The Dancing Women

The Golden Lady always danced alone at the Time of the First Sun Change. She swept into the village with her arms wide, hair loose and feet treading quickly and softly. The villagers of the Valley of Good Harmony dropped what they were doing and rushed toward her, their eyes alight with joy, as her body moved to tell stories that they could understand but not retell. Then came the Black Lady; her hands moving like water over the holes of her long bamboo flute; the notes seeming almost tangible as she came step by step into the village. The villagers looked upon her with sacred awe and respect as she followed her companion through the village, the music of the flute creating the canvas upon which The Golden Lady danced her stories. The villagers followed the procession as The Golden Lady weaved a path through the village, her hands touching all the houses and her feet treading through all the small garden patches that the villagers had worked lovingly on. She twirled and leapt, seeming to jump faster and higher with every note that The Black Lady drew from her flute, till they arrived at the fields. There they stopped for a moment, the last notes seeming to hang in the air and then The Black Lady placed the flute to her lips once again and the tune that came out this time felt almost violent with the raw beauty of it. The Golden Lady leapt forward at the first note and the villagers could not follow the swift movements of her form as she spun, leapt, bowed, ran intricate steps through the long, wide fields. The night soon gave way into the blush of early morning and as the sun came up The Golden Lady seemed to glow as the sun's ray flashed upon her. She came in from the fields and began her last dance around the villagers, weaving her way in between them as The Black Lady played a tune that reached right into the heart of the villagers. No one saw them leave; they only knew that when the last note was played they all felt as if they had just awoken from a deep sleep with their ailments cured and the fields were alive with the green of newly grown plants swaying gently in the breeze.

The Golden Lady and The Back Lady danced of the Time of the Settling. The Golden Lady danced the major part of the duet; weaving her way through the village once again and then the last few steps were taken by the Black Lady, still playing her flute, moving slowly and deliberately through the village. Their exit was once again unseen but the village afterward lay in the soft glow off good health, prosperity and growth.

The Black Lady danced the first half of the duet for the Time of Waning. This time The Golden Lady played on the flute and The Black Lady moved in a dance that made her seem like smoke and shadow. She twirled and glided around the village and fields; her touch bringing in a good harvest and giving peace to those that must pass on. The Golden Lady danced the last half, her touch showering the villagers with hope and comfort.

The Black Lady would have danced the major part of the duet for the Time of Death. But at their arrival there was nothing but fire, chaos and death. The Valley of Good Harmony had fallen prey to the Dark Warlord of the Plains. The Golden Lady dropped to her knees and wailed, tearing at her long hair. The Black Lady picked her up and held her tight, whispering soft noises of comfort. When The Golden Lady finally subsided The Black Lady gave her the flute and with a final whisper of comfort began to walk through the village, seeking out the ones who had died and were dying to grant them peace on their way. And when she was done, she stood at the end of the village and saw the path of the Warlord's Army. She stood gathering her power till is billowed around her as black smoke turning in upon itself and then with a rush she was gone following the path towards those that had destroyed so a good a thing. Her arrival was like a tide of death. Her power billowed out in black tendrils wrapping around and entering the Warlord's Army, snuffing their lives from them in a terrible silent anger. The Warlord himself came out with his great sword in hand, ready to do battle but the Black Lady swept the blade aside and taking his hands in her own, drew him into a dance. Round and round they spun and stepped, his life fading out with each move that she guided him in. Until at last his cold stiff body fell to the ground and the Black Lady left a forest of black skeletal tress behind.

The Golden Lady always danced alone at the Time of the First Sun Change.