A/N: Hello, readers. I am not dead! For the last couple of months, I've been going through a bumpy time of my life. It's had highs and lows, so I haven't been working on the newest chapter as diligently as I can. I apologize for that. It must seem like I have forgotten about this story. Tbh, I have remembered it for quite a few years now and I don't plan on stopping until I finish it.

With that out of the way, let's have some real talk:

As most everyone knows, COVID-19 is spreading throughout the world and has managed to hit the United States, where I live. It is a miserable time, full of fear and loneliness. As of right now, school got cancelled for me. I know that some or most of you guys are going through this same thing, not to mention those who have COVID-19.

It is during this time that I wish I had my chapter done so that I could brighten your guys' days the only way I can. Instead, I have found a plan around it:

I am going to try and release a short story set in The SANS-ational Tale universe everyday that I can until school starts running again. Admittedly, these shorts may be rushed, but I will try to make them as good as they can be for you guys. I may fall behind, which might be because I have to catch up on school work. There also may be a time when I can't post these shorts. I promise to warn you guys when that is about to happen.

I hope these shorts will brighten your days for the upcoming future. Enjoy this first installment and I hope you stay healthy or get better during this dark time.


Long ago, humans and monsters ruled the Surface above the Underground without knowledge of each other's existence for centuries. However, it wasn't always a peaceful time. Monster clans clashed against each other for resources. As time went on, these clans would unite to form kingdoms, and their conflicts escalated into wars.

Near the end of this era, there were only two major monster kingdoms left, ruled by two monster families: the Mysterias and the Dreemurrs. Although the Dreemurrs are well-known nowadays, Queen Furiona Mysteria was not one to be forgotten. She was feared on the battlefield, using her martial prowess and fiery temper to seize victory. But this story is not about Furiona or the Dreemurrs.

For Furiona had a daughter...


She stood in the middle of the castle courtyard, listening. Focusing. She heard birds sing. Flowers were beginning to sing. If they weren't in the middle of a war, she might've snuck out into the meadow and just took in the day. But they were in a war, and she just so happened to be a target, if the opposing kingdom were to attack the castle.

In front of her was her mentor and trainer, Gerson. A soldier with a mighty swing when he held a hammer. Her mother had tasked him with training the young princess in the ways of magic, giving her a way to defend herself. The relatively young tortoise monster watched her understandingly, his gaze full of kindness rather than judgement.

"Are you ready your training?" He asked gently.

"No," she admitted. "Let's just start."

Gerson smiled a little. "It's not guaranteed you'll use it, your highness. It is simply for your protection. Besides..." his eyes darted around the courtyard before coming closer to the princess. "Magic is not just about attacking," he whispered before winking. He walked away from her to the side of the courtyard.

She crossed her arms. "Really..." she said, reluctant to believe him. "Then why are all magic spells written in the library attack-based?"

He turned towards her. "That's because your mother only uses magic for attacks. That's not all it's good for," he explained. "Now, my first lesson: every monster has an innate magic in them that is easy to manifest but hard to shape."

"Explain," she said, swearing that Gerson was speaking another language.

"Let me ask you this," the mentor said. "If I were in a race against you, who would win the race?"

"I would," she answered honestly. Gerson simply nodded in response, still smiling. Still watching her every move.

"Why?"

"Because you're a tortoise monster," she explained. "I'm always going to be faster than you."

"Always?" The teacher raised his eyebrow. "What if I were to train hard for the race?"

She thought for a while before shrugging. "Well, maybe then you would win, but if I trained as well, then I would still win."

"Then you have learned the first lesson, your highness," Gerson replied with an approving smile. "I am better at my style of magic than you are at mine and vice versa. If you were to try and make a hammer out of magic like me, I would always be better at it than you, every time." Green magic coalesced around his hands as he suddenly grasped a hammer. He smirked. "This makes up for the fact you are faster than me."

She smiled and jokingly rolled her eyes. "And you call that innate magic."

"Precisely! You're catching on fast, your highness!" He replied cheerfully, smiling happily at her.

The princess couldn't help but feel pride in her learning abilities. However, she still felt unsure about magic. She had lived her entire life in the middle of a war. She had seen the terrible ways magic could be used and the bloodshed left over. Her mother often said magic is the best weapon, but what if she didn't want to fight? What good was magic then?

Gerson's voice brought her back to reality. "Now, you're going to try and activate your innate magic."

"Alright..." she said, unsurely.

Her mentor gave her an understanding look. "It's going to take some practice and I don't expect you to get it the first time." He sat in front of her. "Won't you sit down, your highness?"

"Okay..." she sat down.

"Now, close your eyes," Gerson said, closing his eyes "and take deep breaths."

She closed her eyes and began to take deep breaths. Breathe in... breathe out... With her eyes closed, her senses almost seemed heightened. She could hear the individual birds singing to each other, their songs soliciting another bird's song. She could feel a small breeze go by and could smell the forest beyond the castle's walls. It was perfect. Everything here was perfect.

"I want you to think about you," Gerson said. "Think about who you love, what you love to do, and who you think you are."

Well, she loved her mother, Furiona. She still loved her dad, even though he fell down. Despite missing him, she always felt like he was beside her, guiding her through life. He was the one who told her fighting wasn't always an option. It was a sad, ironic twist of fate that caused him to be an innocent casualty in this war.

She loved her mother's pies. In short peacetime before wars, her mother taught her how to bake many pies. Snail pies, apple pies, butterscotch pies, cinnamon pies, chocolate pies. All of them. Now, the princess baked a lot. She took pies to people in the kingdom, hoping to brighten their days.

"Now, try to form something in your hands. Just think about putting something there."

The princess reached out her hand, as if trying to grasp something. She focused on her hand, trying to place something there. All the while, she thought about her mother. She loved her mother, but she was difficult to understand. She was a ferocious warrior, yes, but that didn't necessarily make her a good mother all the time. It was during peacetime that she showed how motherly she was, teaching the princess and spending time with her. Now that they were at war, everything was taken care of by maids and tutors and the princess saw very little of her mother.

She concentrated hard, causing sweat to bead on her forehead. She felt something in her very SOUL, akin to the feeling of sore muscles. It hurt her and in the end, she felt like she was trying to do something out of her capabilities. She put her arm down and opened her eyes. "I can't do it," she said, panting. "I'm sorry..."

Gerson put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and gave a toothy grin. "Sorry? Do you really think I did it the first time when I was your age? It takes practice!"

She smiled back, feeling a bit better. "Well, was it at least a good start?"

Her tutor patted her shoulder. "It was a wonderful start, your highness. A bit more practice and you will get the hang of it!"

"Thank you, Gerson."

"No. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to teach you," Gerson replied, standing up. "It was a nice change of pace."

She stood up as well, a look of confusion crossing her face. "You are going to teach me again, aren't you?"

He shook his head sadly. "I'm going off to war, your highness. Duty calls and all that. Your mother wants me to fight by her side."

The princess frowned and looked down at her feet. Gerson took notice and smiled, putting his hand on her shoulder yet again. "Don't give me that, your highness. I will come back, if I have my way. I promise."

She smiled before looking at the sun overhead. "I have to go," she admitted sadly. "I'll be late for dinner..."

"I'll see you when I get back, your highness," Gerson said, letting go of her shoulder.

"You don't have to say 'your highness', Gerson," she replied. "Just call me Toriel."

"Then, I will see you when I get back, Toriel."

Toriel smiled and nodded. "You better make sure of it," she said, jokingly. "Or else you're going to be in a lot of trouble, Gerson!"

Gerson feigned fear. "Now I'll be sure to see you first thing when I get back or else Princess Toriel will kill me."

Toriel laughed as Gerson joined in. Everyone who knew her knew that she could never hurt a soul. Her conscience just wouldn't let her and it was against her very nature. In that way, she was like her father. However, she was also very vocal about how much she detested the war. While her father saw it as a necessary evil, she saw it as an unnecessary loss of life. In this way, she was like her mother: she was passionate.

If only young Toriel knew, as she ran into the castle for dinner, what was going to happen in her life. If only she knew that she was going to live for centuries. If only she knew that heartache was just around the corner.

If only she knew how much she would change over the course of centuries.