Chapter Twelve: Joergeon
She had never seen a horse in person, at least not in her first life and it would no longer apply to her second one. Joergeon was one of the two humongous horses that would be pulling the District 11 chariots this year for the Tribute Parade. Maize kept all her attention onto the beast in front of her, gently petting his black muzzle and feeding him sugar cubes as she ignored everyone around her. Cana was carefully sitting on the chariots as they waited for the parade to start, the younger teen had taken one awe-filled look at the beasts before deciding to stay as far away as possible from the horses.
Keeping all of her attention on the horse helped Maize keep her mind off the dress she was wearing. Orion had dressed her as the Greek goddess of agriculture (and fertility, though that wasn't what her stylist was trying to emphasize with her outfit), Demeter. She was wearing a beautiful green toga, the fabric itself was so soft and smooth against her skin like the softest silk. The toga had to slits on the sides going almost all the way up to her hip where it was tied with a golden braid of rope. A transparent green shawl had been thrown over her shoulders to tease the viewers from seeing the bare skin of her shoulders and back, considering that the back of toga was practically nonexistent and started at the small of her back, and Orion didn't want people to gawk at the scars marring her back, even if they had been caked with makeup. Gold Greek sandals adorned her feet ending at mid-calf, she had gold accents all over her person, bangles on her arms, wrists, around her neck and even around her thighs. She was wearing a crown made of real plants, red/pink/white strawberry flowers in full bloom (much like they had been at home a month ago before they turned into the juicy fruit, and was given a cornucopia to carry filled with actual fruits that were harvested from her District.
Cana was dressed as Dionysus the Greek god of wine, vegetation and festivity (which was apparently appropriate here in the Capitol since the Hunger Games were a wonderful festivity), grapevines formed a crown around the fourteen-year old's head. He also had matching gold accents in the form of the Greek styled sandals and gold bangles. Despite his awkward stance on the whole situation, not to mention the grief that was beginning to envelop him, he looked handsome. Maize, on the other hand, was trying to ignore the looks and attention that the dress was giving her, from the tributes and all of the attendants backstage. Seeders warm hand gently touched her shoulder bringing Maize out of her daydreams.
"The parade is starting in five, let me help you onto the chariot." the female Victor's presence was calming, and her help was honestly appreciated. Maize was one of the shortest girls in her age group, and it was looking like that trend was continuing even in the Capitol, and help to get onto the chariot with her dress would have been necessary even if Seeder hadn't offered... Cana probably wouldn't have been able to help her get on. She really needed to help him build up some muscles.
"Thank you, Seeder."
The woman smiled before regaining a stern facial expression and locking eyes with both of them, "Remember, you are both confident and united District partners from 11." Seeder locked eyes with Cana, "Boy, you must put on a brave face. Be strong and supportive of your partner. And you Maize, you enthrall all of the Capitol once more as you did at the terminal. Be mysterious, saucy, confident and unattainable. You two are gods and goddesses of the harvest in our District. Be them." she commanded, as all three of them ignored the three-minute warning.
Maize straightened her spine and elongated her neck elegantly, her eyes hard and confident, before turning to the reins of the chariot. Cana locked his gaze onto her figure before mirroring Maize in a convincing manner, his back straight as he gripped the adorned chariot. Cana's face was blank except for the small –false so incredibly false- smile tugging on the corner of his lips. Maize hooded her eyes under the fake eyelashes that the stylist had added onto her lids to make them stand out even more (honestly, Maize thought that had been unnecessary) and allowed a small taunting smirk to tug onto her plump lips. She held onto the woven gold cornucopia with her left arm and held onto the front of the chariot with her free hand as the chariot began to move and music started playing loudly
For all the sophistication the Capitolites proclaimed to have, they were like writhing animals as they howled and thrust themselves forward in excitement from the stands. She couldn't really discern any specific words from the crowds, but she could occasionally hear a Capitolite shout out her name. She turned to face the crowd with sly smirks and coquettish winks in the direction of the area where her name was shouted, at one point she even kissed the tips of her fingers before 'blowing' the kiss out onto the adoring fans. It earned her enamored high-pitched screeches and flowers being thrown their way.
Cana let out a bitter chuckle from beside her, but his smile didn't change as he wrapped his arm around her waist. Despite being underfed and two years younger than Maize the teen was still two or three inches taller than she was, so Maize allowed herself to lean on him a bit before gingerly grabbing one of the strawberries from the cornucopia, kissing the fruit gently before taking a small bite and then offering the rest to Cana. The fourteen-year-old didn't even blink and ate the strawberry whole.
The crowd cheered.
It reminded her of the cackling Hyenas from the movie 'El Rey Leon.' But these people felt even more malicious than the caricature hyenas from one of her favorite childhood movies. The chariots began to slow down as the horses came to a stop in a semi-circle in front of where the President was standing regally before a silver-white podium above the balcony in the District Circle. The national anthem played as the camera cut to showcase the faces of the tributes onto the big screens for the Capitol citizens, hell all of Panem, to view.
President Snow reminded Maize of a snake. There was a wild poisonous garden snake that likes to roam the orchards during the spring and summer seasons, they called it the ruse snake because it looked like an ordinary green garden snake at first glance unless one noticed the darker scales of the snake's underbelly. The bite could kill a young/small child within ten minutes, and an adult within twenty. That was what President Snow reminded Maize of. The ruse snake. A seemingly innocent and harmless looking 'garden' snake until it struck with a blind and precise fury. He was poison in itself. Even the seemingly warm and honeyed words slipping from his lips were dripping with it as he welcomed them to the Capitol and to the 70th Hunger Games.
It disgusted her. And the feeling lingered on her skin even as the chariots pulled away once more and led the tributes into the Training Center.
Words: 1,212
Edited: Oct.30, 2019