Princess Aurora is a character who appears in ABC's fantasy series Once Upon a Time.
She is based on the character of the same name from Disney's 1959 animated feature film Sleeping Beauty.
Role in the series[]
It was revealed that her mother Briar Rose was afflicted with the same curse by Maleficent years before, making her the second "Sleeping Beauty".
Aurora was born to King Stefan and Queen Briar Rose. From her parents, she knows Maleficent once cursed her mother into an eternal sleep before her father awakened her with true love's kiss. Years later she is betrothed to Prince Phillip (portrayed by Julian Morris). But before they could marry, while happily brushing her hair one night, Maleficent approaches her. The sorceress admits she has thought about killing Briar Rose and King Stefan, but that it would be much better to allow them to live and see what she will do to their daughter. Aurora tries running, but Maleficent catches her by the arm. The princess attempts to intimidate her rival with the prospect of true love's kiss, which will break any curse. Instead, Maleficent reveals she has an equally satisfying curse for Phillip that will turn him into a monster thus keeping him from saving Aurora. As the girl is shouting in mid-protest, Maleficent pierces her with the sleeping curse, rendering her asleep almost instantly beginning her slumber before the casting of the Dark Curse. The palace in which she slumbered was untouched by the curse.
While she slumbered, Phillip and Mulan (portrayed by Jamie Chung) journeyed to find her. They were frozen for 28 years while the Curse was in effect but were able to resume their search after Emma Swan weakened the Curse in Storybrooke. Aurora was awakened by Phillip with True Love's Kiss but soon after Phillip was marked by a creature called a Wraith. He hides it from Aurora and Mulan.
When he goes to sacrifice himself, Aurora and Mulan follow him. It is there Aurora discovers Mulan has feelings for Phillip too. But he has his soul sucked out of him by the Wraith and is killed. Aurora and Mulan carry his body back to Aurora's palace where Mulan explains the dark curse to Aurora. They hear a sound and find Emma Swan and Mary Margaret Blanchard underneath some rubble. Aurora, thinking that they were responsible for the Wraith's appearance, takes them to a haven as prisoners. When Emma and Mary Margaret were thrown into the pit they were eventually brought to the leader who turns out to be Sir Lancelot (portrayed by Sinqua Wells). Aurora expresses her distrust in him to Mulan. She also holds Emma and Snow White responsible for Phillip being gone and wants revenge but Mulan warns her against this. But when her back is turned, Aurora grasps a knife tightly in her hands.
Mulan accompanies Emma and Mary Margaret on their journey to find their way back to Storybrooke but Aurora secretly follows them. When Mary Margaret is alone, Aurora seizes the opportunity and holds her and knife-point and holds her responsible for Phillip's death. But Mary Margaret easily overcomes her and pins Aurora to the ground stating that what happened to Phillip was not her fault and that she knows what it is like to lose someone she cared about. Mulan and Emma return to see what is going on. Emma is furious Aurora tried to kill her mother, but Mulan says she will deal with Aurora on her own terms. Later, Mulan is seen telling Aurora to keep up and that it is her own fault for being cold as she should have stayed on the island. Emma takes pity on Aurora and gives her her jacket to keep her warm. At the castle, Aurora and Mulan keep guard at the gate. Later, Aurora agrees to help Mary Margaret and Emma with trying to find another way home as it will give her a chance to channel her anger.
Aurora discovers Captain Hook beneath a pile of bodies, and Hook attempts to deceive the four of them by stating he survivedCora's attack on the camp by hiding under some dead bodies. Emma does not buy his story and pulls a knife on Hook's throat, stating that she wants the truth and that she can tell when a person is lying. She then ties Hook to a tree, whistles for the ogres, and begins to walk away. Aurora believes that he may be telling the truth, but then Hook reveals his true identity as a shocked Mary Margaret pulls his hook out of his satchel. He states that he was working with Cora, but will now join forces with Emma and her team. He leads them to a giant beanstalk stretching up into the sky, Aurora lagging, stating that there is a magical compass at the top, but first, they must deal with the giant. At the beanstalk, Aurora volunteers to go up, as she says she has no one left to her in this world but is overridden when Emma says she will go up instead.
Mary Margaret comforts Aurora about her Nightmares.
After Emma departs, Mulan suggests that the remaining three women split time taking watch. Mary Margaret volunteers to watch first, but Aurora refuses to sleep, saying she has been having nightmares since her sleeping curse. Mary Margaret reassures her, saying the dreams will go away in time as she, too, also dealt with the after-effects of the sleeping curse. Later, Aurora wakes up screaming from a nightmare, and Mary Margaret comforts her as Mulan looks on. Aurora describes her dream, in which she is in a windowless doorless room with blood-red curtains and flames. Another person, a man, is looking at her from across the room, and she is scared. Mary Margaret comforts her and coaxes her back to sleep. When Mulan moves to cut down the beanstalk, Aurora asks why. Though Mulan is acting on Emma's orders, Mary Margaret tackles her to the ground to stop her from cutting it.
After Emma jumps down from the beanstalk, Aurora wonders where Hook is, and Emma replies that he is being temporarily watched and that the group has a ten-hour head start, so they should take advantage of it. It is later revealed that she and Henry Mills, Emma's son, are experiencing the same nightmare. Aurora is seen sleeping when Emma and Mary Margaret pass by. We see her in her nightmare screaming and becoming engulfed by the flames when Henry reappears with the necklace given to him by Mr. Gold and puts out the flames. He tells her his name is Henry, and she shouldn't be afraid. She is awakened by Mary Margaret and explains to her and Emma that there was a little boy in her dream, and his name was Henry. She's later captured by Cora, who tries to use her to get what she wants by revealing that Phillip's soul is in another world.
Aurora refuses to help Cora and is knocked out cold, but Hook releases her and it's revealed he took her heart which Cora uses to manipulate Aurora. Cora and Hook then imprison her and the others in an enchanted dungeon. After the spell on the dungeon is broken, Aurora voluntarily stays behind because she knows that she cannot be trusted since Cora has control of her heart. When Hook and Cora are about to escape to Storybrooke in a portal, they are attacked by Snow White, Emma, and Mulan. At one point during the battle, Cora vanishes and Aurora's heart almost falls into the portal, but Hook saves it because he feels that it is not right for a girl to lose her heart, especially to him. Mulan then returns to Aurora and puts her heart back in her body. The two of them then resume their quest to save Phillip.
Aurora, Phillip, and Mulan discover an unconscious Neal.
She appears in the season finale where she, a revived Phillip and Mulan find Neal washed off the coast in the Enchanted Forest. They take him back to the palace and tend to his injuries. Upon awakening, she asks who he is, to which the man responds with his name, Neal. Hastily, Aurora rushes over to bring water to him while Neal wonders where this is. She tells him he is in their kingdom, and further questioning prompts Prince Phillip to tell Neal they are in the Enchanted Forest. Shocked, Neal murmurs he is back, which causes Aurora to think he's a native of this land, but Mulan points out his clothes are foreign and similar to Emma and Mary Margaret's. At the mention of Emma's name, Neal realizes they are acquainted with her as well and tries to explain he needs to save Emma from harm. In attempting to move from the beer, Neal struggles to sit up as his wound is not yet completely healed, but despite that, he is set on finding out if Emma and Henry are alright. Aurora queries if Neal is Henry's father, and goes on to fill him in on how she once met Henry in the Netherworld. She mentions having harnessed the power to walk the dream world and find others like her, and it's possible to find Henry. Neal asks if she can find Emma to let her know he is alive.
Assuming a lying spot on the beer, Aurora attempts to find Emma or Henry in the dream world. A moment later, Aurora awakens to notify Neal she was unable to make contact. However, Neal recalls his father always had plans and could have left something behind if he ever came back to the Enchanted Forest. He has hopes of finding such an item and using it to get to Emma and Henry by traveling to his father's castle. Prince Phillip raises the question of who his father is, and Neal admits it's Rumplestiltskin. While Aurora and Prince Phillip stay behind, Mulan and Neal head off towards the castle, wishing the two luck in their endeavors.
When Mulan is offered to join Robin Hood's band, she stops by Aurora's to share the great news, but before Aurora shares great news of her own: she and Phillip are expecting their first child. After the two are happy to hear both of their respective revelations, Mulan and Aurora exchange happy tearful hugs and say goodbye.
Phillip and Aurora watching the return of everyone.
Sometime later, everyone who was sent to Storybrooke by the Dark Curse returns to the Enchanted Forest, and Aurora and Phillip greet them. However, after welcoming everyone back the two of them realize that they must tell Zelena, the Wicked Witch of the West that Storybrooke's residents have returned. If they do not give her this information, she will take their child. However, Aurora and Phillip break their deal with a revelation to Regina, Belle, Snow White, and Charming on the primal goal of the witch on Snow White's baby. Angry, the Wicked Witch transforms them into flying monkeys.
After the Wicked Witch was defeated Leroy revealed that Aurora and Phillip became human again and Aurora is later seen in Storybrooke at the event where Snow White and Prince Charming name their new child. Sometime later, Aurora gives birth to a son who is also given the name Phillip. She goes to parenting classes with Snow White and Cinderella, it is also revealed that she is still trying to understand the ways of the modern world.
Trivia[]
- In Once Upon a Time, Aurora's alias Briar Rose is instead given to her mother Briar Rose, as Leah's actual name, rather than Aurora's fake name.
- Both Aurora and her mother are based on Sleeping Beauty.
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