At the Wedding Feast

            “Hail, Lock-bearer!” 

            Gimli bowed.  “My lady!  Take a chair.  I would show you the crystal housing for your gift.  I lined it with a sheet of mithril to reflect light of Sun, Moon, or star.”

            A server paused with a bottle of wine and glasses, pouring a drink for each.  On his tail came another, a wizened monkey of a Man, offering meats and cheeses.  He used a silver fork that hung pendant from a chain to serve them.

            The Dwarf looked after him.  “He came with us from the wharf at Pelargir,” he said, “where he’d served as Cookie on a merchant’s ship.  Money could not buy his loyalty, but he gave it freely to Aragorn.  His captain gave him a letter freeing him of his commitments to the fleet, although he said his leaving left a hole in his crew.”

            A violin began to play for the dancing.