Chapter 7

Isadora waved as Undyne and Papyrus stepped off the boat. Both rushed to her.

"Yesterday, we saw-"

Isadora shook her hands, cutting Undyne off. "This way."

The three hurried along the riverfront, walking along a well manicured, cobblestone path, past restaurants and boutique shops that faced the river. Hanging planters filled with colorful flowers and trailing green vines decorated every lamppost long the way. With the exception of the one or two restaurants that offered breakfast, the storefronts were dark. Once they were to the furthest end of the riverfront were the underground waterway disappeared into a cavern wall, Isadora stopped.

Undyne, past patience, scowled. "We saw the kidnapper descend yesterday. What's going on?"

Isadora took a moment to catch her breath before speaking. "The guard brought him to the palace and after an altercation in the palace foyer, was taken to the dungeon. He escaped, stole the other three souls that were in containment, and left through the Barrier."

"And Frisk?"

Isadora nodded. "As far as I know, Lady Frisk is fine. Because of the incident, what's left of the guard is on high alert, and I didn't get a chance to tell the princes you were coming. Do you remember the map?"

Undyne nodded.

"Good. Because we are very likely to get split up." Isadora walked over to the railing and pointed down. "Just below the surface of the water here is the tunnel that feeds water into the pond in the palace garden. Another of our group tested it yesterday and said that the path was straight, but very murky as you came up to the pond. It takes about thirty minutes to swim it. I'll be waiting at the pond."

"THANK YOU, ISADORA."

Isadora nodded. "Do you need me to take anything into the palace for you?"

Undyne nodded and bent over to untie her boots. "Yes. Take my shoes." After handing the boots to Isadora, she put both hands on the rail. "See you soon."

She vaulted the rail, dropping into the water feet first. She fought the current for a moment before she saw the tunnel, one of several along the waterfront face. She swam into the tunnel and found a gentle pull in the water, taking her forward through a brick lined shaft. Once she was sure she was free of the river's current, she unzipped the legs of her pants, letting them float freely around her. She swam with the gentle pull, her fins extending from her arms and legs, long and gossamer in the water.

As promised, the way was straight, and became increasingly murky the further it went. Even so, her gills didn't find the filtered oxygen unpleasant. Undyne's eyes fluttered shut, letting her hands guide her forward, fingers sliding through the slime on the walls. She sighed at the feeling, her mind filled with memories of swimming in the family lake as a child. She'd have to take Frisk there soon. Once they were out of this.

Light hit her eye lids and Undyne opened her eyes to see a large pond with a school of orange and white koi swimming around. Staying down in the water, she looked around for Isadora. Spotting the rabbit, she waited for a moment, observing Isadora's posture. After determining that she was relaxed, Undyne surfaced slowly to keep from making more noise than the koi swimming around her.

Isadora unwrapped a large towel when she saw Undyne, carefully wrapping the fish monster. "After we get you dry, I'll take you inside. The guard is patrolling the halls, but they've left the gardens alone. It's still very early and Lord Chara is the only one likely to be awake. If we need to separate, just follow the map." Isadora held up Undyne's boots. "I also gave them a quick spray."

"They don't smell that bad, do they?"

Isadora shrugged with a sly smile. "You are a fish monster."

Undyne rolled her eyes. Her clothing dried quickly, having been made for a fish monster, and she zipped her pants down. After pulling on her boots, Undyne followed Isadora into the palace. Walking slowly and quietly, Undyne relied on Isadora's ears to detect members of the guard. Isadora stiffened and Undyne stepped behind a statue in an alcove, staying still.

A frog monster guardsman stopped on seeing the rabbit monster. "Hello, Isadora."

"Hello, Aron."

"Have you been to the royal brothers' room yet?"

Isadora shook her head. "No. I'm heading to the kitchen now to get their breakfast."

"If you, uh… If you know that there's something Lady Frisk really likes, you should get it for her. She was really scared last night."

Isadora nodded. "I will. Thank you, Aron."

The frog made a strange face, both smiling and frowning. "Lord Chara was in the kitchen in the middle of the night getting her tea. He acts like an ass about it, but I think he really cares about Lady Frisk." He gave the rabbit monster a half hearted salute before continuing his patrol.

Undyne waited for Isadora to signal her only to see her cut off a groan. Isadora leaned toward the statue and pointed down the hall, her ears twitching. Undyne nodded. Isadora pointed to a second hallway and nodded toward it. Undyne nodded again and the rabbit monster took off in the direction of the guard yet coming. When Undyne could clearly hear the Isadora talking to another guard, she slipped her hiding place and went down the second hall, following the map she'd memorized the day before.

Entering an empty hall with only one doorway in the middle, she crept up to it. Listening at the door for a moment, she heard nothing. She gently opened the door and slipped inside, closing it behind her just as quietly. And was slammed hard against the wall, a knife at her throat and an angry goat monster holding her still.

"A high level of violence and not a member of the guard or a Dreemurr? So who might you be? And you better answer quick, because I'm in no mood for games."

"Undyne!" Frisk called. "Asriel! Let her go!" Frisk, only dressed in the t-shirt she'd stolen from Chara rushed into Undyne's arms as Asriel stepped back.

"Frisk!" Undyne hugged Frisk tightly, sobbing with relief.

Chara trudged into the room, looking too tired. He pointed to Frisk. "What's going on?"

Asriel gave him a wide shrug. "I'd like to know that too."

Frisk stepped back from the hug, wiping her eyes. "This is-"

Undyne grabbed Frisk's shoulders. "Your level of violence!"

Frisk's smile crumpled and she shuddered, hugging herself.

Chara lifted the knitted blanket from the couch, wrapping it around Frisk. "It's been a very long couple of days." He nodded to the couch as Frisk turned to him, sliding her arms around him and burying her face against his chest. "Have a seat." He held Frisk for a moment before moving her to the couch, tucking the blanket around her.

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

Asriel raised a hand. "How did you get in the palace?" His jaw dropped. "There's a way in and out of the prison!"

"Yes." Undyne raised a hand. "I met with Papyrus and he arranged my entrance into the palace with Isadora. She was to let you know I was coming, but didn't have a chance. I swam up through the tunnel that feeds the pond." She reached over, resting a hand on Frisk's back. "What happened?"

"The monster my parents sent out to collect humans to drop into the prison happened." Asriel grimaced. "He's dust now, but it took all three of us to fight him."

Frisk sat up, shivering. "It's so cold." She looked to Undyne, tears in her eyes. "How do I stop it?"

Undyne sighed and hugged Frisk tightly. "It's something that will always be there. You can learn to manage it, and some manage it better than others, but it never truly goes away. I'm sorry I wasn't here to take it for you."

"No!" Frisk pushed her away. "I don't want anyone to feel like this! Least of all to protect me." Her shoulders fell. "I'm sorry."

Undyne smiled softly. "You don't need to be."

Chara poured Frisk a cup of tea and she took it, drinking quickly. "Can you get Frisk to the surface?"

Frisk glared at him over the cup. "We've been over this. I'm not leaving without you. Or Asriel for that matter."

Undyne sighed. "I'd like to say that I'm in a position to force the subject, and the King may give me a specific command on that note, but my orders are to open the prison." Undyne took a breath, sitting up straight. "With that in mind," she looked to Asriel, "I need to know where you stand." She looked to Chara. "And who you are, because 'Chara' is not a name on any list of missing persons I have."

Chara shook his head. "It's just Char-"

Frisk put a hand over Chara's mouth and turned to Undyne. "Christopher Nightfall."

Undyne's jaw dropped, eyes wide. "Evan and Carol's little boy?"

Chara pushed Frisk's hand away. "Will you please stop saying my name?"

Frisk looked up at him, a soft smile gracing her lips. "No."

Chara rubbed his head. "Why?"

"Because when the Barrier drops, I don't want you to forget who you are."

Asriel crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm with Frisk on that." He sighed, hands clasping in front of him as he leaned forward, and looked to Undyne. "As much as I want to say otherwise, I've long been prepared for the fight that will end my parents' lives. But we're talking more than just them and there are two very specific complications besides that."

Undyne nodded. "Go on."

Chara pulled Frisk close when she shivered, rubbing her back under the blanket. "Every member of the royal guard is chosen specifically for their willingness to harvest human souls. Captain Brine is the one who slaughtered the three humans we couldn't get to in time, hence his level of violence, but the rest of the guard's existence means the barrier remains shut."

"How many guardsmen are there?"

Asriel thought about it. "After last night, seventeen."

"And the two complications?"

Asriel replied, "The first is the souls in containment. When I smashed open the vessels to make it look like the retainer had betrayed us, only two of the three were present. Someone is walking around with a human soul and we don't know who it is."

"The other souls?"

"I released them and they ascended. The second complication is Dr. Gaster."

Undyne frowned. "Wing Dings Gaster is still alive?"

"That's just it. I don't know. He was locked into the basement level of the Lab when I was really little. I don't know that he's dead."

Chara shifted so that Frisk was more comfortable laying against him. "The person to talk to there is Papyrus. He's only mentioned it to me once, but he talked about working in the Lab with Dr. Gaster. He is likely to have a better idea than we do."

Undyne closed her eyes, doing the math in her head. "Then our first order of business is Dr. Gaster. I'll find out if he's alive and if he is, remove him from the equation. After that, I will call in a specialist to handle the guard. When she's finished, we'll discuss our next steps." Undyne reached over, rubbing Frisk's back. "Until then, can you keep Frisk safe?"

Chara and Asriel both nodded.

There was a knock at the door and Undyne stiffened. Asriel stood and opened it a crack, before letting the door open wide for Isadora to come in with breakfast, and shutting it tightly as soon as she was inside. The rabbit monster sighed with relief only to stifle a gasp when she saw Frisk. She left the cart behind, going directly to Frisk, and getting her to her feet.

"Come on. Let's get you dressed. I have hot chocolate on the cart. It will help with the cold." Isadora led Frisk back through the study and into the bedroom.

Undyne crossed her arms over her chest. "Is there a reason why Frisk is only wearing a t-shirt?"

Chara sighed, shoulders dropping. "Specifically my t-shirt and it's her way of punishing me."

"For?"

"I put my hands on her to sell it when I 'decided' to 'keep' her and for making a joke of her name to Asgore."

Undyne blinked. "And that's it? She hates it when people make a joke of her name. That's letting you off easy."

Chara gave her a sour frown. "There's more than that. The t-shirt is part of a much larger and full fledged attack." He looked back toward the study for a moment before looking to Asriel. "Can I have a second?"

Asriel held up both hands and nodded. "Yeah." He stood and went into study.

Chara turned to Undyne. "Last night, I woke Frisk out of a really bad nightmare and, convinced that it would make the cold go away," his cheeks went red, "she begged me to make love to her."

Undyne's head cocked to the side. "Did you?"

Chara shook his head. "No. I… I didn't want to take the chance that I'd hurt her in some other way." He looked up at Undyne. "Is what she asked normal? Would it have helped? I… I was a child when Asgore forced me to kill. I was too young to think like that so…" He sighed, eyes closing as his head dropped.

"Everyone reacts to a rise in LOVE differently. Some repress it, others wallow in it. Some fight through it and some seek help. Some love the feeling and others will try anything to make it go away. Frisk's reaction isn't unusual. It's not uncommon for adult humans, in the face of death, to grasp at life, and, like Frisk, seek to connect deeply to another and possibly create new life."

Undyne put a hand on her shoulder. "Would it have helped? Maybe? I don't know. It's not something I have experience with. As a monster, I don't experience LOVE the same way a human does." Undyne smiled. "But I'm glad you chose not too."

Chara's head rose, eyes on the fish woman. "You don't mean that in the 'preservation of an Everdawn' way. So, why?"

"I've known Frisk since she was a baby. So believe me when I say that she wouldn't have asked had she not believed you worthy of that trust. But I'm happy you didn't because it would have broken her heart should she have to walk out of this without you."

Undyne patted his shoulder once before leaning back. "On a different note... Papyrus?"

Chara smiled suddenly. "He fools everyone, doesn't he?" He stood and poured a mug of hot chocolate at the cart. "He doesn't look the part for anything. He runs a restaurant and he's a terrible cook. He's loud, wears ridiculous costumes, and always seems to be falling over himself to help. And because of that, he's exactly the man for the job. He's above suspicion."

He took a sip of the hot chocolate. "But don't fail to take him seriously. He does his job well, but I also chose him because he's strong enough to defend himself and anyone around him from the guard. In any sparring session, he knocks me silly with ease."

Isadora walked Frisk back in, fully dressed in layers of seafoam green skirt and tunic; Asriel just behind. Frisk sat down next to Undyne, hugging the fish woman tightly.

Undyne hugged her back. "Are you sure you won't leave with me?"

Frisk nodded. "I know what comes next. I won't let them do it alone."

Undyne nodded. "As you wish. Use a masking spell to cover the rise in your LOVE. I need to see Papyrus. As soon as Dr. Gaster's fate is certain, I'll arrange to meet with you again through Isadora."

Isadora came around to stand by the door. "I'll run interference for you to get back to the pond. I won't be able to meet you on the other side so," she held up a large, sealable bag, "I brought a bag for your shoes."

Undyne snorted softly and hugged Frisk one last time, holding her tightly before leaving with Isadora. As promised, the rabbit monster distracted any guard along the way, letting Undyne slip back to the garden and into the pond unseen. Coming up out of the water by the river, she found herself far from alone. Lots of fish monsters were playing in the river and the youngest of them splashed at her when she came up. She took a few moments to splash back, giving the children a big smile before taking Papyrus' offered hand up.

"I HOPE YOUR RETURN MEANS THAT ALL WENT WELL."

Undyne nodded. "Yes. And Chris- Chara told me to ask you for a specific piece of information."

"IF THERE IS ANY WAY I CAN BE OF SERVICE, I AM AT YOUR DISPOSAL."

Undyne leaned in. "Is Dr. Gaster alive?"

Papyrus frowned deeply, his voice suddenly dropping, "There are better places to have this conversation. And better people to have it with." He looked at his watch, his voice ratcheting back up, "YOU MUST MEET MY BROTHER! HE'S AT WORK, BUT WILL BE HOME FOR DINNER. I WILL MEET YOU OUTSIDE THE RESTAURANT IN OLD HOME AROUND… SEVENTEEN HUNDRED HOURS?"

Undyne nodded. "That works for me."

He offered Undyne his arm. "SHALL I SEE YOU BACK TO OLD HOME?"

Undyne nodded. "Yes, please."

One swift boat ride, a walk in the woods, and a climbing of Watchtower later, Undyne came up into the cabin on Mt. Ebott. Pulling out her phone, she dialed King Asriel. He picked up before the first ring finished.

"Another report already?"

Undyne nodded and grimaced as she realized the futility of nodding while on a phone. "Who's with you right now?"

"No one."

"Okay. I have a lot to report and I need you to sit down for it, Az."

She could almost see King Asriel's eyebrow lift and heard the sound of a chair creak a little as he sat. "Sitting."

"I found Frisk. She's alive and safe for the time being. Prince Asriel and Lord Chara couldn't get to her in time to hide her with the other humans and have been keeping her with them instead. It started as a ruse to keep Frisk as a 'pet.' But Toriel wasn't having that and now Chara and Frisk are engaged."

"That escalated quickly."

"I made contact with the three of them this morning." Undyne took a deep breath. "'Lord Chara' is Christopher Nightfall."

There was the sound of something hitting the floor. "What… What did you say?"

"'Lord Chara' is Christopher Nightfall. He's been in the prison and running a plot to hide humans of serious proportions under the nose of Toriel the Reaper. From everything I've ever read about Toriel's prowess as a spy master, Frisk's father would be so proud right now."

"Oh my God…"

"His LOVE is… not good. Not up there with yours or anywhere near mine, but it's activated that part of him that is his birthright as a Nightfall. His eyes are already that deep, blood red it took Evan decades to acquire. And while that provides him with some protection against the worst effects, it's obvious that Asriel has been his strong support there. From what Chara said, Asgore forced him to kill when he was a child."

"I wonder why? If he was hiding that he was a Nightfall from Asgore, the change in eye color would have been its own dead give away… Unless Asgore knew who he was and was hoping to activate it." The king hummed thoughtfully.

"I don't even have a hypothesis for that."

King Asriel turned it over in his head. "Even during the war, the taking of a wizard's soul was something Asgore refused to do. I don't know if that's because, as a Dreemurr, he took his oath to the protection of the wizarding families seriously, or if he saw it as a future investment to their loyalty if he took the throne."

"It's something we might not ever know. Which brings me back to Frisk. Her LOVE has increased to a two."

"WHAT?!"

"The monster that kidnapped her slipped passed the guard on the mountain to find out why Asgore hadn't blown the prison open yet, after an altercation of some kind at the palace, the monster escaped confinement. Frisk, Chara, and Asriel took him down together, but Frisk came away with an increase in LOVE. Chara is helping her with it, but it's hitting her hard."

Asriel's voice changed and dropped low. "Helping her how?"

Undyne smirked. "Not that way."

King Asriel sighed audibly, his voice returning to normal. "And opening the barrier?"

"Something that has been an obvious point of discussion for Asriel and Chara in the past. At current, human hunters in the prison include Asgore, Toriel, the royal guard as a whole, and potentially Dr. Gaster if he is still alive."

"The son of Asgore and Toriel is interested in killing his own parents."

Undyne shook her head. "Not interested. Resigned. After destroying the kidnapper, Asriel found that they were missing a soul in containment. No one knows who has it. So with that in mind, I'm making Gaster the first priority and meeting with contacts who can give me information on whether or not he's still alive. After Dr. Gaster is dealt with, I am going to tap Muffet to handle the royal guard."

"Understood." Asriel hummed thoughtfully. "I take it that Frisk refused to be removed from the prison."

"You know that if an Everdawn decides on something, you aren't budging them, and Frisk won't leave someone in need, especially a newfound friend." Undyne sighed and then smiled a little. "Frisk and Christopher are in love, Az. I don't know if they've figured it out themselves, but… I've never seen Frisk smile that way before. Not for anyone."