I smiled and hugged the cloak around me as I slowly walked away.

            "That colt has not approached any man or elf."

            I looked around to see a man dressed in black clothes.  His face was worn, but he somehow looked majestic.  "He's only a day old," I told him.

            He then stared at me with blue eyes that I felt penetrate the shield I work so to keep up.  My smile disappeared; I swallowed and broke eye contact, then shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

            "Aragorn!"  Yelled a familiar elfin voice.

            "Oh thank god," I mumbled and sighed, then looked over my shoulder to see Legolas running toward us.  Behind him run a short stubby bearded man in armor.

            Legolas stopped in front of the man and gave him a long hug, and then they said something in another language that I couldn't understand.

            "Jonica, this is Aragorn, King of Gondor, and a very dear friend," Legolas said as the little man came up and bowed to Aragorn.

            "Great," I nodded.

            "Aragorn, this is the Lady Jonica, daughter of Desent Hutchins," he informed the scrubby man.

            "It is indeed a pleasure then, Jonica," he grinned a toothy grin.

            "Ok," I laughed, "Call me Jonny."

            "Jonica, this is Gimli, son of Glóin," Legolas introduced the little one.

            "What is it?" I asked.

            "I am a dwarf my lady," Gimli said insulted.

            I cleared my throat, "My father loves dwarfs," I said, "Elf, help me," I whispered to Legolas; I'm gonna ruin dad's work.

            "I can not," he said back.

            I growled at him then turned back to Gimli.  "Look, I've never met a dwarf before, and where I come from, there are no dwarves.  They all left.  Sorry."

            "No Dwarves?  Who then makes the jewels you wear around your neck?"  Gimli asked with a smug look on his face.

            "Ten-year-old kids in sweat shops?"  I retorted.

            "Jonica Mair Tuluxey, shut your mouth," growled my dad from behind me.  "Good morning you're highness, Gimli."

He acknowledged the other two men with a smile.

             "Daddy, can I have a horse?"  I asked.

            "No," he said without looking at me, "I am Desent Hutchins, You have already met my, uh, daughter."

            "Say it like you mean it Pop," I smiled.

            "Why don't you go take a bath, Jonny?"

            "Oh, I'll take a bath," I retorted, trying to be funny.  "Fuck a duck, chill.  I'm just playin'.  You trippin' 'mo fo'."

            "You're not black, stop trying to be.  Aidwen, show my loving child to her room where her tub is waiting for her," he said to the elf-maiden behind him.

            "Damn, what the hell do you do Aiddy?  Follow him around like a puppy.  Get off his back," Aidwen looked at me in the eye.

            "I am to see that the lord is completely comfortable."

            "I bet," I murmured to myself, "Whatever, take me away."

            "Jonica," my father called as we walked away, "You are attending lunch with us this afternoon.  So dress appropriately."

            I'll dress appropriately.  In the things that I have with me.

            When I finished with my wash I stepped out of the tub and wrapped myself in a cloth then went to the bed where I had left my clothes.  In place of my perfectly fine leather, I instead found  and great big white dress.  My other clothes were nowhere to be seen.

            "DAD!!"