Chapter 4

"I APOLOGIZE!"

Undyne blinked at the tall skeleton monster. He was gracious, kind, considerate, and a complete marshmallow. He was also very loud. He'd opened the door to the safe house with a flourish and a grand smile, the tattered red cape of his 'battle body' fluttering behind him. And he was the team lead for this?

"AGAIN, I AM VERY SORRY I WASN'T ABLE TO SEE YOU YESTERDAY! A BIT OF AN UPSET AT THE RESTAURANT."

"I'm here to retrieve all humans in the prison and return them to the surface. Mr. Kramer says that you can help me identify who on my list is here."

"I CAN!" Papyrus paused, rubbing his mandible with his red gloved hand. "BUT IT WILL LOOK SUSPICIOUS IF YOU JUST UP AND LEAVE. HMMM…" He snapped his fingers, eye sockets opening wide. "I GOT IT! WE'LL SAY YOU ARE GOING ON VACATION IN NEW HOME. WHEN YOU DON'T COME BACK, WE'LL SAY THAT YOU DECIDED TO MOVE TO THE 'BIG CITY.' FAKING SUCH A MOVE OUT WILL NOT BE DIFFICULT."

He frowned. "ARE YOU SURE YOU CAN TRUST THIS MONSTER, MR. KRAMER? SHE DOES HAVE A LEVEL OF VIOLENCE CONSISTENT WITH THAT OF ASGORE'S GUARD."

Kramer nodded, false green antenna swinging. "Captain Undyne is not human hunter. If she's here, it's to help, not because she was dropped in the prison as punishment." The human 'turned' bug monster thought about that. "I'm not sure you could even put someone down here like that anyway."

Undyne sighed with surprise. "And here I was worried about your capabilities." She gave him an apologetic smile. "I am the Captain of King Asriel's Royal Guard and I have had the misfortune of needing to use a weapon in defense of my king and his people."

"HMMM… I WILL STILL REQUIRE CONFIRMATION FROM A SECOND SOURCE AS TO YOUR CREDENTIALS. I HAVE ALREADY SENT FOR ANOTHER OF THE FALLEN JUST FOR THIS PURPOSE."

Undyne nodded appreciatively. "All right. In the meantime, perhaps you can answer a question for me. We have reason to believe that a human was dropped into the cavern yesterday. A young woman, twenty-one years old."

Papyrus shook his skull. "NOT THAT I AM AWARE OF. PRINCE ASRIEL AND LORD CHARA HAVE NOT BROUGHT ANYONE TO THE SAFE HOUSE IN OVER SIX MONTHS."

Undyne covered her face with her hands. "Where did you go?"

Papyrus reached over and patted her shoulder. "I TAKE IT THAT THIS PARTICULAR HUMAN IS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO YOU?"

Undyne sighed. "She's a good friend and losing her stings painfully, but her disappearance is compounded by her status. She's an extremely powerful wizard and a descendant of one of the makers of the prison. Her soul is powerful enough that if any monster took it, they'd be unstoppable."

"AND WE HAVE HAD NO NEWS HERE. THAT IS NOT ENCOURAGING. BUT THEN, IT MIGHT ALSO BE A SIGN OF GOOD NEWS TOO." Papyrus frowned. "I WILL CONTACT ISADORA. IF A HUMAN HAS BEEN HARVESTED, SHE WILL KNOW."

There was a knock at the door before it opened and a lizard woman entered the safe house, kicking the snow from her boots. She paused mid kick, jaw hanging open.

"Captain… Captain Undyne?"

The lizard woman rushed across the room and crashed into Undyne with a hug.

"It is you! Has someone finally come for us?!"

Papyrus sat up straight. "WELL THEN! I SUPPOSE I HAVE MY CONFIRMATION. GIVE ME YOUR LIST."

Undyne pushed the notebook to him from around the hug. "My orders are to retrieve all humans. As soon as we can make it look natural, I will take you to the exit point."

The lizard woman leaned back with a frown. "That may not be possible. A few of us have married and have monster spouses. They may choose to stay, despite the danger. And I doubt that Lord Chara will leave Prince Asriel behind."

Papyrus took a pen to the list. "I AM MARKING THE NAMES OF THOSE WE HAVE HIDDEN, AND HEARTS NEXT TO THE NAMES OF THOSE MARRIED TO MONSTERS." He paused, tapping the pen against the paper. "THESE TWELVE NAMES ARE NOT FAMILIAR. I KNOW OF THREE SOULS IN CONTAINMENT AND SEVEN WHO PASSED, THEIR SOULS LEAVING BEFORE RETRIEVAL, BUT I'M UNAWARE OF THEIR NAMES. PERHAPS ONE OF THESE IS LORD CHARA?"

"Is Chara his actual name or a pseudonym?"

"I BELIEVE IT IS THE NAME PRINCE ASRIEL GAVE HIM TEN YEARS AGO. IF HE HAS ANOTHER NAME, HE HAS NEVER REVEALED IT TO ME." He handed the notebook back to Undyne. "WE WILL NEED TO CONTACT PRINCE ASRIEL AND LORD CHARA ABOUT THIS ANYWAY."

Papyrus smiled and stood. "I WILL CONTACT ISADORA AND PASS THIS INFORMATION TO PRINCE ASRIEL THROUGH HER. WHILE THAT IS HAPPENING, WE'LL TALK TO EACH OF THE HUMANS IN THE PRISON AND COME UP WITH WAYS TO REMOVE THEM WITHOUT SUSPICION. THANKFULLY, TWENTY PEOPLE IS LESS THAN A BLIP ON THE RADAR AND A LACK OF A FORMAL POLICE FORCE ALLOWS US TO MOVE IN RELATIVE FREEDOM."

Undyne nodded. "I'll need to confer with the boss about the removal of monster spouses. Everyone leaving the prison will need debrief and help reintegrating to life on the surface, especially the monsters." Undyne frowned. "What is the history you are taught here?"

Papyrus paused. "WE ARE TAUGHT THAT ASGORE WAS DEPOSED AND ALL MONSTERS WERE FORCED INTO THE PRISON. THAT NO MONSTERS LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE PRISON. I KNOW THIS IS NOT THE CASE, BUT THAT IS SIMPLY A FACT OF AGE. I AM AMONG THE OLDEST OF THE SECOND GENERATION IN THE PRISON AND MY CREATOR WAS NOT ONE TO DEAL IN HISTORICAL LIES."

"How old are you?"

"MY BROTHER AND I ARE TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE." Papyrus wrapped the tattered scarf around himself tightly. "I WILL SEND FOR ISADORA. IT MAY TAKE HER A FEW HOURS TO FIND TIME TO COME TO THE SAFE HOUSE."

"Then I'll meet you here tomorrow morning."

Papyrus smiled brightly. "FINALLY! I'LL BE ABLE TO DELIVER SOME GOOD NEWS!"

Undyne smiled at his enthusiasm. Kramer walked her back to downtown Old Home and she found her way back to Watchtower. Climbing up to the control room, she took the elevator to the cabin above. Taking a moment to organize her thoughts, she pulled out her phone and called the direct line to King Asriel.

King Asriel sounded disappointed. "I did not expect a call this soon. Should I brace for the worst?"

"I don't have confirmation on Frisk. I have, however, met two humans and the team lead of the monsters who are hiding them, a monster named Papyrus. Asgore and Toriel have two sons, Prince Asriel, their biological child, and Lord Chara, an adopted human who has a reputation for hating humans."

"Adopted? Asgore the Ravager and Toriel the Reaper have an adopted human son?"

Undyne nodded. "Yes. And both of those sons have been running an operation to save humans dropped into the prison under Asgore and Toriel's noses. The official line is that Asgore was the rightful ruler, deposed by humans, and all monsters were forced into the prison. To the general population, only one human has ever fallen into the prison and that's Lord Chara. That said, Papyrus has record of thirty-one people. Twenty of whom are hidden in the prison and ten of whom are dead."

"Then the outstanding human is this 'Lord Chara.'"

"Correct."

King Asriel mulled this over. "Chara is not a name on the list."

"Papyrus believes it is a pseudonym."

"Can you arrange the retrieval of the humans?"

Undyne sighed. "And that's the issue. It's been a long time. Some of them have taken spouses among the monsters in the prison and I've been told that Chara will not leave without Prince Asriel. I need more specific orders than retrieve the humans."

You could hear the smile in the king's voice. "Much in the way of complication."

His tone changed, becoming that of a king. "My orders are this: We will not allow Our subjects to live with murderers for leaders and believe their lies. Meet with Prince Asriel and Lord Chara. I want an assessment. Toriel the Reaper has a historical reputation for being a shrewd spymaster, and if her sons are running an entire operation under her nose, then they are an asset to Us. Learn how many of the human hunters are left in the prison. It is Our will that they be destroyed and the Barrier opened."

Undyne bowed as she answered. "Yes, Your Majesty. I will return to the prison and carry out your wish."

King Asriel's voice softened. "Dyne, I say this as your sovereign, but also as your friend. If, after assessing the situation, you feel that carrying out this order will cost you too much in LOVE, you have permission to recruit the help you need. Indeed, you will likely need help to take down Asgore and Toriel."

Undyne smiled, teeth big and sharp. "I won't let you down, Azzy! Not on any front!" Her smile softened. "With your leave, Your Majesty."

"I'll pray for your safety and hope you continue to bring good news."

Undyne hung up and headed back into Watchtower to the empty bedroom she'd commandeered for the mission. The next morning found her in the safe house, interviewing humans disguised as monsters. The majority wanted to leave, and Papyrus set to work arranging plausible reasons for them to just up and be gone from their homes. But the married ones opted to stay, not wanting to leave their spouses.

When mid afternoon rolled around, the door opened. An orange rabbit monster came in, and froze at the door, ready to run.

The rabbit's eyes narrowed on Undyne. "Who are you?"

"I'm Undyne Cichlid, Captain of King Asriel's Royal Guard."

"HER IDENTITY AND TRUSTWORTHINESS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY SEVERAL OF OUR FRIENDS. I'VE CALLED YOU HERE BECAUSE SHE HAS A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR YOU."

The rabbit nodded once, slowly closing the door behind her.

Undyne closed her eyes. "Did a human fall two days ago?"

"Yes."

Papyrus' skull snapped around, face suddenly filled with terror.

Undyne shuddered, covering her face with her webbed hands. "Please. Please tell me she's alive."

"Frisk is alive."

Undyne choked on a happy sob, her head hitting the table. "Oh, Thank God!" She sniffed and wiped at her eyes as she lifted her head. "Is she imprisoned? Scheduled for execution? If so how soon?"

Isadora sat down, patting Undyne's arm. "She's engaged to Lord Chara."

Undyne's jaw dropped. "What?"

"It's been an eventful three days." Isadora poured herself a cup of tea. "Prince Asriel and Lord Chara got to Frisk before the guard, but not soon enough to remove her. So they went with their back up plan of having Asriel make off with her with the express purpose of 'giving' her to Chara as a 'pet.' Thankfully, Asriel was able to prep her enough for the act and the three were able to pull off the charade perfectly. Queen Toriel was not happy with her son keeping another human as a 'pet' and forced the issue this morning."

Isadora checked her watch. "She should be at the Art Museum High Tea right now."

Undyne took a breath, let it out slowly, and nodded. "Is there any way I could meet with the three of them?"

Isadora's chin dropped to her chest, eyes closed in thought. "Tomorrow morning. There aren't any scheduled engagements." She lifted her head, large eyes opening. "I can't take you into the palace with me, but… are you a fish monster who can breath underwater?"

Undyne nodded. "I have gills."

"There is a pond in the palace garden fed by an offshoot of the river. I will show you where to enter the water in the morning and meet you at the pond inside the palace." Isadora pulled out a piece of paper and began drawing a floor plan. "In case we must separate, memorize this floor plan and use it to get to this suite." She marked an x over the royal brothers' apartment and handed the paper to Undyne. "I'll meet you at the New Home dock tomorrow morning at seven."

"I WILL BE SURE SHE IS THERE TO MEET YOU."

Isadora nodded and paused, looking down at her hands. "When you… When you take Lady Frisk with you, will you take Prince Asriel and Lord Chara as well? Please?"

Undyne reached over and patted Isadora's shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. "I've known Frisk since she was a baby. She wouldn't let me leave without those who helped her."

Isadora nodded and stood. "I need to return to New Home. I'm not sure how soon I can pass the message to them of your arrival. Depending on how things are going, it may end up being a surprise."

"Understood."

Isadora smiled and rushed out of the safe house.

Undyne's head came to rest on the table, her shoulders heaving with the effort not to sob in relief. "She's alive. Oh Thank God, she's alive."

Papyrus gently patted Undyne's shoulder. "PERHAPS A WALK WILL HELP YOU CLEAR YOUR HEAD AND SETTLE YOUR HEART."

Undyne nodded, forehead pressed to the table. "That sounds like a really good idea." She sat up. "Can you show me where the humans fall from?"

Papyrus nodded. "YES! IT IS NOT A SECRET PLACE, BUT RATHER, A WELL MAINTAINED, PUBLIC GARDEN. IT IS ACTUALLY VERY POPULAR PLACE FOR OLD HOME RESIDENTS TO GET MARRIED." He stood and offered Undyne an arm. "COME! THE RUINS AWAIT!"

Exiting the safe house, Papyrus walked her through the decaying part of Old Home to a wide set of stairs up the side of wall. Monsters of all sorts sat on the steps and gave happy greetings as the two passed by. At the top of the stairs they came to a railed overlook of Old Home and a few monsters stood or sat at the top, enjoying the view. Going around a corner they passed a house with a withered tree in front of it.

Undyne stopped. "Does anyone live there?"

Papyrus shook his skull. "THAT WAS THE DREEMURR RESIDENCE, BEFORE THE PALACE WAS BUILT AND IT IS THE WAY THROUGH WHICH THE ROYAL GUARD TAKE ANY HUMANS FOUND IN THE RUINS. THERE IS A PASSAGE UNDER THE RESIDENCE, HIDDEN FROM VIEW, THAT GOES DIRECTLY TO SNOWDIN."

They continued through a winding passage, meeting the occasional monster and even running into a spider bake sale. After purchasing a snack, Papyrus led her to a garden. Flowers and shrubs of all sorts grew in the little bit of light that managed to filter down from the surface. Papyrus suddenly grabbed Undyne, pulling her away from the garden entrance. Undyne clapped a hand over her own mouth to keep from giving away their position.

Inside the garden, the royal guard pulled a green, flame monster from the golden flowers. As soon as he was out of the flower patch, his flames brightened, burning the flowers still sticking to him away.

He looked to Captain Brine. "I need to see His Majesty."

The lizard captain with his white face smiled viciously. "Oh. I'm sure he wants to see you too."

The guard escorted the flame monster away. As soon as the coast was clear, Papyrus and Undyne stepped from their hiding place.

"THIS IS BAD. THIS IS VERY, VERY BAD."

"Is that the monster who was sent to kidnap humans?"

"YES. AND WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BEAT THE GUARD TO NEW HOME TO WARN PRINCE ASRIEL OR LORD CHARA."

Undyne looked after them. "Frisk." She set off after the guard, only to have Papyrus catch her.

"NO! IT'S TOO DANGEROUS! EVEN WITH YOUR LOVE, THE TWO OF US DO NOT HAVE A CHANCE AGAINST A MONSTER WITH AN ABSORBED HUMAN SOUL, CAPTAIN BRINE, AND FOUR MEMBERS OF THE GUARD!"

"That monster knows who Frisk is!"

A white blur dashed ahead of them, through the Ruins.

Undyne started. "What was that?!"

"THAT WAS PRINCE ASRIEL. I BELIEVE THAT WE ARE NOW, NOT WITHOUT HOPE. WE WILL STICK TO ISADORA'S PLAN."