Prince Charming

Prince James (called Charming by Snow White) is a major character in Once Upon a Time. He débuts in the first episode of the first season. He is played by starring cast member Joshua Dallas and is the fairytale counterpart of David Nolan. Prince James is the husband of Snow White, father of Emma Swan, and grandfather of Henry Mills.

Season One
Prince James was born to a peasant family, the younger of a set of twins. However, this peasant family was poor, and had no money. Rumpelstiltskin came to his farm when he was an infant, and told his parents that the barren rulers of their country needed a child, and they would be paid handsomely if they gave one of the twins to him. One twin was taken to become a prince, and the other stayed at the farm to help his parents.

Many years later, the royal twin (the "real" James) is killed in a duel, and Rumpelstiltskin again comes to the family, asking James to take his brother's place. James agrees to the plan for his mother's sake and goes to the castle with Rumpelstiltskin. At the castle, he meets his brother's knights and learns of the dragon that his twin brother was supposed to slay.

James and the knights travel to the dragon's lair, where several knights are burned alive. James narrowly escapes the dragon's fiery breath and manages to slay it. After he proves to Midas that he has killed the dragon, Midas decides to give James his daughter's hand in marriage as a reward. James initially refuses to marry Abigail, but King George threatens his home if he does not comply, so he agrees to the marriage.

He returns to his farm to tell his mother about his new wedding. Because he told Midas that he was his twin (the "real" Prince James), he has to continue the ruse and not see his mother ever again. She gives him her wedding ring, so that he can give it to the woman he loves.

James returns to the kingdom and decides to take the scenic route with Abigail to Midas's palace so they could start the wedding preparations. The procession is halted, however, by a fallen tree. James exits the carriage, leaving the pouch with his mother's ring in it behind him. It is soon discovered that the tree was felled, not fallen, and James turns around just in time to see a thief escape his carriage with his pouch of jewels in hand.

James chases and captures the thief, pulling back the hood to reveal that the robber is actually a woman. Later revealed to be Snow White, she hits James with a rock and escapes. He shouts, "I will find you!" after the thief, making her look over her shoulder and grin at him.

Later, Snow White walks out of her hiding place and gets caught in a large net. James walks up to her, holding her wanted poster, and threatens to hand her over to the Evil Queen if she doesn't tell him what happened to his pouch filled with jewels, especially his mother's ring.

Snow White consents and he sets her free from his trap, reminding her about her promise to take him to where she sold his jewels. After another escape attempt, Snow decides to take him to the Troll Bridge, having traded his jewels for coins, where they meet the hideous and greedy Troll Group.

A brief struggle ensues when the trolls refuse to give the pouch back to Snow White, and James finds himself surrounded by trolls. Snow White decides to save his life with a fairy dust that she had been saving for the Evil Queen - its magic turns one's enemies into something easily defeated (bugs, in this case). After the defeat of the trolls, she gives the pouch back to James, and they go their separate ways.

A few days after their encounter, James is brooding during his engagement party and is confronted by King George. The king threatens to burn down James's farm if he does not marry Abigail. After the king leaves, James writes a letter to Snow, telling her that he cannot get her out of his head, and requests for her to meet him in the castle if she feels the same.

Snow does come to the castle, but a fter King George captured her and threatened to kill James if she didn't comply with his demands, Snow tells him that she didn't love him and that he should marry someone who will. After this encounter, he runs away from King George and is kidnapped by Abigail's henchmen. Abigail reveals to him that she wants to marry him less than he wants to marry her, and shows him a solid gold shrine to one of her kingdom's fallen soldiers, named Frederick.

At first, James believes it is merely a gold statue, but the princess tells him that Frederick was once a man - her betrothed. He had been cursed by her father and was frozen as a gold statue. When he asks if she has tried true love's kiss, she admits, "until my lips bled" and tells him that she had nearly lost all hope. Then she explains to him about Lake Nostros's magical powers, and how it could restore something lost to a person, and her hopes that it could break Frederick's curse. James agrees to help her.

He goes to Lake Nostros, where he encounters a powerful siren. The Siren turns into Snow White and attempts to seduce him. She comes very close to her goal, but evidently does not succeed, and tries to drown him instead. James grabs a dagger from an already deceased man and stabs the siren, killing her.

He returns to Frederick's golden shrine and gives the magical water to Abigail, who pours it over the knight's head. Frederick's curse is broken and the two joyfully reunite. Abigail introduces him to James, who is then thanked profusely.

James, in turn, tells Frederick to repay him by marrying Abigail and giving him a horse so that he could go after Snow White. Abigail wishes him luck, thanks him for his kindness, and warns him about King George's potential fury when he learns that the union between the kingdoms was broken.

After assisting Abigail, he goes to Snow's newest hideout so that he could confess his love for her again. Instead, he meets Red Riding Hood, who tells him that Snow is living with the dwarves. It is revealed that his marriage to Abigail was called off, but Snow does not remember James because of a potion Rumpelstiltskin gave to her in a deal that would cure her broken heart.

James and Red are camping after running off. King Georges men find them but Red holds them off while James escapes. While searching for Snow he goes to Rumpelstiltskins castle as he as heard she has been there. Rumpelstiltskin tells James that the potion can be broken by true love's kiss. In exchange for Snow's whereabouts James gives Rumpelstiltskin his cloak, which Rumpelstiltskin uses to get his hair, so he can bottle 'True Love.' James finds Snow but the kiss has no effect. Snow chains him to a tree and goes off to kill the Queen. Jiminy shows up and frees James. As Snow fires the arrow James jumps infront saying he would risk his life for her. This touches Snow and they kiss, removing the effects of the potion. James is found by King George's men and taken off.

An unknown amount of time passes when James returns, riding a horse to the Enchanted Forest. Snow White is in her famous glass coffin, after eating a cursed apple given to her by the Evil Queen. The dwarves tell him that it's too late, but James requests to say goodbye to her. He kisses her, which wakes her from the Evil Queen's curse.

After that, they get married, and their wedding is crashed by the Evil Queen. She vows that she will destroy Snow White's happiness and tells them of her upcoming curse that will make sure that the only happy ending is hers. After she reveals this, James throws his sword at her, and the Evil Queen disappears.

Later, Snow becomes pregnant, and they discover that their child will be their savior from Rumpelstiltskin, whom the pair visited in prison. Though initially James believes that they are having a son, it is revealed that they are having a daughter instead. Snow goes into labour just as the curse approaches. James takes newborn Emma and places her in the wardrobe, but he is stabbed immediately afterwards.

Snow finds him and kisses him, but he stays unconscious (the Evil Queen and Snow White presume he is dead) while everyone is enveloped by the curse.

Appearances

 * Pilot
 * Snow Falls
 * The Price of Gold
 * The Shepherd
 * 7:15am
 * What Happened to Frederick
 * Heart of Darkness

Trivia

 * He is the very first character introduced in the series.
 * His mother, Ruth, owns a farm, however Rumpelstiltskin paid off his mother to give the king a baby, his older twin brother.
 * He attended Cinderella's wedding ball and helped Prince Thomas and Grumpy imprison Rumpelstiltskin.
 * It's highly likely the Dark Curse saved his life. He was stabbed just before the curse pulled him into the real world, allowing him to be taken to the hospital where he could be treated.
 * James means "Supplanter." A supplanter is someone who takes the place of another person, place or thing. This could be referring to how James took his dead brother's place as the Prince of King George's kingdom.

Prince Charmant