Akumu was then brought out of her thoughts when she'd seen the dogs go in, and then about a minute later, saw as the King and Alphys left following the dog marriage. And she was full blown ready to stalk them right then and there, assuming Asgore still carried her brother's SOUL on him but Connie held her back.
"What D'ya think yer doin' ya idjit?!" Connie muttered furiously as she held her back, before she got caught or did something incredibly dumb.
"What am I doing?! What are YOU doing!?" Akumu growled, trying to push Connie off of her as the rabbit monster had somewhat pinned her to the ground. "He has my brother's SOUL, he can't leave!"
Flowey was silent, watching the 4 of them leaving and then, making up his mind, and figuring he'd probably be the least suspicious looking of their new group, slithered out from under Akumu's hoodie to follow them. Though the flower did still take the extra precautions to hide when it came.
Slowly, Flowey followed closely behind his father, fear creeping up on Flowey's being as he watched the mighty king. The king and Alphys followed the dog marriage to a new part of the castle, leading to the kitchen area Flowey hadn't seen yet and then stopped as Dogamy and Doggaressa went there to gather food, just as their Commander had ordered them to do to bring food over to the king and scientist for their travels back home.
Taking this opportunity and without hesitation, Flowey burrowed himself underground, sneaking to just about below Asgore's cape and then popped from the floorboards. He glanced up, at the pouch Asgore was carrying the SOUL container before and gasped, seeing it was now empty. 'O-Ota's SOUL! He-he doesn't have it anymore?!' Flowey thought.
"Hm?" Asgore pondered, turning around when he heard Flowey gasp, and for just a single second, Asgore caught sight of Flowey and the flower froze in place as he looked up into the eyes of the king. And Flowey could have sworn he thought he saw recognition in the sad, sorrow and paranoia filled eyes of the king, and his own curiosity reflected back at him.
Then, Flowey heard the footsteps of the two dog monsters returning and Flowey once again hid underground to return to the group in fear. And Asgore turned his attention back to the dogs saying nothing.
"Th-Thank you." Alphys praised, as she accepted the bag of food for their journey. The king beside her was deep in thought, considering that flower and Alphys' words as the dogs lead them to the front entrance of the castle and the two retrieved their robes to protect from the cold.
Just before they left however, the king leaned forward whispering to the dogs ears, "Tell your Commander to keep an eye for that flower, the yellow one. Pay attention to the ground, it appears that it can pop up whenever it feels like. I don't know what its motives are, but I don't trust it." Asgore gave the dog a deadly look, ensuring he wasn't just seeing things, if anything, he was going purely on assumption.
The dogs shivered from the look, terrified that they might even get a beating just for listening to their kings orders. They nodded, as to not garner any unneeded attention, and set off back to their posts.
Flowey popped back up in front of Akumu and the others. "So...we have a bit of a problem"
"What's up bud?" Akumu asked, concern lacing her expression immediately from the news.
"Sooo...uh, the...king...doesn't have your brother's SOUL anymore…" Flowey whispered, rubbing his petals together like he was fiddling with his hands if he'd had any. "I know, I followed him and...I didn't see or feel any determination coming from him, so I know he doesn't have it anymore.
"WHAT?! TH-Then who does?!" Aku's voice raised for an instant before lowering her voice again when she remembered where they were. "What the fuck?! Ugh, we just can't catch any breaks can we…!?"
"H-Hey, keep yer voice down!" Connie criticized her harshly, then let out a frustrated sigh herself. "Listen, we don't have much time. Papyrus...or even the dogs might be wondering where I am soon and, it's obvious you three cannot just stay here! They're going to go to this room soon or later, and eventually someone may find you so, it's best ya'll go back th' way ya came from. A'right? Y' can stay at the Inn for now and- I'll keep in contact with you all about what I find out and where your brother's SOUL is. An' don't worry, the town's abandoned and no one's gonna be goin' through there for a while since Papyrus recruited all of Snowdins residents to work for him and th' Royal Guard."
"I...have an idea, it's absolutely insane and might get us killed but it's SO crazy it just might work…" Aku pondered. "Why don't we go into the prison area and "Lock" ourselves in, flowey letting us in and out of course, making it look like we were captured by Doggo, that way we can snoop around and if something seems fishy, we can always go back and pretend we never left."
"Wh-" Connie asked, shocked by that. "N-No, no way. H-Human, do you even realize what you're suggesting?! Absolutely not! And b'sides, everyone's been talking about how Doggo betrayed us! They already KNOW, he's together with you! And-and plus, dumbass ! Yer a HUMAN. They'll most likely kill you before Flowey is able to escape. Why wouldn't they?! You have a human SOUL too and they'd probably want it as back up in case your brother's ain't up to the challenge or it's too weak!"
"Well, what if we say Doggo pretended to be a double agent then? And pretended to be our friend to gain our trust or some shit, so he could nab us?" Aku shrugged. "Sorry Connie, but I still don't trust you… How would I know you won't just go and tell Papyrus the second we leave? Even IF it may be true your sisters down here too…"
Connie had enough at this point and slapped Aku, she was sick and tired of being called some sort of traitor, especially considering her sister's position. "WHY ARE YOU BEING SO SELFISH. WHY DO YOU EVEN THINK I'VE BEEN HANGING AROUND THIS WHOLE TIME!? MY SISTER. IS IN TROUBLE. YOU THINK I WOULD LIE ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW WHAT KIND OF MONSTERS ARE DOWN HERE AND HOW CRUEL THEY ARE, WHY WOULD I LIE ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT!? I'M SICK AND TIRED OF BEING CALLED SOME TRAITOR WHEN I HAVEN'T EVEN DONE ANYTHING THAT WOULD MAKE ME ONE, I JUST WANT MY SISTER BACK, JUST AS YOU WANT YOUR BROTHER BACK, IS THAT SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND!?" Connie broke down in tears, she couldn't take being considered as some sort of liar anymore and she made it apparent right then and there, she just wanted to see her sister again, alive, uninjured.
Aku winced, biting her lip from the slap and her head snapped to the side. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth and she said nothing to Connie's confession.
"A-Aku!" Doggo whined, and rubbed his snout against her. Worriedly.
"I'm not apologizing… I'm not going to give you guys away….I mean, we monsters KNOW how strong humans are, and- and your plan is just FOOLISH! They're not just going to let you STAY in the Cell, even IF your plan DOES work, once word gets out we captured the second human! They'll kill you the first chance they get! And then most likely torture your other friends or kill them too and then NO ONE will have rescued your brothers SOUL! Didn't ya hear the screaming from the Torture room?! Your plan is too fucking reckless, and stupid! And-And-!" Connie began to hyperventilate a bit, her SOUL racing and more tears began to spill from her eyes and she sunk to the ground, throwing her face in her hands.
"I just w-want to help...I'm SO tired of living like this! Of- of making m-mistakes and being FORCED to watch as Papyrus takes his rage out with me on my sister who's done NOTHING. WRONG! She's always the one suffering because of me! She deserves to be free and- I wasn't lying to you…!"
Aku still said nothing realizing she was being a jerk and kind of did deserve the wake up call. Slowly, she wiped the blood from her chin with the back of her head then turned to Connie. "Hey, come on.. it'll be okay. I-I'm sorry alright?" Aku quickly apologized, keeping her voice low and regretting what she did. "You're right. You're right...I-I wasn't thinking, and I'm sorry…. Are...you sure no one'll look through the town?"
"Y-Yeah...Everyone still thinks you're hiding somewhere in the Forest. It won't-won't be a while until they check the town. You'll be safe there. And, I promise to keep in touch if I find anything. It's the best we can do, and you know, there's bound to be supplies still left behind if you looked hard enough… And, if I get the chance, or you can have flowey come and bring supplies from the castle I manage to sneak away too to you guys. You'll be fine. I swear it or pin a tail to my butt and call me Cottontail!" Connie promised, and Aku let out a light chuckle. From behind the door she could hear the castle starting to get a little busier and Connie started to panic.
"Sh-Shit.. You guys need to get out of here, now! I'll buy you some time, but go!" Connie urged.
Aku, Flowey and Doggo nodded nervously as Connie left them shortly before they did, heading to the other guards first when they'd asked where she'd been. And so, Aku and the others snuck away as they remembered the path they'd taken, deciding they should escape from the way they first came in and made their way to the dungeons and then the open window, 10 feet off the ground. Aku pushed Flowey out first and then he used his vines to help Aku and Doggo out after, once the coast was clear and the group made their way back to the Inn shop.
"L-Let's go get my brother's body first!" Aku pleaded. "If their still checking the Forest, I don't wanna leave his body there unguarded a second more!"
"Y-Yeah sure...okay." Flowey agreed, climbing up her arm and burrowing himself in her hood again to shield from the cold.
Papyrus made it to the upper most floors of the castle, heading to (now) was where Sans bedroom had been relocated to one of the many towers that overlooked the whole town. From the windows, if Papyrus looked out, he could even see as far as Waterfall and the very edges of where the Ruins ended.
Papyrus opened the door, with blue Magic, after laying the container holding Otaku's SOUL inside, down on the floor, since his arms were currently busy with balancing his frail sibling in his arms, and then, turned the door handle, before relifting the SOUL container up again. He went in, using Blue Magic to place the container on the desk of his brothers, before carefully placing Sans limp body on the dirty, unkempt mattress that laid on the floor.
Papyrus couldn't help, thinking about the many times he scolded his brother about keeping his room clean, and how unmotivated Sans always seemed to be, to do much and always the bare minimum he needed to get by and keep living. And now, he understood why.
Papyrus watched in silence for a second more, watching as Sans struggled to breath, gasping for air and how parts of his bones were even starting to dust and flake off. Sans SOUL sat, visible just below his bare ribcage, and dimmer than any SOUL he'd ever seen, there were old scars all over it. From years past, and now much fresher hairline cracks danced over those old, less severe ones. Some of the more violent looking cracks, the edges of them were also starting to dust off, while others bled as well, the red ooze dripping onto the mattress, and Sans ribs before vanishing.
Sans looked far too small, lying there, so frail looking. And for a moment Papyrus was scared to touch him, like any pressure could cause his brother to crumble away in an instant. His eye sockets were also half closed, and completely dark. Lacking the life Sans once had behind those eyelights. Papyrus ignored the stabbing feeling of fear, regret and guilt still plaguing him that told him things didn't have to go this far. That what Papyrus had done, giving his brother up to the king was wrong, and although Sans should have known this would have eventually happened if he kept his secrets, and Papyrus kept telling himself this was all Sans' fault for plotting against his own race and hiding his GODsoul.
'I didn't know this was how Asgore would react to the news. I only did what was expected of me, serving the King and his Guard.' Papyrus told himself firmly, as he got to work, focusing whatever remained of his compassion, and love and hope for his brother into his magic, forcing his hands to glow green as he began pumping as much healing magic as he could into the worse of his brothers wounds.
'Sans will be okay.' He told himself, 'His wounds will heal, and Sans would have learned never to keep such secrets again. And...and he'll be more honest from now on. And everything will be fine again. Nothing but a bit of a rest couldn't fix…' Papyrus thought, as he watched with bated breath, how the very large gash that went right across Sans ribs in a diagonal line began to close and new bone started to slowly form between some of the more severe fractures and hairline cracks that littered his bones.
Tears started to form in Papyrus eye sockets and he let them fall, unashamed to show his true feelings now that they were finally alone together. The world outside banished away, allowing the brothers to finally reveal some of that familial love, no matter how strained it might be.
"I'm So Sorry Sans...I'm Sorry…." Papyrus cried, as he began to push more healing magic into his brother, begging for the older sibling to wake up again. "This Is All My Fault, And I'm So Sorry...!"
Frisk watched from the desk nearby, and watched the two brothers. And she knew it hadn't been Papyrus' fault… He couldn't have known this was how Asgore would have reacted, and how he'd become so furious that he would have brought Sans to near death. Although she did wish Papyrus had stepped in far earlier. Back when Sans was brought down to 1HP and maybe he'd be much better off than as he was now. Hanging onto life by the skin of his teeth, and hanging on from a thread. But, she also understood why Papyrus hesitated and she knew how worried he had been the whole time for his sibling behind the mask. Feigning the proud Leader of the Royal Guard, he had to be right then. Even though Frisk knew Papyrus probably had wanted nothing more than to protect and save his brother.
But in the face of the mad king, doing so certainly would have meant death. Papyrus had to stand by and watch, and stay out of the way, this way...he could still bring Sans to be healed after. If they both died then all of this and their efforts would have been for nothing.
The king had somehow grown even scarier than she last met him 7 years ago, and probably even more mad than the last. And some part of her, wondered if it had been all her fault. Considering how close they'd gotten to bringing the Monsters finally free. Before she died.
And Frisk shivered at the thought, before turning again towards the two brothers. Feeling the room they were in pulsing with green magic, and she could sense exactly how much Papyrus still loved his brother despite everything. The fact Papyrus was willing to wrung himself dry and to near exhaustion even, to ensure Sans survival was certainly proof enough.
She only hoped that it would be enough...