She looks so peaceful when she's sleeping. No more nightmares, no more room on fire. She sleeps soundly and wakes up refreshed. Mulan doesn't sleep like her, oh no. She has to watch over her. If she does pass out, she's next to her. An arm around her. Just in case. The slightest sound wakes the warrior up nightly. She's worried, but of course she is. She never shows it, but she knows that Aurora's aware. Nothing slips past that girl. Well, mostly nothing.
With the return of her heart, Aurora had told Mulan about how there was still a chance to save Phillip. Mulan had smiled. At the time, she'd been happy about it. She'd smiled, told them they should go. Now she was regretting it.
Not that she didn't want Phillip to return. Part of her did still love Phillip. But now, it was different. It would be different once he takes Aurora back. Mulan was enjoying time alone with Aurora, no matter the situation. Even when the only one awake was the warrior, and all she did was watch over the princess; it felt right with Aurora. It was different than what she'd felt with Phillip. She liked it, and didn't want to lose it.
But if the princess wanted her Phillip back, Mulan would go to every length to do just that. She wouldn't let Aurora down, not now, not ever. She'd convinced herself it was because of her love for Phillip, but she now knew that wasn't the case. Maybe it had been once upon a time, before she'd felt her stomach clench at the thought of the smaller girl in danger, before she'd felt her heartbeat pick up with every touch, before she realized she would put her life on the line for Aurora simply because she was Aurora. Not because of Phillip and the promise she'd made, but because of Aurora. Because she loved her.
The realization made the journey to return Phillip several times harder for Mulan. The concept of giving up the girl she loved was hard enough, but giving her up to someone who loved Aurora back was harder. She'd never love Mulan the way she loved her. The warrior had finally found a girl worth fighting for, and she didn't return the feelings.
They were only hours into their journey when they'd decided to set up camp. Mulan had been behind Aurora the entire time, constantly giving her worried glances every once in a while. The warrior's senses had heightened considerably since Aurora's heart had been taken, and she didn't sleep a wink. It must've shown on her face the following morning, for Aurora confronted her about it.
"You look tired," she said, giving her friend a worried look.
"I'm fine, let's keep moving," Mulan insisted, stepping past her. They still needed to find out more information about this other world and if it truly existed - which Mulan was hoping was a lie, which in turn made her feel incredibly guilty.
"Please get some sleep," Aurora tried again, stopping in front of Mulan. "Please."
"No," Mulan said with a short glare and they kept walking.
When Mulan finally gave into sleep, her head fell onto Aurora's lap. They'd come to a rest at one point in the forest they'd been traveling in, and Mulan had fallen asleep almost instantly. The princess had to resist the urge to gently touch Mulan's hair and face; instead memorizing each detail to memory. She was beautiful, Aurora realized. Probably more beautiful than herself.
Aurora never wanted to move from where they were resting. She knew they would eventually, but she felt incredibly content. It was simply the princess and her warrior, all alone, the way it should be. Yes, she missed Phillip.. she missed him too much for words. When she'd lost him, she thought nothing could fill the hole in her heart. And nothing had, until recently.
She'd known what she felt for Mulan the moment she stopped feeling empty. She could always feel a pair of eyes on her (even when she fell asleep), and though that would normally scare her, it made her feel safe when she knew it was Mulan. When she was around the warrior, she felt like she could do anything at all.
Now that they were into their journey, Aurora knew she couldn't turn back. She still had a feeling that Mulan loved Phillip, and she couldn't turn her back on that anymore. Perhaps she would give Phillip up to Mulan. Perhaps she would go with Phillip once again. Aurora had no idea what she was going to do once they got Phillip back, and it scared her. All she truly wanted right now was Mulan. Not that she knew that, she was hesitant to bring Phillip back.
When Mulan awoke again, they continued on their journey. Mulan was angry at herself for having fallen asleep, but she calmed down considerably when Aurora took her hand. She said it was for support up the steep hill they were climbing, but it really wasn't. Not that she would admit that.
They could've kept going. They could've found out if Phillip truly could be brought back. And then they could've brought Phillip back. But instead, they took a moment to look at each other. They tried to decide if they wanted to keep going. Mulan had seen the hesitation in Aurora's eyes when she'd announced that she knew someone they could talk to. She'd noticed it, and she wanted to talk about it. She was doing this for Aurora, so she needed to know if she truly wanted it.
Aurora had shook her head, insisting that Mulan had seen nothing. But Mulan, she isn't one to give up. She pushed, until Aurora hung her head and confessed. She confessed everything. The words came spilling out of her, like water tumbling over a waterfall.
"I was in love with Phillip, once upon a time," she began, her voice shaking the slightest as past tense came into play. "When I lost him, a hole entered my heart; a hole in which I thought I could never fill. But I have. No one has ever made me feel like he does.. until recently. The hole is filled, and I don't think I need Phillip anymore. He's not my prince anymore. I have a princess now."
Her choice of words had led Mulan to the belief that the other girl already considered the warrior to be hers. She was filled with an overwhelming urge to say she wasn't hers, and insist they find Phillip. She was filled with the thought that Phillip was better for the princess than she was. But she couldn't stop herself as she sheathed her sword and wrapped her armored arms around the girl, pulling her close with force and gentleness at the same time. She couldn't stop her lips from colliding with Aurora's, and she couldn't pull apart for what felt like forever.
The journey for Phillip had come to a close. Their hands hardly seperated from that point on. Their lips barely parted, and they never spent a night alone. They were always touching, always exchanging looks. The two were inseperable.
And that's where our story begins.