Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25926288-20151026005934/@comment-26715865-20151026203205

I think that Merida is not a nice person, which is probably why she is a mean mentor for Rumple. On the other side, Rumple used to be the DO, the greatest villain in all the realms, maybe she heard of him, which could also be an explination for her behaviour towards Rumple.

On the subject of the fist scene, I think that the Lady of the Lake (her name was Nymue, I think) was somehow turned into the first DO and turned him in a tree. Merlin must have talked directly to the darkness, who took his former lover. If I remember the story corectly, Nymue was Merlin's lover and apprentice, he thought her magic, and one day, when she was powerful enough she turned him in a tree.