The Girl from the Valley

“Should I wear the pink ribbon in my hair or the green one?” Hannah asked, lifting up both ribbons. My best friend Hannah was on a mission to make herself the most beautiful girl in Penin. She had always been the girl in the village that easily made the boys swoon for her with her big blue eyes and blonde hair, but today was different. It was Hannah’s 19th birthday today and she was going to profess her feelings for the person she loved. I begged her to tell me who this mystery person was but she insisted that if I really wanted to know, I would have to wait like everyone else. “The pink one.” I replied, “It will match your dress.”   She took the pink silk fabric to her waist, comparing the two, and smiled. “I thought so too.” Her dress was a blush pink gown with white lace around her bust and mid-length sleeves. Her blonde hair had been brushed and pinned half up with pearl beads, allowing some of her hair to drape over her slightly exposed shoulders. Hannah almost looked like she was preparing for her wedding except that her dress was pink and not white. She was truly gorgeous. Whoever she secretly admired would definitely accept her feelings and her.  I had been best friends with Hannah ever since we were young children running around in filthy torn up clothes. I met her one day when my brother Roan and I were in the village buying some herbs for our mother because of a sickness she caught. We were two young kids with a small pouch of all our family's copper, searching for the apothecary when we were attacked by a group of older boys we didn’t know. They punched and kicked us, taking the pouch with them as they left. Roan tried to go after them to get the pouch back but I was too hurt to move. Instead, we sat there together and cried, weeping about how we failed to get any herbs for our mother and how she might die from her illness. I didn’t know how long we just sat crying but when we did stop, Hannah was standing there looking at us with her big blue eyes.  Roan had rushed to stand in front of me with his hand in fists, ready to defend me, but all Hannah did was reach into the pocket of her dress. She pulled out the small pouch that had been taken from us and reached to put it into Roan’s hand. Roan and I were shocked to have gotten the coins back from this little girl who didn't look much older than myself.  “I’m sorry about what happened to you,” young Hannah said, “Those boys have always been trouble here but they won’t do that anymore.” I remembered her saying with a soft, kind smile. “Are you hurt?” “What do you want?” Roan grumbled. Hannah knelt down to be face level with me and ignored Roan, “Nothing, but I know we’re going to be best friends.” And ever since then, we have. I was brought back from the memory when something was thrown at me, knocking me over the stool I had been sitting on. “Did you hear me?” Hannah shouted, crossing her arms. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” I got up, picking up the pillow I found was the projectile that hit me.  “What are you wearing to my birthday celebration?” She grabbed the pillow from me and walked to place it back onto her bed. “I’m wearing this.” I waved my hand to gesture to myself. Hannah quickly spun around, “No you’re not.” she chuckled, “It’s my 19th birthday, you’re one of the only people I actually want there at the celebration, so we have to look our best.” It was my turn to cross my arms, “I don’t need to look my best. It's you the celebration is for.” She grabbed my hand, dragging me across her room to the walk-in closet filled with dresses of every color and matching accessories. “Hannah, this is your day, I can just wear what I’m wearing now.” I protested. “No. You are my guest and my best friend, plus it’s my birthday, so you have to do this for me. I never asked for anything from you but I will today and I want this.” She weaved her fingers together and pouted. “Please?” I squinted at her, “What’s the real reason, Hannah? Why today?” She sighed and stomped around in a small circle, throwing her hands in the air. “I am 19 today and I’m not married, Serena.’ She paused while looking at herself in the tall mirror standing next to the closet exit. “Most of the girls our age have started their own families and yet here we are, 2 single, eligible women, ripe for the picking, and no one has found any interest in us…”  I stared at my friend as her emotions played out on her face. What she said wasn’t wrong. Girls would normally be married by the time they were 15 or 16 and we were a few years past that age. It’s also true that no one really approached us or even expressed their interest in courting us. Yes, Hannah was one of the most beautiful women in Penin and I was decent myself, but nothing ever progressed out of the few conversations we had with eligible men. We even began thinking that maybe we were just cursed to remain virgin seamstresses for life.  “If you and I dress our very best today,” Hannah softly continued, “Then maybe the person I ask to accept my feelings today will accept me and maybe you can find someone to accept your feelings as well.” The happy and cheery Hannah that was just here with me moments ago vanished, turning into a confused and desperate version of her that I had never seen before. I knew we made jokes about being single for the rest of our lives, but I thought they were just that, jokes, but it seems like she’s taken it more to heart than I thought. Unlike Hannah, I have enjoyed the years that I have had not rushing into marriage. There was so much more I wanted to do in my life than settling down and starting a family. I do eventually want those things, but for now, marriage was the last thing on my mind. What I truly wanted was more than what Penin could offer. Penin is stationed in a valley between 2 mountains far north of The Capital, where very few exports of goods occur because navigating around the mountains is dangerous. No one ever really left Penin either except to join the Capital’s Army and those people who left also never returned. I had never thought about joining the army as a way to leave, but I knew I had to leave Penin at some point in my life.  I chewed my bottom lip. “Fine, but nothing too extravagant. I want to look like myself just …. In clothes I would never be able to afford.”I sighed, giving in to her request. It’s her birthday and I will accept her request as my gift to her, but I would not be searching for someone to marry, not that I was going to tell her that part though.  Hannah smiled in excitement. Grabbing my hand again while she walked us over to the wall of hanging dresses. “Green is still your favorite color, right?” She asked, tracing her fingers over the dresses in almost every shade of green.  “Yes.” “Great!” She picked out a dark, velvet evergreen dress with a straight neckline and long wrist-length sleeves. She threw the dress at me and dragged me over to the drawers for ribbons where she selected a matching velvet ribbon and then marched us over to a wall shelf with various shoes of various colors. “I don’t think I need to wear different shoes, Hannah.” I tugged at our linked hands to get her attention. “I would much rather walk comfortably than upset about my throbbing, aching feet.”  Hannah frowned, pointing at a pair of black leather open-toed shoes with a 2 inch heel that looked like they had never been worn. “But they would look so nice on you and the heel isn’t too steep either.” I shook my head, “I doubt that anyone would be able to see the shoes on my feet with your celebration going on. Their attention will be on you, not me.” Hannah gave my hand a small squeeze before letting me go. “Alright, I guess I have asked a lot already.” A small smile crossed on her lips in defeat. “Thank you.” I hugged her, “ I really do appreciate that you want to help me look my best on your 19th birthday, but I don't want to completely give up my comfort.” I pulled away from the hug as Hannah gave me privacy, leaving me alone in the walk-in closet. I couldn’t help but stare at my reflection in the large standing mirror. I had never seen myself in clothes meant for the wealthy. I had always worn the clothes passed down by my mother and had never thought that I would be wearing anything like the dress I was wearing then.  The evergreen dress hugged the curves of my body perfectly from my chest down to my hips as the dress draped over my legs, stopping  at my ankles. The sleeves on the dress stopped right at my wrist and the neckline was bigger than I liked, exposing the skin on my back and shoulders more than I wanted. Hannah knocked at the door of the closet, notifying me that she was coming in, and when she did, her mouth dropped as her eyes widened.  “Serena…” She gasped, “You look amazing!”