A Mermaid's Tail

DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of its fabulous characters. All recognizable players, dialogue, and/or magic spells belong to ABC and Disney.

Chapter 2

"RUMPLESTILTSKIN!"

Her cries reeked of desperation and the imp grinned in eager anticipation, he would recognize that tone from anywhere. It dripped with despair and would easily fall to a deal…just the very thing! He was always able to tell a desperate soul when he saw one. And as far as he was concerned, no one had ever dared make a deal with a mermaid before. This was a first for the Enchanted Forest. From his perch on the cliffs overlooking the bay and the rocky shoals, Rumplestiltskin rubbed his long-nailed hands with eager anticipation.

"Rumplestiltskin! I want to talk to you!" Ariel yelled out again.

Where was that accursed imp? She was right where he had been last time! Ariel's frustration and impatience were at dangerously high levels. She had all of the symptoms of a teenager pushed to the breaking point: trouble breathing, a burning fury at the unfairness of it all, stinging eyes that wanted to drip tears, and a sense of righteousness that had to be fulfilled. Ariel was not thinking of consequences or penalties…she wanted out of this life and she wanted it now!

After enjoying the scene of a thrashing, thoroughly upset mermaid for a few more seconds Rumplestiltskin decided to make his presence known. With a poof of purple smoke he appeared directly behind his next victim, standing on a large stone jutting out of the sea. Only her head and shoulders poked out of the black waters of the bay. Since it was some time before the wee hours of the dawn the waters held some chill to them, but it was clear that comfort was the last thing on this teenager's mind.

"Back again dearie? I was beginning to think you were just fine under the sea," Rumplestiltskin called out with pleasure.

Ariel twisted around and glared her most ominous expression at the annoying imp. She hated that the situation actually required her to ask for help from this man of magic, but the anger at her queen and her pod called for desperate measures.

"What is your deal?" she asked curtly, not in the mood for revelry.

"Well, well, you certainly do not beat around the bush," Rumplestiltskin grinned even wider. "Right-o, let's get down to business!"

Ariel did not know what beating a bush had anything to do with this (a bush was a type of vegetation right?) but she did not care. She was only interested in hearing the terms of the deal.

"I can turn you into a human for three months, when the moon turns three times." Rumplestiltskin gestured up to the new moon in the arms of the old. "You can wander the entire human world at your pleasure. For thhrrreee months, no more, no less. Go on an adventure, see a castle, attend a ball…" he gave a high-pitched giggle, "Meet a special someone."

Ariel frowned as she listened very closely; he still had not said what he wanted from her.

"At the end of the last month, you turn back into a mermaid. I cannot do a complete transformation dearie," he paused and held up a filthy forefinger. "Magic can do much dearie but not that!"

Ariel did not like the idea of returning to her former self after the final moon turn. Where in the seas was she supposed to go after that? Back to her pod, her queen, with all of her unfairness?

"However…there is a way out of that. If within that time you discover…," here the imp paused and gave an overly dramatic sigh as he placed a hand over his chest, "Ttttrrrruueee love, you will remain human permanently. Legs and all!"

"What do you mean by true love?" Ariel asked suspiciously, wanted to understand the full terms of the deal.

Rumplestiskin flashed his pointed, grimy choppers in a toothy grin, "Why…true love's kiss dearie! The most powerful magic of all." He spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

But that was one Ariel had not heard of. The most powerful magic of all? She doubted that was true. She had watched couples kissing all of the time on the shore line and had seen no magic of any kind during the exchanges. Love may be a remarkable emotion but powerful? Ariel was skeptical.

"So I have three moons as a human, I leave this place, but I must find love in the meantime?" Wording it like that made it sound all the more complicated.

"That's right dearie!" Rumplstilskin was pleased with the way things were turning out. He almost had her, now the only thing left to discuss was…

"What do you get out of this? What is your price?" her voice growled.

The imp giggled at the fish-girl's cleverness; this one did not forget to easily. An intelligent teenager, how refreshing!

"Well dearie, as I've said before to many others at many times," he leaned over closer to the water so as to emphasize his next point, "all magic… comes with a price."

His tone became more serious as he leveled his pointing finger at Ariel's face, "What I want from you is…your voice."

"My voice?"

She had never thought of giving up such a treasure. Mermaids were the sirens of legend, a few chords and the most hardened of sailors would be reduced to blubbering idiots ready to do anything. The voice of a mermaid was said to be able to call any soul towards it from any reach of the world. No other item in the world possessed such ability; powerful magic indeed, no wonder the imp wanted it. This deal was sounding more and more suspicious to Ariel. For one thing she only had three moons, for another she would not have a voice!

"How am I supposed to communicate?" Ariel snapped.

Rumplestiltskin shrugged, feigning ignorance. "Beats me. Your looks, your pretty face...," he pretended to flick his long, curly hair, "body language! You'll have many choices"

Ariel wrinkled her nose in her frustration. "And at the end of the last month if I turn back, what then?"

"That's your problem dearie, not mine." For the first time Rumplestiltskin's voice grew more serious as he no longer bothered to sound flippant. His large, reptilian eyes bore into hers and he felt his impatience boiling up while trying to keep it in check.

Ariel racked her hands through her hair, feeling the cold water seep into her scalp. Her eyes took on a glazed look as she thought about the deal of Rumplestiltskin. A life on land or the life she had always known? The seconds that ticked by seemed to last an eternity; whatever her decision, everything was about to become very different for the little mermaid. However her grasp on that realization was limited, her mind was still reeling from the awful treatment by her queen and sisters. More concerned with escaping her oppressive life as a mermaid, the teenager did not dwell on the consequence of her failure. If there was a way out of her miserable existence and if the risk was great…so be it!

"Deal," she barked, eager to get this over with.

The crazy-looking imp let out yet another giggle, unfolded his hand and a simple mollusk shell appeared in a puff of purple smoke. Leaning over, too close for comfort, he brought the mollusk eye level with Ariel.

"Sing dearie," he said simply.

Ariel took a deep breath to steady herself. This was it, her chance to escape.

She was going to start singing the Cupid song she and her sisters were particularly good at but then thought better of it. It would not do to have the dealer of magic fall into an infatuation with her right as he was about to turn her into a human. After thinking briefly about it, Ariel eased her voice into a simple series of chords. The sound the emanated from her throat was the most beautiful song of a siren; a magic unlike any other for none could resist the pull, a call that would summon any being and bring them towards her just to be closer to the pleasing sound. A truly powerful enchantment.

A purple cloud began to rise from the mollusk shell in Rumplestiltskin's hands and floated towards Ariel. She stiffened but forced herself to remain calm as the magic completely encircled her neck and face. There was a curious sensation, like a warmth leaving her, and a small glowing ball was extracted from her throat and hovered in front of her face. From this orb the mermaid's voice continued to emanate as if taking on a life of its own. Ariel felt suddenly cold and empty; as if she had been drained of a strength she had possessed her entire life. Her skin crawled with goose bumps as she gripped her throat in fear. Oh gods, what had she done? What had she done?

As the glowing orb slowly careened into the shell, Rumplestiltskin abruptly snapped his fingers and an orange glow began to form around the mermaid. The waters surrounding her started to churn and grow uncomfortably warm. She opened her mouth in a silent scream as she was enveloped into a sheath of boiling hot liquid, whirling and spinning around her body. Oh gods, he had not told her it would hurt this much! Waves of agony coursed through her, causing her body to jerk and convulse underwater. She felt her entire tail burn as if on fire and then lose mass as if melting. For a split second she panicked even more, but then she felt her lower half start to separate and reform itself. Bones cracked painfully as new limbs were being set and scales ripped away from her skin with great force. A few more seconds of agonizing torture and it was suddenly over. Ariel felt the scalding water retreat from her body and was suddenly wrapped in the unbearably cold touch of the ocean. Thrashing her useless limbs underwater, Ariel realized she could not breathe and was sinking fast into the blackness.

Rumplestiltskin carefully placed the newly enchanted mollusk shell into his coat pocket. A siren's song in his possession! Now that was power. The imp finally glanced downward at Ariel to admire his work. A fine job at that! The young creature below him looked very much like any other maiden in the kingdom. But what in the world was she doing? Watching the teenager struggling underwater, it occurred to the imp that even though she had been a mermaid a few seconds ago, she did not know how to swim as a human. She might drown even before she had a change to get to shore.

Even though he was sure no one was watching, Rumplestiltskin kept his face impassive as he contemplated his role in this predicament. After all, he did have a reputation as "The Dark One" to uphold. But then, he quickly changed his mind. In any case, he was not nearly the monster everyone made him out to be. He certainly was above watching a girl drown. Flicking his hand in a causal downward arch, he sent a force of magic down into the deep. A gasping, retching young woman suddenly broke the surface of the water. Lifting her chest and throwing her head back hard, Ariel inhaled a much-needed lungful of air. But then she started to sink back into the sea.

Rumplestiltskin allowed himself to show a little compassion. It was not as if the teenager could tell anyone about what he was going to do. "Now I can't help you much dearie, but at the very least I can do this."

Rumplestiltskin turned and with one hard sweeping motion of his arm, pushed Ariel with a force of magic that propelled the former mermaid towards the sandy beach lining the bay. Had Ariel a voice she would have screamed with the surprise of the trip. But when she opened her mouth a whole gallon of sea water flooded in, going to the back of her throat with a force. Her unsheltered body was knocked straight into a sand bar and she skidded to a halt just above the water line. The impact was enough to daze Ariel and she remained where she had fallen, the last of the early morning tide lapping on her now bruised and battered body.

Rumplestiltskin frowned but was relieved to see from his vantage point her thin chest rising and falling with breath. That was a little rougher than he had intended; perhaps he had misjudged the distance? Oh well! She was alive and he got what he had come for. Holding the mollusk up to eye level he allowed himself a small, self-satisfied chortle; an authentic mermaid's voice in the palm of his hand. Now nothing could stop him on his revenge mission.

...

Dawn the next day…

Ariel felt her heavy eyelids slowly lift up and the first thing she noticed was the scent of the ocean and the sound of the tide. From her position on the shore, lying half-in and half-out of the water she was exposed directly to the fresh morning breeze bringing with it the smells of salt, tar, and sand.

Allowing herself a small, pitiful groan she eased herself upward with weak arms. Where was she? Lying on a beach somewhere. How did she get here? She had been in the water but unable to breath. Ariel frowned, why hadn't she been able to…

It all came back to her in a flash: the burning boat, the sailor in her arms, her queen,…Rumplestiltskin! Somehow she knew that he was the one to thank for this pounding headache and awful feeling in her stomach. Like she had swallowed a whole grove of jellyfish. She didn't think in her entire life she had ever felt this sick. Her throat seemed to tear itself up with every small breath she took. Covering her lips with a trembling hand, she forced the bile developing in her mouth back down and curled her body to sit up more. That is when she saw them for the first time.

Legs!

Her beautiful tail was gone and replaced by two pale-looking limbs that stretched out underneath her. Ariel gasped and gently moved her muscles. The appendage on the left responded by lifting up to her eye level. She was further amazed when the toes wriggled in reaction to her effort. This was amazing! She traced her fingers over the white skin, exploring every centimeter with her touch. It was so smooth and so very unlike the scales of her tail. The feet were much bonier than she would have thought and she seemed to have less muscle now, but they were legs alright!

After admiring her new limbs for some time Ariel made her first attempt at standing. Easing her arms forward she braced her palms against the soft sand and shifted her weight from her body to her new feet. From this crouching position she steadied her legs as best she could, and allowed her upper body to rise up. Gods it was high up here! Holding her arms outward seemed to improve the balancing act further. But only for a moment…suddenly her knees buckled and when she did not respond fast enough she pitched sideways into the surf. From the more familiar position of the ground, Ariel grinned at her triumph. She had actually stood up! Granted, it was only for a second but she had done it!

After several more unsuccesful attempts at standing, she finally reasoned that perhaps something to grab on would help her stand better. There were several tall pillars of rocks lining the shore and she inched her way towards the nearest cluster, slowly dragging her body forward first and then her legs. The first pillar she reached was tall and covered in barnacles and seaweed. Gripping the hot rock she was able to pull herself up a lot faster than before and she stood with only a small wobble. Her grin widened at her triumph and she felt like laughing for the first time in a very long time. Now came the harder part-walking. Still grabbing onto the rock, Ariel moved her right foot forward cautiously. But when she tried to do the same with the left she lost her balance and fell hard onto the sand. She grimaced, that one hurt a lot. Sighing, she grabbed the rock to hoist herself up and start over. This was a lot harder than it looked and exhausting.

For the next few hours, the former mermaid practiced walking and falling. A lot of falling! She did not notice the purple and red masses' forming on her knees, bruising was a new experience for her. She did not even notice that her hands were becoming scrapped and scratched from gripping the rocks and falling in the sand. She did however notice when her throat began to feel uncomfortably dry, her thirst becoming stronger. Glancing at the sea she dismissed the idea, humans could not drink sea water like mermaids could. And now she was human.

Ariel frowned and sat down with her new legs folded underneath her to rest and think. The gentle calm of the tide washed over her feet and she wiggled her toes enjoying the new feeling. She had not thought about leaving the shoreline. This was as far as she had ever seen of the human world; anything beyond the Enchanted Forest that bordered the coast had been inaccessible to her eyes. Her gaze shifted over her shoulder from the sea, her former home, towards the green of the forest. She could not stay here sitting on a beach forever, she had to leave and explore the world. The thought excited her and unnerved her at the same time. It was all happening so fast, this new life away from the sea.

But this was what she had wanted. Her face flushing with determination, she rose once again unsteadily to her feet. Holding her head up and flicking her long hair back she boldly took her first steps towards the Enchanted Forest. Three and a half shaky steps later and she found herself in the shade of the tall trees bordering the sand-lined coast. Ariel was surprised at a sudden change in her new human body due to the lack of sun; her whole form began to shiver and she clutched her upper half with her arms in an effort to warm up. Her long hair curtained over her shoulders and reached down her bare back but this did little to discourage the cold.

Clothes, I need clothes, she thought to herself.

Mermaids did not wear them, but humans did. Feeling her vulnerability to the elements helped Ariel to understand why. Her bare limbs started to shiver even harder as her sharp eyes scanned the shorelines hopefully. She did not know what she expected to find, anything really to help cover herself when she went into the shade of the trees.

Ariel recalled seeing a pile of debris along this shoreline at one point in her many trips to the surface-might she find something useful there? She started forward back towards the water line when she realized that she was walking without really thinking about it. Looking down at her bony feet in amazement she chuckled silently at the sudden revelation, it really was a lot easier when you did not think about it.

Rounding the cluster of rocks she had used as a steadying post she found what she was looking for. A load of planks, ropes, various tack, and other items that had previously visited the sea as flotsam now rested on the shores, clustered along a maze of more rocks. Clumsily lowering herself down (falling harder than intended) she used her hands to start digging through the pile.

There. A piece of canvas, formerly belonging to a sail, lay at the bottom of the pile. Ariel pulled and pulled until she unraveled her prize from underneath all the other refuse. The article was stiff with salt and smelled very much like old fish guts, but it would do for now. Pulling the cloth over her head did no good, it simply slid right off. She tried hanging it from her shoulders but that did little to cover her lower half. After some thought she wrapped the cloth around her torso; that seemed to work best, but she needed some way to secure it. Her eyes fell on a thin line of rope dangling from a splinted plank. After experimenting for some time she finally managed to wrap the rope around her body and tie it off so that the canvas stayed firmly in place.

Easing up slowly Ariel looked down at her covered self, admiring her work. Now she really was a human! Clothes and all! Feeling playful she arched her back and lifted her hair with her hands as if to allow admirers to see her. Quite a picture the little mermaid was now: bedraggled hair, clothed in nothing but a stained and lumpy canvas with bare feet, cut hands, and bruised knees. But to Ariel she felt as her appearance would turn heads in awe. Not that there were any. Ariel scanned the empty beach and admitted that this solitude was starting to unnerve her. All her life she had sought out solitude as a way to escape the teasings of her sisters. Now that isolation came at no effort on her part, it was less desirable. Time to head out and find other humans. Ariel swayed precariously as she adjusted her feet to start stomping towards the Enchanted Forest again.

"Watch your step now dearie!" called out an all-too familiar voice. "Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

Ariel whipped around, saw the imp standing just at the shoreline, and thought savagely, How long has he been there?

The idea of a witness to her struggles to stand and walk unnerved her and she flashed Rumplestiltskin the harshest glare she could manage.

"You look sensational by the way," he offered generously, closing the distance between the two of them with confident strides.

The mermaid verged on jealousy at the smooth steps her dealer took. Why should he be here? To see his precious deal done?

"Well dearie, you are all dressed and ready for a ball!" The scalawag lifted his hand and gave an elaborate bow, dipping low to the sandy ground. Ariel's frown deepened. Was this a way to mock her?

"Now don't go giving me that look. I am merely here to see you off," Rumplestiltskin grinned, but to Ariel it seemed more like a sneer.

"Mind you remember, you have three moons to find true love. After that, it's back to fins and scales."

She lifted her chin in a gesture of defiance and met his gaze. The deal had been temporarily forgotten as she had been struggling to stand on the beach, but now the presence of her dealer brought the memory on full force; she had to find a human to love her and then she could stay as she was.

"Well dearie. I'll say my good-byes now. Enjoy yourself!" Rumplestiltskin disappeared in a haze of purple smoke leaving Ariel once again alone on a beach somewhere on the edge of the Enchanted Forest.

She shook her head and started once more towards the tree line. Again, it seemed oddly unsettling that she should undertake this journey alone. She had always had her sisters, her family with her. The human world seemed so much bigger and scarier now that she was actually doing this all by herself. But there was no turning back now. Lifting her feet carefully and holding her arms out for balance, Ariel made her way towards a small semblance of a path that rounded from the sandy shores into the soil of the forest floor.

From the cliffside, Rumplestiltskin watched as the young woman wound her way slowly and shakily into the forest. A brave soul that one was, to leave everything she knew and journey into the unknown.

A small smirk etched its way onto the greenish face of the deal maker. Bravery indeed! Being brave was overrated. Why this young mermaid had as much chance in this new world as…Baelfire. Thinking of his lost son brought a bitterness and sorrow onto Rumplestiltskin. How did his son face his own new world? Somehow Rumplestiltskin knew that it would be similar to the mermaid now: bold, going forward, and not shirking from the unknown. Unlike himself.

Grimacing, Rumplestiltskin forced his thoughts away from the past by thrusting his hand into his coat pocket to feel once again the warmth of the mollusk holding the mermaid's voice. He now possessed a very rare form of magic few could boast of. And it was just the thing that he needed to call to him the soul he sought.