All is Fair in Scarborough Fair {Chevi}

[kap]

Sage Scarborough

Sitting and waiting was something that was starting to irritate Sage for once in his life. Normally, he didn't mind peacefulness like this. He liked a lack of surprises. Today, though, it was what he was waiting for that really began to irk him. He was waiting to say what would likely be his final goodbyes to Parsley. She was the one person who was always there for him in his life. It was likely that she was also the only person that wasn't going in the arena with him that he actually felt cared about him. The only other individual that Sage felt cared about him was Affron, and he'd followed right behind him in volunteering.

This year's twist was such a strange one; volunteers only. Parsley had most likely been under the assumption that this twist meant that they'd both be going home that night. If that's what she thought, though, she was wrong. Sage had put himself forward to go into the Hunger Games. This probably meant that he was going to die, too. It would be no surprise if he had just sentenced himself to a gruesome death at the hands of another teenager. Though, in a way, that was what Sage wanted. There wasn't much good in his life, aside from Parsley and Affron. That meant that he wouldn't be leaving a lot of positive things. If anything, he'd be escaping the things that made him want to leave his life on a daily basis.

What truly worried Sage wasn't the Games and imminent death approaching him. It was seeing his sister's reaction to him volunteering for it all. He didn't want to see tears streaming down her face, or hear her scold him for volunteering. He wasn't sure how she would react, but if she was coming to visit him, it was inevitable that he would hear and see it all. That was the one downside he saw to volunteering; his sister's reactions, and how she felt about all of it.

The door to the room opened, and Sage hoped it was Parsley, though he also dreaded that fact. Instead, it was a Peacekeeper.

"Someone is here to see you," the Peacekeeper announced. Then, he stepped out of the way, allowing for whomever Sage's guest was to pass by him and enter the room.

386 words

[Chevi]

Sage had volunteered as tribute.

Parsley had watched him walk up to the podium, standing still, with her hands folded over her apron. She was stunned. When they heard about the quell twist, she had felt relieved, knowing that for one year at least, they were safe... it was her last year of the Games. She was fine. She lived. She had felt so light for a moment, as if she was one of those girls that danced and sang in the sunshine. The dread was over, for herself, at least. And, being the practical person she was, she had stored her worries for the other Scarboroughs for the next year of the Games.

And then Sage volunteered.

For a moment, she opened her mouth to do the same. Another boy volunteered right after - he was Sage's friend, she knew that much. Parsley tried to will herself to say the words. To go to the arena. To take care of Sage.
But she couldn't.

They had younger siblings. She owed Rosie and Thyme. And she owed her patients as well, the many women and children in District 12 that needed her knowledge. She could not just leave, and take all that knowledge with her, to be snuffed out in the arena. That was not how she had been raised. That was not what she had been raised for. 

The Peacekeepers led her to the room where Sage was waiting to say goodbye, before he would be put on the train to the Capitol. Parsley entered, and she could see the guilt in his face. Part of her was angry; part of her was furious, for so many reasons, but fury had no use now, and she had always been a practical person. One step after the other. And there were better things to do. 

Parsley walked up to Sage, grabbing him by the shoulders, and she gave him a long, hard look. Her lips were pressed together, but she did not cry; she just stared him in the eyes, trying to see what he was really feeling, trying to see if he really, really wanted this. Trying to see why she had not noticed it before. 

[kap]

Sage Scarborough

When Parsley entered the room, Sage froze. There were no tears on her face, but she didn't seem infuriated. He had expected that at least one of those things would have been an obvious emotion when she entered, but neither were present. She walked up to him, calmly, and placed her hands on his shoulders. Sage froze, unsure of what to do. He couldn't move, and he couldn't speak, although he did try.

"Parsley, I..." the boy trailed off. He truly couldn't get any words out. All he could do was imagine the pain that his sister must have been trying to hide from him in the moment. He wondered what she'd been thinking when he approached the stage after shouting the words that may have sentenced him to death. She had to have thought they were safe, before he did that. He could imagine that she felt relieved when the quell was announced. Then again, Sage had been relieved in a way, too. Nothing could stop him from going in if he wanted to, and he wanted to.

The boy closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before attempting once more to speak to his sister. They had been in silence for about two minutes, and he knew he had to say something. He couldn't just waste what could be his last moments with Parsley. Then, Sage opened his eyes. He looked back at Parsley whose eyes seemed to be trying to read into his mind. It was as if she were gazing into his soul, trying to find what had prompted him to volunteer himself for what was almost certainly imminent death.

"Parsley, I'm sorry. I don't know exactly how you're feeling right now, but I know you're not happy. You probably can't understand why I volunteered, and I really wish I could make you understand, but I'm not sure how," Sage explained. He looked at his older sister, trying not to look as nervous as he felt.

331 words

[Chevi]

Parsley looked at his brother, and she searched for fear. She could tell he was nervous, and there was even a hint of pity, the kind of look she had seen in people's eyes when they were leaving someone behind. There was guilt, she could understand that... but none of the terror she had seen so often. 

>>"Parsley, I'm sorry. I don't know exactly how you're feeling right now, but I know you're not happy. You probably can't understand why I volunteered, and I really wish I could make you understand, but I'm not sure how,"

"But you have a reason." Parsley noted, stating a fact rather than asking a question. She would probably never find out why Sage had done what he had done. But in this moment, it was not important for her to know. He knew, and that had to be enough. Parsley was used to thinking of others before herself. 

She sighed, her hands sliding off his shoulders as she looked him over, lanky and scrawny as he was. He did not look like anyone who usually volunteered for the Games. No one would be betting on him anytime soon. Parsley's eyes caught the bracelet he was wearing.

"Try to keep your wits about you." she told him, her brain picking up speed now. She held his wrist with one hand, running a finger over the bracelet "Remember what I taught you about herbs and treating wounds." She reached into her apron pocket, rummaging around among the odds and ends until she found what she was looking for. It was a red thread, thin, the king she would take multiple of and twist them together, tying them around a baby's wrist or ankle. It didn't really do anything, but people believed that it would keep evil things away. "And for heaven's sake, don't eat any strange berries."

She wound the thin thread around the bracelet and tied it, muttering words that she could not even decipher; old wive's tales, not-magic magic. "Stay close to that boy. He likes you."

[kap]

Sage Scarborough

Parsley's voice was kind. Her words didn't even question him, as if she knew that he truly felt a need to volunteer.

"But you have a reason," his sister stated. She said it like she meant it, and there was trust in her voice. Sage's heart skipped a beat, however, as Parsley let out a soft sigh and slid her hands from his shoulders. He began to worry in the short moments of silence that held between them oh so briefly.

Does she know I'm not trying to hurt her? he asked himself.

Sage then noticed as Parsley's gaze shifted to his bracelet. Affron had given him the bracelet as a gift one day with some extra money he'd... obtained. The young boy hated thinking about the way the money was obtained, as it was stolen, and he knew Parsley wouldn't approve of that.

At least I didn't steal the money, right? It was Affron, not me, his silent thoughts wondered, trying to reassure himself that it was okay. Parsley would never know that the bracelet was obtained in an unethical way.

"Try to keep your wits about you." she expressed. Sage nodded to show he understood, and soon after she said this, she was holding his wrist in one hand, using the other to examine the bracelet he was wearing. Parsley continued to speak as she removed a thin, red thread from her apron pocket, wrapping it around the piece of jewelry her brother was wearing. For some reason, he knew, in his mind, that this was meant as a good luck charm. He gave his sister a small smile and mouthed the words 'thank you.'

"Remember what I taught you about herbs and treating wounds," was a reminder that he was given. Then, she continued with, "And for heaven's sake, don't eat any strange berries."

Well, I know that much. A reminder is always good though, I guess.

Parlsey was muttering nonsensical things as she was wrapping the thin piece of thread around his bracelet, but Sage didn't question it. He looked at his sister, almost longingly, and part of him wished he had just kept his mouth shut when they asked for volunteers.

"Stay close to that boy. He likes you." were the next words passed from Parsley to Sage. He nodded again.

"I will. I promise," he assured her. "I like him too, though. What if neither of us makes it out, or if he dies before I do? I..." he trailed off again, not knowing how to continue. If Affron died before he did, Sage didn't know how far he really wanted to go in the Games. After all, there was a feeling, somewhere in Sage's heart, that he may have actually loved Affron.

449 words

[Chevi]

Parsley finished tying the thin red thread around the bracelet; she bit the end off with her teeth, and then reached into her pocked again, sprinkling some spicy-smelling things over it. The ritual of it calmed her down, more than how much she believed in the protective powers of herbs. It was a gesture, and at this point, everything she could do to keep her brother safe. 

>>"I will. I promise. I like him too, though. What if neither of us makes it out, or if he dies before I do? I..."

And there was the hesitation in his voice. Parsley looked up, and reached up to take Sage's face between her hands. One of them left a faint green smear as her calloused thumb touched his cheek. 

"Whatever you do, do not hesitate." she said sternly, looking him in the eyes "You chose this, you go with it. If you start second-guessing yourself, even for a minute, you get clumsy. You stumble. You get hurt."

Sage had never been the most graceful, or the most confident. People tended to think of him as unlucky. Parsley, who had dealt with good luck charms of many kinds, due to her work as a midwife (a child made even the most practical people superstitious), knew that was not the case. It was not bad luck... it was hesitation. 

"You trust yourself." she told Sage, as if she was trying to plant the notion into his head "And you do what you have to do. For you, and... for him."

[kap]

Sage Scarborough

Parsley seemed to be doing some sort of ritual as she sprinkled herbs or some sort of spices over Sage's bracelet. He'd always thought that her different types of good luck charms were odd, but he wasn't going to stop her. If his sister believed it would help, maybe he would, too. Then, she looked up from what she was doing, and put her hands around his face. It was comforting, being this close with his sister, but he knew that their time was running short. The Peacekeepers would be in any minute now.

"Whatever you do, do not hesitate." It was like an order, but not a forceful one. She was giving him advice. She wanted to help him. She looked him in the eyes, and continued to speak. "Whatever you do, do not hesitate. You chose this, you go with it. If you start second-guessing yourself, even for a minute, you get clumsy. You stumble. You get hurt."

Sage knew that his sister was right. At least, she was in a way. He was rather clumsy, which was part of the reason he got hurt so often. Although, he didn't believe it was purely from hesitation. He believed that, at least in part, it was his terrible luck. Of course, he wasn't going to mention this to Parsley. This as not a time to argue, disagree, or cause any sort of conflict. There were already enough negative emotions in Sage's mind, swirling around. Guilt. Fear. Concern for his sister. None of those emotions were really ones that he felt too often, but they were very prominent right then.

"You trust yourself," she continued, "and you do what you have to do. For you, and... for him." Sage nodded. He was going to listen to his sister's advice until his very last breath, even if that last breath was in the arena as his life was being taken away from him by another volunteer of the Games.

"I will," he assured her. He made sure that his voice sounded confident, even if he didn't really feel that way. "I promise."

Sage looked at the clock. The time was ticking. They would have seconds together before he was taken away to the train. Therefore, he wrapped his arms around his sister in a tight, loving hug.

"Don't worry about me, okay? Even if I don't make it out, just know that I care about you. You're the one thing I really don't want to leave behind," he said quietly to her, his head resting on her strong shoulder.

Then, the door to the room opened and a Peacekeeper entered.

"Your time is up," came a stern voice. A tear slid down Sage's cheek. He didn't want to let his sister go, but he'd made his choice. He would have to, now, and there was no turning back.

469 words

[Chevi]

>>"I will. I promise." 

Sage wrapped her in a hug, and Parsley hugged him back, cradling his smaller frame like he was still a child. Which he was. He was her little brother, and still young enough to be a tribute. She had hoped to see him grow up, despite his clumsiness, and watch him find a happy life. But he felt a different calling. At least, Parsley told herself, the one he cared for was going with him. 

>>"Don't worry about me, okay? Even if I don't make it out, just know that I care about you. You're the one thing I really don't want to leave behind," 

"I know" she told him, looking up. She was not crying; she would not cry. Despite her youth, Parsley had seen more than her fair share of painful goodbyes, most of them well before their natural time. She was used to them. She was always calm in a storm. But that didn't mean she would not feel the pain for the rest of her life. "I love you too, little brother. I'll be watching."

She could not do much else. She did not have money to sponsor a tribute; what little she had, she might contribute anyway, if others in the District were willing to help. But she could watch, and let him know that even when lost in the arena, or alone, or hurting, she would be there with him. 

>>"Your time is up,"

It hurt, walking out and knowing she might never see Sage again face to face. He had a long journey ahead of him to the Capitol, and she had a painfully short walk waiting, back to their cottage.

Parsley Scarborough had never willed so hard for her hedge-learned magic spell to work.