Once upon a time... Four words started some of the most famous fairytales, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and The Little Mermaid are all fairytales that begin with 'Once upon a time'. When a story starts off with 'Once upon a time,' it is a fairytale law that the story must end with 'and they lived happily ever after'. But what if the rule was broken and not all fairytale characters lived happily ever after?