Currently collapses on my overly large bed, I sighed for, probably, the tenth time, causing the other woman in the room to giggle. They were indifferent to my suffering.

"Lady Enna, I think you maybe, being a little over dramatic." Chuckled my head maid, Trixie. She was extremally reliable, but often stern Except with me. I got the feeling that she saw me as a bit like a grandchild?

"I am, absolutely not, being dramatic." I grumped. "I'm not a doll!"

For the last two hours- not to mention several more hours of many other random days- Trixie and many other maids and such had been gathering together for the sole purpose of dressing me in progressively more extravagant cloths. Why? Because they thought I was a doll!

Owing to over extending my self during a rather terrifying battle some weeks ago, I went through a 'de-aging', and came out the other end looking like a ten year old. Ever since then the ladies' have been clamoring to dress me up. But I was also growing at an accelerated rate, and so they had to keep making more cloths to fit me. At least that was the excuse they had all been using to barge into my life and strap me in lace and silk every few days.

I usually just ran around in a barley there copper robe for goodness sake! Sure, since the construction of the estate I had expanded my wardrobe a little... But what the heck was I going to do with a bunch of fancy cloths for young teens? I could donate them, of course, but we didn't exactly live in a metropolitan society where young ladies needed fancy gowns. We were a big church/ mansion and a small, mostly temporary, town.

But it was the resides of said town that had ignited this whole trend. How and why? Well, the town was filled with the recently displaced kobold villagers, and, unlike the other residence of the estate- i.e. fox people and goblins- they were more talented in the finer craft works, like making cloths and embroidery for example. And with the influx of these new talents came a trend of trying to get me into fancy dresses, pretty hair combs, and even light makeup.

Never mind that I wanted no part in it and I was- supposedly!- their god and my opinion should have been the leading factor. Clearly I was still far too much of a push over and they did not take my protests in the seriousness that I tried to convey them in. I wasn't going to be little forever, and they were determined to dress me up, and, make me sit through sketches and paintings for 'posterity's' sake.

Luckily I was saved from another two hours of this when someone knocked on the door. Everyone stopped in their efforts and I sat up, more elated than I had been in a while. Mitten's ear twitched where he lay curled up on the corner of the bed. He was probably secretly reveling in my torture. but I turned him into a cat, so I win.

"My Lady?" Called a familiar voice beyond the tick door.

I smiled. "Come in Brixie." I said, relived. She may have been the person who gave me my first copper outfit, but she was not one of the people who saw me as a doll.

Brixie was only here for a very short stay, as she was very busy these days. She had just inherited the role of Village Elder from her father, Brax, and the job was something she took very seriously. Brax, the elderly foxie who was rarely seen without his smoking pipe, was now living here, at the estate. He was supposed to have retired, but apparently he has come to be a representative of the foxes here at the estate.

Really, it seemed like they were all starting to make a rather cohesive, if young and inexperienced, governments here at the estate, with representatives from all participating races. Even the newly added Kobolds took part. I was pretty pleased about this, actually. It was my greatest desire, after all, for all the people under my care, to get along and make these lands great as a unit.

I knew that this was not always going to be as easy as it seemed to be going right now... Monsters were a species that evolved to be confrontational and combative, and have been so since life evolved on this planet. I knew that I was trying to accomplish something pretty well unheard of: A united monster front.

Mind you, I was not just looking to have monsters in this 'union'. My full goal is to have all the races come together. I wasn't naive enough to think I could change the world, but I could damn well attempt it in my own lands, couldn't I.

"What is it?" I asked, my smile falling slightly when I saw the worry on the orange furred face of one of my first friends in this world.

"We will excuse our selves." Said Trixie, with a bow. She then hurried the others out of the room.

Trixie may have been a maid but she was one of the most influential people here, but she knew better than to let just anyone listen into important matters. She knew that she would be informed soon enough.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Once the door closed behind the foxmen woman, and Brixie and I were the only ones in the cloths strewn room, she began to speak.

"We have visitors." She said, but I could tell by her tone that this wasn't Margund, the goblin king, or some other high ranking guest requesting- no one would dare demand it- my presence.

"Who is it?" Was it another group of displaced monsters or demi-humans. The last time I got a mystery guest it was a group of ragged kobolds seeking aid. then I felt my heart sink, remembering that Ozzie had gone out with the raiders today. Brixie's sixteen year old son had just graduated from Nord's training and opted to join the group that patrolled the forest, making sure that no hostile monsters came near the estate nor the new road connecting us to the fox village and the Goblin kingdom of Gurten. Once the winter's hold makes way for spring, another road was to be constructed to the kobold village, though probably a less elaborate one given the apparent intent of the kobolds to stay in the make shift village. "Is Ozzie hurt?"

Brixie shook her head. "No, he and the others are perfectly alright. But they did have an encounter during their patrol."

"What kind of encounter?" I asked, getting up off the bed and brushing ribbons and strips of lace off my newest short dress.

"Humans."

My head immediately snapped up, eyes wide. Humans? I knew that we would come across them eventually- I even planned to make contact with them at some point. But I was not prepared. I thought this would happen in a year or two, once I had a chance to interact with the majority of my own peoples, and secured my hold on my lands. In my mind I would be the one reaching out to them...

"They were in the forest?" I asked.

"Yes. Brillum's group caught them while they were under attack. The raiders aided the party of humans and decided to escort them back here, as they were too far from the boarder to just send them on their way, assuming they would just return whence they came."

I nodded. that was the best course of action.

Damn it... I guess I relied on the general fear of the last land god, Aeros, to keep outsiders at bay. I should have known better, really. The fact that the kobolds had been on these lands for so long, or that Reihekiu the half-dwarf-half-elf weapon smith also entered, meant that the shield that was once the old dragon's wrath was no longer in place as it once had been. It was a major oversite on my part.

"I take it that Lagdon is already on top of this?" I asked, knowing that my muscle bound, hobgoblin prince, of a body guard would not sit idly by. And it was also why Brixie was bringing me this news and not him.

"He and Nord met Brillum and the humans when they arrived. I was told that the counsel has been called, and asked to inform you before heading back to the village. I need to up security there, incase there are more humans wandering about..."

"Yes, please do. Draxly can escort me to the meeting."

Brixie bowed, and left the room in a hurry, Draxly looking though the open door and holding out an arm for me to take. The Black furred foxie was one of my assigned guards today... cause why would I ever be alone, even in my own room?

As the tall, fox faced male lead my through the halls toward the stairs I noted that Brixie was already out of sight. I was glad she was hurrying. Even if the humans were not openly hostile, they would be indiscriminate in attacking the people here. After all, to them, a monster was a monster. And humans kill monsters. I would hate for another party of them to stroll through the village and just wipe them all out without ever questioning if they should. It was one of the reasons I wanted to be the one to initiate contact with humanity, rather than the other way around. As a girl who was born human- and I did not think I could comfortably call myself one much anymore- I knew very well how the race would attack first when they don't understand something.

"Miss Brixie already told me which room the humans have been brought to." Draxly told me; probably the longest sentence he had said all day. The black furred, ninja like, foxie was pretty well known for his long silences and, generally hardcore, fighting skills. The foxie were not big tankers and were usually silent and speedy. But both Draxly and Brillum had proven to be strong enough warriors that they gained Lagdon's respect, getting a coveted spot on my personal guard.

Once we reached the ground floor, Draxly lead me past the kitchens. As usual, the place was noisy, after all, the hard working people in there had a great many people to feed. Breakfast was over but there were plenty of dishes to be done, and prep work for the next meal. If it I wasn't on my way to a very important meeting I would have run in for some of the bread I could smell baking. I didn't need to eat normally, not since I arrived in this world, but since my age regression, I actually needed food and sleep again. Not as much as a normal human, but it was a novel experience to once again feel sleepy and hungry.

The meeting room was a fairly large place with a very long and sturdy wooden table and a couple dozen chairs around it. They had once been fairly simple, but a goblin craftsmen and a kobold one got together and made a very beautiful and elaborate one for us just recently, and I liked it quite a bit. Since the kobolds came to the estate, our decorative sense around the place had gotten quite the upgrade. Drazdon and his glass working sons were quite talented, and all the stained glass in the estate was crafted by them. But such creativity amongst monsters was actually quite rare. The kobolds made for a very colorful and beautiful addition to the estate.

I saw that Gabreal, the young hobgoblin male, and his friend, the pretty goblane, Lorma, were on guard duty. The two goblins were often with me whenever I went to train with Lagdon and Nord. It was nice to see that they had earned the right to be put on guard duty.

I didn't great them, as I knew the goblin's took this type of work very seriously. The foxes were more open to chatter while on duty, so long as nothing was going on, but the goblins were not known for their cheery disposition on the best of days. So i gave them my best 'friendly, but not too friendly' nod to acknowledge their hard work, before Draxly knocked three times on the door. Then he entered before waiting for someone to answer.

After all, a god does not wait to be let into a room in her own home. At least, that's what I've been told. had I of been by myself, I probably would have waited.