You would think that Myra´s parents were very far-seeing and planned ahead by giving their little girl this fitting name yet it wasn´t like this at all. Myra´s parents came with one of the big secutor-class star destroyers as stowaways to this planet. Myras mother Bryony was grievously wounded during a battle, and she and her consort Baz Rishi thought they would never have a child of their own. After settling down on the new planet and adjusting to the new tune and vibes, living a much more peaceful life in the woods, the wonder happened and Myra was born. Her parents chose the name Myrrine for her, Myra for short, the ancient words for myrrh, because myrrh was worth much more than it´s weight in gold, priced at five times that of frankincense, and since they were so thankful for their little bundle of joy and admired her so much, they thought this name would show their affection for their daughter best. However, their relationships to the elves of the nearby Seelie court were very friendly and they remember the day until today when the old tree elf Miriel visited for the first time. She bent over the wicker basket in which Myra slept, blessing her and murmuring that she can see the little girl becoming a skilled healer soon. Sure enough, Myra was still a toddler, her parents already saw her talking to the forest animals and they seemed to understand her! When an animal was wounded or had problems with it´s young, they approached Myra on the clearing where she used to play and begged for help and always got it. Myra laid her small hands on the top of their heads, and when you watched her very intent and with an open mind, you could feel energy passing between healer and patients. Sometimes, Myra felt very tired afterwards yet she got stronger every time after a healing and minor wounds and ailments caused no troubles at all after some months. Some years later, around her 10th year of life, Myra could be watched planting all kind of herbs, first only healing ones, then also poisonous ones for experimenting. With 14, her parents built her a little cottage of her own, attached to her beloved clearing, and she equipped it with a small lean-to for her experiments. Her parents heard often alarming noises coming out of her laboratory, poofs and bangs and sometimes, they could see strange colored smoke coming out of her chimney. They trusted their daughter, though, and let her have her way with herbs and salves, gems and metals, vials of odiferous smelling fluids and bubbling potions. As soon as Myra hit her 15th birthday, Miriel appeared again in her parents house. She offered to train Myra properly to become a highly skilled healer and alchemist. "I saw the talent in her already as she still slumbered peacefully in her cradle", Miriel said, "now I have to know if she has the qualities to become a powerful alchemist. We elves don´t like to give our knowledges to unworthy beings". Yes, elves are sometimes arrogant, very arrogant. However, Bryony and Baz Rishi had known the elf for long and knew she would mean no harm and only cared for the well-being of all the creatures around. "So tell me about your beloved girl", Miriel asked, "let me know all about her traits and quirks!". "Oh, Myra is a very calm yet outgoing girl. She is easy to talk to and a serious learner. If you feel anxious or nervous and you talk to her, you feel soothed after some minutes of talk. She cares for her family and she would never do any harm.......... normally.", Bryonia said. "She has this strong repulsion against iniquity, though, and she can be very stubborn", Myra´s father said, "otherwise, she is very loving and fresh as a daisy, yes, that´s my girl" Baz Rishi said joyful as he saw Myra wandering over the meadow approaching their house, just in time for their shared evening meal. Myra was delighted to see Muriel again, they had some amicable discussions during her few visits in the past. However, hearing the news, she got very reluctant. "That´s a wonderful chance yet I don´t like to leave my parents", she admitted, "and also not........ Shimmershadow". She shook her head with determination. "He lives in the wood nearby and I won´t leave him." "Your parents can come visiting every time and who is this being you are mentioning that´s so close to your heart?", Miriel asked, and Bryony and Baz Rishi looked astonished because they never heard this name before and thought this would be a stubborn flaw coming through in her otherwise sweet tempered daughter. "He´s a unicorn filly, only 303 years old - that´s quite young for a unicorn", Myra explained. "I won´t let him come to harm after I´ve saved him". "A unicorn!!", Miriel caroled, "we haven´t seen one in decades! He could come with us to the Seelie realm, too!" "His mother lived with the Túatha Dé Danann for many years, I think he would agree - yes, he´s saying he would come!", Myra happily confides. "So you have mastered telepathy already, I see!", Miriel exclaimed, "that´s promising!". "Will you tell us how you met, healer?". Myra looked embarrassed and blushed. "I was not a healer to my liking at that very day", she murmured, then louder and with a passion "yet I would always do it again!!!". She told her attentive listeners that one day, she was just watering the plants in their raised beds, she heard a lot of shouting coming out of the normally peaceful wood and curiously approached. To her utterly horror, she saw three mean looking men hunting a little unicorn who already had tears in it´s eyes and lay on the ground, struggling, whilst the men tightened the net already thrown over it. They laughed and estimated how much money they would get on the black market for the unicorn horn after they would have cut it away because powdered, it´s healing power is very valued by special men. Myra waited not a second longer! She flew down to her little lean-on, gathered the latest outcome of her alchemistic experiments and threw it at the men. There was a loud firework of poofs and booms and howls and then a lot of crying and blood, tissue and bone pieces flew through the air. Two men dragged themselves off, swearing loudly, yet the third man lay torpid and very pale on the ground, some blood came trickling out of his mouth. Myra moved fast to the little unicorn without sparing so much as a glance at the man, freeing it from the gashing net. They embraced and as their silver hair and silver mane mingled, both instantly knew they found a soul mate in each other. Luckily, Shimmershadow was not harmed seriously, Myra had come just in time. Always the alchemist, she gathered the precious unicorn tears in a delicate vial and stowed it away safely for future use. Then they buried the dead man in silence and went to Myra´s home to sit down in the afternoon sun, warming up their chilling experiences. After some months, black flowers sprouted all over the place where the villain was buried and after some experimenting, Myra found out that plucking a bunch and binding it with a hair from Shadowshimmers mane could be used as a charm for protecting a house against all kind of bounders and knaves and ill-meaning blackguards. However, Myra mentioned her friend to no one, not even her parents, because she thought this would be his best protection. The prospect to go with him to a save elven settlement filled Myra´s heart with joy. And so it happened that Myra and Shimmershadow followed Miriel to her elven home high up in the trees, and yes, unicorns can fly! Myra studied alchemy and plant medicine for 9 long years and Shimmershadow roamed the enchanted elven woods, becoming friends with almost all the animals within, learned their languages and studied their skills. With their friends, The Chimeriad group, they were out for many adventures and now closer than ever! Myra and Shimmershadow are soul mates.