Warnings: None except that I'm not British, nor do I have any particular knowledge of physics.
A/N: So this has been sitting in my hard drive for months and I was seriously considering not posting it, but considering that it is the singularly longest piece I've ever written in one go, and my lovely friend Kirah spent many hours discussing and editing it for me, I felt compelled to post it. I hope you enjoy it!

Merlin

Merlin hadn't always known that he was different. He'd gotten a taste of it the first time he entered Nursery school. He was only there for two weeks and he still wasn't sure why he had to leave. All he knew was that he hadn't struggled like the other children, and he'd been called names because of his ears, which stuck out quite a lot, and how well he was doing on the course work. He was doing so well that, in fact, they'd had to bring in his mum who'd had a hushed but increasingly agitated conversation with the teacher in the corner of the classroom before she'd come over and knelt on the ground next to him.

She'd looked at him and said, "Merlin, dear, you're very special. So special in fact that I've decided that you should come home and learn with your dear old mum, how would you like that?"

He'd shrugged and gave her a smile that had received a blinding, if slightly harried one, in return.

He was three at the time, and for the next five years, his life held much the same routine. His mum had never been a teacher, or even taken her A Levels. She had a modest life and a modest flat, which she paid for by cleaning houses. She was always wondering out loud how such an ingrained habit could've passed over her offspring so spectacularly, and after she'd found a growing thing under his bed that had once been a jammie dodger when he was five, she'd declared his room to be his alone and he was responsible for cleaning it. He more or less stopped things from growing on the walls.

Not really knowing how to go about such matters, she did a bit of searching and bought a set of secondhand schoolbooks that seemed to be for Year 1. She'd laid them out on the kitchen table with a note before leaving for work. Merlin still clearly remembered what the note had said-

Merlin, these seem about right! Give them a go and tell me if you have any trouble.

Love, Mum

He'd dragged the books from the table to the ratty old couch that was rather chewed on but much beloved, and started reading. He'd not had any trouble, and if anything gave him pause, he'd just stare at it for a while and say it out loud once or twice before he understood it.

When Hunith had gotten home eight hours later, she'd found him curled around his Maths book, already more than a quarter of the way through. Papers that had scribble after illegible scribble on it surrounded him and after careful consideration, they appeared to be various numbers and simple arithmetic. He'd been nearly asleep, eyes blinking slowly up at her as she sat next to him on the couch, shifting him into her lap so she could brush the hair off of his forehead.

"How was it, dear?"

He had yawned and thrown his arms about her as he rested his tired head on her shoulder.

"Fine."

"No trouble then?"

He'd shaken his head and gestured vaguely at the now scattered mess of papers.

"S'easy."

She'd hmmed and rested her chin on top of his messy black hair.

From then on, Merlin would get up when he got up, usually after his mum had left for work. He'd open his books and start reading, doing all the practices and exercises, not skipping a one. When he was finished with the books, Hunith would buy him the next in the series, and if she brought Merlin with her, she'd end up purchasing endless amounts of different texts, mostly on things she really hadn't a clue about. Eventually, she'd found it wise to get him a library card.

Merlin would usually spend all his time on his books. They didn't have enough money to afford a telly, and Merlin didn't have any friends, which he'd never much minded. The other children called him mean things and seemed terribly slow.

When his mum had talked to him about overworking himself, as he seemed to study non-stop, telling him that he could do things for fun, he'd grinned up at her and said, "This is fun, mum," and seeing the genuine joy in his face, she'd let it rest.

With any other child, this may have resulted in disaster, but somehow, circumstances worked out just right, and Merlin found that being left to his own devices was really the best way for him to learn. Hunith had always been a bit absent minded, well intentioned, but overall unknowledgeable about how to care for a child beyond loving them and clothing them and feeding them.

There was very little change in their lives for the next three years. Until one day, Hunith had been having a piece of toast, about to leave for another backbreaking day of scrubbing tiles and sweeping floors and all sorts of unsavory jobs, when she'd seen an advert in the paper. Oxford, which was fifty or so miles from Ealdor, where the Emrys's had resided for the past seven years, was looking for a janitor.

By no means was it a glorious job, but the pay was double what she was earning now, and there were all sorts of benefits that she didn't have at her current job at the cleaning agency. So she'd carefully cut out the advertisement and brought it with her, and at lunch, she'd used the family's typewriter to write a cover letter and make a resume.

On Sunday, her only day off, she'd kissed Merlin on the top of the head as he studiously read through some sort of Physics book, and took the bus to Oxford where she had made an appointment the previous day. Arriving at the university, she'd allowed herself a moment of awe before she found her way to where they would be doing the interview. Once there, she carefully filled out an application, and talked very plainly with the man behind the desk, who stared and tried to look imposing but really just looked a tad silly.

A week later, she had the job.

After sending in her two weeks notice, she'd used those weeks looking for a new flat, getting the lay of the land, and getting Merlin a new library card, then she'd packed everything they owned and uprooted them fifty miles.

Merlin hadn't much cared. He almost never left the flat, and all he wanted for in the world was more knowledge. When she'd told him about the library at Oxford and how it had more books than she could count, he'd perked up and seemed very excited about the whole thing.

Apart from walls that were painted a different color, and a vastly expanded repertoire of books, very little changed for Merlin. But one thing brooked a significant change in his life, and this change was named Will.

Merlin had met Will one day when he'd been reading in the library, a place where he'd been spending an increasing amount of time. At first, the librarians had stared at him with displeasure, suggesting that perhaps he should be in the children's section, and oh, you don't want to be in the chemistry section dear, that's much too hard. But when he'd stared at them with soft eyes and a bright grin that tilted the corner of his lips, scuffing his shoe on the carpet as he swayed his clasped hands back and forth, saying in his best and clearest voice, "No miss, I do believe this is the section I want." They'd seem to lose their worry that he'd somehow cause havoc among the carefully ordered books, and instead resorted to tutting about his hair and making sure he knew where the stools were to reach the higher shelves.

In the time he'd been in Oxford, he'd since claimed a table for his own, finding his way unerringly to it even with his head stuffed in a book, and setting up camp until his mum came just before the library closed so she could walk him home.

Most library patrons avoided the table he chose, as it had the most scuffmarks of all the tables, and the varnish was chipping off in places, and worst of all was the rickety leg that caused the table to constantly tilt to the left. Merlin noticed none of these things, and instead felt the grooves in the old wood that many hands had since rubbed into smoothness. He didn't mind the broken leg, and in his time learned how to sway with the table in a sort of soothing rhythm, so that if any of the others in the library looked at him for too long they'd start to fall in a sort of haze.

He'd never know it, but after his time at Oxford, that table would be referred to by the librarians forevermore as Merlin's table, and all the new librarians would be told hushed tales of the very smart young lad who'd seen a bit of good in something everyone else had dismissed.

Another boy occasionally sat at Merlin's table, although he never read, and instead spent his time trying to see if he could make Merlin lose his place in whatever he was reading.

Their friendship had rather auspicious beginnings, as Merlin had been rather deeply involved in a text on Quantum Mechanics, and Will had barged up, smacking his gum, and nudged Merlin's shoulder.

"What's that?"

Merlin had looked up, not really bothered, but curious, as no one had ever talked to him when he was reading.

"What's what?"

The boy had grinned and said rather obnoxiously, "Your face."

Merlin had been rather puzzled, and he frowned as he tried to work out what it meant. When all the possibilities seemed inconclusive, he'd gone directly to the source.

"What's that mean?"

The other boy had shrugged, leaning on the table so it swayed dangerously to the left, causing Merlin to scramble to catch the text before it fell off the table.

"Dunno, my name's Will! What's yours?"

He had an open, friendly smile, and a funny haircut, and Merlin found he rather liked him.

"I'm Merlin."

From then on, they were what Will called best mates, and Merlin found himself dragged on many adventures that he'd never been on before. Will loved to explore, and he had a rundown house that was a couple miles from where Merlin's flat was. The best part about it was the river that ran along the back, and one day, Merlin fell in it. He'd never learned how to swim, and he thought he was very lucky that it was only a few feet deep. He'd still had quite a shock though, and after assuring a blubbering Will that he was alright, if not a bit cold, he'd not appreciated the roaring laughter that had followed when Will had stopped worrying and started pointing out the river scum in his hair.

Knowing his mum would be very worried if she saw the state of him, he'd lain out on the overgrown grass beside Will and waited for his clothes to dry. Conversations with Will had always been very easy, mostly because Will did all the talking for both of them. He accepted that most of the time, Merlin didn't know quite what to say, and he was all right with rambling for hours as he sat next to Merlin in the library, knowing full well that Merlin wasn't really listening.

Merlin never had to explain that he preferred to read and learn over much everything else as he had later learned that Will had been watching him for over two months before he decided to approach Merlin.

When Merlin had asked why Will chose to approach him at all, Will had shrugged it off and said very casually, "You seemed nice, nicer than most people our age, bunch of tossers."

Gradually Merlin had learned that Will didn't get on very well in his school, where he was in Year 3, and most people yelled things at him and flicked things at his head. Merlin thought Will liked that he could talk all he wanted at Merlin, because no one else had ever listened before. Like the table in the library, Will was something that no one else much appreciated, and in being dismissed, his good qualities were something that were being shoved down inside of him as he learned to be quiet and be still and to not say this or that because it wasn't very appropriate.

Merlin accepted Will, in his own way, much like Merlin accepted everything that came his way, with an ease and a rather terrifying comprehension that was bellied by his large ears and tolerant grin. Merlin had his own strength, and while much of the time he went along with Will's schemes, if he thought they were turning cruel, he'd gently steer Will in a kinder direction, and if he thought he was neglecting his studies he'd put his foot down and say, no, I can't go to your house because I haven't finished these exercises yet and once I'm done I can finish the book, so could we please do it tomorrow? And Will would pout and complain, but ultimately he'd give in without a fuss, because despite their differences, Merlin acknowledged him, and he was his very best friend.

Neither paid any attention to the very wide divide in their education, and it was only something that came up when Will was having trouble with his schoolwork and he'd come to Merlin for advice, and Merlin would say, oh, I remember that from three years ago, it's really quite simple, see, like this.

And things went much like this until Merlin was eight, and his Uncle Gaius came to visit, although he wasn't really Merlin's uncle, just someone who knew his mum very well from before Merlin was born, and his mum had said to call him uncle has she thought he'd be rather pleased with that.

It turned out he was, and when Merlin had grinned up at him and said, "Hello Uncle Gaius," a twinkle had sparked in his eyes and his eyebrow seemed to rise a bit higher in happiness.

Hunith had shown Gaius around the flat, pointing to various pieces of furniture and recounting various stories about them. Much like cleanliness, Merlin had never really been talkative like his mother, able to fill in any silence with comfortable conversation.

When Gaius had seen Merlin's room and his wall of books, as he called it, he'd went quite still and contemplative for a moment before going up and carefully skimming his fingers over the spines of the numerous books. Merlin had never sold any of the books he got, as he liked to go back over them once and awhile for fun, and remember with fondness the things that had once been new to him.

He had then asked what Year of school Merlin was in, and when Merlin replied that he wasn't in any Year, and that he hadn't been to any sort of school since he was three; he just read things because he liked them and they were very interesting and all of the information in the books came very easily to him. Gaius had excused himself and gone to talk to Merlin's mum in the corner, much like in Nursery, except this time it wasn't very hushed, and wasn't particularly agitated either. Merlin caught snatches of the conversation as he sat on a kitchen chair and swung his feet back and forth.

"Never been- formal training- ever- you're quite certain?"

"Yes, yes, he always- I don't know where he got it from- always different- why should he-"

"A boy his- testing- really Hunith, it's very- please consider it."

A worrying sigh then, "Very well."

Then Gaius had come over to talk to him as his mum watched from the other end of the flat with tired eyes.

It was when he was nine that Merlin realized he was very different indeed.

After Gaius's visit, Merlin didn't hear from him for another month or two, although he occasionally heard his mum on the phone with him and once or twice she gestured for Merlin to come talk to him and they exchanged various pleasantries and Gaius would ask oddly specific questions about certain subjects. One such conversation went like this:

"Hullo?"

"Hello Merlin, it's Gaius."

"Yes?"

"How are you doing, boy?"

"Quite well, thank you, you?"

"Oh, not too bad. I was wondering-"

"Hmm?"

"Do you know what the difference is between a binary and linear search, and which would go faster?"

"Yeah."

"Which is it exactly?"

"It depends really, on if the list is sorted or not."

"Very good, very good. Well, I'm off, say hello to your mother for me."

"Mhmm."

Another notable phone call went much like this:

"Is this Merlin speaking?"

"Yes."

"Could you perhaps calculate the centre of mass of a lamina in the shape of a circle with a constant density and a radius of-" the sound of papers shuffling and a brief cough "three?"

The line was silent for a few moments and Merlin bit his lip as he stared up at the slowly oscillating ceiling fan that was shifting the dust motes into the air.

"One-point-two-seven-three."

Another silence, this time on the other line, as it seemed like the speaker was momentarily stunned.

"Do you think you could give the phone to your mother?" Merlin hmmed his agreement and gave the phone to his mum who was sitting on the couch with a book, something fictional with a dragon on the front. Merlin collapsed next to her and dragged his Chemistry text up to his lap as he began to fiddle with a pencil; he could hear his mum's end of the conversation drifting from her side of the couch.

"Yes?"

"Mhmm."

"Really?" Accompanied with a sideways glance at Merlin that was equal parts fond and exasperated.

"Five? Gaius, we don't want to-" She seemed to be interrupted and with a huff she ended the conversation.

"Well fine! But you're buying the bloody things."

When she pressed the off button with satisfaction, she seemed to bask in her own clout for a moment before she realized Merlin was watching her.

She grinned at him, patting him on the cheek.

"Just don't go using language like that, love."

"Okay mum."

The next day, Gaius showed up when Hunith was at work, carrying a bag that was full of books Merlin had never seen before. He laid them out on the table, and let Merlin flip through them as he sat down in a nearby chair, his bones creaking.

There were five of them, Merlin saw, on various subjects. He noticed that they were all related to the questions Gaius had asked him on the phone, and he had more than three books on each of the subjects in his room. Except for the Computing one, which he dragged over to him and raised an eyebrow at Gaius, well, as best as he could anyways.

"Why this?"

Gaius smiled, "Oh, well, I thought a young man such as you needed to know the theory of such things in this day and age, if not the practical application."

Merlin had never been on a computer, he'd seen them in the library, but they had never really held his interest.

"Tell me, boy, how did you know the answer to that question I asked the other day? "

"The search one?"

"Yes."

"Oh, well, read a book once."

"How long ago?"

"Couple of years."

"And nothing since?"

"No."

Gaius smiled and reached out a hand to grasp Merlin's shoulder. "Well, I should hope you find this one interesting. And I was also hoping that you could read the others."

Merlin grinned at that, "'Course I will. I don't know how you managed to get all the stuff I'm interested in."

"A keen and discerning mind, Merlin, is one's greatest tool."

"Mhmm."

"Do you think you could read these books, and know them well, say, within two weeks?"

"Yeah, easy."

"Quite! Well, I really must be going. But I'll be back in two weeks, just make sure to pay attention to those books, Merlin, they're very important."

Merlin nodded in acceptance and saw Gaius out, and when his mum came home she barely looked surprised when she saw the new books spread out on the floor, Merlin rifling through them.

"Gaius was here then?"

"Yeah."

She sighed and then leaned down to hug him, which surprised Merlin enough that he dropped his book. But he quickly raised his own arms to hug her 'round the neck.

"My dear boy, I scarcely know what to do with you."

Merlin grinned at her, a bit perplexed, but recognizing the affection in her tone. She glanced at him and returned his grin with a warm smile as she pulled him up by the arms so he was standing next to her.

"Come help me make some dinner." And Merlin did, and later in the evening Will came by and they made a fort in Merlin's bedroom, which they snuck under.

Will had been quiet lately, and Merlin tried his hardest to cheer him up, but he knew there wasn't much he could do to help. Will's father had been a police officer and not too long before he had been shot. Merlin had never faced the death of a loved one, nor had he known the love of a father, his being long gone by the time he was born, but he imagined it was very difficult.

So he held his arms out, and he let Will lay against him as he cried and cried, and when he was done, and lay quietly resting against the pillows, Merlin told him stories that he remembered reading about. Stories about princes and dragons and magic. When he remembered no more, he started talking about the books he was reading, and what he thought about computers, and how density was really a funny thing. He talked until his voice was hoarse and he could speak no more, and then he simply laid there next to Will and held his hand and they both stared up at the canopy of the blanket, silent and contemplative.

The next morning, Will grinned at him, a touch embarrassed, but grateful nonetheless, and his hug was just as strong as always, and he promised he'd be by the library in a couple of days.

He was, and he didn't question Merlin's new books, as he'd never paid much attention to what Merlin was reading anyways. But Merlin was paying special attention to the books that Uncle Gaius had given him, as he had indicated that they were rather more than just perfunctory reading material.

They didn't seem to hold anything astounding in their pages, but Merlin found them interesting like he found all things interesting, and even after he had finished them, he found books that looked like they complimented them and started on those too.

And in two weeks, as promised, Gaius returned and told Merlin to get his coat and bring a very good pencil, three if he could manage. Then he drove Merlin to a large building and guided him into a room full of teenagers that all seemed to be looking at him quite oddly, but Gaius told him to pay them no mind, so he didn't.

Then he gave Merlin a pat on the back and told him that he was going to be given papers, and just think of them like an exercise in one of the books and have fun.

A few minutes after Gaius had left, the papers had been handed out and the adults hadn't given him more than a brief look of surprise, as if they had been expecting him, and his paper already had his name and his address and all his information filled out, so with a shrug, he waited until the person at the front of the room said he could start.

It was all very much like the exercises in the book, and Merlin thought them to be very simple. Soon he found himself with a lot of time on his hands and he stared up at the ceiling above him and thought about the sky that was beyond it. He didn't really know what he was doing here. The questions had been about Physics, which he knew very well, but everything else was very odd. Merlin had never faced a situation quite like it.

But much like he faced everything that seemed strange to him, he shrugged it off and waited until whatever time was supposed to be spent on the test passed. He then felt a brief moment of anxiety when everyone was standing up to leave, but when he turned and saw Gaius standing there with a smile he felt relieved.

Gaius steered him clear of the gathering crowds of students, which Merlin thought the other people must be, and when they were settled in the car he questioned him about the test and seemed quite pleased with Merlin's answers.

And so it went that for the next three days, Merlin took these tests, each one different for the last, and sometimes he took more than one on a certain day. But he found none of them very difficult, as they all were pulled almost directly from the books Gaius had given him.

At the end of what seemed to be the last test day, because everyone around him seemed very relieved, Gaius took him out for ice cream and bought him three new books. Merlin was happy with this, and didn't think to question why he'd just taken all those tests, or what they were for. No matter how smart he was, he was still only nine, and a bit of a daydreamer beyond that and Merlin tried to accept life as it came at him.

So in five months, when Gaius asked him of the subjects he took the tests on, and which he found the least interesting, he thought for a moment before replying that while History was interesting, it wasn't something he had a particular fascination with; then when a month later, he took four more tests, in the same building, the only difference being that there was no History on any of these tests, he didn't think much of it.

Will was very curious as to where he had been, but grew bored quickly when he found out that he had been taking tests, and it seemed like both Gaius and his mum left him alone after he was done with the exams- although there was a brief disruption when his mum got something in the mail with his name on it, and she opened with nervous hands that shook on the seal. She had scanned the papers inside of the envelope and smiled, before sweeping Merlin up into an especially tight hug and then taking both him and Gaius out for dinner.

They'd had another one of their hushed conversations that Merlin couldn't quite hear across the table. It went much like this:

"I don't know if we- tell- only nine."

"Of course we- his scores- genius- Hunith, please."

"Just- wait, he can- in a few- okay?"

Gaius had looked very exasperated as he nodded his head, and Merlin knew they must have been talking about him, as it seemed like people were always exasperated when they were talking about him.

But the pasta really was very nice.

The next year passed very quickly for Merlin, as he went about things much as he had done in the past. He got up, he read whatever he hadn't read before, which was always quite a lot, he went around with Will, who was on his way to recovering after his father's demise, and made sure not to fall in anymore rivers, and no, the pond that one time doesn't count. He occasionally saw Uncle Gaius, who always looked like he wanted to tell Merlin something, but a warning look from Hunith seemed to encourage him to change the subject.

He turned ten, which he didn't think was much different from nine, and would most likely vary little from eleven.

The books he read kept getting more and more difficult until one day he finally had to go and ask his mum for help. When he showed her the book, she stared at it in incomprehension, before shaking her head, like she was admitting defeat. She then called someone who Merlin suspected to be Gaius due to the warmhearted yet somewhat irritated tone in her voice.

Not twenty minutes later, Gaius was sitting on their ratty old couch, which was blue and slightly deflated on one side due to the stuffing having been torn out in one unfortunate fork incident which Hunith had said was to never be spoken of again, God forbid.

Merlin was sitting on the arm of said piece of furniture as he listened to Gaius and Hunith talk over each other.

"Merlin, you know, you really are very unique, special, one could say-"

"Although not in a bad way dear-"

"No, no, not at all. But really, you have one of the best mind's I've ever seen. And a mind must be nurtured and cared for-"

"Not that you don't do very well on your own, dear."

"Yes, yes, very true. But at some point, one must realize that there are those who-"

"Well, not just one other person, there'd be multiple professors-"

"Who would be greatly beneficial to the betterment of your education."

Merlin had stared at them. They were both looking terribly earnest, and after a moment he tilted his head, asking them if they could perhaps clarify.

Gaius spoke first, seeming to be the most eager about the whole situation. "Well, we think it would be wise to enroll you in a College, Oxford to be exact."

Merlin found he didn't mind the idea, Oxford was very close, nearly the same distance as the library from the flat, and he knew from his books that college would really just be learning new things, only with other people there to pull them along, but he thought there was one snag,

"What about A Levels, don't you need them to get into school? 'Specially something like Oxford." Because Merlin had picked up the idea from around the town that Oxford was a very big deal.

Gaius had looked very surprised when Merlin asked this, but Hunith seemed to expect it, and one could say a bit of her expression looked very pleased, as if Merlin was merely showing how he was very little changed. It was she who chose to explain it.

"Those tests you took last year, darling, those were A Levels, you have four, which is very nice. We were very pleased. Oh and five AS Levels, which were those ones before it."

Merlin thought that made rather a lot of sense, now that he looked back on it, and he grinned at both of them.

"S'exciting, isn't it? When do I start?"

Gaius had looked overjoyed, and Hunith had looked very sad, but she was putting up a strong front for her boy.

"Well, we have to apply of course, but it'd be a few months dear. Don't worry, Gaius and I will take care of it."

And Merlin had nodded with enthusiasm, because he was starting to realize that Oxford being a very special place would likely have very many books that he had never had access too. And he always enjoyed asking his Uncle Gaius about Medical things, which he found he rather liked hearing about more than reading plain words on the page. At Oxford, he knew there to be many people like his Uncle who knew a great deal about specific things and he could ask them questions, and just maybe, someone would finally be able to answer them and not just stare at him strangely.

True to her word, Hunith and Gaius succeeded in obtaining a spot in the starting class next September, and Gaius took care of his classes, which Merlin thought were based off of his A Levels. All in all, he was quite please, despite all the whispers that followed him on the grounds.

This was Merlin's first time in any sort of academic setting in seven years. It was very different from Nursery.

When he was three, Merlin first entertained the idea of being not quite like anyone else, when he was nine, he finally acknowledged that yes, he was very peculiar, but it was only when he was ten, almost eleven thank you very much, that he really knew that he wasn't like anyone else. At least, anyone he knew about.

Will wasn't much surprised at the turn of events; he'd always known that Merlin was out of the ordinary, and so he treated Merlin much the same. Only now when they were at the library together, there were many more whispered conversations that followed them, and it took a great many months before they tapered off.

Merlin thought his mum looked rather more harassed that she ever had, and he sometimes heard her yelling on the phone about interviews and how, no thank you, you great arse! Then she'd alternate between looking pleased and looking sad and it was all very odd.

Gaius would sometimes drop by with more work for him, as it seemed like the school didn't assign very many things, and Merlin was rather bored with it already.

The biggest change in his life was the sudden influx of people surrounding him, adult people who were for the most part quite a bit taller than him, although he was catching up in that area. The first half of the year was accompanied by quite a lot of stares, and sometimes the occasional rude comment, which he paid no mind to. He was focused on the classes, which were very interesting, and sometimes, he'd be able to catch the professor before they could flee the classroom and he'd ask them question after question until they begged off.

Once there had been a man with a camera and he'd gotten a few pictures of Merlin before he was tackled by campus security. When his mum had gotten home she'd been very angry, and Merlin had felt the first twinge of worry that maybe he had done something wrong, although, logically, he couldn't figure out what. But then she'd soothed his fears and swept him into a motherly embrace, patting his head and promising him rice and curry, which was his favorite dish. Merlin later heard her ambling about the flat muttering very unpleasant words about cameramen and the press and he'd be much obliged not to repeat them, thank you.

And so the next six years passed in this manner.

They were filled tests, and the occasional break which lasted for a time and which Merlin filled with more books, and the classesclass that his Uncle Gaius had managed to get him into. Will still came by, and they still had their adventures, although Will wanted them to do increasingly dangerous stunts, dragging a rambling Merlin along as he quoted the statistical probability of death, and really Will is this necessary.

Merlin grew taller, already overtaking Will by more than a few inches, which much displeased his friend, and once in awhile he had a spot, which he didn't pay much mind to, but Will made sure to tease him mercilessly for if only to feel better about his own. When he was thirteen, there was a ceremony, and he got a piece of paper called a Diploma in something about science, and it seemed like a lot of his class were overjoyed, and thought they were done. But later in the week Gaius came to him and gently inquired if he would be interested in going back to school and learning even more in his subjects, and Merlin was, as Oxford really did have a very nice library.

The classes were much the same, although a bit harder, and Merlin had to ask more questions then he usually did, but overall, nothing was very different, and people no longer looked at him funny in the corridors. When he was fourteen, he got another Diploma, which he handed off to his mum who framed it next to the other one, and his voice began to crack embarrassingly, until it settled down into a deep tone, deeper than Will's, who was still quite a bit shorter, and they scuffled and wrestled on the floor until Will sat on him and declared himself the victor. Because for all he was quite tall, Merlin had always been extremely skinny, no matter how much his mum fed him.

Again Gaius came to him and asked if he'd like to go for school for just a bit longer, and learn even more things, and Merlin, after thinking about it for a moment, decided that he'd be very pleased with that.

He was sixteen, and no one at Oxford ever looked at him funny. Those who had known him in the six years he had been there merely accepted him as part of the landscape, and those who were new seemed to think he was a fellow fresher, which Merlin found quite amusing.

He'd grown into his ears, which were still rather evident, but more notable for how they stuck out than how large they were. He was now the same height if not taller than the other students, and he wore many layers that hid how painfully thin his frame was, mostly for warmth as he got quite cold, especially in the winter. His spots came with less and less frequency until they stopped altogether, and Will seemed to think it was quite unfair.

It was around this time that Merlin learnt he was different in another aspect of his life beyond his intelligence.

Will had started talking about girls years before, with a meanness that was unbecoming of him, but gradually it changed into a grudging admiration for them as he regaled Merlin with stories of girls he thought he could never get. He never seemed to much care that Merlin never had any stories of girls, even though he was surrounded by ones which Will made rude remarks about which Merlin scolded him over.

One day, a few months after they had turned sixteen and were lounging near the same river Merlin had fallen into all those years ago, Will fiddled with a piece of grass and brought up the subject.

"Hey, mate?"

Merlin hmmed, staring up at the clouds, which he thought resembled a triple helix, but could also be candyfloss.

"You ever like anyone at that fancy school of yours? As more than just mates." Because Will had come to learn how literal Merlin was, and he needed a bit more direction than that.

Merlin considered this question, before replying:

"Well, I think that Benton fellow in my Physics lab is quite fit."

Will had taken this in, stared at Merlin for a while, before shrugging and punching him in the shoulder.

"C'mon, lets go see if we can vault over that fence by the old schoolyard."

Merlin knew about this fence, it was very high, and very sharp, and very rusty, but he supposed it was better than sliding down a forge on mattresses, which he had never quite forgiven Will for, with the stress it had caused. He insisted it had given him white hair from the fright of it all but he really just dyed it over so he didn't worry his mum.

Merlin had one more thing that made him a bit different, but he didn't much care about it, because it was who he was and that was that. Will thought about causing a fuss for approximately one second, until he remembered that Merlin was his best mate, and had always accepted him, and really, it was only reasonable that he do the same. And Merlin had always been special.

For the first time in their acquaintance with each other, Will wasn't going to school. He'd reached sixth form, spent a month in it, and decided it really wasn't for him. Unlike Merlin, he didn't spend his time reading and studying, but instead found a job at the local grocer's, and spent his money on his various dates and a rundown car, which he was very proud of. Knowing his friend really did enjoy new things, he bought a few books on basic mechanics, and gave them to Merlin along with the instruction manual. He never spoke of them again, and didn't ask whether or not Merlin had bothered to learn about it. But two months later, when Will's care broke down on the side of the road, Merlin ambled out of the passenger seat and opened the bonnet, fiddled with something, and told him he'd need a new accumulator soon but he could make it around for a week or so before it broke down again.

Will grinned at him, bright and grateful, and bought him an extra side of chips on the way home.

Merlin never did much beyond staring at that Benton fellow, who really was quite fit, and soon he was much too busy with preparing for his upcoming exams to stare at much of anything besides his books.

After his exams, which were very trying, but nothing Merlin couldn't handle, and a very long while spent on developing what Uncle Gaius had called a thesis, Merlin got another Diploma, something called a Doctor of Science. He got the impression that this degree was very important even more so than his others, although they hung along beside them much the same on the wall in his mum's flat. He also ascertained from the rather wide eyed looks he got when people asked after it, that his specialty in astrophysics was something impressive but really, he just found it rather more interesting than most of the other things he learned about. It had always come a tad easier than everything else.

It seemed like after that, there really wasn't too much else he could do, as Merlin wasn't interested in another diploma to hang on his wall, and his books were enough for him to learn about anything else he had interest in.

Will took great delight in calling him Doctor Merlin in a nasal tone, for which Merlin boxed him around the head.

Hunith was very proud, and hugged him often, and left him to his own devices much like before. Their flat was much the same, and Merlin later learned that Oxford was quite expensive, and it was thanks to his Uncle Gaius that they'd never had to pay a six pence. It seemed that being quite impressive meant that one could get money just to learn. Merlin was rather chuffed by it all.

Gaius was also rather boasting, although he made sure Merlin kept a level head, which really wasn't that hard as Merlin never wanted adulation or acknowledgement.

Although he seemed to get progressively worried over the next few years as Merlin chose not to do much about anything apart from helping his mum with dinner, reading his books, going about town with Will, and sometimes tutoring Oxford students on the side for a bit of extra dosh so he could help him mum with the finances.

Merlin never really had much ambition in life. He read what he read because he enjoyed it, and it came easily, so he was never at a loss. He went to school and took his tests because it was all new knowledge and testing his skill, and his Uncle Gaius had encouraged it and really, why shouldn't he expand his awareness about the topics he found fascinating? He graduated, because that seemed like it was what happened when you went to class and did well. But after that, he was quite content to live with his mum, and pursue his own knowledge.

For the first year, this seemed to bother no one, as his mum was grateful to have him home, and Gaius thought it was all rather normal to take a break after university, especially for one so young. News people never came around the flat anymore asking question after question, and Will was quite happy to laze around along with Merlin.

Then another year passed, and Will was promoted and started talking about things like rent, and Hunith started staring at him in contemplation, and Gaius always seemed a bit disappointed, which Merlin did not very much enjoy.

And finally, it seemed, after another year of much the same, Gaius snapped, and came by the flat with brochure after brochure of job opportunity, going on and on about wasted potential, and finally finished his long tirade slightly panting, with a flustered face and frazzled hair.

Merlin had stared at him for a few moments before shrugging. "Alright."

Gaius frowned, his eyebrow rising comically high. "What do you mean, alright?"

Merlin thought it was really quite simple, and he stated so. "What should I do?"

And this was how he came to be teaching an advanced Physics course at the University of Camelot.

Camelot was three hours drive from Oxford, and there was constant debate as to which school came first, as no one was very clear on the exact date they were built. They were constantly warring on which was the oldest surviving university (At least in the English speaking world, for it was very clear that the University of Bologna was the oldest out of them all) and it seemed like their rivalry was never ending.

Gaius had been the Dean of Medicine at Camelot for as long as most of the staff could remember. He was rumored to be very close friends with the Chancellor Uther Pendgragon, and many said that he had much more influence than the Vice-Chancellor Bayard.

Some said it was with this influence that he managed to procure Merlin the open teaching spot, although most people assumed that it was in order to steal away one of Oxford's most prized alumni, and they would be correct. Although Merlin wasn't aware of it, he was really a very big deal and when he started at Oxford, the school gave a bonus to the man that had hired Hunith all those years ago, because with him he brought the school a much needed edge, and bragging rights over Camelot. They had gotten the prodigy. Camelot's Janitorial Staff Advisor was always in a bit of a tiff that he hadn't had the foresight to have an open spot in his staff ten years ago.

So it was with great glee and smug satisfaction that they handed over the contract, and Uther's secretary said that the day after Merlin had signed the papers, the Chancellor had been spotted gazing at them with a smirk firmly affixed to his face.

Merlin was nineteen, and was now a Taliesin Professor of Physics at the University of Camelot.

His mother was very teary eyed as she made sure he had all his clothes, and a few of his most prized books. She kissed his cheek and made him promise to call once a week, and pressed a few biscuits in his hand as he went left for Gaius' car.

Gaius was very pleased with the turn of events, and said so to Merlin on their trip to Camelot, regaling him with stories about the University and the students. Merlin couldn't be bothered to pay much attention as he was thinking about Will.

When Merlin had told Will he was leaving, and not only that, but going off to Camelot, Will had been mad at Merlin for what was quite possibly the first time in the history of their friendship. It was then that Merlin realized the full extent of the rivalry between Oxford and Camelot, something he had been aware of peripherally, but had never quite experienced.

For all that Will had never gone to a University, Oxford was still his town, and a sense of pride was imbued in him from birth, and he took the rivalry between the two cities quite seriously. After yelling at Merlin, he'd stalked off and not spoken to Merlin for a week.

Merlin had never had any friends beyond Will, and after thirteen years of seeing each other almost every day, he felt the loss quite sharply. Normally, he would've just chosen not to go to Camelot, but he was torn, as there were only three people in the world that he cared about and they all had different opinions. Gaius was overjoyed at him choosing to teach at Camelot, Hunith was carefully neutral, happy that he had a direction in life, but equally sad at losing her son to adulthood, and Will was very angry at it all.

For a week he agonized over what to do, and experienced the greatest dilemma he had ever known. He couldn't find the answer to this decision in a book, nor was there any clear-cut answer.

In the end, Will decided it for him when, after holding out for all of eight days, he came by the flat and pulled Merlin into a tight hug, which Merlin returned gratefully, then turned it into a headlock, which Merlin was not quite so grateful for, but he appreciated the sentiment all the same.

Will had stepped away, glared at him for a few moments, then said, "All right you berk, you're defecting, but you're still my best mate, so I guess it's fine."

Merlin had grinned at him, blinding and happy for the first time in a week, and he'd promised to call and visit as much as he could, because Will wouldn't ask him to, but Merlin knew they'd both prefer it.

So even with Will's grudging blessing, Merlin still felt the first pangs of leaving home, something he had never done before. He could only be thankful that at least he still had Gaius, who he would be staying with, to keep him company.

It took at least four hours to get to Camelot, because Merlin kept asking to stop and look at things along the way. Camelot really was a beautiful town, surrounded by forests and rolling hills, and the University held much the same shock and awe of Oxford, so Merlin felt a bit of comfort in the somewhat familiar surroundings.

Gaius had a two bedroom flat with a spare room that Merlin was to be sleeping in, and when Merlin entered the room he was delighted to see a row of bookshelves squeezed between a narrow bed and the wall. It was already half full of books, many of which he hadn't read before, and he begged off dinner in order to collapse on the bed and start an interesting looking text.

Through the thin walls of the flat, he heard Gaius call Hunith and tell her they had arrived all in one piece, then explain that Merlin was busy and would call her in the morning. Merlin couldn't help but be grateful, as he was rather overwhelmed by his own feelings on the matter, and didn't think he could juggle his mum's on top of it.

He had three weeks to settle in, and he spent much of that time exploring the empty University and meeting the staff. He was rather wary of Uther Pendragon, who had a bloodthirsty eye and a very strong grip. Having been conditioned to it, he was unfailingly polite to the wait staff, and made quick friends with one of the younger maids called Gwen who took care of the staff rooms. It was through Gwen that Merlin learned of all the upcoming students, who it seemed did not yet know that Merlin was on the staff. He learned that Uther planned to announce it in the town paper in order to surprise the opposition. He was being kept under wraps of sort, and he didn't care for it, but there was not much he could do about it.

Merlin was used to being underestimated, he was tall, but very slight, and he always had a rather absentminded expression on his face. He spoke jokingly and quite plainly, stating what he thought. He tried to be as nice as he could manage, and was resolved to never act condescending, something which he hated as it had always been expected of him by his peers who never bothered to know him. Most people thought he was very quiet, but that was because he never felt much provoked into saying anything. People who weren't aware of his background tended to think he was somewhat of an idiot, and Merlin did nothing to discourage this. People would think what they liked, they always had and that fact would never change. Merlin found it best to just accept this.

He knew his authority as a professor would be challenged, as he was teaching an advanced course, and many of the students would be older than him by a few years. But he thought that if they were there to learn, then they would listen to him, and if they chose not to, then that was their choice.

He started his first day with an air of trepidation, but he ignored it as he pulled on his trainers. Although he had been encouraged to buy a more professional wardrobe, he thought it was all rather silly. How he dressed had nothing to do with his intelligence, and his students couldn't really be that smart if they dismissed someone entirely because of their appearance. He was young, and inexperienced, but Merlin was rather set in his ideals. He used this assurance to pull himself together as he walked to his classroom, wanting to get there early to make sure everything was settled.

Merlin faced the upcoming situation with a determination much like he used to face everything else that came his way. He would get a grasp of the state of affairs, evaluate it, and act accordingly, and after all, it couldn't be that difficult to lecture on a subject he knew like the back of his hand to a room full of people. He'd never really felt any sort of stage fright, as he couldn't really be arsed to care about what people thought of him. Knowing all this, Merlin thought he would settle quite easily into a new routine, one he could grow comfortable in.

This was, of course, before he met Arthur Pendragon.