Introduction

Once upon a time there was a small kingdom, in an area that would eventually become part of France. You may know this place as Brittany, but in ancient times it was known as Armorica, and this is where the story begins.

In that small kingdom, the king had a daughter named Morvryn who had yet to marry. One strange day, she became pregnant without an idea as to how it happened. As far as she knew, the baby had no father. She believed that the child was conceived from the air as a gift from the gods to the young woman; however, that was far from the truth. Unbeknownst to her, the father of her child was a dark and powerful creature that would pass on that power to her child.

When she gave birth to her child, it was a boy and she named him Merlin and thanked her gods for their blessing. Later, she would marry and have another child, this time by the normal means, and she would name her Gwen. Gwen and Merlin were both happy children. They played in the meadows and the brooks, singing to the birds and the flowers as they went; however, as Merlin grew it became apparent that he was not like other children, not even like his sister. The waters and trees moved when he sang, and his thoughts of tomorrow became reality the next day. He had inherited these gifts from his unknown father, and they only grew as he did.

Morvryn realized early he was no ordinary child, and that these powers might not be a benign gift from the gods. She worried they were a malignant curse from whatever power caused his conception. With these worries in mind she took him to be baptized, blessed, and cleansed by a holy leader of every faith she knew. Although she would never know for sure, she prayed that these precautions would save her son from any ill fate that was meant for him.

By the time he was a young man he was practiced in magic and prophecy and was known throughout the land for his gifts. He could read the stars and tell of the future, past, or present. He could change his form into that of any animal, man, or woman, and perform other feats unimaginable. He taught what he could to his mother and his sister Gwen. Although Morvryn was older and could only master a few spells and charms, Merlin's sister Gwen grew in power with Merlin. Although she was never as powerful or gifted as Merlin, she devoured knowledge with an unending appetite. Gwen and Merlin were inseparable and became a pair not to be trifled with.

One day, that would lead to some of Merlin and Gwen's most miraculous feats, they met two brothers, Uther and Ambrose. The friendship that followed set the course for all of Britain.