who's a heretic now?

Interesting how in ‘Quite a Common Fairy’ Rumple makes a point of foreshadowing (roast swan, that’s amusing) and makes a point of talking about how ‘The Darkness’ will choose Regina whether she fights it or not. And then in ‘Smash the Glass’ we have Emma pushing for Regina’s friendship “I am not going to stop trying” despite Regina fighting against it. 

Rumple states that ‘The Darkness’ “doesn’t mind the bitter.” Again in ‘Smash the Glass’ Emma is saying that she understands Regina - “what it feels like to be rejected and misunderstood”. Everyone is starting to accept Regina now that she is ‘good’, but Emma accepted her before then, for who she is: ‘I believe her’ ‘She’s just Regina’ ‘She’s not dying!’ - bitter and all. 

Then there is Rumple and knowledge that Regina was the key to turning the Saviour dark, teamed up with this quote: “Love makes us sick, haunts our days. Love has killed more than any disease.” Rumple already knew that Emma would succumb to the darkness to save Regina. But he had to be sure that Regina was ready to accept her relationship with Emma. I believe that is why he questioned Regna in her vault “You’re choosing the Saviour over your beloved Robin Hood?” Rumple had to be certain that Regina was aware of her feelings for Emma and willing to choose her. When Regina chose Emma, Rumple just let her go. He didn’t follow through with his threat. He was bluffing. He doesn’t care about Robin. He just needed to make Regina realise that her focus was Emma so that together they would become each others distraction. Because Rumple still believes that love is weakness and if Regina and Emma (The two most powerful people asides from himself) are distracted with love and saving each other then Rumple can focus on taking over the world.