| abstract | - Rumplestiltskin arrives home to his wife, Milah, with exciting news - he has been selected to fight in the Ogres War. Milah, however, does not seems to share in his excitement, having heard stories from the front line about how brutal the war has become. Rumple explains that he needs to go in order to prove that he is not a coward like his father, and Milah backs him up. When at war, Rumple encounters a young girl, a seer, who can tell the future. She tells Rumple that he will have a son but that his actions in this war shall make the boy fatherless. Rumple refuses to believe this and later sees a group of soldiers who are being sent home thanks to the extensive injuries that they received on the front line, meaning that Rumple is re-positioned to there. When one of the seer's minor predictions come true (that he will ride "cows", meaning the saddles on the horses, into battle), Rumple decides that her words were true and that his actions up at the front line shall leave his son fatherless. Fearing this, Rumple takes a mallet to his foot, injuring himself so that he may be sent home, he arrives to Milah holding their new born baby, Baelfire, and she asks if its true that he injured himself to be sent home on purpose. Rumple denies this, wondering who told her, and she states that rumors travel fast on the front line, accusing him of being a coward and saying that she would have preferred to be married to someone who fought and died. ("Manhattan") Rumplestiltskin, Baelfire's father, comes home to discover that Milah, Baelfire's mother, isn't home. He knows where to look for her and tells Bae to come with him to collect his mother. They arrive at a bar and Rumple tells Bae to stay outside as he goes in and finds Milah having drinks with pirates. One in particular, Captain Hook, ridicules Rumple based on what Milah has told him, based upon him being a coward. Baelfire walks in and sees his mother like his, and Rumple reminds his son that he was meant to stay outside. Milah is shocked to see him there and discretely stands up and leaves the bar with her son, not wanting him to see her as she is. Later that night, Rumple asks his wife if she'd really have liked him to die in the Ogre-Wars, she tells him that she just wishes he would have fought. The next day, Rumple is told that Milah has been kidnapped by pirates. ("The Crocodile") A girl by the name of Morraine is taken from her parents in Rumple's village, he shields his on, Baelfire, from the sight but is warned that soon Bae will be fourteen years old, like Morraine, and therefore carted off to a pointless war. Rumple assures his son that he'll find him a way out. As Rumple is running away with Bae, he is found by Hordor and his son is exposed to the truth from the soldier, that his father ran away from war and that his wife left him in shame, Bae is maddened by this as he believed his mother to be dead. Rumple's only way to be let go is to do something for Hordor - kiss his boot. Rumple obliges and is kicked in the face as all of the soldiers laugh at him. Bae and his father are soon taken in by a hospitable old man by the name of Zoso who assures Rumple of a way to prevent his son from going to war - finding the Dark One's dagger which will give him the power to control said Dark One. Rumplestiltskin breaks into the Duke's castle and steals the Dark One's dagger, he is soon presented to the Dark One himself and kills him, taking his magic. The Dark One is revealed to be Zoso who warns Rumple that all magic comes with a price. When Rumple returns to his village, he is the Dark One, and arrives to see Hordor and other soldiers there to take Bae. Rumple orders Hordor to kiss his boot, and, when the soldier kneels down to do so, Rumple places a hand on the man's head and snaps his neck, killing him. The new Dark One proceeds to kill the rest of the soldiers with complete ease, much to the protest of Baelfire. ("Desperate Souls") Rumple arrives home and gives his son, Baelfire a present: a knife he took from one of the villagers he terrorized for being unable to pay him, but Bae refuses to accept any more gifts that stem from Rumple's fearsome power. Bae then says that he'd like to leave home once in a while in order to make friends and see the world beyond his hovel, but Rumple doesn't allow it as he's hiding his fear that, should Bae leave, he might never come back. When Rumple returns home the next day, he is shocked to discover that his son is gone. He finds the answer in the village of Hamelin where the townspeople tell him that a mysterious Pied Piper led all their children away in the night using music that only the kids could hear, and they believe this to be the same person to took Baelfire. That night, Rumple is able to hear the music also (as he too feels abandoned, like them), and goes along with the children to a large bonfire where all those who have been abducted are dancing. He is shocked to learn that the identity of the piper is Peter Pan (Rumple's father), and Pan offers him a deal: ask Bae to come home, and if he does, Pan will let him, but if Bae declines, he will be taken to Neverland where he will never see Rumple again. However, Rumple simply uses his magic to transport he and Bae home, where he discovers that Baelfire knew of the deal, and he's extremely angry with his father for not asking him to come home, instead of taking him there. ("Nasty Habits") When Bae scrapes his knee due to tripping in front of a donkey cart, Rumple arrives on the scene and turns the donkey cart driver into a snail before stomping on him, killing him, scaring the entire village and displeasing Bae. Inside, Rumple tries to heal Bae's knee with magic, but Baelfire refuses it, asking for normal remedies instead. He tells his father how unhappy he is with magic in his life and asks him if he would be subject to getting rid of it. Rumple takes out his Dark One's knife, saying that the only way to rid him of the power is to kill him with it. Rumple puts it away before Baelfire asks his father if, if he was able to find a safe way to do so, he would give up his powers, Rumple agrees with his son, striking the deal with a hand shake. Bae is shunned by other children who fear his papa but is comforted by Morraine who tells him of Reul Ghorm who will know a way to do what Bae requires and strip his father of his powers. Bae summons the Blue Fairy who gives him a magic bean which will lead to a land without magic, Bae takes it graciously. Rumple is presented the bean by his son and is forced by deal to go through with it. Bae and his father go into the woods and use the bean to open a portal, Bae wants to go through but Rumple cannot. As Baelfire begins to slip in, Rumple grabs him, too scared, however, Bae is let go after calling his father a coward and the portal closes, Rumple immediately regrets his actions. Rumplestiltskin calls upon Reul Ghorm who appears to him, telling him there is no other way to the land except via curse, Rumple vows to make this curse and find his son. ("The Return")
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