Old King Cole

In the first episode the man later called Cole first appears as a traveller in an uncovered chariot drawn by a ram, who mutters "Fucking idiot." at Bandlebridge's talk of Shoeberg NA E1·01:10:25 NA E1·01:17:07. Brennan describes him as about six foot four and a hugely muscular old man, and at the caravan's supper he gives his name as "I'm called Cole" NA E1·01:38:35 NA E1·01:56:25. He says he came from a kingdom called Jubilee, a merry place, and that he watched his bannermen, knights, soldiers and lords fall one after another until he alone was left NA E1·01:58:26 NA E1·01:58:36. Cole tells Gerard that a Princess Elody of Greenleigh once came to his castle lands with a troop of cavalry as a magnificent warrior with a massive golden mace, and says he is the last survivor of the Kingdom of Jubilee NA E1·01:59:36 NA E1·02:00:22.

Old King Cole is a muscular old man, once king of Jubilee, now without a crown, who travels with the caravan to Shoeberg NA E2·00:10:36 NA E1·01:58:26. By the fire in the second episode he tells Timothy that he feels he has met him before, and describes his three fiddlers, the greatest musicians in the Neverafter, and his small, merry, festival-filled kingdom NA E2·00:10:07 NA E2·00:10:36. Music pours out of a page of Timothy's book, and Timothy writes the rhyme with him NA E2·00:17:00 NA E2·00:17:22. Cole recites "Old King Cole was a merry old soul" NA E2·00:19:24. The fiddlers in golden light call him "Your Majesty" NA E2·00:22:15. Cole embraces them weeping, the rhyme is completed on the page, and Brennan says King Cole is gone NA E2·00:22:21. Later Gerard, asking the Fairy with Turquoise Hair to put him in the book, says "When King Cole went in there" NA E4·01:52:28. Timothy asks the Golden Goose what happened to King Cole NA E4·02:09:46. The Goose answers that she leaves it to him to decide, and adds "they are happy" NA E4·02:09:58. Brennan later says Jubilee does not exist in this world, and in the book Cole's illustration shows Jack leaping to join him on the table NA E5·01:33:07 NA E5·01:33:58. Henry says he saw Jack in Hapley in the kingdom of Jubilee, and that one of Jack's closest friends was Cole, a king NA E17·00:14:12. Brennan shows the illustration of Cole with a hand on a sword NA E17·01:30:57. In Mother Goose's epilogue Brennan has Old King Cole constantly dancing out in the street of Hapley NA E20·02:20:21.