Behind the Clouds

Epilogue

Everything seemed to wrap up nicely after that - the war came to an end, the prince returned home and Elizabeth established a new routine. After all she had done, the goddess discovered that working at the hat shop had never really been her dream as much as being a prized housewife hadn't been either. When she had been offered the chance to return to normality, to work at the hat shop once more, Elizabeth had turned Margaret down with a warm smile and said that she would be off travelling. Which was true.

Life was too short to spend cooped up in a single hum-drum town. Hiding away from the world to avoid becoming her mother wasn't an option for Elizabeth anymore. Vast and huge, the wider world had so much to offer her; there was so much to see, so much to experience, and Elizabeth wanted to see it all.

So, when given the opportunity to leave once more, Elizabeth accepted it head on.

Now, only Elaine was left to tick off her list of goodbyes for this year's lengthy travels across the globe. Roughly six months had passed since they'd last seen each other, the two young women who used to be as thick as thieves now leading lifestyles that demanded much more attention. Whenever Elizabeth was in town, Elaine would be off in another part of the country, selling desserts at a pop-up stall or trying different ales with Ban. Whenever Elaine was in town, Elizabeth would be out of the country, exploring distant lands with equally as distant tales.

But today, for once, they were both in town. So they'd agreed to meet up at Margaret's hat shop.

"So... what brings you back to our sleepy, little town, Elizabeth?" Asking the casual question, her curiosity hidden, Margaret raised a brow as she bagged the two hats Elizabeth had bought, "You barely ever come back these days."

"I've only come to say goodbye to everyone again," Holding the bag with the hats she'd purchased - one for Merlin and one for her sister-in-law - Elizabeth was all aglow with excitement, "I've decided not to be scared of the world anymore, to explore what it has to offer. I thought you'd all be happy for me, Margaret?" Turning to Elaine, she raised a brow, "Didn't you tell me to get myself out there a little more?"

"I also told you to avoid dangerous people," Elaine gave a small smile, removing the dainty sunhat she was planning to buy, "It seems you didn't listen to me."

"Sounds like you met an interesting individual on your travels, Elizabeth," Smiling herself, Margaret counted the total of Elizabeth's purchases. Clicking, the buttons on her register calculated the costs seamlessly. "Make sure to invite us to the wedding. We'd be delighted to come and meet him."

Really, Margaret was acting as if the whole world didn't know who Elizabeth was rather obviously infatuated with. Countless times she'd been made a public spectacle whenever she went out with him. But she was getting used to it. Slowly. She'd have to if she wanted to continue living with him for the rest of her life - which was bound to be pretty lengthy with her goddess-inherited genes and the metal band on her finger.

"You went to the wedding, Margaret," A soft laugh escaped Elizabeth at the older woman's teasing tone, "You met him a year ago."

"Yes, but you didn't tell me about this," Margaret responded casually, easily accepting Elizabeth's payment for the hats. Passing the goddess the boxed and bagged hats, she raised a brow as she nodded toward Elizabeth, the loose and flowy material of the dress that subtly curved over her stomach, "When did that happen?"

Laughing, Elizabeth blinked, "Boredom?"

"They went to see a lake," Elaine supplied, an innocent smile on her lips as she placed her hat on the counter. Waving a hand dismissively, she added in a light tone, "That's all you need to know."

Eyes twinkling with knowledgeable amusement, Margaret gave a gentle hum as she input the total for Elaine's purchase. Equally as casual, Elaine maintained a straight face as Elizabeth pursed her lips, cheeks tinted with a deep red as she tried to keep her mortification hidden from the two women. But that was more or less impossible - all of it was written right across Elizabeth's face as her ears burned crimson.