Chapter 7: The Kind Child

Julie giggled as she chased a leaf through the flowerbeds, being careful she didn't step on any of the flowers. Toriel was inside and preparing the Ruins for the cold weather that was seeping in from the surface. "It must be near winter up there," the goat woman had said to her children. "I'm going to look for warmer clothes for you all."

"Does it snow here, Mom?" Thomas had asked.

"Yes, it does," Toriel replied. "Especially in Snowdin, which is just beyond the Ruins."

Sarah looked a bit afraid. "The other monsters won't come after us, will they?" She asked.

"Don't worry, Sarah. Mom will keep us safe," David said.

"And maybe the other monsters will be nice like Mommy," Julie said, willing to give the other monsters that Toriel had told them about a chance.

"But they might not be very nice," Nathan cautioned. "Mom did say that Asgore decreed that the monsters stay away from humans. I don't think they'd readily accept us as Mom has."

"Nathan's right," Thomas said, though he hated to admit it. "So far, the other monsters haven't come here, but that doesn't mean they won't if they learn we're here."

Toriel nodded sadly, though she hoped that wouldn't be the case. Perhaps if she could convince a few monsters to give the children a chance instead of judging them to be bad, then perhaps the others would be swayed. She knew of a Judge, but hoped he'd be willing to hold judgment of the children on her behalf. She'd have to ask him sometime, but would do so at a time she felt was best. She now glanced up to see Julie still chasing some leaves and smiled at her youngest child before going outside to work on the garden, seeing Julie running off after the leaf that the wind had just blown in another direction. "Don't go too far, Julie," she cautioned.

"Yes, Mommy," the little blonde-haired girl said before chasing the leaf again, looking back every so often to see that she wasn't too far from the Ruins. But when she looked back at one point, she stepped and felt her foot go down and she screamed as she fell into a hole, grabbing onto the thick tree roots that jutted out of the wall of dirt as she could now see the hole was very deep. She gripped the roots hard, afraid to call out as she might attract the other monsters there instead of her mother.

"Hey, are you okay?" An unfamiliar voice asked and the seven-year-old looked up to see a tall girl standing at the edge of the hole. She had light brown hair and green eyes and wore a long-sleeved black shirt under a kelly-green shirt, black jeans, and white sneakers. She looked to be a little older than David and Thomas, though not by much.

"Who are you?" Julie asked, gripping the roots harder.

"I'm Carmen," the girl answered. "What's your name?"

The kind note the girl's voice helped the younger girl to see that this girl was a friend. "I'm Julie," she said. "Can you help me?"

Nodding, Carmen lay down on her stomach and crawled closer, using the roots for support, and she reached out. "Grab my hand," she said.

Julie reached forward and caught the older girl's hand. "Okay, try crawling towards me," Carmen said. "I'll scoot back and pull you up."

The little girl did just that and the older girl, true to her word, moved backwards, helping the young one out of the hole and away from danger. Julie stood up and brushed the dirt off her dress while Carmen brushed a bit of dust off her jeans. "Are you okay?" The older girl asked.

The younger girl nodded. "Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," Carmen said. "Where do you live? I can take you home."

Julie pointed to the Ruins behind them. "I live there," she said. "With my mom and my older brothers and sister."

The older girl looked a bit surprised, but nodded and let the little girl hold her hand as they walked back to the Ruins. Toriel had already gone in, but David was outside and he looked relieved to see his little sister was okay and he looked at the newcomer in surprise. "David!" Julie cried out, running up to him. "Carmen saved me! She helped me out of a big hole!"

The boy looked at the older girl and smiled. "Thanks for helping my sister," he said. "Come. Mom will want to meet you."

A bit hesitant at first, Carmen nodded and followed the two inside the Ruins, glancing around nervously as she thought the walls would come crumbling down, but they seemed to be sturdy despite the worn-out look. A moment later, they came into the living room where Toriel had just put away a book she had finished reading and the goat woman turned in time to see the three children in the doorway and noticed Julie's slightly rumpled state. "Goodness. Julie, are you alright, my child?" She asked, going up to them.

Julie nodded. "I'm okay, Mommy. Carmen saved me," she said, pointing to the older girl behind her and David.

"There's a big hole near the trees and Julie must have fallen in," the boy said.

That worried Toriel. "Did it look like a trap?" She asked.

"No," Carmen said, somewhat unsure about the goat woman, but seeing as Julie and David weren't afraid, then she certain she wasn't in immediate danger. "It looks like erosion, like maybe some rains had washed away the earth around the trees."

Toriel nodded, deducing that it could be possible. The Surface did get a lot of rain and that rain did pour in through the opening high in the mountain. She looked at Carmen. "Thank you for helping my daughter," she said before looking curious. "But why are you here, my child? Are you lost?"

The older girl shook her head. "I have heard stories of the Underground and grew curious," she admitted. "Plus...I was trying to get away from my mother. She hurt me a lot."

Carmen looked down at this admission and Toriel knew at once what the child meant. "Well, you are welcome to stay," she said with a smile. "What is your name, my dear?"

"Carmen," the girl replied.

Julie surprised Carmen by hugging her. "You could be our big sister!" She said happily.

"Yeah," David said in agreement. "I think you've earned a place in our family for saving Julie."

The older girl looked surprised and Toriel chuckled as she secretly checked to see what Carmen's stats and main trait were.

Carmen

Age 11

Strongest trait: Kindness

Attack: 1

Defense: 4

LV: 1

Feels that kindness is the best way to help others and wants to spread as much kindness to everyone or any living creature she meets. Is very fond of nature.

The goat woman hummed thoughtfully and smiled. While Carmen's defense was strong, Toriel could sense it was more for wanting to prove that kindness was important. "Well, let's call in the other children," she said.

When Thomas, Nathan, and Sarah heard about Carmen saving Julie, they instantly hugged the older girl and begged their mother to make Carmen their older sister. The eleven-year-old was surprised by this and Toriel smiled. "The children have been in similar spots as you, Carmen," she said gently. "Therefore, they see you as not only a kindred spirit, but also as a sister for your good deed in saving Julie."

The girl looked a bit overwhelmed, but upon seeing how the five younger children were not only happy, but looked cared-for too, she took a deep breath. "Well...do you guys want me to stay?" She asked.

"Of course we do," Sarah said. "There's too many boys around here."

"Hey!" Thomas, Nathan, and David protested without heat, making Julie and Carmen giggle while Toriel did her best to smother her laughter into her hand.

Carmen smiled. "Well, then, we can't have that," she said teasingly. "So...I'd like to stay."

Toriel nodded. "You may, my child," she said. "Welcome to your new home."

As the siblings hugged their new sister and Toriel hugged her newest daughter, none of them noticed a figure watching them, smiling as he saw the new girl being accepted into the family. He had seen how she had helped Julie to safety and nodded upon seeing the same stats and traits as Toriel had. He could tell each child was true to their strongest trait, but a small worry filled him too. Six children with six of the traits needed to break the barrier had already fallen and he was worried that a child with the trait of determination would soon fall. While the King had chosen not to have the barrier broken, what if he changed his mind upon seeing the children with the traits needed? Or would get upset at Toriel for harboring the children when he had decreed that monsters should stay away from humans, even children, though he had hesitantly included that.

But as the observant monster watched, the six children were playing while Toriel watched them as she knitted and he had to admit, the sound of the children's laughter was music to him and Toriel seemed to have been healing from the awful tragedy of Chara and Asriel's passing. "Perhaps the King will make an exception for these little ones," he said to himself. "The Queen is healing, which is good."

An idea struck him. "It's just possible the children can heal all of us," he said with a smile before vanishing, leaving no trace of his being there.


Well, the sixth child has arrived, which means Frisk will appear in the next chapter, but who is the mystery person watching over the children? That will be revealed in the chapter after the next, so stay tuned! :)

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GoldGuardian2418