Steampunk Adventures!

by Nicolle

From sordid mysteries to thrilling adventures, saving the Empire is all in a day's work for Frisk and Chara Dreemurr.

1. The Reclusive Professor Bevan

Steampunk Adventures
by Nicolle

Disclaimer: Undertale belongs to Toby Fox. Shipworks is one of my AUs. You can read more about it on the AU Masterlist. This story copyright to me.

1. Rated T for violence.

2. The Shipworks AU appears four times in the Core Issues series. Core Issues Season Three: Episode 6 "Chara Dreemurr and the Jungles of Trul" is the last of the four. It is a one shot and doesn't require reading anything else from Core Issues. It also takes place before this episode.

Episode One:

The Reclusive Professor Bevan

Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to the inaugural episode of Steampunk Adventures! In tonight's episode, Chara, our narrator, and his twin brother Frisk are introduced to Professor Levi Bevan during their eighteenth birthday party and are invited to an evening of conversation and tea. What secrets does his crowded home hold? Just who is his secretive housekeeper, Jenny? What injuries is the Professor hiding? And will our heroes solve the mystery before disaster strikes? Stay tuned for: The Reclusive Professor Bevan!

xxx

I relaxed into the free fall the same way I'd relaxed into the fall on Mt. Ebott. Though this time, I wasn't looking to end my life.

I wanted to savor the rush.

The icy wind in my hair. The sting in my eyes. The feel of my clothing stretching and flapping in the descent.

I reached back and pulled the lever on my pack. The mechanism inside activated and a pair of clock work, brass wings deployed. I flipped over and glided back down to the roof of the Shipworks. The wings pulled in and I sat on the roof, watching the sunset glow over the many airships that bobbed up and down in the shipyard, my breath a white mist in the cold, March air. Frisk landed next to me just as easily and we sat together, watching the orange-red sun dip low.

The door to the beveled roof opened, and Dr. Gaster in his long brown coat, long brown slacks, and white button down under a floral vest poked his cracked skull out of the door. While, the doctor, mind you he was a doctor of engineering and not of medicine, appeared to be a living skeleton, I knew that under his clothing he had flesh. It was as if God had neglected to put skin over his skull, forearms, hands, and feet. It made for an interesting sight when he joined us at the Blook Family farm for a day of swimming in his striped swimsuit.

"Boys! Your imperial sister is here to see you home."

We stood, brushing the dust of the day from our matching, pinstriped pants and followed the good doctor into the Shipworks.

Dr. W.D. Gaster's Shipworks constituted a massive hangar in which three large airships could rest, though we typically only worked on one at a time. Displayed hanging from the ceiling, and accessible from the second floor mezzanine, were an array of smaller ships, including my little, two man flyer in all it's gleaming, brassy glory. It's small design made it highly maneuverable through the city, able to weave and bob around the tall buildings of stone, glass, and crystal that made up the St. Canard skyline.

Her Imperial Highness, the Grand Duchess, Princess Asriel waited for us on the mezzanine dressed in one of her puffy pink and gold frocks. Azzy was a white goat monster with short, thin snout, and the softest fur in the world. She was short for her kind of monster, meaning that she was only a few centimeters taller than 177 cm me. She leaned on the railing, watching Sans the Skeleton work on our newest ship, the Brilliant Phantasm. He gave her a wave of his boney hand when he noticed her watching.

My brother and I flanked her.

"Hey, Az."

"Hey, sis! Why'd you come all the way over to get us?"

She pinched Frisk's arm gently between her claws, tugging on his white button down. "Mom wants you home tonight so she doesn't have to worry about you being cleaned up for the party tomorrow."

Frisk frowned and I sighed. He'd forgotten again. I can't say much for myself though. If Papyrus, Sans' equally skeletal brother, hadn't been happily reminding me every hour on the hour for the last two weeks, I wouldn't really have given it any thought either. Tomorrow was our eighteenth birthday. The planned party was to be humongous. And no one was going to let us dodge it with work.

Eighteen.

Was I really that old? That was considered a grown adult among humans, though for most types of monsters an eighteen year old was often still a toddler. Case in point, Az was one hundred and twenty and only now was just old enough to be considered an adult monster.

She put an arm around each of us, uncaring as to whether or not it dirtied her dress and marched us to gilded lift.

"You both turn eighteen tomorrow and I've been on the edge just waiting to give you your presents. So if you two can make it through the big party, mom and dad have a special dinner planned for us."

Frisk's eyes and smile brightened immediately. "Ooh! What did you get us?"

"No Spoilers!" She stepped us off the lift as the gate opened. She yanked on my sleeve.

"And I know you're going to love what Muffett's cooked up for you this year."

Okay. I would admit to being a tad excited. Az was great at giving gifts. Though I doubt she'd ever top the first one she'd given me: a golden, heart shaped locket with tin types of her and Frisk, and a braided lock of her imperial hair. Of the things I owned, it was the one I treasured the most, even over my little flyer. She must have caught some happiness in my expression because she smiled and kissed my cheek. We gave Papyrus and Sans a wave as we headed out the door and to the carriage home.

The next morning, Owen Larkin, the royal tailor, busied himself with checking our clothing for fit. A short man and balding, he always dressed to perfection, and smelled a bit like lilacs. Though I'm pretty sure that was his wife's perfume. I rather liked Mr. Larkin and made a point of being nice to him. He always made sure we looked our best, and, knowing where we apprenticed, took extra care that our clothing could keep up with us. In eight years of multiple adventures around the world, I'd only had one pair of torn slacks and five ripped button downs which would be considered a miracle for anyone else.

Mr. Larkin had Frisk and I turn a few times to be sure that everything fit well and, more importantly, we matched. Our Imperial Mother was rather insistent that we were dressed in matching clothing. It was something that humans did with identical twins and so she did it with Frisk and I. This was in spite of Frisk's penchant to bleach his hair bright yellow and had occasion to even dye the tips pink; though today it was just blonde. But even if he didn't bleach his hair it was easy to tell us apart. He was always bright and cheery, his eyes more brown than red. I was far more cynical, my eyes the color of blood.

Our clothing to his liking, Mr. Larkin affixed the imperial seal, a double headed eagle, wings outstretched to confer wisdom and might on a ram's head wearing a celestial crown, over the heart on our formal coats with a smile. "I'll have your new clothes ready for you next week."

"Thank you, Mr. Larkin," we both intoned.

He patted us on the shoulders as a way of pushing us to the door. "Hurry on. Your imperial mother will give me an earful if you're late today."

We both headed out of our shared bedroom and down the hall of the Summer Palace. The massive palace formed a square with an internal courtyard accessible by four arched doorways of stained glass on the first floor or any of the guest rooms that adjoined it. Our room was on the second floor and so only looked on the courtyard from the balcony. The beautifully decorated facades of the outer walls featured two levels of white ionic columns, and the parapets of the building were decorated with glorious statues of famous monsters and humans of the empire's past in white. The entire exterior was a fabulous, bright blue-green between the white columns and white window dressings.

Inside, the majority of the public and official rooms were white with golden accents and floor to ceiling paintings; the better to impress the visitor with the grandeur of the empire. The rooms in the private residence halls of the second floor were all a different color by floor. On the north side it was green on the first floor, blue on the second; red on the first and purple on the second on the south side.

There was one exception to the blue on the north side second floor and that was Asriel's room, which was purple and gold. Our room stood right next to her's and we stopped for a moment to have a quick look in the open door. We only saw Lady Anna Wharton Koll, Az's lady-in-waiting, helping Mary Rood, Az's chambermaid, clean up breakfast.

Anne had been sent by her parents to serve Az in the hopes of attaining a much higher station for their noble house under Dreemurr rule; a sure bet anyway based on their very vocal support of Dreemurr rule. She was tall, round in the hips, olive skinned, strawberry haired, green eyed, and genuinely keen on Frisk.

Mary came from the orphanage Frisk and I had called home for so many years, and we were tight from numerous adventures had as children. She'd been adopted, adoption becoming all the rage when the royal family appeared with two adopted sons. She was short, thin, dark haired, blue eyed, and bold. When she saw my brother and I on a walk through the royal gardens with Az, she marched up to our sister, demanding to be her chambermaid... and was hired on the spot.

Both girls caught sight of us and smiled. "Happy birthday!" they called in unison.

Frisk gave Anne a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his neck. "Thank you!"

I nodded to both of them. "Thank you."

Mary shooed us along. "We'll see you downstairs. Hurry on!"

We gave her a salute and continued down the long hall to the white marble, grand staircase, and into the main ballroom.

And immediately dodged a large group of spiders with tea cakes.

"No. No. No." Muffett's hands were suddenly on our shoulders. "You are not allowed to see my creation until it's time!" She pushed us both to the right and into the hallway lining the interior courtyard. We both laughed and took the hint to have a walk in the garden until the ballroom was ready. We found a bench that wasn't covered in ice and Frisk took a seat while I leaned over the back.

"It's a lovely morning, isn't it?" Frisk asked.

Someone grabbed my collar and jerked me backwards. And only because of years of training with Captain Undyne was I able to keep my feet.

"You scruffy delinquents! You better have a good reason to be here right now and not hard at work in the ballroom!"

I reached back and gripped the man's wrist tightly. "You can insult me all you want, but you will not speak that way to my brother."

I wrenched him forward. A blond man in a dark, formal suit with a light blue sash hit the ground next to the bench and looked up at me in shock.

Frisk jumped to his feet. "Chara!" He frowned. "That wasn't necessary." He gave the man a smile as he held out his hand. "Please excuse my brother. He doesn't take kindly to people who speak rudely to me."

The man knocked Frisk's hand away and stood, straightening his suit. "This is outrageous! How dare you speak so frankly with me! Do you know who I am?"

Actually, I did. He was Lord O'Connor and he was here to interview to become one of my father's personal assistants.

I crossed my arms over my chest and snorted. "You don't look all that important to me."

He leaned into me, putting his nose in my face. "I am Lord Landgrave Lester Lovett O'Connor III and I shall not forget this insult! When I am through, you will be discharged from your employ and be put back on the streets where you belong! I was told that the servants of the Dreemurr royal household were among the best, but I see now that they simply take in any stray."

I caught sight of a very tall, very white, female goat monster in the full purple and gold regalia of an empress behind Lord O'Connor and smiled. I leaned back against the bench with my arms crossed over my chest. "Well, I can't argue against being a stray, but my imperial mother might have something to say about it."

He turned and came face to face with a furious Empress Toriel Dreemurr.

"Is there a reason why you are assaulting my sons, Lord O'Connor? You came here today in the hopes of becoming one of my husband's men and yet you couldn't be bothered to know the faces of his beloved children?"

Lord O'Connor looked at Frisk and I in abject horror and then back to Mom. "Your Imperial Majesty! I beg your forgiveness! I had no-"

"My sons' faces have appeared in numerous publications. Paintings of both of them grace the walls of the Grand Hall and the Grand Foyer. You have no excuse."

He bowed low to her. "I deeply and humbly apologize, Your Imperial Majesty."

Her eyes began to glow a bright blue. "Why are you apologizing to me?"

He stood up quickly and looked back at Frisk and I. And I could see it in his eyes. That part that refused to believe that some riff-raff could possibly be his sovereigns. I resisted the urge to smile or tap my foot. I simply waited.

He practically spat it out, "I apologize for my rudeness, your Imperial Highnesses." He turned sharply and left the garden through the door to the main ballroom. Once the door closed and Lord O'Connor was clearly out of earshot, I grimaced and steeled myself for the earful about my poor attitude.

"Are you all right, Chara?"

I blinked. No lecture about being rash or at least rude? "I'm fine, but..." I frowned, confused. "Why aren't you yelling at me?"

Mom smiled softly, pulled me close, and hugged me tight. "He insulted and put his hands on you first." She held me at arms length to look me in the eyes. "All things considered, you were politer than you normally are."

I sighed and hugged her, sinking into her warmth. She smelled of freshly baked pastries; a sign that she'd spent the early hours of the morning at her favorite hobby: baking. I'd once wandered into the palace kitchen one morning to find my mother and Chiko, the rabbit monster who ran the kitchens, enjoying a bottle of wine together while baking tarts.

"I'll send Asriel out to get you both when the ballroom is ready." She stepped away from me to rub her nose against Frisk's before disappearing behind the door to the main ballroom.

Frisk watched as Mom headed back into the palace, the long train of her silver dress, floating lightly over the ground. "Do you think they'll send us away now?"

I squeezed my eyes shut and let my head fall to my chest with a sigh. This... this was my fault. I'd hurt him badly when I walked up Mt. Ebott. No one had wanted me, and Sister Agnes, the orphanage matron, would only let us be adopted as a pair. I only wanted to release my brother of my dead weight. Instead of freeing him for a real home, I'd left him a wreck. And just like me, he walked up the mountain no one returns from to follow me into death's embrace.

Would he ever feel secure again? Would he always wait to be cast aside? Had I damaged his faith for good?

I put a hand on his shoulder. "Mom and Dad are not going to send us away just because we've turned eighteen. We're members of the imperial family. This is our home. Now and for the rest of our lives."

Frisk frowned deeply and it was an expression I loathed to see. "Our adoption is unpopular among the human nobles. They talk to Dad all the time about how we are inappropriate adoptions. That it would be better to substitute us with two boys from a noble house. Anne really likes me, but her father would never allow her to marry me no matter what it would do for his family's rank. This would be the best time to be rid of us."

I sat next to my brother and put an arm around him. "And how does Dad react when this 'substitution' is suggested? He gets angry and the noble involved loses their title very quickly."

Well, they lost titles until recently. Dad had had enough of it about six months back and the last noble to have said anything didn't just lose his title. His entire family was banished to a tiny village in the extreme north of Sakha, which is as close to a death sentence as you could get without being formally executed. The only people who survived there were the locals. Of course, now the nobility just made sure those loyal to us weren't around when they harassed us.

Though in Lord O'Connor's case, he very likely did think we were just palace staff slacking off despite our obvious attire. And mom was sure to report the offense to dad. So O'Connor have a long time to 'not forget the offense' while he waited to freeze to death in banishment.

I sighed and gave Frisk a smile. "'Polite Society' may not want us around, but monsters and the common folk look on us as heroes. There are more that love us than those who don't."

Asriel put her arms around both of us. "We love you, Frisk. We aren't going to abandon you. The only way you will ever be moving out of your room in the palace is if you moved into a different room in the palace." She booped his cheek with her snout.

Frisk turned and hugged her, eyes closed.

She squeezed him tightly for a full minute before pulling us both up. "It's time! Come on!"

We followed Az into the hall outside the ballroom where she stopped us briefly to make sure our clothing was in order. Emma, our chambermaid, stood ready at the door with golden sashes, which she pinned in place on the both of us. Once finished, she stepped aside for Asriel to place the heavy gold necklaces that marked us as Heroes of the Empire, a Delta Rune set in a large, multipoint starburst, around our necks. These necklaces were part of the crown jewels. They'd been awarded to Frisk and I for destroying the barrier that trapped the Dreemurrs and their loyal subjects in an underground prison and restoring them to their rightful rule of the empire.

I noticed that her seamstress had made Az a purple dress to match our purple vests, her golden sash and tiara of golden flowers in place.

When Asriel was satisfied that we looked the part, and received a nod of approval from Emma, she opened the arched doorway that would take us down the middle of the ballroom. I took a deep breath as we were announced by our Father and marched in with Frisk to the applause of way too many people I did not know and quite a few that I didn't care for in the least. But this was more of a public performance than an actual celebration. And it was easy to play the part of a Grand Prince when everyone was required to treat you like one.

We stopped in front of the birthday cake and, oh sweet Lord, Muffett had truly outdone herself.

A giant cake replica of the airship Planar Pearl stood from the table to just over my head. Every tiny detail from the crystal clear rock candy engine to the fruit leather making up the 'stained glass' gleamed impeccably. Frisk pulled on my sleeve and pointed to the upper deck of the ship. Two little fondant sculptures of Frisk and I stood at the intricately placed, sugar sculpture controls.

Frisk could barely contain his excitement. "Oh Muffett! This is fantastic!" He pulled Az over. "Look! Look! There's a little Dr. Gaster in the Captain's quarters!"

I took the spider monster's top two hands in mine. "Thank you. I don't have words to describe how absolutely marvelous this is."

Muffett beamed, all eyes closed as she blushed. The spiders who'd accompanied her danced around her legs happily at our praise. She handed me a cake knife and Frisk and I cut the first piece to signal everyone that it was time to eat. In the shuffle of people and monsters heading for the buffet tables, I felt a boney hand on my shoulder and world blinked out for a second before coming back to rights again near the dais on which the thrones were set.

Sans gave Frisk and I a wink. "*come on. there's someone here i want you both to meet."

We followed him to a corner were Dr. Gaster spoke to a small, thin man with blond hair, brown eyes, and skin too pasty to have seen enough sunlight, in a nice suit that vaguely fit him. He looked uncomfortable to be at such a large gathering but also very happy to be talking to Dr. Gaster. The good doctor saw us and smiled.

"Professor Bevan, allow me to introduce my apprentices, their Imperial Highnesses, Grand Prince Chara Dreemurr and Grand Prince Frisk Dreemurr."

He smiled warmly at us and I instantly liked him. I offered my hand to shake, forgoing the formal custom. He looked instantly relieved and adjusted his thick glasses before shaking my hand and Frisk's. "How do you do?"

"Professor Bevan? Professor Levi Bevan?" I looked at Frisk and he smiled at me, just as excited. "Your compressed gas chambers are a work of pure genius! We used your design for the engine of the Jubilation! I'd never thought I'd get to meet you."

Sans yanked gently on the back of my vest. It was his personal way of letting me know that he thought I was doing well or approved of my actions.

Prof. Bevan looked completely taken aback. "But, you and your brother invented the device that allows airships running on aether to dispense with balloons to keep them aloft! You are both rather famous for that! I'd hoped to be able to meet you at the Babbage Forum but, you did not show."

Dr. Gaster frowned. "They did show. And on special invitation no less. They were barred admission for being underage."

I kept my smile in place and shrugged like it mattered little. It mattered a lot. We'd been very excited to present our invention. At least we were scooted out for being underage and not for being street rats. The Forum turned out a mess afterwards since we were the keynote speakers that everyone had paid to see. Frisk and I both felt bad about that, but no amount of words and official documents would get security to let us inside.

Professor Bevan frowned and shook his head like it was a story he'd heard too often. "If I could have a moment of your time this evening, I would very much like to show you both my latest invention."

Frisk and I smiled at each other. "That'd be great!" we said in unison.

As we made the arrangements, Sans leaned in between us. "*happy birthday, kiddos."

The party couldn't go fast enough. But, as promised, Mom and Dad had a special dinner in the ballroom once the guests had left. All the monsters we'd met on our adventures Underground joined us at the table for a real feast. As Dad sat on one side of me, Papyrus on the other, I let that part of me that was always cynical go. That essential relaxation must have shown on my face because dad's big hand came down on my shoulder. Sitting next to him, I still felt like a small child, but also loved, protected, and cared for.

As the meal progressed, gifts were passed to Frisk and I. If there was anything monsters knew how to do, it was give gifts. We received a variety of items: new ice skates, leather bound journals, hand knit scarves, embroidered handkerchiefs, books, pens, and lots of monster candy.

As we headed back to our rooms to change before visiting Prof. Bevan, I realized that Asriel hadn't given us our gifts. As we passed her room, she nabbed us and handed each of us a box. I waited for Frisk to open his first and he lifted a new pocket watch from the box. He practically giggled when he saw it, having completely destroyed the last one on an adventure. He popped it open and inside was a tintype of our family together opposite the watch face.

She hugged him. "I hope that this will remind you that you have a family and that we love you."

He hugged her back. "Thanks, Azzy."

When she let him go, he headed out the door for our room. I opened my gift and found seven purple handkerchiefs with my name embroidered on them in white. I touched the thread and recognized its true nature immediately. She'd used her hair. I smiled to myself as she put her arms around me from behind, resting her chin on my shoulder.

"Do you like them, Chara?"

"I love them." I turned my head a bit to look at her face. "Thank you."

She kissed me quick and I reddened.

"Az..."

Her smile widened. I turned to her before hugging her close again and burying my face against her neck.

Her claws gently petted my hair. "You have an appointment, Chara."

I smiled. Indeed I did. "Thank you, Asriel."

A quick change from the formal attire of princes into the formal attire of evening dinner, and the careful placing of one of my new handkerchiefs in my vest pocket later, Frisk and I were on our way to Prof. Bevan's home near the grounds of the St. Canard University. His housekeeper, Jenny, a young woman who was plainly a lady by her bearing, let us in. Her blonde hair was tucked into a tight bun underneath a white lace cap that framed a very pointed face and green eyes. I wondered what misfortune happened to her family to pull her from the realm of the aristocracy, though she didn't seem that unhappy with her circumstances.

Jenny welcomed us with a gracious smile, which I took to mean that she'd been informed of who we were earlier. She showed us through a house so packed with a mass of items from common decorations to nifty devices that it was hard to pick your way through, though she did it with a very practiced ease. An assortment of colorful decorations from around the world hung from the ceiling including kites and wooden dragons. Heavily jeweled chandeliers hung among the mass. The carefully maintained path through the inventions and whirling gizmos on the floors, tables, and bookshelves led us into a slightly less packed parlor.

Professor Bevan jumped to his feet out of an overstuffed, green velvet chair. "Thank you both so much for coming! I dare say, I haven't been this excited in a long time. Come! Come!"

He pulled out a key and unlocked a door hidden in the back of the parlor. The door slid open to reveal a very clean, very open, laboratory. What I assumed was the new invention, sat on a lone table in the middle of the room over a lovely red and gold rug. He motioned us to join him at the table excitedly.

"This is my advanced protective plating device. Rather than riveting metal sheets to the sides of a ship, this device converts the metal sheets into a spray which can coat any surface in a protective plating."

My brother leaned in. "Amazing! Could we have a demonstration?"

"Of course! It is why I invited you." He opened a closet and, with Jenny's help, pulled out a scrap wooden door. They leaned it against the wall directly in front of the plating device. With the flip of a switch the machine whirled to life. Once sufficiently warmed up, Jenny slipped a steel bar into the machine. A few moments later, it sprayed a silvery substance across the door, coating it evenly and quickly.

"Amazing!" I turned to the professor. "Can you use any metal or is the device limited to steel?"

He smiled proudly at our reaction. "Any metal! An artist could coat a sculpture in gold. A coach-maker could coat his carriages in brass. A shipwright could coat his ships in titanium."

"When will you reveal this? Are you saving it for the next fair?" Frisk asked.

"It still needs some adjustment, but I hope to have it ready for the Spring Fling." He looked to Jenny. "Would you bring in the tea?"

She nodded and disappeared for a moment only to return with a tray and a silvered tea service. Jenny sat with us as we enjoyed a long evening discussing the device and its applications before Wilson, our most trusted human member of the royal guard, came to retrieve us. His full name was Wilson Robert Edmund Cooper, but, because we always called him Sir Wilson, everyone assumed it was his last name. He was tall, dark haired with a neatly trimmed van dyke, and looked older than he actually was. Despite being a commoner, his skill, discretion, authority, and long time friendship to the imperial family meant that even the most classist of the lords in the court and in the guard immediately follow his command and think twice about arguing with his decisions.

Jenny showed us to the door. She looked overly pensive for a moment before reaching out to us but not touching. Her voice hitched for a moment. "Your Imperial Highnesses, please wait a moment. There's something I need to speak with you about."

Frisk's head turned slightly, and for a moment his eyes looked as red as mine. "Is it about the bandages on the professor's arms?"

"You saw them."

"No. I know what a bandaged arm under clothing looks like."

I turned to her fully. "He's very practiced at hiding his injuries, isn't he?"

She nodded. "Levi is afflicted by some devil. I do not know or understand the cause of it. Whenever he comes up with a new invention or an improvement on an existing one, he is viciously attacked in his sleep. Some mornings, I find him and his bed soaked in blood. I..." She suddenly looked horrified. "I beg your forgiveness! I shouldn't burden Your Imperial Highnesses with this matter, but I've heard stories about how you help the common folk of the realm and..." She trailed off, staring at her feet.

Levi, huh? Maybe her family hadn't lost it's social standing. Maybe she'd chosen a the life of a servant for other reasons. "How often does this occur?"

She let out the breath she'd been holding. "Once every month or two."

"Does he indicate that he's in pain during the attacks?" Frisk asked.

She frowned and bit her lip, thinking. "When I find him, he isn't in pain. He appears to be in ecstasy. It's only later that the pain sets in."

"Have you witnessed one of these attacks?"

Jenny shook her head.

Frisk looked at me, eyes filled with Determination. "We'll look into it. May we call on you?"

She smiled and it was somewhere between happy and relieved. "Yes. Thank you."

We headed out the door and into the carriage with Wilson. Frisk sat at the window and watched the lighted windows of the houses roll by under the starlit sky. I honestly loved it when he was like this: mind working over a mystery, challenge accepted.

I elbowed him. "Whatcha thinkin'?"

"I'm thinking we need to do some research. This could be supernatural but it could also be self inflicted. Sending himself into a strange euphoria by which he feels more creative."

"He didn't strike me as that kind of man."

"Me either, but that doesn't mean much." Frisk smiled. Oh yes, the hunt was on!

The next morning, breakfast was interrupted as Jenny came in our study with Wilson, her face a mask of grief.

Before she could speak, Frisk filled in the details for her. "It happened again last night and this time is the worst yet."

Jenny nodded, a white lace handkerchief gripped in her hands. "He's been taken to the Rosemary Medical Hospital."

Frisk wiped his mouth and stood while I stacked our plates on the tray to make Emma, our chambermaid's, life easier.

When we moved to the door, Wilson put his hands on our shoulders. "We've spoken about this before. No running off without one of the guard."

I smiled as I grabbed my coat. "I thought you were the one following us."

He sighed, rolling his eyes, and followed as Frisk escorted Jenny to the palace doors and summoned a carriage to take us to the hospital. Professor Bevan lay in a bed in a room so white it hurt the eyes. His arms, chest, and neck were wrapped in white lengths of cloth stained red. Thankfully, he was deeply asleep. A nurse came into change the bandages.

She saw Frisk and I and curtsied. "Please stand back, Sirs."

We stepped to the side as she unwrapped one arm revealing the lacerations.

Frisk frowned and leaned into me, whispering, "That's not self inflicted. The edges are jagged. That was caused by a claw."

"What if he's a lycanthrope?" I whispered back.

"He doesn't present."

I frowned.

Frisk looked to Jenny. "Dear Lady, how long has this been happening?"

She shook her head, trembling. "Before I came on as his housekeeper. He hid it for a little while until I found him one morning and he admitted to the condition." She blinked, marveling at Frisk. "How did you know I was a lady?"

Frisk looked away. "Your bearing is impeccable, your accent is upper crust, and you hesitated before using our titles."

Jenny flushed and looked at her feet. "I offer my sincerest apologies."

Frisk smiled. "Accepted!" He frowned, looking back at the Professor. "We need to see the house."

The nurse turned to us. "Would you like to speak with Dr. Wakefield before you go, Sirs?"

I smiled. I liked Dr. Wakefield. "Yes, please."

Dr. John Wakefield, a very distinguished gentleman who came by the orphanage once a month, was a long time friend. He lost part of the left side of his head during service in the foreign legion and replaced the missing part with a carefully constructed brass lattice that held his still intact eye in place. How he had survived the injury was something Frisk and I would discuss endlessly after every visit.

He smiled when he entered the room. "Frisk! Chara! How are you, my boys? On a mystery, are we?"

We shook hands with him, all smiles. "It's good to see you again, Dr. Wakefield."

Jenny stifled a gasp behind her hand at the sight of the man. It was pretty shocking.

Frisk's smile couldn't get any bigger. "What do you think of the wounds?"

Dr. Wakefield's mouth pressed into a thin line. "I'd call it an animal attack just by looking, but the placement is an issue." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a notepad and pen. He sketched a quick outline of the human body and used straight lines to indicate the wound pattern on Prof. Bevan's body. "This is not an animal attack."

"That's a ritualistic placement," I said.

Dr. Wakefield nodded.

"How does it match up with previous scar tissue?" Frisk asked.

"Perfectly." He ripped the paper from his notebook and handed it to Frisk. "When you boys have unraveled this mystery, stop on by the house to tell me about it. My wife would love to see you both again." He turned to speak quietly with the nurse.

I crossed my arms over my chest, leaning back a little to look at my brother. "To the house?"

"To the house!"

Jenny was loath to leave the Professor's side, but didn't want us crashing about his overly stuffed home unsupervised. "What will you be looking for?"

Frisk pulled out the note paper and connected the wound points to make a seven point star. "This symbol. Anywhere in the house."

Wilson and I leaned in to get a good look.

Jenny frowned. "That symbol is carved on the back of his bedroom door."

"Show us, please."

She nodded and picked her way through the mass of devices and trinkets that littered the house. When she opened the bedroom door, my jaw dropped. The bedroom was the worst yet! The man was quite the pack rat. The red stained sheets of the bed had yet to be changed.

"How did you get the Professor out of here?" I asked.

Jenny smiled suddenly, proud. "Levi has a levitation device. It's very handy for getting him out of bed in the morning."

Wilson leaned in toward me. "Don't tell my wife such a thing exists."

"My lips are sealed."

Frisk closed the door to look at the star. It'd been carefully carved into the wood and sanded smooth. Jewels were set at each point. Frisk pulled on a glove before touching the door. "This is a fairy star. Does the professor spend time with fae kind?"

Jenny wrung her delicate hands. "I never see anyone, but sometimes I hear a voice in the house. Whispering to Levi."

Frisk pointed to the stones. "What stones are these, Chara?"

I stepped up to the door and pulled out my loupe, examining each stone in turn. "Quartz. Staurolite. Zoisite. Beryl. Amethyst. Lapis. Opal."

Frisk wrote down what I said in one of his new journals. He snapped it shut. "Thank you for letting us see this, Dear Lady." He smiled at me. "Let's go see, Dr. Alphys."

I nodded.

Jenny showed us to the front door. She stopped me before I stepped across the threshold. "Aren't going to ask why a lady is serving like a commoner?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Unless it is information important to the problem, I don't see why it would be my business to know."

She blinked, a bit stunned.

I hopped into the waiting carriage with Frisk and Wilson.

"All over the city today," Wilson chuckled. "As usual."

I smiled. "You make it sound like you follow us around all the time."

"No. Just your Imperial Sister."

That made perfect sense. Asriel was the current Minister of Homeland Security, having taken the position from the former Minister by force after an incident that required Frisk's unique ability to turn back the clock. It was a moment none of us liked to think about.

We stopped for a quick lunch at a cafe before heading into Alphys laboratory which was just on the other side of royal gardens. 'The Lab,' as it was most simply referred to, took up most of a city block. The side facing the garden resembled a cathedral with tall flying buttresses reaching down to street level while insanely tall stained glass windows reached into the sky. Each window depicted a piece of monster history starting from the first of the great kings and ending with the breaking of the barrier that sealed monster kind underground. The last one being rather dramatic since my brother and I used one of Dr. Gaster's airships to smash through the barrier.

Inside, a line of desks and draft tables abutted those windows, bathing Alphys staff in the multi-colored sunlight. Where the sunlight ended a railing began, edging the massive, open laboratory. Multiple glowing green and blue tubes lined the back wall among bookshelves that reached up to the ceiling. Half way up, a mezzanine split the shelves, making a walkway that kept the ladders to the upper shelves from being dangerously tall. The floor of the lab consisted of multiple open areas devoted to multiple areas of study. Lab coated scientists and assistants moved this way and that in continual activity. And all of this could be viewed from the railing.

Alphys, a large, bright yellow lizard woman in large round glasses, spotted us right away and waved us down enthusiastically. "Boys! Boys! Come quick! You must see this!"

We both ran to the stairs and slid down the curving banister on our back sides, Wilson taking his time behind us. We dodged our way around scientists and assistants running this way and that. Several stopped in their tracks to bow or do the quick head bob of those in a hurry. As soon as we made it to the lizard woman, she waved a packet of dull greenish-brown powder in our faces.

"Can you guess what this is?"

We both shrugged in the exact same way, letting her show off her particular genius.

"This! This! This is a multi-grain, healthful, single serving loaf of bread! Just add hot water!" She tore the packet open and dumped the contents into a bit of steaming water on a plate. Using the tip of her claw to stir it a bit, it bubbled up for a moment before turning into a small, dark brown loaf of bread. She tore the bread into four pieces, offering one to Frisk, Wilson, and I, before chowing down on one herself. I took a bite. It had a warm sweetness to it and the heady taste of sprouted grain.

"This tastes great," Frisk said.

"And I can think of a ton of applications for it," I added. "Rations, disaster relief, foreign aid. Heck, this would make Sister Agnes' life so much easier at the orphanage."

"Will you debut this at the next fair?" Frisk asked.

"Me? No. This is the creation of Gregory Dwyer. Hey Greg!"

A man with short red hair and suspiciously pointed ears looked down from the mezzanine. "Yes, Dr. Alphys?"

"Come down so the boys can meet you!"

He hurried over to the stairs and rushed down them nimbly on thin legs, lab coat flapping around his dark suit and red tie. He came up with a smile and his eyes would have given him away if his ears hadn't. He had the cat slit pupils of the Fae.

"These are their Imperial Highnesses, the Grand Princes Frisk and Chara Dreemurr," Alphys introduced.

Mr. Dwyer's jaw dropped. He looked up at the stained glass window above and back to us, before giving a quick bow. "You two are the geniuses who figured out how to open the barrier?"

Frisk held out a hand and he took it, shaking enthusiastically before giving me the same treatment.

"I am a huge fan of your work. Your inventions have been great boons to society! I can't believe I'm actually talking to you right now!"

I held up the piece of bread I had yet to eat. "This is incredible. Are you showing it at the next fair?"

"Oh yes! I can't wait. Dr. Alphys has been so kind in letting me produce the powder for my instant bread here in the Lab. By the time the next fair arrives, I'll have enough to demonstrate and give samples to interested investors."

"Is it hard to produce?" I asked.

"Not especially. Mass production is hindered by access to materials and equipment."

"You'll have people beating down your door after you debut this," Frisk commented.

Mr. Dwyer smiled brightly. "Thank you, Sir!"

Alphys leaned against the table. "So what do I owe the pleasure of a visit today? Looking to do some research?"

Frisk nodded and pulled out his new journal. "A friend of ours was attacked last night and this is our only clue as to what might be going on. I was hoping that you might have a book on Fae symbols to tell me what I'm looking at."

Mr. Dwyer looked over Alphys shoulder. "You're looking at gibberish."

Frisk turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"All Fae royal houses use this symbol, but the placement of the gems actually tells you which house and the house motto. This is a random assortment that's nice looking, I'm sure, but says nothing."

Frisk frowned and then his eyes lit up. "Would a member of the Fae have a reason to use a fake symbol? Say for example, to fool someone into a deal?"

Mr. Dwyer thought about it. "Maybe. Though I'm not sure as to the benefit."

Alphys adjusted her glasses. "Maybe the benefit isn't something specific to the fae. Maybe it's blood ritual. Are the attacks happening in conjunction with something else?"

"Whenever he comes up with a new invention."

Frisk's head bobbed from side to side. "Wait. Let's back up a minute. The Professor said that his machine needed adjustment, but from what I saw, it didn't need any." He grabbed my arm. "What if he isn't confident in his abilities? What if someone convinced him that a blood sacrifice would increase his creativity? Jenny said he looked to be in ecstasy afterward."

"So what does the person doing this to him gain?"

"A willing sacrifice of blood for any reason results in a great amount of magical power," Mr. Dwyer supplied.

Frisk's lips curled into a very slow smile.

I jerked on his sleeve. "Got an idea?"

"Almost. Let's go have some tea so it can simmer." He turned to Mr. Dwyer and shook his hand again. "It was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for letting us see your invention."

He shook my hand as well. "Oh, thank you!"

Alphys gave us a wave as we headed back up the stairs and to the carriage outside. I elbowed Frisk as we sat down and he gave me a smile.

Wilson regarded us with a frown. "Someone is being physically abused for power to a dangerous level. At what point are you going to report this to the Guard?"

I smiled at him. "You're with us, aren't you?"

Wilson rubbed his forehead. "On days like this, no one can convince me you aren't biologically related to your Imperial Sister. So what have you figured out?"

Frisk frowned. "Mr. Johnson? Please take us to Rosemary Medical." The carriage pulled out into traffic and Frisk sat back. "Some fae has convinced Prof. Bevan that his genius stems from a horrific blood ritual. We need to find that person and stop them."

"But if the Professor agrees to the exchange, why should we get in the way?" Wilson asked. "Because if the perpetrator is doing it to one person, he's doing it to several others as well," I answered. "Check the records?"

"Check the records," Frisk confirmed.

We arrived at the hospital just as afternoon tea was in high gear. Heading into records, we found the librarian, Maggie Doyle, at her tea.

She stood and curtsied. "Forgive me, Sirs. It's just that time of the day."

I waved it off. "No need to worry, Miss Doyle. We're on the hunt for something unusual and I'm pretty sure you know the answer."

She smiled brightly, plainly flattered. "Ask away!"

Frisk pulled out Dr. Wakefield's note. We are looking for the names of people who've had injuries in this configuration."

Miss Doyle took the drawing and then looked back at Frisk. "You mean besides Levi Bevan?" She smiled at our shared look. "I have seen this before." She stood, happy to show off her particular talents. Taking us back into the records room, she picked up her portable information aetherscope. She punched in the data she needed and pointed the scope to the records. Five popped forward from the shelves. She pushed Prof. Bevan's record back in and pulled out the other four, placing them on her desk.

"Here we are! And..." She frowned deeply. "This isn't good. Three of these patients are in the hospital right now. The fourth one passed away this morning from blood loss."

Wilson picked up the record of the deceased. "This record indicates that the patient was in the hospital multiple times for the same injuries, but never as bad as the ones that killed her. Whoever is behind this, escalated last night. Why?"

"The spring equinox," Miss Doyle said. "Tomorrow is the day fae use to celebrate their ancestors. You could gain enough power from this sort of blood ritual to do some serious summoning of the dead."

Frisk leaned back into his heels. "Here's what we have then: a fae of some kind is faking that he or she is a member of a royal house to convince humans to go through a blood ritual from which it gains power. Last night, it escalated the ritual, leaving everyone who participates in the hospital, and killing one of them. This fae is gathering the power for what we assume to be the summoning of the dead on the equinox. Could it be for something else?"

Miss Doyle shrugged her thin shoulders. "I don't know. Try asking a fairy."

"Mr. Dwyer," we both said.

"Thank you very much, Miss Doyle," Frisk said.

"Anytime, Sirs."

Mr. Johnson, one of the carriage drivers employed by the crown, leaned back to have a look at us as we got back in the carriage. "Home, boys?"

Wilson shook his head. "Back to the Lab."

"Huh. It's like I'm on a merry chase with your Imperial Sister." Mr. Johnson adjusted his hat and directed the carriage back into town.

The early evening sun burned through the stained glass of the Lab when we entered among the many employees looking to leave for the night. Alphys and Undyne, a blue scaled fish woman and Captain of the Imperial Guard, were having a spot of tea as they waited for the end of the evening rush.

"Welcome back, Boys!"

"Hey, Punks! You ditched training this morning!"

I stuck my tongue out at her. She grabbed my face with one webbed hand, and yanked me down for noogies.

I flailed a bit, attempting to dislodge her. "Wilson! Help!"

"Attempt to fight my superior officer?" Wilson chuckled. "No."

"What are you up to now?" Alphys asked.

"We were hoping to speak with Mr. Dwyer again, but it seems we've missed him," Frisk answered.

Alphys nodded. "And he'll be out tomorrow for the equinox."

I looked to Frisk as I disentangled myself from Undyne. "Now what?"

Frisk sighed, a bit defeated. "Home and dinner."

After several admonishments from Wilson not to go running off anywhere without a member of the Guard, he headed home to his wife and five children. Frisk and I fell back on Frisk's bed, staring at the dark blue canopy embroidered with golden stars.

Asriel came in and plopped down between us. "Long day?"

Frisk continued to stare at the canopy of the his bed. "Something's going on, Az, but I don't have enough information. I don't know why."

"Do you need to know why?"

We both looked at her.

"Maybe you don't need to know why. Maybe you just need to stop it."

"You're only wearing your chemise," Frisk observed.

She frowned at the mere suggestion that she was being improper. "YOU are my brother!" She lifted her snout. "Besides, this covers more than my bathing suit."

"She's got a point," I muttered.

Az rolled toward me, propping her head on one hand with a sly smile. "Do you like this one, Chara?"

I immediately sat up. "Too far, Az!

She giggled and sat up. "You two have obviously been on a mystery, so what are the details?"

Frisk sat up. "Five people suffered an attack last night that was part of a blood ritual. Clues indicate that it is a fae pretending to be a member of a royal house and done to collect the necessary magical energy for... something."

"Sounds like someone is trying to raise the dead," Mary said from the door. She came in with Az's dinner dress over her arm. "The fae bury their dead in burial mounds. Grab a map of the city and I'll mark where to look."

Az stood and pulled the dress over her head, turning so Mary could adjust it on her. "Thank you, Mary."

She smiled as Frisk laid out a map of St. Canard and handed her a pencil. She marked three neat little x's on the map just outside the city limits. "There are two royal houses of fae that make a home in St. Canard and these two mounds belong to those families and their retainers. The last one is the commoners mound. If someone's up to something evil, I'd check that one first." She smiled sadly. "My dad liked to tell some pretty frightening stories about some of the fae buried there."

Frisk and I both frowned. She didn't talk about her parents all that much. She missed them terribly and her adoption by the Dibdin's hadn't been pleasant for her. Her demanding to be Asriel's chambermaid had been more about escaping her adoptive family than finding employment.

Frisk and I moved to grab our coats, and Mary collared us.

"Oh no, you don't! You are not leaving without dinner! Or a member of the Guard to tail you! Wilson was pretty loud about that."

We both looked at Asriel and she nodded.

I frowned. "Is there a member of the Guard still here this late that we can trust? The evening Guard is made up of nobles in hereditary positions."

Mary put her arms around our shoulders. "There's me. I'll meet you at the door facing the river side of the palace after dinner." She hurried out the door.

I leaned in toward Az. "Did I miss something?"

"Yes. Her training sessions with Undyne." Asriel smiled brightly. "Mary has been my bodyguard and champion for as long as she's been here."

Frisk put his arm around Az. "Coming with us?"

She sighed. "I wish, but I have something important to deal with tonight." She headed for the door and we followed her to the family dining room. Lady Anna and her mother, the Duchess Koll, joined us for a simple meal of soup and roasted turkey with dressing.

After dinner, we found Mary waiting for us in the dark blue clothing our plainclothes guards wore at night. We headed by boat down the river to the fae commoner's burial mound.

Mary handed us forged iron knives. "Fae are hurt badly by iron."

"Got it."

"And stop doing that talking at the same time thing you two like to do."

"Okay."

She huffed. "Jerks."

We both smiled, each putting an arm around her shoulders.

Mary sighed and gave us both a lopsided smile. "I've been down in the mound before, so I'll take point. The mound opens in a huge chamber. When a fae dies, the body crumbles to dust, sort of like how a monster body will after falling down. They take the dust into the mound and spread it across the chamber floor."

The boat stopped at a dock near the mound and we hoofed it the rest of the way in the gathering dark. The moon was high and bright, so we kept our torches off and stowed. Stopping at the tree line, we made sure it was clear before creeping quietly into the entrance of the grass covered mound. Silently descending a staircase, we stopped in the shadows to see five men with very pointed ears, silvery gray skin, and eyes that were little more than obsidian orbs.

Goblins.

Above them swirled the magical energy of the blood rituals, a sparkling swirl of gold and deep violet.

Mary put her hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp. Her eyes narrowed and you could see her mind working. Frisk took her hand and marked the five points to note the five men. He pointed to two of the dots and then to me, two more and then to himself, and the last to her. Mary shook her head and indicated three dots for her, one for me, and one for Frisk. Frisk frowned and she put her nose in his face in silent challenge. He sighed and nodded, agreeing to her plan. We prepped at the entryway. Mary held up her hand, using her fingers to count down from three.

We leapt at the goblins. Mary and Frisk's knives took out the first marks as I grabbed mine from behind and shoved the iron knife in his back. One goblin disappeared only to reappear behind me. The goblin collared me and teleported. The world came back to rights, we hung in the air, suspended high over the shipyards. The airships I'd worked on over the years floated under us. He gave me a sharp toothed smile and let go.

I plummeted to the ground.

Spreading myself out to slow myself down, I noticed that the lights were on in the Shipworks hangars. Someone was working late. I whistled as loud and as hard as I could, hoping against hope to be heard, if not by whoever was in the hangar, by one of Dr. Gaster's skeletal guardians.

Nothing.

Oh hell.

I moved to direct myself toward the balloons on one of the airships. It'd be a hard landing, but at least I wouldn't be dead from the sudden stop the ground below offered. The goblin noticed and slammed into me to knock me off course and send me hurtling toward the scrap pile on the far end of the shipyard.

A flying ram skull came out of nowhere, catching me in its boney jaws. It let me down gently, and my knees nearly gave out when I touched the ground. I held on to shipyard's skeletal guardian in relief for a few moments before giving it some well deserved pets.

The goblin appeared next to me. "That's cheating."

He lifted a hand and several bones went through his arm, nearly severing it at the shoulder.

"*hands off the kid."

Sans stood there, skeletal hands in the pockets of the his long coat, left eye glowing a dangerously bright green.

The goblin bowed to him, unconcerned with the damage to his arm. "Good, sir. This fiend attacked my friends and I. The thing hardly needs your protection."

Several more bones shot out of the ground, shredding the goblin's legs.

"*no one talks that way about him. no one."

The goblin let out an awful shriek before turning to dust.

Sans' glowing eye moved to look at me. "*you all right, chara?"

"Yes. Thank you, Sans." I rested an arm on the guardian's snout. "Would you give me a short cut over to the fae commoner's burial mound?"

Sans put a boney hand on my shoulder and the world went black for a moment before color returned. I ran down into the mound, Sans on my heels. Mary had the remaining goblin pinned to the wall. Frisk was pacing in that nervous way he did when he thought I might be seriously injured, if not dead. He hugged me as soon as I came into view.

Sans whistled at the mass of power in the air. "*and what were we doing with all of that, hmm?"

Mary frowned. "That's my question, but he's not answering."

"i'm not surprised. he'll only speak when ordered by someone with authority over him. has Frisk tried asking?"

Mary shook her head.

Sans motioned to my brother and I. "*get crackin,' boys."

The goblin snorted, turning up his nose.

My eyes narrowed, suddenly angry. "Tell us what you planned to do with the energy you gathered."

The goblin looked at me wide eyed, unable to stop his mouth from moving. "We were to raise the spirits of our ancestors to attack the Royal House of Nuada." He looked at Frisk and I with undisguised horror. "Who are you?"

Mary punched him the face. "They are their Imperial Highnesses and you will address them properly!"

Frisk grabbed her hand before she could deliver another blow. "It's okay, Mary."

She glowered at the goblin, but nodded.

The goblin, for his part, appeared deeply horrified. "The Dreemurr Heroes..."

"*how about I dump this guy over at the house of nuada? i know a member of the royal family and he'd be real interested to know about all of this."

"What do we do with all this energy though? We can't just leave it hanging around here," Frisk said.

"*it belongs to some people right? i'll guide it out of here and it'll find its way home."

"One of the people it belongs to died."

Sans stopped and thought about that. "*i'll talk it over with undyne."

He put a hand on the shoulder of the goblin and they disappeared.

Mary, Frisk, and I trudged back down to the boat. The danger passed, I noticed the cut on Mary's arm.

"Hey. Let me bandage that."

Mary waved me off. "I'm fine, hero. The doctor will patch me up back at the palace."

Frisk put an arm around her as the boat pulled up the palace dock. "Thanks for the help."

She put her arms around both of us. "If this is the kind of trouble you two are getting into all the time, I'm going to ask Undyne to switch me from Asriel to you two!"

I pulled her up to the dock. "You know Asriel would kill us right?"

Mary punched me in the arm. "So where did the goblin teleport you too?"

"Over the shipyards."

"Over?" Frisk said, horror dawning on his face.

She cringed. "I'm sorry I asked."

We headed inside only to be mobbed by several members of the serving staff, Asriel directing them. "Get them cleaned up quickly! The Lord of House of Nuada will be here any minute!"

"Mary needs stitches!" Frisk yelled.

Someone shoved monster food in Mary's mouth, while Frisk and I were stripped and redressed in formal attire. The change finished, Mary's wound was checked to see that it was properly healed before she was powdered, made up, and put in a proper dress.

Asriel marched us to the throne room.

Mary trembled. "Asriel? What's going on?"

"The Lord of House of Nuada is coming to thank you three personally for ending a threat to his house."

Mary went deathly pale. "So why do I have to be there? I'm a just a nameless servant."

"Who's name was specifically mentioned. You can kick Sans for that later." Az stopped us in front of the throne room doors and checked the three of us one last time before signalling for us to be announced.

Mary gripped my hand tightly. I took her arm so she looked like I was escorting her, while she held on to me desperately.

Frisk put a hand on her back. "Breath, Mary. Breath."

She nodded too quickly as the doors opened. We walked in to see Mom and Dad standing at the throne with a very tall, very slender fae. His skin looked like soft tree bark and leaves poked here and there from the long white hair that hung loosely over his gold accented, gray robes.

Dad held out a hand to us. "I present my sons, the Grand Princes Chara and Frisk Dreemurr. And I present Mary Rood, a member of the Imperial Guard."

The head of the House of Nuada smiled warmly. "I thank you for the service you have rendered to my house and my family. Your actions have saved a great many lives and forged a deep alliance between our families."

He motioned with long fingers that resembled tree branches for a servant to step forward. "I invite the three of you to be my special guests tomorrow at our Spring Equinox Festival."

Mary's grip began to hurt.

"There is no honor I can bestow upon Your Imperial Highnesses that would equal your already lofty state as Heroes of the Realm. So in the place of such a thing, I offer you these gifts instead."

The fae servant with her cat slit, green eyes stepped forward, and handed a box to Frisk.

Those long tree branch fingers took Mary's hand in his and Mary stopped breathing. I discreetly changed position to keep her on her feet. "For you, dear lady, I will confer damehood in the Most Noble Order of the Oak tomorrow during our Equinox celebrations."

"Thank you," she managed.

He smiled and stepped back. "I will take my leave so that you may have a good night's rest before tomorrow's festivities." He turned to Mom and Dad. "Your Imperial Majesties. Thank you for receiving me so late in this evening. You have raised fine children." He swept out of the room, followed by his servant.

As soon as the door shut, Mary's eyes rolled up and her knees gave out. I caught her, lifting her bridal style.

Mom leaned over to dad. "Pay up, Gorey."

I looked between my parents. "What?"

"He bet me that Mary would pass out before the Lord left the room."

"Mom!"

She giggled behind her hand as Frisk waved a smelling salt under Mary's nose.

Asriel helped right her. "We will send a carriage for you in the morning, Mary, and get you ready for the ball here."

Mary nodded as Asriel took her arm and walked her out of the throne room.

Dad put his huge hands on our shoulders, smile large on his face. "It seems that, everytime I take my eyes off the two of you, you run away, and make the world a little bit brighter. And myself ever prouder." He hugged us both tightly. "Go on to bed. Tomorrow just became very busy."

We nodded and headed into the hall, trudging up to our room. Lady Anna stood outside our door, waiting. She smiled when she saw Frisk and handed him a wrapped box.

"I, uh... I know it's a little late, but I wanted to finish them. I hope you like it."

Frisk smiled and gently pulled the bow before carefully opening the little box. Inside were seven, ruby red handkerchiefs, each one embroidered with Frisk's name. His breath hitched and he gave her a dazzling smile. "They're extraordinary, Anne! Thank you."

She smiled brightly before hurrying away to her room.

I leaned over to get a better look at the handkerchiefs. "She used her hair."

Frisk held them close. "I know." He looked down at them with a happy smile.

xxx

We hope you enjoyed today's adventure! Join us next time as Frisk and Chara are called to help friends of Dr. W.D. Gaster in 'The Terror Underground!'