After

A/N: Well hello dear readers and those of you who have ever so graciously given me a kick up the backside and encouraged me to continue this story. This is a tiny little segway into what I can only call a shit storm. Enjoy, review and please feel free to message me. I will also be looking to collaborate on a few chapters in the near future if any of you are interested.

She could see that they were talking, their lips moving to form words, smiles and smirks galore. Sookie however had fazed them out long ago and was currently trying to get the 6 down on the crossword that Claude had handed to her.

The Royal court had been assembled a day previously to attend to matters of the up most importance. So far they had settled three land disputes, a naming dispute of a child and ten claims of intellectual theft. Sookie had been allowed to leave for a mere hour to visit Eric and report her woes to him again about the hotel.

"My love," he sighed watching her redress.

"Why do you not take me seriously?" she demanded.

"You are currently hopping around trying to put some stockings on," he grinned. "That is why."

"I meant ever," she growled sitting to finish her task.

"You have a bad feeling about a hotel full of vampires," he sighed. "You are a fairy, a hotel full of vampires is what I would consider a nightmare for you."

"True," she whispered smoothing her hair. "Just be careful ok?"

"As always," he grinned rising naked from the bed to hold her. "It is only 3 days my lover, what could I do in that time?"

"You have your ways," she muttered.

Now however she had been trapped under a mountain of complaints whilst the council members and other Royals so to speak gathered. They had been the ones to call the meeting and insist that Sookie bring her best advisors with her. So Sookie had brought the twins and Aelthi. Both Claude and Claudine had warned her to take the entire matter seriously; this was of course a test to see if she was in fact doing her duty correctly. However she had not been able to take certain claims seriously and Aelthi was forever leaning over her shoulder to 'advise' her on matters. As he leaned forward again Sookie got the faint hint of cinnamon on his breath and turned towards him.

"Majesty," her aide whispered in her ear. "It is cloak," he smiled.

"He had an invisibility cloak?" she muttered back raising her eyebrow.

"Yes," he nodded with a smile.

"Fucking humans," she giggled.

"Something amusing?" a voice snapped. Sookie looked up and face off with her rather distant relatives with a smile.

"Her Majesty was just saying that whilst relevant in your words your lack of factual evidence amuses her," Aelthi said with a simple nod.

"Yes," Sookie smiled. "Reel the facts off and fascinate me with tales of hobgoblins," she grinned.

"It wasn't hobgoblins," a voice snapped. "It was horgoblins," he sighed. "Incredibly dangerous little bastards who have been spotted five times in the human world."

"Simple, close their portal," Sookie shrugged.

"They rely on the human world for food," Claude explained.

"Then they either learn to go unnoticed or they learn to starve," Sookie smiled. "Next," she growled. "We must have gotten through at least 100 by now correct?"

"We have 124 agenda's still to go," Claudine grinned. Sookie stifled her groan and turned her attention onto 8 down.

Eric knew that if he dropped his clothes, towels and other belongings on the floor that Pam would pick them up. It was just like how he knew if he did it at home Sookie would throw them out of the window and tell him to hire a maid. It was this knowledge and sense that told him the second that something was off. The staff had been avoiding their party since they arrived. Huddling together in corners and no matter how quick he and Pam were they kept avoiding the full conversation.

"They are curious," the Queen laughed lounging on her chaise. "They've probably never seen a Viking before."

"Or his lap dog," Andre smirked.

"If it makes you feel better glamour one but no one needs to know," she growled the last part and stared him down. "Do you understand me Northman? I am making some very powerful friends at this conference and if they learn that my Sheriff is glamouring the staff what will they think of me?"

Sookie dressed in her favourite light blue gown and watched from her throne as people danced and paid respect to her.

"Your Second Great Uncle Clades Moremount," Aelthi whispered.

"Uncle Clades," she smiled extending her hand for his whiskery face.

"Our Majesty," he nodded. "A good turn out after all," he grinned looking around.

"Yes," she said. "Claude arranged everything."

"Did he now," he nodded again. "Did he arrange the council meeting as well?" he scoffed. "Notice my invite was lost." Sookie smiled at him flashing the slightest bit of anger his way as well.

"Not every relative can attend meetings to solve a dispute over who gets to name their child Uncle," she told him.

"Summon me when you get to the real stuff," he scoffed. "Like your Grandfathers Will," he chuckled walking away.

"Kill him," Sookie smirked.

"Majesty," Aelthi laughed. "You will have no court left at this rate," he chided.

"That would made me so happy," she teased. "Where is Dima?" she asked looking around.

"Here," a voice growled beside her.

"For fucks," she paused and glared at him. "How long have you been back?" she asked.

"Long enough to know I have to apparently kill 34 of your relatives," he told her. Sookie smiled at him and his blunt attitude before waving her hand.

"I'll summon you for the real fun," she promised.

"What real fun?" Claude asked walking towards the stage.

"I shall be sneaking off later," she explained. "Aelthi spotted some speckled deer in the Forest yesterday. Dima is going to teach me how to shoot a bow and arrow."

"Useful skills," Claude sighed.

"As always," Sookie laughed. "Have you been over to the human world recently?" she asked. Claude raised an eyebrow at her and laughed gently.

"No news on the hotel little sibling," he smiled. Sookie smiled happily and lifted her wine glass to her mouth. "Yet," Claude said walking off. Sookie had explained her worry to the twins. Had told them her fears about the hotel. The voices in her head when she had been there had not been good ones. They had been muffled and dimmed down somehow. They had both listened intently making her feel justified in her claims before the pair had shot her down and told her she had more important things to worry about.

Eric was the only thing she worried about recently. The blood bond was incredible when the pair were together, apart it hurt her inside. If she told the twins or even Aelthi about the bond they would surely destroy it, she had done it for love she had done it for them. She knew the risks of being with Eric; she knew the pain of one day dying with no heirs. She had sealed that part of herself off and buried it deep within. Having Eric Northman as her husband however was something she prided above most things. Loosing Eric Northman as her husband was something she was not prepared to do.

"Kill him?" Aelthi asked mockingly. Sookie rose from the throne glaring slightly at him before disappearing to the human world.

Eric sensed her the second she arrived and left Pam hunting alone to be with her. Her blonde hair was scraped from her face in a high bun. Her eyes piercing his and her body encased in a giant of a dress.

"Leave here," she growled instantly. "It's gotten worse Eric."

"Meaning?" he asked.

"I heard whispers last time I was here, now I hear nothing," she explained.

"How does the ball?"

"What?" she snapped.

"The ball?" he indicated her dress with a sweep of his hand.

"Oh its lovely of course. The halls are done quite superbly, I may hire Claude for our wedding," she baffled on before realising what he had done. "Sneaky bastard," she laughed.

"You should return," he said climbing onto the bed. "Sunrise is fast approaching so I shall be no use to anyone."

"Yes," she sat beside him for a few minutes and played with his fingers. "Please leave," she asked him again.

"I shall tomorrow if that will make you stop babysitting me," he sighed. She nodded and kissed his wedding finger gently.

"Only one more day apart lover," she grinned.

"Are you sure?" Claudine whispered as Sookie waved her hand again.

"Do not make me change my mind dear Cousin," Sookie sighed rubbing her face. "I have 153 Royal Orders to sign and date, Aelthi can date them I can sign them. We shall join you for a late brunch."

"Don't argue Claudine," Claude said with a grin. Sookie watched them disappear with a sense of longing to join them. They had remained in the Fey an extra day due to the final matters at hand.

"Niall's will has finally been uncovered," a hush fell onto the room and Sookie looked up at Aelthi and rolled her eyes.

"We all know he left the throne to me," Sookie told them. "What else of importance could be on there?" she inquired.

"A list of properties, money matters, insurances, land he owned," a man commented coughing onto her dress.

"Read the Will," she sighed leaning back in her chair. "I have a feeling we may be here a long time," she yawned.

The reading had actually only lasted half an hour. Niall had left the majority of his possessions to either the twins or to Sookie. He had left his Fey retreat home to his sole remaining brother Soule and to his children he had bestowed a chest of gems gathered from the mines of Mordor.

"Mordor?" Sookie had laughed. "Isn't that from Lord of The Rings?" she had giggled.

"JRR was an elf," Claude explained "Bloody traitor." That had kept her tickled until the end when the men had gathered their possessions and explained it was her duty to sign and date every shred of paper they had made notes on. It was then someone's duty to type it all together for official storage. At which point Sookie would once again have to sign and date every single sheet again.

"I am a fairy," Sookie finally snapped. "Is there no easy way?"

"No," Aelthi answered honestly. "If there was an easier way trust me Majesty I would have suggested it by now."

"Sookie," she sighed rubbing her wrist. "Call me Sookie when its just the two of us," she smiled.

"Sookie," he tested the word and frowned. "It's a most uncommon name."

"Since Aelthi is so popular?" she teased.

"In my village I was one of fifteen," he smirked.

"In my town I was one of one," she laughed signing some more sheets.

By the end of the stack she had complained so much that Aelthi was now signing them for her as she sat and doodled on some home planning sketches.

"How do you know the werewolf?" he asked watching her make notes.

"We dated," she muttered. "In school, years ago," she whistled. "Before he was pack master and what not."

"What not," he smiled. "I do believe we are done here Sookie," he said rising. "Shall I summon Dima?"

"No," she yawned stretching. "Last time I saw him he was training with some new recruits. You know how he likes to make them bleed."

"Bleeding for the Queen is THE biggest HONOR you shall EVER receive," Aelthi said mocking the low tenor of the Guards voice.

"Ah yes," Sookie said extending her hand. "Shall we?" she curtsied.

"We shall," he bowed taking her hand in his own. Returning to the mansion Sookie breathed out and smiled at him. "Tea and toast?"

"Perfect," she walked off whistling as she changed into something more comfortable. "Claudine," she sang walking down the stairs. "Claude," she tried next. The television was on and as she neared the room Aelthi turned to look at her with a look of sheer horror.

"Majesty," he whispered. "I am so sorry."

"What?" she snapped rushing inside. Both twins turned horrified faces towards her as she stared at the screen.

"All vampires killed in bomb at luxury hotel," she read before screaming.