Dear Mother and Father,
Rua says now I'm old enough to start travelling with him, so today I packed my things for my very first trip to the Lone Lands with him, to look for ores and jewels. It will be my first trip anywhere outside the Shire. The snow has finally melted so Rua thinks it's a good time to head out. I'm very excited. You might already know, but there aren't that many ores or gems found in the Shire, only copper and tin, agate and amethyst. Rua says they aren't good for making tools with. So we will visit strange, far-off places to find good ones! I hope this doesn't make you less proud of your daughter. Buying them is really expensive and Rua doesn't see the need since he seems to have a clever knack of finding lodes and veins. I suppose it's a dwarf thing. He bought me a pony especially for the trip. I got told he is called a Grey Pony, but to me he looks white. White and fluffy, like marshmallow. So that's what I called him, Marshmallow. He's the sweetest pony ever! Rua bought himself another Grey Pony that I named Peppermint. He also bought a pack pony to carry the tools he wants to sell on the way. It is brown so I named it Toffee. I think they might be related because Rua bought them from the same farmer. Early tomorrow morning we will head for Waymeet. I am both scared and excited at the thought of seeing new places. Good night! Wish us luck on our trip!
Your loving Zara.
