Manannan Prince of the Sea

A young woman stood on the beach and stared over the water. She wondered what might be out there. She thought of the usual sea creatures-whales, dolphins, fish. She also wondered if there was more than that-mermaids, perhaps. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment about what it would be like to be a mermaid living in the sea.

The woman walked toward the water. She felt the waves break over her feet. She stopped when the water was to her knees. She gazed over the water.

A wave runner whizzed by in the distance. On the horizon, a fishing boat chugged along.

The woman moved out some more. She stopped and looked out over the water, which was now to her waist. Now she was the only living thing in sight. She closed her eyes and imagined living in the sea.

The wind blew her long blonde hair into her face. She brushed her hair out of her eyes. She took a deep breath and swam away from the beach. She stopped and looked around. After a minute, she continued swimming until the beach was out of view.

The woman stopped and looked around. She saw nothing but water. She stretched out onto her back and floated. She relaxed and soaked in the sun and the salt-sea air.

A moment later, a voice startled her.

“Lily! Lily!” the voice called out from a distance.

The woman turned, looked around and saw nothing. She swam in another direction. She heard the voice again.

“Lily! Lily!” the voice called again, a little closer.

The woman swam a little farther. She turned onto her back and floated. She took a deep breath and relaxed. She closed her eyes and let her mind go blank.

“Lily!” the voice called again.

The woman turned and saw a blue and green blob in the water. She blinked, thinking she saw a mirage. She rubbed her eyes and looked into the water again.

The blob broke up and a tall, stocky, muscular man emerged. He had long blond hair and piercing cerulean blue eyes. He wore a white, blue and green breastplate and carried a sword. He looked into the woman’s eyes.

“Lily” he said softly to her.

“My name isn’t Lily” she replied, looking at him in awe.

“You are my apprentice, Lily.”

“Apprentice?”

2/Manannan Prince of the Sea

After a pause, she asked the man who he was.

“I am Manannan macLir. You are my apprentice, Lily.”

The woman had heard of the sea god Manannan, but did not think he was real. She gazed into Manannan’s eyes.

“Lily” she said to herself.

“Come with me, Lily” Manannan said. “Follow me.”

“Lily?”

“Yes. You are Lily.”

The woman smiled at Manannan.

“Do you live under the water?” she asked. “I can’t live under the water.”

“Take my hand and follow me” Manannan answered. “You will live among the sea creatures.”

“I’ll be able to live under the water?”

“Yes. Just take my hand and follow me.”

Lily took Manannan’s hand and followed him as he dove under the water. Lily felt a tingling over her lower body.

“What’s happening?” she asked.

“Your body is adjusting to living under the water” Manannan answered.

Lily looked down and noticed her legs had turned into a fish tail.

“Oh my!” she exclaimed.

When they got to the bottom, Manannan motioned to Lily to sit on a sand bar.

Lily quickly obeyed, looking expectantly at Manannan.

Manannan began Lily’s first lesson in speaking Dolphin by teaching her basic dolphin sounds.

Lily picked up the language quickly.

Manannan and Lily were swimming near the surface when they heard loud noise from the surface. As they swam toward the surface, some hard objects hit them. Noticing the objects were glass bottles some drunk fishermen threw overboard, Manannan became angry. He surfaced and raised his arm, his hand in a tight fist.

The sky grew dark. Lily surfaced to see what was going on.

Manannan let out a loud, lion-like roar as he smacked the water with his open hands. The waves rose to four feet, then to six feet.

Manannan’s eyes turned black.

He turned toward Lily and growled at her.

Lily dove under the surface. Manannan clenched his right hand into a fist and raised it into the air.

He let out a mighty roar and dove under the surface.

The sky turned dark gray, almost black. The wind came in from the north and increased in velocity. The fishing boat rocked violently as the waves

3/Adelie RiverHawk

increased in height and the boat started taking on water. The fishermen furiously started bailing. The wind blew harder.

The sky lit up with flashes of lightning. A thunderclap sounded like an explosion. Rain poured in sheets.

A minute later, the wind slowed down, but the boat kept rocking and the men kept bailing. The rain stopped. The wind blew from the west. The sky brightened, but was still overcast.

One of the fishermen threw a bottle into the water and the storm started again. A wave came over the side of the boat. The bottle flew out of the wave and hit one of the fishermen on the head.

The wind slowed down and the sky brightened. The rain stopped and the boat stopped rocking. The fishermen turned the boat around and raced away. The wind stopped, the sky cleared and the sun came out.

Manannan looked for Lily.

When he found her, he apologized for frightening her. He explained that he was letting the fishermen know that he was angry at them for throwing trash into the sea.

Lily asked Manannan if she would be able to do that.

He told her only gods could do that.

“Great Manannan” Lily said softly.

Manannan looked up and smiled.

“What is it?”

“Will I learn to use a sword someday?” Lily asked.

“Yes, you will learn how to use a sword.”

“Thank you, great Manannan.”

“You don’t have to call me ‘great’, Lily. Just keep doing your best with your lessons. By the way, it’s time for your next language lesson.”

Manannan took Lily on a field trip to practice her Whale speaking skills. They came upon a young great white shark. Lily had only recently begun speaking Shark, so her skills were limited.

She spoke softly to the shark with a friendly greeting.

The shark made a low pitched squeaking sound.

Lily paused and turned to Manannan.

“He’s saying something about his mother” Lily said, “but I’m not sure what.”

Manannan told her the shark said its mother was killed.

Lily frowned and looked at the shark with sadness in her eyes.

“Wait here” Manannan told Lily. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

He swam away, following the shark.

Lily sat on an old shipwreck and told Manannan she would wait there.

As Lily waited for Manannan, she saw a blinding light coming toward her.

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She climbed into the shipwreck and looked around.

She found a sword and took it out. She swung the sword in circles. She stopped when she saw a dark, globe-shaped object circling the shipwreck.

Lily faced the object and raised the sword. The object kept circling the shipwreck. Lily followed the object, the sword raised. In the distance she saw something coming toward her. She turned to face it, the sword raised.

“Lily! Lily!” a voice called out. “Lay down your sword! It’s me, Manannan!”

Lily quickly lowered her sword.

“I’m sorry” she said. “I wasn’t sure what it was until you told me it was you.”

“Where did you get that sword?”

Lily explained how she found the sword in the shipwreck. She asked Manannan what the round object was.

“That object was a submersible” Manannan answered. “People use them to explore, especially in shipwrecks.”

“May I keep the sword?”

“Yes. For now.”

Manannan’s thoughts were interrupted by a swishing sound. He looked up to see Lily swinging her sword in all directions. He went over to her and snatched the sword from her.

A jellyfish swam over to Lily and whispered into her ear.

Lily spoke to the jellyfish in its language.

Manannan smiled at Lily, forgetting that he had been angry. He had not taught Lily how to speak Jellyfish yet. He had taught her only Dolphin, Shark and Whale.

“I’m impressed!” Manannan exclaimed, as the jellyfish swam away.

The jellyfish stopped and looked at Lily.

Lily spoke to it again and turned to Manannan. “May I go with it? It wants to play.”

“Of course.”

Manannan smiled at Lily as she swam away with the jellyfish.

Lily slowly approached Manannan as he polished his sword.

“Excuse me, Manannan.”

Manannan looked up at Lily.

“What is it?”

“I was wondering if I could start my battle lessons.”

Manannan paused a moment before answering.

“Hmm. I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you.”

Lily turned and swam away.

5/Adelie RiverHawk

Manannan took out a large book and thumbed through it. He cocked his head from side to side.

He hummed to himself as he turned a page.

He scanned the page and turned to the next page. He moved his finger down the page two thirds of the way.

He cocked his head again and muttered to himself.

He flipped a few pages and scanned a page. He nodded as he closed the book and put it away.

Lily played tag on the surface with a couple of dolphins. Manannan approached and watched.

One dolphin noticed him and greeted him. It told Lily it had to go. It said goodbye to Manannan and Lily and swam away.

Manannan told the other dolphin he needed to talk to Lily.

The dolphin nodded and swam away.

When the dolphin was out of sight, Lily turned to Manannan.

Manannan motioned to Lily to go with him.

Lily followed immediately.

Manannan motioned to Lily to sit on a rock.

“Lily” Manannan said. “Soon it will be time to start your battle lessons.”

Lily smiled at Manannan.

“Will I get my sword back?”

“Not yet. You need to learn battle and defense.”

Lily nodded, acknowledging what Manannan said.

Lily sighed deeply as she studied her language lesson.

A crab crawled up to her and touched her fin. Lily looked down at the crab. She turned away and resumed her studies. The crab touched her fin again.

“Go away!” Lily snapped.

The crab clicked its claws quickly and repeatedly. It waved its arms and called to Lily.

Lily knew only a little Crab and did not want to be bothered trying to figure out what the crab was saying.

The crab started flailing and calling louder.

Lily slammed her book closed.

“What do you want?” she yelled in her language.

The crab spoke quickly.

All Lily got out of it was that the crab wanted her to follow it.

The crab spoke louder.

Lily was angry. She sighed heavily and followed the crab.

The crab crawled into Manannan’s lair.

“You can’t go in there!” Lily yelled.

6/Manannan Prince of the Sea

The crab returned with Lily’s sword.

“What are you doing with that?” Lily asked, raising her voice.

The crab handed the sword to Lily and told her to follow it. It motioned Lily to look up.

Lily saw something thrashing about wildly at the surface. She raced to the surface and emerged beside Manannan, who was fighting a water dragon. She slashed the dragon as it lunged at Manannan.

Lily stabbed the dragon repeatedly. The dragon backed off. Lily swung at it one more time, slashing it. The dragon quickly swam away.

Manannan turned and discovered Lily his side. Manannan looked angry as he opened his mouth to speak.

“Before you say anything” Lily said. “Let me bind your wounds.”

Lily inspected the cuts and scratches on Manannan’s arms.

Manannan told Lily to follow him home.

Lily followed, explaining why she had the sword.

Manannan did not believe her. He despises lying and told Lily she would be severely punished for lying.

Tears streamed down Lily’s face as she followed Manannan.

When they got to Manannan’s lair, Manannan told Lily to give him the sword.

Lily immediately obeyed.

Manannan began to tell Lily what her punishment would be.

Lily hung her head. She noticed the crab touching Manannan’s foot.

Manannan looked down at the crab and asked it what it wanted.

The crab told Manannan that Lily told him the truth and that it went into his lair and took the sword. It asked Manannan not to punish Lily.

Manannan looked at Lily, whose face was stained with tears. He put his hands on Lily’s shoulders.

“I’m sorry, Lily” he said sadly.

“I understand” Lily said softly. She turned to the crab and spoke to it in its language. She thanked it for taking her to Manannan and apologized to it for yelling at it.

The crab winked at Lily and crawled away.

Lily said good-bye to the crab and turned to Manannan.

Manannan took a deep breath. He looked at the slashes on his arms. He felt the stabbing pain for the first time. Lily grabbed some bandages and rendered first aid to Manannan. Manannan smiled as Lily gently tended to his wounds.

“There!” she exclaimed as she finished.

“I’m impressed” Manannan told Lily. “I’m impressed with how quickly you learn, especially when you learn things before I teach them.”

“Thank you, Manannan.”

“I noticed how much your language skills have improved.”

Lily smiled at Manannan.

“You’re a great teacher. The more I learn, the more I want to learn.”

“You really surprised me with your battle skills, but I don’t want you risking your life like that.”

7/Adelie RiverHawk

“You needed my help. The crab told me.”

“I understand that, but you could have been killed.”

“I would proudly give my life for you.”

Manannan was speechless for a moment, but finally managed to squeak out a “thank you” to Lily. He took a deep breath and told Lily he hoped it would never come to that.

Manannan motioned Lily to sit.

Lily sat on a sand bar and looked at Manannan.

“Obviously, it’s time to finally start your battle lessons.” Manannan told Lily. “You’ve shown great skill so far, but there are a few things I want to teach you.”

Lily listened attentively.

“Even though you fought well against the water dragon” Manannan told her, “I obviously wasn’t able to assess your skills accurately, so I’m going to start from scratch.”

Lily sat up straight and listened closely as Manannan taught her first battle lesson.