Ambrosia grew up in a small house on the edge of nowhere, and at times it was a struggle to survive. They lived off of the land and grew, hunted, or made everything themselves: food, clothing, shelter. She was taught by her parents, and though they did what they could, she was left in the dark to a lot of things. Magic was completely kept out of the picture, and when she finally learned of it on a rare trip into the city with her father, she thought that it could be used to help them live a better life. But her parents were mortified that she had even learned of it, and forbade her from ever speaking of it again, let alone learning of it. But she saw how they struggled every day, just to get by and sustain her, and she wanted so much better for them. She would practice in secret, spending hours meditating just to listen to plants and the air and the water, to feel nature moving together. But when she had finally learned enough to grow better crops or heal sick animals, to show her parents how she could help them, for them to be able to finally take a break, to be proud of her...well, it backfired. She was punished severely, locked in her room, away from the sun and from nature. She had no one to talk to, meals delivered silently and quickly, only the company of her bunny plushie, Mr. Muffintop. She didn't see sunlight again until one day, it came crashing through her door. There were faint screams from her parents, and a hoarde of masked, robed people spirited them away.
Turns out, her parents had belonged to a dark guild and had escaped to the countryside to try and protect their daughter from that life. They had reached high-ranking status in the guild and knew some of its darkest secrets and most intimate workings, so of course they couldn't be left off the hook. All this time they had only wanted to forget it ever existed and had no intentions on outing them...yet here they were. They locked Ambrosia's parents away, not eager to kill them until they had witnessed the true monster they would make her daughter; in other words, to witness their worst nightmare come to life. Ambrosia was forced to comply lest she witness her parents' death, but even in trying she was too terrified; too terrified to fail, too terrified of magic, too terrified of what would happen both if she did and didn't succeed...she ended up being injected with dark magic to boost her power. Every night during the bit of time she was given for rest, she would cry herself to sleep, or not sleep at all...and every night before that, when she was confined to her room. She would try to find the solace of nature, but whether enclosed by wood or these steel walls, she was trapped. All she wanted was to dive back into the lake and splash her father's unsuspecting (?) face, to watch her mother laugh, to be happy...
One day, years later, her parents escaped. Mass chaos ensued, as they unleashed techniques that had remained unknown even to the guild, skills they had honed in case a day like this should ever come. But they were quickly overwhelmed, and Ambrosia swooped in to try and help them. She didn't even stand a chance. Tossed onto her parents' nearly unconscious bodies, she prepared to join them in oblivion. Her father wrapped his arms around her and whispered a spell that would erase her memory. He knew she would live. He could feel the eddies of pain swirling in her, the darkness and the light colliding, the power that had been there even before she'd been subjected to the dark guild's experiments...and sure enough, the dam broke. All of the tears she had cried came screaming forward...and she sunk them all.
She woke up on an unknown shore, remembering only her name...Ambrosia. And water. There was water. Water had always been so easy to understand...with plants there were veins and cell layers and nutrient systems and a delicate balance to uphold; with earth there were so many minerals and textures and hard names to pronounce and remember; fire was too hot and it was hard to create by rubbing two sticks over a campfire; and air would blow through her long hair and toussle it and make it so she couldn't see. But water was always faithful. It would soothe her skin and always made pleasing sounds, and animals would come to it to drink and play and rest. Water doused the fire; it carved the earth into mountains and valleys; it nourished the plants, and it was too heavy for even the air to carry before it fell as rain. Three little molecules... it was complex, but also simple, just like her...and suddenly, the water that fell from her eyes didn't seem so useless anymore.
Ambrosia Shropshire doesn't know much, about herself or the world around her, but she's trying harder every day. She's rather afraid and intimidated by magic and can only use so much, but she's learning and growing bolder. She prefers sweets and laying around in her room, reading a good book with the shades drawn, cuddling with Mr. Muffintop and her plethora of plushies, than socializing. Every new kind of food she tries, her eyes light up as though she's never eaten before, and she can never seem to get enough. She is complex, but simple. She is a good person.
But...the darkness is also a part of her. And it will never leave.
Turns out, her parents had belonged to a dark guild and had escaped to the countryside to try and protect their daughter from that life. They had reached high-ranking status in the guild and knew some of its darkest secrets and most intimate workings, so of course they couldn't be left off the hook. All this time they had only wanted to forget it ever existed and had no intentions on outing them...yet here they were. They locked Ambrosia's parents away, not eager to kill them until they had witnessed the true monster they would make her daughter; in other words, to witness their worst nightmare come to life. Ambrosia was forced to comply lest she witness her parents' death, but even in trying she was too terrified; too terrified to fail, too terrified of magic, too terrified of what would happen both if she did and didn't succeed...she ended up being injected with dark magic to boost her power. Every night during the bit of time she was given for rest, she would cry herself to sleep, or not sleep at all...and every night before that, when she was confined to her room. She would try to find the solace of nature, but whether enclosed by wood or these steel walls, she was trapped. All she wanted was to dive back into the lake and splash her father's unsuspecting (?) face, to watch her mother laugh, to be happy...
One day, years later, her parents escaped. Mass chaos ensued, as they unleashed techniques that had remained unknown even to the guild, skills they had honed in case a day like this should ever come. But they were quickly overwhelmed, and Ambrosia swooped in to try and help them. She didn't even stand a chance. Tossed onto her parents' nearly unconscious bodies, she prepared to join them in oblivion. Her father wrapped his arms around her and whispered a spell that would erase her memory. He knew she would live. He could feel the eddies of pain swirling in her, the darkness and the light colliding, the power that had been there even before she'd been subjected to the dark guild's experiments...and sure enough, the dam broke. All of the tears she had cried came screaming forward...and she sunk them all.
She woke up on an unknown shore, remembering only her name...Ambrosia. And water. There was water. Water had always been so easy to understand...with plants there were veins and cell layers and nutrient systems and a delicate balance to uphold; with earth there were so many minerals and textures and hard names to pronounce and remember; fire was too hot and it was hard to create by rubbing two sticks over a campfire; and air would blow through her long hair and toussle it and make it so she couldn't see. But water was always faithful. It would soothe her skin and always made pleasing sounds, and animals would come to it to drink and play and rest. Water doused the fire; it carved the earth into mountains and valleys; it nourished the plants, and it was too heavy for even the air to carry before it fell as rain. Three little molecules... it was complex, but also simple, just like her...and suddenly, the water that fell from her eyes didn't seem so useless anymore.
Ambrosia Shropshire doesn't know much, about herself or the world around her, but she's trying harder every day. She's rather afraid and intimidated by magic and can only use so much, but she's learning and growing bolder. She prefers sweets and laying around in her room, reading a good book with the shades drawn, cuddling with Mr. Muffintop and her plethora of plushies, than socializing. Every new kind of food she tries, her eyes light up as though she's never eaten before, and she can never seem to get enough. She is complex, but simple. She is a good person.
But...the darkness is also a part of her. And it will never leave.
