They all Leave: Idle
Author Note: This isn't a Trigger Warning as much as a heads up that part of the birthing process happens in this chapter. Nothing very detailed or uncomfortable in my opinion, but thought I'd let you all know just in case~
She wasn't sure what she was waiting for. She'd gotten the idea to care for any human that may or may not fall down to the Underground from the day her children perished on, but it had been many years and she couldn't be sure that opportunity would ever arise. After all, her husband had declared definite war against the entire human race, and had openly promised to slay any who fell down. What reason could a human from the Surface have to come Underground, anyway?
She and Asgore had become extremely distant in the years that passed, but she didn't hate him. Far from it, actually. She just wanted her husband and babies back, but he'd only grown more secretive and closed off from her concerns. He spent nearly all of his time with his royal scientist, the mysterious W.D. Gaster, and while she was glad their friendship kept him sturdy, she wished she could fill in that void herself.
"Queen Toriel!" One of the local lapine monsters greated happily as she walked through the snowy terrains of Snowdin.
"Greetings, child," she spoke in her usual gentle, quiet voice. "How are you doing on this lovely winter day?"
"Lovely winter day?" The young monster scoffed briefly before reddening, ducking her head to their superior. "I mean...Every day is winter here, ma'am. I don't think there's really anything lovely about it."
"Do not apologize for being honest," she soothed. "I would rather you be honest than fake just become I'm the queen. Is there anything I do to make your day more pleasurable?"
The youth considered this for a moment before breaking out into a toothy grin. "Yeah! Be sure to tell King Asgore we all really appreciate what he's doin', declaring war on humanity and stuff. Mom says things are gonna get a lot better when we get out of here!"
An ache surged through her heart; to hear a child talk so gleefully against warfare was awful to hear. "I am...Glad you are happy about that, sweet child. But please remember that violence is not always the answer. As a matter of fact, it is often not. Please remember to be kind when you can, and only violent when you must. Alright?"
"Yes ma'am!" She chirped excitedly and threw her arms around her waist, nuzzling into her robe contently. "You're so warm!"
"Oh, you are sweet," the queen replied happily, gently lifting her into her arms and hugging her close. "Have a lovely day, little one. Be good, alright?"
"I will!" With that she bounded off, and the royal gave a gentle smile in her wake. Despite how bleak things could be in their dismal circumstances, there was still innocence and hope.
She walked across the frozen terrain a bit longer before stopping at the end of the bridge. At the end of the trail carved by many monster feet of days past, there was an area that most of the Underground's inhabitants had abandoned when they realized there more options of living. They called it the RUINS these days, she believed, though it'd once been referred to as 'HOME'. She never truly understood why people seemed to dislike it so much; it could be considered small, but it was homely.
"Queen Toriel, Queen Toriel!" The small monster she'd spoken to earlier was suddenly tugging on her dress, a wild and desperate look in her youthful eyes. "Please, come quickly! It's my mom! She's givin' birth to my baby sister, but she's doing real bad and I thought you could help-!"
Birth a child? She'd birthed her Asriel, of course, but she'd never had any experience with doing it with another monster. This child was desperate and it was obvious so was her family, however, so as their queen she vowed to do her best as she followed her back into town.
The mother was obviously in a lot of pain, and the sight of her husband crying and clutching onto her in despair broke her heart. The scene was a stark contrast to her loving and gentle husband supporting her, even when it look longer than it could have. She owed it to the midwife she'd had, a Washua monster that cleaned them up thoroughly and kept everything orderly and sanitary. With all of the mess currently around them all, Toriel was very sure she couldn't be as thorough, but she could still try.
"There, there, my friends," she coaxed as she knelt in place. "I will do my best to assist you. I only have my own birth to reference, but I will do everything I can. Little one, please go fetch some snow and a bin. What are your names?"
"W-we're the Hoppkins," the husband stuttered warily.
"Alright. Mister Hoppkins, I'm going to need to take some deep breaths and start some water to boil. Mrs. Hoppkins, I'm going to need you to breathe deeply and push..."
...
It was a long and painful process for all of them involved, but Mrs. Hoppkins did deliver a screaming baby into the world in the wee hours of the morning. Asgore hadn't bothered to call in the span of that time, but W.D Gaster had sent one of his followers to check on her, so she supposed that could count. Now she was resting back and holding the older sister- Navy- in her lap as the proud parents cradled their dark purple child.
"She's beautiful," Mrs. Hoppkins whispered. "Thank you, Queen Toriel. We couldn't have done it without you."
"You are a very strong family," Toriel responded kindly. "She's a beautiful little girl. What ever will you name here?"
"Magenta," Mr. Hoppkins replied proudly. "This little one is going to carry on the shop legacy. Little Navy here wants to be a guard for the king, don't you?"
"Yeah! Gonna save the Underground!" Navy crooned eagerly before looking back at Toriel with a smile. "But I'm not gonna hurt anyone unless I really have too, right?"
"Very good, child," she replied with a proud smile. "Why don't you hold your sister? I really must be on my way."
"Yes ma'am!" She chirped eagerly and walked over to her parents, carefully holding the infant in her arms.
"Really, thank you. If there is any way we can repay you, please do let us know," Mrs. Hoppkins insisted softly. "This is the greatest gift we could have ever received."
"It was my pleasure, ma'am," the queen stated gently. "Just please be sure to be kind to everyone you meet regardless of species, alright? Even when it is not easy or what everyone wants to do."
"We'll do our best, ma'am. Have a wonderful rest of the night," Mr. Hoppkins assured. "Would you like an escort back to the New Home?"
"I'm alright, thank you. Enjoy your little Magenta and Navy."
As she walked home, memories of her own birth flooded her mind. Asriel was the best thing she could ask for, and even though she didn't produce Chara, it never made a difference in the end. Becoming a stand-in midwife had filled her with great grief for her lost offspring, but it also filled her with an intense sense of purpose and belonging. Perhaps she could look into that in the future; if no human was to ever fall, she help persevere young lives in another way.
Asgore was sitting in his personal sitting chair was she walked into their living room about a month after her midwife experience in Snowdin. He had a very somber look on his face, but she ignored it enough to kiss him. It'd been so long since he'd come out to socialize with her by the fireplace, and it filled her with hope that things would finally get better between them.
"Good morning, Gorey," she greeted gently. "Would you like some pie?"
"Of course," he agreed with a small smile that quickly disappeared. "But I really need to speak with you first. It is of great importance."
"Very well, dear." She sat down in her own chair and looked to him with maternal concern. "Please, tell me what is on your mind."
"Well...You recall how I declared war on humanity, correct?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
He winced a little before continuing. "Well, it's been a long time since that decree was made. And recently, another young human fell into the Underground."
"A young human?" She repeated with a sense of dread rising in her heart. "How young are you saying?"
"...She was younger than both Chara and Asriel."
Toriel's heart leaped at once; another child had fallen down after all. They could take this little girl in and raise them, become parents again and protect her in all the ways they'd failed their Asriel and Chara. It was finally time to start anew.
"Wait..." She spoke as her grin slowly faded from her lips. "You said was. How long ago did she fall down? Where is she now?"
He didn't answer immediately, and the sense of dread seemed to engulf her SOUL as she rose to her feet to stand over him. "Asgore, where is she."
"You recall the earthquake that rocked the Underground about a week ago, I'm sure," he finally said in a low, grave voice. "When she fell down, I let her remain in the Ruins. She got trapped in a small area behind a massive boulder."
"And you did not rescue her?" She demanded sharply.
"No, I did not. She has perished since then and is now in our throne room," he admitted. "We need her SOUL to cross the barrier, Toriel, you know that."
"She was younger than our children, Asgore!" She yelled shamelessly, her paws curling into fists as her fire magic formed in her palms. "She was merely a child and let her die, just like that? All for her innocent little SOUL?!"
"It was necessary, Tori!" He pleaded, but she was hearing none of it. "Think of the greater good-!"
"I do not care about the greater good!" She shouted before he could finish, something she'd never done before. "I do not care if it meant saving the life of a little girl! You are...You are a desperate, miserable creature if you think there is any justification to what you have done! You disgust me! You may never refer to me as 'Tori' ever again!"
With that she fled the room, halting as she found the tiny creature's body laying in the flower bed of their throne room. He was correct; she could not have been more than four or five years of age, barely a child in human standards and hardly a baby in monster years. She had a small ribbon tied in her dark hair, her small face pale and void of circulation as she laid with her tiny hands crossed over her stationary chest. The childless monster fell to her knees at once, tears pouring from her eyes as she carefully lifted the baby into her arms.
She'd failed yet again.
"You cannot leave!" Her 'husband' pleaded with her as she stood before him, her chin held high as she held her two large bags in each of her paws. "You are the Queen of the Underground! People love you, they need you! I...I love and need you!"
"If you loved me," she stated in a cold voice. "You would not have allowed little Tally to perish. Goodbye."
With that she exited New Home for the final time, the tears forming in her eyes only after she was well into Hotland. She felt void of any purpose in life, empty without her former family. She'd thought once long ago she would not care if she had to start over, but that it was here, she wasn't sure if she could go through with it. As much as she hated it, her love for Asgore could be eradicated so simply. It would take much dedication to these feelings to make them fully reality, but she was determined to never love him again. He did not deserve it.
"Your Majesty." W.D Gaster was before her suddenly, appearing like a ghost from seemingly nowhere. "I know you are very upset. But please, won't you reconsider? Asgore is a mighty king, but I am not positive he rule the Underground the most effectively without you. Perhaps you could change his mind about his ruling about the human kind."
"I doubt it," she responded flatly. "I have tried many times. If he does show some mercy to a new human, be sure to alert me. But as far as he and the rest of the Underground is concerned, no longer am I 'Queen Toriel.' I am simply Toriel."
"Where will you go?" He asked calmly, his expression never faltering. "You will be recognized and idolized anywhere."
"I will figure it out," she replied in a cool tone. "Goodbye to you as well."
She walked throughout the day, into the night, and only paused to rest in the early dawn. She was at Snowdin currently, and she sat in a sturdy pile of ice, she realized she was in the place she'd become a pseudo-midwife. The Hoppkins were likely inside now to run their shop, or more likely, were still asleep. She would not disturb this, but right before she went on her way, she saw the light come on and two small pairs of eyes peeking out from under the window. It was nice to see Navy and Magenta were doing well.
When she reached the RUINS, she set to work on building a door out of the materials she found from inside. The place was still homely, and with the population being so reclusive, she was sure they'd either not recognize her or grow to not care. This was the beginning of a new Toriel, one that midwifed when she was called and protected those around her.
Truly, she would prefer this one from now on. And when the next human fell, she was going to harbor them and keep them safe from Asgore's rule. She was going to be a mother again if she died trying.