Memories Carved Into Snow | Coriolanus x Lucy Gray

Memories Carved Into Snow

"I'm lost in the lights
American glory faded before me
Now I'm feeling hopeless, ripped up my prom dress
Running through rose thorns, I saw the scoreboard
And ran for my life." — Taylor Swift, 'Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince".

Every villain's origin story states that they were once ordinary people. How could that be true when Coriolanus Snow was the furthest thing from the ordinary? A 6-foot tall man with unique blue eyes, a charming smile, and a brilliant mind. Someone whose name means 'a legendary Roman military hero' could only be destined to greatness in a land paved by war and under the iron grip of fear. Unlike his name suggests, he was the furthest thing away from pure driven snow.

Oh, that was a great line for a song—or so Lucy Gray thought.

Lucy Gray Baird... Lucy Gray, for short. Not just Lucy, too common of a name for a girl as talented and mysterious as her. The songbird from District 12 whose melodies defied the carefully balanced society of Panem and carved her name in the booming showbusiness of the Capitol. More than a singer with a pretty face and colorful dresses. Lucy Gray was a force to be reckoned with, and all she needed was a second-hand guitar and a shot of cheap vodka to clear up her pipes.

The Covey girl had started her career traveling through districts, singing her heart out before she could even learn how to read. When she and the surviving members of her family got stuck in 12, dusty streets and cramped bars became her main stage. If only Lucy Gray knew a performance for President Ravenscroft, who was visiting all of Panem, would change her life. The politician saw in her the perfect face for his second presidential campaign—to show the happy life in the districts as long as people complied. In all honesty, she wasn't given much of a choice, and somewhere along the way, Lucy Gray got lost under the city lights.

Or it was all his fault.

Coriolanus Snow... The Academy's golden boy, winner of the Plinth Prize, turned into Dr. Gaul's apprentice during his college days. On the President's tour broadcast for all of the nation, freshman Coriolanus had seen Lucy Gray on the fatidical performance in District 12. There were no spotlights, but her stage presence had been enough. He couldn't look away. Weeks later, imagine his surprise when he was front-row center on Lucy Gray's first performance in the Capitol—he wasn't supposed to be there that night but Sejanus had all but dragged him for a night out. Ice-blue eyes met warm brown ones, and the rest was history.

The ugly truth about history is that it all must come to an end, whether we like it or not. No matter how good or bad. Nothing stays stationary. If it does, it breaks. Maybe that's what had happened to them: Coryo had changed but wanted his relationship to remain the same. Greedy, obsessive, and manipulative. Just like his father—too much like him, if Tigris could say so herself.

One day, the young man woke up to a cold, empty bed. Colorful dresses were gone from the wardrobe, and the good old guitar was missing from its place in the corner of the living room. The orange echarpe that once belonged to his mother was carefully folded and placed on the center table. Lucy Gray had escaped her metaphorical cage.

For weeks, he hadn't been able to locate her. No clues about where she was living—if she had gone back to 12—and no shows were confirmed. When he saw her name as the main act for one of the most famous clubs at the Capitol, he brought a bouquet of white roses and was ready to beg for forgiveness.  

She didn't even let him speak to her. No explanation for the gaping hole in his black heart. Indeed, it's the things we love most that destroy us. Feelings that meant nothing after everything he had done for her. To see her succeed. Not only a chapter closed but a whole book on the shelf.