openxbook The day the Capitol fell, the door of Rowan's chambers sprang open. He'd been watching the Games for the past two years, unable to reach out to his precious Katniss. Every arrow that sprang from her bow, he blessed it with a kiss to the pendant hanging around his neck. Every move she made, Rowan was glued to the television. He gleaned memories of her, of the frail glimpses of his wife who had withered into nothing but grey petals, of the little blonde girl with hope in her heart. Everything he loved about Twelve was a smoking pile of ashes. The bodies of those fleeing from firebombs on the road had long since been cleared away but their ghosts wailed on the wind. He stood for awhile and gazed at the home he'd shared with his family before making his way through the nuclear snow. The past seven years had been mixed reviews of kindness and cruelty. Always thin, his grey eyes lost their sparkle. His dark hair turned silver, was dyed over jet black. In an effort to turn him into a Capitol citizen, he'd undergone mandatory body modifications. Tattoos snaked up his arms, along his back, earlobes stretched with green glass rings. At his 'escape' from the sanctioned rooms for prisoners, Rowan left behind the jewelry, the ridiculous suits and ties, and instead hitched a ride to twelve on a cargo train. He knocked on every door in the Victor's Village, waiting for an answer.
