Author's Note: As always, thank you to my faithful reviewers! Sorry this is so late, the end of the school year has been taking all of my time recently, and it's been horrible. I tried to make this chapter extra long to make up for it! I've selected my final tribute for District 5, so the submissions are closed. I'm sorry to everyone who did not have a tribute selected, but I hope you choose to submit for my next story. Random side note: I am super excited to write a Solstus/Ares interaction. I can just picture the two of them vying for control of the Careers, and it's going to be super epic. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Presenting, the tributes from District 4!
District 4 Reaping
"Hurry up, old man!" The slender redheaded girl jogged in place at the top of the hill, a devious smile playing across her features. "You've gone soft in your old age. How do you expect to be able to compete with anyone if you can't even catch them?" Her teasing was directed at the muscular giant easily jogging up the hill. The boy took a swipe at her when he finally reached the top, but she easily dodged his blow with a wicked grin. "See what I mean, Solstus? You're way too slow to be a victor!"
Solstus roared with laughter at her taunting. "It's true Lunae! What will I do once I'm in the Games, without your charming wit to protect me?" He feinted away from her kick, and quickly parried with a mock punch towards her arm. The two continued to halfheartedly spar at the top of the hill until finally, Solstus cornered his sister in a powerful headlock. He had the weight and muscular advantage on her, but she was fast and deadly in one on one combat. The tall boy always felt that she was by far his best training partner, and probably the only person his age that he could say he truly loved.
This sparring session completed, the two of them paused to watch the sunrise over the ocean. The water seemed endless from the top of the hill, and the way it sparkled in the morning light was different each day. It seemed strange that someone who had been practically raised to be a killing machine would stop each morning and watch the sunrise, but for Solstus, it was his favorite part of the day. Lunae glanced towards him, and he knew that in that moment, they were both thinking the same thing, something their mother always said. "It's beautiful," Lunae murmured softly.
"Beauty is one of the greatest gifts a human can have," Solstus responded quietly, not wanting to ruin the spell of the morning. The sun continued its leisurely stroll above the horizon, and after the sky began to lose the glowing pinks and oranges of the morning, the two redheads turned back to each other. "What do you say, Lunae, are you up for some weapons training before my big day?" Solstus joked.
Lunae tossed her long, bright hair, a contrast to her brother's short, dark locks, and sneered at him. "Please. You need all the help you can get with that sword before you go into the arena. Everyone in the district knows that I can disarm you," she swayed her hips as she flounced away towards the training building. Solstus rolled his eyes – both of them knew that he was the best in the district with a sword, but Lunae hated to be second best at anything. While partially it was due to the fact that he had picked a weapon unusual in the fishing district, it was also due to his perseverance and his training schedule. Few men or women were trained by their mothers, but then again, few men or women had the mother that he did. The thought of his family made him smile – he was so lucky to have them all, even though his sister could be a little bit of a brat when she didn't get her way.
In between their sparring practice, Lunae grinned wickedly at her brother. "What do you think they'll dress you as for the Chariots, Sols? Maybe a fish like last year, or just green and covered in scales like the year before?" She danced out of the way of his sharp jab, and giggled at the idea of her brother dressed like a strange reptile. The clang of their swords cut through the laughter of the others in the training room. Another pair in particular stopped their training to comment.
"No way, Lunae!" Solstus glanced over to see his training friends Nafia and Siletta leaning on their spears, curious about their conversation. "We're hoping he'll just be in a… how should we put it… strategically placed net?" The two twins were tall, slender girls with the typical district sea green eyes. Lunae gagged at the image of her brother in nothing but a 'strategically placed net,' and the twins cracked up at her face.
Solstus flashed his bright white smile as he roared in laughter, then stabbed the point of his sword into the ground and posed with it suggestively. "Will this get me more sponsors, do you think? Maybe just some cleverly positioned seashells instead of a net?" The twins were practically convulsing in laughter, and Lunae pretended to throw up in the corner.
Finally, her brother's awkward posing was just too much for her to handle. By the time he was suggestively posing over a trident (a trident that he could barely use, for the record), Lunae was concerned she might not be able to keep her breakfast down. Rolling her eyes at the twins, who had to put their weapons down to avoid any accidental, laughter induced injuries, Lunae grabbed her brother's arm and began to drag him away. "Come on, Solstus! We gotta get breakfast and clean up before the reaping. We don't want those sponsors to get the wrong impression of you because you're on national television all sweaty and gross." With one last wave, Solstus headed for home at his sister's side.
Windsor Thern was planning on being this year's female tribute, but, unlike her male counterpart, she had not spent the morning training. Instead, she had spent the morning on her father's fishing boats, trying to catch enough food to feed her family. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled back from her face in an intricate braid, but small pieces still pulled out and fluttered around her face in the wind.
"Ready, Wind?" Her father caught her blue green eyes with his identical ones, and flashed her a quick smile. Windsor grinned back, and the two of them began to haul in the nets. She loved his place, out here on the ocean – the soothing rock of the boat, and the feel of the rope in her hands was like second nature to her. It was the only place she truly felt free.
Training had never really worked for Windsor. She was tall and athletic, but being trapped indoors trying to do repetitive exercises with no real immediate advantage to her family just seemed like a waste of time for her. She would rather be on the boats, helping her father provide, or doing something useful. Years of working for her food, reeling the boats, and hauling the nets had made her lean and strong. Although she didn't have the same highly defined muscles of those who trained every day, her endurance and real world skills made her a tough competitor.
"We got a good catch today, dad!" Windsor noted, encouraged. The nets were practically full, making the deck of the small boat covered in wriggling, scaly, fish. This catch would keep her family fed for quite some time – what they couldn't eat and save, they would sell at the market and use the money for at least a week. "What'll you guys do without me while I'm gone?" She joked quietly, as she and her father gathered the sails to return to the docks.
"Don't worry about us, Wind. We'll be fine until you get back," her father said softly with a slight smile. Her father's confidence meant everything to her, and the blond girl accepted his smile with relief. The idea of going to the Hunger Games, and facing all those tributes who had trained every day of their lives for this, was incredibly intimidating.
The trip back to port was a quiet one, today was an intense day. By the time the two had hauled their catch back to the house, Windsor was practically shaking with stress. The sight of her two brothers was the only thing that calmed her. The twins were only six years old, and the light of her life. Picking up one in each arm, Surf and Sail, burst out laughing as she twirled them around, squealing "Windy, Windy, Windy!"
Seeing the two of them reminded her why she was volunteering. Placing the two of them back on their chairs, Windsor paused by her mother, and asked in a hushed voice, "How are they today?"
Her mother, a tall woman with gray streaks in her dark blonde hair, looked at her daughter sadly. "They… they are okay. No worse than usual, but definitely no better." She turned her eyes towards the sink, unable to look her daughter in the eye. There was a desperation in her face that she didn't want her daughter to see.
The twins were sick. They had an illness that couldn't be cured in the district, and without a significant amount of money to send them to the Capitol, neither of them had hope for survival beyond the age of ten. But how could a mother make this decision? How could she choose between her eldest, and only daughter, or her two sons?
Windsor felt that she had made the decision on her own. The Hunger Games seemed like the obvious solution – she could make the money her family needed and save her brothers, as long as she could survive a few weeks. Kissing her mother quickly on the cheek, Windsor gave her a brief smile, before dashing up the stairs to get changed for her big moment.
There wasn't enough time to bathe, so Windsor did the best she could. She quickly brushed out her wavy shoulder length hair, and applied a light layer of makeup to bring out the color in her bright eyes. She chose a blue green wrap dress that mimicked the movement of the waves on the ocean, and a pair of white sandals. Observing herself in the small mirror, she tried to put on her best smile. "Well, I guess it's time to go."
This year's District 4 mentors were already seated on the platform. Finley, the female mentor, was waving slightly to particular individuals in the crowd as they filed in, her smile winning and bright. She had only mentored a few times before, but she had a reputation around the district for being bright, and sunny. The brunette had won her games by maintaining the Career alliance until the very end. Her polite, calm, even temper helped hold the strongest together until the final five, which was unusual – usually the Careers didn't make it that long as a pack.
The male mentor was almost a complete opposite to his female counterpart. Carp was older, gruff, and grouchy. He had seen many a mentored tribute be killed in the arena, and eventually he learned that it was better to not get attached to those he mentored. It was easier to watch them die if he pretended he didn't care. His blue eyes caught Fin's for a second, and he almost pitied her. She didn't have the experience to see that she was too emotionally invested in these children. Even on a good year, only half of those she got close to would make it back to the district.
The mayor's speech was traditional and boring. At this point, most people just tuned it out. Solstus caught Lunae's eye, and mouthed some of the words along to it, making ridiculous faces to go along with the more poignant phrases. She had to stuff her hand in her mouth to keep from laughing, and he bared his perfect white teeth at her in a grin. Finally, it was time for the actual reaping to take place, and Windsor didn't even hear the name that was called before she shouted –
"I volunteer!"
It was almost immediate. A million eyes turned and were instantly on her, and Windsor tried to remember how to smile, how to look pretty before the cameras caught onto her position, and how to work her legs. Finally, after frantically scanning the crowd for her family, she kept her eyes trained on them as she glided towards the platform. Holding her head high, she smiled politely at the escort, and leaned into the microphone to introduce herself. "My name is Windsor Thern, and I am honored to represent my home in this year's Hunger Games."
Finley regarded her new tribute with some interest. The girl was definitely beautiful, but she didn't seem interested in using it. Instead of playing to the crowd, she appeared to be fixated on one spot in the citizen's section, and she smiled earnestly towards that area. The camera crew had to move over to get a better shot of her face, because she simply had no interest in what they were doing. Windsor only had eyes for something out there in the mass of people, and Finley felt a tug at her heart for this girl.
Solstus was ready and volunteering before the second name was entirely out of the escort's mouth. A huge smile on his face, he waved to the crowd and laughed as he walked towards the platform. In fact, it was all he could do to not jog up there. This was what he had trained for his entire life, he couldn't help but be a bit excited about the prospect of finally seeing it come to fruition. Extending his hand to vigorously shake Windsor's, he stepped up to the microphone to introduce himself. "I'm Solstus Faerbilt, and…"
He couldn't even finish the sentence before the applause started. His grin grew even bigger as he ran a hand through his dark red hair. The crowd loved him, he was the district's golden boy! There was no way he couldn't win these games. Giving Windsor a roguish wink, he threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her next to his body to continue waving to the crowd. Carp shook his head slightly – egotistical kids were the easiest to break once they realized how fragile their bodies actually were in the arena.
It was almost a relief for Solstus to make it inside the Justice Building, away from the roaring crowd. It was calmer and quiet inside the waiting room, where his family rushed in almost immediately. He grabbed Lunae in a hug first and she laughed as she brushed tears out of her eyes. "What's happening, sis, you haven't gone soft on me have you?"
She playfully punched him in the arm before grabbing him for another hug. "Of course not! I'm just so proud of my big brother, you know?" Solstus returned her watery smile, and kept close hold on her shoulders before reaching to hug his parents. The arena was going to be terrifying without Lunae. They had trained together since he could remember, and he had no idea how to fight without someone watching his back. He hadn't even considered that he would be going into a situation with no one to trust.
"Here, take this," Solstus felt something hard pressed into his hand. He glanced down and saw it was a seashell carved carefully into the shape of a dolphin. "I made it for you. Use it as your token, okay? So you'll always have a piece of me and a piece of home with you." Solstus ran his fingertips over it gratefully. That was just what he was thinking – Lunae always seemed to know what he was feeling, even when he didn't know how to voice it himself.
A lump rose in his throat, but before he could even begin to get emotional, his family was whisked out and replaced by a steady stream of his training partners. Nafia and Siletta were first, with more teasing about how he was going to be an outcast from the District 4 victors for being unable to use a trident, then Ephira and Camarat, who discussed possibilities for the arena. After a thorough discussion of how it might be in an abandoned mine, they were replaced by Casey, Halad, and Neil, who wanted to know whether or not he thought his district partner was hot, and finally Agad, who couldn't remember seeing her in training ever, but thought that she was pretty enough to pull them some sponsors.
Down the hall, Windsor sat with her family for almost the entire hour. She had friends that came to visit, but she only spent ten minutes with all of them, and the rest of the time was spent sitting on the ground with her brothers, playing their favorite game of peek a boo. She opened her fingers and said, "I see you!" and the twins rolled on the ground, shrieking with laughter.
Her parents looked on solemnly as she played with the twins. They both seemed too stunned to speak – although they knew the day was coming, it was much harder to deal with than to just think about it. "Don't worry," Windsor said softly, correctly reading their miserable looks. "How different can it be from spearing the fish?" She dropped her hands to her lap, and tried to clasp them together to prevent any nervous shaking. Her brothers soon tired of her internal problems, and began to tug on her fingers, demanding more playtime.
Right before exiting, her parents handed her a small square of fabric. It was a piece of her brothers' favorite blanket, and she knew immediately it would be her token. Just a small piece of home to take with her, and remind her of why she was there. "It'll be all right. Don't worry, remember? I'll see you in a few weeks, and everything will be better."
The hour passed in a complete whirlwind, and Solstus exited the room in a daze. He walked down the hallway with the peacekeepers in silence, realizing that he had managed to say every singly goodbye without ever using those exact words. It might have been strange, but he had never once considered the fact that he might not make it home. He wasn't saying goodbye, really, it was just a temporary vacation.
When Windsor stepped out of her room, she was surprised to see a different person than the waving, cheering boy from outside. She knew of Solstus, but the two had never spent extended time together. "Are you ready? We have to go outside," she murmured to him, her voice barely audible in the corridor.
He glanced down at her and immediately brought back his sunny smile. "Of course! Let's head on out there and get us some sponsors." The two walked side by side in silence for a while, while the redhead rubbed his fingers over the smooth curves of his token. The doors leading to outside were looming closer when Solstus abruptly blurted out one single word: "Allies?"
His district partner stopped and stared at him in surprise. She had planned on joining the Career alliance, but she was surprised at this quick interest in her skills. "I thought you'd want someone with more… training than me." She commented quietly, casting her eyes downwards for a second.
Solstus shrugged, and glanced at the doors leading them away. "I want someone I can trust. A partner. The Careers won't last forever, and I want someone that I can train with, and know to have my back." Windsor still looked uncertain, so he grabbed her hand and looked intently into her eyes. "You wouldn't volunteer if you didn't have a chance of winning, so I know you're worth it. You're part of home, and I don't know about any of those other districts. So what do you say? Allies?"
Blinking her blue green eyes at him, Windsor gave him a small smile. "All right then. You do have some good points." Solstus immediately gave a real smile. Not one of his overly cocky, confident ones, but instead one of real happiness and a little bit of relief.
"Well, that's good. I was worried I was going to have to get down on my knees and beg," he joked with her, before ruffling his hair again. Windsor rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't help but hide a grin behind her hand. The peacekeepers hustled them forward, and Solstus was prepared now. He slipped his hand out of the pocket that contained his token to wave at the camera crews, subtly flexing his muscles and trying his best to show off. Windsor continued her mysterious, quiet act of half smiling and staring right through the people around her. Though neither would admit it, the idea of having a solidified alliance made the weeks ahead much less intimidating. After all, how bad could it be when they had a partner at their side to face the danger?