All characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyrighted to Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. I've taken the idea for the Unseelie Court from the TGS. Characters and concepts from Star Trek are property of Paramount and created by Gene Roddenberry. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of SN.
Note: I'm disregarding the events of the "Goliath Chronicles", with the exception of "The Journey" because I do not wish to use the rest of the "Goliath Chronicles" as canon to my story. Also, I am altering large sections of the Star Trek storyline, especially concerning events like WWIII and the Eugenics Wars, which without the Cold War as a backdrop probably wouldn't happen the way Roddenberry wrote them, if at all. This story takes place immediately after "The Cure".
Why We're Needed
By SN/TVfan
Email: Sam_Nary
South Uist, off the coast of Scotland
Rachel walked quietly along coastline, not far away from where Merlin and the others were guarding Una's stone form. She was certain that helping Merlin get his powers back was necessary, but she wasn't entirely sure that was the only reason why they were on the small island. All of the London Clan had told her bits and pieces of what they knew of Goliath and Elisa's world tour. Merlin had told her of his first to and from Avalon when he took Arthur there to sleep, and Arthur told her about his return to London after waking up on Avalon. All of them seemed to be roundabout journeys that rarely took them to any place they wanted to go to without a good, but different reason.
"Maybe I'm imagining things," Rachel commented to herself, "Merlin and Arthur know more about this sort of stuff."
She then shook her head and sighed, "I mean, they've been dealing with this all their lives. I've only been a werewolf for a few months and this is all still very new to me. But still, I can't help but wonder if we are here for some reason other then to find Merlin's lost treasures."
Unsure as to how to deal with her own thoughts she kept walking.
Meanwhile, back at the original camp, Arthur had gathered some supplies from the skiff and was attempting to cook something to eat, while Merlin worked to try and work some magic through the ring he had recovered. After awhile, Merlin looked up and sighed heavily.
"Say, where is Rachel?" Merlin asked, noticing that the brown haired woman was not in sight.
"She is still concerned that there might be some reason other then recovering something that you use as a conduit, and is taking a walk," Arthur answered, "Seeing as no one seems to be around, and we can't go anywhere until nightfall when Una wakes up, I didn't see any problem in giving her consent to go."
"I think perhaps we told her a bit too much of our first journeys after we left Avalon," Merlin sighed, "Avalon's magic is a rather tricky thing. Our first trips took us to places we didn't expect and had us deal with some 'new' things because we did not necessarily need to be in London or in Britain at the time."
"One could say the same thing of today," Arthur commented, "Our goal is to save Britain, but with all the advances made over the centuries, the act of saving England may not even happen in the British Isles."
"It is the change in the technologies of communication and transportation," Merlin commented, "News travels a lot faster and modern weapons can strike targets that are quite far away from where they are based. We could very well end up saving England in some far off country."
"So how goes your practicing?" Arthur asked, changing the subject.
"Fairly well," Merlin commented, "I've mostly been trying to figure out what spells the ring as the power to cast and which ones it doesn't."
"Forgive me if I've forgotten some of what you've told me how your magic works, but wouldn't just firing off spells to see if they would work be dangerous?" Arthur asked.
"Normally yes," Merlin nodded, "But one of the spells that I'm certain the ring can cast is a small diagnostic type spell. It analyzes the strength the spell 'cast' and makes the ring glow if it has the power to perform that spell, but it will not if it doesn't have the power to perform that spell it will not glow. Which means, even if I cast a spell that could be dangerous, with the 'diagnostic spell' in place, the second spell will not even take effect."
"And you've been able to do all of this?" Arthur asked.
"Some of it," Merlin sighed, "I haven't been able to generate much in the way of indicating whether or not the spell works. It may be because I've always used my fey halfling abilities as a conduit, I may need some time and practice in using an object as a conduit."
"A good thing that we brought Una then," Arthur commented, "She might be able to help you with that."
Merlin chuckled softly to himself.
"It will be rather strange for me," Merlin commented, "Becoming the student after being the teacher for so many years."
Meanwhile Rachel's walk had now taken her away from where Merlin and Arthur were camped. The coastline was very rocky and she had made various twists and turns. As she approached a sharp turn she suddenly heard a series of grunts and the sound of something digging into the rock of cliff face.
"Come on!" a growling voice spoke loudly, "That old wizard hid things throughout the British Isles. The magic from this island is the strongest!"
Rachel clung to the rock face to insure that she wouldn't be seen. She inched her way toward the edge and peeked around it to see something that startled her slightly. Four small yellowish creatures with sharp looking teeth were digging into the rock of the cliffs with their claws while a larger goblin-like creature hovered slightly behind them.
"We're digging as fast as we can!" one of the smaller goblin creatures answered in a hissing voice.
"Dig faster," the larger goblin creature ordered, "His cache is bound to be along these cliffs. It's easier to hide and bury things in them."
Rachel ducked back against the cliff wall to keep out of sight and hoped they didn't have a good sense of smell as she soon realized that the wind was blowing her scent in their direction.
"They're after Merlin's cache," Rachel thought to herself, "That's why we're here. To stop them from causing trouble."
Rachel quietly began to slip away back toward Merlin and Arthur's camp. She had to let them know what was going on. Meanwhile the four goblin-like creatures continued to dig at the ground furiously. The lead goblin creature continued to watch when a purple haired woman came around from a different corner to inspect their progress.
"Have you found anything yet?" the woman asked the lead goblin in a rather demanding voice.
"No, lady Banshee, but we can feel Merlin's magic coming from this general area," the largest goblin answered, "He has to have a cache somewhere on this island."
"And you arbitrarily started digging here?" Banshee asked.
"The cliff sides are the most likely location," the largest goblin answered, "He could have easily buried something under or behind a rock."
"We've been here for three days," Banshee said firmly, and sounding impatient as well, "And you've only dug in one area. Why is it that in three days you've not only dug in one area but you haven't found anything?"
"I do not see you contributing to our search," the largest goblin answered.
"Titania has stripped me of my powers," Banshee answered, "The only thing that I can not do is age! I need the objects that Merlin has stored in his various caches to gain a chance of regaining my powers or at least gaining new ones."
"We are doing the best we can Lady Banshee," the largest goblin answered, "And we have sworn. We will help you regain your lost powers if you allow us some trouble to cause in Britain."
"I would suggest that you begin searching a wider area then just this one point," Banshee instructed, "These cliffs may be the most likely area that Merlin may have hid his various magical artifacts, but it is not entirely likely he hid them in this one cliff."
"Of course," the largest goblin answered, "We'll get started right away."
Arthur and Merlin's Camp
Rachel came running back to where Arthur and Merlin were seated in a rather quick hurry. Merlin was still practicing at using a conduit other then his own powers and Arthur had finished cooking some breakfast and was preparing to serve himself.
"You're just in time for some breakfast," Arthur commented, "I hope you don't mind porridge."
"We have bigger problems then porridge," Rachel answered.
"What?" Merlin asked.
"We're not alone here," Rachel answered, "There are these creatures looking for one of your stashes, Merlin."
"Don't you think you might be crying 'wolf' on this one," Merlin commented, "Una didn't sense anything through her magic when we arrived and you didn't smell anything."
"Okay I resent the terminology of me crying 'wolf'," Rachel answered, "And two, Una isn't as powerful as you were, so her range in using magic to sense the presence of others may be limited, and three, the wind has been blowing away from us toward where the creatures that I saw are."
"You're still concerned about why we were directly sent to one of the places where Merlin hid some of his treasures?" Arthur asked, "I told you, we need to be here so Merlin could be able to perform some magic again, mortal magic, but magic nonetheless."
"He's using it as a conduit," Rachel answered, "Couldn't he have found something similar anywhere?"
"In theory yes, but it would be much more difficult," Merlin answered, "This makes things much easier for accomplishing our task in find a cure for what the Illuminati did to me, and then solve Britain's Greatest Hour of Need."
"But you've all said that Avalon is not easy to predict in terms of where it will send us," Rachel pointed out, "So why would it send us someplace that would make what we want to do easier? We may have to stop the Illuminati and save Britain, but those are also things that we want to do. So this whole thing with this island and your hidden cache, Merlin, has not sat right with me."
"You have valid points, but remember that Avalon's magic has never been predictable," Merlin answered, "It's partially why the only way to get there is through a spell. Some destinations may be easier then others."
"Why don't you believe me?" Rachel groaned, sounding frustrated with both of them.
"Because you've been understandably made nervous by the whole deal," Merlin answered, "If I were making my first Avalon journey with two people who have made the journey before, I would feel just as you do now."
"I'm telling you I know I saw five creatures looking for your cache," Rachel answered, "If you don't believe me, I'll show you!"
Rachel then grabbed both Arthur and Merlin and began to physically drag both of them back toward where she had seen the goblin-like creatures. Both attempted to protest, but were unsuccessful.
Elsewhere, Unknown Location
Meanwhile, while Arthur and his group struggled with why or why not they were off the coast of Scotland, the foe that their thoughts were primarily on was focused on was busy with its own agenda.
"What do you mean they aren't there?" Three growled into a phone sounding very frustrated.
"That is exactly what I said," a voice answered from the other line, "Arthur, Merlin, the werewolf, and probably at least one of the gargoyles has left London."
"Where did they go?" Three asked, "It is imperative that you tell me."
"We do not know, sir," the agent answered, "Our spy teams only noticed that he never made an appearance in any of the windows inside the mansion and he never visibly came in or out. He seems to have just disappeared."
"We wouldn't have that sort of luck," Three answered, "He's out there somewhere, and I have now doubt he is trying to 'cure' his mentor."
"Cure, sir? I thought what was done was permanent," the agent commented.
"If nothing is done about it, yes," Three explained, "But like many things involving magic, there is always some specific spell or method that can undo what has been done. That is why you must find him and destroy him, if Merlin regains his powers, then the Mage's prophecies will be in jeopardy."
"I will begin a thorough search of all Britain," the agent answered, "He probably thinks the answers to his problem are on the island."
"Good," Three answered, "Let me know when you've found him."
South Uist
"They were right around this turn here," Rachel said as she drug Arthur and Merlin to the spot where she seen the goblin-like creatures digging at the rock.
As she rounded the corner, she found that the goblins had since left.
"Right here?" Merlin asked, "I think you've been unnerved."
"They were right here!" Rachel answered pointing.
Arthur looked around and saw to no goblins there, but after a moment he saw something that proved Rachel's story.
"You're imagining things," Merlin said back to Rachel.
"Wait a minute, old friend," Arthur replied, "I think we might owe Rachel an apology."
"What?" Merlin asked turning to face Arthur.
"There are tracks in the sand and pebbles here," Arthur answered, "Something that had a lot of weight has to have been here before, and was taking very repeated steps over the same section of the beach."
"They were pawing at the cliff face here," Rachel answered, "They think Merlin's buried all his artifacts along the coastline."
Merlin looked at the footprints that Arthur was pointing to and then at the side of the cliff. Sure enough, he saw claw marks on it. Something had been here.
"First, I'm going to apologize," Merlin sighed, "I'm sorry Rachel. I must be going senile without my magic with me."
"I'm here to help," Rachel answered.
"And helped us you have," Merlin replied, "The talismans and artifacts I have collected over the years, and hidden away all have great power. Some more so then others, and some the power is in the knowledge and wisdom they hold. All of them, however, can be either misused. If someone out of good or evil intent finds and uses them, without knowing how to work them properly, they could do more harm then good, or even more harm then they intend. And if they know how to use them, it will only depend on whether they are good or evil. If good, I see no fault in someone finding them. I haven't used any of them in centuries. But if evil, I can not allow them to find them, as the chaos and danger they could unleash on the world can not be allowed to happen."
"So I guess we're here to stop these goblins, then," Arthur commented.
"Or at least find out why they're here," Merlin answered, "If they're digging along the coast, we have plenty of time to stop them from finding my cache."
"Huh?" Rachel asked.
"My lone cache on this island is where it is for a reason," Merlin answered, "And that is erosion. If I buried my artifacts along the coast, the ocean water would have worn away the rock that buried it by now and would have exposed any magical shields I placed on it. Which means this cliff is not a suitable spot to bury anything if you want to preserve it and/or keep it hidden."
"Where do you suppose they've gone now?" Arthur asked.
"I don't know," Rachel answered, "They were all right here when I was by myself. They must have left after I did. But, unless they went into the ocean, I might be able to track them if you can give me a minute."
"Save that until nightfall, or if we're attacked," Merlin ordered, "If you say they're goblins, they can probably sense my magic. Now, while goblins aren't necessarily the smartest of creatures, they are not entirely stupid either. They will eventually figure out that my cache is not along the coastline, and if we spend our time tracking them now, without Una to glide ahead of our position in case anything happens at my cache while we're not there, we will face great danger when they present my cache to whomever is controlling them."
Elsewhere on the island
Banshee sat shivering inside a narrow canyon on the opposite side of the island. The end of the Unseelie Court's attempt to take the throne of Avalon had been hard on her, but it had not quelled her own want for respect. She resented Titania with a passion for removing her powers and leaving her as a woman. A woman who couldn't age, but could be killed by anything else.
Being dumped by the Weird Sisters into the middle of Ireland hadn't helped. If they were going to leave her as a woman instead of a fey, they could have at least constructed an identity for her, or give her the financial means to construct her own. This left Banshee homeless, and without her powers at the mercy of any crook that crossed her. She had found she could still put a great deal of volume into a terrified scream, and if she really practiced she could even work with different pitches, but that didn't stop a knife wielding crook, whom she could have rendered senseless with a whisper if she still had her powers. She was fortunate a policeman heard her scream and came to her rescue.
All of this was an embarrassment for her. She was used to being the one with power and the one to terrorize the weak. She was not used to being rescued, by anybody. She longed to regain her powers and from there, at least get even with the Weird Sisters, if not Titania and the rest of the Seelie followers. So when she came across a group of ex-Unseelie goblins, who seemed to be traveling back to whatever country they had hid in between the First and Second Unseelie Wars, she immediately struck up a bargain.
She had known that Merlin had hid various artifacts that he had acquired in various parts of the British Isles, with the exception of Ireland, and she felt that these objects could help her in regaining her powers. Claiming greater 'local' authority then she actually had, she got the goblins to agree to find the closest source of magic, seek it out, and present it to Banshee. In exchange, Banshee, would allow them to make a mess of London and any other British city they felt like trashing. They weren't her cities, so she didn't care.
They had found South Uist completely by accident, but had guaranteed that there was a strong signal of Merlin's magic. At least they had told her that they had. She was now stuck waiting for them to find the cache and bring her what she wanted. And, unfortunately for her, in the cold weather that was the area of the coast of Scotland, and without her powers she was freezing as she also was trying to stay out of sight, which meant she had stay along the coast of the island and in the freezing water. Only the thought of getting revenge, and the fact that it was currently low tide kept her warm.
The sound of footsteps approaching made Banshee tense, and she prepared to do a prearranged sob story of someone who was lost and had an accident. Seeing that it was her goblin 'allies' she sighed and sat quietly for a moment.
"Have you found something?" Banshee asked.
"We are not alone on this island," the largest goblin answered, "There are travelers here."
"Some transport ship to Northern Ireland, must have run aground or something," Banshee answered, "We're off the coast of the United Kingdom, Great Britain, England, it's known by many names and is one of the most heavily populated countries in Europe."
"It is not a mortal ship, Lady Banshee," the goblin answered, "It is an Avalon skiff."
"A skiff?" Banshee asked, "The Seelie fey would not need a skiff."
"We found human footprints and a two legged horse," the goblin answered.
"Two legged horse?" Banshee asked, sounding puzzled.
"We found what are obviously the hoof prints of a horse, but they were in a pattern that indicated bipedal locomotion," the goblin explained.
"Bipedal locomotion and hoof prints?" Banshee mumbled to herself, "That isn't a horse, that's a British gargoyle, probably based off of a unicorn."
"Aren't they extinct?" one goblin asked.
"What?" Banshee asked back.
"Unicorns, aren't they extinct?" the goblin asked again.
"Yes, they were killed off in the First Unseelie War," Banshee growled, "But this is a gargoyle. A GARGOYLE, a race that has survived both our wars and humanity's wars."
"Oh," the goblin shrugged, "well, there's one of them with the group too."
"They must be Arthur and Macbeth," Banshee commented to herself, "tough foes, but foes you can fight. The gargoyle I do not know. Arthur had a griffon-like gargoyle as his knight during the Second Unseelie War, but he does not have hooves."
"Shall we trash them all?" the largest goblin asked.
"Yes, but I want the humans brought in alive," Banshee answered, "If this is Arthur, he may in fact know where Merlin has hidden his magics. They are good friends, after all."
Arthur's Camp
The sun had just set and Una had been informed and left the group preparing to deal with the goblins that Rachel had seen earlier.
"So, you intend to go hunting for these creatures?" Una asked.
"Rachel and I will," Arthur answered, "It was our idea that you and Merlin would guard his cache."
"Wouldn't it be wiser for everyone to go looking?" Una asked, "from what you've told me, these creatures seem rather ferocious. Two against four is not an even match up."
They were interrupted by a brief and muffled howl as Rachel finished taking her werewolf form.
"It's not how they look that counts," Rachel answered as she stepped forward, "and I'm sorry if I've given us away already. Howling seems to be rather instinctive reaction."
"That doesn't matter," Merlin sighed, "We may need to split up because if they find my cache unguarded while we are looking, we will be looking at a bigger problem."
"If we run into any trouble that we need help with, I will let loose a howl that you will be sure to hear," Rachel added, "And likewise, if they attack you, roar or do something that will indicate that you are in trouble."
Una sighed and nodded, "I can project a 'fireworks' display, if necessary. I don't know how visible it will be from along the coast, but we can try that."
Arthur nodded, "Well, we must be off then. Rachel, you're sure you can track them?"
"So long as they didn't fly away or run into the ocean," Rachel answered, "Yes."
Rachel and Arthur then left Una and Merlin alone to guard the campsite. Una turned to see Merlin fiddling with a small ring on his finger.
"Is that to be your new conduit?" Una asked, "The ring I mean."
"Yes," Merlin answered, "It is the Ring of Fieldar, and originally belonged to my teacher. When he died, he left it to me, and since I didn't need a conduit at the time, I've kept hidden with my other treasures to insure that it never fell into the wrong hands or that it conflicted with my magic's fey source. Now, that isn't the problem and I need it as a conduit."
"It is good you kept it then," Una commented.
Merlin nodded and gave a weak smile, "I may actually need a bit more of your help then we might have originally thought."
"I will help in any way that I can," Una offered.
"Good," Merlin replied, still smiling weakly, "Because I've been so used to having my powers as a fey halfling, that I am in a great need of retraining to use a magical conduit."
"It will be of no problem, Merlin," Una answered and then looked up, "Wait, I smell something!"
Merlin turned around only to see two yellow skinned goblins leap out of nowhere and tackle him to the ground. Una rushed to get them off of him, and was caught from behind by another two goblins. She managed to throw one off of her and to the ground at her feet. Una then kicked the offending goblin, which went flying through the air and landed roughly on a large boulder nearby. Una elbowed the other one and quickly chanted something quietly and raised one hand.
The attacking goblin jumped on Una's back again causing her magically generated fireworks to go wide and actually head away from the direction that Arthur and Rachel had left in. The goblin then worked it so that he had enough leverage that Una could not break free.
"Get off of me!" Merlin screamed as he struggled against the goblins, finding that they were physically stronger then he was.
"How do we tell the lady?" one goblin asked as he held Merlin's right arm down, "Gargoyle knock out Jip."
"I don't know," the largest goblin answered, as he continued to struggle to try and keep Una from struggling, "But gargoyle is stronger then she looks."
The sound of footsteps and panting breaths made Merlin and Una's hopes arise that Arthur and Rachel had seen the signal. They were dashed when a pale, purple haired woman came running up, panting as she went and holding the skirt part of her tunic up so that she could run more effectively.
"No need to worry about finding me," Banshee answered, "I am here. You put on quite a fireworks display in capturing these two."
"It as the gargoyle that shot fireworks," the largest goblin corrected.
Banshee looked over their two prisoners and was quite surprised as to who it was.
"Why it's Merlin, himself," Banshee said with a smile and then glanced at Una, "Forgive me, but I do not know your name and either way you do not strike me as the adventuring type."
Una only gave a low growl.
"And I'm more surprised that you have not tried to cast any spells, Merlin," Banshee continued, "You must be getting soft in your advanced age."
"You don't know the half of it," Merlin answered, still struggling, "Why are you here?"
"That much should be obvious," Banshee answered, "I want your cache of mystical artifacts."
"You're fey," Una growled, "What could you want with Merlin's artifacts?"
"A powerless fey, thanks to Titania and you people," Banshee shot back, "But Merlin's artifacts hold great power and I intend to restore my powers."
"I hold no artifact powerful enough to undo the punishment Titania has placed on you," Merlin told Banshee, "And if you hadn't betrayed the Seelie Court and sided with the Unseelies you wouldn't be in your present predicament."
"You're lying," Banshee growled, "You have to have something that will help me get what I want, and you will open your cache for me."
Merlin continued to look defiant.
"Or I will have the goblins kill you," Banshee threatened.
"They'd probably kill me anyway," Merlin commented.
"We would," one of the goblins that was holding him down commented.
"Show me where your cache is!" Banshee screamed.
"No," Merlin answered.
"Show it to me now!" Banshee screamed again.
Merlin shook his head and Banshee was about to scream at him again when she was grabbed from behind by something with large claw tipped and furry hands. Banshee turned her head to look into Rachel's golden yellow eyes as she snarled at the powerless fey.
"How about you let Merlin go," Rachel growled.
Arthur soon appeared from behind her, Excalibur drawn.
"I'm sorry it took us so long, but it looks like their trail lead us right to them," Arthur commented.
"Kill them!" Banshee screamed as she struggled within Rachel's grasp.
The two goblins holding Merlin down raised an arm to slash at the wizard, but Arthur charged at them and kicked one off of Merlin, and sliced off the raised arm of the other. Merlin then landed a punch on the goblin and knocked him off.
"Thanks," Merlin answered.
Banshee struggled furiously to try and get free of Rachel's grasp. She also quickly found that Rachel had no intention of clawing or biting her, which meant that the werewolf would be pulling punches. Banshee smiled and decided to use something she had been practicing, and unleashed a loud and high pitched scream into the night air.
Rachel roared in pain as the high pitched scream hit her sensitive wolf ears and let go of Banshee to cover her ears with her hands. Banshee smiled and then kicked Rachel in her midsection and began to run away when she found Una blocking her path.
"That scream was not painless for me either," Una growled and pulled some small powder from a pouch on her belt and tossed into Banshee's face.
"You…" Banshee began to curse before falling to the ground unconscious.
"A basic sleeping powder," Una explained before anyone could ask, "She'll be out for awhile."
"What do we do with her?" Rachel asked, rubbing her ears, "and with the goblins she hired?"
"My only guess would be to send them all to Avalon," Merlin sighed, "The goblins for punishment in their part of the Second Unseelie War and I don't know if Titania would actually punish Banshee for simply wanting to restore her powers, but she might at least help us make sure that Banshee does not return here."
"Why not just take all of your artifacts out of there and take it with us," Rachel suggested, "Then we can leave that screamer here."
"I don't know," Merlin commented, "I don't know if the skiff can stay afloat with all of that stuff in it as well as with us in it."
"We can try," Arthur shrugged, "The crafts are rather sturdy. It might hold the weight."
"And sending these goblins off for punishment?" Rachel asked.
"That is the easy part as all we need to do is summon the Weird Sisters or Titania herself," Merlin answered.
Dawn
Banshee awoke cold and alone and found that even Merlin and his group had left and found a small note under one hand. It read…
"While I can not expect you to follow this, I advise you to move on with your life, as since you can not age, you should have a lot of living to do. My cache has been emptied by myself and I have taken it with me. If you wish to do what can not be done, it will not be at my expense. Find someone else's magic to steal."
Banshee frantically ran around the island of South Uist looking for any sign of Merlin his companions, either to fight or at least bargain for a way off of the island, as she had had the goblins help her get there, and with them gone, she was now stranded. Angry and still wanting revenge, and now, utterly defeated, Banshee only screamed.
The End…