Land Without Magic

"You know what the issue is with this world? Everyone wants a magical solution for their problem, and everyone refuses to believe in magic."

- Jefferson to Emma referring to the Land Without Magic.

The Land Without Magic is a world featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It first appears in the first episode of the first season.

History
Baelfire travels through a portal from the Enchanted Forest and arrives in London, England. For an unknown amount of time, he lives as a beggar on the streets before he is taken in by the Darling family and befriends their daughter Wendy. She is visited at night by a shadow that takes her to Neverland only to return the next morning. That night the shadow returns for a replacement and now it takes Baelfire to the land where children never grow up.
 * -|Before the Curse=

The Evil Queen enacts a Dark Curse in the Enchanted Forest, destroying the world and taking most of its inhabitants to another land where magic does not exist. A magic wardrobe is carved, and it has the ability to transport two people to safety. Due to a deal the Blue Fairy made with the wood carver, Geppetto, she lies to the War Council and tells them the wardrobe can only protect one person. Geppetto wishes to send his son, Pinocchio, into the wardrobe, and does so as the curse is rapidly approaching. Snow White and Prince Charming's newborn daughter, Emma, also escapes by being placed into the wardrobe in time. With the power of the curse, the Evil Queen also pulls people from other worlds, such as the Mad Hatter in Wonderland, or Dr. Victor Frankentein from the Land Without Color, to bring along to a newly created town called Storybrooke, Maine.
 * -|During the Curse=

At first, Regina is ecstatic about living in Storybrooke where she is completely in control. She indulges in seeing everyone living their days frozen in time and separated from their true loves. Two outsiders, Kurt and his son, Owen wander into Storybrooke. Regina takes a liking to Owen, and tries to find ways to force them to stay in town. She allows Owen to run out of the town border after he does not want to be with her, but Kurt is arrested by Sheriff Graham.

Pinocchio and Emma arrive in the new land. They both end up in the foster system and in the same foster home. Pinocchio promised his father, Geppetto, he would look after Emma, but temptation arises when another orphan invites him to run away from the foster home. He goes back on his promise and leaves.

At eighteen, Emma attempts to steal a car only to meet a man, Neal, who was also trying to do the same. The two become a couple and survive by stealing. Neal admits to Emma he is wanted for stealing expensive watches. Emma helps Neal retrieve these watches, which they both plan to find someone to sell them to. They agree to meet up at a designated spot, but Neal is cornered on the street by August. August is not pleased the path Emma is taking for her own future, and informs Neal of a greater magical destiny she must fulfill. To further make him believe in magic, August pulls out a box and opens to show Neal a typewriter with a slip of paper inside. The paper reads, "I know you're Baelfire", showing August's awareness of Neal's former identity from the Enchanted Forest. Neal reluctantly agrees to give up on Emma, and runs away to Canada to evade the police.

Emma is arrested for possession of the stolen watches. The officers tell her that Neal tipped them off. She is sent to a minimum security prison in Phoenix, Arizona. Sometime after this, Neal meets up with August in Vancouver. August tells him Emma's fate, and this prompts Neal to give August the money and the keys to the bug, which he wants Emma to have. August steals the money, and goes to Phuket, Thailand. From there, he mails Emma the keys to the bug. While in jail, Emma also finds out she is pregnant.

She gives birth to her son, Henry, and gives him up to the system. He is adopted at a few months old by Storybrooke's mayor, Regina. Later on, Emma pursues a career as a bailbonds woman.

On her twenty-eighth birthday, she is currently living in Boston and tracks down an embezzler named Ryan on her birthday. Shortly after, Henry shows up at her door. She drives him back to his home in Storybrooke. Henry believes a curse has plagued the town, and by bringing Emma back she will be the town's savior in saving everyone. Emma and Henry quickly bond, but despite Regina's warning for her to stay away from her son, she decides to stay in town for a week at the bed and breakfast. While she is checking in, the rent collector, Mr. Gold comes in to collect payment from the inn keeper, Granny. Upon hearing Emma's name, he recalls his memories from the Enchanted Forest.

At exactly 8:15 P.M. when Emma does not leave Storybrooke and time becomes unfrozen, miles away in Phuket, Thailand, August wakes up to a shooting pain in his leg. He is slowly turning back to wood. August doesn't want to accept this punishment is a result of neglecting his duty in guiding Emma as she grew up, and flies to Hong Kong to procure a magical cure from the Dragon, who assists in healing those with magical afflictions. He steals the money of a woman to serve as payment for the cure, but she steals it back.

The woman, Tamara, is actually a magic seeker. She confronts the Dragon about the magical substance found in one of his bottled cures. After he affirms it is truly magic, Tamara kills the Dragon. The next day, August comes back to beg the Dragon to cure him, but finds the man dead on the ground. With no other options, he goes to New York and tells Neal about his plans to help Emma break the curse so that he will stop turning back into wood. August promises to send him a postcard when that happens. Nearby, Tamara is eavesdropping. After August rides off on his motorcycle, Tamara deliberately walks into Neal and spills hot coffee on herself. The two become acquainted, and later date and become engaged.

She spends a short time at the bed and breakfast, but eventually moves in with a schoolteacher, Mary Margaret. Emma is given the position of deputy sheriff by Sheriff Graham. He accidentally kisses her, and experiences a flash of memories he vaguely recognizes from another life. Before he can fully regain all of the memories, Regina crushes his heart into dust and kills him. Following the tragic death of Graham, Emma fights for and fairly wins the election to become the next sheriff.

A stranger, August, rides into town on his motorcycle. He stays in town with the guise as a writer, but behind the scenes works to push Emma in the direction of believing in the curse.

Emma becomes close friends with Mary Margaret. Their friendship is tested when Mary Margaret is accused of murdering David's wife, Kathryn. When Kathryn unexpectedly returns, Mary Margaret is released from jail.

Emma decides she must leave Storybrooke for Henry's sake and allow him to be raised by Regina. She informs Regina of her decision, and is given an apple turnover from her as a parting gift. Henry eats the turnover as a last attempt to prove to Emma the curse is real. The apple turnover is actually a poisoned apple, and Henry falls into a deep coma as a result.

At the hospital, Dr. Whale does not believe the apple turnover was the cause of Henry's mysterious illness. However, Emma is adamant because she saw it happen, and in a frenzy she picks up Henry's story book. By touching it, she receives a flood of memories from the Enchanted Forest and realizes magic is real. Though she and Regina scour for a magic cure, Henry dies. Emma gives Henry a kiss on the forehead; not aware through the act she is actually giving him true love's kiss, which has the power to break a curse. Henry is revived from death, and the dark curse also breaks through true love's kiss. All Storybrooke residents regain their memories of their former selves.


 * -|After the Curse=

Locations
For detailed location information, please see the list of Land Without Magic locations.

Inhabitants
This is the list of all the current and former inhabitants of the Land Without Magic.

New Jersey

 * Greg Mendell^
 * Kurt Flynn †

Hong Kong

 * The Dragon †

Boston

 * Ryan*
 * Emma Swan^

New York City

 * Neal Cassidy^
 * Tamara^

London

 * Baelfire ^
 * Wendy Darling*
 * George Darling*
 * Mary Darling*
 * John Darling*
 * Michael Darling*

Trivia

 * Jefferson says that this is one of the lands that do not have magic, but need it. However, The Dragon states magic here is rare, but still possible to get.
 * Although it is called the land without magic, Storybrooke now has magic after Mr. Gold mixed the true love potion with the magical waters of the wishing well to bring it back.
 * The known ways used to reach the land without magic are by passing through the magic wardrobe, by casting the dark curse, using the ashes of the magic wardrobe with the waters of Lake Nostos (a variation of using the wardrobe), or via creating a portal from a magic bean. It is not accessible using Jefferson's hat, as the hat only links worlds with magic.
 * The Land Without Color bears strong resemblances to this land.
 * The Land Without Magic does not appear for the first time in the second episode of the third season.

Appearances
Notre monde Mondo Reale