This story will make no sense to you if you don't read the first in the series, "For Henry", first.
Characters aren't mine. They belong to ABC, Disney, and other assorted entities of importance. I gain nothing from writing these stories but the fun of doing it. Please don't sue me.
"We have to find him," Emma said through gritted teeth as she paced the luxurious study of the mayor's mansion. "Which means you have to tell us exactly what happened between you and Ursula," she rolled her eyes despite herself. The situation verged on the ridiculous, but, then again, that seemed to be a constant state in her life these days. "Regina," she stopped pacing and stood directly in front of the older woman, "what do you mean we have two days? Two days?!"
"Yelling at me and preventing me from actually speaking will not hurry this process along, Sheriff," Regina replied an even, though tight, tone. Though she kept her eyes on the blonde, she could see in her periphery Mary Margaret and David bristle at her.
Emma's eyes blazed, and her hands landed on her hips in a decidedly angry motion. Taking in a few deep breaths, she started to reply a few times only to stop before the words left her mouth. Finally, she settled herself and said in a surprisingly calm voice, "You're right, and I'm sorry." A surprised grunt emanated from the sofa where her parents sat. She ignored it. Sitting on the arm of the chair in which Regina was perched, she asked in a cooler, though no less stressed voice, "What happened?"
"A very long time ago," the older woman answered, her words carefully chosen as she looked around to her small audience of the sheriff, her parents, Gold, and Belle, "Ursula and I entered into an agreement." She glanced to Gold, who only cocked in an eyebrow in interest. This was clearly a story he had not heard before. "At the time, Ursula was a well-known and much sought after mermaid in Triton's kingdom."
Standing, she made her way to the small cabinet where she stored her decanters, and she poured herself a generous helping of cider while she spoke. "At the same time, I was just starting to grab a strong hold over my own kingdom. Snow White was a fugitive," she didn't bother to look at the woman in question. Instead, she kept her eyes on the crystal glass in her hand. "My army was strong, my wealth was secured, and there were very few threats to my powerbase." She cocked an eyebrow in consideration. Her eyes left the glass to fall on Gold, who raised his in silent question.
"Rumpelstiltskin and I had come to an arrangement. I was his apprentice, and, while I learned from him, he would help to keep me informed of areas of trouble within my kingdom."
"That's how you always knew whenever I managed to get a group of rebels together," Mary Margaret interrupted in an irritated voice. "I always wondered how your men always seemed to know when and where we would be gathering."
"The key to a solid hold on one's power, dear, is to be one step ahead of your enemies," Regina answered with a sneer on her lips. "Which meant, of course, that I didn't trust Rumpelstiltskin any more than I trusted anyone else."
"You wound me, Regina," Gold said in a mocking tone.
"Only if I were able," she shot back without missing a beat. Rolling her eyes, she moved back to the chair and carefully sat down again, making sure not to disturb Emma, who was still perched on the arm. "Triton's kingdom was a weak spot for me. I knew I didn't have the resources to overtake it by force to ensure my hold on the land it bordered, and, if I am to be perfectly honest, I had no real desire to be Queen of the Sea. It was enough to be Queen where it mattered the most to me and my needs." The sheriff took the glass of cider from her grasp and drank a few gulps. She gave Emma a hard look, but continued on. "I reasoned the best course of action would be to make a treaty with Triton, but I've never been one to make treaties that were not 100% squarely on my terms."
"I wondered how you pulled that off," Gold said in an almost impressed tone.
"You know what's going on?" David asked, his tone less than surprised.
"Of course he does," Mary Margaret's voice was slightly exasperated, and she rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"No, he doesn't know," Regina cut back in, "but I'm sure by now he has a good idea." She reached up and plucked the crystal glass from Emma's hand. After taking another sip, she continued on. "Ursula came to me one night while I was enjoying the evening breeze coming from the ocean. There was a private beach at the base of my castle, and I often enjoyed the cool evening nights when the moon was full. I had taken to speaking with the mercreatures that frequented the waters by my preferred spot on the beach. Unlike those on land, the mercreatures were unconcerned with human politics, and they didn't care and didn't care know of my reputation on land." She smiled, and it was reminiscent of the Queen's smile from so long ago. "It was to my benefit, of course. I reasoned that, if I could gather enough information, I could find a way to work out what I wanted from Triton. That's when I learned about Ursula. After a few months of asking to meet her, she finally came to me one night."
Regina finished off the cider, and Emma took the glass back. While Regina continued her story, Emma walked across the room to refill the glass. "She was breathtaking and just as desirable as the creatures had told me she would be. What's more, she was hungry for both power and prestige. She was the perfect creature to mold into the next wife for Triton."
Emma returned to her spot and handed Regina the glass. "I trained her in the ways of royalty, and I showed her basic magic so that she would have an edge in gaining Triton's attention. In return, once she was married to Triton, she was to ensure the treaty that I wanted, and she was to make certain that my lands remained safe along the coastlines. It was a win-win for both of us. She became the queen she wanted to be, and I ensured my powerbase without having to rely on Rumple's assistance." Regina leaned back in her chair, clearly proud of herself.
"So what happened?" Belle tilted her head to the side in consideration. "Why is she so angry with you now?"
"She broke the treaty," Regina answered, eyes flashing with anger. "When they had their first child, Ariel, Triton decided his lands were not secure enough. He enlisted the help of the magic users of his kingdom, and they all attempted to destroy anything of mine they felt threatened his kingdom. That essentially encompassed all humans and most animals." Her face pinched with anger. "Even my horses." A growl escaped her throat. "Based on the magic being used, it was clear that Ursula was assisting instead of sticking to both our agreement and the treaty."
"Regina," Mary Margaret's face was pale with fear. "What did you do?"
"I destroyed ever mercreature within a 100 mile radius of my kingdom's coastlines, and I sent my best men to Triton's home." Regina's face twitched. "Ariel was as beautiful as her mother." Her tone was hard and cold. "I had plans to dispose of the child, but Triton himself paid me a visit. Once he found out what had transpired between me and his wife, he and I made our own agreement. He agreed to stay away from my kingdom, and, in return, I agreed to give him his child back under the condition that he do something about his wayward wife."
"Oh god," Mary Margaret breathed out in despair.
"He all too happily agreed. He shunned his wife, stripping her of her status and of her beauty, and he exiled her to the farthest place in his kingdom she could go, forbidding her to have any contact with their daughter. At the time," Regina tilted her head to the side, "I thought it was a fitting punishment."
"Wait a minute," Emma finally spoke. "You mean to tell me that you are the reason Ursula was a Sea Hag?"
"Well, not directly," Regina said with a shrug. "She brought it upon herself. Had she maintained our alliance, none of this would have ever happened."
"But," the blonde was stuttering as she tried to understand, "you're saying that Ursula was once Triton's wife?"
"Is," the older woman corrected in a careless tone. "Technically, they never divorced. I'm not even sure royalty can divorce, actually."
"You've got to be kidding me," Emma said for the umpteenth time that day. Standing, she began to pace. "So, because you turned her into an ugly witch thing and exiled her so she couldn't see her daughter, she's taken Henry?"
"No," Regina shook her head slowly, eyes actually full of sympathy for Emma's confusion and anger. "She's angry with me because I'm the one who helped her daughter marry Prince Eric, and, what's more, I'm the one who took Ariel's heart to ensure control over the kingdom Prince Eric ruled. It was much easier to take their hearts and control that border than create another alliance, and, when Ursula finally learned of what was going on and came to try to stop it, it was simply convenient for me to send Ariel and Eric's army, led by them, to fight her."
For the first time in the long winded explanation they'd all been listening to, Regina looked genuinely ashamed and upset. "It was a death sentence for either Ursula or Ariel. I didn't really care which. I was busy fighting Snow White and her army. This little side business with Ursula was trivial to me. If Ariel died, I would quickly take over the kingdom. If Ursula died, it was one less annoyance I had to bother with."
Emma's voice was quiet. "The trap?"
Regina warily answered. "In what I understand was a rather violent battle, Ariel was killed by one of Ursula's spells. It had been meant for a guard, I think, but it missed its intended target. After she killed her daughter, she lost her wits. She was too dangerous to allow to roam freely."
"Which is where I come in." Gold said in a neutral tone. "The Queen, King Triton, and I created a little magical trap to keep Ursula from causing more mischief."
"Why not just kill her?" David frowned in confusion.
"King Triton was a sentimental fool," Regina answered. "He wanted to kill me for what had happened, but he couldn't prove a solid reason to blame me for any of the mess that resulted in his daughter's death or his wife's madness However, he still harbored feelings for Ursula, and he demanded we help him put her in a trap that would keep her occupied and out of the way until she finally died." She rolled her eyes. "However long that might be."
"And we did," Gold added. "For a price."
"Of course," Mary Margaret groaned. "What was it?"
"Triton ensured her Majesty's borders along the coastline." Gold smiled, "And, in return, her Majesty agreed to keep me informed of any deals she made with magical creatures should I not be directly involved."
"I wouldn't call it win-win," Regina said in an frustrated voice, "but it accomplished my needs so that I could focus on more important matters."
"Such as trying to kill me?" Mary Margaret asked in an angry tone.
"Among other things," Regina answered in the smooth, cool tone she had adopted for the day.
"She wants revenge." Emma huffed. "I can't say I blame her."
Regina sipped at her cider. "Thank you, dear."
"Come on," the blonde gave another huff, "no one here could blame her. We're all parents. Well," she glanced to Gold and Belle, "mostly. So what do we do?"
"She's likely taken young Henry underwater," Gold answered. "If she has, that means she's turned him via some sort of spell or enchantment into a mercreature. I agree with Regina. You likely have roughly two days in which to find him and bring him to the surface before he fully transforms. If that happens, it's very likely he'll be completely under the control of Ursula."
"Tit for tat," David offered by way of understanding.
"Yes," Regina answered with a nod of her head.
"So where do we start?" Emma stopped pacing. "How do we find him and get him back home?"
"We'll have to go to her," Regina answered smoothly as she stood to make her way to her books. "Gold, I presume you aren't here out of the goodness of your heart to assist us."
"You presume correctly," he said in a slightly amused voice.
"He's here because I asked him to help you," Belle offered. "Henry is an innocent in all of this, and it's the least we can do to help."
Regina turned around to look them. For a beat, she said nothing and then nodded her head. "Thank you," she whispered before turning back to her books and pulling out a very old and leather bound book. Walking to the middle of the room, she placed it on the coffee table and opened it to a page with words most in the room couldn't read and a picture of a mermaid and merman drawn along the edges around the words. "How difficult will this be to do?"
"Well, I've seen more difficult spells done by you," Gold said in a thoughtful tone, "And, with my help, it shouldn't be too hard." He ran his eyes over the page. "You'll want to be at full strength for this. I suggest you get some rest now while the others and I gather supplies." He turned to Emma. "I assume you're going as well."
The sheriff's chin rose. "Oh yeah."
"Then you two go get what rest you can, and we'll meet at the docks at 4:30 tomorrow morning." Looking to the Charmings, he added, "I'll need you two to help with this. It requires a double dose of true love, and, since we happen to have to sets here, it just works out."
"I want details," Mary Margaret said in a clipped tone. "I want to know exactly what you two are planning, how's it's going to be done, and…"
"And I shall tell you, while we're walking to my store to gather things." He stood and the others followed. "Try to get some sleep," he told the two women that were to remain behind. "Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day for the both of you."
That was a lot of exposition, I realize. I'm sorry for that. I promise it'll get better.
