Erunestian's heart gave a pound of rage, but instead, he offered his friend a smile.

"You're mistaken. Being blind here is not a death sentence."

Satragtinel stared at him in disbelief, and said under his breath:
"It's worse..."

Erunestian's brow furrowed and his grip on the cane tightened.

"The sonar doesn't work out of the water, and there's many obstacles on land," added Satragtinel.

"I know," said Erunestian.

"You trip, you fall, you can't live up here without eyes!"

"Stop, Satragtinel..."

"I'd rather die."

Deep silence followed. Satragtinel looked at the prince from below, wondering if perhaps he had gone too far.

Erunestian's face ablaze from the flames of the bonfire, and the moonlight tinged his hair of silver. He stood immobile. His expression was severe.

"So what if I decide my life's worth living?"

Satragtinel released Erunestian's arm and moved back.

"You don't get to tell me what I can or cannot do. If you see me here, well and happy after all these months, must be because it is possible to live in Ardenlanig without eyes. It's not as if we came to life to be comfortable anyways."

Satragtinel felt some remorse for what he had said, but since the prince couldn't send him to be punished, he did not need to apologize. After all, he was not mistaken; the bhrúsnanen should sacrifice their lives for the well-being of the clan.

Erunestian said nothing more. Cane in front, he made his way towards the campfire, lightly tapping on the sand. Helena hurried to help him. Before she could even ask him what happened, Mateo got up and started to apologize profusely.

"I'm sorry Eru! I forgot... I deleted the photo, I promise."

"Does taking a photo make a light?" Erunestian simply asked.

"Yes, yes, actually, it's called a flash," said Mateo.

"So that's what it was..."

"We're so sorry Eru," insisted Helena. "Can you tell Satrag that we're not keeping any images of him?"

Neither Erunestian nor Satragtinel would have thought about humans being able to 'image' them. Erunestian, in fact, was still trying to grasp the entire concept of photography and video.

"Are you alright, Eru?" said David and Isabel from across the fire. 

"I'm alright," he said. "Satrag and I just had a little argument, but I think it's going to be okay. I just came to ask for food and drink if there's some still left?"

"Oh that's good to hear," said Isabel as she handed him a bottle of water and some roasted fish.

Erunestian thanked her, then turned to Mateo and said: "I had no idea you had taken a photo, but thanks for being honest to me and deleting." 

He started walking back towards the beach rocks where Satragtinel still waited for him, followed by the speechless stares of his fellow humans.

What was Satragtinel going to receive in exchange for his offense, but more food? Confused, he asked his young lord for the reason of such generosity.

"I want to praise you for your courage. You allowed me to show you my life on earth. Go from here tonight and think of what you've seen."

Satragtinel took his fist to his chest and gave a small bow. He looked at the humans and did the same. Then he squeezed through the rocks and went back into the sea, quickly vanishing under the waves.

"He'll come back," announced Erunestian to the family that had come to his side.

Quietly, they collected all their things, put down the fire and went back home.
Isabel patted Erunestian's shoulder to cheer him up.

Truth be told, deep down he was content. He hadn't expected Satragtinel to accept both the humans and the bhrúsnanen at once. They were only taking their first steps. He clung to that small victory with all his hope and returned to the beach every day, certain that Satragtinel was still lingering nearby.

Driven by guilt and hunger, Satragtinel finally appeared at the dock three days later.

No words were exchanged. Erunestian simply extended his hand, offering him the fried fish he had saved from his lunch.
Satragtinel knew Erunestian had read his thoughts, and for once, he was grateful for it.

"When are you going back to Erymannen?" Erunestian asked.

"Once my dolphins and I find enough fish to fill our stomachs, we'll be on our way."

"Is there no fish around?"

"There is," Satragtinel replied, "but there are too many human nets."

"Maybe I could get some money and buy fish from the humans..."

"I would never eat such fish!"

Erunestian laughed. "Then you'll have to swim farther on an empty stomach."

Satragtinel nodded.

"Do you remember when you asked to see fire?"

"I remember."

"Now Helena wants to see the open ocean."

Satragtinel laughed. "Why? There's nothing there."

"I don't know. She says it's because it's frightening."

"Such a strange creature," Satragtinel muttered.

"Will you do me a favor and take her out to sea?"

"Young lord," Satragtinel said, "is this a joke?"

"I asked her the same. I don't think she'd survive out there, but she insists. She even bought some sort of skin-tight clothing to protect herself from the water."

The idea of the deep sea had fascinated Helena for a long time. Erunestian had told her so many stories about it: the infinite horizon where sea and sky became one, and the chilling, endless blue that obscures the bottom. Any human adrift in open waters would be doomed, the land would be too far away to reach by swimming.

But for the sea people, that vastness was their home, and if the sun didn't guide them, the stars did; and if the wind didn't guide them, they followed the tide.

Helena wondered whether floating in that immensity would feel as overwhelming as staring into the infinite darkness of outer space.

In the end, Erunestian and Satragtinel agreed to fulfill her wish.

The next day, Helena arrived dressed in a surfing wetsuit, goggles, a snorkel, and so much sunscreen that her face was painted white.

Satragtinel kindly described her appearance to Erunestian, and the two had a good laugh.

Before jumping into the water, she turned to Erunestian and pleaded one last time. "Come with us. I need you to translate."

He only smiled and shook his head. "There's no need. Just enjoy it."

"Wait," she said, clinging to his arm. "What if we find sharks?"

Erunestian burst into laughter. "Sharks are noble creatures. Don't be scared. If you meet one, Satragtinel will know what to do."

"But... didn't a shark eat your friend?"

"Well! That was an accident... we were small. Besides, there are far more dangerous creatures in the sea," he said, then began listing a few. Perhaps too many.

"Stop! Stop!" Helena exclaimed. "I'll go!"
She let go of his arm and jumped into the water. She held onto Satragtinel's shoulders, and they were off. His dolphins swam ahead, leaping joyfully from the waves.

To Helena, they were moving at an incredible speed. To Satragtinel, it was painfully slow. The situation was absurd. They had to stop every few minutes so she could rest, and they couldn't understand a word the other said. Eventually, they began to laugh at the sheer confusion of it all.
And yet, they made it.

They swam until there was nothing but sea on the horizon, blending seamlessly with the pale blue sky. Beneath her feet stretched an endless blue, and all trace of land had disappeared.

The small woman found herself at the center of the world, enjoying the adrenaline rush of the moment. She was protected only by a friend who didn't speak her language and who, until recently, believed that touching a human was a capital offense. The two dolphins beside her were twice her size and weighed three times as much. Without their master, they could have toyed with her like a doll.

So much could go wrong.

Still, Helena smiled. It was the only way she knew to show Satragtinel that she was all right, and that she trusted him.

Satragtinel's eyes widened upon seeing her smile. A shimmer of joy spread across his face. 

"Sa brunag idhi," he said.

 "I don't understand," said Helena. Her voice was a mix of nervous laughter, gasps for air and sputtering water. 

Satragtinel tilted his head, laughing. "Brunag," he repeated, gently waving his arms from side to side. 

Helena still couldn't understand him, so he extended his hands toward her. Then it all made sense: he wanted to dance.

She put on her goggles and took a deep breath. Satragtinel pulled her gently underwater. His webbed hands wrapped around hers as if her hands were those of an infant. In that moment, she was finally able to see a man of the sea in his full form; he easily reached more than two meters in length.

His gaze was of pure tenderness; he looked at her the way one looks at a kitten. 

At that moment, she felt that if she let go of those giant hands, she would fall off the edge of the world. 

He made her turn around and guided her hands into dance positions. A few seconds in, she had to break away to get some air.

One gasp and she dove back in. 

Her dance partner sang something in his underwater tongue; it was just muffled sound, but the rhythm was there. 

Satragtinel signed with his hands, he wanted to show her the dance poses he had just taught her. One hand up, one in front, palm facing outward. A turn toward the side of the arm that was in front. Change arms and a turn the other way. 

Helena went back up to fill her lungs. She was ready.

They danced together to the mysterious rhythm. The dolphins swam around them as if taking part in the choreography. 

When the rhythm changed, the dolphins also changed their patterns. They interlaced their paths and circled around in an intricate ribbon of bubbles. 

Satragtinel signed to her again: "Look at the dolphins. I will dance with them too."

And so, he went to direct the duo of dancing dolphins with both his song and his hands. 

What sort of magic was happening around the quiet human girl? Her heart filled up with an emotion she had never had before. It was neither sadness nor nostalgia. It wasn't fear and couldn't possibly be joy either. Her eyes filled with tears that were washed away by the sea. 

Satragtinel finished his dance praising his dolphins, patting their heads. They pressed their snouts on his face, giving him kisses just how dogs do with their owners. He told them something in his language and they quickly went to greet Helena in the same way. Their slippery skin was warm, and their deep brown eyes brimmed with curiosity.

He grabbed her hands again, as his dolphins swam away following his orders. 

"Thank you," she said as soon as they resurfaced.

Satragtinel nodded. "Thank you bheim Harate," he said with a smile.

"Harate, Satragtinel." Her eyes were wide open and her mind completely absent. 

He put Helena on his shoulders and swam all the way back, with her head out of the water. 

The sun was starting to set when they reached the coast. Erunestian had been sitting at the edge of the dock, waiting and praying for the full two hours that their trip lasted. He stood up as soon as he sensed they approached.

He pulled Helena out of the water and wrapped her in a towel. He reached for her cheeks with his hands to feel if she was all right.

"Did everything go well? Did you enjoy it?"

Helena wouldn't stop smiling, laughing, and praising Satragtinel for the dances and the songs.

"I'm glad," said Erunestian. Then he turned to his friend and scolded him for taking so long and making him worry.

Satragtinel grimaced. He did not seem to agree with whatever Erunestian was saying, but he just nodded humbly and mumbled what seemed to be apologies.

"I'm sorry we made you wait, Eru... But we had fun and we're both safe! Let's just go home, I'm starving."

"You're right," he said, letting out a sigh.

"Are we gonna see you again tomorrow, Satrag?" said Helena.

He and Erunestian exchanged a few words.

"He has to go fishing," explained Erunestian. "But he'll be back in two days to say goodbye."

"Oh... Well, we'll send you apples for the journey," she said with a chuckle.

Satragtinel smiled at her and waved goodbye.

"Are you in love, Helena?" asked Isabel during dinner, after seeing her so quiet and distant.

Her cheeks turned bright red as she stammered, searching for an answer.

David and Mateo exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.

But Erunestian seemed to ignore the intrusive question and continued eating. Maybe it was better that they thought Helena had a romantic interest rather than finding out about the dangerous adventure he had allowed her to have.
How would he have faced the family if anything had happened to her while she was under his care?

The unfortunate prince was doomed to find out soon, for the dreamer human girl had fallen in love with the sea. She was waiting for Satragtinel to come back so she could go dive into the deep waters again. 

Such were her thoughts, loud enough for Erunestian to hear them clearly.