Ariel had never known that water could be this way. Back in the ocean, it had been everything; she was forever suspended by it, filtering it through her gils and letting it flow past her as she swam. She had been around it so much that she had forgotten that it even existed at times.

With wide eyes, Ariel watched the ice melt beneath her feet. It was cold against her toes, but she had faced even deeper chills before; the depths of the ocean were not known for their warmth.

Elsa sat beside her, her hand interlinked with Ariel's own. She looked even better than before, and was certainly far more lively and healthy than the half alive girl that Ariel had rescued from the sinking boat three years before.

It was curiosity that had made Ariel go to the sea witch; that was the only way that she had known that she would see the girl again.

Water ran down Ariel's toes, and plopped onto the ground.

"Do you want me to freeze it again?" Elsa raised her hand up.

Ariel shook her head.

Elsa put her hand down once more.

Ariel moved some red hair away from her eyes.

"Are you sure?"

Ariel gave a firm nod.

"Okay," Elsa responded. She smiled.

Ariel's heart fluttered in her chest; it was that same smile that she had seen on the ship that fateful night before the storm hit. That was the smile that had haunted her dreams for years, and had made Ariel take many trips to the surface. Just one extra glimpse of the princess would have filled her with joy.

Now, however, she could look at her all that she wanted.

Ariel wrapped an arm around Elsa's waist and pulled her closer. She was starting to learn more and more about humans; they weren't nearly as strange as she had originally thought. Still, that did not make them any less exciting.

She knew the names of most of their items now, and had memorized them by heart. By day, while the queen was busy at work, Ariel would either explore with her sister or read big, long human books for hours. She had learned how to speak with her hands, every motion and shape meaning something different from the other. Her legs could move in ways that she had never imagined.

Elsa leaned in closer to her; a chill ran across Ariel's skin, but her smile widened.

After years of wishing and waiting and dreaming, she finally had everything that she could truly ever want.