Heroes And Villains

Chapter 11: Kansas

Opening Sequence,
The tornado forms in the forest.

Flashback: A young bar girl named Cora is swept off her feet by a gentleman named Jonathan, who tells her that he is a prince. He makes an "I promise you the world"-type vow that he will come back in two weeks with a ring of gold, and proves it by giving Cora a ring he made out of straw. But when Jonathan tells Cora that he has to leave the next day, Cora decides that she is going to sleep with him that evening. Two months later, we find a now-pregnant Cora soaking wet in the rain and her straw ring coming apart, upset that Jonathan never returned. When she reaches the castle, Cora is shocked to learn Jonathan is actually a gardener; She screams in shock and as he takes off, a person comes to her aid, and it's revealed to be Prince Leopold, the future husband of Princess Eva and the future father of Snow White.

As Leopold and Cora start to bond together, this eventually leads the two to get engaged. However, this union would start to unravel when Jonathan visits Cora in the gazebo and threatens to blackmail her because she hid the truth about the unborn baby and he has become greedy by using her. Cora decides to buy his silence by giving him gold in return, not knowing that Eva, who just arrived to the palace, has been eavesdropping on their conversation. She uses that to her advantage later on at the banquet hall, where after Leopold, who has been hearing rumors of Cora's deception, learns from Eva about her after Cora lies to him about not being pregnant. Eva then tells Leopold to check Cora's pockets, which he discovers is laced with jewelry. Cora is then escorted out of the palace and Eva consoles Leopold, promising that she'll be able to give him an heir that is pure as snow after they are married. Months later, Cora gives birth to Zelena and afterwards leaves her near a tree, telling her daughter that because she is a miller's daughter she can't give her the life she always wanted. After she leaves, a green tornado arrives and it carries the baby. End of flashback

Present day Storybrooke, At the Sheriff's office, despite believing Hope  innocence in Lisa's murder, photographs Hope for her mug shots. Zelena joins the two as Renee questions Hope. Renee pulls out the box that the heart was found in. To Hope's surprise, it is her lock box and states it must have been stolen. Zelena states that she does not believe her. Grace says that Zelena has a motive: she hates Dorothy Gale. Renee finds no signs of a break-in, but hears rattling coming from the heating vent. Upon opening it, she finds a hunter's machete inside, which matches the weapon that was used in the murder.

Later on at Roni's, August approaches Grace to talk to her. August tells Grace that he believes that her book could be more than just stories. August says he has come to make people like Renee believe, but Renee won't go off of blind faith; she needs proof. August then hints that the answers to Grace's problems are instead in the book itself. Despite Renee's reservations about Mr. Weaver, Hope hires him as her lawyer. Later, Grace finds the ring of keys in Zelena's office and shows them to Renee, telling her that he thinks Zelena used the keys to get into their apartment to steal the lock box and plant the hunting machete. Renee has a hard time believing her until Grace uses one of the keys to open the door.

Meanwhile, Edward speaks with Zelena, saying that he believes in Hope's innocence. Zelena tells him that everyone has a dark side. Edward accuses himself, blaming his blackouts. During a session with Archie, Edward goes under hypnosis to remember what happened during the blackouts, and has a flashback to the Enchanted Forest, where he is telling Dorothy not to murder the Wicked Witch. He tells Hope about the vision but doesn't realize that its a memory, not the Storybrooke woods. When he asks Hope whether or not she killed Lisa, Hope tells him to leave, upset that he does not believe her. Not long after the confrontation, Mary Margaret discovers a key in her cell. Renee tells Hope that the DNA test results came back and the heart was Lisa's, but tells Hope she believes Hope is being framed. However, Renee states that they must keep this idea a secret in order to have an advantage over Zelena. Afterwards, Renee approaches Mr. Weaver for help in the case, determined to prove that Zelena is behind the murder. That night, Hope's jail cell is shown to be empty.