Poor Unfortunate Soul (An OUAT Fanfiction)

1: Fathoms Below

*A/N: Ever wonder how exactly Rumplestiltskin acquired the magic ink for the scroll? What about the existence of a place called "Marine Garage"? Not exactly subtle isn't it? Rather than waiting for the official OUAT writers, I decided to write my own version of how such an introductory episode would have gone, had it occurred in Season 1, right about the time of the Hansel and Gretel episode (say, just before it, so August/Pinocchio hasn't shown up yet, but Emma is Sheriff) Enjoy! :) -KM

Enchanted Forest

"Ariel! Ariel! Where is she?"

Triton, King of Undersea, was very annoyed, which interfered with his mood. Such a thing should not happen, that the King should be inconvenienced. In all of his kingdom, the subjects loved him, so their every motive was to ensure that nothing they said or did ever perturbed him in the least.
Was it too much to ask of his own daughter?

"Your Highness!" Two of the Mer-guards swam into the court, trailing the young dreamer with the bright-red hair.

"Ariel!" Triton swam over as the guards deposited the mermaid before her father. "Where have you been? The others are waiting for you! It is not becoming of the princess to leave people waiting while she dawdles! Well? What have you to say for yourself? What could possibly be more important than your own father? Why do you insist on running off all the time? Where do you go?"

Ariel gave a careless flip of her tail as her long, ruby-red hair floated around her head.

"Nowhere," she muttered. She never told her father that she would spend most of her time near the surface, where she could watch the climbing towers and flickering colors of the kingdom of Overcliff. Ariel could not fathom being able to go on and on upward. The water had a surface to it, beyond which no merperson could survive. Around and above the human world, however, there was only air. Air from the ground all the way up as far as the eye could see. Air, and more air. No surface to hold them back.

More than anything, Ariel dreamed of flying. Surely with nothing stopping the humans from moving upward, they had discovered ways of floating through the sky in the same way Ariel and the other merfolk floated high above the ocean floor. If she were human, that is precisely what she would do.

Triton was not satisfied with her answer, but years of arguing and coercion told him that nothing could induce his daughter to answer when she did not want to. He huffed moodily. The gills in his throat flapped open and closed. He pointed to the Great Hall.

"They are ready for you, my dear," his voice grew soft, and silky, as it always did when he made an offer she had no choice of refusing. "Go on in."

"Daddy!" Ariel begged, swimming forward so her hair streamed back off her face, "Why would you do this? What if I didn't want to? What if you tried persuading them yourself?"

Triton raised an eyebrow and folded his arms over his thick white beard flowing down over his smooth, scaly chest. "You know better than anyone how well that works."

Now it was Ariel's turn to huff. The tiny pop made by her snapping gills was clearly audible. "A normal king would not allow a young maid to participate in matters of state."

"A normal maid does not have a gift like yours, daughter," Triton reminded her. "Why would you not use it to aid your kingdom?"

"You are not the whole kingdom, father!" Ariel snapped back, and she swam through the thick seaweed into the Hall before he could respond.

>>>>>>>>>>>>

In the Great Hall, dignitaries from all four corners of the Sea gathered to meet with King Triton of Undersea. They straightened out of respect when the Princess entered. The King came in behind her.