Merry almost Christmas! It's been quite a while since I last wrote something. I recently got into Once Upon A Time, and although I still have to watch the first season, I can't help but already ship Mulan and Aurora, aka Sleeping Warrior. I got this little one shot in my head, so I just decided to post in here. Sorry if there are any mistakes, like I said, I haven't watched everything yet. I hope the characters aren't too OOC. I also apologize for the inevitable grammar mistakes.

Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT.

"Aurora, hurry!"

Mulan's voice boomed through the air and Aurora felt the pace of her heart quicken. The adrenaline surged through her blood as she picked up her dress and ran to the safe side of the camp. She managed to stay upright in her panic and not tumble over fallen branches. After a few more long seconds of running she turned around, anxiously looking at the warrior who stood at a surprising distance.

"Mulan, let's go." Her voice trembled.

She saw Mulan give a soft shake of her head and her heart instantly filled with worry. She dreaded what her companion had to say as she looked over Mulan's shoulder, seeing the corpses approaching.

"Stop being stubborn, we have to go!" Aurora beseeched.

Mulan unsheathed her sword and spoke determinedly, "If we run now, we'll never get rid of them. I'll fight them and then I'll come after you."

Aurora shook her head, not even wanting to think about her friend staying behind on her own. She knew fully well what Mulan was capable of. They'd spoken about her journeys and there wasn't really a way to describe Aurora's admiration for the warrior's deeds. Mulan seemed fearless, willing to fight when needed. She was stubborn, always wanting to do what she'd vowed. All that information seemed lost on Aurora when she saw Mulan take a step back, one step away from her.

"No! I'm not going to leave you here."

"I can't concentrate if there's even any possibility of you being in danger. Leave now, Aurora."

A stare down occurred. It had by now become a recurring situation between them. It almost seemed like any other day if you ignored the enemy getting closer and closer.

"Please, just go," Mulan said with finality. "Run to the river and warn Emma and Snow. I may need some help here later."

Mulan turned around, her sword steady in her hand, ready to face evil and to keep the princess safe. Aurora barely had time to turn around before she saw something from the corner of her eye. She didn't realize it was her who was screaming when she saw Mulan falling to the ground, an arrow sticking out of her shoulder.

"Mulan! No!"

A terrible coldness rushed through her entire body as she sprinted to the fallen warrior, falling on her knees beside her. Tears welled up when she saw the agony displayed on Mulan's face, blood dripping down from the wound onto her armor. Her eyes were snapped shut tightly and a groan escaped from her mouth. Aurora's hands trembled as she reached out but stopped mid-air. She didn't know how to touch her, if it would hurt her even more. She felt small drops run down her cheeks as she watched Mulan open her eyes. Her brown eyes which were almost always focused and hard now had tears in them. Aurora couldn't hold it back anymore and let out a sob. She saw her friends lips move but couldn't make out any words. A short moment later she saw Mulan trying again, this time capable of producing words Aurora absolutely didn't want to hear.

"You must leave."

Aurora gasped and shook her head. She couldn't make out a sentence as Mulan's teary eyes focused on her.

"It's not safe," Mulan groaned, "Go."

Aurora looked over her shoulder, having momentarily forgotten the evil that had done this to Mulan in the first place. She turned back to her wounded friend, now wearing the same expression of determination as she'd seen on her moments ago.

"Like hell I'm leaving."

She looked the warrior in the eyes on more time before she spotted her fallen sword on the ground next to her. She grabbed at it and stood up, facing the demons and more than ever ready to give them a piece of her own. She wiped the tears from her eyes, clearing her vision and taking a step forward. The sword felt heavy in her hands and Aurora did her best top stop the trembling through her body. A corpse came closer to her she was ready to attack, until someone jumped in front of her and pierced their knife through the body.

"Snow, you take that side!" Emma yelled.

Aurora felt relief surge through her body as she caught the sight of Snow and Emma teaming up and fighting off the enemy. Help had come.

When she turned around she saw a corpse gliding through the chaos of swords and dead bodies, coming way too close to Mulan. Aurora steadied the sword again, sprinted towards the walking monster and swung as hard and fast as she could. Its body fell to the ground and Aurora let out a quiet gasp, knowing that there was no way she could ever forget her first kill. She threw the sword to the ground, not seeing any immediate danger and fell on her knees next to Mulan again. She knew she would do it again if it meant that her friend was safe. Well, safe…

She took in Mulan's heavy breathing and how her gloved hands formed two fists because of the pain. Sweat was forming around her hairline and Aurora slowly reached out to cup her cheek.

"Oh, Mulan," she whimpered.

It seemed an eternity before the grunts and sounds of swords slashing through bodies died down. Aurora had stayed by the warrior, keeping the sword next to her in case evil came too close again. She was focused, believing she'd never been more alert before in her life. It surprised her.

Footsteps sounded behind her and before she could turn around to see who it was she heard one of their voices.

"Oh, no," Emma softly said.

Snow appeared on the other side of Mulan, much like Aurora kneeling next to her. She took in the arrow that was lodged deep into Mulan's shoulder, examining it before letting out a soft sigh. She looked up at Aurora. "We need to move her to the tent. We'll take the arrow out and then disinfect it." She looked up at her daughter. "Emma, start making a fire."

Aurora shuddered at the thought of the upcoming events and how much pain the warrior was going to be in. But it had to be done. Sure, her expertise regarding fighting wasn't very impressive, but she knew a thing or two about healing wounds. She nodded to Snow and together the cleared the task of moving Mulan inside the tent. It wasn't easy as every movement seemed to cause pain for her friend, but eventually inside she was again right by Mulan' side, wanting to make this less painful for her even if that wasn't possible. She grasped the gloved hand again and felt a small smile appearing on her face when the warrior weakly squeezed her hand for a moment. They would get through this.

"Let's just hope the ogres won't pay a visit anytime soon," Emma said to her companions while sitting nearby the fire.

Snow nodded, seemingly deep in thought.

By now it had gotten dark. The only sounds accompanying them were their voices and the rattling of the fire.

Aurora poked around in the fire with the branch she held in her hand. She'd been quiet for most of the evening, letting Emma and Snow do the talking and coming up with plans. She let out a sigh and let go of the branch after a few silent moments. "Look," she began tentatively, "I know all of this is severely slowing us down and…", she couldn't finish the sentence, afraid of what the answer might be. Snow's hand suddenly covered her own. She looked into her eyes and was glad to see soft eyes looking at her.

"We're not leaving you two behind," she spoke softly, "Me and Emma want to get back to our land as soon as possible, but Mulan's health is our main priority right now."

A quick smile was shared between the two of them until Aurora picked up a soft and croaky voice from inside the tent.

"A-Aurora?"

Snow gave her hand a little squeeze and nodded towards the tent. Aurora appreciated the gesture but didn't want to leave before having asked her the question that had been imprinted in her mind since the attack. "I-Is she going to make it?"

She trusted Snow with the answer, and as soon as she saw the reassuring look on her face her heart settled for a calmer pace. "Mulan is a strong woman. I very much doubt she's going to let this put her down."

Aurora smiled, grateful for their companions they had so accidently stumbled upon and stood up. "Thank you."

She walked inside the little home-made tent. She found Mulan, laying on a bedroll with a blanket covering her. Her hear was loose and she wore a thin, white blouse she seemingly always wore underneath her armor. A bright red spot still covered her left shoulder, causing Aurora to remind herself and let out a small relieved sigh as they had placed a few thin pieces of clothes over the wounds to successfully stop the bleeding.

"Hi," Aurora softly said while making her way over the Mulan's side. She didn't receive an answer the warrior merely followed her movements. She sat down on her knees. "How are you?"

"Fine."

Aurora merely let it pass, knowing that Mulan's pride wasn't pierced through by the arrow.

"You have slept pretty much the entire day."

Mulan looked at her, her eyes surprisingly sharp considering the fact that she had just woken up from a long and pain-induced sleep. She suddenly pushed back her arms and tried to sit up slightly. Aurora's eyes widened and she softly tried to push her back before Mulan even let out a groan of frustration and pain.

"Wait, wait, lay down," Aurora quickly said said, making sure the warrior didn't fall back to hard and then grabbed the blanket to tuck her back in.

"I've been hit by an arrow before," Mulan mumbled.

"Well, it was probably in your leg because you're absolutely in no condition of sitting up or doing anything other than laying down."

A long moment of silence occurred between them, until Mulan softly spoke up.

"You could've gotten hurt."

Aurora's head snapped towards her, her eyes blazing in disbelief.

"If you were under the impression that I would just leave you to death then you're wrong," she spoke, the fire in her eyes burning, willing Mulan to see it. Letting her know they were long past that stage, that they probably never even were, not even in the beginning. Mulan had to know that she was not the only one willing to do anything to protect the other.

"I'm sorry, princess." Came a murmured apology. "I did not wish to offend you."

The princess softly shook her head. "Oh, Mulan". She grabbed her hand, enjoying the skin contact as the gloves were momentarily gone. She noticed the warrior's eyes closing a few times, still tired from being in this weak state.

"Get some more rest," she told her, "I'll be here."

She slowly brought the hand to her mouth and lay a soft kiss on her knuckles. If it wasn't for the dark and Mulan already having her eyes closed, she would've seen the flush creeping up her face. If it wasn't for Aurora being distracted by her bold actions, she would've seen the small smile tugging at Mulan's lips before she fell back to sleep.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty!" Emma's voice sounded.

Aurora perked up at this, but amusedly rolled her eyes as she saw the blonde slipping into the tent. It had been a week since Mulan had gotten hit by the arrow, and it seemed they would be here for quite some time until Mulan gathered her strength again. Aurora got up, knowing that the warrior would not be pleased to be so rudely awoken by Emma. She smirked to herself knowing how much more likely it would be for Mulan to let it pass if it was her who woke her up.

She slipped inside, eying an annoyed Mulan and faux-innocent looking Emma. She giggled slightly, grabbing the food from Emma's hands and sitting down next to Mulan. Emma walked over and helped Mulan sitting up as Aurora put some baggage behind the warriors back so she could sit up to eat. The thin blouse Mulan wore was now cleaned from the blood, Snow having helped Mulan undressing and then had it washed in the river. Emma had created a sling that supported Mulan's bad shoulder.

Aurora held out the small pieces of leftover meat. "Eat something."

Mulan did as she said and Aurora leaned back and watched her eat it. She had almost forgotten Emma was still there with them until she spoke up.

"You know, I honestly thought it was stronger than that."

Mulan stopped munching for a few seconds. "I beg your pardon?"

"Your armor," Emma explained, "It looks strong enough to shield off an arrow."

"It obviously isn't."

Emma understood that with that the conversation was over. She smiled, albeit awkwardly, in Aurora's direction before slipping out of the tent. "I'm going to check up on Snow."

The two of them stayed silent as Mulan enjoyed her breakfast, probably too hungry to notice Aurora next to her watching her the whole time. How her long hair fell past her shoulders. How the blouse she wore was loose but she could imagine the strong arms underneath the fabric. How her perfect skin had regained most of its color, chasing away the paleness that had been featured the first few days. She let out an awkward cough, feeling it was highly inappropriate to have such thoughts while sitting next to the wounded warrior.

Mulan awkwardly turned her head to her, obviously finished with the meat.

"Princess?"

Aurora tried to look everywhere but those soft brown eyes. "I, ehm, think it's time for me to bathe. It's been some time..."

"Don't leave just yet," The warrior quietly asked, "I mean, you smell and look good…"

Aurora had not expected Mulan to say that. Apparently, neither did Mulan, judging by the way her mouth snapped shut and how she looked away. "I-I mean…."

Nothing followed, and Aurora couldn't stop the soft smile as well as the blush gracing her features. "Then I'll stay here some more, with you."

Mulan softly cleared her throat. "I'd like that."

Another period of time passed and Aurora could tell Snow and Emma were more than ready to move on from this place and continue their quest. She didn't blame them. They'd been really supportive and had been patient with Mulan's healing process. Of course the warrior said she was ready to go again before it was really time, but Aurora was glad Snow saw through that. And now she was here, leaning against a big tree, looking at the moon that peeked from between the branches and leaves above her. Somewhere in the next few days they planned to get on the move again. Aurora had lost track of how much time they'd actually spent at this place. There was still so much that needed to be done, yet they never knew what truly lay in their path.

Before the attack her mind had been swarmed with memories of Philippe and if she would ever see him again, alive. But for the past period she'd been focused on Mulan. Helping and caring about her, as if she felt the need to repay her for every time Mulan had protected her. If had come as a natural instinct, just like how she picked up the sword and was ready to face her death if it meant that Mulan wouldn't have been helplessly killed. Aurora couldn't count how many times she'd sat aside Mulan, wiping the sweat of her brow with a wet cloth. How many times she'd helped her sit up before they spent the entire afternoon talking.

The rustle of leaves sounded behind her and Aurora turned to see who it was. Mulan slowly emerged from the darkness, still dressed in her white blouse while wearing the sling around her arm. She apparently had some help from either Snow or Emma since her hair was back in one of her sophisticated ponytails. Aurora smiled at her, now with the hairstyle and the regained strength she saw Mulan making a comeback to the fierce warrior she'd come to cherish and care for. Her stomach did a double flip as she thought about how she may care for her more than she wanted to admit.

"You should know better than to wander off in the dark."

Mulan came closer, and Aurora was ready for her obligatory response until she saw the light grin on Mulan's mouth. A glint of amusement appeared in Aurora's eyes. "I can see the camp from here."

Mulan looked over her shoulder and then returned her soft gaze upon her princess. Aurora spoke, "Plus, I had a feeling you would come to check up on my anyway."

"You guessed right."

A soft smile was shared as Aurora moved closer to her warrior. She eyed Mulan's bad arm and carefully put her hand on the spot where the arrow had pierced her tanned skin. "I'm so glad you're okay. I don't want to think anymore about what could've happened. Not after… not after Philippe."

Mulan lay her own hand on top of Aurora's and pushed it down until it was met with the soft thuds of her beating heart. Aurora let out a small gasp and clutched Mulan's blouse. It felt weird, almost as a final confirmation; Mulan was still here, by her side, protecting her. Always protecting her.

"Don't be upset, princess," Mulan whispered.

The playful mood was gone and Aurora sensed it had moved on to something that could possibly be even better, something that had been in the back of her mind for quite some time. It was nerve wrecking nonetheless.

"I'm not upset." She breathed out, a smile covering her features. "I just-,"

She stopped mid-sentence and instead lay her free arm around Mulan's neck, slowly pulling her closer. She saw and heard how Mulan gulped and how her eyes went wide. She saw how her tongue quickly wet her lips, willing moving closer to Aurora. The princess felt the warriors breath on her lips and her heart thumped in her chest, wanting to feel her lips against her own.

"Girls?"

Mulan and Aurora sprang apart, too late apparently since Snow's eyes already resembled saucers.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to … interrupt. "

Mulan and Aurora stood at an awkward distance, fake coughing and looking anywhere but each other and Snow.

"I was just wondering where you were. Emma is already asleep."

Mulan quickly nodded and said, "I'll take the first watch."

"No, you should rest-,"

"It's fine." Mulan wanted to walk back to the camp, but Aurora's voice stopped her.

"No, Mulan, please rest some more." It wasn't an order, nor spoken as one, yet Mulan couldn't help but turn back and casting a shy glance at the princess.

"Yes, I'll take the first one," Snow spoke up, "I'll wake Emma up when I get tired, you should sleep."

Mulan slowly nodded, not dealing to well with not being able to protect the ones she cared about. She grumbled a quiet — "I've slept enough already"—under her breath. She looked at her princess. "Are you coming?"

Aurora shyly nodded and followed her warrior back to the camp. Snow followed them, a soft smile escaping her.

It was 3 days later when Aurora woke up with her head on Mulan's good shoulder, that she knew there really was no turning back, neither did she want that. Her feelings her grown, like a rose spreading its petals to the fullest, ready to grace nature with their beauty.

They cleared up their small camp a while later, ready to go and continue their journey. Snow and Emma had found a direction and waited for Mulan and Aurora to join them.

Aurora watched as Mulan walked over to join them. She still didn't wear her armor, having her left arm still in the sling. Her sword however accompanied her again. Aurora felt the butterflies fluttering again in her stomach. Her desire seemed to have ten folded and she knew she had to let Mulan know now, before they went on their way, before something happened again and it was too late.

"Mulan, wait!"

The warrior turned around, brows furrowing at the desperate sound of the princess' voice. Her eyes darkened however as she took in the quick and powerful strides she was taking towards her. Aurora's body blazed with indescribable feelings as she neared her warrior and took her face in her hands, pulling her towards her. Their lips met, pushed together with a passion both didn't know they possessed. Aurora felt Mulan let out a sigh through her nose and then felt Mulan's right arm sneak around her hips, pulling them tighter against each other. Aurora was in a place she'd never entered with Philippe when Mulan began moving her soft lips against her own. She'd never felt anything like this before. Her body moved on its own as she responded, returning the kiss with as much love as she could muster .

Their moment of pure bliss was once again interrupted.

"Come on, slowpokes!" Emma yelled, a wicked grin adorning her features. Aurora very reluctantly pulled back, having almost forgotten they weren't alone, and looked sideways at the other two. Snow quickly poked her elbow into her daughters ribs, but not without smiling with her and enjoying the sight of their two companions finally coming together. She grabbed Emma by her elbow and started walking, continuing their journey.

Aurora watched them walk away and focused back on Mulan, whose gaze hadn't her escaped since they were so rudely interrupted. Both their breathing was heavy. Aurora moved her hand up and cupped Mulan's cheek. She let out a shaky breath, overwhelmed.

"I think I love you."

Mulan's eyes seemed to water and Aurora was answered with her beautiful smile. The same smile she'd seen before her when she had saved her heart and it started beating again in her chest. A smile of amazement and happiness.

"I love you too."

They rested their foreheads against each other, both not wanting to move. They stayed like that for as long as they felt like it, until Mulan then had other plans as she stepped back and held out her hand for Aurora to take.

"Ready for our journey, princess?"

Aurora's eyes shone with excitement and happiness, ready to face whatever obstacles lay in their path. They would do it, together. She grabbed her hand and never wanted to let go again.

"Let's go."

Thank you for reading!