"Welcome to Denmark, Mr. Northman." On getting off the plane, Eric was greeted by a limousine and a vampire, young in his estimation, who seemed to take the role of his driver.
"Thank you." He walked over to him and handed the boy his bag, which he promptly took, nodding his head and then opening back door for Eric to get in. It had been a long time since he'd had such service, but now for the life of him he didn't think why; there was a satisfaction in having a driver that driving alone didn't give him, he felt regal and it felt good.
Before getting into the car, Eric took the time to look about him, to breathe in his native air once again. The airport was grey and dull, and was a new development since he had last been there some hundred years ago, but the area was familiar, like an old friend; the bitter cold of the winter months sliced through his dead skin and he couldn't help but wonder for a moment how his human flesh coped with such an unforgiving winter; in that moment he felt like a foreigner, he had become too used to the warm air the Deep South offered him, had forgotten his upbringing in this climate. But the vague scent of the sea wafted around him; he was close to the ocean here, close to beaches where the vapours from the waves crashing against the rocks stayed in the wind which covered his home country. The smell brought back memories of playing with his father on the beaches of the North Sea, the spray of the ocean coming up and whipping him in the face like a hard rain.
"Is this your first trip to Denmark?" The young vampire enquired just before he sat down in the driver's seat.
Eric smiled. "No, it's not." He got in the car and closed the door behind him. The engine started and off they went, Eric looking through the tinted windows at his homeland, trying to remember what it was before the buildings started. It was his home, but not like he'd ever known it; it could never be how he remembered it, and that saddened him.
"My employer sends his apologies for not meeting you in person," The vampire said, his face only partially visible over the partition. "He said to tell you he will meet you when we arrive."
Eric nodded. "And where will that be?"
He smiled knowingly. "It's not far; he owns a big house in the countryside about half an hour away from here. We'll be meeting him there."
Even in the dark and the frost, what struck Eric the most was the brilliant greens emanating from the trees, the grass, the bushes and general surrounding area. Whereas Louisiana offered some foliage here and there, it was nothing compared to the vast countryside Denmark was soaked in, and he'd forgotten it. He tried to remember what looking at the countryside through human eyes felt like, what the sunlight looked like between the leaves of the trees and the sparkle from the ice... but it was so long ago, his memory was strained, clouded by his existence as a vampire.
Finally the slowing of the vehicle as it pulled up into a long driveway indicated the end of the trip and Eric hoped for some answers as to why he was here in the first place. The driver wasn't lying when he described the country house as 'big', it rivalled the size of Russell's house in Mississippi. The porch light was on, illuminating the driveway, as were all the lights in the house, several figures moving across the landings on the first and second floors.
"Your bag, sir." The driver held it in his hands as he opened Eric's door. Eric took the bag, and moved to the front door. The driver left him to it, returned to the car and drove off, stranding him at the house.
The front door opened, and a familiar face greeted him, cigar in mouth but smiling nonetheless. "Northman! It's about time you showed up."
Eric smiled and entered into the house, taking his offered hand and shaking it. "Nigel. It's been a long time."
"I'd say," Nigel closed the front door behind him and walked him into the living room. It was traditionally decorated, polished wooden mantle pieces, champagne glasses filled with blood greeted him, and Nigel gestured he shook take one. "What was it, the turn of the century?"
"Yes." Eric replied, taking a sip from his glass, each sitting in opposite arm chairs. "Two centuries ago you'll find."
"Ah yes." Nigel sighed as he relaxed into his armchair.
Eric looked around, a buzz of excitement and movement all around him and seemingly throughout the house. "Have I interrupted a party?"
Nigel smiled, "On the contrary, my dear boy," Despite his being decidedly older than Nigel, he always insisted of using that term for him and anyone who looked younger than him; he was made vampire in his later 50's, and so no matter how old other vampires around him were, he still joked that he was older than all of them. "You're our guest of honour."
Eric raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Interesting, as I still don't know why I'm here."
"And yet here you are." He spread his arms in dramatic fashion.
"You called me and I owe you." Eric leaned forward.
"Exactly," Nigel took a more ominous tone, and leaned forward to meet him. "But I think you'll find you're going to like repaying this debt." Eric stayed silent and let Nigel go on. "My employer, the owner of this fine house, deals in rare commodities, and he has been working for a very long time on this particular commodity."
"And where do I come in?" Eric asked, relaxing back into his chair.
"Well," Nigel took a sip from his glass, "He's not from this area, he only recently came here himself in the last few months and for what he's looking for, he needs someone who knows the area, someone familiar with this country as far back as it goes. Well, I knew of your past here, your impressive age, and I gave him your name."
Eric smiled, unconvinced. "So you gave your employer my name to be a tour guide? And this would clear my debt to you?" Eric put his glass on the table beside him and clasped his hands. "I think I know you fairly well, Nigel, and you wouldn't even the score between us if there wasn't something you'd be getting in return."
Nigel's eyes glinted. "Let's just say the dividends of this job will be incredibly rewarding, more so than anything you could give in return for saving your pithy progeny's life way back when." Nigel sipped his blood. "How is Pam these days?"
"Still working for me. A lot stronger than you saw her last." Eric nodded. It was the turn of the 19th century, and Eric had felt the need to celebrate it with a progeny at his side. With Godric's blessing, Eric turned a young woman, lost in the night. In the same way that Godric had been a father to him, Eric wished for a child of his own, one from his own country; one cold night, he bit her and laid in the ground with her. Unbeknownst to him, British troops attacked Copenhagen and for those few days, Denmark was littered by the British soldiers. Pam was still getting used to being a vampire, and Eric, unable to watch her 24 hours a day, didn't see as she snuck off one night to a local pub. She wasn't aware that silver binds vampires, and instead of the nice human drink she was looking for, ended up with a bunch of British vampire hunters that came with the troops, hungry for the next kill. One thing led to another, and if it weren't for Nigel ripping each of their throats out, Eric would have realised where she was and arrived too late, and Pam wouldn't have survived that night.
Nigel nodded, inhaling from his cigar. "Well, she's a lucky thing to have her looking out for her that way."
At that moment, other vampires wandered into the living room, their glasses in hand, and welcoming Eric.
"I hear you're the one who's gonna help us." A vampire shouted at him.
"I'll see what I can do." Eric replied steadily, rising from his chair to meet the others eye to eye.
"Fellas, this is Eric Northman. He used to be a local here." Nigel patted him on the back. "Eric, these are your back-up, whatever you need. We work as a team."
From behind them, a rotund man walked up, and like the parting of the seas, the vampire lackeys let him through. The man also held a cigar in his hand and wore a fine Italian suit, a yellow silk tie hanging proudly from his neck. "Eric Northman." He extended his free hand to take Eric's. "It's nice to finally meet you." Once shaken, his put his hand back in his pocket. "I'm very glad you're here. You're going to help me get something I have been looking forward to for a long time."
Eric smiled. "And yet I still don't know what I'm doing here."
He turned to Nigel with a surprised look on his face. To Eric's surprise, Nigel almost shrank away and replied apologetically, "We didn't quite get onto that."
The leader, so far nameless, nodded his head deep in thought. "No matter, it gives me the satisfaction of seeing the look of joy and awe on his face, in the same way it did for all my employees." He looked around to them who cheered in glory.
"But please, excuse my manners, let me introduce myself." He smiled smugly. "My name is Christophe, Christophe Renauldi. And you, Mr. Northman, are going to bring me to El Dorado."
Sookie laid out by the sun; she felt the rays lightly touch her skin, the longer she lay there, the more intense it felt, though it never burned her, just... wrapped around her, keeping her safe. Her hands swam across the pool beside her, feeling the silk-like cool between her fingers.
The last hour was spent waiting. She had come through the portal to the other side, to be greeted by Claudine and a young man. He had light features, blonde scruffy hair, blue eyes that always seemed to look straight through her and a skinny shape which you would accustom to a musician. His name was Daemon, and like Sookie, he had come through one of the portals in England doing the same job she had been asked to do; it seemed he beat her through her portal by a matter of minutes. Claudine thanked them for being so quick and took the chests to a safe house until it was reunited with the third that was still to come.
While she was gone and they were waiting for the last person to come through – a girl, Sookie was told, by the name of Nissa – she had taken the time to get to know Daemon. Part-Fae, like her, his family exercised the fact that they were not like others and he had grown up knowing about his powers, his family's history with the Fae, and Sookie found herself a little jealous. Knowing about what she was would have prevented some unnecessary surprises along the way, and having parents who helped her with her powers would have made her a lot more able to protect herself in the last few months. Sookie had to smile, they had their entire conversation through telepathy, and he found it strange that she didn't have more of her conversations simply through the mind. Sookie also asked him a little bit about how he managed to mask his thoughts, and how she might train herself to do the same; as it turned out, what she had learnt to do in order to block other people out could be adapted to block her own thoughts from other people. They spent much of their time trading stories, and methods in how to hone their powers. Sookie told him about what happened in the cave, how the light from her hands stuck to the wall, expecting to hear a similar story with him, but was instead met by a look of shock.
"Seriously?" His mouth moved so Sookie assumed the sound was coming from his lips rather than his mind.
"Yeah." Sookie laughed. "It was a test. Didn't you have to do the same?"
"Each cave has a different test that only you can figure out." Claudine walked over, smiling. "Each test is personal and it changes depending on your personality."
Sookie looked to Daemon for confirmation of this and he nodded affirmatively. "She's right. I had a telepathic test, pick the right cave, that kind of thing."
Sookie received images from him: he stood in a dark cave, vaguely lit, and like a mirror reflecting an image a hundred times, she saw that Daemon's test was to pick the right cave from the multiple options he was given, with only a riddle transmitted telepathically to help him. "Wow, I don't know if I would have got that one."
"Yeah, I didn't the first time either. Or the second time. Third time lucky." He smiled weakly.
"You succeeded because you were meant to." Claudine smiled, putting a hand on each of their shoulders.
A moment of silence passed, when Sookie asked, "Hasn't Nissa come through yet? It's been almost over an hour."
Claudine shook her head, her face contorted, worried. "No, and I'm starting to worry, it shouldn't have taken this long. And with time of the essence... there are vampires there, they surround each and every cave, I was worried for each of you, but didn't think they were anywhere near close enough to put you in danger..."
"Don't worry, Claudine." Sookie rested a hand on her shoulder, and smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure she's just held up."
"But what if she's not?" Daemon chimed in less optimistically. "What if the vamps have got Nissa and the chest?"
"I pray to the Gods that hasn't happened." Claudine said gravely. "If the vampires have even one box, we stand no chance."
"What if one of us went through?" Daemon suggested. "Either she's just lost in the cave and we can help her through, or else, figure out what happened."
Claudine glanced to Sookie and Daemon. "I wouldn't ask if it weren't imperative..."
"We know." Sookie nodded understandingly. She looked to Daemon, "We'll both go. There's safety in numbers, and if something happens to one of us, at least the other can grab the chest and make it back here."
"If the cave has been compromised and there are vampires, you will be put in grave danger." Claudine warned. "Even with your individual powers, vampires are smart and fast creatures, you may not be able to outfight them."
"I've had some experience with vampires," Sookie smiled weakly. "I can take care of myself."
Claudine nodded weakly. "Even so, let me show you this. Individually, you have great powers, but when bonded together, they are magnified. Here," She brought Sookie's and Daemon's hands together and lifted them up so their palms faced her. "Right now you are tied, sharing thoughts, emotions. Use that, find the common ground in the farthest corners of your minds, a neutral place beyond either of your own thoughts, where you share a common base instinct: survival." Sookie closed her eyes, passed by her own thoughts and memories, witnesses Daemon's and like a desert in the middle of a technicolor rainforest, they both stood in the same place, equally lost. "That place that neither one of you knows, use that. If you are in trouble, focus your thoughts together on your objective, and blast. Together, this generates a blinding light which stuns your opponents into freezing; it only lasts a couple seconds, but it is the greatest weapon we have."
Sookie and Daemon returned back to the Fae world, opening their eyes. "Nothing stronger? Setting to stun instead of to kill?"
"We don't kill." Claudine said seriously. "Our powers were never designed for that, were never needed for that."
Daemon nodded, embarrassed by his question. Claudine added, "And know this, it takes a great amount of energy to generate a blast like that. It has almost never been done by faeries, and never by a part-Fae alone, and if you find yourselves needing it, your other powers may become frazzled."
"Like a broken fuse?"Sookie asked.
"Precisely." Claudine nodded. "You should also know, we equipped each portal with a defence system. Once it senses that it's been compromised, a security measure will activate and only one person can go through it before it locks down and is unusable. It is designed to keep the Fae safe from anything, especially a situation like this one. If the vampires have found the cave..." She shuddered.
"What triggers the lockdown?" Sookie asked.
"A violent act. A punch, a kick, a bolt of blue light..." Claudine shrugged. "Maybe even a thought. We're not sure. Nothing like this has ever happened before. It's unprecedented."
Sookie nodded. "We understand. Hopefully we'll be back in a few minutes. If not..."
A moment of silence settled between them, "Good luck. I will be waiting for you."
They walked towards the pool of water, before Sookie paused. "Wait, where is it we'll end up? Where is the third portal?"
Claudine nodded and replied, "Denmark. It's in Denmark."