[Lumiel]

The sun had already cast its dusky rainbow palette across the sky and given way to the soft purples and pinks of early night. Though not cold, the air had a slight chill, and it was the kind more noticeable to a hungry child than to an adult. Along the dirt road, a young girl trudged onward. She wore a faded pink dress with a dirtied apron on the bottom half. The sleeves were rolled up on arms wrapped around a small body no more than three feet high. She wore no shoes on her feet and had dirt smudged on her feet, legs, hands, and face leaving her skin tone to only be guessed at. Her hair was a darker shade of blonde, just short of dirty blonde. It lay in a mess down to her shoulders, having been neglected for some time. Two large brown eyes peered from within the small framed face, liquid and inviting when lit with joy, but at the moment were stubbornly closed to outside influences yet open and alert for any chance at food or warmth. She had a small, pouted mouth and her body language gave the clue to a willful child.
She had walked the entire day as well as the day before that, with little food or sleep. She was hungry, tired, and cold. As alert as she had kept herself, she was wearing down. She didn't even notice the Inn until she was within sight of its stables. The horses whinnied at each other and their breath made small puffs of air, almost like they were dragons, tamed from the wild and...the child shook her head. No time for nonsense like that now.

The Inn cast a pale but warm light on the ground around it, and she could hear voices within and shadows to give bodies to them. The smell of food and the crackle of a fire reached her nose and ears and she inevitably found herself heading towards the door. She hesitated a moment in front of the threshold and then stepped within to her place of respite.

Her eyes opened in surprise at what she saw; people everywhere, of all sorts! Hobbits and Men and Elves...and here she was, a little girl in the way. She gasped and quickly found her way to the darker corners, where she went unnoticed by the patrons. Her momentary fear gave way to her seemingly indominatable spirit as she felt the luxury of warmth caress her skin and the tantalizing aromas of home-cooked meals waft her way. One problem was solved, but there were others.

She watched the people, what they did and how they did it. There seemed to be food aplenty here, and she wanted some of it. But how could she get some? She watched a woman at a table. She was almost finished, when a commotion occurred across the room. The woman went to help, and the girl saw her chance. She scrambled across to the table and snatched at the half-piece of bread that was left and snuck away before anyone noticed. In another dark corner, she devoured the bread, eyes darting this way and that, daring anyone to try and take her prize. None sought her out, for her existence was not known as of yet. She did this several more times, even daring to take food from under people's noses when their heads were turned. It caused some confusion, but none of the customers could tell what was happening, so they ignored it, most of them.

But there was one man, a big man to the young girl, who did notice. She avoided his attention and waited until he turned his head. She reached out a hand with confidence and gripped the bread in her hand. Before she could snatch it back, the man had her hand in an iron grip and called out loudly. "Thief! Thief! There's a thief in this Inn, and it's stealing my appetite." He sized her up and then called for a servant, anyone who would deal properly with this nuisance. "What a nasty creature you are, filth and muck and no shoes! Bah, probably some unwanted brat of some of the locals." The girl answered with a fierce glare and a small growl as she tried to twist her hand away. She couldn't be caught! But even more serious was the insult of this man! "Got some spirit I see, eh?" the man laughed. "A good belt would cure that for you!" He lifted his hand as if to cuff her across the head and she cringed instinctively. He thought better of his actions and growled in annoyance.

As she struggled in the man's grip, she wondered what they would do with a "thief" like her. She had seen other children face dire consequences when caught, but this place seemed to quiet for the things that she imagined. As the man used his other hand to lift a mug to his lips, she wrenched her arm as hard as she could, jarring the man's grip on the mug so that some of it spilled on his shirt. In surprise, he momentarily lessened his grip on her arm and it was enough. In fear, she turned to run only to find chairs and people in her way and tumbled unceremoniously to the ground amid the crash of chairs and the disapproval of the older hobbits. Refusing to face defeat without some sense of honor, she turned to face whoever it was that she was sure would be looming over her, ready to beat her for what had been an act of desperation, and gave her darkest, most defiant face she could. But what she saw surprised her.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 12:07 PM January 28, 2004: Message edited by: Lumiel ]