Taskill Knox

Before First Curse
During a dark winter, Fiona is with her husband Malcolm when she gives birth to a son. Shortly after his birth, the Blue Fairy arrives with Tiger Lily, the newborn's fairy godmother, to deliver a prophecy about the child's destiny to become the Savior who will die fighting a great evil. After Fiona becomes obsessed with changing her child's destiny, she transforms herself into a Fairy to protect her son. Fiona takes the infant with her as she searches for the great evil who is prophesied to be born the same winter, but she and Tiger Lily are unable to find the child they are looking for. While in the sacred fairy vault, Fiona begins gathering ingredients as a horrified Tiger Lily discovers she wants to cast a dark curse to send all the children of the Enchanted Forest to another realm to ensure the great evil never reaches her son. Fiona takes the fairy's heart to prevent her from stopping her, however, this act of evil turns herself into the Black Fairy, revealing she is the great evil that her son is meant to kill one day. Tiger Lily wants to give the Shears of Destiny to Fiona to cut away her powers so the prophecy won't come true, but Fiona insists she needs her powers to protect her son, so she uses the shears to sever his destiny as the Savior. Fiona is then banished to the Dark Realm by the Blue Fairy, vowing to do everything in her power to one day get back to her son. Later, the Blue Fairy and Tiger Lily take the infant and return him the to his father, Malcolm, telling him that Fiona died in an accident while protecting their son. With great bitterness, and thinking his son is responsible for the death of Fiona, Malcolm announces that he has a fitting name to bestow on the infant: Rumplestiltskin. ("The Black Fairy")
As a child, Rumplestiltskin watches his father, Malcolm, swindle a man and then get beat up for it, though he tries to intervene to protect him. The duped man steals Malcolm's money, leaving both father and son penniless. Before his father goes to look for work, he leaves his son with a pair of wool spinsters. Seeing his son's reluctance to stay behind, Malcolm gifts him a straw doll, telling him it will protect him if he gives it a name. Rumplestiltskin follows his advice and later names the doll "Peter Pan". During his time with the spinsters, he becomes skilled at spinning wool, with the women suggesting he can spin for kings and queens one day. With dreams of a future with his father, Rumplestiltskin envisions earning money to support the both of them, however, the spinsters don't think it's possible because of Malcolm's long-standing reputation as a cheat and coward. They hand him a magic bean, urging him to take himself to another land, before revealing that his father is still swindling people. In disbelief over their claims, Rumplestiltskin tracks down his father, who he berates for his terrible ways. Despite this, the boy still believes in him and suggests they can start over elsewhere by using the magic bean. They arrive to Neverland, a place Malcolm traveled to in his sleep when he was a child, where anything is possible with the power of belief. However, when Malcolm realizes he can no longer fly as he did years ago, he takes his son with him to look for pixie dust, to make flying possible again. Finding a tree with pixie dust flowers, Rumplestiltskin waits below while his father climbs up to retrieve it. During the excursion, Malcolm encounters the Shadow, who warns him that the dust won't work because adults don't belong in Neverland. After climbing down, Malcolm tells his son that he's given up on flying since adults can't be in this world. Rumplestiltskin doesn't mind, and wants to try another land as all that matters is being together. When Rumplestiltskin is grabbed by the Shadow, he manages to hold onto Malcolm. His father reveals he wants to stay in Neverland to regain his youth, and to do that, he must abandon his son. Malcolm then forces Rumplestiltskin to let go of him, to which the Shadow whisks the boy up higher, causing him to drop the doll. In his last glimpse of Malcolm, Rumplestiltskin sees him transform into a young boy, before the Shadow flies him back to the Enchanted Forest. Returning to the spinsters' cottage, he cries over losing his father, while the women allow him to stay with them. ("Think Lovely Thoughts")
When Rumplestiltskin is older, he marries a woman named Milah, and together, they live in a village spinning and selling wool. One day, he is drafted to fight in the ogre war, which he believes is an opportunity to prove himself brave and not like his cowardly father. In the training camp, he is assigned to watch over the Seer, who indicates she knows of his fate, and would gladly exchange this information for a glass of water. She tells him that Milah is pregnant, and that his actions on the battlefield will leave his son fatherless. Skeptical at first, Rumplestiltskin eventually believes what she says and intentionally injures himself, so that he can get out of the war and be with his son, Baelfire. Once he returns home, Rumplestiltskin attempts to explain to Milah about the seer's prophecy, but she is astonished that he is gullible enough to believe in such a thing. Disgusted with his cowardice, she argues it would have been much more honorable for him to die and for Baelfire to have a dead father that fought in the war. ("Manhattan")
Years later, after Baelfire has grown to be a young child, Rumplestiltskin offers to help Milah collect wood, insisting he can be useful despite his leg limp. Indifferent to his promises, she instead tells him to go play with their son, as it's one thing he can do. Suddenly, they hear Baelfire shrieking, and the pair find him collapsed in pain from a snake bite. After Milah kills the snake, she and Rumplestiltskin take it to a healer, Fendrake, who warns that the bite is fatal and their son doesn't have long to live. He offers them an antidote for a hundred gold coins, something the couple obviously cannot afford. Leaving the healer's hut empty-handed, Milah devises a plan for her husband to kill Fendrake and steal the potion. When Milah procures a knife for him to use, Rumplestiltskin continues to be reluctant, even when she insists he needs to be brave for once. Eventually, she convinces him to go through with it, giving him a desperate kiss to shake him into a courageous stupor. That night, Rumplestiltskin sneaks into the healer's hut while Fendrake is asleep. Fendrake awakes and sees him, and Rumplestiltskin prepares to kill him, but he cannot bring himself to do it after the healer doesn't try to resist. Seeing Rumplestiltskin's desperation to save his son, Fendrake gives him the antidote and asks for his second-born child. Rumplestiltskin agrees, not wanting Baelfire to have a murderer for a father, and returns to Milah with the potion. He explains the deal to her, which she is horrified at, accusing him of selling the future they could have had. She then storms out, headed for the tavern, where a certain pirate captain is awaiting her. ("Devil's Due")
As the years pass, Milah grows more and more disillusioned and unhappy with the life she has with Rumplestiltskin. Unbeknownst to him, she keeps company with Killian and his crew at the tavern. Rumplestiltskin comes by to bring Milah home, to which she mocks him for his reputation as a coward. Only when Baelfire comes in asking for his mother, Milah departs for her son's sake. At home, she tries to persuade her husband that it's possible for them to have a better life in another place where he doesn't have to live in the shadow of his reputation and they can travel the world. Instead, Rumplestiltskin pushes her to make the marriage work for Baelfire. She reluctantly agrees, but the next morning, he hears word that his wife has been kidnapped by Killian. Rumplestiltskin attempts to rescue his wife, but is turned away by Killian when he is too cowardly to duel with him. Regretfully, he returns home to tell Baelfire that his mother is dead. ("The Crocodile")
When the kingdom resorts to using children as soldiers in yet another ogre war, Rumplestiltskin and his son flee into the forest, only to be found and bullied by royal knights. After the knights leave, Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire are approached by a mysterious old man who offers them help in exchange for a small amount of food and company. After Rumplestiltskin explains his reason for running away, the old man has a better idea and steers him towards stealing a magical dagger from the Duke's castle. As holder of the dagger, Rumplestiltskin can control the Dark One, a terrifying entity with unmatched magical powers who is the most feared being in all the land. He decides to steal the dagger with the hopes of protecting Baelfire and turning the Dark One into a force of good. However, Rumplestiltskin can't see himself keeping the Dark One as a slave as he is terrified of him. Convinced he has no other choice, Rumplestiltskin sets fire to the Duke's castle and makes off with the blade. Afterwards, he meets Baelfire in the forest and sends him home. Once alone, Rumplestiltskin summons the Dark One and cowers at the being's presence. When the Dark One taunts him about Baelfire not truly being his son, Rumplestiltskin stabs the entity in a fit of blind rage. Shockingly, he discovers the Dark One is the old man who told him about the dagger. The man briefs on all the horrible deeds he was forced to do as the Dark One and states death is welcome release and ominously warns Rumplestiltskin that "magic always comes with a price". Then, Rumplestiltskin's own name replaces Zoso's on the dagger, and he gains the powers of the Dark One, altering his appearance in the process. Relishing over his new-found status, he returns home to humiliate and kill the knights who harassed him and his son using his dagger and strength while Baelfire looks on in terror. ("Desperate Souls")
With all that power in his hands, Rumplestiltskin uses his dark magic to slay all the ogres, which ends the war. Most of the villagers hail him as a hero for his brave deed, except for Beowulf, who believes him to be a monster and that his dark magic will come at a price the villagers will pay for. Rumplestiltskin reluctantly agrees to stop using magic at Baelfire's request since the war is over, and begins spinning again. One day, Baelfire attempts to wash mud off his face before his father notices, but eventually admits the baker's son pushed him and taunted him about looking like a monster. Rumplestiltskin prepares to have a word with the boy's father, with Baelfire begging him not to because it'll make things worse, just as villagers arrive asking for help with a beast called Grendel. Baelfire encourages his father to slay the creature without magic as proof to the villagers he is not a monster, though Rumplestiltskin still secretly takes the dagger with him for the trip. When Baelfire sees the dagger, Rumplestiltskin forfeits it to him, asking his son to stop him with it if he tries to use magic. Inside the cave, Rumplestiltskin spots corpses of villagers, but discovers Grendel doesn't exist after finding an ogre horn. Beowulf, the actual culprit, steals the dagger, with plans of making the villagers believe Rumplestiltskin murdered the villagers. After Beowulf orders him to stand still, Rumplestiltskin urges Baelfire to flee, which he does. Beowulf leaves to gather the villagers, but Rumplestiltskin finds himself being summoned to the forest by Baelfire, who has reclaimed the dagger. Rumplestiltskin begins magically choking Beowulf, but doesn't kill him. He intends to bring Beowulf back to the village and reveal the truth to everyone, however, Beowulf mocks him for his naiveté, especially since the villagers are scared of him and likely won't believe him. Rumplestilskin assures Baelfire that they'll find another village to start over in if they're no longer welcome at the current one, however, his son decides Beowulf should pay for hurting them and orders his father to kill the man. Unable to resist the command of the dagger, Rumplestiltskin slaughters Beowulf. Upon returning home, Baelfire declares a newfound belief that they need the dagger to protect themselves. Rumplestiltskin, not wanting his son to succumb to darkness like him, spikes Baelfire's tea with a memory potion. Moments after drinking it, Baelfire loses all recollection of how they got out of the cave and away from Beowulf, though Rumplestiltskin assures him that Beowulf won't bother them again. When Baelfire sees Beowulf's sword, he accuses him of using dark magic to kill Beowulf, while his father can only sadly reply that he did what he had to do. ("Ill-Boding Patterns")
As Rumplestiltskin continues his reign as the Dark One, he doesn't allow Baelfire out of the house. One day, he gifts his son a knife, but Baelfire angrily proclaims he wants nothing his father gains from being the Dark One. The boy desires freedom to go out and have friends, although Rumplestiltskin forbids it since his enemies might kidnap him. Baelfire thinks his father is afraid he'll choose to leave and never return, which Rumplestiltskin denies and asserts he's simply concerned for his son's safety. The next day, after procuring a castle for Baelfire, Rumplestiltskin returns home to find his son missing. Investigating at the nearby town of Hamelin, the townspeople admit to the Dark One that all their children are gone, and they suspect someone playing a pan flute from the prior night led them away. On the next night, Rumplestiltskin watches as several boys are guided by the distant sound of a pan flute to a campfire, where many are fervently dancing around in animal masks. Unable to find Baelfire, he confronts the cloaked piper by snapping the pan flute in half. As the stranger takes off his hood, a shocked Rumplestiltskin learns the piper is Peter Pan, his father who abandoned him for youth. Pan admits it's lonely in Neverland and he desires some companions. Since only certain boys filled with loneliness can hear the pan flute, he points out this is why Rumplestiltskin heard it as well. His father accuses him of craving power, but in actuality, is nothing more than an unloved, lonely lost boy. Recalling his son's abandonment issues, Pan challenges Rumplestiltskin to put his trust in Baelfire and allow him to stay or leave out of free will. Rumplestiltskin ignores the suggestion and whisks Baelfire to safety with magic. At home, Rumplestiltskin attempts to help Baelfire see how dangerous Pan is by briefly disclosing he once knew him, but the latter betrayed him in the end. Even so, Baelfire reveals knowing about the Pan offered earlier, and he angrily asserts had Rumplestiltskin asked him, his choice would have been to stay. As Baelfire contemplates their lost chance to be a family, Rumplestiltskin says they still can, though his son storms out abruptly. ("Nasty Habits")
Eventually, Rumplestiltskin's Dark One powers corrupt his mind, causing him to continually hurt people and seek more power for fear that he will not be able to protect Baelfire from his enemies otherwise. As a downside, people begin to fear him, especially after Rumplestiltskin publicly demonstrates cruelty towards a peddler after Baelfire injuries his knee running into the man's wagon. Though Baelfire believes his father would not need so much power if he simply did not have any, Rumplestiltskin details the only way to rid himself of the Dark One's abilities is if someone killed him with the dagger. In a deal, Rumplestiltskin agrees to give up his powers, if there is way to do so without dying, if Baelfire can find a way. Baelfire comes back home with a magic bean given to him by the Blue Fairy so they can both go to a land without magic, thus making Rumplestiltskin without his powers. However, when the a portal is opened for them to jump into, Rumplestiltskin backs out of his promise to Baelfire, clinging onto his son's hand while the dagger keeps himself from falling in, until he finally lets go of Baelfire as the vortex closes. When he finally comes to terms with the fact his son is gone, Rumplestiltskin furiously calls the Blue Fairy and begs her to send him to Baelfire. She says it is impossible to do without any magical means, and accidentally lets it slip that a powerful curse can bring him to his son. From this point on, Rumplestiltskin vehemently swears to stop at nothing, even if it means sacrificing an entire world, to reunite with his beloved Baelfire. ("The Return")
A time gap passes, and Rumplestiltskin is promised a magic bean by William Smee. Rumplestiltskin agrees and promises the man eternal life in exchange, but if the bargain is not met, he will age him to dust. Before leaving the bar, Rumplestiltskin sees Killian Jones enter with his crew and stays to follow after them. In the alley outside the bar, Rumplestiltskin passes them and the pirates proceed to mock him. When Rumplestiltskin reveals himself, Killian recognizes him as the coward from his ship, but also as the Dark One. They begin a duel, with Killian nearly having his heart ripped out by Rumplestiltskin, until a very much alive Milah pleads on the pirate's behalf. He learns the truth of Milah's disappearance all those years ago, that the kidnapping was nothing but a cover story, and she willingly went with Killian because they fell in love. Rumplestiltskin is furious, but Milah offers him Smee's magic bean in exchange for both Killian's life as well as her own. They meet aboard Killian's ship the next day to seal the deal. Unable to hold back his inquiries, he questions Milah's judgement in leaving their son behind. Milah admits feeling guilty about her choice, which she made while miserable in the marriage with Rumplestiltskin. As the argument heats up, she denies ever loving him, causing Rumplestiltskin to rip out her heart out of rage. While Killian cradles a dying Milah in his arms, Rumplestiltskin crushes her heart to ash. Then, he procures the magic bean by cutting off Killian's clenched left hand. Though Killian stabs him with a hook, it has no effect on Rumplestiltskin, who departs unharmed. When he finally checks the severed hand, he discovers the bean is missing. ("The Crocodile")
Since Rumplestiltskin's loss of his son, the seer, now much older, appears before him once more and proclaims the future she foresaw for him many years ago has recently come to pass. With magical force, he demands information out of her about how to reach his son. Eventually, she allows him to take her powers so that he may learn to see into the future. By doing so, the burden of future sight is no longer in her hands. Just as the seer is drawing her last breaths of life, she sees into his future one last time. She speaks of how he find his son under the most unusual of circumstances, and a young boy who will be the key to the reunion. Alas, this boy will also be his undoing. Despite her warning, he doesn't see the boy as a true threat and decides to kill him when the time comes. ("Manhattan")
In a deal with Jiminy, who wishes to be free of his parents, Martin and Myrna, Rumplestiltskin gives him a potion to transform them into another form. However, Jiminy's parents switch the potion to give it to a village couple, Stephen and Donna, which converts them into puppets. Afterwards, the puppets are retained in Rumplestiltskin's possession within his castle. ("That Still Small Voice")
Driven by a future vision, Rumplestiltskin approaches a miller's daughter, Cora, who lied to King Xavier about her skill for spinning straw into gold and now must prove herself or she'll be faced with death. Rumplestiltskin agrees to help if she gives him her first-born child, who will have great importance in the future he foresees. She agrees, but only if he teaches her to spin straw into gold. He instructs that the key to making magic work is to give into the rage of emotion she feels at her worst moment. They bond over their similar, humiliating experiences. Her anger channels into magic, and turns the straw into gold. After Cora wins the hand of King Xavier's son, Rumplestiltskin visits her on the day before the wedding where they share a passionate kiss. Despite being fifth-in-line to the throne once she marries the prince, she has a change of heart and wants have genuine love with Rumplestiltskin. He decides to change the deal so any child they have together will be his. Cora readily agrees, but wants to learn how to rip out a heart, so she can have revenge on King Xavier. Following this lesson, they settle on meeting under a tree in the castle courtyard after Cora extracts King Xavier's heart in a box, and then they will run away together. ("The Miller's Daughter")
Preparing for a future with Cora and the possible child he'll have with her, Rumplestiltskin attempts to nullify the deal he made years ago with Fendrake. Believing a deal no longer needs to be fulfilled if Fendrake is dead, the wizardish imp rips out the healer's heart and crushes it to ash. ("Devil's Due")
On the night Rumplestiltskin is set to leave with Cora, he waits for her at their meeting spot. When she finally arrives, Cora goes back on their agreement as power is more important to her than love. Puzzled, he asks whose heart is in the box. A saddened Cora admits it is hers as it is necessary to remove the love she has for him to focus on obtaining power. Infuriated at her betrayal, he demands payment for their deal, but she reminds him of the changed contract, and any child she has will never be his. ("The Miller's Daughter")
One evening, Rumplestiltskin is summoned by Regina, the daughter of Cora, when she accidentally says his name out loud from her mother's spell book. After appearing before her, he shares knowledge about who she is as their families know each other in the past and future. To his surprise, Regina is a sweet-natured woman who doesn't wish to hurt anyone, particularly when he suggests she can kill Cora. He shows Regina a magic mirror to another world and tempts her into getting rid of Cora with a simple push into it. On the day of the wedding, Rumplestiltskin manifests inside the mirror reflection to beckon Regina into going through with their plan, to which she obeys. Now free of her mother, she returns the spell book to Rumplestiltskin on her way out of the kingdom. Though Regina insists she doesn't need magic, he continually prods her over how it felt using magic. She admits, with much hesitancy, that she loved it, but has fears of turning out like her magic-obsessed mother. Rumplestiltskin promises that is entirely up to her, and takes Regina in as a magic protege. ("We Are Both")
To start with, he instructs Regina how to conjure a rock, which she has difficulties learning. Rumplestiltskin later spies on her mastering this technique, but upon closer look, it is actually a red-haired woman donning Regina's clothes. The woman, Zelena, claims to be Cora's first-born child; something he refuses to believe until testing her genetics. Surprised by the unexpected, Rumplestiltskin teaches her magic, as he did with Cora, by helping her channel rage into power. As a cooling down period after exerting this much magical force, she is taught to think of a happy memory. When Zelena asks for an example, he tells her of his time growing up with spinsters who baked him meat-pies. Sometime following this, Rumplestiltskin send a letter to Cora about his discovery of Zelena, who he believes is even more powerful than her. After the lesson, Zelena makes him a meat-pie, but he cannot stay since Regina still needs his help learning magic. At this, an angered Zelena repeatedly insists she is casting his curse so he doesn't need Regina, to which Rumplestiltskin points out that her jealousy is literally turning her skin green. Realizing the potential danger, he masquerades as Regina to bait Zelena, who tries to kill her half-sibling. He disqualifies her from casting his curse since one one of the spell's main ingredients is the thing she loves most—him—and that makes her too dangerous. However, Rumplestiltskin is quick to change his mind after Zelena mentions she has a pair of slippers that can take him to a Land Without Magic. Zelena scornfully rejects his offer, and before disappearing, she promises that next time he will choose her. Soon after, Regina succeeds in conjuring the rock, which pleases Rumplestiltskin so much he dubs her his "best pupil". Furious, Zelena witnesses the exchange from Oz. ("It's Not Easy Being Green")
Rumplestiltskin's lesson with Regina continues, with him teaching her how to conjure a ball of fire, but when she copies him, she has trouble keeping the fire from burning out. Zelena, who is still spying on them from Oz, angrily remarks it's not that difficult, and as proof, she creates a massive fireball of her own. ("Kansas")
Continuing to train Regina in the dark arts, Rumplestiltskin teaches her to rip out a horse's heart, but she refuses to do it. Annoyed by her hesitation, he tells Regina to figure out what is holding her back. He discovers she is still pining after her dead fiancé, though it is not possible to bring someone back with magic. Instead, he does a bit of research by traveling to the Land Without Color to witnesses a doctor, Victor Frankenstein attempting to retrieve his brother from the dead. They come to a deal for Victor to teach him knowledge on revival while Rumplestiltskin leaves behind a horde of gold for him as payment. He comes to Victor again after the doctor's failure at revival because of scorching his brother's heart. Rumplestiltskin guarantees him a stronger heart if he will help fake a failed attempt to restore Regina's deceased lover. The doctor agrees, and Rumplestiltskin returns to the Enchanted Forest to turn Regina away from magic lessons since she can't let go of the past. At the same time, Rumplestiltskin procures items from a world traveler, Jefferson. Unknown to Regina, the two are working together to push her to call on Victor to resurrect her fiancé. Victor follows the terms of Rumplestiltskin's deal to crush Regina's hopes of regaining her past. Directly after, Rumplestiltskin takes on a new magic apprentice, Trish, though Regina cuts the lessons short by tearing out and crushing the girl's heart to prove to Rumplestiltskin she is ready for the dark arts. Satisfied with the end result, Rumplestiltskin takes her back, and in secret, gives Victor a heart as promised. They have a disagreement about the usefulness of magic, though Rumplestiltskin is quite certain Victor will discover magic is indeed beneficial. ("The Doctor", "In the Name of the Brother")
Travelling from Arendelle to the Enchanted Forest, a woman named Ingrid asks Rumplestiltskin to permanently get rid of her ice powers. Ingrid desires to be normal as magic is not common in Arendelle, and even when Rumplestiltskin offers to teach her to harness them, she refuses. He implies that the true love existing between Ingrid and her sisters, Helga and Gerda, is equal in weight to magic and might be enough to help her. However, Ingrid persuades him that her powers are too strong and she absolutely needs something to control them. He shows them a pair of gloves capable of concealing magic, but only if she has faith. As a safety measure, he directs them to an urn to entrap Ingrid if her powers grow too dangerous. When Ingrid attempts to take the items from him, Rumplestiltskin explains their deal requires an exchange of goods, so he asks for the sisters' three ribbons. Though they look like ordinary objects, even the simplest things can contain magic because of the essence of love. Helga and Gerda dislike the idea, believing they can protect Ingrid on their own, but their sister goes through with the deal to ensure she will never harm anyone with her powers. ("The Snow Queen")
In another kingdom, King George finds himself unable to bear an heir after his wife is cursed to be barren. Rumplestiltskin finds a farm where a commoner, Ruth, has recently given birth to twin boys. He appears to Ruth and her husband, Robert, when the boys are ill, and promises them money for the farm if they give up one of their children to the king. Ruth adamantly declines, but when Rumplestiltskin advises that both boys will likely not survive the winter, Robert relents. Rumplestiltskin provides Robert with a coin to flip as the deciding factor of which boy will go. In the end, James is taken away by Rumplestiltskin after the coin lands on tails. ("The Shepherd", "Murder Most Foul")
Regina resumes her magic lessons with Rumplestiltskin, but she does not show up for one planned session. That night, while she is dining alone, he materializes in the seat across the table from hers. Regina voices concerns about continuing the lessons as she doesn't want her own future to end up like his, and when prompted, goes on the detail the unhappiness in her life. She talks about being Queen as well as feeling like a prisoner in a castle, having a husband whose only focus is on his dead wife and young daughter. With no freedom, she finds life intolerable. Rumplestiltskin interjects that leaving this life is not possible even though Regina thinks there are choices in having love or darkness. He states what she doesn't know is that darkness is what will consume her. Upset at his words, Regina orders him to leave. Instead, Rumplestiltskin explains further that once the darkness has started to eat away at her, it will progress until she is swallowed whole, and there's no way to fly away from fate. Before leaving, he sets up lessons for tomorrow and stresses she must bring the only thing inside herself, which is simmering rage. ("Quite a Common Fairy")
Six years after the deal with Robert and Ruth, Rumplestiltskin is visited by Robert, who needs his help finding a kidnapped James. Robert offers nothing in return and proclaims that Rumplestiltskin is the one who owes him. Rumplestiltskin is amused by Robert standing up to him, which Robert explains is because he's willing to do anything to see his son again and apologize for his actions. This sentiment touches a nerve with Rumplestiltskin, but he quickly dismisses Robert's reasoning and instead asks for a strand of Robert's hair as payment because "small things have great power". After Robert agrees, Rumplestiltskin uses his crystal ball to locate James on Pleasure Island, with the revelation that the boy wasn't kidnapped, but ran away on his own accord. He gives Robert a ticket to the island and then plucks a hair from the man's head. Once Robert is gone, however, Rumplestiltskin giggles about his own made-up reason for taking the hair before disposing of it. He then muses to himself that, perhaps someday, both he and Robert can be reunited with their sons. ("Murder Most Foul")
Requiring a skilled thief to help him steal the elixir of the wounded heart from Zelena, Rumplestiltskin promises to provide Robin Hood with golden arrows to pay off his taxes if he helps him. Through a portal, Robin heads to Oz to retrieve the item, but he ends up forfeiting the elixir to someone else who needs it more than him. Having stolen a six-leaf clover from Oz, Robin decides to use it to glamour himself if he and the Dark One ever meet again so Rumplestiltskin won't harm him for breaking their deal. ("Heart of Gold")
When Rumplestiltskin's magic lessons come to a halt, Regina angrily complains to him about it. He advises her to have more patience, and uses Maleficent, who spent years honing her powers, as a good example. However, after she insinuates he is not skilled enough to teach her, he whisks Regina to Maleficent for assistance instead. Surprisingly, Regina returns, with a small dose of the sleeping curse, which she tests on Snow White's precious horse. Since spending time with Maleficent, Regina considers that Rumplestiltskin was right about being patient, and she promises not to question his teachings from now on. ("Enter the Dragon")
Through a crystal ball, Rumplestiltskin looks into Ruth's farm where her remaining son, David, is now a shepherd. With Ruth's knowledge, a farm visitor named Joan receives the name of a wizard who can help her with something magic-related. As Joan rides away on her journey, she looks at the slip of paper where Ruth had written the wizard's name. When she attempts to enunciate his name, Rumplestiltskin, the Dark One himself sees this from his crystal ball and cackles in delight. Despite the name she presented herself with to David and Ruth, Rumplestiltskin already knows her true name is Anna and she has come to seek answers about her parents' past reason for coming to the Enchanted Forest. ("White Out", "The Apprentice")
Learning of a sorcerer's box with the ability to absorb magic, Rumplestiltskin decides to obtain it to be free of the dagger's will but also keep his Dark One powers. First, he poisons the apprentice guarding the box. Then, with good timing, Rumplestiltskin strikes a deal with Anna; sending her to douse the apprentice's tea with a bottled substance. While it is an antidote to cure poison, Rumplestiltskin is simply testing Anna, who believes the substance is lethal, as he knows she won't do it. In the end, he reveals the truth and shows her the apprentice's reversion into a mouse. While Anna runs off to the man's cottage, Rumplestiltskin materializes there as well. Since she broke the contract, her punishment is to be locked up in his castle forever. Because of the box's second line of defense, in which it can only be touched by one who has been tempted by darkness but hasn't succumbed to it, he goads Anna into acting against her kind-hearted nature. Desperate, Anna threatens him with a sword as he insists she has to kill him in order to walk away. Following a terse moment, she collapses in tears. One of her tears drips onto Rumplestiltskin's dagger, which he takes to breach the box's second line of defense and gain the box. He tells Anna about her parents, fearful of Elsa's powers, wanted to be rid of it with the box's power of absorbing magic. However, Rumplestiltskin's ulterior motives for the box are spoiled when the apprentice, in mouse form, bites him. This causes him to drop the dagger, which Anna grabs. With it, she forces him to hand over the box. She then orders Rumplestiltskin to do three things—return her and the box to Arendelle, never harm her or Elsa and revert the apprentice into a human. After she is sent away, the dagger falls to the floor, which Rumplestiltskin retrieves and proceeds to rage at his failure. ("The Apprentice")
Desperate to have another family, Ingrid uses a spell to turn Anna against Elsa. However, she did not anticipate that Anna would seal Elsa in the urn. An enraged Ingrid then freezes all of Arendelle, to which Rumplestiltskin appears before her asking for the sorcerer's hat. Though she claims not to know where it is, Rumplestiltskin takes away the urn and will only return it when he has the hat. Before leaving, he instructs her to summon him, by calling his name thrice, once she is ready. Later, Ingrid changes her mind and gives the hat to the sorcerer's apprentice in exchange for finding another person she intends to make part of her family. ("Smash the Mirror")
Some time later, summoned by Sir Maurice to protect his town from a horde of ogres, the Dark One makes a deal to protect the kingdom in exchange for Maurice's daughter, Belle, to be his servant forever. To protect her family and the people on the lands, she agrees to go with him. Once at his castle, he shows Belle to her "room", which is essentially a dungeon cell. ("Skin Deep")
Annoyed at Belle's crying because she misses her family, he bursts into her cell, conjuring a pillow so she can muffle her sobs, which are distracting him from his spinning. Suddenly, they discover a hooded thief stealing a wand. Unbeknownst to Rumplestiltskin, the thief is actually Robin Hood glamored to look like another man. Caught in the act, the thief shoots an arrow from his enchanted bow at the Dark One, hitting him in the chest. The arrow, however, has no effect on Rumplestiltskin, who imprisons the thief. After flogging his prisoner, he leaves the castle and later returns to find Belle let him go. Furious, Rumplestiltskin forces her to come along so she can watch him kill the thief. On the carriage ride there, Belle tries to talk him out of murder so people will see he is a man, not a beast. While she believes he loves something more than power, Rumplestiltskin cackles that he loves his things most of all. In the woods, the Sheriff of Nottingham recognizes the thief's bow that Rumplestiltskin is carrying, but before providing any information, he asks to spend a night with Belle. Rumplestiltskin refuses, and when the latter continues to press the issue, he menaces the Sheriff by ripping out his tongue. After regaining his tongue, the Sheriff finally admits the thief's name is Robin Hood and discloses his whereabouts. Near a road, Rumplestiltskin and Belle watch Robin Hood heal a sickly woman with the stolen wand. Even though the wand was used for a good purpose as Belle points out, Rumplestiltskin prepares to execute the thief with an arrow. When Belle sees the woman is pregnant, she talks him out of it, as killing Robin Hood will make the child fatherless. Reminded of his own son, he allows the arrow to hit a carriage, scaring the couple into fleeing. Returning to the castle, Rumplestiltskin shows Belle a library, denying that the room is for her, but she understands he did do it for her and there is good in his heart. ("Lacey", "Heart of Gold")
Later, when Belle tries to make him tea, she startled and drops a cup, and accidentally chips it. ("Skin Deep")
The Queen, Regina, vents her frustration to Rumplestiltskin about how the citizens of the kingdom don't love her, and they only want her stepdaughter Snow White as Queen. She proposes he teach her a spell to disguise herself so she can fool Snow White and get close enough to kill her. Rumplestiltskin doubts Regina can do it because it took her mother, Cora, a month to learn that spell, and Regina would only be able to change her hair color in a week's time. Regina wants to use any means possible, so she asks him to cast the spell instead. Because Rumplestiltskin is the one casting the spell, Regina will have no control over when the disguise comes off, and she will be magic less. Another deal is made, and in exchange, he wants her to stop providing money to King George's kingdom. She wonders why, and Rumplestiltskin retorts that he needs the king bankrupt, but it is none of her business. By casting the spell, he turns Regina into a peasant, although to her own eyes, she looks like herself, but to other people, she has a different face. He warns that she won't like what the commoners say about her, while Regina insists it won't matter. Though Rumplestiltskin previously told Regina to call out his name whenever she wants the disguise to come off, he does not respond after she calls twice. When she storms into his castle, he jokingly remarks that she's come to be his maid, though she vehemently demands he take off her disguise right away. As Regina gazes into the mirror, she is annoyed and ponders if Rumplestiltskin just wants her to admit he was right about what the commoners: that they will never love her. She sadly states it is true, to his absolute glee. He asks what she will do, and she vows to punish them all. Finally, he reverts her back to normal as Regina embraces herself as the Evil Queen. ("The Evil Queen")
Desiring to acquire a curse hidden in the Bald Mountain, which has three obstacles and is guarded by a fearsome Chernabog, he uses Cruella De Vil, Maleficent and Ursula to accomplish this. Sending invitations to Cruella and Ursula to meet at the Forbidden Fortress, the women arrive and bicker with Maleficent, who is unhappy about having strangers in her home. Rumplestiltskin then reveals he sent the invitations and proposes the trio help him retrieve a curse, which can grant all of them happy endings that they'd otherwise be unable to have as villains. After agreeing, they travel with him to the Bald Mountain, where Cruella and Maleficent uses their magical abilities to take down one obstacle per person, until Ursula grabs the curse with her tentacles. This triggers the Chernabog into attacking, and as Rumplestiltskin confesses to the truth, he advises them to be wary of the demon's power to detect the heart of the person who has the greatest potential for evil and devour it. Since he intended for all three to die at the Chernabog's hands, he quickly exits the room and out of the mountain as the women fight to escape the beast. ("Darkness on the Edge of Town")
In the Vault of the Dark One, Rumplestiltskin appears before Lancelot and Guinevere as they attempt to steal the dagger. Knowing about Guinevere's quest to make Excalibur whole again by uniting it with the dagger, he talks her out of trying to get the dagger and instead, offers her enchanted sand from the Isle of Avalon, that can give the illusion Excalibur is whole. In exchange, he wants the magic gauntlet she has. Rumplestiltskin cautions her to choose between duty and desire, which alludes to both Guinevere's marriage to Arthur and her feelings for Lancelot. In the end, despite Lancelot's protests, she accepts the deal. ("The Broken Kingdom")
Afterwards, Rumplestiltskin returns to catch Belle examining one of his swords in the castle cabinet. He admits that he did say that she could look around, but this was to test how she would react. Engrossed in his castle collections, Belle reasons she was curious since he never talks about where the items came from, and furthermore, it's her dream to see the world, which is what he gets to do. She inquiries about Camelot, and though Rumplestiltskin never actually went to Camelot, he chucks her the "souvenir" he got from Guinevere, the magic gauntlet, which can locate one's greatest weakness. As he states, the weakness is usually a thing the person loves most. After serving him tea, Belle theorizes he collects things because of having a hole in his heart. Instead, Rumplestiltskin whisks her off to laundry duty. When he goes to check up on Belle, she is gone. From the sky, a raven drops an enchanted sand dollar at him. Inside, he sees an imprisoned Belle who desperately pleas for him to save her by bringing the gauntlet to Demon's Bluff by midnight. Arriving to Demon's Bluff, the Dark One confronts Maleficent by magically strangulating her, and when he asks for her last words, the witch gleefully chokes out that she isn't alone. Rising from the sea, Ursula wraps her tentacles around Belle, and Cruella steps out to pressure him into honoring the ransom. On refusal, Ursula begins crushing Belle's heart, to which Rumplestiltskin throws the gauntlet to Cruella and releases Maleficent. With the terms satisfied, the trio reveal their motivation for having the gauntlet is to know their enemies' weaknesses. As the trio retreat, Ursula pushes Belle and she falls into Rumplestiltskin's arms. When he expresses concern for her safety, a surprised Belle wonders why he cares about her. Stumped by the question, Rumplestiltskin shoves her away from him and snaps that, rather than someone else, only he is allowed to end her life by crushing her heart. Later, he retrieves the gauntlet from the trio. Cruella suggests he join them in their fight to defeat heroes, but Rumplestiltskin boasts that he always wins and doesn't need them to do it. ("Heroes and Villains")
While Belle is on cleaning duty, she inquiries about why he spins so much, which Rumplestiltskin states helps him forget the things he lost. She begins tugging the curtains let more light into the castle, but when she pulls too hard and falls, Rumplestiltkin catches her in time. Surprised, Belle thanks him, and he awkwardly puts her down. ("Skin Deep")
After stealing a baby from a couple, Rumplestiltskin tasks Belle with looking after the child until sundown, when he will return to use the infant as bait for the Black Fairy. Unable to read the fairy incantation for summoning the Black Fairy, he leaves it in the unlocked tower, where Belle ventures in and unknowingly translates it for his benefit. Rumplestiltskin then takes both the translation and the baby before going to call the Black Fairy, whom he stuns with squid ink. He refuses to give her the child yet, and instead, wants answers to questions that he has for her. For starters, he inquiries about why, as a kidnapper of babies, she abandoned the one child that belonged to her. The Black Fairy is shocked as she realizes he was the son she abandoned, but once she regains her composure, she openly admits, with no hint of remorse, that she chose power over love. This statement, as well as Belle arriving to rescue the infant, distracts Rumplestiltskin long enough for the squid ink to wear off. The Black Fairy then grabs her son, giggling over how time has run out for him to ask her any more questions, before shoving him away. Once the Black Fairy is gone, Belle tries to be sympathetic to whatever Rumplestiltskin's pain is in and what he wanted from the Black Fairy, but she insists that sacrificing a child is not the answer to his problems. Rumplestiltskin dejectedly states that no one understands his pain, and then teleports away. Later, he watches longingly as Belle returns the child to his elated parents. ("Changelings")
On the night of Baelfire's birthday, Rumplestiltskin sadly lights a candle in his honor. Belle walks in on him and though she apologizes, he coldly orders her out of the room. Instead, she walks up to set a basket of flowers on the table. He gives her a second warning, but she still doesn't leave. Belle notices a shawl sitting nearby and realizes he must have been using the candle in remembrance of someone. She gives her condolences, even asking how old would he be, but Rumplestiltskin states this person is not dead, but lost. He admits it is this person's birthday—without using Baelfire's name—and expresses regrets for his own past actions that tore away their chance of happiness. Belle proposes it's not too late, and though Rumplestiltskin hopes for the same, he thinks his own ending won't be a happy one. ("Going Home")
Regarding his feelings for Belle as a weakness, Rumplestiltskin seeks a way to separate this part of himself for good. He finds the perfect solution in Victorian England, where he tracks down Dr. Jekyll, who has made a serum capable of giving a person control over their darker side. Rumplestiltskin provides the finishing touch on the serum and then persuades Jekyll to ingest it. Jekyll then becomes dormant in the body while his darker self takes his place. The man notices he feels and looks nothing like Jekyll, to which Rumplestiltskin suggests a name for him, Mr. Hyde, since he's a part of Jekyll that is hidden away. The day after, Jekyll wakes up with no memory of what happened the night before, except that he's been accepted into the science academy, thanks to Hyde. Rumplestiltskin encourages him to drink the serum again, but this time, to allow Hyde to help him gain Mary's affections. Later, the Dark One appears to Hyde after he supposedly killed Mary, however, Hyde reveals he could never harm her because he loved her. Rumplestiltskin is outraged at this, as he expected Hyde's capacity for love to be diminished completely, and since the opposite happened, he deems Hyde to be a failed experiment. Having no more use for the man, he takes Mary's necklace from Hyde and banishes him to the Land of Untold Stories. ("Strange Case")
One day, Rumplestiltskin sees Belle just before she is heading to town to buy food. He reminds her against trying to run from the castle, especially since her enchanted cloak clasp will let him know if she has, while Belle reassures him she doesn't intend to. On her return, Belle brings home an old friend, Samuel, whose wound she wants to heal. Despite not believing the man can be saved, Rumplestiltskin agrees not to kill him. Later, as Samuel is resting, Rumplestiltskin notifies Belle that he'll be away for a bit. While the Dark One is gone, Samuel admits he is rescuing Belle on her father's orders and intends to capture Rumplestiltskin in Pandora's Box. She, however, refuses to aid him and leads him out of the castle. Soon, Rumplestiltskin returns and conjures the box into his own hands. Belle reveals she learned early on, from a notebook that Samuel carried, that he actually wanted to find the Dark One's dagger and make Rumplestiltskin plunder the Enchanted Forest with it. Not wanting the plan to come into fruition, she had to trick him into leaving. When she asks about her friend's fate, Rumplestiltskin swears he kept his promise to not kill Samuel, without telling Belle he banished him to a swamp. ("Out of the Past")
Some time later, he is summoned to king's court, where King George begs him to bring his son, who has been killed in a tournament, back from the dead. Rumplestiltskin admits not even magic can bring back the dead, but tells the King that Prince James has a twin who can take his place. In return, he demands the location of King George's family fairy godmother as payment for getting the other twin, which King George reluctantly gives into. Rumplestiltskin goes back to the farm to collect the other twin, David, and convinces him to masquerade as King George's son. ("The Shepherd")
* Alternate Timeline
Outside his castle, Rumplestiltskin sights his most hated enemy, Hook, and immediately begins suffocating him until the pirate's companion, Emma, tells him of how he will cast a powerful curse, which she breaks, and and this will reunite him with Baelfire. To keep the past unchanged and ensure the future, Emma and Hook need his help to organize a destined first meeting between Prince Charming and Snow White. After the trio enter his castle, Belle walks in to ask if he needs anything. Strangely, Emma knows Belle, claiming Rumplestiltskin mentioned her, though he did not. Rumplestiltskin shoos his maid away, and then dismisses Emma's claim that he and Belle fall in love with each other. Moving their plan along, Emma and Hook motivate Snow White to steal Prince Charming's ring from King Midas' castle. As they wait for her to succeed, Rumplestiltskin informs them about his possession of a wand that can recreate a portal. When the pair want to sneak into King Midas' castle to check up on Snow White, he provides glamored disguises for them. Back in his own castle, the Dark One discovers the wand can only open a portal by those who traveled through it. He prepares a potion to erase his memories of the future just as the twosome, with another person, arrive back. Rumplestiltskin explains the portal issue and hands the wand to Emma, who cannot wield it, so he traps them in his vault to "protect the future". When Emma does open a portal, Rumplestiltskin demands information about Baelfire's future, to which she reveals his son forgives and loves him, but he dies to save everyone. Shocked, he insists the future can be changed, but Emma warns it'll make things worse. She urges him to drink the potion, which he does after releasing her. Once she disappears into the portal and it closes, Rumplestiltskin, his memories erased, picks up the fallen wand and teleports out of the vault. ("Snow Drifts", "There's No Place Like Home")
After Belle has been his maid for several months, he allows her to go into town to fetch him straw for spinning gold. In actuality, he expects to not see her again once she leaves, as he assumes she will run away at the first chance she gets. Against Rumplestiltskin's assumptions, as well as her own, Belle returns to the castle to give him true love's kiss, causing him to begin reverting to human form. Shocked by her actions, he mistakenly believes Belle is working with the Queen when she stutters about learning from a woman that kissing him would break his curse. An angered Rumplestiltskin locks her in his dungeon and later casts her out of his castle with the claim that he values power above everything else. However, Belle challenges him, declaring that despite all his efforts to be powerful and feared, he is still a coward at heart for not being able to accept someone could actually love him. She declares that, in the end, power will only give him "an empty heart and a chipped cup." After telling him this, Belle leaves the castle. ("Skin Deep")
Sometime after Belle's departure, the Queen visits Rumplestiltskin and goads him about his ex-maid's fate at the hands of her father, who believed she had been sullied by the Dark One's evil ways, and that he sought out priests to cleanse her in a locked tower, which ended with her eventual suicide. Visibly shaken by this knowledge, Rumplestiltskin calls the Queen a liar and tells her to leave. Left alone in his grief, he replaces a golden chalice on a pedestal with a teacup Belle had chipped on her first day as his caretaker: the only memento he still has of his lost love. ("Skin Deep")
Some time later, he meets with Snow White, who wants him to give her something to forget the man she loves, Prince Charming. Rumplestiltskin plucks two hairs from her head; using one to create a forgetting potion for her and keeping the other as payment. ("7:15 A.M.")
After Snow White drinks the potion, she only cares about exacting vengeance on the Queen. One of the seven dwarves, Grumpy, drags her to Rumplestiltskin hoping he can fix it, but it's not possible. Instead, he sends Snow White on the road to becoming a murder by giving her Robin Hood's old bow to use on the Queen. On the same day, Prince Charming is ensnared into a deal with Rumplestiltskin in exchange for information on Snow White's whereabouts. Rumplestiltskin takes Prince Charming's cloak as payment, but in truth, he picks off a strand of the man's hair. Entwining the strand with Snow White's hair, he creates the elusive and rare form of true love in a bottle. ("Heart of Darkness")
Rumplestiltskin has further success in creating the Dark Curse and places a single drop of true love on the spell parchment as "a little safety value". Meanwhile, he approaches a struggling Prince Charming in the Infinite Forest, who can't seem to find his way out to reach Snow White. He steals Prince Charming's ring, enchanting it to glow when near Snow White, and suggests another deal. Prince Charming vehemently refuses, and draws his sword. Rumplestiltskin humors him with a fight, but with his powers, he easily defeats Prince Charming, and informs him they're after the same thing—he and Snow White being together. Then, he shows Prince Charming his true love potion. When asked what he knows about true love, Rumplestiltskin describes his own past love as "a brief flicker of light amidst an ocean of darkness", though she died. The fragile nature of true love combined with its unequaled power, the ability to break any curse, is why Rumplestiltskin wants it to be protected. He instructs Prince Charming to hide the potion "inside the belly of a beast". After Prince Charming successfully puts the egg inside the body of a dragon, he surfaces at a beach shoreline near Maleficent's castle. Rumplestiltskin hands over the ring, and then uses his powers to give the latter a princely outfit to match with the occasion. Prince Charming asks why Rumplestiltskin is helping him so much. Mysteriously, the Dark One states he is a fan of true love, and what it creates. ("A Land Without Magic")
Having secured and enacted the deal with Prince Charming, Rumplestiltskin returns to his castle. While spinning gold at his leisure, he is visited by Prince Charming, who wants to bargain in helping a now curse-less Snow White to find the motivation to fight against the Evil Queen for the kingdom. However, Rumplestiltskin has nothing to give him. Instead, Prince Charming comes up with a plan of his own and manages to strengthen Snow White's resolve in battling for the right of the throne. Snow White, having the impression all this was possible because Prince Charming made another deal with Rumplestiltskin, decides she wants to pay the price of magic. In the forest, she summons the Dark One to explain her intention to reimburse him for his services rather than let Prince Charming do so. Rumplestiltskin inquires about the sword Snow White is holding, which she says is the legendary Excalibur of Camelot, and having pulled it out of proves herself to be true claimant to the kingdom. In disbelief, Rumplestiltskin shows her the sword is nothing but a forgery by using magic to dissolve it into dust. After spilling the truth that no deal was made between himself and Prince Charming, he rips a necklace from Snow White's neck as payment for wasting his time. ("Lost Girl")
Soon, a war ensues between Prince Charming and Snow White against the combined armies of the Evil Queen and King George. At long last captured, the Evil Queen is sentenced to death by the kingdom's war council, though Snow White is resentful of the decision. At the execution, Rumplestiltskin and many other citizens gather to watch, but at the last moment, the Evil Queen is allowed to live on Snow White's orders. In the evening, he gives Snow White an enchanted knife to test on an imprisoned Evil Queen to see if she is capable of changing her murderous ways. The Evil Queen fails the test by attempting to stab Snow White with the knife, which is magically rendered ineffective. Additionally, whoever uses it will never be able to harm Snow White or Prince Charming as long as they are in the Enchanted Forest. Snow then banishes Regina from the kingdom, and vows to kill her if she ever harms another person again. ("The Cricket Game")
Upon finding out Regina has employed Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond, to kill Snow and Charming, Rumplestiltskin confronts her about why she is having someone else do her dirty work. Regina unhappily recalls the enchantment he used to protect Snow and Charming from her, and while he gave her the idea to use the Dark Curse, she now wants to do things without his help. Rumplestiltskin challenges her on this, implying that he will harm the Count to stop her plan, however, Regina reveals she has protected the Count with the same enchantment he used on Snow and Charming, making it impossible for Rumplestiltskin to harm the Count. As she is explaining this, Rumplestiltskin comes uncomfortably close to her and sniffs her neck, which she takes in with some uneasiness, before regaining her usual demeanor. After Edmond decides he can't kill the couple, Rumplestiltskin takes extensive measures to ensure he doesn't go back on his word, as he needs Snow and Charming alive so they can have a child born from true love. The Dark One poisons Charlotte, a girl that the Count likes, and offers Edmond a portal to the Land of Untold Stories, where the poison in Charlotte will be halted as long as she stays in that realm. Edmond agrees to the deal and takes Charlotte with him through the portal. ("A Bitter Draught")
To find the Fairy Godmother, whose wand he desires, Rumplestiltskin goes to the family manor of a maid named Cinderella. Interrupting the Fairy Godmother's wish granting session, he kills her and takes the wand as a shocked Cinderella watches. He convinces the maid to make a new deal with him instead—she can attend the royal ball, but will owe him something "precious". Cinderella agrees, signs the contract, and hurries off to the ball. ("The Price of Gold")
At a later date, Rumplestiltskin visits an unhappy Regina, who is still stewing over her inability to kill Snow and Charming. The Dark One stresses a particular caveat of the enchantment protecting Snow and Charming, in that they cannot be harmed in this land, but can in others. His words help her recall the effects of the Dark Curse, and she hurries off to Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding to announce her intentions of using it to destroy their lives for good. ("The Cricket Game")
Since Cinderella's deal with Rumplestiltskin, she captures the attention of Prince Thomas at the royal ball and they soon marry. During the wedding party, Rumplestiltskin shows up just long enough to claim his "precious" price from Cinderella as her firstborn child. Many months later, he meets with Cinderella again, whereupon she tells him she is carrying twins and wants to make a new deal. At first he does not believe her, but after warning Cinderella about the consequences of using magic against him, he eventually signs the contract with a quill filled with squid ink, which paralyzes him. Grumpy and Prince Charming load Rumplestiltskin up into a cart to take him away to prison, but Thomas mysteriously disappears. Cinderella confronts him about this, and Rumplestiltskin states that Thomas will never return unless he receives her baby. As he vehemently tells her to fulfill the deal, he is carted away to his prison in the dwarves' mine. ("The Price of Gold")
When Snow White becomes heavily pregnant, she also grows even more concerned about the threat of the Dark Curse from her former step-mother. She and Prince Charming go to Rumplestiltskin, the only man powerful enough to counter the Queen's magic. Their escort warns them not to tell him their names, because it will give him power over them, but Rumplestiltskin already knows who they are. Rumplestiltskin agrees to give them information in exchange for their unborn baby's name, to which Snow White agrees, in spite of the guard's earlier warning. He tells the couple that the only thing that can save all the people in the land from the curse is their unborn child who will come back to save them all on her twenty-eighth birthday. As they turn to leave, Rumplestiltskin asks for their child's name. After a moment of hesitation, Snow White states the child's name to be Emma. To help himself to remember this vital piece of information, he repeatedly writes her name on a piece of parchment using squid ink. ("Pilot", "Queen of Hearts")
Finding herself under the influence of Snow's singing spell, Regina visits the imprisoned Rumplestiltskin and demands him to sing about how to break it. Rumplestiltskin dramatically turns around as if preparing himself to pump out a melodic verse, but then turns back around to reveal that the Dark One doesn't sing at all. He reminds her, with annoyance on his part, that he gave her his curse to cast but instead she keeps coming to him everytime she is having other problems. Regina points out that he should be grateful to have her as his best student, though Rumplestiltskin implies there was another witch who may have been more powerful than her. To prove he was right to choose Regina instead of the latter witch, Rumplestiltskin tasks her with removing the singing spell. When Zelena witnesses this conversation from Oz, she creates a spell and purposely leaves it in Regina's vault to allow her sister to undo Snow's spell, with intentions of revealing the spell's origins to Rumplestiltskin in the aftermath to make him regret not choosing her, but Zelena never has the chance to tell Rumplestiltskin since the Blue Fairy erases everyone's memories of having sung anything. ("The Song in Your Heart")
After the Queen's first attempt at casting the Dark Curse fails, she comes to Rumplestiltskin to find out why and agrees to fulfill his price for this information by giving him riches, comfort, and influence in his new life under the curse, and that if he comes to her for any reason, she must give him anything if he uses the word "please". Rumplestiltskin tells her that she must sacrifice the heart of the thing she loves most for the curse to work, something Regina believes is impossible since the person she loved most has been dead for years, however, the Dark One nudges her to consider another person who she truly loves. Shocked, Regina admits there is someone else, to which Rumplestiltskin snaps at her to hurry up and stop wasting time. ("The Thing You Love Most")
On the day the Dark Curse is cast, he expectantly waits for it to take effect. The Queen materializes outside his cage to gloat about her success with the curse and boasts at the knowledge he, like all others will be affected by it, will soon lose their memories of everything. He relishes in asking her how it felt ripping out her father's heart for the curse to work, but she doesn't answer as it is of little importance. Rumplestiltskin can tell despite her triumphant front, she is still unsatisfied with something. He stresses that Prince Charming and Snow White's child will foil her curse, to which the Queen voices plans of getting rid of the baby. Additionally, Rumplestiltskin hints that now she has hole in her heart and will feel the need to fill it in the future. The Queen doesn't take his prophecy seriously, though he shouts she has underestimated the price of magic and will come back for his help someday. Soon after, the curse takes Rumplestiltskin and many other inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest to another land. ("Save Henry", "Pilot")
Rumplestiltskin, also known as Rumple, the Dark One, and the Crocodile, later known as Mr. Gold, currently known as Weaver, and briefly known as the Savior and the Light One, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. He débuts in the first episode of the first season and is portrayed by starring cast member Robert Carlyle and guest star Wyatt Oleff. He is the main reality version of Wish Rumplestiltskin.
Rumplestiltskin is based on the titular character from the "Rumpelstiltskin" fairytale, and the Beast from the fairytale of "Beauty and the Beast" and Beast from the Disney film Beauty and the Beast. He is also based on the crocodile from the Peter Pan story and the crocodile from the Disney film Peter Pan. He also takes the place of the fairy godmother from the Charles Perrault version of the "Cinderella" fairytale, and the fairy godmother from the Disney film Cinderella.
His Storybrooke counterpart Mr. Gold also takes the place of Carl Fredricksen from the Disney/Pixar film Up.
* The car Mr. Gold drives is a 1990 Cadillac Brougham. The car's license plate number is 34K6 EX. ("Skin Deep" et al.)
* The box that Belle opens in Hook's ship contains gold coins and a bell, a reference to Belle and Mr. Gold. ("The Outsider")
* The sword Rumplestiltskin is using against Emma in the alternate reality is the same sword Tiana uses to threaten Dr. Facilier in "Greenbacks". ("Operation Mongoose Part 2")
* The car Weaver drives is a 2015 Dodge Charger LD. The car's license plate number is V6834T. ("A Pirate's Life" et al.)
** The letters XMT also appear vertically before the plate number. Typically plates that are marked with XMT signify a vehicle belonging to the Washington State Patrol, as well as an exemption from licensing fees. ("A Pirate's Life" et al.)
* According to a prop hospital bracelet auctioned off online in April 2020, Weaver's patient identification number at the Hyperion Heights hospital in "Beauty" is 0365-8263-40.
* The photograph of Belle which Mr. Gold conjures in the Cave of the Departed has a golden photo frame, a reference to Gold's last name. ("The Guardian")
=== SET DRESSING ===
* Among the numerous pictures and cut-outs pinned to the wall in Henry's room are:
** "Love is the magic that makes all things fair.", an illustration of the titular characters from the fairytale of "Beauty and the Beast", from the 1875 book Beauty and the Beast: An Old Tale New-Told, with Pictures by the Victorian era British artist Eleanor Vere Boyle (link to page). ("Pilot", "The Thing You Love Most", "We Are Both", "In the Name of the Brother")
*** Another illustration from the book can also be seen. It is called "After supper every night, the Beast asked Beauty to be his wife: every night she said him nay." (link to page). Boyle depicts Beast as a saber-toothed panther. ("The Price of Gold", "The New Neverland")
** An illustration by the English artist and book illustrator Walter Crane, from the illustrated picture book Beauty and the Beast (1874) (link to page). There are two different cutouts in Henry's room. The first one appears next to Henry's mirror in "The Thing You Love Most" and pinned to the wall at a 2 o'clock position over Henry's cuckoo clock in "We Are Both", but it is blurred and far away. It is seen more clearly in a Flickr set photo from Season Two. The other version can be seen clearly on Henry's wall in "Page 23" and "Is This Henry Mills?", although Beauty has been cropped off.
** A cover illustration from the children's picture book Beauty and the Beast (1978) by the American children's book writer and illustrator Mercer Mayer. Note that the picture can barely be seen; it is clearly seen in a Flickr set photograph for Season Two. ("We Are Both")
* The hotel that Mr. Gold is staying at in New York City is called Hotel d'Or, which is French for "Gold Hotel" or "Hotel Gold". ("Only You", "An Untold Story")
=== COSTUME NOTES ===
* For the "Pilot", Rumplestiltskin's costume was originally going to be a medieval costume with an elaborate hood. However, Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis felt that he needed to look more sexy, like a rock star, so the costume was redesigned with crocodile skins, high boots and tight pants, an evil rock star kind of look.
* It takes approximately two hours to dress Robert Carlyle in Rumplestiltskin's costume, twenty minutes of which is spent on his boots. It takes about one hour to remove the costume.
* The necklace Mr. Gold procures out of thin air and gives to Lacey is the same necklace from Belle's nightmare in "The Crocodile". ("Second Star to the Right")
* The tie worn by Mr. Gold in "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter", at the sheriff's station in "Desperate Souls", in "Heart of Darkness", and when he is reunited with his "son" in "The Return", is the same tie Henry puts on when he becomes Mr. Gold's assistant. ("The Snow Queen")
* The robe Rumplestiltskin is wearing during his mission to get the Dark Curse is decorated with a Chinese dragon. ("Darkness on the Edge of Town")
* Rumplestiltskin appears in the title card for "In the Name of the Brother".
* There have been a few hints about Rumplestiltskin's age on the show. According to Robert Carlyle, Rumplestiltskin is three-hundred years old by the time the Dark Curse is cast. However, the show itself has hinted that Rumplestiltskin is just a couple hundred years old: In "Going Home", his father says, "What are you now? A couple hundred?". In "Family Business" and "Murder Most Foul", Hook (who knew Rumplestiltskin from before the latter became the Dark One) refers to himself as two hundred years old.
** According to Adam Horowitz, by the time of the "Operation Mongoose Part 2", Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold has been the Dark One for a little bit less than two hundred years.
* Rumplestiltskin treats names as important, and describes them as his "stock and trade". In many cultures and some beliefs about magic, to know someone or something's "true name" gives you power over that person or thing. ("Pilot", "That Still Small Voice", "Queen of Hearts", "Manhattan", "The Apprentice", "Changelings")
* Mr. Gold has a noticeable limp and walks with a cane, much like he did before he was cursed with the Dark One's abilities. Being in a Land Without Magic, Mr. Gold is unable to use his powers to placate his disability. However, once magic was brought to Storybrooke, he no longer needed it, but chose to keep using it. After he returns from Neverland, he rejects the cane in order to move on from his past self. ("Pilot" et al., "Broken", "The New Neverland")
* According to Granny and Ruby, Mr. Gold "owns" Storybrooke. This is due to the fact that he made a deal with the Evil Queen to "have comfort and a good life" and to "be rich". ("Pilot", "The Thing You Love Most")
* Mr. Gold has a few gold teeth. ("The Thing You Love Most" et al.)
* He greatly dislikes nuns, as he does their counterparts, the fairies. According to Mr. Gold, "Wherever there's injustice in the world, there's always a fairy". ("Dreamy", "Fall", "Changelings")
* Mr. Gold is a licensed attorney, a quality which allows him to broker many of his Storybrooke deals. He alludes to having enough legal experience to represent Mary Margaret in a criminal trial. ("Heart of Darkness")
* Like his son Neal and his grandson Henry, who both collect clocks, Mr. Gold is also a collector and his pawnshop is filled with them. ("The Stranger" et al.)
* Rumplestiltskin once transformed a butcher into a pig. ("The Crocodile")
* Before he was imprisoned, Rumplestiltskin fought Cora and won. It is implied Cora came close to winning. ("Into the Deep")
* During his lifetime, Rumplestiltskin owned some sheep dogs. ("The Cricket Game")
* According to his son, Neal, Rumplestiltskin always believed in fate. He used to tell his son, "There are no coincidences. Everything that happens happens by design and there's nothing we can do about it. Forces greater than us conspire to make it happen.". ("Manhattan")
* According to Ingrid, Rumplestiltskin is the greatest collector of magic in all the land. ("The Snow Queen")
* According to Hades, Rumplestiltskin killed more than Regina over the years to the point he's called the supplier. Additionally, Hades implied that Rumple is his favorite Dark One. ("Devil's Due")
* Rumplestiltskin speaks French, something that he briefly demonstrates for the Count of Monte Cristo. ("A Bitter Draught")
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Category:Characters