Bittersweet AffectionsNSFW

"Out of the way, I'm here to see the undisputed musical champion of all Nova and I will not be delayed," Brin announced proudly, strutting past the pathetic-looking maid with gifts in hand. "She's expecting me."

The maid hurried after her, rushing to catch up and spread her arms over the door to the princess's bedchamber to block the imposing duchess from entering. "Wait - my lady, the princess has forbidden visitors and gifts, I understand you two are becoming, err, close, and the guards might let you through, but the princess asked me, and I do take my duties seriously-"

Brin gave her a withering look, reached past her and rapped on the door anyway. "Princess! I come bearing gifts to reward my prodigious little maestro!"

The maid drooped, scooting aside as it became clear she was losing this battle. "Very well, but let it be known that I did attempt to warn you."

There was no response from the other side of the door.

"... Elodie?" Brin asked, softer, knocking once again. "It's Brin."

This time the princess's voice was audible, if quiet. "I said you can come in."

With a smug look to the maid, Brin pushed her way into the bedchambers... finding the princess spread-eagle across her bed, staring emptily up at the ceiling. Still in her cute toga from her tournament performance, sandals and all. For Elodie to still be wearing shoes on the bed meant this was a very grave despair indeed.

"What do you have to be depressed about, kid?" Brin asked with her usual tact, sitting down on the bed. She set down her gifts and elbowed her tiny girlfriend in the ribs in hopes of provoking a reaction. "You kicked ass. Last week your letter was so full of fire about making the other nobles respect you, and there's no way they can ignore a performance like-"

"The chocolates were poisoned," Elodie cut in.

Brin stopped cold. "... Chocolates? What chocolates?"

"Someone sent chocolates. I was saving them for a treat after the tournament," Elodie replied. She spoke in an uncharacteristic monotone. "One of my stewards stole a chocolate while I was out. Ten minutes later, he was dead. The castle staff found poison in every single one of the chocolates. Enough to kill a man twice my size. If I hadn't saved them for later, I would have died. That's what whoever sent them wanted. They wanted me to eat the chocolate and die."

A lump was forming in Brin's throat. First the whole debacle in the Old Forest, now this... A rational part of her knew that of course there would be power grabs and assassination plots against the young crown princess. That, perhaps, she'd even heard of one herself. But the emotions of fear for her young beloved and fury at whoever had the gall to threaten her warred for control of her mind, completely ignoring her reason.

"A man is dead because of me, Brin. He's dead because someone wanted me to die." Elodie continued. "And whoever sent them obviously didn't get what they wanted. I'm still alive. So they'll try again. And someone else will die. Maybe another servant. Maybe my father. Maybe you. Or maybe they'll succeed next time. And I'll die like that man did. Just slip away into a sleep I'll never wake up from. At least no one else will get hurt that way."

Brin reached over, grabbing Elodie under her arms and pulling her into her lap as tenderly as she could manage. "Enough of that kind of talk. You think no one else is going to get hurt if you die? Come on, now. Your father losing both of the beloved women in his life in less than a year? He'd snap like a twig. Your little cousin, the one you had a crush on - you think she'd ever be able to smile again if you were dead? And that's not even counting me, you little brat. Not only would I be heartbroken, I'd personally make it my quest to kill whoever's responsible and everyone they've ever loved. How's that for collateral damage?"

Normally, Brin's playful insults and (mostly) joking threats to destroy anyone who harmed Elodie got at least a giggle out of the princess, no matter how sad or angry she was feeling. This time, though, they got welling tears and an escalating whine.

Well, at least that was an emotion. A step up from the monotonous emptiness. Brin lifted Elodie into a proper embrace, letting the girl cry against her chest.

This... was the true face of the Crown Princess of Nova. A scared 14-year-old, still more than two months away from the Novan age of majority - whereupon she would immediately have to assume full responsibility for the throne. No wonder she was sobbing wetly into Brin's dress.

"He just wanted a treat," Elodie whimpered. "He just wanted a treat, and now he's dead. If I had wanted a treat-"

"Shhh," Brin murmured, pressing Elodie into her chest. "Enough what ifs. What's done is done. You're alive, Elodie, and you have him to thank for it. He may not have meant to, but he sacrificed himself for you. The chocolates wouldn't have been examined for poison if he hadn't eaten one and suffered the consequences so you didn't have to. He's no different from a guard or a food taster. His family will be honored to know that he saved your life by giving his."

The princess shuddered in Brin's arms. "That's sick."

"It is sick," Brin agreed, staring bitterly into the distance. "This whole stupid game we nobles play is sick. Honor, power, succession... it's all such bullshit. Being willing to kill, just to be the one who gets to have the most toys."

Elodie whimpered and nodded.

Brin drew in a deep, heavy breath, held it still. Let it out, lightly ruffling Elodie's pretty pink hair. This was the most depressed she'd ever seen Elodie in the three months they'd been dating. And appropriately, it required the most drastic measures to tend that Brin could think of.

Brin pulled Elodie up toward the pillows, pushing her gifts out of the way in the process. She lifted Elodie's chin with a finger. "Alright. I can't watch this anymore. No one's gonna try to hurt my princess and get away with it. I'm gonna have to put you somewhere safe."

Elodie regarded Brin with reddened but still curious eyes, her eyebrows twitching in consternation. "... Huh?"

Didn't get it, huh. Brin pulled Elodie's arms up over her head, pinning them there in a more direct mimicry of their dominance-swallowing play. "I mean, I'm gonna have to put you somewhere no one can reach you. Somewhere you belong only to me. You get it."

Understanding slowly dawned on Elodie's face - and with it, a spreading tinge of pink. "Wh- Brin, you would kidnap a vulnerable and sad and lonely and scared princess?"

"Not just kidnap her," Brin growled, licking up the salty tear-streaks from Elodie's cheeks. "I'm gonna eat her. I'm not going to be satisfied unless she's all mine."

A nervous-excited giggle bubbled out of Elodie, and relief washed through Brin. As long as she can laugh, she's okay.

"Nooo...! Who could have guessed that my trusted girlfriend was even more dangerous than assassin-mnnnyeeek!" Elodie squealed as Brin licked over her face and sneaked in a kiss. "Thief! You're a thief! Stealing kisses from the princess when she can't fight back! Off with her head! Off with her head!!"

The toga was going to have to go. When Elodie was feeling better, it would make for a good memento of this day. Perhaps less so, if it were stained by Brin's stomach juices in the meanwhile - not to mention, those same stains might be a bit hard to explain to her father. So up it went, over Elodie's head, triggering even more stammering protest from underneath. "Tr-Trying to steal my virtue, too?"

"As if you have any virtue, Princess," Brin teased. She chose to leave Elodie's undergarments intact - she had no intention of truly taking advantage of the girl during this emotional low. Her fingers still played along Elodie's ticklish sides, making her writhe on the bed in uncontrollable giggles. "Everyone knows your panties drop for any pretty lesbian who looks your way. Even if that look is hungry."

Elodie squawked in protest. "Hey- No! Just this one."

"Just this one?" Brin repeated in surprise. Teasing Elodie about being a slut and portraying herself as a predator preying on that slutty nature was normally a favorite.

But this time Elodie grabbed Brin's hand and laced their fingers together, squeezing tightly. "Just this one. I picked this one because she has big feelings and a big heart even if she also has a big mouth, and I want to keep her. Only her. Just for me, forever."

Tears started to Brin's eyes, sharp and hot. The words echoed in her head. I want to keep her. Only her. Just for me.

Forever.

A breath of laughter was all Brin could muster. Kid, if only you knew how badly, how long I've wanted to be loved like that... "Just for you, huh? Who's eating who, here?"

"I said you had a big mouth."

"You brat." Brin hoisted Elodie up, shaking off the rush of emotion. "You're right, I do have a big mouth. A big mouth that you would fit right inside."

And fit inside she did - the runty princess, all five foot nothing of awkward scrawny teenager, made for a quick and easy meal. Now more than usual with Elodie putting up little fight, not even the token fight she normally put up when being "punished" this way.

"My guards are gonna kick your butt when you- Kyaaauuu!" Elodie shrieked through the stomach lining as Brin's tongue teased over her belly. "Help! A brigand, eating me up for purposes unknown! Anyone, come to my aid! Your queen needs you! Who knows what will become of her? This might be your last chance to save her!"

The maid's face appeared in the doorway for a moment, then hastily disappeared again as she took in what she was looking at.

Brin couldn't help a muffled laugh as she pried off Elodie's sandals. Elodie's favorite maid, and yet it seemed she only saw her mistress in more and more compromising positions as time went on. It didn't help that Elodie had no volume control and would say the strangest things at full scream without caring who heard.

But then, Brin liked that about her. They were similar in that way. Her own maid probably had nothing good to say about her.

With Elodie's feet tucked away in her mouth, Brin took a moment to savor her taste one last time, then swallowed hard. She could feel the princess curling around inside her, settling in place.

Even though Elodie was a relatively small bulge compared to most, Brin's current dress was not designed to hold two - it strained painfully and threatened to rip open at the seams.

Let it rip, Brin thought, still too giddy from the high of Elodie's expression of devotion to be bothered. I don't care. I can have it mended. I don't want to miss a second with her. She threw herself down on the bed, sighing blissfully. "There. All mine."

It took Elodie a surprisingly long time to speak up. But when she did, she was quiet again. "I really do feel safe in here."

Brin responded without words, just caressing her stomach along where she guessed Elodie's cheek to be.

The lower volume certainly worried Brin at first, but... Elodie didn't sound upset again. Just relaxed. It wasn't completely unusual for Elodie to quiet down once she was totally swallowed - once she'd passed the point of no return, as she'd called it in the past.

Of course, there would be return. There was always return.

But for the night, Elodie was inside for good. It wouldn't be until morning that Brin would release her. That was how it always was between them - that Elodie could end up in Brin's body any time she liked, but Brin would get to keep her until-

Rii-IIIIIP

... well, I didn't particularly like this dress to begin with, Brin thought.

She let her breathing slow. The weight of Elodie inside her belly always made Brin relax, too, even on nights where their play was more mock-violent. They were each other's stuffed animal, a bedtime companion bringing comfort and safety.

"I've been thinking," Elodie began. "That I'd feel safer if you were around the castle more." A mild strain indicated where Elodie was pressing her hand into the stomach lining, and Brin pressed her own hand against it. Touching through the fleshy walls of Elodie's new safe room.

Hellas needs to be looked after, and the people will worry if I get an administrator out of nowhere. It's not that simple. I wish it were that simple, Elodie. But you're right. I should be here. Brin thought. Aloud, she settled on the simpler, "I would feel safer that way, too."

The two lay together in comfortable silence for a while longer.

"There are omens of war coming to Nova," Elodie mumbled, sounding increasingly tired. "I don't want us to be separated if that happens."

Brin's response was immediate. "If that happens, even wild horses will not be able to pull me away from your side."

"Hehe..." Elodie sighed softly. "Brin... stay with me this week. I'm scared something else will happen."

There would be details to work out. And of course, Elodie couldn't stay inside Brin all week, not when she had classes to take. There would be more responsibilities like the day's tournament - the life of a princess was not an easy one. And of course, the culprit for the poisoning attempt needed to be caught. Brin had a horrible suspicion that she knew exactly who it could be - and there were no easy answers for dealing with that particular monster.

But for now, none of that really mattered.

"I'll stay with you," Brin agreed, caressing her exhausted charge. Her lover had been through a lot today. An ecstatic high and a terrifying low. It was the least she could do to offer a peaceful rest. "As long as you want me there."

There was a stifled yawn from inside. "Forever, then?"

Brin snorted. "Sure, kid. Forever it is."