Ariel dreamed of dancing.

Ladies' skirts swirled over the floor, made satin and silk of every color. Lace swept over the ground and fluttered up into the air. The music rose and fell with the dancers' feet. Ariel longed to join them and learn the steps. But her feet were stuck to the ground. She didn't just hear the music; she felt it.

Ariel awoke. The scant light of a porthole leaked into the cabin. Ariel had the blankets gathered up around her chin, and her feet brushed the wall at the end of her bunk. She smiled when she remembered that she had feet now.

She thought of her dream. She did not remember all of it, but she had clear memories from her girlhood. She had gone to the surface many times and seen people dancing. It had always seemed so graceful; Ariel longed to try it herself.

She had not yet explored what her legs could do. She knew that she could walk and run and jump in the same way that she knew that birds flew through the air. But it was a different thing to see a bird in flight and to be one with it and feel the wind rustling through its feathers. Flying was just swimming in the sky, though. Perhaps dancing was like swimming on the ground?

Ariel cast off her blankets and stepped out of bed. The air was salty and warm on her bare legs. She stretched her arms upward, feeling her muscles loosen all along her body. It felt odd to put her weight on her feet.

Ariel looked down at her legs and sifted through her memories, trying to recall the exact way that dancers moved their legs. She stepped back and forth, swaying her arms to music she couldn't hear. The movements felt odd without a partner; she had only ever seen dancing be done with two people. Still, Ariel held her arms out as if embracing her prince, and she stepped along the floor in a careful pattern.

I want to be where the people are, she sang in her head, I want to see them dancing.

Ariel let go of her imaginary partner and twirled in a circle. She had no flowing skirt that swished around her legs. Her oversized shirt hung low on her thighs and slapped her legs when she moved. It was hardly ideal dancing garb, but nor was silence ideal for a dance.

Ariel raised a leg in the air with her foot pointed out. She swept her arms up over her head as if she were trying to swim toward the surface. She knew how to move her arms; it was her legs that needed guidance.

It's just two tails instead of one, she thought.

She extended her legs over the wooden floor, trying to swim through the room. Her movements felt disjointed at first, but the more she moved the more she began to get the hand of it. Walking turned to gliding, gliding turned to swimming, and swimming soon became dancing. Ariel rose to her tiptoes and twirled in a circle. Her red hair whipped around her head and tickled her cheeks. She giggled soundlessly.

Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun, she sang in her head.

She wished she could at least hum the melody. It had been such a pretty tune when she sang it a week ago. But she had traded her voice for her legs, and she would much rather be able to dance than sing. So she remembered what her song sounded like, and she danced along to the music in her head as best she could. She twirled and twisted her legs like she had her tail, and for a moment she almost felt like a mermaid again.

What would I give, if I could live out of these waters? What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?

Ariel was dancing. Honestly, truly dancing. More than that, she had gotten her wish. She was out of the sea and dancing on a pair of human legs. Even if she was not on land yet, she would be there soon.

She twirled from sheer joy, and then she did it again. She loved feeling her arms float out in front of her and her legs glide through the air. She was swimming again. She was a mermaid on land, swimming across the floor with two tails instead of one.

Ariel didn't notice the door open, nor did she notice Killian step into the room. He grinned when he saw his shy little sea-lass twirling about the cabin. Ariel came down from her tiptoes and spun around until she was facing the door. Then she froze.

"Don't mind me," said Killian with a smile.

Ariel turned bright red. Oh God, the Captain had seen her dancing. She felt like someone had knocked the wind out of her chest.

"Please, don't stop on my account," said Killian.

Ariel stepped back. She regarded Killian warily, not sure whether he was about to mock her. She had only wanted to try out her new legs, but there was no way she could explain that to him.

"You're a lovely dancer," said Killian, holding out a hand. "May I?"

Ariel looked at his outstretched hand for a moment. She felt torn between her embarassment and her desire to know what it was like to dance with a partner. Killian's smile won her over, though, and Ariel placed her hand in his.

Killian grasped Ariel's hand as if it were made from the most precious porcelain. He held her hand close to his chest, while he removed his hook and tucked it into his belt. Then Killian wrapped his arm around Ariel's waist and held her close.

"Place your free hand on my shoulder," he instructed.

Ariel did so. She felt a bit fluttery, being this close to him. She wasn't sure yet whether she liked it.

"Move your feet as I do, and just let me guide you," said Killian.

Ariel nodded. Then Killian stepped forward and back, side to side, forward and back. Ariel tried to keep up, but the steps confused her. She felt that she preferred her imaginary partner from before. Her clumsiness almost tempted her to disentangle herself from Killian's arms, but he had a firm grasp around her waist. Besides, Ariel was determined to learn how to dance.

"Try not to think about it too much," said Killian.

Ariel nodded again. She took a deep breath and tried to focus less on her feet. But she could keep from looking down. She wondered whether the graceful dancers of her youth had ever felt this clumsy.

Ariel moved her left foot over, and it caught on Killian's boot. She keeled sharply to the side, and she would have fallen over if Killian hadn't had a firm hold around her waist. Ariel righter herself, but she felt rather red in the face.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Ariel nodded. Killian's gaze was merely concerned and not critical. Ariel had half-expected him to judge her for her utter lack of dancing ability.

"Don't look at your feet," said Killian, "Keep your eyes on mine."

His eyes were bright blue but somehow very dark. Ariel kept her eyes on his, though it made her feel exposed. Killian's eyes seemed to penetrate her soul; his gaze made Ariel feel as if he knew what she was thinking. If he could, all he would find was a lot of worry about her dancing ability.

"Relax," said Killian, "You're hunching your shoulders. Just look into my eyes."

He pulled her in closer to him and brushed his thumb over Ariel's hand. Ariel suddenly felt as though the oxygen had gotten sparser in the room. Her eyes locked with Killian's, and her brain shut out everything else. His eyes were very blue.

Without her thoughts to muddle her movement, Ariel's feet began to move gracefully once more. She stepped in time with Killian, and they began to glide through the room at an even pace. Ariel smiled, and so did Killian.

"That's my girl," he said.

Ariel blushed at being referred to as such. But Killian seemed to think nothing of it, so she assumed it to be a throwaway address that he used freely. She wished vaguely that Killian knew her name, but it didn't make a difference, not really.

"You're feeling better since you fell in the sea?" asked Killian.

Ariel nodded, although the question wasn't entirely accurate.

"I should have liked to hear how it came about. Shame about your voice. Do you know how you lost it?" asked Killian.

Ariel did a mixture of a shrug and a nod. Killian laughed.

"A silly question, I suppose. But you know, it's difficult being the only one holding up a conversation. I'm putting in all this work, and for what? You can't respond to anything I'm saying."

Ariel didn't know hot to reply to that. She hoped that her eyes communicated what she was thinking, because her voice certainly couldn't.

"You probably enjoy seeing me make an ass of myself, don't you?" said Killian.

Ariel giggled silently. Killian grinned at the sight. He pulled his arm back from around Ariel's waist and held his other hand, still entwined with Ariel's, above her head. Ariel stepped away and twirled, much like she had when she was dancing alone. Then she stepped back into Killian's waiting arms.

"You need a name," he said.

Ariel nodded. But she wasn't entirely sure whether she trusted Killian with something as important as a name.

"Some people call me Hook, you know," he said, "Not terribly imaginative. But still, a name should have some meaning. I may be a pirate, but I know a little something about names. So what shall I call you?"

They continued to dance as Killian pondered. His eyes bore in Ariel's with scrutiny that was both flattering and vaguely disconcerting. She waited and waited, and finally Killian spoke.

"What about Marina?" he suggested.

Ariel shook her head. That name spoke too much of where she came from.

"Dawn?" he said.

She wrinkled her nose. Killian laughed.

"Okay, okay. I get it. Perhaps Annabelle?" he said.

Ariel considered it for a moment. The name was definitely pretty, but it just didn't feel right. She shook her head.

"You're a bit picky, you know that?" said Killian, "If you weren't so pretty that might be a problem."

Ariel blushed.

"Ah, now I've got it. I'll call you Rosey," said Killian, "It matches your cheeks and your hair. How do you like it?"

Ariel smiled and nodded. She liked the name. And she liked that it was a flower; flowers only grew on land.

They danced some more after Killian gave Ariel a name, but he had to leave soon after. Captain's duties called him away. In his absence, Ariel continued to twirl about her room. She repeated her new name in her head again and again.

Have you met Rosey? She dances ever so gracefully, thought Ariel. It made her smile.

Late in the day, the sunlight that flowed into Ariel's cabin turned a golden orange. Ariel wondered when it had gotten so late, if the sun was already going down. She was beginning to wonder whether she could go visit Killian when there came a knock at the door.

Mr. Smee stood there, red cap on his head and a black dress in his hands.

"We, um, this was in the hold. We found it, you see," he explained, stuffing the fabric into Ariel's hands. "The Captain wants me to tell you to join us above deck."

Ariel nodded.

Mr. Smee did not move. He stood stock-still in the doorway, his eyes pinned on Ariel's lower half. When Ariel noticed where his eyeline was directed, she panicked for a half-second that he had somehow discovered her secret. Then she realized that her legs were completely bare. She hadn't noticed while she was dancing with Killian.

Ariel snatched a blanket off of the bed and wrapped it around her hips. It hung all the way down to the floor, and thankfully Mr. Smee got the hint. He mumbled an apology and ran off, leaving the door wide open. With the blanket still around her legs, Ariel stumbled over to close the door. Her privacy restored, she dropped the blanket and reached for the dress Mr. Smee had brought her.

She pulled off the loose shirt she had been wearing all day and tossed it over to her bunk. Then Ariel stepped into the black dress and laced it up in the front. It fit decently well, though the skirt only came down to halfway down to just below her knee. She twirled about the cabin a bit, and the dress fluttered delectably around her legs.

Above deck, the whole world was painted in shades of red and gold. The sun, soon to set below the horizon, reflected its last light over the ocean. Ariel shaded her eyes when she first emerged on the deck; it was almost too much for her eyes. But Killian soon appeared and grabbed her hand away.

He led her over to where the crew was gathered near the stern of the ship. Most of the men were perched on barrels, and those who had no seat leaned on those who did. Almost everyone had a drink in his hand. The crewmen greeted Killian with a rowdy salute and quickly stuffed a mug into their captain's hand. Killian laughed and hollered along with them, but he kept a hand on Ariel the whole time.

Ariel felt slightly ill at ease amongst all these half-drunk crewmen, but she felt a thrill of delight when some of them started playing music. Evidently, it was a song that everyone knew, because all of the men sang along.

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me," they sang.

Ariel felt a bit of fear rise in the back of her throat. She had been picked up by pirates? That was definitely not how it went in the stories. How would she find her prince if she was in the hands of pirates?

Ariel may have been ill at ease, but no one took any notice. The men continued to drink and sing. As the sun went down, it seemed that they compensated for the growing darkness by singing even more loudly. Killian remained next to Ariel, although he, too, participated liberally in drink and song. He offered Ariel a sip of beer at one point, but he did not press her when she refused.

The sun went down and the full moon rose in the sky. The night was so full of stars that it seemed as if someone had added some extras. Ariel was mystified by the night sky, having never taken notice of stars before.

Some of the men lit lanterns and placed them around the deck. The men drank and sang and enjoyed themselves well into the night. Ariel found herself growing more at ease with them with each passing hour, and she laughed voicelessly as the men told bawdy jokes and sang sailor songs.

"Hey, play 'The Mermaid', will you?" called Killian.

The men with the instruments struck up a lively tune. Ariel was a little disconcerted that Killian had requested a song about a mermaid, but her worries melted away when he offered his hand.

"Care to dance, Rosey?" he asked.

Ariel rose to her bare feet and placed her hand in Killian's. They stepped away from the barrels to an open space on the deck that was dimly touched by the lantern light. The orange glow flickered on half of Killian's face, reflecting in his blue eyes.

"Your hair is like fire in this light," said Killian.

Ariel smiled. She placed a hand on Killian's shoulder. He tucked his hook into his belt and then wrapped his handless arm around Ariel's waist.

"It was Friday morn' when we set sail and we were not far from the land," sang the crewmen, "When our captain, he spied a mermaid so fair with a comb and a glass in her hand."

Killian led Ariel along the deck at a faster pace than they had danced earlier. It was a livelier tune than silence, to be sure. Ariel tried to focus on Killian rather than her feet, or else she would surely stumble again. Killian smiled and laughed and even sang along with the tune.

"And the ocean waves do roll, and the stormy winds do blow," he sang.

They laughed and skipped along the deck, while the crew drank and sang the rowdy tune. Ariel skipped and twirled. Her cheeks felt hot, and her hair was getting mussed. When the tune ended, Ariel felt rather giddy, and Killian had to catch her around the waist to keep her from falling over.

"All right, Rosey?" he asked.

Ariel nodded with a giddy grin on her face. She loved dancing; she wished the song hadn't ended.

"It's a good song for dancing, 'The Mermaid.' Thought you'd enjoy it," said Killian.

They returned to their places with the rest of the crew. Killian picked up his drink again, and with it halfway to his lips he remarked, "Reminds me a bit of how we found you. Lost girl in the sea; sure sounds like a mermaid."

Ariel said nothing. She looked down at her legs, just to make sure they were still there.