A/N: This is, by far, one of the most intense things I have ever written. In this scene, Eirika has been married to Prince Innes, and is destined to be the queen of Frelia rather than Renais. But I can't resist Seth/Eirika. In this fic, I picture them as having this secret relationship for quite some time, never able to do much until, finally, they have a night alone. The title, as you will soon see, is used as a symbol in the story, but also because of what white roses symbolize - innocence, purity, and oddly enough, secrecy.

This fic presses the boundaries of a T-rated fic in terms of a much more explicit romance than I usually write - this is the closest thing to smut I have ever written. (If you feel the rating should be changed, please tell me so.) As always, enjoy the read, and please review!

Words: 1897
Characters: Eirika, Seth
Time: A few years after the events of Sacred Stones.
Genre: Romance/Angst

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to Nintendo. Not me.

Quietly she crept out of King Innes's rooms, careful not to wake him as she slid out of his bed. The pitter-patter of her bare feet seemed excruciatingly loud in the silent, deserted corridors of the palace. But she couldn't make herself stop, no matter all the guilt that raked through her heart, no matter the chance that she could be found. Eirika of Frelia let the moon light her path to where she knew he would be. The knights of Renais were visiting, their leader, the Silver Knight, serving as an ambassador between the two allied kingdoms.

Still inside the palace, Eirika's heart pounded somewhere in the vicinity of her throat, far too distant from where a heart was supposed to be. When she pushed open the gilded wooden doors that led to the courtyard, she wished she'd worn more than her nightdress; the midnight chill stung like icy rain. All around her were cool grasses and thick foliage, trees and flowers and vines that hid marble or stone benches and archways. Eirika had been out here often enough to know every hidden glade, every corner, every leaf. Outside now, Eirika's heart slowed down again, the freedom of the night both exhilarating and terrifying. She slipped between a fountain of thick vines, under a thick bush, and through a plain stone arch, reaching a small clearing with a clear, sparkling pond, the moon reflecting as a perfect crescent above the still water.

All around her was silvery white rosebushes, and all above her were distant, glittering stars, filling the clearing with a soft but eerie light. But not even that beauty held her gaze. For she was captivated by the man she knew she'd find here, the one she had been longing to see again, no matter how wrong their meeting was. He stood facing her, straight and tall, his auburn hair disheveled from the wind and his dark eyes unreadable. His shoulders and arms were tense, and he, too, was not wearing clothing well suited to the cold. Eirika watched him shiver as a particularly vicious breeze rushed across the them. For a moment longer, they both stood immobile, trying to sort through the raging conflicts in their minds.

And then Eirika couldn't wait any longer. She ran to him, throwing her arms around his shoulders, feeling his arms encircle her in return. His hands were spread wide and were so very warm; she could feel his calluses through her thin dress. Seth lifted her off the ground and spun her in the air, catching her lips fiercely before settling her back on the ground, and Eirika responded with just as much fervor and passion.

They moved wildly, fingers and hands flying over one another's bodies, touching faces and tangled hair and hips and never stopping, as if ensuring that the other was truly there, that this wasn't a dream. His hands rested at her waist. Eirika touched his cheeks, his collarbone, his chest, his arms, and his stomach, trailing her fingers across his skin like feathers. She felt him tense, and then he retaliated, pressing kisses to her neck, her chest, and the tiny bit of softer skin that was revealed when her nightgown slipped off her shoulder. Every phantom touch sent a shiver up her spine, made her tremble with anticipation; she bit her lip to stop herself from making a sound, from begging him to give her more than she had ever wanted before. Just as her fingers slid to his belt, fumbling in their haste, he grabbed her hands and held them up. His eyes were suddenly anguished as Eirika stared into them, lost in the depths that she had nearly drowned in so many times.

Still holding only her hands, Seth took a step away from her. "Eirika – my lady – I am so sorry," he murmured, his voice rushed and deep. "This – this is wrong. I can't – we mustn't see each other like this. You are the queen of Frelia. King Innes is your husband, and I nothing more than a knight, a foreign warrior."

The sting of his words was not enough to stop the agreeable shiver from the heat of his breath against her cheek. But Eirika's conscience twisted in agony, thinking of her husband, the man who she knew would do anything for her, who loved her like the world, who was strong and graceful and kind.

But Seth – Seth – was the man she could not stop thinking about, the strongest one, the kindest one, the most graceful of them all. Her whole body burned with the guilt of loving him. She should love Innes; she had married him, and she wore his ring, a beautiful ring. It was so wrong for her to be here with Seth, so grossly wrong, a crime punishable by she didn't even know what if someone were to find out. And, if they were discovered, Eirika couldn't bear to imagine Innes's shock and pain. She didn't want to hurt him, and yet, she knew that every second she spent outside could end up as excruciating as if she drove a stake straight through his heart.

And Seth – he was at even more risk. He would, without question, be put to death if he were found with her, the Frelian queen, King Innes's wife. But if it was so wrong, how could it possibly send such a vibrant thrill through her veins? How was it that this – a sudden meeting in a cold garden – filled her with so much more fire and excitement than any moment she had ever shared with Innes in a warm, beautiful room? Eirika couldn't force herself to leave – and nor, it seemed, could Seth. She loved him too much, missed him too much when they were forced to be apart for so long, and had only one night to be with him, to share every part of her being with the man who had unintentionally claimed her heart.

At the exact same moment, they leaned forward to kiss again, Seth's hands holding her by her elbows and Eirika's pressed against his strong chest. Her whole body felt taut as his tongue pressed against her lips, then glided over then her teeth and the inside of her mouth, making her knees as weak as jelly. She opened her mouth for him, desperate to experience him even stronger, even deeper.

And him… she could feel how much he wanted her; she could sense it in the urgency of his kisses and his hands slowly sliding the sleeves of her nightgown ever lower. He traced his palms against her back, moving them carefully up and down, from the curve between her hips to the dip between her shoulderblades. Eirika let herself be pulled closer to him until not even a whisper of air could have passed between their bodies. She stood tall on her tiptoes so that her lips would never have to leave his. When Seth had worked at her gown until both of the sleeves were loose and falling, she slipped her hands from his face to his stomach, tugging once again on his belt.

This time, he complied, letting her fiddle with it until it was tossed to the ground. Hurriedly he pulled off his thin shirt, too, apparently unbothered by the cold air. With just the fabric of her nightgown separating her skin and his, Eirika quivered in anticipation, fervent and yearning. She barely noticed the icy winds now, too consumed by the flames that raced over their twined bodies.

Once again, Seth pulled his lips away from hers, but this time he didn't step away or move her hands from their place on the band of his breeches. "My lady," he began. His voice was even more breathless and sensual than before. "It isn't – it isn't too late - "

But they both knew that it was. From their very first illicit kiss, from even the glances they had traded before Eirika's wedding, they knew that it was too late. Eirika closed her eyes and rested her head over his powerfully beating heart. Why, why did she have to hurt Innes so, all for her own selfish desires, when he cared for her so much? More than Seth's heart, she felt his muscles, each one twitching a tiny bit whenever his moved so that his arms wrapped more securely around her, protective.

"It is you whom I love," Eirika murmured, thinking of every time she had said those words to Innes – every time a lie greater than the last. She found Seth's hand and grasped it tightly. "I – I know that will never change."

The look on his face was too hard to read in the milky night's glow. Forcing the guilt from her heart, and wishing she could force it out of Seth's, Eirika stood up on her toes again and kissed him. She bit his lip gently, painted over his teeth with her tongue, barely even noticed when he slipped her gown all the way off her body so that it lay in a silky pool at her feet. Bare in the moonlight, she curled herself into him, sliding her legs between his, the curves of her body fitting perfectly into the contours of his.

Her hair fell long and loose, wild now from Seth's fingers, and hid most of her figure from Seth's suddenly dark eyes. But she smiled coyly and pulled at his breeches; he seemed to awake from his mesmerized trance. Somehow, Eirika found herself with her back against the frosty grass, Seth above her. She didn't feel the rough pain of the ground as soon as kissed her again. His free hand skimmed over her breasts and her stomach, fluttered over her hips, and traced line up her inner thigh.

His dancing eyes held only a tiny flicker of shame and apprehension now, barely discernible amongst the lust, longing, and, most distinctly, love. The love was as warm as the sun, as deep as the widest ocean, as blazing as a fire.

Eirika closed her own eyes and arched her back, rising into him, hating herself for the betrayal of her husband's trust and affection. But even that self-loathing was soon lost, for not even remorse and guilt could overcome her need for him. For love, for release… for anything except the life that she had trapped herself in. Seth's hands gripped her hips tightly, and yet, he handled her as carefully porcelain doll, as if he were determined to do nothing to harm her.

But not even fear of broken shards could drive away the passion that that poured between them. Tremors circulated through her body every time he touched her, making her weak, making her desperate for the climax, making her open her mouth and gasp his name in a near-silent plea. She never knew if he heard her over the rising tempest.

For as the night wore on, the wind blew ever harder, turning into a violent, raw gale. Neither of them noticed. But the vines and plants around them were shaken, and one of the white roses was torn off its bush, spinning gracefully in the wild air before falling slowly to the ground. Its loose petals hovered for a little longer, floating on a stray current. But eventually, they, too, spiraled onto the wintry grass.