Chapter Text
The first to enter the chamber was a pretty girl with stars in her eyes and a perfect smile. She had sandy hair that seemed to curl perfectly down her back and she walked with more grace than Merlin knew anyone capable of possessing. It was almost as if she were floating. Merlin tried and failed to recall the house that was the ‘beauty’ house, but guessed this girl and the Blonde Sweep surely belonged to it.
Behind her was a starkly different girl, though no less beautiful. She was perhaps a year or two older than the first, with stark black hair and piercing green eyes. She didn’t smile, but scowled as her eyes instantly went to Merlin and began assessing him. Merlin swallowed as his mouth went dry, not sure if he liked or hated the attention.
The next was a child, no more than twelve Merlin guessed. Was he truly a candidate? What would they do with a pre-teen Santa Claus? The boy had dark hair that fell just above his impossibly owl-like blue eyes. He looked everywhere but at Merlin as he scanned the room with a slight look of awe.
The last to enter was a brooding blonde man that looked to be the closest to Merlin’s age out of the group. His eyes remained locked on one of the Sweeps over Merlin’s shoulder and when he clenched his sharply defined jaw; Merlin swallowed unconsciously.
He thought only one house was known for beauty, but surely these were the other candidates and therefore of different houses. So were all elves just ridiculously attractive?
The others lined up next to Merlin facing the table of Sweeps, the last standing the closest to him. He peeked out of the corner of his eye, trying to remain nonchalant as he stole a glance to his right but the man’s face was already turned entirely toward Merlin. His eyes were meticulously scanning him but shot to meet Merlin’s when he dared to angle his head toward him. Merlin felt almost dizzy staring into the deepest, richest blue eyes he’d ever seen.
He was so mesmerized by them that he almost missed the grimace that took over the man’s face as they floated to the side of Merlin’s head. Merlin’s hands quickly shot up to cover his ears, feeling the tips of them grow pink. The man blinked and quickly turned back to face the table of Sweeps, schooling his face.
“Candidates.” The Head Sweep called the room to attention. “We are joined tonight by our fifth.” He gestured toward Merlin who quickly dropped his hands to his sides and stood a little straighter. “Merlin of the House of Flor.” The air felt too dry as the four other candidates turned to assess him and Merlin fought to hold in a cough, afraid to interrupt the thick silence that filled the room. “Now that we are all gathered, the trials shall begin!”
The Head Sweep stood so suddenly Merlin flinched and bumped his shoulder into the blonde candidate next to him.
“Watch it, Flor.” He grumbled under his breath.
Before Merlin could respond, the rest of the Sweeps rose to their feet and turned as they were led to a door in the far corner of the chamber. The smiley girl glided after them, leaving the rest of the candidates to follow suit. Merlin quickly stepped out of line toward Lance who was still standing near the entrance.
“What are we doing now?” Merlin whispered harshly as he approached, turning his back on the rest of the room. Lance just shrugged in response and nodded his head for Merlin to follow the line. “Lance, please come with me. I can’t- I don’t know if I can do this.”
He must have heard the desperation in Merlin’s tone because his stoic face finally cracked and he unhooked his arms from behind his back. “I can’t, Merlin. I’m not allowed back there, I’m just a guard. Remember?” He turned Merlin around by his shoulders and walked him toward the door. “It’s fine, just follow what the others do and you should be fine… worst case scenario, maybe you faint.”
“Faint?!” Merlin ground his heels in to stop them moving forward and whipped his head to Lance, who was smiling wickedly. “Oh you bast- why would you do that? I’m freaked out enough as it is!”
“Yes, I know Merlin, that is exactly why I did it. I’ve known you for two days and already I know that this nervous kid in front of me is not you. So take a breath and relax.” Lance patted his shoulders once more and smiled before pushing Merlin forward toward the door.
Merlin stumbled a couple steps and collided with the blonde candidate just as he was stepping through the door. They both tumbled to the floor in an awkward heap of limbs and grunts. Merlin got to his feet first and reached a hand out toward the blonde with a guilty grimace.
“Sorry, mate. I’m clumsy on a normal day but I haven’t slept in ages so I-” He was abruptly cut off by the blonde slapping his hand away and getting to his feet on his own.
“Do we have a problem?” He bit, stepping into Merlin’s personal space.
Merlin narrowed his eyes, confused. “What? No, I was just–”
“I don’t care. Touch me again and I’ll make sure you regret it. Do you hear me, Flor?” The blonde sneered before turning and leaving a gawking Merlin behind him.
Merlin looked around to see if anyone had seen their interaction but luckily the hallway they walked into was empty, bar the youngest candidate hiding a smile behind his hand as he hustled through another door. The blonde stepped through a moment after and Merlin took a deep breath. Clutching his mother’s ring around his neck for a moment, he stood tall and walked through the door.
The room they entered was a surprisingly cozy space, such a stark difference to the Sweeps Chamber they had just exited Merlin wasn’t even sure they were in the same building. The room was warm, with several stuffed to the brim arm chairs made of rich leather gathered in little groups of four and a few long tables with benches closest to the fire. At the far end sat a large wooden desk, everything on top meticulously arranged. Along the wall opposite him were two massive built-in bookshelves framing a sturdy looking, brick fireplace with crackling fire inside. Merlin’s eyes lifted to the ceiling to see it was made entirely of glass, so you could see the bricks rise higher and higher, forming the largest chimney he’d ever seen.
The Chimney? It was… well it was certainly big but it didn’t seem particularly special. There wasn’t an aura around it and Merlin couldn’t sense any magic coming from it. Perhaps this wasn’t the Chimney after all, maybe this was just a fireplace. Someone clearing their throat pulled Merlin’s attention back to the room and he saw that everyone in the room was staring at him. He blinked and with a shake of his head, quickly stepped up beside the blonde as they faced a few of the Sweeps who had stood on either side of the fireplace.
“Candidates, it is time to present yourselves. You will each, in your own turn, step up to represent your house so that the Trials may begin. Miss Sophia, would you please step forward?” Merlin swallowed and eyed the Chimney again briefly… so this was really it.
The smiley candidate moved to stand directly in front of the fire and curtsied. “I am Sophia of the House of Whim, it is an honor to be named a candidate.” She rose from her curtsy and smiled brilliantly at the Chimney as the fire inside sparked a few inches taller. Without warning, Sophia’s arms spread out beside her and golden fireworks spread above her like a rainbow between her hands. It took Merlin’s breath away, it was possibly the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. When she lowered her hands and the sparks around her faded, Merlin’s stomach twisted into about seven knots as he realized what she was doing.
She was displaying her magic to the Chimney. He was going to have to display his magic. The magic has been acting up for days now, which he has no idea how to control. He swallowed dryly as it suddenly started feeling much hotter in the room. He shifted his weight and pulled on his shirt collar anxiously, ignoring the blonde turning slightly to look at him.
The Head Sweep placed his hand on the mantle of the Chimney and Merlin watched as his eyes turned gold. He stood for a moment, golden eyes staring blindly at Sophia until he removed his hand and his eyes turned back to the grayish color they normally were.
“Thank you, Sophia. You may step back.” He said, nodding for the dark haired girl to repeat what she’d done.
“I am Morgana, of the House of Beck. I am honored to be named.” She spoke formally as she bowed rather than curtsied. When she rose back up, she immediately held her hands at her waist in front of her and began to spin them in a circle.
Slowly the very ends of the tallest flames in front of her separated from the fire itself and drew closer to Morgana. The flames began circling each other, mirroring her hands as she continued the motion. Her hands moved closer and closer, as did the flames, until she cupped her hands together and the floating sparks formed a ball of fire. With a smile, Morgana gently let her hands fall in front of her and the sparks all returned to the fire.
“Well done, Morgana, very well done indeed.” The Blonde Sweep chuckled from next to the Head Sweep as she took her hand off the mantle and the gold faded from her eyes. Morgana’s smile dropped quickly as she moved back into their line.
“Right, well. Your turn, young one.” The Head Sweep gestured to the boy who took very small steps toward the Chimney, glancing at it nervously.
“I am Mordred, of Tonk.” He bowed so quickly Merlin worried he’d get whiplash. Before he could so much as blink, the boy pointed one hand at the bookshelf to his left. All at once the books on every shelf pulled themselves out like there were invisible hands pulling them. Some went higher, lower, to the left and right and reshelved themselves. He smiled proudly and took one step back before the blonde man cleared his throat. Mordred yelped quietly and stepped back into place. He bowed again, “And, and I am honored to be named a candidate.” He rushed back to his spot after the Head Sweep briefly touched the mantle and nodded his dismissal.
Before they could invite him to step forward, the blonde candidate strided up to the Chimney, bowing deeply for a moment longer than was probably necessary. “I am Arthur, of the House of Fort. It is my deepest honor to be named a candidate.” He then pulled something from inside his jacket pocket and Merlin had to fight the urge to step closer to see what it was. After a moment, Merlin realized it was some sort of metal square that Arthur was… unfolding? Merlin watched in awe as piece by piece, Arthur unfolded what looked like solid metal until it was the size of a piece of A4. He then bowed again, setting the metal on the ground in front of the Chimney with a surprisingly heavy thud. The Blonde Sweep briefly touched the mantel and dismissed him.
Turning back to walk to the line, Arthur looked right at Merlin with a smirk. Merlin was so distracted watching the sun fade to the ocean in his eyes that he almost forgot to frown back at him. He did, however, momentarily forget that he was supposed to now present himself and his magic he couldn’t control to the Chimney.
“You may step forward, Merlin.” The Sweep with the eyebrow spoke from the other side of the fireplace. Merlin swallowed and did as he was told, eyes shifting between the Sweeps and the ominous, all powerful Chimney he was now facing.
He had to consciously focus on not wringing his hand in front of him as he stood facing the fire. “I-” He started but choked a little and had to clear his throat. “I am Merlin, of the House of Flor. I- um- it is an honor to be named. As a candidate.” He added quickly at the end, feeling far too many eyes on him. He bowed slowly, hoping to stall long enough that maybe his magic would just act on its own. When he stood upright, he felt it buzz under his skin and he couldn’t quite explain how - but he could tell that it was… happy, anxious to perform.
Acting purely on instinct, Merlin took a deep breath and cupped his hands in front of his mouth. Breathing into his hands, he opened them to release five blue butterflies, all different shades and sizes. Merlin watched them happily as they flew around him and one, shaded a particularly brilliant blue, landed gently on the end of his nose. Merlin laughed and lifted it off with his finger to examine it more closely. He angled it this way and that and hearing a huff behind him, turned to see the butterflies surrounding the other candidates.
Three of them were smiling and laughing as theirs floated around them, though Arthur stoically ignored the one that flew maybe five centimeters away from his face - it was practically begging for his attention and he refused to give it. Of course he wouldn’t appreciate something as harmless and cute as a butterfly, Merlin thought to himself. This Arthur guy seemed to have a stick up his… well… his you know what, and Merlin decided then and there that he would happily not interact with him as much as possible going forward.
Not entirely sure how to get rid of the butterflies after they’d been created, Merlin simply lifted his hand to let the one resting on his finger fly away and stepped back into line. He very consciously did not look at Arthur as he moved to his spot next to him, even when he felt his eyes tracking him as he moved.
The Eyebrow Sweep was the one who placed his hand on the mantle for Merlin, and Merlin wondered what it meant that different Sweeps did it for different candidates. Hell, he wondered what putting one’s hand on the mantle even did. Eyebrow Sweep stood at the mantle for longer than any of the previous times, and Merlin shifted his weight awkwardly, wondering if he did something wrong or perhaps his magic was too juvenile or too silly. Eventually, Eyebrow took his hand off the mantle and nodded to the Head Sweep.
“Thank you, all, for sharing your offerings with us. The Chimney will call us when it is time for the first trial. Starting now until the end of the trials, you will each be assigned a guard to stay with you.” Merlin’s head tilted to the side thoughtfully, why would they need guards unless they are expected to be in danger. Or was it so they could just keep tabs on them at all times. Either way, he desperately hoped he’d be able to pick his own guard. “This is more of a formality than anything else, but they can be whomever you choose. They will be expected to join you in every endeavor until the Choice has been made. Your attendance, both you and your guard, is expected tomorrow morning in the Hall lobby. Do not be late.”
The Head Sweep nodded at them once more and dismissed them back through the Sweeps’ Chamber and out the doors to the entry. Merlin watched as all the other candidates left quickly, leaving him and one or two Sweeps lingering as Merlin realized he had no idea where he was supposed to go. Or where his stuff was.
“Merlin.” A voice sounded behind him, and he turned to see the Eyebrow Sweep standing behind him with almost a smile. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gaius of Beck. I have been asked to escort you to your living quarters. Would you please follow me?”
He did not wait for an answer, simply swept past Merlin and toward the exit. Merlin hesitated, looking around once more hoping to find Lance but didn’t see him anywhere. Merlin huffed a sigh and ran his hands through his hair before hustling to catch up to ‘Gaius of Beck, the Eyebrow Sweep.’
What has he gotten himself into?