Chapter 5: Building Trust

The council stood up after eating and making their decision, to which Asgore, Rebecca, and Sans approached the table where Sierra was sitting with Muffet and Toriel, Sky sitting on the human's lap with her sister and both looked very content and unafraid of the woman, who seemed relieved at that. She looked up to see them and saw the king smile at her gently.

"Sierra, the council has reached a decision," he said.

"Yes?" she asked curiously.

Grillby came up to them, smiling as he saw his girls were happy and at ease with the woman. Sans cleared his throat. "You'll be allowed to stay and I'm charged with being yours and Esther's guardian," he said.

"Guardian?" She asked curiously.

"If what you said earlier is true, we fear the evil mages may know that you've come here for refuge," Grillby said. "With Sans watching over you, you'll be protected and safe."

"Not only that, it'll show the rest of the Underground that both you and your niece are trusthworthy," Rebecca said.

Sierra nodded in understanding. "I can't thank you enough for your generosity," she said before looking at Asgore. "I was curious. Can you direct me to an inn or a hotel where Esther and I can stay?"

Sans cocked an browbone at that. "You'll be staying with me and my family," he said, making her look at him. "We've got plenty of room and it won't cost you any G."

"G?" She asked in confusion.

"Gold," Asgore clarified. "We use gold in our trades and purchases."

She blinked before nodding. "Alright," she said. "But...are you sure? I...I don't wish for my niece or I to inconvenience you."

"It's no inconvenience at all," Sans said, smiling.

Rebecca smiled as she turned to see her husband was beside her and she smiled. "Handsome, Sierra and Esther are going to be staying with us," she said.

"That's wonderful news!" Papyrus said, beaming. "We should go fix up their rooms right away."

"That's a great idea, Pap," Sans said. "I'll stay with them and walk them home."

The mage smiled, giving him a knowing look before winking at him. "See you guys at home," she said before taking Papyrus' hand and both of them vanished into mid-air, thanks to the teleporting magic she had learned from her brother-in-laws.

Sierra jumped in surprise before looking around. "Did they just...?" She asked in shock.

"Teleport?" Asgore supplied with a chuckle. "Yes, they did. Rebecca learned that from Sans and Gaster."

The woman took a deep breath to settle her nerves. "My relatives often spoke of her and how they thought she was foolish to have abandoned her training, but I was glad she did," she said. "If only the other mages could see that what the good mages stand for isn't foolish at all."

"That would make the world a better place," Grillby said softly before smiling again. "Looks like you have the magic touch."

He gestured to Harmony and Sky, who were both sound asleep in Sierra's arms. Toriel chuckled in amusement at this and the young woman smiled. "They are both very sweet," she said before letting Muffet take Sky and Grillby accepted Harmony from her. "And thank you for allowing me and my niece to stay."

"You're welcome," Asgore said.

After a bit, they headed their separate ways, the royal children going with their family to the skeleton brothers' house. Esther looked around to see the other monsters and she looked a bit unsure, but Thomas smiled at her. "Don't worry. All the monsters down here are friendly," he said.

"They may look a bit frightening at first, but they won't fight unless they have to," Carmen said.

David bit his lip. "Well...remember when Aunty Rebecca first came down here?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah," Sarah said, looking a bit pensive.

"What happened?" Sierra asked.

"Well, at the time, mages were viewed to be people we should avoid," Nathan said.

"Because they would hurt our family and take us away," Julie said sadly.

Asriel nodded softly. "Yeah," he said. "First impressions with us and Aunt Rebecca were a bit rocky."

Esther looked worried. "Did she fight you guys?" She asked.

"No," Frisk said. "Greater Dog, one of the Royal Guard Dogs, found her and she defended herself, but didn't land one hit on him. Dogressa then battled her and Aunt Rebecca made the mistake of rhyming, turning her defensive magic into an attack, which she quickly absorbed to make sure it didn't hit Dogressa. We were surprised at this, to be honest."

"And then she told us that her parents, who were evil mages, and a whole group of evil mages were going to storm the mountain, we grew scared," Chara admitted. "But Aunty Rebecca proved that we could trust her and she helped to keep the evil mages from entering the mountain."

"I remember that story," Sierra said. "The good mages were proud that one of their own proved what they believed in to be true."

Just then, barking sounded up ahead and they looked up to see Dogamy and Dogressa, who smiled and waved to them while the six puppies at their feet suddenly ran toward the group, yipping excitedly as they crashed into Esther, who let out a surprised cry, but began giggling as the puppies cuddled up to her, tails wagging as they licked her face happily.

Sierra was surprised to see the dogs in armor and stood still while Dogamy sniffled her hand before he smiled. "You're a good human like our Rebecca and the children," he said.

Dogressa smiled. "Welcome," she said warmly.

Esther giggled again as the puppies jumped around, wanting to play. "Be gentle, little ones," Dogamy said with a smile. "Remember, the little one is human like your cousins."

The puppies yipped happily as the royal children joined in, petting them happily and the puppies were happy for the attention. Sierra smiled. "You guys really are just like us in many ways," she said. "We may be of two different races, but you have feelings and families just like we do."

"The only differences is that we look different and use magic more than humans do," Asgore said.

"But those are just physical and magical differences," the young woman said. "But inside, we're no different."

Sans listened to this exchange and smiled before looking at Esther, seeing her smile and for some reason, a feeling of protectiveness came over him, something he had only felt when he met the royal children so long ago. He blinked, wondering why he felt so protective, but he lifted up his head, even glancing at Sierra, who was smiling as the puppies went back over to their parents and she picked up her niece, who yawned tiredly and curled up in her aunt's arms. "Come on," the short skeleton said. "Home's just up ahead."

They soon arrived and Rebecca welcomed them in, showing Sierra where she and Esther would be sleeping. Both rooms were large and comfortable, to which the young woman smiled. "We really can't thank you enough for this," she said.

"We're happy to have you," the mage said with a smile.

Sierra smiled before seeing Esther had fallen asleep and she put the little girl down on her new bed, brushing a hand over the little girl's head soothingly. Sans, watching this, felt his heart beat faster as the protective feeling he felt grew stronger and he took a deep breath, swearing to himself that nothing and no one would harm Sierra and Esther again.

Hmm, what could this be? Why is Sans feeling protective of the two? That will be revealed later on. :)

Next up: A new human falls into the Underground. :)

Please leave a review, but no flames! :)

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