Hooked

She had caught her first glimpse of him as he had hovered by the edge of his ship. She floated just under the surface of the water, watching, fascinated by a life she had never known she wanted until just then. It had truly been love at first sight.

She had followed the ship for a while until it docked and as she peeked her head above the waves of the salty ocean she could see the castle in the distance. She had watched for hours, as the ship was unloaded, as the handsome man went down a path she couldn’t follow. It was almost unreal, the sadness she felt in that moment.

“Well aren’t you the brave little mermaid,” said a voice from the nearby dock. Her first instinct was to dive underneath the water, but something about this man watching her held her curiosity. “I can help if you want, dearie.”

She turned to watch the retreating party, the handsome man among them.

“I want to walk on land,” she said, swimming slightly closer to the dock. She eyed the strange quality of his skin, his yellow eyes, and his wicked grin. Normally she probably wouldn’t have trusted him, but he was presenting her with possibilities she never thought possible.

“It shall be done!” he said, “but, it will take a great deal of magic, and magic comes with a price!”

She swam closer, hands now reaching to clasp the edge of the dock.

“I’ll give you anything!” she said, lifting herself slightly out of the water. “Name your price.”

He rubbed his chin, thinking as he observed her.

“A single scale from your fin, ought to do it,” he said. She lowered herself back into the water, glancing down at her fin as it fluttered easily through the water. Ariel reached down running her hand over the smooth scales, before grabbing one between her fingers and pulling. She flinched slightly at the small pain she felt before reaching up and handing it to the man on the dock.

The man let out a gleeful laugh as he took it, placing it in a pocket in his jacket.

“I hope you’re ready,” he said. “The transition isn’t easy.”

“What’s your name?” she asked quickly, curiosity getting the better of her, as usual.

“Rumpelstiltskin.”

Ariel wasn’t surprised when Killian wasn’t there when she woke up. She was kind of glad of it, truth be told. After last night, she kind of needed some time to process everything that had happened lately. She saw the empty bottle of Captain Morgan on the counter, and was quite aware that her own bottle of liquor was getting low, so she decided to get out of the apartment today to do some shopping… she needed groceries too.

Before picking up supplies, Ariel decided to stop by Granny’s for breakfast, walking in and taking a seat at a booth in the corner. Ruby came over with a friendly smile and took her order. Ariel thought that maybe if she trusted people more, they would have been friends. She glanced at the entrance to Granny’s as she heard the bell chime, signaling that someone had come in.

The newest patron at Granny’s looked around the diner, eyes finally meeting Ariel’s. They stared at each other for a moment, and much to Ariel’s shock, she watched as the Evil Queen herself came towards her.

Ariel had never interacted with the mayor before, but she had heard enough about Regina to know she wasn’t someone you wanted to mess with. Ariel was glad she had never done anything to be caught in her wrath… at least not yet anyway.

“I don’t believe we’ve ever met,” Regina said, flashing her best publicity smile as she slid into the opposite side of the booth. Ariel could see through her though, could see the hint of suspicion in her eyes. “May I ask your name?”

“Ariel,” she answered hesitantly.

“Ariel,” Regina repeated, thinking. “Ah yes! The mermaid! Well… former mermaid.”

Ariel was unsure how to respond, so instead asked the obvious, “Is there something I can help you with?”

“No,” she said, another false smile. “I just never realize who the curse affected. Do you have any family in town?”

“No,” Ariel said, looking down at the table.

“That’s too bad,” Regina said. She watched Ariel carefully, curious about this girl who had managed to stay off of her radar for so long. She stood from the booth. “Be careful out there…There are a lot of awful things going on lately.”

Ariel looked up just in time to see Regina leaving. She felt thoroughly confused, unsure of why the mayor would suddenly be interested in her. She hoped she didn’t suspect anything about Killian…

She left Granny’s before her breakfast had even arrived, heading straight back to her apartment, plans of shopping forgotten. Killian was there when she got back.

“Everything all right, sweetheart?” he asked as soon as the door was closed behind her.

“I don’t know,” she said, glancing at him. “Regina just came up to me at Granny’s and started to talk to me.”

“What did she say?” he questioned. Ariel told him of the brief conversation she had with the mayor. “Did she seem like she had any idea about me hiding out here?”

“No, I don’t think she suspected,” she answered, sitting down on the couch in the living room. “It seemed more like trying to just get general information on me… but I just don’t know. It was weird.”

“Interesting,” he said, sitting down on the couch too. “Well, I also come bearing news. Apparently several residents of this town have grown magic beans. Seems there are plans brewing to return to our land.”

Ariel looked at him in surprise.

“That’s possible?” she asked.

“Yes,” Killian said. “The beans open portals that can take everyone back to our lands.”

Ariel rubbed a hand over her face, looking towards her window. Going back. She had never thought it would be a possibility… but now here it was. But did she even want to go back? Was there even anything for her to go back for?

“I don’t think I would go back,” she said finally. She stood up, heading to her bedroom, just wanting now to lie down.

“May I ask why?” Killian said as she reached her doorway.

“There’s nothing for me there,” she said.

“And here?”

“There’s nothing here for me either, but at least here there are less reminders of what I’ve lost.”