A Work In Progress
By Lacewing
Chapter 1: Golden petals like rainfall
Usual Disclaimers apply, fanworks going on and I don't own shit unless it's an OC (which I can't promise there won't be one or two snuck into the narrative somewhere)
Oh. And I curse.
Blame being in fandoms where main characters use more profanity than a drunken caravan of sailors, truckers and British pop singers combined.
As always as well, I have paid works that I put waaaay more work into making all grammically and spelling perfect, but for every 4000 words I type that is about 20 extra hours of editing to catch every little detail. (loads of rewriting, reworking and whatnot) so for fanfic (which I write for fun, and for warming up, or when I'm in the middle of that 20 hours of editing work before I send a piece to my editor and have it come back covered in red marks and crying for me to do over AGAIN….*cough*) I give a quick cursory look over and make sure there aren't too many glaring errors.
Then hope you my readers can enjoy it despite it's many flaws.
And do see at the bottom for notes about some of my other fanworks.
I shan't bore you gentle readers any further with my random rambles and thus I begin our latest story;
-0-
Of a child. Trembling, cold, and in pain. Huddled among half golden flowers. Petals still fell glimmering like tiny drops of golden rain as they settled to the ground.
The child didn't move, just slowly opening eyes to see a face looking down. Not an overly kindly face it was either.
"You took quite a fall didn't you?" the voice that spoke didn't match the face very well.
The child blinked, the face slowly coming into clearer focus, and… it was a flower?
A smiling flower. "Howdy! I'm Flowey, Flowey the Flower. What's your name?"
The battered looking child opened their mouth to speak, then racking coughs shook the tiny form until flecks of red blood stained the golden petals.
The flower that identified himself as 'Flowey' grin began to turn up a notch, becoming more crazed and sinister as the child struggled in pain.
"It looks to me that you just might not last long don't it?" he purred "I should just end all that pain right now, show you some LOVE."
The child opened their eyes and stared up as clustering around the talking flower were small seed like pellets. The small child struggled to breathe as they closed in.
A flash of light, fire? The flower cursed and ducked out of sight, disappearing into the ground as a taller figure came into view. The child couldn't focus clearly, but heard the voice. A kind voice, with soft strong arms picking them up, and a feeling of safety.
"Hush child, you are safe now."
And for the child, darkness was all they knew.
-0-
It was weeks before the child recovered. Bandaged and sleeping fitfully, crying more. Toriel was just as glad that the fevers and chills finally passed, that the worst of the injuries healed, though it would be months before the poor child made a full recovery. She sighed as she settled back into her arm chair. Since bringing the child into her home at the end of the ruins she had moved her favorite chair from beside the fire to beside the bed that the child slept in.
Human, and in bad shape. Toriel stared at the bandages, at least no longer stained with seeped blood, when she found the golden flower monster ready to end the child she thought she had possibly been too late to save them, but that night as she cleaned and cared for the human she found that there were injuries not consistent with a fall from the outside world nor with whatever that flower might have done.
No, these injuries had been inflicted, and not by any monster from their world.
Several times she feared the little one was going to choke on their own blood, the damage done to their neck and body.
But she done everything she could, had even managed to go and get some supplies from outside the ruins without alerting anyone to whom it had been for.
This child was younger than the human child she once cared for, though there was such a strong resemblance, she found herself humming the same old lullabies she once use to sing for her own children. To sooth their nightmares.
For nightmares this poor creature had.
So small, why would anyone hurt something so innocent and helpless?
Soft choking sounds, like gulping air drew her back to the child who wept brokenly into their pillow.
"Shhh, hush little one." She soothed reaching over a soft white paw to brush back brown curls. "Does it still hurt?" she asked softly.
The child started patting their chest and it took a moment for Toriel to get the idea. "Oh," she said and gently scooped up the child holding their form close and rocking them gently. "It hurts inside." She stated and was reaffirmed with the nod against her chest.
Toriel sat back in her chair, she picked up her book and started reading out loud from it. It was a bit dry reading for a child, a botanical book about flora found in the underground. But Toriel's sweet voice brought calm to the child who eventually fell back to sleep.
Once asleep Toriel let her voice quiet until she was reading silently once more.
-0-
Toriel paused by the fireplace and glanced at the child, still a few bandages but looking so much healthier. There was a deep line between their brows as they scribbled furiously on a piece of paper. There were so many drawing around them at the moment and curious Toriel took the last couple steps up from the way to the door that left the old ruins she currently called home. She knelt next to the human and picked up a couple of the drawings.
These, were not nice drawings. Fire, darkness, a tall figure in a hat that had red eyes, like some sort of horrible monster. A real monster. Childish drawings but not childish subject matter.
"What.. what are these?"
The child paused in their scribbles and stared down at the paper. Slowly they sat up onto their knees and pointed to the ceiling.
"This.. is where you came from?" a solemn nod.
Toriel covered her mouth in horror as she saw the last drawing that the child had been working on. A small figure that looked to have been pushed. Into a deep black hole.
She reached out and pulled the child up into her hold and tucked their head under her chin "I will never allow anything like that to happen to you ever again." She promised.
The child shook, but didn't pull away, the gulping hiccups of tears.
"No one will take another child from me." She promised softly. No one was going to have this child.
Not now, not ever.
-0-
Weeks became months, then time seemed to lose meaning. Toriel found books full of a language using one's hands to talk, teaching the child who healed but still bore the marks of their injuries. Tall necklines and long sleeves covered much of the remaining noticeable damage. The goat monster taught the child to read, write. Watched the cheerful personality began to shine through. And an adventurous soul that quickly took them out of the house and all over the old ruins. At first Toriel had worried, and followed to make sure the monsters who also called the ruins home didn't cause her little adoptee trouble, nor that they would go rushing out to tell her ex husband about the little human.
But instead she watched the child make friends with the other monsters, at first they were confused, but it wasn't long before the child had themselves playmates.
And a name. spelling it out in crayon at first, then learning to sign it. Frisk. The day that Toriel shortened it to 'sweet f' she had been gratified when the child signed back 'mom' then 'horned mom'.
She liked being someone's mother.
As it was for the moment Frisk was out playing. It would be awhile before they came back and so Toriel was sitting by the doorway to the rest of the underground, reading for the moment.
Before there was a knock. She smiled slightly "Who's there?"
"Theodore" the voice came instantly and she felt herself smiling already. A friendly slightly accented voice who had been keeping her company for periods of her day. It use to be for longer periods when Frisk was not there, but now it was less time as with a growing child the puca found herself with less and less time.
"Theodore who?"
"Theodore wasn't opened so I knocked."
She laughed, covering her mouth as she accidently snorted. "that was terrible." She said with amusement.
"Tibia honest I felt inspired today." Her friendly voice said and she could hear the slight knock on the door again as he patted it. She could picture him almost, on the other side sitting against the doorway and reaching up to pat it with the back of his knuckles.
She sighed and sank down.
"What got you glum lady? You usually got a good comeback by now."
"Just.. worried, a mother's fears." She shook her head laughing a little tiredly at herself.
"your foundling?"
She paused, she'd told him that she had herself a little ward, infact he'd been the one to help her in acquiring necessary medicines in the past, and thankfully he never asked too many questions about the nature of her foundling.
"They are growing so fast." She said softly.
"Well its been… a few years since you took them on." He said.
"Years? Really? I honestly haven't noticed." She admitted. And it made her sad all over. Humans aged so much faster she noticed than monsters, soon the child likely would no longer be content to stay in the ruins. They will want to know more about the world.
More about the things Toriel had not told them about.
She paused, "You.. are strong aren't you?" she asked, she could feel the stillness even through the stone.
Then a snort "Eh, not all that special." He blew off.
She smiled "Humble too apparently." Toriel said.
"That's me, Mr Humble Pie."
"Well Humble Pie, will you.. make me a promise?"
Again that still quietness. Then an almost softly spoke "Sure lady, I'll make you a promise."
She took a long breath, "If… A human, comes through this door, will you protect them, for me?"
"A… human?" she could hear the shock.
"If I can't be there to take them on, will you protect them for me? Please. It.. is important. If something happens to me I need to know that in all the underworld someone will be there."
A long moment of silence that made her wonder if she had ruined her friendship and her cover. If he would just get up and walk away, go inform her ex husband the King about the human child she'd been protecting.
Toriel didn't even know why she felt the sudden need to get this promise. Just, a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach, a tightening in her lungs. As if someone walked over her ashes.
Suddenly there was a gusty sigh "Ok, sure, I'll keep an eye socket on this kid of yours."
And she let out the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding waiting for this response.
"Thank you.. thank you my friend."
"heh.. sure, Lady. Its not that big a deal. I can't guarantee that no one isn't going to try and hurt the kid, but I'll do my best to make sure they are safe." He promised.
She leaned her head back against the door and looked up at the darkness of the ceiling over her head. It had been so very long since she'd ever seen sky that she'd quite forgotten what it looked like, it was.. green?
No, that was tree leaves.
It felt like rain, and wind, and smelled of trees.
That she could remember.
"Its all anyone can ask, I can't ask for miracles." She said to him.
He snorted "Just the impossible." He shot back.
"oh but surely it's not a reach." She said.
"Eh," he drawled out "I don't know about that, I'm a bit short of temperament."
She snorted, "Surely you aren't that short!" she decided to bite and give him his opening.
"I dunno Lady, what's the weather like where you're from?"
"Cloudy," she said softly "but the sun been giving me hope these last few years."
"Sun huh? That's a lot of hope right there." He responded.
"Did you ever see the sun before we were trapped here?" she asked him.
There was a long pause before she could almost hear the shrug "I was just a wee bone back then, can't say if I remember all that well." He admitted.
Toriel pulled up her knees and rested her chin on them. "For me the sun and sky seems to only be a memory and a child's drawing hanging on my wall." She admitted.
"Geeze Lady, you are sure being depressing today." He told her.
She thought a moment and reaching up she knocked.
Hardly a pause before she heard "Who's there"
"To." She said.
"To who?"
"to whom" she corrected in her best teacher voice.
She could hear his strangled gaffes through the door "Lady, that was bad!" he told her with amusement.
"You still laughed."
"yeah… welp, my break is about up, I have work I have to get back to."
"yes, I have duties as well." She said and paused a moment, reaching up to touch the door as if she could feel him on the other side. "And.. thank you again my friend. You have done so much for me, I, appreciate it."
Silence for a long time which made her wonder if she spoke to empty air. Then a quiet "Any time. Later Lady."
"Later, my friend."
-0-
Frisk was not looking amused at Flowey at all. The golden flower was attempting to egg her on into doing something mean.
She shook her head at him. He sighed gustily, "You are boring!"
She sighed *Better boring than a stupid petal head like you.*
"Ha ha! Always a comedian." The flower retorted to her silent argument.
*still not doing it. Not now, not ever.*
"But it will be fun" the flower needled.
She could not roll her eyes expressively enough, *For you*
The flower's grin turned evil. Frisk picked up a little clod of wet mud and tossed it. "Hey!" the flower complained.
*I said No and if you try anything I am telling Mom.* she signed.
The flower sulked grumbling to himself. As there were other monsters nearby watching the pair Flowey knew this was not an empty threat. Toriel would be before Flowey could say 'die idiot'. Chasing him away with her fire magics.
"Aren't you bored? You know you can restart anytime, so even if you do something bad now you can just go back and do it again!" the flower said.
*I would know, so no. Besides, it might not even work.* she responded. *This, reset, thing* it took her a moment to find the word she wanted to use.
"Since you got here I haven't been able to reset anything, so yeah, you can do it. Why not try it, you don't have to go back far, just say.. this morning. Afterall that wouldn't hurt anything surely? Another breakfast, you can come back here and throw more dirt clods at me."
Frisk paused, debating the move *How would you know I did it then, if no one would know?*
"Oh.. I'll know." He said vaguely.
She snorted then shook her head *its almost time for lunch, I should go home.*
"You're human, do you really think that's your home?" Flowey asked, "With monsters? Once you leave these ruins they will all try and kill you and steal your soul."
Frisk looked down at scarred knuckles and shrugged. For the moment she was still here, with mom. She was safe and sound. Everyone knew her here and there was no reason to hurt anyone or for anyone to hurt her.
She had no plans on leaving. Afterall, she was a kid.
And a kid who knew already how cruel the world could be. She wasn't overly excited to get out into it again anytime soon. Not if she didn't have to. So instead she trotted past all the small maze areas and pit traps. Skipping to the house at the end of the ruins.
The smell that hit her was something burning.
Coming to the little house Frisk saw flames licking out the broken windows.
Eyes huge she half sunk to her knees. Limbs shaking as she tried to figure out what just happened.
Then she saw the dark figure by the doorway, half staggering to her knees the child ran over and found the person she'd thought of as her mom to the point she could barely remember the features of her birth mother laying there. Struggling she managed to turn her and stroke her head.
Someone had cut her, her beautiful white fur was scorched and burned off, exposing raw damaged flesh.
Slowly Toriel opened her eyes and gave Frisk a small smile "sweety…" she breathed softly.
Then crumpled to ash in Frisk's arms.
Eyes widening the inhuman raw sound that escaped her damaged vocal cords she clutched the clothing to herself echoed in the ruins.
-0-
Frisk shot up from bed, she could smell pancakes cooking. Confused she looked around, it was.. her room?
Her drawings cluttering the walls, her toys in the box at the foot of her bed, and the wardrobe with her clothing.
Everything was as it should be, the faint glow of the echo flower in the pot by her bed gave off enough light for her to rush for the light switch.
She stared down at her hands, she wore the clothing she gone to bed in, her hands were clean.
Not even any dirt under her nails from the mud she'd slung at Flowey.
"Frisk, Sweety? You up? Come get your breakfast before it gets cold!" she heard Toriel call from down the hall.
Had it all just been a horrible dream? She looked up at her reflection in the mirror standing by the wardrobe, she saw herself. Reaching up to touch the scars along her neck the sign of the damage done to her before her life here.
Frisk froze and spun staring behind her.
For a moment she thought she saw someone standing there. Darkness and evil glowing eyes with a wide crazed smile that would have made Flowey look sane.
She was still shaken when her door opened and Toriel looked in on her "Frisk?"
Seeing that face, creased with a mother's concern and not burned. No cuts, no blood.
Frisk rushed over and buried herself into Toriel's arms as she hadn't done for a couple years now. Shaking horribly as she clung to this reality.
Mom was alive…
And Frisk would do everything in her power to make sure she stayed that way.
End Notes:
Right so a couple big things, in this story Frisk is going to be a bit Genderfluid. They respond to most pronouns and sort of have a 'what the feel like today'. Often those that know them most will be a bit more neutral in referencing to them, but they themselves will often flit back and forth. For the moment they feel girly, so female pronouns.
Frisk fell into the hole of the mountain somewhere around the age of 5, and it's been close to 5 years since then. 10 is still a bit young to be adventuring, but well, they are determined.
This Frisk is mute, but due to damage to their throat that was inflicted upon them before they fell into the hole. So they have learned sign and also keep a small note pad to communicate if need be.
Names in sign are always fun as you sort of take one sign and morph it with another (I've been signing ASL since I was small. I haven't had need of it as much, though being that my spouse has started learning it for her clients, I have been getting back in practice) For instance the sign I have toriel use for Frisk is 'Sweet F'
Sweet is signed by stroking your chin downward with your fingers and curling them into the palm. Once would be for sweet tasting, twice (or more) for describing a person or someone's personality. F is made by touching the forefinger and thumb together and keeping the other three fingers up.
So make an F and stroke your chin a couple times and you have the name I call Frisk.
For Toriel deciding the name was a little more difficult. Because there is a sign for Goat and in the wrong circles it can be considered a little rude. So instead I went with Horns. Which is taking your fingers up to your forehead and acting like you are gripping the shape of horns, making a curl out from your head to curled fingers (like you are holding a bar about to do a chin up)
Mom, or mommy is touching the side of your chin with one finger and twisting it, so make the sign for Horn then Mom. It blends fairly well. But since they know each other well Frisk can shorten it more by bringing up their hands to their heads and doing the sign for Mom at head level and drawing it out in the shape of horns. (like drawing a C in the air on a vertical plane)
Or just wave and jump about a bit. LOL, you know, whatever works for getting attention.
Being mute Frisk CAN still make some sounds, but its difficult and hurts. Someday with enough healing and time they might get some semblance of a voice back, but not anytime soon.
So, still putting together a playlist for this story, currently the only songs on it really is the undertale sound track and 'The Call' by Regina Spektor from Prince Caspian.
… I need to find some more good music to help me write.
As for some last notes, I am still working on Still Breathing, I have a chapter, one that was mostly done but then lost when my new cat skin rug decided to knock my computer off my desk and I spent a month and 200 dollars to have the hard drive replaced.
So, yeah, I'm a bit behind and the new version of the chapter is NOT going as well as the old one had, so its taking me a bit. I recently just got to start up my own game of Undertale and a story started forming right off the bat. And since I am also waiting on other work to be done to be able to start serious work on my original novel, I decided to add this story to my line up.