Duty and Choice

Disclaimer: Gargoyles and, consequently, any characters found therein, are not mine. Any original characters appearing in this fanfic are mine but that's about the extent of it.

Author's Note: I've had an idea floating around in my head ever since Gargoyles started coming out on DVD but writing it has been rather difficult. This is, I think, the 5th time I've tried to get the idea out on the page. However, the worst problem is that I have no beta to proof-read my fanfic so this copy probably has obvious errors in characterization that I've missed. That said-

Critique and/or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

"Ach." Hudson used the remote to flip through the channels one more time before turning the television off all together. "There be nothin' on tonight."

Angela and Broadway looked up from the book they were sharing. Both could recognize when Hudson was despondent; one of the major symptoms was when he claimed there was nothing of interest on the television. Angela closed the book gently and spoke the only white lie she could think of to bring him out of his mood.

"Hudson, this book we're reading isn't too interesting. Could you tell us a story?"

The elder gargoyle looked at her in barely masked surprise. "An' what exactly are ye wishin' to hear a story of, lass?"

This was where the plan stalled. Angela looked to her beloved for help.

"What about something… from… from before we were hatched?" Broadway suggested.

Hudson turned away and stroked his beard for a moment, the motion revealing that his thoughts had turned inward. When he finally looked back at the younger pair, he had a small smile on his face. "Very well. I think I'll start with a story told to me when I was just a hatchling."

In his mind's eye, Hudson could see the elder telling him the tale. When he opened his mouth to tell the tale again, he almost felt certain that it was not him but in fact that elder who was speaking.

"The three races are said to have one common ancestor: a sorceress who enjoyed the freedom of flight in one form but also walked the earth in another. In time, she had three sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Gorett, shared the wings and talons of her gargoyle form. The second son, Arachael, shared his mother's magic but looked little like her. The third son, Noane, shared the human look of her earthbound form. Each of the sons shared just the one trait with their mother. The daughter, on the other hand, was everything like her mother. This child knew great magic and could live as either a human or a gargoyle. However, she was shy and unsure of herself. Eventually, she retreated to live in the shadows until even her own mother thought her dead.

"Around the same time, Arachael also left the family in order to continue his progress in the mastery of magic. With both their sister and brother gone, the natural bickering of siblings escalated between Gorett and Noane until they felt nothing but the deepest hatred for each other. Every new day brought with it a new argument. Then, one summer night, they raised their arms against each other.

"Seemingly from nowhere, the sister they had thought dead stepped between them. She succeeded in stopping the fight, but only for a few minutes. Almost as soon as she stepped back, they were at it again. Unable to find any other way of getting past their hatred, she used her magic to banish both of her brothers to different parts of the world. The fued, however, did not end. Gorett went from one gargoyle clan to another and taught them all to hate and distrust humans. Noane did the same thing but with humans. Being mortal but long-lived, each brother became the father of many children. Each child learned hatred from their father and passed it on to their own children. The hatred mellowed somewhat in later years, after Gorett and Noane died, because not one lived who could remember the cause, but the hostility between the two are the reason why so few gargoyles and humans now live together in peace."

Hudson paused, still not feeling quite like himself. Angela took the chance to ask, "But what happened to Arachael and their sister? … Wait, you didn't give her a name."

"Ah. She had a name, I'm sure, but what it was has been lost. The brothers did not like ta bring up the time when they all lived together and so they almost never spoke of their sister. Arachael, who eventually became a leader of the third race, never spoke of his family at all and their mother, even with her great magic, could not live forever. The sister, it was said, found a human she loved and she had a number of children with him, all daughters. Then, when he died, she found a gargoyle mate whom she also loved and she bore him a number of children, all daughters. She taught her children their most important lessons- the first that they shared their blood with all three races and the second, that they should always protect others, especially those who need protection from themselves. Afraid that the passage of time would dilute this teaching as her children had children and they had children and so on, she passed a spell on all her descendents. Those who had a strong will and protected others to the best of their ability would be able to resist time and live for as long as they chose. These became the Da'Lay, the guardians of the three races."

The old gargoyle shook his head slightly, the final wisps of haze clearing from his mind. "When I was a hatchling, it was rumored that there was one Da'lay living among us. She was an Elder who had seen more nights than most gargoyles ever hope to see. I think that was why they thought her ta be one. Most of the clan thought that she had ta be involved in magic ta live that long."

"And what do you think she was?" Broadway asked gently.

"I think she was just an Elder. Aye, a long-lived one, but I doubt she had any magic in her." Hudson's voice lowered somewhat. "I was at her side the night she died," he admitted. While his audience looked at each other in surprise, he continued, "She felt she had nothing more ta offer the clan and had left the castle ta die. I was too young, I dinnae know what she was planning. I was just a hatchling eager to learn how to defend the clan. The other elders dinnae think I was old enough to start learning, but I thought she might see the warrior I could be. I had nearly caught up ta her when she was shot out of the sky."

"That must have been horrible for you. To see an Elder killed right in front of you when you were just a hatchling."

Hudson looked at Angela with a small smile on his face, surprising her. "Aye, it would be, but not yet. She was a tough one, as tough as I've ever seen; it would take more than one arrow ta kill her. I landed behind her, just in time for us both ta be attacked by a Viking. The Elder dinnae want ta fight back until she saw me. It wasn't a long fight after that. Between the two of us, we ran him off inta the woods." Hudson's smile disappeared. "It dinnae matter though. He had landed some blows before she saw me and they were bleeding too much. I could not bind them and I could not go back ta the castle for help. She was dying in my arms.

"'Lad', she said, 'Take my sword. Ye shall need it.' She grew so still I thought she had died. But then she moved. She looked at me and she said one last thing. She said, 'Remember that a gargoyle can no more… stop… protectin' the castle than... breathin' the air.'"

"So that's where you learned that saying," Broadway muttered. A look from Angela shut him up quickly, but Hudson had already heard the remark.

"Aye. In but a few moments, she managed to teach me some o' the most important lessons o' my life." The elderly gargoyle withdrew his sword and held it before him carefully.

Something seemed to click inside Broadway's head. "Wait a minute. You mean to say that your sword actually belonged to an elder before you?"

"Aye, lad. Her sword has been at my side ever since that night."

"Thank you for sharing that story with us," Angela remarked quietly.

"Ye're welcome lass. Now I think I'm going ta go out and get some air."

Angela and Broadway nodded, then watched as Hudson walked out of the room. When they were alone again, Broadway said, "I wonder if the Da'Lay ever really existed."

"I don't know." She tilted her head to one side, paused in thought. "I wonder…"

"What?"

"I'm going to go ask Puck," she answered finally. Rising from her seat, she reached out a hand to her beloved. "Care to join me?"

"Of course."