AN: Thanks you for all alerts and reviews. Risky move on my part, but this chapter is entirely from Nawoja's POV.

Thanks for my beta, keiman and kei for fixing my mistakes.

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TRUE BLOOD OR SVM. MOST CHARACTERS WON'T BE MINE. THEY BELONG TO HBO AND CHARLAINE HARRIS

Chapter 5

Unexpected Ally

NPOV

Babysitting some spoiled fairy princess wasn't the number one item on my list of shit I have to do. I told Niall that.

"Give me one good reason why I have to keep her here longer than I had planned?" I hissed sharply into the phone. How I hated phones and those other devices that were making interactions less personal.

"Nawoja dear, Sookie is in a very delicate position right now. Her light has to be stable and let's say… that some unexpected disturbances appeared over there." Niall's voice was smooth and an octave lower than usual. It almost made me soften but I stopped myself. I was no longer a newborn and the Fairy King was no longer an object of my crush. By the way, he was getting wrinkles all over his face. Only a matter of time before some grey hairs will appear.

"I have important shit to do."

"Oh come on… Four days more!" he pleaded with me. I glanced at Slavi who looked at me from above a Cosmo - his source of knowledge about women, and he shrugged nonchalantly.

"I will give you two more days."

"My sweet Queen…"

"…or I will greet her this second and make sure she will fly back before dawn."

I waited patiently a few seconds for Niall to surrender. "You drive a hard bargain…" he murmured. "Let's be 'it'. Just stay tuned. My great granddaughter can be quite impulsive. Don't do any stupid things like offending her or that vampire of hers."

I felt my lips curl gently. "Vampire of hers? The noble fool?" I asked innocently. Slavi frowned, visibly deep in thoughts wondering of whom I am speaking. I raised one eyebrow at him and then his face lightened up when he remembered.

"The Knight in Shining Armor?" asked my child and I heard Niall snicker.

"I'll be in touch." He hung up on me and I threw the phone onto the couch.

"You should push him more to explain his reasons. Niall Brigant has no right to order you around," my child said forcefully. If there was one thing he could not stand, it was a lack of respect.

"He asked, my son. There must be a reason behind this."

We both stopped talking when I heard Anna above us leading our fairy guests inside.

"She brought only one guard…" whispered Slavi.

"A sign of good will, I believe…" I whispered back.

"I need you to call our spies in the States." I changed the topic and vamped over to my desk. "Do we have many vampires there?"

"Just a few around the monarchs and our Dieter in the Authority of course." Slavi was getting ready and currently he was looking through his suits collection.

"Do whatever you can to find out why Niall is trying to keep that young fae away." I ordered, opening my laptop. I needed a moment to remember the right combination of keys and I felt a small triumph when the screen came to life. I hated modern devices. I felt a gaze on me so I turned to my child only to catch him watching me with pity in his eyes.

"What?" I growled.

"So old and yet so helpless. Like a child in the fog…"

"Shut up, my dear boy."

"Be careful. If your secret leaves these walls, your enemies will throw cell phones and tablets at you during battles…"

I allowed him to his little joke. Payback was a bitch. "It's a damned good thing that I have all night to work on this machine then. You will go and take care of the princess in my name."

I could sense annoyance in our bond but my child stood up without a word of complaint. "Let me guess – be nice to her?" he teased me, buttoning up his shirt and putting on a tie.

"Just be yourself." I smiled back.

"She will not want to go away then…" he winked.

"Get away you clown…" I smiled at him. I could not believe that we have been staying together for almost three thousand years. Slavi has never failed me so far.

When he left I called Mr. Twardowski and rescheduled our meeting for the next night. The Demon lawyer wasn't very happy and I was as sure as Hell that he will be forced to reschedule a few visits himself but being in my position and having a certain reputation has given me a great advantage. He simply wasn't bold enough to deny me.

My next phone call was far more complicated. Islen was very reluctant to meet with a Brigant Princess in the first place. The Water Fae was here on my lands because he was looking for asylum for himself and his family. I had promised him a sanctuary and now I was forced to bend my word a little.

When he answered I could almost hear the annoyance in his voice.

"Queen?"

"Hello there, my friend. How are you and your family?" I asked politely, smiling a little. He cleared his throat.

"I am well. Basia is a little sick..." he murmured and I sat up straighter and felt my body tensing up. The next second my second child was next to me with his sword held firmly in his hand. I rolled my eyes and waved Bifurr away. I turned him a little over a thousand years ago when his small forces had attacked our shore. He was a wonderful fighter, very fast for a human and very brave. Bifurr had been able to kill a werewolf before I had arrived there and rip a liver from his body. I was slightly afraid of how he would react after waking up as one of the undead but the pragmatic Norse warrior handled it like a champ. He was as happy as a young kid when he learnt that his main source of food would be humans. As he said to me that day : "There are plenty of humans. Always more of them than good land. We will never starve."

After spending so many centuries watching how our world is growing and growing, I could see some prophecy in his statement.

"I will send a healer over there. She is half dead and I heard that she can perform miracles." I offered but Islen laughed at me.

"Nawoja, she is pregnant. My wife claims that I am overprotective but you are definitely out of your mind. We are fine… Just make sure that those Brigants won't cause us any trouble…"

"I will. I promise." I assured him and after I had scheduled the Princess's arrival and said goodbye I had hung up the phone.

The time flew along very fast and before I knew it, it was an hour before dusk. It was almost time to speak with the Princess. I waited in the office upstairs while Slavi escorted her downstairs to meet me.

She was quite a disappointment. I was waiting for a striking beauty but Susannah Stackhouse, even though she was a pretty little thing, wasn't going to win any beauty contests. Maybe it was a good sign though. Maybe she was not completely dumb?

"Princess Brigant, I am honored to host you in my house." I bowed to her gently and was rewarded in kind.

"Your Majesty, thank you for finding the time to meet with me." The girl had a gentle accent typical of the residents of the Southern parts of the United States. As I had heard, she had not been raised with fairies but with a human family. Susannah's eyes, very surprisingly, were cold even though her lips were formed into a smile. She could be an interesting little cookie.

"Pleasantries and small talk are needed in diplomacy but I believe we have some business to discuss." I said somewhat sharply and her eyes flashed with anger. "Sit down and tell me your request, Princess."

She sat down stiffly and smoothed her dark simple dress. "I was left with the impression that you discussed everything with my great grandfather. My family is interested in purchasing two protecting charms for the vampires allied with us. I would like you to put me in contact with a fae who can carry out that request."

I was pleasantly surprised. The Brigant girl was cutting right to the chase without any false intentions. Something was telling me that she is not my biggest fan and I was wondering why. And then I remembered – Erik the Norseman. The Princess was in some kind of relationship with him and surely, he had shared with her his unfortunate meeting with my guards.

"I will inform you about Islen's location the second we have signed a proper contract. My guards will escort you to his house and make sure that you leave my lands unharmed."

"Time is of the essence for me, Your Majesty…"

"I am strict with everyone obeying my laws. Your lover surely informed you about this little quirk of mine. I will not bend to your pleas." I leaned back more comfortably in my chair watched her reaction. I could sense that the air is charged with her energy. "Or your threats. First, contract, next meeting and then, and only then, when you persuade Islen to risk his life, the life of his wife and that of their unborn child, will you get your charms."

"As you said a moment ago, business is no place for pleasantries so I guess it is fair to say that I am dreaming of blasting your ass…" the Princess admitted and she did so with such a sweet smile that I had to smirk. She had spirit.

"Fair enough. You will enjoy your stay here, I promise." I smiled broadly and winked at her. "You will not see very much of me."

"Yes, that will make my stay far more enjoyable."

We were sitting for a moment and looking at each other – Susannah watching me with disgust and I watching her with interest. This was the moment that Slavi chose to walk inside like a ghost and hand me a sheet of paper.

I apologized to the Princess but she only rolled her eyes at me. When I read the information, I felt a smile forming on my face.

Nora Gainesborough has handed in her resignation from her position as Chancellor.

Oh, this stupid Niall…

"Tell me," I said in chatty-like way. "Why are you so biased against me?" I needed to hear it from her. I waved Slavi out and he sent the Princess an assuring smile on his way out. For some reason I felt like I had to explain myself to Susannah - and warn her.

"You know that I am in a relationship with Eric Northman…" she hissed.

"So?"

"So?! You skinned him alive!" she said, clearly quite outraged.

"The phrase 'skinned alive' can hardly be applied to vampires but I do see your point. You do know that he took that punishment for his sister, don't you?"

"Yes…" she said slowly and something flashed in her eyes. Jealousy, maybe?

"Then you cannot blame me for what happened. Nora almost killed an innocent woman, a woman I had sworn to protect. Wouldn't you demand punishment for a vampire who had done such a thing?"

"Yes, but…"

I didn't allow her to finish. "Nora was a smug, spoiled and selfish little whore. If it had been her taking a the punishment, I would have held her for months and tortured her by myself. Only because I was impressed by your vampire's bravery did I go easy on him. Do you know that during the punishment your precious Viking was receiving, his maker was laying and experiencing the same pain because he found it honorable to not leave his child alone in the pain and close the bond?"

"Well I…"

"Meanwhile this little bitch was feeding and relaxing like nothing had ever even happened. She holds a great power over them…It's amazing how much Erik loves her. " I handed her a memo. The Princess took it and I saw a dangerous spark in her eyes. "Did your lover tell you that she is coming back into his life?"

I could have not accomplished more if I had slapped her. Disbelief and something akin to betrayal appeared on her face.

"And why are you showing me this?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"I think that you have a good temperament for a fairy princess. We can find some common ground if you will stop treating me like an enemy. I am an ally." I pointed at the sheet of paper. "By showing you this I have gone against your grandpa and maybe…." I stayed silent for a moment. "I pushed you a little bit to start you pushing at me and… hurry up things a little bit." I gave her a knowing look and understanding sparkled in her eyes. "Keep that in mind in the future."

"I will…" she said and this time she was looking at me with the same interest that I had looked at her with a minute ago. "Actually, I have a small gift for you."

She stretched out her hands and a small box appeared there.

"I'm moved…" I told her sarcastically and reached for it. It contained a frame with a picture.

The second I saw who was in the photograph, I felt like my world was shuddering.

"What the fuck is this supposed to mean?!" I yelled at her and stood in front of the Princess with my fangs down. Slavi rushed to my side and was looking from me to her with a confused expression. To give the Brigant girl credit, she didn't even flinch but her palms shone with a soft blue light.

"I heard some rumors saying that you were looking for him," she said smugly. "He is somewhere close to me; of this I am sure."

My fists clenched the frame a little harder and the pieces of glass hurt my fingers. Slavi took a step toward me but I hissed at him and he immediately stepped back.

"And?"

"And I would appreciate it if you help me get charms as fast as fucking possible because when my people find this disgusting little brownie, there will be nothing of him left for you to… put to justice," she snapped and aside from the implied fact that she was blackmailing me, I was impressed. Who the fuck was I kidding? I would be doing the same thing in her place!

I took a calming breath and put the frame on the desk. The picture of Igor was now stained with my blood but there was an accurate metaphor in the whole situation.

"Sounds like a fair offer. Slavi!" My child stood up straight and nodded. "Call Mr. Twardowski. I hope he can come as fast as possible."

"Ale Król Wróżek… (But the King of Fairies…)" he started hesitantly but one firm look from me put him in his place.

"Poradzę sobie z nim. Przysłał mi tu niezłą zołzę, więc niech liczy się z porażką..(I'll deal with him. He sent me quite a ball-breaker so he has to reckon that he's going to fail.)" I said with a beaming smile but Susannah clearly knew that I had said something mean about her.

"So, do we have a deal?" she asked and smiled a little.

"That was a low blow from a foul and sneaky bitch. I love it." I added without any trace of grudge in my voice. Slavi visibly relaxed.

"I am not so bad," she added with a little smile. "You simply pushed me a little."

"Don't give it a mind! As we say in Poland: if you have a soft heart you need to have a hard ass." I outstretched a hand to her and she hesitantly hooked her arm in the crook of my elbow. "We should go and see Slavi's orangery. We still have some time."

"Can I count on some sharing?"

"If you mean sharing information about some snobbish Surrey count, then yes, my dear Princess."

"Please, call me Susannah."

"Only if you will call me Nawoja…"

AN: So, it's only fair to show you next time what's going on in Louisiana :)

Till next time!