In faraway lands to the east, there lived a valiant soldier, who was called Yashiko. Yashiko had fought with a brave heart in many battles, and at the end of his long service to his Emperor, he was to be rewarded with the hand of the Princess Iri-na, who loved him more than any other in all Japan.
For many long years, Iri-na waited patiently for Yashiko’s return to her. But, when finally the day came, Iri-na discovered there was something very wrong with her beloved.
Outwardly, Yashiko appeared unchanged, except for three small scars he'd suffered in battle: one on his right knee, one at his left ankle, and a small crescent mark just above his brow. Iri-na hardly noticed these. More worried was she that her love had suffered a scar she could not see with her eyes, one that weighed heavily upon his heart. There were long shadows lurking about his face that had not been there before, and Yashiko's eyes were cold, emptied of all the warmth they once held. He spoke little, and refused to tell her or anyone else what ailed him. Despairing, Iri-na decided to ask her friend the water dragon for advice.
The water dragon of the Mogami River was a great, wise old beast that had lived a very long time, dispensing wise counsel to those in need. He had become a friend to Iri-na in the long, lonely time Yashiko had been away.
"What saddens you, little princess?" asked the water dragon kindly, blinking his blue, milky eyes at her. "Has your love not yet returned to you?"
"He has," said Iri-na sadly, "But all is not well with my beloved." She told the water dragon of all the changes that had come over Yashiko, and when she had finished the scales around the great beast’s eyes had darkened to the color of the river's deep bottom with concern.
"Send him here to speak with me," the water dragon said after a moment's consideration. "I will do all I can to help him."
Relieved, Iri-na thanked him and did as he asked, coaxing and pleading until Yashiko finally strayed from his chambers--where he now spent all of his days--and agreed to go to meet the water dragon.
Down he went, to the banks of the long and serpentine Mogami River. Here the water dragon waited for him, floating serenely with his belly scratching the river bottom, letting the sun glint off the bright scales of his back. The wise beast had been thinking very hard of how best to help Yashiko, and at last had struck upon an idea.
"Oh great, noble warrior," said the water dragon eagerly, "the Princess Iri-na has told me so much about you and of your travels in the wide world. I begged her to send you here, with the hope that you might share one or two of those great stories with me. I grow so old, and my eyes can only see as far as the banks of my river. Alas, I long to hear of the world again, and of the people in it."
Yashiko scowled, the shadow over his face growing even darker. But, as he did not want to offend the wise old beast, he consented with a grunt and a nod and sat down upon a flat rock near the water’s edge.
He started by telling of the far off lands he had visited, of the people he had met there, and as he spoke he warmed more and more to the telling. He spoke of the battles he had fought, and of the suffering and sadness he had witnessed in lands ravaged by war. As he was speaking, some of the shadows in his eyes and face seemed to flicker and vanish, while the scales of the water dragon’s belly became very dark, so dark that the river bottom seemed to disappear beneath them.
When his tale was finished, Yashiko blinked and pressed a hand to his heart, amazed at the weight that had been lifted from it. "You have healed me," he said to the water dragon in wonder and gratitude.
"You are not healed, not yet." The old beast shook his bearded head, sending ripples through the water. "You were being poisoned from within by your pain and sadness. Now that you have spoken of it, the wound is less and will heal with time."
"But why have you done this for me?" Yashiko asked.
The water dragon pointed with its three-clawed foot to the dark scales of its belly. "I listen to many human stories. The ones filled with sadness I place here against my scales, on the dark river's bottom. The ones filled with joy, I place on the surface to catch the light." The water dragon turned his great, dripping head now to the shining scales of his back, where the sun indeed glinted brightly. "I must hear both to be content."
"I owe you a great debt," said Yashiko, bowing low. "But I fear I have no joyous tales to tell you."
"One day you will," the water dragon assured him. "For now, your princess has paid your debt for you," and the scales around the water dragon’s eyes shone warmly, so that they seemed almost to be twinkling. "All the long time you were away, your princess spoke tenderly of the man she loved and told a great, joyous story of the life they would one day share."
At these words, Yashiko found he could say nothing at all, and the water dragon seemed to smile.
"Go home," the old beast bade him, "and wed your princess. Share your tale and ask for hers in return. The weight on both your hearts will be less when the burden is shared with love." And with that, the water dragon closed his milky eyes to sleep, for he was quite content.
Taking the water dragon's wise counsel, Yashiko made his way quickly home to find Iri-na. The two were wed on the banks of the Mogami, and they loved each other the rest of their days, each sharing the other's sadness and joy, so their hearts were never heavy.
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