Chapter 9: Death by Glamour

This was it. Chara took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. This would be war and they were at a clear disadvantage. Well, they would always be at a disadvantage, even in the arena. But in there, Chara could at least fight with a knife in hand. There were no knifes allowed here.

The child looked around at the big hall buzzing with movement. Horses strapped to fancy carriages stomped their hooves nervously. Escorts and stylists hurried around giving their charges the final touch. And amidst the chaos were Chara's enemies, their rivals. The child spotted a boy and a taller girl clad in colorful steel armor that twirled and split in useless ways, evident by the boy gradually failing to hold his balance. Another boy, this one older, stood with annoying smugness, clad in fine metals and a weapons belt, a long cloak reminiscent of a peacekeeper's armor billowing behind him. He had to be one of the two tributes from district 2, no doubt.

"Now hold still, just let me move this one slightly there."

Chara's body twitched in annoyance, trying to get away from Linda's prying fingers. "It's fine!"

They gripped the upper edge of the carriage tighter in annoyance. It was just as pompous and over the top as everything else in the capitol. Its shimmering, dark surface glimmered in the hall's artificial light and bold silver accents lined the edges. Outside, beyond the gates, voices buzzed and fused with soft music keeping the masses entertained.

At last, the escort ceased to assault Chara's private space and moved on to Frisk. The other child took it in stride, staying still and waiting for it to be over with. They wore a similar outfit to Chara's with their darker skin giving the impression of Frisk being a precious mineral themselves. Thin wisps of coal dust seemed to dance around them in a tantalizing swirl. It was funny how the capitol imagined coal dust. Never did it dance or swirl. It just clung to you and clogged your lungs. It always stained Asriel's fur black. Chara had never really dwelled on that fact. Was Azzie working right now?

"On your positions, everybody. We start in three minutes!"

Linda sighed, nervous hands hovering over the false ore on Frisk's left forearm. "Well, I guess I'll have to get going. Remember: Just wave and smile. And don't mess this up!" With that, she hurried along, walking briskly with the majority of the crowd towards the doors at the back.

Chara watched her go with a strange feeling of disconnectedness. Only a few members of the capitol remained, along with a good amount of peacekeepers stationed at the side. Their practical military gear formed a strange contrast to the incredibly impractical thing that seemed to be the capitol version of clothing.

The child felt their palms sweating against the polished wood of the carriage. They risked a sideway glance at Frisk as their vehicle was led towards the end of a slowly forming line. "So, this is it."

A curious thought occurred to Chara, sending a sly smile onto their face. "Hey, Frisk. Are you planning on smiling for the crowd today?"

They just shrugged, their mouth staying in that neutral line.

Hah! Foolish human. Chara would get them to express something! After months of seeing that same expression on the other child, this would be the day. That was their new and most important goal for the next few minutes. And they'd be victorious! "Linda said that we would have better chances if we smiled and looked cute. So how about it? Wanna show the world your best smile?"

Frisk seemed to contemplate that for a moment. Their carriage finally stopped behind what appeared to be two people dressed as a cob of corn and apple respectively. "I'm not sure if I should smile. What if it looks fake? What if they notice and like me less?"

Chara chuckled. "Aww, that's cute. But firstly, those dumdums don't even know the difference between a fun game and a bunch of psychos trying to murder each other. Secondly, I'm sure your smile is just fine. Just show me and I'll tell you if it's ok."

Frisk shifted uncomfortably. "Your smile looks scary. Why wouldn't mine look bad too?"

Chara tried to keep a calm appearance and not strangle their new partner for the second time in two days. "Mine looks scary and Linda still seems ok with it. Did you even listen to my first point?!"

A bass began to thump in a steady rhythm outside of the hall's big front gate, followed by its melody.

One of the capitol's people walking along the carriage line towards the back still managed to outmatch the loud thumping from outside. "Quiet down, everyone!"

Chara caught a sign of the man's face. It was twisted in excitement as it passed their carriage.

"We go in 10 Seconds!"

The child inhaled, trying to keep their body calm and composed.

"Nine"

Their life might depend on their performance today.

"Eight. Seven. Six."

This was it. This was war.

"Five. Four."

Not a war of blood and sweat, but a war of opinion.

"Three. Two."

Getting people to like them.

"One."

Chara definitely preferred fighting in the arena over this kind of battle.

"It's showtime!"

The gates opened and they were greeted by chaos.

It was loud. Masses howled out of tune with the all surrounding music. To Chara, it was like a beast opening its maw to swallow them whole. They grew up around monsters, but this, this was way more terrifying than any monster could ever be.

The child looked at Frisk, who calmly gazed in their direction, closed eyes creasing in a calm, crescent shape. They could do this. They would do this. Partners in crime.

The first carriage had already departed from the hall, which left a pair of sparkling figures following suit.

Two small, treelike dressed children were rolling out into the bright sunlight as district 12s carriage finally gained some motion. Chara held on tight as to not fall from the small platform that raised the two children above the rim of the carriage.

The sounds were even more deafening outside. Chara had to blink a few times to get used to the sudden sunlight. A long canyon with walls made of stands housing hundreds, probably thousands, of humans stretched on ahead. Giant torches lined the upper edge of the stands, at times trading places with a big screen or two. All of them currently showed the two, tiny humans from district 12. Clad in dark costumes of coal, with Chara's skin blazing brightly through and their short hair swirling in the wind, they didn't recognize themselves at all.

The child put on their biggest smile.

Showtime indeed.

Wave and smile, wave and smile, they chanted to themselves. The masses roared in tune.

Chara felt a bit of their tension melt away as hundreds of eyes rested on them. Maybe thousands, counting the cameras. It wasn't something that came to the child naturally, yet it felt easy. After all, these people didn't judge Chara. They didn't judge their actions, their choices, their life. Not yet, anyways. Now, they judged a performance and a performance Chara could manage. Performing was way easier than facing reality.

As Chara raised their arm to wave at the crowd, the child imagined each and every one of those people burning up in flames. The thought brought an almost genuine smile to their lips.

Chara had to grasp onto the carriage tightly to keep their balance as it swayed ever so slightly. The bright lights felt heavy, the sound all consuming. Leaning over slightly, they spared a glance at Frisk, who stood there still as a statue.

"Come on, partner." They weren't even sure if Frisk could hear them over the roaring sounds and vibrant melody. "A smile for the crowd, just once. It's easy and those gullible idiots will love it!"

Chara gave them their sweetest smile, continuing to wave to the passing masses. "Just wave and smile, like me."

"It's still scary."

"Ugh."

"And I won't."

Chara rolled their eyes, but quickly brought back the cheerful expression as they remembered where they were. "Suit yourself. If you don't wanna heighten your chances of survival, that's fine."

"It will help me survive?"

"As a secret from one partner to another, it probably will."

That did it. Chara watched in silent awe as the edges of Frisk's mouth turned ever so slightly.

Chara faced the crowd, smiling victoriously. Mission accomplished! Now they only had to survive this nightmarish hell for a little bit longer. While busy with smiling and waving and dreaming of flames, their carriage slowed down in what felt like seconds to the child. A giant square made of cobblestone marked the end of their journey. Large stands continued on at a distance, framing the place and covering up what Chara could only guess were giant mansions. The carriages assembled around a fountain that reached as high as some of the highest caves in the Underground. And right at the front wall, untouched by the stands, loomed a palace more luxurious than Chara could have ever imagined. To be honest, its oversized proportions looked pretty silly to the child.

The music faded to a dramatic end, melting into the sound of thousands enthusiastically applauding. Chara's eyes travelled up the massive columns framing a large, marble balcony. The ruins must have looked similar once upon a time. Back when only a small fraction of the monsters lived underground. Back when the Underground was no more than a small mining town; back before the rebellion.

Cameras zoomed in on the tributes, cutting from one close-up to the other, displayed on millions of screens. Happy families huddled in front of screens all around the capitol, friends watched in exited glee. Somewhere, far away, four monsters huddled in a lab, projecting the distorted images salvaged from an authorized stream onto a large wall.

The child glanced at the three big screens that they could spot from their position underneath the searing spotlight. Sweat trickled through a heavy layer of makeup, as they stood on their unmoving carriage. They were suddenly aware of how unprotected they were, out in the open like that. With thousands, no, even more, potentially hostile eyes on them. They'd not be able to protect themselves like that, more so now that they had stopped moving.

The clapping seemed far too loud all of a sudden, crushing them with merciless thundering noises. Chara's breath grew shorter as their fingers strained against the edge of the carriage. It was too bright, too loud. There were too many unfamiliar smells. They were right here, on the silver plate for anyone from the capitol who wished to harm them. This was too much.

"I'm scared." Chara's eyes focused on the sight of their fingers, as the voice rose from their memory. Azzie had said that many times, often over little things. "I'm scared. There are too many people out there." He'd often say that before official events, with those big, watery eyes. "What if I embarrass myself? O-Or worse: What if I embarrass mom and dad, or you?"

Chara would often laugh, rolling their eyes at the fuss their brother was making. "Oh, come on, Azzie. It's no big deal. Besides, you're the royal prince. Everyone adores you and you know it." That one, that moment had been right at the beginning. Barely a month or two after Chara had fallen down. They were both drowning in those giant tunics mom had sown them. They were so small. "Besides," Chara had smiled, looking at the side, cheeks glowing in embarrassment, "you're not the one who doesn't belong. You're not a peasant, a human. You'll be fine as long as I'm there to be a bigger klutz."

The human child took a deep breath, focusing on the veins on their hands, trying to root themselves in the present. Chara would never forget the apprehension that bloomed inside of them, as this timid, shy child that didn't seem to be fit to be a prince suddenly gleamed with hope.

"You're wrong! We can do this, together." Chara drew their hand back reflexively as fluffy fur touched it, but stopped themselves after a moment. Asriel smiled up at them, with those wide, warm eyes. "If we get everyone to be as embarrassing as we are, we'll not embarrass anyone!"

Chara chortled as laughter escaped them. "Nuh-uh, we'll never get anyone to do that."

But their brother just squeezed their hand. "Alone we won't."

Asriel was weak and a crybaby through and through. Yet, standing in front of all those people, all his future subjects, he'd always carried that hope in his words. Hope for himself and hope for the world of monsters. It was that hope which had also reached Chara.

Biting their tongue against the quivering of their body, the child turned up their nose to the world of humans. No way would they let Azzie be the strong one in all of this. That title belonged to them.

The clapping subsided, as the crowd's eyes were drawn to the pristine balcony towering above it all. A curtain at its back swayed slightly as a handful of figures stepped through, gliding to their places with practiced grace. Chara had to suppress their sudden reflex to gag as the crowd cheered again, this time even stronger. The underground loved their rulers because they were all family. These people were sheep, ready to be fed. A young man with a swaying mass of golden hair and the most annoying smile was the last one to step through, before the curtain opened one final time. A priceless cape made of fur slid heavily into view, draped over the wide shoulders of a man who never had known labor, but was used to standing high and proud. Royal, white locks swayed slightly in the wind, framing cold, judging eyes and a cold smile. The way he looked at the masses reminded Chara of a predator, ready to pick his prey. Charles vi Brittania took a stance before the audience, high above in a worlds of marble and gold. Thus the king of Brittania opened his mouth and spoke.