Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25703308-20150427001401/@comment-5106672-20150428145527

Well, the whole Regina vs Belle thing has two keys to interpretation:

1) Regina had that chat with Belle to clear her own conscience, ripped her heart taking for granted her permission by that "How can I help?", then had her forget everything about what happened to cover up what she did in case Henry or the Charmings asked questions.

2) Regina had Belle's permission and had her forget everything to spare her a painful memory with her former husband and limit collateral damage as much as she can.


 * 1) 1 would be consistent with what she tends to do when she's cornered – she really gets her darkest when she has no choice – but not so much with the latest episodes: actually going dark would have been the easiest way to go undercover with the QoD, but she only bluffed, put a patch here and there and generally tried to contain collateral damage as much as she could.


 * 1) 2 would be consistent with the latest episodes, especially considering how she herself has recently been through a heartbreak and how she is even going against her own intrests in trying to keep Emma from darkness: if the Saviour needs to be darkened in order for villains to get their happy endings, then she would need her to as well.

So, considering how selfless Regina is being in regards of Emma and how deliberately hurting Belle has been part of a past she's uncomfortable re-enacting, I would say #2. Why would Belle agree to such a plan? Well, because she's kinda friends with Robin Hood and would probably want to save him, as well as keeping Gold, whom she clearly still cares for, from going further down his path of darkness.