Chairs scraped against the floor as students began to pack up. The noise returned, but it wasn't the usual kind it was forced, uneasy, like everyone was pretending too hard that nothing had happened. Merlin stayed slouched in his seat, arms folded, his smirk unbothered.
Tony stood up slow, his eyes never left Merlin for a second. On his way out, he brushed against Merlin's desk too deliberate to be an accident. Merlin raised a brow, tilting his head just enough.
"Careful," Merlin said lightly, voice smooth. "Wouldn't want you to trip over all that pride you're carrying."
The class went quiet for half a second. Tony didn't reply he just gave that same look, the one that promised this isn't over.
Are you ready to go, Sera asked. Sure Merlin replied without hesitation. The both of them stepped outside the gate of the building, the wind strong and cold carrying bits of water particles brushed against them the only noise to be heard at that moment was that of insects leaves from trees and quiet chatter from the students. it was night time already.
So where are you going from here Sera asked. Haven't thought about that. Maybe I'll crash at Fred's place maybe he'll have some food, Merlin said. Fred? Sera asked. Yeah he's the one who took me in when I first arrived here he stays close to the river he said people like to call him Fred the fisher. Sera didn't know of any man like that staying close to the river. She had her doubts about his identity. Okay then I'll follow you,she said. Suit yourself,he replied. I have a question, Sera said seriously. She was always playful or unserious when it came to Merlin. But this time was different. Merlin paid his full attention. Sera acted a bit nervous and shy, before she asked. So the place you came from why did you run from there? Well... All I can say is I didn't want to end up like a jerk. I see so you're not going to say anything in specific, well that's all right must be a delicate subject, Sera said. So you forgotten about everyone there and decided to move on? Not really,Merlin replied. There's still someone I'm going to go back for, he said this time with a more serious face. No day passes by that I don't think about helping her out of there.
So no I can't forget.
What was it like over there? Sera asked.
"It was a whole little city," Merlin began, his voice calm but his eyes carrying something darker. "Streets, schools, houses, markets. All of it wrapped tight in walls."
He leaned back slightly, gaze wandering like he was looking through the memory itself. "I don't know how, but somehow they turned people's helplessness into their generosity. They fed us, gave us roofs, even told us we were 'lucky.'"
Sera's brow furrowed. The way he said lucky didn't sound like luck at all.
"But every time I looked at people," Merlin continued, "I always felt this dull vibe the kind only slaves give off. What you learned, even how you walked… it was all routine. But not a routine you decided."
He gave a short, humorless chuckle, shaking his head. "Then I asked myself, what makes someone a slave? The lack of freedom? The truth is we were all free to the plain eye, at least. We moved from place to place, made decisions, did all sorts of things. So people said, yes, we are free to choose. But I said no."
His tone sharpened, and Sera noticed his hand tightening slightly into a fist. "Because you only choose something when you know the consequences of choosing otherwise. Every decision we made had to fall under their absurd rules. And I would never call that freedom."
Sera felt a strange weight in her chest. He wasn't just telling her something he was reliving it.
"They said it was for our own good. To 'shape us,' to 'protect us.' But that was the trick." Merlin's smirk flickered briefly, bitter this time. "You never got to ask protect us from what?"
He let that hang in the air before going on, softer now. "Harsh? Yeah, it was. Just not in ways you could brag you survived. No whips in the street, no open cages. Just silence. The kind that pressed on you until you bent the way they wanted. And if you didn't well, you didn't have to ask. People came back changed. Quieter. Like pieces cut to fit."
Sera hugged her arms around herself, watching him closely. There was no joke in his eyes now.
"Me? I was spared the worst." His lips curved into a half-smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Heir's privilege. But even I could see the strings. Kids laughing in the markets, mothers cooking, guards patrolling like it was all natural. A city built to look alive but really, every piece was just being moved on someone else's board."
His smirk faded as his gaze turned distant. "And I was being molded into the new player for the game of control."
Merlin stopped, realizing how much he had said. He blinked, leaned back, and scratched at his neck, a sheepish grin sliding into place.
"Dammit… I said too much."
Sera tilted her head, lips quirking into a smirk. "Too much? Please, I was starting to think you don't only know how to talk about fictional characters. Guess I was wrong."
He gave her a side-eye. "Careful, that almost sounded like a compliment."
"Almost." She let the word linger, then her voice softened, quieter. "But… if it was that bad, why didn't you bring her with you?"
The question landed like a stone in the water quiet, but the ripples were there. Merlin's smirk didn't vanish, but it stiffened at the edges. His fingers drummed once against the wood, then stilled.
"Because sometimes you have to step away to come back stronger.
Sera's brows pulled slightly, the sharp edge of her teasing gone. "Merlin…"
But he forced the grin back on his face, turning away from her gaze. "Anyway, enough of my tragic monologues. Fred's probably going to bed soon we better hurry, he said with a weird smile on his face,a forced one.
He started walking ahead, the lightness in his voice fighting hard against the weight in his eyes.
Sera stayed a beat behind, watching him. The act didn't fool her not completely but she let it stand, knowing he was shielding her from more than just his past.
When they reached Fred's place, Merlin tried the door. Locked. Not from the inside.
"This place looks abandoned," Sera said, scanning the worn windows. "When's the last time you saw him?"
"Weeell… maybe some months ago."
"How many months?" Sera pressed.
"…Eight?" Merlin said, like he wasn't sure.
Sera slapped her palm to her forehead. "You've gotta be kidding me." She shook her head with a sigh. "What would you do without me?"
"Starve," Merlin admitted with a grin.
"Exactly. Come with me."
She didn't give him a chance to argue, leading him through the quiet streets until they stopped at a small yet stunningly luxurious home.
Merlin blinked. "I thought we were trespassing… until you pulled out the keys." sera smirked. I'll take that as a compliment, she said.
Then with a flourish, she turned, smiling wide. "I guess you could crash here, then," she said.
For the first time in a long whil
e, Merlin felt a moment of peace a fragile calm he hadn't known he needed.