AU: "The Little Mermaid"
Varian is a young merman from the undersea kingdom of Atlantica. He has always been fascinated by the human world above, but his father has forbade him from going anywhere near the surface.
One day, a passing ship catches Varian's eye. Ignoring his father's warnings, he swims above the waves just in time to witness a vicious storm cause the ship to wreck. He notices a young woman floating in the water, unconscious. Varian quickly grabs her, and pulls her to the safety of the beach.
Gently, Varian lays the woman on the warm sand. But as she lies there, passed out, he feels the desire to stay by her side. She is so beautiful... And he can tell there is something special about her. He sings to her softly, about how much he desires to be a part of her world. But once she begins waking up, he takes to the sea again.
When Varian's father learns of his disobedience, he is furious. He destroys every human object Varian has ever collected, and threatens to keep him locked away if he ever disobeys again.
Heartbroken, Varian swims away to find the mysterious sea-witch he has heard rumors about. After discovering the whereabouts of this witch called Gothel, he asks her to turn him into a human so he can live on the surface with the woman he rescued. Gothel agrees, but with one condition: Varian must give her his voice.
His voice for a lifetime as a human? No problem. But there's a catch: the spell is only permanent if he can get the woman to kiss him by sunset on the third day.
Varian agrees, and before he knows it his fins are replaced with human legs. He can no longer breathe underwater, so he holds his breath until he makes it to the surface.
Once he has practiced and grown used to walking on his new legs, he hears someone coming along the beach. His first instinct is to hide, but then he remembers he no longer has to. And to his pleasant surprise, it is the woman he saved!
After taking in his disheveled appearance (he is wrapped in an old sail he found on the beach), the woman takes pity on him. She introduces herself as Cassandra, and brings him back to her place. Her castle!
After getting Varian some new clothes and a hot meal, Cassandra takes him for a day on the town. He knows he has no voice to speak to her, but that doesn't stop him from turning up the charm! Every chance he gets, he shows himself to be the perfect gentleman on Cassandra's behalf. They even share a dance at a festival.
In the evening, the two of them paddle out in a boat on a beautiful, romantic lagoon. Varian has fallen head-over-heels for Cassandra, and he hopes that she feels the same. With the gorgeous weeping willow and the shining fireflies setting the mood, he leans in for the kiss. And he is thrilled to discover that Cassandra leans in, as well.
Could this be it? The kiss that will give him permanent human legs and allow him to stay here with Cassandra forever? Or will disaster soon follow?