A/N: Wow. So uhm. It's been what, six months? Oops.. Honestly guys, I'm not going to make any excuses and tell you that from now on chapters will be posted every other day because I am a writing machine, but I am going to apologize. I lost the writing bug for the longest time and I hate forcing stories out, they just turn out badly. Unfortunately this meant an indefinite wait for you guys as well. I'm not even sure the bug is back yet (as is evident by the pitifulness of this "chapter") but I guess we'll see. I do promise that I'll put in a more conscience effort to write, and if you're still here after all of this time I thank you so so much, you guys are amazing!
Seven.
As it turned out, tomorrow never happened. Nor the day after. Nor the day after. It was as if Merlin had disappeared from the face of the earth. Gwaine had awoken to find the bed above him empty and bare, and no one else had heard from him. It made Arthur furious.
"He's done this. It's too convenient. We hear him having a conversation about Emrys with some mysterious voice and then he bloody disappears. It's him trying to escape us, is what it is."
It was the paranoid meal time rant that the others had heard fairly often of the past four or five days, and as usual they tried to change the topic.
Percy was the first to try with a halfhearted "The weather's nice today, at least."
"Yeah, and the next visit's coming up soon!" was Lance's input, "I'll get to see my mum right before her birthday."
"Oh that's aces mate!" was Gwaine.
"I don't have anyone coming for me." the broken voice silenced the group and made Arthur freeze. Gwaine's smile faltered as he looked over Arthur's head to where Merlin stood. He was about to make some sly joke about Freya running off with another man, which, granted, was a terrible idea, but would also probably get the miserable look off of his face, when Merlin barrelled on. "Lost that privilege along with my sanity apparently. Sorry I scared you all the other day, that happens to me sometimes." he shuffled awkwardly to the end of the table, looking at each of his friends in turn. Looking for approval.
The awkward pause lingered for a moment before Gwaine found it unbearable.
"Nah, don't worry about it. Freaked us all out when you weren't there the next day though."
"Yeah, uhm, they moved me to the psych ward at some ridiculous time in the morning." he gave a small smile, "They didn't want to wake you so I kind of just left."
"This happens to you sometimes?" Arthur didn't even lift his eyes to meet Merlin's, he just stared at his food and threw down what little of it he was holding.
"Yeah."
"And you never thought to tell us that?"
"What was there to say?"
"Obviously not that you have conversations with yourself. It's an interesting cover, I'll give you that. It's inventive, but I don't buy it for a second. I dunno, maybe you have some hidden cell or bluetooth or something? You're keeping in contact with Emrys, or with someone who knows him at least. I'm not stupid Merlin. Now you can either tell me about it later, or you can consider yourself alone."
Merlin's face grew dark, the others in various states of shock and gaping.
"Arthur-"
"I don't believe I was talking to you Gwaine." he finally lifted his face towards Merlin, a cold hard stare plastered onto his features. "So?"
"You want to single me out, Arthur? Go ahead. Just remember something; to you I'm just another inmate, but them," he waved his hand, vaguely gesturing to the entirety of the mess hall, "to them I'm a God. I'm that bloke that even the Cenred inmates are afraid of." He leaned on the table, inches away from Arthur face, "You may be strong in a group, but I'm strong alone. If alone is what I have then so be it. Alone protects me." He held his stare for a few moments longer before turning oh his heel and storming out of the room.
