Who Does 'OUAT's Henry Have A Crush On?

We're now just about three weeks away from the premiere of Once Upon A Time Season 5, and it's not a moment too soon. This year's hiatus has seemed nearly interminable, especially considering we have so many exciting things to look forward to later this month. But in all our preoccupation with Dark Swan, Merida, the hunt for Merlin, and the journey to Camelot, we seem to have forgotten one very important thing — or rather, a very important person: Henry Mills. Admittedly, he didn't get too much attention during Season 4, save for when he was given the responsibility of becoming the new Author and saving Regina in the Heroes vs. Villains switcheroo. But what will his role be next season, when all the focus will likely be on the adult residents of Storybrooke? Well, turns out Henry will get his first crush this fall, and it's going to be adorable.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Adam Horowitz revealed that Once will be adding a new character that's quite appealing to the younger Mills. Any further details, however, are being kept under wraps for the sake of surprise. "It’s a character that we’re going to meet and we want it to be a surprise," Horowitz teased. "It’s fun to give Henry something new to play and deal with, and to really explore Henry as a boy who’s growing up and all the joy and pain of adolescence." Hmm... very interesting, indeed!

Given that much of Season 5 will be taking place in Camelot — at least before the winter hiatus — it stands to reason that Henry's crush will hail from there. That's mere speculation, of course, but let's go with that thread and take it even further. Could Henry have his eye on Merida? Given that the Brave version of the heroine is meant to be only 16 years old, and Henry is now 15, so the age difference isn't really a big deal. Plus, Henry's grown up around strong women like Regina, Mary Margaret, and now Emma, so it makes sense that his first crush would be on a woman that's also badass like Merida.

Whatever happens, it'll be great to see Henry starting to grow up — and to see how all the adults in his life deal with that. Perhaps it's not a great time for him to start being interested in girls, given that one of his moms is now the Dark One, but I'm sure it'll make for some interesting TV, either way. Ah, young love — ain't it grand?

Images: Jack Rowand/ABC