<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 24pt;"><strong><em><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;">Once Upon a Time...</span></em></strong></span></div><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;">The Kingdoms of the vast enchanted realms were able to maintain a lasting peace between them, with only a few internal problems to deal with; the odd wild animal attack or unstable citizen perpetrating more than their fair share of trouble.<br/><br/>While the great bulk of the world's power lay in magic wielded by those not of human origin, a small percentage of each population would experience the birth of a child gifted in these talents and rather than being feared (for the more enlightened societies), they were revered and viewed it as a responsibility rather than a privilege. Others who were not quite so noble were, luckily, few and far between and able to be prevented from causing too much harm.<br/><br/>Until that fateful day.<br/><br/>A once-great kingdom in the far-off desert lands sank beneath the dunes taking every man, woman and child with it. Surely an undertaking of that magnitude could only be the work of a vindictive human possessing the powers of one of the Djinn. They were only half-correct.<br/><br/>One of the worst Djinn, a resentful soul that despised being controlled by a powerless human master, managed to corrupt and terrify his masters until he was set free of his lamp and servitude. But that cost him a great deal of his power and to regain it he had no choice but to offer these pitiful mortals what they desired. No longer bound by the laws that he could not kill, revive, or enchant with feelings of love, this vile former Djinn walked the streets of the nearest desert kingdom, offering beggars off the streets relief from their suffering, which they gladly accepted. Once his energies had been revitalized by making so many crooked deals, he set about fulfilling his promises to them: Death ended their suffering, and it just so happened to take the entire kingdom along with them. Well, it served them right for not taking better care of their poor and downtrodden.<br/><br/>But that was only the beginning. The greed of a Djinn, who had once tasted unlimited power, was insatiable. Those who followed him either feared too greatly to stand in his way or were enticed by the promises of what serving such a powerful lord could bring. Naturally, those with a dark inclination themselves were drawn to him as well, and in little time, an army of darkness was spreading across the lands, threatening to swallow up everything in its path.<br/><br/>But they met with opposition. Tremendous opposition, from those possessing their own power and the boldness to stand and fight for their people. And so it was for ten long years, the kingdoms of good battled and repelled the forces of the archvillain, Rumplestiltskin, who all the while plotted and planned a way to triumph once and for all.<br/><br/>While it appeared that, for once, the heroes may finally have gotten the upper hand and could spell the beginning of the end for the villains, Rumplestiltskin hatched his devious plot, which required him to strategically sacrifice parts of his army in order to ensure their objective would be as vulnerable as possible. Ten years of spying, research and hiding his trump card had finally bore fruit.<br/><br/>Snow White's castle, which had not been the target of any assaults in a great while, was their destination. Their target: Snow White herself, and her fabled Magic Mirror, the one that could open a door not just into another mirror in one of the kingdoms, but to a different world entirely. One without magic. One ripe for the taking by he and his dark minions, powerless to stop them with their superior abilities.<br/><br/>But his power was insufficient to lead a successful strike against her royal guards. This was quite a gamble on Rumplestiltskin's part, as failing to come through on his part of a deal would end his life. If this failed, it was all over. Nevertheless, he took his gamble and ordered the bulk of his hordes to his stronghold for the most ambitious deal he had ever made. Thousands of his servants gathered and the energy he would acquire from their acceptance was beyond anything he had ever felt before. It was almost like being a Djinn again. But it would not last long, not with how he planned to use it. With the promise to deliver them a way to a new land that was just begging to be conquered, Rumplestiltskin could bring his plan to fruition and not have to give them anything he did not already intend to.<br/><br/>Using this opportunity to do what he could with his power, he turned his armies invisible to march past enemy lines and take Snow's castle with no one being any the wiser until it was too late. Now, it was simply a matter of forcing Snow White to open the way for them, or at least show him how to do it himself.</span></span>