AN: Thank you all for reviews and alerts. Such feedback means a lot and it very motivating. Big thanks to keiman and kei for fixing my mistakes.
Pronunciation's clues: in word "Nawoja" (Nah-Voy-yah) – 'w' is read as 'v' and 'j' is read as 'y'.
Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TRUE BLOOD OR SVM. MOST CHARACTERS WON'T BE MINE. THEY BELONG TO HBO AND CHARLAINE HARRIS
Chapter 3
Fairy Tale
SPOV
"Would you tell me about your absence?" asked Eric quietly and I groaned, cuddling into him more firmly. That simple question was bringing me back down to earth and I was not yet ready for it.
"Maybe we'll talk about this later?" I suggested, raising my gaze and smiling at him in, hopefully, a flirtatious way. Something akin to hesitance appeared on his face and I used the opportunity to distract him. I rolled us over on the bed, sitting on him and making sure that our strategic points were touching.
I almost tasted my victory but suddenly Eric rolled us back and I ended up under him. He raised an eyebrow his typical manner. "That was a nice try, lover but I have to be persistent."
I sighed and patted his chest. He got the hint and moved next to me, leaving my body. Eric might be full of self control but my fragile fairy libido was going crazy.
"Can't blame me for trying…" I mumbled.
"Sookie?"
His tone was very serious this time and when our eyes locked, I almost gasped, seeing a cold fury present in his gaze. "Was this old fucking fae treating you badly? If he did, I will have his…"
"Eric." I told him firmly before he went wild. I outlined his cold lips with my finger, smiling gently and trying to calm him a little. "I was not abused at any way." I assured him, deciding that there was no point in describing Evan's methods. Someone might find his ways of teaching somewhat abusive. Maybe even I would have thought so a few months ago. Now, I was smarter and more aware of my character. I acted like an A-class bitch and I was treated the same way. It was nothing if not fair. "I have nothing interesting to tell… That's all. Let's be honest. Every day of my time spent in that other realm was the same. I woke up, I ate, I practiced, I listened about our ways and rules, I ate, I practiced, I slept…"
"Didn't you bathe?" asked my vampire, sniffing me and I giggled. Eric smiled broadly and I hung my arms around his neck. He was too handsome to resist when he was smiling… My lips almost touched his when Eric moved a little away from me. "Please, continue."
I groaned, mumbling some unladylike words under my breath.
"I have better control over my light now." I told him, allowing Eric to hear my displeasure. I wanted nothing more but to fold my arms and make a pouty face. I restrained my immature side though. "It still has to be unloaded from time to time so I have to practice a lot. If I try to hold it inside for too long, I will have to face another explosion."
"We can practice together." he offered excitedly. "I need some practice in avoiding fairy light."
That was a very tempting offer but highly hazardous in my opinion. "I don't doubt your skills, my Viking…" I started softly. "But my light is still unstable. I have problems with adjusting it. When I shoot, I usually do it with all I got. I'm scared you will be hurt too badly if it was to reach you."
My vampire looked thoughtful for a moment. "We will have Preston to keep an eye on things for us."
I opened my mouth but he raised his eyebrows, challenging me. "Eric, don't be stubborn."
"Lover," his voice was like velvet and it traveled straight to my lady parts. "If I am to protect you, I have to be ready for anything. No offence but if I can't escape from the light of an untrained fae, I cannot protect you from others."
His tone was sincere and Eric's intention was pure. Still, his belief that I was completely 'untrained' was hurting my ego. I promised myself that he would taste his own medicine at our first sparring.
"Fine. Do you wanna hear more?"
"By all means, my sweet fae." He propped his body on an elbow and smiled at me.
"I learned how to teleport as you saw. Landing is troublesome from time to time but I'm getting better with every teleportation. I cannot move for long distances though. Five miles tops but according to Evan it's still impressive."
I felt proud, remembering the first praise I had heard from my teacher. Well, he said that as a 'Brigant' that I should aim higher but it was the first time he hadn't called me a name. That was praise in my book.
"For some reason, teleporting living persons is easier for me than teleporting objects. No one knows why but objects usually end up in pieces…"
"Wait a second…" He raised his eyebrows. "Theoretically, I'm not a living person…"
"Oh, seriously?" I grumbled. "Did you lose a limb? No? Then stop digging!"
My vampire chuckled and I cursed in my head. I had promised myself not to use any of Evan's sayings but some of them were pretty catchy.
"Next, I'm pretty good with controlling my attracting power. Clearly, I hadn't thought to channel it and that's exactly what I should have done."
"So? No more men losing their cool around you?"
"Not if I don't want them to…"
"That fae who was with you at the clinic…" started Eric slowly. I bit down on my lower lip not to giggle at his obvious jealousy. "Your cousin, right?"
"Yes - Claude. He's a brother of Claudine, my fairy godmother. As you may know already, she has gone missing. We suspect she is somewhere here and he insisted on a search party."
"What do you think? Do you believe she's somewhere in the human world?"
Eric's question was innocent but answering it could be very complicated. How should I explain to him that there was a misunderstanding between Niall, who believed Claudine to be a traitor and Claude, who was defending his sister with all he's got?
"I don't know. But I want him close, just in case," I said slowly.
"You don't trust him…" stated Eric and I sighed.
"Let's say that I believe that he is ready to do anything for his sister. And…" I took a deep breath. "… we cannot be sure if his sister is on our side."
"She awakened your powers and then just disappeared?" inquired Eric and I could see how fast his brain was working on it. "That's suspicious."
"Niall thinks the same way but I don't want to accuse someone without evidence. She could be a victim."
Judging by Eric's expression, he didn't share my opinion but he didn't push it.
We were lying there for a moment just enjoying our close proximity. "How much do you know about the situation with wolves?" questioned Eric and I heard some worry in his voice. The reminder of these events made me almost shake with anger. It was good that I could be angry but not blinded with my light, otherwise the whole room would be crashed.
"I was informed about everything." I confirmed. "I don't like that fairies are involved. If it's the Water Clan, then we could have a serious problem. They are…" I was searching for the right word to describe their dealings with fairies that they believed to be unfaithful to their ways. "… merciless." I looked up at Eric and I saw confidence in his eyes.
"We will deal with them."
"Of course we will," I said, annoyed. "They are in pieces after the last war. If they think that they can come into your area, hurt humans and jeopardize…"
"Lover," Eric put his hands on my shoulders and squeezed gently. "Calm down, your eyes are getting shiny."
I closed my eyes for a moment trying to gain more control. "I would not blast you," I assured him.
"I know."
"I shouldn't keep my anger inside me. It's unhealthy."
"I know."
I put my face into his chest, inhaling his scent. It was working. I was calming down. "I'm just worried that they started it because of me." I whispered weakly. I have been believing that to be true ever since Evan first told me all about lycan, fairies and brownie healers. Now, finally, I had someone I could share my guilt with.
"I don't think so, Sookie. It was a long term dealings, it'd started before you gained your fae spark."
I knew it was the logical explanation but something was telling me that I was one of links in this monstrous chain of events. I just didn't know where I was placed.
"You need charms," I whispered.
"We will soon have them."
I looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry. Niall should have seen to it sooner."
"Nah." Eric didn't look worried. "If Nawoja (Nah-Voy-Yah) was delaying, even your grandfather's hands were tied."
"You sound like you know her…" I murmured, feeling a gentle sting of jealousy in my belly. I wondered if they were lovers.
"I have only met her once… It was a very unfortunate meeting."
I sat more comfortably, watching him carefully. Eric was watching a comforter with a suspicious fascination. He looked almost ashamed."Would you tell me?"
I hadn't been answered for a long minute and I was about to forgive him for being pricky when my Viking eventually sighed.
"To make a long story short - when me, Godric and my younger vampire sister were travelling across Europe, we ended up at Nawoja's lands. They have very strict rules there and are rather mistrustful against outsiders. The territories of vampires and humans aren't marked. We were sure that we were still on Germany's lands but…" He shrugged.
"So, you crossed their border without permission?" I précised.
"That would be forgiven, I think. But my sister, who was still a newborn back then, attacked a woman. She almost killed her. Before Godric and I were able to stop her, a female was almost dead and, unfortunately, she wasn't just an ordinary human woman."
"Who was she?"
"She belonged to the family that Nawoja had under protection. We messed up." Eric shrugged at this but I could see the anger in his gaze. "We could have, of course, tried to fight the vampires that appeared almost instantly to imprison us but we would have ended up dead. There were just too many of them and some were even older that Godric. So we decided to try to negotiate. Godric hoped that Nawoja would understand that it was a newborn attack and would be merciful."
"Was she?" I asked but I already knew the answer. If she would have been merciful, Eric wouldn't have been so worried when he mentioned the queen. I was curious to know if Eric's sister had been killed.
"At the end, yes, she was. We all survived but she wanted blood and blood she got. Godric offered to take all the blame and punishment on himself but his offer was declined. Mine wasn't."
I raised my eyebrows. "You were punished? But you did nothing!" This sense of injustice angered me.
"Nora was mine and Godric's responsibility. We hadn't stopped her." Eric shrugged once again like it was no big deal.
"What did she do to you?" I was getting very anxious to find the answer.
"To be exact, she didn't even smack me, her lackeys did. They skinned me."
I needed a moment to get a grip after what Eric had just told me. "Skinned you?" I repeated, feeling all of the blood flowing from my face. "Skinned you?!"
"Yes." Eric even smiled. "I was tortured many, many times but that was the worst. However, I have to admit that their hospitality got the better of me. I was well fed afterwards and even my injures were properly treated."
I knew I would have to visit that uptight bitch and I knew I would have to fight the urge not to blast her right away. I couldn't imagine that something like that had been done to my Eric. Who the Hell would do a thing like that?
"Sookie…" I turned to my vampire when I heard a warning in his voice. "You cannot blame her for that. She did what had to be done; I would have acted in such a manner as well had I been in her place."
"Still," I tried to argue but Eric kissed me and I forgot for a moment why I was so angry.
"She's on our side. Remember to be nice to her. Nawoja is clearly in a good relationship with your grandfather. It would be foolish to ruin it because of something that happened centuries ago."
"Fine." I rolled my eyes. "I will have to stop myself from saying something to her that is… unladylike." We sat in silence for a moment and eventually I took a deep breath. "I am travelling there tomorrow." I said hurriedly, watching Eric's face for a sign of… displeasure?
That made Eric frown. "Very fast…"
"As you said – she has stopped delaying. It's our opportunity. While I was driving to hospital, I got a 'To Do List' from Niall." I moved next to Eric and looked up at the ceiling. "First, I want to eat breakfast with my Gran, next I will go to see if there is anything left of Liam Flood's brain and in the afternoon I am going for a plane ride. I am so embarrassed. Niall has a jet…" I whispered, waiting for Eric to be as surprised as I had been when I had first found out. Unfortunately, he only raised his eyebrow and said "And?"
"Aren't you surprised?"
"By what? A jet?" asked my vampire and corner of his mouth twitched. He was having fun with me.
"Duh, a private one!" I was so excited when I had first learned that Niall had a plane and now that he knew, my Eric was so indifferent.
"Sookie, even I have one." My vampire embraced me and kissed my forehead. "I'm pretty sure that the King of Fairies has a few."
I felt hot blood flowing into my cheeks. Suddenly I felt silly. Fairies could call me a princess but I was still a small town girl that was crazy excited with the concept of having her own plane. Suddenly I realized just how wide is the chasm between us. He is a thousand years old vampire and I was still a 25 years old waitress deep down- with a royal title.
"I can feel that you are embarrassed, lover." Eric reached for my face and I raised my chin to look into his eyes. "I was worried that the fairies had spoiled you but you are still innocent, modest and polite. You are still my Sookie and there is nothing embarrassing in being excited by anything that is new for you. I would love to still have this… inexperience inside me. Thanks to you I can once again feel it."
I sighed and kissed him gently. "I'm worried, Eric. Niall is expecting things from me. He is building a residential complex…" I moaned and buried my face in his chest. "Fairy Friendly! And he wants me to oversee this… Do I look like Bob the Builder to you?!" I exclaimed.
Eric chuckled gently and patted my head. "I can see you as a bitchy boss, lover." I raised my gaze and glared at him. "I said rustic, not rusted!" he said suddenly with a phony Southern drawl and a suspiciously high voice. I gasped. I was outraged.
"Are you mocking me?!" I punched him in the arm but he was laughing so loud that he probably hadn't noticed.
Afterwards, I smiled at him. Eric really knew how to make me feel better. I put both of my hands on his chest, focusing on how I felt about Eric.
I trusted him, I felt safe while he was next to me, I desired him and I liked him.
My hands started to glow softly and he groaned when all my emotions were transferred to him. Before I finished, I was on my back and Eric was again inside me, all traces of his amusement gone.
He slid his fingers through my hair and raised my head to his neck.
"Bite. Drink." Eric ordered simply and I did what he had asked of me. I really didn't know how to deny him anything.
We parted half an hour before sunrise. Preston was waiting for me in my car and he was waiting extremely patiently when you considered how hard it was for me to part with my vampire. We were very close to dry humping each other on the hood of my car when my guard finally lost his tolerance and cleared his throat loudly.
Eric glared at him and said something in Swedish which caused Preston to smirk a little and shrug. It almost looked like they were fond of each other. It was very nice that Preston didn't comment on my choice of clothing which was a hotel bathrobe. Perfect guard.
My Gran started to cry and she almost hugged me to death when I woke her up, holding her breakfast tray. She wanted to know everything and just like with Eric, I only told her the most important things. No one had to know the details, it's the effect that was important.
It was around ten AM when me and Preston left for the warehouse where Liam Flood was being held. The fairy assured me that we were having Jackson Herveaux blessing to question young Flood and that packmaster's son, Alcide, will be there to let us in. It was fine by me as long as he was not going to stay in the same room during the reading. My telepathy was still a secret.
The ride ended when we stopped in front of the abandoned warehouse somewhere down by the docks. Before we got out of the car, Preston handed me a pair of leather gloves. It was clear that some anti-fairies' measures were put in place here.
Two grim-looking weres instantly came over to us and I heard from their thoughts that despite the fact that Liam Flood is a worm, they were unhappy that their brother was being treated in this manner.
I gave them the most endearing smile I could muster up. "Good morning, gentlemen." I greeted them, outstretching my hand to them. It was a small gesture of trust and respect that surprised them a little. "I'm Sookie Stackhouse."
The werewolf with a beard was the first one to lower his guard and greet me back. "Danny, ma'am. This here," he pointed at his colleague who stubbornly kept his fists in his pockets. "is Simon."
"Pleased to meet you. Sadly, circumstances are very unfortunate…" I stayed quieted for a moment and Danny shrugged. Clearly, I hadn't met the most polite or communicative weres on the Earth. "I was informed that Alcide Herveaux, the packmaster's son, would be waiting for me."
"Yeah, he's inside, ma'am." Danny tilted his head in the direction of the door and I smiled broadly.
"Thank you."
Preston was following me like a silent shadow and he opened the door for me. I was very grateful when he did it. They were covered with a new layer of pure iron. It would not stop a fairy to emerge inside but it was good protection from a teleportation.
I was able to localize Alcide's mind as well as the two fairy guards standing at the entrance to the next room. Seeing me, they both bowed deeply and I acknowledged them with a nod. One of the lessons I was taught by Evan was that fairies need to have someone to rule them. I was arguing with him but after some time when I saw how… excited and proud were fairies when they could say that they had a princess, I dropped my stubborn act. It was like with the Great Britain citizens. Even in this age of democracy, they have seen something interesting in having a queen, even if it was only for show.
So I stopped fighting with them after a few weeks. When I asked to be called Sookie and not the princess, there was something sad in the fairies' eyes. It was pointless and almost cruel on my part to take away from them a reason to be proud.
Alcide was the first to walk closer with his hand outstretched. "Nice to meet you." he said and presented a blindingly white set of teeth. "Alcide."
"The pleasure is all mine," I assured him, returning his greetings with a big smile of my own. He seemed nice and there was nothing vile in his thoughts.
He rocked back on his heels for a moment, glimpsing in the direction of the fairies. They were watching him like they were dreaming of slaying him.
"Should I bow?" he mumbled and I realized that he was slightly scared. Even if he and his father had been informed of the existence of fae kind, this poor werewolf was outside of his comfort zone.
"No," I told him simply. "Call me Sookie and please, just act naturally."
"Okay." Alcide cleared his throat and pointed at the next set of doors. "He's there. We kinda… clean him to not…"
I raised my eyebrows patiently waiting for him to finish a sentence. He was far too nervous. I checked his mind once more and I almost rolled my eyes. His attention was focused too much on my chest and the fact that 'my eyes were hypnotizing him'.
"I appreciate it." I interrupted and nodded to Preston who went to open the door for me. "It will be better if I question him alone."
Alcide gulped. "About that… Father forbids me to leave Liam alone, without at least one were in…"
"Mr. Herveaux," I said sharply and his eyes opened wider. I allowed shreds of my light to surround my body. I was probably looking quite intimidating with the bursts of pure energy erupting from my skin. Alongside of me, with my light, the guards started to shine as well. "That part is not negotiable. We all want to extract some information from Flood and I will not be able to do it with you or anyone else in the room."
"The deal was…"
"That wasn't a deal. It was your father's order, the one that wasn't discussed with me or my King. But fine…" I raised my hands. "Gadael i fynd." I ordered my people and they instantly left their stations. Alcide turned around with a shocked expression.
"What are you doing?" he asked on the verge of panic.
"I asked them to leave. If you don't want the help of my people, I will not force you. Just keep in mind that when others like us will try to recapture Liam from this warehouse, your only protection will be a layer of iron you put on the doors. It will stop no one." I didn't wait for his answer, just walked away.
The werewolf fisted his hands and I heard a soft crack. "Wait…" I heard when we were in the middle of the room. I stopped, not turning back to him. "If my father asks, I will tell him we were there together. Just don't hurt him…"
I glanced at Preston who shrugged his shoulders. Damn, my poker face was getting better and better.
I waved my hand and the guard walked back to their places. Alcide looked like he no longer liked me. That was a shame. "Sorry if I was harsh," I told him quietly leaning closer to his ear. "But it's important for all of us. this is not the time for your father's pride."
We were looking in each other's eyes for a moment and eventually Alcide nodded. I have to remember him. He was reasonable and reasonable was good.
Liam Flood looked like a shadow of the man that I had seen at the barbecue three weeks ago. If they were feeding him, they had to do it symbolically or he just didn't want to eat. There was nothing but skin and bones to create his body but it wasn't his unhealthy form or the cuts visible on his body that were showing his true condition.
I have never seen eyes so shallow and empty. The boy was lying on the bed with arms and legs bound to the frame. His head was hitting a pillow rhythmically.
I sat next to Liam and watched him for a moment. Emptiness. There was nothing coming from his mind. I have never met a person that would not think at all.
I braced myself and put my hand on his forehead. I was instantly surrounded by darkness and void. I focused on the places in his brain that weren't damaged but I couldn't find more. After a few minutes I balled my fist and hit the mattress with frustration. The movement made him lose his rhythm and for a moment Liam stopped hitting a pillow. I watched like he's taking action again after a second.
It wasn't just a mechanism, it was a deliberate activity, I realized. It was for me like a juicy bone for a dog. I once more tried to search his brain, now focusing on the more primitive places.
When the first image assaulted my mind, I gasped.
I could feel Liam's fear being backed to the wall, dagger on his neck and female fae smiling cruelly. Next, I saw a laboratory he always dreamed about. He was proud that he was chosen to strengthen werewolves. A small man was speaking to Liam but it was like someone had muted a video. I saw a movement but I heard nothing.
Next, I felt a wave of disgust. Disgust because of what had been done and repulsion that Liam had agreed to do this.
The last thing I saw was a cold object being shoved down his throat by a male fae who looked like the female I had seen earlier. And then there was nothing but acceptance and almost robotic obedience.
I felt a jerk on my arm and my hands lit up. I calmed myself when I saw that it was Preston who was touching me. I took a few calming breaths and forced my light back.
"My lady, are you well?" he asked but his voice was strangely fuzzy. I looked around the room and saw fairies and Alcide watching me worriedly.
"I'm fine," I assured him. I was slightly annoyed and I frowned when I tasted something salty in my mouth. I reached to my face and cursed. There was a small trickle of blood flowing from my nose. Preston handed me a handkerchief without a word. "I didn't find anything new." I admitted with a sense of defeat.
"At least you tried," said Alcide and I should probably have thanked him but I wasn't in the mood.
I had a clear picture of a brownie that had dragged Liam into this though. I needed someone to draw him out.
"We have to leave. Thanks for your help." I said and I nodded to Alcide who was still watching me worriedly. He walked closer to me and I could hear from his head that I looked like shit.
"Will you be fine? Maybe we should…"
"Step back!" said Preston sharply when Alcide's hand reached out to me.
I have never heard my guard sounding that venomously before this moment. The werewolf glared at him but his hand dropped without any further argument.
When we left the warehouse and drove outside the docks, I asked Preston to stop the car. He did as I asked without asking why and he didn't move while I was emptying my stomach at the side of the road.
We sat in silence for a moment and finally he broke it. "Are we still flying?"
"Of course," I told him simply. "Godric and Eric both need charms. First though, I need someone who knows how to draw."
Preston raised his eyebrow. "I have a gift in mind," I continued. "Custom made, just for Nawoja." I murmured. "I saw the brownie that she is searching for so desperately."
My guard only sighed. "You have to be careful, my lady. Don't taunt her without a reason," he warned me softly.
"Niall told me she likes plays. By the way, she skinned Eric alive."
Preston sighed again. "Maybe, I will find someone to frame a picture."
AN: So, what do you think? There will be more details about Sookie's training when Evan will pop in for a visit. I promise you – it will be some real stuff :)
Next chapter "With the Visit" will contain some Nawoja's POV.
Till next time and please, leave a review.
