gild | timeline

Just a slight attempt to figure out rough chronology in the Enchanted Forest. Obviously all of this is more than subject to being totally wrecked in part or whole by future episodes. Some of the stuff marked as "pre-" is total/inferred guesswork. Spoilers for latest episode will be marked and updated weekly.

Rumpelstiltskin marries, son Baelfire is born. [pre-Desperate Souls]
The Ogre War begins. [pre-Desperate Souls]
Rumpelstiltskin is drafted into the army to fight the ogres, is wounded, deserts, returns to village, and is labeled a coward. [pre-Desperate Souls]
Rumpelstiltskin is manipulated by Zoso, the Dark One, to kill him and free him of the curse. As a result, the curse passes to Rumpelstiltskin. [Desperate Souls]
Baelfire goes to the Blue Fairy for advice on saving Rumpelstiltskin and is given the last magic bean to transport him to a world without magic. When the moment comes, Rumpelstiltskin balks and Baelfire is sucked into the vortex. Rumpelstiltskin vows to become powerful enough to create a curse to reunite with his son. [The Return]
Several centuries pass (four to five, according to Word of God). Rumpelstiltskin takes over/moves into/acquires the Dark Castle and builds a reputation for being a creepy but powerful motherfucker. [pre-That Still Small Voice]
Rumpelstiltskin trades a magic tonic to Jiminy capable of turning the drinker into puppets. Jiminy's guilt causes his wish to be granted and is turned into a cricket to guide the young Gepetto. [That Still Small Voice]
Forty to fifty years pass (given Gepetto's age difference between That Still Small Voice and Pilot). Rumpelstiltskin continues making deals and his terrifying reputation grows.
Rumpelstiltskin makes a deal with a poor farming couple to save their land from creditors in exchange for one of their newborn twin sons. He then takes the child and gives him to a childless king and queen for as yet unspecified terms. [pre-The Shepherd]
A young Regina is manipulated by her mother, Cora, into saving a young Snow White from the child's own runaway horse. Impressed by her bravery and kindness, Snow's father, King Leopold, proposes marriage to Regina, which Cora accepts. In a panic, Regina runs to her lover, the stable boy Daniel, and makes plans to leave with him but is seen by Snow; Regina has Snow promise not to tell anyone what she's seen. However, Cora manipulates Snow into sharing the secret and kills Daniel in order to secure her daughter's new status. Desolate at the seeming betrayal by her mother and her new family, Regina swears revenge. [The Stable Boy]
King Leopold frees the Genie from his lamp and invites him to court. The Genie falls in love with Leopold's queen, Regina, and is manipulated into murdering Leopold for her plan. Upon learning of her treachery, the Genie wishes "to stay at the Queen's side and look upon her face always" and is subsequently trapped in the Queen's mirrors. [Fruit of the Poisonous Tree]
While Snow White still mourns her father, the Regina recruits the Huntsman to kill her. The Huntsman allows her to escape after being moved by her selflessness and has his heart taken by the Queen as punishment. [The Heart is a Lonely Hunter]
The Regina starts attempting to amass power greater than Rumpelstiltskin's. [pre-Skin Deep]
Snow White, now a fugitive from the Regina, meets and befriends Red Riding Hood and her granny, Widow Lucas. As their village is terrorized by a massive wolf who kills both livestock and those hunters who seek to destroy it, Red recruits Snow White (going by the alias "Mary") to help her in tracking and killing the wolf. After discovering the wolf is in fact a werewolf, the duo assume that Red's beau, Peter, is to blame and Red resolves to chain him at night so as to prevent any loss of life. Granny discovers the plan from Snow and reveals that in reality Red is the wolf from a long line of werewolves, including herself. Snow and Granny find Red only after she's devoured Peter and they restore her to herself with her magic red cloak. Together, Snow and a shattered Red then flee from the latest band of wolf-hunters. [Red-Handed]
A lonely woodcarver, Gepetto, fashions a wooden marionette in the shape of a young boy since he has no real son. The Blue Fairy takes pity on him and grants life to the puppet, who is then named Pinocchio. [pre-The stranger]
Twenty to twenty-five years after the initial deal, the infant son traded to the king and queen at birth has grown and is killed a-questing. Rumpelstiltskin reveals the existence of the man's twin, and said twin - James - is taken to stand in for his heretofore unknown brother's place at court and at the altar with King Midas' daughter, Abigail. [The Shepherd]
While James is traveling with Abigail to another castle, Snow White ambushes the carriage to steal its valuables, including James' birth mother's wedding ring. James follows in pursuit, and discovers Snow's identity as a traitor to the Regina's kingdom. They journey to retrieve the ring from Snow's fences - the trolls. They are forced to work together and defeat the trolls after they try to kidnap and ransom them instead. They go their separate ways. [Snow Falls]
The Third Ogre War causes Belle to deal with Rumpelstiltskin: a lifetime of housekeeping for the guaranteed safety of her family, friends, and small kingdom. Over time the two fall in love, and Rumpelstiltskin sends her away. She returns after the Regina meets her on the road and "advises" her that true love's kiss breaks any curse; as Rumpelstiltskin's power comes from his curse, this will finally give her the advantage between them. Belle kisses Rumpelstiltskin and the curse begins to reverse before she lets slip the information given to her by the Queen. Rumpelstiltskin sees it as a betrayal and proof that no one could possibly love him and casts her out. [Skin Deep]
Belle stops at a tavern during her journey home and discusses love with and advises Dreamy, a dwarf, on what to do with his relationship with Nova, the fairy. She tells him to go to his love because it doesn't always last forever. However, after being discouraged by both the head dwarf and the Blue Fairy, Dreamy ends his budding relationship with Nova citing they are too different and have different places in the world. The experience is wrenching enough that Dreamy's axe notes it with a new name: Grumpy. [Dreamy]
As James and Abigail's wedding draws closer, Snow goes to Rumpelstiltskin on Red Riding Hood's advice. He offers her a potion to make her forget James entirely in exchange for a strand of her hair. Snow tries to reach James before the ceremony, but is caught and thrown in the dungeon. She is told by the king to tell James she doesn't love him or he will kill his "son". Both are heartbroken, and Snow goes off into the forest with the seven dwarf brothers she'd met in the dungeon - still in possession of the potion. James breaks off the engagement to search for Snow, but she's already drunk Rumpelstiltskin's magic and forgotten about him. [7:15 A.M.]
Prince James has abandoned his wedding and is now hunted by King George's men for breaking the alliance. He is nearly captured but for the timely intervention of Princess Abigail and her men, and she reveals that she wants to marry James as much as he wants to marry her - not at all. She shares her story of her own true love, Frederick, a knight turned to gold in the protection of her father, King Midas. James agrees to chance a lake none have returned from in order to bring her the restorative waters and break Frederick's curse. Upon arrival, he is confronted by the lake's guardian, a shapeshifting siren, who takes Snow White's form and attempts to seduce and murder him. He frees himself and slays the siren, succeeding in returning to Abigail with the water. Frederick is restored to himself and Abigail, and the sight of the lovers reunited gives James the will to find and reconcile with Snow. [What Happened to Frederick?]
Gepetto and Pinocchio are at sea, fleeing a giant whale on a small raft. Both jump overboard as the whale destroys their craft, and both are washed ashore. Gepetto makes it, but Pinocchio appears lifeless. The Blue Fairy appears at the force of Gepetto's wish to revive the puppet and finally turns Pinocchio into a real boy. [The Stranger]
Upon her return to her kingdom and her father, Belle is deemed tainted by her association with Rumpelstiltskin. She is sealed in a tower for "cleansing" by clerics and is tortured. The Regina comes some months later to inform Rumpelstiltskin of these events and of Belle's "death" (a lie, given Belle's existence in Storybrooke post-curse). [Skin Deep]
Prince James finds the cottage inhabited by Red Riding Hood and discovers that Snow White still loves him and went to stop his wedding. Red joins him in fleeing as King George's men close in on them. [What Happened to Frederick?]
Faced with imminent capture by King George's men, Red Riding Hood buys time for Prince James to escape by taking her cloak off under a full moon, allowing her to transform into a wolf to fight their pursuers. [Heart of Darkness]
The Regina recruits Hansel and Gretel to obtain the Blind Witch's leather satchel in an attempt to outmatch Rumpelstiltskin. The children obtain the satchel after trapping the witch in her own lit oven. They deliver the satchel to the Regina who reveals the poisoned apple within. [True North]
Snow White, having forgotten her love for Prince James, is vastly changed and finally decides to go after the Regina directly. Grumpy follows and takes her back to Rumpelstiltskin in hopes of reversing the potion's effects. However, Rumpelstiltskin informs them that no potion can bring back Snow's love, as he's never been able to bottle it. Instead, he gifts her a bow and arrow and tells her where she can find the Regina, saying he is invested in Snow's future. A disgusted Grumpy goes home as Snow goes after the Queen. Soon after, James arrives looking for Rumpelstiltskin and trades his cloak information on where Snow is, and proceeds to track her down. He kisses her to break the spell, but to no effect. Snow knocks him out and ties him up to keep him from interfering with her plans. Jiminy Cricket arrives, frees James, and says Snow won't remember who he is until she remembers who she is. With this, James steps in the line of fire and takes the arrow intended for the Regina, again declaring his love for Snow. Touched, she kisses him and remembers their love - just as King George's men close in and finally capture him. As he's taken away, Snow swears to save him and goes to mend fences with the dwarves and recruit them to help. Elsewhere, Rumpelstiltskin bottles true love by combining the hair obtained from his initial deal with Snow and one plucked from Prince James' cloak. [Heart of Darkness]
Snow White is poisoned by an apple sent by the Regina and is placed in a glass coffin by the seven dwarves. James finds her and begs for a last kiss. The kiss breaks the poison's curse and they are finally reunited. [Pilot]
The Regina trades for the Dark Curse from Rumpelstiltskin, and thereafter trades it to Maleficent. [pre-The Thing You Love Most]
The night of a grand ball, Cinderella's fairy godmother is destroyed by Rumpelstiltskin in order to obtain her magic wand. He says he's willing to still grant Cinderella's wish - for a price. Cinderella agrees, signs, and goes off to the ball and meet her future husband, Prince Thomas. At their wedding ball soon after, Prince James and Snow White (most likely not married?) congratulate the happy couple while Rumpelstiltskin arrives to dictate his price: Cinderella's firstborn. Upon hearing this, Cinderella, Thomas, Snow, and James come up with a plan to capture Rumpelstiltskin and save Cinderella's unborn baby. They use magic means and are successful in caging Rumpelstiltskin, but the price for it is Thomas - who disappears. [The Price of Gold]
Rumpelstiltskin is placed in the dwarf-constructed dungeons underneath James and Snow White's castle. [pre-Pilot]
The Regina crashes the fairy tale wedding of James and Snow White, announcing her intention to curse them all and take away their happy endings. Several months after, Snow persuades James to consult Rumpelstiltskin about the curse, whereupon he reveals his price to be the name of Snow's unborn child. Snow agrees, and Rumpelstiltskin tells them that there is no way to stop the curse from happening; however, Snow's daughter will come for them on her twenty-eighth birthday and be their savior. [Pilot]
Having regained the curse from Maleficent, the Regina attempts to unleash it on the Enchanted Forest. After it fails, the Regina sneaks into the dungeons to consult with Rumpelstiltskin on why. His price for his aid: to be wealthy and respected in the new world the curse will send them all to, and that the Queen will do anything he asks her to in this new world so long as he says "please". The Queen agrees, noting that in the new world he would have no recollection of the agreement and thus it does not matter. He then informs her that the missing component is the removed heart of the thing she loves most: her father, Henry. [The Thing You Love Most]
SPOILERS!!! Gepetto is tasked with making a wardrobe from the last enchanted tree in the realm by the Blue Fairy. He says his price for it will be the assurance that of the two people guaranteed safe passage to the new world, one will be given to his son, Pinocchio. Against Jiminy Cricket's protests, the Blue Fairy agrees and lies to the war council that the wardrobe will only protect one. After Emma is born, the Blue Fairy tells Gepetto that both Snow White and Emma must go before leaving to prepare the fairies for the imminent curse. Again ignoring Jiminy's advice, Gepetto sends Pinocchio first through the wardrobe as he'd planned, tasking Pinocchio with taking care of Emma and guiding her to believe and thus save them all. [The Stranger]
The Regina's guards storm James and Snow White's castle as the curse is unleashed. James is mortally wounded, and dies after placing Emma in the magic wardrobe . Snow White holds him in his last moments as the Queen gloats over them and the curse takes full effect. [Pilot]