If Someone wants to make a thumbnail, im open for it xD ~~---~~--~~--~~--~~---~~--~~--~~--~~---~~--~~--~~-- She ran through the dark woods, branches clinging to her like a lost friend, thorns tearing at her skin and dark hair, snow soaking her boots with every step. Her rich green dress, which moments before was beautiful, was now ripped and soiled. The sounds of battle faded behind her, swords clashing, cries of pain and agony, as she ran deeper into the forest. Tears streamed from her blue eyes, blinding her from the ancient roots on the ground. Soon she could only hear her own breathing, and decided to stop. On the side of a slope, she saw an odd stump laying on its side. Everything around her was dark and haunting, but the stump was golden like honey, which made it stick out. As she moved closer to it, she saw there were dim blue runes floating around the stump. She was right on the edge when she heard a noise. Startled, she fell down and landed next to the stump. It was bigger now she was next to it, she could comfortably fit inside. A twig snapped from above. Scared, she crawled in, making sure what was left of her dress was tucked in. She stayed there like that, listening for any signs of her attackers, or wild animals. As the night grew, the cold settled in. She found herself all the way in the back of the stump. As her eyes adjusted to the little light the trees above offered, she saw an odd nub coming out of the bottom of the stump. It almost looked like a handle. She reached out to touch it, and the wall moved, which revealed a tunnel. “Why not?” she muttered to herself. Her voice was hoarse and her throat felt like sandpaper. She slipped through the crack of the door and into the tunnel. She expected it to be dark, but to her surprise, there were torches on the walls casting warm dim shadows on the walls, and it was tall enough for her to stand in. her back protested in pain as she stood up. She rolled her shoulders a couple of times, ran her fingers through her snarled red hair, smoothed her dress and started down the tunnel. ᚪ ᛋ ᛏ ᚱ ᛁ ᛞ After an eternity of walking, the tunnel opened up into a giant cavern. It was a beautiful site. A mix of lanterns and candles hung from the ceiling on chains. The walls were a mix of metal, dirt and wood, and buildings were constructed into the sides. The floors were stone bricks, each one handmade and layed. Tunnels branched off the main cavern into what looked like city streets. Odd multicolored lights hung from shop doors. In the distance she saw figures moving, they were short and dark, moving in and out of the shadows. They were no doubt aware of her presence, as some of them stopped in the road to stare, then skitered out of sight. Right in the center of it all was a giant copper tree that met the ceiling. It resembled Yggdrasill, the tree of life. Runes danced in the branches, flickering from purple to blue, mimicking leaves. There were carvings on it but she could not see them, even with all the lights, it was dim, and she figured she was somehow in Niðavellir, the realm of the dwarfs. She was so caught up in thought that she didn’t see the group of dwarfs starting to surround her. “Excuse me miss, who are you?” a young voice asked. She turned and found a little girl standing not a foot away from her. Her skin was grey, like the stones beneath their feet, her hair was the same color as copper and was pulled back in two braids. She barely came up to her waist. She cleared her throat. “I am Astrid, daughter of Alruna, and you are?” Astrid said. She wasn’t sure whether to crouch down to the little girl’s height or not. “I am Raglia, daughter of Doda. What are you?” the little girl said, looking straight into Astrid’s eyes. Before she could answer, a woman who looked like Alruna came up and grabbed the little girl by the arm. “How many times have I told you not to talk to strangers? Go back to the forge by your father.” the woman said. She too had grey skin like the rocks and copper eyes, but her hair was a golden color streaked with white, like quartz. This must be Doda. The little girl grinned at her mother then at Astrid, then ran off to one of the shops that must be her father’s forge. Doda turned to the group of dwarfs just standing there in a trance and shouted at them. In unison they snapped out of it and ran off to any shop or shadow that was closest. Doda then rounded on Astrid. "Who are you? What are you?" She asked. " I am Astrid, Daughter of Alruna, I am a halfblood." She answered honestly. The forbidden words felt strange on her tongue, she had never been able to utter anything close to the truth for as long as she'd known about it. "That explains the aura around you. I am Doda, one of the daughters of Tyshdish. What are you doing here, halfblood?" Astrid inhaled and paused, deciding on how to start her story.
“My father, well step father, sent me to a nearby village to meet my future husband, and on the way my wagon was attacked by a band of rebels from my father’s army. They killed the guards and stole the horses. I ran away before they found me and hid in a stump in the forest. It was surrounded by floating runes and had Yggdrasill carved into it. At the back was a door that led to the tunnels that lead me here.” Doda cursed under her breath. “That boy left the door to the bifrost open. Come on, I'll see what I can do.” she started down to the shop Raglia disappeared into. The door was a tad bit smaller than Astrid was accustomed to, so she had to duck her head around the door frame. The shop smelled of metals, food and mead. Astrid looked around and saw a table that little Raglia and a boy were sitting at, playing with two metal dolls that were hand made. A stove and counters also occupied the area. There was a fireplace in the next room with a workbench and tools filling up every surface. This wasn’t a shop, it was their home. “Astrid! I knew they wouldn’t kick you out!” Raglia said, running up to her and giving her a hug. The little girl looked up at her with her big eyes. “Do you want to play with me and my brother? Mama is making dinner soon. I bet you could stay for it.” the little girl rambled on, making Astrid laugh. “Raglia, calm down. You can play with- Astrid later.” Doda said. The little girl sighed. She tugged on her brown dress, as if debating to start a tantrum, and went back to her dolls. Doda went into the room with the fireplace and beckoned Astrid to her. A man was in the room. He looked just like Raglia and her mother, except for the fact that his copper hair was speckled with white and black. “Astrid, this is my husband, Ívaldi.” He looks at me and nods. I return the gesture. “Yes, I am one of the brothers of Ívaldi. I made golden hair for the lady Sif, Lord Frey’s chariot and Gungnir, the spear for Lord Odin. How can I be of assistance?” “I am Astrid, Daughter of Alruna. I need help getting back to Midgar.” He sighs and rubs his head, as if this was a task to easy to bother him wi- “ASTRID, CARRIE NEEDS YOU!” Carter pounds on her door. Astrid jumps a little, looking away from her story. “IN A MINUTE!” she yells back, taking off her headphones. He says something on the other side of her door and she hears his footsteps retreating. Closing out the tab on one of her monitors, she gets out of her nest of blankets on her black gaming chair and crosses the cold wooden floor to her closet. Sifting through the pile of clothes on top of her dresser, she grabs her big green hoodie with runes on it and pulls it over her Sif t-shirt and shorts. She fixes her red curls in the mirror and closes the closet door. “What do you think she needs this time, Magnus?” she asks her golden lab who is laying on her couch. He moos in a sleepy response, shifting so his stomach is facing her. Smiling, she rubs his stomach a few times and leaves the room. The sound of folk songs drift from the kitchen. She goes downstairs to the kitchen where her stepmom is. Her curly golden hair is up in a ponytail and she is bent over the stove. Her little sister, Reagan is playing at the counter with Carter and his old action figures, her wild copper hair contained in two lopsided braids. “What's up?” Astrid asks, pocketing a granny smith apple. “I saw that, put it back.” she says, facing toward Astrid. Her cheeks are pink from the heat coming off meat that is in the pan. “I need you to get your dad, dinner’s almost ready.” The meat starts sizzling, making Reagan squeal and run out of the room. “Why couldn’t Carter do it? I was in the middle of writing.” Carrie just gives her a look. Astrid sighs, putting the apple back and going outside to the garage. She could smell melting metal and hear her dad welding, so she waited on the cold cement, watching the snowflakes spiral around her until she heard him turn off the machine. “Hey papa,” Astrid says, coming through the door. She rubs her bare legs a little to try and warm up. Her dad looks up and jumps a little. Then he pulled out his ear plugs. “Hey kiddo, didn’t hear you. What's up?” “Carrie sent me to tell you dinner is ready. Oh you have stuff in your hair again.” Her dad reaches up and brushes the ash from his salted red hair, creating black streaks in it. “Okay, I'll be there in inna minute, I gotta finish this order quick, ‘kay?” Astrid nods and goes back out the door, entering a cold winter night. She stands there for a second, breathing in the cool air and listening to the sound of machines starting up again. The sun is starting to set which makes the snow in their yard glow golden. Goosebumps start to form on her legs again, so she heads back into the house. As she enters she hears her brother and sister laughing in another room. Breathing in the smell of food and wisps of what seems to be mead. She smiles to herself and enters the kitchen.
