Big thanks to Gem Rose for adding this story as a favorite, and to ChillyIce, Linki and Sora Kurai for following. It means a lot to me just knowing people are not only reading this, but enjoying it too, and it compels me to continue. I'm also having a lot of fun with it. While most of this is being made up pretty much on the fly, I do have ideas and plans for future chapters.
To Timberw0lf, I tend to not like them either, which is why I have it toned down to where most of it is implied rather than shown. I'm glad you're so enthusiastic for the story though!
To Maniacaldude, I'm going off the idea that Frisk was not only the first to fall, but had the same upbringing as Chara's, and we all know what Chara thought of humans because of it. How this will affect Frisk and the rest is something I'm working on.
To katmar1994, me too. Golly, I hope the writer doesn't do something to them or someone they care about in a later chapter.
*Did a few little edits here and there - 12/4*
-X-
Quaint, quiet, boring, cozy. All these could describe the small town beneath the mountain where two parents held their newborn, having opted to deliver the child in their home. Their little bundle of joy had just blessed them, and though exhausted from the labor, both mother and father smiled to each other.
"Hi there. Welcome to the world. You're gonna love it here, we'll make sure of that." The father stroked the baby's head as he talked, the blanket around them keeping them nice and warm. His smile faltered a little as he looked into the infant's eyes, seeing them shine bright red in the light.
"Red eyes? Is that normal?" As a new parent, he knew he and his wife had a lot to learn, but were eager to do so. The midwife shook her head at the question though and looked into their eyes herself.
"Hm, that is curious. Eyes tend to either stay the same color, or start blue and darken to another, though never have I heard of red coming from either of those choices. Let me fetch the Father and get his opinion."
The video camera was still rolling to capture the baby's first moments when a pastor in fine robes walked in. With a stern look to him, he strode straight to the bed to examine the child with hardly a glance at the parents.
"Father, is something wrong?" The mother asked, worry tinging her tired voice, holding her baby as the town's leader, both spiritually and in many cases literally, narrowed his eyes. He straightened back up, now nearly scowling.
"This child is unnatural! Such eyes as a demon's it has, they are a blight against God's creations. They should be cast out of this town, lest we suffer His wrath and are cursed." The preacher ranted with gusto as though preaching to his whole congregation. The two new parents sat in stunned silence, the priest having a few more choice words about sin and damnation before leaving.
Then, in the time following, they spoke of their future. Of leaving the village, finding a home that would welcome them and their unique child, and of what they would be named. Something to prove the priest wrong while staying true to the mother's Swedish roots. Perhaps a name that meant healthy, lively, like they hoped this little life in their hands would be.
"Frisk...I like that." The father said, kissing his baby's head.
-X-
Asgore looked down at Frisk as they re-entered the hallway, seeing how much better they looked without the covering of dirt and wearing clean clothes. Their hair was lighter, both in color and weight, and their skin became a more olive oil tone which seemed more natural for them. They held their original clothes in their right hand, having used their left to open the door.
"Ah, it looks like the bath did you a lot of good. Now, breakfast isn't ready yet, so would you like to come with me to wake my son?" Asgore asked kindly, and at Frisk's silent nod he knelt down and picked them up again, this time with no squirming coming from the human. A few steps from the large monster was all it took to reach the last door in the hallway, opening it to reveal a dark room which brightened considerably when Asgore lit the lantern nearby.
The room was...well, pretty drab compared to the rest of the house if Frisk was being honest. Everything was a white or grey color, even the pictures on the wall. The chair in front of the table, the table in front of the bed, and even the bed itself were all the same whites and greys. A dresser and wardrobe finished out the look of the room and offered nothing in the way of color. The only odd thing about the room was the lump in the bed, which the child presumed was a sleeping goat monster child.
"Asriel, time to wake up. We're about to have breakfast with the human, Frisk." Asgore said as he gently rocked his son with his free hand, the other keeping Frisk suspended. The younger goat boy groaned and yawned, stretching under the covers to reveal green pajamas over his arms. Frisk wondered how he was comfortable with both a blanket and nightwear on when he was covered in fur. Asriel himself just opened his eyes a bit, not used to the light quite yet.
"Morning dad. Howdy Frisk. Sleep well?" Frisk and Asgore both nodded and Asriel smiled, slowly sitting up and pulling the covers off.
"Son, why don't you head on into your room and get dressed? I'll take Frisk to the family room to wait for the food to finish." Asgore suggested, patting his son on the back as he hopped out of bed and scampered off into the hallway. The large monster and the human followed after setting Frisk's clothes on the bed, seeing the door Frisk exited when they first woke up closing. They went back to the room with the fireplace and Asgore turned the rest of the lanterns on, setting Frisk on a chair at the table.
"How did you light that?" Frisk asked as they were set down, the small fires in the lanterns giving off more of a glow than they would've expected, giving the room a nice warm lighting.
"With magic, of course." Asgore had moved one of the chairs at the end of the table to the side next to Frisk and held out his hand, when suddenly a small red flame with a yellow core appeared in it. Frisk couldn't help but stare in surprise.
"Wow, real magic?" They were amazed, magic having been something that only existed in myths and tales, yet now here it was in front of them.
"Um, yes, real magic. Surely you've seen some done by your town's mage, right?" Asgore was confused. Humans needed special training to use magic, but it wasn't that uncommon for even the smallest of hamlets to have at least one practitioner. Yet this child acted as though magic was a rarity at best.
"There are no mages, magic isn't real. At least, it wasn't." How could someone, even a monster, be so nonchalant about magic? The very idea to Frisk was incredible. However, when they thought about it, they remembered Toriel touching them and then feeling better after she said she'd heal them. Was that magic too? What else could magic do?
Meanwhile, Asgore furrowed his brow, thinking of what could've happened on the surface since they'd been exiled under the mountain. Seven powerful mages had sealed the monsters in, only for there to be no magic in the human realm at all any more. Were mages prosecuted for their abilities like monsters were, or did the human leaders feel there was no more need for magic with no monsters to fight? Maybe monsters being sealed away affected it, since humans weren't naturally inclined to magic the way monsters were. Whatever the reason, he couldn't dwell on it yet. So he merely nodded to Frisk and went to the chair by the fireplace, lifting it easily and bringing it to the table just as Asriel bounded in, apparently a quick riser in the morning.
Toriel had heard the discussion from the kitchen and looked at the pancakes on the plates on the counter, all cooked with fire magic. She became worried that perhaps her magic cooked things differently than what they were used to, but couldn't change it now. When they returned to New Home, she'd cook something with the stove, their house the first to get electricity after the Core was completed. There were still many without, but Dr. Gaster was working diligently on connecting the rest of the underground before moving on to his next project. For now, Toriel just sighed, hoping the child would enjoy her cooking nonetheless.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Asriel entered, giving an excited "Morning Mom!" She smiled and pat his head, giving him a morning greeting back and telling him to set the table, which he did dutifully. She had to remind him to grab four of everything though, since they had a guest, causing Asriel to have to turn around and grab an extra fork and knife. She followed after him, carrying each plate and setting them in front of everyone.
"Thanks Tori, looks as delicious as always." Asgore and Toriel then touched noses and wiggled them, causing Asriel to make a face as he now sat beside Frisk.
"Thanks mom." Next came Asriel, who looked eager to dig into the food but waited for everyone else to be ready, as he'd been taught.
Then came Frisk, who eyed the two flat-yet-fluffy pancakes hungrily before realizing they needed to be polite too.
"Thanks mom." They said without thinking, regretting the words the moment they left their lips. Their hand went instantly to their mouth and covered it, eyes wide in surprise and fear. The monsters were looking at them, judging them. They had a chance here, and they messed it up, all because they couldn't think for a second when a little bit of food was put in front of them.
Indeed, the monster family was looking at them, and they were judging, but that was not directed towards Frisk.
"Did you just call me... Mom?" Toriel asked as Frisk lowered their head, hiding their face behind their hair.
"Well...I suppose...would that make you happy? To call me... Mother?" Toriel had to think about her words, seeing how upset the child already was at such a guffaw. Frisk nodded, not daring to look at any of the others around them. If they had, they'd have noticed Asriel looking at them excitedly, and Asgore looking at Toriel with a range of different emotions. There was silence for a moment, which was broken by Toriel.
"Well then, call me whatever you like!" She exclaimed, setting her own plate down and leaning over, pulling Frisk into a hug where they sat, before taking her own seat across from Asgore in her large comfy chair. Now that everyone had been seated, the three monsters picked up their utensils and started eating, with the human following suit, still hiding their face in their hair lest their smile and tears be seen. They were such a crybaby, they thought.
"Does this mean I'm a brother now?" Asriel asked with barely contained glee, causing his father to almost choke on the pancake piece in his mouth despite it quickly dissolving into magic. Toriel looked to him, making sure he was fine as he gave a thumbs up, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"Not really. Though if Frisk cannot return home and they decide to stay with us, I'm sure we'd be happy to make them part of the family." She looked at Asriel as she explained this, though gave her husband a glance when she finished. He had his lips thin in thought, but didn't object, trusting his wife to do what was right. Stars knows the underground would've been much worse off without her guidance.
"I hope you do stay, Frisk. It'd be a lot more fun than by myself! Oh, would you be my brother or sister?" Asriel had turned fully towards Frisk, more interested in them than the half-eaten food. Frisk, for their part, had been surprised when they went to swallow only for the pancake to dissolve, but chalked it up to being monster food instead of regular food. It still made them feel satisfied, and was one of the best things they'd ever tasted, so they had no complaints.
"Son, that was incredibly impolite. You can't just ask something like that, especially at the table when eating." Scolded Asgore, causing Asriel to apologize and turn back towards his food, eating with a little less enthusiasm. Frisk just sighed before answering.
"It's fine, I can be either one. No one really ever told me which I am, instead I was just 'demon' or 'it' or 'they'. I just kind of got used to being neither a boy or girl." Replied Frisk with sincerity, taking a mouthful of monster pancake after that. They was almost done, with Asgore finishing well ahead despite having twice as much, and Toriel being done from having the same amount as the children.
From there, the conversation moved onto things Frisk liked. They'd only ever had one set of clothes at a time, which was always a shirt and shorts in whatever color, though they'd really like the blue they wore previously. They had never worn a dress, but wouldn't object to trying one, especially a cute one with a ribbon. Their favorite food was the pancakes they'd just had, causing Toriel to beam in delight and Asriel to make promises of even better assortments of baked sweets. Then, Frisk had a thought pop into their head.
"Mo...Toriel, you said you were queen of the underground yesterday. Does that mean Asgore is the king, and Asriel prince?" They weren't comfortable calling her mom so soon, even with the okay to. After getting confirmation, Frisk continued.
"Then, if I stayed, would I be royalty too?" Again, their thoughts were confirmed, though they were told that Asriel, being their natural child, would always be considered first for anything related to ruling, and that things worked a little differently within the monster kingdom than with humans. Mostly they were much more personable, often going out to speak with various monsters throughout the kingdom and making sure everyone is doing well. While everyone knew them by first name, they were still referred to as King and Queen, or sometimes as Mr. and Mrs. Dreemurr. Only a few, such as General Gerson, called them anything else unless specified.
"Though overall, we just like any family doing the best we can down here." Asgore finished, the food long gone and dishes cleaned and put away.
"Asriel, why don't you take Frisk and go play for a while?" Toriel suggested, sitting back at the table. The goat boy was glad to do something other than talk about boring things like ruling the kingdom of monsters, which mostly just consisted of telling people to stay happy, or so he thought. Taking Frisk by the hand, he led them into his bright red room.
"What would you like to do first? I've got some toys in the chest here, or I can show you the passageways back to where I found you." Asriel listed off, looking at the human expectantly. Frisk, for their part, looked over the toys but wasn't really interested in them.
"Let's go outside, I don't remember what it looked like on the way here. My head and eyes hurt too much." They remembered the pounding in their head and the way putting pressure on one leg made them want to collapse, as well as how every little arm movement made them want to wince. Actually, thinking about it now, they didn't limp on the way to the bedroom, and there wasn't any pain from their arm. They gave their foot an experimental tap on the floor, then a stomp, and it all felt normal. Same with their arm. Huh, maybe it had something to do with that magic food.
"Might want to wear something on your feet, don't wanna step on a sharp rock or anything." Asriel was already putting some shoes on, motioning to another pair nearby. They were a bit old, with the color fading from them, but they fit well enough. At least they were more comfortable than their old pair. With that, Asriel again took Frisk by the hand and headed outside, the two practically running out.
Once sure the two children were gone, Toriel and Asgore both sighed, not looking forward to this conversation. The king inhaled to speak, but was cut off by the queen.
"I know, Gory. Saying they could be part of our family was rash. I've heard all your concerns about them, too. But after everything we've learned about their life, and the way they wanted to call me mother, even though I'm a monster they just met...I couldn't stop myself. They're just a child who hasn't had a ability to be one, but down here they have a chance. We could raise them right, show them what a family can be." Toriel spoke quickly, not letting Asgore get a word in. For his part, he waited patiently until she was done before taking a breath to speak.
"Tori, I agree with keeping them with us. Along with everything you've said, being adopted as a member of the royal family would be it's own kind of protection, as hurting them would be the same as hurting Asriel, and anyone who would try that would receive no mercy from either of us. With how often we travel and meet other monsters, it would also be good for them to see that monsters aren't evil creatures, and monsters would see the same about humans. Since they most likely won't be able to pass through the barrier, I think that would be the best option." Asgore had his hands folded in front of him as he spoke, sitting up straight and proper, looking every bit the leader of monsters.
Toriel smiled and got up from her seat, Asgore doing the same and meeting in the middle for an embrace. They both stayed like that for a minute, letting their thoughts and worries melt away as they held each other. Sadly it had to end, and Asgore was the first to pull away.
"We should get ready. I'll lay out some warm clothes for the kids' return and pack an extra set, then we can head through underground back to New Home." Giving his wife one last nose nuzzling, he headed into Asriel's room to get them some jackets and warm clothes, then to his own to grab Frisk's original clothes, while Toriel set some water to boil for tea. They both made sure the house was in order, for it might be a while before the returned.
- Meanwhile -
Asriel and Frisk ventured through the rooms and passageways outside of Home, the young goat boy explaining about how most of them had some kind of trap or puzzle to solve before people could proceed to the next room, but they'd all been disabled long ago. Frisk was glad for this, not knowing if they could've made it to Asriel's home in the state they'd been in. Along the way they met some other monsters, each with their own quirks. Froggits that only spoke "Ribbit" which Asriel had to translate, Loox who was happy when they weren't picked on by the new human, and Moldsmal, which Frisk was pretty sure was wiggling flirtatiously at them so they wiggled back.
"What a meaningful conversation." Asriel said with a giggle.
In time though, they made it all the way back to the cave entrance. Light shining in now, Frisk was amazed they weren't outright dead, let alone able to even move from falling from such a height. Asriel stood in the center of the light, arms outstretched.
"This is one of the few places natural sunlight can get in to. The other one is in New Home. I'd just got done visiting here to see if the moonlight was coming in when I heard you. Golly, it sure was a surprise." Asriel explained while soaking up the sunlight. The two stood there for a while, warming up, but eventually got bored and headed back. They each took a piece of monster candy on the way, Frisk surprised at the licorice flavoring.
Stepping back into the cozy little home, the pair were stopped by Toriel when on the way to Asriel's room.
"Children, we'll be leaving soon for New Home. I recommend you put some warm clothes on. Frisk, you can either change with Asriel, or in the bath room if you would be more comfortable." The two were given head pats as they made their way. Frisk decided to change in the room, just asking Asriel to turn around as they did the same while changing from shorts to pants. Asriel removed his shirt to put a jacket on, but Frisk decided they would be warmer with both. Besides, no one needed to see what was under their shirt.
With the two snug as bugs in a rug, they walked out into the first room by the stairs where Asgore and Toriel were waiting, similarly dressed as the two kids. They started descending the stairs, but Frisk stopped at the top, holding the rail as they looked down. Toriel, seeing Frisk, headed back up and took their hand.
"It is all right, my child. We are merely leaving this place. We...Asgore, Asriel, and I...will help you and protect you. Do you understand?" Frisk gave a small nod, though their eyes were unfocused, looking not at the goat woman speaking to them, but the dark chasm in their mind. They were genuinely surprised when Toriel stepped in front of them, bent down to be face to face with them.
"You are stronger than you think. Listen to me, small one. When we go beyond the door at the end of this tunnel, eventually we will reach an exit. Asgore will lead us home, but you must come with us for him to succeed." Frisk now looked directly at her with their full attention, not having realized she was leading them down the steps one at a time while talking. Once at the bottom, she straightened up, never letting go of their hand.
"See, we are all here. We'll head out together, so be good, won't you, my child?"
Looking back, Frisk saw the stairs leading back up with no door blocking the way, now seemingly not so scary. Facing forward again, the stood straight, held Toriel's hand, and took their first step towards the exit, filled with determination.
