Eric's POV:
All eyes were on Rosamund and me as the crowd continued to cheer. But the only eyes that I wanted to look upon me were Sookie's, but they were nowhere to be found. She was not standing in the same area where I had spotted her earlier. She had closed her end of the bond, cutting our connection. I looked towards Clint who was watching us and silently ordered him to locate Sookie. He nodded his head and slowly moved backwards to where she was last seen. On the outside I had the appearance of a calm and composed vampire but on the inside I was holding in my rage as Rosamund continued to hold my hand in front of the audience. I wanted to grab her and toss her into the crowd preferably with her landing on a sharp stake.
She looks at me sensing my inner rage and leans up to whisper something in my ear, "Cheer up Eric, they all love us. Together we will be the most powerful couple on the planet." She places a small kiss near my ear and afterwards the crowd gets louder.
I keep my eyes on Clint who is roaming near the walls looking for her. He finally gives up and looks towards me. He shakes his head. A small growl escapes my throat. I slightly jerk my chin forward to indicate to him to look for Sookie outside of this large ballroom. He nods his head and leaves through an exit nearest to him.
Although I would like nothing better to look for Sookie myself, I cannot go until the Ancient Phythoness takes her leave.
She finally rises from her chair and we move over to her right side. The audience quiets down as she walks up to me and takes a hold of my free hand. "I wish nothing but the best for you Northman, you have always been destined to do great things and lead our kind towards prosperity. Take good care of your telepathic woman." She holds my hand for a few seconds longer before finally releasing it. The doors on the stage open for her. She walks towards the doors closely followed by her six attendants.
After she leaves, the five Council members come up to congratulate me. They also congratulate me on my forthcoming marriage made in hell also as Rosamund remains glued to my side, still holding my hand. By the time I have spoken to the last Council member, I have just used up the last ounce of my patience. They finally take their leave as well.
I am finally able to seek out Sookie, but Rosamund still has not let go of my hand. I cannot simply rip my hand from hers and make a scene, especially in front of this group of vampires, some of whom were distinguished. I decide to keep up the charade until we are out of the view of the mob.
I lead her towards the doors that connect to the main entrance with Pam following us. As soon as we are in the foyer and away from the sight of others, I tear my hand away from hers.
"Don't you ever pull a stunt like that again," I growl at her. "I told you in the beginning; do not touch me without my consent."
She just smirks at me. "I did what was best for both our interests. We have to appear as though we have a close tie Eric, that we have a united front. If we don't, they will perceive us as weak. This is a dangerous time for us, especially you Eric. You are a new monarch and you will be tested."
I know that she is correct but I refuse to admit it. "I will ignore this incident but only this one time. From now on it would be in your best interest to obey the terms of our arrangement."
Just then Clint comes down the stairs. I look towards him as he approaches us, "She is upstairs," he says.
"I suppose your little bonded wasn't feeling too well? I saw her leave during the ceremony. Perhaps you should keep a better check on her," Rosamund says behind me.
I turn around to face her, "Get out of my sight," I say angrily.
She smirks at me again, "Fine I'll go. But hurry back Eric, we still have the post ceremony reception to attend." She scurries off to another room before I could say anything more.
I turn to Pam, "Go back to the ballroom. I'm going upstairs to Sookie."
"Yes master," she says.
I hurry up the rounded staircase and go to the same room that we were in before the ceremony. When I open the door I see Sookie sitting on one of the chairs weeping while Savannah is standing by the fire.
"Leave," I simply say. Savannah quickly leaves the room.
I go to Sookie who is still crying with her hands hiding her face. I kneel down before her and place my hands on her knees.
"Sookie, look at me," I say softly.
She refuses to budge, so I hold onto her wrists gently. Finally she drops her hands from her face. Fresh tears are falling down her cheeks and her eyes are red.
"I want to go home Eric," she says between sobs.
"We can't. We have to make an appearance once more downstairs," I tell her as I rub her hands.
"You have to make an appearance downstairs, not me," she scoffs. "I tried to leave but Savannah stopped me and basically forced me to come up here."
She abruptly gets up and walks away from me. "Are they really my bodyguards or are they your hired hands whose main job is to make sure I don't stray too far from you," she says angrily.
"Their main priority is to keep you safe which was why they stopped you from leaving on your own," I tell her.
"Whatever Eric. Since you have just told me that I can't go anywhere without them, then I shall let them take me home," she says as she walks towards the door.
I stop her by grabbing her by the waist. "Sookie please, just come with me downstairs," I plead.
She backs away from me, "Are you even listening to me Eric? I am not going anywhere with you tonight!" she says rather loudly.
"I know that you are upset about what happened, I am as well, but I need you...," I say but she cuts me off.
"I don't care Eric! You say that you need me but you really don't! What happened downstairs is something that will occur again. She is going to be your wife!" she cries out. Her tears start to fall again.
I go to hold her and she clings to me. I kiss her forehead, "I love you Sookie, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. I will not lose you."
"I know you love me Eric," she says against my chest. "I love you as much, which is the reason why I am still here. I don't want to lose you too. I know I need to find some way to get past this god-awful mess we are in and I will, but I can't do it tonight. Please Eric just let me go home."
She opens the bond and I can feel how deeply hurt she is. The pain that she was feeling was enormous. While all I want to do is take her into my arms and make her pain go away, I have to attend the reception.
"I have to go downstairs. Please stay up here, I shall try and come back as quickly as possible then we will go home," I say to her.
She shakes her head and leaves my arms, "I want to go home Eric. I can't stand to be here for another minute!"
I check the bond and can sense that she is nearing a breaking point. Her emotions were strong about this matter so I thought about her request for a moment, "Very well, your guards will take you back. I will come home as soon as I can." I try to kiss her on the lips but she moves her head to the side. Because I don't want to push her anymore, I decide to let it go, so I kiss her cheek instead.
We walk downstairs to the main foyer where her guards are waiting for her and she leaves with them without saying a word to me. I go outside and watch them get into the limo and drive off.
I close my eyes and let out an unnecessary sigh. I'll stay at this party for a half hour. Then I'll go home and make things right with her. She may feel distressed now but I will make her happy and smile once again. I go back inside to attend my reception.
Sookie:
The heartache and devastation that I have been feeling since the coronation ceremony has been overwhelming. Eric continues to constantly pour his love and devotion through our bond whenever I open it to him. Lately I have been closing our bond a lot and I can see the frustration that it is causing him in his eyes. I don't close it to shield him from my sad emotions; I close it to hide from him my uncertainty about our future together. Would leaving him make things easier for me? I continue to ask myself that same question but I always end up with the same response. Leaving him would be much worse. I couldn't imagine a future without him, even if I had to share him with someone else for a few weeks of the year. I could probably deal with that, but it was the physical aspect that I was having a hard time with. He would have sex with her at least once a year, starting tomorrow evening, their wedding night. Every time I think about it, I start to cry and right now it's no different.
I look in the mirror and see a few tears shedding from my eyes. I turn on the faucet, run the water, and splash some on my face. I take a paper towel and pat my face as I look into the mirror. The last few days not only has taken a toll on me emotionally, but physically as well. My skin is paler, I have dark circles under my eyes due to lack of sleep. My hair is unkempt. Whereas before when I used to force myself to eat, these past few days I have been eating very little. I breathe in one last time before I exit the bathroom to take my seat in Eric's new private jet.
We are heading to France for Eric's wedding. I had initially refused to go. I wanted to stay home, maybe go back to Bon Temps to try and forget about this ordeal for just a few days. But he begged me to come with him. He told me that it was still too dangerous to be away from each other, especially since he was a new king. He also told me that the other reason was because he no longer wanted to apart from me, that he wanted me to come with him on all his excursions, but I think he is more worried that I would try and run away from him. So I agreed to accompany him, but drew the line at attending his wedding. There was no way in hell I was strong enough to witness that.
I leave the bathroom and sit down beside Alcide. He and five other members of his pack have joined us on this trip. They will be my daytime bodyguards. It is also an audition for the five weres. If they perform their duties well, Eric will hire them permanently to act as my daytime guards. Taylor, one of the weres that watched over me in Las Vegas is one of them. There is still a bit of sunshine left so Eric, Pam, and my vamp bodyguards are still resting in their coffins but should be rising any moment.
"So Sookie, do you have any tourist spots in mind that you would like to see?" Alcide asks smiling, obviously trying to take my mind off our situation.
"I don't know Alcide, I didn't really do any research on this city that we will be in," I say with a forced smile and cheer.
"Well I've been in Bordeaux once before, so I'll take you to some nice buildings and castles. How does that sound?" he says.
"That sounds great," I say with false enthusiasm. More than likely I'll be spending the majority of my time during this trip lying in bed by myself crying.
Alcide checks his watch and gets up, "We should lower the blinds on all the windows, the vampires will be walking up," he tells the other weres. They all move to lower the blinds. When there is only artificial light remaining in the cabin, he picks up the airplane phone. "It's safe now," is all he says and hangs up.
Right away Eric emerges from the room in the rear of the plane followed by the other vampires. Alcide goes to sit with the other weres while Eric takes his seat beside me.
He kisses my cheek, "Has the airplane ride been tolerable so far?" he asks.
Rather than looking at him, I look at the large screen that is playing an old western movie. "It is ok. I slept a little bit," I tell him sounding despondent.
He holds my hand and continues to look at me, but I still refuse to look at him.
"Sookie, you look horrid, why don't you come with me to the back room and I'll fix you up?" Pam says. She is standing beside Eric in the aisle.
I look up at her, "Alright." I unbuckle my seatbelt and follow her to the back room.
"Come sit," she says patting the spot next to her on the small bed. I close the door and sit beside her. She pulls out her makeup from her large bag on the bed.
She starts by applying some eye concealer to cover up my dark circles.
"I am truly sorry Sookie," she says as she applies the makeup.
"What for?" I say in a small voice.
"For everything that is going on. I really enjoy having you as my friend. In fact, you are my only friend," she says somewhat sad. "I do not enjoy knowing that you are feeling emotional pain."
She puts away the concealer and takes out some powder. "I knew that you and Eric were no longer married before you found out." I freeze and stare at her.
"Eric had called me the night of his meeting with the Council in Vancouver," she says. She starts applying the powder. "I could not say anything to you because Eric ordered me not to, but also because that was something that he needed to tell you himself."
I take a small gulp. She puts away the powder and pulls out some blush. "It's ok Pam. Eric should have told me right away but he didn't. I don't blame you for anything," I tell her. "Is there anything else that you are keeping from me?" I ask her feeling a little bit afraid.
"Yes," she says stopping with the blush. "He needs you Sookie. You cannot imagine how much he needs you in his undead life. He loves and cares about you deeply, even more than he has ever cared for me. If he loses you then I do not know what he would do. Please give him a chance Sookie. Give him a chance to make things right. I have known my master for many years and I know that he would stop at nothing to get what he wants. Right now what he wants more than anything is to make you happy again."
I look down as I rub my hands together. I know what she has said is the truth, but I still feel doubtful. "I'll try Pam. Because I love you both, I will try."
She smiles at me, "That is good enough for now. I say this also because I miss the old Sookie."
I give her a genuine smile. "Me too."
She finishes with my makeup application and afterwards we head back to our seats. The plane lands at the airport in Bordeaux and afterwards our group jumps into a couple of limousines heading towards our destination, Rosamund's home.
The ride to her home takes us about an hour. When we arrive we pull up to the front entrance of her house and as I step out of the vehicle I am awed to learn that her home is an actual castle that is being illuminated with outdoor lights.
I look past the limo and see a beautiful large round fountain complete with a statue of a horse in the center in her front courtyard. Just past that there are a series of fountains spurting from the ground like the ones at the Bellagio, though not as magnificent.
I continue to gaze at the courtyard until I hear someone's voice.
"Your majesty, I am glad to see that you have arrived safely," a human man with a British accent tells Eric as he approaches us.
"Ari," Eric says acknowledging him.
He looks at me, then back to Eric. "I see that you have arrived with your bonded. May I introduce myself to her?" he asks Eric. Eric nods.
He smiles at me, "I am pleased to meet you Miss Stackhouse. My name is Ari Durant, I am Ms. Lefevre's daytime manager."
He doesn't try to shake my hand so I assume he's accustomed to vampire etiquette. "It's nice to meet you," I tell him politely.
"Well please follow me, Ms. Lefevre is waiting for you all in the drawing room," he says.
We all begin to walk but suddenly he turns around. "I'm afraid the weres will have to wait out here. Ms. Lefevre does not like to have unfamiliar beasts in her home."
This earns a growl from Eric. I look at Alcide who seems just as angry at that insult. "You can tell your mistress that these weres go everywhere we do. If she has a problem with that, then we have no problem leaving," Eric says angrily.
We turn around to get back into the limos but we hear another voice.
"Your majesty, I hope that you will not leave due to my associate's ignorance," another man says, this time with a French accent. We turn around to see a gorgeous man with light brown wavy hair, full pouty lips and hazel eyes. He is wearing a black suit with a white shirt and no tie. His skin is pale and I cannot read his mind, he is a vampire.
He smiles at me, then at Eric. "There has been a misunderstanding. Ari here hasn't been completely informed about certain protocols pertaining to you. Your bodyguards are welcome in my mistress' castle," he says to Eric. Ari hangs his head and goes back into the castle.
Eric still looks severe, "Lead the way," he tells the vampire.
"Wait here," Eric tells Alcide as we reach the entrance of a room.
We follow the vamp inside to the drawing room. In the drawing room we see Rosamund lying on a chaise lounge chair looking at a black book. She is wearing a blue metallic fitted dress that accentuates her slender frame. Her strawberry blonde hair is hanging loose over her shoulder. She looks both sexy and stunning. I start to feel insecure in my own attire as I look down at my dress which is a simple light blue floral print.
She looks up from her book and smiles at us, "Eric, I am so glad that you and your acquaintances have arrived safely. I trust that the journey was comfortable for you all?"
Eric's severe facial expression hasn't changed and settles his hand on my waist. He ignores her question, "You said that we had some things to discuss before the ceremony tomorrow. Tell me what you need to say right now. My bonded is quite exhausted this evening."
She rises from her chair and walks forward to us. "Perhaps we should discuss this in private. I have some business matters to share with you," she says as she takes a quick glance at me. "I also need to tell you a few things about our wedding tomorrow evening."
I can feel Eric's body stiffen. "Very well, we shall talk in private. Pam you will come with me." He lets go of my waist.
"I suppose Eric that you haven't introduced my child to your bonded," she says. He still looks stone-faced.
She turns towards the handsome vampire, "Etienne, why don't you show Miss Stackhouse the rear courtyard while I take the king to my private office."
Eric puts his hand around my waist again. "You need not worry about her safety Eric," she says still smiling and eyeing Eric's hand, "My Etienne doesn't bite, unless you ask him to."
He slides his hand to my back and gives me a kiss on my forehead. "I will be right back," he says in a gentle tone. He and Pam leave with Rosamund.
In the room remain me, my two vamp guards, and Rosamund's child. He walks up to me after the others leave.
"I am Etienne Behar," he tells him with a dazzling smile. "Of course I have heard nothing but great things about you Miss Stackhouse. I have seen beautiful photographs of you, but you are much lovelier in person."
"Thank you, you can call me Sookie," I tell him smiling back and feeling flattered. I can't help but let his words effect me as my self-esteem has been taking a beating these past several weeks.
"Shall we walk outside? My mistress' castle is most beautiful to gaze at during the night," he asks.
"Alright," I respond.
He leads me to a set of double doors. We step out and feel the cool night air. The back courtyard is more stunning than the front. There is another fountain, this one is much larger and is long, rectangular shaped. There are tall hedges of various shapes and sizes. Past the fountain I see a large white tent and gold chairs. I look at it for a few moments until it dawns on me that that was where the wedding ceremony was going to take place. I quickly turn away in anguish. I close my eyes willing myself to not cry again. I was so tired of crying.
"Sookie are you alright?" he says with a look of concern.
I open my eyes and look at him, "I am fine."
He looks out into the courtyard and lingers for a moment, "Oh I see what is troubling you."
"Believe it or not Sookie, I feel the same pain as you," he tells me with a tender voice. "I love my mistress deeply. She is my maker and my lover. She is everything to me and it hurts me greatly to see her wed another."
I breathe in, "But wasn't she married to another king recently?"
He nods his head. "With king Ulric, it was just a business arrangement. With your Viking, I think it is something much more," he says in a sad quiet tone. I can see his red bloody tears brimming from his eyes and I can't help but feel sorrow for him and myself.
I shiver feeling the cool wind on my back and he notices. "Forgive me," he says smiling again, "I have neglected your needs. Please excuse me for a few seconds."
He goes inside in his vampire speed and is back in front of me within seconds. He is holding a black shawl. He moves to wrap it around me but I back away.
He senses why. "Sookie, this isn't my mistress' shawl. This is for guests. We have various items available to tend to the needs of the visitors in her home."
I look at it feeling hesitant but decide to take it, "Thank you."
I try to take it from him but he says, "Please allow me."
I nod and turn around as he places it around my shoulders. He lifts my hair up over it as well.
We talk for awhile. He tells me about his past and his family. His father was Algerian and his mother was French. I asked him when he was turned and he told me that he was turned when he was a soldier during World War II. He told me that he was fatally injured and his comrades had to leave him. That was when Rosamund found him.
Several minutes later we head back inside and almost at the same instant Rosamund, Pam and Eric return.
Right away Eric comes up to me and places his hands on my arms. He studies the shawl and I can see the questions forming in his eyes.
"I will have Ari show you and your people to your rooms Eric. I just had them remodelled and they are quite lovely," she says in a cheerful voice.
Eric turns around to face her, "We are not staying here. I have made other arrangements for our accommodations."
For a few brief second she looks flustered, but she goes back to that jovial mood, "I see. Well perhaps you all will stay here another time, some will stay here more sooner than others," she says looking over Eric's body. I start to feel sick.
He sneers at her, guides me out of the castle and into the limo. Soon we are travelling again.
"Where are we going?" I ask jadedly.
"To another castle. This one is owned by a friend." he responds.
"Which friend?" I ask.
"Marten. He offered it to us to use."
I close my eyes feeling my utter exhaustion claiming me.
The next night:
I stand in one of the guestrooms going through my luggage. When we arrived last night I was still asleep, so I suppose Eric must have carried me up here. When I woke up this morning he was not beside me so I also assumed that he must have been sleeping in a hidden part of the castle with the other vamps. I look at the clock and see that it is only a couple more hours till Eric is married to another woman. I will not cry, I tell myself.
I pick up my borrowed black shawl and start to fold it until I spot something rather tiny attached to it. I look closely and see that it is a small black pin with a small piece of black rolled paper attached to it. I detach the pin and paper. When I unfold it, I find a little note in gold ink. If you wish to talk, it simply says with an email address at the end. It must be Etienne's, I think to myself. I put the tiny piece of paper in my purse.
I continue rummaging through my belongings until Eric speaks, "Did you have a good day? "
I freeze for a second and huff, "Do you really have to ask that question Eric?" I say without looking at him. I continue to scamper around the room.
"Please stop for a moment," he says in a whisper as he holds me from behind.
There was a time when I could never get enough of his body against mine, but tonight I couldn't stand to be in the same room as him. He lets me break free from his embrace and I turn to face him.
"What do you have to say?" I ask.
"I love you," he says. "And I promise to begin to make things right again starting tomorrow."
I chuckle in disdain. "Nothing is going to be right again between us Eric. I am trying to accept that, now you have to accept that as well. Because if you don't, you will keep driving us further apart."
I can tell by the look on his face that he wants to argue the point, but he doesn't. "I will be downstairs," he says and then walks away.
An hour later I head downstairs to look for the vampires and I find them in one of the large living rooms. Pam is wearing one of her expensive designer gowns, and Eric is wearing a black suit with a silk maroon coloured tie.
"You guys look great," I say blandly.
"Wait for me outside in the limo," he orders Pam.
She walks up to me and gives me a hug. "I will see you later on this evening," she says. She lets go of me and walks out of the room.
We just stare at each other. It was one of those moments where we both had a lot to say but nothing could come out of our mouths.
"So what time are you coming back tonight?" I ask him weakly.
He stares away from me and is silent for a few seconds. "I am not coming back until tomorrow evening."
I gasp and let out a sob. All my despair hits me like a freight train as I feel my knees go weak. Eric moves rapidly to hold me against him.
He holds me as I continue to cry. I finally look up at him and see a couple of red tears streaming down his face.
I trace my thumb along one of his tears and pop it in my mouth. "I love you," I whisper to him.
"I love you as well." He says in a hoarse voice. "I hope you will always remember that."
"You should go now."
I try to move away from him but he keeps me locked in his arms. He bends down to kiss me. We kiss for a few minutes putting every ounce of our passion into it, as though this will be the last time.
"I will see you tomorrow," he says as I nod to him. He walks out of the room quickly and for what seems like an eternity I stand there blankly staring at the door, almost hoping that he would come back. I finally give up and head back upstairs to my room.
I will not cry, I will not cry, I keep telling myself as I walk slowly up the stairs, but my silent self-command doesn't work. As soon as I reach my room, my tears spring out in full force. I drag myself to my bed and curl up into a ball weeping.
Eric's POV:
Leaving Sookie and coming here to Rosamund's castle was the most hardest thing I have ever had to do in my long existence. I can still feel her heartache. I stare angrily out the window as I silently curse Rosamund and De Castro for putting me in this position and for the hurt that this has caused Sookie.
I hear a knock as the doors opens, "Your majesty," Etienne calls out to me but I don't look at him.
"What do you want?"
"I brought you your wedding attire," he answers. He lays it out on the bed. I walk up to the bed, pick it up, and throw it back into his arms.
"I don't want it. This is what I am wearing," I say angrily.
"As you wish, I shall tell the queen," he takes the garments and goes out of the room.
A half hour later I hear another knock and this time it's Pam.
"Master, it's time," she says sombrely.
I take a few more seconds to mentally prepare myself before I head out the door.
"It's not too late. You still have a choice," she says just as I open the door. "There has to be another way."
"There are other options," I tell her, "But those will lead to me losing Sookie."
She hangs her head solemnly. "Do not worry my child," I tell her as I lift her chin. "You know that I cannot be easily defeated." We head outside to where the wedding was to take place.
I see De Castro leering at me as I make my approach to the altar. Rosamund had told me yesterday evening that he was going to officiate our ceremony much to my dismay.
I stand there looking at the ground waiting for my future wife and the orchestra begins to play. I look up and see her walking down the aisle with Etienne. She smiles at the crowd as she passes them by, obviously enjoying the attention that she is receiving. When she finally reaches me, I take her hand and begin to listen to De Castro.
In a loud voice he begins, "Ladies and Gentlemen we are gathered here to witness the pledging and union of Rosamund Lefevre, queen of France, and Eric Northman, king of the Louisiana territory in America."
"Eric Northman, do you accept Rosamund Lefevre as your wife and queen for the next hundred years?"
"Yes," I grudgingly say.
"Rosamund Lefevre, do you accept Eric Northman as your husband and king for the next hundred years?"
"Yes, I do," she says seductively looking at me.
De Castro continues on, "Are there any persons here that object to this union? If so, speak now!"
I hear silent murmurs in the crowd and I can also hear Pam gritting her teeth behind me.
Another vampire hands him the wedding chalice and ceremonial dagger, the same one that I had used to bind myself to Sookie. He holds out the chalice in front of us.
"Raise your hands to me," he instructs to us.
We give him our hands. He first makes a cut on Rosamund's hand and her blood pours into the cup. He takes the dagger and makes a cut on my hand. I watch as my blood slowly drips into the cup, feeling a part of me leaving my body.
After our wounds close, he takes the cup and offers it to Rosamund. I flinch as she takes a few gulps of our mixed blood. She licks her lips as she hands the cup to me. I take one gulp and hand it back to De Castro.
He hands back the chalice and dagger to the vampire and says, "Ladies and Gentlemen you have just witnessed the pledging and union of king Eric Northman and queen Rosamund Lefevre! May no one dare try to break this union for one hundred years! You may kiss your bride Northman."
I lean to kiss her. It is a quick kiss that lasts for only a few seconds. The crowd erupts in applause as we turn around to face them.
The rest of the event goes by like a blur. I see dozens of faces of various kings and queens from European nations as I wander through the wedding reception receiving unwanted blessings. I also reluctantly dance with Rosamund, as it is one of the traditions.
As much as I hate being here, I try to prolong our presence because the next step is the consummation of our marriage.
I feel a hand on my arm as I converse with the king of Ireland. "Husband, I believe it is time for us to leave our party and get intimate," Rosamund whispers into my ear.
I shudder and look down at the woman that I thoroughly detest.
"Yes Northman, I think it is time for you and your new wife to take your leave," De Castro says suddenly standing behind Rosamund.
I scowl at him and force myself to take her hand. We leave the reception and go back into the castle.
"Husband, follow me," she says smiling as she leads me downstairs through a secret entrance. She punches in a code to a door and it opens.
"These are my private chambers," she says. "Wait here, I have been looking forward to this night for so long and I have just the perfect little outfit." She prances into the bathroom.
I scan the room and look at the large round bed. Rose petals are scattered all over the white duvet and there are white candles everywhere.
A minute later she comes out of the bathroom wearing a red laced cut-out teddy. She smiles demurely and licks her finger in an attempt to seduce me. "I had hoped that you would be naked by the time I came out," she says in a seductive tone.
I remove my jacket and undo my tie. "Let's get this over with," I say in a clipped tone.
She laughs. "So eager Eric. Take it easy, we have all night." She tries to put her hands on my chest, but I grab her wrists.
"I warned you, do not touch me unless I say so," I growl and push her away.
She laughs again. "Okay Eric, we will play this your way. What would you like me to do?" she says cupping her private area.
"Lie on the bed," I say.
She crawls up the bed, wiggling her bottom all the way up to a pillow. She places her feet on the bed and spreads her legs.
I undo my pants and pull out the condom from my pocket.
"What's that for?" she says, her smile gone.
I laugh and smirk, "Did you really think I would have intercourse with you without some kind of protection? I know that we cannot get sexual diseases, but who knows who you have last been with," I tell her harshly.
She looks at me angry. "You can't use that Eric."
I smirk at her again, "Who says I can't? It's not in our marriage contract or written in our laws." I pull my semi-hard penis out from my boxers and roll on the condom. I join her on the bed and position myself on top of her. I push aside her panties and shove myself in. She grunts as I thrust into her for about a minute and quickly pull out. Afterwards I remove the condom and put myself back into my pants.
"There, our marriage has been consummated," I state in a formal manner.
She looks up to me, fury burning in her eyes. "What the hell was that?" she yells. "That does not count!"
"Consummation requires penetration and I have penetrated you. I will rest for the day in your office and you will remain here."
"You won't get away with this humiliation Eric! I swear you won't!" she yells angrily at me as I walk into her private office and sitting room.
I slam the door shut and sit down on a chair. I place my elbows on my knees and my hands on my forehead as I think about today's events. My thoughts turn to Sookie. I had closed the bond just before the ceremony and long to open it again to feel her but I cannot.
I can smell Rosamund's perfume on me. I have the sudden urge to rip my clothes off, throw them into a fire, and take a long hot shower to purge me of her smell.
I will find a way to get rid of her. I will not remain married to her for a hundred years, I think to myself coldly. I stay with my hateful thoughts until I feel the pull of the sun.
One month later:
Since I became king over a month ago, the Louisiana territory has already begun to prosper. Better more adept Sheriffs that I had chosen have been running their areas smoothly. There has been very little conflicts as well. So far there have been no threats to undermine my authority as king. I have also been receiving requests from wealthy vampires who wish to relocate to my area. While Louisiana is flourishing under my control, my relationship with Sookie is not getting any better.
I had done various things in an attempt to remain close to her. Most of the time I work out of my home office to stay close by and for meetings I use my downtown headquarters. I have also tried using her brother and friends as a way to get through to her. I have gifted her brother and friend with expensive gifts. When her brother's wife gave birth to a son a few weeks ago, I had sent him a check of $100,000. I had thought that it would please Sookie, but she seemed more disappointed than happy. A week ago they came to my home for a visit and for the first time in weeks I saw her smile. She held her new nephew and sang him a lullaby as he slept in her arms. I have also attempted to show interest in the planning of our wedding, but so far she seems to have no interest to begin planning. I constantly ask her when she would like to get married, but she always says that she needs more time to think about it.
As for sex, she has been becoming increasingly reluctant to offer her body to me. Since Bordeaux we have only had sex a total of six times. She continues to let me feed from her but most of the time nothing sexual ever happens during or afterwards. She also still lets me hold and caress her, but her body feels rigid when I touch her. This has resulted in me becoming ever more sexually frustrated than I have ever been in my entire existence. I miss the warmth that she used to send me through our bond as we touched each other. The only time that she touches me is just before sunset when she thinks that I am still resting. She runs her hands over my body as I pretend to sleep.
I leave my office and go downstairs to find Sookie typing on her laptop in the dining room. She looks up and greets me, "Hi."
"Hello, my love," I tell her. I take the chair beside her and she closes her computer.
"What's up?" she asks.
I rub her hand. "Nothing, I just wanted to take a break from work and be with you."
"That's nice," she responds.
I caress her by running my hands through her golden hair and she closes her eyes. She sighs feeling content.
"Lover," I whisper, she turns her head towards me and I pull her into a passionate kiss. I run my hands down to her breasts as I smell her arousal and feel her lust growing. She puts her arms around my neck and I carry her down to our chamber.
I lay her down on our bed and she lets me pull off her clothing. I quickly take off my own clothes. I kiss my way down to her breasts and suckle them as she moans my name. I rub my thumb over her clit to get her wetter. After finishing my attentions with her breasts, I continue to kiss my way down and ultimately reach her core. I continuously run my tongue over her nub and pump my fingers into her vagina. Finally I can feel her muscles tightening around my fingers as she reaches her orgasm and screams out my name.
As she is coming down from her high, I position myself over her and kiss her sensually. Much to my delight, she reaches between us and strokes my cock.
"I need to feel you Eric," she pants, lining my cock up with her entrance. I push into her and begin by thrusting in and out slowly. As both of our needs begin to build, I quicken the pace. Not long after, I am pumping in and out of her vigorously. I massage her clit again to help bring her to another climax. A little while later I can feel her tightening around my cock as I bite into her neck and my own orgasm hits me. I collapse on top of her. As we are recovering, I remain within her, kissing her neck and jaw.
"I'm tired Eric," she says.
I half-heartedly pull out of her and she turns over to lie down on her side facing the wall. I pull the covers over us as she drifts off into sleep. After she is asleep I hold her from behind relishing in the feel of her warm body next to mine.
The next night:
I rise in our bed alone. Right away I seek her out through our bond and sense that she is nearby. I get up, pull on some jeans and walk to our study. I see her looking over a paper with a frown on her face.
"What is the matter, Lover?" I ask.
"Oh," she says, "It's nothing. I just got the marks for my latest class and this letter from the university."
I walk up to her, "Can I see?"
She looks hesitant, "Sure," she says as she hands me the paper.
It is a letter from her university saying that she has not been accepted to continue in her program as her marks have dropped substantially. I look at her with concern.
She inhales deeply, "Don't worry about it Eric. It's nothing. I'll take more classes to boost up my GPA and then next year I'll try again." She gets up from her seat and starts to walk towards the door but I stop her.
"It's not alright Sookie," I tell her.
"Please let me go Eric," she says sounding despaired. Last night she had opened herself up to me for a brief moment; now she was closing herself from me again. But I refuse to allow her.
"Please Sookie," I plead to her, "Let me help you. You can't keep on pushing me away."
"I told you in the beginning, Eric, I need time. I just need time to deal with everything. Can't you see? My life has changed so much in just a few short months and not in a good way! I need time to adjust, I need my space," she huffs.
"And with your need for space, that also includes pushing me away?" I ask.
She is silent for a minute as she deliberates her answer. "Yes Eric, at least for now."
My cell phone rings but I try to ignore it.
"You should answer that," she says. "It's probably important. I'll be upstairs."
I watch as she walks away from me. I look at the number and growl.
I hit the talk button, "This better be a matter of life and death."
"Oh Eric you are so dramatic. Is that any way to greet your wife?" Rosamund says.
"What do you want?" I growl.
"Well if you are going to act this way, then I'll just tell you right now. I need you to come here."
"No," I immediately answer.
"You haven't even heard my reason. I need you to help me deal with a bad situation."
Unfortunately aiding each other when situations arise in one another's territories was one of the terms in our marriage contract. "What is it that you need me to do?"
"I would prefer to tell you in person, not over the phone."
"Just tell me right now and I'll decide if my presence is required," I say seething.
"Fine. There are some V dealers in Paris that have been draining vampires like crazy. In the past month they have drained over twenty vampires. From what my sources have told me the head dealers are actually vampires themselves and they are trading with human dealers in Britain. I need you to help me track these dealers down and essentially end their lives. I also need you to talk to the king of England and persuade him to let me go into his territory and kill those dealers."
I think about what she has just told me. "I will send some reliable men to help your people to hunt them down and kill them. I will also talk to the king and see if he could send some of his own people to kill those dealers in his territory. He owes me a few favours."
"Not good enough Eric," she says. "I have already hired the best trackers in the world to find these vamps. The trackers say that they are trying very hard to find them but I don't believe them. I think that if I had my king here they could be persuaded by you to work harder. Besides you know Brandon, he does not like to negotiate over the phone and he hates me so he probably will not believe me when I say there are V dealers in his country."
I growl again. The king of England, Brandon Rolfe, had been her brief lover right before she married Ulric. He had hoped that they would wed, but she chose to marry Ulric instead, hoping to gain more power and wealth through an alliance with Germany than England.
I think again for a moment, "I will come for only a few days to coordinate the hunt for the dealers. Then I will go to London and meet with Brandon."
"There is no need to go to London," she says. "He is coming here. His wife is a very close friend of mine and she persuaded him to come visit. I will be hosting a reception in his honour which will be a good time for you to ask him."
"Very well, I shall be there by tomorrow evening," I say and hang up on her.
I sit down to figure out what to say to Sookie. Finally I send her a text message asking her to come here.
Several minutes later she arrives. "What's wrong?"
"We need to go to France," I say quickly.
Her concerned face falls and she takes a deep breath. "Why?"
"There is a situation there that requires my presence," I say.
"Well have a safe trip because I'm not going," she says.
"I want you to come with me Sookie," I tell her gently. "I don't want to be apart from you."
"I have to catch up on my school work," she says.
I take her hands. "Please Sookie, I beg you. We'll stay in Marten's castle again." I send her my love and need through the bond as I rub my hands down her arms.
She heaves a sigh, "Alright, I'll go with you. Will there be a conjugal visit?" she says quietly.
"No Lover, there will be nothing like that," I say instantly.
"I'll go to our room and pack my clothes," she says.
When she leaves I go to my laptop and continue with my plans to get rid of Rosamund. I need to find a way to kill her without linking it me which will not be very easy. Killing a monarch is easy; getting away with it is the hard part. But I am resourceful and I will not stay married to her.
The next night in Bordeaux:
In Marten's castle I get ready for the reception in the hidden chamber below. When I know that the sun has gone down, I head upstairs to see if Sookie is ready. I find her in one of the rooms still in her jeans and t-shirt.
"Why aren't you dressed?" I ask her.
"I changed my mind, I don't want to go," she responds.
"Sookie, why are you being so difficult?" I say feeling my frustration returning.
"Why do you want me to go Eric? To help you and your wife by reading human minds? I'm not going and that is final," she says heatedly.
I glare at her, my anger is growing. "You will come with me because you are my bonded and my wife."
She laughs derisively, "I am not your wife Eric. My role has been reduced to nothing but a concubine. Your live-in whore."
My rage flows out of me as I stare at her, "You will not belittle yourself or our relationship. You know of your significance in my life. I have told you and proven it to you time after time."
She glares back, "If I am so significant, then respect my decision to not go. I can't believe you really expect me to go to a party at your wife's house and watch you both entertain your guests!"
I try to touch her but she recoils, "Just go Eric." I try again to touch her. "I said get out! Don't try to come into my room later on tonight!" I can feel her fury one last time before she shuts down the bond. This only deepens my anger and frustration. I leave her room without saying another word and storm off into the night.
Sookie's POV:
I lie on my bed in the guest room feeling a mixture of anger and sadness. This has been the first time in a very long time that Eric and I have argued that has resulted with me kicking him out. He is right; I have been pushing him away. I had hoped to be at a point of where I was able to tolerate the fact that he was now married, but so far that has not happened. The fact that he is persistent to keep close to me hasn't helped either. He doesn't seem to understand that I need space in order to try and deal with things.
I look at the clock as I turn the radio to listen to some music. It is almost 3 am. Suddenly I feel my phone vibrate.
I look at the private number, "Hello?" I asked sounding confused.
"Hi, it's me," my caller says.
"Oh hey," I say surprised. "Is there anything wrong?"
He goes silent for a moment, "Yes there is. It's about your Viking."
My heart rate speeds up as I feel an ache in my chest, "Etienne, tell me what's wrong."
"He is fine, do not worry," he says. I breathe a sigh of relief. "I am sorry to have alarmed you like that."
"That's okay. I'm just glad it isn't anything bad," I tell him.
He is silent again. "I was hoping to convince you to come over here. I think there is something you need to see."
"What is it?" I ask.
"It isn't something that can be explained over the telephone," he answers.
I dwell over his request. Unbeknownst to Eric, I have been talking to Etienne by email and internet chats for the past month. During this time he has become a good friend, despite the fact that he is Rosamund's child. I am still unsure of whether or not I trust him enough to be alone with him.
"Remember the things that I have told you Sookie? About a vampire's true nature?" he says.
I feel a sense of dread, "Yes."
"It has to do with that."
The ache in my chest returns again. "Can you come and pick me up?" I ask him.
"Yes, I am already outside. I have found a way to distract your guards. Go downstairs to the kitchen right now and open the door. Run quickly to the largest tree fifty yards to your right. I will be waiting there for you."
"Okay," I say. I hang up the phone. Without thinking about it, I put my shoes on and do what he says. When I am outside, I run as fast as I can to the largest tree that I see.
It is dark so I wave my hands around in front of me.
"Sookie," a voice whispers in my ear behind me that causes me to gasp. "It is me, I'm sorry that I startled you."
I let out a deep breath, "Where's your car?"
"I parked it about a half kilometre from here. Can you get on my back? It will be much faster," he says.
I nod and he helps me climb onto his back. "I am going to run very fast. It would be easier for you if you closed your eyes," he says.
I do as he says and suddenly I hear the wind whistling in my ears. We come to a complete stop and I open my eyes to see a black car in front of me. We drive silently to Rosamund's castle during which time I try to prepare myself for what is to come.
When we reach the castle he takes me to a bedroom on the main floor.
"What do you have to show me?" I ask quietly as I look around the room.
"Come," is all he says. He offers his hand to me and I give him mine. He leads me to a tapestry that is hanging on the wall. He flings it to the side as he runs his free hand against the wall. He finds a spot and taps on in it lightly. Suddenly the wall opens. It is a hidden door. He continues to lead me as we walk down a spiral staircase. He lets go of my hand once we reach a small room.
The room is dark and the only light that is shining through is coming from two small holes in the wall.
"Please, take a look," he whispers.
I take a deep breath as I walk to the light. I peer through the holes and hear voices. I hear the voices of women laughing and moaning. Suddenly I hear Eric's laugh. My heart stops.
Two gorgeous naked blonde women come prancing into my viewpoint. They caress and touch each other as they fall onto the large round bed. Rosamund appears into the picture wearing nothing but red panties. She looks at the women briefly and then looks towards something that I cannot see.
What I see next rips my heart in two. Eric comes into the picture with a beautiful naked brunette woman clinging to him. He is kissing her and is naked himself. He lowers her on the bed and lies on top of her looking ready to have sex. Rosamund sits on the bed beside him stroking his back. She stands up and slips off her underwear.
I can no longer bear to witness anymore of what I have just seen so I take a step back. My agony hits me with a force so strong that I feel my knees go weak. Etienne steps behind me and I collapse. He catches me before I hit the ground and puts his hand over my mouth to muffle my cries of pain. He carries me back up the spiral staircase. My world has just been shattered.
A/N: *Whew* This is the longest chapter that I have written so far. I realise that I ended on a sad, angst cliffhanger that nobody ever likes, so I will start writing the next chapter tomorrow. It will be another Eric and Sookie POVs. I am giving myself a Tuesday night deadline to post it, maybe even earlier depending on if no one in my real life bugs me. As for this chapter, I am pretty sure I got the vampire wedding scene wrong from how it is portrayed in the books, so sorry about that! Take care everyone, and please remember, this is only fan fiction but I will still apologize if my writing makes you sad!