The Circuses Treaty

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by SerKit

by SerKit

Nobody was expecting the rebels to compromise.

Perhaps, like us, they were just sick of the fighting. Perhaps they knew that both sides had lost too many fighters and the risk to civilian lives wasn't worth it. Perhaps they saw stalemate coming and looked to grab what they could get. It's even possible that they thought that we were up to something and made a move to finish things before we could. I don't know.

What I know is this: they could have flattened us and they didn't. They waited until we were at their mercy and they called a ceasefire, on condition of our President and her Gamemakers accepting a meeting with their leaders. This meeting was conducted with all due respect and at the end of it all, after weeks of death and uncertainty, we were offered another treaty. They call it the Circuses Treaty and it runs as follows:

'- That the Capitol accept their responsibility as aggressors of the conflict and thus that any recriminations are their due, including any settlements or rehabilitation required for life to continue as normal.

- That District Thirteen will at all times contain nuclear warheads intended to enforce peace through threat, until such a time as they are deemed unnecessary, and that these are in the hands of the districts.

- That the base structure of Panem will remain the same: thirteen districts and one Capitol, and that the Capitol will inform and monitor the production of the districts. However:

- That the most esteemed district representatives will form a committee within the Capitol power structures in order to ensure that all dealings between Capitol and districts are fair, just and humane. This will include the right to intervene in fiscal and social policy and the right to withdraw the Treaty and commence nuclear destruction should they believe that they are being unjustifiably targeted or blocked.

- That the Capitol will retain as much of its former appearance and rights as possible, subject to the above, and that the lifestyle for those within the Capitol will not be readily altered unless the District Committee feel this must be enforced or that it is necessary in providing a more comfortable lifestyle for those in the districts.

- That, as recompense for those lost in the days previous to this Treaty, the Capitol will be annually required to produce from each sector one girl and one boy aged between thirteen and twenty to participate in a mirror of the Hunger Games.'

There was another option. We could forgo the Treaty. We could fight. We would sustain heavy losses but we might win, even if it meant half of our beloved beautiful city being destroyed. We could be victorious once again. But everything has a flip-side. We might win, yes, but we might also lose. The rebels made this clear. And then they made us choose.

We chose the Games.