Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to True Blood, HBO, etc.
Ba bum…Ba bum…Ba bum… Ba bum…
"Are you still there?"
"I'm listening to your heart beat… I can feel it. Every pulse, through your skin into mine… If I lay still and think about nothing else… It feels like my own heart is beating..."
Ba bum… Ba bum… Ba bum… Ba….
"Eric!?" My eyes shot open as I sat up in bed. I panted and gasped for air. Beads of sweat formed at my brow. "It was so…real…" I trailed off and took another deep breath before falling back onto my pillow. I closed my eyes. The image of his face was still fresh in my mind. To think after 100 years I still feel his lips against my skin. I still see him smiling next to me on a fur covered bed… snowflakes in his eyelashes. I clutched the floral pattern silk sheets in my hands and pulled them up to my chest. I desperately wanted to find my way back into that dream… But that was when I felt a warm tongue lapping at my hand.
I smiled allowing myself to open my eyes. "Good mornin' Laila. Did you sleep ok honey?" She tilted her head to look at me with yellow eyes just before she yawned and let out a little squeak at the same time. I rubbed her gently behind her ear for a moment before swinging my feet out of the bed and bounding across the floor toward the wardrobe. "C'mon darlin. You better shift and get dressed for breakfast." She shook all over like she was shaking water out of her coat, but I knew she was just shaking the sleep out. In just a few moments a pretty little blonde haired girl sat naked on my bed. Her gold ringlets hung at her waist. "Good mornin' Momma."
My daughter sat across from me at an elegant round table that was carved from the trunk of a large tree, between us an arrangement of wild flowers and fresh fruits. She swung her bare feet to and fro beneath her seat as she coiled the hem of her white sun dress around her index finger. "Laila, put your dress down and sit like a lady."
"Sorry Momma." She smiled at me as she peered over a tall floral center piece. I smiled back and quickly looked away hoping to conceal my thoughts… It was moments like these that I was happy she took after her Daddy and not me. I continued to eat in a mechanical kind of way. My body in the present, my mind traveling to the past.
It was just before Laila's sixth birthday. Screams filled the night air... but there was one scream in particular that was seared into my mind. Even after he stopped breathing, it was so hard to let go of Alcide's hand and walk away. I don't know how many times Sindri must have called my name before I turned to look at him.
"Sookie! Sookie!? Sookie! come now! We must go before the portal closes!"
I gripped Laila's hand in mine tightly and took Sindri's hand in the other. I nodded. There was no question about what I had to do. Protect Laila. It was just that simple. Nothing could be more important. I glanced back at Alcide's lifeless body one last time as we walked away. I had no tears. It wasn't that I didn't love him… I think I just got used to people dying. In a flash of light we were brought to a realm of the fae. If it weren't for the small amount of fae blood running through my veins and the fact that I was the last of a royal line... well Laila and I might be gone by now too.
The sound of bare feet padding across the stone floor broke into my consciousness. I looked up to see Sindri approaching us. He bowed his head slightly.
"Princess. It's time. Queen Mab awaits you."
I nodded to him in reply as I stood up from the table. Laila stood as well and was about to tag along with me when I put my hand out to her. "No, no, Honey. You wait here with Uncle Sindri. Momma will be back real soon." I shot her a reassuring smile.
"Ok Momma." She smiled back and walked over to take his hand. He led her back to the table and her breakfast, I made my way through the double doors of our suite and closed them behind me before heading to the throne room. I knew this day was coming... I just didn't think it would be so soon. My heart began to pound a bit as I reached the throne room doors. Not because I was afraid of Queen Mab. Granted, our first meeting could not have left her with a great impression, even still, it was not her that scared me. It was what she was expecting me to do... I reached out to place my hand on the ornate door handles but they opened before I could even touch them. Two handsome male fae stood on either side. They smiled at me in a charming way, but that didn't fool me. I knew what they really looked like. I walked straight past them without giving them another look and slowly approached the throne.