Author's Note: This is another piece I wrote for a different writing prompt over at Serenes Forest Forums. I may expand on this to a full-fledged story too, but for now, this will suffice.

Pain. It was the sensation Lest woke up to. A throbbing headache that kept his eyes shut and made him grit his teeth.

Ugh, I knew it. Leon did spike the punch, he thought in annoyance.

Just the night before a big event concerning him, the prince of Selphia, had transpired. His bachelor party. The men of town had gathered to celebrate right at the castle; in Lest's own room to be precise. As it so happened, the former Dragon Priest had done it again in spicing things up.

Just what did he added this time, Lest thought. My body feels so weird; and is something weighting down on my chest?

He slowly moved a hand towards his forehead.

I swear, if things got out of hand, I'll…

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted. As his hand made contact with his head, so did with his hair. Except, his hair didn't felt the way it usually did. It felt much smoother and silkier.

What…?

The headache finally numbing down, Lest finally opened his eyes. He winced slightly as he was greeted by the light, but his vision quickly adjusted. However, instead of the familiar stone ceiling of his room, he was greeted instead by a wooden one.

Huh?

Lest slowly rose up, in order to get a good look around. What he saw surprised him. He wasn't at his room in the castle. Where instead exactly not hard to find out, however, as the presence of many musical instruments about pretty much gave it away.

This is… Margaret's house!

The musically-inclined elf… and his fiancée. Yes, it was her who was his bride to be. Now aware where he was, he felt himself relax a little, but at the same time, new concerns crept up.

Wait, how did I end up here?

Lest frowned.

And where is Margaret?

Just like how he had his bachelor party, so did Margaret had her bachelorette one with the women of town. Taking place in her own house, which still showed signs of having hosted such a celebration. However, there was no other soul inside but him. Still, just in case, Lest had to make sure…

"Margaret?" he tried to call out, but… "ah!"

His eyes widened in surprise. Though he spoke out, it hadn't been his voice. It sounded quite melodious, and feminine to boot; but also very familiar…

I sounded like Margaret. Wait…

Lest brought a hand towards his throat, but then froze. His fingers made contact with smooth skin, the lack of an Adam's Apple very apparent to his touch.

Don't tell me…

His hand then moved to the side, until it hit something hard. Grabbing it, he brought it up to his face. It was the ornament of a braid tassel. The same one Margaret wore. He let go of the tassel of hair and brought his hand further up, until reaching his ear. He traced it up… until reaching a pointy end he knew wasn't there the night prior.

No, it can't be…

Needless to say, Lest was quite sure what that weight on his chest was now, his face heating up at the thought.

His gaze quickly scanned the room, until he spotted the vanity. He quickly sprung up from the bed, and hurried over, stopping right before the mirror. There, staring back at him with an astonished expression, was the face of Margaret. It was quite obvious what that meant.

"I'm Margaret!?" He cried out.

Lest stood there, staring at Margaret's reflection, now his. A shocked expression which brought one thought to mind.

How…?

Unfortunately, there was no answer to be found for Lest. Not here at least. As he watched, his gaze slowly glanced down to where his chest was. Immediately after he quickly glanced away, face beet red.

Ah! Th-that's not appropriate! He scolded herself. I can't just stare at my… Margaret's chest!

But then, he quickly realized…

Wait, but if I'm in Margaret's body, does that mean…

His gaze shifted back to the mirror, though slightly to the side. In the direction where the castle would be if his sight wasn't obstructed. His brow furrowed in determination.

I have to head back to the castle, right away!

He was about to turn around in the direction of the door, when he stopped.

Wait, is it fine to go out like this?

Not daring to look down, he glanced back at the mirror. Naturally, having woken up in bed, he was wearing Margaret's pink nightgown. Not the most appropriate attire to venture out into town. On the other hand, changing into something more appropriate would mean having to undress. A thought quickly shot down.

"L-let's not do that…" Lest spoke out loud, face all red again.

Ah, forget it! He thought. This works as good as any dress.

Not that he felt comfortable at that idea either, but the drive to head back to Selphia Castle currently override whatever reservations he still had. That said, his bare feet meant he still had to put on some footwear at the least. Spotting some slippers at the base of the bed, Lest proceeded to head back there to put them on. However, the prior rush of adrenaline over, the full gravity of having a woman's body and wearing a floor-length garment finally came crashing down. Barely a step Lest took before finding almost losing his balance. He slowed down to a stop.

This will be harder than I thought.

He resumed his march, more subdued this time around, finding a beat to get used to. Lest closed the remaining distance, and upon reaching the bed, he sat down and proceeded to put the slippers on. Once done, Lest rose again and now made his way to the door. He unlocked it but as soon as he placed a hand on the handle he stopped. He then took a deep breath.

Well, here goes nothing, Lest thought as he opened the door.

With that, he was off, towards the castle.

Meanwhile, at the castle itself in the young prince's room, Margaret was stirring awake herself. A similar headache coursed through her as she rose to a sitting position.

I think that's the last time I drink too much… Margaret thought, raising a hand to her head.

However, she couldn't help but feel something was wrong. Her entire body felt… off. Heavier and places, but also lighter in others, strangely enough. Not to mention, as she massaged her temple, she noticed there was suddenly much less hair than usual.

Huh?

She quickly brought both hands behind, but they only grasped air.

What happened to my hair!?

She quickly shot open her eyes, and immediately she was greeted not by the interior of her house, but rather…

Wait, this is Lest's room, she realized.

Margaret quickly panicked, the issue of her disappeared hair seemingly brushed aside.

W-what? What am I doing in Lest's room!? And… on his bed!?

Her face went beet red, quickly turning to the side. However, the bed was empty save for her. In fact, the entire room was empty as well, with no sign of Lest in sight. Though this did far from calming her down.

"L-Lest?" Margaret called out, "huh?"

It wasn't her voice what came from her mouth. Rather…

I sounded like Lest, she noticed.

She brought a hand to her throat, but to her surprise she felt a small lump.

This is… an Adam's Apple! Margaret realized, her eyes widening. Wait, does that means…

Between the missing hair and now this, she was beginning to freak out at the implication. She quickly glanced down and… sure enough, she quickly found out her hair wasn't the only thing gone.

Did I turn… into Lest!?

She didn't have to look into a mirror to be sure of it. After all, who else whose body was she in now.

How did this happen…? Margaret thought. To be in Lest's body…

She could feel her new face heating up again at the thought. At the same time, however, she also felt… something else acting up, down there. Margaret froze up, being quite aware what she had gained instead after this unusual change. She slowly glanced down, at the lower half of her… Lest's body, still covered by the sheets. Then slowly glanced back up.

Margaret did the only thing she could think of.

"AHHH!"

Fortunately for Lest, there was no one out in the streets. Though it was already late enough in the morning, past the times most of the townsfolk would usually wake up to, the celebrations the night prior meant most would have slight delays to their schedules. As such, the prince was able to move along towards the castle without any unwanted delays as fast he could. Not that it was void of anything of note.

Walking in a woman's body is so… strange, Lest thought.

Though he was now moving faster than when he began, he was still being subdued about it. Paying more attention than usual to the ground to avoid any tripping hazard. At least the nightgown was loose enough the danger of stepping on it was minimal. As it was, however, it wasn't enough to distract him from just how walking in Margaret's body felt.

Soon he was in the vicinity of Selphia's town square, which the castle overlooked.

I hope Margaret won't freak out too much once she finds out she's in my body, Lest hoped.

At that moment, however…

"AHHH!"

Lest stopped in his tracks.

I guess not, he sweat dropped.

Definitely his own voice, although…

Is that how I sound to the others? Lest wondered, then quickly shook his head. Never mind that for now. I must hurry!

With that he broke into a run, grabbing the skirt of the gown and lifting it up enough as he did. He wasn't going to take his chances on tripping. Not when he had to get into the castle. To Margaret. Quickly reaching the castle he made a beeline to his room.

"Now now, Your Majesty, everything will be alright," he heard as he got closer.

That's Volkanon's voice! Lest realized, before frowning. This could complicate things…

Dealing with other people was certainly not in his plans. Not yet at least. In any case, upon finally reaching his room he came across the peculiar sight of seeing his own body, sitting there on the bed. Lest couldn't help but shudder a little.

Definitely weird…

Anyway, as hearing his voice had told him, the head butler was in the room as well. Standing next to his body, his back to him, as he tried to calm down who he hoped was Margaret in his body; who looked quite shaken, head facing down. Lest honestly didn't knew how to proceed from here. Certainly make his presence known but…

If only Volkanon wasn't here, Lest sighed.

"Hm?"

Not planned by the prince, his sigh was loud enough to be heard across the room. This caused Volkanon to turn.

"Oh, Miss Margaret," Volkanon called out.

Oh uh, Lest froze up, put on the spot.

"What are you doing here this early in the morning?" The butler asked. "And in your nightclothes no less!"

However, Lest's attention wasn't on him, but rather, on his own body; which was now glancing up, alerted by Volkanon's words of his presence. Their eyes met, and time seemed to slow down. He saw his body's expression slowly went from shocked to confused, then to realization. For Lest, that all the confirmation he needed that, yes, it was his beloved Margaret in there. Before he could say or do something, his body suddenly jumped off the bed, and immediately after Lest found himself being hugged by his own body.

"A-are you…?" He barely heard being asked.

"Y-yes, it's me," Lest nodded, hugging his body back.

As he felt Margaret resting her head on his shoulder, he looked over towards Volkanon.

"Ah, yes, I suppose you want an explanation, Miss Margaret," the butler cleared his throat. "That earlier shout you no doubt heard, was young Lest here waking up from a nightmare."

"A… nightmare?" Lest frowned, glancing towards Margaret.

"Y-yes, it was a nightmare!" She loudly declared.

"I… see…"

Looks like we're keeping it a secret for now, Lest noted.

"Must've been a very nasty one, if I may," Volkanon continued. "To have left the young prince in such a state. Hopefully not the result of some last-minute pre-wedding jitters."

He then smiled.

"But it seems your presence is doing the trick in calming him down, oh ho ho," he chuckled.

But then gained a stern look.

"That said, how did you got here this fast? I, of course, was in the castle already. But even if the shout had been carried all the way to your home, it should've taken you much longer to come here."

"Oh, um… well…"

Lest was at a loss, turning into slight worry as the butler narrowed his gaze. Even Margaret glanced back up, worried as well. But then…

"Ah, it must be the bond of love you two share," Volkanon broke into a smile as he closed his eyes. "You likely felt it, didn't you Miss Margaret? You had to rush over to your beloved's side in his time of need. Ah, young love! And soon to be wed. It's enough to make this old man cry."

And tears indeed began to cascade down from his eyes, bawling. The young couple was understandably stunned, before then breaking into nervous laughter.

"Ah ha ha, y-yes, something like that…" Lest nodded, sweat dropping.

He then turned towards Margaret.

"Sounds about right, eh, Ma… my dear Lest?"

"Uh, s-sure, M-Meg," she agreed. "I am f-feeling better now."

"Well then, now that I know things will be fine once again, I'll make my leave," Volkanon said, "and don't worry Your Highness, I'll let Vishnal and Clorica know to not come over just yet. After such a bad awakening, and with Miss Margaret here, it'd be best to give you two lovebirds some time for yourselves and sort everything out, oh ho ho!"

"R-right, I understand…" Margaret nodded.

With a last chuckle, the butler then bowed and left the room.

"Um, let's go sit down before we…" Lest trailed off.

"Y-yes, that'd be… alright," Margaret replied.

Breaking off the hug, the two walked over to Lest's bed. Sitting down on the edge side by side, they kept their postures rigid, looking straight ahead, avoiding each other's gaze. Margaret placed her hands on her lap while Lest kept them resting on the bed to his sides. An awkward silence followed.

"S-so…" Lest finally began, "we… swapped bodies."

"Th-that's right," Margaret nodded.

More silence followed, before…

"Oh, Lest, how could this happen!?" Margaret turned to face him, fretting once more.

"I… I don't know, Meg," Lest replied.

It definitely happened while they were asleep, no doubt about that. But what caused it… they were at a loss.

"And who could've done this?" Margaret continued, before taking a look of surprise. "You don't think this was an act of revenge from someone in the Sechs Empire, do you?"

Lest shook his head.

"I doubt it," she replied, "if they were looking for revenge, I don't think they would've resorted to something like this."

"Then…" Margaret glanced down, "someone from town, as a prank?"

"Hmm…"

Lest got pensive.

Admittedly, that sounded more likely. There indeed some in town who were… prone to mischief, as it were.

The parties were a prime chance to do this, he thought.

Still, best he could recall, nothing seemed suspicious. Even remembering the possible spiking of the punch was quickly shot down, recalling he hadn't been the only one who drank from it, yet the town wasn't in disarray with suddenly everyone finding themselves waking up in each other's bodies. Which would've been quite obvious by now if that had happened. Not to mention, Margaret didn't drink from it, unless the same had happened in the other party. So, overall…

"Perhaps," Lest conceded he had no better answer, glancing at her. "In any case, we must tell them what happened."

Margaret looked back at him, surprised.

"Eh!? T-t-tell them?" She asked, fearful.

"Well, I doubt we could pretend to be each other," Lest explained, "and there's no need for it. We could easily find out who did it, and if not, they can help find a way to reverse this."

"I guess that's true," Margaret sighed, "though I don't think I'll like it one bit."

"It's alright," Lest said, placing a hand atop her. "I don't like it either, but we can do it, together."

Margaret relaxed, before smiling and closing her eyes.

"Yeah, you're right, Lest," she said.

Lest smiled back, before glancing back to in front of him.

If only Venti was here, Lest lamented, before frowning. Although… she would no doubt tease us to no end about it even long after the fact. But I guess that's better than just… not.

He sighed.

How I miss her.

Lest shook his head. Now wasn't the time to reminiscence. He stood back up.

"Now then, shall we?"

Margaret nodded. Immediately after, however, her face made a puzzled expression.

"Something wro…?" Lest was going to ask, but then he mimicked her look right after.

They felt it. A spike of magical energy, in the room.

"What is happening?" Margaret asked, finally standing up.

To their surprise, they saw how an orb of magic materialized in the air right before them. With a flash of light, the orb then turned into a sheet of paper, with something written on it. It remained floating in the air.

"Huh? A note?" Margaret noted, surprised.

Lest tentatively reached out for the note. Taking it, he laid it out before her.

"What does it say?" Margaret asked.

"Let's see…" Lest cleared his throat. "'If you tell, the swap becomes irreversible. Have fun in your wedding!' Huh?"

"W-what!?" Margaret exclaimed.

But before they could do anything, the piece of paper began to glow. With another flash of light, it was gone.

"I-irreversible…" Lest repeated. "W-well, at least this is definitely a prank, and nothing more sinister."

Hardly reassuring, admittedly.

"Not a good prank, if you ask me!" Margaret cried out, exasperated, seemingly on the verge of freaking out again. "W-what will we do now…?"

Lest frowned. The note's contents could've been a bluff for all they knew, but then, would they risk it?

"I guess, for now… we will not speak about it," he replied, "just in case. We'll have to act as if everything is normal."

"Pretend to be each other?" Margaret fretted. "Can we do it?"

"I'm sure we will," Lest nodded, "we can help each other out on that."

"But what about… the wedding?" Margaret pointed out.

Now that was the question.

"Um, well…" Lest looked unsure for a bit.

But then, he shook head and adopted determined look.

"We'll still do it."

"Huh?" Maragaret was puzzled.

"The wedding, we'll still do it," Lest repeated.

Margaret looked at him, a bit incredulous.

"B-but…"

"It's too late to just call it off," Lest explained, "besides, it seems whoever did this did it with the wedding in mind. Perhaps that's their intention. For us to go through the wedding like this."

"So you mean… we'll return to normal once we're married?" Margaret said.

"It's very likely," Lest nodded.

Margaret still looked unsure, but then adopted the same determined look Lest had.

"Okay Lest, let's do it," she said. "At least we would still be marrying each other."

"That's the spirit, Meg," Lest smiled. "We're only days before the wedding, so let's use this time to make sure it goes off smoothly."

"But what about our usual errands?"

"Oh, don't worry about it. The monsters can take care of the farm in the meantime."

"Right," Margaret nodded, "and I suppose we can tell Porco I won't be playing at the restaurant the next couple of days to focus on the wedding."

"Don't you mean I won't be the one playing?" Lest asked.

Both broke into small laughter.

"I suppose that's true for now," Margaret said. "Well then, let's focus on being able to act like each other until the wedding."

The next few days passed by in a hectic frenzy for the young couple. Not just in ensuring the wedding could go without a hitch, but also in ensuring no one would suspect of their current predicament. They wouldn't take their chances on the mysterious note's words being real or not, after all. Though things were rough at the start, they became easier overtime. Soon, the day of the wedding arrived…

Margaret emerged from the castle into the town square, dressed in a mostly white tuxedo. She fidgeted with it, nervous. The span of a few days wasn't enough to get used to undressing and dressing up in Lest's body. Volkanon having helped her out with putting on the groom outfit didn't help matters to her nerves.

Hopefully this is will be the last time I'll have to do this, she thought.

At least changing outfits was among the mildest things she had to endure through this ordeal. In any case, she walked in the direction of Melody Street, stopping once leveled to it. Thus, she begun to wait.

After a few minutes, she begun to hear the clacking of heels. Then, coming into view up the stairs, was Lest. Looking as nervous as she currently was, and clad in an equally white wedding gown, he made his way over to her. Margaret could feel her heart skip a beat. It may be her body, but knowing it was Lest the one in it right now… she couldn't help but still feel flustered. Of course, the fact he too still wasn't quite used to his current body, in addition to wearing the dress, served to distract her. Unwittingly finding amusement with Lest's still wobbly walk despite days of practice, and holding up the skirt of the gown in order to avoid stepping on it. Fortunately, no actual tripping ensued. Taking pity on him, Margaret stepped forward to close faster the remaining distance between them, upon which they stopped just short of each other.

Even at this point, finding themselves in each other's company while in each other's bodies remained somewhat awkward.

"So, um…" Lest began, "you look… um…"

Clearly, trying to complement themselves while not in their own bodies was proving harder than expected.

"… stunning," he finally spoke out, blushing.

"Th-thanks," Margaret, face also beet red. "You don't look bad yourself."

She then briefly glanced down and back up.

"The dress is… very beautiful," she added, her expression and voice tone both saddening at the end.

Which made Lest frown, likely knowing why that was.

"Meg…"

"No, it's alright, Lest," Margaret shook her head, "as much as I would've wanted to be the one wearing that dress, to be in my own body in this day… we knew it wasn't going to be."

She mustered a small smile.

"But as I said before, we are still marrying each other," she continued. "Knowing it's with you… it makes this whole thing more bearable."

Lest then smiled as well.

"I feel the same way," he said. "If this had to happen, to find myself suddenly in someone else's body and they in mine… I'm glad it was with you."

Margaret then dropped the smile.

"Although, as… interesting these past days were, I want for things to go back as they should be," Margaret said.

"Don't worry, I'm sure once we go through this, we will," Lest reassured her.

"I hope so," she said before frowning, "though you bet I'm going to have some strong words to say to the one who thought this would be funny!"

Lest laughed.

"I'm sure you will. Now then…"

He then walked over to position himself at Margaret's side, lifting again the skirt of the gown before stretching his other hand towards her.

"Shall we get going? Everyone is waiting."

Margaret smiled once ago, before grabbing his hand with hers and nodding.

"Yes, let's go."

With that, they were on their way. The young couple were starting a new stage in their lives. Perhaps not in the way they had expected to, but they cared too much for each other to let it stop them. Confident that their current predicament was to soon run its course, and things would go back to normal.

Whether it did, however, is a story for another time…