Today was the day. The princess was arriving.
The entire castle was abuzz with activity. Workers moved to and fro, hanging decorations and placing vases of flowers all over the castle. They knew that the princess's favorite flower was a sunflower, so they covered the entire grounds in them for her arrival. The king had been cultivating them for years now just to get a large enough population to decorate the place for her arrival. There were other flowers from the king's garden as well, including some of the beautiful echo flowers that only grew in the wetlands they called Waterfall.
Even Sans was busy preparing in the lab. They were expected to attend the arrival- the entire staff was- but there was little else they could do to help the castle prepare.
"I-I'm so nervous…" Alphys moaned, twisting her pink handkerchief in her hands for the millionth time.
"Why? We'll never see her." Sans shrugged, taking a sip of coffee from his work-issued coffee mug.
"Sans! Th-this is so important! Sh-she's the first human since P-Prince Chara-a." Her stutter was even worse today than it was usually. She was a nervous creature by nature, but today her anxiety was through the roof.
"Wh-what if sh-she d-doesn't l-like us?" Alphys looked at him. Her expression started making Sans nervous about the arrival as well.
"Her loss. We're the coolest cats in the whole kingdom! We're puurrfect the way we are." Sans gave her a grin before finishing off his coffee. It was too bad Dr. Gaster banned ketchup from the lab. Sure, Sans had gotten it all over several important documents and may have left red phalange-prints on one of the machines, but how was he supposed to survive without the stuff?
Alphys gave a soft laugh that almost sounded like a cough. "I know you're right, Sans. I just can't help but worry."
"Students!" Dr. Gaster's booming voice echoed off the linoleum floor as he entered the room. All of the student researchers stood, Sans standing close to Alphys.
"Today we welcome our new princess into our kingdom. Tomorrow, she will be visiting the lab and introducing herself to each and every one of you. Unfortunately, I will be at the Core tomorrow and will not be here to welcome her personally. I want to ask for two volunteers to show her around and lab. Who would like to volunteer?"
The lab went silent. Then Sans grinned and raised his hand.
"Me and Alphys will show her around! Won't we, Alphie?" He put his free arm around Alphys's shoulder. He could practically feel her soul leaving her body.
"Y-yes sir!" She chirped obediently.
"Thank you, Sans and Alphys." Gaster nodded at the pair before looking back to the general gathering of students. "I expect you all to be on your best behavior. Remember to meet in the courtyard exactly at noon. You are dismissed." He turned and walked back out of the laboratory.
"Wh-why would y-you do that?!" Alphys nearly shrieked.
"You're scared of her not liking you, why don't we let her decide if she likes you or not?" Sans grinned and shrugged.
"I h-hate you s-so much s-sometimes, S-Sans!"
"Love you too, Alphie."
It was noon. Time for the princess to arrive.
Sans stood in the courtyard, huddled in a small line behind Gaster. He had dressed in his best dress shirt and tie, with his lab coat thrown over. They all wore similar attire, distinguishing them from the other castle workers that were littered about.
He looked across the way and could see his brother, standing tall and proud in his kitchen staff's black uniform. He stood out like a sore thumb from the other monsters. He was taller than the rest, except for Asgore and Asriel. He would probably scare the poor girl if she caught sight of him.
The royal family stood closest to the doors, each member dressed in their official uniforms. Asgore was dressed in his armor, Toriel in her dress with the Delta Rune across her chest, and Chara and Asriel in matching uniforms with the Delta Rune displayed on their military uniforms.
Sans studied Chara. The young man seemed oddly unfazed by the fact that his wife-to-be was just moments from arriving. His red eyes stared towards the gate of the courtyard, awaiting the arrival of the carriage. He had almost a bored expression on his face. Next to him, Asriel looked like a royal mess. He kept bouncing on his feet and gently shifting from side to side. You would think he was the one getting married. The queen gently nudged the crown prince and settled down a bit, getting his nervous twitches to drumming his fingers against his thigh.
At that exact moment, the trumpets heralding the carriage's arrival sounded.
The beautiful, ornate carriage, drawn by two of the only horses in New Home, pulled into the large courtyard. A quiet fell over the crowd, as if they were holding a collective breath. The carriage came to a stop and one of the footmen quickly placed the small set of steps in front of the door. Before taking his place next to the door.
"Presenting Miss Frisk Résolu, of the country of Courtland, future princess of New Home!" The footman shouted before opening the door.
Sans could almost feel the crowd leaning forward, trying to get the first glimpse of the princess.
Slowly, the princess emerged from the back of the carriage. A white gloved hand gently grasped that of the footman, easing her way down the steps. She was small. A lot smaller than Sans had anticipated. He was certain now. Papyrus would terrify her.
She was dressed in a modest purple dress with a shrug over her shoulders, and small hat placed delicately on top of her head. Chestnut curls fell to her mid back, taking most of Sans's attention as she walked towards the royal family. She gazed straight ahead, not chancing a look to the sides of her. He supposed that way, she wouldn't be overwhelmed with all of the monsters surrounding her. But then, an anomaly happened.
A small froggit child, probably one of the servant's children, rushed into the human girl's path, halting her.
"A flower. For you. My p-princess…" The child mumbled as she lost the nerve she had worked so hard to get up.
The princess stopped, looking down at the young monster. It felt like hours, but it must have just been minutes, before the princess smiled and squatted down in front of the young girl.
"Thank you." She took the flower and tucked it behind her ear. "What's your name?"
"E-Emma…" The child was looking more and more uncomfortable by the second.
"It's nice to meet you, Emma. Thank you for such a warm welcome." The princess smiled again, earning a shy smile from the child before Emma rushed away to hide behind her mother.
The princess stood and began walking once more. The breath everyone had been holding in was released, both the crowd and the princess seeming more at ease.
When she reached the royal family, Sans couldn't hear their conversation, but he assumed it was very warm because after a moment Toriel gathered the tiny human into a bear hug and the crowd cheered happily. It seemed that maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as they all thought.
Chara was less than impressed.
They sat at the dinner table that night, the girl placed strategically next to him for their meal. He didn't like this. She was interrupting the status quo. He normally sat between his mom and Asriel, but tonight she had taken the spot between him and his mother. She had already driven a wedge between him and his family.
"So, Frisk, do you have any ideas for the wedding?" His mother asked her. Always about the wedding. It was still three months away because her mother wanted the girl to "settle" before the big day.
The girl seemed a bit startled at the question. Great. She was another human girl who had her agency ripped from her at a young age.
"N-No… Not yet, anyway. I brought a dress, but that's it." She gave a saccharine smile. Totally fake.
"That's wonderful!" His mother clasped her hands together. "I've always loved human wedding dresses! You'll have to let me see you in it."
"Do you have any colors you'd like for the wedding?" Asriel asked. Of course, his brother would be excited about this as well. Everyone was excited for the wedding. Because it meant they could go to the human mainland. Even though the human world was a shit show.
"Oh, not yet. I thought that purple and gold would be nice. The colors of our two nations." She gave a small laugh. Fake again.
"What a wonderful idea! And we can have sunflowers for the ceremony as well. They would go perfectly with the color scheme." The king chimed in. Ah, the sunflowers. Grown for years just for this little usurper.
"Thank you for those. I noticed you've decorated the castle with them. They're lovely." The girl flattered his father. Chara could tell just by looking at him that he felt flattered the human girl had even noticed his hard work. Disgusting.
"Asgore heard they were your favorite and worked so hard to grow them. I think they brighten up the castle. We should keep some around all the time." His mother laughed softly before standing.
"I think it's time we all go to bed. Today has been very exciting and I know I'm tired." Toriel said and the others at the table stood. "I'll show you to your room, Frisk."
The girl smiled and curtsied to the members of the monster royal family. A perfect, mechanical gesture.
"Good night everyone. Thank you for this wonderful dinner and wonderful company." She stood straight again and followed the queen out of the room.
The next morning, Frisk woke to a knock on the door.
"Come in?" She called groggily, sitting up in her bed. The bed itself was huge; it was definitely built for a large monster. Everything else in the room was human-sized.
"G-good morning princess!" A small creature flitted into the room. "I-I'm Imelda the whimsun. I'm going to be your personal assistant starting today."
"Good morning, Imelda. You don't need to call me princess. 'Frisk' is just fine." Frisk smiled softly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Thank you, Miss Frisk… I was told to wake you up at dawn and take you to the training arena before breakfast." Imelda still hovered just inside the door, as if she was nervous to come in. Frisk supposed that a human was pretty intimidating.
"Yes, thank you." She slowly slipped out of bed, her feet hitting the lush carpet. She felt spoiled. The monster royal family had spared no expense in trying to make her feel comfortable.
She went to her wardrobe, pulling out a T-shirt and leggings. It was time for her morning run. She had to stay in shape. That's what her uncle told her. And after spending a few days of traveling she was ready to be active again. She pulled her hair back and tied it in a high ponytail. Her long hair was nothing but a nuisance. It was always in the way and getting tangled, but her aunt had insisted on keeping it long. It was more feminine, after all.
Pulling on her running shoes, she looked up and smiled at Imelda.
"All right, I'm ready."
"This way, Miss Frisk." The little creature opened the door and the two of them headed out to the arena.
The arena was quite impressive, like a high-end training facility for a professional football team. There was an indoor track as well as a weight room and various cardio equipment. Imelda explained that it was for the royal guards as well as for the use of the other castle staff who wanted to use it. There were a few monsters already using the weights, notably two very buff monsters wearing armored helmets as they worked out.
Imelda led her to the track where two others were already running. One was a very fit monster, with blue skin and shiny red hair. She was about the size of a tall human woman, though she looked like she could crush a human skull between her thighs. Next to her was… something that should have been terrifying if he hadn't been wearing a crop top that had "Jogboy" printed on the front. He was a skeleton, standing at about seven feet tall, jogging happily next to the blue woman.
"That's Undyne and Papyrus. Undyne is the captain of the royal guard. Papyrus is a busboy in the kitchens, but he wants to join the guard. Undyne trains him every morning before his shift starts." Imelda explained, smiling a bit. Frisk smiled as well.
"You know a lot about everyone. Are all the staff close here?" Frisk asked, beginning her stretches.
"Oh yes. Everyone in the castle is close. The king, queen, and Prince Asriel treat everyone very nice." Imelda hovered quietly near the human. She wasn't a very strong monster, but she still wanted to keep close to her charge.
"What about Prince Chara? What is he like?" Frisk asked.
"O-oh… Prince Chara is… a loner." The whimsun looked even more nervous. Frisk decided not to press the issue. "Oh! Undyne and Papyrus are coming!"
Frisk looked up just in time to see the two heading over. She quickly stood into a more dignified position. It wouldn't do to meet the captain of the royal guard while she was sprawled out on the ground. When the two reach them they both bent over in deep bows. After a few seconds, she realized she was supposed to release them.
"Y-you may rise…" Frisk said awkwardly.
"GOOD MORNING, PRINCESS! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND THIS IS MY FRIEND UNDYNE, CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD! OH, GOOD MORNING TO YOU TOO, IMELDA!" The giant skeleton practically yelled.
"Nice to meet you, princess. What are you doing out here so early?" Undyne asked. Now that Frisk was getting a closer view of the woman, she seemed to resemble a fish. Perhaps more specifically, a blue piranha.
"It's nice to meet you two too." She mentally kicked herself for the silly phrasing. That was not very princess-like, but the two put her at ease. Too bad Henrietta wasn't here to kick her in the shins. "I'm just here to get my morning exercise in."
"A STRONG BODY MEANS A STRONG MIND." The skeleton agreed, nodding his head. "MY BROTHER COULD LEARN A LOT FROM YOU."
"Are you going running?" Undyne asked and the girl nodded. "You should join us! We could have a race."
"I'm actually very fast for a human." Frisk said, and mentally kicked herself again. She was also very competitive for a human.
"OH? THEN YOU SHOULD RUN AGAINST ME! I AM VERY FAST."
"I think it would be unfair for her to race you, Papyrus." Undyne frowned.
"WHY?"
"You're at least two feet taller than her. Her torso isn't even as long as your thigh bone." Undyne laughed.
"OH! MY BROTHER IS ABOUT YOUR SIZE, HUMAN PRINCESS! YOU COULD RUN AGAINST HIM. HE'S AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE, SLEEPING. I WILL GO GET HIM." And with that the giant man lumbered off while the captain laughed behind his back.
"It'll be a cold day in hell if he gets Sans to actually run." Undyne turned back to the human girl. "Do you want to run a few laps with me while we wait for him to come back?"
Undyne had incredible stamina. They were on their third lap and she wasn't even breathing hard. They were taking a leisurely pace, just trying to get Frisk warmed up for her "race" if Papyrus ever came back.
"Not bad, human. But you could use a bit more muscle on you. It would help with your stamina." Undyne commented as the turned the last round.
"My…aunt…o-only let me do…cardio…" Frisk panted as they came to a stop. Imelda came to her with a small paper cup of water and she took it gratefully.
"Damn, hell is freezing over."
Frisk looked up just in time to see Papyrus coming back, dressed in a turtleneck that barely covered his rib cage and some black shorts that were much too small for him. Neck to him was a small skeleton wearing the clothes Papyrus had been wearing earlier.
"HUMAN PRINCESS, THIS IS MY BROTHER, SANS. HE WORKS IN THE ROYAL LABORATORY. WE SWITCHED CLOTHES SO HE WOULD NOT SWEAT IN HIS UNIFORM." Papyrus explained.
"Heh. Nice to meet you." The skeleton held out his hand. Frisk actually looked down to look him in the eyes. He was only a few inches shorter than her, but it was surprising. She was expecting someone taller. She stretched out her hand to shake his.
"Nice to meet y-"
A fart sound rippled through the arena. It seemed like the entire world paused.
"Heh. Whoopee cushion in the hand trick." Sans smiled.
"SANS! YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO THE HUMAN PRINCESS!" Papyrus's voice grew louder, if that was even possible. Even Undyne stood with her eye wide, waiting for the girl's reaction.
A giggle rippled through Frisk, ending in a snort.
"I-I was not expecting that." She laughed, covering her mouth.
There was a palpable relief that was felt in the room.
"Heh. See, Pap? It's fine." Sans laughed softly, though there was relief in his voice.
"Just for that, I'm going to run you into the ground, shorty." Frisk challenged, still laughing a bit.
"I didn't come to win. I just wanted to wear this Jog Boy shirt." Sans grinned.
"Um… excuse me…" Imelda chime in. "Miss Frisk, it's time for us to head back. Breakfast is going to start in an hour."
"SANS, YOU WASTED THE HUMAN PRINCESS'S TIME AND NOW THERE WON'T BE A RACE." Papyrus scorned.
"Just 'Frisk' is fine. I'm not technically a princess yet…" She smiled. "It was nice meeting all of you. I might see you again today. I'm introducing myself to all the divisions in the castle." She and Imelda waved softly before leaving the small group behind them.
"I think they like you." Imelda seemed more at ease.
"I like them too. They didn't treat me like an alien." Frisk smiled. Her legs wobbled softly from the work Undyne had put her through.
"After your shower, will you need me to help you with your makeup? I've been watching a lot of makeup tutorials on the human internet." Imelda seemed almost excited. Had she been training for this for a long time?
"Oh… my maid made sure I could do my own makeup before leaving…"
Imelda's wings drooped slightly.
"But, I do need help with my hair. I'm not very good at it yet." Frisk said quickly. It seemed to perk the little creature up.
"I've been watching videos of that too!" Imelda said happily. "I can't wait to start!"
Author's Note: Thank you all for reading! I was hoping this chapter would be longer, but alas, my finals are upon me. Enjoy!