Leila missed the fairies she had met; sometimes she could be found standing forlornly looking out across the countryside, waiting for something nobody else could begin to understand.

Some days she would get up at dawn and go hunting for the Fay-women but she would always return despondent and dusty as the sun was setting and go strait to bed.

And all the while she was growing up; Lyra was beginning to notice Fay characteristics appearing.

Leila was tiny, her brother and sister grow bigger than her and soon towered over her, her limbs where small and child-like and she possessed a strange grace, but her face was human and her personality like her hair fiery.

Leila’s hair was a constant source of concern for Lyra, no sooner had she cut it then it would grow back and longer than before, she soon forgot all about attempting to trim the unruly mass and took instead to binding it tightly in ribbon so it could not escape and dance about Leila’s diminutive shoulders like everyone could see it desired to.

Leila passed for normal in the village that had seen her grow up, no-one gossiped about her and she was treated kindly for the most by the people who thought the poor child had an ailment that left her with small bones.

And then she was 14 and stubborn. The village girls wanted nothing to do with her because she swore and fought, and the boys wanted naught to do with her because she was prone to stand by herself gazing out into space and could not be woken from these strange fits. People called her touched, Lyra worried about this, Olin in the role of avenging brother would get into arguments or fist fights about this but Leila seemed not to care, she stayed home for most of the time learning all the things Lyra could teach her and slowly growing up, when Lyra could teach her no more she went to help her father herd sheep and goats and the village saw less and less of her.

Olin grew strong and apprenticed himself to the village blacksmith; Elsie grew pretty and sweet and stayed at home to learn the mid-wifeing trade from Lyra.

Time went on slowly as time always does, and nothing very strange or very big happened at all until some time later.

~’~’~

When Leila was 20 Olin was promised the hand of one of the village girls, Bess the blacksmiths daughter.

The whole village was in an uproar about the wedding flitting about deciding if a priest should be called from the town over or if they should let the girl’s father conduct the ceremony?

Would the wedding party go back to the local tavern or to the groom’s house?

And most importantly who the bride to be would pick as her maids.

(It was essential she pick the right maids less the devil who it was whispered might come to a wedding and steal away the bride could tell the difference and took Bess.)

One night three weeks shy of the wedding when the family, save Leila who was out penning the goats, where seated at table for dinner they’re came a knock at the door.

Elsie, now a beautiful 16 year old possessing her mothers looks and temperament went to answer the knock and came back with Bess.

“Bess love what brings you here?” Olin asked getting up from his seat to embrace her.

“To see your sister Elsie” Bess said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I have a question to ask her”

“Go ahead into the living room” Lyra said, getting up to bring another chair and plate to the table “and when you’ve asked her what you need to you can sit and have some supper with us”

The two girls went into the living room, and Lyra shooed Olin away from the door where he tried to listen in.

Bess seated herself in the old rocking chair by the fire, and Elsie seated her self across from her on the floor.

Bess rocked back and forth for a few moments, as if considering what she had to say.

“I was wondering…” she began “If you’d like to be one of my bridle maids, its just I’ve known you almost as long as I have Olin and you’re a perfect choice”

Elsie nodded; she had been expecting this after all.

“And what of Leila? You’ve known her as long; do you mean to ask her as well? She’s just out penning the goats I could fetch her for you to ask”

Bess’s smile faded quickly and she looked at the floor, into the fire grate, up at the ceiling anywhere to avoid Elise’s gaze.

“I…I didn’t mean to, but I shall”

Elise stood up and brushed down her skirts smiling softly “I’ll go fetch her”

Bess got to her feet quickly and grabbed Elsie’s hands “No! No…I must go anyway mother has the tailor over to fit my dress, just say you will Elise”

“I will” Elsie said, Bess smiled.

“Come tomorrow for a fitting, and bring Leila too she’ll need a dress” she said quickly before hurrying out and making her apologies to Lyra and Olin for not being able to stay the meal.

Leila came in then, her cheeks red from the wind that whipped about the mountain side and sat in her chair, pulling off her gloves.

“You’ll never guess what!” Elsie said, putting down a plate in front of her and spooning out boiled potatoes onto it.

“Enlighten me” Leila said, she was in no mood for guessing games, the nanny goats where in season and presenting themselves at every opportunity to the Billy of the heard, she’d had to pen him in a different stall and he’d kicked her for it.  She picked up her fork and went to skewer her potatoes.

“Bess was just over, and she wants you and me to be her maids”

The fork Leila had picked up dropped from her hand “But she doesn’t like me!”

“Leila!” Lyra said sternly “You think that of everyone and it’s not true”

Leila grumbled and picked her fork back up, Elsie hovered over her shoulder worriedly.

“You will come with me tomorrow wont you? To have your dress fitted, please Leila; I shall tell her no if you don’t go with me”

Leila looked angrily at her plate, it was just like Elsie to do this, put her in a position where she couldn’t say no.

“Yes I’ll come with you, it will be...wonderful” she said uncertainly.

So the next morning the two girls set off arm in arm down to the tailors shop to be fitted for dresses.

The poor Tailor Mr. Moriam nearly had a fit trying to obtain the right size dress for Leila’s strange shape, so much so he had to go off and have a lie down while the girls picked out fabrics and colours, and then again for the ones in their price range.

In the end white was decided upon because it was easy and simple and Mr. Moriam had it cheep because of the wedding ceremony, the dresses where long and sweeping with thin vials that covered the face.

Leila’s looked so big on her that she looked like a child in her mothers cloths, she demanded it be tailored to fit her properly so more than two inches had to be taken off the dress to make it presentable.

Shoes where thankfully an easier thing to assemble, plain white slippers with silver stitching.

(“We’ll have to make sure not to get these messed up” Elsie said when she saw the price.)

And then ordered flowers, baby’s breath, pink roses with heather and bracken.

(“We could have picked these ourselves” Leila complained.)

With the days shopping complete the girls set off home, new purchases carried in string tied packages under their arms.

Leila hide her new purchases under her bed and fell asleep that night with a small smile on her face, she might have complained and fussed but she was more happy than she could ever remember being before.

**~~~**

TBC