The following morning was indeed a chilly one. Frisk woke up early, and had decided not to get breakfast before heading out. He decided to head west, in hopes that he was travelling in the right direction, and so he bid farewell to the pleasant little village of Snowdin. Shortly after he departed, a thick snowfall set in. Still though, Frisk pressed on, determined to reach the exit Toriel spoke of. Suddenly, he paused. There was movement. He squinted to see through the snow, and the voice confirmed his suspicions.

"Human." Papyrus began. "Allow me to tell you of some complex feelings…the admiration for one's puzzle-solving skills…the desire to have a smart person, think you are cool…these feelings…" Frisk wondered where Papyrus was going. It almost sounded though as though Papyrus was trying to be friendly.

"These feelings…they must be what you're feeling right now! I can hardly imagine what it must be like to feel that way." Now Frisk was confused. "After all, I am very great. I don't wonder what having many friends is like. I pity you…lonely human."

"Hey, I have friends—" Once more Frisk was cut off by the skeleton.

"Worry not! You shall be lonely no longer! I, the great Papyrus, shall be your…no…no! This is all wrong! I can't be your friend! You are a human! I must capture you! Then I can fulfill my lifelong dream! To become, the newest member of the royal guard!"

Suddenly Frisk saw something flying towards him, before a bone slammed into the snow beside him. Frisk immediately dropped down and searched for what seemed to be his new adversary. It would seem that Papyrus was not as harmless as he had first thought. He could hear Papyrus through the snow, the rattle of his bones as Papyrus spoke again.

"I can almost feel my popularity…" Frisk reached for the toy knife, which he had sharpened during his walk to make it more of a suitable weapon. However…when he put his hand on it, memories came rushing back. Memories of his fight with Toriel. He could hear his mind screaming at him. "No! There HAS to be another way…"

He listened once more for Papyrus, and then heard him

"Papyrus! Head of the royal guard! Papyrus, unparalleled sphagetatore! Undyne will be so proud of me…" Another bone struck the ground close to Frisk. Frisk tried hard to think of something to say. He didn't want to have to take another life, but it was beginning to look like Papyrus would give him no choice. One thing about Papyrus's last remark struck him though. 'Undyne'. It wasn't the first time he had heard that name. Who, or what, was he, she, or it?

"I'll have lots of admirers…but…"

"But what?!" Frisk called out into the snow, trying to get a little closer.

"But how will I know if people sincerely like me?" Another bone flew through the air, though Frisk noticed the accuracy was slightly off. "On the other hand, people like you are somewhat rare…I don't think they'll let you go. After you're captured and sent away. Oh who cares, just give yourself up already!"

Frisk didn't respond, still trying to get closer. He could now hear that Papyrus was huffing, almost as if he was out of breath.

"Well…it's clear…you can't…defeat me! Yeah, I can see you shaking in your boots!" Frisk stood up fully, his hand finally leaving his knife. "Therefore I, the great Papyrus, elect to grant you pity! I will now spare you. Now is your chance to accept my mercy."

Frisk sighed before responding. "Alright Papyrus. I accept your mercy." The snowfall began to clear, and then Frisk noticed Papyrus looked crestfallen.

"I…I can't even stop someone as weak as you…Undyne's going to be disappointed in me. I'll never join the royal guard and…my friend quantity will remain stagnate." Frisk looked to his feet. He knew what it felt like to have no friends at points in his life. So when he looked up, he responded.

"I mean…if you want to…I can be your friend."

"R…Really?! You want to be friends, with me?!" Papyrus seemed taken aback, and now humorously looked overjoyed.

"Well then…I guess…I guess I can make an allowance for you."

Frisk could hear Papyrus murmer under his breath. "Wow! Who knew that all you had to do to make friends is give people awful puzzles and fight them…" Then he raised his voice. "You taught me a lot, human. I hereby give you clearance to pass through. I'll even give you directions to the surface. Continue forward until you reach the end of the cavern. Then, when you reach the capital, cross the barrier. That's the magical seal trapping us all underground here. Anything can enter it, nothing can exit. Except…someone with a powerful soul…someone like you. That's why the king wants to acquire a human. He wants to break the barrier with soul power. Then us monsters can return to the surface!"

Frisk nodded, though inside he felt his heart skip a beat. Monsters? On the surface? What would that mean? How would people react?

"Oh! I almost forgot. To pass through the barrier, you'll have to pass through the king's castle. The king of all monsters, he's…well…a big fuzzy pushover really." Papyrus shrugged. "Everybody loves that guy. I'm sure that if you say 'Excuse me, Mr. Dreemurr…can I please go home?' He'll guide you right to the barrier himself! Anyway, I'll see ya later, hopefully on the surface!" With that Papyrus left.

Frisk felt his heart sink more, and more. Passing through the king's castle would be a difficult challenge. And if this king is the person Toriel was referring to…something told Frisk that the king may not be as friendly as Papyrus spoke. Then there was of course this Undyne as well…he would have to be careful from here on out.