here is a princess who made her home in the heart of the world... in the Temple of the Dreaming where the many paths weave their mystery. She is not like any other princess either for she is made entirely of light.
      Her father, the Dragon Hajimemashite, is the ruler of the Dreaming, and he made his home in a heavenly palace at the center of the blossom where all paths are one. There, the Dragon has two thrones: a throne of justice and a throne of mercy. When he sits the throne of justice, he is stern and severe; and when he sits the throne of mercy he is a forgiving ruler. Living with her father, the princess grew in beauty and brilliance, as well as wisdom.
      So it was that she took upon herself to go into the world and give out the blessings of her light. To almost all she was invisible, though the furres could sense her presence with them as gentle and comforting as a mother’s smile. Still, at times she would appear in visions... or she would be felt as a friend’s paw upon the shoulder... or heard as a laugh bubbling up from the belly of a child... or seen as a bride upon the altar path. Then would the furres rest their paw across their heart and sigh a joyful peace.
      “Look!” they would cry. “There! There is the princess!”
      Then would they feel safe and snug for as long as the princess was with them, they knew the Dragon would protect them. So too, they knew that as long as they kept a place for her in the heart of the world... as long as the Temple of the Dreaming stood, then the princess was happy and her days filled with blessings. Such is oft the ways of furres, however, that they are forgetful and too caught up in their affairs to count their blessings.
      So it was that the temple door was left open and Nareetha, Lady of Death and Prime of Sorrow, slipped in unnoticed. Seeking to escape the torments of her murderer, Chatengo, Nareetha beseeched the princess to ungag her and let her live in the heart of the world... in the Temple of the Dreaming. The princess for pity could not turn away from such pain and made Nareetha welcome in her home.
      Then she of the endless tears wept and wept upon the altar, unseeing and unfeeling of all but the grief that was her own death. Her tears spilled across floor and sank through to the temple’s foundation. The ground, loosened by the flood of tears, could not hold the root stones of the temple, and the world all around shook with Nareetha’s sobs. The grand pillars of the Temple of the Dreaming crumbled. The soaring arches of the Temple of the Dreaming collapsed in ruin. And the backbone beams of the Temple of the Dreaming split assunder. Oh, such a sound was made as the temple fell!
      The furres were forced to flee their homes to escape the destruction which spread ever wider. And the princess, who loved the furres with all her heart, could not bear their despair. She drew her shawl about herself and went into exile with them. And so her light disappeared, her blessings hushed.
      Her father was greatly displeased by this turn of events, and it is lucky indeed for all the furres that the Dragon was sitting the throne of mercy when he learned the news.
      He summoned all the princes of the world and told them, “Whosoever among you shall find my daughter shall wed her. And upon that day, Nareetha will still her cries and the world will rejoice in great celebration and joy. But do not think this will be easy! Even though she is always with her furres, she is well hidden.”
      Now, of course, every prince was keen to wed the princess whose beauty was incomparable and whose father ruled the world. The bravest and strongest searched everywhere for the princess; and the questing went on long and tirelessly as they looked in every room of every house and in every field and every grove. But they could not find her.
      Finally there was but one prince left. Patiently and attentively, he had awaited his turn; and when at last he was asked, he could in no wise refuse the quest. Before setting out into the world, though, he just sat himself down where he happened to be at that moment – right there on the bare floor of his bedchamber – and he placed is head in paw.
      “Now, where could it be,” he pondered, “that the princess is so well hidden, while at the same time she is always with her beloved furres?”
      He sat through the night and through the next day thinking; and through two nights more as well, until on the morning of the third day he smiled and stood up with a confident nod.
      “The only thing in the world that is always with the furres is their Heart’s Dream,” he declared. “All I need to do is discover the secret of the Heart’s Dream, and there I will find the princess.”
      The prince studied long years at the mystery until at last he understood the Heart’s Dream.
      And where had she hidden herself so well? She was where she had always been: in the words of love. And now that the prince knows where the princess is hidden, he is determined to set her free.
      He labors now, building the Temple of the Dreaming anew. With each stone he places, he sings a prayer to a furre...
      “I love you.” And a brick is set...
      “And I love you.” And another put in place...
      “You, I love as well.” And higher grows the walls of the Temple of the Dreaming....
      And once the Temple of the Dreaming has been rebuilt, the princess will again have a home; and once the princess returns to her home in the heart of the world, she will walk down the altar path with her bridegroom; and as they approach the altar, Nareetha will raise her head and see the joy of their union, and our Lady of Sorrow will smile at last.