Hi there everyone. I just finished Dead Reckoning, and all I can say is thank goodness for Fan Fiction.
All characters belong to AB and CH.
Previously…
"Sookie! No! Do not go to her!" I heard the pleas of a distant voice that I recognized as Godric. He sounded almost desperate.
"Sookie! Please! Please! Not again! This cannot happen again! I can't lose you! They'll never let you go!" his pleas were wrought with pain and despair. I wondered what he meant by not again? But I ignored his pleas. Claudine felt like home to me, warm, comfortable, and she offered the type of love that I wasn't getting elsewhere.
Ignoring Godric's cries, I walked towards her until our hands met. I felt a tingling, warm sensation, but it also felt like the life was being sucked out of my body. The feeling only lasted a few seconds, and when I opened my eyes, I saw the most magical wondrous place I could have ever imagined.
Everything seemed to glow this hazy shade of gold, almost like the tint on those really old photos. The sun shone brightly, but not overwhelmingly bright. Everything was lush and green and beautiful. It was like a perennial Spring, and for the first time since gran's passing, I felt like I was at home.
Chapter 16- Sookie's POV
I sort of felt like Dorothy after her house crashed into munchkin land. More specifically the scene where the lollipop guild and all the other munckins threw Dorothy an impromptu welcome party. That was what my first impression of being in Faery was like.
I was greeted by throngs of fairies and other beings that I couldn't put a label on. All of the fairies were incredibly beautiful, and they all came to welcome me? Someone placed a crown of flowers upon my head. Claudine took my hand and guided me through the crowd of people. I had no idea where she was taking me.
I was on sensory overload, as I heard all the voices greeting me, the smell of flowers enveloped my senses, and the sun seemed to beam brightly, but not too bright to where it would hurt to look directly at it. The place was beautiful, lush greenery as far as the eye could see, flowers and plants that I had never seen in my life, not to mention the beautiful birds that sang joyfully. It was surreal, and so unbelievable.
As Claudine led me away from my welcome party, I saw a man waiting for me in the distance. He had an aura of power and influence surrounding him. He didn't look old, but he carried a cane. His hair was shoulder length salt and pepper, so if I had to guess his age, I would guess mid-fifties. He was surrounded by a woman who looked exactly like Claudine and a man who looked like the male version of Claudine.
There was also a man standing by them who…wait is that Jason? It couldn't be Jason, I mean it made no sense logically that it would be him. But this man, he looked exactly like Jason, down to his haircut and everything.
As we approached, Claudine bowed reverently to the older man with the cane.
"Blood of my blood." The man with the cane greeted me. "I am Niall Brigant, Prince of the Sky Fae, and High Prince of the Fae. I am glad you are here, great granddaughter, though I wish it was under better circumstances." Niall greeted me taking my hand and bringing up to kiss politely.
"This is Dermot, my son and your great uncle." He said pointing at the man who looked like Jason.
"These are your cousins, Claudette, Claude, and of course you know Claudine." I greeted and hugged each person as Niall introduced them.
I was stunned into silence. I had so many questions that I needed answered, but somehow I couldn't find my voice. One thing I did notice, was that Claudine and Claudette wore the chrysanthemum necklace, the same one that my gran had.
"Come let's go inside and I will explain everything to you." Niall said and he led me into an enormous castle. The stone castle looked as though it was 10 stories high, and flanked by stair towers on each side. We walked along the cobblestone path until we reached the main gate of the castle. The gates in and of themselves were magnificent, gothic style made of some kind of metal that was about 50 ft. tall.
And this was my family? I was allegedly a princess to all of this? I couldn't reconcile the fact that this was supposedly my family, when all I had ever known growing up was that we all had to work hard and pitch in all of our money to makes ends meet. This was completely foreign to me. And if my biological grandfather was this wealthy, why would he allow my grandmother to have to work so hard and suffer so much to pay the bills and take care of Jason and I?
I also needed to know what exactly being a princess entailed? I certainly had no claim to the throne, no intention of being a leader, and didn't plan to stay here long. When I originally agreed to go here with Claudine, I thought it was going to be a short refuge from the everyday worries of my life. This was to be an escape of the betrayals that I have been experiencing, but I was quickly learning that there was so much more to me than I ever knew. I decided then and there that I was going to use this time away to discover, and truly find out who Sookie Stackhouse was. Was I a barmaid or a princess? A drug to vampires, or a power in my own right? Was I reliant on others or self-sufficient? This was the time to come into my own, and I fully intended to do so.
We all sat together in a giant room that could easily hold 100 or more people. Servants came in and out of the room bringing in food and beverages. It all seemed too normal to everyone else to have such family gatherings, but for me it had always been Gran and I and occasionally Jason.
"Sookie, please make yourself at home. I wish to talk to you about who and what you are. I also want to answer any of your questions." Niall said and his tone made me feel welcomed immediately.
"Let me first start off by saying that I have been watching you for quite some time. I know of your involvement with the vampires, and although I can't say that I am happy about it, I will say that at least you have chosen decent company, well as of late anyhow." Niall explained. And I wasn't sure exactly which vampire he was referring to, but I had the distinct feeling he was talking about Eric and Godric.
"Furthermore, Sookie, you are the granddaughter of my son Fintan, making you a Princess of the Fae realm. Although Fintan is in the Summerland, I wish for you to know that we all love you and will protect you the same way that Fintan has done so for all these years." Finn was the name on my Aunt Linda's birth certificate, he was the man that gran had cheated on papa with.
I sat silently as Niall continued his explanation. " Being of Fae blood, although minimal in your case, affords you a certain amount of power in your own right. And since you have the essential spark and are of Royal blood, your magic is greater than normal for a hybrid. I am sure you have already experienced some of your magic, and I am sorry you had to do so without any training or guidance, but that is why you are here. You see Sookie, you are at the age where your magic will start to manifest and become apparent, that is but one of the reasons I have asked Claudine to bring you here. I also understand that you have recently experienced some personal tragedies. Being near family in this realm will help you with that as well. However, I am sorry to tell you Sookie, that you cannot stay here indefinitely, as there are many people in the realm who disagree with bringing hybrids here, they may seek to destroy you. You will stay as long as you need to in order to heal and to develop and control your powers. Claudine and Claudette will be your guides. Do you have any questions?" Niall asked, and everyone looked at me expectantly, and I am sure I looked like a deer caught in headlights.
"Um yes." I said meekly. "You said that I would be experiencing magic recently, but I have had telepathy my whole life?" I said confusedly.
"Yes, I am aware that you are telepathic, this is not a Fae trait. I cannot tell you where in your blood line this gift became dominant, but I can tell you that it is extremely rare." Niall finished. Great, I only knew of one other telepath, Barry from Dallas, and his abilities were not very good. It was good to know that I stood out as different even amongst those who were different.
"Ok. Thank you. Also, you said that I have the essential spark and contain magic, what exactly does that mean I can do?" I already knew that I shot light out of my fingertips, and that I could throw a chain with disturbing accuracy, but other than telepathy, I really hadn't noticed anything magical.
"Having the essential spark and being from Royal blood line does mean that you have magic, but it is individualized. What I mean by that is that even though the triplets all have the same DNA, each one of them has different magic. The same logic applies to you. What I can tell you though, is that you will definitely live a very very long life, you will have the ability to perform Fae magic but the degree and complexity of the spells you will be able to cast has yet to be known. Also since you have had vampire blood, the effect that has on your Fae magic may be influenced as well. There are so many variables, Sookie, that truly only time will tell what all you are capable of." Niall explained, but he created more questions in my mind than actual answers.
"You said I will live a long time. How long do you think I will live?" I asked. That was shocking to me; I hadn't anticipated living more than the normal human lifespan.
"It is hard to say at this point, I can only estimate. Your grandfather was half fairy and he was 622 years old when he passed to the Summerland. He probably could have lived another 1000 or 1500 years. By that estimation I would say you have a good 500 years or so maybe more if you continue to ingest vampire blood. " Niall explained and he seemed a little disgusted by the vampire blood part.
"Will Jason live that long too?" I asked.
"No, Jason does not have the essential spark and therefore will have no magic either, other than the power of seduction. " Niall mused. "And since Hadley is a vampire, she will of course live forever, barring her final death." Niall finished. I had no idea Hadley had been made a vampire? That was news to me, when did that happen?
One thing I can say for sure is that Niall really seemed to know a lot about my family and myself. That only reinforced my decision to really learn who I was and what I wanted to become while in this realm.
"Great Grandfather, you seem disgusted by the fact that I have had vampire blood, why is that?" I asked without attitude. I genuinely wanted to understand where he was coming from.
"In general, dear Sookie, Vampires are greedy self-serving monsters who only seek to destroy the Fae. In fact they nearly did so, and that is why we are relegated to this realm alone. There are exceptions to the rule, of course, you managed to find them. Godric and his progeny are amongst the most noble and honorable of all vampires." Niall explained, and I had to disagree with him on that point. I looked over and noticed that Claudette appeared very sad when Niall mentioned Godric's name and I made a note to myself to question her further.
"The Viking cares a great deal for you great granddaughter, and I couldn't ask for a better protector for you, but you must know that you are a highly sought after asset, being that your blood appeals to them so greatly and the fact that you are telepathic. You have already had to fight off interest from a monarch and will continue to do so in the future. That is but one reason that I ask that when you go back to the human realm, you seek out the Viking. He will protect you, he cares for you greatly. You have had a long day, you should retire to your room. Claudine will show you the way." Niall finished and walked over to me and gave me a hug. It wasn't one of those awkward hugs that you give you people you barely know. He embraced me as if he had known and loved me my whole life and I returned the sentiment in earnest.
Claudine escorted me up to my sleeping chamber, which was bigger than the first floor in my old farmhouse.
"Cousin, sleep well, we have a lot to do tomorrow." Claudine said and kissed me lightly on the cheek. Fairies are awfully touchy feely and I loved it!
I found it difficult to sleep, though, mainly because it never seemed to get dark, there were only varying degrees of light. That was definitely going to be an adjustment.
When I finally did sleep, it was the most restful, peaceful sleep I had had in years. No dreams, no nightmares, and I didn't even wake once.
When I finally woke in the morning, I was greeted with a breakfast tray brought in by a woman no more than four and a half feet tall or so. She sort of reminded me of Dr. Ludwig.
"Good Morning, Princess." She greeted. It was startling to hear people refer to me by that title. Most of the time I was referred to as 'crazy', 'hot tits', 'my human', 'mine', or my personal favorite 'The telepath'. All of those were variations of an insult or meant to be demeaning, but being called Princess made me feel revered and honored.
"Please eat while I run you a bath a fetch you some clothing. My name is Eimile by the way." She said smiling brightly. I wondered what she was. Is that rude to ask someone that? I guess I felt sort of offended when people asked me that, so I decided that if she wanted me to know, she would tell me herself.
The fruit platter she brought me was filled with exotic fruits that I had never even seen before, but tasted amazing nonetheless. She also brought be some kind of pastry that I couldn't name, maybe something like a Danish, but not quite. It wasn't sweet exactly, but it was also amazing.
I got out of bed and went to the bathroom to take care of my human needs, and I was startled to see the extravagance of the bathroom. It was huge and had a bathtub large enough to fit four Eric's. There was also a large stone shower that had no curtain, just glass, so you could see right in. Apparently Fairies had no qualms about their nudity. There was also, what I thought might be a sauna and large vanity.
I walked over to the vanity to inspect all the beauty products laid out for me, and they were all exquisite quality, definitely not the Sally Henson that I was used to.
Eimile, had a bath drawn for me and the water smelled amazing, like roses and lilacs. I sat in the extraordinarily large tub for about 15 minutes just thinking about how different life here was compared to Bon Temps. I wondered how Jason, Tara and Sam were doing. I wondered if anyone other than the vampires new I was gone. I found that I couldn't really think about them too much because I was just having too good of a time relaxing and being pampered. I know that may seem selfish, but after everything that I had been through, I felt like I deserved the break.
Eimile had laid out some clothing for me, and I wondered what kind of material it was. It wasn't cotton or linen, or some synthetic, but it was so incredibly soft and the dress she gave me just seemed to fit me perfectly, almost like it was tailored to my measurements already.
Claudine was waiting for me in my room. She had a copy of a familiar book in her hand. It was the book that Godric had given me. The Faery Queene. I wondered what was so special about that book.
"Good Morning Sookie, you look healthier than ever, your skin is literally glowing." She complimented, and she was right. I looked at myself in the mirror and my skin was golden brown and I gave off a sort of iridescent light. I looked and felt prettier than I could ever remember looking, and that included Prom night with JB Du Rone.
"Thank you. What is that book?" I asked her. I didn't want to tell her that I had a copy of it, mainly because I didn't want to have to explain how I got it. Plus I wasn't sure if I would be in trouble for having it.
"To the human eye, this is a piece of literature, but to the Faery eye, this is a book magic. There are only 3 copies in existence. I have one, grandfather has one, and Claudette had one, but she managed to lose it." Claudine said with a hint of anger.
I was shocked. Should I tell her that I actually have Claudette's copy of the book? It seemed like this was a really big deal, so I thought I would, for the moment, not disclose my ownership of the book.
Godric had given me that book. He told me that it belonged to me. There was something between Godric and Claudette, some kind of connection. I didn't know what it was, and I couldn't figure it out, but whatever it was, it seemed significant to me. Enough so that Godric was, at one point, in possession of her book of magic. I wasn't all that knowledgeable of Fae tradition, but something told me that a vampire was definitely not supposed to have a Fae book of magic.
"I'm sorry Sookie, there is not a copy of this for you, and so you will need to write down the spells that I teach you. We will begin our lesson now." Claudine said matter of factly. She was all business. For the next five hours, Claudine and I practiced magic spells, and the inherent magic that I held inside me.
I learned the difference between inherent magic and the type of magic that can only be done with spells. Shooting light from my fingers and teleporting are types of inherent magic. Transforming an object into a different shape or figure is spell magic. Claudine taught me how to teleport. It was actually easier than it sounds. All you have to do is imagine, and concentrate on being with someone you really want to be with or being in a place that you really want to be in. I ported all over the castle and I was really proud of myself and a little awestruck that I had the ability to do that.
Claudine really was a great teacher, she was patient and knowledgeable. She also told me some stories about the Fae. She also told me that Eric and Godric had saved both Claudette and Niall's lives during the Fae war. When she told me that, I was filled with pride in both Eric and Godric. I was happy to hear the both of them had some semblance of honor. It also made me wonder where that sense of honor was when they were plotting to allow Russell to drain me dry. I told Claudine about that whole incident, she didn't respond she only nodded in assent.
In all the day was very eventful day, and I learned an incredible amount about my abilities and of the Fae. I was looking forward to tomorrow where Claudine said she was going to teach me more magic. The funny thing was that I could actually feel physical changes happening to me, although I couldn't pinpoint what exactly they were. I just felt more comfortable in my body somehow.