3 Three

In the span of a couple of hours her entire life had turned upside down and all she had to show for it was a shop and the money weighing heavy in her pocket.

Absentmindedly her hand reached down to play at the ties of the coin bag in her pocket, suddenly reminded of the reason she had asked for it in the first place.

The mare.

While it would be no replacement for her father, Elizabeth knew it would help take a bit of the bitterness away. Unicorns couldn't cure sadness, but they sure as hell could numb the pain.

She decided then that she would walk to the stables, even if they were a considerable distance from the town square. Making her way to the hidden farmer's plot would be the perfect way to clear her head in the midst of such a life changing event.

Getting away from the bustling square had been the best idea for her at that moment. Walking down the cozy dirt paths coated with the orange blaze of fallen leaves was serene and peaceful, providing her the perfect opportunity to refocus her mind ans grasp just what her new life meant for her.

No doubt passerby thought it odd the rich heiress turned shop owner was walking on her own two feet down the common roads, but she doubted any of them really cared. Everyone had their own business to care about and none would think twice about hers.

She wondered what they would think when they learned the news. Ice Queen Elizabeth was now the new jewel merchant of Quiet Wood and was left alone in the dust of her father's carriage as he hightailed it out of town. Would they be more surprised than her?

Probably not.

For the first time since the news dropped, Elizabeth let out a quiet laugh, grinning up into the canopy of quickly balding branches.

Oh how the world could change in the blink of an eye.

"Oh my gods, you didn't!" Mary cried as she rushed into the stable.

Startled, Elizabeth shot around to stare at the woman who busted into her stable, laying a calming hand on her new horse in order to calm it as it assessed the intruder. Bigger than most regular horses, the unicorn proved itself to be a difficult beast to control, proven so by the wild ride all the way back to her simple cottage tucked away at the outskirts of town.

Most of the danger came from it's golden horn, which it wielded like a weapon.

"Mary! Try to be more careful. I only just barely managed to make Vain

"Vain? Who names their unicorn Vain?"

Only someone as vain as you would want a Unicorn.

Mary Sue's words from years ago rang in her ears as fresh as they had when they were children. Even after so many years the insult still dug at her, made even worse by the fact that the other woman appeared to have forgotten it.

The two had only fought a couple of times in their lives, but each time Mary seemed to land a devastating blow. That has been one of them.

Elizabeth hated being called vain, but at the same time refused to bend to the morals of others. Where they saw frilly and useless spending, she knew that she was just funneling the money right back into the pockets of the townsfolk. Not everyone knew that if you hoarded money like dragons it only worked to hurt the people around you.

"I though it fitted her is all," she muttered, patting the unicorn firmly.

"I take it sales went well then if you could afford the thing."

"You could say that," Elizabeth answered in an uninterested voice. "What are you doing coming here so close to dusk anyway?"

"Oh, I came to tell you Charming stopped by the shop to see you this afternoon, but you were gone. I guess it was because you were out buying this."

Elizabeth didn't miss the sneer in her friends voice, but chose to brush it off. She had known for a while her friend was jealous of her relationship with her suitor Eric, but knew there was little chance her friend would actually do anything about it. Mary might have been bitter, but she was no backstabber.

"Actually I was out saying goodbye to my father."

Mary sobered at that. "Goodbye? Did something happen to Mr. Faireheart?"

"No. He just finally chose to leave. He's been planning it for a while, you know that."

"Let me guess. You didn't shed a single tear either."

Throwing Mary a glare, Elizabeth ushered her mare through the stable, annoyed with her friends words. Sometimes her friend almost didn't seem to care about the affects her words had on others.

Struggling to hold back a sharp reply, Elizabeth focused on Vain, brushing her silky hair back from her eyes. Tomorrow she would focus on braiding the unicorns hair in order to keep it from her eyes, but tonight the mare would just have to settle for the stable and a warm blanket.

Vain was no replacement for her father, but having the big beauty in her grasp somehow felt more comforting than anything else. Something about the way it's iridescent purple and blue eyes stared back at her spoke of a wisdom beyond what most in her village thought the "overpriced show-horse" was capable of.

So caught in the horses gaze, Elizabeth nearly forgot about the presence of her friend, but at the sudden appearance of Mary at the stall she had to let out a long annoyed breath.

"My father decided to go back to the where he grew up," she finally informed her. "Apparently him and my mother spoke of that often, and he only just made the decision to follow though recently."

"You're not going with him."

Not missing the prodding note in Mary's voice, Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Don't sound too excited. Need I remind you I'm the only one who can put up with you in this town."

"Same with you. You ice out anyone who you find too annoying. The only reason you hang out with me is because I have to force myself into your home and business. Which brings me back to my earlier question; Are you leaving?"

"No. In fact, my father left me the store so I could stay here for quite some time. You're looking at the new face of the Shrouded Jewel."

Mary Sue grinned, hopping up and down on the stall door. "Congratulations! I know you've been working for that for a while."

"Thanks." Giving Vain one last pat, Elizabeth finally pushed herself from the mare for the first time in the last couple of hours. In all honesty she had imagined herself sleeping in the stable that night, not wanting to abandon the horse in the now empty stable.

Without her fathers horses mucking about in the place it felt almost spooky, far too bare for an upper-class building. No doubt Vain would feel some kind of way about being left here alone for her first night in Elizabeth's care.

Once Elizabeth led her friend from the stable she felt the tiredness of the day settle down on her shoulders. All at once everything seemed to hit her in a rush, bringing tears to her eyes for the first time that day.

Blinking rapidly, Elizabeth stared into the moon, noting the bright yellow ring circled around it. Her mother would have said it was a sign of bad luck, a fact that made her want to chuckle.

Turning to her friend, she asked the first thing she thought would take the sadness of the day from her mind. "Anyway, how was your day? That handsome scholar stop by again?"

"No-Well actually yes, but I hardly had time to focus with your boyfriend sniffing around the shop."

Elizabeth waved her hands mockingly. "Oh, do forgive my rudeness."

"Never," Mary hissed back, a mock coloring the word. "Still, seeing Eric Charming was nice. AT least your beau has a handsome face."

"Only the best for the Ice Queen."

Mary's smile turned sheepish. "Yeah, I guess."

The conversation had taken yet another awkward turn, but the two handled the silence in turn. The two had stuck together through the oddest of times, sticking by each others sides even as the air ran thick with their anger for one another.

Now the night felt near choking with the mix of emotions, the chill of the autumn night doing nothing to calm Elizabeth's fried nerves.

Would anything ever feel the same? Would things go back to normal tomorrow morning.

As Elizabeth's house peeked into sight on a hill in the near distance the questions echoed through her head louder than any other thought.

"Well, as per usual, this is my path. I must abandon you," Mary spoke, before turning to take her friends hands in hers. "Just know, if you need anything I'll be here for you."

"I'll remember that," she replied, giving Mary's hands a squeeze.

With a parting nod, her friend turned and dissipated down the dark wooded path. Elizabeth looked after her for a touch longer than she should have, feeling sad at how lonely she felt without the presence of her volatile friend.

She should have invited her over for the night. Even hearing her friend fawn over her more lavish home and shame her for her extravagance would be more suitable than being alone on this night.

She still could turn and go back to the stable.

A hollow laugh echoed from her at that, the sound lingering in her ears.