Chapter Four:

**WARNING: This chapter will have some graphic content in it.**

Ambrosia POV:

    We sat around eating and watching the kids play to pass some of the time, Sage was still digging her way around because I would feel the pressure of her pushing from time to time but it still wasn't bad enough to hurt which I was thankful for. Alley appeared in the room making the boys jump. We were all used to it but it was as if they just couldn't get used to all of it. "Don't be such babies." Alley laughed. "A little warning next time yeah?" Tye grumbled. "So tell me what's going on." Alley said, looking at me. "I think I have memories that have been taken from me. Sage is in there digging around but I know you have a way to actually see inside." I replied. "What exactly are you looking for?" Alley asked, sitting beside me. "Childhood memories, we are trying to figure out why Xander hates me so much but the only things I remember are partially good and nothing else." I replied. "Okay we can give it a try, get me some pillows and blankets and lay them out on the floor, I will have you lay your head in my lap so we are both comfortable. We are going back centuries so it might take us a while." Alley said quickly.

    Tye and Jackson jumped to their feet and ran off leaving us girls alone. "Is it going to hurt her?" Pythia asked. "Depends on the memory itself and what we find. Physically there shouldn't be any pain but those memories may have been hidden for a reason." Alley replied gently. "Either way I need to know. There has to be a reason and maybe we can fix it so we can avoid another war." I said. "What if he just wants his own kingdom to run?" Pythia asked. "I suppose it is possible if he were to stay overseas but even then we would have to make rules and all for him to follow and abide by." I replied. "We will figure all that out once we get through this." Jackson said as they walked back in the room. We laid out all the blankets and I laid down. I rested my head on the pillow that was in Alleys lap while Jackson sat on one side of me and Pythia on the other side. "Once we get where we need to go I'll open the link so the three of you can see what we see okay? Just sit patiently, Jackson hold her hand to keep her grounded." Alley said. 

    Jackson laced his fingers through mine and I smiled at him. "Just remember that they are only thoughts and aren't real right now." Jackson said with a soft smile. "Close your eyes and take some deep breaths and relax." Alley said as she placed her hands on the sides of my head. I did as I was told and closed my eyes and rolled my shoulders back. It felt like I was trying to meditate, "Don't fight me on this, open your mind to me." Alley whispered. I started feeling a slight pressure building up before it felt like something popped. When I opened my eyes it was pitch black. "Alley? Alley!" I yelled out. "I'm here give me a moment." Alley said before I seen her hand light up with fire. She lowered her hand and little fire balls Ade their way down and started to spread out. "It is your mind, you hold the key to everything but behind ever door could be a hidden one. Start by separating your thoughts, let's start when you both started training and everything." Alley said. I heard a deep growl and looked over to see Sage walking towards us. "Did you find anything?" I asked. "In a way but something is keeping me from accessing it. Follow me." Sage said as she turned around and walked back where she was coming from.

    We followed closely behind her until she came to a stop. It looked like a tangled mess, thick dark branches twirled around each other and they were laced with thorns. "I'm assuming what we are looking for is behind all of this." Alley said, stepping forward. She reached her hand out and the branches tightened aggressively. That's odd. How have I never felt something like this? "We need Pythia. This is thick with dark magic." Alley said. "How can you tell?" I asked. "Because I am white magic and it is trying to repent me from it. You don't carry white or dark magic so it won't shift but Pythia carries both so she might be able to do something." Alley said as she closed her eyes. For a moment she disappeared leaving me facing whatever the hell this was. "What do you think it is Sage?" I asked. "Honestly I'm not even sure, I've never seen anything like this before." Sage replied. I felt a breeze next to me and there stood Pythia and Alley. 

    Pythia smiled at me softly before she stepped forward, "This is very old dark magic, I don't allow anyone to practice this anymore." Pythia said, tilting her head to the side. "What is it? Why haven't I felt this?" I asked. "This is the ultimate protection, something bad is hidden behind this, you haven't felt it because it adjusts to you as you grow, learns your body and your mind to blend in so you don't even know it is there. Are you sure you want to know? what is this hiding?" Pythia asked, looking at me. I'm sure I would regret it but I needed this mess out of my head. "We have to know. What do we need to do?" I asked, feeling determined. "You have to will it to go away, once it starts to die off I will be able to break them and make a path for us. Just think about them dying off, you want to rid your mind of this." Pythia said standing next to me. It was like a giant puzzle that finally started to move, the branches started changing colors and Pythia stepped forward and started breaking her way through them.

    She cleared a wide path and I started to feel a sharp pain and my hand flew to my head as I grunted. Warmth shot through me and I looked over to Alley, her eyes swirled white and I smiled at her, it was all I could do right in this moment. "It's okay, follow me." Pythia said, looking over her shoulder. It felt like we had been walking for a long time before I could finally see an end to the thorny forest, as we broke our way through the pain started to subside and I felt like I could breathe again. Just as we broke through the last of it we all stopped as our eyes fell on a solid black door. "We are ready when you are." Alley reassured me. "Remember what Jackson said. This is all just memories and nothing can hurt you." Pythia whispered as she squeezed my hand. There was no going back now, I pushed my legs forward until my hand fell on the door handle, I quickly twisted it and flung the door open to all my memories that had been detained from me for centuries. 

    When we stepped in at first there was nothing, then all of a sudden we were in my room when I was first learning the traditions, I looked at the teenage version of me. I looked a lot different, I was nearly skin and bones. My cheeks were sunk in and my hair was greasy, my attention was caught by the yelling that was going on just outside of my door. The younger me shrunk to the corner of the room and somehow I knew what was about to happen. 

     I held my breath as my bedroom door flew open and my enraged father stood in the doorway. His icy red eyes landed on the younger version of me, my father had icy white skin and jet black hair that was pulled back in a point tail. He was built as wide as a brick wall. "You continue to defy me!" He roared. "I did nothing wrong father please!" My younger self begged. My father marched across the room and grabbed me by the hair, throwing me against the wall cracking it. "How many times do I have to tell you! Those mutts are our natural enemy and you still befriend them! It is your fault your uncle is dead!" My father roared as he grabbed me again and threw me across the room into the wall. I slid down the wall but quickly tried to crawl away. My father ran behind me grabbing me by the hair and started to drag me out of the room. "No! Wait! Please don't!" My younger self cried. I felt the tears start to form in my eyes as I watched my younger self scream out for my mother who never came. 

    I ran behind them down the hallways, "The wolves didn't kill uncle!" My younger self screamed. My father stopped and grabbed me by the throat before slamming me into the wall and ramming his fist into my side. I flinched as I heard my ribs crack, I cried out in pain and tried to break free but it was of no use. "Get off of her!" Xander yelled as he ran down the hallway. "NO! Stay back!" I yelled and took a step forward before Pythia grabbed me by the arm. "It's just a memory, you can't change anything." She whispered. I looked back in time to see my father delivered a hard back hand to Xander sending him back down the hallway. My father dragged my younger self down to the cells and I was horrified by what I was seeing. It was a torture chamber, there were different posted in each corner, a large wooden piece in the middle and against the walls hung different devices made specifically for torture. My father strapped me to one of the wooden pieces and I watched as he reached for a whip that had metal nails at the ends. I gasped when I realized what was about to happen and I wasn't sure if I could stomach it. 

    "Silas enough!" A woman yelled from the door. "Zafrina stay out of this." My father roared. "She did no wrong and you know it! Your brother was killed for picking a fight with wolves!" The woman I now knew as my mother yelled back. Why didn't I recognize her at first? She looks different from the woman in my original memories. "All because she wants to whore around with them! It is her fault!" My father roared as he finally set his eyes on my mother. "Punish me instead. I told her she could make friends with them. It's my fault." My mother said as she straightened her back. My fathers face hardened and he dashed towards my mother. My body tensed when he grabbed her by the throat but to my surprise she fought back with no avail. He grabbed her and slammed her on the wooden table and strapped her down. My father didn't hesitate to lash her across the back. Tears fell from my eyes and I stumbled backwards as my younger self screamed for him to stop. 

    My mother not once gave him the satisfaction of showing her pain. "Close your eyes Ambrosia." My mother grunted. "Please close your eyes my daughter." She whispered, her voice cracked but my younger self obliged and I turned my face and sobbed. There was movement by the door and there I saw Xander sneaking in and starting to unstrap me. just as my feet hit the floor our father was there. He wrapped his hands around Xanders neck and no matter how much he fought back it was useless. "Remember, all of this is your sister's fault." My father raged. When Xanders body went limp my father turned his attention towards me. My younger self stumbled backwards, "You want to whore around with those wolves? Let me show you how they will treat you." My father said with a sinister smile. Oh goddess no. I watched my father stalked towards me and I felt like I couldn't breathe. "No. No! No!" I screamed over and over, my hands flew to my head and I felt like everything crashed around me at once. What was happening to me? Everything started getting blurry as my younger self screamed in pure agony and pain. 

    My breathing quickened and I felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest. I couldn't catch my breath and I could hear Alley and Pythia trying to get my attention but I couldn't focus. Everything was hitting me at once. I could feel Sage beside me and in that moment I lost complete control and everything went black.