There were other gods Sans could ask favors of, not in any way lesser compared to Lord Fiersome, but not immediately as busy. Being patron god of five cities was a lot of work, not to mention the summer solstice coming up. He could have asked any of the high gods, they were basically the patron gods of all monsterkind after all. Or there were hoards of low gods who had little shrines sprinkled all through the city, Sans could have spent his day off visiting any of them, or even all of them. But Sans was a one stone kind of guy and his curiosity would be an easy bird to hit. Thus he found himself with offering in hand as he approached Lord Fiersome's temple, along with a sizable crowd.
"Welcome, welcome! Welcome all, if you're, like, here for a holy flame please head to the left side of the courtyard," a priest near the wide entryway called with a smile, she motioned a paw at a brazier full of staring holy flames that was indeed on the left side of the courtyard. "If you have questions Caldera will be totally happy to answer them." She motioned towards a friendly volcano standing on… something Sans couldn't make out through the people crowded around them. They were a bit above most monsters' heads anyway.
"i uh… i've got a favor to ask his lordship," Sans said as he approached the priest, handkerchief wrapped offering held up as if to prove his sincerity.
"Omigod! A lot of people have been, like, asking favors lately," the priest said with a toothy, knowing smile.
"heh, yeah. funny how that works."
"Jest head to the temple's entrance, someone will totally take you to the altar."
"thanks." Sans nodded to the priest before heading into the courtyard. He eyed the crowd around the volcano, they were either from the Vulkin family or the Vulking family, as he approached the crowd. While he was here he may as well hear what they have to say.
"… an old ceremony that fell out of practice generations ago. Rather than a traditional sacrifice, Lord Fiersome is calling for a mortal bride." The crowd around Caldera burst with murmurs and confused questions. Sans sidled around the edge of the crowd, trying to find a better spot.
"I know, I know…" Caldera smiled and swayed in place until the shouts quieted down. "It's very exciting! The gods taking mortal spouses used to be common practice ages and ages ago."
"So what's going to happen?" Someone from the crowd shouted.
"On the seventh the arrow will be shot, just like any regular old solstice. It'll land on the household of Lord Fiersome's intended, who will step forward and get married. Isn't it romantic?" Caldera sighed blissfully.
Sans snorted, Papyrus would find it just as sweet and romantic. Well, Sans got half of what he came for, he wished luck to the happy couple, then turned to get away from the crowd. It was rather difficult, more people had joined behind him. He had to elbow and push his way out of the tightly packed cluster of people.
"It may be a marriage, but really it's mostly just ceremonial…" Caldera continued, their voice getting drowned out by people protesting Sans attempts at escape. Sans ignored both the crowd and Caldera as he finally got free and made his way over to the temple proper. A short set of steps led up to a wide entryway with a white rabbit draped in the pale, golden yellow robes all Lord Fiersome's priests wore, this one with a cheery orange sash tied around their waist.
Sans squinted up at them, "basil?"
"Licorice, actually." He smiled at Sans, "Don't worry, it's been a while."
"sure has, not since papyrus and i found an actual place all our own. how's the family doing? got any new siblings?"
"The family's doing just fine, and we do got a new sibling. Little brother named Cinnamon, they're walking and talking already."
"bet the little guy's a terror."
Licorice laughed, "That's what Paprika says. But what brings you here?"
"got a favor to ask." Sans held up his offering again.
"You and half the city," Licorice said as he rolled his eyes. "Well, c'mon then. Fieri's the one doing offerings today."
Sans whistled, "the head guy? didn't think he'd be doing grunt work."
Licorice laughed, "The offerings are never grunt work!"
"eh, what do i know? i'm just a nightwatchman."
Licorice led him into the temple, the entryway opened into a long hall lined with stone columns, each with its own torch burning merrily away. The walls on either side were hung with depictions of Lord Fiersome woven into rich tapestries. Several showed him standing on a battlefield wielding a whip made of flames, similarly flaming dogs standing on either side of him, armor gleaming in the light he cast, the long, yellow flames from his head trailing and swirling dramatically behind him. The rest showed him standing guard over a city, or possibly different cities, Sans couldn't tell from a quick glance.
"So, you hear all the news you came for?" Licorice asked over his shoulder as he led Sans through the hallway.
Sans laughed weakly and shook his head. "most of it, did have one more question."
"May as well ask while you got my undivided attention."
"is it true lord fiersome's other cities have a different sacrifice this year?"
"Well yeah, there's only one bride. The others are all doing wine instead."
"wine? guess that makes sense, he's not going to ask us for wine after that fiasco five years ago."
"Please don't, I wasn't even a priest yet back then." Licorice was fighting to hold back laughter. "Here, the inner court, just go on in when it's your turn. You've done this before, right?"
"yeah, yeah, i know the drill. thanks, licorice, see you around. give my love to the family and all that." Sans gave a languid wave before joining the short line of people waiting to enter the inner court. He idly stared around him, trying to figure out if he knew what events the tapestries were depicting. Instead he found his eyes drifting back to the next room, which he couldn't make out much of with the others in the way despite the wide entryway.
Eventually he was next in line and stood right at the entrance to the inner court. It was much smaller, nothing more than a room with a high, domed ceiling. The walls were painted with murals of Lord Fiersome. It looked like gold and silver inlays were used to make his swirling flames glint in the light cast by the real centerpiece of the room. Near the back was an altar, it looked like a short version of the columns supporting the hallway outside. Just behind it was a great, stone urn, wide and shallow. A bonfire burned in it, flames burning white hot with flickering yellow tips, it gave off no smoke. The eternal holy flame planted in the temple by Lord Fiersome himself. Probably his own flame, which would make that fire a small piece of the god. Sans shivered at the thought, that was too weird to think about. He tried to focus on watching the ceremony instead.
Standing in front of the fire was a priest Sans assumed to be the head priest, his robes absolutely covered in embroidery that glinted and glimmered like the murals. They did nothing to make his own weak flames sputtering cold and red from his head look any less pathetic against the bonfire behind him.
The monster ahead of him held up their offering and made their request. Fieri took the offering and placed it on the altar, "May Lord Fiersome grant this monster's request." A spark came off the bonfire, arcing through the air to land just over the offering. It bloomed into a candle sized flame and stayed hovering there until Fieri reached for the item, then it snuffed itself. Fieri held the offering out to another priest who Sans hadn't noticed until they stepped forward to take it, then hurried out of the room. The other monster thanked Fieri, then left.
Finally, it was Sans's turn. He ambled up to the altar, carefully unwrapping his offering. It was one of the meat pastries he normally sold at his day job, brushed with butter and sprinkled with fresh herbs to give it that personal touch.
"What would you petition the great Lord Fiersome for today?" Fieri asked in a monotone.
"there's this guy named grillby who works at a-"
"Grillby who?"
"what?"
"Grillby who," Fieri repeated with a scowl. "Surely if you're here to ask a favor of Lord Fiersome less than a month before summer solstice you would know this man's name."
"i don't, that's part of the problem. he works at the golden lamb tavern once in a while and i haven't seen him in about a month. i'm just worried about him is all, and after what we uh… what we talked about the last time i saw him i just… want to see him again. learn his whole name." Sans was staring down at his pastry, trying to ignore the magic he could feel gathering on his face. "so the favor i want to ask is if lord fiersome should happen to come across grillby while he's protecting us and doing his godly duties that he just… send the guy back over to the golden lamb."
With a sigh Fieri gingerly picked up the pastry and carefully placed it on the altar. "May Lord Fiersome grant this monster's humble request."
A large flair shot out of the bonfire, arcing gracefully through the air before landing on the pastry and flaring brightly. Both Sans and Fieri had to put up their hands to protect their faces. The fire quickly faded and winked out on its own, leaving nothing on the altar but a faint smear of ash. Sans swore he heard a whispered, "What the hell?" but it was hard to be sure if it was a fire elemental speaking or just the bonfire crackling in the background.
Sans, Fieri, and the other priest all stood in shock, alternating stares between each other and the empty altar. Their stunned silence so thick and heavy the only sound in the room was the gentle crackling of the bonfire.
"It seems this supplicant is favored by Lord Fiersome," the other priest said, finally breaking the silence.
"Yes," Fieri agreed absently, then seemed to shake himself out of a daze. "Very likely you will see your Grillby fellow soon."
"that's… that's good. that's a relief." Sans still wasn't sure what to make of that, but if it was a good sign he'd take it.
"You may go now."
"okay, good. uh… goodbye then." Sans nodded awkwardly to Fieri and the other priest before turning to leave. There was a short line of monsters waiting to make their own requests, all staring in awed silence as Sans slinked past.
Sans quietly shut the front door behind him, valiantly resisting the urge to slump against it. There was a perfectly slumpable stuffed chair sitting only a few steps away, after all.
"SANS! HOW DID YOUR TRIP TO THE TEMPLE GO?" Papyrus came into the room, a potted plant in his gloved hands.
"fine, it went… fine." Sans managed to walk over to the chair before falling face first onto it. He heard Papyrus set the pot aside, followed by the soft sound of gloves being removed and approaching footsteps. A gentle hand caressed his skull.
"IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT WENT ALL THAT WELL, ARE YOU OKAY?"
"i'm fine," Sans insisted, the affect perhaps ruined by his words being muffled by the chair. He felt himself get picked up, then turned around so Papyrus could plop him down in the chair properly. "it was just really crowded, no one gets out of the short guy's way."
Papyrus just nodded, between his height and his loud voice he could usually make his way through a crowd with little issue.
"anyway, picked up some interesting news from the temple about the whole solstice thing."
"OH! HOW WONDERFUL! THE POOR PRIESTS HAVE BEEN WORKING SO HARD TO ASSURE EVERYONE HOW UNVIOLENT IT'S GOING TO BE."
"yup, and they're right. they said the sacrifice," Sans managed to muster up the energy for some very sarcastic air quotes, "is an old tradition the gods stopped using a while ago. whoever lord fiersome picks is gonna be his bride."
"HE'S LOOKING FOR LOVE? THAT'S SO ROMANTIC!" Papyrus squealed in delight as a dreamy look came over his face, Sans had called it. "WAIT," the dreamy look vanished, "BUT WHAT ABOUT THE COURTSHIP? HE CHOOSES THE SACRIFICE JUST TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE SOLSTICE, THAT'S NOT EVEN REMOTELY ENOUGH TIME TO DO A PROPER COURTSHIP!"
Sans laughed gently, only Papyrus. "he's probably already got his bride all picked out and this is just a formality. or…" Sans paused to think over what Caldera had said right when he stopped listening, "it's just a ceremonial thing? i think it's going to just be a paper marriage."
"OH. THEN… WHAT'S THE POINT? WHAT DOES A GOD'S BRIDE ACTUALLY DO?"
Sans shrugged, "be a figure head? look pretty for the public?"
"AN EASIER JOB FOR SOME THAN OTHERS."
"oh wow, that's harsh, bro!" Sans laughed, a genuine smile lighting up his face.