In the Land of Fairy Tales, soldiers working for the Duke are taking a 14-year-old girl away from her parents and her village to fight in the Ogre Wars, a vast battle looming blood red on the horizon. The girls' parents try to fight the soldiers, but are stopped by the magic of a creature called The Dark One, who does the Duke's bidding. Witnessing this is Rumplestiltskin, but not as he's been seen before. He just a normal man, with a son who is days away from turning 14 himself. Rumple has none of the fearsome presence he would later be known by, but is instead weak and cowardly and terrified of losing his son. He tries to run away with his boy that very night, but the soldiers catch him. As the lead soldier humiliates Rumplestiltskin in front of his son, he also reveals that Rumple himself was once asked to fight, but ran away from the battle. Rumple is left with 1 day less with his son and the shame of his cowardice.