Chapter Three ~ The Wedding Garb

  Chapter Three ~ The Wedding Garb

  The shops of the village were small and compact. They were located at the west side, all built around a circular plaza that connected to the houses. They were built only a mere decade ago due to the growing population. Each sold something specific. One sold shoes, another dresses, and others were either furniture or food. The shoe store was the closest to the houses, therefore it was the first for Vae and her mother to visit. Llaya walked through the open doorway and smiled at the shop keeper. She knew him well since she made frequent visits. She was a woman who loved shoes as much as she loved money. Under Llaya's bed were numerous pairs of shoes, and each were only worn once. Many people of the village titled her fetish a bad habit, therefore they mauled about it behind her back. Llaya knew nothing of this, but her children did. Sometimes even her own two daughters would criticize it as well. "A waste of money," they always tended to say. But even so, their obsessed mother would still buy shoes. It displeased everyone but Llaya and the shop keep.
   Sir Shoker walked up to the two women and smiled. "How may I help you two fine ladies today?"

  He gave a quick wink to Llaya, which made her giggle. There was an obvious attraction between the two, but being that Sir Shoker was a married man, not a single move was made from either one of them. Still, they couldn't help but dally whenever they met.
    "Oh sir," Llaya twittered," would you be so kind and show my daughter and I your finest shoes? She's having the honor of marrying the great Sir Victor!" Her hands clasped together near her face to show her immense joy.
    "Ah. My finest shoes you say? Well, follow me and I shall lead you to them." Shoker grinned once more, then walked off in a random direction. Vae and her mother followed him, and once the arrived at the spot, Llaya gasped in awe. Five fancy pairs of shoes were stacked on wooden display cases, each glimmering with beauty.

    Llaya snagged the whitest pair and immediately shrieked,"These are perfect! How much? Oh how much sir?"
   Sir Shoker let out another grin and named the price,"Two hundred pounds my fair lady." 

  Vae's eyes widened at the price. For an average shop keep, such as Sir Shoker, to afford such a thing, the man would have to save up his earnings for about five months. But that was without buying necessary needs such as food. The price was extremely high. Yet, Vae's mother smiled and yelled that she would take it. Vae shook her head. My mother is such a fool.
   Shoker wrapped the shoes and placed them in Llaya's woven bag. While doing so, Llaya was writing on a piece of paper. She handed it too him and grabbed her bag. "Here's how much I owe you. I'll pay you as soon as my daughter marries the rich Sir Victor. Only then will I have the money I need to afford this." She gave him another sweet smile and winked. He winked right back at her. 
    Llaya pushed Vae out of the shop. Vae turned quickly to her mother and gave her another look. Llaya tisked and said,"Oh stop it. I'm doing what's best for you." She then snatched her daughters arm and began to tug her across the stoned plaza.
    Next to the shoe shop was the bakery, and next to that was a dress boutique. Immediately Llaya pulled her daughter in front of it's door and exclaimed,"This is the most important part of your wedding. Let's search for the perfect dress. One that will please Victor." The shop keep of that store approached them and both Llaya and her began to speak. The same process repeated from their previous exchange. Llaya asked for the finest dress, and the shop keep showed her several. She then found the most appealing of the dresses and tossed it at Vae. Her quick reflexes caught the dress before it touched the ground. Llaya muttered something insulting, then stated,"Try it on child. I need to see if it fits." 
   Vae held the dress in her hands and looked upon it. It was a bright white that had many sequins sewed in lovely patterns. The dress was lacy and quite beautiful, which gave her the notion that it was probably made in an elaborate shop in France. She slipped the dress on top of her current one and twirled to show its splendor. Llaya clapped her hands and began to beg for the price. Vae moseyed to the mirror at the other end of the shop and looked into it. A grimace took over her face, and her thoughts raced inside her head. This was definitely something Vae did not want. She wanted a natural and down-to-earth wedding, nothing like the fancy attire her mother forced her to have. She wanted to marry someone whom she loved, not someone who married her out of greed and possession. Being forced into this marriage made her sick and angry, and she wanted nothing but to escape this fate. Alas, there was only one way out of this destiny. 
   Vae closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew what she must do. The next night she would leave her village and find somewhere new to live. Somewhere she would be happy and make her own decisions. Vae would have to run away. She opened her eyes and looked once more into the mirror. She nodded at herself in agreement, and a small beam took over her lips. For once, she actually knew what to do.