#also i know that's a very rudementary reason for sarah to be a loyalist but its from henri's pov not sarah's

[discocandles]

I said I'd write this LK headcanon into a scene/ficlet so I'll write it dammit(under a read more bc long):

"Henri, get off the roof of the carriage." Sarah scolded. "You'll get knocked off by a tree branch."

"Sarah, you know that no tree branch can defeat the Great and Powerful Henr-agh!!" Henri sputters as he tries to get the tree branch out of his face. The redhead chuckles, "I told you so." going unspoken. Henri huffed as he clambered back into the carriage.

As he settles in, Henri glances over as Sarah is writing another letter to her Maman. She puts more ink on her quill when she writes to Lady Phillips, Henri's realized. They've known each other for almost a year, but Henri has found noticing Sarah's habits to be entertaining on boring rides. It started when Henri asked Moses why Sarah would side with the British.

It had made no sense. Sarah was always nice to him. She'd speak to him in French when he can't think in English, forget talking. The redcoats l'a traité comme de la merde. Moses just asked if the British treat Sarah like they do him. They don't; redcoats smiled at her and asked what a respectable girl was doing with "rebel scum". Henri guessed he'd think the British were good if they treated him like he was good too. But Henri also realized was it was fun to notice things about Sarah.

Sarah has lots of habits, like if she tapped her feet in a rhythm, she was hungry. Or the letters to pass time on boring carriage rides, like this one. Henri wants to climb the carriage again.

"You're awfully quiet, Henri." Sarah's voice broke through Henri's thoughts. "did you get hurt by the tree branches?"

"Non non, je vais bien. Je m'ennuie simplement. James is so lucky to have been rid of this trip already." Henri replies.

"He will be getting to learn more about the camp than we are." Sarah muses, looking back down at her letter, but didn't go back to writing. Her left hand reaches for her collar and curls her finger under her necklace and started flipping her locket around its chain. Henri focused on the repetitive motion.

Henri thinks he's figured this habit out. Plus vite que normale! Sarah messing with her locket almost constantly for a little over a week has helped. When he or Moses mentioned James, she'd have a hand on her necklace soon after. Sarah keeps flipping the golden locket with left hand as she starts writing again.

Henri figured the habit was about James before they left. Saras can be obvious if you're used to noticing like Henri is. Maybe he should be a journalist. But it could mean something particular about him. She could be missing him, but it's kinda late for that. Henri missed James after he left 2 weeks ago, but they'll see him by supper, so he's excited to see him. Sarah doesn't look excited at all.

The carriage shakes as Sarah dips her quill into the inkwell, and she huffs. Is she mad at him? There's no way James could annoy Sarah when he's not around, so she's probably not angry. Maybe she's worried about him? That makes sense. They haven't heard from James since he left, not like they could get it since they left yesterday morning though.

"Are you worried about him?" Henri asks. Oops, that's probably strange to ask. C'est la vie as his friends back in France say.

"What?" Sarah's eyebrows bunch together more. The hand holding her locket goes still, and she looks away for a moment to close her inkwell before turning back to look at him in confusion.

"about James. You look... worried?" Henri tries to choose his words carefully. If Sarah wasn't worried before he asked, he doesn't want to make her worried.

He seems to succeed, because rather than worried, Sarah looks almost embarrassed. "I suppose you're correct. It's just that normally when we depart after James, he sends a letter about the state of the camp and we at least know the voyage will be safe." Sarah was switching between speaking fast and slow, like a dance he learned at the own square. "But we didn't hear anything this week, so I am a bit concerned about James's well-being."

"Okay. Just wondering." Henri laughed. Sarah was fiddling with her locket again.

"I promise to give you my share of bread after supper tonight if you don't mention it to him." Sarah said. "I don't need him mocking me over what is likely just slow mail."

"Deal. I will never refuse good food."

Sarah giggles, as the carriage continues to rattle. "You never do."

#hope that was a sufficient amount of bad french for yall #I might post this on AO3 too #liberty's kids #lk #henri lefebvre #sarah phillips #don't ask me which camp/fort they're riding to. i dont remember which one i was thinking of back when i started this #also i know that's a very rudementary reason for sarah to be a loyalist but its from henri's pov not sarah's #james hiller x sarah phillips