Henry Mills


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 * This article focuses on Henry Mills. For the Evil Queen's father, see Valet.
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"I'm done reading about heroes. I want to be one."

- Henry to David

Henry Mills is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. He débuts in the first episode of the first season. He is portrayed by starring cast member Jared Gilmore, and does not have an Enchanted Forest counterpart.

During the Curse
Henry is born in a prison in Phoenix, Arizona, and given up for adoption by his birth mother, Emma Swan, because she wanted to give him his best chance in life. His biological father, Neal Cassidy, was never told as Emma found out unexpectedly in jail she was pregnant. He is found by Mr. Gold and adopted by the mayor of Storybrooke, Maine, Regina Mills.

Henry hates putting up with Regina and grows distant from her. Regina goes as far as to put him into therapy. He becomes lonely and depressed, so Mary Margaret Blanchard, his teacher, gives him a storybook.

From reading the book, he realizes the stories in the book are real and that every person living in Storybrooke is a fairy tale character. Henry finds out that he is a part of the story through his biological mother, who is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Henry secretly steals Mary Margaret's credit card out of her purse, and uses it to find Emma's address.

Henry takes a bus to Boston, and carries with his storybook. An older lady asks him if it is a good book, and he replies, "It's more than just a book"; stressing its deep importance. He gets a ride from a taxi to Emma's apartment. He rings the doorbell, and when she opens the door, he asks if she gave up a baby ten years ago, and tells her he is her son.

He invites himself in, and wants Emma to come back to his home, Storybrooke, with him. She does not like the idea, and almost calls the police, but Henry insists if she does, he'll say she kidnapped him as she is his biological mother. Emma is not convinced, and uses her "super power" to figure out he is lying, and begins to make the call, but Henry stops her. He pleas for her to come home with him, and she reluctantly has no choice but to agree. On the drive home, he pulls out the book and tells her that all of it is true. She does not believe him and tells him that she can tell when anyone is lying. She tries it on him, and she can tell he is not, and says, "Just because you believe in something does not make it true."

When they enter Storybrooke, they meet Archie Hopper, Henry's therapist, who he claims is Jiminy Cricket. Through Emma conversing with Archie, she finds out he is the mayor's kid. Henry tells Emma that everyone in this town is a fairy tale character under the Evil Queen's curse. Emma takes him back to his house, where a worried and anxious Regina opens the front door and rushes to hug him. He runs past her into the house, and Regina meets Emma for the first time. After a short invitation into the house, Emma leaves to get back to her car, and sees Henry watching from his bedroom window. As Emma is driving out of town, she realizes Henry's storybook is still in her car, and in a split second she crashes her car into the town border sign.

The next day, Emma wakes up in the Sheriff's department jail cell. Regina comes looking for Henry, who has disappeared again, and thinks Emma might know where he went. Emma hacks into Henry's home computer, and they finally learn how he tracked her down in Boston. Regina and Emma head to the school to speak to Mary Margaret, who has no idea Henry took her credit card. With no leads in Henry's whereabouts, Regina leaves the classroom agitated. Emma and Mary Margaret chat about Henry for a bit, and she advises to try finding him at his castle playhouse.

Emma finds him there, and gives him back the book. Henry talks about the book and how it is Emma's destiny to be here. He speaks about his adoption, and how he knows she gave him up so he could have the best chance in life, which brings tears to Emma's eyes, as he begs for her not to go back. They hold hands as they make their way for her car. Once again, Emma brings him back home.

For a few moments, he is lying down on his bed staring at the clock tower with hope, and a smile lifts on his face as the longer minute hand moves from 8:15 to 8:16 for the first time. Henry is overjoyed; realizing that time is beginning to go forward in Storybrooke due to Emma's decision to stay in town. The next morning, Henry is sitting on his bed beaming happily as he watches the clock move. His mom walks in with his storybook, and asks where the last few pages of the book are. He claims not to know, though Regina cares quite a bit as Henry seems to think she is some "evil queen", and how much it hurts her feelings as his mother. He retorts back that she is not his mother. As the clock tower unexpectedly chimes, which startles Regina; Henry uses the opportunity to run out of the house. He heads to diner, and orders a cinnamon hot chocolate for Emma, which is delivered to her by the waitress Ruby, who comments it's from a secret admirer. Emma has the impression it's from Graham, and heads over to his table to coolly reject his advances when Henry pops his head out from the next table over stating the chocolate was from him. He asks her to walk him to school.

They talk about Regina and her "curse" and form a plan called "Operation Cobra," and he gives her the missing pages from the book to show Prince Charming holding his infant baby, who Henry believes is Emma. He warns Regina must never see them, or else she will know Emma is the savior. During an outdoor school lesson, he called out by his mom to tell him Emma was arrested, and she's a "con" woman. He tells her he has to get back to class and walks off. Henry bails Emma out of jail with Mary Margaret.

He is standing outside the door when Emma and Regina are talking in her office, and Emma indirectly calls Henry crazy. Offended and hurt, he runs away. He is with Archie, still upset, when Emma walks in and apologizes. She plays along with Henry's fairytale ideas; explaining she said those things to Regina to keep her from figuring out "Operation Cobra", and the only way to throw the "evil queen" off their trail is to make her think otherwise. She burns the pages of the book in the fire to keep them from Regina, and they hug. Henry's class goes on a trip to the hospital to help out by volunteering. He goes into room of comatose patient, John Doe, to touch his face when Mary Margaret walks in. He asks her if she knows the man, and they talk about if he has any family, and Henry inquires further with a smile, "Sure you don't know him?" Emma and Henry meet again at the castle playhouse, and he convinces Emma to get Mary Margaret to read to John Doe.

Some time later, he and Emma wait for Mary Margaret at the diner so they can talk about anything that happened after she read to him. Emma is not expecting much, but Mary Margaret rushes in excitedly and tells them he woke up, and Henry thinks John Doe is remembering and brings up the idea to do it again. Mary Margaret insists they go now to see him. When they get to the hospital, John Doe has disappeared from his room, and no one can find him.

They go over the surveillance video from last night and see him get up and walk out. Emma asks where that door leads to, and the security guard says the forest. Henry runs in the forest to help them search and tells Mary Margaret that John Doe is looking for her. They continue to look and find his hospital bracelet covered in blood. Eventually, John Doe is found unconscious in the creek by the toll bridge. While Mary Margaret tries to resuscitate him, Emma tells Henry not to look and hugs him.

They are all in the hospital watching John Doe getting hooked up to machines, when his wife shows up; shocking them. They find out his real name is David Nolan. Regina calls for Henry to leave for home, but he makes an excuse to go get his backpack; where he tells Mary Margaret that David was indeed looking for her, and they belong together. Regina has a council meeting to get to and tells Henry to stay put in the house. Of course, Henry waits until she is gone before going to see Emma. He finds her at Mary Margaret's house talking to Mr. Gold, who he still has trouble figuring out what fairytale character he is.

Emma informs Henry that a pregnant woman, Ashley Boyd is missing, and she needs to find out where she has gone. Henry ignores her orders to go home and follows her to the diner, where she proceeds to interrogate Ruby. When Ruby reveals that Ashley had two stepsisters and a stepmother, Henry quickly catches on and starts to mention "Operation Cobra", but Emma shushes him before he can finish.

Emma decides to go see Ashley's ex-boyfriend, Sean Herman, and is told by his father, Mitchell Herman, that Ashley has agreed to sell her baby to Mr. Gold. Henry warns her that she cannot make Ashley break a deal with Mr. Gold. When the duo questions Ruby again, she admits she let Ashley have her car to drive out of Boston. Emma sends Henry home, but as she is driving away to find Ashley, he pops up in the back seat.

He says that no one will be able to leave Storybrooke because of the Dark Curse, and if anyone tries, bad things will happen. Just then, Emma finds Ruby's car abandoned in a ditch. They pull over and discover Ashley, who is having labor contractions. Henry stands by, helpless, as Emma struggles to drag her to the car and the three drive to the hospital.

At the hospital, Henry claims to Emma that no one can leave Storybrooke except her. This fact, he argues, reinforced his idea about the Enchanted Forest and that she really was the savior. After Emma saves Ashley's baby from being taken by Mr. Gold, she drives Henry home. He narrowly escapes getting caught by Regina when she gets home. The next day, Henry is at one of his sessions with Archie Hopper. He explains to Archie that Jiminy Cricket was not always a cricket, and Archie humors him. Moments after, the town suffers an earthquake and a large sinkhole appears at the entrance of an abandoned mine. When Archie and Henry arrive, Regina orders Henry to go to her car and tells Archie that she would destroy him if he did not crush her son's delusion.

At their next session, Marco comes to Archie's office in order to see his long-time friend. Henry excitedly reveals that Marco is actually Geppetto, and outlines his plans to search the mine because he was positive that the sinkhole's sudden appearance had something to do with the curse. Archie cuts him off; telling him that if he continued on with his crazy idea, people would think he was insane and would lock him up. He tells him that his nonsense must end, and Henry leaves, visibly upset.

He shows up at Emma and Mary Margaret's house in tears. Emma becomes furious and confronts Archie. In the midst of their argument, Regina calls, demanding to know where Henry is. They find out Henry left Mary Margaret's flat and has gone to the mine. Archie hurries to the mine with Emma.

Meanwhile, Henry is exploring inside the mine. He removes a piece of decorative glass; a shard similar to the one that Regina had pocketed earlier, and the ceiling starts to collapse. Archie manages to enter the mine just before it caves in.

They find each other, and Henry starts running through the tunnels; telling the therapist to follow him. Once they become lost inside the mine, they hear Pongo's bark and follow the noise. There, they find an elevator, and start cranking it upward. After the elevator becomes stuck, Henry apologizes to the psychiatrist for his behavior, and they have a long discussion about the Enchanted Forest.

Then they hear a noise, and discover that Emma has come down to save them. Archie lifts Henry up, and the elevator begins to give way. Before Emma can grab him, the elevator plummets, but they find that Archie had grabbed onto some of Emma's gear with his umbrella. All three of them are lifted to safety. After Graham's death, Henry becomes depressed and warns Emma that they should not mess with the curse. He blames himself for Graham's death and tells Emma that he was giving up on "Operation Cobra". However, his faith is renewed when Emma wins the position of the new town sheriff. A few days later, Henry is browsing in Mr. Clark's store when two children about his age walk up to him. They introduce themselves as Ava and Nicholas and ask him to hang out. Just as Henry is about to leave, Mr. Clark corners them and accuses them of shoplifting. He calls Regina who, when she arrives, is confident that Henry is framed by the two orphans. Henry arrives at the police station and tells Emma that Ava and Nicholas are really Hansel and Gretel, and asks her about his birth father. Emma tells him that his father was a man training to be a firefighter who liked pumpkin pie and died trying to save a family from a burning apartment building. Unbeknownst to Henry, Emma made all of that up; later telling Mary Margaret Henry's father had not been an honorable man, and it's better if Henry does not know such a man. Emma succeeds in reuniting Ava and Nicholas with their father, and Henry gets a pumpkin pie to share with Emma. As they leave the diner, he comments she really is changing things in Storybrooke. Suddenly, they hear a rumbling noise, and turn to see a man on a motorcycle riding into town. In the morning, Henry walks out of his house with his backpack when he sees the stranger from last night with his motorcycle and a large box attached to the back of it. He asks the man what he is doing in Storybrooke, and that no one ever comes here. Regina notices Henry conversing with the stranger, and comes out to investigate, but the man drives away quickly on his motorcycle. Regina destroys Henry's castle playhouse, which upsets him greatly. He also discovers that his storybook of fairytales has disappeared. Emma tries to expose Regina for wasting Storybrooke's stolen money on a separate house for herself in the woods; however, the house turns out to be a modern playground for all the children of Storybrooke.

Regina warns the embarrassed Emma to stay away from Henry, or else she would take legal action against her. While Henry is playing on the playground with the other children, he asks if they can talk about "Operation Cobra" sometime. Emma, however, declines and says that his mom could keep her away from him if they tried. Henry is left watching in the woods as she drives away. A few days later, during Mr. Gold's imprisonment for physical assault on Moe French, Regina arrives at the station with Henry, and bribes Emma to spend some time with him so she can speak to Mr. Gold for thirty minutes. He and Emma go to the parlor to get ice cream. After that, Regina gives Henry a video game to apologize for her destroying his castle, but Henry does not like it. A few minutes later, a visibly upset Kathryn Nolan comes into Regina's office in order to speak with her, and Henry leaves. He is sitting on a park bench on the sidewalk when Emma approaches to give him something special. She found his storybook under her car, and returns it to him; to his amazement. Many days later, he is helping out in the Sheriff's office browsing on the computer through possible jobs for a recently unemployed Ruby. Most of which involve carrying something in a little basket and delivering it, but she does not like the sound of any of them. However, Ruby is very good at directing and answering office telephone calls, which Emma takes note of. Emma hires Ruby as her assistant.

When David Nolan is reported in a daze in the woods, Emma is ready to go look for him when Henry cuts in. He reveals that Ruby is actually Red Riding Hood, but that she does not know how cool she can be. Emma heeds Henry's advice and takes Ruby with her. Ruby successfully finds David, and later finds a crucial piece of evidence under the Toll Bridge. Soon after Mary Margaret's arrest in Kathryn Nolan's murder, Henry is at Granny's Diner trying to think of ways to save her. August Booth comes in and offers Henry some encouragement. He tells him to look inside his book for the answers. Henry becomes excited at the prospect of someone believing in him and browses through the book. One morning, August Booth suffers severe leg spasm, and phones Henry to tell him they need to "move the plan along faster". They stake outside of Mr. Gold's pawnshop on a rainy morning. Henry does not understand how this is could be part of "Operation Cobra", but August asks him to do as he says. Henry goes into the store and distracts Mr. Gold by asking to buy a homecoming gift for Mary Margaret since she did not kill Ms. Nolan.

Later, at Mary Margaret's Welcome Home party, he asks August if he found what he was looking for, and how bad was it when Mr. Gold caught him snooping in the store. August admits he did not find what he wanted, but that he believes "it" will find him. Shortly thereafter, Emma escorts Henry out of the party since Regina does not know he is here, and he will have to go home as she is coming home soon. Emma opens the door just as David is about to come in, and to save Mary Margaret the awkwardness of dealing with him, she asks Henry to walk home with David. After August takes Henry's book and adds Pinocchio's story to it, Henry becomes confused at the new pages. One day at school, Emma approaches him and asks to read the book, to which he happily obliges. However, he quickly notices that the new pages are strange and asks Emma for her help over it. However, Emma does not take him seriously and leaves. After another bad encounter with Regina, and August's crazy suggestion that she is Storybrooke's "savior", Emma becomes fed up with Storybrooke. She decides to leave and take Henry with her. However, Henry realizes what is happening and forces the steering wheel to swerve, and the car comes to a halt in a brush of trees. He tells her that she must stay and break the curse. Emma reluctantly agrees to go back.

Henry seeks out August's help in making Emma believe in the curse. He visits August at his bed and breakfast guest room. August pulls up his pant leg, and Henry is able to see August's wooden leg. He is no longer able to help with "Operation Cobra" as he is rapidly turning back into a wooden person. Henry goes to Emma in another attempt to convince her that the curse is real, but she urgently tells him she is leaving town so the feud between her and Regina can stop. He hugs her tightly; unable to say goodbye, and then notices an apple turnover sitting on the table. Alarmed, he frantically asks where she got that from. Emma states she got it from Regina. Henry refuses to accept that Emma is leaving his life for good and promises her that he has faith in her, and that he will somehow prove that the curse exists.

Henry grabs the apple pastry and, before she can stop him, he takes a bite. At first, he seems fine, but then he collapses, unconscious and unresponsive. Emma rushes him to the hospital, but Henry is completely comatose. She shows Dr. Whale the apple turnover he ate, but he is not convinced that is what made Henry collapse. Emma is frustrated Dr. Whale does not believe her, and comes to the sharp conclusion what happened to Henry is like "magic". She dumps out everything in Henry's backpack, and reaches for his storybook. With one touch of the book, a flash of the Enchanted Forest events come to her, and in rageful mode, she angrily confronts Regina about the apple turnover, and the poison she put it in, which was intended for Emma to consume.

Mary Margaret reads to Henry in the hopes that he would wake up as David Nolan did, but it does not work. In the middle of her explanation for giving the book to him, his heart flat lines. Despite the doctors' best attempts, Henry passes away. Regina and Emma, who had been working on finding a magical cure, arrive on the scene, and both collapse in tears.

Emma kisses Henry's forehead as a last goodbye. But, as a mother's love is unconditional, she unintentionally gives him the kiss of true love, and breaks the curse he is under as well as the Dark Curse. Henry wakes up, and everyone in Storybrooke re-obtain memories of their former lives in the Enchanted Forest.

Henry is pleased Emma finally believes. However, Regina is horrified the Dark Curse is broken, and in a panic, she tells Henry she does love him no matter what anyone says. Then, she rushes out of the hospital. Tension rises again when something strange is seen from outside the hospital window, which is a purple cloud of magic; created by Mr. Gold; descending over the town.

After the Curse
After the breaking of the curse, Henry reunites with Mary Margaret, David, the dwarves, Ruby and Granny. While Emma and her parents hug, he calls David, "Grandpa", which David joyfully acknowledges before embracing him as well. He is terrified when he hears that Dr. Whale is leading a mob to Regina's house, and begs Emma and the others to stop it; because Regina is still his mom. After Emma saves Regina's life so she would not break her promise to Henry, she asks her if it is true Henry asked Emma to keep her alive; apparently wondering if Henry loves her after all. When Emma and Mary Margaret vanish into the hat, Henry comes in with Ruby to stop Regina from strangling David. He calls her an evil queen when he hears what happened to his mom and grandmother, and tells her he does not want to see her until they come back. Then he goes to live with David in Mary Margaret's apartment. Outside the town hall, Henry waits with Ruby for David. When he arrives, Henry tries to cheer him up, but fails because Leroy runs in and reveals that if anyone leaves Storybrooke, they lose all their memories of the Enchanted Forest forever. He goes home with David and tries to help him with his speech in boosting the town residents' morale and calming the chaos, but then David runs off to seek out Jefferson to find a way to rescue Emma and Mary Margaret. Henry goes with Ruby to the meeting at the town hall, but David never shows up. Instead, Regina forces the doors open with her newly re-obtained magic and attacks the townspeople. Henry realizes that she wants him to come home with her, so he willingly goes to stop her rampage in frightening everyone.

Once "home", Henry tries to escape through his bedroom window, but Regina catches him with magic. She makes it known she put a barrier spell so he cannot leave. Henry complains she is imprisoning him, and expresses his pain at having known the whole truth about the Enchanted Forest and the people in it, while Regina tried to make him think he was crazy. Regina wants to make amends, and even says he can live in a house with magic. She offers to teach him how to use magic, and says that through magic he can gain so much. Henry refuses. He declares he does not want to become like her, and leaves his room.

A little bit later, David breaks down Regina's door and asks to see Henry. Regina allows him to take Henry home, saying that, she wants him to be with her only if he truly wants it; not because he is forced to. She admits that she does not know how to love very well, but that she will strive to be worthy of Henry's love. Clearly, Henry's words help her comprehend that she cannot keep him against his will, and that she is too much like her own mother, Cora. He leaves to go to the apartment with David. They go to the diner, where Henry tells an anxious Marco where his son is. David walks Henry to the school bus stop, and suggests the name "Operation Scorpion" for their mission to get Emma and Mary Margaret back. David regretfully informs him that Henry will not be helping him, and talks him into going to school. Henry pretends to get on the bus, but as soon as David walks away, he runs to find Jefferson. Jefferson informs Henry that he had already talked to his granddad and tells Henry that Regina has a vault where she might have some magic. Henry tells Jefferson that he should find his daughter, Paige, who is looking for him and that not knowing is a lot worse than Paige being angry that Jefferson left her to go to Wonderland and never returning. Over the phone, Henry invites Regina to lunch with him. She accepts and leaves her office. In actuality, the meeting was a ploy so Regina is distracted while he sneaks into the office and grabs her keys, and finds his way into her vault. Henry is successful, and explores the vault briefly before unlocking a box that contains poisonous snakes, which rear up at him dangerously.

Henry quickly jumps back, but David arrives in time and shuts the box. He apologizes to David for disobeying him and admits how much he misses Emma and Mary Margaret. David comforts him, and the two leave the vault. Later, David finds Henry in Emma's car. He walks up to him and shows him two wooden swords, and they practice swordplay; unaware that Albert Spencer is watching angrily from his car. Henry hangs out in the mines watching David and the dwarves mining for fairy dust. The plan is to find fairy dust, and use it on Jefferson's hat with possible transportation to and from the Enchanted Forest. Ruby brings lunch in a basket, and Henry takes a muffin. David brings Henry to the stables, and shows him his new pony. He tells him that he will need to take care of the pony, and has to earn its trust before he can ride it. Henry starts to groom his pony, and David leaves the stables to tend to other matters. He continues to groom him for sometime until a recently resurrected Daniel arrives and scares Henry's pony; making it rear and bolt out of the stables in fear. Henry asks him to stop because he is scaring the horses. Then, he sees the blood on hands and offers to help him, but this triggers a bad memory in Daniel's mind, and he grabs Henry's neck and lifts him off the ground. David arrives and saves Henry; telling him to run. Henry wakes up screaming from a nightmare in Storybrooke and is comforted by David. He tells David of seeing a room without windows and doors covered in blood red curtains with flames in the room. He also describes a female figure on the other side of the room, and that it is observing him. David calms Henry by lighting a candle to sooth him. Unbeknownst to either, Henry's nightmare closely mirrors that of another person. Henry is still having nightmares. David catches him trying to stay up by drinking coffee. He reassures Henry that everything will be fine and that he will watch over him, but when he has his nightmare and wakes screaming, it is Regina who comforts him. Henry wonders why she's there instead of David, and she informs him that David got an emergency call and was forced to leave. Henry discovers a burn on his hand, and in a panic realizes that his nightmares are real. Regina calls Mr. Gold over, who kindly gives Henry a necklace that lets him control his actions in the nightmare. The next time he goes to sleep, he is visited by a depressed David, who fears informing Henry he might never see Emma and Mary Margaret again due to Albert Spencer burning the hat out of revenge. Meanwhile, in his nightmare, Henry is delighted to discover that the necklace works, which allows him to put the fires out. He sees a woman and tells her that his name is Henry, and that she should not be afraid. When an asleep Henry revisits the Netherworld, the same woman, Aurora, is there and tells Henry she is with his mother and grandmother and that they need his help. Before she can tell him how, he wakes up. Frantically, he tells Regina and David the news. Amidst the good news, he tells Regina that they need help from her mother. Henry agrees to contact Aurora again in the netherworld. Regina and David sit by his bed as Mr. Gold tells Henry that the key to stopping Cora is the squid ink found in the Dark Dungeon. While in this nightmare, Henry tries to tell Aurora about the squid ink, but she cannot hear him and is sucked away. He wakes up and they ask him if he delivered the message. He says that he was not able to tell her. Regina notices a burn on his arm and refuses to send him back as the dreams are physically scorching him. Mr. Gold uses magic to heal Henry's arm. David, too, does not want to send Henry back and instead asks to be put under the sleeping curse.

Later, Henry watches as Regina combines the magical ingredients to form a sleeping curse for David. He asks her if she has stopped using magic. Regina admits to using magic on Daniel, and that she is trying to use it to help. Henry is pleased by this. Regina hands the curse to Mr. Gold who dips it into a needle. David asks Mr. Gold how to find Mary Margaret and he does not know. His finger is pricked, and David falls under the sleeping curse. As David lies asleep, Henry is concerned as to why he does not wake up. Regina goes to Henry and asks him to watch over David for awhile because she is preparing for Cora's arrival with Mr. Gold. Before she leaves, Regina tells her son that she will do anything in her power to keep Emma and Mary Margaret safe. Later, Henry is awoken by the dwarves because all of the diamonds have disappeared, and they suspect Regina and Mr. Gold to be behind it. This causes Henry to believe that his mother has lied to him.

Henry and Ruby go to the wishing well where Gold and Regina have placed an enchantment over it that will cause anyone passing through the portal to die; for they believe Cora will be the one to come through; not Emma and Mary Margaret. Henry confronts his mother, and she explains that she is protecting Henry from her mother who will destroy everything she loves;, including her son. Henry pleads for his mother to believe that Mary Margaret and Emma will be the ones to arrive in Storybrooke.

Wanting to earn her son's love, Regina lifts the curse from the well. Emma and Mary Margaret emerge and the group immediately travels to Mr. Gold's shop, where Mary Margaret uses true love's kiss to awaken David from the sleeping curse. Henry hugs and thanks his mother, and tells her she truly has changed. Emma asks Henry if he would like lunch and he, along with Emma, Mary Margaret, David, Ruby and the dwarves, goes to Granny's Diner to celebrate. Henry attends Emma and Mary Margaret's welcome home party. Regina is invited by Emma, and shows up carrying lasagna to share with the party goers. Henry has some lasagna with his mother and tells her how happy he is she came. The next morning, Henry is eating breakfast with Emma at the diner. She prepares to walk him to the bus, but is interrupted by a distraught Pongo. Ruby tells Emma that something is seriously wrong and Emma tells Henry he can walk to the bus stop by himself while she goes to check things out. While Henry is at school, Emma comes to believe that Regina killed Archie. After Henry gets off the school bus, Emma breaks the news and consoles him. Henry tears up at Archie's funeral, and Emma tries her best to console him. After the funeral, he stays in his room and calls Archie's office just to hear the answering message. He is slightly cheered up after Emma gives him Pongo, who he takes outside to clean up. Mary Margaret and David announce that they are house hunting for another place to stay, so Henry draws a blueprint of what Mary Margaret's room will become. Emma notices that Henry has converted her room into an armory. He tells her it is so that they will be protected against Regina. Emma assures him that they will not need it. Then, Pongo is seen acting strangely around the front door. Emma opens the door to see an alive and well Archie. He explains he was abducted by Cora. Emma tells Henry that they need to contact Regina since they wrongfully blamed her for murder, though they may pay the price. Later that night, Emma, David, and Mary Margaret find themselves spending the entire night trying to figure out what to do with a mysterious outsider who has crashed into town, and Henry spends the night being taken care of by Granny. The following morning, he asks his family about what has happened. They begin to explain, but he interrupts once they get to the part about Dr. Whale being Frankenstein. He gets out his storybook and explains that the story of Frankenstein is not among the book's stories; Frankenstein's stories take place in a completely different universe altogether.

Henry realizes that if the Dark Curse has gone to other places with other stories, there's no telling who could be in Storybrooke. His discovery is cut short when Mr. Gold arrives at the apartment ready to cash in a favor Emma owes him: she is going with him to help him find his son. When Mr. Gold arrives for Emma, he finds out that she is taking Henry with her so he will be safe from Cora. As they drive towards the border, Henry asks where they are going and Mr. Gold avoids the question by saying "Logan International Airport". Henry witnesses Mr. Gold's spell work so he can retain his Enchanted Forest memories outside the town border.

At the airport, the trio buy their tickets and go through security, after Henry goes through, Mr. Gold is forced by security to take off a shawl, which is his only remaining item of his son, Baelfire. and he walks unsteadily through the metal detector. As soon as he gets the shawl back on, Mr. Gold becomes more stable. Whilst Mr. Gold is taking to his anger on the restroom paper towel dispenser in the bathroom, Henry tells him that they are about to board the plane. Henry is excited about his adventure, but Mr. Gold is less enthusiastic and Emma has to reassure him that they will find his son. They arrive in Manhattan by taxi cab, and get out in front of an apartment complex. Through the use of a magic globe, Mr. Gold pinpointed Baelfire's location to this area. Henry is still excited about their upcoming adventure. Henry assists Emma and Mr. Gold in looking at the labels on the call buttons in the apartment building. Emma presses a button with no label on it; claiming to be a UPS delivery. The person on the other line does not respond and the intercom shuts off abruptly. Henry quips that Emma should have said she was from Fed-Ex. Suddenly, they hear noise out of a window from a few stories above. They rush outside and see a man jumping down from the fire escape and fleeing in the opposite direction. Emma chases after him and tells Mr. Gold to watch Henry. During the time Emma is gone, Mr. Gold buys Henry a hot dog, and the two bond a little and talk for a bit. Mr. Gold and Henry wait inside the apartment building when Emma comes back and lies to them; telling Mr. Gold his son got away.

Mr. Gold refuses to give up, and begins pressing all the call buttons on the building to find a way inside the front door gate. One of the residents buzzes them in, and as he hobbles up to apartment room, Emma tries to dissuade him in turning back but to no avail. Mr. Gold pick locks the door open. While Emma protests the reasons why they should leave, Henry looks through some old storage lockers. Emma shows special interest in a dreamcatcher in the apartment, and Mr. Gold comes to the realization she knows something that he does not. He is angry and demands to know what Baelfire told Emma, and grows increasingly threatening in tone. To keep Henry from listening, Emma orders him to stay in the bathroom.

Henry comes back out to see a man standing with Emma and Mr. Gold. He asks Emma if he is Baelfire. Neal looks shocked, and wants to know who the boy is, to which Emma tries to get Henry out of the room. Neal shouts the question at Henry again, and he responds by saying he is eleven, and asks why everyone is shouting. Neal questions if Henry is his son, and Henry tells Neal that's not possible as his father is a dead firefighter; as per what Emma told him. Reluctantly, Emma admits the truth to Henry. In shock and anger, Henry runs out to the fire escape. Emma goes to join him and apologizes for not telling him the truth. Henry bitterly responds that Emma is just like Regina; in that she lied to him. Emma is hurt by this, and Henry says he wants to meet his father. Later, Neal joins him out on the balcony and introduces himself, and Henry does as well. The two share a quiet moment while Mr. Gold looks on; remembering what the Seer told him; that the boy who leads him to his son will also be his undoing. Henry and Neal are enjoying their reunion while Mr. Gold and Emma follow closely behind. When Neal suggests they get some pizza, Henry is all for it. The two enter a pizza shop and then come out carrying a few slices. Emma asks Henry how it is, and he responds that it is good, cheesy, and does not lie; shocking Emma. Henry asks Mr. Gold if he can call him Grandpa, and Mr. Gold curtly responds by saying he can call him whatever he likes. Neal suggests that they visit the museum, and Henry asks if they can. Emma says yes, and the four return to Neal's apartment to get Henry's camera. After Mr. Gold is stabbed by Hook and poisoned, Henry helps him up the stairs along with Emma and Neal. When Emma and Neal leave the room, Henry asks if he can help Mr. Gold. Mr. Gold grabs Henry and angrily tells him to stay away from him; that Henry brought this upon him. A stunned Henry sits aside and watches as Emma and Neal try to help him. On the way back to Storybrooke, Henry and Neal steer the Jolly Roger together. When they arrive in town, Mr. Gold states that he needs David, Emma, Neal, and Mary Margaret to come to his shop. Henry asks Emma if this means he will be going with Ruby, to which she replies yes. Before they leave, Henry assures them that they will get Cora. In Mary Margaret's apartment, Henry watches on as David brings back to the kitchen sink Mary Margaret's untouched breakfast. Henry does not understand what is wrong with her, but Emma just says Mary Margaret is a bit sick. At those words, David and Emma exchange a look, and Henry notices. Disappointed, he can tell they are lying to him. Emma insists no one is lying, but Henry knows she is lying; just like she lied about his father. She tries to get him to listen, and puts a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugs her off. Emma realizes Henry does have the right to know, and explains to him the circumstances in which Mary Margaret was partially responsible for Cora's death. Henry is puzzled, and does not want to believe Mary Margaret could do something like that. The conversation is halted by a knock on the door. While David goes to answer the door, Emma further states Mary Margaret was only trying to protect everyone. This still doesn't sit well with Henry. He firmly believes because Mary Margaret is Snow White that she could not harm anyone.

The visitor at the door is Mr. Gold. He has come to warn them about Regina's plans in getting revenge on Mary Margaret, but David is insistent he also owes them in helping to stop Regina since his life was saved by Mary Margaret. They investigate Regina's vault, and find one of Cora's spells missing called "the curse of the empty-hearted". The curse, when cast on someone, has the ability to make the caster think the person loves him or her. From upstairs, Henry has been eavesdropping, and comes down the stairs asking if Regina is going to use the spell on him. David tries to get him to go back upstairs and let the rest of them handle the situation, but Henry pushes David out of the way and goes to Emma. Meaningfully, he states Emma promised she would be honest with him, so he wants to know why Regina is using this curse. Answering his question, Mr. Gold says matter-of-factually that this is the only way Regina can get everything she wants--and what she wants is Henry. Furthermore, Regina not only wants love from Henry, but also vengeance from Mary Margaret. The twist is, in order to enact the curse, Regina needs the heart of the person she hates the most, which is obviously Mary Margaret. Mr. Gold says warning them fulfills his debt to Mary Margaret, but David disagrees, and Emma reminds him Henry is his grandson. He coldly remarks "wars have costs", and that this is a blood feud that goes back several generations, and the only way to end this is to spill more blood; preferably Regina's. Henry is horrified at the idea, and exclaims ending a feud by killing someone is a dark tactic that turns away from the heroes they used to be. No one knows what to say in response. Upset, Henry dashes out of the apartment while Emma follows behind.

To his annoyance, Emma brings him to the diner. He makes it clear he does not want to talk to her. She navigates Henry to a diner table where Neal is waiting for him. Ruby brings by a large sundae with "extra everything", but the dessert does not cheer Henry up. Henry gloomily states he knows Neal is trying to bribe him, and asks him what he wants to talk about. Neal knows everything that has been going on, and he and Emma agree Storybrooke might not be the safest place for him right now. So, Neal asks Henry to move to New York with him as magic does not work outside of Storybrooke, and Regina cannot cast the curse there. Instead, Henry thinks it's a good idea if there's a way to get rid of magic in Storybrooke so Regina cannot use the curse, and everyone would not want to kill her for it. Neal agrees, but they cannot figure out that solution right away, so for the time being it is better if Henry comes to New York. Henry relents, and asks to be excused to the bathroom.

In actuality, Henry took his backpack with him and runs through the woods. He bumps straight into Greg, and Henry's bag drops to the ground in the process. Greg who asks what he is doing on his own, and Henry makes up an excuse about being a Boys Scout and trying to earn a merit badge. When prompted by Henry, Greg tells him he is on a nature hike and taking photos. Henry points him in the direction of the hiking trail, which Greg thanks him for. Greg picks up the bag, and oddly, just before he hands it back to Henry, he snaps a photo of it, and wishes him luck on the merit badge. Henry resumes his run, and makes it to the wishing well where he takes out of his bag a stack of dynamite.

He lights a match, but Regina shows up and calls to him. Henry states he is getting rid of magic because it is ruining everything. Regina warns the dynamite will only get him killed, but Henry retorts she is only saying that as she needs magic to cast the curse on him. Henry proceeds to light the dynamite, but Regina waves it away in a puff of purple smoke. She approaches, and expresses how much he means to her, and that is why she cannot lose him. Henry says if it is true, then she should not cast the curse. Regina is adamant Mary Margaret pays for what she has done, though Henry reasons the curse will not make him love her for real. But Regina still wants it as it will be something, and with it, they can be happy and have everything together. Henry pleas, "Not like this."

Emma, David and Neal show up to put a stop to Regina. After an exchange of words, Regina conjures a fireball if getting all of them out of her way is what it takes so she can get to Mary Margaret. Henry runs in between to force the fighting to cease, and yells that he needs someone to help him get rid of magic. Regina states there is no way to do it, and Emma replies the problem is Regina, not magic. Henry believes the problem is everyone; as magic is corrupting everyone such as both Mary Margaret and Regina. He pleas for Regina to help him destroy magic, but she cannot do that, however, she burns the spell page. Henry thanks her, and leaves with Emma, David and Neal. Henry comes down to get ready for school when he overhears David and Emma arguing about Mary Margaret's persistent unwillingness to get out of bed; in which Emma believes she should try to move past what cannot be changed. As he comes down the stairs, he casually asks if everything is okay. Emma replies everything is fine, and they both head out the door for the morning. Later in the day, as Emma, Mary Margaret and Marco are heading back from the woods to the sheriff's office because they believe August is in trouble, they are joined on the way by David and Henry. They reach the front entrance of the building in time to see a completely wooden August stumble out the door, down the steps and collapse on the ground. Henry looks on with Mary Margaret and David as Emma and Marco attempt to help August. Before he dies, August tries to tell Emma something, but is unable to get the words out. Mary Margaret doesn't want it to end this way for August; still having the firm belief he is supposed to get a second chance.

Then, Henry realizes August can have a second chance because for the first time in a long time, he may have proven his actions to be selfless, brave and true. Mother Superior rushes over to the scene, and agrees if August's actions today have been selfless, brave and true, then she can restore him. She tests it out with her wand, and August reverts from wood back into a 7-year-old Pinocchio.

Henry, Emma, Mary Margaret and David go back to the apartment. Emma waits for him at the bottom of the stairs and apologizes for lying to him about Neal, and meaningfully promises to never lie to him again. She asks him not to push her away, and Henry agrees he won't. They make up with a hug and go upstairs together. On another day, he is celebrating his birthday with his parents and grandparents in Mr. Gold's shop. After Henry blows out the candles of his cake, Mr. Gold asks him to pick anything in the shop as a gift. Henry picks a wand and curiously asks how it works. He watches with awe as Mr. Gold demonstrates how to use the wand. While Henry is transfixed, Mr. Gold uses the wand to turn him into a porcelain statue and smashes him with his cane, which is actually a nightmare Mr. Gold himself was having. Henry is unharmed, and enthusiastically practices wooden sword fighting with Neal in the park. At the end of the day, Neal carries him back home after he falls asleep, and Emma tucks him into bed. Regina catches Henry off guard one morning while he is tending to his birdhouses, and shows him the magic bean she possesses that will bring them back to the Enchanted Forest. She's upset the townspeople are keeping it a secret from her, though Henry has hopes they just haven't told her yet. Regina fills him in on a special "fail-safe" that has the power to erase Storybrooke from existence. At first, the idea intrigues Henry as he believes she will only be erasing the town and bringing everyone else to safety in the Enchanted Forest, but he is fearful after learning she means to kill everyone by activating the fail-safe. Regina discerns this is the only way they can be together as everyone else is always keeping them from being a family. She implores that he loved her once, and he'll love her again, but Henry justifies he could never love someone who does evil things. With knowledge about Regina's secret plan to obliterate Storybrooke and everyone in it, he plans to warn them, but Regina is quicker and uses her spell book to cast a memory impairment spell. Henry forgets their entire conversation, and after the spell is done, he speaks to her as if seeing her for the first time today. Regina readjusts to the exchange, and instead asks him to show her his birdhouses.

In the apartment, Henry overhears Emma telling Mary Margaret her theory that Tamara is the "her" August was trying to warn them about. During the conversation, Mary Margaret pleas for her to keep her voice down or else Henry will hear her. Emma cannot let go of her suspicion, but Mary Margaret asks her to let it go for Henry's sake. Mary Margaret heeds if Henry realizes a wedge is being driven between Neal and Tamara, he will likely think it means his own parents have a chance of getting back together.

Emma is left to think things over, and is startled when Henry pops up and asks if they are back in business. They have a stakeout in the yellow bug car outside of the bed and breakfast, and are on the lookout for Neal and Tamara leaving their rooms. Henry wants a new name for their secret plan, and decides on "Operation Praying Mantis". He voices the opinion that originally he wanted to experience new things in the Enchanted Forest, but the new operation is exciting too. Emma cautiously asks him would he still want to go back if there was a way. Henry enthusiastically wonders if there is a way, and though Emma swiftly denies it, he realizes there is. As Henry talks about himself, Emma and Neal getting a castle, he notices their targets and shouts for Emma to duck. They hide from sight, and peek over the window to see Neal and Tamara huddled under an umbrella together.

While Emma pick locks Tamara's room, Henry ponders out loud that once Neal sees Tamara is evil, maybe he will be together with Emma again. Emma is exasperated, and states she is suspicious of Tamara for other reasons; not including jealousy. When the door is open, Emma instructs Henry that if someone comes, he must alert her by feigning boredom and kicking the door. She goes in to investigate the room, and Henry is distracted waiting outside. He does not see Neal approach until it is too late. Neal is surprised and wonders what Henry is doing here. He refuses to respond and instead begins kicking the door. Neal figures out what is going on and bursts into the room. Emma confesses she does not trust Tamara, and feels there is reason to believe his fiancée is the "her" August spoke of. Despite the far-fetchedness of the situation, Neal allows Emma to look under the floorboards to satisfy her own suspicion. There is nothing incriminating under it, and she and Henry abruptly leave to go home. They dine on ice cream while mulling over the failure of "Operation Praying Mantis". Henry believes Emma is right about Tamara even though no one else does. A day later, Regina has mysteriously disappeared, and Henry, Emma, David, and Mary Margaret inspect her office with the intent of confronting her about the missing magic beans. Henry is horrified at the prospect his adoptive mother might be in real danger, though Emma assures him they will find her. When they discover the beans Regina stole from the fields are also gone, and somebody used an override code to break in to the office, Henry becomes convinced something bad did happen to Regina. Instinctively, Emma knows this must is Tamara's doing, and heads back to the bed and breakfast to investigate.

Trivia

 * Henry means "House of Rulers", which is fitting, since many of his family members have royal blood in them.
 * Enjoys hot chocolate with cinnamon, like his mother and maternal grandmother.
 * Henry is the only child that knows of the curse and believes in its existence until the Season One finale.
 * He was named after Regina's father and was given to Regina Mills as a baby by Mr. Gold.
 * A close look at Henry's bedroom reveals he has, in total, 18 clocks.
 * Henry lived with his adoptive mother Regina at 108 Mifflin Street until the curse was broken, when he moved in with David Nolan into Emma and Mary Margaret's apartment.
 * Henry's necklace has the same symbol as Anita's gravestone; a moon with a dot in the middle.
 * Henry has taken a trait from his maternal grandparents, stating he wants to become a hero.
 * He and Alexandra are the only residents of Storybrooke who have never been to the Enchanted Forest.
 * He is the only one who can leave Storybrooke due to him being born in the real world.
 * Henry is affected by the curse by living and growing up in Storybrooke, and it clouded his perception until Mary Margaret gave him the story book.