Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) and Belle (Emilie de Ravin) are not over, according to a new interview with ABC's Once Upon a Time show creators.

'Once Upon a Time's Emma & Hook Relationship 'Developing,' Should 'Captain Swan' Fans Be Worried?

Once Upon a Time co-creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz recently spoke with Entertainment Tonight about Rumple and Belle, noting that even though things looked pretty dire in the winter finale, there is still hope.

"What I'll say about this, in all seriousness for the Rumbelle fans, is that definitely Rumple and Belle are not over," Horowitz confirmed.

'Once Upon a Time's Regina & Robin Hood Still Have Hope Left, 'We Haven't Seen The End Of It'

"It's a complicated [relationship] and I know that we're in the middle of the book, and for us we are telling a bigger story," Kitsis added. "What we loved [in the winter finale] was seeing Belle's strength. And we set up Rumple's weakness."

Rumple and Belle will be separated for awhile, but that doesn't mean that this is the end of their relationship forever.

"We exited the show at the mid-season finale on what you might characterize, based on my Twitter feed, as a dark chapter for the Rumbelle fans - but it's just one chapter," Horowitz noted. "We're telling a larger story and there are more chapters to come."

When we last left off, Belle used the dagger to forbid Rumple from returning to Storybrooke. It remains to be seen if/when they will reunite again.

Once Upon a Time returns to television on Sunday, March 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

Watch the promo for the next episode of Once Upon a Time here:

Tags: Once Upon A Time television ABC