Author's Note: A huge merci/dankeschön to our translation assistants, a-kiirii-on-board, darkdraconis, and pascaldragon. Thank you so much!

La Guerre de l'Art - Un Portrait de Deux Lesbiennes Amoureuses

[The War of Art - A Portrait of Two Lesbians in Love]

CHAPTER 6

The Art of Exhibition

It was the longest month of Elsa's life, the time that passed. Each morning was spent in travel, a distance that seemed ages longer than it was truly, for Elsa had spent so much time sharing a room with her love that every millimeter was a mile in her heart. Whilst Hans, more and more desperate each day, searched for a man to send to Italy in his stead, Elsa overwrote his kisses from Anna's lips in similar desperation. They did little more than that, although both of them wished for Elsa to erase every one of Hans' touches from Anna's skin with her own hands, her own mouth.

And Elsa would listen patiently to Anna's half-explanations of what went on in their bedroom. Though he occasionally expressed displeasure that she would not permit him to touch her in her most intimate of places, he never forced her—and based on this, she did not attempt to commit homicide. Only felt passing disgust at thinking about what her poor Anna was forced to endure before she did her best to wash away the memory.

But the day did come when Hans could no longer avoid his charge; Italy called his name. With tearful goodbyes, he reported for duty and was whisked away to a far off land.

Of course, not all of the tears were an illusion; Anna had grown accustomed to Hans's company, both before and after the wedding. As many varieties of stress as it caused her to feign romantic affection for him, she had come to regard him as a sort of annoying brother figure. His leaving would leave a hole in her life… but one Elsa was only too happy to fill.

"The house seems so empty," Anna said on their first Hans-free afternoon, once she had arrived at her château. "I hate being there, so… I hope you don't mind me coming here instead of the other way around."

"Jamais, ma chérie. I'm only too happy to play hostess." Her hand gestured toward the kitchen. "Can I interest you in a Bordeaux, or perhaps tea or something lighter?"

Anna grinned at her coyly. "Perhaps something much lighter," she replied as she grabbed the outstretched hand and pulled Elsa to her. As soon as they were close enough, she brushed her lips against Elsa's slowly, softly—savouring the tenderness of the moment, revelling in the ability to show her affections unrestrained.

Elsa very willingly reciprocated, gently taking Anna's lower lip between her own, sucking gently so as not to bruise it visibly. Anna responded with a low groan.

"Ma chérie… ma amour… ma âme soeur…" Elsa uttered softly as she continued the kiss.

Anna's response came just as tenderly. "Ma cœur… ma âme… ma vie…"

"You know," she began as she led Anna toward the kitchen after all, though her tone of voice was entirely different now, "I've made a few plans since we last discussed… our state of affairs."

"Oh?" Anna's smile turned uncertain. "Are… I mean, you aren't having second thoughts, are you?"

"Hm? Oh! No, no no no, petite amie—never in a thousand years!" They both laughed nervously at the evaporation of the sudden serious mood. "But I thought… well, if you'll be here more often while he is away, I should make this more home than hotel. Your bedroom is well decorated and stocked with a few spare dresses, on the off chance you do not make it back to Château de Neuvillette before night falls."

The delicious little bow of Anna's lips turned wry. "I can't imagine any reason for that…" When Elsa rolled her eyes, she giggled and added, "And what other changes have you made?"

"Well. The back garden has quite high walls, covered in vines… and I know how you had been saying you'd like for us both to get more sun of late. Put some colour in our cheeks. So…" She threw up a single hand as if it were a trivial matter. "We need not worry about troublesome lines on our skin…"

"Troublesome- you mean…" Her teal eyes sparkled. "Lay out in the open, à nu? Au naturel?! Elsa, that's positively scandalous! It's… well, it's an interesting idea, but could we really?!"

"Certainly… In fact…" Elsa hesitated, her cheeks flushed rose. "I-I was hoping… Well, after that one day… I was hoping I might paint you in similar fashion… using the garden as a backdrop."

"OH!" Anna's cheeks darkened a brilliant scarlet shade. "Of course, ma bien-aimée."

When Anna shrugged out of her light jacket, Elsa's cheeks flared to match hers. "Ah, now? Rien ne presse, my dearest."

Anna's saucy wink sent Elsa sputtering. "I thought I might… grow used to the state of being." She pulled the garment around herself and bit her lip, a sidelong and coquettish look drawing Elsa closer far more than a crooked finger might. "But if you prefer me clothed…"

"No!" Elsa spluttered, and cleared her throat. "I-I mean… I'd prefer to see you bare… you're too beautiful to have all these clothes covering you." Her cheeks flushed even redder, eyes unable to break free from her gaze. But God, she really wanted to do just that to cover her embarrassment of saying something like this. But it wasn't as if she'd never said something like that to her before… she just never got used to flirting in that sort of way.

Anna raised an eyebrow, giggling at how adorable Elsa was looking. Slowly turning her back to Elsa, she could feel the embarrassing gaze turn into a more… confused… curious… and an obvious, wanting gaze running down her back.

"Ma chérie… would you like to help me undress? I find it rather difficult for me to reach behind my back…"

Oh, mon Dieu...

There was nothing Elsa could do but capitulate, raising her hands to undo every last button. She had not intended for them to undress there, but outdoors, just before she painted… and now, they would essentially make the transformation into nudists with no period of critical thought beforehand.

Although… there had been quite a lot of critical thought. Given that it had been several days since she last saw Anna, she had a wealth of time to dream up possible activities they could enjoy together. Painting Anna again was almost a given, being that it was her profession, but the sunbathing… she was not sure what had possessed her of thinking about it, other than a long, lingering gaze out of her window and musing about just how high the ivy-covered walls were. She simply had not expected to put such a notion into practice the instant Anna arrived!

"Come on," Anna teased once the dress was open in the back. "You're so shy, like a schoolgirl. Vous êtes si mignon!"

Pursing her lips, Elsa shucked the dress the rest of the way to the floor, petticoat and all. Anna gasped when she felt the air brushing her in so many places at once that were normally shielded from the elements at all times. All that was left now was her corset, the chemise, and…

And naught. It took all of her willpower not to do untoward things to the nearly-revealed form of her love. As she had promised herself, she would not turn the woman who meant more to her than all else in the world into a common putain. No matter how much both of them ached to go beyond certain boundaries.

Anna turned her head, to see Elsa just gazing with her lips apart. Her fingers were hesitant, barely even touching the strings that criss crossed up and down Anna's corset. "You can stare all you want, Elsa… but if you'd just strip me from these tight clothes…"

Elsa gulped, swallowing the words and stutters that could lead to an even more embarrassing moment. This time she took hold of the black strings, but she was shaking. Couldn't even bear to look directly into her eyes, or even land a single skin contact without trembling tremendously. Her skin was filled with freckles and a bit tanner than her… yet, the imperfection of it seemed quite perfect to Elsa.

"... If you'd strip me from this… I'd let you stare as much as you want."

Elsa twitched.

"Touch as much as you want."

She whimpered.

So Elsa could do nothing else but unlace the corset as quickly as possible, naturally. Anna breathed a heavy sigh of relief when it was gone, and Elsa was smoothing her hands up and down her sides through the chemise.

"I feel so en surpoids," Anna sighed, though with no true bitterness

"Stop that. I'll hear no such talk of my love; you are no bigger than a twig." Then she began to remove the chemise, leaning down to press her lips hard against the neck that was revealed. "Mmm…"

"Ahhh," Anna groaned aloud, eyes fluttering closed. "Elsa… Dieu, how you do things to me…"

Now that Anna was standing nude amidst a puddle of clothing in her dining room, having never made it to the kitchen, Elsa did slide her hands around to tease over the decidedly not-overweight stomach of her love. The slight softness was so pleasant to her, and she wanted to knead it as if pastry dough… but that could wait.

"Now to paint you. Oh, how I will paint you… come, I've already set up out there."

"Ah, ah, ah," Anna teased, grasping the collar of Elsa's crisp white shirt. Not gently, either. "I thought we were… both going to get some sun today."

The not-so-subtle implications layered in her tone brought a fierce flush to Elsa's cheeks. Of course they would both be devoid of clothing, but as with all prior instances of Anna assisting her in stripping...each time always felt like the first.

"It has been so long since I have gazed upon your heavenly form, my sweet," Anna murmured against her lips, not quite touching...yet. Her warm breath cascaded pleasantly over her skin, and Elsa leaned forward, claiming Anna's mouth with her own. The contact helped to distract her as hands tugged impatiently at her shirt, and they parted briefly to allow the girl to pull the garment over elsa's head, tossing it carelessly to the floor where the rest of her clothes lay scattered.

The lips began to glide down Elsa's collarbone, through the center of her chest—avoiding the peaks that they both knew would give Elsa a lot more pause, make the moment uncomfortable rather than enticing. Once her face was level with the tiny dip in the center of her stomach, the hands began to tug the trousers downward.

"Wh-what if I only want to tan my top half?" Elsa offered without much hope of it mattering in the slightest. Then she cried out in a most unusual high pitch when Anna's tongue flitted into her navel like a snake seeking refuge.

"Well," she told her scandalised love, "you won't let me play with you elsewhere."

"And I th-think we should add that to the list," Elsa murmured dazedly as she was shucked of clothing, down to her socks and boots. When Anna made to continue there, she hissed, "Leave me some dignity!"

Both of the redhead's trim red eyebrows arched, her face clearly nonplussed. "Dignity of the feet?! You're so funny!" But the corner of her mouth twitched upward like a cat spotting a jay as she raised slightly again. "Alright… a compromise. You may keep your boots… if I can but kiss your lips once."

"One kiss? That's—" However, the placement of Anna's face just by the dusting of blonde hairs above the joining of her thighs told her she absolutely needed to reconsider her words. "No. No, Anna, I already told you—touching in that way as long as you are married to another… the guilt is not worth the pleasure to me."

Thankfully, Anna moved beyond the spot Elsa most desperately wanted her to be, her nose brushing a light, meandering path up to her neck and laying kisses upon her skin every once in awhile. "I know, my sweet," she sighed, forehead coming to rest on the crook of Elsa's neck. "Unfortunately, it does not lessen the strength of my most heartfelt wish...One of them, anyway."

Elsa's hands drifted to grasp at Anna's hips, nudging her back just enough for the girl to look at her in confusion. Leaning forward, she placed a gentle kiss on her lover's lips, murmuring once they parted, "We will find what happiness we can. That, I promise you, if nothing else."

"Alright. I know you mean to keep that promise, so… so alright." Then she turned and paced toward the hallway. "The garden is this way, I believe?"

Shortly, they were outside. Though the weather should have been starting to turn colder that time of year, it was more than warm enough for them to lounge outside. Birds even continued to sing their song, not having decided the time was right to journey south. The sunlight was dappled upon their skin where it slanted down through leaves and branches until they reached the very center of the small courtyard, gazing upward at the few clouds that dotted the sky.

"You really have set up already," Anna said, observing the bench that had a duvet filled with eiderdown draped across it to cushion it for her vulnerable form. The easel set up across it with a stool was also well-placed, angled just so… and she smirked. "That might not be so comfortable in your present state."

"Oh, chut! I was going to disrobe after the painting before you—" But Anna's giggles silenced any further protests. She was merely going to continue having fun at her expense if she did not get on with the painting. "Take your position, please?"

Anna did so, letting her shoes fall to the paving stones while settling herself as Elsa heeded the command and took her own spot. A rumbling deep in the elder woman's throat threatened to become audible at seeing her paramour laid out before her like a delicacy from the farthest reaches of the Orient, but she stifled it quick. There was work to be done.

"Are you ready?" she asked as a smirk curled onto her lips.

"Very." But Elsa could give as good as she got. "Also, I think I'll start painting." It earned her a titter, which was entirely worth her effort.

And she did begin painting. Broad strokes, fine detail… and Anna was patient as ever, stretched out like a goddess awaiting mere mortals to do her bidding. Such sacrilegious thoughts were beneath Elsa, but she did not care much for religion in the first place; too many rules, demonising things that would be perfectly acceptable otherwise. Though of course, she was fine with painting iconic imagery for the church; it was what the people wanted, and she was not mighty enough to defy them.

Throughout the entire artistic process, her seat became less and less comfortable. Knowing why did not make it any more bearable. A blown kiss from Anna here, a stiff breeze that rustled her lower hairs there, and she was having a much harder time of painting than usual. Even so… it seemed to inspire a sense of urgency deep within her, blew on the coals of her imagination as much as her desire. So that the painting that took shape on the canvas…

Mon Dieu, Elsa thought to herself, not daring to share with her love just yet. Afraid to break the spell. This is… transcendent. I'm not even creating this work, it is divinity guiding my hand…

Never before had she reached such a level of artistic flow.

As such, it was almost a shame when Anna spoke up, asking if she could move, for her joints were beginning to grow too stiff from maintaining her position. With one last dab of her brush, Elsa set her materials down, leaning back in her stool to appraise the painting in its entirety.

Even with the last-minute disruption in her transcendent state, it was still, without a doubt, her best work to date.

"Elsaaaa…" Anna whined, and the blonde nearly had to clamp her legs shut at the spark of desire from hearing her beloved's voice in such a needy fashion.

"It is done," Elsa called back, hoping her voice didn't sound too high-pitched.

Elsa could only sit and watch as Anna slowly sat up and stretched her limbs. Her beloved was limber, and very flexible. With the sun glancing down at an angle, she was able to make out the way the ends of short copper hairs glistened when Anna stretched her legs.

At that sight, she was forced to clamp her thighs together tightly in an attempt to… quell?—to hide?—her own gathering wetness—painfully aware that she could not engage in plaisirs de la chair with her beloved, no matter how much either of them wanted to.

She breathily whispered, "Ma bien-aimée ... savez-vous ce que vous ne me faites?"

Anna tittered in response, "Oui…" before she cheekily added, "Though I could ask the same of you, ma chérie."

When Anna approached to view the masterpiece, Elsa grudgingly stood and moved aside, squirming and exercising great mental effort to keep from making it painfully obvious that she was so afflicted. The subject cast her professional eye over the canvas for a long few seconds.

"Well?" Elsa finally prompted.

"Now I see why you were uncomfortable letting me sell or show off the painting of you," she told her in a soft voice. "This is… beautiful, flawless, but I can't imagine letting anyone see it!" Smiling gently as she turned, her fingers laced with Elsa's. "My sweet is so talented."

"Your sweet had to make sure this lived up to the model's radiance." When Elsa shivered slightly, Anna raised an eyebrow, but she waved it off. "I'm fine."

A knowing glint in her eye, she glanced down at the stool on which she had perched to paint. Though Elsa had feared as much, she still looked away in shame to see the slightly damp spot. It was disgraceful, how little control she had over her urges… but Anna was pulling their hands toward it, fetching up Elsa's index finger and pressing it down against the seat.

"Shhh," she cut off Elsa's protest. "All great artists must sign their work; you know this." Eyes mostly on Elsa's, daring her to stop her or otherwise complain, Anna guided the damp fingertip to the lower-righthand corner and gently pressed it into the still-drying oils.

Elsa shuddered slightly, but proceeded to carefully guide her slicked finger across the work—tracing her signature with her own fluids, all the while Anna kept her hand lightly on Elsa's.

"This is…" Elsa began, mumbling, "alors… indécent, mais… si érotique."

It was Anna's turn to shudder at that.

Before Elsa realized what was happening, she watched Anna press her own finger to the dampened spot on the stool. She just stood there, frozen in shock, as Anna daintily raised said finger to her lips, pushing it against them. Elsa gaped at the sight and stammered indecipherably, only for Anna to lick her lips—tasting of Elsa's essence. Anna let out a low, breathily-aired moan, "Elssaaaaa…"

Elsa felt a rush of heat flush through her entire body as she became lightheaded, and reached out for the nearby table to keep herself from falling over.

"A-Ahn-Anna?" she gasped out.

But Anna's hands were already on Elsa's shoulders. "Zut alors, Elsa—are you alright? I didn't mean to upset you or anything, just… just tease you, as usual!"

"Anna, I can't… can't handle the teasing anymore. It's too much when I want to stop teasing and start… acting."

They were both silent for a long moment. The wind picked up, wafting their scents together and swirling around their bodies, causing Elsa to groan freshly when she caught them mingling. This was a hopeless situation; she never should have had such a potentially hazardous idea in the first place. Not while they were in this abominable situation with no ready solution.

"You can act whenever you wish," Anna told her again. For about the hundredth time. But she persisted this time, did not let Elsa's grunt of annoyance stop her. "No, Elsa, please; it's only you who's caught up in statuses, and titles, and where the ring on my finger came from! Me? I just want to be with you so much it burns me up inside! Merde, but I need you!"

Eyes pained, Elsa whirled and pushed nose to nose with her love, eyes wet even as her cheeks remained flushed with desire. "I KNOW! But… it isn't that simple, I won't sully your good name!"

"I don't have a good name! I am a nothing, gaspillage, a literal nobody! Only you think I have any worth, and that's all I care about, so why shouldn't I give myself over to you, body and soul?!"

Her desire was immediately forgotten.

"G-Gaspillage?" Elsa staggered again, reeling at the thought of how little value Anna placed upon herself. "NON! My dear, sweet, wonderful Anna… no, not you. Never." She brought her hands to her chest, wringing them together mercilessly. Her eyes filled with tears, body curling in on itself, as she wailed imploringly, "Anna, dearest… bien-aimée… please… you have more value in this world than any I have ever met. To hear you speak so… so vilely of your own self…ça ma brise cœur." She collapsed into Anna.

Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa's shoulders, tightly hugging the woman to her.

What have I done?

"E-Elsa?" she inquired hesitantly. "I'm… I'm sorry. I had no intention of hurting you—"

In a broken voice, Elsa interjected forcefully, "J-Just… don't… never say something like that about yourself. I cannot bear it."

"I won't, never again," Anna promised, stroking Elsa's cheek and wiping the tears spilling from her eyes. "I'm sorry, Elsa."

"Non," Elsa rasped, and brought her hands up to cup Anna's face and bring her into a soft, adoring kiss. "I will lift you up in protest of those who would strike you down, to make you see yourself in such a way, ma amour." Tender lips peppered desperate kisses over Anna's fluttering lashes, flushed cheeks, delicate nose. "Belle, charmant, beau, merveilleux, enchanteur Anna. Doux Anna. Pur Anna. My Anna."

And even as Anna began to shed a few stray tears herself, she returned the kiss with equal need, sliding her hands up and down her love's back. Time stood still as they reassured each other physically. As the sadness began to recede and their need began to grow stronger, neither of them withdrew, until they earnestly needed breath after so much time spent interlocked at the mouth.

"We go too far again," Elsa groaned, her hips flush with another pair.

"No one can see. No one will know—only you and I, and we want this! So what's the harm?"

It seemed that Elsa was running out of excuses. However, she was not backing down on her stance. Pressing her hands into Anna's shoulders, she backed her up, casting a soft smile across at her.

"Ma chérie… truly we are… overcome with, er… stress." Anna giggled at that choice of word. "It's improper to touch each other, but… to bring ourselves relief…"

Elsa paused briefly, before she concluded her train of thought. "But, perhaps we should retire indoors for refreshment first, if our proclivities are not to be denied."

She giggled again. "Yes… I think that would be a good idea."

She took Elsa's left hand in her right, letting Elsa guide them back to the kitchen where they had left their clothing that morning.

Once there, Elsa fetched the Bordeaux and poured glasses for both of them, then set out the bread and cheese she had selected especially for this occasion. Neither of them had been hungry before, but the long hours of painting coupled with the outpouring of heat they were wasting due to arousal had depleted their energy levels most thoroughly. As they nibbled and sipped, they occasionally brushed lips, or made a comment or other about each other's exposed flesh.

"It really looks like a constellation?"

"Oui… just here…" Her fingernail traced the route along her shoulder, prompting a giggle and a shiver from the owner of said pattern. "I could gaze at it for hours."

"Oh, Elsa, I want you to gaze at it for hours. And the rest of me." Biting her lip, she again darted in to press her wine-soaked lips against another pair, as they had done so many times in the last few minutes. "Mmm… may we simply be au naturel all the time? It's so freeing!"

"We can," she laughed, raising a finger to press against Anna's nose. "As long as we remember to keep a chemise and slippers by the door, in case someone comes to call. I won't have them catch either of us being so indecent!"

"Oui," Anna agreed with a sigh, "that would be unpleasant." She reached a hand up to caress Elsa's cheek, thumb brushing lightly over the barely-there freckles. "However...today is a day of pleasure. And I believe we still have need of such relief, non?"

"Indeed," Elsa breathed, setting her glass on the table. "So long as we don't—"

"I know, I know…" Anna said, rolling her eyes as a smile graced her face once more. "So why not...separate, but together? Imagine it is I betwixt your legs and you, mine?"

"A-Are you suggesting—"

"Plaisir solitaire," her love all but purred as her hand traced the curve of Elsa's slackened jaw, to tilt her chin. "We may not be able to lay together, but that doesn't mean we can't lay beside each other."

When Anna merely stood there, teasing her face and gracing her with such a steady, suggestive grin, Elsa had to blink a few times before she could make herself whisper, "Wait, you… surely you don't mean here?!"

"No!" Anna laughed, allowing her head to fall back as her hand fell to Elsa's shoulder. However.. a moment later, she pursed her lips in thought.

"Anna, you can't be serious…"

"Well, why not? No one's going to come in… it's not as if we're going to 'ruin' the table…" With a slight smirk, she shook her shoulders so that her pert little nipples alternately pointed up at her. "Where is that panache of yours? Why has it abandoned me now?"

At first, Elsa merely gazed at her as if she were crazy. Then the insanity spread to herself; convention and decency fled in tandem. Picking up her glass, she drained it in a single gulp, then caught up its mate and sent them both sailing off in the direction of the stove. Anna yelped and jerked backward, shocked at the sudden din of shattering glass, but Elsa was already grabbing her upper arms to draw her into a feverish kiss, tongue poking at her bottom lip so suddenly that she only had time to change the scream to a moan before it was inside, her entire body falling slack against her lover's.

Anna was quickly drunken and flushed red into the probing tongue meeting her own. Her nails dug down Elsa's back, knees feeling like jelly-like substance and she was lost in her own paradise.

Elsa held her jaw delicately, pulling away from her bruising lips. She smiled timidly and watched the younger woman shudder, whimpering at the very slightest when the warmth of her lips were pulled from hers.

"I think… it's time for us to…"

Anna's teal eyes dilated, turning into a view of a vast orb of darkness. "Y-Yeah…" She giggled and brushed her lips on Elsa's and her hands wandered to her waist. "Yes… I'd like that very much."

And in between stolen kisses and giggles filling the empty halls, along with just… them… bare from any clothes, each contact was filled with lust and desire and every time, they'd gotten so hungry for each other.

But even so, they had to maintain their resolve. Separate, but together, Elsa thought as her hand drifted to between her own legs, fingers brushing at her hardening nub. Before her, Anna did the same—a freckled hand descending to the ginger patch at the apex of her thighs.

Elsa's eyes slid closed as she groaned into the kiss, hips shifting forward to meet her hand and bump it back into Anna's wrist. Oh, they were treading a very fine line indeed… but it was a line she would gladly walk with the skill of an acrobat if it meant she could enjoy her love in this way without hating herself afterward.

"El...Elssaaa…" Anna moaned into her ear, and her hips gave a particularly vicious buck that had Elsa's fingers slipping between her wet folds from the force. Hissing, Elsa's free hand shifted from the girl's waist to grip at the table, steadying herself and simultaneously pushing Anna against it as her protégée's fingers sank into her own folds.

It was a very fine line, indeed. With the back of their hands bumping against each other, hips grinding desperately for friction, and fingers stroking, thrusting—

Elsa felt herself growing hotter by the second, breathing getting shallower. She couldn't hold it much longer, and reached around Anna to her fiery red hair. Anna's groans were extraordinary and it sent shivers down her back, fingers working furiously in out and out of her sex, easily.

She gasped, and her breathing held. "O-Oh god, Anna…"

Anna screwed her eyes shut, leaning into the crook of her neck. Her thumb continued circling her little nub, a finger plunging desperately inside for release.

As they gyrated, Elsa could feel Anna raising her leg to wrap around her a few times, but she couldn't stay standing so it came back down. After about the fourth attempt, she broke the kiss to grunt, "Something… the matter?"

"I c-can't… I can't stay standing, I'm not…"

Wasting no time on trivial matters like questions, she scooped Anna up and nearly slammed her down on the table, only making sure to brace her head and neck upward. There was a squeak that was more aroused than pained from the young painter, and then she was gazing up at Elsa adoringly as her hand fell back to her aching sex within mere seconds.

Elsa's core throbbed at the sight, and she hoisted herself up onto the table as well, looming over the girl with her knees almost at the structure's edge. It was a precarious position and certainly not safe for work—or anything else, for that matter—but with Anna writhing beneath her, she found that she didn't care. Elsa's hand reached between her legs once more, fingers dipping past her blonde curls and into the inviting warmth beyond. She moaned as her hips and hand descended back down to grind against Anna's with greater fervor.

The table creaked and shook beneath them from the force of their gyrations.

"You…" Anna was a panting, writhing mess, but it still seemed like she had something more to say. "The way you're poised, it's as if you're… taking me… comme un homme…"

The phrase caused Elsa's eyebrow to twitch. Angrily and against her will, Hans came to mind—but Anna had told her she never allowed him to even so much as touch her secret rose, and she trusted her word. But that didn't mean the thought of losing this moment to him completely dispelled her ire.

"Then picture I am," she grunted, thrusting into herself faster… but also pulling out to slam into the back of the other hand repeatedly, prompting a small gasp of mingled pleasure and surprise from Anna each time. "Picture I'm… bien doué… and stealing your virginity away in the night." Licking her lips, she held her hand still just long enough so she wouldn't topple when she shifted her legs to the inside of Anna's, spreading her further before she began to move her hips in the proper motion. "Imagine that my love for you is straight as an arrow, piercing into you over, and over…"

She punctuated each iteration with a fierce thrust of her hips.

"Hnnngg...Aaah! Ahh…E-Elsaa…" Anna keened, and Elsa knew she wouldn't be long now. Both of them, in fact. The tension that had built up ever since she had first started the painting threatened to boil over and bathe them in the warmth of its release. Elsa panted her beloved's name as the end drew closer and closer.

"Anna… oh, A-AAAANna, YES! MA BELLE! NNNNHHAAAHH!"

With an equal cry of unbridled, agonised pleasure, Anna arched her back like a bow and reached her end, trembling from every corner of herself. Elsa's position was like a rising tower above her, mouth agape and eyes unseeing as her hips instinctively pressed down against another pair as hard as was possible.

And as they held that moment, eternally finding joy in each other, Elsa began to feel more of her fluids gush down onto the back of Anna's hand. Her heart leapt into her throat when she realised this, but it was far too late to make any other arrangements; they were going to end up there, already had. The mixture of shock and gratitude in her lover's teal eyes confirmed as much.

Guilt curled around her throat and Elsa immediately retreated off the table, nearly tripping over her own feet in her haste to put some distance and avoid mixing any of their fluids.

...Or rather, any further. She knew at least a drop or two had probably slid down Anna's hand to mingle with her own.

"E-Elsa?" Anna panted weakly, managing to push up from the table on her elbows. "What… what's wrong?"

But all she was greeted with was a soft, shivering back and Elsa's fingertips stabbing into her own upper arms. This was what she had been afraid of; it was too much like they had rapports sexuels after all, which she had been completely against. It had felt so natural, so perfect… but it wasn't right for her to think so! How could she have so abysmally failed to uphold her very own guidelines for their affair?

For that's what it was. An affair. She was having an affair with a married woman, and she was the lowest form of life imaginable.

"La suc… it ran down into me…" Anna's voice was joyous, delighting in the notion, even while the snake of guilt further constricted around Elsa's heart and lungs. How could she have grown so careless when not even a single day had passed since Anna was left alone with her?

"We can't do this again."

Her voice was soft, yet it seemed to echo in the sudden silence of the kitchen. Elsa hunched further into herself, fingers digging deeper into her arms. She could still feel her essence dripping down her thighs—proof of the one line she had endeavored not to cross. But with Anna around, with the freedom they had…

"I think you should go."

"What?" After a few strained seconds, Anna forced a laugh. "Don't be silly; a joke like that could get taken seriously."

"I am serious, Anna! Look where we are! Look what we…" She still couldn't turn around, even though she felt like she should, to more clearly illustrate the problem. "There's so little difference between what just happened and what I swore would not happen while you are wed to that… that crétin! We have committed a crime, can you not see that?!"

For a few seconds, Anna merely lay there behind her, still nude on her table. Still open to her, still everything she wanted but could not have. Then she whispered, "Then why did you push for me to marry him if you wanted me all to yourself? Why not just… just earn as much as we could from him and buy a chateau on our own terms? I have… never understood your need for me t—"

"I needed you to be respected! To be viewed as a woman in good standing, a wife of a dignified house, and not some odd spinster who lives with an even more odd painter, it's…" Her tears and anguish were palpable as she shook and convulsed. "I am ruining you! Destroying your life, and I w-won't do it anymore!"

Then a hand was spinning her around. Anna had slid to stand behind her at some point, and she only had the briefest of moments to glimpse the deeply-rooted rage in her freckled features before a still-damp hand was drawing across her face with surprising force.

SLAP.

Silence. And then…

"How dare you."

Elsa could only stare at the floor, head still turned as her cheek stung with the fire of Anna's fury. She couldn't even bring herself to rub at the afflicted area, too shocked as she was that the girl had struck her so readily, so heavily.

"How dare you alone decide what is best for me," Anna continued in a livid hiss. "How dare you, Elsa Maurer."

"What? No, that wasn't—" The hand raised again, and this time Elsa flinched away from it so much that Anna didn't bother to strike a second time. "ANNA!"

"You think I am some… some pretty, vapid thing you can order around?! Tell me what I can do, where I am to be, who I can and can't touch?! I thought you respected me more than that, but clearly—"

"NO!" Elsa burst out desperately, eyes wide and imploring, a quaver in her voice that neither of them had ever heard in it before. "That is not the case, I swear it before the crown and the church, and my own life! Merde moi, I did not mean for you to come away with that impression, but if you have, then… then I have botched this worse than I thought!"

Frustrated by Elsa's boot-assisted height, Anna's hand grabbed the back of her neck and forced her face down to her level, nails digging into flesh. "I am Roxanna, not you! I want to feel your body against mine, and I will have that, and… and you will stop these silly protestations that I'm too 'pure' to be 'tainted' by you, that you must be in charge of my well-being! The only way you could truly harm me is to keep me from your side—the way you tried to do a moment ago!"

Her furious rant continued, "Elsa, you are the one I'm in love with. The one I want to spend my life with. The one I wish to lay with. NOT him. So you do NOT get to make that decision for me, propriety be damned."

Elsa stood stock still—mind racing, heart pulsating rapidly, breath coming in short staggered gasps.

"B-b-but—"

Anna exclaimed emphatically, "NO! No 'but's! I love and respect you, and can accept that you have limitations. However, you agreed to this. You suggested this. You climbed on top of me on that table. And neither of us actively, directly participated in bringing the other to release—albeit barely, I'll grant you that point."

"I… I thought I explained myself better than this," Elsa breathed, sounding terrified of this moment, even with Anna telling her how much she loved her. "That it wasn't about how much we cared or didn't care, that's never been… I know you're fond of me—"

"No. Not 'fond'; you aren't a favourite horse in the stables. You're the only person I share my heart with, Elsa."

"Alright!" she grumbled, annoyed at having been put off her train of thought by such details. "You do love me! You…" Her ire and sadness melted away for an instant when the truth of it struck her. "You love me."

Anna's eyes closed, and she let herself exhale long and deep. But when she opened them again, they were as serious as ever. "And I'm going to keep on doing just that. Now… you were going to say something again about keeping me respectable. It's not that I don't appreciate that; I do! But when it gets in the way of our happiness together, it's just so, so… sans importance, non?"

Elsa averted her gaze at that, and nearly flinched at the hand that cupped her chin, urging her to look the girl in the eyes once more.

"It is not up to you to decide if I am sullied, ma amour," Anna whispered heatedly. "That alone is up to me. And, the way I see this...we've simply consummated our marriage. A marriage in all but name, and even then, arguable. I said my vows to you. I pledged my heart to yours."

"Anna…" was the only thing the blonde could manage to say, her voice all but lost by the intense fierceness shining in her lover's eyes.

"Do you understand that? My heart, Elsa, belongs to you!" With that declaration, Anna reached for Elsa's hand and laid it firmly above her left breast, holding it there so the other woman could feel the rapid thumping of her heart. "No one but you can affect me this strongly. You make my pulse dance with every little thing you do. Hans cannot do this to me. He never has and he never will. Only you. Only ever you!"

Anna grasped the hand placed over her heart within her own and brought it up to her lips, nestling a tender kiss on the back of it and squeezing it gently. "If you choose to reject me this way… my heart will be torn to pieces and cease to beat. I could no longer bear any happiness because my happiness lies with you."

Elsa finally mustered the will, the courage to speak—her panache no longer lost to the roil of thought and emotion swirling through her.

"Anna, sweet Anna… je suis amoureuse de toi, trop." Fresh tears trailed over flushed porcelain cheeks. Lacking control, she slipped back into her mother-tongue once more, voice hoarse, "Bitte verzeih mir. Ich liebe dich." She took the hand pressing hers to Anna's breast, and pressed it against her own over her racing heart. "This is for you. Forever."

Her other arm wrapped around Anna's back, crushing her beloved against her as she crashed their lips together fervidly. After a few moments, she pulled back only to lean her forehead against Anna's.

"Please, forgive me… I love you so much. I just did not want to see your name run through the streets like that of a common putain, or worse… une déviant. You've such a cœur doux pur, I feared that it would ruin you. I would give up every possible chance for my own happiness, if it meant seeing yours was fulfilled. And—"

Anna silenced her with another kiss.

And another.

And another.

"Elsa…the only thing that would fulfill my happiness is to be by your side," Anna assured her as she carded her fingers through blonde locks.

"If you are certain," Elsa sighed, but she could no longer sound so worried and frantic. Even with the stinging in her cheek from Anna's reprimand, she felt better about their relationship than she had since its conception.

"I am." Then she chuckled softly to herself. When Elsa leaned back with a querying look, she shrugged and whispered, "It's nothing, ma belle."

"Is it? Go on, tell me."

Cheeks flushed and eyes downcast, she took her time about answering. Then she confessed, "I… well, I don't know if it's alright for me to say… but I really love… to hear you speak German."

"Deutsch?" Elsa repeated, arching a brow. "I didn't know you were interested in hearing it. You never expressed the desire before."

"Perhaps because I wished to express other desires at the time," she heard Anna mumble, and the blonde chuckled a little at that.

Elsa smirked and replied—intentionally, this time—in her mother-tongue, "Andere Begierden, sagen Sie?"

Anna's previously crimson cheeks adopted a darker, scarlet hue. "O-ohhh…" she panted.

"Ich liebe dich…"

Anna shivered, feeling cold; slender fingers trailed up her back and hot breath swept over her ear. She didn't need to ask Elsa what it meant because she already knew after hearing her say those three words over and over again. She hadn't gotten used to it… and each time, it'd sent waves of joy to her smile and pleasure to her burning loins.

The fingers trailed into her auburn hair, splayed softly between the strands. Elsa gave the slightest of smiles and the softest of sighs.

"Ich möchte mit dir schlafen..." Anna groaned, her jelly-like legs nearly giving out. Elsa chuckled, and wrapped an around around her waist. "Are you… sure you still want to do this? You seem a bit…"

"Enchanted? Yes, I am..." she breathed against the bare skin of her shoulder. She nuzzled into her and dieu, she was loving her scent. So fragrant… so soft… Anna would be able to recognize it anywhere, anytime.

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "One of your...indulgences, I suppose?"

Her cheeks flared red. "Y-You could say that."

Leaning in close so her lips brushed the shell of Anna's ear, Elsa breathed, "Meine schöne Anna…"

At the visible shudder to her beloved's freckled form, her hand trailed up to cup Anna's cheek, dusting kisses along the curve of her jaw. "Dein Vater muss ein Dieb sein," she murmured in the space between them, leaning back just enough to brush their noses and lock gazes, "Doch er hat die Sterne vom Himmel genommen...und sie dir in die Augen gelegt."

Those very eyes were dilated—black threatening to swallow teal as Anna shuddered once more in her arms. She closed them, burying her face into Elsa's bare shoulder as she grumbled, "Dieu, Elsa…"

"Ich bin nicht Gott."

"Oh, hush!" Anna grumbled further, and Elsa fancied she could feel the heat of Anna's cheeks. "Even in German, your tongue hasn't dulled with its sharpness…I may not know what you're saying, but I can tell you're teasing me."

Elsa smirked and kissed the redness of her cheeks. "Ich mag Äpfel."

Anna pouted. "Elsa!" And she nearly let out a groan as she felt Elsa's lips caressing warmly on her neck. She could feel that stupid smirk crossing her face and gave Elsa a little slap to the shoulder.

"Wieso hast du mich geschlagen?" Elsa frowned, her nose nuzzled into her hair. Gods, her sweet, sweet scent.

The girl growled, "You're still teasing me!"

"I am. And I doubt I'll ever cease delighting in it," the blonde cheekily responded, chuckling as she nuzzled further into Anna's hair. Her fingers drifted to the girl's sides, lightly drumming against her sensitive skin.

"Hey! Th-That tickles!"

Elsa widen her eyes, ceasing her fingers and pressed her palms on her waist. "You're ticklish."

The redhead continued laughing, jerking and squirming away from her fingers. "A-And you're not?!"

She laughed, and Anna slowly leaned into the woman. Her arms wrapped around her neck, head leaned against her shoulder. Her hair tickled Elsa's nose and slender fingers grazed around her neck, played with the little blonde hair loose from her braid. They were calm, feeling each other's hearts pounding against their own chests.

"Bonjour."

"Bonjour to you, also."

Anna grinned, tugging onto Elsa's hair. "Shush, you. I… If you're not ready to… fais moi l'amour… I won't force you to."

Elsa hummed absently, pressing a light kiss to the freckled shoulder before her. "Merci, ma belle. I'm feeling rather...tired, from the day's events. In more ways than one, I suppose...I would not mind sleeping with you—simply laying beside each other, enjoying the comfort of another…"

"I would like that," Anna said quietly, and Elsa could almost feel the smile in her voice. Indeed, she could feel the curve of lips against her neck. "Ah...and I think you should be tired from 'claiming' me so fervently, so passionately."

The girl laughed, and it was Elsa's turn to swat halfheartedly at her arm. Her cheeks still grew warm, though more out of lingering shame rather than embarrassment at Anna's bluntness regarding their activities. The contents of their earlier discussion nudged at her mind, but for now, Elsa set them aside. It would take some time to break old habits, to...relax, in a word. Relinquish control instead of fretting as she was wont to do. Her fears of discovery were not unfounded, of course, but for now…

For now, she would enjoy and share in the happiness of her beloved—of the one whom she had pledged her heart to until the end of their days.

"Ich liebe dich…Anna."

"Je t'aime, Elsa."

A few minutes later, they found themselves in bed—fingers stroking through each other's hair and eyes full of longing for the other as a comfortable silence settled over them. They remained naked, legs tangled around each other and their skin shimmered through the night. Only a flimsy piece of blanket covered their intimate parts.

Stars filled the night sky, clear from any clouds. The moon shined brightly and the leaves rustled outside of Elsa's room.

Anna sighed into her fingers, eyes closing. "That feels nice…"

The blonde grinned, tucking her arm between her pillow and her head. "It's late."

"I know…" she yawned and a sparkle of tear peeked out of the corners. "We should sleep but…"

"I could look at you all day, all night without getting bored."

"Why, I was going to say just that." Anna laughed heartily, letting Elsa tuck her under her chin, arms hugging the slender blonde's waist. She hummed, body in complete relaxation. If she was with Hans, they would've slept in separately. Anna would've protested against it.

Contrary to her words, Elsa couldn't resist Morpheus' pull, calling her to rest after another minute of struggling to stay awake. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, threatening to close at any given moment. She pressed a kiss to the top of Anna's head, smiling against her flowing auburn tresses as she gave in to sleep's comforting embrace.

Our contributors: nopantsparade/Issandri, forkanna/Jessica-X, Cyrianu, iamrottingunman/iamrottingbitch, The Wandering Quill, CanITellUSmthin, Brown Turtle