Animus Eternus Ch. 01

Palace of Versailles, 1742...

The gilded halls and opulent splendor of the palace had attracted the elite nobility that the King of France had hoped.

They poured into the palace ballroom, dancing gracefully as the well trained orchestra played. Silk and satin dervishes of color filled the room as couples spun to an energetic waltz, while others conversed cheerily over glasses of wine.

Among them was a sole figure from across the ocean. High cheekbones, a small, button nose, and pouty lips all combined in a face that was mesmerizingly beautiful, while long dark brown hair tumbled down her back, the darkness giving a sharp contrast to her tan skin.

Her eyes had a smoky appearance, and her lips were a deep shade of red that was completely natural.

She was incredibly tall, thanks to long, slender legs that were visible through a slit in the skirt of her flowing grass green dress. The corset part of the dress was held up by firm yet relatively small breasts.

A few thin silver bracelets clung to her slim wrists, while a very beautiful silver necklace containing several sapphires hung from her neck.

She was stood by one of the windows, her eyes on the whirling pairs as they danced their way through a particularly fast number.

None of the men had offered to dance with her, and none of the women had struck up a conversation. Until one woman saw her across the ballroom and gave her one of the most breathtaking smiles she had ever seen.

She was incredibly beautiful, her narrow eyes a vivid shade of cerulean blue, long dark blonde hair tumbling down past her slender shoulders.

Her black and white pinstripe silk dress was almost as beautiful as she was, clinging to her body like a second skin and drawing attention to her supple curves.

There wasn't a man in the ballroom that hadn't stolen several glances at her. Quite a few women had too, though most were seemingly jealous of her beauty.

She glided across the ballroom with graceful ease, men and women stopping her every few steps to ask her to dance but she politely turned them all down, coming to join her by the window.

"Hello. My name is Fenella Rearden. It may be impolite, but you looked so very lonely over here. What is your name?" she asked, extending her hand in greeting.

"Dolores Ryker."

"It is nice to meet you. What brings you to Versailles? Because you do not seem like the usual guest."

"I am in France on a holiday, and since these balls are the talk of the country, I decided to see what all the commotion was about."

"Understandable. But I myself find them to be terribly boring in all honesty. So tedious, so repetitive. Would you care to join me in a walk of the gardens?"

"That sounds lovely."

Fenella swept from the ballroom with Dolores clinging onto her arm. The two women passed away into a garden full of exotic smells and vibrant colors, the flowers in full bloom as summer was in full swing.

As they passed through a row of arches, Fenella picked a rose from the bushes and gave it to Dolores, who ruefully smiled and accepted it with a nod.

She was unsure why, but Fenella was making her feel more respected and attractive than any of the upper class noblemen in the palace had.

"Versailles is so beautiful this time of the year." Fenella sighed. "I wish I could live here all year round."

"As do I. But your accent sounds like you are from Italy, if I am not mistaken. It would be little struggle for you to move here if you wished, if you are of noble birth."

"I spent a great deal of time in Rome, that is true. I picked up the accent. But I was originally from Romania."

"Hmm... I have always wished to visit that part of the continent, but I never seem to move on from France."

"Is that through choice or fate?"

"Fate mostly. But I must admit I enjoy it here, especially with such occasions as the one tonight."

"Maybe some day, someone will take you away from here and show you the rest of the beauty this world holds." Fenella smiled shyly, getting an equally bashful but beautiful smile in return.

"Maybe you." Dolores challenged softly, and Fenella briefly grinned, before glancing back at the palace.

"I couldn't. It would be improper. There are so many men out there that could take you." She said, a tinge of sorrow in her tone that wrenched Dolores' heart.

Stepping forward, she glanced around the gardens to ensure no one was watching them before taking Fenella by the hand and leading her into a small arbor.

Sitting Fenella down, she kept hold of her hand as she spoke. "You feel it, don't you, that pull between us?"

Fenella nodded.

"I feel it. I can't explain it. It feels like the way old poets describe the way love to be, but I shouldn't feel this way about a..."

"A woman? Why not? You cannot choose who your heart desires. And it is foolish to fight it if you know it is what you want." Dolores smiled, a smile that brought a quirk to Fenella's own lips and a slight blush to her cheeks.

"It is still improper. We would be cast out as perverts and freaks if anyone was to discover our... predilections."

"What predilections? We have done nothing except talk. And what is it to them what we do in the sanctuary of private quarters?"

"You have private quarters? How rich are you?"

"I have a small fortune. I come from a wealthy family, and now that they are dead, the fortune they amassed is mine. I would happily share it with you."

"What? You barely know me."

"So? Fenella, I cannot pretend that I do not want you. My heart beats faster and faster every time I look at you. All I can think of right now is how much I want to kiss you, hold you and... quite frankly I want to see just how perfect you are beneath that dress."

Fenella blushed again. Dolores placed her hand gently atop Fenella's, making her breath catch in her throat as she gazed at Dolores.

"You think I'm perfect?"

"Yes."

Fenella smiled shyly. She slowly turned her hand, her fingers parting to entwine themselves through those of Dolores.

Dolores grinned back at her, then leaned over to lasciviously whisper. "Would you like to see my private quarters?"

"Is that what you call it?" Fenella giggled, and Dolores bit her lip. Her laugh was husky and deep, sending a shiver of sexual want down her spine.

They stared at one another for several long moments, a thread of tension hanging in the air between them, and Dolores could see Fenella's resolve weakening.

Then she shivered. A chill was beginning to settle over the gardens as night closed in, and it was bitterly cold. Dolores shifted a little closer, letting her body heat warm Fenella.

"Shall we head in? It is rather cold." Fenella said quietly. Dolores stood and offered her arm to her. Fenella paused, then took it.

Arm in arm, they walked back into the palace, where the party was still in full swing. At the doors to the main hall, Fenella suddenly came to a halt.

"Is something wrong?" Dolores asked.

"No. I... I want to go back to your quarters, if we can. I want to speak more somewhere more warm and private."

"Of course." Dolores smiled.

They turned away from the great hall and made their way to the residential wing of the building.

They walked slowly, taking in the beautiful art that hung on the walls. Dolores couldn't concentrate, as the warmth of Fenella's skin and the smell of her perfume was distracting.

Finally, they came to a dark brown oak door, gilded around the edges. Dolores opened the door and gestured for Fenella to go inside first, following her in before shutting the door.

The room was decorated extravagantly. It was not her personal taste, but the French were known for their love of opulence. Fenella made her way around the room, her mouth agape at the furnishings, until she saw the bed and her jaw dropped.

It was a giant four poster bed, bedecked in black silk sheets and a deep red duvet. It was big enough for three at a time, which Dolores knew was how the nobles preferred it.

Fenella let out a childlike squeal of glee and ran to the window to look out at the view, making Dolores smile at the sight. She crossed the room at a more sedate pace, and slid her arm around Fenella's slim waist.

To her surprise, Fenella didn't move away, instead leaning back against her with a sigh that made Dolores shiver.

"What if someone sees us?" she asked, her voice low and troubled.

"Let them see. The staff here are well paid to keep their mouths shut. They see worse things than two women holding each other anyway."

"And I do enjoy you holding me. You smell so lovely."

"So do you. Good enough to eat." Dolores told her, then gently nipped her earlobe before she added in a soft whisper, "and make no mistake, I do want to eat you."

Fenella blushed again, and Dolores felt her desire take over. Making Fenella look at her with her beautiful brown eyes, she leaned in and laid a soft, gentle kiss on her.

Her lips were as soft as the silk of the sheets on the bed, warm and slightly wet, tasting a little of wine. Fenella reacted instantly, returning the kiss with vigor, her arm snaking up around the neck of Dolores.

Dolores turned her, pinning her up against the glass of the window to kiss her more roughly, her tongue seeking entry into Fenella's mouth as she squeezed her pert rear.

Fenella moaned softly, her hands fumbling with the clasps of Dolores' corset in her haste to get it off. Dolores aided her by working from the bottom before shrugging both it and her dress off.

The look of sheer hunger in Fenella's eyes made Dolores shiver, but she began her own attempts to remove Fenella's dress. Fenella stopped her, then pulled at the shoulders.

The dress fell like water off her frame, leaving her in nothing but silk pants. Dolores kissed her again, directing her to the bed where they fell back onto it.

With a wicked grin, Dolores nipped Fenella on the neck, causing a gasp of pain. She quickly soothed the pain by leaving butterfly soft kisses down to her breasts.

Fenella's tan skin was covered entirely with goosebumps, and was vibrating with tension as she watched Dolores descend lower with eager anticipation.

Dolores teased her beyond measure, kissing her everywhere but the one place she had never been kissed, the one place she wanted more than anything to be kissed.

The inside of her thighs, the soft flesh a little way above her smooth mons, a trail of fleeting and barely palpable kisses up each leg before stopping centimeters from her needy core.

"Please..." Fenella moaned, her voice rich with desire and pleading. Fenella looked up at her with sinful eyes.

"Please what?" she laughed, her sultry voice full of sensual challenge and promise.

"I want you to..." Fenella was cut off as Dolores left another kiss a little closer to where it was desired most.

"To...?"

Another kiss, a little lower, made her breath catch in her throat. She had no idea what she wanted, her mind was so addled from pleasure.

Then Dolores gave it to her anyway.

She dipped her head, and Fenella felt her warm, firm tongue slowly glide up between the lips of her sex, tasting her as if she had all the time in the world.

Fenella moaned, long and low, as Dolores' tongue swirled over her clit, sending pulses of liquid pleasure through her again and again before it delved deep into her, making Fenella cry out in pleasure as her hands entwined into Dolores' silky smooth hair.

She continued this relentless assault on the most sensitive parts of her sex for what seemed like hours, orgasm after orgasm lighting up her body until Fenella could no longer handle it.

"Stop... Dolores please... stop." She begged, her voice breathless and pleading. Dolores gave a smile as she crawled back up Fenella's body and kissed her, soft and slow.

Fenella swiftly rolled them over, making her cry out in surprise. Fenella gave her a swift, soft kiss then slowly made her way down.

Her kisses were those of a woman not skilled in suspenseful teasing, but she nevertheless knew where to kiss Dolores to elicit moans of passion.

When she finally took pity on Dolores, the way her tongue danced over her clitoris was enough to make her back arch off of the bed as the pleasure became almost unbearable.

Fenella only stopped when - in a voice that was weak and pleading - Dolores begged her to, their eyes meeting as Fenella slinked back up the beautiful body before her to give her lover a slow, tender kiss.

"That was... wow. Was that your first time doing that?"

"Yes." Fenella said bashfully.

"I would have said otherwise. That was quite amazing." Dolores told her, her breathing ragged but slowing.

Fenella snuggled up to her, and soon the sound of soft breathing reached her ears, making Dolores look down to see her new, gorgeous paramour sleeping soundly.

Smiling broadly, Dolores closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep herself, her heart full of a love she ached to admit.

Over the next few days, Dolores found that love growing the more she was in the company of the Romanian beauty.

Every time she looked at Fenella, her heart beat just a little faster, her breath caught in her throat and she felt the irresistible urge to kiss her.

She had no clue whether Fenella had the same feelings, but she kept quiet, as there was always the risk that Fenella was simply after sex, not romance.

One morning, as heavy wind and rain rattled the windows, Dolores opened her eyes to find she was alone.

"Fenella? Are you here?" she called, but there was no answer. Slipping out of the bed, she wandered from room to room, calling out for her.

There was no sign of her, so Dolores pulled on a robe and signaled for a maid to come in.

"Good morning, ma'am. What can I do for you?"

"Did you see where my friend went this morning?"

"Friend, ma'am?"

"Miss Rearden. She spent the night here last night. Did you see her leave?"

"No, ma'am, but I can contact the maid who was here yesterday evening and ask her."

"Yes, please. As soon as you can."

The maid left, and Dolores headed to the balcony, picking up a glass of wine as she sat and waited.

About an hour later, the maid knocked on the door and came in. The look on her face said all Dolores needed to know.

"She's gone, isn't she?"

"I'm afraid so, ma'am. The maid from last night said she saw Miss Rearden fleeing the palace in the middle of the night. I am very sorry ma'am."

"Why are you sorry?"

"Because we staff members have seen you and Miss Rearden together, and you looked very happy."

"I thought we were. Thank you. You can go."

The maid left and Dolores burst into tears, sobs that made her lungs and heart ache and tore her throat. Falling to the cold, wood floor, she curled into a ball and wept.

When they passed, Dolores got to her feet, and without a single word to any of the staff or other guests, packed her bags and left the palace.

Years passed, and while she had lovers and flings, Dolores always kept an eye out for Fenella, but she knew she would never see her love again.

Staying out of the public eye, Dolores let the whims of her mind lead her from city to city, country to country, across continents and oceans.

Taking up residence in one of the hotels in the city of London, she let company light up her life for the odd night or two, but it was always fleeting, and she always found her days and nights filled with solitude once more.

As she cooked dinner one evening, she heard footsteps on her balcony. Drawing a knife from the block, she yanked open the door to the balcony, knife raised.

And promptly dropped it in complete shock.

The person before her was bloodied, bruised and motionless, but she couldn't mistake the deep brown eyes that fluttered open only to close again.

"Fenella?" she whispered, dropping to her knees, cradling the half dead body of her one true love.

"Help me..." Fenella managed, before she fell into complete unconsciousness, her body going limp and leaving Dolores completely at a loss for what to do next.

All she could do was hold Fenella, tears of joy and pain mingling on her cheeks as she began to figure out what happened next.