It's a tale as old as time: A villain is redeemed by a beautiful princess, they marry and have a baby, and live happily ever after ... or do they?

When "Once Upon a Time" returns for Season 7 this fall, it does so with Robert Carlyle as a series regular, but not Emilie de Ravin. So, what's the state of Rumplestiltskin and Belle's relationship?

The Season 6 finale saw the couple reunited and ready to start a new life with their son, Gideon, who'd reverted back to being a baby.

De Ravin is reprising her role for the fourth episode, which Carlyle told Entertainment Weekly 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."

He added, "It follows the course of their relationship through the years and it explains ... where she is now in terms of her life after Storybrooke."

Giles Matthey is also guest starring in the episode, which means we'll see how adult Gideon has turned out.

"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 said.

In Season 7, which is a bit of a reboot of the series, adult Henry (Andrew J. West) seeks help from his grandfather, adoptive mom Regina (Lana Parrilla), and stepfather Hook (Colin O'Donoghue). They find themselves under the power of a new dark curse in Seattle.

"Once Upon a Time" Season 7 premieres Friday, Oct. 6 on ABC.