Rumplestiltskin

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All magic comes with a price.

-- Rumpelstiltskin's iconic phrase

Rumpelstiltskin is an extremely powerful but crooked and greedy wizard who is able to foresee the future. In exchange for the secret to completing the Evil Queen's curse, he now has riches and comfort in the real world, and the Storybrooke version of the Evil Queen, Regina Mills, has to give him anything he asks for as long as he says "please", because of a deal she made with him.

History

In the traditional fairytales, Rumpelstiltskin was an imp, who spun straw into gold for a girl in return for her first-born child. The girl was told she could keep her child if she could guess his name. When she finally did Rumpelstiltskin destroyed himself.

In Happily Ever After, Rumpelstiltskin was once a normal widowed spinner with a son named Baelfire, whom he loved with all his heart. At some point before Baelfire was born, Rumpelstiltskin ran from a war he was meant to fight in, and was forever labeled a coward. When the kingdom finally had to resort to using children as soldiers, the father and son fled into the forest, only to be found and tormented by royal knights. After the knights leave, Rumpelstiltskin and Baelfire are found by a mysterious old man who offers them shelter.

After hearing the coward's story, the man tried to inspire Rumpelstiltskin to find another way to save his son, but Rumpelstiltskin was adamant that he had no other choice but to run away. Then the old man tells him that the Duke has the possesion of a magical dagger which controls the Dark One, a terrifying entity with unmatched magical powers. If Rumpelstiltskin can get the dagger, he, rather than the Duke, will have control over the Dark One, and can thus protect Baelfire.

After setting fire to the castle keep and stealing the dagger, Rumpelstiltskin ran back into the forest to meet Baelfire, whom he told to go wait at home. Upon calling the name on the dagger, "Zoso", the Dark One appeared. Though he attempted to act brave, Rumpelstiltskin cowered to the Dark One. However, when the entity implied that Baelfire is not Rumpelstiltskin's son, Rumplestiltskin stabbed the Dark One in rage. Upon getting a better look at the dying entity's face, Rumpelstiltskin discovered the Dark One is in fact the old man. Cackling, the man told him "magic always comes with a price", and now that price was Rumpelstiltskin's to bear forever, sealed with his own name replacing Zoso's on the dagger.

Rumpelstiltskin, now with more power than he ever dreamed, returned to his hamlet to humiliate and kill the knights who harassed him the other day, all while Baelfire watched in horror. When he asked his father the cause for his actions, Rumpelstiltskin stated that he had simply protected what was his, and he was no longer afraid, thus beginning his desent into evil.

Throughout the land, Rumpelstiltskin quickly became known as a being of great power, able to grant a person's deepest wishes and darkest desires with deals that proved to be worst than he would intially proclaim. For instance, as seen in the episode, 7:15 A.M. Rumpelstiltskin had previously made a deal with Snow White in exchange for a potion which would allow her to forget her memories of Prince Charming so that he would be able to fulfill his responsibilities to his father's kingdom. Curiously, Rumpelstiltskin only asked for a lock of Snow White's hair in return, no doubt to use in the future for his own goals.

In the episode The Price of Gold, Rumpelstiltskin destroys the Fairy Godmother just afer she appears to soon-to-be-princess, Cinderella. Rumpelstiltskin then grabs the Fairy Godmother's wand. In exchange for something "precious" to Cinderella, he uses the want to bless Cinderella with a magical night at Prince Tomas' ball. He returns to claim his prize from a reluctant regretful pregnant Cinderella, but was foiled by the trickery of Prince Tomas, Princes James Charming, Grumpy, and Cinderella, and was captured and locked away. Rumpelstiltskin told her that her Prince, who mysteriously disappeared, wouldn't return to her until his deal was honored.

An alternate year later, in Storybrooke, when her first child was born, he returned to claim his payment from Ashley. Ashley is discouraged by all the citizens of Storybrooke that she can't raise her child alone as she is too young and is not ready. Her boyfriend, Sean Herman, who fathered the child, is forbidden by his father to see her. She refuses to give up the child and is determined to change her life to keep her child, under the influence of Emma. Cinderella gives birth to her daughter, Alexandra, and Emma makes a new deal with Mr. Gold that if Ashley got to keep her baby, Emma would owe him a favor, but we do not know what it is yet. After Emma has made the deal, Sean returns to Ashley to help take care of the baby, symbolizing that Rumpelstiltskin's deal has been honored by the bail bondsman, Emma Swan.

Gallery

Rumpelstiltskin/Gallery