Across a flowery field since lost to the Basin, a young goddess travelled
through. With each brisk touch of Her hand against the petals, each flower
sprang to its rightful colour; roses became red, the sunflowers became yellow.
All throughout the fields, colours swept abundantly. This was Her charge, this
was Her heart's foremost call.
As that young goddess travelled through the land, another painted the sky;
although Her call was not as regular. At different times during the day She
would streak across the sky in record times. By dawn, the sky would be a blend
of oranges and reds that rivaled the most vibrant of gems. Come noon and the
skies would be as blue as the oceans, cloudless and blemish-free. Dusk would
arrive, and the sky would be painted back to the oranges and reds from dawn,
only with a much more subtle tinge. Finally, when the beasts of land, sky and
air came to sleep, the sky was painted an ever present black speckled with few
splatters of white stars. She came and went as She would allow herself.
For decades, the skies and the flowers were painted as both goddesses
travelled the sky and the land. Their harmonizing painting of land and air
insured the beauty of the Basin's landscape and horizon to be endless. However,
whilst the flower-painting goddess tended to the mountain flowers, the
sky-artist's goddess painted a darker streak of colour, brown in colour. The
land ridden deity looked up, an apalled look flashed across Her face. "Isune!"
She called up in a voice that contrasted Her rather thin frame, "Why would you
paint that?! It harms the flowers!"
Isune halted Herself mid-flight and turned to face the grounded Lady.
"Maylea, I own the right to paint whatever I please in the sky, do I not?" She
called out a bit impatiently, Her hands resting on her hips as she descended to
the ground. Maylea scowled as Isune reached the ground and the Ladies came
face-to-face.
"But the flowers, Isune! It isn't time for dusk, they are not ready to
slumber!" Maylea exclaimed in a panic as She heard the flowers shrill, but
sudden, call of despair. Isune smirked and stepped toward the flowers next to
Maylea, bending Her knees and stooping low to the plants. Her fingers gingerly
touched the yellow petals and Maylea gave a start, "They are worried Your
reckless sky painting will force them to early slumber!" Isune scowled and
withdrew Her hand, turning Herself back to face Maylea once more.
"Listen, Maylea, I will paint the skies as I please, what colour I please,
when I please. Your flowers should live with it and, I hope, thank Me for it!"
Her tone was angry, impatient. Her fists clenched as She came closer to Her
friend, "Is this clear?"
Maylea stared back with just as much intensity, and in a blur of fabric from
Her sari, She raised Her hand and sent a lash of kudzu to thwap Isune on the
forehead. "You must consider the needs of the flowers, Isune!" She frowned as
Isune shook Her head and jumped into the air above Maylea, flapping her wings
frantically.
"The flowers will enjoy my skies!" She shouted as the wind picked up and the
flowers bent backwards at the power of the gusts.
"Maybe they'd enjoy being uprooted!"
Maylea quickly sidestepped in front of the arnica flowers, standing firm and
bracing Herself against Isune's wind, "Isune stop! Please!" She called out,
worried for the plants' safety. "Please, Isune, take pity!"Isune stopped
flapping Her wings and lowered herself to the ground, looking about at the
ruffled petals of all the arnica. She gulped in grief as She could feel the
worry and the hurt in the roots and dropped on Her rear, burying Her face in Her
hands.
"Maylea..I..I'm sorry.." Maylea stepped calmly over to Isune and
embraced Her friend in a comforting hug.
"Isune, it is I who must apologize..I should have never hit You or lashed out
like I did," Maylea took Isune's hands in Her own and helped Her to rise. "You
have always known what colour the sky must be and when it must be.."
"And You have known what colour it is the plants desire most. For decades We
have shared..why this comes up now I am uncertain.."
"If You can forgive Me, Isune, I shall never again interfere!" Maylea
exclaimed, placing Her hand on Her heart - a symbol of promise.Isune giggled
gleefully and nodded Her head eagerly, following Her dear friend's motions and
placing Her own hand on Her heart.
"And if You, Maylea, can forgive Me, I shall never not cause Your flower's
harm at inappropriate times because I tire of the sky's
colour!" Isune promised.
Now, centuries after the promise, the skies and the lands are painted in
cooperation by Lady Maylea, the Bloom of Serenity and by Lady Isune, the
Aesthete. For centuries after the promise was made, we stand in awe at their
collaborations and we revel in the lively colours that are strewn about us from
day to day. This is our thanks!