Een

She was an anomaly even before being born: a child of forces connected by their opposition, laid upon soil claimed by shadows. Surrounded by enchanted candles, the nest of three only hatched a pair of identical dragons on a day of worship.

In face of the disease that stole their last sibling from the world even before they could hatch – Plaguebringer’s curse, she heard them whisper behind her father’s back, supposedly for going against his nature – the two remaining were always called lucky. For what? Could anyone even understand what it meant to them? Having been brought into existence as reflected images of their parents and each other, only to be cursed from the moment they awoke, forever fractured as two-thirds of a whole. Even their colors were seen as a good omen: twice kissed by fire and the stained glass work of their wings matching not only the gems nestled in the regal tracery but also the shadows in their eyes. A blessing, they chanted. It felt anything but.

She could only take solace in her brother’s company. Even their parents, with their diametrical eyes, couldn’t relate to their sense of displacement. But despite being mirrors of each other, as they grew, they were caught in conflict more often than not, lost in their own unprocessed grief. She did not take part in the trickery that was supposed to be an integral part of her, much preferring quietude and peace. Her brother, however, eventually took to it. Greedily, he grew ever masterful in his games, cunning and cruel. Perhaps their lost sibling would have been the balance between them, the missing point of their triangle also the missing lever that would have kept them aligned. No one would ever know. As it was, the more time went by, the more the chasm separating them grew.

Without the heart to watch her brother rise in the rank of shadows at the cost of the kindness that already felt long lost, she left. In search of herself, she traveled amongst those who favored thunder and found she did not share in their ambitions. Within the realms of magic, she learned that she was far too grounded to partake in their dreams.

So she carries on, as discovering what she isn’t only brings her closer to who she is.