A/N: Sorry for all you Sleeping Warrior Prince lovers, I just couldn't get them work together. Hope you read and review nonetheless. -Ravief

It was hard; getting Neal's words out of her head. About love, about regret, about.. Mulan stared at the window, not knowing what to do. She knew about honour, about keeping promises, about fighting the right battles. Most of all, she knew that Phillip loved Aurora. She couldn't blame him. Aurora had something that was hard to resist. Her copper red hair that curled, her soft cheeks; always slightly blushing. Her stunning eyes were enough to make you fall silent. And of course her stubbornness and oh.. that smile!
The sound of something falling to the ground and breaking into tiny pieces, caught her attention.

"No... Phillip!"
"What the hell?!"
He was angry and Mulan could hear the two of them fight from across the hall. Frowning she entered the room. Aurora's face was flushed, as always when she had a disagreement with someone. Phillip looked... She wasn't sure, but somehow her stepping into the room made it worse.
"You knew about this?" His voice filled with anger and his question was asked harshly.
"I don't know what the two of you are talking about. What is going on?!" her hand went to her sword. She had sworn to protect Aurora. Even if that meant against hím.
He turned around and pointed at her and made an angry gesture. "Well, go on.. don't hesitate now. Tell her!"
When Aurora stayed silent, he yelled it: "Tell her!"
Carefully Mulan made sure she stood between Phillip and Aurora. She had never seen him like this before and somehow it frightened her a bit. Usually he was so calm and determined. All of his features that made him so perfect for Aurora were gone now.
"Aurora?" Her voice was soft, but steady. "What is going on?"
The princess blushed and shook her head. "Um.. I... It's just something that Phillip and I need to work out," she softly spoke.
The prince snorted as if it was a bad joke. "Well, if you're not going to tell her, I will." He faced Mulan, and she quickly took a few steps back, towards Aurora.
"She told me to find another princess!" he blurted out and Mulan could not believe her ears. With concern and disbelieve and a little hope, she faced Aurora.
"Rory? Why-... What-..."
"Yeah, Rory.." he spat. "Go tell her." After that, he left them, clearly pissed off.

It took a while before the silence was broken. Aurora's cheeks were still pretty pink, yet her posture and look in her beautiful eyes was somewhat different. The anger was gone; insecurity had taken its place.
"Aurora... Why would you say that? I thought... I really thought you were happy with him." Mulan just didn't understand. Had something happened? Had something.. changed?
"I... I.. I just..." she stammered. Slowly she looked up and bit her lip, as if she wanted to stop the words from tumbling over. "I loved him once," she confessed and looked away again, not sure how to continue.
"Once? What about the whole quest for his soul?" It was a little bit harsh and Mulan wouldn't trade that time together for anything, but this was just too strange.
"Well... that's what happened! I fell in love... with you." Her voice drifted off and only now Mulan could place the blush on Aurora's cheeks. Softly she sighed her name.
"Oh Rory. If I had known, I would have come forward sooner." She stepped towards the princess, gently taking her hands and squeezing them lightly. She could barely believe this was really happening. A couple of minutes ago she had been doubting to tell Aurora about her feelings and now this?
"Are you really sure about this?" She had to ask.
Aurora simply smiled. "Well.. I have a niece who would be more than happy with him."
That answer was enough. She pulled her in a hug and hold her close. Mulan closed her eyes and slowly ran her fingers through Aurora's curls. She backed away a little and smiled at her friend, then leaning in and carefully kissing her for the first time. It was a little strange and awkward, but oh.. her soft lips against hers felt way better than she ever could have thought.

TWO YEARS LATER

Her hands shook a little while pulling her long dark hair in a bun. Her eyes darted over her general's uniform that hadn't been so clean in years. It took quite a while to get dressed. First the linen shirt, the tight leather pants and next were her high boots. Putting on the rest of her armour was something she was quite used to, yet Mulan took her time. Everything needed to be perfect today, which was the reason she had spent a couple of hours yesterday to polish every little detail.
After that, she only had to do her hair. She combed it thoroughly, then braided it and put half of it in a lose updo, letting the other half fall over her shoulders.
She glanced in the mirror and with a little laugh she touched her lips. Two years ago they were so clumsy and shy and everything was new and a little weird. And now... Mulan smiled at her reflection and walked out of the door in full equipment.

From where she was standing, she had a perfect view over the room. Many friends had come and Mulan exchanged smiles and glances with a few dear ones – Robin Hood, a couple of army friends, family members of Aurora. She stood there at the altar, her black with red and gold armour shining. Her brown eyes were lit with happiness.
Before she knew it, everybody was standing, the music played and the huge doors swung open. A soft sigh came over her lips when she saw her loved one. Aurora looked gorgeous. A silver, yet simple crown set in her reddish curls, her cheeks slightly pink, her blue eyes as stunning as ever and the white wedding dress really complimented her perfect figure. Lost for words, Mulan watched her come closer and took her hand when she reached her. Her nerves were gone. Even more than before she knew that she would never leave this woman.

The words spoken by the priest went completely past her. All she could do was stare at Aurora. Just before the vows, the door once again swung open. Frowning she turned. No one would dare to be late to the wedding, so this must be an uninvited guest.. Instinctively Mulan's hand reached for her sword, but she didn't draw it. Her eyes where fixating on the guest and before the man had put down his hood, she knew. Phillip. Next to her, she could hear Aurora gasp.
"If I can't have your 'I do', no one will," he said, his voice loud enough for all to hear.
"Phillip, please... don't!" she begged.
Mulan had already figured out that he most likely wouldn't listen to anything. Her hand gripped the handle of her sword tightly; with a ringing sound she drew it in a swift way, almost too fast to fully see the movement. "Stand back, Rory." Her dark eyes didn't waver for one second from the threat. Somehow he looked different, not in a good manner, more like he hadn't seen daylight in the past two years. He was almost skinny, looked greyish and clothed in all black. His eyes were fierce and she knew this meant trouble. Of course they had send him an invitation, though both of them had thought he would be a no-show.
She expected him to draw his sword and do a rash attack at her, but none of that happened. Instead he lifted his hands, a ball of fire materialized between them and he hurled it towards her. Magic?! Since when-..? She did not finish that thought, but fought of the fire with her sword. Good thing that it was capable of withstanding magic. While they fought, some guards tried to lead the guest out but found that the doors were locked. After she warded off blow after blow, Phillip understood he had to come up with a different plan. Purple smoke curled around his hands and just when he stepped forward to hit her from up close, Aurora bumped her out of the way taking in the magic. Shocked with terror Mulan dropped her sword and was able to catch her before she could hit the ground. She lay still; way too still. Her eyes were closed and... was she still breathing? A sob made her body quiver.
"No... Aurora! Rory... please, no..." Tears watered her eyes and Mulan hugged her body close to her. Then the anger came and her head jerked up to see Phillip, now surrounded by guards. His eyes were widened and he looked as shocked as she felt. "Are you happy now?!" she yelled; her voice filled with pain. She doesn't wait for him to answer but tenderly stroke Aurora's cheek, before bending down and softly putting a kiss on her lips. For a couple of long lasting seconds nothing happened. Then her lashes fluttered and Aurora took a deep, gasping breath. Mulan saw the frightened look but smiled a little through her tears.

True love's kiss hadn't lost its power.