Well I checked the sword today and there are no unwelded verts there, I pulled and tugged on edges/verts/etc and could not find anything undone... but I do see from your render what you are talking about. I tried adding some edge lines to help keep it under control though.
As far as the boot straps (sides and top) yes they are meant to be installed seperately, so your boots would either have top straps or side straps...I was trying to give you options to choose from.

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