Grey Seeks Advice from King Haddock

"Grey Seeks Advice from King Haddock" is an Extended Universe thread which takes place about five years after the Grounded Dungeon Rebellion and Ragnarok.
== Summary ==
== Full Text ==
Grey Bergman: Grey sighed in content as she looked around at the crowds before her. Her whole village and her comrades from the Grounded Dungeon Rebellion five years ago had gathered together today on Haligan Island for her coronation. Her heart pounded as she once again realized that tomorrow, she would be named Chief.Chief Grey…it did have a nice ring to it, but that didn’t stop her from feeling nervous. The mere thought of her leading and taking care of an entire village actually intimidated her, and no one seemed to get that there was a difference between leading a smuggled weapons mission and leading an entire village. 
She took a another shaky breath. This was getting too overwhelming. She needed to get some fresh air. She turned to her mother. “Mom, I’m going to step outside for a bit,” she said standing up from the table. 
"Are you alright?" her mother asked. 
"Yeah," she replied, "I’m alright. Just need some fresh air. I’ll be back in a few minutes."
"Alright," her mother replied. 
Grey smiled gratefully at her mother and quickly stood up from her table and left the dining hall hoping that no one saw her leaving. However, someone did. 
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: Haddock was lingering just outside the dining hall, eyes wandering through the crowds of individuals whom he had fought alongside a few years back. Some of them he continued to see everyday, but others he had not seen for quite some time. It brought to him a feeling of nostalgia… some of it good memories, some of them harsh, but all of them valuable. 
He had, of course, mingled with the others, but he had never been one to enjoy large social gatherings, so he had naturally retreated after some time. Mera had left him seated on a bench just outside the doors of the dining hall, which allowed him to peek in as will, but also to give him some quiet. Even his dragon, curled up at his feet, had fallen asleep. 
Thus the king, while seated just outside the door, noticed Grey leave.
For all he had come here to watch Grey’s coronation, he had yet to speak to her. Seeing her alone, he hoped he was not intruding, but with a bit of a nod he hailed her anyway. “It is good to see you, Grey,” he remarked with a small smile. “Are you ready for tomorrow?” 
Grey Bergman: Grey jumped at the sound of the familiar voice and turned around only to see King Haddock himself. It had been a long day, and she was sure she didn’t get to speak to him yet, which was a shame because it had been a long time since they last saw each other. Perhaps, this could be their chance to catch up.  
"King Haddock, sir," she said bowing a little. "It’s good to see you, too, and well, regarding being ready…yes and…no, sir…" 
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: "Yes and no," he responded. "Well, this sounds a bit familiar from my own life." 
Grey Bergman: Grey furrowed her eyebrows together as they walked. “How so, if you don’t mind me asking?” she asked.  
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: "Well, I was not all too prepared for my ascent to being king," Haddock said, with a shrug. "About the same age as you, too." 
Grey Bergman: Grey was now officially thankful she ran into Haddock. She had been having a hard time explaining to others how nervous and overwhelmed she was as the big day approached. Hearing that Haddock experienced the same thing before he took over as King. She took a deep breath. “It’s so…” she sighed, “I don’t know how to describe it. I know I accepted it. I do, but…being Chief is a whole lot different from leading a mission to find the smuggled weapons…you know?” 
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: "Quite different," Haddock nodded in agreement. "Entering a position of authority is not exactly something for which anyone can be fully prepared ahead of time. No matter how much training you get beforehand, or what skillsets you naturally have… it never is the same as actually becoming that leader. 
"But here’s the thing…" Haddock said, looking up at Grey, "…it’s okay to be a little nervous about it. It means you care enough to do a good job. It means you’ll think carefully about your decisions before you take them. And that’s a sign of a good leader." 
Grey Bergman: "But that’s just it," Grey said. "What if…What if I do make bad decisions despite how carefully I think about them? What if I…I don’t know…cause a war or something and put this whole village in danger? A chief must protect her own, but….what if I fail and don’t live up to everyone’s expectations?" 
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: "You’re human," Haddock said, eyebrows raising. "You shall make mistakes, no mind how sage you try to be in your decisions. Sometimes your decisions will be wrong. Sometimes they can be costly." He glanced down briefly at his lap, smirked, and said, "And some will be life-changing and irreversible. 
"What is important is not that you make the right decision every time," Haddock said. "Unfortunately such an aim is impossible to achieve, and to try to hold yourself to such a standard will only harm you, never help you. Step forward with the best intentions. Let others advise and guide you. Never listen to their expectations - not to anyone’s expectations - but hold yourself to the morals of your heart and the evidence of your strengths and weaknesses. What’s important is that, when you err, you do what is right to correct for it, as much as is possible. People will hold their respect for you if you step up and try to rectify the wrongs you will make, take responsibility for who you are, and show you legitimately care for the intentions and effects of every action you take.
"Perhaps I am not the best example of it." Haddock shrugged. "Or I learned it late in life, and still hardly ever act by it. I can be a bit of a hypocrite, attempting to justify my actions after they have taken harm. But I don’t believe you will fall into my mistake. You have a strong heart, and a very sincere one. The people you lead will love you for that, mistakes and all. But I believe there will be far more triumphs than errs." 
Grey Bergman: Grey nodded as she listened attentively to the King’s words. What he had to say was a lot different from what her mother, Chief Hroar, and even her friends had been telling her. For the past year, ever since she accepted to become the next Chief, they had been telling her that to be a good chief, she must make the people happy and protect them. They all meant well telling her that, but…it was nice to hear someone…the King of the Wilderwest himself..tell her that she would make mistakes and that it was okay…as long she tried to correct it of course. 
 She was only human…not a deity. She would make mistakes even when she would have the people’s best interest at heart. How often and how badly those mistakes would be made…there was no way of knowing. All she could do was promise that she would do everything in her power to protect the people and to be ready for anything that might go wrong. 
But…Haddock’s last sentence…But I believe there will be far more triumphs than errs…caught her attention. She turned to Haddock. “Do you really think that I can do this, sir?” she asked him.  
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: "I don’t say what I don’t believe," he responded simply. "But I know you’re still going to question yourself anyway because that only is how the human mind operates. But give yourself the chance an the determination, and try not to let that doubt eat unhealthily at you, and yes. Yes, you should do fine." 
Grey Bergman: Grey beamed from ear to ear at Haddock. “I won’t let that happen…especially when I now know that even the King of the Wilderwest himself believes in me,” she said. Then…she reached forward and wrapped her arms around his middle hugging him. “Thank you…thank you so much for being here, sir.” After a few moments, she quickly realized what she was doing… 
She was…hugging…King Haddock. Hugging…the King of the Wilderwest…Her eyes widened as she quickly pulled away before he could say or do anything. “OH MY GODS!” Grey shouted as she backed away a step. “SIR, I AM SO SORRY! I DIDN’T MEAN ANY DISRESPECT! I-I-I-I-I DON’T KNOW WHY I DID THAT! I’M SO SORRY!” 
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: Haddock’s torso had tensed up as soon as she touched him, and he was stiff and quiet even as she released him, a bit of an offended glower crossing his features. With a little bit of an eyeroll, he said, “Cannot claim I am exactly accustomed to the… contact. But. Thank you for the sentiment.” He nodded sincerely, working to relax again. “And you’re welcome. It is the least I can do for you. I wish you well.” 
Grey Bergman: Grey put her hands to her face trying her hardest to hide her blushing cheeks and closed her eyes praying to the gods that she could be given the power to reverse time. Unfortunately…when she opened her eyes again, there was Haddock still standing there frozen in place making her realize that the gods had a sick sense of humor and refused to let her have that power. She sighed as she put her hands down. If she was going to be Chief tomorrow, she would have to act like one.  
"I really do apologize, sir," she said. "It’s just…I guess…I was glad and…still glad…that you believe in me…despite the…mistakes I make, and, hey, look at it this way. It’s no worse than me trying to get you to sing after you were attacked…right…?" She face palmed as soon as the words left her mouth. "Oh…Thor…" 
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: "I take no ill from it. Just… careful. You don’t want to upset my dragon." He spoke his comment in such a dry voice it was easy not to realize he meant his comment as a joke. His dragon was still sleeping curled up around the bench, completely oblivious to the world. 
"It really is of no concern," the king assured her. "Though singing… singing is a much bigger transgression." 
Grey Bergman: Grey could not help but chuckle both at Haddock’s comment and at the memory of her and Svied singing to the King after Frosti’s assassination attempt. It was strange how a grim situation led to something actually funny…well maybe ‘funny’ was the wrong word.  
"Alright, then, I feel better," Grey said taking a deep breath and giving a half-smile, "and considering the difference between your reaction now and your reaction back then, I have to say that I will take your word for it."  
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: "Just don’t push it," the king said. "I take everything back if you start singing." He appeared to truly mean it, too. "But I am glad to hear you are feeling better about it. Have a good evening, Grey." 
Grey Bergman: She looked at him curiously. “You’re not coming back inside?” she asked.  
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: "Don’t want to wake Sharpteeth." Haddock glanced down at his dragon. "Maybe later." 
Grey Bergman: Grey nodded. “Of course,” she said, “sleeping dragons should never be woken up. I learned that the hard way with Shadow. Well, if I don’t see you tonight, then I’ll see you tomorrow morning, sir?” 
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: The king nodded. “You most certainly will.” 
Grey Bergman: The chief-to-be smiled. “Good,” she said. “Good night, sir.” 
Category:Events
Category:Grey Bergman
Category:Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second
Category:EU