<P> In the Enchanted Forest, Prince Phillip (Julian Morris) awakens Princess Aurora (Sarah Bolger) from a magical, year - long sleep with true love's kiss . But they and Phillip's traveling companion, the female warrior Mulan (Jamie Chung), are soon attacked by a wraith, a soul - sucking monster . Unbeknownst to the women, Phillip is "marked" by the wraith's talisman as they drive it off, so the wraith will now follow him relentlessly . After they make camp, Phillip leaves the two women so they will not be harmed when he is attacked . When Aurora notices his absence, Mulan realizes what has happened and goes to pursue him while Aurora insists on following . Aurora then accuses Mulan of being in love with Phillip, but Mulan denies this . They find Phillip and Mulan offers to take on the mark so that Phillip and Aurora can be together, but Phillip refuses . Phillip succumbs to the wraith's attack; his last words are "I love you," and it is left unclear to whom he was speaking . Aurora and Mulan lay Phillip in the palace where Aurora was sleeping . </P> <P> The final scene of the episode reveals a twist: the storyline of Aurora, Phillip, and Mulan is not a flashback, but rather takes place in a part of the fairytale world whose inhabitants were--for an unknown reason--not removed by the Evil Queen's curse, and is contemporaneous with the Storybrooke plotline . Mulan explains to Aurora that they were frozen in time for 28 years until time resumed, allowing Phillip and Mulan to complete their quest . But the land has been ravaged by the effects of the curse and the survivors had gathered in a safe haven . Before Mulan and Aurora can begin to travel there, they discover Mary Margaret and Emma, unconscious under some debris, and Mulan blames them for the wraith's arrival . </P> <P> "Broken" was co-written by co-creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, while being directed by V veteran Ralph Hemecker . With the curse broken in the first season finale, the writers felt that they could now go farther with each of the characters . In an attempt to instill a "whole different vibe" into the series, they envisioned a larger ambition than the previous season . Horowitz explained, "We have been allowed to do more at the start of the (season). Without addressing the budget, everybody at the studio is on board with this as a big - canvas show...A lot of it actually is the learning - curve aspect of season 1, where we figured out what we can do and how to do it well . We learned how to maximize our bang for our buck . The biggest key is time . If we can figure out our stories far enough in advance, the more time our effects team and department heads will have ." </P> <P> First season recurring actresses Emilie de Ravin (Belle) and Meghan Ory (Red Riding Hood / Ruby) became members of this season's main cast . Two additional actresses who joined the recurring cast were Sarah Bolger as Aurora and Jamie Chung as Mulan, who both made their debuts during this episode . </P>

When is the first curse broken once upon a time