Rebekah King

“𝒚𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆."

Sunshine

Blondie, Bee, Reina (Alton Boyd)

B (Zaide Hargrove)

Bex (Pyper Galathynius)

Allegra King (daughter)

Isaac King (son)

Oliver Wood (ex-fiance)

Regulus King (father)

Merritt Delamare-King (mother)

Merrick King (brother)

Merce King (brother) ✝

Rey King (sister) ✝

### Medical Training Level

Advanced, thought about pursuing nursing as a career in her youth only to ditch it for politics, and later on, entertainment

Rebekah King is District 4 native who now resides in the Capitol as the face of their entertainment network Capitol TV.

## Backstory

The Delamares. the family believed to have been birthed from the foam of the seven seas and established over the grounds of ever-growing power. It was not secret that carrying Delamare blood equated to great respect, but it carried with it the weight of a legacy. Expectations were as normal as the tide rising and falling each day. Merritt Delamare knew of this better than anyone.

  Merritt was a daughter of both District 4 and the Capitol, carrying with her the poise and elegance as a woman of her bloodline was expected. It was not secret that her heart belonged to words rather people. By fifteen, she’d published her first expose that shed light on the true intentions of one of Coriolanus Snow’s trusted advisors, her piece becoming his death sentence for treason. Her calligraphy may have carried accusations and brutality, but the lean Delamare’s own personality didn’t reflect it. Reticent and sharp, she promised to be of use to her father. Unlike most youth her age, she didn’t bother getting caught up in the games of violence, choosing to sway more towards her studies. With a sleek ink quill in her hand and the shores of the ocean crashing together before her, that’s where she felt most powerful.

As the years drew on it became more evident that the days spent educating herself were coming to a bitter end and the responsibilities of an arranged marriage would replace it. Although she didn’t express her dissatisfaction with the ideas to her father, she confided in her twin. Marcus was the family’s pride, the next carrier of the name, and no one knew him better than she did. Twelve minutes older than her and he still held the protective stance over his sister. When he was home, they’d sit under the same constellations as their relatives did, and she’d tell him her worries. An arranged marriage was a restraint for the free spirit of Merritt Delamare, but she was the most auspicious candidate for it. With skin as pure as the sand covering the shores of their origin land to hair that resembled the warmth of the sun’s rays, she was an angelic image of perfection. Panem had never seen such beauty before her.

Marcus was her world, her most trusted friend. Her heart broke whenever he took off on another tour, her tears staining the letters she wrote him. Their connection was indescribable and there was never a day she doubted her admiration for her brother but eventually that day came, and it arrived sooner rather later. It was the eve of their nineteenth birthday and her beloved twin would be arriving home soon, a surprise of sorts accompanying him. Their mother had insisted on styling her hair in the same fashion that the tributes wore it for the year. Being together for the celebration was rarer than the white south sea pearls that adorned her ears therefore she was going to savor every second she had with him. By the time she was notified of his arrival, there was already chatter down in the foyer surrounding the recent developments in his life. The smile on her lips quickly faded as she rounded the bottom of the marble steps, her arrival greeted by her two relatives as well as a stranger. It immediately dawned on her what her brother had done.

Regulus King prospered from a line of political excellence, his charming smile just as blinding as those before him. The Kings, like the Delamares, were a family of survivors, always acting in favor of their own self interests. He was the Capitol’s own John F. Kennedy. Resourceful, handsome, and admirable. There was a certain amount of infatuation with the King because he knew how to play the hearts of the people. At eighteen he decided to further his training and join the Captiol marines, his pedigree earning him the rank of sergeant after five years of service. There was a trail of broken hearts leading him on his way to the top, but nothing meant as much to him as the promise of political excellence, securing it was his only priority. Cue Marcus Delamare. The pair met during a roll call in the Capitol meant to account for all the respectable members of the militia. He, like Regulus, had a certain maturity to him and, although he was four years his junior, he had similar ideals for Panem and bonded over these concepts. It was on a late-night trip to the Captiol base’s bar that Regulus vented to the younger leader his aspirations for the future. After all, he would retire from the military, and he was growing antsy with achieving his goals. It would’ve been a shame for him to die without expressing his thoughts. Luckily for him, Marcus was intrigued by his ambitions and was searching for a suitable husband for his sister.

Regulus King had blue blood coursing through him like river water and his reputation was extremely respected for a man of his age. Merritt may not have wanted a wedding, but their father would marry her off anyways. Marcus may have believed that by introducing Regulus to his family and securing power for the King, he was doing the right thing for his sister, but instead he cursed her to a life of bleakness. They were married months later District 4, the place intended to be her home once more as well as Regulus’ political grounds, and Merritt would cry herself to sleep that night hearing her new husband drunkenly nailing her own maid of honor in the guest room. Her soul withered away piece by piece and Marcus watched from a distance, never truly realizing what he’d done.

After a year of marriage, the King family had its first child born to them prematurely by the process of an at home water birth on Valentine’s Day of 54 DD. Rebekah August King came into the world quietly, scaring the doctors and her own parents until she opened her bright ocean blue eyed to them. Her name came from her father’s wishes to have another strong RE name in the family and her mother settling on August for a middle name due to it being the month where she was conceived. It was no secret that this baby was a political pawn, a way to prove him as a family man and establish a further line of heirs, but those thoughts that once propelled him seemed to fade as he held the baby in his arms. A small flurry of blonde peach fuzz decorated the top of her little head, tears pricking in the mayor’s eyes as she batted her long lashes up at him. In the moment he vowed to never let the dangers of this war get to her, but history would repeat itself like it once did for the Delamare twins, and another promise would be shattered but for this moment he meant it.

Rebekah King was a prodigy of sorts and displayed those talents from an early age. Her tutors used to joke to one another that is was a safety mechanism internally created to protect her from the Kings’ list of projected aspirations. By six she was ahead of most children her age academically, even her teachers were impressed with her cognitive abilities. There was no question about the child’s path for it was already planned for her the second Merritt allowed Regulus to slip a sapphire on her ring finger. While her siblings got to go on promotional tours for Regulus’ utterly staged campaigns, the eldest King was isolated by the walls of the mansion. It was all a hoax. Every bit of it. Regulus would never lose an election but, of course, they had to provide the people with a small taste of democracy. Even Rebekah caught on to the illusion, the realization coming to her as she skimmed through the pages of her government textbook. But she couldn’t resent him for it, no, that would be a sin.

Ideals were instilled on her from day one and every morning she’d analyze each bit of herself in the mirror before going down to breakfast. If she was perfect, it meant fewer patronizing comments from her father. The mental list consisted of demands she was expected to keep up with. Topics ranged from appearance to mannerisms, Regulus never forgetting about any details. He’d strived for excellence and he wouldn’t let anything as small and invaluable as his daughter’s dress code screw it up for him which was ironic seeing as the alcoholism consuming him paired with his many, many infidelities were enough to capsize his campaign. With her family never home and the pressure for perfection growing, she channeled her stressed into the hobbies that she took part in to please them. Water sports, gymnastics, dance, tennis, piano, violin. You name it, she did it for Regulus.

Academics focused on categories that would build her up as the leader she was bred to be. She began each morning with her more substantial core courses before moving on to the rigorous ones such as micro and macroeconomics, public speaking, business ethics, medical sciences, and even courses circulated around creating deals and tactical schemes. Love was never a thing Rebekah expected growing up because it hadn’t even made the briefest appearance her parent’s marriage. Power was the goal, but she puzzled over that because if they already had an immense amount of it, why did her father lust for more? Questions to be buried down deep. Happiness was almost as unheard of as love but she’d sometimes get to experience it when she’d watch her father film his campaign promotions on the back porch, a grin on his lips as he spoke of his family’s support. The cameras brought out something in him that didn’t exist, a man away from the monster, but once they gone so was that stranger. Entertainment became an interest of hers early on, using any education excuse she could to learn more. Her tutors swayed her away momentarily but her love for the craft would appear once more. She just had to wait for it.

By her sixteenth birthday, freedom came to Rebekah for a fleeting second. It was her reveal to the public, press and bachelors accompanied by their fathers came from all around Panem to catch a glimpse at the King girl. Rebekah had quite the reputation for a young woman hidden from reality. She spoke two languages not including Panem Sign Language and the ability to decipher and communicate in Morse Code. Her academics were impressive, and she had a domestic grace to her that every sexist traditionalist seemed to love. The tanned hourglass physique was just the cherry on top that everyone gaped at as she descended from the grand staircase, her arm linked around Regulus’. She knew the true intentions of this event as she was shown off like a sea glass antique to anxious collectors, each possible courter trying to make an impression on the pair.

And one man did.

He was four years her senior, his resume as promising as a young Regulus’ once was. Oliver Wilks, a District 5 blue blood whose family created an electrical conductor that amplified production results at the beginning of the Dark Days. There was no doubt in the Kings’ eyes that this would be their ‘dearest’ Rebekah’s husband and the wedding had been planned before the guests had left the scene. A father blindsided by this own obsession didn’t see the schemes going on, but it would all be revealed soon.

June 20th, a day that would go down in Rebekah’s memory as the beginning. Not the complete renewal of a life, that would come later, but the start of something promising.

The wedding was in twelve hours, but she couldn’t stop the tears that flowed from her once bright eyes as she believed she was about to be thrown to the same sharks her mother once had been. Rebekah Wilks, the humble housewife and, soon after tonight, a future mother. Only fourteen and her youth had been wasted pleasing two individuals who saw her as nothing but a pawn to manipulate in their savage game for more immunity. A white dress adorned with satin and pearls hung across the room, moonlight catching its glint and reflecting it back to her tauntingly. Silence filled the house and she couldn’t help but wonder if her siblings would miss her as much as she would them.

As far as she was concerned, Rebekah King was dead. And that’s when the world deciding to spin again.

It was a blur, a flash. Merritt stood in the doorway, panic etched on her features as the maids bustled in, her luggage in hand. There was no explanation, just the outstretched and impatiently awaiting hand of her mother. Sparing one last glance at the staff behind her, frantically packing her things, Rebekah was whisked off. The whole manor reflected the chaotic mood. The twins sobbing at the bottom of the staircase while Regulus spoke to the head of security, their driver waving them over. Rey, the youngest of the twins, clung to Rebekah’s side as if they were all being escorted off to their own execution.

In the night as they drove towards the train station, the estate looked small for once. Her first time out into the world and she couldn’t quite comprehend why but it was all revealed to her by Merritt once they were safely out of the district.

Oliver Wilks was a crook and he belonged to a family of even more villainous crooks. After their wedding night, where he’d undoubtedly strive to make her into a mother, they would fool Panem into thinking they were the next young lovers that Merritt and Regulus once were. She would have two or three of his children before she was unexplainably killed in a car accident, her children passing with her and leaving him the King fortune.

It was then as they crossed into the Capitol that Rebekah realized she almost died living a life that wasn’t hers and the years of playing princess, to a father who almost handed her off to a murder, were over.

Two months.

The was the estimate their security detail gave to them as the King family was escorted to their temporary home. Due to the Wilks’ devious actions, the prestigious family had to flee the life they’d built back on the shores of home. No apologies followed the events and the confusion built up within her with every passing day. How could parents who claimed to have loved her so sentence her to a short-lived life?

Although she was greeted with the same luxuries, she’d been accustomed to her whole upbringing, nothing could prepare her for the culture shock of the Capitol. Even Luka’s exaggerated tales of his visits there seemed downplayed once compared to the reality of her new home. Heavy and nasally pitched accents made her stand out with the simplest of words, her costal drawl drawing the intrigue of many. Being brought up in such a conservative manner made the Capitol an extremely daunting place, especially for someone experiencing life out of solitude for the first time, but her infatuation with this new promising location was worth exploring and she knew just the place to begin.

Leaving the familiarities of the penthouse suite at the hotel, Rebekah was on a mission to explore the one place she’d be suppressed from learning more about since her childhood. The Capitol TV Station was a public building except for the private backlots that housed all the main attractions, but that didn’t stop her curiosity from festering. There was an unexplainable pull that this news source had and there was no stopping her from pursuing this. After all a plot was just revealed that almost lead to her untimely demise so she owed herself some bit of adventure.

Regulus didn’t know of her visits, he was too busy compromised with dealing with his mayoral responsibilities from the study offered in their hotel room. Even Merritt seemed backtracked but, in the times where did nag her daughter for an explanation, she just used the library as her scapegoat. There was nothing a possessive parent loved more than hearing their child was following commands. Their release of most parental roles meant more freedom for the King girl.

It was everything Rebekah dreamed it to be and more. Pristine windows stretched from floor to ceiling allowing as much natural light in as possible, the building bustling with busy producers and impressed investors. Screens covered every polished concrete wall, each one showing off a new announcement or sponsor while the larger ones projected the live show being taped at the very moment. It might’ve been an overwhelming sight to witness for any new comer, but she’d been secretly imagining this day since her father’s propagandas aired. Eyes fell on the blonde beauty, an obvious outsider, but no one dared approach her and instead admired her like the object she’d always been treated as. Everyone except for Orion Harmon.

Leave it to Rebekah King to be noticed by the Head Producer of Capitol TV.

His infatuation bloomed earlier in the week when he witnessed the teenager grinning at a receptionist as the two spoke, her smile a brilliant white. From her fashion style, it was clear she came from wealth but not local money. Linen and canvas were materials hardly anyone could afford but the pearls that she wore in her ears were a trademark staple of District 4. He didn’t approach her then, stomaching his interests for another meeting. It became apparent that his ignorant outlook was not going to dismiss this girl from his sights anytime soon because with each passing day, she showed up once more, taking in the station for what she could see. Now, Orion was hardly a kind man, but he had a weakness for two things; his husband and his nieces who were far too grown up now. Rebekah was a splitting image of his eldest before she was corrupted by the harsh protocols of District 2’s training system.

So, he introduces himself and the awe in her eyes is immediately apparent, his stone-cold heart warming up at the sight of such an optimistic soul. Rebekah had questions, almost too many, and he was more than happy to answer them all as they toured the places that were once off limits to her. Calls were dismissed and conferences were put on hold specifically so he could show her the new world she yearned to be a part of. Most youth nowadays preferred the call of violence to prove their loyalty to Panem in the games, but Rebekah was different, almost in an odd way.

As their time together came to a wrap, Orion knew that he couldn’t let this soul slip through his fingers. There was a spark to her in which he hadn’t witnessed in anyone before, a lightness to her words when she revealed her passions for this part of the Capitol. It was an impulsive move, but he was known for his boldness, it was the trait that launched his career. Rebekah was offered an internship for Capitol TV. Basic entry level work for no pay but it was a stepping stone to the greatness she secretly admired from a far. Nothing else entered her mind when she accepted. No worries of sneaking this past her controlling parents, or fears of straying from a path she never intended to be on in the first place.

For a time, it was good. Early mornings and late nights, all spent dedicated a once purposeless life to a company she strived to be a part of. No suspicions arrived and as the two-month limit extended to one month into six to a year, it felt like nothing was going to change. Time was ticking down, her life about to explode before her eyes, and it should’ve been suspected.

Naïve little Rebekah, thinking she could have it all. All good things must come to an end.

DeJa'Vu struck her watching the bellhops frantically load the family’s luggage onto their gilded carts, Merritt making demands from the doorway while the twins seemed just as lost as their older sister. Merrick trailed her like a hound, anxious anticipating the unraveling of events to come. The head of the family even caught on to his daughter’s incertitude demeanor, the fiddling of her sterling silver ring making it apparent. They were heading home. Rebekah didn’t expect to be here forever, but she at least hoped for a few more months. The sun was setting on a life she wasn’t ready to see fall to darkness yet but she couldn’t vocalize it, no one knew of her lies.

Except Regulus did. He dismissed it as a foolish act of teenage rebellion at first, a rejection of the life she’d be greeted with once they were home. As the days passed on and the tall tales she told them grew more intricate, it was evident they had to return back to the shores of their home. Rebekah was his pride and joy, this was all just a misunderstanding and he felt no remorse as he revealed his knowledge to her, watching her features paralyze in fear with the new understanding. She was raised with the ideals of ‘Panem Perfection’. A daughter bred for politics would be poised yet strong, and obedient to those above her. She would never forget her place in the world but would stick up her nose in secret at those lesser than. These were the rules for a woman striving for a mayoral status, but she wasn’t a simple leader. She was a King; those rules were below her yet some part of him believed she would realize her mistakes and apologize. It never came.

What came next can only be described as the clash of titans, the end of an era.

It started with the briefest exchanges, a demand turned sour and a refute that he tried his best to stomach. In the process of raising a strong, free thinking woman, it didn’t occur to him she’d realize her own passions and ditch his for hers, but it was becoming evident now and he tried his best to sway her away. Niceties faded as the minutes passed and the screeches grew louder until he finally roared the ultimatum that would be the end all be all. Me or the station. He spoke those words with such sickening composure as if it was an easy choice to pick neglected love over flowering dreams. A scowl replaced the trademark smirk within seconds as the answer was given, his rage blinding him for a few moments that when he snapped back into reality, he couldn’t come to terms with what he’d done. From Rebekah’s horrified grimace, it was evident she could.

The second the stations name was even uttered from her lips, there was no turning back, but she didn’t expect for what unfolded. It was sharp, cutting the wind as his hand sliced through it, the sting of her cheek enough to knock her down. He kept going with his harshness, Rebekah curling up to escape the violence. Not even her mother interjected at the scene, her daughter’s broken pleas soon fading as he took as step back. Trembling, he realized he'd broken the one promise he ever intended to keep to her.

Even Rebekah, through tear filled eyes, realized something.

This wasn’t love and to fool herself into believing such a lie would be toxic to her health. Her cries made more noise than the storms that washed over the estate, the crashing crescendo of reality making her own father flea with guilt. Rebekah didn’t break quietly, every fiber of her being splitting painfully as her worst fears became a reality. Alone and battered, and hysterically sobbed for hours waiting for the return of a family that was never hers to begin with.

The right choice was made, and with time and healing, it would become evident.The world wasn’t going to stop her now.

With the dog days aside, Rebekah was able to find triumph in the smallest of victories. Her first feat was finding shelter and home presented itself in the form of the barracks that Luka Delamare snuck her into every night. Despite the overwhelming stench of sweat and constant flirtatious advances from her cousin’s comrades, it was a fresh start and that’s just what she needed. It was an extremely humbling experience that grounded the District 4 socialite more than an education ever could and introduced her vaguely to her future husband, Alton Boyd.

She’d wake up every morning and get ready, always out before roll call, and her partner in crime would hide her luggage in the same place just after her departure. Training was over with by seven and Luka would manage to steal her something from dinner and let her in through the south exit. They’d chat for a while about their days and he’d kick some poor schmuck out of their bed to make room for an undoubtedly tired Rebekah. Everyone knew of the arrangement, but no one had the courage to confront Luka on it.

About a year into the internship she was finally given a full-time paid job as a researcher, the blonde scrapping up enough money to purchase her first apartment that she shared with two other teens her age. It was a massive stride for her seeing as just this time the previous year, she’d been abandoned by her family in a foreign city. Nonetheless, she persisted. It was small tasks that accumulated earning her the next promotion as a writer for the main news show on the network, her dedication never fading.

If there was ever a set that needed to be built or equipment that needed extra cleaning, Rebekah was always willing to spare her time. There was never a task not worthy of her time when it came to the station and Orion swore he’d never seen such a work ethic exercised within the HQ’s concrete structure. He took a chance on her years prior and wasn’t let down, proud of the protégé he had impulsively created but he still believed there was something missing. A face like hers wasn’t meant for behind the scenes work, not to him.

Rebekah King could enter a room and have her presence noticed within moments, the wind billowing through her hair as if she had her own ocean breeze following her around. She effortlessly had everything a Capitol woman pleaded doctors for, right down to the chiseled angelical features and the blonde hair that rolled over her shoulders with the faintest hints of a wave to it. The clicking of heels added to the rhythm of the Capitol anthem that played onward through every second of the way, her saunter one of pride and elegance. It was like the stars hid within the blue or her irises, captivating her neighbors like a siren to sailors.

There was one thing that came to mind when approaching her and it was that she was too good for you. Anyone could be a writer and Rebekah wasn’t just anyone. That’s what brought the audition to her attention.

For as long as Capitol TV has existed, they’d be branded by their faces, the people who represented them. In the earlier days, they strived for perkier men to take away from the warfare and Snow enforced the same style into his reign which lead to the promotion of Caesar Flickerman, but Orion no longer found himself amused by extremists such as the showman. Sure, audiences responded decently for him, but times were changing and there was a new future on the horizon that called for a revival, a rebranding of sorts. One that would match the elegance of the era approaching, one that would put an end to the mockery Flickerman had made of their coverages.

Luckily for Rebekah, Luka had been beckoned back to the Capitol by Alaska Carnelian and he had some time to spare helping his cousin rehearse for the audition. By the time Rebekah felt prepared enough to conquer the world, the light had been peeking through the blinds of the small shoebox apartment, Luka collapsed over the side of the love seat in a deep sleep.

Men surrounded her in the waiting room, each one’s ego more inflated than the last. It was evident that there was one expected type to win this role, so she didn’t understand why Orion subjected her to this, he’d never been the type to want failure for her so why did it seem like those were his intentions now? The anxiety was building up like the sand castles she used to build back on four, crumbling down her confidence in a similar manner. Her whole life had built up to this rapidly moving moment and she was going to fail. Regulus would win. Luka would be disappointed. But then those negative thoughts were demised by the small hope of a door opening, Orion appearing through the crack with a reassuring smile on his face. Somebody believed in her. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. This was it.

And it was.

Rebekah King was plucked from the masses by Caesar himself before the interview process had even ended due to the fact, she was everything he wasn’t. No one, especially not a twenty-one-year-old D4 wannabe, could overthrow him.

The Capitol fawned over his extravagance and it would be near impossible for this composed figure to take his throne but overlooking her was his fatal mistake. Her reveal to the public followed a week later, the station claiming her as its new face, the IT girl of Panem. The days leading up to the big conference, Rebekah was put through extravagant trials, each one proving her loyalty and boundaries. There was a certain act and poise that she had to uphold, and the cosmetic changes came soon after. Small alterations to remove stubborn bits of fat from her already toned body, each inch of hair below her neck was lasered off, even her lifestyle was thrown into a new world. A new apartment, diet... you name it, it changed. Woven knit sweaters were thrown aside to make room for the more luxurious of items offered by high end brands, each one wanting the chance to have their items worn by the social climbing queen. Even her once neglectful father wanted her back due to her popularity.

It was all worth it. They loved her. Before Rebekah there had been no female celebrities on the station other than the occasional campaign model or glamorous victor, but no one cemented into the business like she had been. Outside brands began begging to use her in their endorsements, coining her a few campaigns with Capitol Couture. Her unique perspective often pitted her against Caesar, people ate up this opposing force and routed for her success.

## Headcanons

* She is left handed and possess a small tattoo on her inner wrist that gives her clearance to virtually everything at Capitol TV.
* Her childhood best friend was Annie Cresta who was only one year older than her. Their friendship eventually ended when Rebekah left D4 three years prior to Annie being reaped.
* She owns one of the most luxurious flats in Panem which is located in near the hub of the Capitol.
* She has had multiple pets through the years which includes; a tank full of fishes local to D4, a bird named Sunny, a Pomeranian named Bear (*aka Mr. Fluffy*), and an Australian Shepherd named Ranger.