CH2 - King Adrian of Green Gold
"Dad, why can't you and Mom play ball with us?"
"Well little Jamie, I and mom have a ton of work and responsibilities to see to."
"Like what? Are you going to see that cool warrior guy again?"
"Actually, Yes. How did you know?"
"That's my best friend's dad! That 'Gael' person, right? He's cool!"
"Want to know something cooler?"
"What dad?"
"Your friend's dad is going to be invited to see if he wants to be a Lord and help me with work."
"Wait, so my friend can move in and live with us at the keep?"
"If Gael wants to, then yes."
"And that frees-up time, right? Does that mean you can spend more time with me?"
"Are you kidding Jamie? Obviously Yes!"
"That's awesome! Should I tell my friend this, or should I let his dad Gael tell him?"
"Let Gael tell him son. Now, didn't you say something about a ball?"
. . .
"My King, the Ambassador has returned with the monsters' leader" A familiar guard's voice broke Adrian from his trance.
"What are you waiting for? I'm not your nanny guardsman. Let them in!"
The doors groaned with enough noise, one could mistake them for being in pain as they opened for Adrian's audience as two figures entered the throne room and passed its pillars.
… Silence echoes throughout the room…
"Frisk… Are you sure this is a good idea?" Softly spoke an old Goat with a crown.
"I'm…"
"Don't" Adrian interrupted, sealing his eyes shut to avoid seeing the child's locket once more while concealing his head beneath his hood.
"Address yourself, King of Monsters" Adrian's voice was like cold wind against stone – straightforward, blunt, and to the point.
"I am Asgore Dreemur… I…" Asgore tried to recompose himself.
"You are KING Asgore Dreemur of the Monsters of Mount Ebott." Adrian's voice reverberating as a skipping stone across water.
"I will address you as such. You are to address yourself as such. Get some self-respect" Adrian wanted to tack-on to the sentence 'you old goat' but restrained himself.
Adrian released the tension in his shoulders and throat, then continued.
"Monsters… Heh… That's… Seriously what you're calling yourselves…"
Adrian's voice softened, Asgore noticing something within Adrian's voice while exchanging glances with Frisk...
Why does… This feel… Familiar…
Asgore's soul remembering an ache he was longing to move on from…
"Monsters as a word has taken quite the overhaul… Monsters are Soulless, without conscience… The monsters I know of would be humans that are without… Many things." Adrian closed his eyes – if only for a moment, then came back around.
"King Asgore Dreemur – King under the mountain, Dreamer of Monster-kind… Tell me, why did you come here? What is your purpose here? Why did you come to me?"
… Silence…
Asgore took a moment…
"I wish for Monster-kind to live in peace with humans…"
Brief silence…
"PFFFFFFT HA, AHA. HAAA AHA *gasp*" Adrian blurted into the once- silent room, gasping occasionally for some air before releasing his lungs from an unexpected exercise.
Asgore payed attention to the laugh…
This isn't a laugh of mockery… This is… Authentic… As if someone told him a joke… Is this a joke to him? No… This… Authenticity… Why would he laugh about this...?
Eventually, Adrian ceased his laughter and recomposed himself.
"Pardon me King Dreemurr, but I take it you are relatively… 'New' to the surface?"
"We got out just yesterday" Frisk interjected.
… Brief silence…
"Well… I have a question for both of you then."
Both Frisk and Asgore stood attentive to King Adrian's words in silence.
Adrian leaned forward from his throne.
"How do you think you can live in harmony with humanity, when we can't even live peacefully among ourselves?"
Frisk continued her blank stare, Asgore gave a confused expression.
"… What do you mean?" Asgore replied. Adrian returned the reply.
"Have you ever heard of the phrase kill or be killed before?"
Frisk's heart felt as if was pierced like a dagger… Frisk tried to keep it from showing, but Adrian couldn't help but notice the child's clenched fists.
"Let's just say a lot of bad people have been hanging around my kingdom lately… They think we should let them trample all over us. We told them no, and now… Let's just say they don't like us very much. You could make the comparison to bullies from a school… Except without all the violence, destruction, and death…"
Asgore remained silent. Adrian's voice remained cold and distant, but wasn't harsh like it was when they first met...
"King Asgore" Adrian leaned back into his chair, the room still dark… Asgore's gaze set to return Adrian's in kind, despite not being able to make-out his face in the darkness of the room.
"King Asgore Dreemur. What is monster kind willing to give Green Gold in return for their safety within our nation, our borders, our castles, keeps, and cities from Green Gold's citizens?"
Frisk looked at Asgore concerningly.
Kill or be killed… That was what Asri- … Flowey… told me when we first met. This Adrian… Is he similar… Or… Worse...
Asgore lowered his head. Frisk immediately recognized that look. He gave it every time they were at the barrier... When he kept destroying Frisk's *MERCY key. If monsters were to live here in peace…
This can't be the only way…
"We have studies, weapons, and technology that are more than capable of suiting your needs…"
Adrian's smile was hidden, but neither Frisk or Asgore were blind to it.
"On one condition!" Asgore tacked-on, raising a finger.
Adrian's hidden smile only grew ever bigger.
"Name it!"
"You will not use this technology against the monsters, nor allow anyone else to use what we give you against us."
"Technically that's two, BUT... I too have one condition"
Asgore and Frisk held their breath. Adrian stood-up from his throne – his height barely short of Asgore by perhaps a forehead and one half. Adrian's face still shrouded by his cloak's hood.
"You protect your people. I protect my people. My people don't hurt your people, and vice versa."
Adrian reached out his hand in offer to the old goat with a crown.
"Do we have a deal?"
Asgore took the King in Green's hand and shook firmly – his face still lowered.
"Deal".
"Then welcome to Green Gold…" Adrian's voice shifted again once more – something seeming familiar to him, but Adrian couldn't place it…
"I've never met you before Asgore…" Adrian released his grip on Asgore's hand before continuing.
"But… I…" Adrian paused for a moment, his smile fading away.
It's as if you've been my friend my whole life… But I've never met you…
How is this possible? What is this… Emotion?
Asgore lifted his head a little, now Adrian was the one lowering his head.
"I've been somewhat harsh towards you two…"
Frisk was less than impressed. Asgore lifted his head a bit more.
"Ambassador… Frisk, was it?"
Frisk raised an eyebrow.
"I'm… Sorry… For… It's just that…" Adrian turned away from the two, his tone turning softer…
Gathering strength, Adrian turned and met the child's gaze… Frisk could finally see his eyes - a colorless grey with a hue barely recognizable as blue, with a messy golden blonde beard and a barely visible crown with a single sapphire ornament.
The expression on Adrian's face… Frisk knew the expression better than anyone.
It was Toriel's face when Frisk confronted her at the door to the ruins...
Pathetic, isn't it? I can't save the life of one child…
It was the face of Asgore at the barrier after every fight…
But I believe your freedom… Is what my son… What Asriel would have wanted…
"You're hurting" Frisk blurted.
Before Adrian could process what Frisk said, or Asgore could say otherwise, Frisk – as if on an impulse ran up to Adrian's side, and threw her arms around his waist.
"… What are you doing, kid?" Adrian's voice was not cold, but the distance was returning. Asgore remained silent, the identity of Adrian's emotion starting to lose it's shroud.
"Get off" Adrian wasn't forcing Frisk away, but the coldness was returning to his voice…
*But you refused
Asgore wished to remain silent, but something within him was urging him to pry.
"Forgive my dear Frisk, King Adrian… But…"
Adrian remained silent.
"Is she speaking the truth?"
"…"
Adrian could only stutter as he turned to Frisk – kneeling-down to return the embrace… Frisk now knew with certainty.
This was Toriel's hug at the door to the ruins… The embrace a parent gives Their child.
Asgore recognized it as well from a more… Ancient memory.
Frisk released Adrian from the emotional embrace, allowing Adrian to get up. Adrian remained silent…
Adrian slowly pulled-back his hood, no longer hiding under his cloak's shroud – showing Asgore and Frisk his face and expression in full.
Asgore took one gaze – followed by a feeling - as if his SOUL was being torn to shreds. A golden crown upon his head, messy golden-blonde hair, grey eyes – as if their color had been drained from them, but the expression – The expression upon Adrian's face pierced Asgore like an arrow…
It's as if I'm staring upon a reflection…
Asgore was disheartened by the emotional pain just on Adrian's face alone… Then Asgore looked deeper and saw his SOUL…
It was almost a colorless grey, save a barely visible purple hue…
… Perseverance? No… A despairing SOUL – A *SOUL trapped in the clutches of despair – losing all sense of hope...
The same hopelessness I felt... When… I lost…
"None of your business" Adrian let slip from his lips – fighting a losing battle to hide his grief, the bags of restlessness made obvious around his eyes…
"My pain isn't yours Asgore. My burdens are not yours to bear. This is mine, mine alone. What I lost is what I lost, and they will not return."
Asgore couldn't hold back his own tears as those words came from Adrian's lips. Asgore wanted to tell Adrian that he was wrong - that he knew Adrian's grief when Asriel perished in his own garden, Asgore wanted to embrace Adrian, to comfort him but nothing came forth.
The pain you feel, Adrian… It would be as if I lost Tori, Chara, and Asriel all at once... I know EXACLY what you're going through!
I don't know how long ago this was for you, but you pushed-on anyway despite having no one to continue for.
You're afraid of being weak in front of a people that look-up to you, but you're not weak!
That pain I see on your face would've had me 'fallen down' seven-fold, yet here you stand…
You're strong! You're stronger than I could ever be! There is hope for you! You just need to stay…
Adrian turned his back on Asgore and Frisk once more, his tears running amuck.
"…Leave me"
Adrian heard footsteps behind him fade toward the entrance…
"Asgore. Frisk…" Adrian turned to face them once more. He saw the pair pause, but they didn't turn to face him.
Don't leave me! I'm sorry! Come back! I don't want to be alone! I don't want to face this alone…
I'm so alone. I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE! DON'T LEAVE ME! I'M SORRY! STAY WITH ME!
… momentary silence…
WHY CAN'T I SAY ANYTHING?! WHY WON'T I TELL THEM I'M SORRY?! STAY WITH ME! DON'T LEAVE! I'M SORRY!
"King Asgore… Ambassador Frisk… Thank you for your time." Their pace towards the oaken doors resumed.
No… NO… NO! SAY MORE THAN THAT! GO WITH THEM! DO SOMETHING YOU STUPID OLD FOOL! DON'T LET THEM JUST-
The doors closed behind Frisk and Asgore with a familiar groan…
Adrian - King of Green Gold stood - tears down his face in his dimly lit, colorless throne room… Alone…
*And nobody came…