Disclaimer – I don't own Gargoyles. If I did, it would still be running on TV (but at least we got the comics!)
Way Back When
By CubKitPup
"And here is what can be considered the heart of Wyvern Castle: the Great Hall."
Elisa hid a yawn behind her hand as she followed the tour guide into the so-called 'heart' of the castle. The frayed remnants of tapestries were now protected from the wear and tear of time by glass frames and hung along the walls. Three wooden tables made a horseshoe shape within the room. Even as the young guide painted a picture of how this hall was filled with feasts and parties, Elisa saw only an empty room and she was bored to tears.
This is NOT what I signed up for, she thought to herself. The young college student had thought she was going on an easy study abroad program. Go to class a couple hours a week and then the rest of her days could be spent cruising the cities, meeting some cute guys with sexy accents, and shopping for all the new European fashions.
She glanced at her two friends, who were enjoying the tour far more than she was. Paige was busily taking notes; her attention completely occupied by the guide's every word. Sydney was more interested in doodling the tapestry designs on the side of her notebook than in the long history of Wyvern Castle. It had been these two who had somehow managed to persuade her to accompany them on this tour of Europe. They had mentioned wild parties and easy-on-the-eyes guys.
But no, Elisa silently growled as the guide escorted them from the hall. I'm stuck touring dusty old castles.
"Now we'll be heading up to the battlements where you can see how the citizens of Wyvern Castle defended their home. Better take your cameras out, it's a breathtaking view!" The tour guide's voice echoed down the hall as she led her charges towards the stairs.
"I hate you guys for dragging me here," Elisa whined to her friends.
"For the last time, Elisa, you knew this was a History of Medieval Times class," Paige said.
"Oh, she knows," Sydney said with a smile. "She's just regretting her decision not to take the Marine Biology class in Hawaii with Kat and now she wants us to suffer because of her bad choice."
"Your sympathy is greatly appreciated," Elisa said, the sarcasm in her voice impossible to miss.
Her friends only laughed at Elisa's misery as they reached the top of the stairs and walked into the fresh air. Glancing out, Elisa had to admit that the view was beautiful. The valley before the castle was still untouched by civilization (with the exception of a gift shop and snack stand). A road cut through the massive forest but the woods were otherwise intact. The towering trees blocked the sight of the city beyond.
Gazing at the view alongside the humans were five stone gargoyles. All glared outward, fangs and claws bared and wings outstretched.
"From here," the tour guide was saying. "The guards were able see any approaching threat that came from across the valley, making a surprise attack very difficult. These gargoyles used to stand all around the wall, providing cover for the defenders and a scare tactic against invaders. Unfortunately, these are the only ones left in Castle Wyvern, the others having been smashed by vandals or assaulted by the elements."
Elisa leaned her back against the parapet, between a gargoyle with webbed wings and one that stood on four legs rather than two. "At least this class is easy," she told her two friends. "But I just wish I could meet a good looking guy with a sexy accent who isn't obsessed with his grades! Is that too much to ask for?"
"Well," Sydney said slyly as she wandered over to Elisa. "What about this guy here?" She gestured to a gargoyle on the end who had a beard across his face. "He looks to be just your type."
Elisa grimaced as she glanced at the eldest gargoyle. "That's just like you, Sydney. Trying to set me up with a guy twice my age."
Sydney laughed. "At least with these guys," she gently knocked on the stone body of a heavy-set gargoyle. "you don't have to worry about them running away on you. They would be completely loyal, I'd bet."
"Only because they've got nowhere else to go."
Turning to her friend who had yet to say a word, Elisa asked, "What about you, Paige? Who would you pick out of these?"
"Do you really have drag me into this?" She asked, shooting an exasperated look at the other girls. After taking a moment to study each of the gargoyles in turn, Paige finally pointed to the one on the end with a curved beak. "Him. He looks like he relies more on his brains than on his brawn. But none of them looks eager to ask us to the next dance. Come on, the group's moving on." She quickly gathered her notebook and bag. "We better hurry if we don't want to get left behind."
Sydney moved to follow but looked to Elisa who stood in her spot. "You coming?" Paige paused and also glanced back.
"I'll meet up with you guys later," she said. "I'm gonna do a little solo exploring."
"Alright, we'll see ya around." "Later, Elisa!" Her two friends called before jogging off to catch up with the group.
Once her friends had wandered further down the castle walk, Elisa strolled into the tower they had climbed only moments ago. She glanced down, contemplating the possibility of hiding in the air-conditioned gift shop until the tour was done. Instead, she looked up at a stairwell that was not blocked off but the shadowy passage persuaded most tourists that there were better places to do some site-seeing.
Fortunately, Elisa did not consider herself to be one of these tourists. Curious to see what was out of sight, she began to climb the darkened stairs, keeping one hand on the wall to reassure herself that she was still heading the right way. The stairs went around the tower, circling higher and higher, and Elisa continued to walk even though the way was dark.
Just as she began to think that turning around and heading down would be the best idea, the darkness seemed to fade slightly. Elisa could see the individual bricks that made up the tower. She finally reached the top of the stairs which ended with a hole in the ceiling. Pushing herself up through the gap, Elisa found herself standing on the top of the tallest tower of Wyvern Castle.
The top of the tower was empty of life except for another gargoyle perched on the parapet. Unlike the others below, this one was posed in a relaxed position. He looked deep in thought as he gazed out across the field before the castle.
"Mind if I join you?" Elisa politely asked the gargoyle. He gave no answer and Elisa leaned against him as she watched the crowds below. A group of people left the castle and when Elisa saw Sydney and Paige among them, she knew the tour must have ended. She watched her friends head in the direction of the snack stand before turning to the gargoyle beside her.
"It's nice up here," she commented to her silent companion. "Quiet. A good place to sit and think."
"And it's a place not many know about."
Elisa spun to see the tour guide standing by the stairs. The woman smiled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." She came to stand at the edge of the tower next to Elisa. "I always come up here once the last tour is over, to watch the sun set. I'm Sophia, by the way." She extended her hand to Elisa, who gripped it in her own. "Elisa."
"Well, Elisa, I'm sorry my tour didn't excite you more," Sophia said with sly grin.
Elisa flushed, embarrassed that the tour guide had noticed her boredom in the castle. "It's just…"
"No need to explain," she said. "Many people share your view." Sophia's smile faded away, replaced by a sad frown. "That's why this castle is to be abandoned."
"What do you mean?" Elisa asked.
"The tours aren't bringing in the money the government was hoping for," Sophia explained. "So, come next summer, the castle will be empty. No more history classes, tourists, or archeologists. Just an empty castle until someone buys the land. Then, it will probably be torn down."
Elisa dropped her gaze, not sure what to say. Sure, she wasn't a big fan of history but it was hard to believe that a whole castle could just be left to rot. She looked to Sophia. The other woman was staring off across the land but her eyes were distant. Then she smiled. "Have you ever heard of how the locals believe the castle to be haunted?"
"Really?" Elisa asked with interest. History might be dull but ghost stories were a whole other matter.
"The rumor is that the gargoyles come to life at night."
Elisa couldn't help but laugh out loud. A spirit haunting these old ruins? That she could believe. These old statues getting up and wandering around? "No way!"
Sophia laughed too. "It's true! There are journals of people who lived in the castle and say that these gargoyles broke their stone shells once the sun went down. That they were fearsome creatures who guarded the castle by night and slept during the day."
Her laughs finally subsiding, Elisa said, "I can't imagine these big clunky guys wandering around the castle."
"Well, it's not true," Sophia said. "I've been here many times after the sun has set and the gargoyles remain stone all night long. Just wild tales by superstitious folk or bed time stories for children. Hey, the sun's going down.
Elisa looked out. The sun was already halfway below the horizon; the clouds reflecting its light. "Wow," she said. "You certainly don't see things like that in New York."
"Not in any city," the tour guide said.
They were silent as the sun continued to sink. The shadow of the gargoyle stretched across the deck of the tower. In the last moments before the sun disappeared completely, Elisa looked to her stone companion, who stared beyond her. Finally the sun vanished from sight. But the stone statue remained the same. He didn't stand; didn't speak; didn't even twitch. The gargoyle remained as it had for hundreds of years: chin on his fist, watching the valley below.
"See?" Sophia said. "Nothing. I've worked here two years, stayed after dark hundreds of times, and these gargoyles are always motionless, day or night."
"It's a shame," Elisa commented as she leaned against the gargoyle's shoulder, studying his face. "He's kind of cute."
Sophia laughed. "Sadly, he's better looking than most human guys I know."
The two girls smiled at each other. "Well," Sophia said as she stood. "They'll be locking up the castle soon. You better get back to your group. I think most of them headed to the gift shop." She left the stone wall of the tower and headed for the door.
Elisa followed Sophia down the steps. Before descending below, she glanced at the gargoyle. "See you around, big guy," she said and then hurried to catch up with Sophia, not wanting to travel the pitch black staircase alone.
They reached the bottom with no incident and Elisa thanked Sophia for the Castle Wyvern experience. After wishing the college student luck with the rest of her semester, Sophia disappeared to help with locking up the castle for the night. Elisa ducked into the gift shop, wondering if there was any reading material that could amuse her on the two hour bus ride back to campus. She browsed through the aisles, past souvenir T-shirts and toy knight figurines. After snagging a crossword puzzle book, she headed to the cash register, only to pause in front of a display of post cards. Intrigued, Elisa leaned in to study the images. There were pictures of suits of armor, old fountains, faded paintings, and the castle itself.
Her fingers suddenly stilled in turning the display in circles. Of their own accord, they pulled a card from its pocket and held it up for Elisa to exam. The gargoyle from the tower crouched in his pondering pose, his entire profile in shadow from the sun behind him. She grabbed another postcard (a crumbling fountain) to be sent to her parents and finally made her purchases.
Years later, after its partner had been carried a message across the Atlantic Ocean and its owner had left college, the postcard of the tower-top gargoyle was lodged in one of Elisa's college yearbooks. It rarely saw the light of day except for when it was boxed up and changed housing along with her other personal effects. But the image of the gargoyle was still marked in her memory.
That's why Elisa was quick to realize that she had met Goliath before. Not right away, of course. The first time they met in Manhattan, she had fallen off the building a moment later and was too terrified to place his face. But, after he had caught her and she was safe (well, as safe as she could be clinging to the side of a building, hundreds of feet in the air), there was a little voice that began to nag at Elisa as she studied him. Each time she saw him, the voice got a little louder, insisting that she had seen him before. Elisa brushed it off because there was no way she would ever forget meeting a huge purple gargoyle.
It wasn't until dawn that all the pieces finally clicked.
The morning after the fight with Demona and Elisa was shading her eyes against the glare of the sun. She smiled as the warmth washed over her skin. Turning to the stone statue beside her, Elisa was suddenly struck by how familiar this was: to watch the movements of the sun with a gargoyle. She studied him, taking in every detail. A smile spread across her face and she suddenly laughed.
"Jalapeña," she whispered. "It really is you. You certainly are a long way from home. But don't worry." Elisa leaned closer and brushed a kiss against his cold stone cheek, a part of her wishing Goliath could be awake at this moment. "I'll keep an eye on you, big guy."
---
AN: finally finished this! I've been working on it for way too long. But I'm satisfied with how it came out. I hope you will agree
Reviews and critical critiques are always welcomed and appreciated!