:):
Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews!
When I read "Fearia the Dog Petter" I had myself a good giggle (it's too perfect hehe), I agree that she can't seem to go 5 minutes without somehow getting into trouble. Hopefully with her new apprentice training, she will be kept busy for awhile. I bet Sans never expected this outcome, lol.
Also, it's true that the Surface is nothing like the paradise Papyrus envisions it to be.
...
I've set a much more mature tone for these chapters since they will be held from the perspective of Frisk.
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Where'd You Go?
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The warm glow of the late afternoon sun seemed to illuminate a pair of hazel eyes, making them appear almost golden in the refracted light. With a heavy sigh, Frisk slouched wearily in her saddle as she was escorted back to Fauna by armed guards; for her protection of course. She, after all, was of great value to her step father, or Chief Marx, as everyone was made to call him. With the death of her mother, she was now one of the last two remaining descendants of the Kingdom of Magic.
After being paraded around like a trophy during her stay in the Village of Fugue, she was almost happy to be returning home. Almost. If it really felt more like a home, she might be a bit more enthusiastic. As it were, there was only one reason why she was eager to get back. Fearia, her sister and youngest sibling was waiting for her, patiently and most definitely not getting into trouble. She had told her emphatically to behave herself while she was away for a few days. Still, Frisk couldn't help but worry. Had her little sister gotten onto the Chief's nerves again? She hoped she wasn't being punished somehow.
Ever since Fearia had been born, Frisk had tried to protect and care for her as best she could but it was difficult when the entire village shunned and generally despised them both. For slightly different reasons of course. Regardless, she loved her baby sister. To Frisk, she was the most precious person in the whole entire world; they were family and not just because they shared the same blood.
Fearia was also one of the only people who didn't treat her like a mute freak. She didn't pick on her when she used her hands to speak and she wasn't afraid of her magical aptitude. On the contrary, Fearia was endlessly curious about it. Too curious some might say. So much so that the little girl had gotten into trouble quite a few times because of it. Attempting to dabble in magic related activities was a punishable offense in Fauna.
Even so, people with natural magical energies were rare, and since they were rare, they were valuable. Without them, there would be nobody left to activate the runes. That's why Chief Marx was using her as a bargaining chip in the treaty he was trying to make with Fugue. Being a volatile war-hungry tribe as well, Fugue was the only village in the region that could go head to head with Fauna. Though neither village was eager to start something so close to winter. They had not the money nor the resources for a fight.
Before she had left on her trip to Fugue, Frisk had had the unfortunate pleasure of being present in the War Room during a briefing with Chief Marx and a few of his trusted generals. They had it all planned out it would seem. Fauna would play nice with Fugue throughout the winter, all the while leaching precious resources and subtly sabotaging their defenses. Then when the misty village had been weakened sufficiently, they would crush them in the spring. According to Marx. the losses might be great but in the end it would be worth it. Fauna would finally be in complete control of the entire western region.
This, of course, all hinged on a successful treaty with Fugue. They had been working on this agreement all year, both sides bulking a few times when unfavorable details were brought to light. Finally, with the threat of winter fast approaching, Chief Marx had offered one of his most prized possessions to sweeten the deal. A rare rune operator, it would seem, was a hard thing to turn down. The Old World ran on runes and without anyone to activate them, many doors remained shut. That was why people with latent magical capabilities were so valuable. By simply owning one, it could raise the reputation of an entire village.
Unbeknownst to the Chief however, there was a small hitch in his plan. In order for this to work, he would need his step daughter's full compliance and Frisk had plans of her own. There was no way she was going to allow herself to be thrown to Fugue and be forced to abandon her baby sister. Fauna would eat her alive. Besides, every aspect of this scheme was wrong and she would have no part in the genocide of an entire village. Not even for the good of her own.
Frisk had had nearly a week to try to figure out how to get out of this marriage, but nothing she could think of would sway the Chief and she knew it. Her only real option was to run away. With all of the armed sentries patrolling the streets and guarding the gates, doing so seemed like a real impossibility, but she had to try. She would take Fearia and flee the Village of Fauna. The further away they were from Marx, the better. Even if they had to live in a cave for awhile, it would still be better than living under the cruel tyranny that coursed through Fauna like a toxic sickness.
Seeing the tall sentry towers just over the next hill, Frisk smiled to herself. If everything went right, this would be the last time she would ever have to set foot in this wretched village. Hopefully everything went smoothly and nothing unforeseen was waiting for her upon arrival...
Turns out, nothing was waiting for her. Or rather, no one... This was a Big problem!
Where was Fearia?!
Frisk couldn't leave without her little sister. It wasn't even an option! So, where in the world was she? Usually the little girl would be waiting at the gates for her but she wasn't this evening. This wasn't like Fearia at all. Had something happened to her? Did she get into trouble again? Was she hurt?
Worry clearly visible on her face, Frisk left her armored escorts and hurried inside the Chieftain's massive house. This would definitely be a great time to have use of her voice, but alas, no amount of willpower or determination could fix that. So instead of calling out to her sister, Frisk simply hurried faster. Maybe Fearia was just in the room she shared with the twins. Perhaps she had gotten absorbed in one of her drawings again and lost track of time. It could be nothing. No need to jump to horrible conclusions just yet. Optimism, even for the most optimistic of people has its limits however...
Knocking politely but with a bit more force than usual, Frisk waited patiently outside the twin's room. They were in there. Those two never left the house, preferring instead to stay cooped up in their room.
"Who's there?" Came a reply said in perfect unison.
If Frisk knew what a knock knock joke was, then she would realize right away why she failed so miserably at them. Hesitating, the mute girl knocked once more. Inside she could hear snickering before a reply finally came.
"Come in." Came a young girl's voice.
Frisk held back a frown as she entered the reasonable sized room. It was cluttered with clothes and toys that refused to be picked up. In the center was a large unmade bed, where sat two children playing some kind of game involving yarn.
"Welcome home-" The boy started with a smile. He had very tan skin with short dark brown hair and deep brown eyes.
"Dear, sister." The girl finished the greeting, sarcasm heavy in her voice. Her appearance was much the same as her brother's. If one had a trained eye however, they might be able to spot some differences, like the fact that the little girl's eyes were a shade lighter and the boy had a spattering of nearly unnoticeable freckles.
Frisk signed a fast greeting before jumping right into her question. *Where's Fearia? Have you seen her?*
"Little Fear-" Started the girl, contempt lining her voice.
"Isn't here." Finished the boy in a neutral tone.
Already frustrated with the twin's little game, Frisk found herself losing patience. Why must they finish each other's sentences? They didn't have to. Could they not just give clear answers? The thing she found most irritating, of course, were the rhymes. Putting her displeasure aside, Frisk pushed on. She needed answers. *Why? Where did she go?*
"She left in the dead of night-" The boy frowned, lowering his side of the yarn.
"Much to our delight!" The girl grinned, tugging the yarn out of his hands with glee.
"I hope she's okay..." The little boy mumbled in worry. He didn't seem to share his sister's "delight".
"Shut up, Malix!" The little girl hissed. "Why do you even care?"
"But, Nalu, Fearia's really young..." Malix protested quietly. "Something bad could happen to her out there... What if she gets eaten by a wolf?"
"Then you would be the youngest." Nalu answered carelessly as she balled up the yarn and tossed it into the corner where a makeshift bed of blankets sat. "And we would no longer have to share a room with an abomination."
Frisk clenched her fists in carefully contained anger. This wasn't the first time she had experienced someone spouting cruel words about her baby sister, but it was never easy to hear. She couldn't let this get to her. *Where was the last place you saw her?* She hastily signed.
"Last time we saw her-" Nalu started, tensing up slightly.
"She was talking to Father..." Malix finished, his brown eyes downcast as he slowly drew his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them.
Frisk hesitated as dread seeped into her bones. That was the last thing she wanted to hear. She told her not to confront the Chief! That's the one thing she stressed upon. Tentatively, she raised her hands and signed out a shaky question. *What happened?*
"We don't know." They both said in unison.
"But we do know," Malix started, lowering his chin onto his knees. "Father's in a foul mood."
"Due to the shortage of food." Nalu elaborated, a frown now forming on her own face. After a moment, she too brought her knees to her chest and mimicked her little brother. "This winter is going to be a bad one..."
"This winter is going to be a sad one..." Malix added quietly.
After thoroughly checking Fearia's little sleeping spot in the corner of the twin's room and finding no clues to the whereabouts of the small child, Frisk had left Malix and Nalu to their solitude once more. Making her way down the darkened hallway, the mute girl fiddled with her fingers in worry. She would have to talk to Chief Marx and he just so happened to be the very last person she would ever want to talk to...
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I know there is a lot to process in this chapter. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. :)
In the next chapter, Frisk will *speak* with Chief Marx.
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Thanks for reading!
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Sheii Bae~
