Early in the week, Lir surveyed the local marine life and shared his findings with the local eco-center. Mua Pel'Am's Oceans were thriving, but the sky still wavered between pristine and neutral conditions.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51864148907_46d7b8ed24_b.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865120681_9b183e2953_c.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865436449_d9cd441deb_c.jpgAfter a long day of work, Lir came home and found Zalen out of bed. He had a nightmare. Lir comforted him before reading him to sleep.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865767410_42b14f8c02_b.jpgLir: "And deep below the ocean surface, there's a palace all the merfolk call home."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865436419_1930622e0e_b.jpgLir: "Sometimes, a young merprince swims to the surface to listen to the song frogs."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865436404_e2bcf288f2_b.jpgIt didn't take long for Zalen to dose off. Lir tucked him in.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51864148842_2c8380f2f2_c.jpgThe next morning, Lir tried to teach Zalen please and thank you. His son seemed to struggle with the concept.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865436389_2abb2bb5c4_c.jpgLir: "It's important to say please and thank you. It's a good way to make friends quickly."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865196988_28185b4545_b.jpgZalen: "Does that means I will be setting the table and doing dishes?"
Lir: "Well, it's the polite thing to do, but you won't have to worry about that yet."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865196973_7df7f4e976_c.jpgLir was aspiring to improve his handiness to help more around the house, but he found it rather tedious to read so many books.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865436334_74eb03d4c2_b.jpgLir: "There must be a glitch with reality because I haven't seen any sea dragons. Where do they come up with these stories?"
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865436324_214f896cc1_b.jpgLir: "Maybe the Sea Dragons are under the sea. I grew up alone down there, and the very thought worries me. Were their dragons that I never saw?"
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865196948_ac42f2e71f_b.jpgAfter reading a few books, he went to the Caldera Eco Center to work on his wood working. The woodworking helped to improve his ability to use tools more effectively.
Lir: "I feel like a puppet with strings attached. This seems rather tedious."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865767910_7d4eb5a5b1_b.jpgWhen Lir returned home, he tried to teach Zalen new words.
Zalen: "What does "barnacles" mean?"
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865436244_7f2aa8cce8_b.jpgLir thought: "Where in the Seven Seas did he learn that word?"
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865196863_d52484f848_b.jpgLir: "You should never say "Barnacles," and if you do, you should always apologize."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865435679_a26ecde4ca_b.jpgToward the middle of the week, Lir ran into Zephyr at the Ohan'Ali Surf Bar.
Lir: "Would you like to join my club, the Sulani Tritons?"
Zephyr: "I'd love to!"
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865767795_9a0643a8a7_b.jpgDuring a club gathering, Dylan confronted a human that was anti-environmentalist. Ironically, the human enjoyed swimming in the clean sea, but he didn't care about the effort it takes to keep it that way.
Dylan: "You have to understand. The sea wouldn't be nice to swim in if we leave our trash on the beach. The trash gets into the water..."
Human: "I don't care. People should be free to do whatever they want with nature."
Dylan: "There are still consequences to not caring..."
Human: "I don't care and the sea is still as pristine as ever."
Dylan: "It doesn't care for itself. You know that right?"
Dylan thought: "If he knew who I was... I might..."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865435994_4c70dc808e_b.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865196248_3f4a7f4715_b.jpgLir: "I heard stories about a connection to Sulani in another world. Apparently, a world that was once disconnected from the other worlds has thawed from a strange winter a couple years ago. Do you think Ember knows anything about the Volcano's connection to other worlds?"
Zeph: "I know exactly what you're talking about. There is definitely a new world that has reconnected with Sulani. I remember there being nothing but swirling clouds and freezing blizzards. I mean, you're asking about the Spirit of the Volcano, but as the Spirit of the Sky, I am aware of the state of other worlds."
Dylan: "I can tell you that there's a river flowing freely in that world. It connects to the sea, and from there, it has reconnected with the other worlds."
Lir: "I almost forgot that I'm talking to the Spirits of the Sea and Sky."
Dylan: "I found out from dad that we are also the Sapphire Princes."
Zeph: "Dad and Uncle Kemps hid that from us. They were worried that out elemental nature put us in enough danger, so they tried to protect us by keeping it a secret from us and spreading the rumors about the lost Sapphire Princes."
Lir: "That's kinda ironic. My dads kept my identity a secret too. I'm the Abalone Prince. I have a crazy idea, why don't you help me find the other princes from the stories?"
Dylan: "That sounds like fun."
Zeph: "Sure, why not?"
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865196573_bdf8575b3a_b.jpgLir: "I know the world that thawed is called Henford-on-Bagley, and I heard that the Bándearg Prince, or the Pink Heart of Sulani, was taken there by Irish Pirates. No one saw him again after the world was lost to a strange winter. I heard that Captain Handwich didn't get lost there. I be the stories about him will lead us to the other princes lost to other worlds!"
Dylan and Zeph closed their eyes and concentrated on the World of Henford-on-Bagley.
Zeph: "I think you might be on to something. The world has had a large shadow dispersed from it, and I think one of the princes would be connected to that. At least, there is someone with the power to change the weather in that world."
Dylan: "Someone also summoned sea creatures from the sea. It has to be a mermaid or merman there."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865767260_992a768d2e_b.jpgLir had a crazy idea and invited Zeph to work on a secret handshake for the club. They'd use the handshake when meeting for official club activities.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51864148402_2773f62d7e_b.jpgLir knew that he wasn't ready to travel to a new world, so he decided to prepare for his next adventure. He still had work to do as a conservationist, and he surveyed the sea floor before the end of the weekend.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865196493_7b53d56aec_b.jpgWhen he surfaced, Lir felt deep satisfaction from the beautiful wonders of the sea. Ever since he cured Dylan of his Curse, the Seas around Sulani had been improving exponentially. The only thing that remained to clean up was the sky, but he had a feeling that something else, somewhere else was affecting that. Zephyr wouldn't say anything, but Lir knew that the Sea, Sky, Volcano, Land, and Plants of Sulani influenced other worlds and were influenced by the state of other worlds. He wondered about what Zeph wasn't telling him. For now, the sky continued to waver between auroras and normal sunshine.
But, the most significant changes were with plants and the land. Ever since the eternal winter ended in Henford-on-Bagley, things were starting to grow and thrive on land. He was sure that his friend Juniper would grow with the plants soon.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51865767415_44c48d605b_b.jpg
