AUTHORS NOTE
This is a story that follows Asgore as he fights for monster rights, and negotiates with the humans after the barrier has been broken, starting with a week after the event. In this story, Mount Ebott is in what is modern-day Canada. I'm just wanting to say that sometimes the story moves back to past events, that are NOT canon, particularly events that occurred before the Great War, and the manner in which the war unfolds. This is merely my own interpretation of what has happened. Here are some name that will pop up so you won't get confused. If you don't want to see these names and want to simply read the story and find out for yourself, stop reading here.
Captain Terrowin: Captain of the Royal Guard before Undyne.
General Merek: Highest ranked officer in the monster's military.
King Berinon: The human king at the time of the war.
Prime Minister Matthias Hemmingway: The current prime minister of Canada, and the one performing negotiations with Asgore.
Asgore took a deep breath, staring at the door to the old hall where he was about to meet with Prime Minister Matthias Hemmingway. Everything had escalated so quickly in the days since the monsters had left the Underground. It had taken all of Frisk's determination to even get the meeting set in the first place.
At first Hemmingway was ready to discount the whole thing as some outlandish fairy tale. Frisk after all, was still a child. Yet, when two hikers that had spotted the camp came by with the same story, he seemed more inclined to listen to Frisk. Even still, it took hours of persistence before he could finally agree. Even for a child, Frisk had been seemed a lot more determined and genuine than most other human ambassadors, and they were just a child! Frisk had managed to convince Minister Hemmingway to agree to speak with King Asgore over the phone, and the two agreed to meet at an old meeting hall that had been marked as a popular tourist attraction.
It was the only building from the ancient empire that had once stood here that was still standing, so it seemed suitable for such a meeting. The King made a glance to his left at Lady Toriel, who wore the crown she had not warn in over two hundred years. The pair had agreed that it would be easier if there were two monarchs advocating for the monsters, though Toriel had made it quite clear she was only returning to the throne as a political figure. With Frisk on his right, and Undyne behind acting as security (Upon her own impressive display of persistence to the King), he reached for the doors, pushing them open.
Inside, Prime Minister Hemmingway straightened his tie, and sat up straight. Standing behind him on either side were two members of the local Ebott City police force. Though he had insisted they weren't necessary, his secretary had demanded that they accompany him in case it was an assassination attempt. Matthias portrayed a clean, shaven face, with brownish-black hair that he had in a classic slick politician style.
His gaze flicked to the door as they were pushed open. He tried not to let his jaw drop as King Asgore walked into the hall, accompanied by another monster that looked similar to himself. He also noticed some sort of fish-lady dressed in armor and holding a blue spear in one hand, and then of course the child, Frisk who claimed they were the acting ambassador. Admittedly, he had thought that it was still a joke, and he couldn't find the words to describe what emotions he felt upon seeing them. He managed to keep his composure as the two monarchs sat across from him, Frisk joining them. Undyne took a step back, standing at attention with an unwavering gaze. King Asgore was the first to break the short silence.
"You must be Prime Minister Matthias Hemmingway, correct?" The question snapped Matthias out of his thoughts as he cleared his throat.
"That is correct. And you must be King Asgore." He dipped his head ever so slightly as a show of respect. "If you don't mind my asking, who are the others that are joining us today?" Asgore returned the nod to Matthias before responding.
"Well, you've already met Ambassador Frisk. On my left is Lady Toriel Dreemurr, and behind me is Undyne, captain of the Royal Guard." Matthias nodded slowly.
"I see. Well, it's a pleasure to meet the three of you at least." The group hardly knew where to start. Neither party had ever put much thought into how this discussion would begin. King Asgore's deep voice cut through the thin silence.
"Well…where shall we begin?"
Matthias folded his hands on the table in front of him. "Why not we start with your history? I'm frankly curious as to how an entire kingdom living under a mountain went unnoticed for centuries."
Asgore straightened slightly. "I suppose this is reasonable. Though I should mention Prime Minister, that we weren't always forgotten. There was a time when we lived among humans peacefully, on the surface."
Matthias folded his hands on the table in front of him. "You say there 'was' a time. Could you…elaborate?" Asgore sighed. He had never expected that the war would come up in discussion so soon, though at the same time, it was inevitable.
"There was…a war." Now it was Matthias's turn to grow slightly more rigid. Undyne took note that one of the officers had moved a hand an inch closer to his sidearm at the news. Toriel had also noticed the small movements and grew slightly more rigid herself.
"I…I see…" Matthias began, choosing his words carefully. "You'll forgive me but I don't recall ever coming across a war between Canada and monsters." Asgore shook his head.
"I wouldn't expect you to. Since it's been brought up though, you may as well know what happened." Matthias could sense a story brewing, but found himself intrigued to know more.
"This would be nice to know, yes." Asgore's face turned from a neutral seriousness, to a darkened grim look.
"It all began with what was a simple accident, and a rumor. A rumor that spiraled out of control, and nearly marked the end of our kind. I can still remember the day I first heard of it all…"
SEVERAL CENTURIES AGO...
The sun gleamed through the door leading to the throne room. King Asgore sat, proud upon his throne with Lady Toriel seated at his side. The day was one of pure beauty. Birds were singing in the trees, flowers were blooming in the gardens outside, yet the beautiful day would also mark a day that would change the lives of an entire kingdom forever.
The silence was shattered as the door to the throne room swung wide, and Captain Terrowin of the Royal Guard marched in, bowing in respect to the two monarchs before reporting.
"King Berinon, leader of the Roneian Empire is requesting an audience with his majesty, King Asgore Dreemurr." Asgore and Toriel looked over to each other, exchanging looks of surprise. King Berinon was a good friend of the empire, though he hardly ever visited, especially without warning. Looking back to the Fox, Asgore nodded firmly.
"Send him in Captain." With another bow, Captain Terrowin departed, leaving Asgore to ponder what on Earth would drag Berinon all the way out here. None of their trade deals had expired, was there trouble? He looked up again as the King himself entered. He didn't look pleased to see Asgore. Terrowin followed Berinon in, walking over to stand next to Asgore, as was customary when visitors were present. Asgore smiled warmly.
"Welcome King Berinon! It's been some time. What might I ask brings you before us today?" King Berinon didn't return the smile.
"King Asgore, as much as I wish this was just a friendly visit, we both know that it is the opposite. Can you and I speak somewhere…alone?" Asgore was deeply troubled by the tone the King set. He exchanged another glance with Toriel before standing.
"Of course." Captain Terrowin followed the two Kings over to a door leading to an adjoining room. Asgore left the door unlocked, though closed it, keeping Terrowin on the outside so the two could speak privately. Asgore cleared old maps and other documents off of the desk, setting them on a chest nearby before sitting down across from Berinon.
"What's troubling you? You look stressed." King Berinon had a lowered voice as he began.
"There's been an…'incident'. Apparently a monster from your kingdom strayed too far outside the borders. This monster had an…encounter…with a human not far from a village on the outskirts of my empire. Witnesses claim they saw the monster absorb the human soul and become something…different. Something straight from hell they described it as. There are rumors going around that this monster has the power enough to rival the Gods."
Asgore was understanding more and more of why the king was here each passing minute, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel more confused.
"I see…that's…definitely news to me." King Berinon looked mistrusting.
"Are you sure you're not aware of this monster? Some of my advisers are going so far as to suggest that you planned for this to happen. As an attempt to seize power of my empire." Asgore growled, immediately becoming defensive.
"Berinon, you've known me for years. Trade is going smoothly between our two countries, and we've had no reason to be on each other bad side. Why do you think I would risk all of this? You of all people should know allies are hard to come by in this world." Berinon nodded, meeting Asgore's eyes coldly.
"I understand this…but you must also understand that you're the only monster kingdom currently in the continent. And considering a monster came from your borders and has turned into a beast…you need to see that I want to ensure the safety of my people." Asgore nodded, somewhat thoughtful.
"Tell you what…I'll look into the matter personally. If I find anything as to why this monster did what he, or she, did, or what they plan to do next, I'll let you know immediately. That's really all I can do for now." Berinon still looked unsatisfied, but seemed to get the picture that there really wouldn't be any better answer.
"Very well. I suppose I should be making my leave." He stood up, nodding gruffly at Asgore. "A pleasure as always King Asgore, let us hope we can meet on more friendly terms in the future." Asgore nodded, following King Berinon out.
"Indeed, King Berinon…indeed." Berinon saw himself out and Asgore dismissed Captain Terrowin to resume his normal duties. Toriel took note of Asgore's mildly agitated yet thoughtful look as he sat back in his throne.
"What did King Berinon want, Gorey?" King Asriel scratched his chin, stuck in thought.
"Apparently there's been an incident regarding a monster absorbing a human soul…something about that monster becoming very powerful…he wanted to see if I had anything to do with it." Toriel now looked concerned.
"Well, has the matter been resolved? He didn't exactly seem very pleased when he left…" Asgore shook his head.
"No, no it isn't…though I hope we can manage to get it resolved before this spirals out of control."
PRESENT DAY
Prime Minister Hemmingway continued listening intently, putting his folded hands to his chin as he nodded slightly. Asgore continued speaking.
"Well as you can imagine, things escalated quicker than we could possibly anticipate. The rumors about this monster began to grow, and unfortunately since the monster was inside of Canada's, or rather at the time the Roneian Empire's territory, there wasn't much we could do from our end. Just two weeks later, the monster was killed by a group of angry villagers. Now of course we didn't find this out until later. Apparently King Berinon began making preparations for war shortly after. We were never aware of what was happening, as it had never been passed along how dire the situation was. We only began to grow concerned about the prospect of war a month before it happened…"
CENTURIES AGO…
Asgore was woken by the sound of a distant commotion outside. Being careful not to rouse Toriel, he slowly climbed out of bed, dressing in the royal robes and decided to wear his suit of armour beneath. The commotion didn't sound pleasant, and with the developments, it was good to be prepared. He walked through the halls, tracking down the noise, making his way outside towards the courtyard gardens. He could see several figures, one of them Captain Terrowin, and with him appeared to be two other members of the Royal Guard. He could just barely make out the end of their conversation as he approached. It appeared to be Terrowin that was speaking.
"…don't CARE if he's asleep! King Asgore needs to know of this immediately!"
Asgore decided to enter the conversation. "What do I need to know about?" The three jumped, apparently having been oblivious to his approach. The trio quickly saluted, and Asgore noticed Terrowin holding an arrow in one hand.
"Sire! This sentry claims he saw a figure shoot this arrow over the wall. It has a note addressed to you. He suspects it was a human that shot the arrow." Asgore took the arrow from Terrowin, looking it over before looking up at the sentry.
"Was it aimed at anything in particular?"
The sentry quickly shook his head. "No, your highness. It was a gentle lob right over the wall. It landed in the garden." Asgore nodded, sliding the note off the point of the arrow to read it. The paper crinkled as his grip tightened.
"King Asgore, due to circumstances around a certain 'incident' that has been discussed, we are hereby severing all trade routes with you, and there will be no more political negotiations. Do not try to change my mind. King Berinon." Terrowin noticed the increasing distress on Asgore's face. Suddenly, Asgore barked an order.
"You two, back to your posts. Captain, make sure all sentries are on high alert. I also need you to run a message to General Merek."
Terrowin was startled as the two sentries immediately ran back to their posts. "Uh, sire?"
Asgore didn't wait for him to ask what was wrong, but gave him the message.
"Tell him to mobilize the army. Have him sent units to every city and village in the kingdom. Then I want you to work with him on setting up defenses in the capital and other larger cities close by." Terrowin sounded shocked.
"O-Of course, your highness! If I may ask, what's going on?!" Asgore had turned away and was beginning to walk back inside, though spoke over his shoulder.
"I don't know. For all our sakes, I pray I'm overreacting."
