DISCLAIMER : Gargoyles belong to Disney and whoever. This is an unofficial fanfic, and the normal characters do not belong to me. However, Hester, Aneurin and any other character not on the show are mine.

The poem 'One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,' belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien, not me.

Also, don't take anything I say about Tolkien's novel to heart. I'm doing this fanfic MY way, so don't try to connect my fanfic with Tolkien too much. I changed some things around, so if you want to read his Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, read it and forget anything I said about it.

By the way, this is a REALLY short fanfic that sets the scene for what is to come in my future writings.

A KIND OF DEDICATION : To Fester and Steele, who suffered with this, believed in it, read, cared, cheered and encouraged, stuck pins in sinister dolls, heard confessions, gave absolution and usually paid for smokes. With Love.

Reach me at pippin_elf@yahoo.com

" The future is never absolute, always depending upon the choices of mankind."

Pippin Sgaileach

"Prophecy" By Pippin Sgaileach

Castle Wyvern

Just After Sunset

Takes place the night after "Cymbeline's Wrath".

" Hey, Brooklyn," Elisa said, coming up to Brooklyn and Lexington. The sun had just set and the clan turned to greet Elisa, as she was usually there when they woke up.

" How do you feel?" she asked. Brooklyn rubbed his eye, which was now a metallic silver colour, minus the pupil. A large scar crossed his face, which had a grim smile on it.

" Still can't see," he said. " Probably got an ugly scar there, too." Elisa nodded in agreement and sympathy.

" Yeah, you do." she said bluntly. Brooklyn chuckled.

" Oh, well." he said. " Shit happens. I just wish I hadn't stepped in it." Then he paused, as if listening to something, or someone.

" Listen, me and Lex gotta split, so we'll see you later. Right Lex?" Brooklyn turned to Lexington as he jumped off his perch.

" Yeah, see you later, Elisa," Lexington said, as the two started into the castle.

" Huh," Elisa said, as she and the clan watched the two hurry off. " I wonder what's up their tails?"

**************************

Castle Wyvern Library

The first place Brooklyn and Lexington went was the library. That was where Hester had told them to go.

Just a few moments ago, when they had been outside talking to Elisa, Hester had called on them.

~ Hey Kids!~ Hester had said. ~ We need to talk. Go to the library. Now.~

Then they had made themselves scarce, knowing that Hester was going to say something important to them.

Now, they had just locked the doors to the library so no one could get in. The clan was used to it by now, because Brooklyn and Lexington did it a lot.

The two made themselves comfortable on the floor and began to concentrate. They closed their eyes, and when they opened them again, they were on the Third Plane. The Third Plane was a spirit plane, actually.

The Spirit plane is another existing world, like the afterlife. People ( and gargoyles ) with magic go there to talk with ghosts and other creatures that have died. It is the place you go before you ascend to whatever place you are supposed to go when you die.

~ What's up Hester~ Brooklyn asked, when they saw the silver, beaked gargoyle. ~ You wanted to talk to us?~

~ Yeah. It's about that Ring you have there,~ Hester replied. He waved his hand, and a book appeared, floating in midair. It's worn, pale brown cover opened and the pages began to flip.

When it stopped, Hester pointed to the page and said, ~ Recognize this?~

They looked closer, and saw a picture of a dark grey ring, made of stone. It was large, large enough to fit on a gargoyles arm, like an arm bracelet. Brooklyn jumped in surprise.

~ Hey, that's this!~ he cried, holding up the ring that matched the picture. Hester nodded.

~ Yep. Now look at this.~ he said. The page flipped again. This time, when the two looked, there was an inscription on the page.

~ What does it say?~ Lexington asked. Another voice intruded.

~ It says, 'One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.'~

Hester, Brooklyn and Lexington turned to see Aneurin standing near. She smiled faintly.

~ It is only two lines of a verse long known in Elven-lore :

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

She paused, then said slowly : ~ This is one of the Dwarf-lord's Rings. It was one of Seven that had been given to great Dwarf-kings who guarded them. The Three, fairest of all, the Elf-lords hid from him, and his hand never touched or sullied them. Nine he gave to Mortal Men, and ensnared them. They fell under the dominion of the One long ago, and became Ringwraiths, shadows under his great Shadow, his most terrible servants. It is many a year since the Nine walked abroad, yet who knows? The Shadows grows once more, so they may walk again.

So it is now : the Nine he has gathered to himself; the Seven remain with their bearer, and the Three are hidden still. That no longer troubles him, for all he needs is the One; for he made that Ring himself, and let a great amount of his power into it's creation so he could rule all others. If he recovers it, then he will command all the others, the Three included, wherever they may be, and all that has been wrought with them will be laid bare, and he will be stronger than ever.~

~ Sounds like a Tolkien novel~ Lex said under his breath. Aneurin smiled slightly.

~ In a way, Lexington, it is,~ she said quietly. ~ Tolkien's story of Middle-earth is somewhat true. Events in his written novel did actually happen, and everyone was once alive and a part of the adventure. Sauron, who was the Dark Lord, did try to conquer Middle-earth, and failed. The only fault, however, was that the One Ring wasn't destroyed, as it should have been. To the knowledge of everyone of that time, it was destroyed. But it survived. The Gods know how, but it did.~

~ Who is the Dark Lord?~ Brooklyn asked. Aneurin frowned.

~ My father.~ she stated simply.

Brooklyn and Lexington stared. Aneurin shrugged.

~ But why would he want to kill us, if we're decendants of his?~ Lexington asked.

~ He will not stop at anything to get what he wants. You may be his children, as am I, but he will not tolerate interference. He will make exceptions, though. Not very often, but he will.~ She paused. ~ Like for Aurora.~

~ Oh, and what are WE supposed to do with this?~ Lex asked, pointing to the Ring.

~ You said there were three Rings for Elven-kings, or something like that. Then there was seven for Dwarf-lords, nine for mortal men and one for the Dark Lord. If we have one of the Dwarf-lord's Rings, which is it?~

~ You have the first of the Dwarf-lords Rings.~ Hester said. ~ The strongest one. The one that only the leader can use, because it is the symbol of Life, and the leader is the Keeper Of Life.~

~ Oh.~ Lex said. ~ So what do we do with it?~

Hester sighed. ~ You have to keep it away from the Dark Lord. If the Evil One gets his hands on it, then you will not find the other Rings, and Life will cease to exist. The others are the Keepers of the other Rings.~

Brooklyn frowned. ~ What others?~ he said.

~ The others who will have to fight with you, the other Ring-bearers. The holders of the other six Dwarf-lord Rings.

The second of the Dwarf-lords' Ring's symbolizes Love. Without Love, there would be no reason to protect. The second Ring-bearer is the Keeper Of Love.

The third Ring represents Friendship. You're friendship will have to be strong enough to withstand the trials you must go through. The third Ring-bearer is the Keeper Of Friendship.

The fourth Ring represents Knowledge, which is you, Lexington. You are the Keeper Of Knowledge.

The fifth Ring represents Reliability. All of you must rely on each other to defeat the Dark Lord; none of you can go it alone. The fifth Ring-bearer is the Keeper Of Reliability.

The sixth Ring represents Hope. Without Hope, nothing is possible. The sixth Ring-bearer is the Keeper Of Hope.

The seventh Ring is the Ring of Courage. You will need Courage to face the Dark Lord. The seventh Ring-bearer is the Keeper Of Courage. Together, all seven Rings create the Staff. All of the Ring-bearers must hold the Staff, and use it to defeat the Dark Lord.~

~ How do we find these other Ring-bearers?~ Lexington asked.

~ The first Ring will lead you to them, but only if you know how to use it. You will not find them all in the order of 2 to 7. You may find the sixth first, or you may find the second. It doesn't matter, as long as you all are together. There is a book on Avalon that will tell you how to find them; I don't think Oberon will give you any trouble if you borrow it.~

Brooklyn and Lexington winced. Even though they and Oberon had become friends, ( well, 'friends' may not be the word for it but they tolerated each other ) Oberon had let them come to Avalon to use the books on magic. Neither of them wanted to go, though, if they had a choice.

~ Okay. I guess we have to, then, huh?~

~ Yep.~ Hester said. ~ Well, we've gotta go, kids. Be seeing you guys soon!~

~ Bye, grampa, grandma!~ Brooklyn and Lexington said together. Hester and Aneurin threw them an amused glance, then vanished.

~ Well, let's get back to the real world,~ Brooklyn said. They closed their eyes, and when they opened them again, they were back in the library.

" I guess we're going to have to go to Avalon, then," Lexington said. Brooklyn nodded.

" Well, let's get going then. I don't want Goliath to know what we're doing."

With a flash of light, the two disappeared, reappearing on Avalon a few seconds later.

They headed up the steps to the castle to ask permission to take the book, knowing that what lay ahead of them would be a challenge, and possibly their last.

THE END

So, what do you think? E-mail me with questions, comments, flames......ideas would be nice, too.

pippin_elf@yahoo.com