Milah

"Because I never loved you."

- Milah to Rumplestiltskin

Milah is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She débuts in the fourth episode of the second season. She is portrayed by guest star Rachel Shelley, and does not have a Storybrooke counterpart.

Before the Curse
In the Enchanted Forest, Milah marries and becomes the wife of Rumplestiltskin. They live in a cottage together and make a living spinning and selling wool. Rumplestiltskin rushes in to inform her of his enlistment in the ogre war at the front line. At first, Milah is against the idea, but he wishes to prove himself a different man from the cowardly reputation of his father. She decides to give support to Rumplestiltskin's cause and believes he will do well as a soldier.

Several months later, Milah gives birth to their son, who she names Baelfire. During this period, she hears gossip about her husband purposely injuring himself so he can be exempt from fighting in the ogre war. While she rocks Baelfire to sleep one night, Rumpelstiltskin returns home at least. At his arrival, Milah is happy to see him, but then inquiries about the rumors of how he left the battlefield. When he asks where she heard this, Milah states that it's been going around the village. After Rumplestiltskin admits it's true and attempts to give an explanation about a seer's prophecy he heard that forced him to abstain from fighting, she sees it as just an excuse for his cowardice. She argues that it would have been better for him to fight and die on the battlefield rather than return home to her and sentence his son to the life he will lead. She thrusts Baelfire into his arms, and storms out of the cottage, slamming the door behind her.

Several years later, Milah's marriage with Rumplestiltskin has continued to suffer. In her spare time, she drinks at the tavern. At one time, she meets a pirate, Killian Jones, and begins spending time with him and his crewmen. Killian entertains her with stories of his travels, to which Milah falls in love with him. When Rumplestiltskin comes to retrieve Milah, she gives a strong rebuke, tauntingly telling him to go to home. From behind, Baelfire begins calling for his mother, to which Milah, won over by her maternal instinct, promptly leaves the tavern. Later, as she lays in bed, she expresses displeasure to Rumplestiltskin of her current lot in life. Milah wishes that they'd leave this village life and go explore and see the rest of the world. Oblivious to her concerns, Rumplestiltskin asks Milah to try to make their marriage work for the sake of their son. She agrees reluctantly, but during the night, leaves behind both Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire to join Killian on an adventure traveling the seas. As a cover story, word spreads that Milah is kidnapped by Killian.

Years later, she interrupts a duel just as Rumplestiltskin, now the Dark One, is preparing to kill Killian. Milah clarifies that her "kidnapping" by Killian is a falsehood and she willingly joined his crew after that night in the tavern with him. She admits to having fallen in love with Killian in an instant following all the stories of pirate life he described to her. While Rumplestiltskin is seething, Milah holds out the red hat of his associate, Smee, and reveals she is possession of the magic bean he so desires. In exchange for forking over the item, she wants Rumplestiltskin to leave her and Killian alone.

To carry out the deal, Rumplestiltskin ascends onto the deck of Killian's ship while Milah awaits to ask him if the arrangement still stands. He gives an affirmative answer, and then questions her about leaving their son behind. Milah retorts that she has lived with the regret of leaving Baelfire behind for all this time, but could not see through the cowardice or misery in a loveless marriage with Rumplestiltskin to think about him. At one point, he moves to grab the bean from her hand, but she throws it to Killian. In a fit of rage, Rumplestiltskin drives his hand into Milah's chest, ripping out her heart. She collapses in Killian's arms and proclaims her love for him just as Rumplestiltskin crushes her heart to ash.

Trivia

 * The casting call described her as, "a woman who's often at her village's tavern and is bored with being a wife and mother. Yearning for adventure, she joins a band of thieves".
 * The casting call name for her was "Milha".
 * The name "Milah" is of Slavonic origin derived from the word "mila" that means "pleasant, dear".
 * According to the Blu-ray exclusive featurette "A Fractured Family Tree" on Once Upon a Time: The Complete Second Season, Hook and Milah were married. Adam Horowitz has stated that this was a mistake made during the production of that featurette, and that as far as the show 'canon' is concerned, Milah and Hook were never married.

Appearances

 * Milah's name appears in Hook's tattoo in "Tallahassee".
 * Milah appears in a drawing in "And Straight On 'Til Morning".