Okay, guys, prepare for the feels and the fluff!

NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD


A Flower for You

Eret frowned as he emptied out a meager collection of coins onto his bed and counted them. 'It's not even enough to buy a single piece of candy! What am I going to do?' the 13-year-old boy thought in disappointment. That's when his father, Rollo, came into his room. "Morning, son. Counting your earnings?" Rollo smiled. "More like lack thereof, Da. How am I supposed to buy Zenna's birthday present with this?" Eret frowned, gesturing to the measly pile of copper coins. Rollo's smile faded and he sighed. He had really hoped to receive payment from the fur dealers for the new animal furs he had acquired last week but, then, a storm had made the dealers back off from the offer.

And Zenna's eight birthday was next week and Eret had been hoping to buy Zenna at least a piece of her favorite chocolate if he couldn't afford to buy her a book. Zenna was someone who would rather receive a box of books for a present than a new doll or dress, showing that she was a real intellectual. Rollo looked at Eret, who noticed the guilty look on his face. "I'm sorry, Eret, I was hoping I'd get the payment from those fur dealers last week but…" Rollo trailed off, looking at his son apologetically. "Da, it's alright. It's not your fault…" Eret reassured him but still looked disappointed with himself for not having enough money to buy Zenna a gift. It looked like he would have to make do with what he had…

"I'll figure something out, Da," Eret said and left his room. "Don't do anything illegal, son! I have full trust in you," Rollo called out. "Don't worry, Da! I won't get into trouble!" Eret called back before leaving the house.

Eret knew better than to resort to being a pickpocket and knew that the only way to get enough money to buy Zenna a gift was to get a job. Walking around the village, Eret looked this way and that while hoping to find someone willing to pay him with a few coins for his services. Pretty soon, he found himself in the botanist's place. Surrounded by all sorts of pots, gardening tools and, of course, plants, Eret wandered around the gardens until he saw Alicia, the young botanist, tending to some tulips she was growing in several painted flowerpots.

"Um…Good morning…" Eret said, making Alicia look up from her tulips. The young woman, with short brown hair and lively green eyes, noticed the shy-looking 13-year-old boy and smiled. "Morning, Eret! What brings you here to my neck of the woods?" she asked cheerfully. Eret carefully chose his words and made sure to say them in his mind first before going for it. Sometimes it took him a while to find the right words and today was no exception. Alicia patiently waited for Eret to finish mulling over his words before he spoke. "I was wondering if you could perhaps provide me with a job, Ms. Alicia. That is, if you need any help whatsoever…" Eret requested politely. Alicia raised an eyebrow at him but smiled just the same.

"Hmmm…When you put it that way…I could use some help in weeding the gardens and watering some of my more fussy houseplants. How soon can you start?" she asked, placing her right hand on her right hip. Eret grinned and he eagerly said, "I can start right now!" before heading off to go find a watering can. Alicia knew about Rollo's son's crush on Zenna and smiled, making a mental note to reserve one of her special tulips for Zenna's eight birthday.

And, looking back at her special tulips, which were planted in the painted flower pots she had been attending to earlier when Eret came, Alicia knew just which tulip to reserve.


Eret worked hard for six days straight. As soon as training was over, he'd head over to Alicia's gardens to water the plants and weed the various plant nurseries Alicia used for her various plant species. Some were even plants Eret had never seen before, with odd yet beautiful blooms, that fascinated him to no end. Alicia also taught him how to prune the small trees as well as how to tell which fruits from the trees she grew were perfect for plucking. She sometimes let Eret take some to bring home and the young lad was grateful, seeing that he had something to bring to his father to add to their meals every now and then.

Eret, you see, came from a poor family. While he and his Da had a house and a ship of their own, there were times when they both couldn't get enough to eat and traders rarely came to the South. This was bad news for Rollo, who usually earned most of his earnings from trading with various traders. To provide even a little, he mostly went on fishing expeditions with the men and hunted in the woods. Eret, himself, had decided to support his Da in any way he can. The young boy soon earned a reputation of being a hard worker, never asking for much in return, and became rather well-respected, despite his young age, and was looked up to by all of his friends and trainees in his Wolf Pack Army.

Anyway, a day before Zenna's birthday, Alicia paid Eret well. Eret's amber brown eyes shone with happiness upon seeing that he had enough to at least buy Zenna a few pieces of her favorite chocolate. "There's something else I want to give you, Eret. Come with me," Alicia said and led Eret to the same painted flower pots she had been tending to six days earlier. Upon closer inspection, Eret saw that the flower pots had various tulips growing in them.

But these weren't ordinary tulips.

"I've been cross-breeding some tulips to see if they can produce new varieties. So far, these are the only ones I've been successful with," Alicia explained before turning to Eret. "Pick whichever you want to give Zenna," she smiled. Eret's eyes widened. "B-but, Ms. Alicia…those are your special tulips…" he said hesitatingly. "Yes, and nothing will make me happier, Eret, to see them being enjoyed by others. Flowers make great presents and they always make people happy. I'm sure Zenna would be overjoyed to receive a flower from you so go on. Pick what you think Zenna would love best," Alicia coaxed him.

Convinced, Eret looked at the different tulips growing in their flower pots. Finally, he smiled and pointed at the tulip growing in the smallest flower pot.

"That one."


Zenna's birthday was really just a simple gathering that consisted of her family and friends from lessons. And she was smiling widely as she played games and had fun with everyone. And how happy she was when she opened her presents. From her parents and Elias, she got two new dresses and a box full of books. From Heather, a new headband. From Lady Ingrid, a guide on how to treat illnesses. From Elder Mara, surprisingly, a box of chocolates and a necklace of wooden beads.

Eret's gift was last. The first thing he handed Zenna were the few pieces of chocolate he had managed to buy from the sweet shop. "Eret, these are my favorite! Thank you!" Zenna beamed before noticing that Eret had his other hand behind his back. Then, with great shyness, Eret presented to Zenna a violet tulip that had black streaks on its petals. Zenna's violet eyes widened in amazement.

"I'm sorry I can only afford a few pieces of candy compared to all the other great gifts you've received, Zen…But Ms. Alicia let me pick one of her special flowers and…I…uh…I guess a flower for you is better than nothing to brighten your already bright day…Happy Birthday, Zenna," Eret said shyly as he gave Zenna the tulip.

Zenna took the tulip from Eret and, after staring at the beautiful flower for a few minutes, looked at Eret with tears welling up in her eyes. Eret immediately began to panic and stammered, "D-d-do you n-not l-like it?" only to be stunned as Zenna suddenly embraced him.

"Eret, this is the best birthday present ever! I don't like it…I LOVE IT! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…THANK YOU!" the now eight-years-old Fiersome girl laughed as tears of joy ran down her face. Eret breathed out a sigh of relief and hugged Zenna back.

Spotting Alicia among the guests, Eret gave her a grateful smile and the botanist smiled back and gave him a wink.


Sorry I haven't updated my stories in a long time. College takes up precious time and is, currently, my top priority. I hope you guys liked this new addition to my Zeret collection. Read and review ;)

-GuardianDragon98