Title: Broken But Mending

Rating: *quirks eyebrow*

Summary: Cold hands, warm heart, dirty feet, no sweetheart.

Disclaimer: Do you honestly think I'd have the heart to make Sleeping Warrior canon only to smash our hopes to bits?

Author's Note: It's Femslash February! YAAAAAY!

The Merry Men parted before her as she moved through the camp. She'd only been among Robin's band for a few weeks, but she had won their respect with her survival skills, battle knowledge, and her actions in the sack of Philip's castle.

It had been pure luck that they'd been heading to visit when Philip's enemies had attacked. Who these enemies were was still unknown, but they had swarmed over the castle with a vengeance, burning everything in sight until the ancient building was a towering inferno.

Mulan could not deny it; the second she'd seen the flames licking the mottled gray stones, she'd had only one thought in mind:

Get to Aurora.

The princess hadn't been cowering in her chamber or attempting to escape, as many in her position would have done. She was in the great hall with her husband, Philip's sword heavy in her thin arms. The prince himself was lying on the ground, blood pooling underneath his still body. Enemies surrounded her and she was without armor or shield, but Aurora had not faltered. Mulan had been helpless to stop the pride swelling inside of her at the sight of Aurora's hard, unyielding features.

But for all of her courage it could not be denied that Aurora was not a trained warrior. Mulan didn't know exactly how many men she'd had to kill to get the princess to safety – especially once Aurora, heavily pregnant, had succumbed to smoke inhalation and passed out – but she didn't care. It had ended with Aurora safe in her arms as she rode from the castle, unconscious but breathing.

It hurt to leave Philip behind. There was nothing to be done for him, but to not even receive a proper funeral… it was heartbreaking, especially for the man she had once called her best friend. She had even thought that she could bring herself to love him, if she tried hard enough.

That was before she knew what love really was.

Now she moved through the crowd, making her way to her personal tent. Most of the men slept outside, but as the only female member of Robin's band he had insisted she have some privacy. Since rescuing Aurora, the princess had resided there as well.

When Mulan stepped into the tent, Aurora was doing what she always did –lying on the cot as she stared, eyes unseeing, into the distance.

"Rora…" Mulan whispered, kneeling at the edge of the bed. It was the only name Aurora would respond to now.

The princess's eyes rose slowly, and for a moment they stared at Mulan as if she'd never seen her before. But then a kind of spark ignited in them, and Aurora smiled brokenly.

"My warrior," She replied, half joke and half sob.

"Have you eaten?" Mulan asked.

"I'm not hungry."

"You must," Mulan insisted. "Think of the baby."

The aforementioned child, Philippa, was sleeping in the little basket that Little John had woven for her.

"If you don't eat, you won't have the strong milk she needs," Mulan reasoned. "Friar Tuck made the soup tonight, so you know it tastes good."

Aurora stared at her blankly, and then reached for the bowl. Mulan held back her sigh of relief. Every day it was a struggle to get Aurora to eat, to walk, to keep living. Sometimes Mulan wondered if Aurora wouldn't have simply faded away by now if it weren't for Philippa.

That night, after discussing the next day's plans with Robin and the others, Mulan slipped back into the tent. Aurora appeared to be asleep, but as Mulan removed her armor, the princess rolled over and tugged at her with cold hands.

Wordlessly, Mulan slid into bed next to Aurora, letting the princess curl up next to her, wrapping arms around Aurora's thin, trembling frame. It made her feel so guilty, almost as though she were betraying Philip's memory, but Aurora wouldn't sleep without Mulan next to her.

"Your hands are freezing, qīn'ài de," Mulan whispered. It was safe to call Aurora things like darling because the princess didn't understand Mandarin. She took the princess's hands in hers and rubbed softly, trying to warm the frozen digits.

"Did you wash your feet?" Aurora had taken to wandering around the camp barefoot. Her face was always blank, but Robin insisted that when she did it she was following Mulan.

Aurora shook her head, burying her face into Mulan's collarbone. Mulan prayed for her heart to slow down.

"I'm sorry," Aurora whispered. She was forever apologizing. "I'm sorry you have to take care of me. I'm sorry to be such a burden."

Mulan allowed herself to tighten her grip on Aurora. "I want to take care of you," She replied. "It's all I ever want. But you have to let me. You have to eat and exercise. I can't take care of you if you won't let me."

Aurora's only answer was a kind of snuffling noise, and Mulan felt something wet drip onto her neck.

"Would Philip have wanted this? You're a ghost, Rora. He would have wanted you happy and smiling, playing and laughing. He wouldn't have wanted this."

Aurora's laugh was harsh and startling. "He would hate me," She insisted. "He'd hate me if he knew…"

"He couldn't possibly hate you," Mulan assured her. She had no idea what Aurora was talking about, but she knew that Philip had loved his wife with his entire soul, and no matter what Aurora thought, there was nothing she could have done to lose that.

Aurora gave a dry sob. "How do I always get people who are too good for me?" She asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Mulan replied.

Aurora raised her head, and Mulan could see her tear-stained face. "Is it possible to love two people at once?" She asked.

Mulan was surprised at the change of topic, but gave it some thought. "I suppose," She answered. "People have different qualities, different virtues, and it's possible to appreciate both equally… but I think over time one of them will grow to take first place in your heart."

Aurora smiled, but her lips trembled. "I thought the baby was a sign," She whispered.

"Of what?" There was something shining in Aurora's face, something sad and unfathomable, and it was scaring Mulan.

"That I was meant to be with Philip," Aurora explained. "I told myself that he had searched for me, that even if he didn't really understand me now he would grow to over time, and since you never seemed to return my affections…"

"Aurora?" Mulan felt like her heart had stopped.

"But you understood me. I wasn't a pretty princess, I was… I was Aurora. You called me out on my mistakes and you protected me and taught me how to hold a sword and you watched over me every night, every night while I had nightmares…" Tears were streaming down Aurora's face, making her voice thick and choked. "But you never said anything. You never… and then Philip came back and…"

Aurora's shoulders were shaking, her chest heaving. Mulan began to worry that the baby would wake up. She sat up and took Aurora back into her arms, rubbing her back soothingly.

"I was disloyal to him," Aurora sobbed. "I was disloyal in my heart. He would hate me, he would despise me…"

"Never," Mulan reassured her. "He could never hate you, bao bei. He would have wanted you to be happy, whether it was with him or with someone else. He was always selfless that way."

"Do you hate me?" Aurora pulled back, her eyes searching Mulan's face.

"Why would I hate you?"

"Because I'm a coward. A lost princess who can't even speak her heart."

Mulan found her hands reaching up, caressing Aurora's face and wiping away the tears that stained her soft cheeks. "If you are a coward, then I am one twofold. A warrior who can't find the courage to say a few small words…"

She felt Aurora slide closer, aligning their bodies until their faces were so close their noses brushed. "I love you," She whispered.

Mulan felt her own eyes become hot and prickly with tears. "I love you, my chuān měizi. I always have."

Aurora's lips were softer than Mulan had expected, but her mouth was as warm as she'd imagined – when she'd dared to imagine it. As she ran her hands over Aurora's back, she could feel the cold skin and goosebumps. Her mouth was the only thing warm about her.

"How do you get so cold?" Mulan whispered.

"Warm me up," Aurora replied.

Mulan was so surprised that she chuckled. "Are you serious?"

"I don't want to feel guilty anymore," Aurora pleaded. "I don't want to hide or worry that what I want is wrong. I lost you once by not acting and I don't want to go through that again."

Mulan could never say no to her princess.

"Okay," She nodded. "Do you know… um, how this works?"

Aurora's smile was shy but bright. "I can figure it out."

She leaned in again, kissing and kissing and kissing until Mulan's head spun and her heart thudded against her ribs. They rolled so that Aurora was straddling her, silky auburn hair tumbling over her shoulders and spilling around their faces like a curtain. Mulan could feel her body heating up, blood singing as it rushed through her veins.

And then Aurora took off her nightgown, and all of the heat in Mulan's body headed south. The princess's skin looked alabaster in the sliver of moonlight leaking through the gap in the tent flaps, her eyes dark and warm. Mulan let out a shaky breath.

"You're beautiful."

Aurora ducked her head, blushing. "I could say the same of you," She pointed out.

Mulan pushed herself up on one hand, kissing her way down Aurora's neck. Her skin was smooth, tasting both salty and sweet. She sucked at the skin, working her way down to Aurora's breasts.

"Sorry," Aurora muttered.

"What for?" Mulan asked. The skin was especially soft and silky here, and her mouth watered to taste.

"They're kind of small," Aurora admitted.

Mulan chuckled. "All you need is a mouthful," She said. To prove her point, she sucked one of the nipples into her mouth.

Aurora moaned, arching to push her breast further into Mulan's mouth, her hips rolling instinctively. Mulan kept at it, kissing and sucking every piece of skin that she could reach, her hands coming up to lightly grip at Aurora's hips. Heat pooled between her legs, and she knew her underwear was most likely ruined.

"You're… you're still clothed," Aurora stuttered even as her hips picked up their pace. "Not fair."

Mulan hummed against Aurora's pulse, feeling it flutter beneath her lips. "What are you going to do about it?" She teased.

Aurora's answer was to push her back onto the bed, making short work of her nightclothes. "I'm going to even things up," Aurora quipped.

Mulan laughed, partly from joy and partly from relief at seeing Aurora so energized and lighthearted. Her chuckles quickly dissipated into gasps as she felt Aurora's small hand – quite hot now – slide down her stomach to explore the stickiness between her thighs. Aurora dragged a finger through her folds, and Mulan couldn't stop her lips from stuttering upwards. She'd dreamed of this for so long, waking up with a yearning ache and guilty thoughts, that now her body was almost out of control with desire.

Aurora bit her lip, sliding a finger in slowly. "How is it?" She asked, sounding nervous.

Mulan smiled helplessly. "What do you think?"

Aurora slid a second finger in, going until she was in up to the knuckle, and then crooked her fingers upwards. Mulan groaned.

"I had to teach Philip how to do this, because his… well, the baby-making alone wouldn't do it for me. I had to work on myself, then show him. I figured you couldn't be all that different from me… anatomically." Aurora explained, looking both shy and proud.

"Trust me, you're doing great," Mulan panted.

Aurora crooked her fingers again, and again, pressing continuously against that sweet spot as her thumb came up to rub slow circles against Mulan's clit. The warrior never would have guessed that the princess would have been so accomplished, or confident, about something like this, but Aurora had been surprising her since they'd met.

"Want me to go faster?" Aurora asked, and oh that grin was positively wicked. She rubbed hard, tight circles with her thumb, her fingers pumping in earnest. Mulan opened her mouth to reply but all that came out were babbling groans.

"I thought so," Aurora said.

She added a third finger, and Mulan swore her eyes rolled back into her head. Her body was pitching and rolling like a ship in a storm, waves of pleasure crashing around her, battering at her defenses until she couldn't hold it together anymore. "Rora… I can't, I can't, I'm going to–"

"Let go," Aurora whispered. She leaned forwards, placing a chaste kiss to Mulan's lips. "My proud, brave warrior. Just let go."

The words were a command that Mulan couldn't refuse, and she lost herself in the rolling waves of pleasure. She'd pleasured herself on her own, but she hadn't realized the extra dimension that doing this with another – with someone you loved – would add to the experience.

When she came to, her chest heaving, her skin coated in sweat and her legs an absolute mess, Aurora was gaping at her. The princess's pupils were so dilated her eyes looked black, her pale skin flushed.

"What?" Mulan asked, feeling self-conscious.

Aurora swallowed. "That was… I just…" She smiled in an embarrassed manner. "That was hot."

Normally Mulan wouldn't have possessed the self-confidence to believe her, but Aurora's hungry face and trembling body showed the truth in her words. She reached for her, pushing gently until it was Aurora's turn to lie down, her legs splayed open. Mulan nipped gently at the soft skin on Aurora's stomach, sucking at the stretch marks the baby's birth had left behind. Aurora flung an arm over her face, embarrassed.

"Don't," Mulan insisted. She gripped Aurora's elbow and gently moved her arm out of the way. "I want to see you."

She dipped her head down, nosing at the slick folds, feeling the heat and smelling the musky, heady scent. She darted her tongue out, tasting the tangy flavor, letting it roll over her tongue. She'd never done this before, but she wanted to be adventurous.

Mulan nuzzled closer, exploring until she found the entrance she sought. Aurora whimpered above her, providing all of the encouragement she needed, and she plunged her tongue in. Aurora groaned in earnest, her fingers coming up to tangle in Mulan's thick hair. Knowing form experimenting with herself that the princess would need more stimulation, Mulan released Aurora's thigh – still pinning the other down with her left hand – and brought her right hand up to press against the princess's clit.

The effect was instantaneous. Aurora arched up, a wordless cry springing from her lips. Mulan readjusted her mouth, switching so that it could suck on the clit while her fingers entered Aurora. It was hard to keep up the pace because of how Aurora bucked her hips, but Mulan did her best. Judging by the sounds Aurora was making, Mulan's best was pretty damn good.

It could have been hours or seconds, but soon Aurora was clenching wildly around Mulan's fingers, her breath so heavy and panting that she couldn't even make noise, and Mulan raised her eyes. She wanted to see this.

Aurora was beautiful; that Mulan had known ever since she'd laid eyes on the woman. Even before she had loved Aurora, she had felt a tug of heat in her gut when she'd looked at her. The princess had a face that could start a war. But now, now in this moment, with her eyes bright and her skin shining with sweat, her hair damp and wild and her lips wet and pink and parted… Mulan had never seen, and knew she would never see again, anything so beautiful.

Always underestimating herself, Aurora blushed as Mulan crawled upwards to kiss her forehead. "I'm sorry," She whispered. "I should have warned you."

"Never apologize," Mulan chastised her. "You do far too much of that."

Aurora draped her arms around the warrior's neck, her lips pressing light kisses to her neck and clavicle. "Stay with me," She said, and Mulan felt her lips tremble against her pulse. "Don't ever leave."

"As if I could leave my heart," Mulan replied, soothing her.

Aurora started to cry again, silently, and Mulan held her as tight as she dared, pressing kiss after kiss into the princess's skin, whispering endearments in English and Mandarin until Aurora was deep in slumber.

It wasn't the cure to Aurora's guilt, and it wasn't an end to their problems, but it was something. It was a step forward, a step towards one another. And Mulan knew that if she had to spend the rest of her days proving that Aurora was worth it, that she was loved, that Mulan would do anything for her… well, it sounded like a worthy way to spend her life.

Chuān měizi is Mandarin for "River Maiden", a high compliment in China because it is believed the most beautiful women come from the Sichuan (Four Rivers) Province in China.