I have lived my whole life, 17 years, underwater. I've had friends, family, and I was a perfectly happy mermaid. But then I met him.

Prince William.

I didn't know it at the time, but he was soon to be the future love of my life. I was swimming to the surface, no reason, and I saw his boat over me. A small rowboat. I should have been afraid, but I was curious, so I continued up to the surface.

There I saw him, resting on the rocks that lay scattered all over this part of the sea. He was handsome. Blond hair, tall, muscular, a perfect prince. It wasn't allowed, but I started talking to him. And as any human whose never seen a mermaid, he was scared, but he slowly got used to my tail and fish-like appearance.

For the next few weeks I went up to that same spot and the Prince and I talked, and, talked. It was then I fell in love with him. And by some miracle, he fell in love with me too. I remember out first kiss. I could see his lips quivering as they got closer to mine. I laughed gently at him and finished the kiss.

Those were the happiest weeks of my life. Me and William.

Then he started to act different around me. Shy. I asked him one day, and I saw in his green eyes I shouldn't have asked. He said that his father, the king, was forcing him to marry a princess from some far away land. He told me that he couldn't see me. I tried to make him stay, but he said that he couldn't cheat on his future wife and queen. He kissed me for the last time, slow and sweet, his hands tangled in my wild blonde hair, and then he hopped on his boat and rowed away.

Life without him was beyond words. My sisters right away noticed something was wrong with me. I wouldn't eat, I wasn't as care-free as I had once been, and inside, it felt like I was dying.

My sisters kept asking why I was like this. I knew they wanted to help me, but I couldn't bare to tell them I was in love with a human. It was shameful. But, they forced the words out of me, so I told them.

Their faces, the pure shock, still makes me laugh. My oldest sisters, of course, started yelling at me, shouting all kinds of hurtful phrases at me, but the sister closest to me in age, didn't' yell. She suggested I go ask the sea king to change me into a human, so I could be with him. She was the sweetest of us all. The oldest sisters yelled even louder, but my mind whirled. Why hadn't I thought of that?

The very next day, I went to his palace, with my sisters, and begged him to change me into a human. The King was a big merman, scary even, but a kind and fair king, always well liked. At first, I knew he would never change me. He told me I was needed here. I was a "light". A beautiful light that the humans didn't need. Don't ask me what he meant, I have no idea either. But then my sisters started talking about my deep sadness that they had to deal with for the past weeks, and then he announced that he accepted my request.

Before I knew it, I was on land. I opened my eyes, and there was the bright sun, the sea gulls, and legs! I could have run and walked and danced on my legs for days, but I needed to find William.

His castle wasn't far from the beach where I was now. So I walked to his castle, right up to the front gate, and asked to see him. The maid who answered, she almost jumped out of her skin when she saw me. Apparently, I was "naked" in the human world. I didn't wear clothes underwater, so how was I suppose to know?
She washed me and got me dressed, and then told me about William.

She told me about how depressed, like me, he had become. No one understood it. But I did. Right after my bath, I asked to see him.

The maid took me down a long hallways, until we got to a doorway. She told me to wait, and went into the room. My heart was pounding. I could hear her ask William about a visitor wanting to see him, I couldn't hear his response. She kept trying.

I finally stepped in the room, and there he was, he back to me, looking out a huge window to the ocean, and loud and clear, I said his name.

"William?"

As I knew he would, he turned to face me, his face immediately bright with shock and happiness when he saw it was me. He almost flew off his chair and came over and hugged me and kissed me.

I started crying. I told him everything. How I became human, how much I loved and missed him, but all he kept saying was my name,

"Thera, Thera, Thera." He smiled his brilliant smile at me. I smiled back, stroking his warm cheek. He kissed me again, and looked at me, this time more serious, and he asked me, "Will you marry me?"

My heart exploded. I kissed him, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck, never wanting to let go.

"Of course." I whispered. I could almost hear his happiness.

"I love you, you know that?" He said, kissing my hair.

I smiled. "Yes. I love you too."

"And it will always be that way." he whispered.

"Forever." I agreed