Fae Biology: Reproductive and Developmental Biology: Slow and Magical
The way fae have babies and grow up in Twisted Wonderland is really different from humans. It takes a super long time, needs a lot of love and magic, and changes depending on what kind of fae they are—like dragon fae, bat fae, or crocodile fae.
First, fae don't have kids the same way as people. Some lay eggs, others give birth to live babies. The big difference comes from their type.
Dragon fae (like Malleus and his mom, Princess Maleanor) lay eggs. The mom carries the baby inside her for a while, then lays one big egg (about the size of a big watermelon or bigger). The egg has a hard shell that looks dark and shiny, like black rock with thorns. Inside, the baby gets food from a yolk sac full of magic from the mom. But here's the important part: the egg won't hatch on its own. It needs tons of love and magic poured into it from the parents (or someone who loves the baby like a parent). Normal dragon eggs hatch in just 2-3 years if the parents give enough care and magic every day. Without that love, the egg can get covered in dark blot (that bad ink stuff from too much bad feelings or a bitch) and never open. The baby inside might stay stuck forever or even die.
In the story, Malleus's mom, Maleanor, laid his egg during a big war with humans. She was super powerful, but she got hurt badly and died fighting. Before she died, she told Lilia to take the egg and hatch it for her because she loved her husband Raverne and Lilia loved them both—so Lilia could give the love the egg needed. But even though Maleanor gave a huge amount of her own magic, the egg stayed quiet for a very long time. It took over 200 years of waiting and trying before it finally hatched, and that was only because Lilia never gave up. He talked to the egg, sang songs, told stories, and gave it all his magic and even said it could take his life if needed. When Malleus came out, he wasn't a human-looking baby—he was a small dragon with scales, wings, and fire breath. It took him about 20 more years to learn how to walk on two legs and look more like a person. That's why Malleus is only 178 years old now, even though the war happened around 400 years ago. He spent most of that time as an egg, waiting for enough love.
This shows dragon fae babies really need feelings to grow. Magic alone isn't enough; it has to mix with real care and affection, like how a mom or dad hugs and talks to their kid. Without it, the egg just sits there, lonely and sad. That's why Malleus feels so alone sometimes—his start in life was full of waiting and missing his real parents.
For other fae types, like bat fae (Lilia) or crocodile fae (Sebek's family), things look more like human birth. They probably have live babies instead of eggs. We know this because Lilia has a belly button (a little mark on his tummy from when he was connected to his mom inside her). That means his mom carried him in her belly with a cord that gave him food and magic, just like human moms do. Crocodile fae moms might do the same, maybe having babies that can swim right away because their family lives near swamps. These babies probably come out looking more human-like or with animal features from the start, not starting as full animals like dragon babies.
What about mixed kids, like Sebek? He's half fae (crocodile side from his mom and grandpa) and half human (from his dad). He was born live, not from an egg, and grew up at a normal speed like Silver (who's human but raised by fae). Sebek is around 16-17 now, same as his classmates, but his fae side gives him longer life—maybe 200-500 years instead of 80 like humans. He gets the best of both: strong fae senses and bite power, but he doesn't grow super slow like full fae.
How fast do fae grow up? Very slowly! Dragon fae are still called "babies" or hatchlings at 200 years old (like a human toddler). At 500 years, they're like teens. Only at 1000 years do they count as full adults. Malleus is 178, so he's like an 18-year-old human in mind and body, even though he's way older in years. Lilia is about 700, so he's like a 70-year-old grandpa, but he acts young and playful because fae stay looking young forever. Sebek and Silver are normal teen ages because one is half-human and the other is fully human.
Why is everything so slow? Fae live in a tough place with wars and magic everywhere. Having few kids who take forever to grow means each one is super special and protected. But it also makes them lonely—parents might die before the kid even hatches, like what happened to Malleus. The story uses this to show big feelings: love isn't just nice, it's literally needed to bring new life. Without family or friends giving care, fae babies (or eggs) suffer. That's why Lilia became like a dad to Malleus—he saved him with love when no one else could. And that's why Malleus treasures his friends now; he knows how important that feeling is from his own start.
In short, fae babies need magic + real love to be born and grow. Dragon ones wait inside eggs for years (or hundreds if things go wrong), starting as little animals before learning to look human. Other fae have live births like us. Growing up takes forever—200 years to be a little kid, 1000 to be grown-up. This makes fae super strong and long-living, but also very emotional and sometimes sad because time moves so slow for them. It's one of the coolest and saddest parts of their world!
