Karen had lost sight of Asriel, stopping to catch her breath; she knew where he had gone. He had gone back to their room, to hide.
"Asriel…" she heaved, starting to walk now, back towards the bedroom. As she made her way there, she saw two monsters outside the door, each one of equally short stature, arguing about who should go in and talk with Asriel. They were both dressed in the same style of clothing; however, the colors in which they were dressed were not. One wore black and the other wore white.
"Go in!" said the black one.
"Stay out!" said the white one.
"This is our business, to know what happens in this castle!" said the black one.
"I'm not going near him! He seemed really upset…" sighed the white one.
"He is." Said Karen, surprising the two monsters away from the door.
"W-who are you?!" asked the black one.
"I'm Karen. The King has me under protection. And that is my b-… friend." Said Karen, avoiding the fact that Asriel and her were in love. "He trusts me more than anyone. If anyone should go in there, it should be me."
"Well, then… Seems that this problem has just solved itself, right, Blanca?" asked the white one.
"Unfortunately, yes, Noir." Groaned Blanca. "Come along. We have business at the mines." Karen turned to the door and exhaled.
"Asriel? It's me, Karen." Said Karen, gently rapping on the door with her knuckles. "I'm not mad at you, I'm just worried."
"So, do you really think that it's a good idea to be around me right now?" asked Asriel.
"Well, someone has to be there for you... right?" Smiled Karen sheepishly. From the other side of the door, Asriel sighed.
"Come in." he said. As Karen pushed through the door, she saw Asriel sitting in front of one of the beds, tears falling down his eyes, which had changed to black and white.
"A-Azzy? Y-your eyes…" said Karen worriedly.
"I tried so hard, all these years, just to keep him contained… But now… now?" cried Asriel.
"Asriel, I'm fine! I can understand the anger you felt; if it were you out there instead of me, I'd have been furious with Grag, too! But Flowey is gone!" Karen shouted. "He disappeared after you came back!"
"No, he didn't! He was just tucked away in the back of my mind… An entity that I thought I could forget about… But Karen… these last few days, ever since we left for this journey, I've been more and more on edge, and it's only gotten worse!"
"Of course, you'd been on edge! This is your first time away from your family in five years! Anyone would be on edge, myself included." Sighed Karen. "Azzy, please! You can't give in!"
"Karen… Do you think that Asriel and I could live apart?" asked Asriel, his voice higher. Karen gasped. Asriel's head turned, his white pupils staring into hers.
"Flowey… You… took control?" asked Karen. Asriel nodded.
"Only for a moment… I needed to know what you thought… It's scary, being a memory… Part of me just wants to die… but I'm too afraid to do it…" said Asriel.
"Flowey… I'm not sure what I think… I mean, I always want the best for everyone, no matter who or what they are. But I'm not the one you should talk to about it." Said Karen.
"Who else could I go to? You're the only one around, aside from Asriel, and he's terrified of me." said Asriel.
"That may be true, but… I mean, Frisk knows you better than anyone else-" started Karen.
"Frisk? Heh… She left me… like everyone else… and for what?! Some praise? Some family time? Some recognition for freeing everyone?" asked Asriel, his voice hot with disdain.
"She left… because she had a job to do." Sighed Karen. "The world doesn't revolve around you, Flowey. People have their own lives, too."
"I could have been saved! Just like everyone else! But I was left behind! Forgotten! Just like the trash I am!" cried Asriel.
"Flowey… I-I didn't mean to upset you." Sighed Karen.
"Well, you did!" snarled Asriel. Karen stared down at the ground for a moment, and then kissed Asriel on the forehead.
"What was that for?" asked Asriel angrily.
"No reason… other than I love you, regardless of what form you take." She replied, holding Asriel close in a hug.
"This doesn't change anything. If you only knew what he'd done-" started Asriel.
"I know all the things he did." said Karen calmly.
"Then how are you still so kind to him?!" asked Asriel.
"It's easier to forgive and forget, than to hold on to the past." Smiled Karen. Asriel gasped, as Flowey slipped back into his mind, every word that Karen had said still echoing in his ears. His shoulders bobbed with each sob, as he held Karen closely.
"I'm so… sorry…" wept Asriel, hugging Karen tightly.
"It's okay… It's okay…" said Karen, smiling as she nuzzled into his chest. "No matter what you do, or what you've done, I will never, ever leave you." Behind them, the door opened, and Grag limped in, a look of guilt on his face. Karen turned.
"Grag…" sighed Karen.
"Grag… I-I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to lose control." Sniffled Asriel, but Grag raised a grubby hand.
"You have every right to your emotions. I… deserved what I got. I went too far, as well…" admitted Grag. "I just wanted to make His Majesty proud, and… my competitive nature got the better of me."
"It's fine, Grag. But, for the record, try not to be so sexist…" smiled Karen quietly. "The world you grew up in is far different from the one I know." Grag smiled, and nodded.
"I've no right to be, now. You've proven your worth in battle. And if you can do it, then any monster worth her salt can do the same." Smiled Grag, handing her a pin.
"What's this?" asked Karen, staring down at the star-shaped pin.
"My general's badge. You deserve it far more than me." Grag said lightly.
"Grag, I can't. I'm not a fighter, much less a soldier." Said Karen.
"I'm not handing you my position… I'm handing you my badge. Keep it… as a token of your hard-won victory." Concluded Grag. Asriel laughed, and wiped the tears from his fur.
"I was wrong about you, Grag." Sighed Asriel.
"I could say the same about you." Said Grag.
"What do you mean?" asked Asriel. Grag snorted and laughed.
"Well, when we first met, I thought you were going to be a milquetoast fighter. But then you mentioned you were Asgore's son. I was terrified." Said Grag. "And after what happened in the courtyard, that terror turned to respect."
"Why would you be terrified?" asked Asriel. Grag stared at Asriel and raised an eyebrow. "Oh… well, Aberon's banishment was a one-time thing. He's a complete pushover, otherwise."
"That's not what I was told." Said Grag. "I was told that Asgore used to beat up his brother on a regular basis, that it was all for the throne."
"W-what?" asked Asriel. "Th-that's not true… My dad's, like, the nicest guy I know."
"He was also known for acting; pretending to be injured, then placing the blame on Aberon." Continued Grag. "It was incidents like that that led to their brotherly bond being so short-lived."
"Azzy… You're not seriously believing this… are you?" asked Karen.
"To be fair, I don't know what to believe anymore. Dad never talked about Aberon to me; he even lied to Mom about what happened to him. For all I know, he could be the liar, now. But then there's Aberon. The Soul Library… He tried to redirect me away from that Soul… The red one… it's like he knew whose soul that was… Grag… You don't know anything, do you?" asked Asriel. Grag averted his gaze unsurely.
"Grag, you respect the both of us, right?" asked Karen.
"Of course, I do!" said Grag.
"Then tell us the truth." Said Asriel calmly.
"Of all the Souls you had to ask about…" sighed Grag. "Why that one?"
"I'll give you a reason why." Said Asriel, summoning his soul. The red half glowed hotly in Asriel's hands, while the white half shone radiantly like a small sun.
"Oh… How…? Never mind… It's just a legend." Said Grag.
"What?" asked Karen.
"There's an old legend among monsters about two saviors: A human and a monster, who each share half of the other's Soul. It's told that one day, the two of them would bring eternal peace between the two races. Humans and Monsters can live in peace… But… I thought it was just a silly story… Because the monster savior could only have been from the Dreemurr line." Said Grag.
"Not a word to Aberon. Not until I can trust him." Said Asriel hotly, replacing his Soul.
"I won't. If he knew about this… It would mean the end for you." Said Grag.
"Asriel, can I ask you one thing? What is it about the Dreemurr line and me being legends?" asked Frisk over the phone. Asriel chuckled.
"I have no idea. I mean, the Dreemurr line has had its fair share of legends, but that's the first I've heard of that one." said Asriel. "Besides, it could just be a coincidence."
"A human and a monster from the Dreemurr line, each one sharing half of the other's Soul? It's painfully obvious that it's us." Said Frisk.
"I don't know what to tell you, aside from what I was told." Said Asriel.
"You may want to find out more about this legend. I'll go to the library up here and see what I can find. I recommend you do the same, Azzy." suggested Frisk.
"I'll see what I can find." Said Asriel. "Um… Frisk?"
"Yeah?" asked Frisk.
"I know it's a touchy subject… But did you ever know your father? Your birth father?" asked Asriel.
"No…? I mean, both my parents died before I'd even turned three. In the flashback I had before the twins were born… My mom was alone. Why do you ask?" asked Frisk.
"What was her name?" asked Asriel solemnly.
"Arial. It's the same as my daughter's." replied Frisk, causing Asriel to gasp. "Azzy, what do you know?"
"I… think I know where your father is." Said Asriel nervously.
"What?! Azzy, if this is a joke, it's not funny!" shrieked Frisk.
"I'm not joking." Said Asriel, putting his finger in his ear and scratching.
"Well, where is he?! Is he still alive?" asked Frisk frantically, hopefully.
"Eh… No… it's complicated." Said Asriel.
"Tell me, then. I want to know." Said Frisk, her teeth gritted.
"His Soul is here, along with many others. I don't know what Aberon's planning to do with them. For all I know, he's used them to keep himself alive all these years. But according to him, your father was already dead when he picked up his Soul. So…" explained Asriel.
"What color was it?" asked Frisk.
"Same as ours." Said Asriel. "It explains why it called out to me."
"What do you mean?" asked Frisk.
"Well, I heard a voice, and when I held the jar it was contained in, I saw a memory. There was a cottage, a man and a woman, who was eight months pregnant. He was leaving to pay off the cottage. I don't know if he made it back or not." Said Asriel. After a moment, Asriel heard some crying in the background, and Sans picked up the phone.
"Hey, kid… Um… Frisk is really beat up about this. I think we'll call you back… Okay?" said Sans.
"Okay, Sans. I'm sorry to make her upset." Sighed Asriel.
"It's alright, kid. No worries. We'll keep in touch, okay?" said Sans, hanging up the phone.
"So what now, Azzy?" asked Karen.
"We need to find out exactly what happened." Said Asriel. "Maybe if I try to touch the Soul again?"
"Knowing Aberon, he probably moved it." Said Grag, who was sitting in an armchair behind him. "Probably somewhere hidden; he has a few secret passageways that even I don't know about."
"That won't stop me. If I could hear its voice before, I'll hear it again." Said Asriel. "Besides, I have a feeling that that Soul will tell us if Aberon was telling the truth or not."
"His Majesty doesn't lie." Said Grag. "Besides, if I'm not mistaken, you two now have access to the Solomite Mines. The gems within act like a coal, heating and providing electricity for our kingdom. Our historians found a branching tunnel in the mine."
"A branching tunnel, you say?" said Karen, stretching out her arms. "Who were the historians?"
"Blanca and Noir. They're brother and sister, and often times, they'll even finish the other's sentences or even say the same thing altogether." Explained Grag.
"Oh, I saw them! They were the ones dressed in black and white, right?" asked Karen. "They were just outside the room a few hours ago. Maybe if we talked to them about this whole legend thing, we could shed some light on it."
"Maybe. But perhaps we should let Aberon show you the mines. Want to stop by anywhere, first?" asked Grag.
"Chillby's! We could always use another party member!" said Karen excitedly.
"You just want another drink, don't you…?" asked Asriel.
"No! …Er… Maybe…" sighed Karen.
"Fine… But you're not getting anything with Chocolate." Smiled Asriel.
"Oh, come on!" screamed Karen.
"Also, party members? This isn't Golden Sun, and it sure as shit isn't Final Fantasy." Said Asriel.
"It could be! I mean, if you think about it, Chillby makes all the healing items in the game, you're like a black mage, I'm a fighter…" said Karen optimistically.
"Karen, life's not a game. I learned that the hard way." Said Asriel.
"But you have to admit, there are some RPG elements here!" said Karen. "…Ugh, whatever. C'mon, Pepper."
"No, no, no… We are not taking an animal into the mines. It'll just cause trouble." Said Asriel, taking Pepper from Karen's shoulder. "It already scared me awake this morning, and I'm not waiting around for it to trigger a trap."
"Azzy…" whined Karen.
"Don't 'Azzy' me… I'm putting my foot down on this one." said Asriel, putting Pepper in his cage and locking the door.
"Fine…" sighed Karen.
"So… to Chillby's, then?" said Asriel. Karen and Grag nodded.
"To Chillby's!" they both said.
