A/N: I'm really excited about this story, and I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: All of the rights to The Little Mermaid go to Disney. I own nothing but some of the plot.

The air was cold as it hit Ariel's skin when she rose up from the water, engaging in her normal routine of talking with Scuttle about her new finds from shipwrecks. She sat up on a large rock that came up above the surface as she pulled out an object, one that she had never seen before, from her bag. Everything human was so strange to her. Nothing made sense until she asked Scuttle what it was used for, and even sometimes she was still a little unsure about the human world.

"But Scuttle," Ariel began, "How does it work? What do they use it for?"

Scuttle examined the long, hollow object, "I'm not quite sure…it looks like some contraption…" He tried to look through it, but to no avail. Then, he blew into it and it made a loud noise that startled the mermaid who was sitting next to him, "Sorry Ariel. It looks like some sort of…"

"Music!" Ariel squealed, "It makes music. I've never seen something like this before. It's so smooth and…just not like anything we use down there."

The human world was such a mystery to the young mermaid. She yearned to live and walk amongst the human folk. She wanted to know what it felt like to have two legs, not fins. Living in her father's kingdom, she felt trapped. There was something out there, on land, that was waiting for her. She could feel it. There was something, maybe someone, calling out for her. Silently perhaps, but still needing to know her. She wanted, more than anything, to experience adventure.

Just as she was about to pull another thing out of her bag, a small crab interrupted her, "Ariel…" He said in a thick Jamaican accent, "We must get going. Your father will be worried about you and-"

"Oh, fine Sebastian…" Ariel rolled her eyes at the crustacean and turned back to Scuttle, "Thank you for everything. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye Scuttle!"

She jumped back into the water and followed Sebastian back down to the kingdom, listening to his lecture about how it wasn't safe for her on land, and that she shouldn't go up there anymore or her father would kill her. She knew that could be true. Her father just didn't understand her feelings. He didn't share the same dreams as she did, and he wasn't willing to understand how she felt about his restrictions. She needed to be free to do whatever she wanted. She couldn't take another day of not being understood.

"Sebastian…" She started as they swam through Atlantica, heading towards her father's throne room, "Do you think he'll ever understand me?"

"Your father, he will come around. He loves you. You just have to give him the time." Sebastian replied.

Ariel sighed as they finally entered the throne room and saw her father sitting there, accompanied by Ariel's sisters. They all turned and looked at her. She tried to smile, but her father had a stern look on his face. She knew she was late, but her father had to understand. She needed time to be herself. She couldn't be like her sisters, content with living the lives they've always lived. It wasn't for her.

She stopped next to her sister Attina, "Sorry I'm late, daddy. I just got sidetracked and-"

"Ariel," Triton's voice boomed throughout the room, "It's your responsibility to be here with your sisters. Young lady, you need to learn the importance of your title. A princess shouldn't go beyond the borders of Atlantica without my supervision."

She looked from her father, then to her sisters, but they didn't look back at her. Noticing she had no one else backing her up, she decided to speak, "Daddy…you don't understand…I just thought-"

A flash of compassion crossed Triton's face, but he didn't crack, "But you aren't thinking Ariel. All I want for you is to understand why I enforce these rules. I just want you to be safe."

"No…" She couldn't handle it anymore, "You just don't want me to be myself. But, I want to learn new things. I can't take this anymore…" Ariel seemed as if she were going to cry, but she willed herself not to, "I just…I just want something different."

Ariel swam out of the room as fast as she could. She left the castle and found the grotto where she kept her most prized possessions. There was a stillness in the water and it comforted her. She was alone, exactly how she wanted it at that moment. Alone. But she knew she didn't want to be alone forever. She took a statuette of a couple dancing down from one of her shelves and held it close to her. Why can't I have what they have? She thought to herself. She didn't mean love, but legs.

"Oh…" She sighed, "If only…"

She sat down and caressed the statuette. What should I do? She asked herself silently. She looked around and sighed. There were so many great things that filled the grotto, and they were all made by humans. She knew her father wouldn't approve of any of this. All she knew was that he hated humans and that there was no persuading him on that subject. She couldn't understand why. Everything that humans made was beautiful, smart, and there was nothing Ariel could find to dislike.

"There's something there inside of my heart

Under my skin, right through my fins

I know that it's real, these things I feel

It's a part of me, so clearly seen

But ever so hidden

How can I live, how can I love

If there's something missing?

My life here is through

And all I need to do

Is learn to walk, learn to move

Up above the ocean

Onto the sand

Where I'm on land

And I know, I can finally be

The true me, always free

That's all I need…" She sang to herself, then set down the statuette beside her.

Ariel felt a presence beside her and turned around to find Attina behind her, a solemn look on her face. She turned back around and swam up to put the statuette back in its rightful place. Ariel wasn't in the mood to talk to her sister about anything. Had she followed me here? She wondered, but decided that she must have. No one else, but Flounder and Sebastian, knew where the grotto was.

"What do you want?" Ariel asked her sister without looking at her, "Did you follow me here?"

Attina moved toward her sister and put her hand on her shoulder, "Ariel…we need to talk."

"Why? So you can be just like dad, trying to hold me back and…and not letting me live my life?" She asked accusingly.

"Of course not…" Attina tried to comfort her youngest sister, "I just wanted to see if you were okay…if you needed anything. I worry about you Ariel. I really do. And that song…"

"So you did follow me." It was more of a statement than anything, and Ariel didn't want to hear anything else, "I'd just rather be alone if you don't mind."

She shrugged off her sister's hand and swam up and out of the grotto, looking behind her and making sure her sister wasn't following her. She didn't know what she was going to do next. She contemplated running away, but she didn't want to hurt her father like that. All she wanted was for him to stop judging her and just let her live how she wanted to.

Although it might seem like she was only trying to disobey and act rebellious, Ariel's dreams had nothing to do with being an unruly teenager. The dream that she held in her heart was truly one that she would make sure she made real. If she could, she wouldn't keep secrets from her father and sisters, but it's what she had to do. They wouldn't understand anyway. They never do. I could say anything to try and make them understand, but it wouldn't go through to them. She felt alone in her dreams, and it didn't it well with her.

"There must be something I can do…" Ariel said out loud to herself once she got to the surface of the water.

Ariel found the rock she had, earlier that day, talked to scuttle about the instrument she had found. She felt the weight of the satchel, still on her shoulder, and reached inside. She inspected the silver, smooth instrument in her hands and blew into the end that Scuttle had. The noise was loud and a tad off key, but Ariel didn't mind. She pushed down on two of the keys and blew into it again, creating a much more melodic tone than the first try. Yet, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a ship float slowly along. There seemed to be a bustle that enthralled Ariel and she blew once more into the instrument before she stuffed it back into her satchel and jumped into the water, heading towards the excitement of the ship.