Epilogue

A/AN: Thanks for all the awesome reviews and support. I give you the final installment! I hope everyone enjoys it!

Three Years Later…

"Are you sure they'll be here?" Rumplestiltskin inquired to Belle as she lounged lazily on a flat rock.

"Of course they will. Umi brought me their message, she claims she got from a deranged seagull named Scuttle." Belle chortled, watching for her sister's rowboat.

"What's that?" he asked pointing in the distance.

"That's them, now get ready for the surprise attack." she giggled immersing herself in the water next to him.

"I still don't understand the point of this childish game." he retorted which she returned with a dirty look.

"Just play along." she commanded dragging him under the water with her. They both emerged simultaneously on opposite sides of the boat, startling both occupants.

"Jeeze sis! What a way to greet your sister!" Ariel exclaimed holding her hand over her chest from fright.

"It never gets old." Belle grinned, gazing fondly at her sister. She blinked when she noticed a basket in the center of the boat that held a sleeping child.

"Who's this?" Belle inquired curiously to her sister.

"Belle, meet your niece Melody." Eric announced, pulling back the blanket to reveal an infant with a mound of dark curls.

"She's beautiful…When did this happen?" Belle questioned her younger sister, blue eyes filled with curiosity.

"It happened while we were visiting the realms. I had a bout of horrible sickness for several days that I casually blamed on the sea which made no sense since I'm a former mermaid. It turns out I was pregnant. After she was born, Eric and I decided it was time to return home. We both decided it was best to raise her back here in Nagisa." Ariel explained, while Eric rowed the boat to shore.

"It looks like you two have gotten quite cozy…Care to share the tale?" Eric inquired to his former crewmate.

"Yes I would like to know how you got those too." Ariel smirked, referring to his fins.

"We would love to share that tale wouldn't we sweetheart?" Rumplestiltskin inquired to his wife who was beaming with joy as she held the tiny bundle in her arms.

"Well let's see…Three years ago after you had already set sail…" Belle recounted the tale of their love story to her sister and her husband. She told them everything from how she saved him from the ship wreckage to using her only wish to turn him into a merman. After they returned to Atlantica, Belle took her place as queen. She never told her people how she used her wish to turn him into a merman. She told them that she'd met him at Destiny Isle and that they'd fallen madly in love. They never questioned her when she announced their engagement except where he'd managed to procure such a large pearl for her engagement ring.

Their reign was even more renowned than Triton's. Belle and Rumple were both strong leaders who ruled with the utmost respect and reverence for their people. A few years into their marriage she gave birth to a son, they called Baelfire.

Baelfire took after his aunt Ariel, hence he was utterly fascinated with the land. Melody was the opposite because she craved adventures under the sea. When they were older, Baelfire used his merwish to trade places with Melody. He became human, and she became a mermaid. They both used their charms to unite two kingdoms who once misunderstood each other.

Many years later land and sea folk began to intermingle. Some land dwellers decided to become sea dwellers and vice versa. Both couples lived a long and fulfilling life each getting to see their second generation of grandchildren, and everyone lived happily ever after.

The End