Written for Maria as part of the one-word prompt meme.

"No, Anne, the skirt should hang like this..."

"Why did I let you talk me into this?" Anne grumbled. "Why can't you go undercover as Princess Anna?"

"Because I'm too tall, and my hair is too long," Suzie said, gently tugging at the skirt's fabric.

"Then wear a wig and pretend you had a growth spurt," Anne said. "I'm not going to pull this off at all, they'll know it's me and the whole mission will be blown." She sighed. "At least Princess Anna's a black belt, that way at least I won't be stuck playing a damsel if someone kidnaps me."

"Anne, people don't really kidnap princesses all the time, you watch too many movies," Suzie scolded gently. "Now will you hold still so I can fix your makeup?"

"I feel ridiculous," Anne sighed. "I've never looked good in dresses or other girly stuff, I'm just...not that kind of pretty. Not like you are."

"Stop being silly." Suzie put down the makeup brushes and placed a hand on Anne's cheek. "Anne, you're very pretty. You're just such a tomboy that-"

"See? I knew one of these days you were going to get on my case about that," Anne interrupted, suddenly feeling insecure; her hidden fear wasn't that Suzie was going to try to stop her being a tomboy, but that she was secretly embarrassed by Anne, and the last thing Anne wanted was to be an embarrassment to the sister she so admired.

"I am not!" Suzie gently shook her. "It's okay that you're a tomboy, I've always liked that about you. I just don't want you to sell yourself short in other areas," she said. "Just...look at yourself. Really look at yourself in the mirror."

Anne did as she was told, and to her surprise she found she didn't look all that bad. The elegant lavender evening gown fit her quite well, displaying the curves she often forgot she had. And without her baseball cap and her hair combed just so, she looked girlier than she'd ever imagined herself capable of.

"...I guess it's not so bad."

"Of course it isn't." Suzie smiled and hugged her from behind. "Even if you weren't passing for Anna, you still look as beautiful as any princess out there."

Anne smiled. It was kind of nice to feel pretty and feminine, and it was especially nice to have Suzie be the one to tell her so.

"If any of the boys laugh at me, though, I'll knock their lights out."

"Anne, by the time I get done with you, they're not even going to know it's you," Suzie giggled.

Sure enough, when Anne made her appearance decked out in full royal regalia, her brothers did an extreme double-take. Tom especially.

"Um, Tom?" Alan elbowed him in the ribs. "You're getting starry-eyed over our sister." Tom yelped and immediately caught himself.

"W-well, she certainly looks the part of an elegant princess! Doesn't she, everyone?"

"Yeah, I almost didn't recognize her!" Stanley laughed.

"You really look great, Anne," Henry added. "You and Princess Anna could be twins!"

"Told you," Suzie whispered in Anne's ear, and Anne smiled.

It really was nice to feel like a girl for a change.