Asriel made his way out of Windgate and into the woods surrounding the town. He took a breath of the morning air as he left the sounds of the waking town behind him. He stared up at the sky, his thoughts dwelling on Toriel. He had never been able to truly say goodbye, but now he felt like he would finally be able to achieve this.
As he continued to walk, his chest gave another twinge. He grunted, breathing harder as he stopped, sitting down on a fallen tree close by. These pains were beginning to become quite the nuisance, yet he was lost as to what it could possibly be. A rustling of the bushes alerted him as he looked up sharply, exhaling when he saw Frisk appear. He was somewhat surprised to see her.
"Hello again little one! What are you doing out here all alone?"
Frisk shrugged. "I like to explore, and my parents said I could so long as I didn't go far. Besides, I wanted to see you again!"
Asriel was even more surprised now. "You…you did? What on Earth for? Don't I frighten you?" He queried, not seeing the same fear that most of the adults held close to them. Frisk shook her head.
"Nope! You actually look kinda cuddly." Asriel arched an eyebrow, then broke out into a chuckle, which he quickly stifled as another burst of pain pulled at him. Frisk got a concerned expression at the pained look, coming over to sit on the fallen log beside him.
"Are you alright?"
Asriel nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yes little one, I'm fine."
Frisk nodded, and stared at the forest floor, swinging her feet from the log. Asriel broke the silence.
"You know, I doubt your parents would be pleased if they saw you here. Perhaps you should run along back to them."
Frisk shook her head. "Nah, they're cool. Besides, they don't usually come looking until it starts to get dark, so I'll be fine."
Asriel nodded slowly. Frisk then asked, "Do monsters have families?"
Asriel smiled at the thoughtful question. "As a matter of fact, they do. They're very similar to the families you humans have. With fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, some even have pets."
Frisk looked up at Asriel. "Can I meet your family? I bet it'd be cool!"
Asriel felt another twinge, but this time not from the pain in his chest as he looked away. "…I don't think that would work."
Frisk seemed to understand, nodding slowly. "My parents warned me not to go near you. They think you're really bad and want to hurt me. They say you've killed people before."
Asriel looked over to Frisk. "Do you believe them?"
Frisk met his eyes thoughtfully. "I'm not sure. Did you do those things?"
Asriel sighed. "Frisk…things are…complicated when you're grown up. Sometimes, you need to make decisions that are best for those you are leading. Even if it means sometimes hurting others that wish to do harm to you. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"
Frisk almost looked like she did, then shook her head. "Nope, not at all. Don't worry though, I think you're really nice, and cool!" Asriel chuckled again, then paused as he heard footsteps approaching. He recognized the pattern instantly and he spoke quietly to Frisk.
"Hide. Quick." Frisk scrambled beneath the log into the foliage, just before Undyne walked into the clearing.
"Oh, King Asriel, there you are."
Asriel stood up, standing just where Frisk had disappeared. "What news do you bring Captain?"
Undyne seemed curious. "King Lucas's messenger arrived shortly after you left. He says the king wants to meet you in Chesterfield at once."
Asriel nodded. "Very well, I'll leave at once. Let's see what he has to say this time."
Undyne nodded, walking out of the clearing. Only then did Frisk crawl back out from beneath the log.
"Who was that?"
Asriel glanced down, answering briefly. "That was Undyne, she's captain of the royal guard in our kingdom. I'm afraid I will have to make my leave. I trust you can find your way back to your parents?"
Frisk nodded. "Uh huh! Talk soon?"
Asriel paused. "Perhaps, perhaps." He mused in response. With this, he left Frisk alone in the clearing. He began walking immediately to Chesterfield.
The sun was at its peak in the sky by the time he entered the city. This time, people cleared away a path as he entered, looking even more terrified of him than the last time he had arrived. Word about Haran's fate must have reached the people quickly. He entered the meeting hall to see Lucas standing, and facing a window. He turned when he saw Asriel, a grim expression on his face.
"Have you decided to meet our demands?"
Lucas didn't answer the question as he responded. "I know what you did in Haran."
Asriel scoffed. "I warned you what would happen if our terms for peace weren't met."
Lucas looked angry. "I didn't think you were going to burn a whole town to the ground."
Asriel grunted. "Haran was not supposed to burn. That was unintentional. It likely though will not be the last. Now, if you are not here to discuss peace, then you are merely wasting my time." Asriel turned and started to leave, but Lucas spoke after him.
"You killed innocent people!" Asriel stopped as Lucas continued. "You killed people trying not to kill you, but defend their families. I thought a king such as yourself would know a little more about honor."
Asriel tensed up, a growl rumbling in his throat. He turned and stalked over to Lucas, glaring fiercely.
"You have a lot of nerve, talking to me about 'honor.' What honor was present when you attacked us?! You humans killed dozens of families, even children! There was NO mercy for my people. You tried to kill every last one of us, and you want to talk to ME about honor?! You're lucky I'm not killing you where you stand."
Lucas kept a straight face, staring unflinchingly into Asriel's black eyes. "If you think your size and threats scare me King Asriel…you are quite wrong. You can try and intimidate me all you like, but it will take much more than that to make me back down."
Asriel stared at him, a small flame kindling in his hand. He tightened his hand into a fist, extinguishing the flame, before leaving. As he left the town, he felt his fury boiling deep within him, the rage almost blinding him as he fought the urge to burn the city to the ground, with Lucas in it. In his thoughts he hardly realized how quickly he was walking, and he found himself soon back at Windgate. He spotted Undyne who was looking exasperated. She approached as soon as she saw him.
"That wizard is back King Asriel. He's refusing to leave until he sees you. Again."
Asriel shook his head, sighing. "I suppose it was inevitable. Where is he?"
Undyne jerked a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the building Asriel stayed in. He walked into the house and into the living room. There, anxiously waiting, was Reinald. He seemed to calm down only slightly when he saw Asriel.
"Ah, the goat king returns! So nice to see you again."
Asriel sighed. "Just…call me King Asriel, please."
Reinald nodded. "Of course, King Asriel. I did say I would be back at a later date, and well, here I am! At a date, that is later."
Asriel closed his eyes, taking a breath. "Yes, you did. So, what did you want to discuss?"
Reinald smiled, almost childishly. "I just have lots of questions!"
Asriel groaned inwardly. "I understand that much. Would you like to have some tea while we talk?"
The wizard nodded. "I would love a cup, thank you."
Asriel went to the kitchen, making two cups of golden flower tea before returning to the living room, sitting in the armchair by the couch Reinald sat on. Reinald looked at the tea for a moment before asking.
"How did you monsters get food when you were trapped? I can't imagine there would be fertile land down there for farming."
Asriel nodded. "That's correct, there wasn't any land that could be suitable for farming. Most of our food was actually made with magic. When we ate it, it immediately turned into the nutrients we needed to remain healthy."
Reinald nodded, looking down at the tea. "So this golden flower tea, is it magical?"
Asriel shook his head. "No, this is one of the only things in the Underground, at least from what I had, that isn't magic."
Reinald looked it over, before taking a sip. "Fascinating. What of the weird technology? I've seen some skeleton monster with a strange device as I was walking here."
Asriel set the cup down. "Ah, you must be talking about Doctor Gaster. He's our royal scientist, a true genius. He's the one we have to thank for giving us the advanced tech. Admittedly, there are some pieces of tech that would not be able to operate without the use of magic."
Reinald looked curious. "You monsters use magic frequently, don't you?"
Asriel shrugged. "We're made of it, so it makes sense to use it I suppose. Now, I have a question for you."
Reinald smiled wider. "Well, let's hear it!"
Asriel looked into his eager eyes. "I want to know more about what can happen when a human soul bonds with that of a monster. I figured you wizards would know more about that than us."
Reinald set the cup down. "Ah, that's an interesting question, King Asriel. One I doubt I would be able to explain properly. That is something the head grand wizard would know about. Shall we pay him a visit?"
Asriel thought for a moment, before nodding. "Let's." As they walked outside of the house, Asriel glanced at Undyne, speaking just quiet enough that Reinald wouldn't overhear.
"I'll be back before dusk. Get the rest of the guard ready to move out upon my return."
Undyne gave a short nod before leaving to prep the others. Asriel continued walking with Reinald out of Windgate.
