CHAPTER THREE
IKE
After three long hours in the Remake Center with his prep team, Ike was tired and wishing that he hadn't listened to Shinon after all. He'd gone through the entire process of hosing and waxing and every unnecessary and embarrassing thing else, and he still hadn't even met his stylist. He was also quite convinced that his prep team were complete and total ditzes.
"Oh, you almost look human now!" Wil chirped in his Capitol accent, and they all laughed. Ike suppressed the urge to groan. He knew in their own strange way they were sincerely trying to help him, but they certainly weren't improving his impression of Capitol Humans.
"Right!" Florina agreed. "By the time Lyn is done with you, you'll look absolutely gorgeous!"
"Ooh! Let's go call her!" Ninian cried, and the three of them darted out of the room.
Ike slid his legs off the table, sat up, and stared blankly at the sterile white walls. If this Lyn person was as ridiculous as his prep team, with their strange hairdos, outfits, tattoos, piercings, and surgical enhancements, he would probably... well, he probably wouldn't do anything, really. He honestly believed he might scream or something, though.
Then the door opened and a young woman walked in, and Ike was taken aback by how normal she looked. Her simple ponytail appeared to be its natural shade of green without any embellishments, she wore a simple light blue dress, and the only self-alteration Ike saw was permanent turquoise eyeliner that accentuated her dark eyes. It was surprisingly attractive.
"Hello." she said, her voice calm and quiet with no hint of accent whatsoever. She offered him her hand. "I'm Lyndis. Call me Lyn."
He ventured an "Ike" and shook her hand.
She gave him an appraising look, apparently sizing him up. "Are you new?" Ike asked. He knew that he certainly hadn't seen her before on the Hunger Games program, and she was unlike any other stylist Ike had ever seen.
"Yes, this is my first year." Lyn replied.
"So they gave you District Eleven." Newcomers generally ended up with the least desirable districts, which were 11 and 12.
"I asked for District Eleven." Lyn stated flatly, not offering any further explanation.
For a long moment, neither of them said anything. Finally, the young woman broached the subject she was really there for; "So, Ike, about your costume for the opening ceremonies. My son, Roy, is the stylist for your fellow tribute Mia." She paused. "As you know, it's customary to reflect the, er, flavor of the district."
Ike nodded. For the opening ceremonies, you were supposed to wear something that suggested either your district's principal industry, or your district's race—occasionally both. District 8, Cat laguz and fishing. District 3, Hawks and transportation. For District 11, being the beorc district, their racial history was generally the same as the Capitol's, so their tributes generally wore something to do with their industry—agriculture. This was never pleasant, as there was only so much you could do with the farmer image. One year the tributes had been dressed as vegetables. There had also been a fruit year. It was usually dreadful and did nothing to win favor with the crowd. Ike prepared mentally for the worst. "Yeah, we're always farmers." he stated.
"Well usually, but I don't want to do that. I want them to remember you. Besides, everyone seems to forget about the other aspect of your district—the beorc themselves." Lyn said.
Ike hadn't seen that coming.
"So, rather than focus on the agriculture, we're going to focus on the beorc." the young woman continued. "I notice your name and appearance bears similarity to one of the greatest heroes of the First Age. Have you heard of the legendary Hero Ike?"
Of course he had. Who hadn't heard of the famous hero that had defeated Ashera, the Goddess of Order, over a thousand years ago? His mother said he was named for him. He was possibly even descended from him. Ike nodded.
"And what else do they call the Hero Ike? 'The Hero of Blue Flames.' You're not afraid of fire, are you, Ike?" Lyn saw the teen's incredulous expression and grinned.
A few hours later, Ike was dressed in what would probably be the most sensational(or the deadliest) costume in the opening ceremonies. Based on the old drawings and paintings of the Hero that Lyn had uncovered, he was wearing an elaborate old-fashioned outfit in theme with the "Hero Ike" idea. A blue tunic with yellow trimming, slit in the front and longer in the back; a frayed cape, red on the outside and tan on the inside; a red undershirt; white pants; boots that came up past his calves; fingerless leather gloves complete with bandages and wear; a half-breastplate and shoulder guard on his left shoulder; a belt with a second, smaller green one to hang the sword sheath from; a new black headband with green stitching and authentic fraying on the ends; and an old-fashioned sword made of real metal, styled after the common blades of the time. But it was the strange clear liquid he was painted on with which defined the costume, and which was his real concern. It was some kind of substance that Lyn planned to light on fire just before the District 11 chariot rolled into the streets. Ike wasn't entirely convinced that it wasn't actually oil. It smelled the same.
"It's just a little synthetic fire that Roy came up with. You'll be perfectly safe." Lyn assured him. He wasn't convinced he wouldn't be perfectly roasted.
Ike was relieved when Mia finally showed up, dressed in a tight-fitting sleeveless orange shirt with a high collar and yellow lining, matching orange pads on her hips, a red under-tunic that came just down to the edge of the orange pads, black leggings coming up to just an inch below the tunic, brown leather boots, long fingerless black gloves with a bit of extra sleeve, a belt with a sword alike to Ike's in the sheath, and a white headband to hold back her loose hair. She also appeared to be wet with the strange substance. Roy and his team accompanied her, chattering excitedly about what a splash the two would make.
Mia quickly answered Ike's questioning gaze, the coldness in her voice briefly lost; "There was an old story Roy pulled out about a swordmaster that accompanied the Hero Ike, second only to him in skill with the blade, who traveled into the Tower of Guidance to fight Ashera with him. Or something like that. Named Mia, you see." Ike nodded understandingly.
They were taken down to the ground level of the Remake Center, which was basically a giant stable. The opening ceremonies were about to start, and pairs of tributes were being loaded onto their chariots(the horses were so well trained, they didn't need guidance). District 11's horses were bays. Lyn and Roy directed them onto the chariot, carefully arranging their positions and the drape of Ike's cape, before moving off to consult with each other.
"We're going to die." Mia whispered.
Ike nodded. "Maybe if we're lucky it'll rain before the worst of the damage. Or something."
He looked around curiously, taking in the other tributes. There were the herons of District 7, looking very elegant in beautiful white robes. Their district made luxury items for the Capitol. The two lions of District 2, both wearing tunics in gray and dark red tones, highlighting their scarlet hair and eyes. The red dragons of District 5, in peculiar costumes that were supposed to represent a tree. They were the lumber district, and they'd had the same terrible stylist for over fifty years. Ike actually felt kind of sorry for the dark-skinned girl, shyly fiddling with her leafy hat.
His wandering eyes came upon the District 12 chariot, and he nearly started. 12, being the Branded district and having coal as their industry, never seemed to be a favorite. Branded had no real racial ancestry of their own, and the baggy coal miner's getup was hardly attractive, so usually District 12 had some skimpy outfit with a headlamp that exaggerated their Brand. It was never pleasant.
This year, however, Ike was genuinely surprised, as it seemed that District 11 wasn't the only one trying something new in the parade this year. Zelgius Kadohl was wearing a mock-up of old-style Begnion armor, all black, with a red cape. Ike would've almost thought that District 12's stylist was copying Lyn and Roy—though it wasn't that uncommon to imitate First Age outfits, and now that he thought about it, "Zelgius" had been the name of a famous Begnion general around the time of the Hero Ike.
Kita Kadohl was wearing a slightly more traditional District 12 outfit—but only just. She wore a tight-fitting sleeveless black dress with a low cut in the front and straps that looped around her neck, and a red-black stole that hung loosely around her arms. Because she was turned so her back was to him, Ike could see that her dress was very low in the back, fully exposing the Brand on her upper back, near her left shoulder. It was in the shape of a bird, and actually very pretty, outlined just slightly with black makeup to make it stand out. The dress was tight around the hips, but the skirt loosened out as it fell to her ankles, hiding her feet entirely. It made her look a lot older, taller, and more mature than she probably was, which made Zelgius look even taller. She fidgeted slightly in the chariot, drawn by coal-black horses, and her brother put his hand on hers to steady her.
Zelgius glanced up slightly and his eyes met Ike's. They gazed at each other for a long moment before the Branded turned back to his sister, and Ike, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, turned around to look straight ahead.
"What was that about?" Mia asked quietly.
"Nothing." Ike replied, equally quiet. "District 12 looks pretty good this year." She nodded.
He suddenly heard the opening music begin, and the massive doors slowly creaked open, revealing the crowd-lined streets. District 1 went first, the pair looking beautiful in their silver and black tunics with shoulder cloaks of supposed black scales. 1 was the technology district, and home of the black dragons. Ike heard the crowd roaring outside; they were always favourites.
In what seemed like no time at all, the District 11 chariot was approaching the door, and Ike could see the light turning grey between the overcast sky and the evening hour. At the last minute, Roy appeared with what looked like a lighted torch. "Here we go!" he said, and before either of them could react he brushed them both with the torch, igniting the oil-like substance in a flash. Ike braced himself for the heat, but there was only a faint tickling sensation. He glanced down at himself and started when he realised he was on fire. Blue fire.
Roy grinned. "It works!" Then he backed out of the way, but Ike lost sight of him then, as he was looking at Mia.
"My Goddess." he said quietly. She was wreathed in blue fire around her arms, the fake flames spreading out behind her like wings, her face was lit up and shining in blue light, and she was dazzlingly beautiful. He vaguely wondered what he looked like. "You look like... like you're out of a legend."
She looked up at him and blushed slightly. "So do you. You're amazing!" Then she laughed nervously. "Look, I'm all sweaty now. Oh goddess."
Instinctively he reached over and gripped her hand to steady her. She sighed slightly in relief.
Then the chariot entered the street, and every head in the crowd was turned their way. Ike froze, but as the cheers started anew and the shouts of "District Eleven!" began, all the focus pulled away from the chariots ahead of them and all the initial alarm long gone, he began to feel more confident. When he caught sight of how he and Mia looked on a large television screen, he was floored by how breathtaking they looked. The blue fire highlighted them both in the fading twilight, and the wings of blue flames looked fantastically real. He lifted his chin a bit higher. Mia waved to the crowd, her smile not revealing any trace of the bitterness from yesterday. Ike didn't feel confident enough to wave at first, but after a few minutes—about the point when Mia actually blew a few kisses to the crowd—he consented to wave a bit. He could have sworn he heard several feminine squeals when he did.
The crowd was going nuts, showering them with flowers, shouting their names, their first names, which they'd bothered to find in the program. Someone tossed a red rose to Mia; she caught it, sniffed it delicately, and then blew a kiss in the general direction of the giver. A hundred hands reached up to catch it, as if it were a real and tangible thing, and she grinned and laughed. Ike smiled and this time he actually saw several girls in the front squeal in excitement.
Their names were being called on all sides as they rode down the street. Ike realised that Lyn and Roy had given them a great advantage; no one would forget them, forget him. They would remember his look, his name. Ike; the boy of blue flames. His excitement built as, for the first time, he allowed himself a flicker of hope.
The twelve chariots filled the loop of the City Circle. Their horses pulled the chariot right up to the president's mansion, and they came to a halt. The music ended with a flourish and the blue fire went out abruptly.
The president of Tellius, a country dominated and ruled by the Humans, was, ironically, a heron. Lehran was the oldest living being alive besides the goddess Ashunera herself, and had been elected for his long-running experience and supposed good leadership. He was tall and elegant and still appearing relatively young(despite the rumours that he'd never allowed any kind of surgery on himself), but he was thin on the point of emaciated and very pale, with long black hair streaked with white and black wings that were starting to turn grey. He gave the official welcome from the balcony above them, and Ike noticed for the first time that he refused to meet their eyes when he did so. He looks ill, the teen thought pityingly. Then the chariots paraded around the circle one final time before disappearing into the Training Center.
The doors had hardly shut when Ike and Mia were engulfed by their prep teams, babbling praise. Ike glanced around and noticed several of the other tributes shooting him and Mia dirty looks. He noticed that the heron boy was one of the angry ones, while the girl heron, Leanne, seemed genuinely happy.
As the two of them were helped down from the chariot, Ike caught Zelgius' gaze again. The boy's eyes showed no malice, but only slight regret. Ike frowned slightly, not understanding, but the other boy just shook his head helplessly.
They were both distracted by a small moan from Kita. She didn't look very well, slightly bent over and very miserable. A woman, presumably one of their stylists, bent down next to her and held her hand sympathetically, while Zelgius put an arm around her shoulders protectively. As Ike watched, the others surrounding him momentarily forgotten, he saw Kita sink to one knee, and Zelgius smoothly pick her up bridal-style and leave the room, their stylists and prep teams right on their heels, talking worriedly amongst themselves.
Ike's frown deepened.
ZELGIUS
On the twelfth floor of the Training Center's tribute tower, less than an hour after the opening ceremonies... I sit on the bed in my quarters, still wearing my costume, anxiously waiting for Micaiah and Elincia to return. I've never seen Kita get so ill before so suddenly, and if that happens in the arena, or even during training...
Kita's stylist, a fairly young blue-haired man named Geoffrey who's probably closer to my age than he thinks, and Sothe Deyan are also here, pacing nervously. They both know of Kita's condition, and are probably just as anxious as I am, if for different reasons.
Finally, the two women return. Geoffrey goes straight to his partner. "How is she?" he asks, his voice in unison with mine.
"She's fine." Elincia says. "She's sleeping now."
"Is this going to happen again?" Sothe demands. "In the arena?"
Micaiah shakes her head. "I think it'll pass. She'll be all right."
"You're sure?" I ask anxiously, standing up.
"Yes." Elincia says comfortingly. "Relax. Sothe and Micaiah will make sure she starts out near to you, just in case."
"I hope you're right." I say.
"Me too." she agrees. "Now, let's get you out of that armor."
As Geoffrey and Elincia move behind me to start unfastening it, I ask Micaiah what my strategy would be in the arena if this happens to her again.
"Pick her up and run," she replies simply. "Get her out of there as fast as possible, if there's enemies there, and find somewhere safe for her to rest, if you can. That's... really all you can do."
If only that weren't true.
IKE
After dinner that evening, Ike found himself restless. He tossed and turned in the plush Capitol bed, but he couldn't get comfortable. He kept finding himself thinking about the District 12 tributes, Zelgius and Kita. Who were they? What were they like? What was the strange affliction Kita suffered after the opening ceremonies?
He needed somewhere to think. Somewhere peaceful, outside, and most of all, away from Capitol eyes and ears. He vaguely recalled Shinon mentioning something about being able to go on the roof. That sounds good. Getting out of bed, he found his black and red training uniform folded neatly on the dresser, with his Yune pin sitting right on top. He dressed quickly, leaving the pin where it was, and checked to see if the door was locked. It wasn't, so he went out into the hallway and quietly padded down to the elevator. It only took a few seconds for it to come down after he pushed the "call" button, and then he got in. There was a button just above "12" that said "Roof". He pushed it and the elevator shot up two floors in just a few seconds, the crystal door opening to a small dome-shaped room with a door leading outside. He stepped forward and pushed it open, almost sighing with relief as the cool night air hit him.
The view was great. The Capitol twinkled with lights of all colors. Many Capitol citizens were still awake, even at this time of night. In District 11, most of the people he knew would probably be in bed by now.
Ike walked around the dome to the other side, where there was a pleasant rooftop garden. A few colorful flower beds and potted trees, with wind chimes hanging from the branches, tinkling musically in the light breeze. He walked to a bench nearby and sat down, simply enjoying the air.
"Pleasant, isn't it?" a voice said quietly. Ike started and glanced around, before realizing that there was a boy sitting in the shadow of the dome, also wearing his training uniform, looking out at the view. The boy turned slightly and Ike started again when he realised it was Zelgius. "Good place to think without fear of being overheard." he remarked.
Ike nodded. He realised that this was actually the first time he'd seen the Branded boy close up without any makeup, and it startled him just how scarred the boy actually was. How he hadn't noticed before, he didn't know, but Zelgius had a long angry red scar across his right eye, several paler scars across his face, and some fading bruises as well. Besides those there were traces of scars or injuries all over his face, marring most of his features.
He realised he was staring and purposely averted his eyes. "Zelgius, right? I saw you in the reapings."
"As I did you. You're Ike." Zelgius replied. "And I saw you in the opening ceremonies. You looked quite... remarkable."
"You have my stylist, Lyn, to thank for that." Ike said, glancing back out at the twinkling lights of the Capitol. "You looked pretty good, too. Was that old Begnion armour you were wearing?"
"Yes. My stylist, Elincia, is quite old-fashioned, so to speak. Though I'm afraid you and your friend outshone us quite a bit."
"How's your sister?"
That made the other boy fall silent. Ike sensed he'd touched a delicate spot. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."
"No, it's understandable." Zelgius said quietly. "She's... fine."
Against his better judgement, Ike persisted the point; "What happened after the opening ceremonies earlier...?"
"Nothing!" The insistence in his voice only told Ike that something really was wrong with his sister. "She's fine...!"
"Alright." Ike said gently. "Why are you up here, anyway?"
A long pause. "I'm...worried about Kita." Zelgius finally said, ever so softly. "I want to protect her, but there's...never mind."
There was another long silence between them before Ike spoke; "Would you mind if I asked you a question?"
Zelgius thought for a moment, then replied "If I get one in return."
"Alright." Ike paused for just a second. "How old are you, really?"
"Twenty-six." the raven-haired boy answered without hesitation.
"What?" Ike asked incredulously. "Really?"
Zelgius nodded. "Didn't you know? In District Twelve, we're reaped from the ages of fourteen to twenty-six, based on the average physical age of a Branded during that time. It's like that in all the districts, so that all the tributes are in the same general age category. This year was my last reaping, in two respects."
"But you hardly look any older than eighteen!"
"That's kind of the point, Ike. As for my question..." He paused only briefly before asking "Why do the beorc call us cursed?"
Ike frowned. "What?"
"'The cursed, the Branded; Lowest of the low.'" Zelgius recited. "Lost and abandoned; All forgotten and well so.' I know the poems and disparaging terms you beorc and laguz and Humans make about us. Cursed, half-breed, sub-human—all these words are used to associate Branded by all the other races, to insult us, and I want to know; why? What have we ever done to you to elicit this?"
Ike realised that he seriously hadn't thought about it before. The lines that Zelgius had recited were well-known to Ike; they were the first four lines of a poem called "The Cursed" by some Capitol author, and it had been the first subject of reading he'd ever gotten in school. He'd learned to read by that poem. He suddenly realised he'd always associated the first two lines of that poem with the Branded. Hadn't he always thought of District 12 as "the cursed, the Branded, lowest of the low"? But he couldn't reason out why. He'd never felt any sort of hatred towards them, or personal dislike. He'd always ignored it when he heard the other kids talking about "sub-humans" or "half-breeds". "I... I don't know." he finally said. "I know the poem you recited, but only because it was the first thing I was taught to read in school. I think... it's been subliminally told to all the other districts, since we were children, until we forgot the real reason and just... hated."
"I see." Zelgius got up and walked back to the door into the dome. He seemed hurt. "Perhaps we can talk again some other time."
Ike suddenly felt the need to express himself. "I—I never thought of the Branded that way." he said, leaning forward, and he heard the real sincerity in his own voice. "Never consciously."
Zelgius paused at the door. "Thank you, Ike." he finally said softly, before going inside.
Ike sat back again, satisfied. I'm glad I finally got to meet you... Zelgius Kadohl.
ZELGIUS
I wonder why my feelings on this matter are so strange... I think this quietly as I sit on the edge of Kita's bed, listening to her gentle breathing as I contemplate my meeting with the boy of blue flames. He's just another competitor. Someone else who will try to kill her...
Dammit! I told myself not to get close to anyone! Just Kita, she's all that matters, keep her safe...like I promised Sydelle...
I know that my promise will get harder to keep, as the days go by. As my feelings betray me, as I knew they inevitably would, as they always do...