Shimmer of Destiny

The Shimmering Crown

The night sky looked like an explosion. All the stars had seemed to web together by threads, each thread with its various colors. What artist could have possibly designed such a view Enid thought. It's as if they water-painted the sky and left their masterpiece for the world to see. Nighttime was Enid's favorite. She sat on her balcony in the palace and gazed upon the sky as if it were her lover. Time passes slowly at night, she does not have to worry about her normal duties as the princess of Oshemi.

"You should be in bed, little bird." Enid's mother had snuck in and stood beside her. The galaxy also seemed to notice her presence, its stars beginning to twinkle.

"I'm not little anymore, and I thought my bedtime went away as soon as I turned eighteen." Enid's mother smiled and sat next to Enid. Her long dark hair draped over the bench,

"Age does not defy you from being a well-rested little bird." Enid's mother, Heylan, ruled Oshemi alongside her father, their reign besting all odds for nearly 10,000 years. Heylan was infertile for centuries, and through the blessings of the Enilan, our gods; Enid was born.

Heylan ran her hand through Enid's silver hair, which contrasted with her own. "My dearest blessing, we have a busy day tomorrow." Enid's shoulders sagged; she did not look forward to this.

Enid was to be crowned the official ruling princess of Oshemi, upon reaching eighteen. Though she wished she could stay seventeen forever. She was to be married to another prince that she'd never met. However, she believes in love, on her accord, not what her parents believe is love. Her parent's marriage was arranged, and she never once saw her parents ever share an intimate moment, but rather just accomplices with similar goals.

"I do not consider bidding off my heart to be a busy, productive day, Heylan." Enid focused on the stars, wishing they could simply sweep her away from everything. To a place where life didn't seem so impossibly difficult and her life wasn't defined by how perfect she could appear, or how powerful her powers would manifest to be.

Heylan sighed and looked towards the stars with Enid, "I know you do not want this, but you should want it for your people. For all of us." Enid stood up and gripped the banister, her knuckles white, "I want to choose for myself, for once. Why is my life so dependent on our empire? Why can't it be someone else?" Heylan stood aside Enid, and extended her shimmer towards the sky, her gifted power. The shimmer sparkled around her, and the stars responded to Heylan by illuminating brighter than Enid had ever seen. Heylan picked the brightest one from the sky and held it into her palm, its power seeming to bend the space around it. She closed her palm into a fist, and her shimmer exploded in plumes. Slowly opening her fist she revealed a necklace, with its pendant being the star, "The Enilan answered my prayers for you little bird, you are the empire's miracle. And I will make it my life's duty to make you both the most powerful warrior and beautiful queen the empire has ever seen." Heylan stepped behind Enid carefully slid her hair to the side, and clasped the star around her neck.

The warmth of the star heated her chest, and the power thrummed through her. Enid's own shimmer seemed to investigate as she felt it wrap around the necklace, deciding to destroy it or not. She did not have power over her shimmer, and no one knew how to teach her to tame it. The Enilean had both blessed her with life and cursed her with uncontrollable, dangerous shimmer. Her silver hair reminded her of this gift. Those touched by Enilean have the signature silver hair. The Shami, our healers, have speculated the raw power from the Enilean nearly destroys the body, leaving a scar of silver.

"I do not wish to be all-powerful, I just want to be normal." Enid's shoulders fell, and she felt her mother place her hand on them.

"Be grateful, little bird. Warriors of our empire would kill for even a fraction of your shimmer."

Enid would happily hand over her shimmer to those who wanted it because she certainly did not. Why would anyone want something so dangerous? As a child, Enid's shimmer manifested its own mind, and it killed someone very close to her. She shivered at the thought.

Enid felt her chest cave in, her breath leaving her. She did not want to hurt anyone ever again, she could not feel that guilt of taking another's essence. It had consumed her, leaving her afraid of herself. Life had felt like it ended that day. After she had killed by accident, everyone was too afraid to be near her.

"My shimmer is a curse. I can't even use it without destroying everything, everyone..." Enid felt her eyes get hot and swell with tears. She looked up to the sky, wishing the stars could take away her pain.

"We will find a way, I will not give up on you. Your father sees you as his weapon, but you, Enid, are my precious gift. You give me purpose again." Heylan shifted her shimmer to wrap around Enid, causing her pendant to illuminate.

Heylan's shimmer allowed her to manipulate everything around her. She could use it as an extension of herself, so as her shimmer wrapped around Enid, it felt like a warm blanket had coaxed her. Her mother always did this as a child; it soothed away any pain or distress she felt. That was something she would miss once she was sent away to her new prince husband.

"Tomorrow, please don't leave me. I don't want to hurt anyone." Enid looked into her mother's eyes. They were bright purple, like the wisteria that hung around the castle. Heylan smiled, "I will never leave you, little bird." Enid hugged her mother as if it were the last hug she would ever get from her. She felt her mother's shimmer hug her back as if it saw her as its child, too.

Heylan left Enid's room after wishing her a goodnight, and Enid finally laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She spoke aloud, hoping her shimmer would listen for once, "I am not a monster, you do not define me. I will no longer be afraid of you." She closed her eyes, and felt her chest get hot, and then even hotter. Her tears fell down her face; and when she opened, her star had exploded. Her shimmer had destroyed it.