Prince's Hymn
By Nicolle
Disclaimer: Undertale and Deltarune belong to Toby Fox. This story is copyright to me.
Author's Note 1: This will have Deltarune references and wholesale stealing of characters, but isn't a crossover.
Author's Note 2: It took me two years to get this story off the ground, and I almost relegated it to my 'lost interest' file. So if you like what you're reading and you want me to keep posting: tell me! Leave me a quick note saying you like it.
Chapter 1
The bear's snuffs and huffs gained on Frisk as she scrambled through the woods, desperately slipping, sliding, finding footing, slipping again. Her sides ached, lungs burning as she tried to outrun six hundred pounds of raging, razor clawed death. Her feet stung, toes mashing, sliding around inside torn, mud filled shoes. Tree branches lashed at her, and she threw an arm up to protect her face and eyes. She crashed through a bush, tripped on an exposed root, and rolled into an open field strewn with leaves. Digging her fingers into the muddy ground, she hauled herself to her feet, muscles straining from exhaustion with every gulp of air. She dashed for the trees across the field as the bear barrelled through the bushes after her, roaring for blood. Her feet went out from under her, face planting in slick leaves. The bear leaped, claws reaching for her.
A shot rang out and Frisk curled up in a ball, with her arms protecting her head. The bear hit the ground with a thud a few inches from her feet. Shaking, she chanced a look and saw the bear was missing the top of its head, blood and gray matter splattered across the ground. She let out a held breath, exhausted, tears leaking from her eyes as she squeezed her eyes shut.
"Hey there, kiddo. It's okay." It was a man's voice. She hadn't heard footsteps on the grass.
Frisk opened her eyes but couldn't find the energy to move. She stared up at the sky, trying to make sense of the sudden blue after days of nothing but forest canopy.
A hand gently touched her shoulder. "The bear's dead. You're safe." A man with dark brown hair wearing a green puffer jacket and jeans carefully lifted her, turning her toward him.
Frisk caught sight of the rifle slung over his shoulder and a surge of adrenaline hit her. She shoved at him, flailing wildly to get away.
"Woah! Hey!" The man unshouldered the rifle, laying it on the ground and held up both hands. "It's okay, kiddo. I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Chara. And that's just my hunting rifle."
Frisk gulped the air, eyes squeezed shut.
The man picked up the rifle, shouldering it again before offering her a hand. "Come on. You need to get cleaned up," he said. "And you could probably use a bite to eat."
Frisk looked between him and the bear for a moment before nodding. She reached up, her dirty hand sliding into his. He smiled warmly and helped Frisk find her feet. Her exhaustion caught up and she wobbled, stumbling into him.
"Woah!" Chara quickly lifted her, one arm coming under her knees. "Hey there, kiddo. Stay with me."
She looked up at his boyish face, concentrating hard on his chin.
"We're going to the house over there," he said.
Frisk looked in the direction he carried her. At the other end of the field two, A-frame houses stood like sentinels against the forest around them, one large, one small, both glass fronted and reflecting the beauty of the world around them. In her panic narrowed vision, she hadn't noticed the A-frames, the safety she'd been praying for from the moment she'd stumbled into the bear's territory. They were big, even from the other side of the leaf strewn field.
Going around the back of the larger A-frame, Chara opened the door into a mudroom. Sitting Frisk down on the bench, she watched while he locked the rifle away in the gun cabinet.
Frisk groaned, rubbing the sides of her head. Everything hurt and her head pounded.
Chara knelt in front of her and frowned as he took a better look at her. Then sighed and helped her out of her navy windbreaker, which fell apart in his hands once it was off. Underneath the jacket was a blue and purple striped uniform polo with a school crest obscured under forest grime. Frisk's bare arms were scraped up from running through the woods, the jacket not having been made to take that sort of punishment. He eased her shoes off, the soles coming away on both and found dirty feet. No socks. Angry-red bug bites covered her visible skin.
Helping Frisk stand, Chara walked her into the first floor bathroom next to the mud room. Finding a bottle of apple scented shampoo in the closet, he placed it on the edge of the tub.
"Will you be okay to shower?"
Frisk nodded.
"There's a towel right next to the curtain. Just leave your clothes in a pile on the floor. I'll find you some fresh ones."
Frisk nodded and trudged toward the tub as the door closed. She tore at her uniform polo, fighting to get it off, and it hit the floor with a muddy splat. She ignored it, trembling as she stared at her stomach. She was covered in black ticks, engorged on her blood. Bull's eye rashes had developed across her skin. She quickly reached to grab at them only to stop, hands trembling.
"Don't pull," she whispered. "Tweezers."
She looked around and spotted a mirrored cabinet over the sink. Opening it, she found an extra bottle of hand soap and nothing else.
"Okay," Frisk said. "I just get a shower, ask for tweezers, and hope this guy is actually as nice as he seems and that I'm not in some murder house."
Frisk closed the cabinet and flinched at her reflection, the sallow, dark rings under her eyes. She pulled off her slacks, which were just dirty and otherwise miraculously unscathed from her ordeal. Tossing her underwear on the pile, she turned on the water in the tub and, after a little fiddling, figured out how to get the shower started. She stepped into the water, letting the spray hit her face, and tried to remember when her last shower was. Three days? Four? She'd been at the stables behind Marble Hills Academy, brushing down North Star, her favorite horse. She'd just come back from riding when...
Her eyes squeezed shut and she covered her ears, unable to block the sound of the missile hitting the main building, the explosions, the screams, the gunfire.
Chara listened at the bathroom door for a moment and turned away when he heard the water run. He opened the linen closet. Skipping the top shelf filled with towels and the middle shelves filled with toiletries, he pulled out a zippered storage bag filled with all the clothes his nieces, nephews, and various scouts had left behind over the years, or not claimed after outings. Digging through it, he found a green sweater with dinosaurs on it, good for keeping the growing cold outside at bay, brown pants that looked to be the right size, a pair of socks, and sneakers that were a touch too big, but not unwearable.
He dropped the clean clothing on the end of the bench, and headed down the hall into the kitchen. He found his phone and, leaning against a counter, dialed.
"Nightrest Police. Is this an emergency?"
"No," Chara answered. "Direct my call to the Sheriff's office please. Tell Undyne it's Christopher Dreemurr calling."
"Sure thing, Chara. I'll pass you along."
Hold music filled the speakers for a moment before a click sounded. "Morning, Nerd!"
"Hey, Dyne. I'm calling to report…" he trailed off eyes on the bear on the other end of the field.
It stood up, shook itself, and walked back into the woods via the bush it had crashed out of.
"Chara?" Undyne's voice was quiet. "Do you need me to come up to the house?"
Chara stared after the bear. "Can you hold for a minute?"
"Yes."
Chara set the phone down and ran through the living room and out the front door, a longsword forming in his hand. He dashed across the field and knelt next to where the bear had lain. The imprint of its body was still in the grass and leaves, it's prints clear from walking away. The gray matter and blood that had been on the ground was gone. He turned toward the bush, the sword in his hand glowing as he brought it up. Stepping toward the edge of the field, he listened carefully, ears straining. Pushing aside the bush, he came into the forest proper. The tracks of the bear disappeared mid step. Kneeling, he touched the ground, running his fingers along an invisible line.
Frowning, he stood and went back to the house, his sword disappearing as he stepped in the front door. Picking up the phone, he leaned against the counter.
"Still there, Dyne?"
"What's going on?"
"I shot a bear chasing down a kid in the field," he answered. "Took the top of it's head clean off. It just got up and walked back into the woods. When I followed, the tracks disappeared mid step."
"How are the wards on the property?" she asked.
"Intact." Chara looked back out across the field, eyes searching the line between the grass and the forest.
"Where's the kid?"
He blinked, broken out of his stare. "Getting cleaned up. I'll bring her into town as soon as she's gotten some food in her. She looks like she's been in the woods for a few days, so I'll take her to the doctor's office first."
"Anyone you recognize?" she asked.
"No." He paused. "She's human, Dyne."
Undyne's tongue clicked loud enough for Chara to hear it. "Get her name and Sans will look her up."
"Will do." Chara hung up, putting the phone on the counter.
And noticed that he was muddy from carrying the girl. Taking the stairs up to the second floor and the master bedroom, he took a moment to put on a fresh pair of jeans and sweater; adjusting the golden, heart shaped locket around his neck. He caught a look at himself in the mirror and paused long enough to pull his brown hair back into a stubby ponytail.
Walking back downstairs to the bathroom, he listened and only heard water running. Frowning, he knocked. "You okay, kiddo?"
Frisk whimpered.
Chara opened the door and stepped inside the bathroom. Not seeing a shadow behind the shower curtain, he pulled it gently and found Frisk sitting in the tub, knees drawn up and crying. He hit the shower release and water poured into the tub as he stoppered the drain. Grabbing the shampoo, he pushed his sleeves up and went to work scrubbing the girl down; not liking any of what he was seeing.
Her hair was badly matted. She was heavily bruised and had several, partially healed lacerations on her arms. Several ticks were attached to her stomach, and the tale tall bull's eye rash of Lyme Disease appeared in a few places on her skin. Her feet, despite being covered in all sorts of forest debris, seemed none the worse for wear, and he was thankful for that. After making sure she was clean, he wrapped her up in a towel, set her on the toilet, and worked to carefully remove the ticks with a pair of tweezers.
"Once you're fed, I'm taking you into town to see the doctor. You're going to need a full round of doxycycline. That's a medicine for the disease the ticks gave you," he said.
As soon as the last tick was pulled, Frisk threw her arms around him suddenly, crying hard against his chest. Sighing, Chara lifted her a bit awkwardly, holding her until the tears subsided. After wiping at her face a bit, the Frisk reached for the dirty clothes on the floor.
"Don't put those on," he said, standing. He grabbed the clothing from the bench. "This will do for now," he said.
Frisk sniffed and dressed, pulling the sweater over her head last. When it hung loosely, comfortably, she looked at herself in the mirror, blinking at her reflection, and sniffed again. She looked at Chara. "You changed your clothes."
He looked at the green sweater he now wore and shrugged. "No use going into town in dirty clothes. My mother and sisters would never let me hear the end of it." He nodded toward the door. "The kitchen's this way."
Frisk perked up and followed Chara into the hall that connected the back door to the living room and kitchen. She walked into a warm, wood dominated, living room arranged around a stone fireplace. She went over to the fireplace and touched the stone carving, a set of twisting vines and flowers with forest animals poking out here and there. Chara patted the blue-green granite topped peninsula that separated the kitchen from the living room. She crawled up onto a stool to face the kitchen.
"What's going to happen to me?" Frisk asked.
"What do you mean?" Chara asked.
She looked around the house, noting the exits.
Chara smirked and stifled a snort. "Gotta name?" He turned to the fridge, opening the door.
"Frisk."
Chara froze, staring blindly. The icy dagger long lodged in his heart, twisted suddenly and savagely.
"Frisk Pierce."
He blinked a few times, shaking away the stupor, forcing away the pain. "Nice to meet you, Frisk. The name's Christopher Dreemurr. I've got some leftover chicken soup in here." He looked over his shoulder. "Will that do?" he asked.
"You said your name was 'Chara.'"
"It's what most people call me."
She poked at the countertop. "Are you related to the Dreemurrs? The ones in Kaparia?"
Chara turned to face her. "You're in Kaparia."
Frisk's jaw dropped. "The Monster Country?!"
"Yes."
"Are you… human?" she asked, muscles tensed, ready to bolt.
"I am," Chara said. "There are humans in Kaparia. Though we are in the minority."
"Will the monsters hurt me?"
Chara sighed, rubbing his temples with one hand. "No. Let's focus on food. Will the soup do?"
Frisk nodded enthusiastically. "Please."
He pulled out the soup and popped the lid to go in the microwave. "After you've eaten, I'll take you into town. I'm really surprised that you managed to run from the bear. You definitely have Lyme Disease and it typically makes you very tired. Where are you from?"
Frisk fidgeted for a moment before sighing. "Andorini."
Chara put the bowl of soup in front of her and handed her a spoon. "How did you get here?"
Frisk shook her head and dug into the soup, slurping noodles vigorously. Like she hadn't eaten real food in a while.
"Where are your parents?"
Frisk paused, staring down into the soup, mind racing. Failing lie fabrication, she changed the subject. "I'm sorry about making you need to go somewhere to take care of me." She continued eating, using the food as an excuse not to speak.
"I have to go into town anyway to pick up Toby and Niko. They should be done at the vet's by now."
She looked up, excited. "Doggos?"
Chara leaned over the counter, putting his face in hers and noted that her eyes were a certain peridot green: the dagger twisted again. "Where are your parents?"
Frisk took a deep breath and looked toward the windows out onto the field. "I don't know. I was at school. The riding instructor put me on a horse when the school was attacked." She stared into her bowl as if trying to divine the future. "What's going to happen to me?"
Chara leaned back against the counter, arms folded over his chest. "Are you asking if you're going to be sent back home?"
Frisk nodded.
"No one is sending a child back into a war zone. Things are pretty bad in Andorinni right now. I'm going to take you to the doctor's office. After the doctor has looked you over, we'll go to the municipal building and find out where your parents are and what your legal status is."
He gave her an encouraging smile. "I know what I just said sounds scary, but if worse comes to worst, you'll be spending a few nights with the Andersons. They are the local respite family. After that, you'll go to the capital for a refugee hearing and the foreign council will attempt to locate your parents."
Frisk looked away. "My parents are divorced. They have other families now."
Chara sighed, the dagger twisting a bit deeper. As soon as Frisk was done with the soup, he helped her into his jeep. The ride down the ridge in the jeep was silent, Frisk's eyes on the forest surrounding the road.
"What's it like in Kaparia?" Frisk asked.
"Quiet. At least in my neck of the woods."
"Are there fae here?" Frisk asked, turning in her seat to look at him.
Chara spared her a glance. "They stay in their realm and we stay in ours."
"We? Do you mean humans or monsters?"
"Both."
Once the tree line pulled away, a clear blue sky crowned the hamlet in the valley below. A tall mountain rose up on the other side of the town, as if to compete with the ridge, the long flat line of which didn't seem to care. One main road went down the center of town connecting brick layed streets and quaint, white painted buildings sporting orange roofs. Autumn's splendor made the town a masterpiece of reds and golds which the townsfolk had augmented with lavish plantings of autumn lettuces and brightly colored mums.
"Wow…" Frisk breathed, leaning toward the window.
Chara smiled. "Welcome to Nightrest."
He pulled into one of the empty parking spaces in front of city hall and came around the jeep to help Frisk down. They walked next door to Dr. Gaster's office, a two story building in white with a picture window listing the clinic hours in an old-timey font. All was quiet in the little, wood panelled waiting room. A pink rabbit in green nurses' scrubs, looked up from the desk.
"Hello, Kelly. Is Dr. Gaster available?" Chara asked.
The rabbit nurse nodded. "The Sheriff called and told us to expect you. I'll get her."
Frisk jerked on Chara's shirt. "You called the police on me?!"
"No. I called to report shooting a bear out of season and called the police on you," he said, rolling his eyes. He smiled and patted her head. "It's okay. No one in Nightrest is going to hurt you."
Kelly disappeared behind a door only to reappear with a very tall, skeleton-ish woman sporting a crack in her skull running down under her left eye socket to her mouth. She wore a long, black dress and a long, white lab coat over it, emphasizing her height. Dr. Gaster smiled when she saw Chara which had the effect of looking like a slash.
"Hello, Christopher."
"Hello, Doctor." He moved Frisk so that she stood in front of him. "This is Frisk. I found her being chased down by a bear outside my house. I pulled twenty three ticks off of her and she has a bunch of bull's eye rashes to go with them. And I'm worried she might have other injuries."
Gaster bent over at the waist, her body making a severe right angle, so that she was black eye socket to eye with the child, one skeletal hand coming up to touch her mandible thoughtfully.
"Frisk?" The pin prick white lights that made the doctor's eyes flicked up at Chara for a moment before looking back at the girl. "You are not one of my patients. Where are your parents?"
Frisk shook her head, hunched in on herself, staring at her feet.
Chara patted her head. "I'm heading next door to talk to Sans about that."
The doctor gestured to the girl. "Please show me the rashes."
Frisk lifted the sweater reluctantly, showing off a stomach of bruises and red bull's eyes. The doctor nodded and Frisk put her shirt back down.
"It appears as though you crawled through the woods on your stomach…" the doctor trailed off and then shook her skull. "No. You were sleeping in the woods. Correct?"
Frisk nodded, leaning back against Chara.
The boney hands reached out, cupping the girl's face and feeling around her neck and shoulders, uncaring of how the child stiffened. "Your lymph nodes are swollen and you feel like skin and bones. When was your last meal?"
"I ate at Mr. Dreemurr's-"
"Before that."
Frisk shook her head. "I don't know. Um… a couple days?"
The doctor straightened up, standing tall again, hands held behind her back. "Where are you from?"
"Andorini."
"Interesting. A refugee?" she mused.
"From where?" Chara asked. "There isn't a refugee camp anywhere near here and the border is almost five hundred miles away. The Barrier was raised months ago."
"I walked," Frisk whispered.
"From Andorini? Over several mountains?" Dr. Gaster asked.
Frisk stared at her feet. "I'm not lying. I was on a horse to start but… I don't know where he is. I don't remember when I lost him. I walked here. I don't know for how long." She squeezed her eyes a bit, trying to remember past the gray fog in her head.
"When the gunfire started, Professor Evans put me on one of the horses at the academy. I think she said something about the horse knowing where to go. I must have fallen off at some point because I woke up in the woods against a tree and started walking. I slept when it was dark and walked when it was light."
The doctor and Chara looked at each other.
"Then you are very lucky to be alive," Dr. Gaster concluded. She lifted her skeletal hands. "Please remain still."
A purple glow surrounded the girl and she gasped, hugging herself, eyes squeezed shut, but remained in place.
Dr. Gaster's eye sockets closed and she hummed thoughtfully as her magic worked over the girl. "You have Lyme. I'll give you a prescription for it. No broken bones. A few cuts and bruises some monster candy will easily treat. Definite dehydration. You'll need to drink more fluids. You have several bug bites, but appear to not have any other issues from them. You're fifteen but have only just reached menarche. Interesting."
The magic withdrew and the doctor turned to the desk to write out a prescription. "If you can't keep the medicine down, take it with some wheat toast, no butter." She turned to Chara, handing him the script. "Her hair needs taken care of as well."
"My hair?" Frisk patted her head.
Chara smirked. "It's a mess. We'll hit the salon before we're done today."
Dr. Gaster turned to the nurse. "Kelly? Please write this up as a courtesy visit."
Chara pulled out his wallet. "No need. I'll pay for the visit out of pocket. Still thirty?"
Kelly nodded and wrote up a receipt while Chara handed her cash. She pulled a piece of jewel red candy from a dish, holding it out to Frisk. She looked at the candy, unsure.
"Why is it called monster candy?" Frisk asked.
Kelly smiled. "Because it's made from the juice of 'monster' fruit. It's native to the more tropical regions of Kaparia and looks like the egg of some monster. The juice is very good at holding magic and is used in many medicines."
Chara patted her back to move her forward. "Take it. It's cherry flavored and you'll feel a lot better after eating it."
Frisk looked up at him for a moment before taking the candy and popping it in her mouth. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Kelly said.
Chara held out his hand to Frisk. "Come on."
Frisk took his hand, and before going out the door, tentatively waved back at the doctor and nurse inside. After dropping off the prescription at the pharmacy for filling, they walked into the municipal building, taking the door into the police office.
A large, purple flamingo in an officer's uniform sat behind the front desk. She smiled when she saw Chara, which had the effect of twisting the beak under in a sharp hook. "Hello, Mr. Dreemurr. I'm told your here to see Sans?"
A door opened behind her and an Amazon of a fish woman with bright red hair and blue scales in an officer's uniform appeared. A large smile filled her face. Frisk quickly grabbed ahold of Chara's sweater.
"Afternoon, Nerd!" Sheriff Undyne called.
Chara smiled. "Hey, Dyne."
"What's your name, honey?" Undyne asked, peering down at the girl.
Frisk stared up at the fish woman, wide eyed. "Frisk."
Undyne's smile fell and she looked at Chara for a moment before recovering her exuberant expression. "Nice to meet you!"
A skeleton monster who looked too rotund to actually just be just bones under his blue hoodie and black shorts, came in behind Chara and Frisk. His dark blue uniform seemed too formal under the hoodie. Frisk turned around, still hugging close to Chara.
"*hey there, kiddo. the name's sans. sans tarsus." Sans jerked a skeletal thumb at the door. "*dr. g called the school counselor about our newcomer."
"Hello, Chara!" Toriel, a tall, white, goat woman in a purple pant suit, waved at her son enthusiastically.
"Hi, Mom."
Frisk's eyes went from the white haired woman and back to Chara suspiciously. "Mom?"
"My sister and I are adopted." Chara gestured to Frisk. "Mom, this is Frisk. Frisk, this is Toriel Dreemurr."
Toriel looked at Chara sharply before her smile snapped back into place. She held out a hand. "Pleased to meet you, Frisk. I'm here to give you a snack and keep you company while Chara and Sans talk."
Frisk gripped Chara's arm. "Why?"
Toriel smiled patiently. "Because you aren't allowed to eat in Officer Sans' office."
Chara pushed Frisk forward a little. "Go on. You'll be fine. I need to talk to the Comedian."
Frisk thought about it for a moment before giving Chara the most serious look she could muster. "Don't ditch me."
Chara chuckled in spite of himself. "I won't. Go on. If she takes you anywhere besides the lobby, I know where she lives. I'll be with Sans in his office. My mother knows how to find it." He looked to his mother. "She's dehydrated, so-"
Toriel lifted a bag. "Bottled water and orange slices!" She smiled. "Dr. Gaster let me know."
Frisk looked for a nod from Chara and then followed Toriel out the door.
"*frisk, huh? ouch. sorry, man."
Chara sighed. "Yeah. Fuck me, right?"
Undyne gasped, mouth hanging open, "You DO know how to curse!"
He gave her a sidelong look. "Don't mention that to my scouts. They'll turn it into a competition to see who can get me to swear next." He sighed. "Her name is Frisk Pierce and she says she's from Andorini. Let's go look her up."
Sans' office was small and spartan. He had a desk, a couple chairs, a computer, and a window that looked out on the brick face of the next building. It wasn't anything exciting, but Chara knew being a police officer wasn't Sans' actual job. Chara settled in a chair, expecting this to take a while.
"*what do we know besides her name?" Sans asked.
Chara grimaced. "She mentioned that her parents were divorced and had their own families. And she said it with just the right tone to indicate that she wasn't a part of either."
"*abandoned without being officially abandoned, huh?" Sans pointed at the screen. "*this isn't good. pierce is the main bloodline of royals in andorini."
Chara sat up straight in the chair. "Is she a match for anyone?"
"*checking. divorce rates in andorini are at twenty-three percent, so i'm going down the list of pierces who are also divorced. there aren't that many." Sans frowned. "*found her. arabella aramita asteraneth frisk pierce." Sans turned the monitor toward Chara and the photo of Frisk. She was wearing the striped polo he'd found her in.
Chara leaned in, using his finger to guide his eyes as he read the information on the screen. "Fifteen years old. Five feet tall. Birthday June 14th. She's a descendant of the main royal line."
Sans nodded solemnly. "*on both sides no less. the whole family is listed as dead. mother, father, step parents, half siblings. everyone. including frisk. according to the latest reports, the rebels are killing all blood relations to the royal line of andorinni."
Both fell silent as the officer door opened. Frisk came in and sat in the chair next to Chara, giving him a little smile. Toriel came in and closed the door.
"What do we know?" Toriel asked.
Sans frowned deeply. "*what we know is that there is no possible way for the kiddo to be here right now. her last known position in andorini is dated the eighteenth. three days ago. you could hike from there to here, but it'd still take you a month and that's if you were an experienced hiker who knew how to avoid the more dangerous things in the woods."
Frisk stood up, hands on the desk. "I swear I walked it!"
Sans held up both boney hands. "*i'm not calling you a fibber, kiddo. i'm saying that the math doesn't add up. and that still doesn't answer how you came through the barrier." Sans tapped a boney finger against his mandible. "*maybe something was carrying you. something that could go through the barrier."
"Or come by Mount Ebbott," Toriel said.
Chara threw up his hands. "So one of the near-mythical beings of the forest decided to take pity on her instead of harm her? Or let the forest animals eat her? I don't buy that."
"*it will need looking into either way. an andorini national with royal blood has ended up deep in kaparia territory on the doorstep of a member of the dreemurr royal family. it's suspicious to say the least."
Frisk looked at Sans. "Royal blood?" She looked to Chara. "Royal family?"
Chara sat back, looking at her. "Did you not know that you were a royal?"
Frisk frowned. "I'm pretty sure that I'm related to the royal family the same way everyone in Andorinni is related to some member or other of the royal line: distantly."
"*you're a bit closer than that, kiddo."
"Okay." Frisk looked down at her feet. "Is that why my school was attacked?"
Toriel took the girl's hand in her. "Don't put that on yourself, my child. We can never know why a terrorist acts so senselessly."
Chara sighed. "So now what? I'm not letting her near a refugee camp. If someone realizes that Frisk is a member of the royal line, she becomes a target."
Sans shrugged. "*we give her a new name and a new birth certificate and we all pretend that she's always lived in nightrest."
Frisk looked between them all. "Just like that? Can you even do that?"
"It's easy enough. You're in an office with three people who can just make that sort of thing happen," Chara said. "Who are we listing as her parents?"
Toriel crossed her arms over her chest. "Christopher Nathan and Frisk Adeline Dreemurr."
Chara turned in his chair. "What."
Toriel grimaced. "Forgive me, Chara." She knelt next to the chair, taking her son's hands in hers. "But it is the right amount of time for her age. Frisk died fifteen years ago. And she looks enough like both of you for it to not be suspicious: brown hair like yours and green eyes like Frisk's."
Chara glowered at his mother. "And where has my daughter been all this time? Living with my sister? Where everyone and their brother would have seen her in New Home? Like I would give up my own child like that."
Sans hummed thoughtfully. "*if we just tell everyone to say the kiddo's always been here, everyone will." His eyes slid over to Chara. "*it's not the first time we've done it."
Chara's head sank to his chest. "I need a minute." He stood and left the office, disappearing down the hall.
Frisk looked down the empty hall. "He… He doesn't have to take me in." She turned to Toriel. "It's okay. I mean, it's weird isn't it? To just take some random person in so suddenly?"
Sans stood and gestured for Frisk to follow him. "*he'll take you, kiddo. he just needs a minute to let the idea settle in."
Toriel sighed. "I'll go get him."
"*no. you know what you've just asked him: to pretend that the little girl he lost the same day he lost his wife isn't dead. he isn't a child, tori. he doesn't need his mother. he needs someone else." Sans offered Frisk his hand and she took it tentatively, shivering a little when his skeletal fingers wrapped around her hand.
Heading out the door and down the hall, Sans hit the crash bar on a door that led out behind the municipal building. Sitting on the pavement, back against the brick wall, Chara had one knee drawn up. He stared up at the ridge, tears silently running down his flushed cheeks. Frisk looked up at Sans.
"What do I do?" she asked.
Sans gave her an encouraging smile and patted her shoulder. "*go give him a hug."
Frisk blinked and bit her lip, unsure. Taking a deep breath, she knelt next to Chara, and put her arms around him, resting her face against his shoulder. He sniffed loudly and pulled her into his lap, hugging her tightly for a few moments.
Chara sighed and wiped at his eyes. "Hey." He petted Frisk's matted hair as she sat up. "We need to pick up your medicine and see Dr. Gaster about your birth certificate. You're probably ready for some dinner and we still need to pick up the dogs."
"You're taking me in? Just like that?"
Chara sighed and nodded. "Do you object?"
Frisk's face fell. "I don't know you and you're just… looking out for me? I don't get it." She looked at the ground. "I don't understand. Why do you care? I couldn't get my parents to care and they're supposed too. Why is a random stranger..." She trailed off and covered her face with her hands, taking a few deep breaths before her shoulders heaved and she sobbed.
"Hey. It's okay. It's okay." Chara pulled her back to his chest, petting her head. "There's a couple reasons, but for right now, we'll go with me knowing exactly how you feel. My mother obviously did not give birth to me." His wedding ring caught in her hair and he gently untangled his fingers from her head. "We really need to do something about your hair."
Chara helped Frisk stand before finding his feet. Sans stood at the door, hands in his pockets, holding the door open for them simply by leaning against it. Toriel stood just inside the door.
"*heading over to catty's then?"
Chara nodded.
Toriel's hands came up on either side of her son's face, gently cupping his cheeks. "Oh! You're all flushed!"
"Yes, yes. I know," Chara gritted, "Chrissy and I both have rosy cheeks."
"It is really cute," Frisk added.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't start."
Toriel let go of her son and took a step back, drawing herself up. "Now that it's settled, things will be different in your house. You have another person to look after now and you can't just be doing whatever you like. You need to make sure that she's properly educated and clothed. And she'll need proper socializing. You can't just keep her up on the mountain all the time."
Chara frowned deeply. "Mother…"
"And be sure you feed Frisk properly! You can't be giving her junk food. She has to eat healthy." Toriel gave her son a bright smile, even as his expression went black.
"*cut and run now, tori."
"Have a good night!"
As soon as Toriel was out of earshot, Frisk looked up at Chara. "We're getting pizza for dinner, right?"
He looked down at her with a smile. "Oh yeah."