Princess Katherine hurried to where Demona had crumbled to the floor. She was relieved to see that she was breathing and had a pulse, but alarmed that she wouldn't awaken, no matter how she called her and shook her. A moment later, she heard a commotion in the corridor outside her door and in burst Tom, Goliath, and the others.

"My love, thank heaven you're all right!" Tom exclaimed, running to the princess' side.

"I'm quite alright, Tom. You needn't tend to me. But she's fallen unconscious! What has happened to her?"

"It's alright, your Highness," Lexington explained shyly, "She has a machine in her that can make her sleep. We were afraid that she would harm you, so we used this to knock her out." He showed her the control panel that he had quickly retrieved from the skiff and expertly fixed and reprogrammed. The princess looked at the device curiously.

"But all foreign magics are forbidden here," she pointed out.

"It's not magic. It's technology," Lexington replied proudly.

"It still sounds like magic to me," Tom replied, "But as long as it saved Princess Katherine, I won't ask any questions."

"Saved me? What do you mean?"

"It would seem that Demona's vendetta against humanity is an obsession to powerful to escape," Goliath explained sadly, "I could see she wasn't of her right mind and when we tried to stop her, she trapped us in the stairwell below your room. If Lexington had not repaired the control, I believe she meant to kill you."

"You're wrong, Goliath," the Katherine told him as she tended Demona, resting her head on her lap and trying to move her into a more comfortable position then the awkward heap she'd landed in, "She came tonight to settle a score, but not through violence. She had ample time to harm me, but she didn't. It was forgiveness she sought tonight."

"She asked you for forgiveness?" he asked, clearly astounded, and the princess told him what had transpired between them prior to her passing out, while Goliath and Lexington both listened with amazement.

"Give my sister to me," Goliath asked, reaching for her, and he took her firmly in his arms, folding her wings properly across her shoulders and carried her down the stairs and into the courtyard, while the others processed behind them. The rest of the clan had gathered there, having been summoned by Lady Titania, and their worried faces reformed into expressions of relief and joy at the sight of the princess, safe and well. Goliath carried Demona down the stairs and approached a large, stone well with a crystal fountain, where many of the young gargoyles greeted him happily. Lord Oberon and his queen stood on a stone platform near the well, watching him with some interest.

"It seems the demon has been vanquished after all," Titania observed as he rested Demona's sleeping form on a wooden bench adorned with cushions.

"In a manner of speaking, your Majesty," Goliath replied as he bowed before them, "And may it never trouble her again!"

"You know better than that, Goliath," Lord Oberon scolded amiably, "But such a victory deserves a bit of a celebration." He waved hand grandly, and the tables at the side of the courtyard were filled with food and drink, and a large fire blazed in the stone ring at its center.

"We'll leave you to enjoy your time with your people," Lord Oberon told him warmly and the castle's lord and lady departed while the young gargoyles gathered around Goliath, Tom the Guardian, and Princess Katherine.

"Let her awaken," Goliath asked of Lexington, who put in the appropriate code on the control.

Demona woke up slowly, and glanced up at Goliath, who was right at her side.

"Goliath?" she asked in confusion, "You're here?" Her face contorted into a grimace and tears formed in her eyes.

"What is it, Adelpha?" he asked, supporting her with his muscular arm as she despaired.

"This means the trial is over," she replied bitterly, "And I've failed."

"Failed indeed!" he chided her, "Do you not know what you have done tonight?

"I didn't stay on my quest. And I lost the chance to win one of Old Felix's gems. Now, how can I break the spell?" She pushed away from him, sitting up on the bench, but looking down despondently. Goliath shook his head in disbelief.

"Perhaps breaking this spell of yours was never the point of this trip?" he suggested.

"You and Lexington must return to New York. I'll stay and try again. I'll find a way to get Felix to give me another chance. I'll let him have no peace until he lets me try again, and I won't fail! I'll…"

"Enough," Goliath told her firmly as he dragged her from the bench and to her feet, "Come and meet your clan's children."

The young gargoyles were more than happy to welcome their guests.

"I'm Ophelia," Opheia told her, a bit shy after the earlier confrontation.

"Of course," Demona replied, "Angela has told me so many stories about you. And you must be Gabriel!"

"That's right," he replied smiling. Very impressed, several of them asked Demona to try to guess their names, based on the tales their sister had shared, and she was perfectly accurate.

"You're Stephan," Demona told a small male with a mischievous smile, who laughed and demanded, "What has my sister been saying about me? It's not true, I swear!"

The introductions were concluded and followed by food and conversation. Demona was overwhelmed with all that had happened, and as she walked the perimeter of the courtyard, she found an arched tunnel that led her to the beach. The sounds of the wind and waves and the sight of the many twinkling stars above the horizon were a comfort to her as she rested on a large piece of driftwood. She guessed there was no use in arguing the issue with Goliath. He would not leave her and she wondered if he was right that this plan hadn't been the correct way to break the spell at all.

"Can you hear me?" she called out, hoping for an answer at last from the halfling that had sent her there, "Please? I need some help! Where are you?"

"I'm here," came a timid voice from behind her, "But I don't think it's me you're calling for." Lexington came around the driftwood and sat beside her.

"Here," he said, offering her the control for her implants, "You'll need this if you ever want to sleep."

"Thank you for fixing it, my clever friend," she replied, "But maybe you ought to keep it safe for me in your computer bag." Lexington nodded, agreeing with the sense of her suggestion.

"Why did you come out here?" he asked her, "Aren't you enjoying the party?"

"I'm enjoying it so much, that I needed a moment," she explained.

"Yeah," he agreed softly, "I've wanted to meet them, or any other gargoyles, for so long. Back home, I get so lonely."

"Lonely?"

"Yes. Well, Broadway and Angela have each other. And Goliath has…well, I always feel like I'm not quite whole." He paused, looking up at the stars.

"In Scotland, there was a female I was fond of. We would have been mated by now, if she was here."

"I'm sure you would have. She was very fond of you as well," she agreed, sensing his sorrow at the loss of all that should have been.

"I'm afraid I'm always going to be alone. I mean, not completely alone, but still, not completely…complete either."

"Do you wish to stay here?" she asked gently, "Perhaps among our clan's children you might-

"No," he interrupted firmly, "I have a new home and a new life now…and it isn't here. She isn't here."

"You've hardly met any of them," she pointed out.

"But I know it, just the same," he replied, then smiled a bit, "Besides, the others would be totally lost without me!"

"They absolutely would," she confirmed emphatically. They rested quietly, enjoying the beauty of Avalon, until Lexington said,

"Well we'd better go back in. It's not like we get this chance every night!"

"I'll be there in a moment," she assured him. After he'd returned to the celebration, she sat listening to their joyful voices, echoing from the opening of the tunnel. She had almost wished that Lexington did want to stay. It was too much of a fantasy to indulge, but she would have been thrilled if the whole clan would relocate to Avalon, where they might live and thrive in safety. But she knew that would never be. Goliath had his "covenant," as the elders on Bain Felix had called it. One-sided as it was, he and the others were entirely bound to it.

Suddenly, her thoughts were disturbed by the mysterious arrival of the rogue , gargoyle, nonchalantly crossing the beach in front of her. She watched him as he made his way across the sand. He seemed to be muttering to himself.

"I see you finally met your children," he said matter-of-factly, stopping to study her.

"Yes," she replied.

"I would think that was worth far more than winning a stone."

"Yes. That's what Goliath said too." she agreed, "And I suppose it was." The rogue nodded as if satisfied, then removed a folded piece of purple fabric from a bag on his belt and tossed it to her.

"Here's this anyway," he said as she caught the ball of cloth. There was something heavy inside and she unwrapped it curiously. Inside, she found a round, black stone that shimmered with every color. She looked up sharply.

"It was you?" she asked in amazement.

He gave her a gruff and condescending nod.

"Aye. I'm afraid you are pretty awful at that game, Lass. You haven't learned to see what's right before you."

"And I passed the trial? But how? All I did was walk around, get lost, and… What was the trial?"

"I tried to give you something impossible. Something I thought for certain a miserable wretch like you would never be able to do. But you did. You forgave her and now you have the stone. But will your wicked heart ever have the strength to use it on the Hunter?" He looked at her skeptically.

"That remains to be seen. I suggest you stick close to your friends, Lassie."

She nodded her agreement and the old rogue gestured for her to look behind her. She turned and found Goliath, standing nearly beside her.

"What are you looking at?" Goliath asked. She glanced over her shoulder where Old Felix stood. He gave her a wink and began to walk across the sand.

"Just the sea," she told him, "And old memories."

"Come back inside," he bade her, "With every hour we stay, a day passes for our worried friends in New York. We must say our goodbyes soon!"

She joined him and returned to the celebration with a new sense of relief. It was hard to think of leaving the young gargoyles so soon, until she thought of Angela and the others, who were probably beside themselves by that point. Several of the young gargoyles accompanied them out to the skiff when the time came for farewells and Ophelia shocked the group when she announced that she wished to accompany them.

"No," Demona pleaded with her, "There is nothing for us in the world but injustice and outrage. Stay here, young one, and be well and safe with your clan."

"I'm safe here, but I'm not well." Suddenly self-conscious, she looked sheepishly at her rookery siblings.

"I don't mean it like that. I love you all so much. But I just feel the world is calling to me. I don't know if I will like it better or not. But how can I know if I don't see it? I feel like there is a purpose that I'm meant to be living, and I have to find it." Her clan looked both surprised and sad to hear that she wanted to leave, but Gabriel said,

"I love you, my sister. You must follow your heart." Ophelia smiled at him and embraced him.

"When you see Angela, tell her how much we miss her," he requested.

"Of course I will," she agreed, a little more cheerfully, then turning to Goliath,

"Please, may I go with you?"

Demona expected Goliath to welcome her to their group enthusiastically, but something seemed to bother him about the request. After a long moment of thought, he replied,

"If this is what you truly want, how can I say anything but yes? Of course, you are welcome to travel with us, and if Avalon sees fit to return us to New York, you will be welcome to join our clan."

The group bid their last farewell and they cast off in the skiff.

"What did you mean by that?" Demona asked Goliath, "Don't you know how to get back to New York?"

"Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way," Goliath explained knowingly, but didn't elaborate as he crouched to make his large form more comfortable inside the boat.

"What is that?" Demona asked, pointing to a long object, laying near Goliath's feet, wrapped in glistening fabric and golden twine. Goliath picked up the parcel and pulled at the fabric gently, peeking inside. Suddenly, he cringed.

"Lexington, I believe this was meant for you," he groaned.

"It isn't!" Lexington exclaimed.

"It is," Goliath confirmed, unwrapping the budded end of the guiding wand.

"But, what is it?" Demona asked anxiously.

"It's a long story," Lexington explained, "I guess I'll put it in with the supplies. It might come in handy."

"It's probably cursed," Othelia grumbled disdainfully.

While the storage was open, Demona placed the healing stone in the bag with the book she'd been given on Bain Felix. She resolved to tell Goliath that she had it later, when she could do so in private. Content that the journey would soon be coming to an end, she leaned against the side of the boat and shut her eyes.