"Alexander," the young boy replied, trying to give Daric a salute but failing. "Although those who know me call me Alex. My father runs this inn. Daric, have you been on adven-"<br/><br/>"Alex, there will be time for this discussion later," Ariadne said, cutting him off with a firm but kindly voice. "But I need you to do two things for me: take our horses to the stable, and then tell your father I must speak with him urgently. Can you do that for me?" The young boy nodded enthusiastically, taking the horses from the two of them and vanishing around the side of the inn, Ariadne letting out a sad sigh. "Merrick isn't Alex's true father," Ariadne said, turning to Daric. "I found Alex in the forest, next to the dead bodies of his parents. I don't know why they were there or what killed them, but I couldn't leave him there and I knew Merrick had never been able to have the family he longed for, so I chose to bring those two lost souls together. Alex was...fortunately...too young for him to remember what happened, and I don't have the heart to tell him the truth about Merrick's relation to him."<br/><br/>With one last look in the direction Alex had gone she led Daric to the doorway. As they stepped inside the air around them seemed to shimmer, the enchantments around the building so familiar to Ariadne that she barely noticed the change. The inside of the inn was remarkable: although it was hardly a small building on the outside, the interior seemed far larger than most observers would have expected. It was packed with a mixture of ruffians, the occasional tired looking soldier, and even the occasional dwarf hunched over large glasses of drink. Stood at the bar, talking to a man in a long travelling cloak, was a short, stout older man with thinning grey hair. When he caught sight of Ariadne he gave him a smile and a nod.<br/><br/>"Find us a table," Ariadne said quietly. "I'll get us a drink."