Warning! This chapter contains mentions of abuse. Just a heads up.
Chapter 2: Far From Home
Frisk blinked before shaking her head rapidly and her vision cleared as she found herself in a place she didn't recognize. And as she glanced around, she realized she didn't really like what she saw. The area was mostly brown and very dull. It looked so forlorn.
She decided to take a look around and nearly bumped into a goat kid and a brown-haired, red-eyed girl who both wore shirts and pants that were a mix of green and yellow wave patterns. Both looked at her with a start and immediately ran. "Wait!" Frisk said, running after them, wanting to know where she was and ask about why it looked so forlorn.
They managed to get away from her and she looked around to try and find their tracks, but saw no trace of the two. As she decided to try and find them, she walked forward and the ground gave way beneath her. "Whoa!" She cried out before curling up as she tumbled down a steep slide, rolling along the flat ground at the bottom for a little bit, until she gently stopped and sat up, shaking her head again rapidly and looking up to see she was in a place that looked similar to historical ruins she had seen in her history books.
Archways made of stone and cracked stone bricks met her eyes and she moved carefully on the floor that thankfully was solid, but did have a few cracked bricks here and there. She gently ran her hand along one wall before noticing that she had a few scrapes on her arm and she looked at her other arm, which had similar scrapes that were starting to hurt a little. She looked around and saw the hallway just kept going. Tears built up in her eyes as it felt so lonely and her injuries stung. She tried to wipe away her tears and be a big girl, but she was really wanting her family right then, which made more tears fall down her face as she fell to her knees and huddled against the wall.
Toriel, who had gone to the Ruins, searched carefully until she heard crying and soon spotted Frisk, sensing the young girl was sad and hurt. She moved closer to the child, making an instant decision in her mind. Kneeling down, she gently took Frisk's right arm in her hands. "Oh, you poor dear," she said softly.
Frisk looked up at that, sniffling and tears running down her face, blurring her vision a little, but she could see a tall, female goat was kneeling in front of her, wearing a long-sleeved purple shirt, purple jeans, a purple scarf around her neck, and purple flats on her feet. A soft green glow caught her eye and she saw the lady's hands glowing green and her injuries began healing.
The ten-year-old was surprised by this and looked up at Toriel, who gave her a gentle look before taking Frisk's left arm into her hands and healing it as well. "There," she said, her voice still soft as she then picked up Frisk. "Don't cry, little one."
The young girl sniffled. "Who…Who are you?" She asked. "How…How come you…can act like a person?"
Toriel smiled at the questions. "My name is Toriel," she said. "And I'm what humans call a goat monster."
Another sniffle left Frisk before she looked at her. "You're a monster?" She asked. "But…why…?"
The female goat instantly saw the question on the child's mind. "I won't hurt you," she said reassuringly. "I'm nothing like the cruel man who demands we call him 'master'."
The child looked up at her. "Your master isn't nice?" She asked.
"That's putting it very, very mildly," Toriel said. "Five years ago, we were quite content down here in the Underground. We had been banished by your kind many years prior and life was perhaps a little hard, but it was manageable, until the day he arrived. A very cruel human who made us his prisoners and demands we serve him without question, and if we fail…it comes with a severe price."
Frisk felt sympathy for the monster race. "Can you or any other monsters get away from him?" She asked.
"No," the female goat answered. "There was a barrier set up to keep us trapped, but our master reinforced it to where nothing can break it." She pointed to the bracelet-like chain around her ankle. "And he keeps us in our place with these chains."
The little girl stood straighter. "Anything can be done, no matter how hard it is," she said. "I'll find a way to free all of you."
Toriel looked at her, touched at the child's declaration, but knew it was quite a long shot. "But there's no way to break the barrier now," she said.
"I'll still try," Frisk promised firmly. "Can you tell me how to get to the barrier?"
"You have to travel through Snowdin, Waterfall, and Hotland to get to the castle where our master rules over us. The barrier is just beyond the mountains past the castle," the goat monster told her.
Seeing that she was going to be traveling in some cold terrain, the ten-year-old girl glanced down at her clothes and hugged herself. "I wish I had some warmer clothes to go through Snowdin. It sounds like it's cold," she said.
"It is a rather cold area," Toriel said in agreement. "And I think I have just the kind of clothes you need, my dear."
Opening a closet nearby, she pulled out some heavier winter clothes that had the same red wave pattern as the outfit the young girl had on. Delighted, Frisk instantly put on the clothes, and was happy when they fit perfectly. "There you are, little one," the goat monster said with a smile.
"Thank you, Miss Toriel," the little girl said happily.
"I'm happy to help you, child. Can you tell me your name?"
"Frisk," she answered proudly.
Toriel nodded before pointing to a door. "Go out that way and you'll be in Snowdin," she said.
Frisk nodded. "Thank you again, Miss Toriel," she said.
"I'm happy to help, Frisk, but be careful in traveling out there. It can be dangerous."
"I'll be careful," the child said in agreement before heading out with Toriel watching her. The female goat suddenly felt the air change around her a little and saw a portal open and a hand reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her harshly in. It was the master, and he was furious.
"You helped her!" He said angrily.
"I won't bring that child here for you to harm her!" Toriel said firmly.
The master glared at her. "Then you will watch as I punish Alphys."
The female goat monster gasped. "No! Leave her alone!" She demanded, but a back-handed slap to her face made her flinch back sharply before she was dragged into the room where the master punished Alphys.
Two hours later, the horrible punishment was over and Toriel had tears running down her face as she had watched Alphys get whipped, slapped, and punched. The small dinosaur was very bruised and sore after the master had left the room, telling them to both clean up.
The goat lady went over and began trying to heal her friend with her healing power. "Alphys, I'm so sorry," she said sadly.
"It's not your fault, Queen Toriel," the injured monster said softly. "I'm thankful you helped the little girl."
She took a few deep breaths. "Maybe…Maybe she'll prove there are some good humans out there."
"I think she will," Toriel said as she vowed to herself that she would watch over Frisk, but had a feeling that Sans and Papyrus, who had both gone to Snowdin, would watch to see what Frisk would do before revealing themselves.
She began to feel a bit more hopeful, thanks to the child wanting to free them. She really hoped that the young girl could do that for them.
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GoldGuardian2418
