Not So Bad After All | Eret Son Of Eret

13] He's Here EDITED

|| Recap || 

This ... is Berk.

A Bit trampled and busted and covered in ice, but it's home. 

It's our home. 

Those who attacked us are relentless and crazy.

But those who stopped them?

Oh ... even more SO!

We may be small in numbers, but we stand for something bigger than anything the world can pit against us.

We are the voice of peace.

And bit by bit, we will change this world.

You see, we have something they don't.

Oh, sure, they have armies, and they have armadas but we ... we have ...

OUR DRAGONS!

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After the fall of Drago Bluvist, the Berkians began the reconstruction of Berk. The cold winters have gotten much, much warmer, where the snow is no more. It's been two months since Berk's reconstruction. Huts are being rebuilt and improved; brand new stables; bigger and better statues; and much more. Nothing much has changed about the riders, though. Berk still has all of its rustic charms.

Eret and Rava have gotten much closer—well, kind of. Her backtalk and playful mannerisms were perfect for his cocky and charmingly cavalier personality. The only problem is that she is still lashing out at who he was and not what he is. Hiccup still saw the hostility Rava had towards the ex-trapper, so he made her his mentor. Just to test out if, exposure to one another would tone down the aggression. She was happy now that she finally had peace in her life, for once.

Unfortunately, the privilege of serenity was never a long-lasting specialty for our experienced rider. not only dealing with the stress of constantly looking over her shoulder, being the chief's adviser, and teaching the newbie rider. And now she is going to deal with a lot more bullshit.

It was like any other day for every other Viking; if there were preparing for visitors. Everyone was preparing for the royals to come to Berk to discuss some matter of diplomacy. Rava was the young chief's adviser, yet had no idea who was coming to the island. The gang knew but wasn't allowed to tell the ex-princess. Usually, because she would take off if she knew.

Rava prepared for the day because her attendance was required at the gathering. To her dismay, she had to wear something representative of her culture and her status. As the princess of Varrack, she had to dress like it.

She asked Astrid if she could help her. Rava's culture was very different compared to other Viking civilizations. They wore more shells and had some minor fashion choices. Astrid picked up Rav's mother's old garments. It touched the floor and had no sleeves, as it was a halter top. She had a layer of shredded dragon scales on the side, plus some fur, and a thick belt around her waist, holding everything in place.

Rava reluctantly slides into her mother's shell armbands on her upper arms. She slides some gloves that go right below her elbows by an inch or two, stopping at her palms. Rava's gaze slowly traveled to the mirror, staring intensely at her reflection.

Her face solidified while her hands shakily grasped the edge of the vanity. Rav let her hair cloud her face as she shut her eyes tightly, slightly shaking. A hand was gently laid on Rava's fur-covered shoulders. "You okay?" Astrid inquired, slightly concerned. Rava glances at the mirror, not bothering to look at her friend. Her voice was soft and gentle. "I look so much like her." She sulked, sitting back down to do her hair ... Astrid frowns at her statement, knowing what she means.

She missed her parents. Looking at herself in the mirror with her mother's clothing made her yearn for her family even more. Rava combed her fingers through her locked tufts of hair, then pulled the back into a tight bun. "Ready Princess?" Hofferson teased, trying to lighten the mood. Rava's lips softly curled into a smile, and she nodded. Before she left, she took a special shell chest that went on her forehead, gifted by her father.

"Where are your shoes?" Astrid asked, noticing her friend had her bandaged socks exposing her toes. Rava glanced up and shrugged. "Back on my old island, we didn't even half wear shoes. I usually just ran barefoot or had ankle wraps. Sometimes we wore special sandels, but shoes aren't common. Astrid shrugged and kept walking with her friend to the great hall, helping her keep the train on her dress clean.

They took their rightful places, waiting for the royals to be announced by their people. To Rava's surprise, she was told that they knew their way around the island already. which made her suspicious of who these people really are.

As a second head advisor, Rava must sit next to or close to Chief Hiccup while meetings progress. Her form bent over the curved table, looking to her left and right. The chieftain's mother sat on his other side while the other elderly of the island fell into perfect order. Oddly enough, Eret, oddly enough, was part of the meeting, taking his seat next to Rava, only for her to uncomfortably shuffle in her seat due to the awkwardness and silence of the vast, dimly lighted room.

Of course, he took notice of her uneasiness and then smirked, "You'll do fine, Princess." Eret winked to lower her guard. She rolled her eyes, but unfortunately, he did calm her nerves. I'm not worried about my performance. I just don't know what to expect. Everyone else knows about the royals, but our "pride of Berk" kept his mouth shut along with everyone else. His hand snaked over hers to comfort her until she arched her brows, glancing at his hand and then his gaze, unamused, "Does it look like we are that close?" She scoffed while he removed his hand, rubbing his nape.

He muttered a little pouty "You're so mean to me." She smiled, turning the other way while soft pink dusted her ears and cheeks. "That little pout is ... adorable." She thought until she snatched his hand back, pretending to be annoyed. "This is your one pass for the day, tough guy." She stated, keeping her gaze forward while his face brightened like a little puppy. 

His hand pad of his thumb caressed and massaged her hand while he relaxed. Rava soon tuned out of reality since the meeting was taking forever to get rolling. The others waited for the meeting to begin as the doors were swung wide open following a far too familiar and aggravating laugh.

"BROTHER! So good to see you again! "

Her eye twitched as the puzzles started to click together, gears turning, and dots connecting. Her face dulled and her jaw clenched as she shook off Eret's hand, crossing her arms. He asked what was wrong with the sudden face, but she kept quiet. Seething in her seat, she instantly knew why Hiccup and all of Berk kept the royal guests' names out of their mouths and secret.

Everyone held their tongues because he was here.