Chapter Text
Excerpt from Chapter 1, titled Conception, from the book Hunger Games Histories (4th Edition) by Iapetus Jasper, historian and novelist:
“The first Hunger Games would set the tone for the following ten: bloody, brutal and exceptionally short. Tributes mainly consisted of teenagers with rebel ties: most notably, sixteen year-old Socket Ampoule, who assisted Three in hacking into Capitol security systems, eighteen year-old Haberdash Langdon, foot soldier for Eight, and fourteen year-old Paddick Sorensen, son of Eleven’s rebel leader. However, the names of many tributes and their reasons for going into the Games have been lost to time. This is true of the early Games, as there was considerable confusion over how long they would even last, and so information was maintained poorly.
What we do know for certain is that under the prerogative of Dr. Volmina Gaul, then-Head Gamemaker (although the title was obviously not in use), loyalist tributes were also embedded. The necessity of a Victor had been outlined in the Treaty of Treason, and Dr. Gaul had decided the first Victor would be a figurehead of the new age of Panem. Examples include Prosper de Compton, of high status in One, and Ajax Bethelhem, prospective Peacekeeper trainee in Two. Both were eighteen, and many theorize they were picked as they stood a much better chance of winning over their underfed competition.
The first Games took place in the abandoned amphitheater that would continue to serve as the arena for the next nine years. They lasted approximately two hours and fourteen minutes, and no natural deaths occurred. Any information beyond this brings great uncertainty, since these Games were shot solely with an aerial drone, giving viewers an overhead view of the arena. The only known copy of this footage was retrieved from the vault of Dr. Gaul following her arrest on charges of corruption, and it was only televised in public places in the Capitol.
The footage is grainy, and does not provide sound. Tributes can only be seen as moving dots, making any identification largely difficult. However, thanks to the efforts of historians, we have a clearer idea of the events that transpired in those two hours.
Tributes are led to their starting positions by armed Peacekeepers. Presumably, a shot is fired to signal the start of the Games, but nobody moves. A lone dot races to the centre of the circle, a pile of weapons that include swords, knives and axes.
The first kill of the Hunger Games is made by Ajax, ripping open the gut of a heavyset male, hypothesized to be Haberdash, with a sword. At the same time, a horde seems to be chasing a lone tribute, who is blond based on footage. Genealogy confirms that this is very likely to be Prosper. It is assumed that he was targeted as a result of his background in One. Prosper is ultimately killed by his pursuers.
After this, everything turns to chaos. It has proven nigh impossible to find out who dies at whose hands, with tributes running across the screen in every direction. They fan out, resulting in a temporary stillness, but the bloodshed picks up soon after.
Finally, two remain. They clash, and following a few minutes of vicious fighting, one falls to the ground. The survivor is led out of frame by Peacekeepers.
Not much is known about the Victor himself. Ajax was overshadowed by the subsequent Victors from his district, and he never had to return to the Capitol for mentoring. This meant he was afforded a level of anonymity incongruous with the current state of Victordom. Still, Dr. Gaul seemed to display some level of pride towards him, from her private diary, even if the general public felt otherwise.
Ajax would get a taste of the spotlight when his son volunteered for the first Quell, which generated considerable positive attention despite Ajax himself being relatively unknown. Viewers were enthralled at the idea of a legacy Victor, even though it did not come to fruition.
He would ultimately pass away in the year 44, but his impact is felt even until today.”