King: We return once more! For anyone where there isn't any overlap with my other story, Arcs of the Multiverse, my laptop conked out on me and I couldn't upload anything for a couple weeks. This, as you can guess, destroyed my will to write. But we're back and everything looks like it's working just fine now. Anyway, I hope you enjoy as always.

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Jaune didn't know what Papyrus had planned, but he had some time before he had to meet the skeleton again. He had decided to sit down in the cave and let some time pass. He wasn't risking running into Undyne right now. Since the skeleton planned to meet in the marsh area, he'd let Undyne walk off to who knows where and he'd hopefully be able to avoid a fight with her in the future. But, being alone in a cave with only the occasional drop of water as background noise, he couldn't help but think to himself.

His mind returned to home. He couldn't help it. He'd been down here for two days now. Up top, he just disappeared with no trace of what happened. He could have been eaten by a Grimm, attacked by the wildlife, or fall far enough down an opening in the ground that he, realistically, should have died on impact. A search party likely wouldn't have found anything. And after this long, that would mean he'd be listed as Missing, Possibly Dead (or MPD). That particular designation left the possibility open that he was still out there while accepting that he might not be. It was a harsh reminder of life in Remnant outside the Kingdoms.

Of course, all that got him thinking about his family. His mother is likely devastated. No parent wants to outlive their children, but to not even have a body to bury would only make it worse for her. His father is likely doing what he can to keep face and have everyone ready in case of Grimm, silently just as torn up as the others. He couldn't even imagine how his sisters must be feeling. Jaune let his head fall back onto the cave wall behind him, looking up at the stalactites above him. He let out a sigh and moved to stand again. Those thoughts just solidified his desire to return home. He had to let them know he was okay. And he was DEtermined to get back.

As he thought that, he felt a weird pulse go through his body, causing him to lose his footing slightly. He caught himself on the wall and brought his other hand to his head as he shook it lightly. What was that? With a light groan, he shook off the last of the weird feeling and looked back out toward the exit to the marshland.

Once outside again, he tentatively looked around, thankful that he didn't see any shark-women with magical glowing spears in sight. Letting out a relieved sigh, he made his way back to the pond by the river to meet up with Papyrus. All the while, he couldn't shake an unnerving feeling of dread on the horizon.

Once he was there, he quickly saw the tall skeleton waving at him, "Jaune Arc! It is I! The Great Papyrus!"

Jaune couldn't help but smile and made his way to his newest friend. "Hey Papyrus. So, what's this plan you came up with?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Papyrus then began his speech. "You see, after our call, I began to ponder the best method to ensure my new friend doesn't die at the hands of my, hopefully, future boss. I wracked my brain to find an answer!" Papyrus spun on his heel and began walking down the path Jaune passed on his way to Blook's. Of course, Jaune followed as Papyrus continued to walk and talk, "It occurred to me that simply running away from her would be a temporary solution. Even if you ran to Hotland, New Home is more temporate and accessible to Undyne via Guard Only pathways."

Jaune couldn't help but feel a little worse about his 'escape' chances.

"As such! I have devised a cunning plan! All we need to do is ensure that does not wish to capture you anymore!"

"Uh… okay? But how would we do that?"

Papyrus led Jaune to a strange house shaped like a fish of some kind, a design that made Jaune's stomach drop in instinctual dread. But the skeleton didn't notice and kept going. "So I thought back to how I had previously tried to capture you and it hit me!" Papyrus knocked on the door.

"Hang on a sec!" The voice called from behind the door. A voice that made Jaune's spine experience a sub-freezing chill.

Jaune looked to the skeleton in concern, speaking low so as to not be heard by the resident, "Papyrus! Are you crazy?! I just got away from her and you brought me to her house?!"

"Worry not, Jaune Arc!" Papyrus had the decency to say that part quietly, but raised his voice after. "Undyne! It is I, the Great Papyrus! I'm here for our lesson! I hope you don't mind if I brought my new friend! He's heard so much about you and wanted to learn as well!"

"Sure. No problem." Undyne called out from behind the door. "After all, the more the merrier, right?" Then she actually opened the door, got a look a look at Papyrus, then saw Jaune. Her mood immediately turned sour. Even as she stood there in a red t-shirt and dark blue jeans, her glare made her seem like she may as well still be in full plate armor and ready to skewer him at a moment's notice. Also, now that he was so close and not trying to run for his life, he noticed she wore an eye patch over her left eye.

But Papyrus didn't seem phased by it all. "Thanks for having us today, Undyne!"

This caused the Guard Captain to shoot him a side glare before realization hit her like a truck. She grit her teeth and forced a smile, albeit one that showed just how sharp her teeth were. "Of course. Come on in." She stepped away and allowed the two to enter.

Jaune thought about making a break for it, but Papyrus pulled him along. The skeleton is deceptively strong given he has no muscles. That or Jaune was way too tired after just escaping Undyne and now being face to face with her again so soon.

As they entered, Papyrus let go of Jaune and suddenly announced, "I forgot, I have to use the restroom." He then immediately spun on his heel and bolted toward the wall, jumping out the window and rolling out of sight.

Jaune watched him jump, just confused by it all. But then he felt the need to turn back to the possible apex predator in front of him. He found that she refused to look away from him, still looking both welcoming and ready to stab him with a rusty carving knife. Jaune was shaking, but ready to move at a moment's notice.

"Look," Undyne spoke, making Jaune jolt up in place, "I… appreciate what you did. Back in Hotland. But that doesn't change the situation. I don't know what Papyrus is up to, but I don't really care right now. As a favor for what you did back in Hotland, I'll let you go without a fight. But if I see you again, I'll capture you and take your soul. Got it?!"

"Well that's unfortunate." The two turned to see Papyrus sticking his head through the broken window. "I was sure that you could become friends. I guess Undyne wasn't up to the challenge."

"Challenge?!" Undyne felt attacked at what Papyrus was insinuating.

"Oh well." But the skeleton just went on. "Guess I was wrong. See ya!" And with that, he was gone again.

"Like hell!" Undyne turned back to Jaune, "I'll show that bonehead! Human! We're not just gonna be friends! We'll be besties!"

Something about Undyne's turnaround unsettled Jaune even more than when she was threatening him. But he didn't get to take it in before he was suddenly thrown onto a chair in front of a table.

"We'll start with some refreshments!" Undyne practically threw several drink types and boxes on her counter. "I've got coffee, soda, water, and gold-leaf tea!"

Jaune didn't catch her attempt to say what the obviously correct choice was, but it still worked out. "The tea sounds nice."

"Coming up!" Undyne placed a teapot on her stove and pulled out two mugs. But the water was taking a while to boil, so she stood there impatiently.

This allowed Jaune to look around. The house seemed to be a single large room with a door near the back, likely to her bedroom and / or bathroom. Assuming she needed either. The room was then divided into a kitchen area, dining zone with the table, a living room, and a small empty area with her armor on a trunk and some pictures on the wall. Curious, he stood up and made his way over to the wall and looked over the various pictures.

Most of them were pictures of official award ceremonies, all where Undyne was receiving a medal of some form, dressed in a black military ceremony uniform. She's not just an officer. She's decorated. But then he moved along and found three that were different from the rest. The first showed Undyne alongside a large goat man as she grinned ear to ear. He seemed to have the smile that spoke of pride in the accomplishments of someone who helped to grow. The second showed Undyne alongside a short yellow lizard woman as she took a selfie with the guard. It was clear the lizard girl was nervous and they Undyne wasn't really sure what was happening. Finally, the third showed the Guard Captain clearly trying to teach Papyrus something, only for the skeleton to mess something up.

"Are all humans this nosy?" Jaune jumped around to find Undyne had walked up behind him with her arms crossed. "Tea's done."

"Oh! Thanks. And sorry, but I was curious."

"It's fine." She waved it off as they made their way back to the table and a pair of mugs filled with tea.

As they enjoyed the tea, Jaune just couldn't stop himself from asking, "So, who were those people in the pictures? Besides you and Papyrus."

Undyne placed her mug down and looked into the liquid. "The short one is Alphys. First person you call my friend. That was the day she was promoted to Royal Scientist. The big guy is the King, Asgore. He trained me, so when I became a guard, he insisted on taking a picture."

"Oh." Jaune wasn't sure how to think about that. Sure, she had to know the King in some way, but he hadn't expected that he trained her. "Must have been nice." He spoke with a little more bitterness than he intended.

But Undyne caught on. "What? Something to say, huh?!"

"W-what? No! I just…"

"Just what?! Got a problem with the King? Think I didn't earn my spot or something?!"

"Of course not! I almost died! You're obviously strong and I don't even know the King! It's just that… I guess I'm jealous."

This caught the Captain off guard. "Come again?"

"Sorry." Jaune looked away, unable to look her in the eye. "It'll sound dumb, but ever since I was little, I wanted to be a hero. To help people like my father, grandfather, and back. But, my dad didn't want me training. He did everything to make sure I couldn't. Said it was too dangerous for his only son."

Undyne blinked, not expecting that kind of answer or his reaction. "Oh." She responded as he had before. She tapped her foot on the floor before taking a sip from her tea, ultimately finishing her share.

Then Jaune had to ask the big question. "So… what now?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean, I'm happy to call you a friend, but I get the feeling our heart to heart didn't change much for you. Did it?"

Undyne thought it over a moment before ultimately conceding, "Not really. I still need to capture you, that hasn't changed. I mean, I feel bad for you now, but that doesn't change anything."

"Well that sucks." Jaune let his gaze fall back down to his drink, with only a small amount remaining to show his reflection in the tea. He sighed and finished his drink. "I can help with the dishes if you want. You know… before you kick me out again."

Undyne tapped her foot in thought before looking Jaune over, again. She thought back to the fight and how he acted in Hotland. She remembered what that Kid said back at the bridge. Then she thought back even farther, to when she challenged Asgore to a fight to prove she was the strongest Monster there was. How he honed her and trained her into the awesome warrior she was now. She slowly raised her hands before slamming them down on the table, causing Jaune to jump. "Alright."

"Okay then." Jaune stood up and was about to take the thr mug before Undyne grabbed his wrist and flipped him over and slammed him onto his back on her kitchen floor. Jaune instinctively brought his hands up to prepare for a follow-up, but no attack came. He slowly looked back to her and found her standing over him.

She had her arms crossed and an annoyed look on her face. "Get up." When he hesitated in confusion, she shouted, "Did I stutter?! On your feet!"

"Y-yes ma'am!" Jaune was upright in a second with his back straight and arms down, like a soldier at attention.

She walked up and the height difference was made clear, but not in a way Jaune expected. It turned out she was shorter than him by about two inches or so. And yet, her glare ensured he felt it was the other way around. She let out a huff before speaking up, "Listen up, punk, cause I'm only gonna say this once. You don't get anything by just wishing for it. You want to be my friend, then grow a backbone and speak your mind. If you've got something to ask me, then ask. Got it?!"

Jaune nodded furiously, trying to think about what she meant. But, that motion rattled something in his mind and made him speak without thinking. "You're amazing and I'd like you to train me! Even if it's just one lesson!"

Undyne gave a single nod before backing up slightly. "You get one week. I'm going to use these seven days to make you something worthwhile. But it will mean pain, sweat, and maybe even blood! Got that?!"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Good! Anything else you want to say before I put you through the wringer?! Now's the time!"

"You are both terrifying and beautiful." His head finally caught up with his mouth and his face turned a bright red.

Undyne wasn't much better and just took another step back.

Seeing that, Jaune immediately tried to save the situation. "I mean… you are…" but his mother raised no liars, so he acquiesced to reality and just let out a nervous, and slightly embarrassed, cough. "It's a little late…" he was thankful for that, but unfortunately it wasn't late enough to where he could just sleep off the embarrassment. "I can make dinner if you want. For saying you'll train me! Not like a… date… thing…" He quickly clarified, but lost confidence just as fast.

Undyne turned on her heels, talking back toward him without showing her face, "You wanna cook, go ahead. I'll be right back." She walked to a door at the back of the room and walked through with a light slam.

Smooth, Jaune… Smooth. He mentally berated himself, but moved to the kitchen anyway. He said he would cook, he was going to keep that word. The ingredients he found were mostly for easy-made meals like spaghetti. He just shrugged and decided to run with it.

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Undyne returned to her room and grabbed some stuff and placed them in small duffle bags. She was about to walk off before catching sight of herself in a mirror on her dresser. Safe to say, what the human said had surprised her. The fact she was willing to train him was weird enough, but then he called her… that. She found her cheeks had gained a shade of color she didn't think they could. But, Undyne wasn't the type to fall into those traps. She quickly smacked both cheeks and glared at herself in the mirror. That's enough, Undyne! You're the Captain of the Royal Guard! You know better than to let stuff like that get to you! Even if no one ever called you that before… All the more reason to keep it together! She took a deep breath before picking up the bags and starting to walk out of her room.

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As Undyne walked out from her room again, she was caught off guard by the odd smell. Not a bad smell, but one she didn't recognize right away. She turned to find Jaune at her kitchenette stirring something in a silver pot. He had two more smaller pots to the side as he worked. She walked over toward him and called out, "Hey, punk!"

Jaune turned in time to put the ladle down and catch two bags. "What are these for?"

"One is training gear. The other is pajamas. Figured you don't want to sleep in a hoodie and jeans."

Jaune blinked for a second before it really caught up to him. He hadn't even thought about that the last couple of days. "Thanks." He placed the bags by a chair at the table before getting back to work. "Dinner should be ready in about thirty minutes."

"The hell are you making, anyway?"

"Spaghetti with a clam sauce my grandmother created. You had all the stuff with enough left over." He paused a moment before he realized something, "Oh crap! I didn't mess anything up in your kitchen did I? You said I could just make something as a thank you, but I just jumped onto making it without thinking."

Undyne looked at the food being made and had to admit he knew what he was doing. She was impatient, but the clam sauce sounded interesting. "It's fine. I have to polish my armor after what happened in the marsh anyway." She moved over to the corner and picked up one of the plates of her armor, rag, and bottle of polish. She sat down on the floor and got to work.

Jaune still felt like he'd touched a nerve and vowed to make this, albeit simple, meal the best he could. He put what effort he could to ensure the noodles were perfectly consistent and that the clam sauce wasn't over cooked in any way. For thirty minutes, it was all he focused on. He was definitely not glancing at Undyne now and then. Definitely not thinking he'd made her angry, or noting that she looked like a war goddess with a body like that. No! Only focusing on the food!

Unfortunately for his mental state, spaghetti doesn't require a lot of work and the sauce was set to a low simmer now. He had some time before it would be done, but didn't need to do more than make sure it didn't burn. Which let his brain go off on him about this.

Are you serious right now? She tried to kill you!

She was doing what she had to do. I probably would have too… Maybe…

Look, we can call that morally grey, but still! Did you miss the fact that she has shark teeth, blue skin, fins, and, again, is a Monster?

What do you want from me?!

And what would mom and dad think? Or anyone else for that matter?

The mental mention of his family jolted Jaune back to his situation for a moment. They probably thought he was dead. He took a breath before shaking his head lightly. With his mind now melancholy, he turned down the heat and finished prep work for the meal. Once complete, and with the table set, he called over to Undyne, "Ready for you."

Undyne placed the last plate onto the set and glanced back to the table. With a light shrug, she stood up and made her way over and took one of the seats. Adding some of the sauce, she took a bite of the noodles swirled onto her fork. Taking a bite, she was surprised to find how good it was. Then again, the best she had to compare it to was whenever she or Papyrus cooked, which wasn't usually good. She took another bite without a word, just enjoying the meal. But a pair of eyes were on her and she glanced toward him, seeing him watching her for any kind of reaction. She let out a sigh and prepared her next bite, "It's pretty good."

"Thanks." Jaune felt his nerves calm a little. He was happy to know he didn't mess it up.

Undyne made a mental note of his reaction as she ate. She needed to figure out the best way to train him, and the plan was coming together. She gave her word to train him and she wasn't about to half ass it. If she was doing this, and she was because her word had to mean something, she was going to do it right. But that just got her thinking about what being a Royal Captain meant, and those stupid events she had to go to. Tapping her foot, she thought for a moment before looking square at Jaune, "Hey, punk. Listen a second."

Jaune paused a moment before his eyes locked on her, waiting for her to continue.

Undyne's eyes formed a glare as her mind went over her situation. "As a Royal Guard Captain, I'm expected to attend formal balls and stuff like that. And I'm expected to participate in it. Which means I need to do that dumb dancing stuff. And our fight showed you know how to do that."

"I can, yeah. Why?"

"I can fight better than anyone else, but I never learned that dumb stuff. So, I've been avoiding it. So, scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. In exchange for your training, you're going to teach me that formal stuff. Got it, punk?!"

Jaune jolted up in his chair, "Yes, ma'am!"

"Good!" Undyne took a needlessly aggressive bite.

After a quiet meal from there, Jaune and Undyne finished their meals. Jaune offered to do the dishes, but Undyne told him to leave them for now and rest up for the hell she'd put him through tomorrow. Jaune picked up the bags by the table, "Guess I'll see you in the morning. What time should I stop by?"

"The hell are you talking about?" Undyne made her way to the couch and punched the top, causing a section of it to unfold into a small bed. "You're staying here. I'm training you, and I'm going to make damn sure you follow my regimen. No cheats or slacking off!"

"Oh! Okay, I…" Jaune could understand the logic, but figured she'd want him to leave after how mad she seemed to him after his mouth got ahead of his brain. "Thanks."

"Hmm." Undyne walked past him and opened the door to the back, pointing out doors along the hall, "First door is a storage closet. Second door is the bathroom. Third is my room. You don't go anywhere near that one, got it?!"

"Got it." Jaune knew to expect that part.

"Good! Training starts at Five AM! Be awake for it or I'll drop your training. You either take it seriously, or I don't bother. See you in the morning." Undyne walked down the hall and entered her room without another word.

Jaune, meanwhile, let out a breath and looked over toward Undyne's armor. Thinking over his situation, he couldn't help but smile. "Alright. Training starts tomorrow." He couldn't help but bounce in place. He had a few hours to get the energy out and head to bed. But to him, it didn't matter. He was finally taking steps to fulfill his dream.

Just watch. When I get back, I'll be a hero you guys can be proud of.