Restoring the Mountain's Heart

Chapter 1

Red Leaves

Tears fell down her redden cheeks as another choking sob escaped her aching chest. Her heart was heavy and broken, her spirits dashed against the ground on a day when they should have been at their highest. Her Wedding Day, the day most little girls dream of, but for her it now meant the end of everything. She could have been promised to the handsome prince from the neighboring kingdom, or a charming duke from the Court.

Instead, she was being banished.

Wiping her streaming eyes on a handkerchief, the princess dared to glance at her reflection in her gilded mirror. She had always thought she would look like an angel as a bride, her white gown trimmed in silver silks and pearly lace. The dress she wore made her look like a ghost instead of a bride, plain and simple without so much as a bow or scrap of satin. It was long, brushing the floor like a white rectangle with long sleeves rather than a proper dress. She sniffled as she tucked the ends of her sleeves in the cuffs of her plain white gloves, and gave the wimple that would cover her beautiful brown hair a watery glare. Even the veil was so thick that no one would be able to see her face and she would barely be able to see through it.

Outside her window, the storm clouds rumbled, parting just long enough for a beam of pale sunshine to land on the rich rug on the floor, then it was swallowed again by the dark thunderheads. Sunlight, it was so simple and she had taken it for granted for her entire life, and sometimes she had even disliked it. Now she was likely to never see it again. It wasn't fair, she didn't want to bear the burden that the whole human race had placed squarely on her shoulders.

Two hundred years ago, two races had co-existed on the Earth side by side-humans and monsters. Monsters had been creatures of magic, and humans had been beings of might, and together they had ruled the world, taming it to their needs. But then man had begun to fear the power of the monsters, believing their magic would one day be used against them. The war started, a short and brutal feud between the two races, one which claimed the lives of countless monsters, yet not a single human had been lost. Knowing they would be completely destroyed, the monster king, Asgore, had called upon his few human allies-seven powerful mages-to save his people. The magicians used all of their might to carve out the heart of Mt. Ebott, and create a powerful barrier to protect the remaining monsters from harm.

The humans had rejoiced, believing they could now freely rule the world themselves. But their greed would soon cost them, for once the monsters had vanished, so did the magic in the Earth. Slowly, their mages lost their powers, potions turned to useless muck, spells fizzled out and died, and magical artifacts began to rot and decay. Dark days followed, every thing that could go wrong seemed to befall humanity, from natural disasters to horrible sicknesses, even the winters and summers seemed longer and more extreme. It didn't take long for them to make the connections.

Monsters had been the source of magic in the world, and without them, mankind was doomed to a long and slow death. Thus began the Dark Ages. It was a period without hope, and there was little they could do to save themselves.

However, the warlords that had led the attack against the monsters attempted to force their way into the mountain, but met with little success. Only a small opening was discovered, a window into the caverns below. They quickly realized that while the barrier was still shielding the small entrance, it only allowed things in, and not out. A soldier was sent in with a message for the king, a plea for a truce.

King Asgore was far from pleased, and at first turned down all offers of peace, declaring his kind could live beneath the Earth until the humans were claimed by the disaster they had brought upon themselves. However, several years after the first attempt at peace, the king finally agreed to a trade. In the flight to the mountain, Asgore's queen had been slain, leaving him as the sole ruler of the monsters and without an heir to his throne, and as a Boss Monster he couldn't age until he had a child of his own. So Asgore demanded a bride, a Boss Monster among human women, someone with a powerful Soul that could bear him a child.

And so, the sacrifices began. Every ten years, a princess would be chosen to be lowered into the Underground as a bride for Asgore, and only when one would give him a child would he destroy the barrier. Yet none ever returned, and while the humans had lost all hope that the sacrifices would work as all else had failed, it was all they had to cling to as Death loomed over their heads and drew closer each day.

The princess knew all of this, but she didn't want to be thrown to the monsters, for who knew what happened to the young women when they failed to give Asgore a child. She didn't want to find out, but she had no choice. So she wept in front of her mirror, watching her tears fall uselessly down her face as she accepted her fate reluctantly.

A soft knock came at her door, and she hastily wiped the tears away, though more instantly replaced them. "I-I'm not seeing anyone! Leave me be!" she called, choking on a sob as the door slowly opened. She whirled around, sorrow boiling into anger. "I said-!"

"My Lady, please, I must speak with you." The princess stopped, seeing the look in this stranger's face. This wasn't a member of her staff, at least, not one that she knew, and yet she met the gaze of the royal with an earnest plea in her gaze. "Its about your dress."

She rode silently in the carriage, hands folded stiffly in her lap. Outside, horsemen surrounded the richly decorated carriage, escorting its precious cargo up to the mountain. At the head of the little parade, a man in stylish armor sat stiff-backed on his horse, his face weathered with age and a harsh life. As the Captain of the guard, it was his duty to escort the princess safely to the barrier, though he found it unhumorously ironic as she was likely being sentenced to death under the mountain.

Thunder rumbled above their heads as the carriage slowed to a stop at the end of worn trail leading up a gentle slope. The men dismounted their horses, the footman opening the carriage door and giving the woman a hand as she stepped out. "Get the rope," ordered the Captain as he moved over to the bride, offering his hand. "My Lady, forgive us."

She said nothing, refusing to take his hand, or even face him. Dropping his hand with a sigh, he gestured to the trail. "This way, your highness." Wordlessly, she followed behind him as the group headed up the incline, the path in the grass worn away by the many feet of the men who had climbed up before them. Thick vines grew around the edge of the trail, coiling around clumps of grass like snakes choking their victims, their thorns much like their fangs as they bit into the nearby foliage.

At the top of the slope lay a circle of stones, like a fairy ring, marking the only doorway to the monster world. It was the only place in the barrier that allowed things to pass through, a back door for the few monsters that hadn't made in inside in time, or so the rumors went. The old Captain set his jaw, seeing only death before them. But he had a mission to carry out, and if the life of one girl could save them all, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

"Ready the swing," he commanded, glancing briefly at the princess. He was admittedly impressed. She was silent, and with her face masked by the veil, she was the picture of calmness. He had expected screaming, crying, begging, even anger and bitterness. Yet she seemed almost like a statue, featureless as marble and just as emotionless.

Within minutes, the swing was ready. Since the barrier prevented them from pulling anything back out of the cavern, a swing fashioned from old rope and thick branches would be used as the seat. This time the woman accepted help from the men as they set her on the swing, and began the slow process of lowering her into the Underground. Down, down, down she went, her toes dangling in open air as she held onto the ropes.

The men carefully eased her further down, watching her white form be swallowed by the darkness, like she was in the maw of some giant creature. Thunder growled in the heavens, the sound echoing in the pit as she held onto the ropes, which made soft creaks and groans as she turned slightly in the air. It felt like hours and minutes all at once, yet before she knew it, her white slippers met the ground.

Yet it wasn't bare rock, but a patch of golden flowers beneath her feet. They swayed slightly as she turned, her skirt brushing over the blooms, their yellow pollen painting the hem of her gown. She gave the ropes a sharp tug, and moments later, the ropes went slack, and they fell to the ground, the ends cut from above. She looked up, and found she couldn't see the sky above her, just a grey circle of light.

Grabbing the veil and wimple, she tugging them off in one smooth motion. But no brown hair fell around her shoulders, instead it was fiery red. A deep orange with natural streaks of blond, making it look like flames in the light. Her curls fell down the length of her back, the ends brushing her waist. Dark blue eyes blinked up at the opening. "Princess, I hope you'll be okay. I'll keep my promise," she murmured quietly as she knelt, pulling one of the sticks from the swing's seat, gripping it tightly. "I'll do whatever it takes."

She glanced around, finding it strangely well lit despite being underground. But there wasn't much to look at, mostly crumbling rock and what looked like the remains of a few buildings. "Ruins...?" she murmured. Spotting what appeared to be an archway, she lifted her skirt slightly with one hand, keeping a hold of the stick in the other, and slowly made her way into another cavern. "Maybe they moved away from the entrance after we found it-ah!"

Something caught her ankle, causing her to trip. She caught herself on her hands and glanced back, gasping in surprise as she saw a thorny vine wrapped around her lower calf. "What the-?" Turning around, she wedged the end of the stick under the vine, and carefully worked her leg free. A thorn dug into her ankle, blood soaking into her stocking. "Oh much for keeping clean for the first impression."

Standing up, she glanced around to make sure she was alone, then lifted her skirt, revealing the small pouch strapped to her thigh. It was a simple leather purse, holding only a few things that she had been able to fit inside. One such item was a small roll of bandage, which she quickly plucked from the pouch and wrapped around her bleeding ankle. Once she finished, she let her skirt fall back into place. At least the white of the bandage would cover the red stain of the blood if anyone happened to see her ankles.

She glanced around her feet, looking for more vines to possibly trip on. Only, even when she looked behind her, she saw no trace of them, not even the one that had tripped her. The woman blinked in surprise, and looked about the cavern, seeing only the old and worn walls and another patch of grass at the center of the room. Beyond that, she spotted another archway, and headed towards it.

Movement made her freeze in her tracks, her eyes trained on the grass as the green blades as they twitched. She clutched the stick tightly in both hands, holding her breath. She didn't know what to expect, but she could only hope it wasn't dangerous. "Is...is someone there?" she called softly.

The grass stopped at the sound of her voice, and somehow that made her even more nervous than when it was shaking. Frowning slightly, she moved over to the grass, leaning over the patch. "Maybe I'm seeing thi-"

"Howdy!" A white face suddenly popped out of the ground with a huge smile. The woman yelped, falling over backwards in surprise. The white face belonged to a flower, a ring of golden petals surrounding its big smiling face. Beady black eyes stared at her like tiny river pebbles, its smile bright and inviting. "Hehe, golly, did I startle ya' there?" it asked with a giggle. "Sorry about that."

She could only stop and stare in shock. A flower was talking to her. Monsters she expected, but this she couldn't say she expected a flower that could talk. Unless... "Um, that's uh...that's okay," she replied, pushing herself up onto her feet. "Um, excuse me if this is rude, but...are you a monster?"

The flower giggled, giving her a wink. "That I am~ I'm Flowey-Flowey the flower!" it replied. "You're the new princess, aren't ya'?"

"I'm to be King Asgore's bride," she stated. It wasn't a lie, but it was still a half-truth. She didn't know what the monsters would do if they discovered she wasn't the princess they were promised. But she would tell Asgore, eventually. Just not until after they were married.

Flowey nodded, something in his eyes changing, though the smile remained. "Uh-huh, right." He perked up again. "Hey, I've got an idea. Since you don't know the Ruins like I do, how about little ol' me helps you get to the door? Its the only way out of the Ruins after all, and there's lots of puzzles between here and there. I could lend ya' a leaf or two." He giggled again with another wink.

She smiled, bowing her head briefly. "I would be most appreciative, Flowey. I'm afraid I don't know where to go, or what's suppose to happen to me."

"Oh, but I know~" he sang, and disappeared under the ground, only to pop back up a few feet away. "Just follow the flower, princess."

The woman nodded, picking up her skirt as she hurried after the flower. "Thank you so much, Flowey!"

"No problem," he said, disappearing and re-appearing as he led the way deeper into the Ruin.

As they moved through the hallways, Flowey explained that monsters loved building puzzles and even used them as locks and traps after they had abandoned this end of the mountain. He told her how they had left the Ruins behind and made a sealed door that only opened when they were expecting another princess every ten years. The flower showed her each of the answers to the puzzles, popping up a few feet away to keep ahead of her as they went.

"Flowey? If its not too much trouble, could you tell me about monsters?" she asked, flipping a switch on a wall that the flower pointed to. "I just don't know what to expect. I'd just like to understand at least a little about them before I meet anyone else."

The flower appeared beyond a row of spikes blocking a bridge over a stream. "Well for starters, monsters have advanced well beyond humans when it comes to science. So don't worry when the light suddenly turn on, and don't play with the microwave." The spikes slid down into the metal panel on the bridge, allowing the human to walk across. "But don't worry. I sure somebody will help you figure it out. Maybe Asgore will teach you."

Her heart thumped against her ribs at the mention of his name. "What's he like?" she asked softly. "King Asgore?" As she walked by, this time the flower didn't vanish into the ground. Instead, he sat there for a moment as she headed to the end of the room. She stopped, turning to the little plant monster. "Flowey?"

The flower perked, a wide smile spreading across his face. "Oh, Asgore? There's not a bad thing to say about the guy!" He disappeared underground again, popping up in front of her. "He's a big pushover, really. Just a big softy."

"Well, what about all the other women he's married? How did they get along...and where are they?" She glanced at what looked like a dummy as she moved to the next room.

"Around, somewhere in the Underground. Treated them like queens, well, while they were with him. They never did stay for very long." The flower disappeared, and reappeared at the other end of the empty room, where another bridge stood-this one longer and covered in even more spikes. "The path in that room is the hidden path through the bridge, by the way." With that, he rushed her through the next few rooms as the puzzles were rather simple-pushing a rock onto the panel, walking on a path to keep from cracking the floor, and then another rock pushing puzzle.

Following him further in, she passed a small table with a piece of moldy cheese on it, and then Flowey popped up on the other end of another empty room. "Hurry up, we're almost there!" She glanced wearily at the floor, noticing that it looked similar to the cracked floor room. But he didn't tell her anything was wrong here, so she hurried into the room. Her foot suddenly went through the floor, and she fell with a yelp.

Red leaves broke her fall, flying up into the air like a startled flock of birds. "Ow..." she murmured as she sat up, looking up at the ceiling, brushing her wild curls out of her face. She sighed, spotting a door with steps that looked like they led up. As she pushed herself up, she paused, feeling something silky beneath her fingers.

She fished it out of the leaves, and found it was a faded red ribbon tied in a bow. It had clearly lost its vivid color and shine over time, but it still felt soft and strong in her hand. Pushing her hair out of her face again, she untied the bow, shaking out the ribbon before pulling her curls back, tying them with a bow. While beautiful, silk had quite a bit of strength to it, and she felt like she too could be like silk.

Well, aside from the beautiful part. After all, she was pretty plain. She was actually surprised Flowey hadn't called her out on not being the princess based on her looks.

She made her way back up, huffing slightly. "Flowey, why didn't you warn me...Flowey?" The stairs led her back into the room above, but the flower had vanished. Thinking he had probably gone ahead into the next room, she moved much more carefully across the floor, and into another room with three columns, each with a switch next to it.

But Flowey was nowhere to be seen. It took her several minutes to figure out the perspective puzzle, but when she did, she hurried along, still calling of the flower. Seeing two paths to take, one to the left and one straight ahead, she bit her lip and made a guess-choosing left. More red leaves crunched under her feet as she hurried into another room. She slowed to a stop, staring in awe as a huge tree rose out of the ground before another building, the leafless branches reaching high into the air like gnarled black fingers, its leaves coating the ground beneath it like a pool of blood.

"Nice, huh?" She jumped, spinning around to see Flowey behind her. He chuckled, the sound almost devious. His face seemed to morph before her eyes, his teeth becoming like fangs. "I'm glad you like it, because you'll be here for a long time."

"F-Flowey?" she stammered, taking a step back, clutching the stick still in her hand.

The plant let out a terrifying laugh, his entire face shifting into a thing of nightmares. "You IDIOT! Did you really think any monster would help you?!" he cackled. "Why would anyone pass up the chance to get rid of a useless ditz like you? Did you really think I was your friend, princess? So pathetic." He shook his head slowly. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. And I thought you'd at least be smarter than the last one."

"L-last one? Flowey, what are you talking about-what did you do?!"

He laughed, the soil near him suddenly bubbling as something pushed its way to the surface. A rotten human arm sprouted from the ground wrapped in a thorny vine like some sort of hideous plant, or at least, what was left of it. "Oh, you know, I just put them down for a long nap...a dirt nap." He launched into a bout of hysterical laughter, throwing the arm at her feet. "Don't look so shocked, princess! This won't be near as bad as what Asgore would do to you. Don't you think its strange that for two hundred years he's needed a new wife every decade? Its because they never last very long!"

She felt the blood drain from her face, and her knees began to tremble. "W-what...what are you saying?!"

"Put two and two together, human!" he snarled as more vines sprouted around him. "He's the king of monsters, and your kind murdered his wife. What do you think he does to all the human women he gets? He has his fun with them, and throws away whatever's left! But he's not going to get to play with you. Oh no, I'm saving you all for myself." Thorns sprang out along the vine like a cat's retractable claws. "Now...DIE!"

The woman screamed, dodging around the tree, hiding behind the trunk. A thick vine slammed into the bark, the thorns stabbing into the wood like knives. 'If I don't run, that'll be me! I'll die!' The thought slammed into her like a boulder falling off a cliff. 'Oh God, he wants to kill me-they all do! All those women, they died down here, and I'm next!' Her eyes locked onto the doorway of the house, and as if her legs had a mind of their own, she suddenly found herself running for it.

"Oh no you don't!" Flowey snarled. His vines shot after her, slithering like snakes, striking at her back. He heard her gasp in pain as his thorns sliced across her back, shredding the back of her dress. But the impact threw her forward, her body landing heavily on the front step. A sob escaped her as she forced herself onto her knees, her arms quaking as she looked back with agony clearly written on her face. "Don't look so upset, princess. I'm doing you a favor. What I'm gonna do to you is a lot more merciful than what any of the others would do to you. Besides, its just a few minutes of pain, compared to the certain death you would have met on the surface."

A vine wrapped around her waist, the thorns digging into her sides as it constricted, making her gasp for air. "Did I say a few minutes?" He giggled giddily. "I meant a few hours, maybe days if you live that long~"

As the vine tightened, and each breath became harder to take, the woman looked around desperately, dread seeping through her. Her eyes fell on the stick, broken in half from when he'd struck her. As he started to lift her off the ground, she snatched up the stick, and stabbed the broken and splintered end into the vine. The plant screeched, throwing her away as the vine recoiled, green liquid dripping from the vine as she landed just inside the house with a groan. Flowey hissed. "You'll pay for that, bitch."

She lurched to her feet, ignoring the pain in her back as she ran, spotting a spiral staircase heading downward. Not knowing where else to go, she jumped over the railing, dropping down to a lower section, and tumbling down to the bottom of the stairs as a thunderous crash boomed above her head. Dirt, dust, and chips of stone and wood showered down on her as she covered her head. Groaning softly, she cautiously looked back up, only to find the top of the staircase blocked by collapsed rubble.

Part of her was glad that now a wall of rock was between her and the psychopathic flower, and another part was terrified that she now trapped even further below the surface, and surrounded by monsters bent on spilling her blood. But she had little else to do but either wait for the flower, or get far away. She'd rather live for even a few more minutes, so she decided to press on.

Forcing herself to her feet, she lightly held her aching sides as she leaned against a wall as her head spun. She blinked hard several times, and tried to focus on something to hopefully steady her blurry vision. Something in the rubble caught her attention, and she carefully leaned down to scoop it up. While broken and the paint was chipped, she recognized it as a toy knife, long ago forgotten. It had likely been left in the house when the monsters had left, lost forever. A lot like how she left right now.

Dropping the toy, she groaned in discomfort, and leaned an arm against the wall as she moved forward. It still made little sense as to how she could still see, as it should have been dark. Maybe it was magic. After all, monsters were made of magic, and Flowey had said they were very advanced, so maybe that was why it never seen dark even so deep underground.

Yet even as her thoughts wandered over the possibilities, she knew she was still concerned over her situation. If the monsters really were just killing all the brides, then why didn't they just tell the humans to stop sending them? Or was killing them the point? Asgore had obviously suffered greatly in the war, probably as bad as one could have in his situation. She couldn't really feel angry with him wanting to take his anger out on the race that had caused all his pain, but that didn't mean she condoned it.

'I have to get to him, I have to talk to him,' she thought. 'Maybe, maybe if I could do something to ease his suffering. Or at least, maybe I could stop him from hurting anyone else. We'll all need each other if we're going to survive. Even if they don't think so, I know there had to be a reason for both of our races to be on this Earth together.'

A sudden rush of cold air suddenly swept past her, making her shiver. It felt like a winter breeze when she knew it was summer on the surface. She paused. She felt a breeze-moving air! Pushing away from the wall, she pulled up the hem of her skirt and ran down the hall. If she felt moving air, that meant an opening! She had a way out.

Rounding the corner of the hall, she was blinded by a white light and blasted with cold wind. She gritted her teeth, rushing towards the light, ignoring the pain in her back and sides. She didn't know why, but she felt that if she reached it, she would be safe. It made no sense, but she ran regardless.

Her slippers suddenly crunched on something, icy cold seeping into the satin and leather. She shielded her eyes against the blinding whiteness, but she peeked between her lashes, and nearly forgot her situation as she gazed at the glittering white snow. It covered things that seemed impossible to be down in the Underground, bushes and trees. Icicles clung to branches, frozen teeth dripping from the furry bows of evergreens, and snowflakes danced like tiny pixies before gently settling on the cold blanket on the forest floor.

A forest was growing beneath a mountain. It was snowing in the Underground. There was a skeleton leaning against a tree.

She did a double-take, but the skeleton didn't disappear even as she blinked. It was even wearing clothes, a blue coat with a furred hood, short black breeches that ended at its knees, and pink slippers. It was even moving, its hand fiddling with a piece of metal. Pinpricks of white light in its sockets moved like eyes, turning towards her. It straightened, somehow looking surprised as it tucked the metal into its pocket. "you actually came," it said, a 'he' by the sound of its voice, the sound making her jump slightly in surprise. "i didn't think you'd show up."

The woman swallowed nervously. "Are... are you going to attack me too?" she asked. "If you are, then please-take me to Asgore first at least." She cringed, a sudden wave of pain rolling through her body from her back and sides. She looked up at the sound of crunching snow, falling back with a gasp as the skeleton rushed over to her, a grunt of pain escaping her lips.

"whoa, whoa, easy!" he coaxed, his eye sockets suddenly going wide. "oh geez-kid you're bleeding!" He knelt down, slowly grabbing her arm. "try to hold still-i'm gonna get my brother! good grief, what did this to you?!"

Her vision suddenly started to darken, feeling lightheaded and dizzy. "F...flo..."

Blackness swallowed the world, the last thing she saw was the skeleton lifting the piece of metal up to his skull. "papyrus, it's the bride!"