The Bear King

"The Bear King" is the 97th episode of Once Upon a Time.

Summary
Zelena and Arthur journey to DunBroch on a mission to retrieve an enchanted relic that will provide the advantage they need to vanquish Emma and our heroes. Their path will cross with Merida's, who is on a journey of her own to pay a debt that her father, King Fergus, owed to a certain witch when he died. To do this, she enlists the help of two friends: Mulan and Ruby. However, in order to satisfy the witch and save DunBroch, Merida first must discover the identity of the knight who killed her father, and, in flashbacks, she is seen learning about bravery and honor as she trains for combat and rides alongside Fergus into the infamous battle that claimed his life.

Trivia

 * Although credited, Jennifer Morrison (Emma Swan), Lana Parrilla (Regina Mills/Queen Regina), Josh Dallas (David Nolan/Prince Charming), Emilie de Ravin (Belle Gold/Belle), Colin O'Donoghue (Killian Jones/Captain Hook), Jared S. Gilmore (Henry Mills), Sean Maguire (Robin Hood) and Robert Carlyle (Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin) are absent from this episode.
 * Dallas, De Ravin and Carlyle, however, all feature briefly in archive footage from "There's No Place Like Home".

Production

 * The title of this episode was officially confirmed by executive producer/co-creator Adam Horowitz, via his Twitter account, on September 28, 2015.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the episode.