Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-3038174-20130504231130/@comment-9232373-20130521183742

71.84.184.176 wrote: There's also a chance that Rumple's character will change. It's my hope that he will learn that courage and bravery don't come with the absense of fear, but in facing your fear and still doing the right thing in spite of it. This is real courage. Cowardice is facing your fear and letting it dictate your actions, like Rumple's decision to let go of his son because he was afraid to live without magic or his decision to break his own foot because he was afraid his son would grow up fatherless.

He showed courage in telling Belle the truth about himself and in letting her go, so we know he has it in him, however weakly it might shine. Never quite saw what was so cowardly about Rumple. Nothing cowardly in sacrificing your name and reputation in an attempt to save your son. Remember, Rumple wasn't afraid to fight, in fact he yearned for it at first. He WANTED to fight in the Ogre Wars and was very happy to do so. He didn't want to leave Bae fatherless, but his act wasn't simply "I'm gonna die?  Oh no, save me!" His only thoughts were for his son, not himself.

And when he encountered the Baron trying to recruit his son and kissed the man's boot, well, what else was he suppoosed to do? Just let them kill him to he can "keep it real" and show pride (which is one of the 7 deadly sins btw)? If he didn't do that they would have killed him and taken Bae right then and there. He clearly didn't want to show such fealty and weakness, but he did anyway. In fact, he showed amazing courage in doing so, giving up himself for his son.

And with Hook, Rumple wasn't a soldier. Hook was an experienced pirate skilled in the art of the sword. Picking up the sword to fight Hook would have been the equivalent of just picking up the sword and killing himself with it. Not cowardly in my eyes. It would have been down right moronic to fight Hook at that time.