'Before You Start' Notes:
1. 'Mum of the Year' is Future Fic since it takes place after Emma and Hook get married which has not yet happened in the show.
2. I originally Wrote this story in Aug 2014. The story is now AU (Alternate Universe) since I am doing traditional Ursula here rather than the Ursula of OUAT's season 4. I admired Merrin Dungey's performance and the beautiful story A&E gave her Ursula. But, my story works better with a middle aged, plump, overly dramatic Ursula as depicted in the 'Little Mermaid' animated film.
3. The sequel to this story is called "Finding Father" & will start posting 4/5/15. The original story deals with the mother. The sequel will answer questions about the father.
PROLOGUE: The Code of Poseidon
Setting: The Undersea City of Atlantica
Time: Over 2 Centuries Ago
"BANG! BANG! BANG!" The conch gavel head pounded the seabed rock with a force that rang throughout the waters. In the submerged throne room, all chatter ceased.
The mer bailiff's deep voice filled the chamber: "ALL REGARD FOR THE HONORABLE TRITON, UNDISPUTED RULER OF THE SEVEN SEAS, EMPEROR TO ALL OCEAN KINGDOMS AND HIGH OVERLORD OF ATLANTICA!"
Individual motion stopped as all merfolk turned to the throne. With a face drenched in solemnity, the young king entered the room through an opening behind the dais. Slowly he swam to the center and settled heavily onto the judgement seat.
This wasn't going to be easy. It was the biggest crisis Triton faced since assuming the throne 10 months previous. His father's death came without warning or preparedness. The crown was thrust upon Triton's head just as he reached the age of consent. Then, before he even had time to grow his chin stubble into a proper flowing beard as befit a mer king, scandal and treason rocked his kingdom at the highest level. Damn his sister! How had Ursula kept her forbidden dalliance with a HUMAN secret for SO long? More importantly, how had she given birth to not ONE but TWO of the landscum's brats without being detected sooner?
The Code of Poseidon, foundation for all mer law, strictly forbids ANY contact between the mer world and its human counterpart. Ursula knew that! EVERYBODY knew that! Which is why her sensational trial yielded a swift verdict of 'guilty' despite the princess's unparalleled skill in twisting mer law to her advantage. Now Triton's hand was forced. The sentence mandated by such a blatant violation of the Code was extremely harsh. But, he could not afford to go easy on her. Not with his reign just starting and the current political climate so volatile.
Holding the all powerful trident in his right hand, Triton sighed audibly and nodded to the bailiff.
"BRING IN THE CONDEMNED!"
The crowd murmured as two guards floated into the room with a stunningly beautiful mermaid shackled between them. Her majestic violet tail emitted a soft shimmer that went straight to her narrow waist. The emerald wrap she wore to cover her spectacular bosom enhanced the sheen of her flawless skin. An exquisite nautilus shell pendant dropped low into her cleavage. Her eyes burned like molten sapphire over perfectly sculpted cheekbones and a soft well shaped mouth. But, her greatest glory was undeniably her massive mane of ebony hair. Worn free of any pins or ornamentation, the long black tresses floated gracefully about her head and shoulders drenched in luminescence. Without question, she possessed the type of regal beauty that fascinated the masses.
"THE GUARDS ARE HEREBY INSTRUCTED TO UNTETHER THEMSELVES AND TAKE TWO STEPS BACK FROM THE CONDEMNED. THE CONDEMNED IS HEREBY WARNED THAT ANY ATTEMPT TO HARM THE KING WILL BE MET WITH BRUTE FORCE."
Really these precautionary measures were unnneccessary. Many merfolk would prefer this perfectly poised princess as their ruler rather than her awkward younger brother. After all, Princess Ursula had been the artist's model for the colossal statue of the Sea Goddess Ursula guarding the gates of Atlantica. To the commoners, their princess was the sea goddess reincarnated. But, the Code specifically stated that the throne must pass to the eldest MALE heir of the sea king's bloodline. The succession could be transmitted through the female line to a male heir of that line, but a female could never be ruler.
Ursula resented this provision to the Code. Why shouldn't SHE rule upon her father's demise? She was the eldest. She was intelligent, strong and highly adept at mer law. And the people WORSHIPPED her! Unfortunately, when Ursula lobbied for an amendment to the Code which would allow females to inherit the throne, King Poseidon erupted in a royal rage usually reserved for Triton.
"A FEMALE MER RULER?! Girl, are you out of your mind?!"
"Father, listen to me! The idea of a female monarch is a fact in many kingdoms. The Enchanted Forest and Arendelle are both ruled by strong queens."
"LAND KINGDOMS! Weak rulers for weak humans! The sea kingdom is as vast as it is complex! No member of the fairer sex could ever hope to control it!'
'Father, you don't know that because it has never been tried in the mer world! The Fathomless Wars over the throne decimated the great families of the deep! Wouldn't it be better to have a female ruler of the blood royale than a civil war of that magnitude again?"
"Those wars came about because there was no male heir. That isn't the case with my reign. I have Triton!"
Triton straightened his tail and squared his shoulders. So, despite the constant barrage of paternal criticism, Father really did have faith in him!
"Triton!" Ursula laughed. "You might as well crown a jellyfish!"
"The heir's competency to perform his duties is not for YOU to decide! Your brother is young but he will rise to the occasion if need be!"
"Well, I hope the need never arises because -"
"ENOUGH! Go to your apartments and stay there until I give you permission to leave!"
House arrest not withstanding, Poseidon's efforts to control Ursula proved futile. She retaliated by embarrassing the royal family at every opportunity. Her drunken parties, gambling, astronomical debt and other ignoble behavior exasperated the king. After a few seasons, Ursula's outrageous antics began to ebb. Relieved that his daughter was no longer causing trouble undersea, the king never suspected she was flitting about the surface with some human. Had their father discovered the truth, the entire romance would have been terminated before the succession became threatened.
But, the sea king never found out! And then great Posidon died unexpectedly and the breaking scandal became Triton's problem.
"URSULA, PRINCESS FROM THE HOUSE OF POSEIDON," the mer bailiff began, "COUNTESS OF MERDAVIA AND VESSEL Of THE BLOOD ROYALE, YOU HAVE BEEN FOUND GUILTY OF CONSORTING WITH LAND BEINGS AND INTERBREEDING WITH A HUMAN. . . . IN ACCORDANCE WITH MER LAW, DO YOU WISH TO MAKE A STATEMENT BEFORE THE KING PASSES SENTENCE?"
"I do." The deep contralto resonance of her voice rang loud and clear .
"Oh, stink-fish," murmured Triton, "here come the theatrics."
With the flamboyance of a consummate actress, Ursula raised her shackled wrists and began to speak.
"First, I want the record to show that the HUMAN and I were NOT rutting manatees. We were - ARE - deeply in love AND we are legally married. . ."
"Your Majesty!" exclaimed the royal prosecutor, "This was covered at the trial! Mer Law does NOT recognize marriages performed on land under human jurisprudence."
"NEVERTHELESS," boomed Ursula, "WE WERE MARRIED!"
Triton signaled for the royal prosecutor to reseat himself. No need to rehash this point. Legally married or not, her behavior had been reprehensible.
"Secondly," continued Ursula, "since this proceeding DIRECTLY affects my children, I DEMAND that they be present for the sentencing!"
The chamber exploded in an uproar. The mer bailiff banged the gavel successively until order was restored.
Triton finally spoke. "Ursula, since your children are under the age of 10, I doubt whether they will understand this proceeding. Are you not afraid of traumatizing them?"
Ursula smiled malevolently at the king. "In the interest of justice , Your Majesty, I think you should look these children in the eye before you condemn them to death!"
A collective gasp shook the room! She had the audacity to speak aloud the underlying purpose of this proceeding and the greatest worry to the king. The children, both male, were at present next in line for the childless Triton's throne. And they were HALF HUMAN! A half human sea king was inconceivable! But, although their mother had broken mer law by giving birth to them, the children themselves were guilty of no crime. That they needed to be eliminated for the greater good was undeniable. But there simply was no legal justification to execute them publically.
"Ursula, no one will be executed," replied Triton, 'not even you."
"Oh, no, of course not! I will not be executed . . . Just stripped of all royal entitlements, transformed into the lowliest of mer folk and forced to live in exile along the outskirts of society. . . And the boys will no doubt be taken permanently into PROTECTIVE CUSTODY... until one night they just... disappear...never to be seen or heard from again."
A deafening silence seeped through the room. Court intrigue could be brutal. The boys WOULD disappear. They HAD to disappear.
Triton swallowed hard. She was right. His first impluse had been to put them under protective custody and keep them out of sight. That they would eventually be quietly disposed of...well, that didn't have to happen if Triton married and produced a male heir of his own. But neither scenario sounded particularly fair to the two innocents. Triton's reputation could suffer irreparable damage. Not a good prospect for a successful reign. Damn her for putting him in this position! He wasn't a monster! He didn't care if her children succeeded him! But, the mer people would NEVER follow a partially human king! There would be civil war!
"Very well," growled Triton, "Bring out the sons of Ursula!"
A guard gently pushed a large clear bubble up the aisle toward the dais. Inside the bubble, a boy of about 8 years balanced a much smaller child on his hip. Both children had legs instead of fins and breathed the oxygen circulating inside the bubble. The older boy, wide eyed and innocent, sported rich brown curls and blue eyes that now mirrored his inner fear. The toddler, also blue eyed but with jet black hair, giggled and waved to the crowd with great flair. A collective 'Awwwe' sounded from the crowd.
"Oh, common on, Triton," Ursula cooed. "You can just decree that my sons can't succeed you for whatever reason you deem fit. . . Then these two little innocents can grow up quietly in my care. . ."
Triton pinched the bridge of his nose. So this was her strategy! Show the cute half breeds to a sentimental public so he looks like a monster if he harms them. No, Ursula! ... But, they were SO young! And the little one, obviously thinking this was some kind of a game, was blowing raspberries and quirking an eyebrow at his uncle, the king. The whole court was charmed and laughing. Triton couldn't hid them away NOW... and he CERTAINLY couldn't leave them to be raised by their irresponsible mother! Was the father any better? . . . Hummmm... Perhaps the solution was not as clear cut as Triton had hoped. But, he had already set the events in motion. He could not change his mind now or he would be the jellyfish Ursula always accused him of being.
"I'm sorry, Ursula," he said in a steady voice, "You have not proven yourself fit enough a parent to retain custody of these boys and raise them as scions of the blood royale."
Ursula opened her mouth in protest but Triton raised his hand halting her speech.
"Since your children are - for all outward appearances - human, I decree that they be sent to the surface to live with their father for the remainder of their lives. They are NEVER to be told of their mer blood! If YOU attempt to contact either father or children EVER again, both boys will be arbitrarily beheaded by the power of the trident."
Ursula looked stunned. "B-b-b-but you can't -"
"I can and I have... Guards, take the boys to the surface and release them into the custody of their father. I have already erased his memories so he can never contact Ursula nor encourage either child to do so in his stead."
"But the trident isn't configured for human physiology!" cried Ursula, "It's memory erasure powers could cause irreparable damage to his brain!"
Triton opened his mouth to speak but no sound came forth. If the truth be told, the human's reaction to the memory wipe had been severe. But, he demonstrated sufficient control over the madness to appear sane most of the time. Surely, the human was lucid enough to care for these boys? A fatherly tantrum here or there wouldn't endanger the boys too much, would it?
Triton lowered his eyes in and then Ursula knew.
"Sweet Neptune!" she gasped, "You DID harm him! THAT's not justice! THAT's torture!"
"Call it what you will! But it is now done!" Triton spat. "Tax me no further, sister! Least I change my mind and perform the same memory wipe on the older boy!"
"You monster! He's just a baby!"
"No, Ursula, the younger one is a baby. He will not remember his mother or these proceedings. The older child now has the capability of long term memory. I spared him the trident against the advice of my senior councilors. I hope I am correct in surmising that the human world will not believe his story and attribute it to a boy's overactive imagination."
Ursula's face reflected utter devastation as the guard pushed the bubble upward toward the surface. The older boy knelt down and pressed his face against the bottom of the bubble as it rose high above the court. His mother reached futilely for the bubble with tears streaming down her face.
"MY POOR LITTLE SAM!" wept Ursula, "Be a brave lad! And take care of Baby! Tell Daddy I love him and that Mummy will find a way to -"
But the bubble ascended out of sight before she could finish.
"Sammy." She said softly. "My sweet Sammie's..."
Triton hated himself for ripping the children away from her. But, for the good of the mer world, hard choices had to be made and decisions enforced.
"Now," said Triton drawing her attention back to the dais, "It is time for YOUR sentencing...Ursula, Princess from the House of Poseidon, Countess of Merdavia and vessel of the blood royale ... Your punishment is clear by law. Any mermaid or merman who interbreds with a human will be stripped of all title, turned into a Cecaelia and exiled from Atlantica... Sentence to be carried out immediately!"
With that, the guards unshackled Ursula and moved away. Standing alone and defiant, Ursula glared at the mer king.
"Do your worst, LITTLE Brother!"
With that, Triton lifted his trident and a bolt of lightning danced through Ursula's long tresses scalding the ends severely before splitting into eight laser sharp beams. To her credit, she did not scream when the beams raced down her fins cuting eight even fissures into her flesh. Then a second burst of lightning swirled around her forming an eddy until she was no longer visible. The eddy slowly dissipated to reveal a hybrid of female and octopus with ghastly lavender skin, short white hair and black tentacles. It was still Ursula and yet it was not Ursula. Whatever it was, the creature's eyes spat pure hatred at the mer king.
"MARK. MY. WORDS. TRITON." It growled. "You WILL pay DEARLY for this."
Then it slowly turned and swam from the courtroom with all the regal bearing of a once great princess.