Chapter 3

His head hurt. Chara's whole body hurt, but his head hurt the worst. The throbbing pain made the very little sleep he got super restless.

Groaning, Chara squeezed his eyes tighter shut. He didn't want to wake up. If he didn't wake up, he wouldn't have to face the world again today.

Those who climb Mt. Ebott are never seen again. Chara, as with all the other humans in the village, knew the legend. Maybe if I run away there, I will never have to deal with everyone ever again.

Then it all hit Chara like a crashing wave. He did climb the mountain. There was a giant hole in one of the mountain caves. Chara rushed towards it to get a closer look. Not realizing what was happening until it was too late, Chara tripped over a root and fell through the very hole he wanted to investigate.

Chara fell under the mountain. As he fell all the way down, Chara understood that this will be how he died, never to be seen again in an unmarked grave. Surprising himself, Chara found that he didn't want to die.

Am I . . . dead? . . . No. My head would not hurt if I died, right?

Through the headache overwhelmed him, Chara tried to remember what happened. He did not, in fact, die upon landing. By some miracle, he survived. Too hurt to get up, Chara called for help. It was a silly thing, looking back; there should have been nobody around to hear Chara's call, yet by some greater miracle someone did hear teh call and found Chara.

Chara connected the pieces. Someone found Chara and asked if he was all right. That same someone helped Chara to his feet. They walked a short ways. Then Chara noticed that the person helping him had feet covered with fur.

Thinking back to the legends he heard about the monsters, Chara didn't have to debate what it was that helped him. Monsters were sealed under Mt. Ebott. If Chara fell under the mountain and there was someone helping him, there was nothing else for that creature to be but a monster.

The memories of what had occurred came back as if Chara was having a nightmare. Twisting and turning, Chara tried with little success to convince himself that what happened was not real. Yet what he remembered felt as real as any memory that came before his climbing the mountain. Chara had fallen under the same mountain that held captive humanity's greatest enemy, and now he was trapped with them.

Eyes flying open, Chara bolted upright. He cried out and held his head as the sharp pain stabbed his skull. After the blindness from pain had ceased, Chara took in his surroundings.

He was in a room. A . . . a bedroom. Not a prison of some sorts, but what had to be a guest room.

There were no windows whatsoever, but there was a lamp on the nightstand beside him. Nothing about this room was the least bit threatening. It looked as if this room was a part of someone's house. There was a dresser, a desk, and the bed in which he laid. The bed itself was soft, and the thick quilt lying over him was warm.

Chara slowly dragged his hand down his face but stopped when something felt amiss. He rubbed his head and felt bandages. Vaguely remembering blood trickling down his face and getting in his eyes, Chara concluded that he had a cut on his head that someone dressed.

A squeaking sound made Chara jump. His eyes shot towards the door. A shadowy figure leaped back from behind, its form barely visible through the cracked open door.

"Hello?" Chara called, his heartrate accelerating. "Who's there?"

At first, nothing happened. Then, fingers – fingers covered with white fur and had little claws instead of fingernails – wrapped around the edge of the door. A face soon followed. This was no face Chara had seen before he fell. The face peering through the doorway was also covered in white fur and had a snout. Little fangs peeked below the nose. Long ears started near the top of this person's head and dropped to the shoulders. Only the eyes, so bright a green Chara could see their color from the distance, were somewhat human.

Thinking for a moment or two, Chara asked, "You said your name is Asriel, right?"

To answer, Asriel slowly nodded, his eyes locked onto Chara. He still hid behind the door. It was as if he thought Chara was the dangerous one.

Chara remembered that he, in fact, pulled a knife on Asriel when this monster had only been trying to help him. With a sense of regret, Chara looked at his hands as they balled the quilt and said, "I apologize for earlier. When I realized that you are a monster, I got scared. I acted without thinking. Now that I know you mean me no harm, I promise to not attack you unprovoked again."

"It's okay." Ever so slowly, Asriel opened the door a bit and stepped inside the room. The monster seemed to be at a loss for what to do. "You're . . . you're a human, right?"

Unsure what else to do, Chara nodded.

"And you're from the surface, right?"

Another nod.

"What's it like?"

Visions of broken glass and the empty room flashed in Chara's mind. He balled the quilt tighter in his fists. Now he was reminded on the cuts on his hands and what he had done to receive them.

"Nothing special," he said, memories of climbing the mountain as the sun rose at the forefront of his mind.

Chara blinked, and he watched Asriel sagged. "Oh," the monster, said, his gaze now falling away from Chara. He appeared to be . . . disappointed.

"Then again," Chara tried, "I haven't been here long at all. I really don't know how the surface compares to here. Um, wherever here is."

"The adults call this place the Underground," Asriel said. "Under Mt. Ebott is Underground, and above the mountain is the surface."

Trying to swallow, Chara struggled to process what was happening. He, like everyone else in his village, knew the legends of the Human and Monster War. Some veterans from that same war lived in his village. The humans trapped the monsters inside a cave in the mountain, and the magicians placed a powerful spell over the mountain to keep the monsters trapped for all eternity. Most were certain the monsters had all perished decades ago. This small monster in front of Chara proved otherwise.

With a sense of curiosity, Chara asked, "How old are you, Asriel?"

Asriel seemed to debate whether or not to answer before he finally said, "Ten."

"You're my age."

The two stared at each other for a moment or two. Like Chara, Asriel was a kid. Wanting to know what else they had in common, Chara began to ask questions.

"Were you born here?"

"I was born in New Home."

"Is that also in Underground?"

"Yes. New Home is on the other side of the mountain."

"Do you go to school?"

"I have a tutor."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"I'm an only child."

"How about friends?"

Asriel seemed to deflate as he answered, "No."

Fingers relaxing, Chara looked away as he said, "I don't have any friends, either."

Staring at his hands and the wrinkled quilt underneath, Chara did not realize Asriel getting closer until he felt something at the foot of the bed. Chara looked up to see Asriel sitting down. The monster seemed to be less scared of Chara now and was mostly curious about the human.

"Do you go to school?" Asriel asked, turning Chara's questions onto him.

"Unfortunately."

"What?"

"I hate school."

"But why? School is where you get to meet people and make friends."

"Making friends is a little hard when nobody wants to be nice to you."

Asriel frowned and looked at his paws. Twirling his thumbs, he asked, "Do you have any brothers and sisters?"

"Like you, I am an only child."

"Heheh, so you're just as alone as me, huh?"

Although Asriel said nothing more, Chara sensed there was a lot going on inside the monster's head. When Chara first saw Asriel, he thought they were was as different as different could be. After all, Chara was human, and Asriel was a monster. By that difference alone, the two should have been mortal enemies according to the legend. Yet as they talked, Chara began to think that perhaps he and Asriel were far more alike than initially meets the eye.

"So, what is the Underground like?" Chara asked. "What do monsters eat? What do you do for fun? How big is the Underground, anyway?"

As Asriel answered, he slowly melted out of his down spirited state and became more animated as he and Chara conversed. Asriel told Chara about the toys he could play with and the papers and pencils he can draw with as he recovered, and Asriel even promised to take Chara bug hunting when he was well enough to get out of bed. The more the two talked, the more Chara believed that perhaps monsters weren't so bad after all.

Then the moment came to an abrupt end when a voice snapped, "Asriel Dreemurr!"

Both boys flinched. Chara looked behind Asriel to see a taller monster standing in the doorway. Her arms were crossed, and her pointer finger tapped her opposite forearm. She stared disapprovingly at the smaller monster.

"What did I tell you about disturbing the human?" she asked. This new monster neither shouted nor screamed, but Chara still felt his heartrate increase at the thought of the trouble Asriel might get into.

"Asriel wasn't disturbing me," Chara jumped in as an attempt to save Asriel from punishment. "I was actually enjoying our conversation. Please, don't hurt him for my sake."

The other monster's brows furrowed. Slowly stepping into the room, she questioned, "Are you hurt, child?"

"No," Chara answered, uncomfortable by this sudden act of tenderness. "I mean, my head hurts, but I will be all right?"

"You fell a long ways, did you not?"

"I did."

"While I tended to your wounds, I noticed cuts and bruises covering your arms and neck. Did you receive those injuries from your fall?"

"Yes," Chara said after a moment, the lie tasting bitter in his mouth.

Stepping forward, the monster reached her arm out. Chara cried out as he jerked back. The monster froze with her arm outstretched, and Asriel frowned as he looked between the other monster and Chara. For a moment, the three were frozen in this image. Chara swallowed his heart, and the bigger monster slowly resumed reaching forward.

Her massive paw made contact with Chara's forehead. Chara's eyes widened when he realized this monster had no intentions to hurt him. Instead, her touch was warm and gentle.

Warmth poured from Chara's head down to his body. For the first time in a long, long time, Chara felt himself relax. When the other monster pulled her paw away, Chara found himself missing the contact.

"How does your head feel now?" the monster asked, her tone just as gentle as before.

Realizing that his head no longer hurt, Chara answered, "Much better."

"Good. I am able to heal most of the injuries of others, but I am afraid you will still have to wait for your body to heal itself naturally."

"Thank you, miss . . . ?"

"Oh! That is right. Where are my manners? Greetings, child. I am Toriel."

"Chara," the human returned.

"I know," Toriel said. "Asriel told us how he found you while I tended to your head wound. You lost a bit of blood, I'm afraid. When you passed out in the yard, we were terrified you might have lost too much. Fortunately, that was not the case. However, I still recommend you stay in bed until you fully recover."

Filled with distrust, Chara merely nodded.

"Till then," Toriel continued, "you are more than welcome to use this room as your own. Now, would you like anything to drink? Do you suppose you can eat? I am making noodle soup for dinner. Do you think you can stomach it? How about allergies? Are you allergic to anything?"

"I'm not allergic to any food." Chara was unsure what to make of this monster's kindness. He couldn't stop wondering what was in it for her. Although Chara didn't believe those old stories saying monsters ate children, he still didn't trust this monster didn't have something in mind for him.

Yet she seemed nothing more than caring as she got Chara to answer the rest of her questions. Yes, he would like a glass of water. No, he wasn't sure he could keep anything down, but he would at least try to drink the soup broth.

After she was done interviewing Chara, Toriel asked, "Now, would you like to continue resting? I can have Asriel leave you alone."

Asriel frowned at his mother's words, but he did not complain. His gaze just lingered on her for a moment before it returned to Chara. Without a word, Asriel smiled at Chara as if to say he wouldn't have hurt feelings if Chara asked to be left alone.

Finding that he did not, in fact, want to be alone, Chara slowly replied, "I would like to draw. Asriel, you said you had paper and pencils, right?"

Face brightening up, Asriel exclaimed, "Yes! I'll be right back!"

After the smaller monster jumped off the bed and darted out of the room, Toriel returned her attention to Chara. The human gulped, the realization that he was now alone with her beginning to sink in. Yet Toriel merely smiled and said, "I shall return momentarily with your glass of water. Once you and Asriel settle down, I will leave you two to draw in peace. I will alert you when dinner is ready."

Not having the words with which to respond, Chara again nodded. He flinched when Toriel reached out, and she pulled away without touching him. With one last smile, Toriel walked out of the room.

Chara didn't realize he was again balling up the quilt until his hands began to cramp. He let go and tried to stretch out his fingers. Even after Asriel returned and the two began to draw, Chara couldn't stop wondering what motivated Toriel to be so nice to him of all people.


After Toriel had given Chara their glass of water and told Asriel to leave the door open, she returned to the kitchen where she began preparing dinner. She chopped the carrots and onions quickly, her mind only being half there. Thoughts of the human child took over her mind.

While tending to Chara, Toriel noticed a lot of cuts and bruises that were older than the ones they had undoubtedly received when they fell Underground. Some of these injuries were too big to ignore. Others looked to be deliberate.

Chara had a knife on him, a knife Toriel had taken possession of after she got Asriel to admit that Chara pulled it on him. How the child got their hands on a knife, Toriel didn't know. Why the child had the knife, Toriel had some ideas.

From what was this child running away?

"Tori?"

"Hmmm?" Snapping back to reality, Toriel turned her attention towards her husband. From the look on his face, he had been calling her name for quite some time. "I apologize. What is it you were saying?"

It was as she asked the question Toriel realized that Asgore was no longer dressed in his causal clothing. Instead, he was again attired like the king he was. Asgore was going out, and his clothing made it clear that this was no measly errand he planned to run.

"That is a human child in our home," was how Asgore began, and he already seemed exhausted by what was going on. "It was humans who trapped us under this mountain, and fifty years later, after we have begun to learn to pretend to forget, a human falls under the mountain. I don't know how the kingdom is going to respond to the news. I have alerted all the advisors to meet together to begin discussing this. The sooner we know what to do with the child, the better."

Swallowing, Toriel nodded to signal that she understood. Then, slowly she said, "I am . . . afraid."

"There is no reason to be afraid, Tori," Asgore said, approaching his wife and wrapping his arms around her waist. Holding her close, he added, "The child is too weak to be a threat. You will be safe here alone with Asriel."

"That is not of what I am afraid." When Asgore backed away to better look at his wife, Toriel explained, "There is something about the way the child acts that unsettles me. They are not very trusting, and I believe there is more to it than my simply being a monster. I fear that they came here while trying to run away from something else."

"Look, if anyone can watch this child, it's you." Asgore kissed Toriel on the forehead. "Give it time. The child has been through a lot in one day. Nobody I know of would be very trusting in this situation either."

Knowing her husband was right, Toriel kissed him and replied, "You make a point. Now, will you be staying for dinner?"

"As much as I would hate to miss your cooking, I am afraid this is too important a matter to wait."

"Very well. Before you go, let me give you a bite to eat for the road."

Moving quickly, Toriel went to her and Asgore's room to retrieve her stash of trail mix, the kind with the chocolate candies she had to hide from her family lest they eat all the candy and leave her with only the nuts. As she walked back to the kitchen to give Asgore the food, Toriel stopped when she heard Asriel and Chara talking. Chara had just told Asriel something, and now Asriel was asking for clarification.

"So, you humans really believe those who climb Mt. Ebott are never seen again?"

From the crack in the door, Toriel saw Chara nod as they drew and answered, "Yes. I think the legend started after monsters were sealed away, but I never heard of anyone actually climbing the mountain. Well, except myself."

Asriel looked up from his drawing, and Toriel could sense that her son frowned. "Why would you climb a mountain when it has a legend like that?"

With only a moment's hesitation, Chara didn't look up as they said, "It's not a very happy reason."

Chara did not explain any further. Asriel did not ask, possibly too innocent to understand what Chara had said. Toriel, on the other hand, knew what Chara had just confessed.

Paw covering her mouth, Toriel slowly walked away. She was scared all right, but not at what this child could do to her and her family. What had her heart gripped in fear was what this child could do to themself.