SagaofWarandPeace
See also:
At the sunset of the First Age, there lived a Dawn Grandmaster so terrible she called herself simply War. And when she went among the people, soldiers threw themselves down and begged to be spared the touch of her wrath. She was the master of every weapon of war and Martial Style known by man or God, and could kill an army with a flick of her wrist. And she was very beautiful.
At the sunset of the First Age, there lived a No Moon so compassionate, he was called simply Peace. And when he went among the people, soldiers cast themselves down and begged to be forgiven the wrongs they had done. He could build anything: palaces and statues and mountains, and all good things dreamed of by man or God. And he was very beautiful.
War took Peace for her lover, and he raised many strong children of hers. On the 100th Anniversary of their Union, War created a celebration for her beloved. She dreamed of Roses, and when she awoke, she created the FallingRosePetalStyle for her beloved. She assembled 100 Dragon-Blooded warriors, each initiated into the Celestial Arts, and she taught them the Falling Rose Petal Style. And the 100 warriors stretched out across a great verdant valley and summoned great clouds of Roses, and War stood above them, and out of the petals she forged a great scarlet palace. And when the Dragon-Blooded were done with their work, Peace looked upon War, and he could only weep at the beauty he saw in her face. And when Peace wept, he spoke to his lover:
"Oh my Beloved, please teach me this Art, so that we might build wonderous Rose palaces together."
And when she heard this, War looked down upon her lover, and spoke thusly: "Do not Dirty your hands with Roses! Their thorns are sharp, and should one cut your face, my suffering might slay nations. Let the Dragon-Blooded build us palaces. Their faces are not so beautiful, and if cut, they will not bleed so deeply. Come to me in a year, and I will give you a gift suitable for one such as you."
And Peace, who wanted only to be in the arms of his Beloved, went away. And for a year, he dreamed of Roses.
And in a year, on the 101st Anniversary of their union, Peace returned to the valley to meet War. And War stood on the cliff, content. For War had dreamt of Peace, and when she had awoken, she had created the DovesPurityStyle. And War reached out and touched Peace for one moment. And for one moment, War let all the world look through her eyes and feel through her heart. And for one moment, all the world knew Peace. And then she pulled Peace into her, and Peace was as the Dove, his totem. And she stroked the dove, and she stroked Peace, and Peace flew away, smiling. "Come to me in a year, and I will give you a gift suitable for one such as you."
And Peace flew to his great workshop at the edge of the world, and he worked for a year and a day. He took a single sheet of Orichalchum, as wide as the Blessed Isle and as thin as a sunray, and he began to make it into rose petals. And for every time his heart had beat for her, he made one rose petal. And then he pushed 2 petals together to make one, and pushed those together to make one, and so on until he had enough petals for one rose, and no more. And so great was his skill, that each petal was as soft and silky as the petals of a true rose.
moonsilver dove....
And then Peace walked out of his workshop, carrying his two great creations. And for the first time in a year and a day Peace looked upon the light of the sun, and saw that it was very beautiful. And he flew back, and as he was flying night fell. And for the first time in a year and a day Peace looked upon the light of the moon, and saw that it was very beautiful.
And when Peace flew over the valley, he saw many fine children of his, and he saw War. And around her were assembled 100 Dragon-Blooded warriors, each initiated into the Celestial Arts. And they summoned great clouds of roses, and War stood below them, and out of the rose petals flew great drops of scarlet blood. And when the Dragon-Blooded had finished their work, Peace looked upon War, and he could only weep at the beauty he saw in her face.
At the Dusk of the first Age lived a No Moon whose name nobody spoke. And when he went among the people, soldiers cast themselves down and begged to be spared his wrath. He could build daiklaves and arrows and disease, and all things terrible dreamt of by man and god. And his face was cut, and it was no longer so beautiful, and it bled very deeply. And soon all that was left of Peace was a single dove's feather, which had once been white, but now is stained with rose petals.
