A/N: I have to say I am astonished at the amount of reviews I have received. I hadn't been expecting as many as I normally would get. But I am just a little under average currently for reviews. I hope after this chapter (another slow one unfortunately) I can really start picking up the pace. But like any good story one must lay down the ground work before moving on to the juicy stuff. A side note, this chapter took me forever to get out. I know where I want this story to go, have it all planed out, but getting it onto paper seems to be harder than I had originally believed. But one must strive on if one wishes for perfection. Again if you see anything that is historically wrong please let me know so that I can make corrections. I don't want to continue on in ignorance. Thank you.
Chapter 2: Slow Realization
"I just don't understand why we have to have them around all the time. I mean just look at them," Princess Finella commented as we walked about the grounds. Night had just set upon Castle Wyvern. I had only been awake for a few hours, having eaten dinner with the rest of the human race; Princess Finella suggested we walk for a bit. As we did so she continually commented on the Gargoyle issue. As we walked I could feel my own Gargoyle guardian following me from my balcony. It has quickly become his normal perch while I am still in the presence of my human counterparts. His mahogany eyes following me with every step I take, even during the day, I can feel those dark eyes on me.
"They're here to protect us," I remind her as she flips her beautiful blonde locks over her shoulder. Finella sighed loudly as we turned and came back towards the castle. Our skirts swished across the dry dirt floor of the castle entrance.
"I just don't understand why our own men can't protect us. They've done just fine for centuries without the help of those creatures," she said her perfectly clean hands pointing in the direction of the small gargoyle village to our lefts.
From what I've gathered from the few other Gargoyles who would speak to me, Humans are regarded as young and naïve race. They believe we are blinded by our morals and by our God to believe in anything worth truly believing in. I humbly can accept that now and again knowing personally the limitations of the human mind that we have a tendency to be… well, stupid.
We reached the castle entrance. The way leading up to my room only a few feet away and I could do nothing but listen to Finella as she continued her rant about the uselessness of Gargoyles in our world. Now I am not the biggest advocate for the Gargoyle race, but one can only listen to the constant down grading of a person or object for so long before they want to scream. But as my Mother use to tell me before her death, Patient, my dear, is a virtue everyone strives for but only the select few can actually achieve. Being the obedient daughter that I am, I've always listened to that particular rule. It wasn't until we heard the impatient roar of my guardian that I was finally released from my human obligation in order to fulfill my gargoyle one.I quickly as possible bid Finella adieu as I gathered my skirts and made my way up to my room.
Taking two or three steps at a time I quickly made my way towards my bedroom. As I rounded the last corner I was left slightly breathless. My checks were flushed from the exertion, my body unused to the effort of running up stairs. As I entered my room completely I found Breukelen leaning up against the open window to my room. His wings tucked tightly against his body, his white hair shinning in the midnight lighting.
"You're late," he commented and I rolled my eyes. He knew I was late, he was watching me.
"As much as I love spending all of my time with you Breukelen being with my own people isn't something I want to or care to avoid," I replied as I moved to stand near him.
He looked down and away from me. His face reflected that of someone so young and inexperienced, someone just like me. It has me taken aback for a moment. I had just compared myself to that of a demon, to a creature that wasn't even human. I let the thought disappear into the back of my mind. I couldn't- wouldn't allow myself to steep to such a level as that.
"What's on our agenda today?" I asked him with a slight hum at the end of the sentence. He finally raised his head to look at me. Those mahogany eyes of his searching my face, looking for an answer I would be unable to give him.
"Goliath wants you to just follow me around today," Breukelen informed me. I looked at him curiously, unsure as to why this would help him or any of the other gargoyles assimilate more into the human world. But then again I haven't been here a month yet and with each day I am becoming more and more curious as to why Goliath has me here at all. Each day I am assigned another task that seems completely dissimilar to what I had assumed was my duty here at Castle Wyvern. But then again it isn't my place to ask.
"While you do what? Watch me do nothing?" I quipped at him. He looked at me curiously for a whole moment before breaking out into light laughter. I had never heard him laugh before. The richness and almost adolescent laugh had me smiling involuntarily.
"You're very strange," he responded to me, "even for a human."
We walked out together onto my small balcony. The air was crisp as the winds from the ocean brought in winter's arctic warning. Breukelen wrapped his strong arms around my thin frame and gathered me close to his chest. The heat from him immediately chased any of the cold that might have seeped into my clothing.
"Hold on," Breukelen whispered to me, his face close to my ear, his hot breath washing over the side of my face in a gentle wave. I brought myself closer to his chest, burrowing my face into his torso as he held me with one arm. He swung us over my balcony and began to descend down the side of Castle Wyvern, his talon like hands digging into the hard stone like a child would clay. I dare not look down.
We walked about the outskirts of Castle Wyvern; I trailing along behind Breukelen liked that of a lost puppy. He only on the rarest occasions would turn to look if I was still following him. It was during this small walk that Breukelen led us out the castle gates and around the far side of the large stone walls of Castle Wyvern. I began to become hesitant as I followed Breukelen silently around the side of the castle. However during this moment of silent following Breukelen was suddenly hurtled up against a large oak tree near the outer wall of Castle Wyvern. I stood there shocked, my hand immediately going to rest against my racing heart as I made to move towards where I believed Breukelen to have fallen. I however didn't even make it two steps before he was up and off the ground. His body hunched low as if listening for the next attack. I didn't dare move, afraid that whatever had chanced upon Breukelen would quickly notice my presence.
I looked over at him, my fear evident on my face as he lifted a single red talon up to his mouth to shush me. It was then that I noticed the mischief in his eye. The deep mahogany that I had come to know had suddenly changed into warm amber. An expression of delight I had yet to see within him during our days together.
"Breukelen, what's going…," I didn't finish my sentence as I was almost toppled upon by a very large blue object. Falling to the ground with a gentle thump I looked over at Breukelen who was now grappling with another young gargoyle. "Boys," I murmured to myself as I watched them from my newly acquired seat "doesn't matter what race or species they are. They're all exactly the same."
I watched them as they laughed at one another heartily. Tangled tails and furled wings combated against blue and red as they moved about the open space. It was then that I realized why Breukelen had brought me out this way. It was open with no chance of disturbing the humans or older, calmer gargoyles. This was the perfect place for boys to be… well boys. He was inadvertently showing me something that most humans would get the chance to see.
I hadn't been watching long before a third gargoyle joined our small mix. He was tiny compared to my guardian and the large blue gargoyle. His skin resembled that of a green reptilian, his body looked like a cross between a human and a bat. A very strange concoction for a gargoyle, yet not something I should have expected any less from.
He watched the sparing match in front of us with rapt attention. It took him a few moments to realize I was even there. When he did he seemed rather surprised at my presence. But then again, I suddenly realized, when has a human ever hung around a gargoyle before?
"Hello," he said with a curious cock of head. I replied in kind looking at him with a blatant stare. "You must be my brother's charge."
"Yes, I guess you could call me that," I responded lightly as he moved to sit next to me. I looked at him wearily unsure as how to react. Normally when someone or something sat next to me, especially one of the male genders, I was normally asked if that was alright for them to do so. But I guess with gargoyles things like that have never really come to play a large part in their lives. Especially not since most of their females are treated with equal ranking to that of their male counter parts.
"We haven't seen him in weeks, we were beginning to wonder if you ate him," the green gargoyle laughed at me and I smiled politely yet with no real hint of amusement. He seemed to catch that and looked over at his brothers with an awkward expression. I too returned my attention back to the match before us. Both gargoyles grappled with one another with familiar ease. Each I could tell had played against one another a time or two before.
As we watched I couldn't help but look over at my guardian. His face was contorted in deep concentration. Beads of sweat began to appear across his temple, his sharp teeth bared down as he worked against the bulkier weight of his opponent. It was during this stand still, brother against brother, that my guardian all of sudden eased his muscles back, his tail curving along his brothers thick ankle. Then in one quick motion he twisted and turned, tripping his brother up, causing him to fall face first into the dry dirt below him. Breukelen quickly turned around as his brother moved to his back, my guardian, with a quick grace, pinned his larger brother down to the ground.
"Yield?" My Guardian asked his blue brother who laughed heartily up at him.
"Yeah, yeah, I yield. Now let me up."
Breukelen quickly did as requested and offered a helping hand to his brother as he heaved him up, back on two legs. With a heavy pat on the back each brother thanked the other in a rather impressive show of sports man ship. I couldn't help but clap.
"Bravo," I said joyfully bringing both gargoyles attentions to me. My guardian looked over at me with a blank stare as if he had for a moment completely forgotten about me. His blue brother did something rather similar. With a few quickly blinks Breukelen realized my presence fully and with two large strides was at my side helping me into a standing position.
"I am sorry," he began to say, "I should have been paying more attention to you."
His arms were wrapped around my smaller frame. It was a sensation I was becoming rather attached too. He held me as if I would break within his grasp at any given moment. It was rather discerning to know how gentle this monstrous beast could be. It was another thought I would have to push aside and think about at later time, or maybe never at all.
"Oh you must be the Princess," the blue gargoyle said to me. His voice was deep and light at the same time. He held out a large, meaty hand towards me. I looked down at it confused. I had never been given a gesture of this sort before. I looked over from the hand to Breukelen who watched me nervously. As if he was afraid I would be the one who would not live up to expectations.
"I don't understand," I admitted as I continued to look at Breukelen. His face changed immediately from nervous doubt to reassured understanding.
"Brother," Breukelen began, "in human society the males do not touch the females without their permission or that of their father's permission." He looked over at me as if to make sure that what he was explaining about this custom was indeed correct. I of course nodded in reassurance and for him to continue. "In human culture males bow at the waist to the female and give a formal introduction while the females dip their bodies in acceptance."
The blue gargoyle looked down at his hand and hesitantly pulled it back down at his side. His other one went to the top of his bald head and began to scratch it in a way I had seen other human men do before.
"I am sorry," the blue gargoyle apologized.
"It's alright," I reassured him, "it's my job to teach gargoyles such things."
It was then that the other two gargoyles, the blue one and the little green one, requested that my guardian show them this custom. At first they were awkward and unbalanced. Both of them stumbled forward tripping on their long tails. It reminded me of how my guardian looked when we had first begun these lessons. It took him nearly a week to get it right. But he was determined; a trait that I soon found was something he was known for.
I watched the boys play around with the bowing for awhile. All of them looked rather silly doing it. Even Breukelen did and he had it almost down to an art form. Soon however Breukelen informed me it was time for their training lessons.
"Battle tactics," Breukelen explained, "every young gargoyle must go through several hours of training a day to completely understand the concept of protecting the ones around him."
"In other words," the blue gargoyle started, "we have to because they say we do."
This caused my guardian to roll his eyes and the little green one to laugh out heartily. I smiled to myself at the light heartedness of the gargoyles. They acted so normal… so human. I had to look away, I couldn't allow myself to see them as more than what they were, I wouldn't allow it, and my family wouldn't allow it.
I turned my head back to the gargoyles, my guardian was watching me. Our eyes locked, my deep blue staring straight into those bottomless pools of liquid mahogany. A heartbeat passed between us. I looked away. Ignoring whatever had just passed between us. We continued to walk forward, each pretending that whatever moment had just passed between us was irrelevant to our situation. It was a fluke I am sure. Humans and Gargoyles didn't have moments. They didn't have anything together.
I brushed my long hair behind me with the back of my hand as we re-entered Castle Wyvern. We walked slowly allowing the two new gargoyles to walk before us. We entered the training arena. A small blocked off area large enough for the gargoyles to spar without damaging anything around them. A few gargoyles were already seated on some steps leading up one of the sides of Castle Wyvern. Breukelen motioned for me to take a seat next to a few female gargoyles. None of them even registered my existence as Breukelen left to practice.
I sat smartly down and put all of my attentions into what was happening in front of me. Breukelen immediately stepped into the ring. The red-headed gargoyle I had seen on my first day at Castle Wyvern stepped in as well. She grinned ruefully at Breukelen, a darker look passing across her features for only a moment. But it was long enough to leave a lasting impression within my memory. Her tail swished from left and then to the right, like a cat hunting a mouse. My guardian kneeled down low towards the ground, readjusting his weight into a more prepared battle stance. I held my breath as I waited for what was going to happen next. A low growl was emitted from both parties. I gripped the edge of the stone stair I was sitting upon as I watched with disgusting curiosity.
"Begin," an older gargoyle spoke as he leapt from the cleared arena. The red-headed gargoyle began to circle my guardian; he kept his back away from her at all times, never turning from her.
"I do not understand why you continue this," the red-head goaded as she looked for any sign of weakness in her opponent. "Every day you come out here and every day I still beat you."
My guardian said nothing as his eyes began to glow an eerie white. It took my breath away. I had never seen anything as demonic as those white abysses before me. It caused my body to shiver.
"Tell me brother, what will happen if something happens to our leader?" the red-headed gargoyle continued, "Are you ready to take on the mantel as leader of our clan? Can you defend us; protect us from the evils in this world that threatens to overtake us with each sun-set?"
Again my gargoyle said nothing as he was goaded by his older opponent. But I could see a crease in between his eyes as the words began to sink in. She was attacking his fear. His fear that something would happen and he wouldn't be able to live up to the standards put before him by his current leader. Again I felt a wave of association with my guardian gargoyle. His fear, so evident in his mannerisms, was something that many men in the human world have felt, still feel with each passing day. A fear that I myself have felt, still feel, whenever my mother's name is mentioned.
Again they continued to circle one another, my guardian never taking his eyes off of his adversary. It was then that suddenly the more aggressive, red-head, gargoyle lunged towards Breukelen. Her talons out as she thrust her arm out and towards Breukelen's neck. I sucked in a breath I thought I had been holding as Breukelen quickly and effectively evaded her attack.
I settled back down in my set unaware of the watching eyes around me as they moved from the sparing match to watch my reaction. Breukelen righted himself and once again moved back into the defensive position.
"Very good," the red-head commented. "You're learning very quickly. I do hope it's not just because your human is watching."
I watched as his eyes twitched from the red head over to me. Our eyes locked for a second time this evening, brilliant blue against bottomless russet. It was in that split second that the red-head made her attack. Breukelen quickly took action, twisting and turning to get out of the older, much stronger, gargoyles way. They're limbs tangled against one another, each trying to gain the upper hand over the other. It was a battle of wit and measure of strength and conscious thought. It was hypnotizing the way they danced against one another, the muscles of both flexing and bulging in time to the other. I was left breathless and captivated by the movements.
"Humans," the red-headed gargoyle began to say through panting breaths, "are useless creatures. They do nothing but hinder us."
"No, you're wrong," My Guardian countered as he pushed against his foe.
"Really? Then why dose Goliath have you spending all of your valuable time helping some silly human girl?" She rebutted. I watched as Breukelen moved his eyes only for a fraction of second over to me. Once again our eyes locked just for a moment. A moment long enough for the red-headed gargoyle to get the upper hand in the situation. Without anyone realizing it the red-head wrapped her grey-blue tail around Breukelen's ankle, pulling at it until he fell backwards. She quickly landed on top of him, claiming victory.
"You should pay more attention to which you're fighting than that of your pretty human girl," the red-head huffed out as she hopped off of my guardian.
I wanted to run towards him, check and make sure he was alright and not harmed. But I knew that would be absurd. Humans did not place affection towards creatures that they deem evil. So I stood there like a proud fool and did nothing. And it was in that moment that I first felt shame for my beliefs about the gargoyles.