Author's note: This is part 1 of the first day that Mulan is guarding Aurora. That night will be the next chapter, hope you like it!
Summary: Mulan hears of possible treachery in the kingdom and decides to protect Aurora. The next day, she faces more difficulties than she would have liked when Aurora prefers not to be guarded.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters within, despite any wishes to the contrary.
Chapter 5: A Day in the LifeI followed Red down what seemed a maze of pathways, and every so often she would pause as other doors and pathways branched off of the corridor. She mentioned a few of them as she went, "That leads to Aurora's room, and this one leads to Phillip's. This leads to the kitchen and that to a door above the stables. Those lead to the west wing of guest rooms—Maleficent and August are staying there." After turning off into and walking to the end of another passage, she paused at the end of the hall and pressed a brick on the ceiling. A panel slid open and an older woman's voice rang out.
"Is that you, Red? Did you bring the girl?"
"It's me Gran! And yes, she's with me now. Can you let the ladder down?" Red called up at the voice, and moments later a rope ladder cascaded down upon them. Red nudged me, and motioned upwards. "Go ahead—I need to shut the panel after you."
I grabbed the first rung and began to climb. From the smooth, worn wood on the rungs, I could tell that this ladder was used often. As my arms began to burn, I looked up, yet still could not see the top of the ladder. A shift below me indicated that Red was now climbing as well, and determined not to appear weak, I soldiered onwards. Just moments later, my hand met a wooden trap-door as I reached upwards for the next rung, and I fumbled in the dark as I searched for the latch.
A woman pulled open the door and reached down to help me up. Her arms were much stronger than I expected for the older woman that she appeared to be, and the vibrancy in her eyes belied the grey of her hair. Gran, as Red had called her, stepped back towards the center of the room and I looked round. From the climb, I assumed that we were at the top of a tower, and as I looked round, I saw a few windows in the circular room by the torchlight. In the center of the room were a few mats which I assumed were for us to sit on.
Gran looked at me and smiled. "Well, here you are dear. Sorry about the climb, but we have to meet in the safest place we can, and very few people even know about the passages. Red found them when we came here and she was just a little thing." As she said this Red popped up and looked around, shutting the trap-door as she did so.
"Gran, where is Leroy?" Red asked as she noticed that there were only the three of them.
"He is meeting with Nova before he comes up. She mentioned to me earlier that she had some new information for us, and he should be here any minute now." Gran sat down on the mat in the front and Red grabbed my arm, pulling me down onto a mat next to her.
As we waited, she pointed towards Gran. "We're the unofficial guard, me and Gran are. I started it as a joke when Phillip brought me and Gran here. She's the cook you know—best food in Ireland." Gran smirked at this and wagged her finger my way.
"And don't you forget it either of you. Or else!" She looked at us with mock sternness and shook her finger sternly again.
Suddenly the door banged open and a bearded man climbed out. He pulled up the rope and slammed the trap door back down. I assumed this was Leroy, but he was shorter and scruffier than I had expected. He walked forward and threw himself down on a mat aggrievedly. "So eager to start, that you couldn't wait for me? Typical. And this is the person who's supposed to help us? Doesn't look like much to me."
"Leroy! Be polite. She saved Phillip multiple times, so I'm sure she can help us. Now, what did Nova say?" Red snapped right back at the short man. He smirked before replying, and as he did so his face became serious.
"Things are getting worse. Nova says another barmaid is missing, and before she went missing she said she was pregnant too. That's the third person so far, and I know for a fact that she was 'visited' by August about two months before. I was in the bar and he tried to shield his face while he flirted with her, but I recognized the voice. I assume it's the same story with the others too."
I looked over at Red, confused, and she motioned to Gran to talk. Gran stood up and moved in front of us, and all of us fell silent to listen to her explain.
"Two things started happening in the last few months. The first you heard part of from Leroy; for the past sixish months, girls have been going missing and most of them were just barely pregnant at the time. The first one disappeared from here. The day before, she told me that she was pregnant and she asked me for advice on what to do. I told her to tell the father and at this she got very nervous and would not say who it was. The next day she was gone.
I fear the father was August as the in the days after he arrived, I saw them laughing together. At the time, I thought he was just being polite, but after she disappeared I began to wonder. Since then a girl has disappeared from a pub about once a month. We suspect that August is responsible and the father of each of the multiple unborn children, but we have no proof other than testimonies like Leroy's here. And none of it is enough to prove anything.
The more serious concern however is that of the letters. For the last three months exactly Aurora has been receiving threatening letters. Most of them were poorly written and make little sense, but we think there is a real danger here. Primarily the reason for this is that we don't know how the notes are getting in—they just appear here. Maleficent and August have the King and Aurora convinced that they are pranks, but we think otherwise. Strange men have been seen in the village, and people disappear in the woods. No matter how hard we try though, Aurora will not be convinced to take precautions.
That's where you come in, Mulan. We need you to go where we cannot and watch Aurora for us. Wherever she goes for the next few days we want you to watch over her—from the shadows if you have to, but she must have constant protection. Can you do that for us?"
I listened to her tale as Gran related the events that had come about in the recent months. When she finished, all heads turned towards me expecting an answer. I stood and walked to a window as I thought it over. The thought of Aurora being hurt or killed made my very blood boil, but with how I felt about her, I doubted that I could take proper care of her. I would be too distracted to focus on taking the necessary precautions or to keep my distance. But, I had to try.
Turning around, I faced the three waiting for my answer. "I'll do it. Wherever she goes, I will go. Whenever she meets someone, I will be there watching. And if ever someone hurts her, I will be there to make them pay. I swear to you, I will watch over her." They all looked at each other in astonishment at my firm declaration, and after a semi awkward silence Leroy jumped up.
"Well, that's good enough for me. Good luck, Mulan." He shook my hand and pulled me close whispering in my ear, "and if you fail, I swear I will hunt you down." Then he turned, opened the trapdoor, threw down the ladder, and climbed down.
Red stood up next and moved over to the ladder as well. "Mulan, you should come with me so I can show you the passages you will need." I got up and followed her to the ladder. Gran stopped me before I descended and gave me a hug.
"Good luck now, dear, and take care of the Princess for me. She breakfasts early before taking a walk in the garden." I nodded and descended the ladder behind Red. On our way back to my room, she showed me which bricks I needed to press to open each sliding door that she had mentioned earlier. She left me at my door and said goodnight. After she left I waited a few minutes for her to get away, and then I ran down the passageways alone to Aurora's room.
When I reached it I used the stone to open the sliding door, and I stepped into the Princess' room. At least, I would have if there were not a tapestry covering the entrance, so I struggled out and looked around. Like mine, the floor was completely carpeted, but this carpet was a light purple, and the tapestries on each wall were of many different flowers and seasons woven in vibrant colors that gleamed in the torchlight. To my left was her bed which was draped in soft hues of purple and silver, and I dodged as far away as I could when I saw her stretch her arm out. She rolled back over and as far as I could tell went back to sleep. Hiding behind one of the posts, I moved the satin draped over it and looked at Aurora. She was sleeping soundly once more, and as everything looked safe, I decided to leave for the night. I stepped back into the passageway, jogged to my room, and went to bed.
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I rose before the sun came up and ran downstairs to the kitchens where Gran met me at the door with a bowl of porridge. She sat me down on a bench as the cooks around us chopped vegetables and prepared food for the royal's breakfast. Bustling around Gran barked out orders to each of the cooks and brought me a mug of something hot. I smelled it and found it had a pungent, sharp smell, but it tasted good and I felt more awake after drinking it.
Suddenly Gran sat down opposite me and my breakfast almost slopped out of my bowl at the force of it. "You need to hurry, Mulan. Aurora rises with the sun and takes a walk by herself—she should be down here for her breakfast any minute." At this I began shoveling food into my mouth and my hurry was justified. I was only half finished when we heard singing from down the passageway and Gran waved me under the table. I dove below as she scooped my dishes into a huge basin of water.
The door opened softly right as the humming got louder, and I watched the princess' feet as she spun around the room greeting each cook by name and hugging them by the sounds of it. I pulled myself in as tightly as possible as her feet approached the table I was hiding under. I heard a squeal and Aurora's silver-toned voice. "Granny! How are you today? I missed seeing you yesterday."
"Good morning, dear! Don't you worry your pretty little head about me now, I'm doing just fine, like I have been for years. We did miss you yesterday though; was your journey all-right?" I heard Gran set a plate of something on the table, and she and Aurora sat down. From my position, I could see that today Aurora was wearing some very fancy embroidered boots and a dress of sky blue that just barely covered her ankles.
She sat and ate, all the time talking quickly to Gran. "So, I finally got my dress back from the dressmaker, and it is gorgeous! She embroidered lace around every hem, and diamonds are sewn into the front and the lace veil. Perhaps I can show you later?" she paused before continuing, and I assumed Gran had said yes. "Oh for the dinner, you must make stuffed pigeons! Last night they were delightful, oh! And you must dine with us, Granny! You are such an old friend and I view you as a mother."
"Bu..but—"
"No arguments! You're coming. I'll have a dress for you made as soon as possible. Thank you again for breakfast! I'll send the dressmaker to see you later." By this time she had finished her meal, and the princess stood up to head outside. Moments later, Gran kicked me under the table and I crawled out. She pointed towards the door, and I ran outside after the princess.
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She was not in sight when I got outside, but I heard her singing, and I followed the sound of her voice. Her song was about each flower and in it she greeted each by name as she cared for it—tending each flower as if it were a child, watering and weeding each area on her knees. When I first caught up to her, she was tending a rose and even though she had only been out there for a few minutes, I saw that her dress and the hem especially were already dirty. She stood up and walked to each flower around a little pond before moving to the next circular path. I watched all this from my position behind a tree, switching trees each time Aurora moved away.
Once all the flowers in the center of the garden had been tended to, Aurora turned and walked towards the trees. I followed, dodging and weaving as I went, but she began to move faster as we went. Eventually I lost sight of her and I began to run—keeping cover less important as I realized that she could be in danger. Suddenly, she stepped out in front of me and I fell backwards and caught myself on my hands as Aurora stood over me with her hands on her hips. Her eyes tore me apart as she stared down at me, and as much as I wanted to move closer to that beauty, I edged away from those angry eyes.
"Why on earth have you been following me? And don't think I didn't notice you at breakfast. Granny never listens so attentively when I talk and she never agrees to come to my wedding, and I have asked her every day since I was betrothed. So tell me and don't even think about lying to me or I swear I will call my guards down and have you dragged down into the darkest dungeon I can find. Why are you here Mulan?" She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for my answer.
Her eyes bored into mine, and I was left speechless as I lost myself gazing into her deep blue eyes. I saw whole worlds there as I stuttered trying to answer her, and lying never even occurred to me. "I… I was following you?"
"Yes, I gathered that. Why are you following me though? Or can you not talk right? Phillip never mentioned that…" She mused and bit the tip of her finger as she cocked her head to the side. I was again almost made speechless from her actions.
"Princess, I can talk just fine, thank you! I uh I heard about the letters you've been getting and I decided to watch over you—protect you as sort of a private bodyguard." I decided not to sell out my co-guardians to the Princess. It wasn't a lie persay, so I hoped she would not notice my deceit.
"That old thing? Really? Again, I do not need anyone to protect me, so you can just go back to your room and do whatever it is you do. Make some fancy armor or write a poem, that's what your people do right? Go on, get out of here." She waved her hands at me as if to sweep me away and then she turned on her heel and stormed away.
I stood up and followed her, pace for pace as she sailed regally away. We arrived at the gate before she turned around and glared at me again. "Must you?"
"I said I would protect you, and that means yes, I will follow you."
"Fine, then if you insist. I am going to go riding now if you plan on coming." She turned her head to the side as she spoke this and her face fell in shock. I spun and jumped in front of her searching for whatever had caused her fear. Though I searched for nearly a minute, I saw nothing, and I turned around to face the princess. She was gone, passed through the gate, leaving it shut behind her. I tried it and found it locked.
I was furious. How dare she trick me like that? I ran inside the castle, through the kitchen, down the courtyard, and out the main gate—just in time to see Aurora riding away towards the woods. I dashed into the stable and saw Leroy holding my horse's reins out to me with a sympathetic look on his face. I mounted Argo in a single leap and galloped after her into the forest.
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She reached the trees long before I did, and using her superior knowledge of the area, she disappeared into the woods immediately. I followed the best I could using her hoof-prints, but if she were still travelling at the pace she started at, she could be long since out of the trees now. I continued on, trying my best to hurry but I made little headway and was forced to remain at my slow pace.
Suddenly I heard a terrible shriek and I knew it was Aurora. Digging my heels into my horse's side I began galloping towards the sound, ignoring the branches whipping my face and sides as I went. Luckily the voice was not terribly far in front of me and shortly I arrived in the clearing where the scream had originated. Aurora's horse was lying on the ground getting its throat ripped out by a large wolf, and she was shivering on the branch of a tree above them both.
I leapt off of Argo and, spinning in the air, landed between the tree and the wolf. It snarled at me, blood dripping freely from its jaws as it let go of the now dead horse's neck. Raising my sword, I stepped forward before it lunged at me, jaw snapping down on my blade as I raised it to attack. Its jaw clamped down fiercely on my sword and I kicked its powerful shoulder as I pulled it out and swung my sword at its head. The wolf lunged backwards and spun around, snarling more fiercely than before. It snapped upwards at the tree, in an almost taunting motion at the princess who screamed again. At this, rage filled me, and I jumped up, landing next to the wolf and slicing its head when I reached my feet.
As its body crumpled to the forest floor, I stood there, chest heaving, exhausted from tussling with it when I heard a little gasp and felt a dampness on my foot as my ankle gave way. Looking down I saw a chunk of my boot torn away and blood dripping from my ankle where the wolf had bit me before I had slain it. Aurora climbed down the tree and helped me wrap up the wound, then helped me to my feet.
She looked at me softly and the scorn I'd seen earlier was gone. "Thank you for your assistance, Mulan. I guess I do occasionally need someone's protection." Instead of replying, I just stared into my princess's eyes, and she flushed slightly before turning away and picking up the remains of her saddlebags. She placed them on Argo before swinging into the saddle herself. I got up behind her again, and we began to ride back towards the castle. As we rode, we began to talk, as friends.
"So do I get to be invited to your wedding as well, Princess?"
"Of course! As Phillip's friend you would have been most welcome, and now I invite you on my own behalf as well. OOOOH! You must have a dress made for you as well! Or would you prefer to wear your own traditional garb?"
"I fear I would be most uncomfortable in a dress like yours, Princess, but I have very little but the clothes on my back."
"Well, we must get you some more then! I'll send a dressmaker to you as well, and we can get you a complete new outfit. NO buts!" she continued fiercely as she heard my swift intake of breath at her last words. "They can make traditional garb for you if you tell them how."
"Thank you, Princess, your offer is most kind. May I ask you if you are more amenable to me being your bodyguard in future?"
"I suppose if you must but only if you agree to not be so serious. No more sneaking around, either. You can just join me in my walks and rides instead. And stop calling me, Princess. It makes me feel old…. Are you sure you have to guard me?"
"I swore to protect you and while I do not approve of your restrictions, I will keep that oath. What are your plans for the rest of the day, Pri—Aurora?"
"Much better, Mulan. And my plans? Don't you mean our plans? We are going to get you all outfitted out, and then we are going to talk Phillip into bringing the girl from the next kingdom to the wedding (he's had a huge crush on her for years), and then we're going to get all bathed up, and then it will be dinnertime. You're coming to dinner tonight you know."
I sighed as we continued riding. This was going to be a long day.