Chapter 27

Sans had the last of the Farrath's men sorted and Muffet had weaved a robe of spider silk for the fae woman by the time Frisk's tears subsided.

Chara walked Frisk back to the others. The fae woman smiled at him.

"Mother?" Chara reached out, afraid that she wasn't real.

Lyrei Aylin took her son's hand in hers and pulled him to her. She reached up, one hand laying against his cheek. "Look at you. You look just like your Father. He'd be so proud of you."

"Proud of me? Chris and I, we left you behind."

"Oh Isil. You left me to save my grandchild. You are supposed to do that." She reached over and ran her fingers through Frisk's hair. "Oh little Queen, the day is yours."

Frisk shook, still grasping at Chara as she watched the corpse behind them. "Is he really dead?"

"Your sword is something altogether it's own. It is all of your determination given physical form. Nothing can withstand it."

She looked up at Chara. "You're arm! I! I'm so sorry!"

Chara pet her hair. "It's all right. I'll live. Let's get you home."

Frisk shook her head. "No. Not until we've saved the others."

Sans grimaced. "*i'm not sure we can fix that, kiddo."

"Oh, we can't," Lyrei said. She lifted a graceful finger to her nose with a wise smile. "But a certain cat with the tendency to experiment when she shouldn't, is likely to have the answer already."

"Catti! Her candles!" Frisk pulled at Chara. "We need to get them."

Chara sighed. "When we get home." He pulled his arm from her grasp to put it around her. "It can happen. But first, home. Sans?"

"*i gotcha. everyone step close."

Chara hugged his mother and daughter close, eyes closing. When he felt the cold od snow against his boots, he opened his eyes and gasped. Niko lay in the snow, body frozen, blood a pool of red ice underneath him.

Chara dropped to his knees. "Niko?" He leaned his head against his dog's chest. He could just make out a flutter of a heartbeat. "He's still alive."

"Niko!" Frisk knelt next to Chara. "Ah!" Her eyes darted around the field. "Toby! Toby!" There was no answering bark and she jumped to her feet, turning to the door of the house.

Lyrei's hand came down on Frisk's shoulder. "Stay with me. Help me with Niko."

Chara stood. "Sans. Muffet."

"*right with ya, bud."

They walked into the house. At the master bedroom rail stood Natalie, hands tied in front of her, a noose around her neck.

"Natalie!" Chara called.

"You're making this up to me, Christopher Dreemurr."

Chara blinked and looked at Sans. The skeleton gave him the same confused look. Natalie didn't look frightened. She looked extremely annoyed.

The imposter, now wearing a face that looked similar to Edmund Acernath's, sat on the edge of the railing, holding the other end of the noose. He looked over his shoulder at them. "Took you long enough."

"Would you be Rory Acernath?" Chara asked.

The man shrugged. "Does it really matter?" He stood and walked behind Natalie.

Natalie dropped the rope that had appeared to be tying her wrists.

"Here's how this is going to work. You give me the Pierce girl and I don't kick your girlfriend off the edge. It's high enough that if I kick with enough force, it'll just break her neck."

Natalie slowly lifted her hands up to the rope at her neck.

Chara kept Rory distracted. "The Farrath is dead."

"I doubt that. My father is thousands of years old and your magic isn't enough to stop him." He put a foot to Natalie's back. "So what's it going to be, Dreemurr?"

Natalie slipped the noose over her head in one smooth movement and, holding tight to the rope, jumped from the rail to the first floor. Rory Acernath went flying upward, smacking a ceiling beam with enough force that you could hear his skull crack. Sans quickly turned Natalie blue, catching her before she hit the floor. She let go of the rope and Rory fell, smacking the railing on the second floor on the way down.

Chara rushed over to Natalie and she gave him a smile. "I'm okay." She spit on the imposter. "Amateur."

"*you, ah, want to tell us how you're…" Sans gestured to the imposter.

Natalie sighed. "After you've had your home invaded a few times, you take urban survival training. Didn't think I'd need it in Nightrest, but I'm still riding pretty high on the luck bomb. I would have been in trouble had he actually tied my hands properly. He assumed I was weak and hiding for my own sake." She frowned. "I know I'm going to have nightmares from this. Have you seen the dogs?"

"Niko's hurt. I don't know how badly. And I don't know where Toby is."

"He ran out the door when the imposter showed up. I think North Star went with him."

Chara looked over to the empty couch. "Where is Tarisse?"

"The fae came and took her away a while ago. She should be all right though. I figured out how to use the purple flowers and made a medicine for her. She looked a lot better when she left- Where's Frisk?"

"Waiting outside with my mother."

"Bring them in! It's freezing outside!" Natalie gasped. "How did Tori get mixed up in this?"

Muffet opened the front door, waving Frisk and Lyrei inside. Lyrei held Niko gently in her arms, Frisk running to get a blanket to wrap him.

"I didn't mean Tori."

Natalie frowned. "Wait. Your biological mother?" She looked up at Lyrei. "So that's where you get the blue skin."

Chara looked down at his hands. They weren't blue. His skin was normal. "But you've not seen- I'm too tired for this."

Sans leaned over the imposter. "*he's still breathing."

The sound of sleigh bells filled the air and North Star came into view at the front door. It was followed by police sirens and Undyne coming in with Toby at her heels. The dragon monster veterinarian came in behind her.

He spotted Niko and rushed over. "Give him here!" He set Niko down on the floor and started checking him, Frisk hugging Toby and watching.

"Next time, call me!" Undyne yelled.

"Sorry. Hard to call when you're tied up," Natalie quipped. She suddenly hit the floor, legs jelly. "Adrenaline wore off." She shivered and hugged herself.

Chara reached down and lifted her up, holding her close. "I'm sorry."

She pressed her face against his neck. "You'll make it up to me."

Undyne looked down at Rory. "Still breathing?"

"*yep."

"Good. Gabriel wants answers. So does Azzy."

"Tomorrow," Chara said. "I'm not leaving until I know if Niko will be okay and Frisk is likely to pass out from exhaustion soon."

The next day found them in the palace throne room, everyone arranged around a table with Asriel at the head.

"Acernath was the Farrath's son and the coup was a front to leave a seat of power for the Farrath to rule his new kingdom from. Wonderful." Asriel dropped the papers in front of him. "I'm glad he's dead." He turned a glowering eye at his mother. "And a whole lot of this wouldn't have been a problem if you'd opened your mouth!"

Tori's back went ramrod straight, the Queen appearing. "You will not speak to me that way."

Asriel snorted. "Don't try that with me or I'll ask Dad to retire so I can demote you to ambassador for the next several hundred or so years."

Asgore sighed contentedly. "Retirement sounds very nice. I've heard that a little town called Nightrest is a good place to retire to." He winked at Asriel.

"You will not be the shortest reigning Dreemurr if I have anything to say about it!"

Asgore chuckled, "Relax, Tori. I'm not retiring until my grandchildren are grown. Just because we needed to rely on others to raise our children does not mean I will do that to Asriel and Claire."

"Are we done?" Asriel asked. "Good." He gave Lyrei a nod. "I believe we have you to thank for leading us to Frisk."

"And shielding Chara and I, and our spouses and children," Chrissy said. "That was you, wasn't it?"

Lyrei nodded. "Your father and I were willing to do anything to keep the Farrath from having you. No matter what we would have to endure to guarantee it."

"Then why did you tell us to go down?" Chara asked.

"I knew the emergency exit was at ground level, but I also thought that I was underground as well. It'd been a long time since I'd seen the sun."

"We received a call this morning from Matthew Pierce, one of Frisk's distant cousins, thanking us for removing Acernath," Asriel said. "He has also asked that Frisk and her mother be returned."

"No," Frisk said. "I will go back to resolve the issue of the other half fae trapped in objects, but Kaparia is my home. Besides, I'm not old enough to take the throne."

"Then who rules Andorini?" Asriel asked. "I'm not familiar with their law of succession."

"If the heir to the throne is too young to rule, it defaults to the Fae Lord of Coroleon, who will rule in the child's stead." Aramita curtsied from the door. "I apologize for being late."

"Mom!" Frisk rushed out of her chair and ran to Aramita, hugging her tightly.

Aramita sighed in relief. "My Little Love."

Asriel frowned, "But you are an heir and capable."

Aramita shook her head. "As the Pierce family sacrifice, I am not eligible." She shrugged and hugged Frisk close, rocking a little. "Prince Silro is more than capable of putting Andorini back in order for Frisk. While it will make Matthew and the other Pierces uncomfortable that Frisk is far from their influence, they will get over it. I find the Dreemurrs to be far better at demonstrating the necessary leadership skills Frisk will need to learn."

"Very well."

"Very well?" Toriel huffed. "You are not king yet. You do not get the final decision here." She glared at Asgore. "Well?"

"Well what? Are you really arguing that we banish our grandchild? Or are you angry that Asriel is being the sovereign you've constantly nagged him to be?"

Toriel opened her mouth and immediately closed it, eyes on the door. Amordan Dreemurr came into the room and everyone was on their feet. His wolfman nurse helped him navigate around to the head of the table.

"Grandpa! You should not be up!" Astelle said.

She caught sight of the nurse, the tears streaming down the wolf's face, the forced smile. She fell back into her seat staring at the floor. "It's time," she whispered.

Amordan patted Asgore's back, but stopped in front of Asriel.

"Grandpa?"

Amordan reached out, gently touching Asriel's hair, giving his grandson a smile. And then smacked him on the shoulder.

"Tag. You're it."

The great goat's eyes closed and he crumpled against his nurse. Asgore and Asriel both reached out to help the wolfman.

Rose snorted and burst out laughing. Astelle, still staring at the floor, tears in her eyes, chuckled, and the assembled lost it.

"Crazy old goat," Toriel muttered between her tears.

xxxxxx

Chara sat in the chair nearest the windows, watching wildflowers grow on his field of hopes and dreams. His mother had spent the winter with him and now she was spending the spring with Chrissy. Muffet had found a nice little cottage in Nightrest for Lady Aramita, and Frisk visited her everyday after school. But now, school was done for the year. The long funeral procession that brought a portion of King Amordan's dust to Nightrest to be sprinkled over the people had come and gone. The next scouting event was months away and it was still a good month before the summer art festivals went into full swing.

"Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad."

"What? What? What? What?"

"I'm bored."

Niko's head rested on Chara's knee. He'd lost a leg, but not his spirit, his tail wagging under Chara's pets. Chara looked up at that particular spot on the ridge and smiled.

"I'm tired of looking at the ridge."

Natalie, who'd been in the process of making something delicious, set down the spatula in her hand. Despite it being safe to do so, she hadn't move back into her apartment. She'd been happy to play hostess for his mother in the guest house. But now that Lyrei was away, Natalie spent most of her time with him in the main house.

"Who are you and what have you done with Chara?"

Frisk looked up from playing with Toby, eyeing him closely. "Ditto."

Chara fingered the little velvet bag in his jacket pocket, feeling the ring inside. "I'm thinking the beach."

Frisk looked at Natalie, who perked up at the mention of the ocean, and shrugged. "I don't have a bathing suit."

"You can buy you one when we get there."

Natalie frowned. "I do have work."

"Like Mabel wouldn't let you leave for a bit. It's coming into the slow season. Call her and ask."

Frisk stood. "All right. Going to throw some things in a bag."

Natalie leaned over the counter with her chin resting on her hand, the food forgotten. "Where are you thinking?"

Chara's phone buzzed and he looked at the text from Mabel, confirming her readiness to let Natalie leave for the next two weeks. The cow was always good at being a co-conspirator. He shoved the phone back in his pocket. "There's a really nice resort in Sunrise called Paradise Harbor. It's even pet friendly. How about there?"

Natalie smiled softly. "My parents used to take Mike and I there when we were kids. It's a really nice place."

Chara smiled and hoped his plan wasn't obvious. "Pack a bag."

xxxxx

A/N: And that's it for Prince's Hymn! I hope you enjoyed it! I don't know what will be up next. I have some steampunk in the works as well as an SCP tale. As always, if you liked what you read, please leave a comment saying so.