XVIII
I can't wait for this whole thing to be over with.
Ursula stepped carefully along the road from the castle, cursing the shoes she had been given. That stupid maid Carlotta had given her shoes with raised heels that made it harder to walk. Still, it was preferable to walking barefoot along this filthy road. As if humans weren't enough of a reason for her to hate being on dry land …
At last she drew level with the beach which stood just out of sight of Eric's castle. The beach where the Sea Witch had last met with Rumplestiltskin. Clutching the bag containing the Moranastice, Ursula stepped through the trees and out onto the sand.
Sighing with relief, she removed the loathsome shoes and threw them into the water.
"I'm swimming back after this, I don't care who sees me," she muttered in Ariel's voice, stomping down to the water. She was already content to let Eric know she was some mystical creature of the sea, but had decided she didn't want the whole castle to see her going for a long swim. But that was before she had tried walking.
Looking around to check she was alone, Ursula withdrew the Moranastice from the scaled bag and held it out in the sunlight. The grey stone plate almost shone during the day, the double spiral of moray eels as clear as ever. On each head could be seen a single eye which looked pale, almost white, in the sun.
Ursula wondered once more what Rumplestiltskin wanted this device for. Perhaps she could find out somehow when she gave it to him. He must have needed it to make a deal with someone else, just as he had made his deal with Ariel in order to make one with her. A ridiculous chain of deals, all because she couldn't take a voice and he couldn't travel to Atlantica.
Shaking her head, she cleared her throat and prepared to speak the Dark One's name three times.
"Rumple-"
She stopped and looked around as the sound of horses reached her ears. Several horses, travelling along the road past the beach.
Oh, brilliant. Wedding guests.
From a distance, Ursula could just make out the travelling party through the trees. The horses were pulling a handsome black carriage. Waiting patiently for the carriage to pass and mildly wondering who was inside – probably royalty – Ursula raised an eyebrow as it slowed and came to a stop.
The Sea Witch didn't much care if they had seen her. With the voice like a bell and her magic, she could convince any man, even a king and his driver, to get back to their carriage and move on without delay.
Which was why Ursula was taken aback when a woman stepped out of the carriage. And this was a woman she had met before.
Holding up the skirt of a long, red and black dress, the beautiful woman stepped through the trees and onto the sand, treading with ease in sturdy black boots that matched her black, neatly tied up hair. She parted her red lips in a wide grin.
"Ah, the Sea Witch," the Evil Queen said. "Fancy meeting you here. I thought I recognised you … from the waist up," she added, eyeing Ursula's legs.
"Regina," said Ursula with a false smile, stuffing the Moranastice back into the bag and holding it behind her back, as she stepped a few paces closer. "I assume you're here for the wedding?"
"You don't sound like you did the last time we spoke, dear." Regina's sharp eyes lingered over Ursula's necklace. "If you ask me, it's an improvement."
"I didn't ask you," Ursula said coolly.
"Then let me ask you something," said Regina sweetly. "Granted, your fiancé is quite a catch. But I didn't have you down as the marriage type. So, tell me – what do you want with him?"
Ursula smirked at her. "Jealous, Your Majesty? I thought you'd still be mourning your husband."
"Tell me, dear," said the Queen, "and I might just let you live to be married."
She held out her hand, and a ball of fire appeared in her palm. Ursula raised her own hand, and several large tentacles of water rose from the sea behind her and pointed themselves at Regina, poised to strike.
"No need to be bitter, Regina. It's not my fault Rumple could give me what I wanted and you couldn't."
"Oh, but I can," said Regina, stepping forward, fireball in hand, "if what you want is to marry your prince without everyone knowing he's marrying a squid."
The tentacles of water recoiled behind Ursula as she lowered her hand slightly. If Regina decided to blab about who this Vanessa really was, the wedding would be off.
"Very well," she said, and nodded to Regina's hand.
Rolling her eyes, the Queen extinguished the fireball with a clench of her fist. Behind Ursula, the tentacles of water dropped back into the sea.
"I suppose it doesn't matter much if you know," said Ursula. "I don't really want to marry that seafaring idiot. Rumplestiltskin wants me to do it, and made it part of our deal. I don't know why, just that it will allow me to keep the voice like a bell."
Ursula clutched the nautilus shell again with one hand, the other still hiding the bag behind her back. Regina looked at her suspiciously.
"And what exactly do you have there?"
"A necklace with the voice inside-"
"Not that. Behind your back."
"Oh, this?" She held out the scaled bag. "Just the other part of the deal. A gift for Rumple."
"Let me guess," said Regina, stepping closer with her arm outstretched. Ursula handed it to her. "Something from another land, so he couldn't get it for himself."
"Not a land, exactly …"
Regina took out the stone plate and examined it.
"Something for him to dine on at the wedding? I prefer gold plates, myself. What is it?"
"A powerful object from the Sea Kingdom. Something only the daughters of Triton could access – not that they know it."
Regina raised an eyebrow at Ursula.
"Triton's daughters?"
"Not his actual daughters," said Ursula impatiently. "That's just what they're called. You're familiar with the legend of Triton, right?"
"Remind me," said Regina. "I'm a bit busy for reading these days."
"Triton was the fishtailed son of Poseidon. He had a conch shell with special powers over the seas. By blowing through it, Triton could calm the sea or raise its waves. He could influence men and merfolk alike from miles away. His power was so great, some say he may as well have carried his father's trident."
"And what does that have to do with this?" said Regina, dropping the Moranastice onto the sand with a thud.
Ursula sighed, and continued.
"Triton's conch shell didn't just influence men and the sea. Its music could open a hidden vault in his realm, a vault which used to contain that," she explained, pointing down at the plate. "The Moranastice."
"So how did you get it?"
"Legend tells that the conch was destroyed, and out of it floated seven musical voices, each one less powerful than the melody of the entire conch shell. But any one of them alone can open the vault – among other things. Each one of these voices found a new-born of the sea – a mermaid – and whenever one of these mermaids would die, the voice would find another new-born host. A mermaid with one of these voices is called a daughter of Triton. They've been found here and there for centuries, these mermaids. And she is one of them. Just born at the right time, and I wasn't."
Ursula pointed in the direction of the castle, and Regina's eyes lit up.
"And now you have her voice?"
"The voice that is like a bell, yes," said Ursula, holding up the shell. "Until recently, it belonged to that lovesick girl, Ariel, completely wasted. According to some where I'm from, that redhead is the fairest in the sea," she said in disgust.
"Oh really?" said Regina. "Well, where I'm from, they say Snow White is the fairest in the land." Her smile turned to a scowl as she looked at the sand beneath her. "Only I know what she really is inside."
"I would have happily helped you with that, if you had only gotten me this voice."
Regina glared at her again.
"How did he get it for you?"
"She gave it to him, in exchange for something else. She wanted legs, so that she could be with the prince."
"Oh, really?" The usual malevolent grin was creeping back onto the Queen's face. "The same prince you're now marrying? You sly fish."
Ursula laughed.
"The poor thing will be heartbroken, now. She's completely obsessed with him. Rumple wanted me to wait until the time was right, and then call him once I had the prince's heart and the Moranastice." She stooped to pick up the plate, and dusted the sand off it. "So, if you don't mind …" She turned away to call out the name.
"I'm afraid I do mind," said Regina sharply, before Ursula could speak, and stepped in front of her. "What does that plate do?"
Ursula narrowed her eyes.
"I've never used it myself, but they say it can bring someone back from the dead."
Regina's eyes widened and stared at the plate.
"How?" she said suspiciously.
"Not just anyone, though," said Ursula, "and it comes at a price. I hear it can only bring back a lost love. In return, another life who has lost love must be given. A heartbreak for a heartbreak. A life for a life."
To Ursula's great surprise, Regina's face split into a grin. The Queen threw her head back in laughter.
"So, he gave you the voice like a bell … for his Belle."
"What do you mean? What's so funny?" said Ursula as Regina tried to contain her laughter. "Do you mean … the Dark One loves someone?"
"Oh, yes," said Regina. "And that isn't even the best part."
"What's the best part?" said Ursula.
"Just hold on for a minute," said Regina. "Because you won't want to give that to Rumplestiltskin. Good thing, too, because you'll be giving it to me, instead. First, tell me how it works."
Ursula hesitated, and stepped back. She didn't plan to go back on her deal with Rumple. But she was too curious about what Regina meant, so she answered.
"It requires a symbol of each heartbreak to be placed on the plate. A tear fresh from the eye of the heartbroken will do, or a special object that holds their love for their beloved. The rest, I'm not so certain about."
Regina looked at the plate with what was unmistakeably a flicker of hope. But it only lasted for a moment until her face hardened again, and she looked back at Ursula.
"The Dark One has fallen for his caretaker: a bit young for him, if you ask me. But then, so is everyone. Her name is Belle. And he wants to use that thing because he thinks she's dead – but she isn't."
"So, why does he think she is?"
"Because I told him that," said Regina with a smile. "You should have seen him, too. He says magic comes with a price, but the look on his face was priceless." Ursula didn't smile, but Regina continued with her sly smirk. "I have her locked up somewhere – saved for a rainy day. Now, I'm guessing he means to use this mermaid, this … Ariel … to trade for his cleaner, now that you've sufficiently broken the mermaid's heart for him …
"So, here's the deal," she continued. "If you give him that device, it won't work for him, and he'll think you've cheated him somehow. But give it to me, and I'll be able to use it properly."
"And why shouldn't I just tell him where his lover is?" said Ursula. "Then I won't even have to marry that boy."
"And you probably won't get to keep that voice," said Regina in mock concern. "Your deal with him would be undone."
"It'll be undone anyway if I help you."
"But you'll have my help to keep it. After the wedding, leave Rumplestiltskin to me, and you can keep your magic voice, and lure sailors to their deaths to your heart's desire. And this 'daughter of Triton' will be mine. You and I can help each other, one witch to another … or you could reject me, lose your new voice, and Ariel will stay alive."
Ursula considered it for a few moments.
If she has this Belle girl, she'll have leverage over him. He won't be able to hurt me or the Queen, if I help her.
"Who do you want to bring back, anyway? Your royal husband? I thought you only married him for the pretty dresses."
"Not him," the Queen snapped. "Someone I lost a long time ago, thanks to Snow White. Do we have a deal or not?"
She held out her hand for the object, and Ursula stared at it for a moment. Finally making her decision, Ursula put it back into the bag and handed it to her.
"Yes, we do."
Regina grinned and took the bag.
"A tear or an object, yes?"
"I think so. But don't blame me if it doesn't work."
Regina raised her eyebrow again.
"We'll see."
The scaled bag clutched tightly in her hand, Regina walked back up the beach to the trees.
"A pleasure doing business, Ursula," she called over her shoulder. "I'll see you on the boat when it's time, and so will Ariel. After all, everyone cries at a wedding."
Laughing once more, the Evil Queen climbed back into her carriage with the Moranastice. With a whip from the driver, the horses pulled the carriage away towards the castle.
Once the carriage was gone, Ursula removed her necklace. She held it up and waved her hand in circles around the shell. The voice inside glowed brighter and brighter, the sound of its song growing louder and louder. And then her hand stopped, the spell completed, and the shell returned to normal.
If the Dark One did end up taking the voice back, the Sea Witch would need a way to find it again. A simple tracking spell would hopefully do the trick. She replaced the necklace around her neck, and clutched the pendant as she always did.
"Just in case," said the voice like a bell. "Just in case."
XIX
Ignoring the Closed sign, Eric stormed through the door to Mr Gold's shop.
"Ah, Your Highness." Gold was stood behind the counter, beside a suitcase he seemed to be packing. "We are closed, you know."
"Where is she, Gold?" he demanded, walking up and slamming his hands on the counter. "What have you done with her?"
"Whatever do you mean?" the little man said calmly.
"I've looked everywhere for her," said Eric angrily. "No one has seen here. She's nowhere to be found. Where is she!"
"Where is who, Mr Collin?"
"Don't call me that! Where is Ariel?"
"Ah, the little mermaid," said Gold with a smile. "I didn't know whether you meant her or your fiancée."
Eric's hands clenched into fists on the counter, but Gold continued.
"I'm afraid, dearie, that I don't know either of their whereabouts. And as I said, we're closed at the moment, so if you don't mind-"
"You weren't closed five minutes ago, when the Queen was here."
Eric had seen Regina leaving in rather a hurry, clutching a small book. But he had barely ever spoken to her while in Storybrooke, so decided that Mr Gold was a priority for now.
"Yes, we were," he said coldly. "And I told her the same thing I'm telling you. It's the Queen's curse, anyway, so why don't you ask her where your friend is?"
"Because you made the deal with her."
"Well, I can assure you, I don't know where she is. Now, is there anything else, dearie? Because I have a trip to plan."
Eric's eyes widened.
"Out of town?"
"The meaning of the word trip is not lost on you, I see."
"Could anyone else be out of town? Anyone from our world?"
"Yes, but not who you're hoping for, I'm afraid."
"So, where is she? Is she still in our world?"
Mr Gold glared back at him, and sighed.
"The Enchanted Forest is gone, dearie. Everyone that was there, was transported here." Gold gestured around him. "And they all owned something that is now in this shop. And I don't remember seeing a large pair of seashells in here. So if she's not here, then either she's in a different realm altogether, or she's …"
The look on his face said it all.
"No," said Eric. "She has to be alive, right? Why would she be …"
"Who knows?" said Gold with a shrug. "I find myself wondering the same about that wretched Sea Witch. Honestly, they're probably in their own world – the Sea Kingdom. But if either one of them finds out where we all are, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they follow us here. Time has been frozen for them, same as us."
"Right," said Eric, feeling slightly relieved. "So, it's not been long for Ariel, either."
"I should think not. Now, would you leave if I gave you this?"
Gold turned around, opened a drawer behind him, and withdrew Eric's silver flute.
"Of all things," he said softly, handing the flute to a speechless Eric, who gripped it so hard it hurt. The flute of their music, the instrument of his folly, the symbol of his heartbreak. "I'll let you know if I happen to find something that belongs to your friend, but I severely doubt I will. I don't plan to be here for very long, anyway. But, by all means, keep looking for her. You'd be surprised who the Queen has hidden away. If she has a swimming pool somewhere, I'd look there first."
XX
Ariel kept wiping her eyes as she ran down the castle steps to the beach. She couldn't bear to look at the harbour, where the wedding ship was being prepared.
Going as fast as she could on the sand, Ariel hurried along the beach until she was out of sight of the castle, near the rock where she had sat when she first met Eric. When she had last seen Rumplestiltskin.
"Rumplestiltskin!" she tried to shout. No sound came out. She tried over and over, hoping that he had at least allowed her to say his name, in case she wanted to undo the deal or make another one.
She stared wildly, desperately around, and tried again. "Rumplestiltskin!"
Rumplestiltskin, Rumplestiltskin, Rumplestiltskin, Rumplestiltskin, Rumplestiltskin.
Even mouthing the name didn't work, and apparently neither did thinking it. Wherever the Dark One was, he didn't know she was calling him.
Either that, or he just didn't want to come.
"For ever and ever," she remembered him saying. "But remember, all magic comes with a price."
Maybe part of the price was not being able to undo it. For ever and ever. She could not even have a few minutes as a mermaid back with her voice, the voice that somehow sounded a lot like this Vanessa woman's. Not even a few minutes to explain herself to Eric, to show him that she was his rescuer, and to explain everything.
I should have thought about that before I signed the contract.
But how could she have thought she would ever want to undo it? With or without Eric, becoming human was a dream come true.
But I was so close! He loves me! And he chose her anyway...
Maybe Rumplestiltskin could tell her how this happened, or just let her speak to Eric once. Even for that, she would even give up her hair if that was what it took.
"Rumplestiltskin!" she tried again, her vision blurred with tears. She stepped into the water, silently shouting and shouting, while screaming the name inside her head. Beginning to give up, she closed her eyes and the tears rolled down her cheeks.
She opened them, her vision clear once again, and the scaled man was nowhere to be seen.
Ariel backed away and sat down on the shore. The small waves washed up around her, soaking her dress, but she didn't care. She remembered that day, when she had sat here with Eric, trying to explain who she was before stupidly deciding she didn't need to. She should have tried while she had the chance. But she had made her choice, and now time was up.
As a wave rolled in and washed up around her, a single tear fell from Ariel's face and into the water.