Disclaimer: I do not own LOT or any of the characters.
Sara did not enter this marriage with any illusions about finding love. It is the honest truth. Five months earlier, her family had hit rock bottom. Her father had exhausted their coffers with his excessive drinking, and without a proper dowry, she wasn't suited to marry in a respectable family. Lord Leonard Snart had stepped in gracefully and proposed marriage, stating his need to have a wife in order to claim his inheritance, as per the terms on his late father's will. Sara had never met Leonard, but his sister, Elizabeth "Lisa" Snart was her dear friend at boarding school, and she had heard enough from her to know Leonard was a complicated man, extremely protective of the few people he loved, cold and distant to the rest of the world. His relationship with his father had been very strained, and there were whispers in society that the man was dangerous. Still, the Snart name had considerable wealth and repute attached to it, and her father had consented to the marriage immediately. A date was set, vows were exchanged, and here she is, about to begin the new phase in her life.
Her new home is a brick and mortar prison, as is evident from the rusting iron-gates, the gardens with plants withering under a blanket of intrusive weeds, and the walls of the building lacking color or warmth. Her husband has not spoken a single word to her yet, and it makes her liken him to a monolith- cold, unmoving and silent. She feels a strange sense of trepidation as she steps into the household for the very first time, but her unease vanishes when Lisa runs down the stairs and greets her with open arms. "I can hardly wait to show you around the household," she says, locking elbows with Sara, "Your quarters are next to mine. I have taken the liberty to decorate them."
"I am sure I will love them, as much as I love you," Sara assures with a smile, casting one last glance behind her to see her husband has already disappeared into another room.
She doesn't see him again for the next two months. She spends this time with Lisa, reminiscing about their younger days, the mischief and the tendency to challenge authorities, and redecorating the whole mansion to their hearts' content, starting with applying a fresh coat of paint to the gates and the walls, and planting new shrubs in the garden after removing the weeds.
"This place feels like a home again," Lisa tells her while admiring their finished work.
"Is your brother never home?" Sara inquires curiously.
Lisa sighs, a sadness overtaking her features. "He is away on business with Michael most of the time. It is going to be just you and me, I'm afraid."
Sara smiles mischievously. "In that case, I believe we should put our time to good use."
There is a lot to be done in a house being ruled by two rebellious women. They pour over the vast collection of books in the library, reading the blasphemous texts and expressing their appreciation of the foul language. A little adventure across the house leads them to Leonard's secret room one day, and they soon acquaint themselves with his weapons. Sara still misses her sister Laurel, but Lisa makes her stay at the Snart mansion enjoyable, and soon she starts to think of that place as home.
Everything changes when Leonard returns, and announces the date of Lisa's wedding.
"Should you not at least ask your sister if she wishes to marry this gentleman?"
That's the first thing she ever says to Leonard. Lisa has confided in her about Francisco, the man she has been in love with but cannot marry because his family is no match for hers. She feels her heart weep at the mere thought of Lisa being trapped in a loveless marriage like she is.
Leonard eyes her with intrigue. He has heard about Sara from his sister, and he has always known about the bond they share, and the courage Sara has to stand up for herself and the people she loves. Seeing it in action now, he admires her immensely. "I already know Lisa's wishes."
"Do you, Sir?" she challenges. "Pray tell me, where did you master the art of reading minds?"
"It is not an art," he answers, his lips curled in a smirk. "But I believe sword fighting is."
Sara flushes. How does he even know what she and Lisa have been up to secretly? And why doesn't he look enraged that she has stepped into the territory of males?
"The Ramons are thrilled at the prospect of aligning with us," Leonard reveals, directing his words at both Lisa and Sara. "Francisco sends his love."
Sara stares at him, stunned. Did he go against social norms to ensure his sister's happiness? Did a man who married merely to ensure his wealth arrange his sister's marriage in a family beneath theirs just so she can be loved? In that moment, she feels a new emotion for him- respect. He really has the kind heart Lisa claims he does.
The next few weeks fly by in a rush, preparations for the wedding keeping them both busy. Leonard mostly keeps out of their way, choosing to take his meals separately, with Michael. She sees him a few times in passing, and they acknowledge each other with just a courteous bow.
Lisa makes a glowing bride, and Francisco charms everyone with his earnestness. Lisa and Sara say their tearful goodbyes, promising to write to each other often. She sees Leonard's eyes fill with tears when it's time to let his sister go. "Be good to Sara, Lenny," Lisa pleads. Leonard doesn't answer her.
Sara feels a gaping void in the mansion when Lisa is gone. The place is silent, morose, and lonely. She finds herself in a foreign land without a friend, without a soul to speak to, and not enough work to keep herself busy. For the first time since she stepped into his household, she remembers how alone she truly is in this marriage, and waits for Leonard to leave again, like he surely would.
He surprises her by summoning her to his secret chamber the very next day. She feels anxious about the visit, expecting to be chastised for her little adventure with his swords, and to be reminded about her place as a lady.
Instead, she finds him waiting with a selection of swords laid out on the table for her. "I have heard you can defeat a man," he explains, motioning at her to take her pick of weapon. "Show me how good you are."
She has known her husband is an unconventional man, but she never expected to be engaged in a duel with him. With a racing heart, she grips her sword tightly and waits for him to strike. He overpowers her in a matter of minutes, and she blames her Victorian gown for restricting her movements.
He offers his hand to help her off the floor, where she is slumped rather ungracefully, and when she stands tall, almost a foot shorter than him, he smiles appreciatively. "I was right in my selection of bride, after all."
"Why did you select me?" she finds herself asking.
"You intrigue me," he tells her flatly. "Lisa praised you very highly. You have never been restricted by what society dictated you could and could not do. In you, I sensed a kindred spirit."
She stands silently, trying to comprehend what he is thinking.
"I believe we can be friends," he says, with a hint of hesitation laced in the words. "There is no need to live like strangers within the same house for the rest of our lives."
She stares at him again in shock. "You do not object to the things I do that most men would find scandalous?"
"I am not most men," he answers with a smug grin before he takes his leave.
She is invited to take supper with him and Michael that day. "Call me Mick," he insists, and she finds herself warming up to him quickly, finding it easy to talk to him. Leonard is quiet, his eyes fixed on a letter that he keeps reading.
"It appears I must go to Hub City to take care of this transaction myself," he tells Mick.
Sara's heart sinks at the prospect of being alone in the palatial home, with just the servants, especially when she thought she was on the verge of developing a companionship with her husband. She conceals her disappointment behind a smile. "I have heard it is a spectacular place. I am certain you will have a memorable stay there."
He looks at her strangely. "You won't be joining me?"
She finds herself stunned into silence by him yet again. Men never take their wives with them to towns, specially when they leave for business or to visit a mistress. She wonders if Leonard has a mistress, and if Lisa knows about it. After a moment, she gathers her senses and looks at Mick. "I will be a burden in your travels."
"Non-sense," Mick waves her off. "On the contrary, you are invaluable. You can distract Snart while I stir up some trouble in the city."
"You are not coming. You have a reward on your head, by Lord Hunter," Leonard reminds him.
"Precisely the trouble I wish to stir up," Mick states proudly.
"Not this time, Mick," Leonard tells him with finality, casting a sideways glance at Sara to let him know his reason for not wanting trouble. Mick begrudgingly relents, and continues eating.
When supper is over and Mick has left, Leonard knocks at her door. She is dressed for the night, in a sheer shift and a shawl, and has already put out the candle in her room, but who is she to deny her husband an audience?
She feels his eyes rake over her body, before settling on her face, and tries to fight the involuntary shiver it sends down her spine. "You did not answer me. Will you be joining me?"
She tries to conceal her enthusiasm of travelling. "If you so wish."
"What do you wish, Sara?"
"I wish to see the world," she confesses. "And to find my place in it."
"You can never find your place in the world. You must make your own place in it," Leonard tells her seriously, before allowing a smile on his face. "We leave in two days."
Hub City is not the fairytale she expected, or perhaps it's her husband's fault for deciding to let the luggage be brought in a carriage separate from theirs. They have arrived at their destination, and their belongings are nowhere to be seen.
"So much for your grand plan, husband," she tells him sarcastically.
"Anytime, wife," he bites back, as they enter the house he owns here.
She finds herself drifting off to sleep in a chair by the fireplace, still dressed in her day's worn clothes, weary from the journey, and excited about the possibility of adventures. When she wakes up, she finds herself in bed, and her eyes meet his, where he is sitting next to her, with her feet unceremoniously dumped over his lap, his hands caressing her ankles in a sensual manner. Just that simple caress sends tingles across her body.
She sits up hastily, tucking her feet away like a good and proper wife, at the same time wishing the moment had not ended. "Are you here to tell me you have confirmed our luggage is lost?" she enquires playfully.
He feigns offense, but smirks at her. "I am here to tell you our luggage has arrived. I thought you might enjoy a change of clothes."
"Is that your excuse for watching me sleep?" she lets the words slip before she can stop herself.
He appears unfazed by it, his grin only turning mischievous, his blue eyes dark. "I do not need an excuse for watching you sleep."
Her skin flushes at his words, at the feeling of his breathe on her skin, and she prays he doesn't notice the affect he has on her. This is the closest she has ever been to a male, and it leaves her feeling dizzy. She excuses herself quickly to get dressed for the day, finding it easier to breathe when she is not under Leonard's heated gaze.
He stays out of the house on business the whole day, and she is thankful for the privacy. She takes the time to remind herself this is merely an arrangement, that all they will achieve is a mutual understanding, that her husband is a great man for allowing her the liberty to choose to live her life on her own wild terms, and that she is setting her heart to be broken if she expects more, if she starts to believe this is a real marriage, if she lets herself fall for his eccentric and illusive man.
He returns late that night, looking completely exhausted, and trying to control a temper that is threatening to flare. She has never been one to be afraid of men and their tempers, and she makes herself at home in a chair next to his. "Business is not going smoothly, I presume."
"Alexa," he answers curtly without elaborating, and excuses himself to his room.
She spends the night berating herself for letting her walls down and letting him in. His kindness is not to be mistaken for affection, and she must take control of her heart and not let herself be swept away so easily, as proven by the day.
She finds him seated at her bed-side again when she wakes up, this time watching her with thinly veiled amusement. She makes no attempt to get up, deciding it's far too early for decorum, specially when he is the one intruding into her room.
"Alexa was my first transaction, along-side Mick. We were procuring gems from foreigners, which turned out to be forgeries," he tells her without preamble, and flashes the ring on his finger, the one other than his wedding band that has ignited her curiosity. "I keep this as a reminder that even the best laid plans can go wrong. As they did yesterday."
"I am sorry to hear that," she tells him sincerely.
He lifts a shoulder in a shrug. "Now that that is taken care of, I believe we have a city that awaits us."
That makes her sit up excitedly. This is the first time she has traveled outside of her home-town, her school and her new home, and there is so much she wants to see. She feels his eyes trained on her as he excuses himself to let her dress and takes his leave.
He buys her a knife from the market, and she falls a little more in love with him for this, for knowing she's a woman who would prefer something edgy over clothes and jewels. She grins at him. "Are you not afraid I might plunge it in your heart if some day I half-awaken to find a stranger hovering over me while I sleep?"
"I am going to teach you how to sever arteries with a surgeon's precision," he tells her proudly.
"Do you moonlight as a killer?"
He rolls his eyes dramatically. "Most women simply express their gratitude on receiving a present."
"I am not most women," she says, mimicking his words from an earlier conversation, leaving him smiling at the knowledge that she remembers.
Hub City is better than the fairytale she was expecting, she concludes at the end of the day. Leonard takes her to the corners of the town, shows her the people and the places. His presence by her side, his sarcastic remarks and his habit to speak in drawls makes it even more beautiful.
"Thank you," she tells him sincerely.
"Stop, I'm getting misty eyed," he jokes. And standing there on a bridge, watching the sun set, she realizes that Leonard's hand is in hers for the very first time, and it's the best feeling in the world.
"Sara?" he calls out when they are home and she bids him goodnight. She pauses at the doorway to look back at him. "Tell me about your parents. Are they happily married?" he asks.
She steps back into the room, feeling hope rising in her chest at his attempt to start a heart-felt conversation with her. "I believe happiness is relative. My father is a good person, as is my mother. They perform their duties to each other and to the family."
"Duty is an entirely different thing," he argues. "Are they in love?"
She shakes her head no silently. If they had been in love some day, they are no longer, as is evident by the growing distance between them.
"My father never loved my mother," he confesses. "He had a string of mistresses around town, and a horrible temper. My mother was never happy." He pauses a moment, before he bares his soul to her in this rare moment of vulnerability. "I don't want you to be unhappy too, Sara."
"I am not," she insists, gently but firmly, "You have given me more liberties than I ever had."
"Liberty is not the same thing as love," he states sadly. "If I had a heart, perhaps you would have found it in your possession someday. But the truth is, Sara, I am cold and brutal, and I hurt people, and I leave them. I am incapable of love."
She realizes that it is too late, that she has already given her heart out to this man, and is now finding it breaking at his words. She is brave though, and strong, and she smiles at him. "I did not enter this marriage with any illusions about finding love," she reassures him.
A/N: I hope you liked it :) I'll update and finish this one soon. :D