Disclaimer: I tragically do not own any of the ONCE characters. Wish I did, but…
AN: This idea was given to me by an awesome tumblr friend who also helped me with the edits and formatting. It's an AU set in future Storybrook where both Mulan and Aurora are already together.
Saying it had been a dreadful day for Aurora would have been a terrible understatement.
She was a wreck, and Mulan noticed as soon as her love walked into the apartment they had moved into a month ago. The usually poised and graceful former princess staggered in the door with bedraggled hair and tears in her eyes. She collapsed onto the sofa in the living room; her sweater buttoned up lopsidedly, and boots with tangled laces dangled freely.
Mulan immediately abandoned the police report she was finishing for Emma and sat down next to her princess, leaning over to cradle her in her arms. Mulan rubbed her hands gently up and down the girl's arms to comfort her. Aurora snuggled into her and together they just sat for a few moments holding each other.
This was one of the things Mulan treasured most about being in Storybrook instead of the Enchanted Forest—there, in the courts of kings and princes, such behavior was unheard of, and most certainly not permitted. As Aurora's breaths calmed and her tears ceased, Mulan reached down to stroke the girl's face.
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
Aurora sighed and reached up to take Mulan's hand in hers before replying. "There were a lot of tough cases today, and Dr. Whale was having a rough time with patients, so it was a difficult day all around. So many people yelled at me today."
She burrowed deeper into Mulan's arms and held the warrior close. "Life here is just so different from the Enchanted Forest!"
Instead of staying still, Mulan slid her hand across the prostrate girl's face, tucking her unusually tousled hair behind her ear and kissing her cheek before shifting Aurora gently off her lap to the couch. She stood.
"Rory, will you come on a little drive with me? I want to show you something."
Aurora nodded and after bundling up, both girls loaded themselves into their car and drove off. As Mulan steered down a back-woods road, her thoughts tended back to the first time they had really been alone in the woods together.
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Mulan slashed through the brush as she and Aurora travelled towards the freshwater spring in the direction Snow had pointed out. She turned back towards the princess as Aurora paused, crouching next to a flower on the path.
She brought the flower to her nose and breathed deeply, a smile spreading across her face as she inhaled the purple blossom's sweet scent. Mulan sighed, exasperated, "Aurora, if you insist on stopping every few moments to look at something new in the forest, we will never get to the spring. Come on, we must be moving."
Aurora looked up at the warrior who was leaning against a tree, tapping her sword on her boot impatiently as she waited.
The princess set the flower back down, and grabbing her dragging skirts, stood and made her way to Mulan. She delicately tried to avoid the puddles of mud on the path, but her shoes slipped occasionally splattering her dress with dirt.
"You know, Mulan, you would see so much more beauty in the world if you weren't in such a hurry all the time." The princess mused.
Mulan rolled her eyes and turned away, continuing to cut the underbrush as they moved forward once more. She pressed on towards the spring, noting as they travelled that her slashes were punctuated all too often by long exasperated sighs from the princess.
Stopping suddenly, Mulan sheathed her sword and turned. "Is there something bothering you, Princess?"
Instead of replying, Aurora stooped down low to the forest floor and spread the underbrush apart with her hands. She moved carefully, insuring that she did not touch the nest beyond.
"Look, Mulan. The birds are gone getting food for their young—look the eggs are rocking. They're about to hatch! And look here!" She pointed towards the thrush sitting in the trees above, bobbing its head to the side as it examined the pair. "That bird has been watching us for the last hour. There is so much beauty in the world around, but you don't see any of it."
With a shrug of her shoulders, Mulan turned back around and continued forging a path forward with greater speed.
Trotting behind the warrior to keep up with her increased pace Aurora continued to point out the nature around them.
"Look, the eagles are teaching their fledgling to fly. Each time his wings get tired, one of the parents catches him. Or there! Have you ever seen such beautiful plumage on a bird? And the flowers over there—I've seen them only once before. They are rare and extremely expensive because they only bloom once every four years." The princess continued to describe their surroundings all the way to and from the spring.
Although Mulan never would admit it, she began to enjoy the princess' banter and slowed her pace to allow her to describe more of their surroundings.
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Mulan stopped the car when they reached a dead end in the road. "The place we are going is a few minutes hike along a ridge. We need to be careful, okay?"
Aurora glanced up, too tired to even nod. Mulan reached out and took her hand, leading them along the trail. The princess' head hung so low on her chest that when they finally stopped, Aurora did not even seem to see her surroundings.
Sitting down on the moss, Mulan pulled Aurora down into her lap and brushed the girl's hair away from her face.
"Look around you Aurora. The sun setting behind the trees is casting a red glow across the whole valley, and the entire forest looks aflame."
Mulan pointed in the distance,
"Below the ridge, over there, the fawn and its mother are getting a bed ready to sleep for the night. The baby is skittish— look at how he jumps every few moments! - but each time, the mother nuzzles it to reassure it that everything is fine."
Aurora looked up and started paying more attention as Mulan continued describing the evening scene. "What about here?" She pointed to a three-petaled white flower next to them.
"Remember the flower you showed me in the Enchanted Forest? Look, one is growing right next to us. And another, and another, and even further, there is one with purple tints to the petals!" Aurora finally smiled as she relaxed, listening to Mulan talk.
Mulan combed her fingers through Aurora's hair as she continued comforting her princess.
"I know that being in town has been hard for you, missing the forest and working at the hospital, but it will get better eventually. And I want you to know that I am going to be here for you whenever you need me. Whatever difficulties we face, we can handle them here together."
FIN.