Chapter 4

A Battle For The Ages

"Wait… maybe we should wait." Asriel stopped both he and Chara within the massive hall. Chara would stop but only after pressing her hand up against the runed door in front of them. At this point she had put on his sweater. Lucky for her it would shield her from the wintry chill engendering from whatever was past that door. "Let's just," more pauses, the horned boy warmed his arm with a hand, a distinct sign of restrained feelings, "wait."

Chara glanced and inspected her companion. For what reason would they stop, and why did he look like he was in pain? There was little Chara thought she could do for him, they were still practically strangers after all. She fingered the gift he had given her in her palm. She couldn't remember the last time anyone gave her anything. Perhaps this course of events led her to look around her unlit surroundings. After some time of idleness Asriel slumped on his bum, the sound echoed throughout. Appearing aloof, he traced a crude drawing on the dust and dirt all around him.

Chara made a noise that sounded like realization and trotted along the hidden path until a point. The boy pretended not to regard this, keeping the sight of her only in the corner of an eye. She seemed to have picked something up from all the dust, with this it led her back to him. He turned away, focusing real hard on his dust drawing. Another echo was made when Chara plopped next to the boy.

He looked over at his offered sweater, first noticing there was a bulge on her right hand as if she was hiding something. "What's that?" He pried, this nudging would prove embarrassing for her. She covered her mystery with her unbulged hand. He peered up, looking for any indication whether by words or facial expression, "Don't want to show me?"

Only a trained ear would have been able to hear a defeated sigh. The girl uncovered the bulged arm, pulling the sweater back to her wrist. A small stone squeezed out of its hiding hole but was caught in her other hand. She squeezed it but ultimately presented it to her companion. "For me?" Asriel reached for it, observing a small nod. "Wow… it's a rock! Thank you!" He chose to sound unwavering. The only gifts he received were from his parents, for anyone else this would prove fruitless, especially with not having any genuine friends.

"I'm a stone pal, get it right!" The stone screamed from his grasp and managed to jump out of it, making Chara jump and unintentionally cling to her companion- drooping his shirt past his shoulder. The stone grunted and grumbled away from the pair, very, very slowly.

"I didn't know monsters lived here." Asriel's giggle seemed to brighten their dark enclosure, and even Chara's mood. "Where do you live?" But there was no response.

"Will you be quiet?!" A stone mother shouted as her stone baby started crying from the commotion.

It was Chara that led this time, making unknown steps to the massive, runed door. She scanned back for approval, finding the monster boy to be a bit reluctant, but pursued nonetheless.

The two pushed together and…

It was as if they were already past the threshold in a wintry wonderland.

"Well, well, it's little baby Azzy." Jeered Aaron, a seahorse. He was accompanied by other young monsters, although not as young as Asriel. There was Bun-bun, the blue bun (no relation to bun-buns found around Snowdin). Crystal, a snowhen with a flashy design of a snowflake on their head. Lastly there was Skulk, a lagopus with a fox-like appearance covered in white fur.

Asriel's heart sank, he already knew what was to come, only a diffident Chara stood still.

"I knew you were too chicken to go through with it. Err.. no offense Crystal." Exclaimed Aaron.

"I'm not a chicken!" Retorted Crystal, while the others laughed in unison at anything Aaron said about Asriel.

This only encouraged Aaron to go further, "And who's that with you? One of your chicken friends?" Presently the seahorse imitated what he thought a chicken might sound like, "Ricky-tick-tick, tickety-tock!" Flailing his arms about only made his crowd laugh harder.

Asriel wanted to correct them, assure them or himself, he felt as if the world was growing around him, or perhaps he was getting smaller. When he opened his mouth to speak the words were ever so frail and quiet, "Guys… that's not true…"

Chara's knuckles turned white.

"Aw, what's the matter Azzy? Gonna cry to daddy Fluffybuns?" Aaron persisted, getting closer to the already beaten boy. He towered over him as he ruffled up the fur on his head. The constant choir of laughing was music to Aaron's ears. This energy made him push Asriel over, he landed on the snow with a thud, he was terribly shaken. "Go home Azzy, no one likes you!"

Just when all hope was lost, but before Asriel could break down in tears, a white projectile hit Aaron square in the jaw which made him stumble back. He clutched at his pained mouth and looked around for the culprit. Quickly he found the unannounced guest had pulled their arm back, she was smiling devilishly, her eyes pierced his own.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" It didn't matter who had called it out, but the air was thick with the excitement of a war- only waged by those brave enough to endure the icy balls of snow. The frigid snowballs flew to and fro, the obvious demarcation line was split between those of the goat-boy defenders against the very rude-Aaron instigators. But the battle was surely favored for the instigators, they outnumbered the defenders four to two! While Asriel held his position near a fallen tree, he provided expert marksman support from afar. While on the other hand, Chara's tactic was more guns blazing, her skill at making the snowballs while on the run was impeccable!

The instigators had no choice but to fall back and regroup, Chara's offensive surely had them on the ropes.

"What do we do?" Cried Skulk.

"Keep throwing, cowards!" Demanded Aaron.

"I wanna go home!" Bun-bun cried quite literally.

A few more minutes of this massacre was all Bun-bun could take, he ran homewards first, Crystal had to follow after him because she promised she would look after him. And so the battlefield was even!

"She's too strong Aaron!" Skulk pleaded their surrender with the seahorse, all the while a flurry of snowballs came at them from above. One snowball managed to strike Skulk on his nose which made him collapse, "Medic!"

"Darn it!" Exclaimed Aaron, his options were few, and they were minimizing by the second! He picked up poor Skulk in his arms and yelled as he retreated, "This isn't over Azzy!"

All that was left was a wasteland, and piles upon piles of snow. The tracks in all that white could clearly show a fierce battle was fought. The two left caught their breath a moment, Chara the most from all the leg-work.

"That was so epicsauce!" Asriel exclaimed, his voice full of glee, a welcome sight for Chara since his earlier breakdown. "You were like bang-bang and I was like pow-pow from my tree and…" the fluffy boy excitedly mimicked the battle with all his limbs and all his might.

A large cloud emanating from Chara's breath encircled about her, she smiled, they both did. Asriel pleaded, "We should totally do that again!" Chara agreed and the two continued on their journey with a pep in their step.

A lone flower was left behind in no-man's land.