Chapter 31: meeting mum and dad

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Astrid

"mum?" my face paled automatically, as my limbs drooped lamely, giving up on me altogether. "is that really you?" the resemblance of the woman who had left me all those years ago was uncanny. With golden blonde hair like mine, braided down the back just like I used to do it, strings of leather braided into it. Her striking blue eyes, of which I had had obtained from her. But it wasn't possible - my parents were dead.

Her eyes snapped to mine in an instant, dropping the white cloth on the ground, already getting muddied by the wet and soggy leaves - wet from the storm that had occurred the other night. Snoggletog was also coming; something we still aren't ready for. One Hiccup has been looking forward to ever since Matthew arrived. Although I have no idea why. 

"w-what-?" she stuttered, her lower lip trembling tremendously. Her eyes beginning to fill up with tears.

"Astreen!" someone shouts, getting closer as I can hear the crumbling of the leaves and the cracking of twigs underneath somebodies feet. Looking back to the woman - who supposedly was my mum - her eyes were unmoving, taking in every inch of me as if I was a memorable long lost relic that was bound to dissapear in an instant. Astreen... that name. "Astreen, is she awake, you ready?" he asks, finally coming in from behind her, resting his arm on my shoukder.

"I-I can't," she says shaking her head, and turning to face who I think is her husband. "I-" tears springing to her eyes as the mans met mine; pulling his wife in for a hug. Matching blue eyes, like mine and my mothers. His dirty blonde hair raked off to the side, the rest decending down his back although it looked as though it hadn't been brushed in ages. His face, parts obviously holding wrinkles to define his age.

"Why?" he asks, turning towards his wife again, "what's wrong?" suddenly a glare smothers his once soft expression, turning to me, "what's she done? What's she said? Let me-" He threatens, but gets cut off as 'Astreen' starts tugging on his sleeve.

"Don't... touch her." she instructs him firmly, his eyes cloud with confusion. "She hasn't done anything..." she tells him, holding his face in her hands and stroking his face with her fingertips. I remember her doing that to me - her hands like the softest silk against my skin, her kisses as tender as when a butterfly lands on you. So much I could remember, yet they couldn't remember me? Granted I had changed a great deal, but wouldn't you know if your only child - at least I still think I am - is standing, or rather tied to a tree, right in front of you?

My father had changed from the normal kind hearted man that he once was. Tucking me into my bed at night, staying with me when I had nightmares, telling me stories of all the great dragon battles he had won in. I had admired him so much. I wanted to be him. But one night that all changed. In one dreadful night my parents were snatched away from me without a single notice, goodbye kiss, or 'I love you' and I didn't know why. Later Stoick, the chief and Hiccups dad, told me of how  they died seeing as I was old enough to understand, not like when I was 6.

"Father?" I ask; tears cloaking my voice although I had been trying to hold them back. To not let them show, which obviously wasn't working.

"Wait-" he says, turning away from his wife once more. "Astrid?" he asks, disbelief evident in his voice. "This... isn't possible. You were taken away from us, how can you be here? We thought you were dead, we thought-"

"What about me?" I suddenly shout, making my mother jump in shock. "I  thought you were dead! Stoick told me, everything about how you died. I had to live with uncle for several years, although he wasn't much comfort. Crying myself to sleep every night because my parents were gone, never coming back. I blamed myself. Trying to become everything that you had wanted me to be, following your legacy. But it looks like I've been living a lie." My father's eyes sadden.

"Astrid, please-" my mother begins, trying to soothe me but all I wanted to do was be free. 

"let me go!" I scream, struggling in the restraints. My father looks to my mother wandering if he should do so, leading my mother to nod as he finally comes to untie me.

All of a sudden I don't know what's happening. I'm so wound up - full to the brim with an unknown emotion tearing at my heart - making me want to scream, kick, as if I was a little child pulling a tantrum again. But I did neither. Instead I just lunged at both my mother and father, throwing my arms around their still bodies. Snuggling into their warmth and breathing in their oh-so-familiar scent, it's like I'm home once again.

"Don't leave me... please." I whisper into their rough clothing, smelling of salty sea water.

After a while, I'm not sure exactly how long, there arms reach around me, pulling me even further into them. Hot tears falling onto the top of my head along with small sniffles coming from my mum. One of my fathers hands pressed against the back of my head, pushing my head into the crook of their necks to give us more hugging space.

"We won't." I hear his gruff voice answer me, clouded by an emotion I can't pinpoint but don't really care for it at the moment. I have my parents back.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! HERE, IT'S STILL CHRISTMAS EVE, 5 MORE HOURS TILL CHRISTMAS UNFORTUANATELY. BUT IT'S PROBABLY CHRISTMAS WHERE MANY OF YOU GUYS ARE NOW SO I HOPE YOU HAVE/HAD AN AMAZING DAY!

NEXT UPDATE WILL BE TOMORROW: CHRISTMAS DAY. TWO HOPEFULLY AS I KIND OF WANTED TO MAKE A SNOGGLETOG ONE FOR TOMORROW *HINT! HINT!*

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