"What are you doing here, Sister?" Demona asked. She was still startled to see Cold Fire standing in front of her. Cold Fire looked confused for a moment.
"Aren't you happy to see me?" Cold Fire asked in a hopeful tone. Demona grinned at her.
"Of course, I'm happy to see you. It's just that I thought that you had died with the others at Castle Wyvern." Demona replied. "Where have you been all this time?"
"With the others…? Oh, you must mean the massacre." Cold Fire said after a moment. "The Fates told me about that when they brought me to this time."
"The Fates brought you here? Why did they do that?" Demona asked suddenly suspicious of their motives.
"After I took a few days to mourn over our clan and the loss of our home they told me that you were beginning to stray from the path, and they want me to help you get headed in the right direction." Cold Fire informed her.
"I don't know what I did wrong, but I'm happy that I did." Demona said. She hugged Cold Fire tight to her. "I missed you so much." After they separated for a moment Cold Fire looked her sister in the eye and sighed.
"I heard about Goliath and the others, and the Fates told me that they're trying to give you the chance to be happy again but that out of guilt you're giving up on it." Cold Fire said as she took Demona's hands in her own.
"I share a bond with Goliath. Brooklyn is just a friend." Demona pointed out. "Could you easily separate yourself from Cold Stone if he were alive?" Cold Fire looked away suddenly as she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She rapidly blinked them away before she turned back to face her sister.
"You need to move on, Demona. I know that bonding with another may be difficult, but don't you deserve to be happy. What I mean is, what if your bond isn't as strong as it once was, and you could have something better." Cold Fire advised.
"There is nothing better out there for me. Brooklyn has been a great friend and I love that I can lean on him, but I am in love with Goliath." Demona sighed and shrugged. "Do you know what has changed since Goliath was frozen?" She asked and before Cold Fire could respond she continued. "Nothing, I love Goliath just as much as I did the day we sealed our bond and I always will."
"I can understand that. I feel the same about Cold Stone." Cold Fire chuckled. "I just wish they had brought him with me." Cold Fire admitted after a moment.
"I do too, Goliath would have been happy to see him again when he wakes." Demona said as she could feel a pang of guilt again as her heart began to beat rapidly in her chest.
"You know that you will never see him again, don't you?" Cold Fire asked after a moment. Demona slowly nodded. "Then why not be happy?"
"I can't just give up on him. I am still in love with him, but Brooklyn has been great for me to lean on during this time. He is a great friend and someone I can depend on, but my bond is as strong as strong as it has ever been. As long as it is there I cannot bond with another." Demona replied. "Does that make any sense at all?"
"It makes perfect sense, but you need to remember that you need to be happy to and if this Brooklyn can make you happy then you should at least see if that is a path that you would like to walk." Cold Fire grinned at her. "So, are you going to introduce me to the others? I hear that we have another sister and I must admit I am very curious to meet her."
"Her name is Xena." Demona advised. "Oh, and here I'm called Demona. Brooklyn called me by that name when we first captured him, and I've used it ever since."
"You don't look anything like a demon to me." Cold Fire said suddenly. Then a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Demona, it might help to remove the jewelry that Goliath gave you while you consider all the possibilities." Demona shook her head but didn't reply.
…
"Today marks the tenth consecutive day local thugs have destroyed one of the gargoyle statues during the day. The police are seeking any information as to the identity of these killers, but need your help. If anyone has any information on the identity or the whereabouts of these vandals please call the number on your screen now." A young brunette reporter in a blue jacket was reading the story off of the teleprompter as Renard and Titania walked into their house after a day of shopping.
"Was that you?" Titania asked while she put her bags down on the couch. Renard grinned and nodded. Titania's eyes narrowed.
"You don't seem to be as pleased with this as I thought you'd be." Renard chuckled as he walked to his office. She followed him in and stared at him for a moment before she spoke.
"When I said we need to destroy them I meant their reputations. Killing off a hand full here and there won't get rid of the problem." Titania snapped irritably.
"What would help with that?" Renard sighed. Lately, nothing he did seemed to make her happy, but he figured that it was due to the pregnancy.
"We need to find the ones that are criminals and expose them as much as possible. The ones that still distrust us we need to turn the people against them. We must stop this group the Crusaders from achieving their goal in getting gargoyles equal rights to everything."
"I could see to having my lawyers' block any motion's brought forward to achieve that I suppose." Renard thought out loud.
"Do it and see if we can find the people out there that hate them enough to join us. If more people turn against the gargoyles we'll have a better chance to succeed in destroying them." Titania ordered.
"You're being incredibly bossy today." Renard shrugged as he thought it over. "I suppose I can do that but are you sure that making enemies out of these creatures is the best way to go about this?" He asked curiously.
"They already are our enemies. Look around you and you can see the things the Crusaders are doing to ruin our way of life. They have to be stopped to make sure that our child can have a future." Titania replied.
"Even if we start a movement against them there is no guarantee that will stop them." Renard pointed out.
"At least it'll be a start and I'll feel much better about our child's future if we at least make the attempt." Titania said in a more urgent tone.
"Very well dear, I will see what my people can come up with." Renard said as they finished putting the groceries away.
"Thank you," She kissed him passionately for a minute. When they separated to catch their breath she grinned at him and grabbed his hand. "Why don't you come upstairs with me so I can show you how grateful I am?"
…
Gil and Vivienne led Duncan's soldiers to another lair. The gargoyles within had burned down a village and Gil thought that with the deaths they caused they would be right to destroy the gargoyles in turn. After they setup camp the Captain came to speak with them.
"That only makes two lairs. I was expecting more from the legendary Hunter." The Captain said irritably.
"I actually helped you find twenty-three lairs in two days. I would say that is pretty impressive." Gil grinned at him.
"Empty lairs," The Captain shouted. Gil stood and matched his unwavering gaze.
"Try finding them on your own. Empty or occupied they are hard to find. You know this or I wouldn't be here. Now sit down and shut up because I'm getting tired of listening to your voice." Gil said in a threatening tone as a dagger appeared in his hand after a flick of his wrist.
"I will report this to Duncan and he'll…" The Captain began as he turned red in the face.
"He'll probably reward me further and punish you for your ignorance. I'm doing as he requested and Vivienne your other top hunter there can attest to that." The Captain looked down at Vivienne who responded to the unspoken question with a nod of her head.
"He's right, without him we wouldn't have found the occupied lairs so I would take the victory." Vivienne advised. The Captain shook his head disbelievingly but walked back over to where the other soldiers were.
"You know if you wanted I could show you a reason to choose me over Gruoch." Vivienne whispered to him in a seductive tone.
"I must admit your offer is very…very tempting, but if I let you show me that now the Captain may get the idea we're working together to protect the gargoyles." Gil winked at her and she sighed irritably.
"Fine, I guess you have a point there, but if you change your mind I'll be sleeping just outside the cave." She leaned down to whisper in his ear. "If you do change your mind I'll be ready for you." She winked at him and left to talk to her other friends among the soldiers.
I found twelve occupied lairs that I protected from them. I am the best. He thought as his grin widened. He enjoyed watching Vivienne and he was strongly considering taking her up on her offer.
…
"I can't believe this day is finally here." Xena said as she looked over the wedding dress that Alcmene loaned her for the celebration. She stripped out of her clothes and began to put on the dress when Demona and Cold Fire walked into the room. Xena quickly covered herself with the dress and Demona laughed.
"It's just me; you don't have anything to worry about." Demona grinned and shook her head. Xena pointed at the other gargoyle and she turned around. "Well me and our other sister. Xena, this is Cold Fire and Cold Fire, this is Xena"
"Did you say our other sister?" Xena and Cold Fire asked at the same time.
"When I heard we had a sister I didn't realize that she would be human." Cold Fire said. She stared at Xena in astonishment until Demona cleared her throat.
"It's a long story. She actually can change into one of us at will and I apparently am half-human." Demona informed her.
"I wonder if I'm part human to then." Cold Fire thought out loud.
"Probably not, from what the journal told us I believe that Demona and I are the only ones." Xena replied. Before anyone else could say anything someone knocked on the door and then Brooklyn slowly opened the door and stuck his head inside the room.
"For Zeus's sake, can I get dressed in private please?" Xena asked irritably.
"Of course," Demona grinned and she backed out with the other two gargoyles as quickly as they could. When they stepped outside they saw that Hercules was already dressed and waiting on his bride-to-be. He was wearing an outfit that matched his normal leather outfit. The only difference was that this outfit was bright white instead of yellow and brown. Iolaus stood beside him also wearing a white leather outfit.
As they watched the preparations being made for the wedding ceremony Brooklyn turned towards Demona.
"Did you give any thought to testing our bonds tonight?" Brooklyn asked. Demona looked at him for a moment before she responded. Before she could say anything however Cold Fire spoke up.
"I still see that your bonds are strong. I can help you both test them to see just how strong they are and tell you if you chose the wrong mates." Cold Fire advised them.
"Are you certain that you want to do this? You love Katana." Demona asked as Brooklyn nodded. Demona sighed. "Cold Fire, I understand that you want us to be happy and you believe that Brooklyn and I will never meet our mates again, but my bond is strong and I will never choose another mate."
"What if I test the bond that you and Brooklyn would share and find that it would be greater than the one with Goliath?" Cold Fire asked.
"I appreciate the fact that you care so much about me sister, but you're wrong. I will never have a bond stronger than the one I have with Goliath." Demona said.
"Then nothing is hurt by letting me show you what a bond with Brooklyn would be like if you can be convinced to break the bond you have." Cold Fire replied. "We're going to need some privacy." She pointed out and they went to the back of the barn and she instructed Brooklyn and Demona to both sit on a bench that they found. "I don't know what you'll see once I cast the spell. It's different for everyone. If you do not break the bond do not be discouraged the raw emotion needed to break a bond can be quite intense. If you do as I believe you will then we will see if the bond you two would share would be stronger." Demona shrugged and Brooklyn nodded.
"I am willing to find out." Brooklyn said.
"I will humor you, sister." Demona replied after she thought about it for another moment. Cold Fire nodded and began to chant the words.
…
Demona opened her eyes and found that she was standing on top of a large cliff. Behind her was a path back to a small village and on all other sides was a steep drop. She looked around trying to figure out where she was and how she got there. From the smell I'm near the sea and it looks like an area I used to patrol with Goliath every night. Demona turned towards the path and she nearly fell back as she saw Goliath standing in front of her.
…
Brooklyn opened his eyes and found that he was standing in the middle of a desert. He looked around but didn't recognize his surroundings. He was stunned to see lava come up from the ground and surround him. Katana appeared next to him and gripped his hand tight in hers.
"How can we get out of here?" Katana asked in worried tone. Brooklyn shook his head to clear it but when he opened his eyes she was still there. He could feel the heat emanating from the lava and he started to think of what to do.
…
"Finally, I found you monster." The Captain of the Guard shouted at Goliath. He walked up the path towards them and Goliath leapt forward to attack, but the Captain was faster and slashed with his sword opening a huge gash in the gargoyle leader's mid-section. Demona roared in rage and the Captain turned towards her.
"Make your choice." The Captain ordered.
…
Katana looked at Brooklyn with fear in her eyes as the boiling lava got closer to them. He looked for anything that they could use to get across. There was no wind so they couldn't glide. He suddenly saw a flash of white in front of him and a bridge that appeared to be made of light appeared before him leading to the other side of the lava. He stepped on it and the first foot of the bridge disappeared. On the center of the bridge was the blonde Fate.
"Make your choice. The Fate smirked at him.
…
"Make your choice? What choice do you want me to make?" Brooklyn and Demona asked their visions simultaneously.
"You must choose to both sever your bonds and let your mate die or save them and keep the bond intact." Both of the visions said at the same moment.
"Very well, the choice is obvious." Demona and Brooklyn replied.
…
Demona leapt forward and the Captain's sword went through her heart and Goliath caught her before she hit the ground. Goliath picked her up and began to walk down the path. The Captain smiled wide as they passed him. It was then that Demona realized that she felt no pain. She looked down and realized there was no wound.
"Your bond is eternal. You have proven today that it will never break." The Captain and Goliath said simultaneously. Demona felt tears sting her eyes as she realized that she was still in love with Goliath and that she knew in her heart that they were right about the strength of their bond.
…
Brooklyn looked over at Katana and thought about kissing her and then he realized that she would always have his heart and there could never be another.
"The bridge will only support one of us. Run for the other side and you'll be safe." Brooklyn ordered. Katana shook her head and was about to protest when Brooklyn interrupted her. He kissed her passionately and as they backed away from each other he wiped the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.
"If you die then I will die by your side." Katana said. Brooklyn began to argue but Katana hugged him close to her as they waited for the lava to consume them. Once it reached them, Brooklyn watched in awe as the lava and the bridge turned into steam. Katana backed away and the blonde fate appeared next to her.
"Your bond is eternal. You have proven today that it will never break." Katana and the Fate stated simultaneously.
…
Demona and Brooklyn both opened their eyes and looked around for a moment before the memory of what they had just done came back to them. Demona started to cry and Cold Fire sat next to her and started to comfort her.
"My bond is as strong as it's ever been. I couldn't allow Goliath to die and I sacrificed myself for him." Demona said with a triumphant grin. Brooklyn put his hand on her shoulder.
"Katana and I sacrificed ourselves for each other in my vision." Brooklyn replied after a moment.
"I know that you really wanted us to be happy sister and I thank you for giving me even that one glimpse of my beloved." Demona said as she hugged Cold Fire. Cold Fire shook her head irritably and stood to leave. "Where are you headed?" Demona asked curiously.
"I just need to go for a walk." Cold Fire said in a cold tone and she walked away without giving them another glance.
"We should probably hurry if we are going to attend your sisters marrying ceremony." Brooklyn pointed out. Demona's eyes grew wide.
"That's right, I almost forgot. Yes, let's hurry." They ran towards the front of the building and they saw that nearly everything had been setup, but the sight that surprised them the most was Gabrielle standing in the officiate position at the end of the aisle as she prepared to perform the ceremony. She was speaking to Hercules and Iolaus when the two gargoyles walked forward.
"Well, I wasn't going to miss this." Gabrielle chuckled. Iolaus looked at her seriously for a moment.
"I'm really glad you're here and since you are I wanted to know if you would like for me to come along on your new mission." Iolaus offered.
"I didn't think you liked Aphrodite." Gabrielle laughed. Iolaus took a deep breath.
"I don't really, but I like you…uh, I mean…" Iolaus stammered. Gabrielle smiled and gave him a light kiss.
"I know what you mean and I would love to have you join me." Gabrielle replied as she turned back to go over her notes. "Besides, we can't have you interrupting their honeymoon now can we?" She nearly laughed as Iolaus started to blush a deep crimson. "I could also use the company."
"That's a lot of notes." Iolaus observed.
"Well, I've never performed a wedding before." Gabrielle informed him.
"Don't worry, you'll do fine." Iolaus said confidently. When they saw the gargoyles walk forward Gabrielle walked up to talk to them. Demona and Brooklyn walked up to them then.
"We're not late are we?" Demona asked and Gabrielle shook her head.
"You two are just in time, but where is your sister?" Gabrielle asked curiously.
"She said she needed to go for a walk but she should still be com…" Demona began but before she could finish speaking the door to the house opened and Xena stepped out. She was dressed in the dress Alcmene had been married in. The group stared at her for a moment until Alcmene began to walk with Xena down toward Hercules and Iolaus. When they got to the end of the aisle she stood beside Xena and beckoned for the gargoyles to take their places. Brooklyn began to follow Demona but Alcmene stopped him and pointed him to where Iolaus was standing. Xena held onto Hercules's hands and it wasn't until she felt how steady his hands were that she realized how nervous she was. Gabrielle began to speak and the group was surprised to hear horns sounding all around them.
"War-Bands," Hercules and Xena called out simultaneously.
…
"You were supposed to come here and convince those two to break their bonds." The blonde fate pointed out.
"I know that, but you don't seem to understand how our bonds work." Cold Fire replied. "I tested them both and they passed."
"Convince them to fail." The blonde fate retorted. "You know what will happen in the future if she chooses Goliath over Brooklyn."
"I cannot force them to end their bonds." Cold Fire replied sternly.
"If you cannot make this work then the devil himself will walk this Earth. Is that what you want?" The blonde fate asked bitterly.
"Of course it isn't and I have tried. I will continue to talk with them but I make no guarantees." Cold Fire replied.
"If you fail we will all die." The blonde fate said as she disappeared. Cold Fire shook her head and walked back towards Alcmene's house.
…
"Fates, get in here NOW!" Oberon called out. The Fates appeared in the room standing in front of him and he pointed down to a model of a destroyed Castle Wyvern with several figurines occupying it. "What is the meaning of this?"
"We don't know what you are referring too, milord." The sisters answered in unison. He glared at each one in turn before he responded.
"You know what I am referring to. Two of the pieces from my board have disappeared. What did you do with the two creatures?" Oberon asked irritably.
"What creatures would you be referring to?" The blonde Fate asked curiously. Oberon's eyes narrowed and he pointed to where the Brooklyn statue had been and the pile of rocks that had represented Cold Fire's remains.
"We're surprised to not see them there." The sisters replied. Oberon studied each one of them in turn for a moment.
"You've never lied to me before." Oberon's tone grew darker with each word. "I want the truth…" Before he could finish he was flung back into the wall behind him. He was stunned to find that he couldn't move. The door to the room flung open as Puck and Lucifer walked into the room.
"You may want it but I'm not sure you can handle it." Puck stated with a laugh. "Oberon, it's been fun but I would like to introduce you to my new partner."
…
Drexia walked into the grand ballroom to continue her training. What she saw when she walked in the door was a shock to her. Duncan had erected a throne next to the back wall of the room and he alone was sitting there. To the right and left there were bleachers lining the walls full of people, and in the center of the room ten feet from the throne was a shirtless man wearing ripped and dirty leggings. He had long grey hair and a thick beard. On his back were several fresh wounds that came from several lashes of a whip.
"Oh good, Drexia come up here please." Duncan called to her. She slowly walked by the man and saw that his wrists were chained to the ceiling and his ankles were chained to the ground. She glanced at Duncan in surprise. Duncan beckoned for her to continue and she sped up her pace until she was standing directly in front of the throne. He pointed to an area beside the throne and she quickly moved to the side and turned to face the chained man.
"I came as you instructed, milord." Drexia stated.
"Say it louder." Duncan demanded. Drexia looked perplexed by the demand but repeated her statement loud enough that the sound of her voice echoed off of the walls. Duncan stood up and faced the man. "You hear that. This beast follows my commands." Drexia looked at him in shock and growled after he called her a beast. "I told you that betrayal would not be tolerated."
"Milord, it was never my intention to betray you. Our families have been allies for generations but I had to help my son. His farm was being destroyed." The man replied.
"I ordered my soldiers to destroy it because no taxes were paid from it." The man looked up in shock. Drexia looked at Duncan to make sure that she had heard him correctly. "You committed treason when you helped your worthless son and killed my men. Today, you will pay the price and everyone here will see what happens when you cross me." He sat back down on his throne. "Drexia," Her thoughts returned to the present at the sound of her name. "Use your fire to burn him until nothing remains."
"What he did sounds honorable." Drexia whispered. She was shocked by what she was witnessing and hoped that this was just a dream that she would soon wake from.
"Do it," Duncan ordered fiercely. Drexia looked around at all the bowmen and soldiers in the room and knew that she had no choice. With tears running down her face she complied and breathed fire on the helpless prisoner. She killed him as quickly as she could to ease his suffering but she knew that she would never be able to get his screams out of her mind. When she stopped all that remained was a black patch of burnt stone and blackened bones.
"If you'll excuse me," Drexia walked out and everyone watched her fearfully worried that they would be next.
"She is my pet and I will not hesitate to use her to kill each and every one of you if you step out of line as he did. Is that understood?" The men quickly voiced their loyalty and Duncan grinned. Now, I am truly unstoppable. He grinned and then ordered for the servants to clean the corpse and dismissed the crowd.
