The Merlin

Those of the court not genuinely charmed by the Merlin child learned swiftly to affect it, for the queen (in a complete reversal of her initial reaction) was utterly delighted by her mortal fosterling, and took a dim view of anyone not equally enamored.

Of course, some of the fae were genuinely taken with him, if only in an abstract sense. It had been several centuries since the last fosterling, and most had forgotten what it was like to have one around. They discovered that watching a mortal child go through the same stages of development a fae child maneuvered became a more compelling pastime once you understood that this child would not have all of eternity to develop and hone its skills. This realization made them more eager to be involved in whatever the little Merlin child was getting up to, and much, much more eager to give him gifts and teach him things (normally a fae child would not be paid any mind until at least its third or fourth decade). After all, one never knew when a mortal might accidently get itself killed (or, more ghastly still, die of old age) so if one wanted the amusement of watching it perform one’s personal favorite bit of magic, one had best strike while the proverbial iron was hot.

Of course, the Merlin child’s lifespan was not to be quite so short as the courtiers feared. They did not realize that one of the curious effects of a mortal child reared on a fae diet is that it both accelerates and slows his maturation. Mentally he developed more quickly than his mortal peers- but physically the aging process was slowed. Less so in his childhood and early youth (although to look at him at fourteen was to see a child of eight) but quite dramatically as he entered the maturation of adulthood.

At any rate, the excessive attention from the members of the court is why, when his few fae peers were still amusing themselves with songs and games in the nursery, the Merlin child was not only proficient at two different types of divination (augury and tea leaves), could speak and understand three different dialects (high tongue, low tongue, and merish) but could also change himself into no less than five different animals (fish, deer, fox, hare, and beetle- although most found this last shape to be more comical than practical). He even mastered the glamour before he was six, and used it to make his offensively pink skin appear a more appealing green (this in honor of his foster-father, whom he greatly admired).