Board Thread:Character Discussion/@comment-24846659-20140813193020/@comment-5106672-20141020184441

The problem with the above is, the Snow Queen was clearly around in the EF a few years before the Dark Curse at most (I'd say a couple or so). By the time, we know most means to travel to the Land Without Magic were unaccessible – the only one beside the Dark Curse the Silver Slippers, which became unattainable around that time, or shortly after. Rumple clearly had no interest in messing with the EF inhabitants other than using them to get to Baelfire. Cora, Regina, Snow White, Prince Charming and eventually the whole populace of Mist Haven, they were all collateral damage which, while not restraining from doing whenever it suited him, Rumple didn't intend as his primary goal. We can clearly see this by the fact that he tried an alternate way (namely, the Silver Slippers) as soon as he found out, presumably even going against what he prophetised himself.

So, if the Snow Queen travelled to the LWM in any other fashion than the Dark Curse, we could argue that Rumple would have chosen that method instead of plotting for another four-five years, relying on so many other people to go along with his plan (willingly or even not knowing), then having the Curse cast and wait for another 28 years before being able to move out of Storybrooke. Even assuming he would rather follow the prophecy because it would assure him the result, we know that's not strictly true because, as above, Silver Slippers.

So, I trust the writers to pull off something amazing to explain the Snow Queen's trip to our world, but the chanches to contradict the very premises of the show are quite high.