We Met at the Inn of the Last Home

Disclaimer: I do not own DRAGONLANCE or any character created by another author for the DRAGONLANCE world. I only own the characters that I created myself. DRAGONLANCE was created by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and originally owned by TSR. It is now owned by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary or Hasbro. Some of the other characters are owned by people that frequent the Inn of the Last Home thread at the DRAGONLANCE Movie Site Forums.

Author's note: This story is very Alternate Universe. I will use the Inn of the Last Home and other places as references. I will even use the names of established characters in the Krynn-verse, but this is primarily a story that I am doing about characters in the Inn of the Last Home thread over at the DragonLance Movie Site Forums. I am changing a couple of the characters around. Lucius isn't a general and didn't come from Taladas. Arial isn't the High-Priestess of Mishakel. But I think that I have and will capture the essence of their characters here. When I saw that Lucius and Arial were becoming an item in the Inn thread, I really wanted to write a story about them. I just didn't want to write word for word what was said in the thread. This is my story about them. I hope that you like it. I am enjoying writing it.


Chapter 1: The Engagement Party

Grail laughed and pounded on the table. "Yeah, if you're lucky then you won't live long enough to be married as long as Lucius and Arial. That poor boy has been getting bossed around for, what, 50 years now?"

Everyone at the table laughed. The guys gave apologies to the young man and the girls chided Grail for denigrating such a beautiful relationship. Arial lightly smacked Grail's wrist. "You mean old dwarf. When Gems gets back from the kitchen, she is going to give you a knock on the head."

Grail laughed. "You two old crones couldn't even catch me. I'm as spry as the day I left my sire's home."

About that time, a frying pan plunked Grail square on top of his balding head. Everyone laughed as the dwarf picked spiced potatoes out of his shirt. Gems put an arm around the 'spry' dwarf's shoulders and said, "I guess you aren't quite as quick as you thought you were, huh?"

Grail roared in laughter and gave Gems a messy kiss on the cheek. She pulled away and wiped the potatoes off her cheek. Grail chuckled, "But at least I'm still fast enough to stay ahead of you, lass."

Gems laughed and smacked Grail in the back of the head. Grail just chuckled and cleaned himself off. "Don't you listen to that mean old dwarf. He's just grumpy that he doesn't get a woman as beautiful as you are Cynthia. You are a lucky man, Marco."

Marco put his arm around his fiancée and gave her a squeeze. "I know just how lucky I am." He gave Cynthia a kiss and the women all smiled and sighed. Arial smiled, "That's so sweet."

Lucius put his arm around Arial and kissed her on the temple. "But not as sweet as you are, my love."

Looking at the couple, an outsider would think that Lucius was a dandy trying to marry an old woman for her estate, but friends knew that they had a love that was inseparable. Some felt sorry that Lucius would see many years after his love died, as he was still very young by Silvanesti standards. But those that knew them closely couldn't feel sorry for him. Not when they knew just how in love he was with her. Their love was a love that time wouldn't be able to touch. They were born to be together.

Unfortunately, fate played a cruel joke and put their souls into bodies that would never be able to stay together. Arial was born to human parents and the blood of Silvanos ran through Lucius's veins. But all knew that their souls were tied together with cord that was harder than the hardest steel made by the most skilled dwarven forgemasters under Thorbardin. All were in envy of their love, even crotchety old dwarves.

Cynthia smiled and leaned over to Lucius. "You never did tell us how you two met."

Grail interrupted before Lucius could answer. "Now THAT is a tale." Grail pointed at Lucius. "And poor Lucius is the only elf born without a bard's tongue to tell it. You'll just have to settle on my rendition."

Lucius shook his head. "No way, you old dwarf. Every time you tell a tale, it gets distorted and never resembles what actually happened."

Grail just laughed and lit his pipe. "Now how would you even know what happened? You fell head over heels in love the moment you laid eyes on yon fair lass. Hell there were days when we left the inn that you even forgot what you had eaten only moments before. No, no, lad. This is my tale to tell."

As Lucius was about to come back, Arial placed her hand on his arm. "Let's hear Grail's story. He always spins a good yarn."

Grail smiled at Arial. "You should take the advice of your better half. Honestly, I don't know how you ever got along without her. Well, when I wasn't saving your scrawny little butt every other day. HAHAHAHA!"

Lucius started to get angry and his face turned crimson, but Arial gave him a kiss on the cheek and he calmed down. "Get along with it or we won't ever get home tonight."

Grail took another pull from his ale and puffed on his pipe. "Let's see, how long ago was it? Oh, I remember. 50 years ago, 50 years ago we had just sat down at this very table."

Lucius rolled his eyes, it wasn't this very table, but Arial stopped him from interrupting and giggled.

Grail continued on, "This very table. We had just arrived here in Solace to bed down for the winter. I never liked traveling in the snow. And you can't beat this ale. Oh yeah, Lucius had just sat down and laid his eyes on beautiful Arial there…"


50 years previous…

The elf looked over his book at the beautiful young woman running back to the kitchen. The dwarf at his side bumped him on the elbow, knocking his book to the floor. "What did you do that for, Grail?"

The irascible dwarf chuckled and took a swallow of his ale. "I was doing you a favor, Lucius. You had that damned book upside down, again. You would have been made a fool when she came back out and asked you how it was."

The elf blushed and picked the book back up. "I would thank you, but you get too much joy out of my misery, you crotchety old miser."

The dwarf just laughed and finished his ale. "Hey Gems! What's an old dwarf got to do to get an ale around here?!"

The Kagonesti elf turned tavern owner shot the dwarf a dangerous look and a sharp reply. "It's going to take you doing some dishes if you don't mind your manners, Grail. Can't you see I'm busy here?"

The old dwarf laughed his trademark belly laugh. "Will it help if I send Lucius here to bus some tables for you?"

Gems laughed back. "Only if you want to pay for all the crockery that he is bound to break. I heard about how he lost his sword in Haven to pay for the dishes he broke bumping into Master Brunheld's crockery cabinet."

The whole bar laughed at Lucius's expense causing the elf to turn crimson in anger. "It's not my fault that that old man's dog got in my way! That damn thing is blind as a bat and is always in the way. He should just put that old thing down!"

Nelly growled at the swordsman and Gems laughed again. "Be careful. Nelly and Bart are old friends and she doesn't seem to like your tone."

The bar erupted in laughter again and the elf decided that he had better retreat before his pride was damaged any further. "Why do you insist that we always spend the winter here in Solace?"

The dwarf just smiled. "Oh, I didn't think you minded the atmosphere here. I even thought that this winter you would get the nerve to ask Arial for more than just the bill."

The elf smiled and gave the old dwarf a shove. "We both know that ain't happenin'. I can face down orcs and ogres, trolls and demons, but put me before a beautiful woman and I clam up and start sweatin' more than a squire the night before his 'Knight's Trials.'

The old dwarf just shook his head. "I think she likes you. You really should talk to her."

Lucius takes another swig and looks out the frosted window. "It got cold quick this year."

The dwarf ignores his young friend's attempt to divert the conversation. "Aye, it's cold out there, but the hearth is warm in here and so is the atmosphere. And speaking of warmth, Lady Arial, you brought my ale! What would an old dwarf have to do to get your hand in marriage?"

The bar maid just laughed and patted him on the cheek. "You'll never settle down. I know that you have a girl in every town between here and Palanthas. Now, if your friend here were to ask me, that might be different."

Lucius dropped his book and nearly knocked over his ale. "Excuse me, I didn't quite catch that," he stammered.

Arial just laughed and went on to the next table. Lucius looked at Grail who was about to roll off his chair, he was laughing so hard.

"What's so damned funny?"

After a moment of Grail trying to catch his breath, he finally answered. "You should have seen the look on your face! Ho! You turned whiter than the Speaker of the Sun and Stars at a dwarven wedding ceremony!"

Lucius downed his ale and left the table, heading for his room. Grail just smiled and continued enjoying himself until much later in the evening. After some new friends carried him to his room, he laid on his bed. "That poor boy is gonna marry her one day. Ahhhh, love."

And with that, he passed out and snored until morning.


A/N: So, how did you like the first chapter? I hope that you take the time to review. Your suggestions will help me to make this and all of my stories better. This story is different than my first fanfic not only in that it is set in the DragonLance universe, but it is going to be a romance. I have to thank my wife, Carmen. She has been my sounding board and is making sure that I don't screw up the romance portions. I don't think that I could do this without her help and support. Hell, I couldn't do anything without her support. Carmen, you are my life and I thank you for being with me every step of the way. I love you.

Oh, and as always, if you leave a review, I will give you a public thank you in the next chapter. Thanks again for reading my story.