“ | I side with Fabletown. Always have. Always will. And I'm not going anywhere, come what may. This is my home forever, and no one's kicking me out of it. Dammit. | „ |
~ King Cole. |
King Roberon "Rober"[1] Cole is the long serving mayor of Fabletown. He has no special abilities, but is very well-liked. His view is that a king (or mayor, as it happens) should be a servant of the people more than a ruler.
History[]
Homelands[]
Roberon Cole was a baron under King Hugo Marshbeard.[1] He and his wife eventually became the king and queen of a very small kingdom. He also had three daughters, two of whom were married. When the Adversary advanced to his kingdom, it took them only a day to conquer it.[2]
King Cole hid from the enemy in an abandoned tin mine, where a group of his subjects had hidden as well. He decided that they should hide out there as long as possible, and often skipped meals to make their supplies last. Eventually, they ran out of food, so they began raiding a nearby farm for supplies.[2]
When the Adversary left only a small occupying force behind and after hearing that his family had been killed, King Cole decided it was time to leave. They moved along, eventually hearing about the Sanctuary World.[2]
Fabletown[]
King Cole was able to successfully lead his citizens to Fabletown. He was elected almost unanimously as mayor of the town during its first election and has been re-elected every time since. Though uncomfortable with the idea, he is the one that banished all Fables that can't pass as human to the Farm.[2]
By the same of the twentieth century, King Cole preferred to leave the actual running of the place to Snow White, his deputy; focusing more on the more ceremonial and formal aspects of the role himself, an arrangement that generally worked well. He was eventually challenged for the position by Prince Charming who won after making a series of rash promises that he would prove to be unable to keep. Leaving the Mayor's penthouse apartment, he briefly roomed with Boy Blue, who had lost his roommate Pinocchio during the Adversary's assault on Fabletown. He then moved into Beauty and the Beast's home; they themselves moved into Snow White's old place. A well-meaning and amiable man, King Cole found his defeat profoundly depressing.
When the Arabian Fables arrived in Fabletown, Cole found renewed importance as one of the few Fables fluent in Arabic, and his diplomatic acumen led to a close friendship with Sinbad. Before this, Cole had been portrayed as a figurehead whose primary duty was glad-handing Fabletown's budget; his diplomatic sessions showed a shrewdness and cunning that he had not displayed before then. He has since become the ambassador to Fabletown East in Baghdad. He returned to Fabletown briefly to preside over the wedding of Snow White and Bigby Wolf. At the start of the war with the Empire, Prince Charming resigned his position as mayor, returning the job to King Cole.
Cole remained mayor after the war and, as before, delegated official duties over to the deputy mayor, who was now Beauty. When Mister Dark escaped his imprisonment, the enchantments upon Fabletown began to fade and caused the entire building structure to crumble. Cole had a brief moment of uncertainty until Grimble gave him an impassioned speech on his responsibility as mayor. Cole led the Fable community to evacuate to the Farm to regroup and figure out what to do from there. In addition, he and Beauty also took over babysitting duties of Bigby and Snow's cubs while the parents were sent to investigate Jack Horner's claims regarding the Literals as well as Rose Red descending heavily into depression following Boy Blue's death.
Exposure[]
After Fabletown is nearly destroyed in the wake of Cinderella and Frau Totenkinder's magical duel, the Fables' existence and magical nature are exposed to the world at large. To educate humanity in magic, and to ingratiate themselves with human society more easily, King Cole and Maddy found the Totenkinder School of Magic, with Maddy as the main instructor and Cole as Head of the facility.
Personality[]
“ | He'll listen to you and make all the right noises about how sorry he is for your plight—and his sympathy will be genuine because he's a wonderful, emphatic man. | „ |
~ Snow White to Beauty in Fables #1 — "Chapter One: Old Tales Revisited." |
King Cole was known to be a kind and emphatic man who showed genuine sympathy for his fellow Fables.[3] In the Homelands, he believed it was the duty of a king to serve their people more than rule them, and he saw it as his duty to take care of even his most humble citizens.[2]
However, he had a few shortcomings: After Prince Charming slew Bluebeard, Cole allowed him to leave scot-free when he discovered that the latter had left behind a great sum of wealth that would now become part of Fabletown's coffers.[4] When Bigby interrogated him about it, Cole claimed that he released Charming because there was no proof to counter Charming's protestation that he was acting in self-defense. When Bigby wouldn't back down, Cole subtly threatened to strip him of his Sheriff duties.[5] Little did he know that Charming was planning on using the mayoral election to remove him from office. And so, Cole's choice would come back to haunt him.[5]
When Prince Brandish held Snow White captive, Cole decided against interfering since Snow and Brandish were married in the eyes of Fabletown legislation. When Snow White begged him to help her, Cole declared that he wouldn't take any action until after they had adjusted the relevant laws (which were in the process of being amended).[6]
Trivia[]
- According to King Cole in Fables #125 — "Riding in Cars with Gods: Chapter One of Snow White," no one has called him by his given name in a long time.
- While King Cole does not appear in the video game The Wolf Among Us, he's mentioned by Ichabod Crane of acting as mayor while in his absence. The reason why was never explained.
- In the comic version, he makes a brief appearance in the crowd when Bigby finds Snow White's head. This would contradict Crane acting as mayor while he's away.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Fables #125 — "Riding in Cars with Gods: Chapter One of Snow White"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall: "A Fair Portion"
- ↑ Fables #1 — "Chapter One: Old Tales Revisited"
- ↑ Fables #17 — "Road-Runner and Coyote Ugly: Storybook Love Part Four"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Fables #19 — "Out of the Woods: Chapter One — March of the Wooden Soldiers"
- ↑ Fables #127 — "The Shipping News: Chapter Three of Snow White"
See Also[]
Fabletown | |
---|---|
Governing Body | King Cole • Snow White (formerly) • Prince Charming (formerly) • Beauty • Ichabod Crane (formerly) |
Inhabitants | Beast Bigby Wolf (formerly) • Trusty John • Grimble • Bufkin • Cinderella • Mowgli • Hobbes • Pinocchio • Briar Rose • Doctor Swineheart • Rapunzel • Kay • Edmond Dantès • Crispin Cordwainer • Thrushbeard • The Huntsman • Fairy Witch • Frau Totenkinder • Ozma • Fairy Witch • Morgan le Fay |
Places | Grand Green Florist/Chateau D'if Fencing Academy • Edward Bear's Candies • Ford Laundry • Nod's Books • Lewis' Antiques • I Am The Eggman Diner • The Yellowbrick Roadhouse • Webb 'n' Muffet Market • Woodland Apartments• Glass Slipper Shoe Store • Branstock Tavern • Stone Soup |
Unique Items | Magic Mirror |