Just to let you know, I hated writing this Chapter. It never seemed to come out right and in the process of doing a minor edit I basically ended up cutting out a huge chunk, rewriting it and then rewriting completely different chapters because of it! I really need to stop myself sometimes. After all, something is usually better than nothing. Right?

... Right?

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You watched Papyrus dart about your room from your spot on the bed. It was funny how you had become so used to the sight of the tall skeleton running around and fretting over you. In fact it seemed that he spent more time with you than Toriel did recently. The days where you would wake up to her accidentally dozing in a chair at your side or re-bandaging your leg seemed to be past now that you no longer required her constant healing magic.

But that didn't mean you were in the clear just yet. The cane Toriel had given you was getting a lot of use as you still couldn't walk unassisted. Your muscles often felt tight and sore which either stemmed from overexerting yourself or not exerting yourself enough; it was frustrating not knowing which was which. On top of that you sometimes had sporadic fits of pain, but thankfully it was nothing too bad. At least it was nothing like last week when you had suddenly locked up and almost passed out in the middle of the almost-argument Papyrus had accidentally sparked.

Your train of thought brought you back to the eccentric skeleton who was currently riffling through your closet (your closet, your bedroom, when exactly had you started referring to these things as yours?) and arranging coathangers upon coathangers of new clothes. Ever since the aborted discussion over whether or not you were prepared to leave Toriel's house he had redoubled his efforts of 'Mom-ing' you. This meant that you were almost constantly wrapped in blankets, buried under piles of toys and activities or, if you were unlucky, offered the chance to taste-test 'secret' recipes. Part of it was endearing. Part of it was annoying.

Part of it was... concerning.

You couldn't take it anymore. You had to speak up.

"So, uh, Papyrus...?"

"Yes, human?" was the immediate response.

You paused for a moment. Oh man, you hadn't even thought about what you were going to say. That was unlike you. You actually prided yourself on not being silly enough to say anything out loud without thinking it through first, but now you had started a conversation without really knowing how to continue it. You grumpily chalked your lapse in thought up to your various aches and pains. Perhaps you should have asked Toriel to keep using her healing magic on you for a couple more weeks? No, that was selfish; you were pretty much healed leg wise. You could handle a little bit of muscle tension if it meant the kindly woman could finally take a break.

Blinking you realised that Papyrus had stopped banging around in the (your) closet and was eagerly waiting for you to continue speaking. You quickly shook yourself out of your thoughts and tried to pick out your next words as fast as possible.

"Do you think... it's okay for me to go outside now?"

You knew you had said the wrong thing as soon as you watched the edges of the skeleton's bright smile die a little at the edges. Damnit, that hadn't been your intention at all. What had you been thinking to stick your foot in your mouth like that? Maybe because the idea had excited him so much last time you thought it could work again this time. But there was a difference between now and last time. Ugh, stupid! You just wanted the poor guy to stop buzzing about you in circles and deal with what was really bothering him.

"I'm very sorry, human, but you're not well enough to go outside just yet." Papyrus said regretfully followed by a mumble that sounded like 'according to Sans and Toriel'.

You would be lying if you said part of you didn't feel upset that there was still no chance of you going outside just yet. But that wasn't why you had started up the conversation, so you tried a new approach.

"Are you still upset about what happened last time?"

That pushed the direction of the conversation closer to what you wanted.

"Last time? Oh no! I am not upset in the slightest! At all!" After a month of getting to know everyone's mannerisms you could tell when your tall friend was lying or stressed. It was a subtle difference from his shouting when he was excited, but you had noticed he always put unnecessary emphasis on his words when he was denying something. All you had to do was give him a blank look and-"I just..." There it is. "I want to be absolutely certain that you are one hundred percent prepared when we go out so that nothing can possibly go wrong!"

You hummed, "You think something will go wrong?"

"Well... no, not me! I have complete confidence in you, human! I am sure that you would do wonderfully outside!" His unwavering certainty made you smile. You'd never would have thought that someone could hold such complete and unquestionable faith in you. But before you could properly appreciate it the corners of Papyrus' smile were quirking down into something more strained and worried again. "It is just that my brother does not seem to share this confidence."

"Is he really that controlling?"

It always concerned and intrigued you how a skeleton could somehow have its eyes bulge out of its sockets. It was a given that Papyrus was actually a skeleton monster and therefore made of magic, but still! He had empty sockets one moment and ballooning cartoonish eyes the next! How did that work?

"C-Controlling!?" the suddenly appalled skeleton exclaimed, "Human! Where did you get such an idea!?"

"From... you?" you hesitantly asked. You had heard him correctly last time, hadn't you?

"O-oh. I did say that..." Papyrus admitted, sweating and looking ashamed at the memory. "That was, um..."

You watched him fiddle with the ends of his orange mitts as he searched for an explanation. The room was silent for a while as neither of you spoke, the unfinished sentence hanging abandoned in the air. Finally, with a surprisingly anguished sigh, Papyrus dropped his hands back to his sides.

"I did not mean to say that. Sans is not actually that controlling. He has just been a little... different, lately. And by lately I mean for a while." The quiet tone of the admission was just as surprising to hear now as it had been the first time. It just didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the skeleton's personality and a part of you twisted in discomfort whenever you heard it. It felt too similar to the awkward siences that often pervaded Toriel's otherwise happy house. Something about it just wasn't right. You didn't understand why it bothered you as much as it did, you just felt it was... unnatural. As though it wasn't supposed to exist.

"However! That is not a problem!" Papyrus immediately bounced back into more natural territory, "For I, the Great Papyrus, am well versed in brotherly ways! In fact, I have been a brother for as long as I can remember! I am certain that I can bring Sans around again! With my specialised training you will be a proffessional at walking, much like myself! And then there will be no room for fretting over 'what if's'!"

"Yeah, it'll go great!" You eagerly agreed, ready to drop the strange discomfort of the previous conversation like a hot potato, "You're the best personal trainer I've ever had!"

"Wowie, really!? Undyne would be so proud of me if she heard that!"

"Hmm? Who's that?"

"Undyne is my trainer!" Papyrus declared proudly, enthusiasm lighting up his face and making some kind of sparkling magic light up his eye sockets, "She is a very important person! Head of the Royal Guard, in fact!"

Well, that was news to you. Apart from the three monsters caring for you, you hadn't met anyone else. Admittedly that was kind of hard to do when you were still so wobbly on your feet, but they never even mentioned other monsters to you. In fact, none of them talked to you about what the Underground was like outside of the house and for some strange reason you had never asked. Even Papyrus didn't really seem to bring it up and he was naturally chatty! Perhaps because he was so focussed on the whole 'Mom' thing? But hey, even if you had forgotten to ask about it the opportunity was there now. You might even learn something new about how monsters and the underground worked!

You re-adjusted yourself to lean your cheek on the knee of your good leg and smiled. "I've never heard of the Royal Guard." But it sounds pretty cool and important and I'd like to hear everything about it!

"WHAT!? BUT EVERYONE IN THE ROYAL GUARD IS SO COOL AND IMPORTANT!" That's exactly what I- "HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW ABOUT IT!?"

There was a beat of silence.

"Oops, nevermind, I forgot that you have been... indisposed? ANYWAY!" Quickly, Papyrus posed proudly, worn orange-red cape fluttering (you were almost entirely certain that he always wore it should he need to dramatically pose, much like how he wore oven mitts all the time in case of 'spontaneous cooking sessions'), "The Royal Guard is composed of only the COOLEST, STRONGEST and MOST POPULAR monsters in the Underground!"

"Really?" You egged him on, smiling in amusement and interest.

"REALLY!" Papyrus confirmed gleefully, "Every monster likes, loves and looks up to the monsters in the Royal Guard! To be a Guard is to be admired by everyone you meet! As well as everyone you don't meet!"

You giggled to yourself as magical stars lit up in Papyrus' sockets. You could tell that this was a subject near and dear to the skeleton's heart (or whatever equivalent he had). He was maybe three seconds away from letting out a dreamy sigh.

No sooner than you'd had the thought, Papyrus was staring off into the far distance with the endearing look of whimsy on his face, "It is my greatest dream to become a Guard! Imagine; THE GREAT PAPYRUS, THE VERY POPULAR, VERY HANDSOME, VERY ADMIRED ROYAL GUARDSMAN!"

"That sound's like a pretty awesome club, Papyrus! I bet it's really hard to get into."

"Oh, most certainly! One must prove themselves greatly in order to become one of the Royal Guard! Only the King and Captain Undyne may choose new recruits! Unfortunately Undyne has been on vacation for about four months now and the King has... retired? I am not quite sure."

You raised an eyebrow at that. Could a King retire? Maybe he believed he was too old for his role and passed his royal duties onto his children?

You were about to raise these questions when Papyrus interrupted you again. "Nonetheless, the Royal Guard is currently not recruiting at the moment. In fact, it has been surprisingly disorganised as of late! Barely anyone does the required patrols and reports on human activity has grinded to a halt because there is nowhere for the paperwork to go!" It seemed the thought rather annoyed the monster as he stood with his arms crossed and huffed. "I was perhaps the only one to keep on top of my sentry duties! And I am not even an official Royal Guard yet! It was only by Sans' insistence that I stopped. Normally I would not have allowed him to coerce me into idleness but- w-well, I believed that it was the best course of action to take at the time! And besides, if I had not done so then Toriel and yourself would have never met the Great Papyrus! What a depressing thought! I could not imagine how dull and unfulfilling your lives would have been!"

You nodded along with the last statement out of politeness but your focus was elsewhere. Something was bugging you about what the tall skeleton had said and you needed clarification.

"You guys have reports for human activity? Is that, like, information you've collected from the top of the mountain or something?" Your imagination conjured up some kind of old fashioned radio system with blips to show where humans could be on the mountain, like in a submarine.

"Oh no," Papyrus shook his head, "the reports are only for human activity in the Underground! Though more often than not they don't actually report anything. Humans are very rare here!"

"Have- have I been reported? What do you guys do with that... information?"

Your position on the bed suddenly felt very uncomfortable. In fact, you felt uncomfortable in general. Wasn't this meant to be a light-hearted, educational discussion? Why was there a feeling of dread creeping up your back?

"Well, when a human is reported they are captured and brought before the King of all Monsters! After that, well, I'm not so clear on the details!"

You were shocked at how casual Papyrus was being, as if what he had just said wasn't the most threatening sounding thing that you, a human, could possibly hear. Your sudden alarm went unnoticed as he continued to talk, musing something about being offered tea, "But since Asgore is gone now I guess someone else would have to offer it? Oh well, it doesn't matter since Undyne hasn't come back from vacation yet. And if Undyne is not back there is no one to read the reports! Besides! I am quite enjoying living with Toriel and learning all the 'Mom-ing' skills she has! Her cooking skills are quite unique! I'll have to introduce her to Undyne when she returns! She used to train me in the culinary arts, though in a very different fashion than Toriel and-"

"Hey."

Papyrus stopped mid rant at your quiet interruption. There was still a slight smile on your face even though you knew your eyes didn't reflect it. You knew that the poor guy probably hadn't meant anything by what he'd revealed to you, but your head was now swimming with dark thoughts and anxieties thanks to the new information. You hadn't intended for the conversation to go the way it did. You needed a moment to think. Alone.

"I'm gonna go talk to Toriel now. About the cooking, actually." You lied.

"Oh, I see," Papyrus nodded, "you wish to learn her great culinary secrets too! Though I must warn you, human! I have quite profound skills in the kitchen both from prior experience and natural talent! You will not easily surpass me, even with the assistance of th- Toriel!"

"Ha ha. Well, I can still try, right?"

Your own laugh sounded a bit hollow to your ears, but what was important was that it convinced Papyrus. He didn't go with you due to the clothes he had yet to hang in the wardrobe and you were secretly grateful for it. As you slowly made your way out of the bedroom with the help of your cane, you tried to appear as calm as possible.

All of that disappeared the moment you had entered the empty hallway. With your bedroom door closed and no one else in sight you leaned against a wall and let out a slow and silent breath. You had to process what you had learned, which meant you couldn't allow yourself to panic. But that was rather hard with what you had just unintentionally learned.

It must be so nice being Papyrus, always seeing a positive scenario where others like yourself could only imagine one hundred ways that things could go horribly wrong. Did he really believe that a human that was captured by guards and brought before the king of monsters would be served tea? Yes. Yes he did. You could say it with complete certainty having known him for about a month. But did you believe it?

Hell. No.

"The barrier that the humans of the past created prevents anyone from leaving the underground..."

"It would take seven human Souls to break the barrier..."

You remembered Toriel's words clearly even though the explanation had been extremely brief. Humans created a magical barrier to seal monsters in the Underground after the war. Human Souls were needed to break said barrier. The Royal Guard was required to make reports on any human activity in the Underground even though there were never any humans. All humans found were brought before the King. How could any of that add up to something good?

You shook your head, trying to clear out the fog of panic that was trying to build up. You didn't have all the facts. If 'capturing' a human was a thing, then surely you didn't have to be dead to have your soul be used against the barrier, right? Toriel had said something about monster souls only being revealed after death, so maybe that meant that human souls worked differently? Maybe you wouldn't be killed. Or maybe the removal of your soul would actually cause you to die. Maybe it could be drawn from you with magic and used on the barrier, which could also kill you. It seemed possible; monsters were talented with souls. Toriel had said so, hadn't she? But that wasn't the worst of it.

Amongst the swirling ideas that were springing out from the darkest corners of your mind, one train thought stood out in particular: There is no one around to read the reports, but what happens when there finally is? Have I already been reported? Did... did Toriel, Sans and Papyrus... report me to them already?

You didn't want to delve into those thoughts. You had been with these people for over a month. They wouldn't do that to you, would they? Papyrus at least wouldn't wish any harm on you, though the way he spoke about the Royal Guard could make you believe he might report you without understanding the consequences. Toriel had exhausted herself just trying to keep your pain at bay; that wasn't just to gain your trust, was it? Sans was... Sans. Honestly you still weren't sure where you and that guy stood with each other, but he had helped with your wounds and that had to mean he wasn't that bad. Together they saved your life!

But did they really? Your thoughts persisted, They're the ones who would know how souls work, not me. Maybe they need a live human. Maybe that's why Toriel's explanation was so cut and dry. Maybe that's the real reason I'm not allowed outside, why one of them always has an eye on me, why the air always feels so tense even though I tried so hard to fix it. Maybe they knew this all along and they've been waiting for the moment when they can finally-

No! You couldn't think that! That couldn't- you didn't want it to be true! You trusted the three monsters pretty much from the moment you had met them. There was just something that seemed so safe about them even with their strange quirks.

But why? Why do I trust them so much when I doubt literally everything else? Why am I being so obedient with them? Why haven't I thought about getting back to the surface lately? I disappeared in the middle of a search party for god's sake! Why am I not more upset about being kept indoors? I should be thinking about the big picture more than just the emotional tension between three monsters! I don't even know what's ten feet outside the front door! I've never seen any other part of the underground or other monsters or the barrier! And what if everything I've been told about that is a lie? I don't know anything about magic! What if I wasn't just being healed but brainwashed too!? Is that why I haven't thought about trying to leave for a whole month!?

You pushed your palms into your forehead and tried to stop your thoughts from spiralling further and further into paranoid territory. But it seemed impossible. You had no proof to dismiss all of the thoughts you were having. You couldn't even ask about it directly. You doubted that Papyrus was capable of it but if Toriel or Sans had ever lied to you there was no way to know. That last thought about brainwashing hit pretty hard too. As crazy as it sounded it wasn't far off from the idea of a bipedal goat woman and two skeletons living beneath a mountain without anyone knowing about it.

What were you supposed to do now? There was no way you could completely trust the three monsters as long as you were filled with these kinds of doubts. You had to do something about it! But you couldn't let any of them know that you were doing something just in case your horrifying little thoughts were true. You knew what you had to do but you felt so bad about it. After all, you had just been talking with Papyrus about trying to earn his brother's (and probably Toriel's) trust. But damnit it couldn't be helped. You needed to do this.

You needed to investigate outside the house. Alone.