"No! Get off! I'm not putting that thing on!"

Hakyeon sighed and leaned against the wall outside the room where the seamstresses were working hard to wrestle Leo into putting on the garment. "Come on, brother. It is the only way- we did not ride into the next town and use most of our remaining money to buy you this, only to have you throw a tantrum." It was the only dress in the building made for a taller lady (in this kingdom, that seemed quite rare) and the women'd had to make a few adjustments to the top of the gown to accomodate his broad shoulders. A corset was also required to give him a bit of curviness. 

There were more grunts and the sound of heavy, crumpling fabric before one of the women cursed. The sound of a slap was heard followed by a small yelp from Leo. "I'm not your brother and I am not wearing thi- ah! Let go, you crazy lady!" Hakyeon rolled his eyes and looked over at where the others were standing awkwardly in the doorway, a little too daunted by the pink draperies, lace gowns and fluffy carpet to set foot into the shop. 

The prince jerked his head for Wonshik to come forward, the soldier doing so wearily, and smirked "Put it on or else Wonshikkie here will come and do it for you." Wonshik's eyes grew to the size of saucers and he shook his head but one look from the elder was enough to force him to play along. "Uh... yeah- don't make me come in there!" He mumbled. Sanghyuk and Jaehwan snorted.

"Very threatening."

"No!" Leo yelled, panic evident in his tone "I'll do it- I'll put the stupid thing on. Just don't come in!" 

Hakyeon grinned widely and wandered over to one of the displays, picking up a silver hairpiece and admiring it. It was made of twisted metal and intricately placed, crimson gems; it was a sort of abstract butterfly placed at the top of a delicate-looking comb. Wonshik shook his head at the prince; he didn't appreciate being used as blackmail, especially when Leo was still so scared of him. Leo... He didn't like it. It didn't suit his lover like 'Taekwoon' did. It wasn't sophisticated or unique enough. Leo was a commoner's name and his lover was no commoner. 

After about five minutes, the curtain was pulled back and the ladies, both stout and middle aged with matching red-gin noses, came waddling out. They both seemed out of breath and Wonshik smiled "Is he ready?" He supposed they were lucky that the seamstresses had bought the 'it's a prank' excuse that Jaehwan had come up with. 

"Finally," one huffed, brushing a stray lock of brown hair that had fallen from her tight bun. "Come out, sweetheart."

"They're going to laugh at me."

Wonshik could only imagine the pout.

"No they won't," the other one chuckled, putting his hands on her wide hips "You look quite pretty for a young man- just wait till we do your makeup!"

Hakyeon nodded enthusiastically, putting the hairpiece down and clasping his hands "Come out, Taekwoonie!"

A sigh was heard before Leo stepped out from behind the corner. 

The gown was a peasant style garment and appeared to be a sort of wedding dress. It looked slightly rumpled due to the loose style of lace used to construct it and had a an ivory ribbon round the waist. The hem brushed the ground and Leo sighed, pulling on the skirt slightly. He was also wearing a long, black wig, the hair silky and coming just to his elbows. "We couldn't find any shoes to fit," he muttered, cheeks blazing a bright red.

Jaehwan scoffed and grinned widely "Nobody will be looking at your feet," he assured, holding back a burst of laughter as he noticed two medium sized bulges on the elder's chest. Apparently, the seamstresses had thought of everything. Having s also made his shoulders look less broad too, the more the soldier looked. 

Leo blushed harder as the first woman grabbed his hand and sat him down in front of one of the many mirrors around the shop, followed by Hakyeon. "Can I do his hair?" He asked eagerly. Everybody gave him a puzzled look and he shrugged "I used to do our mother's hair when we were younger. And a lot of visiting noble daughters liked to play dress-up when we were children- of course, Taekwoon would always be the prince. Me and Hongbin would always be roped into being princesses." 

The women nodded and they squatted in front of Leo, beginning to apply powder and blush to his face. Leo tried as hard as he could to stay still but it was becoming increasingly difficult- especially when Hakyeon began twisting the hair up off the back of his neck and pinning it at the same time the women tried to apply khol to his eyes. "I hate you all," he growled. 

"No you don't," Wonshik replied, tilting his head and crossing his ankles.

"Oh, trust me," Taekwoon sneered "I do."

In the end, his makeup was done and Hakyeon, having spent a good twenty five minutes trying to battle with the silky wig, had left Leo's hair down, sliding in the silver hairpiece he had found earlier in the back, holding the strands at the front of the hair off his face. "Woah," Sanghyuk gaped "You actually look like you could be a woman!"

Jaehwan tilted his head and shrugged "From a distance, I guess."

Hakyeon scowled at them and led Leo over to Wonshik "Stop teasing my sister, you two!" The soldier bowed, eyes wide at the sight of his lover's face up close. Taekwoon had always been beautiful- if seemed to be a family trait- but now he was... He looked every bit the lady he was meant to be playing. He actually looked a lot like the late Queen. The same delicate face and piercing chocolate stare. 

The eldest prince paid the women gratefully and they left the shop, Wonshik helping to set Leo on his horse before jumping up in front. The lost prince was forced to sit sidesaddle due to his skirts and grabbed onto the soldier's waist to keep kimself from falling. Wonshik chuckled "You're holding a little tight there." The grip instantly slackened and he pouted, reaching behind him and replacing Leo's nervous hands. "It's okay. You can hold tight if you want, just don't suffocate me, alright?" he grinned. 

Sanghyuk watched them both intently, a small smile playing on his lips "So, what's our cover story?" 

Hakyeon looked back briefly as he reared his horse forward, digging his heel into her side a little to speed the mare up "Leo is a princess we picked up on our travels. His small coastal kingdom was destroyed by the same hoard that killed our men; he was the only survivor. We took him with us out of pity and, on the way, he charmed me and now we are hopelessly in love."

Leo spluttered "What?"

"The Hell you are!" Wonshik growled, forgetting who he was talking to for the moment and placing his hand protectively on top of Leo's. The elder blushed slightly. Hakyeon shrugged, looking quite offended by their reaction "What's so bad about that?" He was quite the catch, for their information. His brother should have been considering himself lucky. "We don't have to do anything! Just tell them that's the reason you're with us."

Leo gave him a withering look "And your pity is not enough?"

"Nobody is hopelessly in love," Wonshik cut in, ignoring the snorts that Jaehwan released and the heat that was crawling up his neck and face. He removed his hand from Leo's with a clearing of the throat "Taekwoon is right. We'll just stick to the first half of the story."  

Princess Taekwoon! (Well, whatever girl name the guys come up with for him)

Hakyeon is just full of wonderful ideas, ain't he? And, don't worry, your highness, you are still a catch (~.^)

Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying this so far!! xoxox