Head made of Rocks (Mathias/Hamish)

[Mathias Kolher]

Waking up every night to this cursed existence was always heard, especially early on in his confinement. By day he slept and could only dream about the freedom he used to have to do as he pleased, terrorized as he wanted and being able to cause a general low level of chaos. But each night when he awoke, he knew he couldn’t accomplish what he wanted. This curse upon his existence prevented it. He was stuck to the general area of the castle, not allowed to step beyond a few hundred feet from the castle walls. This existence was stifling. Rage burned in his no-longer-there veins and he just wanted out. He wanted to be normal again, wanted to be of fur and bones, wanted to taste the sweet metallic of blood on his claws as it was shed from his victims. But there was nothing he could do. He knew that one day someone would come to stop him, just not the consequences he would face. Well, knew was a strong word, for it was more an underling instinctual fear, for as creature of the dark, Mathias was only partially sentient. Mostly he had only animal instincts and bloodlust and a desire to destroy. It was only when he had been cursed to protect against his own kind and kin that he had gained intelligence

It was with this gaining of intelligence; he realized he could switch to a more humanoid appearance. It was by pure accident really. Men were patrolling he walls one night under Mathias watchful eye when a sudden yearning to be able to walk on two legs came to him. He realized it would be so much better for fighting different creatures if he could twist and bend how the humans did when an odd sensation overtook his body. Blinking as his sight was suddenly restored to him, he discovered his body felt different than it should. Creaking as he stood up, he admired his two legs and arms. They were still made out of stone, but he was strong, his boy more resembled those of the warriors below, but he still had his trusty tail and wings. Deep down, he admired this form, but would never admit it aloud.

He didn’t often take this form; usually he would keep to his regular form, even if it was made of stone now. After the first year, he found he could cause panic in other ways then attacking. He could cause a different type of terror. At night, when he was free to move, he would wait until no one was around and leave his post. He often paced the perimeter, taking no pains to avoid leaving marks of his passing, often leaving gashes in the dirt for the sentry to find. Over years, this became a game to him, an innocent prank. It was one way he could give himself a laugh when he was feeling down about his lack of freedom to come and go as he pleased. It was perhaps the only thing that eventually remained of his old anger and blood lust.

After all these centuries, one night of laughter from himself as he set on the roof , Mathis had realized his anger had faded, his bloodlust had cooled considerably. Rage and anger could not stand against the enduring capabilities of rock. Though rock eroded over time, he did not, and neither did this castle he protected. It almost infuriated him again, almost caused the rage to return, except he found more amusement with it now. He found it comical. By now the guards were used to the gashes and found it more trying than anything. He changed up his methods, often leaving humanoid prints with claws attached. They never did suspect that their own fabled protector, who he had heard myths and legends about, would be the one pulling these pranks.

Though his curoisty again was peaked when he felt something… kin in the castle suddenly. That night, he sneaked to a window and peered inside. There, in a cradle was a baby. A kin baby born to humans. While Mathias was a dark creature still, he would protect this kid. There was something about him that called to Mathias and he would make sure the boy would be protected.

He watched this man throughout the years as he grew, and protected. Often leaving little surprises in his room for the boy to find. It was just such a night, many years after the boy was born, he had left a little trinket , a bauble placed on the window . Moving back to his regular perch, he crouched with one hand on the ledge, wings up in a position of easy flight if he needed to protect. Though it wouldn’t matter if he moved or not, because no one ever saw his station or him. He was alone in this quest.

[Hamish Stuart]

Throughout the many years Hamish found small gifts and trinkets left on the window or his balcony but never a sign of what left them behind. Each one of these trinkets were collected, carefully placed on Hamish’s dresser. After he found the fifth of these little pieces left for him Hamish had his servants purchase a large chest that he could use to store each of these precious trinkets. Each one was as precious as the last, the one he found most drawn to was the first given to him by whatever decided to keep leaving these for him to find without ever wishing to reveal itself so the prince could thank them. Not wanting to have the first gift lost Hamish had the trinket made into an earring allowing the prince to keep it on him at all times. For some reason Hamish never found himself afraid of what might be placing the trinkets for him to discover, it was clear whatever did so meant no harm. Something about the gifts also caused the prince to believe it wasn’t one of the women trying to earn a spot on the throne by his side. No these gifts weren’t something meant to win his affection from what Hamish could tell. Each seemed to be carefully plucked for its home before having home in his care.

Not wanting to allow any of these precious gifts to be damaged Hamish took time once a week to polish each one and then carefully placed them back into the chest. Servants were forbidden to touch the chest. Even moving the chest to clean often would anger the prince causing him to snap at the servant with cries of how they could have damaged what was inside. Never did he strike his servants for touching the chest but still they all seemed to fear his spouts of anger over the mysterious chest.

Curiosity slowly got the better of Hamish even though he wasn’t a small child. He had to know what was leaving such things behind for him to find but yet being hidden. Waiting hidden under his covers the prince listened trying to catch the creature that continued to leave trinkets at random.
Hearing something move outside his window Hamish saw the bauble on the window but nothing else was to be found even hidden in the shadows. Carefully moving the new gift to join the other Hamish decided to try something else. Moving to his balcony he allowed his wings out to prevent himself from falling as he began to look at the best way to scale the castle. Stepping up onto the balcony Hamish carefully pulled himself up step by step trying to reach the highest point of the castle. He would wait up there to find what kept reappearing and leaving things for him. There had to be a reason.

Working his way higher Hamish felt himself began to fear falling. Even with the large wings Hamish wasn’t sure he could stop himself from plummeting to the ground if he happened to slip. His smaller size was better at flying than he was when he was standing at his full size. The stones caused Hamish’s hands to slip at points making him fear that it was really the end before he managed to catch himself and begin the climb once more. By the time Hamish reached the roof he felt his body aching. Never before had he done something like this making his weak muscles feel tried from having to carry his body this distance. Laying over the stone Hamish panted trying to catch his breath before he began his search for the mysterious gift given. Next time he’d have to find a better way to get up here to avoid the stress he put himself through but yet his wings glowed blue as he was happy to have managed to reach the roof.

After a new minutes Hamish began to carefully walk over the stones looking for something, anything that might be unusual but then he saw it. On the roof was a large stone gargoyle wings lifted and sitting there. Laughing Hamish walked over to the figure and stood in front of it. “Ye wouldn't hae seen anythin' wid ye auld mukker? Ah will hae tae ask someone tae come up 'ere 'n' wash ye. Cannae hae th' protector bein' clatty.” Laughing Hamish placed a kiss on the head of the stone before moving back a step to admire the detail of the gargoyle said to protect the castle and royal family for years. Who would have known they had a real statue on the roof was more than a myth? Watching a moment longer as if expecting the stone to move during the night Hamish sighed and turned to walk away to explore more of the castle’s roof.

[Mathias Kolher]

This little Prince was bound to give him a heart attack one of these days, he was sure of it. Well, he would have if stone had a beating heart. His clawed hand gripping the edge of his turret while the other one rested on his thigh, he could have almost heaved a sigh of relief when the boy lay on the roof; in his domain. It had been a close call too. Mathias wings had been raised in flight position in case he had to jump off the roof to catch the princeling if he had fallen. He didn’t know what type of kin the prince was, for throughout the years, he had seen no signs to tell him. Though he did figure out the magic came from the woman-figure in his life… his mother, if the strange words he had overheard the guards say was true.
Keeping from moving,, he observed the Prince laying on the roof, his wings glowing a bright shade of blue that he had seen some of the ladies wear. Mathias could only wonder were his wings always the bright shade of blue, or did they change with the weather or other factors? Of course he wasn’t about to ask and the only reason he could see them was….

Oh the prince was coming straight for him!

Really, he was lucky that he was stone and could not flinch and his heart couldn’t beat as fast as it would have been. Had he figured out that he was the one leaving the trinkets, could he figure out that he could move? Being careful to keep his eyes facing forward and not looking at him, he could only listen, and act like the statue he should have been. There was no way the man should have figured out he was more than he seemed, that he was more than just the odd, lone stone figure on the castle that was rumored to protect the place.

“Ye wouldn't hae seen anythin' wid ye auld mukker? Ah will hae tae ask someone tae come up 'ere 'n' wash ye. Cannae hae th' protector bein' clatty.”

He really had to be careful not to move with those words. He didn’t think he was dirty, he had…okay, it had been a while since he had what would be called a proper wash, but stone didn’t need to be washed, the rain did that for him and he was able to clean out his hair of the birds’ nests that they tried to build on him during the day. But apparently humans had different levels of clean than he did, and he should probably expect to be getting a wash during the day when he was ‘asleep’. Though getting that kiss to his cheek, he was, once again, glad to be made of stone; otherwise he was sure that there would have been a tinge of red tinting his cheeks. Though he was glad when the man moved off, Mathias was able to let off a small breath in relief, though he really didn’t need to breathe. Moving his eyes slightly, and then his head, he followed the man’s progress as he walked away. He would need to keep a careful eye on him and his own actions in order to keep the other from knowing the stone gargoyle was essentially alive and was actually protecting people from the evil creatures that wanted to harm the castle inhabitants. He would also need to keep an eye on this boy right now to make sure he didn’t take a tumble off the roof.

[Hamish Stuart]

Part of Hamish now had to wonder why no one had shown him where this gargoyle sat as it was said to protect him and the castle as a whole. With how close the figure was to his room it almost seemed as though it were watching over just him and not even the rest of the people dwelling within. People talked about the gargoyle having been there even before the prince was born making it hard to believe that his father might have had it placed there to watch over him and yet he wondered why this was where the being rest. The room he lived in was always said to be meant for a prince or princess and yet part of him felt more connected to the statue than he ought to have. One day he would have to question one of the guards if the gargoyle had been moved after his birth or if it had been placed there to watch over all the royal children born into the family. Curious it was.
In the library he would need to check if any of those born before him wrote about seeing the figure fly or even having it watch over them. They all were human after all, he wasn’t the same as those who ruled before him. Maybe due to his fairy blood he was thinking too much into the idea of having a guardian living just above his bedroom.

His mystical side always did seem to cause him to wander toward danger and yet not fear the creatures that might be lurking in the shadows.

Looking at the detail of the stone Hamish for a moment believed it would begin to talk or maybe take a breath. Everything about the work just seemed to life light that he wanted to study all of it after the stone was polished to keep the rain from weathering away any of the beauty. If this being was his protector he had to make sure his protector was kept in the best shape possible even if no one would understand.

Moving toward the edge of the roof to look over Hamish stopped to turn back and glance at the figure as if it might have moved from the location during the short time. Spinning on his heel caused the stone supporting his foot to slip taking his toward and over the edge of the roof. Normally calm eyes grew wide and his hands reached out trying to grab the gargoyle or anything that would stop his fall from such a height. The large wings flapped but in his panic seemed to move slower than he commanded making them only seem to slow his fall but yet he could still feel himself falling backward. This was going to be the end. Prince Hamish, the boy who might have tried to connect the humans to the mystical died before his father could name his king leaving behind no heirs. The family would fall out of power due to his curious nature. Years of hiding who he was now went to waste in a matter of moments due to taking a foolish step.
What would the kingdom say about his parting? Afraid of being harmed he never got close to the people. Throughout the years he was just the quiet prince that remained at his father’s side and one day would be wed before he took over the kingdom. There wasn’t much anyone could say that was pleasant for their prince it seemed. In the end he was lucky he didn’t fall to a fate earlier in life when people almost discovered his wings when one of his shirts grew damp and began to cling to the shapes.

Goodbye father.

[Mathias Kolher]

It was safe to say that Mathias never understood humans. The way they acted made no sense. Not that he was a gargoyle that used reason, he acted on instincts from the monster he was long ago, and those he had gained sense. Like the ability to tell evil from good and malicious from harmless. Perhaps it was the same way with humans. Like this prince walking around on the roof and dangerously close to the edge. Was this...what was the right word....curiosity. was this curiosity of his the same with all humans, or was it his alone, coming from his half fey side? Mathias didn't know, and really he didn't care. As long as the boy took enough care not to do anything stupid.

His heart would have stopped if it were still beating as the next events unfolded before him. Before this moment, he had been allowed to passively watch the lives of princes and kings for generations, but this moment was different. The moment when the young Princess completely vanished over the edge and it was obvious that nothing short of a miracle, that's when he acted and dove off the roof after his charge.

Keeping his wings close to him, his eyes were locked with the falling man, closer and closer he got, it was only seconds, but it seemed like a lifetime to Mathias, an probably more so to the boy. He could only imagine what was going through his head. Reaching out, he wrapped his arms around the boy and brought him to his chest as he turned and let his wings out, buffering there fall. Gliding through the air as easy as birds, he flew to the boy’s balcony and landed. His feet touching down softly, he brought his wings around to shelter the boy as he walked inside. Mathias wasn’t exactly sure why, but he did. Stepping past the chairs an any other furniture that was in the room, he headed to the bed where he attempted to lay the prince down. Hopefully the man had passed out and once he woke up, would think that the whole thing was a dream. Mathias didn’t want the Prince to know that the gargoyle on the roof was indeed alive and mobile. He might be a fairy prince, but there were some things that were too fanciful to believe.

Oh what a vain hope that would turn out to be.

[Hamish Stuart]

Air rushed passed him as he plummeted toward the ground yet not a single scream or cry came from the prince. Dark eyes widened but it almost seemed the prince didn’t believe his own fate and yet it seemed he accepted it instead of trying to fight it using his own wings. Believing this would be his end the green eyes shut allowing him to accept this instead of noticing how close he must be as his balcony grew farther away. It felt as though stone wrapped around his small frame pressing him into the chilled surface before suddenly his descent slowed to a stop and he began to feel instead his body being levitated. Was this simply of death and his soul ascending to the heavens? That couldn’t be though. Hamish felt no pain but also didn’t feel feathered wings of an angel carrying away. Death had yet to come for the prince, so it seemed.

There was almost no sound as his savior touched down and moved to carry him into the large bedroom. In the silence a soft sound came from Hamish that grew louder until laughter began to bubble out of the prince and fill the room. Green eyes were now open staring at the beast, no the guardian of the castle. This creature was no beast after all. Knights all spoke of his such a creature watched over them all but most believed it to be nothing more than a childish fable; yet here Hamish was looking at the stone that had come to life.

The bed dipped under his weight as the prince was set down. Never turned away from the creature tears began to stream down his face and the laughter had yet to halt in the least. Jumping forward thin arms snaked around the neck of the gargoyle to keep him from escaping. “Yer real. Ah always believed in ye 'n' 'ere yer,” he whispered not sure if he could even be heard over the sobbing and laughter that seemed to not be able to stop. This was all too much from the prince and yet he couldn’t be more thrilled.

Pulling away the prince practically fell from the bed as his legs carried him over to a chest that each of the trinkets he had received were carefully stored in. Gasping for breath he opened the chest and pointed at what it held inside. “Thae ur fae ye aren't thay?”
Question after question were coming to mind as the prince tried to decide what he wanted to ask the creature that had just saved him. It wasn’t that he wasn’t thankful but in his surprise and amazement a simple thank you had been long forgotten.

[Mathias Kolher]

It seemed to Mathias that no matter how silently he moved, it wasn’t enough to avoid being detected by this prince. Like the solid rock he was made from, Mathias stood perfectly still as the boy laughed and cried. Mathias was frozen, unable to move his body; a feeling like his stone body had decided to act like the hard, immovable material it was supposed to be. Never before had an innocent caught him like this, not since the day the Paladin laid the curse and put him on the top of the castle.

He watched the young prince cross the room to the cabinet that contained all the little baubles that was left for him through the years. An odd feeling past through him; one that he had never experienced before; one that made the spot in the center of his chest warm. Finally blinking, a matter of reflex rather than an actual need, he nodded to the man and let himself relax.

"I left those, yes. Little found items I have no use for, but thought you might." Carefully walking over to the cupboard, he reached in and carefully wrapped his fingers around a glass item, bringing it out. “I found this one…. Fifty years ago… I think that’s how you measure time… A lady dropped it just inside the forest.”

[Hamish Stuart]

It only made Hamish laugh more seeing the large creature freeze as if Hamish no longer would see the massive beast if it stopped moving around the dark room. It was all too laughable to him. Plenty of creatures had appeared before him when he escaped the castle but he would have never imagined one of the creatures in the area would be living atop of the castle looking over the residents. This was all too ridiculous for Hamish to handle without letting out snorted laugher as he clung to his sides trying to rid of the pain that came with his endless laughter. Even if humans weren’t afraid of creatures such as this one who would ever believe something like this would happen?

Who would believe that the legends were true after all of this time? Kids feel into a peaceful slumber to tales they believed to be false and yet it seemed they had come true for Hamish. The prince unfortunate enough to be born a halfling in a land that didn’t accept his king was the one faced with the true protector of his family. No knight could even have the honor of being in the gargoyle’s shadow.

Being able to display all the object locked away from the rest of the kingdom was enough to almost make the prince get caught up in another laughing fit. What fool would collect items given to them by a stranger as if it were someone confessing their love for him? It was too ludicrous!
Yet Hamish found himself displaying each of the items that he made sure to keep safe as he collected more and more of the gifts left for him. Never questioning too much where these items came from he insisted on keeping them safe and even cleansed of all dust or other filth.

Cupping his hands Hamish held them out for the glass to be placed in them so it could be returned to its rightful spot, placed in the order of when each item was given to him, it was important to keep the items as they had been presented to him. “How come wid ye haud onto it sae lang juist tae lea it fur me? ah wasn't even born whin ye hud tae hae fun o' thae hings.” None of this made sense, Hamish was a young prince and yet something had found gifts and held onto each of them for years before they could begin to offer the items as gift to the fairy prince. What made him unique enough to deserve gifts in the first place?

[Mathias Kolher]

This sound coming from the prince was odd, it almost worried the gargoyle. Searching through his memory banks, he looked for times where he had seen people doing similar. There was the thing that humans called.... crying, but that wasn't this. Usually the crying had multiple tears running down the face as well as a noise that many animals and creatures made when hurt. This seemed almost enjoyable... oh, that was it, laughing. But why was this prince laughing when such a formidable creature was in his room. He didn't understand it, and he knew it was probably something that he couldn't understand.

Letting the small figure go into the hands of Hamish, he watched as the figuring was put back on the shelf with the rest of the perfectly spotless items. Why did he take so much care of the small items Mathias had lent him.

How come wid ye haud onto it sae lang juist tae lea it fur me? ah wasn't even born whin ye hud tae hae fun o' thae hings.

Ah, so that was it. He found it funny that he was the one that got these gifts. Really, if Hamish were to think about it a moment, then could have figured it out on his own. But for now, he just shrugged and settled into his stance more. He didn’t need to sit, never really did as stone never got uncomfortable in once position… well it needed to adjust to keep its weight distributed equally. He still got tired when he flew too much or fought too long, though he still couldn’t figure that one out.

“I collected them because I could and a lot of them were shiny. I figured why don’t I keep them instead of them getting lost, and then when I found someone I knew would appreciate them the way they should be, that’s who I would give them too. When you were born, I recognized you as kin of a sort, I knew that I would give them to you when you reached an age to enjoy them.”

He was hoping that Hamish would stop making that… that laughing noise, it was odd and he wasn’t used to it. But if he was happy, then Mathias was happy.

[Hamish Stuart]

Tilting his head it showed Hamish was confused by the words, the laughter slowly stopped coming from his lips as he seemed to look at the situation that now presented itself. Once he was born this creature saw him as kin? What an interesting thought which brought up others to the surface as he continued to think. What if other creatures knew what he was? Could they smell it or could they simply feel it from the fae blood within him. Maybe it was simply the wings giving off a glow that alerted those around him and yet was far too faint for mortal eyes to notice. There had to be something! Slowly the room turned yellow giving a warm glow but his mind suddenly jumped thoughts. Something he could hide, something he could do so the humans wouldn’t kill him. The glow vanished and a black glow overcame him. Glancing at the floor for a moment he could feel the darkness curling around his wings.

“How did ye ken? Howfur kin ah hide it sae na yin else finds out?” His voice began to raise in a panic as he looked around the room like someone might be watching them.

Suddenly he stopped and looked at the stone being and darted from the room with a quick mutter of wait here. Returning a moment later he had a moistened rag and began to clean the stone before him. Washing off dirt that had built over time and trying to polish the stone.

[Mathias Kolher]

"How do ya ken?"

His stone lips parted to answer the question when the young prince darted off. Following him with his eyes, they widened when he returned and started trying to wipe the dirt off of him that the rain had yet to get. It was strange having someone was him for a change; someone actually caring if he was clean, planning on how to keep him clean and with company. A small smile appeared on his face without his intention. He knew that he would do anything in his limited power to protect this young prince.

"How do I know? Magic helps me know. How can I protect the kingdom if I do not know who the threats are? I can see magic, feel it in my skin... well... stone. I was born with magic and cursed with it as well. No one else should be able to tell unless you tell them. "

He turned his head to the side, just studying the young man. He appreciated the care, but was confused still. He had to figure out how other creatures thought. Was there a real reason for him to be clean? He doubted the sky during the day cared. And really, the only time he was active was at night and when he had to deal with those that intended harm to the castle and the surrounding town…. Would being clean make his enemies fear him more? Or were they more afraid of dirty, moving stone. All these things he never had to think about. It was times and thoughts like this that made him miss when he was an animal and didn’t have thoughts and didn’t know any better to what he was doing. At least then he didn’t have to worry about being clean and protecting a castle and being forced to sleep during the day, all of the life force left the stone.

"Why are you concerned with my appearance? Only you see me, and the rain washes me clean."

[Hamish Stuart]

The mention of a threat to the kingdom caused a small laugh to come from the young prince, his magic was weak and offered just as much harm to the kingdom as it offered help. Without it being said he knew it was not meant as he was a threat or anything of the sort, the protector would surely not have moved to save him had he been perceived as a threat to the kingdom or even just those within the castle. The constant changing of the color his wings gave seemed to be in part related to his age, his hormones seemed to make the constant changing moods and fear far easier to change in the blink of an eye. Being with such a being he felt no shame at the obvious change in his moods, he did not feel need to explain the colors or the intensity of each color having meaning. No, without a word of this he seemed to know that the guardian new much more than he would dare to day.

Calm began to set it as he continued to work to cleanse the stone of the filth that had not been washed away, working at areas that were likely shielded from the rain. “Then ainlie ye ken o' this, nae even mah faither. Th' king cannae fin' oot o' this!”

There was a laugh at the question because his answer was not one that even made sense to the boy and yet it remained his reason. “A'm proud tae hae ye as mah guardian 'n' as a prince th' hings ah care fur shuid be taken care o' tae shaw that someone cares. Th' castle 'n' th' kingdom ur tended tae as they're loved by mah faither. Even th' servants in th' castle as given claes tae wear instead o' rags as it's a shaw that thay haud importance tae us sae ye shuid as weel be given care.” For years the prince has been a rather quiet child afraid of being found out but now as he spoke his words were quickly uttered as though he was mindlessly rambling to make up for all those years he had not uttered more than a few chosen words.
Looking at the cloth the prince wrinkled his nose only know becoming aware just as filthy the moving stone had been from countless years outside. Moving back to once more dampen the soiled cloth once more before returning to continue to cleanse the stone. “Whit dae ah ca' ye? Ye mist hae a name, 'n' if ye dae nae than ah shall hae tae gie ye one!” It didn’t even cross his mind to mention his own name, people he had never met before always seemed to know it so why would the guardian be any different than all those court members?

[Mathias Kolher]

He could only keep watching the young prince, head cocking to the side as he was trying to decipher the laughter and the changing of color of his fluttering wings behind him. He had seen birds with wings, and butterflies… These wings most resembled either butterflies or the dragonflies that tended to nest on him to sleep. But those creatures didn’t have wings that changed colors like these did. There were no words in his vocabulary for all the different colors that danced across those wings, but they were shiny and near distracting to him. Especially the animal part of him that had always been attracted to the shiny. He was glad that his learning has suppressed that side, so now he could just get away with watching the fluttering and the ever changing colors that danced sparks in their wake. Really, that in and of itself was the best thing that he had ever seen. For all he knew, it was just something that happened when creatures such as the prince laughed and felt as joyful as he did in having someone near. Though he blinked and focused again as the cloth touched his stone skin, still confused.

“Then ainlie ye ken o' this, nae even mah faither. Th' king cannae fin' oot o' this!”

“…. Why would I tell the King? You’re the only one I’ve ever talked to... you’re the only one that knows that I can move and that I protect the castle. You’re the only one that know that I’m alive… well, so to speak at least. So, it’s our secret?”

He smiled with that, hoping that calmed the fairy down. He liked it when the man was happy and joyful, not so much the emotions he was projecting now. Was this what the others called being upset? If it was, he much prefer the brighter emotions, it left everything lighter and he felt like things were going how they were supposed to.

. “A'm proud tae hae ye as mah guardian 'n' as a prince th' hings ah care fur shuid be taken care o' tae shaw that someone cares. Th' castle 'n' th' kingdom ur tended tae as they're loved by mah faither. Even th' servants in th' castle as given claes tae wear instead o' rags as it's a shaw that thay haud importance tae us sae ye shuid as weel be given care.”

What kind of care would he be given? He didn’t wear clothes like humans did, he didn’t need them. He really didn’t even need the washing. But if it made the prince happy, the he’d let him. So now he could only nod and settled down to let the price wash him. It was Prince Hamish if he remembered correctly. If he could have sighed, he would have. But since stone didn’t breath, he just sat still, wondering how his stone skin felt under the rag… was it hard? Soft? He didn’t know.

“Whit dae ah ca' ye? Ye mist hae a name, 'n' if ye dae nae than ah shall hae tae gie ye one!”

“I’ve usually just been called the guardian… or the monster… the nightmare is another one. But.. I guess you mean like yours? I was a monster before I was cursed, and didn’t have a name, I was just a creature of darkness, bent on destruction and bloodlust. But… if you want to call me something… then you can chose. Did the Paladin call me something in the stories that were passed down about me?"

---

Hamish Stuart ~592 words~

[Hamish Stuart]

While hearing that he wouldn’t be ratted out to the king was a relaxing notion there was more sadness that came hearing the creature hadn’t spoken to anyone else robbed him of the relaxed feeling. To live possible centuries without anyone being there to speak to sounded miserable to Hamish, he often spoke to the servants and snuck from the castle in search of someone that would listen to him. It was more than surprising that someone lacking company had been seated above him at all times. No one gave attention to the being that guarded him and the kingdom without faltering. The twitching wings began to alternate been a deep black and blue as if his feelings were fighting with one another to be the more dominate feeling. As he spoke the colors continued to swallow each other black turning blue dark only for a light wave to fight away the darkness attempting to consume.

“Howfur kin ye staun spending sae muckle time alone? Ah kin hardly be kept locked in mah room fur mair than day afore a'm making attempts tae escape or convince a servant tae speak wi' me thro' th' door.” Stepping away he once more went to the wash room dipping the cloth into a bucket to rewet the now stained cloth before returning. Working mostly at the creature’s face he was attempting to remove enough grime to learn the true color of the stone. With a bit more effort he managed to make the stone feel smooth, the rougher texture was no longer caked in the elements. A kiss was placed on the cleaned stone as the small prince giggled a bit. The darkness had been vanished from his wings giving them a brilliant blue glow that could be seen coloring the walls of the room.

Sighing he should have guessed the creature wasn’t going to have a true answer for him, who could say how long he sat above the castle after being cursed. “Th' paladin called ye Mathias bit if that isn’t yer name ye shuid be permitted tae name yersel'. You’re mah guardian nae a pet.” There was a little laugh again as Hamish imagined trying to claim such a being as a pet. Has the king entered his room and saw the sleeping stone he might begin to doubt his son was the most normal of children but he had to know that by now. The prince was often considered unique, something he understood as being a kindly veiled insult more than a compliment.

“We shuid break yer curse.” The words were said as if the prince had already decided their plan of action.

[Mathias Kolher]

“Howfur kin ye staun spending sae muckle time alone? Ah kin hardly be kept locked in mah room fur mair than day afore a'm making attempts tae escape or convince a servant tae speak wi' me thro' th' door.”

"How?"

He just shrugged with that. It wasn't a big deal to him. He hadn't had anyone to speak to him before, so it wasn't such a big deal. He kept to himself, fought and caused problems. HOnestly, he couldn't remember a lot of the old days except fighting and darkness. This was a lot nicer compared to them, especially since he got to move aorund and to bother the guards; that was fun for him.

"I never spoke to anyone as a creature of the darkness, so why should I be expected to speak to anyone like this. Most of the time I'm stone and have no thoughts. When I'm awake, I'm searching, or playing pranks, so I see no real loss. But I do enjoy talking to you like this."

He didn't get why the little prince giggled like that after placing a kiss to his cheek, but perhaps it was the novelity of the whole situation. Who would have ever thought that one would be kissing the gargoyle that set on top of the castle.

"He called me Mathias... I like that name. I think I'll contine to use that. So please, just call me Mathias. That sounds like a good name for a protector."

NOw he stood and bowed to Hamish like he had seen the other guards do. This seemed right and now he had a name. This night was looking better and better. A name and a new friend, this was more than he could ever ask for.

"We should break your curse."

Blinking at him, he was surprised to hear that come from the prince.

"... Only if I'm able to retain a humanoid look. I'd rather not go back to being full animal, creature of the dark. I rather like being able to walk around and speak.

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Hamish Stuart