A/N

IT IS HERE! A little later than I had hoped, but life has been actually insane the past few weeks, but we made it and here we are with the first chapter of Mask of Shadows!

For those who are new to my verse, this is the sequel SYOT to Crown of Thorns, which recently finished. The verse is under the newly named title of The Cursed Regalia, though you do not have to have read Crown of Thorns to read Mask of Shadows. A lot of the worldbuilding and subplot will of course be related to CoT, and it is to some extent largely a continuation, but it should be simple enough to follow and I hope to have some background information on the blog when I am able to get that finished, as well as summaries available if you'd like one! The rest of the story will focus on the SYOT part -so your tributes! Submissions are currently open until 12th December, though I am willing to extend if anyone needs more time. The tribute form can be found on my profile if you're interested! There is also a list of the current submissions and interest.

For now, there will be a total of three prologue chapters, which will continue from where the subplot left off at the end of CoT, as well as setting up the foundations for the continuing subplot of MoS. This first prologue will centre on a central character from CoT, the infamous Ivo Castellanos. I hope you enjoy!

Ivo Castellanos, Former Head Gamemaker

Death was Ivo Castellanos' neighbour.

Death had followed him throughout his entire life. From his days as a soldier to his job as Head Gamemaker, death had always kept its eye on Ivo. And yet, every time death came to collect, someone else would pay his debts. His brother, the tributes, Aurelia.

This time, however, death was knocking on Ivo's front door.

It was exactly a year since Aurelia's body had been displayed in the arena; pricked by thorns and scattered with roses. A year since the last piece of Ivo had been broken.

Ivo had spent the months in a cell; the same one he had been put into the night he was arrested. With little to do, his mind had nearly consumed itself. Perhaps it actually had, and insanity was a calmer place than Ivo had imagined?

Seven days ago Ivo had been moved from the white cell and taken to an apartment in the centre of the Capitol. A final piece of luxury before his death, he had been told.

It was ironic, Ivo had thought. To have been living in a small containment of luxury for a week before his execution was to be living a parallel with the tributes he had hosted in his arena just a year prior.

Despite a lifetime ago having wanted to be a tribute in the Games, Ivo had never really considered what the tributes would have been thinking during their time in the Capitol. It wasn't that he lacked empathy; he simply did not care. Life had hardened him to skim past the emotional details and focus on the bigger picture –the greater good, so they called it.

And yet here he was, contemplating the small details, blissfully oblivious to the bigger picture because at the end of it all, Ivo would not be around to see it. With his execution set for sunset, Ivo no longer had to concern himself with the worries of tomorrow.

"A visitor for you," said the Peacekeeper in a monotone voice.

Ivo frowned as the Peacekeeper stood to the side, holding the door open for the visitor to enter. He hadn't been expecting to see anyone; no one had come to visit him throughout his year in a cell, so why come now? Because he was about to die?

A young girl entered the room, thanking the Peacekeeper as he closed the door behind her.

Ivo recognised her quickly; it was Celeste, Aurelia's assistant and the sister of the apprentice Gamemaker, Muriel.

"What can I help you with, Miss Celeste?" he asked, pouring himself a glass of whiskey. He offered a glass to Celeste, who politely declined. "If you have come to ask me why I killed Aurelia, then I am sorry to disappoint you, but I have no answers."

Celeste's fingers wrapped around the cuffs of her sleeves. She seemed a little nervous, though there was clearly something greater that was consuming her mind.

"I know you didn't kill Aurelia," she said quickly.

"And what makes you so sure?" Ivo probed, leaning against the counter.

Celeste bit her lower lip. "You don't seem like a murderer."

Ivo raised an eyebrow.

"I hate to disappoint, Miss, but I have a lot of blood on my hands," he said, with a little regret.

She shook her head. "Killing doesn't make you a murderer."

Ivo frowned.

"Would you say that Risa is a murderer?" asked Celeste.

Ivo pondered for a moment. "I suppose no, not really. She killed out of necessity –for survival."

"I'm sure you did the same."

For a moment, Ivo found himself surprised to the point where he could not find the words to respond. Like her brother, for a young girl Celeste seemed wise beyond her years.

"My brother is missing," Celeste suddenly changed the subject. "That's why I'm really here. Was he in the hub the night you were arrested?"

Ivo could recall the night Aurelia died almost perfectly; he was cursed never to forget it.

He nodded. "Yes, though I was escorted out before I saw what happened to him. How long has he been missing?"

Celeste glanced to her feet. "…since that night."

Ivo's eyes widened. "A year? I'm sorry, Celeste, but I would suspect that your brother is dead."

"Perhaps," it was obvious that she was holding back tears. "I need to find him, or I need to know what happened to him. He had been acting strange before Aurelia's death. I –I think he may have been in trouble."

Ivo pinched the bridge of his nose. Shit.

"I'm afraid I didn't know your brother very well," he replied. "All I knew was that he was a hard worker and loved you very much. I believe if he was involved in Aurelia's death then it wouldn't be out of his own free will."

Celeste nodded. "It sounds like you knew him better than you think. Thank you, Mr Castellanos."

"If I could offer more help, I would," Ivo forced out a small smile. "Aurelia cared about you. I know you want to find out the truth about your brother, but you might not like what you discover. I'd avoid digging too deep if I were you."

Celeste said nothing. She slowly turned and began walking towards the door, knocking on it gently to signal that she was ready to leave.

"Aurelia cared about you too," she said softly. "I believe she did love you. For that, I will be sad to see you follow her."

Celeste bowed her head, turning her eyes away from Ivo as the door opened and she left the apartment, the door shutting firmly behind her.

The apartment fell into silence once more. Ivo picked up his glass and took a seat at the large glass table in the centre of the main room. As he turned the glass in his hand, watching the liquid tip from side to side, he thought about Celeste's words.

His gut instincts told him that Muriel was dead –it was entirely possible that Fabian had gotten to him, perhaps using even Celeste herself as leverage to gain access to the Hub. Knowing too much, Fabian may have eliminated a potential leak, which meant that the poor boy's body was likely dumped somewhere or quickly burnt to ashes along with the other victims of politics.

It was a shame really, the lad had seemed to have potential in his Career, and without his encouragement, Ivo may not have had those final hours he had spent with Aurelia. At least, despite the unbelievable levels of shit that Ivo's life had fallen into, he still had the memories of that night in the rose garden, with Aurelia tucked in beside his body, looking at the stars and talking about the future she dreamed of.

Ivo felt his stomach tightening. He had thought about Aurelia many times during his imprisonment, and each time he was scared that he may forget a small detail about her that he would never realise he'd even forgotten in the first place.

He took a large swig of whiskey.

The door opened without a knock.

A sultry silhouette passed elegantly through the doorway, a hand lingering on the wall before falling gracefully down to their narrow hip.

"Hello, cousin."

Ivo laughed dryly, swirling the whiskey in the bottom of his glass. "It has been some time, Selene."

"Something you don't have a lot of left," she replied with a narrow smirk. She walked further into the room, sweeping up the bottom of her silken skirt as she perched her thin body onto the edge of the table.

Selene cast her eyes up and down Ivo, her lips pulled into a judgemental pout. She raised a thin, pointed eyebrow.

"What a sad sight you are, cousin," Selene sighed, her shoulders lowering.

"You're looking great yourself, Selene," Ivo rolled his eyes. "Is there a purpose behind your visit or did you just come to insult me?"

"Ever presumptuous, aren't you?" she returned Ivo's eye-roll, picking at one of her nails. "You Castellanos men never change. Us Castellanos women, however –we adapt. That is probably why I will be the last of our generation alive by sunset."

Ivo felt a bitter taste in the back of his throat; different to remnants of smoked whiskey that had frequented his palette over the past week. The stark reminder of his brother's death and of his own approaching demise was one that greeted Ivo with distaste.

"Thank you for the reminder," Ivo scowled at his cousin. "Now, like I said before, have you just come to insult me? If so, then I'd rather spend my final hours in peace."

"Oh cousin," Selene sighed as a small expression of remorse passed her face before being promptly replaced with her usual critical guise. "You were always my favourite of Vasil's sons –a controversial opinion, perhaps. Ander was always the more likable, but you, Ivo –you had that roguish charm that made you just a little more exciting."

Selene slid her thin frame off the edge of the table, landing silently on her heeled shoes. She looked towards Ivo, her eyes scanning over his body for a final time.

"Your death will be such a shame," she said, walking towards the door. "Goodbye, cousin."

Ivo said nothing as Selene slipped out of the apartment, leaving an uneasy feeling in the air that unsettled him. His cousin had always been keen to leave lasting impressions on people, as though she felt as the only female Castellanos born into the family and not married in, she had something to prove.

Ivo had never quite understood Selene, and he supposed he never would. Another unknown piece of the puzzle of his life that he would never be able to slot into place.

Rising from his seat, Ivo walked back across the room to the glass wall that lined the edge of the apartment. He could see that the crowds were gathering; more and more bodies closing in together ready to watch his execution. The Capitolites, despite their excessive hygiene processes and obsession with appearances, had a particular taste for violent delights. Ivo supposed that was why they enjoyed the Games so much –in their absence their craving for blood would mount to the point where they wouldn't question the fairness of the trial that had come before.

As Ivo overlooked the city below with a morbid curiosity, he heard a gentle cough behind him.

Turning around slowly, Ivo drew in a sharp breath as Cascade Nepeta stood in the centre of the room.

She looked beautiful, as she always had. Her cheeks were tinted with a rosy glow and the remnants of her mothering efforts lightly clung around her hips. A strand of golden hair fell from beneath her oversized hat.

Ivo opened his mouth.

"I can't stay," Cascade spoke first.

"Why are you here?" asked Ivo, placing his glass down on the nearest surface. As he did, he realised that his hands were trembling ever so slightly.

Cascade continued looking at him, unwavering. "For closure."

She reached into the pocket of her draping coat.

"Here," she placed a small photograph on the table. "I thought you'd like to see what your son looks like."

Your son.

Ivo's heart seized as he stepped towards the table, sliding his hand across and resting his fingertips on the photograph. He lifted it up, casting his eyes upon a baby, with a light dusting of golden hair but with eyes as dark as Ivo's own. An unfamiliar feeling clenched Ivo's stomach.

"His name is Linden," Cascade told him. "He is healthy and safe."

"Linden…" Ivo continued to stare at the photograph, the name of his son somehow feeling expected, yet he wasn't quite sure why.

"I have to go," said Cascade, backing up towards the door.

Ivo looked back towards her.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Cascade nodded. "I know."

Ivo opened his mouth, but again Cascade spoke before his words managed to reach his lips.

"I also know that you didn't kill Aurelia," she said. "You loved her."

Ivo had loved Cascade too. A small part of him still did.

"I won't tell Linden that you were his father," said Cascade as she began to open the door. "But I will tell him that his father was a good man, despite his flaws."

Ivo squeezed his hands around the photograph.

"Thank you."

He then watched as Cascade disappeared from his life for the second time, only this time he was certain that she'd never return.

Sinking down into an armchair, Ivo straightened out the creased photograph of his son. It amazed him how he could have been part of creating something so perfect, but it also terrified him in case a slither of his own darkness was hidden inside Linden.

Just a slither could be enough to ruin the child's life.

There was a firm knock at the door, followed shortly by two Peacekeepers entering the apartment.

"It's time," one of them said, holding out a pair of handcuffs.

Sighing, Ivo rose from his seat, tucking the photograph into his blazer pocket.

"Finally."

Handcuffed, Ivo was escorted out of the building and through the streets of the Capitol. There was an eerie silence hanging in the air, interrupted only by the sound of synchronised footsteps.

Ivo lost count of how many pairs of eyes fell upon him as he was guided along the wide strip between the colourful crowds. It was the same pathway that staged the chariot rides of the Games each year, and as his face filled the screens above, once again he felt connected to the teenagers he had watched die in his arena.

At the end of the walk was a post, which stood before the risen platform where Fabian stood in all his false majesty. As Ivo's handcuffs were removed and his wrists were instead placed into restraints attached to the post, he looked towards Fabian with an unflinching stare.

The former minister had somehow clung to his temporary presidency for a year; having used his well-established connections to form a protective bubble of security around himself. Swarms of Peacekeepers had been sent to each District, attempting to put out any fires of rebellion that Aurelia's death may have lit. Having been imprisoned for the past year, Ivo knew only what he was allowed to know, though he suspected that Fabian was struggling to maintain a tight control of Panem, which showed in the exhausted look in his eyes that no amount of makeup could hide.

"Ivo Castellanos," Fabian spoke his name firmly. "You have been found guilty of the assassination of President Aurelia Snow. By law, a crime of such high treason is only punishable by death. And so, on the anniversary of the death of our beloved Aurelia, you will be put to death in the name of justice."

"The manner of your death has been decided," continued Fabian. "As Aurelia suffered, so must you suffer. Death by a hundred knives –each cut to represent a thorn that pierced the skin of our President. You will die slowly, Mr Castellanos, and with each drop of blood that leaves your body, you will be reminded of the great sin committed against Panem."

He raised his hands and on his command, the steady beat of drums began to play, echoing in Ivo's heart.

Ivo knew he was innocent of Aurelia's murder, but he was tired of running from justice. He may have been innocent of this crime, but he was guilty of an endless list of others. His past was simply catching up with him.

As the first blade drew across his skin, he felt a feeling of relief wash over his body.

Ivo allowed his eyes to gently close.

After a few minutes, or what felt like a few minutes, the sound of commotion behind his eyelids caused Ivo to open his eyes.

The area around him was clear, those who had been holding the knives ready to cut more of his flesh were incapacitated on the floor, their knives scattered around them. Bodies dressed in black stood over them, the barrels of guns pressed to the backs of their necks.

Ivo's eyes drifted upwards. Fabian was on his knees, a gun forced against his temple. It seemed as though his own personal security had been outmatched by the figures in black, and as Ivo glanced behind him, he saw a peppering of black throughout the crowds of observers.

It was a planned operation.

"Citizens of Panem," a man with a deep voice stood at the front of the platform, speaking into a microphone that echoed his voice around the city. "You have lived within a lie for the past year. We are here to liberate you from that lie and bring truth to Panem."

There was a ripple of gasps throughout the crowds.

"This man," he pointed towards Ivo, "did not murder President Aurelia Snow. This man loved her and through the power-hungry greed of men who did not understand Panem, he lost her."

Ivo felt a pang in his chest where his heart was buried beneath his aching ribs.

"This man is not the villain he has been made out to be," he continued. "The true villain is the man you call President, and we can prove that to you, right here and right now."

The screens around the city fell dark as a film began to play. Ivo watched with great curiosity as footage of Fabian and other ministers was shown. Tainted scenes of plotting, backed up with further evidence as an almost documentary style film; the screens showed how Fabian had threatened and blackmailed his way into the Gamemaking hub, planting the seeds that eventually helped him to bring Aurelia's body into the arena. She had supposedly been killed by an untraceable poison, explained the botanist who had been forced to create the poison under the threat of his family being killed. Several other people had come forward in the film, providing testimony against Fabian.

As the film came to a close, the crowd appeared stunned into silence.

The only sound that could be heard was the sound of Fabian's sobs.

One of the figures dressed in black approached Ivo as Fabian was put into handcuffs. Ivo felt the restraints around his own wrists loosen as he was freed. His blazer was offered back to him, and he gratefully slid his arms into it, not even wincing as the material rubbed against his open wounds.

Ivo strode forwards, heading up to the platform. Climbing up the stairs to the side, he approached the man who had addressed the crowd.

Before he could see the man's face, the man turned back to the crowd.

"We will ensure that the villains of Panem are justly dealt with," he said firmly. "But Panem cannot be without a leader. Aurelia Snow was the hope we had clung to, though she has not left us, not entirely. A part of her remains in the heart of Ivo Castellanos and with that heart, we hope that he will lead us well."

Ivo froze.

"Panem, it is an honour to present your newest President –President Ivo Castellanos!"

This was not a piece that would fit into Ivo's puzzle. In fact, it had shattered the puzzle entirely.

Like a Victor of the Games, Ivo had not expected to have reached the other side alive.

A/N

And there we have it -the first chapter of Mask of Shadows! What did you think?

Ivo seemed to be in a bad situation to begin with; having been falsely accused of assassinating President Aurelia Snow, he had been in prison for a whole year and then faced his execution. In the final hours before his execution, he was visited by three very different women. Firstly, Celeste -what do you think happened to Muriel? At the end of CoT we saw Muriel being kidnapped just before he reached his home, but now we know that he hasn't been seen since then. Is he dead? Who do you think kidnapped him?
Then we were introduced to a new character, Selene Castellanos, Ivo's cousin. What are your first impressions? We will be seeing more of Selene, so there is plenty more to discover with her. What do you think her role will be?
Finally, we saw Cascade. The last we'd heard in CoT was that she was in a safehouse in District Two, as Aella had received a coded letter. She came to see Ivo for closure -do you think she got closure? She also believes in Ivo's innocence, yet will not tell her son who his father is. Do you think that was fair? And will she continue to keep that a secret from Linden now that Ivo remains alive? What does the future hold for Cascade now?

To finish things off, Ivo is now somehow President of Panem. Who are these people in black who revealed the truth to Panem and declared Ivo as President? Do they have the power to do that and what are their true motivations? What will Ivo do now?

Lots of questions that will be answered throughout MoS, and lots more to raise in the coming chapters! I am very excited about the development of this subplot, but even more excited to write for a fresh batch of tributes. Those I have received so far have been incredible; it will be difficult to be selective, but at least I know that the final cast will be amazing. Keep sending tributes in until the deadline; even if you haven't spoken to me before, I'd love new submitters! I've already received tributes from new people and it is so humbling to see how many people are interested in this story. You guys make all of this worthwhile and I am so excited to get stuck into this story!

If you have any questions about MoS, please feel free to shoot me a message! I plan to have the next prologue up next weekend, if possible, though it is my birthday on Tuesday and I'm being swept away on a trip away, but I will try my best to get some writing done! A huge thank you to everyone who has been hyping up this story since the end of CoT -I am truly blown away by it all! I hope I don't disappoint!

Until next time!

~Firefly