A/N: In case you're interested, you can actually fly the route Eric and Sookie use, though not by Anubis Air, of course... ;-) Reindeer and cloudberry sauce is a typically Norwegian dish (and it IS delicious) - I don't know enough about Icelandic food to know if they eat it in Iceland as well.

"Who was Breandan, do you know?" I asked Eric as we sat in the back of the cab on the way to the airport, having slipped away and left the party in full swing. Pam had packed my suitcase, not allowing me even a peek at what was inside. I had no idea where Eric had decided to whisk me off to for our honeymoon.

If I was honest, I hadn't actually expected a honeymoon at all, so I was pleasantly surprised, and had decided to just go with the flow.

"As I recall, he was the prince of the Water Fae, whereas Niall was prince of the Sky Fae. There's always been infighting between the different factions, but now that Breandan's finally gone, and Niall is the undisputed ruler, perhaps there'll be peace," he said.

"You knew about the troubles the Fae were having?"

He shrugged. "It's been going on for centuries. Most of the supes knew some of what was going on, if not all – we can't visit the Fae realm, so we get news via hearsay, or if we know a fairy. Niall sometimes kept me informed, sometimes not. He's not always the most reliable correspondent."

"You didn't know I was in danger, though?"

"No more than usual," he laughed. "I wasn't aware there was a direct threat from Breandan, no."

I was a little mollified. "So Niall's been playing everyone off against each other, then?"

He frowned. "I've never managed to understand Niall's reasons for doing anything; often they make sense only to him," he answered. "Maybe Claudine was simply encouraged to push the two of us together – perhaps Niall hoped that if I was a more permanent presence in your life, you would have a powerful protector in case Breandan attacked you, I don't know. I think she must have known that Niall was trying to charge your eternal spark, otherwise she wouldn't have spent so much time with you recently. But from what you've said, I don't think he told Claudine – or Claude, for that matter – that you were under threat from Breandan. Though who knows? He might have told her and forbidden her to tell you."

I pondered this as we checked in with Anubis Airlines, Eric's travel coffin going in the hold for the first part of the journey; the most I could glean was that the first leg was taking us to Denver, and as it would only take just under two hours, there was no need for Eric to be in his coffin.

Our flight was met in Denver by an Anubis rep who dealt with Eric's coffin (now with Eric in it – they had a special holding room where the vampires could get in and out of their coffins), who very kindly escorted me to the correct flight. I gaped as I finally saw the destination on the tickets. "Reykjavík?" I whispered, astonished. It wasn't exactly on my list of places to see before I died – but then, I'd made that list before I married a former Viking.

Thankfully, the flight – though long, and rather dull – went smoothly, and another Anubis rep helped me the other end meet up with Eric's coffin – and Eric, who was grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat – so that we could get through customs.

"Do you need to check in with the local king, or sheriff, or whatever?" I asked, yawning.

He shook his head. "All done. Iceland is very progressive, and has an online check-in system. I logged in to say I'd arrived while I was waiting for you to disembark." He showed me the text message receipt on his phone: His Majesty King Olaf Gunnarsson welcomes ERIC NORTHMAN to the city of Reykjavík. Laws pertaining to vampires can be found at vampire.is/law. We ask that you familiarise yourself with these. Tourist information is available on the same website. Have a pleasant stay.

"So, why Reykjavík?" I asked. "Is this where you were from originally?"

He shook his head. "No, not originally, but I own a house here now. It suits me well to have a base here, somewhere to escape to. I wanted to bring you here, to see… well, it is now your home, as well," he smiled. He guided us to the car rental office, and handed over some papers in return for a set of keys, and we trawled through the snow and ice to a surprisingly sensible-looking 4x4. "Snowy roads and sports cars don't mix," he said with a grin, seeing my surprised look.

"Any other reason you decided on Iceland as a honeymoon destination?" I asked curiously after we'd loaded our luggage in.

"Oh, yes," he replied, settling into the driver's seat. "You've heard of the 'Land of the Midnight Sun'?"

"Of course."

"In summer, the sun is in the sky day and night. The reverse is true in winter." He gave me a sidelong smile, barely taking his eyes off the road. "There are about four hours of twilight, in the middle part of the day, at this time of year. The rest of the time it's dark."

I blinked, and the penny finally dropped. "Oh," I breathed. "Perfect place for a vampire's honeymoon, then."

"It is," he agreed blandly. "I hardly need to sleep at all."

I gave a pleasant shiver of anticipation, but said firmly, "Well, you'll have to watch me sleep tonight, at least. I'm exhausted."

He chuckled. "I'll let you sleep, my darling, but we do have an appointment tomorrow afternoon."

"We do? What for?"

"You'll see."

I nodded off soon after that; Eric had put the heater on, and I was toasty-warm, despite the snow. I didn't wake up until we pulled in through a gate, which slid slowly closed behind us. There was a house lit up ahead of us, at the end of a long drive. "Yours?"

"Ours," he corrected with a quick grin. "I have a housekeeper on retainer, who has left everything ready for us." He clicked another button on his keyring, and the garage door ahead of us slid open.

"I thought this was a rental?" I asked.

"No, I just organised to pick it up from there, for the sake of convenience," he replied, closing the garage door behind us, and starting to unload. He unlocked a door in the corner of the garage, and waved me through. "The front entrance is much grander, of course, but this is more convenient, especially as you're not dressed for the cold."

"Neither are you," I said dryly, gesturing at his usual attire.

He shrugged. "Vampires don't feel the cold in the same way." He dumped the cases by the stairs, and ushered me through to an open, airy living room, with wooden floors and comfortable-looking furniture. A log fire roared comfortingly in a modern fireplace. He picked up a note from the coffee table, and scanned it briefly. "Ilsa has prepared some food for you and left some meals in both the fridge and the freezer, to be heated in the microwave. There are provisions in the cupboards, and she says to write a note of anything else you need." He grinned. "I'd let you read it, but it's in Icelandic."

I shrugged. "Just point me in the direction of the kitchen." I hesitated. "What time is it?"

He gave me a distinctly lascivious look. "Dinner time."

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously."

"Early evening. Like I said, dinner time."

"If I let you have your dinner now, I'll never get mine," I reminded him.

He gave a playful huff. "Very well. Come; I'll show you the rest of the house tomorrow, but for now, the kitchen is through here."

He sat with me, drinking a bottle of True Blood, as I ate a plateful of reindeer with cloudberry sauce and a chunk of bread (all of it delicious). I cleared up after myself, then I pottered back to the living room, where Eric was sorting through the mail Ilsa had left for him. "I hate junk mail," he grumbled. I tried to stifle a yawn, but didn't quite manage it. "I think my lovely fairy wife needs some sleep," he commented with a smile. "Let me show you our room."

It was warm and comfortable, with a huge bed. I fell asleep almost the moment my head touched the pillow.