"Mulan!" Aurora's sweet voice rang up above the male voices Mulan had grown accustomed to in the few months she had been with the Merry Men.
Her pregnancy suited her, as if anything in the world could disrupt her beauty, but Aurora's hair looked even softer than the nights Mulan had spent watching over her. The unnatural gauntness Mulan remembered in the days after the wraith took Phillip was gone, replaced by the perfect silhouette of the girl that had been awoken from the sleeping curse. There was only one change; a slight swelling where her stomach used to be flat.
Mulan's hungry, lonely eyes was so bent on drinking in every detail that she had missed in her absence, it caught her by surprise when Aurora's arms were around her neck, and her head was buried in Mulan's neck. Its rightful place, Mulan thought, before realising she must keep up appearances.
"My princess," Mulan managed to articulate. A warrior does not get distracted, unless the eyes of her distraction were of soft blue summer skies and her skin was as smooth and warm as remembered from so many nights ago-
"Mulan." Phillip, was of course behind Aurora. Mulan let go of her to give him a handshake.
"The Merry Men and I are glad to accompany you to a new safe haven, my King. Would you like some dinner?"
"We would," Phillip smiled, and with a hand on Aurora's back to guide her, he followed Mulan.
"Oh my love," Phillip said, breaking off his deep conversation with the Merry Men. "Allow me," he said.
Aurora jumped out of her reverie when she saw Phillip's sword came crashing down in front of her.
Mulan nearly jumped up in alarm, but it took her a split second to hide the movement by putting an arm around Aurora.
"There, didn't scare you, did I? There's four chimera eggs, cooked and cracked to perfection. I can't have my delicate little wife doing something as common as exerting herself can I?" Phillip lay his hand over hers, and Mulan felt slightly sick at the sight of the men's indulgent smiles.
"Yes, the dear thing has only fought an evil queen responsible for ruining our land recently, can't have her preparing her own dinner!" Mulan faux-cheerful voice chimed from the other side of the table to Aurora. Mulan felt she could let her guard down, and perhaps rediscover some of her old camaraderie with Phillip.
Even if her relationship with Aurora was doomed, well- not even doomed. Non-existent, unreturned true love. Mulan thought she should count herself lucky; some ended up with blackened hearts after following their true love's path. If she kept her friend Phillip from it, then that was more than could be wished for.
"She has been lucky enough to be surrounded by able warriors, every step of the way, and she continues to be." Phillip raised a glass to the Merry Men, who cheered and downed their glasses. Mulan frowned slightly. Phillip's guard must be down even further than her own, he seemed slightly tipsy and dismissive of the princess. Mulan knew she should have regaled him with more stories of Aurora's bravey, but Mulan had been worried her feelings would be obvious from the retellings.
"She continues to be protected, because she is carrying something so precious." Phillip still had the men's attention, and he snuck his arm around Aurora. "My heir." The men cheered again, raising more toasts to the couple.
When their attention was back on their food Mulan thought she saw Aurora shiver, despite Phillip's arms.
"Cold, princess?"
Aurora smiled, ever dignified even with a mouthful of chimera egg. "Of course not!"
She turned back to Phillip, who tenderly moved his hand from her arm to his stomach.
"I know- very little about childbirth and the preceding timeline. However, I know what all travellers know about indigestion."
Aurora laughed. And kept laughing. Mulan grew concerned.
"It seems you know my body better than I do." Aurora's tone was light, but instead of appearing teasing, it seemed more of a question.
"Of course I would never assume. I just have never known you to have much of a stomach for chimera eggs, yet you had four at dinner today."
Aurora looked down at her hands. "You're right, I'm sorry. I knew you liked them, and I wanted to open it for you. But I could hardly say no when Phillip opened them for me."
Mulan laughed. "Of course you could!" She was about to reassure the princess further, but Phillip entered the couple's tent.
"I think we shall retire for the night. Mulan," Phillip said, making eye contact with her, "Will you guard Aurora for the duration of the trip?"
Mulan bowed deeply. "I would be honoured."
"Thank you. Now, I would like some time alone with my wife." A shadow of a cheeky smile that he used to wear was enough to cause Mulan to back out of the tent, apologies on her tongue and the most awful images of her love, Aurora, and Phillip in her brain.
Mulan entered the tent at Phillip's behest the next morning. "I thought you looked well when I saw you, but your eyes look tired."
"Yes, well..." Aurora muttered, trailing off into a silence. "The child-"
"The sleeping curse-" Mulan tried to fill in the gap at the same time.
"Yes!" Aurora stuttered. She drew a deep breath, and continued. "The- the curse, the nightmares, and the child on top of it, I'm finding sleep- well I'm not. Finding sleep." Aurora laughed to herself, and cut it off just as falteringly and abrupt as the words she had just spoken.
"I am excited to be a mother one day. I know it's shallow, and I know battle and saving the land is more important-"
"Oh Aurora," Mulan sighed.
"I'm sorry, I did not mean to distract you from look-out." Aurora fretted, unsure still of Mulan. This had been their early days, not long after Mary Margaret and Emma had returned to Storybrooke, and although Aurora was headstrong, she was trying to allow Mulan to be a warrior without interference.
There was silence while Mulan decided where to go. She guided Aurora and her mass of skirts around some brambles, and muttered, "You will be a wonderful mother." Mulan purposefully did not look at Aurora again until she was sure the blush had fallen from her face, but it was not the first or last compliment Mulan gave her.
Mulan held this memory dearly, as she did every memory when she had been ignorant of the fulfilment of their quest. Of course they would find Phillip, and of course they would find Aurora's happy ending.
Mulan was at the opposite end of the camp to Aurora, but she could see the fondness with which she was trailing a hand across her pregnant stomach.
Robin Hood suddenly turned to Mulan, only to find her eyes locked on Aurora. He whistled softly, "Mulan, I have been blind and deaf."
Mulan glanced up at the man quizzically, before returning to sharpening her blade and watching her princess.
"You were going to tell the one you love, before you agreed to join the Merry Men."
"I did not."
"There is still time surely." Something about his sly tone made Mulan look up. His gaze was also fixed on Aurora.
Mulan turned on him. "You must be blind and deaf still! Do you see her stomach?" Robin Hood looked taken aback by her tone, and Mulan knew that in the army her head would have been taken from her by now, or she would have been used as bait for the ogres, but these Merry Men knew nothing of such ruthlessness. They knew of drinking and laughing until they passed out for the night.
"That is the heir to the throne. That is the Royal Family, the prince, the princess, soon to have a castle, soon to bring peace to this desolate land." Mulan took a deep breath and spoke in a softer tone. "Peace that is sorely needed by all."
"She is no longer mine, if she ever was. She is not my princess, she is the princess."
Robin smiled and asked, "A girl worth fighting for?"
Mulan, a battle-hardened and renowned warrior, would never do anything so infantile as storm off like she had lost her first wooden stick fight. That Mulan seemed to be on leave at the moment, but luckily her One True Love could pull her back from any mood.
Aurora followed her, and Mulan's mood softened instantly when she could hear how Aurora still remembered the lessons Mulan had taught her all those months ago about walking quietly and unobtrusively in the woods. Her dress still caught in all the foliage, but it always had.
"Yes?" Mulan asked.
"Will you guard my tent while I change? Phillip thinks..." Aurora looked down, ashamed.
"It isn't harmful to take care around a group of unknown men, especially with a b- princess." Mulan ignored her almost-blunder; after all, the princess had Phillip to call her beautiful nowadays.
"But you know them. You wouldn't travel with them if they were those kind of men."
"I would not." Mulan affirmed. Aurora's face immediately relaxed, as if she had been testing the waters of her own intuition.
Mulan stood inside the first door of the tent, and Aurora changed behind the second.
There was a muffled yelp that could have been ignored by another guard but Mulan was in tune to Aurora. She entered the second door of the tent immediately, fearing danger, and was shocked at the sight she found.
Aurora's pale arms were streaked with colour, with semi-fresh red cuts and small, frequent bruises. Aurora looked ready to defend herself, but a tear streaked down her face and she crumpled into Mulan's arms.
"You have been pinched black and blue, he does this at dinner, in front of everyone?" Aurora was sobbing to herself. "The cuts..."
"He said- he said I was calling your name while I slept. In a way that is not proper." Aurora's panicked eyes met Mulan's. she had heard these heartbreaking stories of 'correcting' high society girls whose true loves were a wrong gender to the men they were supposed to marry, whether for land or money or whatever else the parents' greed encompassed. Mulan couldn't hold the princess' gaze, she dropped her eyes to where their hands were entwined.
Aurora gasped and snatched her arm away "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
Aurora pulled on a large top before Mulan could say anymore.
"My love, where is your guard?" Phillip's voice rang through the tent, but Mulan was more interested in the effect it had on the princess. For Aurora had froze, stock still the moment his uttered the first syllable.
Mulan excused herself, hoping that Aurora could see the promise to return in her eyes.
Mulan stood on the bank of the river and wished. She was not prepared for an evil queen and Prince James to come through.
"I- I wished for a fairy-"
"Yes well," snapped Regina. "I followed the wish, hoping that it would...Nevermind. We'll just wait until the three hour period when fairies are drawn back to their place of origin." She turned to James. "Three hours of bliss before we have to face Neverland again."
"You are a fairy?" Mulan asked. Regina rolled her eyes and sat down on a log.
"She's not. I'm James." Mulan shook his hand. "So, why did you need a fairy?"
"Prince James, James?" Mulan confirmed. James nodded. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Your wife returned to you safely?"
"She did... you must be Mulan!" James exclaimed. A loud huff came from Regina. "You helped my family, I'm indebted to you, we must help!"
Although Mulan heard the Evil Queen mutter something unpleasant about 'chirpy, maddeningly-optimistic heroes', she followed Prince James' lead and ignored her. "Well, if you can be of any help I would be greatful. Prince Phillip, you know of him?" James nodded. "Well he awoke my friend Aurora from a Sleeping curse," Mulan explained, ignoring again the dirty look James gave Regina. "He awoke her with True Love's Kiss, but then he was taken by a wraith. We travelled many lands, and finally awoke him with the wraith's medallion."
Regina cackled to herself, and this time James did not ignore her. "Explain what this means, Regina," he demanded in his the most kingly voice he could manage.
"That's most definitely not a man that you brought back from the ends of the earth; it's as evil as can be." Regina told Mulan.
"Phillip." Aurora tried to smile up at him, but she could not even attempt this for long.
"These Merry Men... they are only good to mind my heir."
Aurora tried again to make good with Phillip. She did not feel like the vivacious young princess who had travelled the expanse of the land for a man. A man, Aurora realised. Not her true love, if he ever was. Well she had made her bed, she may as well lie in it as comfortably as she could. "And to mind me?" She asked shyly.
Phillip turned violently and grabbed both her arms. "You selfish whore! They covet you!"
Aurora gasped as Phillip's arms twisted around the bruises she already had. Some of the Merry Men were looking in their direction of the campsite, but all seemed unwillingly to get in the way of their potential future king and his wife.
One young lad put his arm on Phillip's back. "Is your dear Aurora quite up to roughhousing?" His tone was light, but his intentions to protect her were clear. Aurora could have cried at his kindness.
Phillip's smile twisted beyond all recognition, and Aurora finally realised this was not the man they intended to bring back.
He pushed her away from him and his hands hovered above the young lad's face. Aurora could see the soul beginning to loosen from him.
"So," the thing that inhabited Phillip sneered. "Dear, darling Aurora. I grow tired of pretending to care for a long-gone kingdom. I will kill this entire band of men, and you shall grow my heir under my protection, in a dark place far away from here."
Aurora looked downcast, hoping the beast would believe her weak. Indeed, he chuckled and turned towards the lad and began to suck out his soul.
Aurora took this moment when the thing was distracted to drive the heel of her shoe into its crotch. It yelled horrifically, and a clawed hand swiped at Aurora.
She fell down and the last things she remembered were a flash of swords, and blood between her legs.
"I am sorry," Regina said. "The spawn is gone. Although in this case, I should be grateful." Mulan did not flinch, the thing that had possessed Phillip's body was dead and the damage was contained due to Aurora having miscarried. These were small victories.
Afterwards, when Aurora was resting and the Evil Queen and Prince James had returned, Mulan walked up to Aurora. She had one hand on her stomach. Mulan laced her fingers between Aurora's, and moved her so the princess' back was leant against Mulan's side.
"I am sorry, I know you wanted a child dearly."
"I want you more dearly," Aurora says eyes flickering up to Mulan's. "And that was not a child, I don't know what I had growing inside me but I am glad it did not see light of day."
"Perhaps when we find Phillip again-"
"Mulan I know in my heart it is you who I love, and even if I had any doubt, I would not even be able to stand Phillip's touch anymore."
Mulan breathed a sigh of relief. "We will have a lot of travelling to do to find Phillip...yet again." She sighed, looking at the girl next to her who had been through so much. "But there will be many dangers, all of which you are capable of dealing with." Mulan stressed. "There will be much unknown. I once heard tell of a river that allowed a child to be made of two women..."
Aurora's eyes lit up. They had recovered the brightness from before this wraith-version of Phillip had been in her life. "You love me."
"Of course! Of course, you thought I didn't?"
"I just didn't realise- I thought- Oh god Mulan, I forgot what it was like to hope, to have feeling without being-" Aurora eyes misted over, and Mulan offered her hand.
Aurora held it and leaned into Mulan's body. "It's you and me, for as long as I have breath in my body."
"Just you and me." Aurora smiled bitterly in the direction of the Merry Men, who had cleared their camp and looked ready to go. "I really thought it was getting better here. Now we'll never set up a new safe haven."
Robin broke away from the head of the group to talk to the two of them. "I would look at anyone in this land that has fought evil without being evil in turn as someone I could follow." Robin bowed in Aurora's direction.
"We will find a new safe haven," Mulan promised.
Regina and Charming looked at each in the glade of Neverland. She spoke first.
"We're not telling your wife about that little interlude."
"She has a right to know! Her and Emma met those people, and helped them, and-"
"I really don't want to have to deal with any more of your family's...chirpiness! About happy endings and so forth, ugh!"
"..."
"We can tell her when we get Henry, and get back to Storybrooke."