New chapter, as promised! Please accept my heartfelt thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. I've backed off on DMing every time because frankly, I was starting to feel like a creepy stalker. But please believe that I read and obsess over every single thing you guys say. Here, we get back to good old 'Skjaldvör' in the past. I hope you guys like it! And if not, remember I'm a very sensitive person and prefer pretty lies to harsh truths.. Hehe, only kidding =) CH/AB own all this stuff.
Thankfully, Mr. Brandon was too much a gentleman to remark on my speedy get away tactics and was content to walk quietly beside me once we made it to the gardens. I cleared my throat as we began our leisurely stroll, ready to get down to business. I wasn't getting any younger. I technically wasn't getting any older either, but that's beside the point. I was in a hurry to get some information.
"Tell me, Mr. Brandon, have I missed out on any intrigues here at court?" I asked, looking up at his face. He smiled slightly.
"I daresay your bit of news shall create more of a sensation than any other goings on of late," he said in a jovial tone. I laughed a little, trying to stay in character. While I wasn't opposed to a good old fashioned glamour every now and again, I didn't like to do it when it wasn't really necessary. I would definitely be able to get all the info I needed out of Mr. Brandon with a little polite conversation. Or brain picking, if that didn't work. Drawing upon my southern manners, I decided to go with polite conversation first.
"I cannot say that I was surprised by his proposal. I have seen the way he looks at me sometimes when he thinks I shan't notice," I glanced up at him, hoping shan't wasn't too much. He seemed like he was on board, so I plowed forward. "I do believe he was more nervous of my brother and his reaction than he was of mine. Though I could have told him that Eric would not have minded. Neither of them are as subtle as they wish to believe," I informed him, thinking that was apparently the understatement of the year according to the info I'd just siphoned out of Anne's brain. I still couldn't believe Eric would slip like that, but I had to remind myself that he wasn't the thousand old mastermind I knew. He was just a poor little five hundred year old mastermind. Ok yeah, doesn't seem like that big a difference in terms of years. Five hundred should be old enough to know better but still. He had a lot to learn.
Mr. Brandon chuckled before responding. "Well, I must admire the man for his prowess. No doubt he'll be relieved that he received your answer, what with the charming devil we received here at court last eve," he told me as we rounded a bend. My senses were on alert.
"Oh?" Charming devil received at court last eve. Anne with vampire blood in her system. I was such a good detective, I didn't even have to detect. Clues just came to me of their own free will.
"Yes, unfortunately I can't recall the man's name at the moment," he said, brow furrowed. I jumped into his head, hoping for an image before remembering that he was not a visual thinker. "Though I'm sure we'll see him back around again, said he was here on business but I'm having trouble recalling what it was he did. Didn't get to talk to the chap much myself, he was surrounded by ladies most of the night. Though he spent a good deal of time with Anne. Perhaps I'll inquire of her," he said, more to himself than to me. In his mind, he was annoyed that he couldn't remember more details. There was no evidence of glamour there, though. He honestly just couldn't remember.
"I take it he was not an Englishman?" I inquired politely. If he were here on business, it was probable that he was foreign. Then again, if he was the mystery vampire, that could likely be a cover.
"No, certainly not. Dark features and lots of silk with a pronounced accent. Spanish, I believe. Perhaps Italian. Or Portuguese," he chuckled. "Those languages all sound the same as far as I can tell and from what I've seen, they favor the same styles as well!"
I laughed on cue, mind racing to think of any dark featured vamps I knew ages 500 and over. I wasn't coming up with much.
"Roguish, too, the lot of them!" I threw back at him, hoping that was true. He nodded, still chuckling a bit.
"As surely you would know, my dear Miss Northman," he conceded. I was confused for all of a second before I remembered that I was supposedly visiting from Spain, where my family was running an export business. I suddenly felt a little compassion for Eric's French slip up, realizing how hard it must be to constantly keep up a cover. Still, though, he'd had 500 freaking years of practice.
"Indeed," I agreed with him. We walked in a comfortable silence for a few moments while I continued to rack my brain.
"I do extend my heartfelt felicitations on your engagement," he said sincerely. I smiled up at him. "I barely know you but I do believe you are a wonderful lady and I know that Pictwell is an honorable gentleman. I cannot pretend that I am not jealous of the man, though I believe you will make a good match," he admitted. I couldn't believe what a genuinely nice guy he was, especially being so entwined with court life.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Brandon, that means so much to me," I told him.
"Please, call me Charles," he requested. I nodded, making note to be more casual with him. I also made a note that I was pretty hungry and decided to try to get him secluded again. A tiny little part of me felt bad about it, especially since he was so nice. Then I reminded myself that it was healthy to lose a little blood every once in a while, it jumpstarted the old circulation process. Probably.
I realized that he was filling me in on more court gossip and began to nod politely and gasp every few seconds while I strategically planned dinner. The next alcove was just up ahead and I decided to pull him into it when we got there.
"Scandalous!" I breathed, not sure what we were talking about.
"Indeed it was," he concurred. Thank goodness I'd chosen the right exclamation. Just then we came upon the bench set back in a pocket in the shrubs and I theatrically tripped again. As he caught me from face planting, I spun him around and stepped back out of the path. In less than a minute, I had him glamoured and was drinking. I was having a hard time focusing on what I was doing because I was still trying to come up with a possible suspect. There was no guarantee that I should know who it was, but I wanted to rule out every possibility if I could. I was running through the roster of vampires I had met, eliminating them one by one.
Obviously wasn't Bill. Andre and the Berts were out. None of the vamps I'd met at Fangtasia fit the description. Felipe de- Oh shit storm on a Sunday morning, could it be Felipe de Castro? I decided it most certainly could and then tried to think. Felipe wasn't necessarily evil, which was a plus. Then again, we were 500 years in the past, so it was hard to tell what he was like at this time. I tried to rationally think through the implications, remembering that just because he was here (if it was even him at all) it didn't necessarily mean he meant us any harm. Of course, that thought didn't even phase the creepy crawl that had taken up residence on my back.
I disengaged and sealed up the wound I'd made on Charles' neck then touched up my glamour job. As far as he knew, he'd just saved me from a fall and nothing untoward had happened.
"I am so clumsy!" I exclaimed, trying to sound embarrassed.
"Not at all," he said kindly. "I've no idea how you ladies can even stand upright in some of the contraptions you must wear." Preachin' to the choir here, buddy.
"There was a young man I met in Spain who shared the very same sentiment. Felipe, his name was," I said slyly, hoping to trigger his memory. Unfortunately, it didn't trigger diddly squat and he just nodded politely once again. I realized we were approaching a huge set of doors, having made the full trip through the outside gardens.
"Verily, I have enjoyed your company, Miss Northman," he told me in a very polite tone.
"Charles, please," I looked up at him. "Call me Sookie, I implore you."
"Sookie," he smiled, patting my hand as it rested on his forearm. I smiled back at him.
"I've enjoyed your company as well," I told him, and I meant it. He was a lovely kind of guy and was turning out to be a good resource. Not just for his blood, either. As we entered the large room, I noticed that Henry was now occupying his chair next to Anne. I also noticed that Henry had not had any blood. Interesting. Godric and Eric were still there, as well as another man that I couldn't see very well. His back was turned toward me, showing me nothing more than broad shoulders in a pretty green coat and dark, glossy curls falling just past his collar.
As we got closer, I listened hard and picked up on the accent that Charles had told me about. I didn't recognize the voice, though, which was a slight relief. For some reason I had originally gotten a bad feeling in my gut about the stranger but it eased a bit with the knowledge that I didn't know him after all. Just then, he turned his head to laugh at something Anne had said. With a sigh, I confirmed the fact that I definitely had never met the man before. I did have to admit that he was a handsome guy, though.
Nice bone structure, pretty eyes, perfect teeth. Eric and Godric looked perfectly at ease, but of course they would be schooled in hiding their true thoughts. I felt for the bond and found a wary kind of apprehension. Weird. I couldn't tell exactly who it was coming from, though I would guess Godric. It stood to reason that the stranger hadn't done anything to put them on alert, that was just common sense. So the only reason for this feeling would be Godric's intuition. Which put me right back on edge. Relief, thou art a fleeting emotion.
"Ah, Brandon, I see you've returned my bride to be," Godric stood as we approached the dais. Eric stood beside him, so that they were flanking me on both sides. Smooth, guys. Real smooth. I smiled at both of them and then over at Anne and Henry before I did a robotic chicken bob move, tapping my heel on the carpet in front of me. I honestly could not understand how my curtseys managed to get more awkward every single time. I made a mental note that if I got stuck here, I should try to corner the market on Riverdancing in a couple hundred years.
Funny, the thought of being stuck here didn't send a shiver up my spine that time. I wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that Godric's hand was on my arm and Eric's fingers were carefully brushing up against my back. I tried hard not think of my Eric and what he was going through without me. Stay in the moment, Stackhouse.
"Congratulations are in order, as I understand it. I must say there will be many a man sorry to see you wed, Miss Northman," Henry said, looking about as sorry as a raccoon in a dumpster. I bit back the impulse to retort that they ought to get glad the same way they got sad, else they were gonna die unhappy. Definitely not a good idea to go spouting out my southern sayings in King Henry's court, what with us being in England in the 1500s and all. Instead, I smiled sweetly.
"Ye flatter me, jolly good king thou art," I answered, bowing my head slightly. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, wondering exactly which corner of my brain was getting its kicks out of making me sound like a moron. As I glanced back up, I saw that Anne and Henry were clearly wondering the same. I shook it off and smiled extra wide, hoping we could move on. Godric cleared his throat.
"My dear, you have yet to meet our new acquaintance," he said, gracefully stepping over the latest installment in my apparently never-ending stream of faux pas'. I looked over at the vampire seated to Godric's left. "This is Mr. Cabral," Godric pronounced the name with what I had to admit was a pretty sexy accent. "Mr. Cabral, this is my betrothed, Skjaldvör Northman."
Mr. Cabral stood and bowed, never taking his eyes from mine. His gaze was arresting, to say the least. His eyes were a hazy blue, struggling to turn grey, with barely noticeable flecks of silver throughout them. They looked out of place with his olive skin and dark brows, but the effect was charming. I wasn't sure whether he was flirting or sizing me up, but he was definitely intent on looking at me.
Eric stepped closer to me and I got the distinct feeling he wanted to put his hands on me, possessive style. Clearly he thought the guy was flirting. I hid a smile as I pictured Eric in a loincloth, pounding his chest. Me Eric. This Sookie. Sookie mine. As much as I liked to consider myself a modern woman, there was something inherently sexy about the caveman routine. To a point, of course.
"Our dear Mr. Northman's younger sister as well," Anne interjected. Because the situation wasn't quite awkward enough. Beyond our blonde hair and blue eyes, Eric and I looked nothing alike. It would be obvious to another vampire that the sibling thing was a ruse to explain our situation and he was clearly not buying it for a second. Especially not after Tarzan's appearance.
"It's lovely to meet you, Mr. Cabral," I told him, doing a little head dip. He smiled, taking my hand in his. Which was a little strange but I figured I'd just go with the flow.
"Charmed, I'm sure," he murmured as he bent to kiss he back of my hand. As his lips touched my skin, he cut his eyes up to Eric's face. The little shit was taunting him. Eric, of course, went rigid beside me. Ok smart ass, probably not a wise move. I cleared my throat and pulled my hand back, looking up at Eric's face. He looked relaxed enough at first glance, but his eyes were tight. I rethought my earlier assumption about Godric's intuition. Maybe this guy was just bad news. Unless he just thought it would be fun to have a pissing contest with a vampire who was at least a foot taller than him and an obvious possessive streak. I understand that boys will be boys but that had bad idea written all over it. I needed to think of something to do or say to lighten the mood, and fast.
Somehow I didn't think 'How 'bout them Saints?' would work.
Hmm, who is this guy? Do we know him? *Strokes imaginary beard in reflective contemplation* Sounds familiar.. Guess you just have to read to find out! Muahaha. Let me know what you guys thought of this one. Next one coming up soon! (Very soon!) FYI to anyone who doesn't know who the Saints are, that's the name of Louisiana's NFL Team. I had to Google it. Whaaaat? I'm not a football fan, ok? Geez! Lol Thanks for reading =)