C14 Double Trouble

Back pain. I feel like an old lady.

Today was my training with the twin Princes about how to walk and act appropriately. They were a little strict, which really surprised me. I thought that this training today would become a game, but no, they are serious. Dead serious. We are currently in a huge dressing. Dan and Ren were both standing beside me as they watched. One of them, Dan, walked to the front and examined me. I countered his look with my glare. They actually put on name tags for me to quickly tell them apart.

"Don't slouch," Ren said as he straightened my back once again. I gritted my teeth as I felt a stung on my back for straining it too much. We’ve been doing this for hours, and I can't even feel my back anymore. How can the royals do this all the time? That explains why the prince and princesses from storybooks would usually sneak out of the castle.

The twins seemed to have fun every time I got frustrated and would often laugh at my bad posture. It makes me feel bad and angry at the same time. I was getting frustrated that I started calling them with the wrong names on purpose. "Oopsie!! Sorry, Dan." I said. Ren's face twitched when I called him Dan.

"My name is Ren and not Dan! I thought you already knew who is who."

To be honest, I can slightly tell them apart—both with the help of their name tags and the other for their mannerism.

I gasped. "Oh, did I? I must have forgotten." I looked at Dan for help with my puppy dog eyes. He seemed to back away a little. Probably wanting to avoid being involved with the two of us. "Ren, Dan is being mean again," I complained to him.

Ren groaned in frustration. "This means war," he said while Dan gave me an evil smile and said. "Hmm...I think we should put a book on her head."

On reflexes, I screamed. "Oh heck no!"

The twins are evil.

"Relax, this will help you to keep your posture on and to keep you busy," Dan reassured me and muttered the last part more to himself as he placed a book on top of my head. The book felt heavy on my head as the weight pressed. It was a thick leather-bound book. It seemed old because the pages were already yellow.

"Now try walking while balancing that book on your head," Ren commanded. I did what they told me to and walked while balancing the book on my head. I was doing pretty good, but the only problem was that I looked like a drunken old geezer when I walked.

The twins facepalm at me. Well, good for them.

"Princess...not to be rude or anything, but you lack grace." Dan commented, "Chest out, stomach in, and butt out." I did what he told me to.

Just for the sake of annoying them, I exaggerated by putting my chest out and my butt out too much, making me look like a duck. To add a little more twist, I made a duck face at them.

Dan leered at me as Ren went to a drawer at the far side of the room. I looked at him curiously as he brought something long and sparkly. Ren dusted them off first and walked in front of me, raising the things that he took.

I gasped and stared at it in horror.

High heels. Emphasis on the high. There's a reason why it was one letter away from spelling Hell.

"I think this would help you to walk properly," Ren said and bent down in front of him as if he would put it on.

"You're kidding me!" I screamed and removed my foot from his reach. Sure, the shoes are shiny and pretty, but it's too high! I think it's at least 4 inches tall. I can't even walk with a good posture, and they expect me to wear them?

Ren sighed and looked at me with tired eyes.

Am I really that difficult to teach?

"Rose, please. I promise you that it will help."

"No. You guys are just making fun of me." I said stubbornly and crossed my arms over my chest, and smirked at him.

"Rose," he said warningly and gripped the shoes. I hope he will break them.

"Ren." I mocked in the same tone and smirked as he let out an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through his brown hair. He bit his lips and looked at Dan beside him, and jerked his head towards me.

Before I could assess the situation, Dan threw me over his shoulder, and I yelped.

From my view over here, I can see Dan's butt. It was pretty.

I pounded on Dan's back and screamed at him to let me go. My attacks were futile because he didn't even flinch or say anything, in fact, he was laughing. It didn't take long until he set me on the couch. He moved behind it and grabbed my shoulders to prevent me from escaping as Ren went in front of me again. He grabbed my foot and removed my flats, and replaced them with heels. I tried to kick them away, but Ren stopped my foot from doing so as he gripped them. I cringed at how tight he was holding them.

"Ren, let go! Let go of my foot!" I tried again, but man, was he strong. I gasped when I saw that he had moved his face in front of me. His face was too close for my liking as he looked at me with serious eyes, no hint of flirting like they used to. His breathing was hot against my skin, making me shrink back. This was the difference between them. Although both are goofy in general, Ren's mood can easily switch into a serious one. Dan tends to lay back a lot and let his older brother handle things.

"Rose, if you want this lesson to be over with, then please cooperate." His eyes told me that he didn’t want any funny business.

"And," I jumped in surprise when Dan, from behind me, lowered his head so he could whisper in my ear. His breath tickled my neck, making shivers run down my spine. "If you don't want us to get angry, then you'll do as we say. Get it?" he said.

I just nodded my head. Who knew that these two had a different side of them? I swallowed hard as they helped me up. I gripped at their hands as I tried to balance on my footing.

When I raised my head up, the first thing that went into my mind was: Man! I like the view from up here.

I'm going to trip. I'm going to trip. I'm going to trip.

"Rose, don't spread your legs that far apart. You look like you're ready to pee." Dan commented, attempting to lighten the mood. I suspect that my face looked like I was an animal giving birth.

"Please don't let me go," I said nervously as I continued to grip their hands in fear that I might fall. I had always been a clutz, so heels were a big no for me. Wearing heels, for me, is like learning how to ride a bike. Sure I can handle an inch tall heels but not 4 inches.

They raised their eyebrows at me. "I'm guessing you don't wear these types of shoes that often?"

I glared at Ren. "No. It's more like I NEVER wear them." I snapped. Okay, I may be a little overdramatic on this but still! "If I'm gonna break my neck on this, I'll make sure to visit you guys in the afterlife. I'll curse you that the only pairs of shoes that you guys will be wearing are heels." I threatened.

Ren flinched while Dan laughed. "Relax, princess. Those are just shoes. Try straightening your back. It might help." I did what he told me to. Dan nodded in approval. "Good, now try taking a small step forward." I stepped my right foot in front of me while still holding their hands.

Whhhooooooopppppp!!!!!

I almost did a complete split when I took my first step. Luckily I was holding their hands. They pulled me up. "He said to take a small step forward!! That was a huge step!!" Ren said.

I gave him an annoyed look. "I was! Taking a small step, I mean. I just wanted to practice my gymnastics. Apparently, I still need a lot of work to do."

Ren raised his eyebrow in confusion. "What's gymnastics?"

I mentally facepalmed when I remembered that they don't know about those kinds of stuff. "Nothing. Forget I said anything."

I continued with practicing walking while holding their hands. They would often give some really helpful tips. "Hey, you're doing great!" Dan commented. Okay, I think I found another difference between them. Dan is nicer and gentler than Ren.

I grinned as I continued to walk with the twins still holding my hand. A minute later and they placed the book once again on top of my head. The book fell twice from my head before I learned to balance it without dancing. Oftentimes I would purposely drop it, earning glares from both the twins.

"Okay, I think you've gotten the hang of it." Ren smiled contentedly as he looked at me. When I saw his smile, I immediately smiled back. Well, I guess his goofy self is back.

"I think it's alright to let go of your hand now." I looked at Dan as he started to loosen his hold from mine. I gripped it back, catching Dan off guard.

"W-wait a minute! Do you want me to trip?!" Although I said it seriously, the two just laughed.

Ren placed his other hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, princess. If you fall, we'll be here to catch you surely." He said while trying to hide the smile that still lingered on his face. I'm guessing that he finds my situation funny.

Well, good for him.

"Okay, Rose, we'll let you go now. Okay?" Dan asked me, and I nodded. I took a deep breath as they slowly removed their grip from my hands, leaving me. They moved back a little to give me some space.

Just one step at a time. They're just shoes. But tripping is painful!

Taking a deep breath, I put one foot in front of the other and started to walk at a slow pace. Book still on my head. I feel like a baby taking her first step. Before I knew it, I was already walking at an average pace. I started to grin at myself. I can hear Dan and Ren's approval behind me in each step that I take. What can I say? I'm so awesome that I have two princes as my fans behind me.

If my best friend were here, I would be shouting at her like: Look at me! I'm walking on heels! She would probably be clapping while wiping tears of joy from her face.

I felt a little giddy that I abruptly turned around to twins. Once I turned, my heel broke, and I lost my balance.

"Rose!"

"Princess!"

I placed my hands together and prayed. If I fall, it’s all THEIR fault.

I closed my eyes as I waited for my fall. At that time, I wished that if reincarnation were real, then I would become a boy so I wouldn't have to wear heels for the rest of my life.

But I didn't feel the ground. Instead, I felt muscular, solid arms gripping me and preventing me from the fall. When I opened my eyes, I saw a pair of beautiful brown orbs staring back at me.

What is this?? A cliche Disney Princess story!?

Ren smiled warmly at me as he panted. "You okay?" I just nodded my head. His smile seemed to grow larger on his face as he said, "See? I told you that I'll catch you." He boasted.

Arrogant prince.

His scent entered my nostrils, and that's when I noticed the small space between us. "Ren, I'm glad that you kept your promise, but could you help me up now? I can't move properly in this situation."

Ren seemed surprised and it seemed that he had just noticed a gap between us. His face turned a little red as he coughed and said, "Um yeah, of course." He pulled me up with him and picked the fallen book from the ground.

"Sorry, Ren. Are you hurt?" I reached out to touch his shoulder. A sudden sting startled me. It felt like I was being electrocuted for a second. "What was that?" I asked.

"What was what?" He asked.

"You didn't feel it?" I asked. He shook his head. He didn't say anything after that as I felt another hand on me. It was Dan having a worried expression on his face while occasionally having a hidden smirk for Ren.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

I smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up. "Yep."

He nodded. "Good. You can take a break for now. You can take off your shoes."

I didn't waste any time as I bent down and removed the shoes. Throwing them to the side as if I had no care for them, which I don't. The ground seemed to comfort me as I fully felt the whole floor with my foot. I didn't even bother to look for my flats as I raced to the sofa. "Flat ground! Flat ground!" I rejoiced and ran barefooted.

I wonder how some of these girls were able to bear wearing those heels—what a pain. I started to stretch my legs on the sofa, not caring about manners anymore.

I saw Dan watching me as I made myself comfortable where I was sitting. I stuck my tongue out at him. Dan smiled and waved at me before he approached his twin. I watched as the two exchanged some words and noticed that Ren's face looked confused, while Dan had a weird look on his face.

He kept wiggling his eyes at his brother, which annoyed Ren. "Cut that out, Dan. It's really annoying." Dan continued to dance his eyebrows at him. "Oh really? Why would this bother you?" He asked innocently. He returned his gaze to me, who was watching them curiously.

Ren furrowed his eyebrows and messed his hair up. "I think I'm gonna go out for a while to get some fresh air."

Dan was still smirking as he looked at the door that Ren had just disappeared to. When Dan turned in my direction, I immediately feigned sleeping in case he would say that the break time is over. I felt the couch move so I could only guess that Dan was now sitting beside me.

"Come on, Princess. I know you're awake."

I didn't move. "Really, Princess. I know you're awake with the way your feet dance." I sneaked a peek at my foot to see if it really was dancing. It wasn't. "No, it's not," I said.

"So you really are awake!" Dan said with a huge grin on his face. It made me frown.

Damn it!

Dan decided to poke my cheek. "Aww. Come on. I didn't mean to trick you. In fact, I didn't even know that you’d fall for it. It's such a simple trick!" He snorted at that.

I slapped his hand back and pouted. "What do you want now, Dan? I want to rest. Go to the other chair." I said as I lowered my foot to the ground and pushed him off MY couch.

This time it was Dan who pouted. "Aw, but it'll be so lonely alone." He said with complete puppy eyes and all. "And besides," he scooted over and wrapped an arm over my shoulders, and pulled me towards him. "I wouldn't be able to cuddle with a beautiful princess, now can I?" He flashed me a seductive smile that would make any girl melt in a puddle on the ground.

These princes are insane!

I grabbed his arm and removed it from my shoulders. "Save your flirting for girls who care. And besides, you wouldn't be sitting alone for that long when Ren gets back." I said. "By the way, where did Ren go anyway?"

His lips seemed to quirk up at my words. "Somewhere. Maybe outside." He rubbed his chin with the quirky smile on his face. "But I think that it'll take some time for him to come back."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "And why is that?"

He tilted his head, so he was facing the ceiling, smirking. "My brother is smart but can be an idiot in some categories in life." He said. "Please be patient with us, sister." He said and winked.

Sister?

This guy is seriously confusing me. "Dan, please try and talk with some sense to it cause you really are difficult to understand."

He chuckled at my words and turned his head, so he was facing me. "Oh, you are such a little cutie! You two are perfect." He pinched my cheek as he cooed.

"Ow!" I slapped his hand away and I massaged my cheek. "That hurts, you know!?"

He started to laugh. "Sorry about that, Princess. I just don't have any self-control. You're just too cute." He said dramatically.

"Well, stay away from me if you can't control yourself," I said bitterly as I continued to massage my aching cheek. "That really hurts."

"I'm sorry." He said apologetically. "So, do you know anything about wolves?"

"Why the sudden question?"

"Nothing. Just asking questions for fun and relaxation. Also, a time for us to bond." He batted his eyes at me innocently.

I moved farther back to the opposite side of the couch and grabbed one of the heels on the floor. I pointed the pointy heel at him. "What's relaxing for me is not talking. And I'm having this weird feeling that you are up to something."

He smirked. "You know, wolves are pretty loyal."

"And I should care why? Is this part of our lesson?"

"Maybe?"

I stared at him. "You know, you twins are weird, but you alone can be really weird."

"You are too." He said and smirked in delight when he saw me frown. "You know. I think I'll just go outside to get my brother." He started to get up.

"Oh yippie. That's great. Please take all the time you need." I said jokingly.

Dan laughed. "By the way, Princess, wolves mate forever. When a wolf finds its mate, it will know. Sort of." I stared at his retreating back. He paused just at the door and gave me a side glance. "Just remember that. For future reference." He winked, and then he was gone.

Why are we talking about wolves again?