#saraleon

I already theorised a bit in my last post when the two of them might have gotten engaged. In that post I theorised that Leon might have gotten adopted by the church after losing both his parents when he was very young. Another possibility is him having been adopted by a different family (maybe they were friends with his parents?) and raised as one of them. I would have assumed that he would have been raised as a monk or a priest had he been adopted by the church, but I don't know that lol. Either is possible I think, because—assuming he was a crusader since he fought on orders of the church and going off the example of the Knights Templar specifically for this (though of course the timelines don't line up exactly) - this is important because what they were doing as a military order of Catholic faith was vastly different from standard knightly culture/secular knighthood during the Middle Ages where you had to be born a noble to become a knight—not only nobles could join their ranks. They also had members from non-noble families (seargeants) and priests (chaplains) amongst their ranks. However, only those from noble families had the rank of an actual knight, which makes me assume he might have been adopted by a wealthy family. Now, the thing that confuses me here is that, as far as I saw, joining (the Knights Templar specifically at least) did not come with a title. Since Leon and co. fought for the church and considering the time period, we can assume with relative certainty that they were in fact crusaders. I also read that the title of a baron is typically higher than that of a knight and often hereditary, which leads me to believe that his father might have been a baron and Leon inherited the title when his parents passed. That would mean his knighting and acquiring his title did not in fact coincide, like I previously assumed, because I wasn't aware that the knights working under the church did things quite a bit differently than those under the state. But then that presents another issue: if his title as baron and him being a knight are not connected like they would be with secular knights who afaik were bestowed a title along with their knighthood, then why did him leaving to save Sara and thereby going against the church's orders also mean him having to renounce his title (since they're not supposed to be connected here)? And we know that's what he did because he specifically says he gave up his title and had to leave his sword with the company when he did so, meaning he also lost his position as a knight. It's like they mixed and matched lol.

Him already having a title, to me, is more reason to think he might have been adopted by a wealthy family. I also doubt that Sara's father, being a wealthy landowner would have given his daughter away to just anyone (unless he would have been marrying her off in exchange for getting some land fromt he church or something, idk if this would have been an actual thing though). If his father was indeed a baron, then Sara and him might have gotten engaged when both of them were still very small children. It could also have been sometime after his parents' death if he was adopted by another wealthy family. It might only have happened after he was knighted/joined the company, so around the time Leon was 16 and Sara would have been 12, though I feel like this is less likely. In 1150, a jurist named Gratian put together what is known as the Decretum Gratiani, which laid down a couple of rules for marriage. According to the Decretum Gratiani, both parties now had to verbally consent to the marriage, rather than just be present. The minimum age for girls to get engaged was set at 7, and the age of consent for marriage to 12 for girls and 14 for boys. Since the game takes place in 1094 and Leon and Sara were born in 1072 and 1076 respectively, so before that, those rules would not have been in place yet. So this unfortunately doesn't really give us a good idea of what age they might have been either, but it's still interesting to know! [More about this here and here]

Either way I'm very convinced that theirs would have been an arranged—likely political—marriage, since that was the norm back then, so shortly after Leon's accolade is about the latest I could imagine them getting engaged. I don't know if the manga might have given us more information about his family or how Sara and him met, but since that's been lost to time now, I suppose we'll never know for sure. (I'm really sorry, I tried to keep this bit as short as possible, but I fell down a rabbit hole about knights lmao-)

It's really unfortunate that we barely know anything about Sara and her family, other than the fact they were wealthy and her father was a land owner (which to me insinuates some type of noble rank I'd say). From here on out I'll be working off the assumption that Leon was born into a wealthy family too, his father having been a baron whom he inherited the title from upon his death (that somehow then got tied to his occupation as a knight for whatever reason), and that they would have gotten engaged as little children. I'd guess they probably met each other a few times as children, but can't imagine them ever really having played together, considering their standing and the times. Still, they probably got along. Then after Leon's parents died, I assume they likely wouldn't have seen each other much either. I'm going to assume that Leon probably joined up with he knights before he was knighted himself, considering that the Knights Templar at least had people who wanted to be knights join as squires (I'd assume this was a common thing. They seem to not have had pages, since their organisation differed from secular knighthood where boys would be raised to be knights, first being pages at 7, then squires at 14). He obviously would have been away from home often and for long periods of time while they were out on campaigns. I would like to think that they exchanges letters whenever they could and grew closer that way, meeting up whenever Leon would be home.

They likely would have done that for the entire time Leon was with his company. Considering that Leon wanted to hold off the wedding until Mathias was well enough to attend, it seems like they were originally going to get married sometime in the year between Elisabetha's death/ their return from a campaign and the events of the game. Considering Mathias falling ill, Leon would probably have been even busier during that year, needing to make up for the lack of Mathias. We know that their wedding was set to take place the day after Sara ended up being kidnapped, so they sadly never got to that point. They would probably not have had much time to get close, but considering how willing Leon was to renounce his title and lose his domain with it, he must really have loved her regardless. He even says that he abandoned everything in order to save Sara. Losing his title might have also meant the marriage being cancelled had Sara survived, since he no longer had anything really after losing it. Even so, he ran into that forest with nothing, no title, no job and no weapon, just to save her.

He obviously cares about her a great deal, saying he's so glad she's not hurt when he meets the succubus disguised as her. (As an aside here, the succubus seems to regret not fighting him in the form of Sara, knowing he would have struggled to kill anyone that looks like her. But I'm glad she didn't, because that would really have taken away from the emotional impact of Sara's actual death imo.) (Another aside, Leon offering to listen to Rinaldo's story because he thinks it's the least he can do after Rinaldo's help. And then sharing in his grief and saying "The force of your grief can only make me stronger. Thank you… I am grateful…"...augh, he cares so much about others :'>)

I just want to point out here how fucking brave Sara is. She probably went through hell since her abduction and now she is about to turn into a vampire. Instead of just accepting that, she asks for Leon to kill her, not because she doesn't want to suffer, but because she doesn't want others to suffer the same fate she did. This must have taken such a huge amount of guts. She's only 18, she still has her whole life in front of her and was just a day away from marrying her beloved. Now she's faced with such an impossibly tough decision, and still she doesn't hesitate and decides to be selfless and sacrifice herself to prevent more victims. She's amazing and I know I could never have such courage.

Leon is faced with a terribly difficult choice too: either see his beloved Sara turn into a vampire, or take her life and grant her an honourable death as a human and complete the whip to defeat Walter. Leon agreeing and respecting her wish, regardless of his own feelings, and Sara trusting him enough to go along with it, speaks to me of the faith and mutual respect they have for one another. If you think about it, Rinaldo entering the two of them into a blood covenant is a little bit like them getting married isn't it...they got to be together like that after all, in the end..."All become one in infinity." Gahhh, now I'm crying oTL

They might not have had much time together, but regardless Leon swears to her that nobody else will suffer her fate, that he will strike down Walter. The way he falls to his knees and screams after he kills her just absolutely guts me. The fact that they took the time to bury her and erect a tombstone, Leon taking what little time he has to mourn her, instead of storming straight back inside in a rage to face Walter, is something I find very great. To me this is just more evidence that he loves and respects her.

This is also a scene that really shows how fundamentally different he is from Mathias. While Mathias chose to blame God for Elisabetha's death, cursed Him and turn his back on Him, Leon says that Sara's death couldn't be helped, that it's nobody's fault. Despite his grief and anger, he still doesn't turn to blaming others for their misfortune, even if theirs, unlike Mathias', has a very clear cause/perpetrator. And when Leon gets up to return to the castle, he doesn't say that he needs to go to kill Walter and get avenge Sara. No, he says that he needs to keep the promise he made to her. It's not about his personal feelings, it's about Sara's. That, to me, just says so much.

Now, of course he's still furious at Walter. He even admits to Mathias later that he did kill Walter with hatred in his heart. But still, he doesn't ever say that he's there to avenge Sara, or that he hates Walter for killing her. Not even when Walter taunts him does Leon say anything worse than "I'll never forgive you" and "I'll kill you". I find that very interesting. It's almost like he doesn't want to besmirch Sara's name or her last wish with petty revenge. Because she didn't ask for him to get revenge for her, just to defeat Walter so nobody else would need to suffer her fate. Not for her, but for everyone else who would come after her if Walter isn't defeated. And Leon sticks to that even now, honouring her wishes. Unlike someone else cough cough.

Leon never makes it about him, about his anger, his loss. He makes it about Sara, and about Rinaldo. "Sara's suffering… and Rinaldo's grief…Carve them into your cursed body and perish." Those are his last words to Walter. It's still not about him. I just think that is so beautiful oTL

Then Mathias shows up and reveals to Leon that he betrayed him and was directly responsible for Sara's death. Now Leon has lost absolutely everything: Sara, his position as a knight, his title and with it likely his home and wealth. And still his utmost priority is fulfilling Sara's wish. He doesn't immediately jump Mathias in a blind rage, he doesn't accept his offer at obtaining immortality, none of that. Even when he admits that he did hate Walter, he still doesn't make it about himself. I think these particular lines of Leon's dialogue after being asked if he didn't also defeat Walter with hatred in his heart, are quite beautiful and really speak of his strength of character: "Yes. I'd be lying if I claimed otherwise. But defeating him…No, preventing others from suffering the same cursed fate... That was Sara's dying wish... [...] Granting my beloved's wish. That is all I can do to prove my love to Sara. Eternity without her would be nothing but emptiness."

It must have been quite shocking to find out that your best friend who you trusted probably more than anyone else has turned his back on everything he once stood for and betrayed you in just about the most painful way possible. Now obviously the two never end up fighting in the game (much to my dismay lol), but I have no doubt that Leon would not have hesitated to strike Mathias down to grant Sara's last wish, knowing that Mathias is a vampire now and could potentially turn others too. Considering he can't do it himself, he says this: "You have become a cursed being and I will never forgive you. This whip and my kinsmen will destroy you someday. From this day on, the Belmont Clan will hunt the night." Even here, he never directly says that he hates Mathias or anything. Considering that Leon said to Walter "I'll kill you AND the night!", I'd assume the Belmont clan hunting the night refers to them hunting vampires.

This, to me, is the ultimate proof of Leon's love for Sara. Not only swearing to fulfill the promise he made and cary on Sara's wish within his own lifetime, but swearing to carry it on for all eternity, until all vampires have been destroyed and nobody will ever suffer the fate she did. He would have married someone else sometime after this and had children (this is a given, considering the Belmont clan continued on for so many generations), but still this was so important to him, that he made it his entire family's mission. That's some insane dedication and I think it's really beautiful.