@tretramonti 💒 for an AU where Melody is the flower girl at a Storybrooke Ariel & Eric wedding
Headcanons below the cut
Kay. So Ariel and Eric live in sin while in the Enchanted Forest/traveling the Realms because a formal marriage ceremony isn’t so much a thing in mer culture, or at least the traditions and expectations are different enough that humans wouldn’t recognize it as such. And Eric’s cool with that. Melody’s born during that time and a few years later when Ariel gets pregnant with baby #2 they both feel the urge to settle down, at least for a while, so they can be around their Ariel’s friends and Mel can hang out with kiddos close to her own age. When they settle back into Storybrooke Snow tips them off that a wedding would be a great way to get free stuff reintroduce themselves to the community. (Listen most of Eric’s things are in Gold’s shop or have been redistributed by now and Ariel and Mel never lived there in the first place. Snowing and the other parents give them some of their old things, particularly hand-me-down clothes and other baby/kid stuff for Mel and the eminent new arrival but yeah.) Snow and Belle super throw themselves into wedding planning with Ariel and Eric, surprisingly, along with Hook and Regina who both feel they kinda owe the happy family one. Belle twists Gold’s arm into making the wedding party’s clothes because, as we know, he is a surprisingly good fashion-designer. (See: Charming’s True Love’s Kiss #1 outfit, Cinderella’s ball ensemble, and one of Belle’s gold ballgowns, along with a suit for himself. The man has a gift.) Snow and Belle are co-matrons of honor and Hook and Charming are co-best men. The other princesses and princes are bridesmaids and ushers respectively. (Yes even the ones who in canon wouldn’t be in Storybrooke. Because I say so.) Gold also joins the boys and Ruby the girls. Snowflake is the ring bearer. It’s a beautiful ceremony on the beach. (Zelena’s present is she makes sure the weather’s nice.) The reception is on Granny’s rooftop. At least two dwarves, three royals, and one pirate get very drunk. A good time is had by all. Melody has lots of fun chucking flower petals at the ground and perhaps does it a little harder than would be ideal but she’s super cute so no one really cares. She is much less interested in the rest of the ceremony which is full of boring talking and no one throwing anything. She doesn’t understand why everyone’s so happy when her Mommy and Daddy kiss for like the eleventy-billionth time. Grownups are weird. She enjoys the reception much better and proceeds to dance with her parents, play with the other kids, eat a yummy dinner, and get cake all over her face. Not necessarily in that order.
When it starts getting past the tiny people’s bedtime Granny bows out early to take the youngins to one of the Inn’s rooms to sleep and stays with them there overnight. She gets a hefty tip from all of the very grateful parents. Thus Melody gets to have her very first sleepover. In attendance are Alexandria, Phillip 2.0, Snowflake, Roland, Robyn, Gideon, and Baby Hope, among others. (No do not ask me about timelines. If the show stopped caring so can I.) It is a smashing success.
