Hero
She's at Granny's and has her cheeks stuffed with burger.
Mulan has traded her uniform for jeans and a hoodie, at least for today. And today is her third day in Storybrooke—her second day in an official relationship.
"This is so good," groans Aurora, who's sitting across the table with a stack of pancakes in front of her.
She changed her attire, too, and just like Mulan she stayed true to her look: Even in her black knee long gathered skirt, plain light purple blouse and syrup dripping from her fingers, she looks like a princess.
"This can't be healthy," Mulan says, but the corners of her lips twitch into an impish smile.
Aurora's eyes are wide; her expression is stern.
"I really don't care."
And if Mulan is being honest: she doesn't, either.
Not today.
Because today she doesn't have to fight.
Today she's going to sleep in an actual bed.
Today she and Aurora both are safe.
"Coffee?"
Ruby refills before waiting for an answer.
Mulan nods her thanks.
Ruby is the kind of woman who hides the warrior within. The glint in her eyes, adventurous and dangerous, gives away the wars she fought. And her smile is often sad, even when it's bright.
Mulan is not the type of woman to ask about others. That's mostly because she doesn't like being asked about herself. She clings to her boundaries, because they continued to save her life.
If the rules were different, though—if Mulan were any other woman, then Ruby would be the person she'd ask.
She'd ask about the wolf in her. She'd ask about what it's like to run as one of the animals. She'd ask about how Ruby deals with death following her everywhere. She'd ask about war and…
"Don't look now," Ruby interrupts Mulan's train of thought. "But that girl over there has been watching you two for the past twenty minutes."
Of course Mulan turns her head abruptly and stares right into a set of surprised eyes. The girl sits three booths away and immediately sinks into her bench in an attempt to become invisible.
Mulan furrows her eyebrows. "Who's that?" she asks, but Ruby shrugs, then winks.
"You may have an admirer."
"What?" Now Aurora turns around as well.
"Who?" she asks a little too loudly, and Mulan's lips twitch again.
Ruby chuckles quietly then leaves to serve another customer.
Aurora frowns, but Mulan can see that she's not actually mad. The pancakes are a good distraction, too.
A quick glance back to that other booth reveals that the girl from before hasn't come alone. She and her friend are talking quietly among themselves now.
Mulan decides to switch the topic.
"I was thinking," she says and wipes her thumb across her cheek, "We should get an apartment."
For now they're staying at Granny's. And it's fine. Granny is a good host and Ruby is a nice neighbor.
But the walls are thin and the guests are plenty now that the gates between Storybrooke and the rest of the world have been opened.
"What?"
Aurora's cheeks are round and full of pancake when she stares across the table.
Mulan's squares her shoulders.
"I was thinking," she repeats patiently. "We should get our own pl…"
Again her train of thought is interrupted when Mulan realizes the girl from before is now standing right next to her. She's brought her friend, too.
She's wearing low cut jeans and a hoodie like Mulan. But her hair is short and blonde, and her eyes are sparkling green. She seems young, too.
"Ex…excuse me." Her voice is shy and quiet.
Mulan raises her eyebrows and stares silently.
"Yes?"
Aurora sounds demanding, but polite—the way royalty should.
The girl immediately takes a small step back.
She can't be older than seventeen, Mulan estimates.
Her friend is just as young, but frisk in comparison. She's got a black faux hawk, and is wearing ragged jeans and a plaid button up. She pulls a book from behind her back and steps in front of her fumbling friend.
"Could we have your autograph?"
The same book from before lies now in stretched out hands right under Mulan's nose. And it has Mulan's face on the cover.
"I don't…"
Mulan shakes her head and looks up to Aurora, but her search for help is futile: Aurora looks just as puzzled.
"Please," the girl with the faux hawk insists. "You're like our hero."
Her friend nods wildly, and smiles meekly. Then she adds:
"When I was little no one looked like me. All the girls at school liked pretty dresses and make-up. But me? Not a chance."
The two girls exchange a look, and Mulan's chest tightens. Before she can respond anything the girl with the hawk continues:
"I read your story—over and over. Fa Mulan, who joined the Emperor's army and brought honor to her family, against all odds. Mulan, who fought the Huns. You weren't afraid to be who you are. And I learned that I'm more afraid of being someone other than myself than I am of being teased."
She scuffs her sneaker. Her face is red now and she avoids Mulan's eyes. But her hands are firmly stretched towards Mulan, who slowly shrugs one shoulder.
"I was protecting my village."
Her cheeks are hot, though.
Memories from her past flash before Mulan's eyes: The days she spent dressing up as a doll; the days she spent dressing up as a man; the mockery both costumes brought her.
Sometimes the weight of those days still pulls her down.
"I'm sorry," the blonde girl finally says.
"I haven't gone to war. I'm not brave like you."
She lowers her gaze, and her friend smiles sadly in her direction. They must be close.
"In our world you were the only one I could look up to. When I was in doubt I could say 'Mulan fought her fears. Mulan didn't give a shit.' It wasn't real to everybody, but it was real to me."
She rubs her arm.
"It gave me hope."
Mulan's throat is tight when she tries to swallow.
She looks at the teenagers in front of her and something tugs at her heart.
They're young and it's true that they haven't fought the same battles Mulan has. But their eyes and their posture, and the way they scuff their shoes and roll up their sleeves, says that they've seen a different kind of battlefield.
"Sometimes getting up in the morning takes a lot of courage already."
Mulan takes the book and offers a half-smile.
"How does this work?" she asks. "I write my name into this book?"
Both girls are radiant now.
"Yea," says the blonde one.
"You're the coolest," adds the other.
Mulan hears Aurora snort, but ignores it.
She asks for the girls' names and writes them down first. And she thinks about growing up wishing to be someone else. She thinks of nights full of doubt and days full of anger. She thinks of injustice eating her up from the insides. She thinks of being excluded and mocked, again and again.
She looks at the girls, and suddenly her chest is warm.
She writes:
"The hardest battles are those in which we face ourselves. May your fights be rare and your victories plenty.—Mulan"
Mulan watches the two leave and feels tears pressure against her eyeballs.
"I always thought respect was the best I could get," she says more to herself than to Aurora.
"I fought for my rights and I fought for my village. It never crossed my mind that there might be others fighting similar battles in a different world. I never thought there'd be other just like me."
She shakes her head and shoves the last bit of her burger into her mouth.
"And I never thought it could be so easy to make someone happy—simply by putting your name on a piece of paper."
Aurora giggles, but her smile is warm.
"They have good reason to admire you," she states.
"I do, too."
That catches Mulan's attention.
"Wait, what did you just say?"
But Aurora only offers a cheeky grin.
"I didn't say anything. And by the way,"
Her plate is empty now and she wipes her fingers on her napkin.
"The answer is yes."
Mulan scrunches her nose and tries to remember the question—but her mind is still whirling with memories of the Enchanted Forest.
She shakes her head and opens her mouth, but Aurora is faster:
"Let's get our own place. I'd enjoy a little privacy."
There's a flicker in Aurora's eyes. Mulan recognizes a hint of jealousy, but Aurora's mostly joking.
Mulan chuckles, then she waves for Ruby.
"Oh, and Mulan?"
Aurora is already getting up from her seat, and she bites her lip and grins again.
"Can I have your autograph?"