King Il's birthday was approaching fast, and Yona's agitation was almost palpable. She had spent the past several days picking out her wardrobe for the event, coordinating a dress, shoes, jewelry, and hairstyle, only to declare the whole ensemble inadequate and scrapping everything to start over. Her maid was starting to show signs of distress, although it was nothing compared to what Yona herself was exhibiting. On the day of the party, Hak arrived at Yona's chambers about half an hour before he was supposed to escort her, and was let in by the weary maid.
Yona was standing in the middle of the room in her dressing gown. Hak tried his best not to let his eyes roam over her form as he greeted her. "Still not dressed, Princess?"
She glared at him. "Shut up, Hak! It's hard to pick the right outfit."
"So hard that it takes several days?" he drawled, settling himself onto a nearby chair. He had become an expert at recognizing when he'd have to wait for his princess. Not that this situation required much foresight, though.
Yona stuck her tongue out at him briefly before turning to her maid. "We don't have much time. Let's pick a different dress."
The maid dutifully scurried off with her mistress to choose an outfit. Hak decided that this was the ideal time for a small nap. There was no need for him to do anything until Yona was ready to go. Settling himself in, he leaned his head against the wall, making sure to position his body so he could see the doorway and react easily if anything happened.
His nap was not to be, however. After several minutes, Yona emerged, calling his name. "Hak! Wake up!"
He cracked his eye open to regard her. She was wearing a red gown underneath an orange overcoat that was patterned with flowers. He yawned widely. "Ah, that looks nice, Princess. Why don't you wear that?"
She puffed up her cheeks. "That's all you have to say? Nice? I have to look good for this party!"
Hak resisted the urge to tease her further by asking why she wanted to look nice for this court occasion in particular. He knew that he wouldn't like her answer. Besides, he already knew that Soo-Won was going to be in attendance just as well as Yona did.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Princess. You look as radiant as the sun. There, is that better?"
She gave him a haughty look, but he didn't miss the fact that her cheeks reddened a little at his words. She turned to her maid and said, "I suppose this will do. Quickly, fetch me accessories, and make sure they're gold tones to match these colors. I'd like some orange shoes, as well." The maid scrambled to obey, returning quickly with two pairs of orange slippers and as many accessories as she could manage. Yona went through each item thoroughly, finally managing to select a full ensemble by the time they were supposed to be departing for the party. But before they left, Yona insisted that the maid brush her hair until it shone, and had her style it in a simple, fashionable arrangement at the back of her head that left most of her fiery hair hanging down.
Giving herself one last glance in her large mirror, Yona nodded and turned to Hak. "Come on, let's get going. We're already going to be late."
She swept out of the room as Hak stood up and muttered, "I wonder whose fault that is."
Without turning her head, Yona snapped, "I heard that!"
Hak smiled wryly at the back of her head. She was just too cute, even when she was taking forever to make herself attractive. Even though all her efforts were for another man.
He fell naturally into step at her side and slightly behind her, automatically surveying the area around them as they walked. He noticed that Yona's expression had grown complicated, and the closer they got to the great hall, the more it distorted. Finally, Hak reached out and grabbed Yona's elbow gently, pulling her off to one side. Yona looked at him curiously. "Hak, what are you doing? We're going to be late."
He led her into a small alcove that was overshadowed by a flowering tree. "I'm sorry, Princess. I just thought it looked like you'd like to rest for a minute."
She sputtered at him, "Wh-what do you mean, Hak? I'm perfectly fine."
He gestured towards her feet. "It just seemed like walking in those shoes was hurting you, since you aren't used to wearing them every day."
Yona's face flushed, all of her bluster gone now. She lowered her head and mumbled, "Thank you, but I'm fine. Let's just get going. I'd rather get there sooner. So we're not late," she added hurriedly. Seeming intent on not meeting her guard's eyes, she turned around abruptly, and promptly got her hair stuck in a tree branch.
She cried out, hands flying to her head. Swiftly, Hak stepped forward, restraining her searching grip. "Hold still, Princess. I'll untangle you." It was the work of a few seconds to untangle her silky hair from the clinging branch, but when she was freed, Yona's hair definitely looked the worse for wear. Hak couldn't stop himself from snorting in laughter as he surveyed her, with one strand of her hair sticking out from the side of her head in a bizarre loop.
Yona's hands flew to her hair, carefully avoiding the gold hairpin perched on top. "Does it look that bad? It is completely messed up?"
Hak smirked. "No, it looks fine, Princess. I'm sure that after seeing you, all the court ladies will arrange their hair in loops."
She squealed, and her hands tried frantically to pat her hair down. She looked at him tearfully. "Don't just stand there, help me!"
"Oh, you mean you don't want to be a fashion visionary?"
"Hak! Please!" Her eyes threatened to spill over with tears.
Deciding the joke had gone far enough, Hak shuffled over to her. "All right, all right, Princess. Hold still, I'll fix it for you." Standing behind her, Hak frowned at her crimson hair. He wasn't at all confident in his abilities to arrange hair. This was something that Yona's maid had trained for years to be able to do well. He examined the head in front of him. Luckily, the general shape of the arrangement hadn't been harmed by the unfortunate meeting with the tree branch. All that he really had to do was flatten out that strange loop. He gently smoothed his hands over the offending area, but the loop bobbed right back up. Trying to ignore the tantalizing softness of Yona's har, Hak ran his fingers through the locks in an attempt to comb the loop back into place. This seemed to work, and finally, her hair sat flat again. He patted it all over, checking for any other oddities, but everything seemed to be in order.
Stepping back, he declared, "There you are, Princess. As good as new."
Her hands reached up tentatively. "Are you sure? It doesn't look weird? You're not just teasing me?"
"I would never let you go into a court party looking anything less than beautiful, Princess. Please rest assured." Hak gave her a crooked smile to allay the truth behind his words.
It seemed to do the trick. She smiled up at him radiantly. "Thank you, Hak. Let's get going then, and get this over with." Setting herself resolutely forward, she walked back into the pathway towards the great hall. As always, her faithful guard followed behind her.