The Spring of Life

There once was a fisherman on the shores of the Shallow Sea. He lived a peaceful life by the side of his beautiful wife whom he loved dearly. Yet she had always been of frail health and one day she fell seriously ill. Her legs refused to stand or walk, her hands trembled whenever she tried to grasp anything. The fisherman spent what little fortune he had on the healer's efforts, but no treatment seemed to help her.

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One morning, after a particularly bad rainstorm, the fisherman went out to see if his boat was still whole. As he stepped out onto the beach, he saw a big, silvery-white fish with long, delicate fins lying in the sand. Purple speckles adorned its back, and its eyes were as green as the forest in spring. "This big fish will feed us for a week", he thought and went to pick it up. But as he got closer, much to his surprise, the fish began to speak.
"Please, good man, help me! Bring me back to the water!" said the fish. Shocked and confused, the fisherman stopped in his tracks. As he stood there, wondering if he had imagined things, the fish spoke again. "Please, good man! The air is so dry and the sand is so coarse. I long to swim again." Without a second thought, the fisherman took the fish into his arms and carried it to the shoreline where he gently lowered it into the waves.
"Thank you, good man!" said the fish. "If there is anything I can do for you, let me know of it!" The fisherman sighed and sat down on the sand. "Oh, fish... That which I need most, no-one can give me." - "Is that so?" asked the fish. The fisherman paused, thinking. He had already seen one miracle today. What could it hurt to ask? Taking a deep breath, he answered. "My wife is gravely ill. She cannot leave her bed, nor hold the tableware to drink and feed herself. Day by day, her strength fades and the healer is at wit's end. Please, good fish, if you know of anything that may help her, be so kind and tell me."
"Indeed I do", replied the fish. "I have traveled the Shallow Sea far and wide. I know of a place where life itself emerged. Ready your boat and bring your wife here. I will lead the way."

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And so the fisherman carried his wife down to the boat, gathered supplies for the voyage and embarked. On a bright day, the fish would glisten under the Sky's Eye, swimming beside the boat and telling the pair of the wonders of the sea. When the winds grew strong and the sea became wild, the fisherman had to use all of his skill to keep the boat from capsizing. When predators came to attack the voyagers, chasing their fish friend and ramming the boat to get to its passengers, the fisherman readied his spear to fend them off, and his net to retrieve their bodies for food.
The days passed, and the three grew as close as a family. Yet the woman's strength was nearly gone by the time the northern shore came into sight. Barely able to open her eyes, she merely smiled when the fish told them that they were close to their destination, to the mouth of the river running down from the Spring of Life.

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When the boat arrived at the shore, they were approached by a band of villagers, curious yet ready to fight. "Who are you, strangers, and what brings you here?" the tallest of the group demanded to know. "Good people, we mean you no harm," said the fisherman. "We come from far beyond the Shallow Sea, to seek the Spring of Life." - "The Spring of Life, you say? Who told you of this place, stranger?" - "A most peculiar fish, as wondrous as it may be." - "I am no fool. Fish cannot talk. Tell me the truth." At this moment, the fish came up beside the boat. "I assure you that I can," said the fish. See, the man's wife is gravely ill, her strength nearly gone. Please, good people, let them proceed to the Spring of Life. Otherwise, you will condemn her to death."
The villagers dropped their weapons in surprise. After a moment of silence, the tallest villager spoke up again. "Show her to me," he told the fisherman. As he saw the gaunt, pale woman, barely awake under her blanket, he turned to the fisherman and said: "I see your need. Still, the Spring of Life is our most sacred place. We cannot bring you there without a price, for the priests guard it jealously." - "Whatever you demand, good people, you shall get it. I may not have much, but I did not come so far for it to be in vain."
The tallest turned to the others, then back to the fisherman. "Give us the talking fish," he said. "No," whispered the woman, opening her eyes in shock. "No," said the fisherman, equally horrified. "Anything but this fish." - "This big fish will feed the priests for a week", said one of the villagers. "They will accept it as payment," said another. "Please, good people! Take our boat, take all my tools, but do not harm the fish!" The fisherman cried, and so did his wife. "The priests have no use for your boat," said the tallest. "Unless you give us the fish, your wife will die."
"Then the priests shall have me," said the fish, without fear or anger. The fisherman swung around, astonished. "Did you not hear what they said?" he asked his friend. "Good fish, they will cook you and eat you. You are our friend, we cannot allow this." - "You need not allow it, for I already have. As you said it, good man, we did not come this far for it to be in vain. Take your love to the Spring of Life. I enjoyed our friendship, and will gladly go so that the two of you will have each other."

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So the fish was slain, cooked and seasoned. The villagers brought a cart to carry the dying woman up into the mountains, where the fisherman presented the meal to the priests with tears in his eyes. The priests accepted the payment, took the woman to the temple and lowered her into the waters of the Spring of Life. They formed a circle around the bassin, chanting as she floated under the swirling colors of the Fire in the Sky. Day after day, the chanting continued while they bathed her and nourished her with salty cakes and herbal potions. After four days, the color returned to her face, and her limbs began to regain strength. After four months, she rose from the bassin, dancing into the arms of her grateful husband.
Overjoyed at her recovery, the pair returned to their boat and bid the villagers farewell. Yet as soon as they embarked, they remembered the fish who had brought them here. They fell silent for a while, grieving for their friend. "Was it worth the price?" asked the woman. "The good fish thought so," replied her husband. "Then we shall honor its sacrifice by living happily," the two of them vowed.

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On a bright day, the waves would glisten under the Sky's Eye while the pair recalled the tales that the fish had told them. When the winds grew strong and the sea became wild, the pair worked as one to keep the boat from capsizing. When predators came to attack the voyagers, ramming the boat to get to its passengers, the fisherman readied his spear to fend them off, while his wife readied the net to retrieve their bodies for food.
Not long after they returned to their home, they were blessed with an egg. From it hatched a daughter with silvery-white scales and long, delicate feathers. A purple tint covered her back, and her eyes were as green as the forest in spring.
She grew up to become an excellent swimmer.