Atalanta

Part 5

• JIMIN •

Jimin stares at your form, limp in the dust.

The moment you crossed over the finish line it was as if all fight drained from your body. As if you were a puppet held up a string and the second you won, it was cut. The crowd all around him barely notices your plight, too consumed by their beverages as they jeer at the loser.

Gaze narrowed, Jimin stares at the man. He is a citizen of Atalanta and does not belong here in Dietas. As soon as Jimin entered the stadium, he heard the whispers and rumors. The man is a rapist, a thief – completely unsuitable for the second lapis throne but then, this is what the whole world has come to. Stomach churning, Jimin turns from the sight.

Everyone in the stands focuses on the prisoner – for, that is what he is now that he has lost. The man is bound, led away from the track in chains but Jimin has eyes only for you. The moment you collapsed three doctors rushed on the field. They did not have the same fervor Jimin usually expects of the profession – no, these were removed, treating you with the clinical movement of a reoccurring injury.

Curious, Jimin allows his mind to wonder. He has been living in Dietas a few days now; he came here on a whim – no, that is a lie. Jimin thought about following each day since you left and to some, it might seem crazy. To Jimin, it seems crazy, which is why he waited to follow as long as he did – he thought the feelings might pass. Jimin thought eventually he would get on with his life and when he did not, realized the truth of the matter.

All his life, Jimin has sought a place to belong. He has searched for the elusive concept of home and, despite all his traveling, the only time he ever felt this way was held in your arms. The aching void inside him is something Jimin can no longer ignore and so, he is here. Scanning the stadium, Jimin wonders what purpose this place served before Artemis made her decree.

There was despair in your eyes when you admitted to Jimin your name. That was the moment he knew you were not a monster – you were a knife, wielded by a force greater than you. A sword is not a killer in battle; the killer is the soldier. Indeed, the men who freely choose to race are more to blame for their deaths than you are.

Tugging up on his hood, Jimin descends the steps. The stadium is carved from a strange white stone Jimin has seen much of in Dietas. He hears it is native to the Province and is part of the reason Dietas is so wealthy. On a visual level, the effect is tremendous. When Jimin first crossed the mountains and entered the valley, he stood there for an hour, simply drinking in the view.

Emerald green hills curve above a slithering river. At the end of this is the sea, with shining Dietas beside it. It made Jimin feel he could not look at it for long or go blind from its beauty. He understood then, why men might race for your hand. Even if they did not know you, they could easily be enamored by Dietas.

Jimin knows you, though.

Turning away from the track, he exits the stadium and enters the streets. The citizens are drunk on their revelry, chatting and laughing about the finer points of the race – not that there are many, since you soundly bested that man. Blending into the shadows, Jimin tries not to listen. It makes him sick, hearing the way those men talk. They speak of you like a creature, an exotic display for their entertainment. No one, not one single person, musters a shred of sympathy.

Teeth gritted, Jimin digs into the crowd, because it is not worth it to argue. These townspeople mean nothing to him in the grand scheme of things and Jimin has more worrying things to consider. The reason he came is because Jimin is determined to free you. Realizing this sounds pompous, Jimin frowns. He would never presume to be your savior – such a thing implies debt. No, Jimin simply wishes for you to no longer be shackled.