Our Royal Duties

Chapter 2

Arthur’s eyes widened in terror. Get dressed with him? How in the hell was he going to get himself out of this one? He shivered a bit at the thought that not only would he probably be found out and executed, but he would have to watch the other undress at the same time. "I-I, um... I-I'm actually a b-bit shy, about th-that... g-getting dressed together, I-I mean..." he murmured. His voice was no more than a weak, high squeak. Tears started in his eyes. He could practically already feel the blades of the executioner cutting through him, and he started to feel a bit light-headed as they approached their room. At least if he made it to the room before passing out he would have a bed to do so on. He looked at Francis pleadingly, hoping to see even an speck of sympathy in his eyes. “P-please, F-Francis, I… I-I’ve had to…” he stopped, thinking of whether or not now was the time to tell him exactly why he had been kept in the military camp for so long.

Francis’s suspicion only raised when his new wife tried to escape dressing with him. “You shouldn’t be shy, as I’m going to be the one to dress you.” He led them into the bedroom, locking the door soundly behind them. As soon as they were alone he had Arthur stand in front of him, staying perfectly still. He started with the veil, removing the tiny red gems and blossoms that dotted her hair and placing them in a small pile on the vanity to be dealt with later. He could now see all of her head; her pretty face in the front, and messy hair in the back. He sighed, taking a brush from the vanity and brushed her hair softly. He could tell that long hair for her would probably be a disaster, and a bit unsightly, and that the veil had only made it worse. Then he moved to her back, undoing each of the tiny, silver buttons that ran down the back of the dress. He did this until it was loose enough to be shrugged off of her shoulders,  so that he could see her in her skirt and corset. He carefully removed her high-heeled shoes and long gloves, placing the two clovers in the pile with a small chuckle and taking a good look at her figure. He smirked a bit, going to their wardrobe and taking out the new dress. It was a bit similar to the previous dress is shape, but not much else. This new dress was gold, with slightly puffy shoulders and mid-length sleeves. Like the wedding dress it was embroidered with thread of a different color, but unlike the blood red of the previous dress this one was done up in green. Tiny flowers and leaves were stitched into the hemming as well, not real ones of course but the most beautifully made ones that Arthur had ever seen. When he had finished with the new dress, he snipped the stem of the rose, leaving just enough for it to be carefully tucked into her hair. "Don't forget the honeymoon tonight cher....I'll get to see...More of your...beautiful body." He whispered, licking his lips. He went back to the wardrobe for his own suit but stopped a moment, kneeling down to pick something up for her. “I believe these will fit you…” he mumbled. He held up two tiny, golden slippers. Larger- although still handmade- green roses had been sewn onto them. He sat her down on their bed and slipped them onto her dainty feet, smiling a little. When he was done, they would both look so very nice.

Arthur’s eyes were wide with fear through the entire procedure, watching Francis carefully. He was a bit relieved that Francis hadn’t tried to start their “honeymoon” early or at least remove his underclothes. The whole time he had been silently praying for none of his makeup would rub off. He didn’t really look at his beautiful dress or dainty slippers until he happened to glance in a mirror, just to see if he still looked dignified. He smiled a little to himself. He didn’t just look pretty, he looked amazing. Francis had done a much better job dressing him than he would have imagined, considering that he was a man. He could just barely see his slippers when he lifted his dress up, noting that they were just the right size for his tiny feet. But he didn’t really look so much like a woman, did he? He glanced up at his face in the mirror, shocked and a little distressed to see how feminine he really looked, and how natural the dress looked hanging over his thin frame. He frowned and looked back at Francis, a light dusting of pink starting over his cheeks. While the dark suit from before had made him look intimidating, the new golden suit he wore made him look quite dashing. Handsome even. He turned away and looked at himself in the mirror, pretending to straighten his hair just to give his hands something to do. He looked down, the small space between his chest and the inside of the corset giving him just enough room to see all the way down his body. He hoped that he would be able to eat well enough with it on. Granted, it was actually almost loose around his middle since he had eaten so little in the past few months, but it was almost clinging onto his chest since it had been pulled so tightly. It pulled on him so tightly that he actually thought he might suffocate.  He shuddered at the thought, looking hesitantly back at his new husband for some form of comfort. “F-Francis…?” he whispered.