Det var en kold vintermorgen i København.

It was a cold winter morning in København.

Sneen faldt stille ned over byen, og lyset fra de mange julelys glimtede i takt med snefnuggene.

The snow fell quietly over the city, and the light from the many Christmas lights twinkled in time with the snowflakes.

Ved Langelinie stod Den Lille Havfrue og kiggede ud over det grå, kolde hav.

At Langelinie, the Den Lille Havfrue statue gazed out over the gray, cold sea.

I nærheden stod Lars, som var en håbefuld romantiker med planer om noget meget særligt.

Nearby stood Lars, a hopeful romantic with plans for something very special.

Lars skulle fri til sin kæreste, Mette, ved havfruestatuen.

Lars was going to propose to his girlfriend, Mette, by the mermaid statue.

Han havde planlagt alt.

He had planned everything.

Aftalen med sin ven Søren, der skulle agere støtte, var på plads.

The arrangement with his friend Søren, who was to provide support, was in place.

Mette anede intet om Lars' planer.

Mette suspected nothing about Lars' plans.

Hun troede, de bare skulle se på juleudstillingerne i byen.

She thought they were just going to see the Christmas displays in the city.

Men Lars, han bar på en hemmelig frygt - hvad hvis han ikke var god nok for Mette?

But Lars, he harbored a secret fear—what if he wasn't good enough for Mette?

Denne dag skulle vise ham svaret.

This day would show him the answer.

Lars mærkede ringens vægt i lommen og tog en dyb indånding.

Lars felt the weight of the ring in his pocket and took a deep breath.

Han gik mod statuen med Mette ved sin side.

He walked toward the statue with Mette by his side.

Lige som han bøjede sig for at finde ringæsken frem, skete det utænkelige.

Just as he bent down to retrieve the ring box, the unthinkable happened.

Æsken gled ud af hans hånd og plumpede i det iskolde vand.

The box slipped from his hand and plummeted into the icy water.

Panik greb hans hjerte, og Søren så til med store øjne.

Panic gripped his heart, and Søren watched with wide eyes.

Lars stod over for sit livs sværeste beslutning.

Lars faced the most difficult decision of his life.

Skulle han springe i det isnende vand og finde ringen?

Should he jump into the freezing water and retrieve the ring?

Eller tænke hurtigt efter en ny plan?

Or quickly think up a new plan?

Lars tænkte ikke længe.

Lars didn't think for long.

Kærligheden til Mette, og tanken om hendes smil, fik ham til at tage springet.

His love for Mette, and the thought of her smile, prompted him to take the plunge.

Vandet var som tusinde nåle mod hans hud.

The water was like a thousand needles against his skin.

Men Lars tænkte kun på én ting: ringen.

But Lars thought only of one thing: the ring.

Han dykkede og rodede i det mudrede vand.

He dove and rummaged in the muddy water.

Søren holdt Mette i skak med småsnak om København og julelys.

Søren kept Mette distracted with small talk about København and the Christmas lights.

Langt om længe brød Lars vandoverfladen igen.

At long last, Lars broke the water's surface again.

Med et koldt, men sejrrigt smil holdt han ringen op.

With a cold but triumphant smile, he held up the ring.

Mette udbrød et overrasket gisp, mens Lars, drivvåd og rystende af kulde, sank ned på ét knæ.

Mette let out a gasp of surprise, while Lars, soaking wet and shivering with cold, sank to one knee.

"Mette," sagde han, med kærlighed og vand dryppende fra hver stavelse, "vil du gifte dig med mig?"

"Mette," he said, with love and water dripping from each syllable, "will you marry me?"

Mette skyndte sig at svare ja med tårer af glæde i øjnene.

Mette hurried to say yes with tears of joy in her eyes.

Søren klappede og jubelde.

Søren clapped and cheered.

Sneflokke fortsatte med at falde blidt omkring dem, mens de to elskende holdt hinanden tæt i et løfte om evigt fællesskab.

Snowflakes continued to fall gently around them as the two lovers held each other close in a promise of eternal togetherness.

Fra den dag vidste Lars, at hans frygt var ubegrundet.

From that day, Lars knew his fears were unfounded.

Mette elskede ham, ikke for hvad han kunne eller ikke kunne, men for den han var.

Mette loved him, not for what he could or couldn't do, but for who he was.

Deres kærlighed var styrket, og midt i vinterens kulde blomstrede en ny varme.

Their love was strengthened, and in the middle of winter's cold, a new warmth blossomed.