going to cater to the people who built her up just to destroy her, that's for sure.
πππ
But the days pass and there's five people left, the three of them all alive without any conflict. Dove can tell one of them's this close to snapping, but she wants so badly for it to not be her. That would just show the Capitol that they're right and the only way to win is to play into their manifesto of torture.
Yet she wants to liveβ¦
She's not sure why or who for, but Dove wants to win, she deserves to win after everything that she's been through, every battle she's fought in her own head, she deserves to live in peace after all of it.
β¦ But that's just pandering to the people who want to destroy her.
Doesn't matter, Dove closes her eyes as she grabs onto Kirnan's sleeping head on the morning of the sixth day, taking a deep breath before jerking his neck to the left and his shoulders to the right, there's a crack, and Kirnan screams, "Fuck you, fuck you Dove, so bad. I don't know why the fuck I trusted you."
It's enough to wake up Donamira whose eyes are full of shock and fear and terror and pity and guilt. And Dove's crying too, because she's not sure who she is anymore and lord she wants to⦠she shouldn't, but Dove wants to kill her too.
With the rocks in her hands and the branches on the ground, Dove launches an ambush, stone piercing her skin and staining the snow once more, but at least she's⦠Three left, and I'm one of them.
πππ
The pair from Four are the last who remain, she remembers them to be lovers. Wolves howl and they're put into the center of the arena, the others bickering, "Look at this fool," like they're shocked to see Dove in the finale with them.
She's not surprised to be there though, she played the Games smart, and as nasty as she feels about it, Dove's played them correctly.
They both charge at her, but she doesn't flinch, doesn't try to change her fate because, maybe I deserve to die or somethingββ
No.
It's like her father's looking down at her from the cosmos and he's telling her, "Now's not the time for you to see me again."
So Dove runs away from Fours, Now's not the time to kill a Dove, hides under a log as the boy's strike at her accidentally hit's the girl.
"What the fuck?" The girl hits him just as hard, and all Dove can do is watch from the outside, watch and chuckle as they begin to kill each other like they've forgotten she's even alive.
The girl's cannon fires and that's when the boy realizes that Dove's still alive with him.
Maybe she doesn't deserve to win after all, she's not the strongest and she's not the victor Panem wants, but maybe⦠she'll be their victor anyways because that's what they deserve after what they've done to her.
She pulls the knife from the girl's cadaver and flicks it at the boy's hunched over.
Because that's how the 45th Games ended⦠it really was that fucking easy.
The golden boy who's trained all his life for the Games' victory is put to rest by a roguish sixteen-year-old who's gone mad out of spite.
Dove Briar went into the arena with nothing but herself, and she comes out empty handed.