Chapter Text
Elisa waited, atop the highest tower of the ancient stone castle that was held above the island of Manhattan. She held Liam, her son, by the hand as she watched the last rays of sunlight fade from the sky.
As the last of the oranges and reds faded into the darkening sky, the cracking sound of stone began filling the night air.
Elisa had grown used to the sight and sound over the years, and she smiled as she watched Liam slap his hands over his ears and laugh as his family came to life.
The clan and the humans connected to them had been busy the past few nights, getting everything ready for the festivities this evening. After months of preparation, negotiations and Gargoyle politics, the appointed representatives from each clan for the Gargoyle Council was there.
Well, almost everyone was there.
It had been offered and decided upon that the Labyrinth clan should join, and her brother, Talon, had been appointed as the representative for the mutates and the clones. Being that he did not turn to stone as the rest did, he decided that he would arrive shortly after sundown so that he wasn’t just hanging around the castle all day.
Angela would serve as an interim representative for the Avalon clan until one of her former clan mates, Michael, would be able to get to Manhattan. When the Avalon Clan had been approached about the possibility of serving on the council, the clan as a whole had been cautious about such an endeavor. A few weeks ago, Princess Katherine had put her foot down, announcing that she wasn’t going to live forever, and she wanted the clan to have a place in the world that didn’t depend on her being in it.
The guilt trip had worked, and a few of the clan members had stepped forward as a volunteer to go. Only last week had they contacted the clan by way of Titania’s mirrors to let them know that Michael would be there as the permanent council member… but because of Avalon’s time working so differently, it would be a trial and error case on when he would arrive.
In the meantime, it was agreed that Angela would take his place so that the council could begin on time.
The Scottish representative had been held up due to a maintenance issue with the plane that had been sent to retrieve her, so the departure had been delayed a day. She was to arrive any moment.
There were currently thirteen Gargoyles in residence at Castle Wyvern, and it was truly a sight to behold. Beyond the original five members of the Manhattan clan, it had grown to include Angela and through her and Broadway, the twin Gargoyle children Brenna and Conner.
Elisa had taken a week off of work to spend time with the clan members and the ambassadors as they arrived. The first three who had arrived had been Lei-Ji from the Korean Pukhan Clan, Sora from the Japanese Ishimura Clan, and Bolin from the Chinese Xanadu Clan.
Much like their clan leaders, they had started out very stiff and formal with the clan, but as soon as Goliath and Elisa had joined them, they had loosened up and relaxed. They had hurried to her, bowing deeply and referring to her as the “Hope Bringer”.
Evidently the old Gargoyle legend about how the Gargoyles came to be had spread through the clans, much to Elisa’s discomfort.
As much as she protested, they wouldn’t stop. After two days, she stopped protesting. After Day three, she finally got them to start calling her by her name and asked them to only bring out the Hope Bringer for extremely formal occasions.
Then she made a mental note to herself to avoid all formal occasions.
Next came Jade from the Guatemalan Maya Clan. She was quiet, but Elisa could see her absorbing everything so that when she spoke, it was well planned and thought out. She had greeted Elisa normally that first evening, but overnight Jade must have joined the Legend crowd. Elisa caught Jade sending Elisa secretive looks that made Elisa want to squirm uncomfortably.
Elisa just wasn’t comfortable with it. If she were honest, it wasn’t even the title that really got to her… It was what came with it.
She didn’t want the Gargoyles to make her out to be some hero or having anyone pin some kind of legendary hopes on her. She was just a normal human… well, a tiny bit fae thanks to Coyote, but still mostly human.
Finally, the transport that carried both Griff from the London Clan and the Scottish representative from the Loch Ness Clan that no one had met yet.
Elisa and Goliath were waiting for them when the helicopter finally landed at the castle. Griff, clad in his black leather coat, came down the ramp first, greeting the pair with a large smile on his face. He shook hands with Goliath first, then gave Elisa an exuberant hug that brought her fully off the ground.
“Elisa,” He said, putting her back to the ground. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Same here, Griff,” Elisa replied with a smile. “How’s everyone in London?”
“Business is booming at the shop, now that the crime in the area has mysteriously been cleared away,” He said with a wink.
“It is good to see you again, my friend,” Goliath said formally. Elisa placed a hand in the crook of his arm.
“This is an amazing opportunity,” Griff said with a shrug. “Historical. I am just thankful to have a hand in it.”
Elisa glanced behind him with a small frown. “Did the Scottish clan member not come with you?”
“Oh, she came,” Griff said with a grin. “She has been talking non-stop with the pilot the whole way.”
Elisa raised an eyebrow. Their pilot had been David Xanatos, so she could only guess what had been going on.
Griff and Goliath continued their talk, but Elisa’s curiosity was peaked.
Suddenly, a flash of color came through the door of the helicopter. A pale rose-colored female with a slightly darker shade of hair came bounding through the door.
She was small, Elisa marveled, built with the same wing structure as Lexington and had a brilliant smile on her face.
“Such a fascinating machine,” she said in an accent so thick that Elisa could almost feel it. “I cannot wait to find out more about all your technology here.”
Elisa laughed. “We have a clan member here in Manhattan that could probably help you with that.”
“Fantastic!” She exclaimed, before seeming to remember where she was. “I apologise,” She said, looking a little embarrassed. She stood to her full height, which was only slightly taller than Elisa’s waist, and held her hand out to Elisa. “I am Garia of the Loch Ness Clan.”
Elisa shook her hand. “Elisa Maza, Friend of the Manhattan Clan.”
“Oh!” She blinked in surprise. “You’re the one they call the Hope Bringer.”
Elisa didn’t groan, but she couldn’t quite hold back from rolling her eyes. “That’s what everyone keeps saying.”
Garia tilted her head, puzzled. “Do you not wish to be addressed as such?”
Elisa shrugged.
“Elisa it is, then,” Garia said with a definitive nod. “I, too, have a name that is somewhat embarrassing, so I completely understand.”
Elisa laughed. “You’re name is beautiful.”
“Only for those who don’t know Gaelic,” Garia grimaced. “My clan is not very… Original when it comes to names.”
At Elisa’s look, she gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Garia is Gaelic meaning ‘short’.”
Elisa cringed. “Ouch.”
“Well, it fits,” Garia said, motioning to her short stature, “But I don’t have to like it.”
“Is there another name that you prefer?” Elisa asked.
Garia shook her head. “Nae, I have never been called anything else. I thank you for asking, though.”
Elisa smiled at the female. “If you think of something else you would rather be called, please let me know.”
Elisa was gifted with another thousand watt smile. “Has everyone else arrived, then?”
“No,” Goliath’s deep voice from behind her made Elisa turn. “We are still awaiting Talon and Michael.”
“Talon will be here soon,” Elisa said, “And Michael will join us when he is able to. For now, we have an alternate representative from the Avalon Clan in his place.”
Garia shook hands with Goliath, and introduced herself. “Shall we go then?” She asked.