Henry Mills

"You may not believe in the curse, or in me, but I believe in you."

Henry Mills is one of the main characters of Once Upon a Time. Henry is the biological son of protagonist Emma Swan, and the adopted son of antagonist Regina Mills. A lonely boy, Henry came to believe that the people living in his small town were under the effect of a powerful curse that robbed them of their memories of their past identities as fairytale characters. This led him to look up his birth mother, whom he knew to be the key to everyone's salvation.

Early life
"Miss Swan, you made a decision ten years ago. And in the last decade, while you've been... well, who knows what you've been doing?... I've changed every diaper, soothed every fever, endured every tantrum. You may have given birth to him, but he is my son."

- Regina Mills

Emma Swan, the orphaned daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, was sent to our world to eventually save her peers from the effects of the Dark Curse, cast by the Evil Queen. During her troubled life, Emma was put in foster care and with many foster families, always wondering why she had been abandoned as a baby, never knowing all the while that her parents, famed fairytale characters, wanted to give her her best chance.

Henry's mother, Emma Swan, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, met the kid's father, Neal Cassidy, the son of Rumplestiltskin, when the two of them ironically stole the same car. With time, they formed a romance during their lives together as thieves. At a point of their relationship, Emma fell pregnant with their child but didn't know it immediately. While they had planned to withdraw in Tallahassee, a town in Florida, after having stolen watches (previously stolen by Neal), Neal was approached by August W. Booth, who introduced himself as Emma's guardian angel. August taught to Neal Emma's identity and future destiny, to break the Dark Curse. To convince Neal, August told him that he knows that he's Baelfire. With discussion, Neal accepted to leave Emma to help her. And so he called cops to arrest Emma who was sent in jail. When in jail, Emma took a pregnancy test which turned out to be positive on the same day that she received the keys to her and Neal's old car.

Months after, in jail, in Phoenix, Arizona, Emma gave birth to a baby boy who she gave up in adoption because she wanted give him his best chance. She asked for a closed adoption, meaning she was to have no connection with the child and therefore no legal rights to them. Emma's baby boy was adopted by Regina Mills, who tracked him down specifically, and brought him from Phoenix, Arizona as her adopted son. Henry Mills was from there on out cared for by Regina, the Queen, and the Mayor of Storybrooke, Maine, the town that holds all fairytale characters trapped in a daze. Henry grew up to become a lonesome child, who was given a story book by his elementary school teacher, Miss Blanchard, which led him to realize that the people in his town were the characters in the book. He then stole Miss Blanchard's credit card to help track down his birth mother.

Season 1
"They're not fairytales. They're true. Every story in this book actually happened."

Henry's quest to find his birth mother, Emma Swan, brings him to Boston, Maine. He comes to her apartment and Emma is surprised to meet him, and he begs her to bring him back to his home, in Storybrooke, Maine. On the drive over, Henry fills Emma in on the story of the Dark Curse, cast by the Evil Queen, and how it imprisoned all the fairytale characters in his town, in a daze, frozen in time, with their happy endings ripped from them. Emma is led to believe that her son is troubled, which is further evidenced by her meeting of his strict, stern mother, Mayor Regina Mills. When Henry goes missing again, Emma offers to aid Regina and Sheriff Graham in tracking him down. It is Miss Blanchard, Henry's teacher, who eventually tells her where she might be able to find him. Emma then finds Henry in his playground castle and returns to him the story book that he'd left in her car. They have the necessary talk about Henry being given away, which he knows was because she wanted the best for him, and he insists on convincing her to stay and open her eyes to the truth of the curse. When Regina tries to bully Emma out of Henry's life, the blonde decides to stay to make sure her child is alright, and when she rents a room at Granny's Bed & Breakfast, Henry is delighted to see, from his bedroom window, that the pointers in the tower's clock start moving again, a sign that things are about to change.

Delighted to have his birth mother staying in town, Henry fills Emma in on the effects of the Dark Curse, gives her the pages detailing her story in the book, saying that the Queen must never read them, and shows happiness in the fact that she decided to stay and in the thought that she's starting to believe him. His teacher, Mary Margaret, is relieved to see him smiling again, and Emma soon learns that Henry thinks Miss Blanchard is really Snow White... something that stays with Emma, for Henry has now told her she is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Emma then decides to have a chat with Dr. Archie Hopper, Henry's therapist, who advises her against destroying Henry's belief system, and willingly gives her his files on the young man... which, as it turns out, is a scheme set up by Regina - who's none too happy about Emma being in Henry's life - for Emma to be arrested for stealing. Henry gets Miss Blanchard to bail her out, and Regina's next move is to get Emma to admit that she thinks Henry is crazy for believing in the curse... before the child's eyes. Henry's devastated, until Emma comes to him, having decided to stay for longer, and tells him that what she said was only to throw the Evil Queen off, so that she doesn't catch on to their mission to dethrone her: "Operation Cobra". Henry is overjoyed, and Emma burns the pages that he'd given her.

During a class visit to the local hospital, Henry notices an unreclaimed comatose patient who resembles Prince Charming from his book. He then tells his birth mother about this, and Emma plots with Mary Margaret to shatter Henry's belief in the curse by getting the teacher - who's allegedly Snow White - to read a story to Charming. When he fails to react, Henry can finally see that there is no such thing as true love and the rest of it. However, when Mary Margaret humors them, she does get a response: John Doe grabs her hand. Dr. Whale shoots down the teacher's claims, saying that there's been no change in the cerebral activity, but it is soon revealed to us that he's lying in accordance with Regina's plans for the comatose patient. Contrary to Emma's expectations, Mary Margaret tells Henry of the patient's reaction, and they plan to get her to read for him again, hoping he might wake up. Therefore, Henry is still convinced that they're fairytale characters, even though both his birth mother and teacher don't think the same way. However, once they get to the hospital, they learn that John Doe is missing. An angry Regina, the patient's finder and emergency contact, takes Henry away, but he soon sneaks out and heads for the woods, to help Emma, Mary Margaret and Sheriff Graham track him down. They are able to find him unconscious on the water, and the teacher performs CPR on him and brings him back to life. Henry is further convinced that what happened was a reunion between soulmates, but a new twist comes in the form of Kathryn Nolan, the comatose patient's wife. Turns out his name is David Nolan and he's married...

Mayor Mills prepares to go out and allegedly attend a Saturday city council meeting. She specifically mandates that Henry doesn't leave the house until she returns at 5 p.m. sharp, and he is to do his homework in the meantime. He understands that she doesn't want him seeing his mother, Emma, and she tells him Emma's not his mother, just a woman passing through. Once she leaves, Henry immediately joins Emma, who is looking for Ashley Boyd - the real world counterpart of Cinderella - having been hired by Mr. Gold to track her down. Henry and Emma are able to find the pregnant Ashley on the outskirts of town, about to give birth, and they rush her to the local hospital to deliver her. Emma learns from Henry that people can't leave the town or else bad things happen to them, but Emma is an exception, because she's the savior, so she can do anything. Emma tells Mr. Gold, who agreed to adopt Ashley's baby for a large sum of money, that he can't have the child, because Ashley changed her mind. Henry overhears their conversation, and is particularly worried when Gold agrees to let Ashley keep her baby, if Emma agrees to do a favor for Gold in the future. After Emma and Henry meet Ashley's baby, they are forced to rush back to the young man's home, before Regina arrives and finds that he's left. Emma suggests that Henry call her "Pumpkin" as her codename for "Operation Cobra", but he has a better idea in store, one he's not sharing yet. Emma then makes it clear to Henry that she is not going anywhere anytime soon, and afterwards she calls Sheriff Graham and accepts the position of deputy that he'd previously offered her.

Dr. Archie Hopper continues to try and get through to Henry and his belief that everyone in town is really a fairytale character. Archie wonders if he thinks that all the crickets in town were once people, just as Jiminy Cricket used to be a person, and the young man tells him that there are no crickets in Storybrooke, there never were. During their session, a local mine collapses, and when Mayor Mills plans to tear it down and pave over it, Henry becomes suspicious that there might something inside that could prove his theory. Regina is irritated over the fact that her son thinks she's hiding something, and intimidates Archie into ripping Henry's beliefs from him and crushing them. During their next session, Dr. Hopper is hard on Henry, telling him that his beliefs are bordering psychosis, and the frustrated child runs off, and then has the idea to go into the mine and look for evidence. Archie follows him inside during yet another earthquake, and the mine is sealed shut with the two of them in it. They try to get out of it via an old elevator, but the townspeople resort to the use of explosives to try and break the exit, and wind up jamming the elevator. The two are then stuck inside it for a while, waiting to be rescued, and Henry winds up being the one to give his therapist a pep talk, when Archie feels as though he wasn't being a good person when he told Henry what he did. Henry convinces him that he can be the man he wants to be, because of his good conscience. Henry also tells him that he wants to find evidence to back up his theory because he refuses to believe that this is all there is to life. Emma ultimately rescues them both, and Archie tells Regina that he's going to continue treating Henry his way, and she will back off and let him do his job because she might one day find herself in a custody battle and she wouldn't want Archie on her bad side then. Later that night, Henry points out to yet another sign that things are changing: the crickets are heard singing.

Henry attends the welcoming party thrown for recent comatose patient David Nolan, when he is brought back to his household by his wife, Kathryn. At the party, Henry takes his birth mother, Emma, for a sidebar, and he explains to her that David's memory loss is an effect of the curse, which is preventing him from remembering his past as Prince Charming. Emma explains to him that it's a result of his previous state, but Henry isn't convinced. Eventually, David joins them and interrupts their conversation, for they are the only people at the party he actually knows: the ones who saved him. Henry notices how well David handles a sausage on a toothpick, and asks him if he's ever managed a sword, which David interprets as a random juvenile question. David then asks if Mary Margaret is coming to the party, and Emma denies this, making up some excuse for her friend. Some other night, Emma notices someone coming out of Regina's mansion, and realizes it's her partner, Sheriff Graham, who has been sleeping with her. Emma is disgusted for him whe she learns that he was having sex with Henry's mother while the young man was in the house, and that the reason why he was coming out through the window was because Regina didn't want her son to know. Emma tells him that she wishes she was Henry right now, and unbeknownst to their liaison.

When Sheriff Graham - who was once the Huntsman - starts having flashes of his previous life, and of when he was about to kill Snow White, he comes to Mary Margaret to ask her if she believes in past lives, and she tells him about Henry's belief that the residents of Storybrooke are all fairytale characters featured in his book. This leads Graham to come to Henry, claiming to want to talk about the child's book. Later, while they talk in Henry's room and go over the story of Snow White, Henry asks the sheriff when his flashes began, and Graham said they did after he kissed Emma. Henry is somewhat irked that Graham kissed his mother. Graham remembers seeing the wolf, having a knife in his hand, and that he was about to hurt Mary Margaret. This leads Henry to conclude that Graham was the Huntsman. The Huntsman was raised by wolves, which is why Graham sees one - the wolf is his friend, his guide, and is trying to help him. Graham asks how it's possible that he's remembering all of this after kissing Emma, and Henry explains that Emma owes Graham her life, because he spared that of her mother, Snow. Graham then asks how the Huntsman's story ends, and Henry recounts that the Queen takes his heart, because she doesn't want him to ever feel anything again. This alarms Graham, who hasn't been able to have feelings. He then notices a drawing of the Queen's vault in the book, and recognizes it as what the wolf wants to find. Henry tells him it's the vault where she keeps her collection of hearts.

After the untimely death of Sheriff Graham, Mr. Gold gives Emma, the deputy sheriff, a pair of walkie-talkies, that she brings to her son Henry, so that they can communicate with each other regarding "Operation Cobra". However, Henry is blue over Graham's death, believing it to be Regina's fault, and tells his birth mother that they should stop their operation for now because Regina is evil and evil always win because it doesn't have to fight fair. Emma then runs for sheriff against the Mayor-appointed Sidney Glass, and the latter posts a front page article in the local newspaper about the fact that Emma gave birth to Henry behind bars. Henry doesn't have much of a problem learning this, but it only provides him with further belief that his mother's fighting a war she can't win. This leads Emma to accept Mr. Gold as her benefactor, and he sets up a fire in the Mayor's office so that Emma can rescue her and come across as a hero. When Emma discovers this, she feels conflicted over whether or not she should come clean about it, for the revelation might cost her the election. However, during the debate, she decides to stand up for honesty and righteousness, and tells the audience of Mr. Gold's involvement in the fire. Henry is proud of her for standing up to the town's most feared resident, and ultimately Emma learns that her courage led her to be elected sheriff of Storybrooke.

Henry is in the Storybrooke pharmacy when a schoolmate of his, Ava Zimmer, begins to converse to him. As they talk, Ava introduces Henry to her brother, Nicholas, who walks past the kid. On his way out of the store, Henry is stopped by Mr. Clark, the owner, and stolen candy bars are found in his backpack, clearly planted there by Nicholas whilst Ava distracted him. Emma, the new sheriff, arrives on the scene followed by Regina, who takes Henry home. Henry later figures out that Ava and Nicholas are Hansel and Gretel from his book, alerting Emma over in the sheriff's station. He soon asks about his father, saying that he deserves to know about him after supposedly reuniting Emma with her mother, and so the blonde feeds him a story about how his father was a fireman that met her in a diner where she was a waitress but that he died a few years ago saving someone's life. Emma later reveals to Mary Margaret that this tale was concocted to spare him the truth, but this matter is pushed aside when Emma must take Ava and Nicholas to separate homes outside of Storybrooke. Henry warns Emma not to leave as he is sure something bad will happen, however, she points out that something bad has already happened, before driving off. Emma breaks down on her way out of down and calls mechanic Michael Tilman, the pair's father, to the scene, and Ava and Nicholas end up going home with their dad.

The stranger that recently arrived in Storybrooke is tending to his motorcycle, which has a large contained chest on the back of it, when Henry approaches him, asking what he's doing her. The man explains that he's fixing his bike, so Henry asks what he's doing in Storybrooke. The man tells the kid that he's just visiting. He asks what the chest is, so the stranger mysteriously tells him it's a box containing something he needs to do what he came to Storybrooke for. After finally fixing the bike, he puts on his helmet and gets on the bike. Meanwhile, Regina exits her house and sees that Henry is talking to the stranger. Henry tells the man he thought he was just visiting. The man tells him that doesn't mean he doesn't have something to do and then he starts the engine of his bike. Regina calls out to her son, so the man tells Henry to go to school as it looks like a storm is coming. Regina walks towards the two, but the man drives away before Regina can reach him. Regina wraps her arm around Henry, watching the man drive away, and she asks who it was. Henry simply shrugs his shoulders.

Henry runs to his "castle", which has been damaged by the storm of the previous night, and is met there by Emma. He quickly begins digging under the castle and takes out his formerly buried story book, making sure it's okay. It is, and so he re-buries it, revealing to Emma that Regina does not know of his castle as its their special place. Ironically, Regina arrives on the scene to collect Henry for his session with Archie, she looks at the castle and comments on it being a deathtrap. Henry is later forced to stand witness as bulldozers knock the castle down thanks to Regina's handy work. Afraid he's lost his book, Henry heads to Granny's Diner and quickly tries to write down everything he can remember from it, as he is doing so, he is met by newcomer August W. Booth, who seems interested in what Henry is doing. Henry is suspicious as to why this is and August defends himself by saying that he's just being neighborly and is a writer himself. After Emma works hard to expose Regina for who she really is by showing the town money Regina has taken from the budget to build herself a second home in the woods, Regina tells the blonde that she is to stay away from Henry, since it is revealed that the "house" was merely a new play park for Henry and the other children of Storybrooke to have a "special place". Henry is later seen at the new play park as Emma watches from a distance, the two are saddened that they cannot be together.

At the sheriff's station in Storybrooke, Emma is sitting at her desk eating a sandwich, and asks Mr. Gold, who is standing in a cell on the other side of the office area, if he'd like some. She points out that she still owes him a favor and some pastrami could be a delicious way to honor it. "Oh, I don't need a reminder that you owe me a favor. And when the day comes that I make my request... it'll be for more than half a sandwich." Gold tells her. Emma smiles, but soon hears footsteps coming from the corridor. Regina and Henry walk into the office. The Mayor tells the sheriff that she can have Henry for thirty minutes, so that she can have some alone time with Mr. Gold. Emma is confused, but the want to be with her biological son is bigger than her hesitation, so she agrees, and leaves with her child. During their absence, Regina asks Mr. Gold what she's been meaning to ask for a long, long time... what his real name is. After some hesitation, Gold replies that it's 'Rumplestiltskin'...

Regina attempts to apologize to Henry by giving him the gift of a handheld video game, saying that he doesn't need his book as in this, he can be the hero himself. However, Henry explains that he isn't just upset over his missing book as he misses Emma, too. Later, Emma is inspecting a puddle by a car and discovers a metal box within it, she takes out the box and opens it, revealing that Henry's book is inside. The blonde soon visits Henry at school as he's playing on his new video game, she comments that she had the same one when she was a kid and loves it. Scared that they'll be caught, Henry tells Emma that his mother will be picking him up and five minutes and so Emma says that she'll make it quick, handing the kid his story book. Henry is overjoyed and asks her where she found it, she explains that she found it in the gutter, confusing them both. He happily tells her that "Operation Cobra" is back on as this is a sign of their luck changing. Emma soon tells Henry that she has to go, leaving him happy with his newly returned book.

Over at the sheriff's station, Henry is on the computer looking up employment opportunities for Ruby, who has recently quit her job. He asks her if she wants to be a bike messenger, delivering things to people in a little basket, Ruby tells him that she's not very good at bike riding and so he suggests that she deliver things on foot, but she says that she doesn't think that's a real job. The phone of the sheriff's office rings and Ruby answers it, handling the people on the other line perfectly, Emma sees this and offers her a job answering phones for her. Later, Henry is seen placing his book into a drawer of the office, Emma tells him that she has to kick him out in order to go and see if David's okay, Henry is alright with this as he's meant to be meeting with Regina as it is. He locks the drawer and hands Emma back her keys, as he leaves, he tells the blonde that Ruby can do more than answer phones, explaining that she's Little Red Riding Hood. Emma sarcastically remarks that she seems like a bad ass and Henry agrees, saying that she just doesn't remember how cool she is, before leaving.

Henry comes to help his birth mother when she searches around her apartment for clues of a break-in/robbery, because her friend Mary Margaret is apparently being framed for Kathryn's disappearance and likely murder. Emma is able to find something: a hunter knife that could had been used to cut out the heart found in a box. The evidence therefore keeps piling up against Mary Margaret, but Henry thinks of something. At Granny's Diner, August runs into Henry, and tells him that he also believes what the young man believes, and tells him that some people, like his birth mother, don't rely on solely faith, they need to be shown evidence. Henry has an idea. He then waits for Emma on the stairs outside the apartment one day, and brings with him Regina's set of skeleton keys. He tries two of them in the keyhole, but they don't fit, so he begs Emma to do it herself, and try one more. She humors him... and learns that the third time really is the charm, because the key fits and actually opens the door.

Henry is sitting on the hall of the station one night when Emma comes in with Mr. Gold. He seems thrilled that Emma has apparently taken some action and moved "Operation Cobra" along. What he is talking about is that Mary Margaret has escaped from jail, but Emma had no prior knowledge of that. She is horrified that her friend is gone and sets out to find her. After she does, Emma, having been taken hostage by a man claiming to be the Mad Hatter, visits Henry at school, to tell him that she found their friend, and recognizes a young classmate of Henry's: Paige... whom Jefferson claimed to be his daughter, Grace. Emma asks to take a look at Henry's fairytale book and she notices that the Mad Hatter and his daughter, in the pictures, do look a lot like the man who captured her and the girl he said belongs to him. She then asks to keep the book for a while, and Henry is excited to realize that she is catching on to what's happening, and allows her to keep it.

When Emma decides to get more proactive when it comes to going up against Regina and exonerating Mary Margaret, she turns to August and her son Henry for help. One night, the Mayor peers into Henry's room and sees him asleep in his bed. She then walks away to take a shower. Once she's gone, Henry suddenly "awakens" and grabs a walkie-talkie from underneath his pillow. After checking Regina is in the shower, he tells the walkie-talkie "the eagle is in the nest and the package is secure". Emma and August are waiting outside the house and the former, holding another walkie-talkie, tells Henry she left the codebook at home. The young boy explains that Regina is in the shower and the keys are under the mat. Once Emma and August make it to the garage, they find that Regina's shovel is missing a piece, and the piece Emma found in the place of the burial of the chest containing the heart fits.

Henry's assistance is then requested by August. While the young man distracts Mr. Gold under the pretense of getting a gift for his teacher, Miss Blanchard, August roams around the office of the owner of the town, looking for something. However, August is found. Later, Henry attends the welcoming party thrown for Miss Blanchard and gives her a bell he bought at the pawn shop. David shows up as well, hoping to see Mary Margaret, but she isn't interested, and thus Emma sends Henry home with him. Later, after Sidney Glass takes the fall for the Mayor and confesses to the kidnapping of Kathryn Nolan, Emma tells Regina that she doesn't want Henry anyway near her conniving lifestyle, so she is taking him from Regina.

Henry alerts Emma to an "Operation Cobra" emergency via walkie-talkie and the blonde meets her son at Granny's Diner where he shows her that someone has added a story to his book, the story of Pinocchio, however, he finds it odd that whoever has done this did not add the end of the story. Later, Henry is met by Regina at school who is there to give him his lunch, which he left at home. She tells him that she wants him to move out of Miss Blanchard's class, and Henry asks her if it's because she framed her. Regina is offended but Henry stands up and assures the Evil Queen that Snow White will have her happy ending with Prince Charming, the curse will end and good will win, before walking away and telling her that he's not moving class. That night, Emma calls Henry via walkie-talkie and tells him that she's waiting outside in her car, he meets her and she asks him if he would like to get from Regina and come and live with her. Henry tells her that he would like that more than anything, and so Emma begins to drive away with him. Henry asks her where they're going, and she tells him that they're leaving Storybrooke...

Emma and Henry are on their way out of Storybrooke when the latter realizes that she's leaving before she can break the curse, Emma assures him that this isn't the time for that, however, Henry takes the wheel and swerves the car out of control before they can leave town, demanding that they go back home. Henry rushes to August to warn him of Emma's desire to leave, at this, August reveals his wooden arm and Henry realizes that he is Pinocchio, however, Emma is unable to see this due to the fact that she doesn't want to believe. August tells Henry that he has tried to do this and failed and so tells the kid to continue with "Operation Cobra". Henry later visits Emma who tells him that she is leaving town, he is devastated and tells her that she must break the curse, but a saddened Emma refuses to believe this. Henry sees an apple turnover on a plate on the side and asks Emma where she got it, she explains that Regina gave it to her and so Henry tells her not to eat it as it's poison. Emma wonders why Regina would poison her if she's leaving town and Henry informs her that as long as she's alive, she's still a threat to the curse, despite Emma's protests that there is no curse. Henry takes the turnover and says that he didn't want it to come to this but that she's given him no choice, before taking a bite. He soon collapses on the floor due to the sleeping curse within the turnover and Emma is left calling out for her unresponsive son.

Henry is rushed into hospital and Emma insists that he was poisoned by the apple turnover Regina gave her, but due to there being no definable medical reason for his state, Dr. Whale refuses to believe this. Emma takes a look at Henry's book among his possessions and thinks of the current situation, deciding for herself that the curse is real and that Henry was right. After beating up Regina in a supply cupboard for causing this, the two mothers go to see Mr. Gold who tells them that he will help Henry if Emma gets him the potion of true love located under the Storybrooke library. Emma slays the dragon form of Maleficent in order to retrieve the potion, but on her way back up to the library, the elevator stops working. She throws the potion to Gold and scales up the wall, however, he has fled, having tricked Emma. Mary Margaret is reading to Henry in the hospital when he flat lines, the doctors crowd around him and Emma and Regina receive a call. They rush to the hospital only to discover that Henry did not make it, the two of them are devastated. Emma goes to his bedside and tells him he loves him before kissing him on the forehead, at this, a burst of true love is sent across Storybrooke, breaking both the Dark Curse and Henry's, meaning that the kid wakes up. He realizes that she broke the curse but they wonder why they're not back in the Enchanted Forest. Before Regina flees, she assures Henry that she loves him and seen out the window is a sheet of purple mist falling over the town. Emma asks Henry what it is, and the kid tells his mother that it's something bad...

Season 2
"So I'm a prisoner because you love me? That's not fair."

After the Dark Curse is lifted from Storybrooke and its residents, Emma and a recovered Henry are reunited with Snow White and Prince Charming, their parents and grandparents, respectively. Emma asks Ruby to look after Henry for a while so that she and her newfound parents can confront Mr. Gold. Later, Ruby brings Henry to the Town Hall just in time to prevent Regina, whose powers are back, from murdering David. Henry wonders where his birth mother and grandmother are, and Regina explains that they were sucked into a magic portal to elsewhere. Regina tells her son that she is sorry, and he tells her that she's not. He tells her he doesn't want to see her again, and Regina begs him not to say that, looking hurt. She says that she loves him, and he asks her to prove it, by getting Emma and Mary Margaret back. David then takes Henry with him, and, in Emma and Mary Margaret's apartment, reassures his young grandson that they are alive and well and that he is gonna get them back.

David shows up at Regina's house to get information on the top hat that sent Emma and Mary Margaret through a portal. Regina claims to have forgotten where she got it, and then makes it clear that she is getting her son back as soon as she controls her magic. Charming tells her if she needs magic to get him back, she doesn't really have him. Henry notices the top hat and tells David that it belonged to the Mad Hatter. Later, when Regina's powers are restored, she shows up at a town meeting to take Henry with her, and the young man goes with her willingly, so as to get her to spare everyone else. At their house, he tries to make a run for it, but Regina stops him, in a manner very similar to her own mother's devious methods. Regina tries to convince her son that life in a house with magic can be wonderful, but the child isn't persuaded. Henry claims to not want to be like his mother, to not want to have access to magic. Regina is hurt and realizes that she is trying to do to her son what her mother used to do to her. When David comes back to retrieve Henry, Regina lets her son go with him, in peace, and tells Henry that she wants to do right by him, to redeem herself.

David walks Henry to the school bus, urging the young man to remain in school while he figures out how to get Emma and Mary Margaret back. However, the determined Henry isn't willing to, and tries to come up with a way to get them back himself. He reaches out to Jefferson, the "Mad Hatter", and learns that he still hasn't gotten in touch with his daughter, out of fear that she will hate him for having left her before. Henry explains to him that if he doesn't come into contact with her, she'll spend the rest of her life not knowing where he is and whether he cares, which is worse. Henry then contacts his own mother, Regina, to meet with her for lunch, but it's only a ploy to get her out of the house so that he can steal her skeleton keys and break into her vault. He does just this, hoping to find anything inside of it that can lead to a breakthrough, but instead finds the box containing the vipers that killed King Leopold. Charming arrives just in time to save Henry. Henry is frustrated because he never thought things would be like this once the curse was lifted, but David tells him they're gonna do this together from now on. Later, Henry watches as Jefferson finally connects with his daughter, and David buys him some wooden toy swords so that he can practice to become a dueling prince. Unbeknownst to the playful grandfather and grandson, Albert Spencer - the vile King George - watches from a distance as they sword fight.

The dwarves have all gathered at the old mines where they once worked, trying to find if there is any fairy dust left. Leroy, working as a foreman, tells them to keep swinging their axes. David Nolan is also seen at the mine, performing the same chore, until he stops and looks at his grandson, Henry, who's watching them work. Henry smiles, and David winks at him. He keeps swinging his axe and then Ruby comes in, bringing with her the typical basket of baked goods, and hands Henry a muffin, asking him if they've found any fairy dust yet. Henry says they haven't yet, but adds that they will, and when they do they'll be able to bring back Emma and Mary Margaret. He bites away at the muffin, and Ruby tells him she'll be back later at lunch. David then stops what he's doing, and as he goes to retrieve his shirt from the hanger, he notices mine dust on his hands and wrists and shakes it off, claiming to hate mine dust. He then calls for Leroy, as he puts on his shirt, and tells him that if they find anything, he'll be at the station. The foreman asks if he's taking over as sheriff, and David confirms that he's stepping in, until Emma gets back. They shake hands and David leaves with his grandson.

Henry hasn't been getting much sleep lately, frustrated over the fact that Emma and Mary Margaret are still not home yet, and David tries to get his mind out of it by taking him to the local stables, so that he can learn how to take care of his own steed. Charming first tells him that, before being able to ride it, he needs to establish a bond with the horse by looking out for it for some time, and the steed will "tell" him when it is ready to be mounted. Some time later, Dr. Frankenstein is able to bring Daniel - Regina's lost love - back to life, and the confused stable boy goes back to the stables, for they are his last memory of life. There, he scares the horses, and Henry. The young man tries to reach out to the living dead, but Daniel, who is plagued by the memories of Cora ripping his heart out, attacks Henry, out of blind fury. Regina and Charming get to them in time and save Henry, prompting him to run off. Regina then reaches out to her old fiancé, but he begs her to let him die and be at peace. Regina therefore uses her magic to rid herself of him, to great pain.

In the town of Storybrooke, Maine, Henry is asleep in his bed, he seems peaceful enough until he suddenly awakens with a scream, alerting his grandfather, Prince Charming, who comes running to his grandson's aid. Henry says that he just had the worse nightmare but Charming assures him that it's over now. The prince takes a box of matches from Henry's bedside table and lights the candle that sits upon it, telling Henry that it'll keep the nightmares away. Charming then asks his grandson what was so bad, Henry begins to explain his nightmare, "I was in this room, and... and it was red. And there were no doors, no windows, and these curtains... they were on fire. And... I was in this corner, and-and-and, I was looking out, and there was someone else there. She was staring at me through the flames and then I woke up and...", Henry says, in a panick, Charming tells him not to worry - "It was just a bad dream."

David, Henry and Mother Superior are thrilled to learn that the dwarfs have finally found diamonds in the local mines, and that they can start making fairy dust, and move one step closer to bringing back Emma and Mary Margaret. Meanwhile, Henry is still plagued by his horrible nightmares, in which he finds himself in a room that's on fire, next to a presence he cannot identify. When Regina wakes him up from his torment and notices that his hand was burnt during the dream. She calls Mr. Gold over for help, and Gold tells them that the dream is actually a netherworld to which Henry's soul travels as a result of him having been awakened from a sleeping curse. Gold gives Henry a pendant that is supposed to help him control his dreams, and tells him that when someone can control something, they no longer fear it. Henry uses the pendant with him when he goes to sleep, and with it he is able to put out the flames in the burning room and reach out to the other person in it: Princess Aurora. The sleeping beauty wakes up from her dream and tells Emma and Snow about the young boy she saw in it, a young boy by the name of Henry. The two women are surprised and confused.

Aurora confirms that the young boy he saw in her dream is Emma's son, when the latter shows her a picture of Henry. Snow White explains that she thinks the dream is real, because she herself would go there often after being awakened from the sleeping curse. They then realize this is their way home: they can communicate with the people in Storybrooke, and get advice from Rumplestiltskin on how to defeat Cora. Aurora goes back to sleep and tells Henry that his mother and grandmother are okay and they want to go back home. Henry tells Charming and Regina of this, and the latter is surprised to find out that her mother is also alive and posing as a threat to them. Regina gets Mr. Gold to help them out, and he puts Henry back to sleep whilst telling him how the ladies can defeat Cora: by using the squid ink that was once used to entrap him, when Cinderella 'tricked' him. Henry tries to get the message across to Aurora, but she is violently ripped from the room when she is woken up by Mulan, after the ladies fall under attack by an army of the undead, risen by Cora. The zombies take Aurora with them, and Henry wakes up to find himself severely burnt. Gold heals his scars and Charming and Regina agree that they can't endanger him any further. David then volunteers himself to be put under a sleeping curse, so that he can speak with Snow. Henry watches as his mother cooks up another sleeping curse, and they talk about how she's been trying to lay off magic and redeem herself. Regina promises him that after this is over and done with, she will be done with magic. David goes under the sleeping curse, but isn't awakened as soon as Henry thought he would, so the young boy starts to lose his hope...

Henry reads to his sleeping grandfather, from his storybook, and Regina comforts him, by saying that this time around Snow White will wake up Prince Charming with a kiss. She then tells her son that she and Mr. Gold have to take care of some things to prepare for the arrival of Emma and Mary Margaret, but in reality she and Gold plan to make it so that anyone who comes through the portal is killed. When Leroy realizes that the Queen and Rumplestiltskin stole the diamonds from the mines, Henry becomes the wiser, and he and Ruby make it to the well where the portal is supposed to come through. Regina explains to Henry that Cora will be coming through, and that she will destroy everything her daughter loves, and that includes Henry himself. Henry tells her to have faith in him that his mother and grandmother will come through, and begs her to do the right thing. Regina, out of guilt and commiseration, lifts the spell from the well, which takes its toll on her. Emma and Mary Margaret come through, much to Mr. Gold's surprise, and the family is happily reunited. Henry is then grateful towards his foster mother, seeing now that she really has changed. However, when the 'good guys' all head out for Granny's to have lunch, after Snow wakes Charming up, Henry leaves Regina, much to her dismay. In the horizon, Cora and Captain Hook make their way to Storybrooke as well...

Henry and Emma accidentally catch Mary Margaret and David in bed together. Later that day, they all attend a homecoming party at Granny's, one that Regina shows up to, having been invited by Emma, much to everyone else's displeasure. Henry, however, is glad that his foster mother came. As the night goes on, Regina leaves, and Emma follows her. A tense conversation ensues, for Regina asks to see more of her son, and Emma doesn't think that's a good idea. Regina lashes out at her but instantly apologizes, and Emma reveals that she knows she's trying to change, thanks to Archie. The former Mayor isn't happy to know that her shrink has been telling about their sessions. The following morning, Emma and Henry have breakfast together at Granny's, before school starts, and Emma tells her son about her stay in the fairytale land. She then decides to walk him to the school bus, but Pongo shows up, in an alarmed state, and Ruby can see that something is wrong. Emma tells Henry to go by himself, which he does, and the blonde and the waitress then follow Pongo to his owner's office and find his lifeless body. All the evidence seems to point to Regina - even though her mother, Cora, is the actual culprit - and Mr. Gold helps Emma use a dreamcatcher and magic to witness the attack... by the hands of Regina, apparently. Emma confronts her rival, who attacks her. Emma then tells her that Henry will never believe her lies again, and that they now know she is incapable of change. Regina disappears, and Emma is left with the task of telling her son that someone he loves was killed by someone else he cares about, her first real "parenting" job. Her parents comfort her, and Emma does what she must, and breaks Henry's heart... and Regina's, who is watching them from a distance.

Emma and her son Henry attend the funeral of his therapist, Dr. Archibald "Archie" Hopper, who has allegedly been murdered by Regina. The residents of Storybrooke who knew and loved him as either Archie or Jiminy gather together to pay him their final respects, whilst Mary Margaret delivers a lovely eulogy dedicated to the deceased. During the wake, which is hosted at the Charmings' apartment, Emma tries to cheer up the blue Henry, but it's to no avail. Some time later, after David and Mary Margaret catch Henry lowly calling the office of his shrink, to hear the sound of his voice, Emma surprises her family by bringing home Pongo, Archie's beloved pet dalmatian, for Henry to take care of. She is apologetic for springing the dog on her parents unannounced, but the Charmings think that giving it to Henry is a wonderful idea. However, Mary Margaret then suggests that she and David move out. Later, while Henry is drawing up blueprints of an armory, Archie shows up at the apartment and reveals that he'd been kidnapped by Cora. Henry is delighted to have his friend back, as well as relieved that his foster mother didn't kill him. He says they should let Regina know, something which Emma agrees with, fearing that they're gonna have to pay some ugly price anyway...

We see Henry walking through the Storybrooke cemetery and go down into Regina's vault via her father's tomb in the mausoleum. Whilst down there, he finds Regina in a secret room, however, it is soon revealed that he was merely Cora in disguise. Regina makes amends with her mother and tries to make her tell the town that she is the one who kidnapped Archie, but Cora tells Regina that she doesn't want the town's love and the latter admits that she wants her son back. Cora tells her daughter that she has a few ideas as to how she can achieve this. Later, Henry wakes up to see that Emma, David and Mary Margaret have returned home after an eventful night at the hospital. When Henry learns that Dr. Whale is the Storybrooke counterpart of Dr. Frankenstein, he realizes that his story is not in the book and begins to question what other characters could be in town that they do not know of. His thought is interrupted by someone at the door, it's Mr. Gold, and he's there to talk to Emma. He reminds her of the favor she owes him and tells her that she needs to come with him to find his son, Baelfire. Emma is forced to oblige and Gold promises that if any harm is to bestow upon Belle, who's currently hospitalized, whilst he's gone, he'll kill all four of them.

Mr. Gold arrives at Mary Margaret's apartment in order to collect Emma to take her to New York where she is to help him find his son. Henry soon emerges from another room, packed and ready to tag along with Gold and his mother, and the former is confused as to why. Emma states that she will not leave Henry behind with Cora lurking about town somewhere, and the three of them leave. In the car, Henry wonders where they're going, and Gold replies that they're going to the airport, Emma says that she believes Henry meant after that, but Gold merely wants to take it one step at a time. They soon arrive at the airport, Gold having retained his memory whilst crossing the town line thanks to his enchanted shawl still working, where they are checked through security. As Mr. Gold frets over having to be parted with his shoes, cane and shawl, Henry finds a Cinnebunz, and runs towards it. Later, after Gold retreats to the bathroom to beat up a paper-towel dispenser out of nervousness, Henry walks in to tell the pawn broker that they're about to board their flight. On the plane, Emma asks Henry if he's okay and he points out that he's having his first flight as well as going on a real-life adventure, saying that the only thing that could make the moment better is more frosting, gesturing the cinnamon bun in his lap.

Henry arrives in New York alongside Emma and Mr. Gold in order to aid his mother in finding the latter's son. They enter Baelfire's apartment building and Henry checks the buzzers for his name, not being able to find it. Emma says that the unlabeled apartment must be Bae and presses the buzzer, however, upon doing so, footsteps are heard running across the fire escape above. The three of them run out into the street where they see Baelfire running away, Gold tells Emma to get him to talk to him as he can't run, and the blonde chases after him. As they wait for her to return, Henry assures the pawnbroker that Emma is an expert in finding people and telling him not to worry. Gold states that his son is equally adept at running and Henry goes on to say that he forgave Emma for giving him up and that he's sure Baelfire will forgive Rumple. Emma soon returns, telling them that she was not able to catch up to Bae. At this, Gold breaks into his son's apartment in hopes that he will find out something about him, and noticing Emma's strange behavior, he realizes that she lied about losing Bae. As he begins to yell at her, Neal Cassidy, otherwise known as Baelfire, rushes into the apartment, telling Gold to leave Emma alone. Rumple deciphers that Neal and Emma know each other, and when he sees Emma has a son, Neal asks Henry how old he is. The kid replies that he's 11, wondering why it's so important, and it is revealed that Neal is in fact Henry's father, having been in a relationship with Emma 11-12 years previously. Emma comforts Henry, apologizing for lying to him and telling him that his father died, and the kid requests to talk to Neal. Rumple watches as the two bond, and it is revealed that he vowed long ago to kill the young boy who would stand in the way of his reunion with Bae, meaning Henry.

Henry continues to bond with his new-found father, Neal, as he is taken out for pizza. Meanwhile, Emma and Gold commiserate over the trouble that they are having in their relationships with their respective sons. As Henry emerges from the pizza place, Emma asks him how the pizza is and he characterizes it as "delicious, cheesy and doesn't lie", clearly referencing her lie to him when she told him his father was dead. This begins to make Emma more worried about salvaging her relationship with Henry and Gold tries to convince her to get Neal to come back to Storybrooke with them, stating that if she does not, Henry will most likely go to find him, as he once did with her. Before Emma can ask this question, she, Neal and Henry witness Hook ambush Gold at the apartment building, stabbing him in the chest with his iconic hook. Gold is taken upstairs to Neal's apartment where it is deciphered that the hook used to stab him was laced with poison which is slowly killing him. With a flight taking too long, Neal offers to sail them back to Storybrooke on Hook's pirate ship which he used to get to New York so that they may use the town's magic to cure Rumple.

Henry helps his father, Neal, sail back to Storybrooke in order to find a magical cure for Mr. Gold, who's still dying after being stabbed by the poison hook of Killian Jones. Soon enough, Henry, Neal, Gold and Emma all arrive at the Storybrooke docks and are met by Mary Margaret and David, who are accompanied by Ruby. Mary Margaret has plans on killing Cora and the adults escort Gold back to his pawn shop to save him and protect him from Regina and Cora, who have the Dark One's dagger and are on their way to kill Rumple. Due the the large amount of battling that's likely to take place, Ruby offers to keep Henry out of the crossfire until the scenario ends. Emma thanks the waitress and Henry is taken by Ruby and kept safe as the fighting ensues. The actions of the day eventually lead to Mr. Gold being saved and Cora dying, with Regina knowing that Mary Margaret is to blame.

Henry begins to wonder why Mary Margaret's been spending most of her time moping in bed and Emma tells him that she's sick, however, Henry sees through this lie immediately and the blonde admits that Mary Margaret is partially responsible for Cora's death, something which displeases Henry. The Charmings are soon visited by Mr. Gold who tells them that Regina is planning to strike back and kill Mary Margaret to avenge Cora, and after investigating further, they discover that she also plans on using a curse on Henry that makes him think he loves her so that she can have him back as well as claim her vengeance. Finding Regina unstoppable, Emma and David contemplate executing her, but Henry is strongly against it. He next meets his father, Neal, at Granny's Diner who attempts to bribe him with ice cream, before revealing his agenda of wanting to bring Henry back to New York with him to keep him safe. Henry initially appears happy at this thought before excusing himself to go to the bathroom. Once Emma and Neal notice he left with his backpack, they deduce that he's running and get Ruby to sniff him out. She leads them to the old mines where they discover a box of dynamite with sticks missing, we next see Henry running through the woods, dynamite in his pack, before he runs into Greg Mendell, who tells Regina of the kid's whereabouts. Henry arrives at the town well with hopes of blowing it up and getting rid of magic, that being the place it originated from, but Regina quickly turns up and disappears the dynamite. Emma, Neal and David show up as well and the latter almost kills Regina, until Henry stops him, telling his family how magic has corrupted them and makes good people to terrible things. At this, Regina burns the curse she planned on using and Henry returns home with Emma.

Henry arrives at Granny's Bed & Breakfast alongside Emma with his book of fairytales in tow. He shows it to Neal, asking him to tell him of his life as Baelfire in the Enchanted Forest, and the kid's father obliges, before going on to tell Emma that his fiancee, Tamara, is on her way into town. Emma wonders if Tamara knows who Neal really is and where he's really from, and Neal reveals that she does not. When Tamara does arrive, she joins Emma, Neal and Henry for bagels and the latter asks how her and Neal met. She tells him that they bumped into each other and her coffee spilled down her, but he offered her his scarf to cover the stain. It is not long before Henry has to go to school and is escorted by Emma, but Henry leaves his book behind, telling Neal he can look at it. Neal then uses the book to tell Tamara that magic is real. Later, when a completely wooden August is seen stumbling out of the sheriff's station and with his dying breath, he tries to warn Emma of something, however, he dies before he can do so. Henry points out that August's final act was honest, brave and unselfish, meaning that there's a chance he can be saved but that they need the Blue Fairy. Mother Superior quickly arrives and tells Henry that he's right, suing her magic to turn August into little boy Pinocchio once more, however, Pinocchio does not remember the warning he tried to give. When Henry and Emma arrive home, Henry tells Emma that he forgives her for lying about his father and promises not to shut her out again.

Henry is seen in Mr. Gold's pawn shop blowing out the candles on his birthday cake as his family claps for him. As a present, Gold tells the boy that he can take any item from the shop that he wants. Henry sets his sights on a magic wand and asks Mr. Gold how it works, Gold begins to demonstrate but soon uses the wand to turn Henry into porcelain and smash him, killing him, stating that the boy will be his undoing. This is revealed to be a dream of Rumple's who goes to the park the next day where he sees Henry and Neal bonding over a wooden sword fight. Regina sees this also, and is surprised to learn from Gold that his son is Henry's father. Later, Neal is seen returning Henry home to Emma and the boy is completely asleep. Emma asks if Neal tranquilized him but Neal jokes and says that he just gave the kid a couple burbans and calls him a real lightweight, before admitting that he's just tuckered out and commending him on how good he's gotten with wooden swords. They proceed to put Henry to sleep on the couch where he remains.

Henry is approached by Regina who tells him she plans to use the curse's fail-safe to kill everyone in town and destroy Storybrooke, Henry is appalled, and so Regina wipes his mind of the conversation, before going on her mission to kill everyone. When Emma begins to suspect that Tamara's the "she" that August warned them about, she voices her concerns to Mary Margaret, who has her doubts about the theory, telling Emma not to tell Henry as if there's something up with Tamara, he may think his parents are getting back together. Emma promises not to, however, Henry has heard the old thing and tells his mother that they should investigate Tamara. They begin to stake her out in a parked car outside Granny's. having fun as they do so, until Emma decides to search Tamara's room at the B&B. She tells Henry to keep lookout as she breaks in and discovers a loose floorboard, however, Neal returns to the room before she can look underneath it, and catches her. He is appalled by Emma's behavior but she promises she'll back off if there's nothing under the floorboard, explaining her theory to Neal that his fiancée is the "she" that August warned them about. He helps her lift the floorboard, but there is nothing under it, and Emma leaves with Henry, professing not to be a crazy jealous ex. She and her son then eat ice cream together at the Charmings' apartment and discuss the matter of returning to the Enchanted Forest, should the magic beans serve their purpose.

After David and Mary Margaret discover that their entire bean crop has been burned, the former and Emma burst into Regina's office with handguns, suspecting the mayor of being the culprit. When they walk in, they see that no one is in there, and Emma declares the place safe before Mary Margaret walks in with Henry in tow. He wonders if they're going to hurt Regina when they find her, and Emma assures him that they won't as they merely want the beans that she stole from them. They see a large incubator with a bean plant inside, but with all the beans harvested from it, and Mary Margaret wonders why Regina would leave such evidence in her office. David suggests that perhaps she took a portal out of town, but Emma points out that she would have taken Henry with her. The blonde proceeds to use the security alarm system to configure that someone was in the office that morning and entered using an overwrite code, meaning it wasn't Regina. Henry takes this to believe that something bad has happened to his adoptive mother, and begins to worry. Emma promises to find her and Regina is later discovered being tortured by Greg and Tamara. She is freed and taken back home before Emma returns with news that Neal fell down a portal after being shot and is most likely dead, not knowing how to break the news to Henry. Then, an even more pressing matter arises - Greg and Tamara are currently in control of a device capable of wiping Storybrooke off the map and killing all of its inhabitants.

Henry is taken to see his recovering foster mother, Regina, and is relieved to see that she's alive and well. However, soon after they reunite, the earth starts shaking, as a sign that the device has been triggered. Henry is reassured that he is free from harm, for he was born in this world and therefore will not be killed, but his entire family will. Regina plans to hold off the diamond's effects as much as she can, even though she knows she can't stop its powers. She bids farewell to Henry, letting him know one more time that she loves him, and she and Emma get down to the mines while the Charmings reunite their loved ones in order to escape through a magic portal back to the Enchanted Forest. Emma soon realizes that Regina is on a suicide mission, as well as one of redemption. When she informs her family of this, Henry is desperate, and Mary Margaret isn't willing to leave Regina behind. Everyone agrees with a plan of sending the diamond through a portal instead. Emma, however, has the idea to help Regina stop the diamond with her newfound magic powers. The two of them zap the trigger and are able to deactivate it. However, their victory isn't celebrated for long, for they soon learn that their shared son has been taken. Henry is escorted by Greg and Tamara, who inform him that their plans to rid the world of magic were put on hold once they discovered Henry, who is far more important now - for he is the boy Peter Pan is seeking. They open a magic portal using a bean and leap through it, much to the chagrin of the now desperate Charmings and Regina. Mr. Gold and Belle show up, and so does Hook, who has changed his mind about going solo and plans on helping them rescue Henry. Regina, Emma, her parents and Rumple all board the Jolly Roger, intent on getting the boy back... and discover that he's been taken to Neverland. Hook opens a magic portal using the last bean, and they all set sail, ready for adventure.

Trivia

 * Henry is the only main character who has yet to have a centric episode.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the character.