Forbidden Roses

Author: Kyouen

Date written: 7/18-19/08

I recently bought FFIII for my DS, and discovered adorable characters. I don't know if this is a canon relationship as I'm not very far in the game, but I felt like there was something between Ingus and Sara. And I love Ingus. I just had to give him some love. Enough talking, enjoy!

"Milady Sara." Ingus announced his presence quietly, brushing aside the sheer curtain that kept the garden secret from prying eyes. He mounted the worn flagstone steps, his padded boots barely making a sound in the practice of keeping his presence seen and not heard.

As a member of the King's Guard, Ingus was charged with doing as King Sasune wished. And today that was to escort the Lady Sara around the castle. Which meant, pretty exclusively, to be with her in the garden.

Soon, the heady scent of the roses wafted up his nostrils, and Ingus let a sigh escape him. He did enjoy a visit to the gardens now and then, but Princess Sara was prone to spending hours upon hours in the many gardens Castle Sasune offered. And today it seemed to be the Rose Garden that they'd pass the time in.

"Lady Sara." Ingus stood a respective distance away from her, allowing her privacy, yet near enough to spring to action if the unthinkable happened.

Sara paused in inspecting the petals of the pink rose she held between her fingers. Gently she pushed it back with the others, turning in a flurry of flaxen hair and light ribbons.

"Ingus!"A smile lit up her face. "How many times must I tell you—call me Sara when we're alone." She smiled again, her eyes crinkling mischievously.

"At least once more, Lady Sara." Ingus replied respectively, as his duty obligated him to, looking down at the mossy stones under his feet. The relationship between a guard and a princess was clear. It must not and cannot ever be crossed. Ingus kept his heart tightly sealed, not allowing any traces of that emotion out or in.

At least, that was how it had been. Ingus couldn't quell his heartbeat when he was around Sara, nor stop it from quickening when she said his name. But Ingus was determined to continue lying to his heart in order to protect Lady Sara. He was convinced if he allowed it to go nowhere, it would be dispelled.

"Ingus?"

Snapping out of his musing, Ingus looked to Lady Sara alertly. "Milady."

"What are you thinking so hard on?" She was curious, tilting her head so that her hair fell over one shoulder.

Ingus realized that he was watching the way the sunlight hit her hair with slight shock. "Nothing, Lady." Though his heart was pounding, Ingus remained cool.

"Nothing, Ingus?" She smiled at him. "I'd hope I know you better to know when there's something on your mind."

Ingus gave her a small, crooked smile. "Just that the roses are beautiful."

Sara's smile faltered. "Why do I feel that you still keep the truth from me?" She picked a rose and started pulling off its ruby petals one by one. "Please, tell me what's really on your mind."

Ingus' cerulean eyes widened slightly. He couldn't disobey a direct order from the princess, yet he had to keep the truth from her. "I—"

Sara plodded on, seeming to allow the words to come before she had thought them through. "I can deny my affections no longer! I feel complete around you Ingus! Whenever I'm around you, I feel—I feel—" She paused, clenching her petite hands in frustration. "I feel I like you far more than is deemed appropriate," she admitted softly.

Ingus stared into her sparkling eyes, then looked off to the side. He knew his eyes would betray him. Saved from answering because of her confession. "My lady, I am…honored that you feel so much affection for me, but you know far more than I that what you are proposing I feel is forbidden." The sudden appearance of more tears in her eyes made him step back. "I apologize if I've given you the wrong impression—I only am with you so much because of my orders." He turned then, unable to bear seeing her betrayed eyes. Slowly he stepped across the flagstones, intening to give her privacy. Instead she called after him.

"Ingus!" He turned, only to have his heart twinge in pain in seeing the tears dripping down her pale cheeks. "You feel nothing at all for me but obligation?"

Ingus paused. It would be easy to tell her how he felt, easy to spell his own doom. "Nothing," he murmured. Ingus resumed walking away, but steps later, he stopped. Raising a trembling hand to his cheek, he wiped away a single tear that had traced down it.

In that tiny drop of wetness he realized what he had to do. Pulling off his heavy leather gloves, he let them slip through his fingers and they hit the ground with a dull thud, the metal bits clattering.

Hesitantly Ingus walked back to her, his mind warning him to flee—warning him that if he did this, there was no turning back—but his heart compelling him to continue.

Ingus stopped behind her, his hand lashing out to spin her around. Sara stared at him, tears still glistening on her cheeks.

And suddenly, Ingus' voice was ragged as he finally let the lock on his heart go. "I cannot stand being so near you, yet I cannot tell you my true feelings! You must understand that it's impossible for this to be acquitted!" Ingus drew a breath and went on before he could stop himself. "I do love you; I can hide it from you no longer."

"Do not lie to humor me." Sara's voice was devoid of emotion. Ingus saw how much he had hurt her with his lies.

In one quick, urgent movement, Ingus' hand reached for the small of her back, thrusting her toward him as his other hand tangled in her blonde hair as his lips crushed against hers.

The urgency and the forbiddingness of this kiss only made it more passionate. Sara's hands were buried in Ingus' short blonde hair, marveling at its silkiness.

Instinctively, Ingus' arm tightened around her as he deepened the kiss. He couldn't even begin to describe what he was feeling. Finally, regretfully he pulled away, detangling their bodies.

"That is how I truly feel…Sara." Ingus enjoyed the taste of her forbidden name on his tongue. He kissed her one last time on her lips.

"Oh, Ingus." Her voice reflected his own feelings: love, excitement, fear, and sadness—sadness that they could never be together, and that they'd have to go back to being Princess and Guard. This could never happen again.

"Sara." Ingus brushed the back of his hand across her pale cheek, soft as satin. "We must go back to our different duties," he whispered, "this can never happen again."

Sara closed her eyes briefly. "I know." Her voice broke on the last word. Wordlessly, Ingus reached for her to hold her in one last embrace.

Ingus let go first, stepping away from her. Sara held on to his hand, unwilling to let it go, even when his slender fingers slipped from hers. She kept her eyes on his back, watching as he stooped to retrieve his black gloves, watching as he pulled them up to his elbows and wriggled his fingers to get accustomed to the feel of them again.

Ingus forced himself to walk away without granting himself a look back. Instead he raised his hand in a goodbye, reverting back to the guard role he was supposed to play around her.

The wind ruffled his flaxen locks, bringing with it the heady scent of roses and the thought of possibilities lost. Lost, but not unattainable. Perhaps it would be possible in a future where lines could be crossed. Or perhaps in a future where more was possible, it would be just as fleeting as the heady scent of roses on the wind.