A/N: Thank you for all of your kind reviews. This chapter was a toughie – It's a good thing that Appius was around to help! So, I thank you for your patience, and I gift you.. an Appius POV.

Just wanted to thank my incredible betas VampLover1 and S. Meads . I swear they are like champion iron chefs – expertly adding a pinch of this, and a dash of that:)

Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to the Sookie Stackhouse Series or the HBO series True Blood


It has been called many names in the millennia of nights I've walked this earth.

Heart. Fight. Will. Strength of character.

Choice.

It was the gods' greatest gift to humanity.

But modern civilization is all rules of what's right or wrong. Today, the majority of the human race believes that responsibility means giving up your greatest freedom: the choice to make up your own mind.

These mindless sleepwalkers are but mere shells of what humans were meant to be.

These sad specimens like to have their decisions made - what's right and wrong, what to wear, what to believe.

They are so easily frightened. Yet, it is very easy to calm them, as long as you give them something else to believe in. You have to be careful though – their minds are so easy to toy with, you can easily move things around in their heads. They don't always recover from that.

They are so bland – they can become quite boring after a few hundred years.

But there are those rare few among them who are different. They know that which separates them from the rest of the vermin crawling the earth – whether human or other species.

Free will.

They are easy to spot. They shine like the silver light of the moon in the dark, starless sky.

By their fellow humans, they are referred to as steadfast, opinionated, unshakeable, intractable, yet also derided as headstrong, inflexible and ornery.

Those that cause the most "trouble" are even called insubordinate, unbending, unreasonable, uncompromising.

They truly love life – you can see it glistening in their eyes. And their greatest fear, whether they consciously know it or not, is the loss of choice. Because it would be like losing the very essence of their life force.

Oh, but that life force is delicious. It's a delicacy.

To exercise your free will is to touch the divine within you. That's why I've always been attracted to the fiercest warriors - and that is why, when I found Eirikr over a thousand years ago, I gave him the choice.

Even though I was physically far away from my child, I could feel his pleasure and sorrow through the bond. I traveled to his dreams, into his heart, attempting to soothe him. He had let someone into his heart, but she did not yet know her own.

I had to help my child. I had to remind him of those truths I thought he learned years ago - that no one, not even the divine, liked to look into someone's eye, just see themselves reflected back.

The joy of capturing that great wild creature was not to break their will, but to ensnare their very soul.


Appius stood next to Pam, surveying the dark room filled to the brim with the insipid sleep-walkers. What an uninspiring smell – the sour yeasty odor of too much alcohol mixed with stale smoke, drenched in cheap perfume too liberally applied.

"So who would you like for dinner tonight?" Pam purred, barely able to conceal the boredom in her voice as she glanced around the room at the dismal possibilities.

Did it really make a difference?

"You pick," he replied, a mischievous grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I think I am in the mood for a three-course meal tonight."

Just a few moments after he sat down on the curved black leather couch, Pam approached to deliver his unspectacular yet adequate evening meal. It was a good thing he was hungry, otherwise, he wasn't sure if he could have worked up an appetite for this most necessary distraction. After all, he would be much less conspicuous watching the room with his face buried in someone's neck.

Appius absentmindedly tapped the seat to his right, motioning the young goth couple to sit besides him. They seemed to be in their 20s, with dyed blue-black hair, unmemorable brown eyes, and pale skin that probably saw the sun rarely. How could they reject the god-given right to enjoy the glorious warmth of the sun? Appius forced himself to not shake his head in disgust; unless they were the type to burn easily, he just could not understand humans' hostility towards the sun.

As they passed by him to sit on his right side, he noticed the most deliciously adorable woman-child that Pam had brought for his third course.

Oh no, he thought, this little one would most definitely have to be his first meal of the night. He always did have a sweet tooth. There was no reason to save the best for last.

She was tiny yet curvy, with dark almost-black hair that sparkled with glints of red when the light hit it. He found himself cursing the almost non-existent lighting in his child's bar. Her hair was cut short – almost as short as his. It was tucked on one side of her head, but the longer strands fell over her face on the other side, almost reaching her ear, flipping up rebelliously at the ends. He really didn't care for this boy style that seemed to be so popular these days, but it strangely suited her – it accentuated her impossibly young, child-like features – fat, pink lips, extra plump cheeks and impossibly large almond-shaped eyes. They twinkled brightly behind brown-red thick-rimmed glasses, stylishly accented with a rose engraved on one side.

How had he missed this treat when he looked over the room earlier? He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, wondering if she was old enough to be in the bar. As delicious as she seemed to be, he did not wish to do anything that would jeopardize his child's standing with the humans in the community. But no, Pam ensured that all patrons were carded, so this one just must have the irresistible beauty of youth clinging to her.

He licked his lips with anticipation, just then noticing that she had stood frozen in place , alarmed at the look of suspicion he had directed her way.

He warmly smiled at her with his eyes, patting the empty spot on the left side of him, inviting her to sit. She straightened up awkwardly, as if snapping lazily out of the blank stare of a daydream, and moved slowly towards him. Sitting beside him, Appius gasped softly as she turned to gaze into his eyes.

Her eyes!

They were an enchanting deep blue-green, but had a multitude of little brown specks spreading from the center. The brown bits reminded him of tiny flames of fire, barely drowning in a sea of water, but still struggling defiantly to the surface. They shone with the fire of her fierce strength burning deep within her.

Appius placed his hand on her stomach, in that curvy spot where the waist goes in, resting his caressing thumb just below here breasts. He chuckled with satisfaction when her body responded with a sharp gulp of air, her lips parting with want. He leaned forward, bringing his lips close to hers, so that they almost touched. "Your eyes have the most unusual coloring" he whispered over her lips seductively, looking into them with curiosity and desire.

She closed her eyes tightly, trying to hide them in her embarrassment, while she inclined her head downward, unconsciously exposing her neck more, and bending it at such an angle that her collarbone protruded. The vein in her neck pulsed irresistibly.

"Yes, my parents always liked to argue," she admitted sheepishly. "They couldn't even agree on what eye color to give me." Her voice died down to a barely audible mumble, as her eyes became distracted by his lips languidly parting with hunger.

He grazed his lips along hers and her hot nervous pants of breath exquisitely caressed his mouth.

She arched her back towards him, wordlessly asking for more. He happily obliged by biting down savagely on her lower lip, immediately taking it into his mouth,sucking at it greedily. He raised his hand to nestle the back of her head, bringing her closer to him.

Her response was immediate, moaning hungrily, her greedy hands stroking the hard muscles of his stomach through the thin fabric of his shirt. As their kiss deepened, he moved his other hand up her waist, and moved her to straddle his lap, while he continued rubbing her skin softly, matching the seductive rhythm of his sucking.

He could feel the other humans stir uneasilyon his other side. Oh, no, he would not allow them to disturb his enjoyment of this rare treat. He turned his head towards them, wrenching it away from the girl grudgingly, even if just for the briefest of moments.

Appius quickly dismissed the couple with a swift movement of his head and arm. The pathetically disappointed look in their eyes was easy to ignore as he eagerly returned his full attention to the girl.

Her skin was deliciously flushed and her lips were parted, impatiently awaiting his return. He briefly thought about the fact that public feeding was not the wisest choice. Feeding off humans was illegal, but only if they weren't willing donors. As much as he would have preferred to enjoy this girl somewhere more private, in many, many ways, he knew he had to be out here in case his child encountered any trouble.

Appius's eyes clouded over with desire when she opened her eyes to look up at him. The brown specks in her eyes had multiplied and grown. The fire within her was breaking through the surface, her eyes glowing with the heat of it.

He crashed his lips onto hers violently and teased the soft flesh of her breast, playfully squeezing her hardened nipple. Her whole body shuddered violently, pushing him over the edge. Groaning into her mouth, he dug his fingers deeper into her hair, pulling her head back and lowering his head down to that deliciously exposed neck.

She slid her hands around his waist, grinding against him. He allowed her to move herself closer to him, sinking his fangs hungrily into her pulsing neck, closing his eyes with the pleasure of her sweet taste pouring down his throat.

Magnificence! The radiant, delicious sweetness of her consumed him. Oh, how he'd missed this rare delicacy of the life and love-filled human heart.

He was so overcome by the bliss of the nearly-forgotten flavor that he almost missed his child's voice, faintly floating from across the room.

"What can I do for you, Victor?" Eric asked, polite respect shielding his annoyance at the uninvited visitor.

Appius opened his eyes cautiously, locating his child at his booth. A rather small man with curly dark hair sat elegantly across from Eric.

"I am here to follow up on the tiger's unauthorized visit," Victor answered in a silky-smooth tone. "The king wanted to give you a say in his punishment."

Appius grunted in frustration. Ah, so this would be Felipe's second. Appius instantly recognized him from the description Pam had given him the night before, when they had reviewed the possible challenges that might arise over the next two nights.

Appius closed his eyes again, returning most of his attention to his meal. He tenderly massaged her scalp, while his other hand caressed her thigh. She writhed under his talented touch, moving in even closer, allowing him to focus his hearing on the conversation at Eric's booth without anyone realizing he was doing so.

"I have dealt with the tiger, and we have come to an understanding," Eric answered. "I will be satisfied with whatever punishment the King sees fit."

"I will be sure to pass that along, then. The outcome will depend, of course, on Felipe's assessment of your betrothal."

At Victor's predatory accusation, Appius seethed with fury, closing his hand tightly around her hair, pulling her head back roughly. He opened and raised his eyes to see Eric's reaction, withdrawing his fangs from the girl's neck with an angry hiss.

Eric questioned Victor with his raised eyebrow, holding back his anger and words wisely so that the King's representative could explain himself.

Appius loosened his grip on the woman's hair, his tongue lapping at the wound lazily as he watched the exchange closely.

"My master finds it quite perplexing that I had to explain to Miss Stackhouse that she had just officially married you. He is concerned that she is being forced into something she does not want."

Appius moved across the room with blinding speed. He was standing in front of Victor before Eric could even respond.

Things were about to get complicated.


A/N Dun, dun, dun... What, oh, what, will our beloved Viking do? Hope you all enjoyed the apov!