Chapter 12

That night, Frisk wasted no time packing her few belongings and hiding them under the bed. She feigned exhaustion to convince Beatrix that she was going to turn in early.

"Good night, dear," Beatrix had said. Peter waved.

"Good night," Frisk returned as she waved back. To shut up Chara before he could try to talk her out of her stupidity, Frisk removed the locket upon entering her room. With nothing else to do save wait for everyone else to go to sleep, Frisk let down her hair, crawled under the covers, and read the book on the royal monster family. If anyone walked into the room, she could pretend to be sleeping, and they would think she fell asleep reading.

Not knowing where to start with the book, Frisk began at the beginning. Perhaps the fate of King Asgore's sons would be present in the pages. Whether or not Chara had any involvement would be revealed, assuming the book covered that far into the royal family's history.

When she had finished the reign of the first king hours later - with obviously no information on Chara - Frisk deemed it was safe to sneak out. Having neither clock nor sun to give her the time, Frisk used her growing fatigue and heavying eyelids to tell her the likeliness of all the monsters of Snowdin Two being in bed by now. Perhaps that would be enough.

If not, Frisk hoped she could sneak out undetected regardless.

Pack fished from under the bed and thrown over her shoulder, Frisk crept out of her room. None of the lamps were lit. Beatrix must have retired.

Frisk tied up her hair as she snuck down the hall and down the stairs. All was quiet as she approached the exit. Her fingers just grazed the doorknob when a voice called out to her.

"Frisk?"

Heart jumping up her throat, Frisk spun around to see Alice standing at the top of the stairs. A fluffy robe covered Alice's nightgown, and fuzzy slippers poked out from underneath. Pulling the robe closer to her body, Alice asked, "What are you doing?"

"I can ask the same of you," was Frisk's answer. "What are you doing at this time of night?"

"Getting a glass of water, something you're clearly not doing." Alice walked down the steps and approached Frisk. The human made no movement.

"You're running away," Alice said, eyeing the pack hanging on Frisk's elbow. She nearly dropped it when Alice scared her.

"I can't stay, Alice," Frisk whispered.

A pained expression crossed Alice's face. "Why?"

"I just can't."

Eyes narrowing, Alice asked, "Was it something Sans said to you?"

"Yes. Wait, I mean no. Um, yes and no."

"Frisk, you don't have to leave. If it's what he said, I promise we can figure something out. Don't let him scare you away."

"It's, uh, a lot more complicated than that."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean there's too much to explain. There's so much I can't say," Frisk answered.

Reaching out, Alice rested a hand on Frisk's shoulder. "Whatever it is, I'll do the best I can to help."

Frisk swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Then you need to let me go."

"What?" Alice furrowed her brows. "Frisk, I want to help you, but I can't help if you won't let me."

"You can help me by letting me go," Frisk insisted. "Please. I know I'm asking you to trust me when I'm not giving you any reason to, but I really can't talk about it. Alice, I'll be in danger if I talk about it. You'll be in danger just for knowing."

Alice's eyes stopped focusing on Frisk. They went distant, as if Alice saw something Frisk couldn't, as if she was putting together a puzzle in her mind. When the pieces were together, Alice stared at Frisk with a look of utter disbelief.

"The human rumored to be Underground," she said so softly Frisk almost didn't hear her. "Frisk, you're that human." Frisk's silence was answer enough for Alice. "Oh my God, Frisk!"

"Please don't be mad," Frisk pleaded, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "You understand why I couldn't tell you, don't you?"

"Of course," Alice nodded, "of course. But why leave? You'd be a lot safer here." Alice's eyes narrowed again. "Unless Sans is threatening you or something."

Frisk decided not to mention that Sans wanted for Frisk to stay in Snowdin Two. If Chara, another person who wasn't a fan of Sans, agreed with the skeleton monster on the plan, then Frisk didn't doubt Alice would as well. So, as she forced her dry lips to form words, Frisk replied, "You could say he did."

The monster chewed on her lower lip. "It won't be safe for you if you leave."

"I know, that's why I'm going to the surface."

Alice had no response. She wiped her eyes, revealing to Frisk that Alice was trying not to cry.

"I shouldn't be this upset," Alice muttered as if she was only half-speaking to Frisk. "I hardly know you. There's no reason your leaving should sadden me this much, yet I feel as if I'm losing a best friend."

"I'll be losing a friend, too," Frisk said softly. "You're the first friend I've had in a long, long time. I'll miss you, Alice. More than I can say, but I need to go. It will be better that way. Not just for me, but for you as well. The Reds killed my mom for hiding me. I don't want to imagine what they'll do to you if they find out I'm here."

Nodding, Alice replied, "I see. If you must go, then you should wait no longer." She sighed. "Promise me you'll be safe, Frisk."

"I promise." Then, before she could think about it, Frisk lunged towards Alice and wrapped the rabbit monster in a hug Alice was quick to return.

There was more Frisk wanted to say, but she didn't have the words. She wanted to express gratitude to Alice for letting her go, she wanted to tell the monster how much her friendship meant to her, and she wanted to find a way to escape the Underground but still have Alice alongside her. Pain gnawed at Frisk's fragile heart again. If she was doing the right thing, it shouldn't have hurt so much. Yet it did.

Breaking the hug, Frisk whispered her goodbye before she slipped out the door. Frisk forced one foot in front of the other and told herself this was for the best. When she turned around and saw Alice watching her through the inn window, Frisk couldn't help but ask herself if she was making a mistake.


Alice's hands wouldn't stop shaking. Frisk is a human. Frisk is a human. Frisk is a human. The words kept playing over and over in her head, as if repeating them on a loop would help her believe them.

For some years Frisk lived in the Ruins, raised by whatever monster was kind enough to take her in. Then the Reds killed that same monster, whom Frisk called "Mom," leaving Frisk no choice but to flee for her life. Knowing what Frisk was gave her story a new perspective.

"I can't find her anywhere!" Beatrix told Doge. "How does a person just disappear? Oh, I'm a failure! I can't even protect one child."

"Don't speak like that," Doge said, reaching out and taking Beatrix's hand. She used her thumb to rub small circles on her friend's palm. "You have protected Alice her whole life. I think that merits something."

Chewing her lower lip, Alice kept scrubbing at the dishes. It was the only thing she could do to keep busy. Her mother assumed Alice was simply worried about her missing friend and did not suspect Alice was hiding something about Frisk. All that did was add guilt to Alice's anxiety.

It's for the greater good, Alice told herself, only half believing it. There was no knowing if Frisk was okay. There was no way of knowing if by letting Frisk leave, Alice did the right thing.

"If you're a failure for not protecting a child, then so am I."

Alice froze at the voice. Why is he back so soon?!

"You have no idea where the human has gone?" Sans asked, approaching Beatrix and Doge but eyes on Alice. There was no malice in his voice. He truly sounded exhausted.

"None," Beatrix answered, casting Alice a quick glance. "She retired early last night, but I didn't think anything of it until she failed to come downstairs for breakfast this morning. When I checked on her, she was gone. All her things were missing as well."

"I see." To Doge. "Nothing to report?"

"Negative," she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I could scent early on that the human feared me, so I kept my distance. Now I see I should not have mistaken distance for absence. If anyone could have stopped her, it was me."

"And what about you, Alice?" Sans asked, turning to her. "I'm sure you would know something."

"I don't know anything," Alice answered, disgusted that Sans used her name.

"Yet you know that Frisk is a human," Sans said.

Alice's heart stopped. When Sans called Frisk "the human," he was looking for a reaction from her. That's why Beatrix looked at Alice when answering Sans's question.

"Interesting," Sans continued, "since I know your mother didn't tell you."

Beatrix stared at Alice, disbelief written all over her face. Sans took a single step forward. "Where's Frisk?"

"If you think I'm going to tell a dirty rotten traitor like you-" Alice was cut off when Sans used his magic to drag her towards him. Trying not to cry out in surprise, Alice forced herself to ignore the weightlessness she felt as her feet hovered above the ground.

"Where is Frisk?" Sans repeated.

How would Mon respond? "Eat ashes," Alice said and spat. However, Sans's gravitational magic kept her spit from hitting him, so instead the saliva dribbled down her chin. Alice resisted the urge to wipe it away.

"Alice, dear," Beatrix tried, "if you know something, you need to tell us."

"So he can get a hold of her?" Alice questioned. "Why should we trust him? He's a Red! That makes him Frisk's enemy."

"If I wanted to hurt Frisk," Sans said, "do you honestly think I would have brought her here to get treatment? A kid as smart as you should know better."

"Maybe you need her well for something else," Alice said through gritted teeth. "You're the evil mastermind, not me."

"Enough games." With that, Sans let Alice go. The white rabbit fell to the floor. When Alice sat herself on her knees, Sans quickly said, "The captain of the royal guard herself is after Frisk. I'm trying to hide Frisk from her. If Frisk isn't here, it's only a matter of time before Undyne sniffs her out. Now, Alice, I'm going to ask one more time. Where. Is. Frisk?"

Jaw going slack, Alice rambled, "I- I didn't know she'd be in-! Oh, no. Oh no oh no oh no. I don't know where Frisk went. Honest! She left last night and only told me that she was going to the surface. I didn't know Undyne was already on the hunt for her! Oh, no. If Frisk dies- If Frisk dies-!" Alice put her teary face into her palms. "This is my fault."

"What do we do?" Beatrix asked, turning to Sans.

"The only thing you can do," Sans answered. "Hope someone less dangerous gets to Frisk first."


"I think you'll die again before the sun sets," Chara said nonchalantly. He didn't deliver the verbal lashing Frisk expected when she put the locket back on, but he didn't shy away from voicing his lack of faith in her. Perhaps he knew the latter would get under Frisk's skin more.

"Do all dead guys talk so much, or is it just you?" Frisk asked, knowing the blow was low even before Chara sneered. If he intended to irritate her, she would give it right back to him.

"Are all human girls as boring as you?" was Chara's response.

The question had a different effect on Frisk than what Chara intended. "You ask as if you aren't familiar with human girls," she pointed out. When Chara remained silent, Frisk knew he was avoiding the question. "Did Mom raise you from a young enough age that you don't remember what human girls are like?"

"I wasn't that young," Chara answered. "I just didn't associate with girls. They were too annoying."

There was finality in his words, and Frisk knew if she asked more, he wouldn't answer. She frowned. I guess we're not that different when it comes to interacting with other humans, she thought before scowling. It was childish, but she hated finding things in common with Chara. Being raised by the same monster, however, probably gave them more in common than she was comfortable with. How could Mom raise two children as different from each other as Chara and me?

Before she could process another thought, a large bone shot towards her as she and Chara entered the clearing. Screeching, Frisk tensed up as the bone flew past her. Slowly she looked towards where the bone had come, and standing a distance was the skeleton monster who was not her friend.

"He's good," Chara said as if he didn't want to admit it. "I didn't even see him coming."

"Human!" Papyrus called. He opened his mouth to say more, but he froze with his jaw hanging open. Frisk could hear him hum from where she was.

"You are a human, right?" he asked loud enough for Frisk to hear.

Dumbstruck, all Frisk could do was nod.

"YES!" Papyrus fist pumped. "Once I capture you, I'll be accepted back into the Royal Guard?"

"We're about ten yards away, and yet I can hear him as if he's standing right here," Chara said. "I don't like him. He's loud and obnoxious."

"You don't like anyone," Frisk muttered, which caused Papyrus to shout "WHAT?!"

"Maybe if I back away real slowly," Frisk muttered to herself, taking a couple small steps back before her feet became too heavy to move. Her brows shot up at her heavy feet.

"What is goin-" Her screams cut off what she was saying. As if being pulled by a rope tied around her waist, Frisk hurled through the air towards Papyrus.

When she finished flailing through the air, she fell to her knees just five feet away from Papyrus.

"Sorry," Papyrus apologized, "but I couldn't hear you from all the way over there. What were you saying?"

"I was thinking what lovely weather we're having," Frisk lied. Chara snorted.

"Hmmm." Papyrus looked Frisk over. "I hate to inform you, human, but there is no weather Underground."

"It was a joke," Frisk said, rising to shaky feet. She tried not to stare at his scarlet scarf.

"Oh, then you are funny, human!" Papyrus laughed. "Such a shame I must capture you now."

"I have an idea," Frisk tried. "How about you don't?"

"Nyehehe! I like your humor!" Papyrus kept laughing.

"Humor?" Chara snorted. "Stripes, you're as funny as a rock."

"Rocks have a great sense of humor, so I take that as a compliment," Frisk said quietly enough for Papyrus to not hear over his laughter.

"All right, enough of that." Papyrus smiled, or maybe that was his face. "I need to capture you. Surrender, and that will be the end of it."

"And if I don't want to surrender?" Frisk tried, her knees growing weak.

She felt the tremble in the ground just in time. Jumping back, Frisk barely managed to avoid getting skewered by the bone that now jutted from the ground. The bone shone brightly before exploding into fragments of light. Papyrus's smiling face greeted her from the other side of the bone.

"I was hoping you would make this easy for the both of us," Papyrus said, shaking his head. "Looks like we'll have to do this the hard way."

"Gahh!" Frisk cried out as her shoulders felt as if a great weight fell on them. Her feet became so heavy it was as if her boots were filled with lead. She could still stand upright, but her weight now made her previous weight seem as if she could fly through the air.

"Uh, Stripes," Chara said slowly, "you're glowing."

Looking at her fingers, Frisk saw that Chara was right. Blue light outlined her fingers, and when she looked down, she saw the light covering her entire body. She looked up at Papyrus, her eyes wide.

"Now you're blue," Papyrus explained. "That's my attack. Let's see how high you can jump. Nyehehehehe!"

Bones hurled towards Frisk before she had time to curse. She sidestepped one, ducked another, but failed to avoid the third. It didn't spear her, but it did hit her hard enough to send her flying halfway across the clearing.

Ribs bruising, Frisk pushed herself to her feet. Her body still weighed her down, but she was growing used to it. Frisk took a step forward.

"Try jumping!" Papyrus suggested. Another bone headed towards Frisk, this one coming horizontal instead of vertical. Frisk had no choice but to jump.

Bending her knees and pushing through the balls of her feet, Frisk jumped. She tried not to gape in wonder as she performed the highest tuck jump in her life. The bone passed under and left her untouched.

Frisk fell with a heavy thud, groaning at the pain the land shot through her ankles. No matter how she jumped, she needed to be careful with her landing. She didn't necessarily want any new injuries.

"That's how you do it!" Papyrus exclaimed before hurling more bones at her.

To keep from getting hit, Frisk ducked, jumped, and dodged every bone sent her way. It was as she jumped, however, that another bone came at her from higher up, and she jumped right into it. The bone slammed into her forehead, knocking her over.

Frisk landed on her back, head pounding. She felt a little blood trickle from the cut she received. Taking a deep breath, Frisk stood back up.

"And you were doing so well until now." Chara tsked. "Watch where you're going."

Even if Chara meant to mock her, Frisk took the words as advice.

"Why don't you fight!" Papyrus demanded. Frisk stood still, staring at Papyrus. "Not fighting, eh? Well, enough warming up! Let's mix it up, shall we?"

"Wha-!" Frisk felt her feet go out from beneath her, the world turning upside down. When the motion stopped, Frisk realized she was upside down. Panicked, Frisk tried to make sense of the situation. Her feet now settled on a floor she couldn't see. Looking down, Frisk saw the sky. Upwards showed the messy snow she previously stood on.

Whatever Papyrus's magic was, her body didn't feel as if it wasn't upright. No blood rushed to her head. Even her hair still pointed down her back. It was as if Papyrus manipulated gravity itself.

"Okay, I'm impressed," Chara begrudgingly admitted. "That is pretty neat."

"Dodge this, human!" Papyrus sent more bones towards Frisk.

She was hit a few times, but when Frisk adjusted, she avoided the bones as she did when upside up. Yet as time passed, Papyrus's attacks got more creative. Bones would come from forward and behind. They would come from top and bottom. Their sizes would change, possibly an optical illusion, and hit Frisk when she thought she had stepped out of their way.

A tremble ran through her body before gravity returned to normal. Frisk plopped onto the snow and wasted no time jumping to her feet. More bones were coming. She dodged each one, but the blue one got her in the stomach.

Frisk, the wind knocked out of her, fell a ways back and collapsed to the ground. She struggled to breathe again, unable to get up. Standing over her, Chara snarled.

"Idiot!" he shouted. "Didn't you learn from before that blue attacks can't hurt you if you're standing still?"

If she had more control of her body in that moment, Frisk would have given him a rude hand gesture.

The air Frisk thought she had collected vanished again when the smiling skeleton monster stood over her. Papyrus knelt by her side and began binding her wrists and ankles. Too weak to do much else, Frisk let him.

"Just wait until Undyne sees you!" Papyrus exclaimed, his loud voice ringing in Frisk's ears. "Just wait until Sans hears I caught a human!"

"Some help he was in the long run," Chara muttered. "Really, Stripes, you probably should have listened to that comedian."

When Frisk was bound, Papyrus picked the human up and threw her over his shoulder.

"This is so exciting!" he shouted, clearly unable to contain himself. "They'll have to let me back into the royal guard now!"

As much as her body hurt, Frisk couldn't help but ask, "If you would be let back in to the royal guard, that means you were there before. What happened to get you out of the royal guard?"

She felt Papyrus tense up from under her. "Let's not talk about that," he answered.

Frisk shrugged and allowed herself to dangle across Papyrus's shoulder. Chara followed a few steps behind, looking more annoyed than worried. At least Papyrus didn't kill her.

"I have an idea," Papyrus said after a minute. "Why don't we talk about something else. Tell me, human, what do you like?"

Furrowing her brows, Frisk questioned, "You mean like a pastime?"

"Exactly!"

"Umm." Frisk bit her lip. "I like puzzles, I guess."

Papyrus gasped loudly and nearly dropped Frisk. "You like puzzles, too?!"

"Uh, yes. Yes, I do."

"Have you seen the X and circle puzzle in Snowdin Forest?"

"Yes, and I solved every one."

"I designed those puzzles!"

"Oh my gosh, really!"

Chara groaned, and Frisk knew it was because he was not eager to listen to Frisk and Papyrus discuss puzzles till they reached their destination. Frisk, on the other hand, was finally glad to talk to someone who had the same passion as she.