Sookie Stackhouse sighed in relief as she slipped her shoes off by the front door, and took her hair out of it's high ponytail. She padded into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine, while she listened to the voice mails on her home phone—all of them were telemarketers. Who would be calling her anyways?
She didn't bother pouring another glass, but just took the whole bottle of sweet mixed berry wine with her to the bathroom, and ran a steaming hot bath full of bubbles. She laid her head back on the side of the tub, and closed her eyes. The bad thing about baths, though, is they make you think. Sookie had a boring life, if she was being honest with herself. She was still just a waitress at Merlotte's Bar & Grill. She lived in her old rundown farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. She didn't go to college, because she couldn't afford it. Her life was already dull, and she was only 22 years old.
She stayed in the bath until the water was cold, and then she climbed out and put on her robe. She walked to her room, and picked up the most recent romance she had been reading, and slipped off into a world of Valkyries, gods, and handsome viking warriors. She sighed, again, wishing that she
could have a life as exciting as the heroin of her story.
Finishing a few more chapters, Sookie closed her book, and went to sleep, dreaming dreams of vikings and shield maidens.
Little did Sookie know, Odin was listening that night, and decided to grant the young woman's dreams.
When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to find the sun shining in my face. I groaned, and rolled over, trying to pull a pillow in front of my eyes, but was surprised to find that there was no pillow beneath my head. I was surprised, but just figured that I threw it off my bed in my sleep. When I finally opened my eyes though, I was shocked. I wasn't even in my room anymore.
I sat up, not caring about the brightness of the sun anymore, and took in my surroundings. I was lying on the grass in the middle of a field, right next to a river.
"This is too fucking bizarre," I said to myself, finally standing up and wiping the dirt off of me. "This has got to be a dream."
I walked over to the river and splashed some water on my face, hoping I would wake up, but what I felt was terrifying. The water was cold on my face, as if I was awake. Before I had any time to process this, however, I heard a booming voice come through the woods ahead of me. There was nowhere for me to run, so I stood my ground. What's the worst that could happen if this was just dream?
Seconds later, a group of men came walking out of the forest, and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw me. I look down, and noticed I was still wearing my nightgown.
"Titta, Eric, en jänta från hora hosue! (Look, Eric, a wench from the whore house!)" said of one of the men, slowly walking up to me. I stood my ground, prepared to fight, when a commanding voice came from the group.
"Hon är ingen hora. Och även om hon är, kommer vi inte röra henne. Vi kommer att få henne tillbaka hem (She is no whore. And even if she is, we will not touch her. We will get her back home.)," he said, walking up to me, and touching my cheek. When spoke next, I was surprised to hear myself speaking their language.
"Thank you, sir," I managed to say, looking at the ground before me.
"What are you doing out here alone?" the one named Eric asked me, taking in my disheveled appearance, and probably outlandish looking clothing.
"To be honest, I don't know how I got here. I must have blacked out..." I trailed off, slowly realizing that I was not in a dream. This was real. My fear was real, the water was real, and the hand on my cheek was most definitely real. That's when I began to panic. "Please, I just want to go home. Please, take me home," I began crying, clinging to him for dear life.
"Girl, where is home?" Eric asked, looking uncomfortable.
"Bon Temps, Louisiana. Please, just take me to an airport, and I'll get a flight, and go home," told him, as I started walking to the woods where they came from. I looked back, and he wasn't following.
"Girl, I don't know what you're talking about," he said carefully, "we are Northmen, Vikings. I don't know what a Louisiana is."
"No, you've got to be kidding me. What year is it?" I asked, finally noticing his clothes. He was dressed in a type of brown leather armor, carrying an enormous well-used sword at his hip.
"I do not know what year it is. We do not keep track here like many of the large cities," he said, looking at me like I was slow.
"Look, buster, get me to a phone, anything, so I can call somebody to come get my ass home!" I yelled, finally over the game that he was playing. "And my name is Sookie, not girl."
"Sookie, I will take you back to my village. You can eat and rest in my home, and I will do my best to return you back to your home as soon as possible. This I swear," he said, tilting my chin so that I was looking in his eyes. I nodded, and waited for him to take the lead.
He had me walk beside him, and told me that his village was no more than an hours walk away. He and his men were just coming back from hunting when they found me, so they needed to get back so they could prepare the meat before it spoiled. I didn't tell him anything about myself, because I needed to find out what I was dealing with first.
When we finally arrived at the village, I gasped. I wasn't in Kansas anymore, that's for sure. There were many small longhouses set up by the river, where just as many fishing boats were set up. The village was surrounded by vast mountains, and the water was of the deepest, purest blue. I could hear the sound of animal life, and could see the men and women working hard to survive. But the ship I saw in the river is what sold me. It was a huge viking ship, adorned with intricate designs. I was really in the world of the Vikings.
Eric looked down at me, seeming confused as to what was so shocking to me. I guess in his head he thought that I should be used to seeing these things on an everyday basis. He tapped my arm, and gestured for me to follow him, when he led me to a longhouse set apart from the others. It was slightly larger, and it was newer looking. Inside, there was a large fire pit in the middle of the room, and a chair set up at the front, so this must have been their meeting hall. The further in we got, I saw the rooms for sleeping, and Eric showed me to one, and said that I could call for one of the servants for any of my needs.
Sitting down on the bed, I decided that there was no point in trying to get home, because there was no home. I decided to just figure it out as I went along, and hope for the best. When I emerged from the room, I could smell something cooking, and saw Eric sitting in the chair at the front of the room.
"Who are you?" I asked him, noticing how handsome he was.
"I am the Earl of this small village. My name is Eric Northman," he said, gesturing to himself. "And you are? "
"Well, I'm Sookie Stackhosue. I'm a waitress. I'm 22 years old," I told him, unsure of what else to say.
"Well, Sookie, it is a pleasure to meet you. You are very beautiful, if you don't mind me saying so," he said, raking his eyes over my body.
"Thank you," I said, suddenly feeling self conscious. "Do you think any of the women here will have anything for me to wear while I am here?"
"Of course," he said, "I will get one of the ladies in the village to bring you some clothes."
About 20 minute later, a young woman about my size came into the room carrying a pile of clothes. I went to put them on, and immediately felt better. They were not exactly comfortable, but who was I to complain? I went back out to see Eric conferring with the other men from the hunting party. They seemed to be arguing about something, but when they saw me, they all became quiet. Eric called me over to him, so I did as he said, and looked at him expectantly.
"My men believe that you showing up here is a prophecy—a prophecy that we have had for a long time. They believe that you are sent by the gods," he stated matter-of-factly.
"Uhm, well, I guess I wouldn't know. I don't know how I got here. I'm sorry, but I can't give you any more information than that," I said uncertainly.
"That woman is out of line, addressing you like that, Earl," said of the men. "She may be a prophecy, but she better remember her place."
Placing my hand on my hip, I said, "Listen here. I am going to say what needs to be said. Your Earl doesn't seem to have a problem with it, so you best keep your mouth shut."
The backhand that hit me almost knocked me off my feet, it came so hard, and I could feel the tears forming behind my eyes.
"Andre," Eric said, looking at the man dangerously, "you will apologize to the lady, and you will suffer sever consequence for what you have done. All of you, get out of my sight. I wish to speak to Sookie alone."
When everybody was gone, Eric tilted my chin up so he could see my cheek, and he touched it tenderly.
"What were they saying about a prophecy?" I asked him, looking into his eyes.
"That the gods will send a beautiful woman from Valhalla—one of his Valkyries—and she will signal the change for the course of history, forever."