Chapter L

Fear and Loving

Author's Note

This update is brought to you by Covid 19

As several people noticed, I did make a Supergirl/Catco reference. I also made a The Devil Wears Prada reference too. I personally think that Regina would appreciate both Cat Grant and Miranda Priestly.

The pain in her hand tethered her to the moment. It was an inescapable, steady, and sharp reminder. It was her reality. Mulan sat at the bar at Granny's and stared at the wall behind the counter. The wall, the floor, the counter, anywhere but the television screen.

She was such a fool. A spineless, pale and pathetic lot, to quote the damn cartoon movie. What could she, a homeless and jobless girl with a sword, offer a princess?

Aurora couldn't love her. Couldn't want her. Couldn't be happy with her. There would be no sunny apartment. No happily ever after. Not for her. Aurora had a new royal engagement. Andreza, and the recently returned Ashley, had tried to console her. Their hugs and condolences were more annoying than helpful.

"Here."

Someone slammed a glass full of brown liquor on the counter in front of her.

"Looks like you need it, Sister."

One of the dwarves, Grumpy, plopped on to the stool beside her. "Nothing like Tennessee whiskey to chase away a shitty day." He glugged half of his own glass and closed his eyes. "It's like my brother always said. There's nothing alcohol can't fix, at least for a night."

She tried the drunk and almost choked at the strong burn. She held up a finger after she cleared her throat. "What is Tennessee? The word was foreign to her. She held up a second finger. "And which of your brothers said that?" Dopey?

His grizzled face twisted into a sad and sour scowl. "Stealthy. He didn't.'' He downed the rest of his drink. "He didn't make it."

Grumpy leaned over the counter and reached under it. He pulled out an almost full bottle of whiskey. He sat it down between them with a clink.

"I'm sorry about Stealthy." She had never lost a sibling, but she had lost comrades, soldiers, and friends in battle. She knew that her words were as ineffective as Andreza and Ashley's had been for her, but she said them anyway.

"Yeah. Me too. He would have loved it here." He grunted and opened the bottle. "And Tennessee is a state way down south. They make great booze, good music, and have one half-decent hockey team."

Mulan sighed. She needed to keep a list of words to look up on Google because she was always confused. "Hock- "She sounded it out as he poured them each three-fingers of whiskey. "-key?"

For the first time since she'd met him, Grumpy smiled. "Think of a riot on ice where they keep score. It's the only good part about winter here."

He pulled a phone out of his pocket. It was flat and made of black glass. "Let me show you the best perk of Queenie's Curse."

They drank and watched hockey on Grumpy's phone, and for a moment Mulan forgot. The alcohol burnt then numbed her. The game, hockey, was very interesting. She appreciated its speed, dexterity, and brutality. She doubted she could skate on ice, though.

When she voiced that concern, Grumpy had slapped her shoulder and let out a loud guffaw. "Trust me, Sister. We'll have you flying across the ice by November. I'm the best enforcer in town. I even put a couple of royals on their asses last year. I got a video of it somewhere. I like to watch it." He grinned, "over and over again."

The alcohol had gone to her head. She felt loose and silly. "Royal roughing."

He slapped her shoulders and back again. Grumpy let out another loud barking laugh. "I knew I liked you!"

She lifted her glass and clinked his. "Tell me that George-" She spat out his name, and it tasted bitter on his tongue. "-plays." She would not mind breaking a hockey stick across his smug face.

"I wish. Would have slashed him myself." He glowered at the bottle, then poured himself another drink. "His people killed Stealthy."

Oh. She thought he had been one of The Evil Queen's victims.

"And he butchered Billy. I liked that guy. Good right-winger." Grumpy huffed. "Your girl is too good for him."

Mulan grabbed the bottle from him and poured herself another drink. If it overfilled the glass and spilled a little, that was a coincidence and not her shaking hands.

"Sorry Sister."

She shook her head and clenched her damaged hand into a fist. She threw back the drink with her good hand and hissed at the welcome burn. She could feel a different burn in her fist, a dull and distant ache. The bandage stained red. Alcohol didn't stop the pain in her heart. Even a small mention of Aurora brought it back hard and fast. It was fast, cutting, and cruel pain.

"I wish I could tell you it gets better." Grumpy spoke, low and resigned. "But it don't. Not even a curse can stop that kinda hurt."

He spoke from experience and all the alcohol, and surliness was him coping. She looked at Grumpy and saw her own future. That thought alone made her swallow her entire drink. It was easy now, like water. She was already building up a tolerance to the burn. Mulan was disgusted with herself. No honor. No pride. She had been reduced to a heartbroken, drunken mess with no hope or goals beyond drinking away her pain. She should have let the wraith devour her.

The bell over the door jingled and she, stupidly, turned around. She knew it wouldn't be Aurora, but looked anyway. Grumpy glared over his shoulder too.

"Who the hell is that?"

The numbness evaporated and was replaced with dread. Mulan could feel her blood turn to ice. "Cora."

"Its-"

Cora's voice put her teeth on edge. It made her think of Lancelot and all the innocent lives lost at Safe Haven.

Cora corrected her, "-Your Majesty." She raised her arms dramatically.

Every piece of glass: the plates, the windows, the bottles, even the light bulbs shattered. The tiny jagged pieces flew everywhere. They sliced, stung, and split her skin open in a hundred places. Mulan grit her teeth and reached for her sword. She instantly regretted the alcohol she'd guzzled down.

It had been a very long time since she'd been in a bar brawl. She stood up from her stool and the room spun and whirled in and out of focus.

She squared her shoulders, locked her knees, and drew her sword from its scabbard. Her body knew how to fight. The motions came easily, like breathing. She raised her sword and her chin.

"What do you want, Witch?"

Mulan itched to attack. Cora had hurt Aurora. She had murdered countless innocents. She was the worst of all the villains.

"Fuck off, Lady." Grumpy stood up beside her. "We're at our quota for evil queens." He scowled, "At least Regina kept things nice." He looked around. "I mean shit! Who is gonna clean all this up?" He shook his head. "Granny is gonna be pissed."

While Granny was intimidating, Cora was a magical mass murderer. She was dangerous. Mulan knew that she had to get and keep her attention fast. There were civilians in the diner. Worse, there was a child. Ashley's daughter, Alexandra, was napping in the Inn's parlor. Cora would slaughter them all without a second thought.

"Grumpy." She put her hand on his shoulder before he made Cora angry. "Get Emma Swan."

She didn't wait for him to reply. She twisted her sword to an attack position and ran forward. She didn't bother to thrust or slash. The sword was not the weapon for this attack. She was.

She hit Cora hard, in a full-body tackle. They both tumbled out of the large broken window. The fall was brutal. Mulan flopped like a fish instead of tucking and rolling like she usually would. The alcohol and adrenaline dulled the immediate pain, but she knew she would feel it later.

Cora rose to her feet first, fast and furious. Mulan had only pulled herself to one knee when Cora attacked.

It was like a thousand arrows stabbed into her at once. She rose into the air, unable to move or breathe. It was the worst thing she'd ever felt. Cora stared up at her from the ground. She didn't have a single hair out of place. Her lip paint wasn't even smudged.

Cora chuckled a little. "You're no soldier. You are a silly little girl playing with a sword."

Mulan held her head up and tried to speak and not scream. "You're wrong." She forced every word out through clenched teeth. "I am a soldier."

The pain intensified beyond anything she had ever imagined. Hot tears clouded over her eyes and her hand spasmed. Her sword hit the ground with a dull clang.

"Not a very good one."

Cora walked around her, slowly circling. Every time she twitched her fingers or waved her hand, it hurt. Mulan suffered through countless waves of magical shocks. It was excruciating.

"Not a bad soldier either, though." Cora regarded her with piercing cold eyes. "I've seen much worse."

She kept circling. Mulan wasn't sure what was worse, the pain or the stare.

"You're too soft-hearted. Love." She tsked, "is weakness."

Cora twisted her hand into a fist and Mulan couldn't hold it in anymore. She screamed.

"Honestly, Dear, don't be dramatic. I'm fulfilling your obvious death wish."

Cora flashed another shark's smile. "Suicide by Sorceress."

She wasn't suicidal. Mulan wanted to scream. Cora's faux pity was worse than her accusation. She refused to scream again, though.

"The girl. You let a pretty little princess ruin you."

She clenched her fist again and Mulan fought down her scream.

"Pathetic."

When the pain finally stopped, Mulan was too weak to fight against her magical bonds anymore.

"I can fix that for you."

Mulan lowered like a hunk of meat on a hook. The tips of her boots brushed the debris-covered ground.

"You're far too useful to waste." Cora tilted her head to the side. "And you smell much better than the pirate. Yes, you will do nicely."

Cora's hand crooked into a grabbing claw, and Mulan understood exactly what she intended to do.

No! No! Mulan fought anew. She thrashed and twisted, desperate to escape.

Not this! Cora moved her hand closer to her chest. Her fingernails were like talons and she would rip out Mulan's heart. She would become the witch's mindless drone, a fate worse than death.

When Cora pushed her claws into her chest. Mulan felt instantly and unspeakably dirty, violated. The pain was nothing compared to the violation. She had faced defeat, dishonor, and death and this was worse than them all combined.

"Yo!" A gruff voice boomed from across Granny's courtyard. "She-Bitch!" Grumpy had no magic, no armor, no hope. He had a pickax slung over his shoulder and a bad attitude. He was putting himself in danger for her.

He was a fool and a hero.

"The heart-taking-shtick is getting kinda boring. I mean, we've all been there and done that. He swaggered out onto the street. "Plus Younger and Hotter did it better." He smirked. "She had better, what-do-ya-call-it, presentation. She put on a show. You're just making a fuckin' mess."

He came closer, fueled by alcohol and stupidity-driven courage. "When I defend Queenie, you know shits got weird." He shouldered his ax and gave it a swing. "You know what, it doesn't matter who you are. Storybrooke is my home and you are pissing me off."

Cora rolled her eyes. "A ridiculous name for a ridiculous realm."

Grumpy gave his pickax another swing. "Hey, if you have a problem with Storybrooke, you got a problem with me. Now let Mulan go or things are gonna get ugly."

Cora seemed almost amused. Almost. She even pulled her hand out of Mulan's chest. Her heart was, for the moment, still intact. Mulan was grateful for the small reprieve.

"I am the Queen of Hearts, Half-Man."

Grumpy snorted and spat on the sidewalk. "Well, this ain't Wonderland." He ran, pick-ax ready to strike. He froze mid-run, stiff and as still as a statue.

Cora's hand in the air held him magically in place too. "You can't be serious."

She walked away from Mulan. She felt a wave of shameful relief. With Cora's attention on Grumpy, she got a temporary reprieve from torture.

Cora stalked over to Grumpy and used magic to flick away his pickax like it was a child's toy. It flew into a truck and destroyed its tire and wheel.

Mulan couldn't turn her head away. She had to watch. Cora flicked two fingers and Grumpy's legs and arms spread out in separate directions. She would rip him apart. Mulan winced when she heard a crack, then a scream.

Another crack and Mulan could see his right shoulder bulge and twist into an unnatural shape. Mulan winced because she knew what a dislocated shoulder looked and felt like. Another crack and his left shoulder dislocated too. Grumpy screamed. His screams were ragged, hoarse, and agonized.

"You should thank me, you know." Cora mocked him and there was another crack, his hip. "You could stand to be a little taller."

Mulan fought with every ounce of muscle she had against the magic that held her. It only made her invisible binds tighten. It felt like her ribs were being snapped. She kept fighting, though. She must have broken through the magic because Cora paused in her attack on Grumpy. She turned back to look at her instead.

"Do stay-"

A rumble beneath her feet made Mulan look down. She saw metal pipes burst out of the road. They wrapped around her, as tight as the magic and just as unyielding.

"-still."

The pipes wrapped around and through her. One pierced through her thigh and another went through her forearm. Rough metal cut into her side. Her modern clothes offered no protection.

Liquid sprayed everywhere. It soaked her and the street. She prayed to her ancestors that the pipes crushing her only held clean water.

Cora was grinning like a mad-woman. She raised her hand to continue, and Mulan was powerless to help.

It was a hideous ring. Gaudy, ostentatious, and expensive. She would have liked it when she was younger. Aurora felt like she'd aged several years over the past few months.

She used to like shiny baubles. Now it was an anchor tied around her finger, a death sentence.

Her mother and father didn't care about what she wanted. They didn't care about how she felt. She wondered if they cared about her at all.

She couldn't do it. She wouldn't. She would join Phillip in the afterlife first.

No. She banished the dark and bitter thought as soon as it surfaced.

No, Aurora knew that she had a place, a real-life, a new chance at Happily Ever After. It was here and now. In Storybrooke. With Mulan.

Aurora tugged the infernal ring off of her finger. She wanted to throw it across the room. Into the forest. Into the ocean. Into a portal. She gently placed it on her vanity instead. She left no note. There was no need for an explanation. No love-lost. No goodbye.

She left everything save for a few simple pieces of clothes. She did not take silks, jewelry, or the money card. If there were no queens and kings in Storybrooke, there were no princesses either. She was just Aurora. Aurora Weathers-no. No. She was rejecting everything her parents gave her in this new land, even their name.

Aurora picked up the pearl, somehow unmarred by the ritual. She put it down on the vanity table too. It was another part of the past. She had to move on.

Phillip was gone. So was the girl he'd loved. She was no more that girl than she was the woman that George claimed was his property.

She was not Princess Aurora. This was Storybrooke, and it was time for her to embrace the local customs. Everyone here had two names. So would she.

Rory climbed out of her window and down the trellis. She struggled a bit but made it to the ground with only a few scrapes. No one noticed her leave. That seemed fitting.

Rory didn't look back at the house. House, not home, not hers anyway. She walked, leaving the house, the street, the neighborhood. She didn't know where to go or what to do. When she was a child, she had always gone to her fairy godmothers for help or advice. They had practically raised her.

Aurora looked out of her window. She leaned on her elbows and slouched. If one of her governesses, tutors, or ladies-in-waiting saw her. She sighed and rolled her eyes. They would criticize her unladylike posture.

No one came, though. It was the hottest part of the summer and most of the court was traveling with her parents. They were touring the kingdom, visiting the towns, and mingling with the people. They wouldn't return until Harvest.

Not her, though. No, it was too dangerous for her. Maleficent might take her away and enact her terrible revenge. At thirteen years old, Aurora longed for freedom. Maleficent kidnapping her would be more interesting than hiding away in the castle.

She had poured over Phillip's letters. His family was also traveling for the summer. They allowed him to come. He was a squire, serving his Knight Master. He wrote about learning about armor and watching the jousts. They had allowed him to take part in sparring tournaments and archery shoots. Were she a boy, she would get to do the same. She would learn how to fight Maleficent instead of hiding from her.

A flick of yellow light caught her eye. "Your Highness?"

One of the many fairies that protected her fluttered in the air. She grew to a full human-size in a gorgeous golden glow. Nebula was beautiful. She had dark skin and beautifully curled ebony hair. She had the kindest eyes Aurora had ever seen on anyone, fairy or human.

"Why are you-" She brushed a soft hand across Aurora's cheek "-crying?"

She hadn't even noticed. Aurora shrugged. Even if she had been crying, it hardly mattered. She couldn't do anything about it, couldn't change her life. Aurora was trapped. Trapped by Maleficent's threats and her parent's fears.

"Aurora." She bent over a little so they were eye-to-eye. "You can talk to me about anything."

Nebula was kind, and she always had good advice. She wasn't as adventurous as Tinkerbell or as sweet as Nova, but she was lovely. Nebula made her feel safe and cared about. She also made Aurora feel important, not as a princess, but as a person. Sometimes she thought Nebula was the only one who listened.

"I hate it here. I'm stuck here in the castle all the time. Sometimes mother and father will take me out to a ball or a cotillion, but they're always so stiff and formal. I always have to hide in the carriage on the way there and back again. I have to have guards in the courtyard and even when we go to the cathedral for mass."

Aurora turned around. "Always surrounded by people out there and then left alone here. It's awful!"

The fairy smiled at her. "I know it is hard for you, but I promise there are much worse fates."

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know. The great dragon Maleficent will swoop down and kidnap me. She'll take me to the Forbidden Fortress and torture me and-" She walked across her bedroom and fell on the bed. "-I'll die a terrible death."

Nebula laughed. She threw her head back and laughed long and loud.

Aurora crossed her arms over her chest. Why was Nebula laughing? It was a scary idea!

"Maleficent will not torture you!" She laughed again. "She would never hurt a hair on your little head!" She looked over at the mirror on the wall and arranged her curls. "She is more smoke than fire and she knows it."

Aurora let out a groan. "If she's such a sweetheart then, why do my parents keep me hidden from her?"

Nebula chuckled and looked over her shoulder and sighed. "That is a long story."

Aurora had heard it a thousand times. "Yes, Blue has told me over and over again." It was exhausting and repetitive. All about her parents' great love story and her miraculous birth.

"I don't want to hear that story again. I want to go on my own adventures, make my own way. I want to at least see the world outside of palace walls."

Nebula pulled her wand out of her fluffy skirts. "I can't do all that, but I do know that your boyfriend is about to spar with Florian of Golden River."

Oh! Phillip loathed Florian. Aurora didn't particularly care for him either. She wished she could see them!

Nebula flicked her wand at the mirror. Their reflections disappeared. The mirror showed a fairground and tournament banners. She saw Phillip wearing the orange and white of his Knight Master, Sir Gustav. Florian was wearing gold and pale blue, his father's colors.

Aurora sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed closest to the mirror.

"Oh! This is almost as good as the real thing! If only I had-"

Another small golden spark made a small cloth bag full of roasted nuts appear in her lap.

Aurora let out a little squeal of happiness. Nebula wrapped an arm around her shoulders and grabbed a few nuts for herself.

It wasn't as good as being there, but it was better than nothing."

Rory smiled because she knew where to go. Snow had told her that all the fairies were in Storybrooke. The Dark Curse turned them into nuns. Since Mother and Father had taken her to mass, she knew exactly where to find them.

The Convent of the Sisters of Saint Meissa was a beautiful stone and wood house. It was closer to the residential side of town. It was far from the busy business streets by Granny's. It was quiet and peaceful. Aurora felt awkward and out of place. All the women, fairies, nuns, wore matched blue outfits. They were neat as pins and painfully plain. They were nothing like the fairies she remembered. Where were the sparkling bouncing skirts, ribbons, and wings? Where was the laughter?

What was she supposed to do now? She felt as lost and confused as she had at her parent's house. She stood in the front garden, frozen in place. What was she supposed to do? Knock? Announce herself? Aurora had no experience with this. She had always had chaperones and servants, or at least her parents or Phillip or even Mulan with her. She had done nothing by herself before.

Rory wanted to sink into a hole. School children knew more about life in Storybrooke than she did.

"Can I help you?"

She let out an undignified squeak and jumped a little before turning around. A blue-clad blonde woman smiled at her. She had a kind face and a soft smile. She was a nun, so probably a fairy, but not one that Aurora recognized. She felt heat rise in her cheeks. She was blushing, and squealing like she was a child again.

"I-um-yes?" She stuttered like an imbecile. She didn't know what to do. "I'm trying to find, I mean I'm looking for-"

This was a bad idea, a terrible idea. She was an idiot.

"You're Aurora, right?"

She didn't recognize this fairy-nun. The woman looked older than her mother, but not by much.

"I suppose you're looking for your fairy godmother, or with you, its mothers, isn't it?"

Aurora nodded, too embarrassed to say anything. She'd known several fairies. There was always at least one fairy with her to protect her from Maleficent. She'd often spent far more time with them than her parents.

"I'm Sister Capella. I know Mother Superior, The Blue Fairy, is quite busy today, but I know who can help you."

Rory finally found her voice, "Tinkerbell?"

Sister Capella's face fell, and she bit her lip. "No, Your Highness, I'm afraid that Green didn't." She looked away for a moment as if she had to compose herself. "Green didn't make it."

Tinkerbell had been one of the fairies that had watched over her as a child, then one day she'd stopped visiting. Just like Nebula.

"I'm sorry. Tink was a wonderful fairy."

Sister Capella nodded, "She is missed." Her eyes darted up to a window as if worried someone was watching them. "Come along, Highness, we'll get you sorted."

She offered her arm and Aurora looped her arm through it. "Thank you, Sister, but call me Rory, please. There are no princesses in Storybrooke."

The Sister's eyebrows raised a bit, but she said nothing else. She led her around, not into the house, and to the back gardens.

The gardens were lush, beautiful, and meticulously tended to.

"This is gorgeous."

Sister Capella smiled. "We tend to it all ourselves. We grow our own food and flowers. Sister Mizar keeps bees in the back for honey."

Everything was beautiful.

"We send most of our vegetables to the schools. We also make pickles and preserves for the local food bank. In case there was ever a family in need." She paused, "We also offer classes about gardening too. We hosted the town gardening club before the curse broke."

Rory looked around and the plants and natural beauty the Nuns had cultivated. "Why did you stop?"

The nun grinned, "Because Regina Mills was the President of the club. If she steps foot on the property again Mother Superior would." She cut off like she'd realized the joke she was about to make would be ill-received. She looked over her shoulder at the house again, wary. "Let's just say that it would be a bad idea."

Sister Capella led her along and pointed out their herb garden and vegetable patch along the way. In the center of the garden was a small fountain. There were chairs and tables around it. A lone nun sat at a table writing on yellow paper. She had several books open around her. She looked deep in concentration.

"Sister Astrid."

The woman jumped, jerked, and sent her pen and a plastic cup of water to the ground.

Capella grinned and valiantly held in a chuckle at the other woman's clumsiness.

"I have someone who would like to speak with you."

When the other woman looked up, Rory immediately recognized her.

"Nova!"

She rushed forward, and the brunette stood and welcomed her with a hug. It was like she was a child again.

"Aurora." Her smile was the same, her hug was the same. She was a beautiful woman, tall and willowy with lovely eyes. She wrapped her long arms around Rory. Nova gave the best hugs.

"Rory, please." Her new name felt and sounded right.

She pulled away after a moment and looked at Nova. She was so different. She wasn't wearing a stitch of pink. Her jewelry and hair decorations were gone too. She wore the same dark blue habit as Sister Capella. It was odd. Why were they still pretending to be nuns? The curse was broken. They remembered who they were. Why were they still wearing all blue? They were fairies, they all had their own colors.

Oh! Rory turned her head to thank the other woman, but she had already left.

"I'm so sorry that you can't see Mother Sup-The Blue Fairy today." Nova's correction was immediate and her eyes darted to the building too.

What were these women-fairies afraid of?

"I wasn't looking for Blue."

The Blue Fairy was her true fairy godmother and primary protector. Rory had never particularly liked her. She had always seemed distant. More concerned with stopping Maleficent than protecting her.

"I would much rather talk to you, Nebula or Tink. I just heard about-" Death? Disappearance? She could ask, but doubted she would get answers. No one had ever answered her questions about Nebula. She'd been too young and self-absorbed to think about it back then. Now she was afraid to know the answers. "I'm so sorry, Nova. I remember that you were friends."

Beyond the smiles and laughter, Nova had seemed sad the last few years she'd known her. Like she suffered silently.

"She was always a much better fairy than me."

Nova closed the book she was reading over. Aurora leaned over and peeked at the title.

"Counseling?"

Nova nodded. "We get people here every day. Confused, upset, lost. They need help. I may be a second, or third, rate fairy but Doctor Hopper is overwhelmed. I'm trying to help as much as I can."

Rory reached out and grabbed Nova's slender hands in her own. "You were the best fairy I ever knew, Nova. You always made me feel safe and cared for. I know you can help. Everyone is lucky that you're here. You are, and have always been, wonderful. I wouldn't have made it without you."

She had been one of the fairies that Rory knew really cared about her. Anyone that called her second or third rate did not understand what they were talking about.

Nova linked their fingers and squeezed them. "What? Why would you think that?"

Nova always listened and had never judged her. Even when she'd been a silly and spoiled brat. It had been easy to talk to her then, and it was still easy now. Everything spilled out. Phillip, The Wraith, Mulan, George, the things that her mother had said, the things her father had done. It poured out like the fountain's waters. In big gushes that wouldn't stop. At some point, Rory had started crying, but she hadn't even noticed.

Soft fingers wiped her tears away and smoothed her hair down as she moved from talking to full-on weeping. Nova held her and let her cry. She hummed a soft tune. Rory felt safer than she had in a long time. The only thing that came close to this was when she was with Mulan.

When her sobs had slowed to sniffles, Nova stopped humming and looked at her. Her smile was still there, but there was sadness too. Her dark brown eyes were full of tears.

"I remember that you liked stories as a girl. Would you like to hear one now?"

Rory nodded because a story sounded like a nice escape right now.

"There was a time, after you and Phillip fell in love but before you slept, that Blue gave me other duties." A single dark curl fell over her face and Nova brushed it away. "I know you don't think so, but some others thought I was a little too clumsy and a little too silly to be a fairy godmother. So Blue sent me to retrieve some fairy dust. Dwarves mine fairy dust. Fairies use fairy dust to help people"

People like princesses.

"That is what we are born to do. Our destinies are what they are, and we aren't supposed to question them. But-"

Nova's face softened. "Sometimes destiny isn't quite right. I met a dwarf who wasn't interested in mining his days away."

She smiled. "He was sweet and kind, ready to move the moon and stars if I asked. He had so much hope and beautiful ideas of how the world could be. His name was Dreamy, and I fell in love with him. He fell in love with me. It was True Love. I knew that then and I know it now."

Nova? Fell in love? True Love?

"But fairies don't fall in love. Neither do dwarves." Nova's voice sounded forced and monotone. Like she was repeating a mantra.

A forbidden romance. There were far more forbidden, failed and tragic romances than Happily Ever Afters. Aurora used to think that love was everywhere, but now she was wary of it. Worried about it. Confused by it.

"We wanted to run away, go somewhere and be Just Nova and Just Dreamy, two people in love. But." Nova's eyes, distant and bright, darted to the convent building once more. "It wasn't meant to be."

Nova's voice wobbled a little, like she didn't believe what she was saying.

"I had to make a choice. To go with him and be mortal." She sighed, her entire body shuddered. "Or to remain a fairy and protect innocents. Innocents like you, My Dear Rory."

She paused and looked over at the fountain, at the water spouting and falling. "I had-" She pressed her lips together tight. "I had lost a dear friend to a similar choice. Tink. She." Nova shook her head. "I was afraid, terrified."

Nova squeezed her hands again. "And I let that fear make my decision for me. Twice." She shook her head. "Even cursed, I was too afraid to choose my heart over my fear."

A tear slid down Nova's cheek. "That decision ruined Dreamy's life. It changed him completely, right down to his name. My Dreamy disappeared. He became Grumpy."

Grumpy?! Grumpy the mean man who drank too much and wanted to kill Regina? That was Nova's True Love?!

"I wish, on every star and every particle of dust, that I could go back and change my decision."

Nova looked her right in the eye. "Don't let your fears win, Aurora. Don't throw away love as I did. If you love Mulan, then go to her. This world is different. Storybrooke is special. I swear I will do everything in my power to make sure that you still get your Happily Ever After."

Rory couldn't believe her ears. "But you could have your Happily Ever After too, right? Grumpy must still love you. You love him. Why don't you go to him? What are you afraid of now? This is Storybrooke. There are no kings or queens here. Honestly, it seems like people need counselors far more than fairy godmothers.

Nova looked at the building again. "Some things have changed, but others haven't. I'm not as free as you are, Sweet Girl."

Rory looked over her shoulder at the convent. What, or who, was everyone so afraid of? Should she be afraid too?

"But if I love Mulan? If I am with her? Am I leaving Phillip behind?" Turning him away from him how Nova had turned her back on Grumpy? She had even left behind his pearl.

"You don't have to. It sounds like you and Mulan both had a connection to him. You can still keep him in your lives and hearts. There are a lot of ways. Names have power. You said you want a new name."

Rory blinked, shocked. It was so obvious.

"You don't need to be here, Rory." She looked around the garden. "You need to go to her. Don't let fear stop you."

Nova looked around and when she was sure no one was watching, she pulled out a very familiar wand. Rory smiled when she saw the small silver star dangling from it. She'd made that little trinket for Nova when she was seven.

"Snow said that you guys didn't have wands or magic left."

Nova smiled. "Snow White doesn't know everything." Her eyes flicked back up to the building. "Neither does Mother Superior. Now." She grinned, "Think of Mulan." She flicked her wand, and everything flashed pink.

Her name was Rory Phillips, and she would kiss the woman she loved.

It was a little daydream. A happy thought. A sweet five-minute fairy tale that made her smile. It all came crashing down when the pink smoke cleared. She appeared in the middle of another hellish battlefield. It was a nightmare. Her own nightmare all over again.

Cora, the horrid murderess, had Mulan trapped in a cage of metal pipes. She was torturing a dwarf. She had destroyed half of the town!

Rory was terrified. She couldn't let her hurt Mulan, or worse, take her heart. She remembered that feeling, the horrible emptiness, and didn't wish that on her worst enemy. She wouldn't let Cora hurt Mulan!

She dropped her bag and moved, without clear thought or plan. Her body moved without conscious. Her blood rushed through her, pounding in her head and chest like a drum. It burnt in her veins and arteries, in her stomach and gullet.

She didn't even see Mulan's sword until she bent down to pick it up off the ground. She knew nothing about swords. It didn't matter. She pulled the heavy blade up and gripped it tight. Cora was so focused on the man (Nova's Grumpy?!) that she would never see her coming.

Every footstep was like thunder in Rory's ears. She sped up. Her heart and her steps became blurs. Rory raised the sword. Using both arms, she swung it like a club. She swung it hard at the witch's head.

Mulan was not Grumpy. She was not Nova. They would be together. They would be happy. Together. Like Phillip had wanted.

It was like she hit an invisible stone wall. The crashing pain went from her wrists and shoulders. She couldn't move, the blade was stuck mid-air. Only inches away from Cora's throat.

Cora turned slowly. She had a twisted smile on her face. "You." She flicked her hand and Grumpy flew like a rag-doll. He destroyed Granny's door and landed back inside the diner with a sickening thud and crack.

She remembered how Nova had talked about him. She still loved him and if Cora killed him, it would devastate her.

Cora stalked closer and Rory broke out in gooseflesh. She had forgotten how terrifying the woman could be up-close.

Rory tried to move, but she couldn't. Her mind raced, but her body was frozen. It was like she was a sentient statue.

"Useless. A pretty little bauble." Cora scoffed at her. Then she turned back to focus on Mulan. "At least this one has skills. I've heard about her, a legend even in Wonderland."

She couldn't move, and her screams strangled and died in her throat. Magic. This magic was evil. It felt cold, slimy, and dirty. It stank of fresh blood and cloying roses. It was completely different from the sweet buzz of Nova's pink smoke. Rory was petrified, unable to move. Unable to speak. She couldn't even scream for or to Mulan.

Mulan's eyes, dark and beautiful, were locked on hers. She could see the fear and love there. Rory had to do something. She had to buy Mulan and Ruby some time.

"You're a liar!" It had sounded much more intimidating in her head. "You told me we could get Phillip back! That we could summon his soul back from the wraith!" She felt tears leak down her cheeks. "You never told us there was a price! That someone else would have to die!"

Cora scowled and flushed red with temper. "There is always a price, you foolish little girl! Only a spoiled little princess would think otherwise. You can't achieve greatness without sacrifice.

She leaned closer, her lips almost brushed against Rory's cheek as she spoke. "That dragon was a love-sick fool too. She should have burnt you and your devious mother to death when she had a chance. She was weak. She loved you even though you cost her everything."

Wait. Did she mean her mother or Maleficent?

Cora stepped away, ignored her like she was nothing. "It's better this way." She turned her attention to Mulan. "This spoiled little princess would use you and toss you away. Just like her mother did to Maleficent."

She raised her hand to take Mulan's heart again.

Rory's world turned upside down and inside out. She had so many questions to ask. So many things to say. So many things she wanted to do. Mostly she wanted to stop this travesty from happening.

It was a horrible reversal of when Mulan had given her heart back. This wasn't magic. It was a monstrosity.

Then an explosion cut through the air. Rory recognized it. A gunshot.

"Cora Mills!"

Ruby's voice, clear and hard, came from above. She was standing on the roof of Granny's Inn. She was half-dressed, like she hadn't had enough time to find her clothes. She had pants, but no shirt, only a bra. Her hair was still soaking wet from a shower. She was barefoot. Her sheriff's deputy badge hung from a chain on her neck and her pistol was in her hands. Ruby lowered her gun and aimed at Cora.

"Release them!"

Rory could hear Ruby and Cora but that was distant, their fight was background noise. Mulan was alive.

Suddenly Rory could move. She forgot about Cora and the sword. She went to Mulan. She was bleeding, soaked, and shaking violently. She also reeked like a brewery. None of that mattered.

They were, once again, in the middle of a battlefield. They had each other, though, and Rory refused to let their new beginning spiral into a premature end. Not this time. Not today. She refused. Fear. Destiny. Fairy Tales. This was their life, not some stupid bedtime story. From now on, no one would decide how their lives, how their story played out but them.

"Mulan." Her voice shook.

"I'm fi-"

Rory stopped Mulan's lips with a single finger. She didn't need to hear a silly, placating lie or excuse. She tugged on the slick pipes that held Mulan. They didn't budge an inch. She couldn't rescue her warrior.

She reached up and touched each of Mulan's cheeks. They were cold to the touch. She couldn't wait another moment. She would not wait anymore.

"I love you."

She watched Mulan's face and took in all the emotions. The widening of her eyes, the twitch of her lips, and the flaring of her nostrils. Aurora could read Mulan's face like a book. Surprise Shock. Awe. Disbelief. Love. So much love.

Rory leaned in and pressed their lips together. Mulan went still under her touch. She pulled away, "Mulan?"

Mulan smiled, and her eyes glowed with light and happiness. Like Rory had given her the greatest gift in the entire realm.

"My Princess."

Rory couldn't help herself, she smiled back. "My Warrior."

This was their story, their Happily Ever After.