Once Upon a Time: What's next for Rumple and Belle?

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Will the Rumple and Belle relationship survive? It’s been one of the many burning questions ever since it was announced that Emilie de Ravin would not be returning as a series regular — while Robert Carlyle will — in the upcoming rebooted seventh season of Once Upon a Time.

OUAT fans definitely will get an answer as to what has happened to Belle, along with their child Gideon (Giles Matthey), when both return in the emotional fourth episode of the season. “Episode 4 is a Rumple-centric type episode that will explain to the audience quite a lot about their relationship — actually even from way, way back in the Fairy Tale Land as well,” Carlyle tells EW about the hour. “It follows the course of their relationship through the years and it explains… where she is now in terms of her life after Storybrooke.”

“The end of season 6 was truly a ‘happy beginning’ for Rumple and Belle and we’re excited to tell what we think is a deeply romantic story about where they go next as both a couple and as parents to Gideon,” executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis tease.

As previously revealed, Rumple is among those who come running when Henry (Andrew J. West) needs help, which is apparently why he ends up cursed in Seattle alongside Regina (Lana Parrilla) and Hook (Colin O’Donoghue). Details on Rumple’s cursed persona have been scarce, while it appears Hook is a cop and Regina may be a bartender. Carlyle is also staying mum on who his character is now, offering this small tease: “He is very, very different to Gold,” he says. “They come from the same place, but they’re very, very different people. At this point, it’s safe to say he’s a very, very different guy from Gold.”

Once Upon a Time will return Friday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.