Chapter 36
They could hear the birds singing outside the barrier. Here the cave had crumbled in many places and the garden was dappled with pools of sunlight. They looked up and saw hints of blue and white faintly through the barrier surrounding the underground like a soap bubble.
"Dum dee dum..." Asgore hummed softly to himself. The water sprinkling across the flower petals filled the room with a gentle susurrus as he emptied his watering can. His wide shoulders and swirling cloak seemed to fill the room, yet he moved with a surprising delicacy for someone so big.
Frisk walked further into the room. The flowers parted around them, the soft petals brushing against their legs.
"Oh?" Asgore paused briefly, "Is someone there? Just a moment!" he called over his shoulder, "I have almost finished watering these flowers." He raised the watering can a little higher to empty the last drops, "Here we are..." He turned, a gentle smile on his face, "Howdy, how can I-!" The watering can clattered onto the ground. Plant stems snapped as he startled back, away from them. His face contorted with pure shock and horror.
When Frisk had first come here, they had thought he was upset because they were human. Now they knew, it was because they looked like Chara at first glance; a ghost come back to haunt him.
"Oh." He said softly, his voice choked and tight. He spun away from them. When he turned back, he couldn't quite look at them, "...I so badly want to say..." he swallowed hard.
Frisk dropped their bag in front of them with a thump and reached inside, "Would you like a cup of tea?" they asked, pulling out the large thermos.
He hesitated, his hand curling and uncurling like they were searching for something.
"Papyrus lent me the thermos." Frisk said as they carefully unscrewed the top, "Undyne let me have some golden flower tea, she said it's your favorite, right? Her and Alphys helped me make it. I hope it's ok, we borrowed a cup for you from the kitchen." They pulled the large cup out of the bag and held it out to Asgore.
He stared at the cup blankly.
They gestured impatiently. Asgore slowly unfroze and mechanically took the mug. Fisk lifted the thermos and carefully poured him a cup of tea. It steamed gently. "Careful, it's really hot." Frisk sat down in the flowers, the petals tickling their knees. They turning the thermos cap over and poured a small amount of tea into it.
Asgore slowly sank down to his knees, clutching the cup in both hands like a life line, "Undyne?" he said softly, "Dr. Alphys, and Sans' brother Papyrus...?"
Frisk nodded, "Sans came with me too, he's outside." They blew on their tea and sipped it hesitantly, jerking back when it burnt their lip.
Asgore reached out to them, his face etched with concern. His hand froze half way and he pulled it back, fingers trembling as if he were fighting himself.
Frisk took a deep breath, "Doggo, Dogeressa, Dogamy, Lesser and Greater, Snowy, Icecap, Ms. Lapin, Aaron, Woshua, Gerson, Bratty and Catty, Vulkin, Muffet, Grillby... there are lots more but they're all my friends. I've been living in Snowdin, with Pap and Sans. It's my home now."
"You... have befriended them? The monsters of the underground have accepted you?" A note of hope edged into his voice.
Frisk smiled and nodded, "Uhuh."
Asgore looked down at the steaming mug in his hands, "But... coming here? If you are happy in the Underground why did you come here? You must know-" he faltered. "You must know."
Chara looked around at all the golden flowers, the air was thick with the scent of them. It hadn't always been that way. The builders had designed the room to be the throne room but with all the sun that snuck in, Asgore had decided to turn it into a garden and Toriel hadn't have the heart to say no because Chara had been so excited and since Chara and Asgore were excited Asriel was too. There had been so many different flowers and plants from the Underground and the surface. Now there were only golden flowers.
"We never had a water garden." Chara said softly, "that's why I didn't know what the water sausages were called."
"Pardon?" Asgore asked, his voice wavered, "You manner of speaking suddenly changed. It... they sounded..."
Chara stared down at their cup, "Do you remember the first time you took Azzy and I to Waterfall?" They slowly turned the cup between their hands, tracing the rim with their thumb,"The two of us were looking at the plants. Azzy got bored and was messing around and ended up falling in the water. He was soaked and I couldn't stop laughing," they smiled in recollection, "so he pushed me and I fell in too. Then he cried!" they laughed,"He felt so bad about it. I didn't even care but he cried for me. I called him a crybaby but mostly, he cried for me when I wouldn't cry for myself... I didn't want him to cry for me."
Chara looked up at Asgore; his hands were shaking badly.
Frisk felt the heat rise in their face and eyes burn. Chara pressed their lips together and very slowly sucked in a shaky breath, tears dripped free of their lashes. Chara cleared their throat and wiped their eyes on their sleeve, "You carried us back home. Toriel was mad at us and we didn't get any dessert that night but you never even raised your voice. ...You never got mad at me. Asg-" They swallowed hard, their throat was knotted and so tight it hurt, "Mister-" their voice cracked.
Asgore froze.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I- It's-" The words felt stuck, lodged like stones but they had to say them, they had to, "It's my fault Azzy died." Their hands trembled so hard the tea spilled over the edge of the cup and onto their fingers.
Frisk gently stilled their hands, meshing their minds together and laying over them like a hug.
You can do it, Frisk told them gently.
Chara took a deep shaky breath, they did their best not to cry, "I didn't get sick, I ate buttercups. I poisoned myself, I-" They shuddered, "I wanted to give him my soul, I wanted to- Everyone said I was the hope of- the future of- we, we only needed six more." Chara sat the cup down, clutching the locket under their shirt, "I didn't want him to get hurt, I never- I never-" they pressed their arm over their eyes. They didn't want to see, it hurt too much, they were afraid. "I wanted to free everyone."
Frisk tugged their arm down and opened their eyes.
Asgore was crying. Tears ran down his cheeks, soaking into his fur, "...Chara?"
Chara tried their best to smile, "Greetings."
Asgore's mug shattered on the ground. Chara was scooped up, surrounded by warm white fur and the rough thick fabric of Asgore's cape. His armor hard and sharp under the cloth.
"I do not know how this is possible..." he said softly, his voice low and rumbling.
Frisk and Chara leaned into him, clutching his fur tightly, it was dense and soft. His long golden mane tickled their nose.
"How is this possible?" he asked, relaxing his grip slightly.
"Toriel buried me in the Ruins where I fell into the Underground." Chara said softly, "It's where all the humans fell into the Underground, where Frisk fell into the Underground."
"I'm Frisk!" Frisk said, "I'm glad you're not mad at Chara."
Asgore looked down at them with a mixture of surprise and confusion.
Chara said, "Somehow, when Frisk fell, I woke up and went with them. They've shared not only their soul with me but the let me use their body too."
"Because we're best friends." Frisk said.
"Golly." Asgore said softly, "Frisk was it?"
Frisk nodded.
"Well, howdy, it is nice to meet you. Although," Asgore smiled, "I feel as if I have met you already."
Frisk smiled sadly, "It's nice to meet you too."
"I'm sorry about what I did," Chara repeated softly, "I sorry for ruining everything."
Asgore patted their back with a light and gentle touch as if he was afraid of breaking them. "If anyone is at fault, it is me, for putting so much pressure upon you."
"No," Chara said flatly. They braced their hands on his chest, pushing back to look up into his face, "No. Mister. I did it. I made the choice, I- It was me."
"Chara..." Asgore said gently.
Chara continued fiercely, "I don't want to blame anyone else. I don't want to find excuses. I made my choice. I did it and I hate myself for doing it and all I can do is try to make up for what I did."
"You were just a child," He said with a kind smile.
"A stupid, angry child," Chara said.
Asgore sighed, "A young child."
Chara squirmed back, "No one is above consequences. Please stop trying trying to give me excuses. That's not why I came here. I just wanted to tell you the truth and apologize," they said uncomfortably, "Put me down, please."
Asgore tried to smile but his eyes showed ancient weariness and sadness as he gently sat them on their feet among the flowers.
"I don't expect you to forgive me for what I did," Chara said straightening their shirt to hide their frustration, "I just wanted-"
Asgore leaned closer to them, "Of course, I forgive you, Chara."
Chara closed their eyes, looking down so he couldn't see their expression. "Of course you do," They said softly and shook their head. Chara pressed the edge of their sleeve against their eyes, dabbing them dry, "Thank you. It means a lot to me."
"I could do no less for my child," Asgore said.
Chara snorted, "You're such a sap, you know that?"
"Indeed." He smiled.
A breeze danced across the tops of the flowers making them sway.
"Um..." Frisk said awkwardly.
Asgore looked down at his hands, which twitched to reach out and touch them again, to make sure they were well and truly real.
Chara stared at Asgore and said the first thing that came to mind, "...armor."
Asgore asked, "Did you say something, Chara?"
They reached out and touched the metal, "You're wearing armor. Before you only ever wore it for ceremonies and speeches."
Asgore stiffened slightly, "This- This is..." He trailed off, tugging his cloak around the armor to try and hide it from sight.
"I suppose you would've tried to kill Frisk if I hadn't been with them." They smiled apologetically at Asgore's pained expression, "It's ok. You were just doing what you promised, to free all of monsterkind."
"It is truly not my desire to start a war with humanity." Asgore said gravely, his expression grief stricken. He clutched the edges of the cloak tightly around himself, "The cost would be too great, for both sides. It was something said in the heat of the moment. Never have I regretted something as much as I regret saying that."
"Then why-?"
"I was upset and angry..." He said softly, not willing to look them in the eye, "And as news spread of what happened... I began receiving news of monsters losing hope, becoming weak and falling down. I declared war in an impulse, hoping to save my people from despair and sooth my own pain as well. But I was no better than an animal licking it's wounds."
His voice wobbled and cracked, "I incited anger and violence when I should have invited mourning and given my people, myself, time to heal..." He slowly let go of the cloak and looked down at his own hands, "My wife- Toriel was right, I am a fool."
Chara laid their hands into his, their small hands hardly bigger than fingers.
He looked at them, his eyes wobbly with tears.
"A silly fool," Chara said gently.
Asgore carefully folded his fingers over their hands, "Do you think I might be forgiven?"
"...I'm not the one you have to ask for forgiveness from."
"...Yes. I know," Asgore said softly, lowering his head.
Frisk smiled and gripped his fingers, "I think, it's time for a fresh start. A new kind of hope, maybe?"
"Yeah." Chara half laughed, "Enough moping around."
"...And, um..." Frisk said hesitantly, "could I see the barrier?"
Asgore blinked, "The barrier? Why do you desire to see such a thing?"
"Frisk is kind of a nerd about magic shit."
"Hey!" Frisk protested.
"A nerd is a nerd," Chara shrugged.
Frisk said under their breath, "Well you're a weeb."
Chara gasped theatrically, "Well, I never!"
Frisk broke into giggles.
Asgore stared at them with a slightly amused and perplexed expression that everyone had the first time they watched Frisk and Chara banter, switching back and forth in Frisk's body like a tennis player returning the ball, each with their own way of speaking and body language, so distinctive from one another you might forget they were in one body.
"If you wish to see the barrier," Asgore rose smoothly to his feet, "I shall show you the way."
"Thank you!" Frisk said, jumping to their feet.
They followed his broad back through the throne room and the series of small caves and passageways that led to the large cavern that marked the underground's entrance and one of only two places the barrier could be seen.
The barrier distorted light as it passed through it and it hummed like a machine. Looking through it was like trying to look up from underwater, the light wavering and rippling as waves of power coursed through the barrier.
Frisk could feel the power flowing off of it, like the heat of the sun on a hot day. Their aching head began to thrum and pulse with the moving power as Frisk turned all their attention to it.
They walked towards it, drawn like a moth to a flame, transfixed. Frisk stopped, so close they could feel the barriers' power like a mist. They reached out one trembling hand.
I don't think this is a good idea. Chara said.
Frisk ignored them and let two fingertips press onto the surface. They jerked their hand back. Tingling, prickling sensations ran down their hand. It had felt... it had felt so... they reached out again-
FRISK!
-and pressed their hand against the barrier. Power. SO much- Chara jerked their hand back, stumbling and falling down onto the ground. The prickling, thrumming sensation seemed to have gone all the way their feet, their arm was numb to the elbow.
"You stupid-!" Chara growled, pressing their hands to their head as it blossomed with pain sharp, and throbbing. They couldn't stop the whimper of pain.
"Chara?!" Asgore hurried over to them. His large hand easily covering and steading their back.
Chara shifted their hands so they could look up at him and try to reassure him with a faint, "I'm fine."
"good grief, what's happened now?" a leisurely voice asked from behind them.
Asgore turned and Chara could just barely see past him the figure of Sans walking slowly towards them, one hand in his pocket, the other holding their backpack, slung over his shoulder.
"Sans?" Asgore said.
Sans nodded in Asgore's direction, "sup, boss." He looked down at Chara as he got closer and raised a brow questioningly.
"Frisk touched the barrier." Chara said between spasms of pain.
Sans sighed and rolled his eyes. "can't say i'm surprised. kid has the self-preservation of a kitten."
"I do not understand, the barrier should not be painful to touch." Asgore said.
San's shrugged and dropped their backpack of the ground, "they're not your average human."
Asgore asked, "Should I send for a healer?"
"you know one who can use healing soul magic?" Sans asked.
"Healing soul magic?! Golly, is it that bad?" Asgore leaned over them, studying them intensely.
"It's fine." Chara reassured him, "We'll visit MK when get back to Snowdin."
"Back to Snowdin?" Asgore said anxiously, "but you can stay here, Toriel and I will take care of you as best we can. We can sit in the living room, telling stories. Eating butterscotch pie... we could be a family a-"
"Don't." Chara said softly, "Please. I'm sorry Mister but I can't."
Asgore froze still as a statue.
"my bro is pretty attached to em." Sans said, "it'd break his heart if they left."
"Ah..." Asgore said sadly.
"We can come visit," Frisk said absently, "lots, if you want, for tea and gardening. Chara doesn't not wanna see you, they just don't wanna live here. There are too many bad memories."
"I see." Asgore said, trying to look understanding.
"Why the heck did you touch the barrier, Frisk?" Chara asked eager to distance themselves from Asgore's pained expression, "And then you just drift off to leave me with the pain, huh?"
"Sorry, Chara." Frisk said with a sigh. They sat forward, peeling away from Asgore's hand. Sans offered his hand and they took it, letting themselves be pulled up. "Sans!" they said, excited despite feeling wrung out like a wet dishcloth.
"yeah, kid?"
"Did you know the barrier uses magic to get stronger?!" Frisk said
Sans said, "the barrier was made with the soul magic of seven humans-"
"But it keeps going by using the magic in the Underground!" They gestured as they spoke, "it pulls it in from the air and pushes it around like- like a current or waves, and that makes the power always stay the same!"
Sans leaned forward slightly, his hands slipping from his pockets, "yeah?"
Frisk went on excitedly, picking up their backpack and pulling it on quickly, "I thought it was weird, cause my magic fades after a while if it's not connected to my soul directly, so I didn't understand how the barrier could keep going without the casters but when I touched it I could see!"
"the barrier self sustains by feeding on the underground's ambient magic supply," Sans mused. "but that shouldn't be enough to account for all power of the barrier, if it was just monster magic then we would've been able to break it a long time ago."
"That's because there are casters!" Frisk grabbed his sleeve.
"what?" Sans brow furrowed.
Frisk tugged on his jacket urgently, "The seven souls are in the barrier, the humans who made the barrier wove their souls into the spell! It keeps it going forever!"
Sans eyes widened, "shit. i mean, i've heard theories about the source of the barriers power..." He nodded at them, "you're certain?"
Frisk nodded.
"Pardon, but-?" Asgore said tentatively.
"sorry, boss. it's, well," Sans said with a wave. "we'll have to come back again when your soul's back up to snuff."
Frisk nodded excitedly.
"i'm gonna have to teach you aren't i?" Sans said with a sigh.
"Oh please!" Frisk said excitedly.
"yes, yes," he put on a pained but dutiful face. He slung an arm over their shoulders and pulled them in closer, murmuring quietly so only they could hear, "prolly best if you save one more time and then let's see about those souls?"
Frisk nodded, briefly closing their eyes in concentration. Flowey had moved to the throne room but he probably wasn't planning to stay there. They took a deep breath and saved again.
Sans dropped his arm and stepped back slightly, his eyes skimming the edges of the room in apparent boredom.
Frisk walked over to Asgore and tugged on his cloak, "I wanna ask..."
.
(a/n: the next update will be this wednesday, june 1st, mostly cause I want to go back to updating on wednesdays. I like updating on wednesdays, don't know why.
There will be a general increase in swearing from here on out, mostly because Sans and Chara have come to realize that Frisk is not a precious baby made of spun glass, but rather a stubborn, pig-headed nugget with too much curiosity and not enough common sense. Except the word fuck, Chara would still rather that word not be used around Frisk, unless Chara is saying it then it's FINE and TOTALLY justified.)