Her too? : A Sleeping Warrior fic. (SWW day 1)
Summary: Aurora has left town for FTL with the Charmings to plan the return to the Enchanted Forest. Mulan arranges a dinner for her friend for her return, but nothing goes as she wanted…
Breathe. Everything is going to be fine. Mulan scans the kitchen as she checks her preparations for dinner. The table in the dining room was set with candles—and not just any candles, the twisting flitting candles that always made Aurora laugh—a lace tablecloth, and the best china she had been able to wheedle from Granny. It had taken Red two hours of talk and a written statement of culpability for her to let the rare pieces out of her collection for the night, but it was worth every minute. Mulan ran her finger along the gilded edge of a dinner plate humming softly as she pictured Aurora's expression when she saw the royal dishes.
Shaking her fantasy off, Mulan stepped away from the table and back into the kitchen, breathing deep the aroma of well-prepared chicken and spicy rice as both dishes steamed on warmers. She checked the other pans also—making sure that nothing burned or boiled over. A glaring black spot behind her stove reminded her of the unpleasant consequences that would follow. Satisfied that everything was ready Mulan stepped away from the stove and ran her hands down her skirt, smoothing imaginary wrinkles as she tried to relax.
As she looked up at the clock, Mulan thought, Twenty minutes. Good that's just enough time to calm dow—shit what is that?! She stared down in shock at the bright red stain dripping down like the gore off a used blade on the front of her formerly immaculate silver skirt. It travelled from a splotch at her right hip and streaked around to the front, leaving tell-tale drops on her shoes as well as her hose. At the sight, Mulan's hands jerk to her chest, checking herself for any signs of injury before she notes the bloody cutting board and counter that she had just brushed up against. Relieved that she was unharmed, her muscles unclenched partway as she ran back into her bedroom—yanking the ruined outfit off as she went.
She muttered to herself out loud as she frantically tossed her room in search of a new outfit. "I spent all week picking that out and now what am I going to wear?! Ancestors protect me; how could I have been so careless?" She stopped searching her closet when nothing looked appealing and turned to the bed, hand still rummaging in desperation, but no other clothes looked good enough to impress her princess. She paused and her head sunk to her chest in defeat before she snapped it up, and she ran back into the kitchen after hastily pulling on some sweatpants.
After staggering through the door feet slipping as she pulled the legs above her feet, she rushed past the food to her phone before frantically dialing Emma's number. Her hands shook as she entered the numbers, but Emma's name popped up and she held the phone to her ear while she looked up at the clock listening to the dial tone—Fifteen minutes left. Please be home. The blonde picked up at the first ring and Mulan silently thanked her ancestors for the strange princess and their modern technology.
"Emma?"
"Oh hey Mulan, what's up?"
"I really need your help again. Do you think I could borrow your outfit from last Sunday?"
"Sure thing! When do you need it?"
"uhhh." Mulan smiled wryly and crossed the fingers on her empty hand before quickly unclenching them. Drat that Henry! There is no such thing as luck. "In five minutes?" She hoped Emma could hear the hopeful smile she gave because there was only silence on the other line for a few moments. Her foot shakes and starts tapping the floor as her nerves seek some form of outlet for the stress building up inside.
"Tonight is the night Aurora gets back from the Enchanted Forrest isn't it?"
Mulan nodded yes before remembering that Emma couldn't actually see her, and she burst out "YES!" without thinking about how loud that would actually be. A sound of jingling hit her ears, and then Emma's confident voice could be heard again, her practiced smirk coming through the phone as well as if Mulan could see it.
"Don't worry, I'll be right over with exactly what you need. Bye!"
"Thank you!" Mulan exhaled an enormous sigh of relief and set the phone back down on her table. Just then the timer on the stove went off, and a hint of smoke met her nose. Oh no! She ran into the kitchen, feet skidding on the tile again, terror stricken at the thought of having burned yet another meal—Today of all days! Yanking an oven mitt from her counter and gloving her hand as if preparing for battle, Mulan opens the oven and peers inside. She stilled her face, biting the underside of her lip as the empty hand brushed her hair behind her head, expecting to see the black surface shown on so many of her failed dishes.
Contrary to her expectations the dish inside looked perfect, not burned at all, and the tense warrior relaxes as she stands to pull it out onto a trivet. A speck of ash inside the oven revealed the culprit of the smoky smell, and Mulan let herself smile slightly as she turned the oven off. And now desert is ready too.
Mulan attempted to calm down as she scooped the food from the pans to her serving dishes, Granny's dishes, she thought. Exercising a little more care as she carefully molded the vegetables, rice, and chicken gracefully into the dishes. With a flourish, she poured the tangy sauce into the gravy boat and, after snagging one final taste, she carried each dish carefully into the other room and arranged them on the table. Everything looked stunning from the dishes to her carefully selected silverware, and even the colors of the food helped her table look appealing, but she scowled as she peeked at the clock. Ten minutes to go. Where is Emma?
She forced her warrior heart to still as it began to race, attempting to focus, but Aurora's face kept interrupting her thoughts. Deciding to go with it, she allowed herself to contemplate the beauty of Aurora's pristine, joyful face, soon her heart began to still. Breathe. In. Out. It's just another meal. Her eyes squinted tight as she tried to make herself believe the lie but to no avail.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Mulan let out a war-cry of relief and victory. Thank YOU Emma! Jumping over the couch, she dashed to the door and yanked it open to reveal a very happy, very beautiful, and very confused Aurora. Oh CRAP.
She was wearing a light purple dress that fluttered and flowed even as the princess stood still in the hall. She appeared like a dream fairy, hair swept back in auburn ringlets and tiny hoops in her ears, caressing her face. Flowing out from her hips, the dress cut off shortly above her knees, causing Mulan to stagger back as she found herself staring at the princess' perfectly soft, yet deceptively toned legs. The star struck warrior snapped her head back up, eyes trailing behind, as Aurora prodded her with a square object.
The princess held out a silver box, a lost expression on her face while her eyes seemed to want to smile, but her free hand rested on her hips, and she was tapping her foot slowly. Mulan took it dazedly, catching the eyes of the smirking blonde who was sneaking away down the hall.
"Why was Emma sending these to you?" Aurora stood with both hands on hips now, lips pursed together, displeasure evident in the rigidity of her back, and her eyes flashed dangerously while Mulan gingerly opened the package.
Inside was a set of delicate red lace garments that she had definitely not seen Emma wearing on Sunday, and if she had worn them, they were still not what she meant, and Emma had known it. Her face turned a rosy pink, and she dropped the box as if it had contained snakes. "I… I don't know. She was supposed to bring me a… new… outfit…" She trailed off and gestured at her sweatpants lamely as Aurora's eyes continued to fire what were surely poisoned arrows. "She wore it last weekend and I didn't have anything else."
"Last weekend? I didn't know you and Emma were so… close. What were you doing? Or ought I go down the hall and trade places with her?"
Shit. "We were at the movies with Henry—he practically forced me to go." Aurora made no motion in either direction, so Mulan continued to try to pacify her. "Regina came too, and so did the a few of Henry's younger friends. I… Don't you want to come in?"
Looking slightly mollified at Mulan's reasoning, Aurora stepped inside and walked into Mulan's living room. The tightness of her shoulders still indicated to Mulan that she was displeased, and kicking the box of lingerie away, she closed the door and ushered Aurora towards the dining room table. Her actions were too slow, however, and Aurora picked up one of the stacks of library books that sat on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
"What's this? 'Chinese culture in the Modern Age' What? Mulan why would you need to read something about this world if we are planning to return?"
"Umm I just figured I should read up on the world here. For if…strangers come into town, and Belle recommended it when I was at the library." Aurora tensed up again, letting the book fall to the floor, and Mulan wanted to smack herself in the forehead for her careless speech.
"Belle? I see." The princess looked almost sorrowful at this, and her shoulders drooped down, but brushing it off, she pasted her "royal" smile on and turned to Mulan. "The food smells wonderful! I was unaware you could cook like that, Mulan." Her smile dazzled, pearly teeth starkly contrasting the red lips Mulan had long dreamt of, but the life that the warrior loved to see in those deep blue eyes was absent.
Still wearing the sweatpants, Mulan steered her friend towards the beautifully set dining room table as she explained. "I actually don't really cook. Red showed me some of Granny's best recipes, under strict secrecy of course, and we've been practicing since you left." At this, Aurora dug in her heels and refused to move forward for a moment. A slight tear formed in her eyes, but Mulan was too busy pulling out the chair for Aurora to notice. "I'll just go put something on and then I'll be right back."
Using the warrior's absence, Aurora lifted the napkin to her eyes and carefully wiped away all traces of tears with the corners. Her face brightened a little as she noticed the effort Mulan had taken with the table and food, fingers unconsciously tracing the same path Mulan's had earlier. She stood and walked over to the center of the table and lit the twisted candles right as Mulan returned, having exchanged the sweats for black, form-fitting jeans and boots. Aurora's eyes widened, but she tried to maintain her composure
As the princess sat back down, she muttered softly to herself, too softly for Mulan to hear. "Red too, and those jeans... So similar. Oh please no."
Mulan noted the princess' drooped spirits as they ate, and tried to cheer her up with questions about her and the Charmings' trip, but the princess replied in simple, monotone answers. Though the food was as it should have been, Aurora did not seem to enjoy it, picking at her plate and only eating nibbles. After watching the princess pull apart a tiny strip of chicken, Mulan asked her first question.
"So were you able to find a way to restore the castle? I know that was one of Snow's major concerns before she left. Ha wouldn't want to live in a crumbly castle right?" She smiled hopefully at the princess, but Aurora's mouth barely flashed a smile as she replied.
"Yes." Mulan waited for her to elaborate, but she did not continue. Her chicken was now completely separated, and the princess was directing the rice, like a general making battle plans, to different corners of her plate.
"Well that is great news! With the castle restored we can rebuild the kingdom, and we should be able to go back soon, right?"
"Snow seemed to think so, yes." Still no further elaboration came from the preoccupied princess.
"Umm, do you agree? Wait, your kingdom is going to be joined with theirs too right? I think Snow mentioned that…" Again a hopeful smile flashed from Mulan, but this time there was not even a hint of reply for the fast saddening princess.
"Indeed that is the plan." By this point Mulan was completely lost and confused by the princess' demeanor, but she continued to try to make conversation.
"So, do you like the food?" She sat nervously in her seat waiting to hear the answer, but again the princess answered with a few short, curt words.
"Far better than Chimera." Her troops all marshaled, Aurora finally took a few bites of food, but she seemed to do it out of duty and showed no enjoyment on her face as she swallowed.
At this, the warrior could take no more, and she stood up abruptly, throwing her napkin on the table. "Aurora, what's wrong? You've barely said a word or touched your food. Did something go wrong on your journey, or do you not want to be here?" She paused as Aurora looked up sharply, before barely whispering the last sentence. "Or is it just me you don't want to see?"
"You are the one who doesn't seem to be happy to see me!" Aurora stood up with fire in her eyes and walked over to Mulan she began to cry once more. "You've been gallivanting around with Emma, and Belle, and Red! It's like you didn't even miss me. I was looking forward to seeing you the entire time—it's what kept me going in that desolate place—and I counted the days off as we travelled back, but you, you've just been delighted here without me!" At this the tears streamed freely down her face, and she covered her face with her hands as she rushed over to the couch and threw herself prone onto the sofa.
Mulan stood there in shock as she watched Aurora fall apart in her living room, and she hesitated, torn between going over to the princess and hugging her now and waiting till the princess had sobbed out some of her anger. Taking a deep breath she whipped her hair back and clenched her fists before relaxing all her muscles. Then she walked purposefully into the living room and softly sat down next to the still sobbing princess. Her hand hovered out over Aurora's shoulder but the princess shrugged it away with an elbow. Undaunted, Mulan inched her hand forwards and down until it reached Aurora's back, and she began rubbing small circles as she had seen Snow do so long ago.
"Aurora? I… I wasn't enjoying myself at all. I only went to the movies because they came and dragged me out of here that night. Henry kept going on about how I would love all the action… Emma must have talked to Red and Belle because they showed up on alternating days to cheer me up or to force me to do something other than train and wait for you. It's been hellish here without you, and I was so excited for today, to see you again. Everything has just gone horribly wrong. Aurora?" The princess had stopped sobbing, but her shoulders were heaving as she tried to bring her breathing back to normal, fingers clenching on the sofa cushions as she struggled to calm herself. Once still, she sat back up, looking at Mulan with tear rimmed eyes.
Before beginning the smaller girl took a deep breath, "Snow and Charming were practically sick of how often I talked about you, so much so in fact, that they would deliberately leave me at camp sometimes. I just couldn't stop thinking of you, but I… I didn't think you would feel the same." She snuffled and wiped her eyes with her sleeve as she paused for breath and to control her slipping composure.
Rising, Mulan walked to the kitchen and got a clean napkin, which she brought over to Aurora before sitting back down next to her and pulling her princess into a hug. As she rubbed circles in the again quivering princess' body she softly replied. "How could I not, Aurora? I was completely smitten with your beauty when we rescued you, but you had Phillip. That's why I was so distant, and afterwards before we came here, you were mourning him, and it would have been inappropriate for me to say anything while you were in my care. Then we came here and you… You were so far above me. I thought… I thought you were going to look for a new prince while we were here."
At this Aurora looked up and smiled at Mulan. Her tears were now gone, and her face shone with a joy Mulan had only ever seen on Snows face—while looking at James. "Why would I need to look for a prince when I've already found you?"
The warrior crumpled into the sofa in shock at the princess' words, but her eyes never left the warmth of Aurora's deep blue sapphires. She held that gaze even as Aurora wound her body around so she was half standing, half sitting facing Mulan and, fairy-like, she leaned in softly. Mulan's eyes slid shut as the princess approached but instead of what she had hoped, she heard a giggle right next to her ear, and Aurora stood up, hand outstretched towards the overwhelmed warrior.
"Shall we finish dinner? And then… brownies? I… I can tell you about my plans for the kingdom."
Mulan took the hand and pulled herself upright, leaning in close to the princess before brushing away, pulling the now joyous princess behind her. "I'd like that." Everything is Perfect…