Guinevere had obviously been crying, and as they entered the car that was to take them to the train station, she hurriedly brushed the tears away and assumed the same bravely stoic expression that she had used to mask her fear at the reaping. Merlin turned his attention away from his district partner and examined the inside of the vehicle in fascination. The world outside slid by quietly as if by magic, and the sleek silver and leather interior of the car was like nothing Merlin had ever seen or felt before. Disappointingly soon, they reached the train station, and were forced out of the vehicle to face the flashing cameras and the barrage of questions that stood between the car and the train door.

Merlin stared straight ahead, ignoring the reporters and bright lights, wishing for the quiet solitude of his bedroom at home or the orchards behind his house. After what seemed like miles, the small party finally arrived at the train and were hurriedly corralled inside. Both Guinevere and Merlin let out a collective gasp of amazement at the lavish décor of the room that greeted them. Dazzling bejeweled chandeliers dripped diamonds above mahogany tables topped with crystal and the most food that either tribute had ever seen in one place in their entire lives. A stocky old man with shoulder-length white hair rose from his seat to meet them. He smiled at their amazement, remembering his similar reaction many years ago upon stepping into his first Capitol train car.

"My name is Gaius," he introduced himself. "I will be your mentor throughout the next few weeks. If you need anything or have any questions, please let me know and I promise I will try to the best of my abilities to help you."

Guinevere stepped forward and kissed Gaius on the cheek. He looked startled, and Merlin stifled a grin. "My name is Guinevere, and this is Merlin." Merlin waved awkwardly.

Recovering from his surprise at Guinevere's greeting Gaius cleared his throat. "Uhmm… Well. Why don't the two of you change into something more comfortable and wash up before lunch? I am sure Celeste can show you two where your rooms are."

Merlin and Guinevere nodded, and Celeste beckoned for them to follow her. The doors slid open to reveal a long hallway, and Celeste hurried them along, pointing to two doors on the right. "These are your rooms," she stated curtly. "Lunch is in half an hour."

Stepping inside his assigned room, Merlin saw that the luxuriousness of the dining car also extended to his sleeping quarters. The bathroom alone was twice the size of his room at home, and in one corner was a glass box with rows upon rows of shiny silver buttons. Merlin decided to do what Gaius had recommended, and walked over to the closet to find a change of clothes. Outfits of every color and style met his eyes, and he shook his head in confusion. He didn't want to wear any of this Capitol-made clothing. All he wanted was one of his simple shirts from his dresser at home. Eventually settling on a blue shirt similar to the one that he had just taken off and donning a soft brown jacket, Merlin flopped onto the bed in the center of the room. The mattress dipped under his weight and he felt like he was lying on a cloud. Closing his eyes, suddenly it sank in. This was the room that had belonged to tens of other male tributes from District eleven before him, most of which were now dead. Suddenly the bed didn't feel so comfortable anymore.

Anxious to leave his room, Merlin decided to return to the dining area that he had seen earlier. His stomach rumbled in agreement, and he thought maybe if he was early he could grab something to eat before lunch. After a few wrong turns, Merlin finally reached his destination and the doors slid open suddenly, releasing a puff of dust. Merlin sneezed, and from across the room he heard a sharp cracking sound as the ladder Gaius was using to reach a book on the top shelf shattered and the man fell through the air.

With a flash of gold, time slowed to a crawl, and with a second flash, a cushioned chair moved across the room without assistance to break the old man's fall. Time resumed its normal pace, and Gaius fell with a thump onto the pillow. The old man sat up immediately, his gaze accusatory. "What did you just do?" he demanded.

Fear jolted through Merlin as he realized what he had just done. "Erm…" he said, trying to buy time. What was he going to say that wouldn't get him killed? He was a terrible liar.

"Tell me."

"I-I-I have no idea what happened," stammered Merlin.

"If anyone had seen that…"

Merlin desperately racked his brain for an excuse. "Er, no! That- that was… that was nothing to do with me! That- that was…"

Gaius impatiently interrupted Merlin's ramblings. "I know what it was! I just want to know where you learned how to do it!"

Merlin looked at his feet. "Nowhere," he mumbled.

"So how is it you know magic?"

"I don't," replied Merlin.

"Where did you study?... Answer me!" Gaius exclaimed in exasperation.

Deciding that this man knew too much about magic to be lied to, Merlin decided that boldfaced honesty was the best way to go. "I- I've never studied magic or been taught."

Gaius squinted suspiciously at the boy, who was staring at him earnestly, nervously fingering his neckerchief. "Are you lying to me, boy?"

The fear in Merlin's eyes turned into exasperation. "What do you want me to say?"

"The truth!"

Merlin took a deep breath and proceeded to tell Gaius what he had never shared with anyone before. "I was born like this," he said quietly.

All animosity melted from Gaius's face, and he sat heavily back down into the chair that Merlin had used to cushion his fall. "That's impossible," he muttered to himself. "Who are you?"

Merlin shrugged, unsure how to respond. The conversation was interrupted by the entrance of Celeste and Guinevere into the dining car. Merlin had a strange expression on his face, and Guinevere looked questioningly at him. Completely oblivious to the strange tension in the room. Celeste proceeded to plop herself down at the table and in a sickeningly singsong voice proclaimed it to be, "Lunch time!"

Merlin, Gaius, and Guinevere followed her lead and all sat at the table in silence. The food was like nothing Merlin had ever tasted before; the first course was a spinach soup so creamy and decadent that it slid down his throat with ease, then came a tangy salad dotted with unfamiliar red fruits, and later a platter of roast beef that melted in his mouth. But to Merlin, it all tasted like sawdust. He was too worried about the possible repercussions of his earlier actions to enjoy the meal in front of him. Desert was a chocolate cake so rich that Merlin's fork could stick straight up out of it without tipping over.

Finally, Guinevere broke the awkward silence. "Merlin, have you tried the showers yet? They're amazing! I spent the whole half hour before lunch in mine. All the buttons make different things happen with the water and each one has a different scent. I mean… not that you need a shower or anything…" she blushed.

So that's what the glass box in the bathroom was! Merlin smiled. "No… um… I haven't tried that yet… maybe later."

Celeste jumped up from the table with a squeal of excitement. "Time to watch the reapings!"

Merlin's stomach rolled as his nerves returned. He didn't want to see the other children that were going into the arena with him, didn't want to get to know the people that would likely kill him or that he would have to murder in order to get out alive. Guinevere seemed to feel the same way, as she paled, setting her fork down with a clatter and leaving her cake untouched.

They followed Celeste to a set of armchairs to the left of the bookcase that faced a black screen similar to that used to show the Capitol propaganda at the beginning of the reaping each year. With the press of a button, the screen flickered to life, and Merlin found himself staring at the justice building of District one.

He watched with a sick pit of apprehension as the first tribute of the Hunger Games, a tall, regal-looking girl, was named, as she volunteered for the fourteen year-old that was picked originally. These were the people Merlin most feared; those who trained for and embraced the scant possibility of glory offered by the spectacle that was the Hunger Games. Cold-blooded killers raised from birth to maim and murder other tributes with a deadly efficiency.

Then Merlin saw something that made his blood run cold. He stifled a gasp as the male tribute was chosen and replaced by a volunteer, a confident, muscular boy with blond hair and strikingly blue eyes. It was him! The boy from his dream! Merlin sat up in his seat and strained to hear the voice of their escort as she announced their names. Morgana Du Bois and Arthur Pendragon. Arthur. The name seemed to strike a chord within Merlin, and again he heard the mysterious voice in his head. "You are two sides of the same coin."

Merlin stared off into space as the reapings of Districts two through ten were presented. What did all of this mean? Why did he feel this strange connection to the blond boy from District one?

When it came to District ten, Guinevere let out an unexplained gasp and suddenly looked as if she were on the verge of tears. Merlin turned his head in concern, but she had already schooled her expression into one of blank indifference.

Guinevere squeezed his wrist. "We're up next," she whispered.

Merlin pushed the thoughts of district one from his mind and returned his attention to the screen as he saw the familiar justice building of District eleven. He watched as Celeste called first Guinevere's name and then his, and was pleased to notice that his face was simply blank, not showing any fear or turmoil. Then came District twelve, the Capitol seal, and the reapings were over.

Gaius rose to his feet, took one look at the dazed looks on his tributes' faces, and suggested that they be left alone for a while. He and Celeste left the dining car, the door sliding shut behind them with a swish, and all was silent. Then Guinevere spoke up.

"Are you alright? I mean… you've been awfully quiet and you had a bit of a strange look on your face when I came in to lunch and all throughout the reapings… not that that's a bad thing…" she blushed.

Merlin offered a small smile. "Thanks for asking Guinevere, but I'm fine. Are you? Why did you gasp when that boy from ten was called up?"

"Gwen."

Merlin looked at the girl next to him in confusion. She reddened even further.

"I mean that you can call me Gwen, not Guinevere… that's what all my friends call me."

Merlin knew immediately that he would never be able to bring himself to kill this girl, even if his life depended on it, which it very well could. "I could certainly use a friend right now," he replied earnestly. Then he made a split-second decision. "Allies?"

Gwen looked at him in surprise that quickly turned to pleasure. "I would love to."

"So who was that boy?"

"My brother," Gwen whispered. Tears flooded her eyes and threatened to run down her cheeks, but she angrily brushed them away. "I just don't understand. He left home to find a new life, and we never heard from him again. We thought he was dead."

They sat in companionable silence for several moments.

"How did you know how to use the shower?" Merlin blurted, and it was his turn to blush.

Gwen laughed. "I used to work as a maidservant in the mayor's household, and I had seen the mayor's daughter use one before. I never got to try it until today though. What was your life like back at home?"

Merlin shrugged easily. "My life was pretty boring. My mum and I worked in a small orchard behind our house and my mum ran a small apothecary business on the side. We weren't too bad off though, and usually had enough to scrape by." He paused and looked down, noticing a skillfully crafted silver bracelet winding its way around Gwen's wrist, its strands coiled in an intricate pattern. "That's a beautiful bracelet," he stated.

Gwen looked followed his gaze to her wrist, suddenly looking sad. "Oh yes… thank you. My father made it for me. He's the village blacksmith, and it's my district token. What's yours?"

Merlin hadn't really thought about what his district token was, but he realized that he only had one thing from home that he could bring with him into the arena. He grinned and held up his neckerchief. "I suppose this is it."

At this moment, Gaius walked back in the room and smiled wistfully when he saw how well his tributes were getting along. He cleared his throat and they turned towards him. "I'm guessing you two are still full from lunch, so I told Celeste that we would all eat in our own rooms later. However, both of you should probably get to bed early. Tomorrow morning we will start learning strategy for the arena and in the afternoon we will arrive in the capitol."

Merlin nodded, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I'm going to go try out that shower." He strode off toward his room and Gwen shook her head, still smiling.