“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.