*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

Part 1
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.

"Merpeople of the Sea!" he greeted them. "My daughter, the Princess Ariel, you know is the most wonderful Voice of the Ocean. A wise Fairy blessed her with the gift of song when she was born. I have asked that she sing for you now, as a special welcome to Undersea." He nudged the reluctant girl. "Go ahead."

Ariel cleared the frown from her face as she drew herself up to her full length, all seven feet. She tilted her head back as light from the Sun shone down through a gap in the coral walls of the palace and illuminated her figure. She opened her mouth and began to sing. The haunting melody captivated her audience. When she finished, they remained with their eyes glued to her, mesmerized by her song. Triton nodded and she left as he came into the beam of sunlight. Now all attention was focused on him.

"Men of the Sea," he cried, "are you ready to hear me?"

As one, they answered him, "We will listen to what you have to say."

Triton smiled, "Then let the Royal Council begin."

The kingdom of Overcliff was separated from the mainland by a wide channel, frequently patrolled by the Overcliff armada. Across the channel stood the castle from which Queen Regina ruled. Lately, her kingdom had increased and grown stronger. With a nation like that on the mainland, any enemies would necessarily have to go through her to get to Overcliff. The existence of an armada, then, was almost superfluous. Then also, there was the matter of the kingdom's failing strength.

It could be said that King Theodore was not the same man since his wife passed away, leaving him to raise their son Eric on his own.

As the king retreated more and more into his courts and libraries, the kingdom seemed to dwindle as well. Not many people crossed the Channel to conduct any sort of business, and only every so often a guild or family would boat across, but mostly Overcliff kept to itself.

Prince Eric found much to occupy his time: hunting trips in the forest of Overcliff (which Queen Regina was kind enough to keep supplied with creatures to breed and populate the island), and boating across the Channel.

On this particular afternoon, he and three friends were taking their last jaunt. Eric knew that Queen Regina and his father were discussing the possibility of letting Regina's kingdom extend across the whole channel, so that the King would rule over only the island itself, and the armada could either be dissolved or the sailors had the option of becoming subjects of the Queen.

Eric would miss boating, but he believed as his father told him, that such a deal would only benefit Overcliff, as there was a small monetary repayment involved, plus added protection from the Queen's robust armada, since the two nations would be allies as a result of the pact.

"Watch her luff!" Eric called to his friend Smith. "Take in the port side so we can tack!"

Once the maneuver was completed, Eric called to drop the sail and let the boat drift with the current. Eric, Smith, Kyle, and Mark relaxed on the boat, listening to the gentle lapping of the waves and the wind hissing through the rocks.

"This is the life," Eric sighed.

"I wonder why everyone doesn't take a boat out more often," Kyle mused, gazing down into the murky depths. "Overcliff being so small. Father says it used to be that everyone owned a boat."

"What happened?" Mark asked as Eric closed his eyes to listen to the wind.

"I'll tell you what happened," Smith—the poorest in the group, whom Eric included in his activities to lend himself an air of benevolence—burst out bitterly. "It became more important to have fires in the winter than pleasure in the summer."

His words hung in the air as the other two courtiers glanced at each other.

"Too bad they didn't think about buying wood in town, or getting a permit to pick up deadwood in the forest," Eric muttered from beneath his hat. "But then again, all the more peace and quiet for us!" He laughed, but the others didn't join in.

Eric felt splashes of water on his arm.

"Hey!" he lifted his hat, "What's the big idea?"

Smith looked up, "It wasn't us."

"Uhh—" Kyle happened to glance over his shoulder and remained transfixed by what he saw. "Guys?"

Eric turned around. Behind him, where once there was clear sky and sun, an enormous dark cloud billowed and blotted out the light. With a mighty peal of thunder, the storm closed over the group.

"ROW!" Eric screamed, but it was already too late. The water churned and the secluded channel became a narrow death trap. The rain blinded the four friends, and the movement of the waves disoriented them. The full fury of nature seemed directed toward the young prince and his friends.

"Hold on!" Eric called, whether or not the others could hear him. Just then, the boat gave a furious buck and he forgot his own advice and went sailing into the air. He landed in the water, but he could not fight his way to the service, no matter how hard he flailed. The lack of air made his strength give out, and he could only watch as the undersea cliffs of his home rose past him. Movement caught his fading vision, and Eric could have sworn he caught the face of a terrified woman before the darkness closed around him...