One day, Minuette sat with her friend on the bank of a gently flowing river.  They watched as the morning sun peeked over the nearby mountain range and brought the waves to dancing.

“It’s all about harmony, Min.  We help the world remain in balance.  We are even at peace with our dragons – to us, they are gift and guide.”

“Yes, but, guide to what? To whom?? They revere the Dragon Lord, who has set himself against the Great King.”

“Of course they revere the Dragon Lord. He is the eldest and wisest of all the dragons, having been around since the beginning of days, many generations before the arrival of your StoryTeller.  Think about it, use your own mind – what really makes sense: the deities and aspects that the whole world believes in by different names, who have been around since the times before memory; or the StoryTeller who reformed the stories and even made some to seem about Himself?  Our belief celebrates the natural and the feminine, while yours seeks to suppress and control it.”

“What makes sense is what’s written in the sacred lore – the Great King made all that is, one sought to claim His throne, and was cast out.  That one, the Dragon Lord, is intent on taking the throne, or at least as many of the beloved as he can.  When the StoryTeller walked among us, He elevated women to a place of honor, and spoke of the natural cycles of seasons.  We’re not about suppression and control, not those of us who follow the Great King in humility.”

“The Great King…creator…distant and unhearing.  Our dragons are closer, ever present, and support us in our own independence.  As long as our dragons are happy, they keep us happy, and everything is in harmony.”

“There’s a gathering at the Embassy this afternoon, I should head back and change clothes.”

“Yeah, I have some studying to do.  You remind me of another point, though – have you taken note of how many Embassies of the Great King are decorated with icons of the ancients?  That tells me that although the armies of the StoryTeller took over our villages and destroyed our writings, they still acknowledged our deities.  Don’t you find that interesting, Min?”

“Disconcerting is more the word I’d use, but yes, I’ve noticed.”

As they walked back to the village, Minuette sought to correct her friend on a crucial point: “And, those armies may have marched under the name of the StoryTeller, but they weren’t following Him or His orders. His war is with the Dragon Lord, not the beloved, and His weapon is sacrificial love, not swords and spears.”

“Love?  Love…hmmm… we’ve got you on that one, my friend.  Free expression of love is one of our tenets, and you want to declare that love must be confined to one man and one woman who have officially gone through the bonding ritual.  Which brings me to another point – your ritual, the binding of two trees with ribbons and blessings – it looks a lot like our Beltane, which your people have renamed Roodmas.”

“Beltane? Roodmas??”

“We celebrate the shifting of seasons and the cycles of nature.  Beltane is our welcome to Planting season, when the season of Resting is done.  One of our traditions is tying brightly colored ribbons around trees to bless nature and seek her blessing in return.  The God and Goddess unite, and bring on the life and growth that will give us beauty and later a plentiful harvest.  After the conquering, the Great King’s Ambassadors sought to do away with our celebration, but they couldn’t, so they reformed it to a celebration of the death and rebirth of the StoryTeller, calling it Roodmas.”

“Um, resurrection, not rebirth – there’s a difference.”

“Oh my dear Min, what am I to do with you?”

“Well, I hope you’ll remain my friend.  May we pick up this conversation again tomorrow?”

“Of course, I’ll see you tomorrow, at our spot by the river.”