Desdemona

My name is Desdemona. I’m a gargoyle and a princess. Most people call me Des, except my parents and grandparents. My parents call me Desi for some reason and my grandparents call me Mona. I prefer Des. I’m almost 19, the age when gargoyles meet their life partner. Unlike the other members of my kingdom, I wasn’t hatched in a rookery and I know my parents. That’s only because I’m of royal blood. Unless you’re a member of the royal family, you don’t know your parents and you’re hatched from an egg in a rookery. It’s basically a nursery for gargoyles. My best friend was hatched in the rookery the same day I hatched in the palace. Technically, we’re sisters, even though she’s common born. Those of us in the royal family have no blood siblings. Royal parents are only blessed with one egg in a lifetime. Common gargoyles have to apply for a special license to get married, have an egg or adopt a child. My best friend Kamara wasn’t ever lucky enough to be adopted. She was considered by some to be evil because her eyes were a strange color. Most gargoyles have yellow eyes, except for royalty. Our eyes are red. Kamara’s eyes are green. No one has ever seen a gargoyle with green eyes, not even the oldest members of the kingdom. There was also nothing in the ancient texts about one either. I didn’t care about her eyes. She was the most fearless person I know. She was also a great warrior. I know because we had attended warrior school together. It was highly unusual for a common born gargoyle to get into the school, but Kamara had somehow managed to do the impossible. She is brave, strong, trustworthy, funny, bold, daring, and the best friend a princess could ask for. She was also tall for a female, standing at close to 6 feet. I’m a shrimp compared to her at 5 feet 1.5 inches. I have long red hair, royal grey skin and red eyes. Kamara has long flowing black hair, white skin, and green eyes. To me, she’s beautiful. I was jealous of her straight hair. Mine is very frizzy and poofy, especially when it rains. I hated it. Two days until I’m 19 and Kamara and I are in town so that I can buy a dress to wear for my party. It’s the day when I will be crowned the queen, with or without my life partner. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. We were at the mall checking out the different stores when all of a sudden, something caught my attention. “Kamara, did you see that?” She just shook her head. I probably imagined it then. We finally got to my favorite store; Garlane. It caters mainly to my kind, but they also have a human clientele. Humans and gargoyles have coexisted peacefully and in the open for a few decades now. Thankfully, I wasn’t born during the time of conflict between our two races. We walked into the store and were immediately greeted by the sales staff. Dimani, my favorite sales gargoyle, came over and said; “Hey, Des. Are you ready for your party and coronation in two days? I’m so excited! I got my invitation last week. I was expecting you months ago for your dress.” I replied; “I was supposed to come in 8 months ago, but some things came up and I was unable to come in. I went to Ireland with my parents at the last minute to get some things from our ancestral home for the coronation and my birthday. I looked for a dress there, but there was nothing that I liked.” She nodded in understanding. She then led me over to the new gargoyle dresses. They were absolutely exquisite. I looked through them and found the most perfect one! It was like a Renaissance style. It was a deep green velvet with silver trim. It had a corset style bodice. I thought of the dress worn by Bette Midler in that human movie Hocus Pocus. I grabbed it and went to the fitting room to try it on. Kamara and Dimani came with me to help me put it on. They waited outside while I stripped down to my skivvies, then I opened the door and let them in. Dimani removed it from the hanger and lifted it up over my head. I raised my arms above my head. Kamara gently grabbed the bottom of the dress and guided it down over my body. Dimani lowered it until it covered me. I lowered my arms and put them in the sleeves. Kamara helped me slip my arms all the way in and pulled it up. Then they both went behind me and began tightening the corset. I yelped when it became too tight. “Sorry girl! Let me loosen it for you.” Before I knew it, the bodice loosened enough for me to be able to breathe and move about easily. I looked in the mirror and was left breathless. I looked beautiful. I just had to figure out how to style my hair. I was happy that I had found the perfect dress for my coronation. They helped me get it off and then stepped out so I could get dressed. After I had my street clothes on, I came out of the dressing room and went over to the accessories. Just then, I felt a gentle tug on the bottom of my right wing. I looked down and saw a chubby human child. I knelt down to her and asked; “Yes, dear child?” “Are you weally a gawgoyle miss lady?” she asked. I smiled at her innocence and saw that she had freckles. “Yes, I am. I’m not just a gargoyle though. I’m a princess.” Her eyes got big and round. “Wow! I didn’t know there were gawgoyle pwincesses!! That’s so cool!!!” I smiled even bigger. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by dozens of little human girls. They were fascinated by my wings, hair, fangs, horns, tail, and talons. The first little girl said; “This is my fwen. She’s a weal pwincess. Her name is” she stopped and looked at me and asked; “What’s your name pwincess?” “My name is Des.” I told her. “This is my new fwen Pwincess Des!” The girls were even more fascinated by that fact. Another little girl asked if she could touch my horns. I lowered my head and she felt them. I looked up with my head still lowered and she had a look of wonder and amazement on her face. Just then I heard a woman saying; “Okay girls. Leave the nice gargoyle lady alone. She came here to shop, not to be bothered.” Their little faces fell. I stood up and said to the human; “It’s ok ma’am. I didn’t mind at all. They were just curious and I was happy to talk to them. They’re cute little girls.” She smiled and said; “What do you say when someone tells you that you’re cute, girls?” “Thank you Princess!” They all answered. I blushed. The woman looked at me again in confusion. “Yes, I really am a princess. Actually, I am the princess. In the gargoyle royal family, there is only one child born every generation. I have no brothers or sisters. I’m to be crowned queen in two days.” My new friend gently tugged on my wing again and said; “Pwincess Des, my name is Maggie. Can I come to your birfday party? Please?” I didn’t know what to say. It was a special celebration and only gargoyles were allowed to attend. I thought quickly and replied; “My party is actually late at night, but I’ll have a special party that you and the other girls can come to. Is that ok?” She just smiled really wide, showing me her gap. She was missing her two front teeth. She nodded her head and turned to the woman. “Mommy, can we please go to Pwincess Des’s party?” Her mom told her that it was fine with her, but she needed to get permission from the other mommies. I pulled a card out of my wallet with the address on it and handed it to her. “My name is Liz. It’s nice to meet you Des.” We shook hands then she gathered the girls and they left. “Girl, you handled those human kids really well. You’ll be a great mom someday.” Dimani said. I sure hoped so. I found the jewelry I wanted and paid for it and my dress. I had to wear the family crown and jewelry for my coronation, but what I had just purchased was cheap stuff, basically what humans call costume jewelry. I grabbed my bags, found Kamara, said bye to Dimani, and headed out of the store. Next, we went to my favorite human store, Bath and Body Works. They had just started selling a line specifically for gargoyles and I was excited to try it. It featured lotions, lip balms, and body mists formulated to work with our unique body chemistries. We went in, leaving our bags up front with the sales lady. She put them in a special room and gave us a ticket. She did it with the human customers behind us too. I grabbed a mesh shopping bag and headed straight for the gargoyle section. I was immediately drawn to one called Celtic Nights. Since I knew what nighttime in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales smelled like, I would know if it smelled right. I grabbed the tester and one of the little papers and sprayed. It was awful! I started coughing and gagging. A sales girl came running over. “Is everything ok, miss?” She asked with concern. “You might want to let someone know that this smells nothing like nighttime in Ireland, Scotland, or Wales. I’ve been to all three countries several times, even to the countryside and never smelled anything like this body mist. It smells horrible!” I replied while trying not to gag too much or puke. She apologized and suggested another fragrance. I found one called Misty Morn. I grabbed the tester and another little paper. I spritzed it and it smelled very good. It actually smelled like early morning in Ireland! I grabbed the body mist and matching lotion. I also discovered candles in the same scent. I grabbed several candles, wax tarts, and a wax warmer that was shaped like a four leaf clover. The sales girl’s eyes just about popped out of their sockets when she saw my bag. I just shrugged and told her that I really liked the smell. She then showed me that it came in shower gel as well. I had to get some! I threw four bottles in my bag. Kamara looked at me like I had lost my mind. Maybe!! She hadn’t found anything in the gargoyle section that she liked, so she went and stocked up on her favorites in the human section. We both had a serious love of candles, especially her. Just then, I caught a flash out of the corner of my eye. I turned and stood face to face with an absolutely delicious male. I looked closer and realized that he was human. I was disappointed and evidently it showed. “You look rather disappointed, miss. Do I not please your eyes?” He said with a slight accent. “It’s not that. I felt really drawn to you for some bizarre reason, but then I noticed that you’re human.” I answered. He stepped back after he got a closer look at me and asked; “What are you? Of course I’m human!” I told him that I’m a gargoyle and a princess. He promptly fainted. Before I knew what was happening, paramedics were surrounding us. “Des, what happened? Is he ok?” Kamara asked. She had gone to the bathroom before I had seen the human. I explained to her what had happened. “Oh man! This isn’t good, girl!!” I looked at her confused and asked her what she meant. “Dude, the reason you felt drawn to the human is because he’s your life partner! This has never happened before. No gargoyle has ever been joined with a human.” I looked at her as though she had lost her damn mind. “Say what now, Kamara? How could I have found my life partner? How could it be a human, of all things? I’m still 18 and haven’t been crowned queen.” She just shrugged and nodded. “I’ve been reading up on the life partner bond a lot lately. My research shows that sometimes when a gargoyle is close to being of age, he or she can find their life partner. Sometimes it’s a gargoyle, sometimes it’s another supernatural being such as a werewolf, vampire, witch, or warlock. There is absolutely no record of a gargoyle being joined with a human.” I was totally and completely shocked. Why was I joined with a human? How would it even work? Our genetic makeup is totally different! We no longer turn to stone during the day, but still. Would our child be hatched from an egg or be born the way humans are? For that matter, would we have more than one child? I needed to get back to the castle and talk to my parents. I made sure that the human was going to be ok, then I grabbed my shopping bags and Kamara. I told her that we needed to get back home. She nodded in agreement. There wasn’t much of a breeze, so we couldn’t glide home. We could fly or glide, but I knew with my heavy shopping bags, it would be best if we went home in a human taxi. I hailed the first one I saw and told him that we were heading to the castle. “Des, girl is that you? It is you!” She turned around and I saw that it was my favorite human, Morganna. “Morganna! What the?! Since when are you a cab driver?!” I said in shock. “I’ve been a taxi driver for like six months now. It’s fun! I meet all sorts of interesting people and gargoyles.” Driving a taxi was fun? Surely she must be joking! “Did you get my invitation? I hope to see my favorite witch there.” “Girl, you know I wouldn’t miss your special day for anything! I already got the baddest outfit!!” Kamara and I just laughed at her enthusiasm. We got back to the castle and the head of my guard, Thundera was waiting for us. She opened the back door and said; “Welcome home, Princess! I trust that your shopping trip was a success? Judging from the number of bags from Bath and Body Works, I’d wager that it was.” I replied that it was indeed a success. I promised to show her my dress once I had spoken to my parents. “They’re in the drawing room enjoying their afternoon tea.” I thanked her for the information and headed inside with Kamara on my heels. I handed my shopping bags to Sulema (who just so happens to be Dimani’s sister and my personal assistant). She told me that she would take them to my room right away and hang up my dress. I nodded and went in search of my parents. Kamara was right behind me. We got to the drawing room and found them just as Thundera said. “Ah! My darling daughter!! Home at last from her latest shopping trip. Hello, Kamara.” She bowed to my father and then greeted my mother. “Mother, Father, I wish to speak to you about something.” They looked at each other and then at Kamara and I. “I think I have an idea what’s on your mind lass.” Even though my parents have lived in America several years, they still have very thick Irish accents. “I found my life partner today at the mall,” I hold up my hand to stop them, “he’s human. How can it be? We’re not even genetically compatible! Kamara said that she’s done some research on life partners, but never has a gargoyle, royal or common, been paired with a human!!” “What do you mean that your life partner’s a human?! That’s not possible!” Bellowed my father. My mother laid a gentle hand on his arm and said; “Are you sure lass? Kamara’s absolutely right. No gargoyle has ever had a human as their life partner.” I explained that I had been feeling as though someone had been watching me the whole time at the mall. At one point, I had turned around and ran right into a solid wall that turned out to be a very masculine chest. I felt so drawn to him, as though I had always known him, but then I realized that he was human. I also told them that he had felt drawn to me, but had fainted when I told him that I was a gargoyle princess. They said that they needed to consult the elders in Dublin so that we would know what steps to take. Kamara and I both agreed and left the drawing room. We headed upstairs to my room. All of the members of the royal family lived on the third floor. The maids, butlers, and ladies in waiting all lived in the second. And finally, the kitchen staff lived on the first floor close to the kitchen. I had the whole east wing to myself. It was actually great. Most of the time, I wanted my solitude. After the day I had had, the only ones I wanted around were my bestie Kamara and Thundera. We sat on my bed and talked about the shopping trip into the city. I showed Thundera my dress and told her about my encounter with the human. When I got to the part about him possibly being my life partner, her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. “Wait, what?! How can that happen?! No gargoyle has ever been joined to a human in all of recorded history! This is insane!!” My thoughts exactly. I just hoped that my parents and the clan elders could come up with a solution. The human was alright, for a human. I preferred males of my own kind; fangs, talons, tails, horns, no horns, wings. I had more questions than answers. I eventually changed the subject to my upcoming party and coronation. I told Thundera about the adorable human girls and their reactions to me being a princess. I also told her that I wanted to have a special birthday celebration for little Maggie and her friends. She said that she would get right on it. I knew that if anyone could put a last minute party together, it would be Thundera and Kamara. They were the best friends a gargoyle could ask for. I was excited by the prospect of hosting a party for the little ones. I wanted to have cake, ice cream, punch, balloons, streamers, and games. I was thinking pin the tail on the donkey (I read that it was a popular game at human birthday parties), a piñata full of different kinds of candy, a balloon race, and maybe a spa for them to get their nails done. I was planning on a Disney princess theme. They would love that. There weren’t many gargoyle princesses. Besides, Maggie and her friends wouldn’t know them anyway. Thundera agreed to go into town the next day with Kamara to pick up the necessary supplies. Just then my phone dinged. I had a text from a strange number. I opened it and saw that it was Liz, Maggie’s mom letting me know that the other moms had given their consent and would be attending the special celebration as well. The grand total was 20 (10 girls and 10 moms). It was going to be a small affair, but it was going to be fun. We all fell asleep in my huge bed. Early the next morning, we all got up, showered, dressed, and went down for breakfast. After we had eaten, Thundera and Kamara left to head into the city for the cake, ice cream, punch ingredients, and other necessary items for the party. It was going to be held at 12:00 pm so that the girls could have lunch. I made sure that they got chicken nuggets and French fries (the current favorite foods for all 10 girls) as well as the other stuff. Since they were going to be in the city, my training was cancelled and I had a free day. I went to go find my mom and the cooks to let them know about the party the next day. My mom was in the pantry with Cookie, our head cook. I let them know and my mom said that it sounded like fun. “Desi, by you doing this, it shows that you have a gift for bringing our two races even closer. It also shows that you think on your feet, which is a necessary quality in a leader. I would like to attend this delightful event.” I told her that she was more than welcome to. Cookie said that she would make sure that everything was taken care of. I knew that she would. I smiled and excused myself. I then went to the stables to visit my horse. He was a solid black Arabian named Sable. He had been a gift for my 16th birthday. I entered his stall and he immediately head butted me. I just laughed. He was mad because I hadn’t been to see him recently due to all of the preparations for my upcoming coronation. I nuzzled him, gave him an apple, then saddled him for a ride. When I rode him, it was just like flying. I got such a rush when I let him have his head (run at a full gallop). We ride for several hours before we turned back. When we returned to the stable, I gave him fresh water and oats, then I gave him a good rub down. Once I had taken care of him, I put away his tack and left the stable. I saw a taxi pulling up and knew that Thundera and Kamara were back from their trip. I waved to them as I ran. I couldn’t wait to see what they had purchased. I helped them unload the taxi and carry everything inside. We took all of the food to the kitchen and put everything away. They had purchased everything I had asked for. I knew they would. They had also picked up small gifts for the girls as well, such as baby dolls and matching accessories. “The lady at the toy store said that human girls love baby dolls. I told them about how old I thought they were and she suggested these dolls with the matching accessories. I think we should leave them unwrapped so that they can pick which one they want.” Said Kamara. She’s so thoughtful. I hoped that she found her life partner on our birthday. He would have to be a great warrior to be worthy of her. All gargoyle males are strong, but not all are honorable, good, and kind. They are good and bad in every race, including the supernatural. We took the decorations, candy, piñata, dolls, and games to my room. Once we got there, we sat on the floor and began opening the bags of candy to put in the piñata. They had found one shaped like a crown. It took all 50 bags to fill it. I couldn’t believe it took that much! Once it had been filled, I put it in my closet and threw away the empty bags. “What did you do while we were gone, Princess? I hope that you had a pleasant day.” Thundera said. Even though we’re friends and were in my room, she insisted on using my title instead of my name any time that she spoke to me. I had given up long ago trying to convince her to call me Des. She was set in her ways, even though she’s only three years older than Kamara and I. I was really looking forward to this party tomorrow afternoon. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and talking. We went to the castle spa to get our talons and wings done for the ceremony the next night. I told them not to make our talons too sharp because there were going to be human children there tomorrow afternoon for a pre coronation party. Our wings needed to be massaged with special oils for the coronation. I was enjoying the pampering. Normally, I didn’t do all that girly frou frou stuff, but I was expected to this time. It was nice once in awhile, but not every two weeks like my mom and our ladies in waiting.