Chapter 3

Although these were the people Toriel trusted most to get Frisk through Snowdin Lane, Frisk still felt uneasy walking alongside the brothers. They were only a few paces ahead, and they strongly debated as they led the way. Their topic of choice wasn't anything important – which was harder, crosswords or junior jumble – so Frisk only paid enough attention in case their tone shifted. The rest of her attention was paid to her surroundings. Snow stretched on for miles upon miles, and the cold having long since settled into her bones.

Pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders, Frisk wished that she could communicate with Chara. She had yet to say a single word to him since learning his true name. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, none of which she was certain Chara could answer.

What village outside of Ebott Forest are you from?

Why did you go into a forest with monsters in it?

Was Toriel a good adoptive mother?

Were you and Asriel really close?

Do you remember dying?

That last one floated inside Frisk's head the most. Toriel had said that the skin of Chara's face had been torn away. Thinking of her own scar and the pain she received as that monster began to tear away her own face, Frisk shuddered at the thought of what Chara must have felt. Toriel had also said that many believed that Asriel had done the deed, as he went missing shortly after Toriel discovered Chara's body. If Asriel loved Chara as much as Toriel said, Frisk couldn't help but wonder if doing such a heinous act drove Asriel into intense grief when he realized what he had done, or if stealing Chara's face to leave the forest was a worthy price to pay regardless.

"You're awfully quiet," Sans then said, bringing Frisk's full attention back to the brothers guiding her. "Don't you have anything you want to say?"

"Not really, no," Frisk replied, her tone even.

"Child, why don't you end our debate?" Papyrus then suggested. "Which is harder: crosswords, or junior jumble?"

Frisk didn't have to think about it. "Junior jumble, no debate."

"See, Sans?!" Papyrus then exclaimed. "Even your friend's friend agrees with me!"

"I cannot believe that you do," Chara said from somewhere beside Frisk. With her peripheral vision obscured, Frisk could not see Chara. She wanted to turn her head to look in his direction, but she feared the brothers asking questions if they had any reason to believe that she was acting strangely.

"Crosswords are impossible!" Chara then said, sounding frustrated just by the thought of them. "I do not understand why anyone would want to do crosswords over junior jumble. You, Frisk, are one of the weird ones."

I'm being followed by a ghost of a kid who doesn't remember how he died, and not preferring junior jumble is what makes me weird? Underneath her mask with the bored expression, Frisk smiled. Chara may not have remembered anything about his life, but it was amusing that he certainly remembered his feelings on such a silly topic.

"I don't get you guys," Sans then said. "Junior jumble is for babies. How can something so easy-peasy be that hard for you?"

"I'm sorry," Papyrus retorted, "but you yourself said not that long ago that crosswords are hard. There is nothing hard about crosswords! I don't think you get to say anything about me finding junior jumble difficult."

As the brothers continued to argue, Frisk pulled her shawl tighter. It was colder in Snowdin Lane than it was in her own village during winter, and her village was right outside of Ebott Forest. Whatever magic existed here made the forest neglect the outside world's weather.

Before Frisk could get lost in thought thinking about the magic within the forest, she heard Sans shout, "Get down!" as something grabbed her by the arm and yanked her into the snow.

Frisk was about to shout what was that for before she noticed the new scene around her. Her blood ran colder than the snow around them. It was possible her heart skipped a beat.

She, Sans, and Papyrus were both planted face first in the snow, and Sans was gripping Frisk's forearm like a torniquet as he stared at her as if making sure she was all right. To their left, a fire that was not there before consumed the trees and bushes and sucked up the snow as if it, too, was flammable. It wasn't a big fire, but its intensity still filled Frisk with fear as she asked herself how it came to life so quickly and ferociously.

"Looks like they found us," Sans said, looking at Frisk but speaking to Papyrus.

"Damn!" Papyrus cursed. "I thought we made them lose our trail months ago."

"Someone tipped them off, I'm sure." Letting go of Frisk, Sans pushed himself to his feet. He surveyed the direction from which the attack came. His voice growing deeper and threatening, Sans said into the trees, "Come on out! We know you're in there."

Nobody answered.

"They were counting on that surprise attack to take us out," Sans said after a moment passed with nothing else happening. "Whoever they were didn't stick around for a fight in case they missed."

Frisk was so dumbstruck, she didn't realize that she was still lying in the snow until Papyrus began to drag her upright.

"Wha-what was that?!" Frisk exclaimed when she finally found the words.

It was Chara who replied. "That was a magical attack from a very powerful monster. Frisk . . . , I just remembered something incredibly important: most of the monsters in this forest can use magic."

Frisk nearly passed out. In her time in the forest, she had never seen anyone use magic. For so long, she believed the only difference between herself and the monsters was that the monsters had no faces of their own. Now she was hit with the reality that there were more differences between her and the monsters after all. Frisk suddenly found it very hard to breathe.

"We were kinda hoping we wouldn't have to tell ya this," Sans said, his eyes still locked towards the forest, "but we're kinda on the run from the law."

Once Frisk was able to process what Sans had revealed to her, all she could do was shout, "What?!"

"There is no way Toriel knew about this!" Chara said. "I do not believe for a second that she would purposely send you off alone with a couple of criminals."

Regardless if Toriel would or wouldn't have sent me alone with them if she knew, I'm still here with the both of them.

After a minute or two passed, Sans's shoulders began to relax. Slowly turning back around, he said, "All right, whoever tried to scare us is long gone. We should probably get moving before—"

"SANS!" Papyrus cried out just as another large fireball was flying towards his brother.

Wasting not a second, Sans spun back around and did something Frisk would have had to see to believe. Throwing his hands up in the center of his chest and flinging them to his sides, Sans summoned a shield out of thin air. The shield appeared to be the skull of a ram, and it was big enough to completely shield Sans, Papyrus, and Frisk from the oncoming attack.

After the fire subsided, Sans ordered, "Run!"

Frisk didn't need to wait to be told twice, and that was mainly because Papyrus grabbed her arm and began to yank her to run beside him. Papyrus's legs were much longer than Frisk's, so keeping up with him was difficult. Sans was right behind them, his curses not so quiet as he said them under his breath.

"What exactly did Toriel get you into?" Chara, the only one who was not in any true danger, asked as he followed the three.

I don't know, Frisk mentally answered, but I think I'm in more danger now than if I had chosen to remain in the Ruined Woods.