The warm afternoon wind gently tossed the edges of Toriel's dress as she crested the top of the hill she'd been climbing. Her scarlet eyes were locked on a great structure looming before her, jutting up towards the sky like the immense shape of Mt. Ebott in miniature. Both summoned similar mixed feelings in her from looking upon them. Ancient, inordinate feelings from the deepest parts of her soul.

The castle of the western monster kingdom's ruling family, her old home.

She took it all in for a few moments, rigid and unblinking. She had seen the dire condition the castle had been in from the pictures but… seeing it in person was truly a different experience. Photos could not do the decay of this place justice. What lay before her was a collection of structures far more deserving of the title "Ruins" than her home in self exile ever was. Everything was a mere fragment of its former glory. Once glorious walls and spires were little more than faded, crumbling eyesores. Once beautifully tended grounds were now nothing more than overgrown, chaotic messes with ivy covering every wall and some plants even protruding out from cracks in the decrepit stone.

Whole new forests surrounded and creeped in towards the castle where there had once been only flat grassland for miles. The river to the east was wider and had carved out the land in a new direction. Natural rock formations had now worn away to nothing. Hills had sagged or pushed ever higher, while some had their shapes altered completely. Massive, time-worn trees now towered in and amongst the castle structures, their roots enveloping and creeping across the stone like the hands of mother nature herself in her slow, steady effort to fully reclaim this place.

In the ever persistent subterranean world of the Underground, and especially during her time alone in the unchanging Ruins, Toriel rarely so vividly felt the true weight of her immortality. But now, looking upon a place her eyes had not seen in centuries, a place she'd once called home, she could only feel overwhelmed under that weight. Time had reshaped the childhood home into a place almost wholly unrecognizable. Time she should have never even been alive to now eventually witness this. She should be long dead, dust spread, with her descendants being the ones to be here in this moment. And she would have been, had it not been for her son's death, and all the wretched chaos that followed it.

This feeling… to feel genuinely ancient, practically alien to the world around you, it was one that only a scant few beings would ever experience. She wouldn't wish it on anyone.

It was only the sensation of a soft grip on her paw that finally dragged her attention away from the sight of the crumbling castle. She looked down to see Frisk there beside her, holding on to her and looking up into her eyes with a concerned expression. Flowey was poking out of their small backpack, looking at the castle with a less than impressed expression.

She blinked and her mind sluggishly pulled itself out of its whirl of thoughts. It threatened to plunge into another, one regarding everything that had happened with her children the previous day, and all she'd endured because of it that morning. But she willed it back, and a weak sort of smile appeared on her face instead. She opened her mouth to offer Frisk a reassurance of some sort, but was interrupted by another voice at her side.

"WOWIE! IT'S SO COOL!" Papyrus commented loudly from beside her, harshly breaking the previous silence. "IT'S LIKE THOSE OLD DRAWINGS IN THE HISTORY BOOKS, BUT REAL!"

She jumped a bit at the sudden voice and it took a little longer than it should have for the fur on the back of her neck to stop standing on end. His statement left her unsure of what to say in return, and her eyes wandered instead, searching for the one she knew could ease her nerves. When she didn't find him, worry briefly flared up in her chest.

"Where is Sans?" She asked, looking all around behind her. "We did not leave him behind did we?"

Thankfully the answer came right away, sparing her from any further serious fretting.

"i'm coming t… just a sec." Her dear skeleton's voice came from behind the hill's curve.

Moments later he came trudging up the hill, looking as though each step were a challenge for him. Sweat dripped down his skull and his breathing was labored. Once he finally reached the top, he heaved a sigh and leaned over to rest his weight on his knees.

"man... i'm outta shape." He panted, before flashing them all a weak grin.

"YOU WERE NEVER IN SHAPE TO BEGIN WITH, SANS." Papyrus promptly shot back, crossing his arms.

The smaller skeleton let out a wheeze of a chuckle and smiled wider.

"heh, point taken."

While the two of them seemed to find the situation amusing, Toriel couldn't help but still feel concerned. She stepped over to Sans, and as she did, Frisk gently released her paw and followed along behind her.

"Oh Sans, you should have said something." She lamented, laying a supporting paw on his shoulder to hopefully keep him upright. "I would have been happy to carry you or something if you were getting tired. Or… why did you not simply shortcut your way up here?"

Sans leaned into her touch a bit as he continued to breathe heavily, clearly grateful for her actions. He held up a phalange to signal he needed a second, but Papyrus chimed in again before Sans could say anything.

"BECAUSE, HE NEEDS ACTUAL EXERCISE FOR ONCE!" The younger skeleton declared with a huff. "A HIKE LIKE THIS WILL DO HIM GOOD, HE RELIES TOO MUCH ON THAT ABILITY AS IT IS."

Sans let out another wheezy breath that may or may not have been another laugh of some sort. After a few moments, he managed to recover a bit more and nodded.

"yah, basically what he said." He confirmed with a weak shrug, though something in his smile betrayed that this had certainly not been his idea. "plus it… does seem kinda rude not to stay with you for something like this. you deserve to be the first one to see…"

He trailed off, eyelights shrinking to small dots of light as he finally caught sight of the once grand castle behind her.

"woah…" He breathed in a soft tone, straightening up again for a better look.

Toriel's gaze inevitably followed his own, once again drawn to the crumbling structure before them. They both stared for a few beats in momentary silence, save for the rustle of the wind through the tall grass around them. At some point during that time, Toriel felt Sans' hand reach up and take her paw. She subconsciously returned the act, threading his phalanges with her fingers as both of them continued to stare at the sight.

"ISN'T IT COOL BROTHER?" Papyrus broke the silence once more as he stepped over to Sans' side, though this time it was a bit more anticipated. "IT IS EVEN BIGGER THAN THE ONE UNDERGROUND! JUST THINK OF THE AMAZING PUZZLES AND TRAPS IT MUST HAVE HAD!"

Sans took a moment to respond, but even when he did, he didn't tear his gaze from the castle.

"yah bro… pretty damn cool." He said, still in that quiet tone of voice.

Once he'd said that though, he seemed to snap out of his trance some and playfully elbowed Papyrus' leg.

"not as cool as you though." He finished the thought with a wink.

"WELL OF COURSE NOT!, IT IS QUITE UNFAIR TO COMPARE ANYTHING, EVEN AN ANCIENT CASTLE SUCH AS THIS, TO ME." Papyrus agreed, placing a hand dramatically on his chest. "BUT IT STILL RANKS UP THERE IN MY BOOK!"

Toriel only vaguely heard his response, still not feeling fully present beneath the weight of all her memories and mixed, swirling emotions. In an effort to combat that feeling, she turned to looked down at Frisk, who had remained ever quiet at her side. They too seemed captivated by the castle, though since they wore their usual neutral expression, it was hard to tell what exactly they were feeling at the sight of it. Flowey only gave it a sidelong glance at this point, as though he were losing interest. He still had yet to say a word at all, and she wasn't sure if that should concern her or not. Frisk was usually her quiet child, not him.

"What do you think, my children?" She asked softly, gently breaking them out of their reveries.

Frisk looked up at her then back down at the grass again as they seemed to consider their answer. Now Toriel couldn't help but wonder if that strange voice she'd heard, the voice that apparently belonged to some other being that shared their body, was speaking to them then, advising. The idea made her shudder lightly, though the action was thankfully hidden by a convenient gust of wind. Flowey seemed to be waiting for Frisk's response too, halfheartedly watching the child's hands in anticipation of what they might sign.

(It is…) Frisk began, before pausing and seemingly deciding to start again. (It is pretty cool… But… also kind of sad looking. And maybe a little creepy…)

That final admission made their expression turn a touch apologetic, clearly worried about offending her. Flowey though, had no such reservations. He had be making small steps towards improvement, but he still often seemed to lack any sort of filter when it came to speaking his mind. Once he'd taken in what Frisk was saying, he was quick to finally chime in.

"Yah, looks like a real dump." He said, with a casual sort of disdain. "The castle in the Underground was way better."

Toriel's weak smile actually strengthened a bit at that, with a touch of amusement. Her eyes wandered back towards the castle, retaining that hint of levity.

"Yes, well… You are not wrong to think that." She said, addressing both their concerns. "This place has not had anyone to care for it or, likely, any sort of visitors at all in a very...very long time."

Her smile stayed, but her eyes dulled and darkened a bit as ancient memories once again began to flood back to her.

"And… it has witnessed much sadness and fear in its time." She finished, far more quietly.

She felt Sans tighten his grip on her paw, and she could feel his uncertainty and concern through the magic that met her own through that point of contact. Still, it was clear he didn't know what to say in this situation. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze back, both to hopefully reassure him that she'd be okay, and that his silent support was enough.

Before anyone could potentially ask her more about that, the sound of a revving engine came from down near the castle. A large van then emerged from behind one of the crumbling walls, lumbering over uneven ground and masses of overgrown plantlife strewn across the area. From the passenger window, an older human woman leaned out, cheerfully waving them over. It was only then that Toriel noticed the set of pitched canopies out near what remained of the outer wall that the car was heading towards, mostly concealed by yet another set of large trees that hadn't existed the last time Toriel had been here.

Now that her mind was refocusing on the here and now, she could pick up on voices and other faint sounds coming from that direction, signaling the presence of other humans here. Something about that initially felt… wrong somehow. Especially when thinking of how this castle was left vacant and in ruins in the first place. But the feeling didn't linger long. Dwelling on such things now, centuries after the war had ended, would be little more than petty foolishness. Still, a certain discontent did remain in her soul, even as she did her best to smile and wave back to the human woman in a friendly manner.

"WELL, WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?" Papyrus asked with a bright smile, once he too got done excitedly waving back. "LET US GO GREET OUR NEW FRIENDS! AND THOSE ANCIENT TRAPS AND PUZZLES AREN'T GOING TO INVESTIGATE THEMSELVES!"

Something in his expression seemed to suggest to Toriel that he did in fact understand the weight this carried for her, and was being his usual uppity self to perhaps keep her from getting too spacey again. It was a subtle sort of kindness, and one she appreciated. She offered up a stronger smile and did her best to tame her warring emotions. After a silent check to ensure everyone was ready, they began their way down the hill towards the castle. Neither Frisk or Sans let go of her paws, further acts that made her soul grow warm within her.

Before they had even truly reached the area where the canopies and van were set up, the woman who'd been waving to them earlier came rushing over, looking as bubbly and giddy as could be. Such emotions felt somewhat unsuitable for a somber, ancient site such as this one in Toriel's opinion, but she didn't let that drive the courteous smile from her face. She gently freed her paws from her child and dear skeleton, wanting to be properly polite and shake the woman's hand. They both obliged without question, but stayed dutifully at her sides as the woman reached them.

"Oh Ms. Toriel, I am so honored you came!" She said, immediately reaching out to rapidly shake one of Toriel's paws, and not at all in a professional fashion. "Truly I give you my deepest thanks for your willingness to support our mission in restoring this incredible place. We hope it will become a great symbol of improving monster and human relations."

Toriel blinked, taking in the woman's appearance along with what she'd said. She was a fairly short, chubby older woman who looked to be around her 70s. She had a head of graying hair that looked as though it was once black and silky. She wore a large pair of glasses that had points at the ends and was in what one might call an explorer's type outfit, complete with muddy boots and gloves. Her jacket bore an insignia of Mt. Ebott, no doubt the symbol of her historical society. She was also fairly coppered skinned in a way that made Toriel think it was a trait of her racial heritage, rather than just the result of often being out in the sun.

Toriel was a bit taken aback by her enthusiasm and rather flippant behavior, having been expecting a stuffy, stoic, intellectual type from the formalities listed beneath the signature on the letter. Needless to say, this woman didn't exactly look or act like someone who'd earned a doctorate in historical matters. But one must not judge a book by its cover, Toriel reminded herself. Nonetheless, she offered a far gentler, less jarring handshake in return once the woman had stopped shaking her paw.

"Yes… You must be Dr. Burgundy." Toriel replied, grateful her voice maintained a formal, calm tone. "I… I thank you for contacting me. I was not actually aware my parents' castle was still standing. I figured it had been destroyed after it had to be abandoned."

Dr. Burgundy beamed in response, hopefully more so in regards to Toriel remembering her name than anything to do with the second thing she'd said. Toriel also couldn't help but notice she had oddly pearly white teeth for a human her age, so much so they glinted in the sunlight.

"That I am! Honored to meet you!" Dr. Burgundy confirmed, still in that same boisterous voice. "And oh yes! That is what King Asgore said as well. He was quite excited at the idea of passing on our letter to you!"

Toriel tried not to cringe at those words, and felt her teeth grit a bit as her smile threatened to falter. She wasn't on pleasant enough terms with Asgore yet to not get irritated at the idea of him trying to find any and every possible way to do kind things for her. Just like he had that stormy night he'd stayed in her home. It was a rare instance of kindness and consideration being wholly aggravating.

"I see…" She said simply, tone going a bit flat despite herself.

There was the slightest bit of a sign on Burgundy's cheerful face that she caught on to Toriel's uneasy response, but the doctor was distracted before she could potentially think on it too hard. She looked between the four others present beside her, her pale hazel eyes lighting up more and as they passed over each one.

"And hello to all of you as well! I of course recognize the renowned young ambassador and their little partner in crime." She said, excitedly gesturing towards Frisk and Flowey.

Frisk gave a simple polite nod in response, quiet as ever, and seemingly putting on a bit of their serious ambassador act. Flowey just rolled his eyes and sneered at the comment, thankfully choosing to keep any nasty potential replies to himself for once. Burgundy had already quickly turned to Sans and Papyrus before the flower monster really had a chance too say anything anyway.

"But you two, I don't think I've ever seen you before." She noted, adjusting her glasses as she looked them over like one might inspect a mysterious artifact. "More of her adopted kids? We've all heard the stories of how she took in all those children her home."

She'd mostly been staring at Papyrus as she spoke, but once the words had left her she seemed to hone in on Sans. No one could hope to correct her before her assumptions only took root further at the sight of him. A hoarse sort of chuckle escaped her and her eyes seemed to sparkle a bit behind her thick glasses. In a flash, she was reaching forwards and patting Sans' skull in a manner most unbecoming of an adult monster.

"What a cutie you are! Such an adorable little skeleton.~" She cooed without lowering her volume.

Sans expression hardened with annoyance, sockets darkening and grin become stiff at the edges. Though it seemed to be more of an exasperated annoyance than anything. Something told Toriel this wasn't the first time something like this had happened to him. Before Burgundy could continue putting him through unintentional public humiliation, he sidestepped in one of his lightning quick dodges, ending up a few feet away in the blink of an eye.

"heh… no offense lady, but… don't do that." He said, sweat dotting his skull as he put his hands into his hoodie pockets.

He made quick work of regaining his usual casual humor though, grin loosening up again after a moment.

"you know what they say about assuming. it makes an ass out of u and me." He quipped, shooting Burgundy a wink.

The woman looked taken aback, likely both by how deep Sans' voice was, and his notable use of such uncouth language to boot. Her mouth hung open for a moment, the realization as well as the joke apparently taking a bit to set in. Toriel snorted at Sans' clever wordplay, and resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she stepped over to rest a paw on his shoulder.

"Sans is not a child…" She said flatly, looking at Burgundy with some vexation on her dear skeleton's behalf. "He just happens to be short, plenty of monsters are by human standards."

"THAT'S RIGHT!" Papyrus chimed in, seemingly unbothered by also being misjudged as a child. "I TOO AM A FULLY GROWN MONSTER, SO WHILE YOUR KIND COMPLIMENTS ARE APPRECIATED, PLEASE KNOW THEY MAY NOT BE IDEAL FOR MONSTERS OUR AGE."

The younger skeleton flashed a wider grin after that, and gave his older brother a teasing look.

ALSO, SANS HAPPENS TO BE TORIEL'S… PARTNER.~" He clarified, clearly taking immense satisfaction in doing so. "THAT IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION TO KEEP IN MIND."

Frisk nodded further confirmation from beside Papyrus, giving a thumbs up. Toriel felt her face heat up a bit at having that fact relayed in such a way. But she and Sans had long since decided to give up any pretense of keeping their relationship a secret like they had so many other things in their life. Their social media relationship status firestorm was all the proof of that. And in that same vein of acceptance, and perhaps to cheekily counter his little brother's attempts to fluster him, Sans lifted a hand out of his pockets and laid it on top of her paw.

"yup." He confirmed simply, with a casual sort of confidence.

Toriel couldn't help but smile and gave his shoulder a little squeeze with her paw before nodding her own confirmation. Burgundy blinked at the two of them for a moment, and Toriel could practically see the gears turning in her head, realizing the implications of all this. The doctor had clearly met Asgore before, and she like everyone else, monster or human, knew of their terribly troubled history. Though she and many others often still misapplied the Dreemurr surname to her on accident, as she had on her letter. It was hard to tell exactly what her thoughts were on the matter, but she was wise to keep any potential negative opinions to herself.

After a moment, Burgundy realized herself and snapped out of those thoughts. She looked briefly dismayed and guilty at her own misjudgements before slapping a hand to her forehead.

"Oh my goodness, darn it Lilith you old dolt." She exclaimed, before letting out a dramatic sigh and dropping her hand again. "I am so sorry. I hope you won't take offense. I can be such an airhead at times."

Sans shrugged his shoulders dismissively, smile softening further as the situation seemed to resolve itself.

"eh, none taken. i'm not one to sweat the little things." He quipped in reply with another wink.

This time, the pun seemed to hit its mark with the woman, and she belted out a hoarse but earnest laugh. That alone made it a little easier to look past some of her missteps in this conversation. Both Toriel and Sans would find it quite hard to hold a grudge against someone who genuinely enjoyed their puns. Quirky and airheaded as she might be, it seemed she was one of them. Papyrus and Flowey groaned in unison while Frisk let out a few quiet giggles into their hand.

After that, everyone exchanged more proper introductions as they walked with Burgundy towards the area with the canopies. The bright white, clearly new material felt downright alien amongst the crumbling ruins around them. Even more so were the trailers, generators, lights and other fixtures of modern technology dotted about the area. More humans were present too, most wearing a similar uniform to Burgundy's.

Some were examining and carefully cleaning what looked to be pieces of the castle that had fallen off in its centuries of decay, including a cracked head of an intricate stone dragon. Toriel recognized it as being part of the design of one of the main archways in the castle's entrance. Other humans were simply mulling about or seemingly preparing to go on a mission of some sort.

For a moment, none of them paid the group of monsters any mind, too absorbed in their tasks. As she passed though, one unoccupied human spotted her, and the unbidden gasp that left them summoned the eyes of all the others. They clearly recognized who she was, and their eyes stretched wide in an awed sort of shock, like they were looking upon a true living relic. And admittedly, in some ways, that was exactly what she was. Suddenly, none of the artifacts from the castle seemed to matter anymore.

Toriel felt her skin crawl under all those staring eyes, mentally kicking herself for not considering the possibility that the humans here would have just as much reason to gawk at her as monsters did. Thankfully, before any of them rushed over and inundated her with questions, Burgundy seemed to recognize her unease and spoke up.

"Now now all of you, back to work!" She demanded, managing to command quite an authoritative presence despite her short stature. "Don't be bothering our guest of honor before she even has a chance to look the place over!"

She made a sort of shooing motion with her hand, and it seemed her group had reason to obey her promptly. They all forced themselves to focus back on what they had been doing, but any pleasant chatter had ceased. A few continued to shoot subtle looks at Toriel, and she could practically see the excited questions they were all struggling to hold back. She turned away, figuring that was better for everyone involved.

She noticed then that Sans had tensed up a little at her side, no doubt noticing her sudden unease. It was such a subtle change that most would likely not even notice. That made her wonder if he had been planning to get between her and those eyeing her, like he had that night with Asgore. She laid a paw on his shoulder, and felt him relax again. Seeing him get defensive for her sake was still a mix of amusing and endearing, but she appreciated it nonetheless. Still, there was no sense in any of them giving these young humans a hard time.

They didn't know any better, nor could they possibly help being interested in meeting a monster who once lived in the very place they were studying. A former Queen no less. She held back a sigh, wondering if she'd ever truly be able to leave that stigma behind.

"So um… as one might expect, there was not much left inside." Burgundy said as she led them towards the towering shape of the castle's main entrance. "Some of our crew did an initial sweep and marked objects of interest, but nothing has been removed yet from the interior. Only a select few things found that had fallen off the exterior or found out in the outer grounds were extracted in hopes of salvaging them and determining what they once were."

Toriel let out a hum of acknowledgement in reply, right as they all came to a stop to look up at the dilapidated, but still greatly impressive architecture looming above them. The stone dragon's headless body perched high above amongst the other crumbling fixtures of the roof. The sight made Toriel's unsettled feelings about the place began to slowly return, washing over her soul like an icy stream.

It wasn't fear or even sadness, though they certainly played a role in it. No… it was more like the feeling she'd experienced after Sans had told her about the Resets. Just a sweeping sense of existential dread as she was faced with the full reality of her immortality. Mixed of course, with the memories she'd experienced within those castle walls.

Her gaze and thoughts were drawn back to Burgundy as she went on talking, looking as though she was still quite apologetic over the incident that had just occurred.

"We'd very much like for you to go ahead and walk the grounds first and let us know what you'd like us to do with the things that are left inside." She said, before her eyes lit up with excitement again. "Oh! And if you could answer a few of our questions about this great site, that would be fantastic as well!"

Everyone went quiet as they waited for her reply. The general unfocused state of her mind lately made it so she took just a bit longer than she should have to respond, just enough to be noticeable.

"I would like to take a look around with my family before anything else… if that is alright." She said at last, perhaps a bit flatly, but better than expected.

Burgundy certainly didn't seem bothered, and nodded quickly, causing her grayed locks to fall over her eyes briefly until she tossed them out of her face again with a shake of her head.

"Of course, Of course! Take your time." She insisted, hurriedly stepping out of the way and beginning to walk back towards the other humans. "We were all planning to have lunch in an hour or so, we'd love for you all to join us then if you wish. We can get all the boring legalities out of the way later."

With that, the portly doctor went to go address her group, who still seemed practically on the verge of exploding with excitement. Toriel decided lingering outside any longer would only invite more uncomfortable situations and turned again to face the castle. Now that the worst of the shock had worn off, she was beginning to feel strangely drawn to the crumbling remains of her old home. The darkness of the inside beyond the immense steel door, rusted, stained and warped with age, seemed to be calling to her. The deep unease remained inside her, but curiosity and an odd sort of homesickness was warring with it now as well.

She looked between the faces of the rest to her family.

"Well, come along then all of you. This castle is certainly not getting any younger." She said, managing a smile.

Reaching over, she gently took Frisk's hand again. The action brought a bit of nostalgia for the very first time she'd led them over that puzzle in the Ruins. The fact they were wearing that very same striped shirt from back then today helped with that as well. Indeed, their backpack and Flowey sticking out of it were the only parts of the sight that struck her as obviously different.

Now that she thought about it, they were all wearing the clothes they'd been wearing the fateful day they'd all been freed. Sans in his blue hoodie, Frisk in their striped shirt, Papyrus in his battle body (though admittedly he always wore that) and she in the robes she'd often donned in the Ruins.

She had made an effort recently to avoid the outfit for all the dark memories it carried, as well as for the symbol on it that was quickly becoming more controversial with human media twisting its meaning. But something about all of them wearing the same attire from that day just felt… right somehow. In a way she couldn't explain. Hopefully some of the brilliant joy of that day could come to her and give her strength now as well.

She offered her children a warm smile, for the first time that day able to face them without worrying about what had happened the night before.

"Just stay close to me, my children, it could be dangerous in some areas. This place is not exactly in the best shape." She said.

Flowey didn't reply other then with a minor flick of his petals. Frisk smiled back and nodded, gripping her paw and stepping close. Toriel could tell that they were somewhat grateful for the offer, as the castle was still quite intimidating for a small child. Well, Frisk had certainly seen far worse in their time underground, but she could imagine even they would feel better about facing something like this with someone to hold on to. It admittedly made her feel a little better too.

They all approached the great shape of the main castle entrance, gazes wandering over the architectural detail as well as the damage that marred much of it. Though cracked, choked with climbing ivy, and worn from the passing centuries, it held strong in its somber imposition. The cool feeling of the fractured marble steps under her paws invoked another sweeping sense of nostalgia, of climbing these very steps nearly every day when her paws were much, much smaller.

All of them stayed silent as they approached the hulking steel door, the only sound coming from the light wind through the overgrowth all around them along with the soft chatter of the group of humans back at the camp. The door, once ornate and shiny enough that it would catch the sunlight on a day like this, now it stood rusted and mangled like the gates of a long abandoned prison.

Some of the decorative bars were missing, torn out so that they left jagged stumps in their wake. And if one looked closely, they may be able to make out the erratic shapes of burn marks that stretched across the door's surface. Marks that Toriel knew the origins of all too well...

"WOWIE… THAT IS ONE BIG DOOR." Papyrus said in an awed tone, breaking the momentary silence.

Flowey strained upwards a bit on his stem to get a good look at it, narrowing his beady eyes in an incredulous expression.

"How the hell did you guys open this?" He asked with a huff. "It looks like it weighs like, a bajillion pounds."

That actually made Toriel smile a bit, though her teacher side was quickly summoned out as well.

"Now Flowey, surely you know a "bajillion" is not a real number." She lightly admonished, wagging a finger on her free paw. "And well, there was a bit of a trick to it, though with how rusted it has become…"

She paused, giving the door a wary look. Apparently the humans had gotten inside before, so the door must not be totally immovable. The light scrapings visible on the marble where the door had been pushed opened previously proved that as well. Well, there was no way to see if she could still get it open like she used to other than to try.

"One moment, my child." She said, releasing their hand and giving their head a pat before beginning to roll up her sleeves. "All of you stand back a bit."

They obeyed, all watching her curiously and with a healthy dose of skepticism. It made her giggle lightly, but did not dissuade her from the task at hand.

"y'know t, i can just pop us in there if you need me to." Sans reminded her, a touch nervously. "I wouldn't wantcha to strain yourself."

For a moment, she didn't reply, only finished rolling up her sleeves so the majority of her arms were exposed. It was more of a dramatic display than actually necessary, but still, no sense in getting her white sleeves dirty.

"Thank you dear, but it should be no trouble." She said with a grin that prominently showed off her fangs. "Besides, part of why we came out here was so you all could learn more about where I hail from, was it not?"

She stepped over to the door, running a paw over its now rough surface before continuing with her thought.

"I think seeing how I used to open our massive front door is a good start."

With that, she curled her paws around what remained of the large rungs of the door. As she did, heat began to gather in her paws.

"I sure hope this still works… otherwise I am going to make quite the fool of myself right now." She thought, before drawing in a deep breath through her nostrils.

On the exhale, flames surged from her paws and she noticed the rest of her family flinch a bit in surprise. But most of her attention was fixed on the rungs in her paws, as she waited to see if her fire would have the effect she expected. Sure enough, though the reaction was far weaker than it had once been long ago, intricate swirling patterns began to appear on the rungs.

They were faint, but steadily glowed with a fiery purple light as they took in her magic. The patterns spread upward through the ravaged door, swirling through the remains of the intricate designs like arcs of purple lightning splitting through a nighttime sky. She heard a few gasps behind her, and her sensitive ears picked up on even louder gasps likely coming from the humans down in the research camp. She sincerely hoped they wouldn't come rushing up on her to inundate her with questions against Burgundy's orders.

Focusing back on the door, she watched as the glowing patterns grew to cover the last of the door's broken form with a low hum. Once it had, she finally began to pull, willing the ancient rungs to hold firm and not simply shatter in her paws. At first, she wondered if the display of magic had been a fluke, but then, steadily, the massive doors began to give. It still took far more effort than it had back when she was young, but the magic flowing through the door seemed to indeed be fulfilling its purpose.

She steadily pulled both open, backwards step by backwards step. The doors groaned out a sound loud enough to hurt her ears a bit as she did so, the metal shrieking on their decrepit hinges and damaged structure. Finally, the darkness of the castle's interior was revealed, reminding her of how it had looked to peer down into Sans' underground lab. The lack of light wasn't truly comparable, given that the sun's rays were now being allowed to flow into the ancient building, but the feeling was the same. The feeling of entering a place heavy with memories, a place full of reminders of things probably best left buried in the past.

She didn't allow herself to get sucked into staring this time, forcing herself to turn and face the others again. She let out a relieved sigh of relief as she did so, wiping the sweat off the fur on her forehead with the back of a paw.

"Well, there we are." She said, then beginning to dust her paws off with a smile.

She was met with shocked expressions from everyone, no doubt at her perceived feat of strength, including the humans staring over at them from back at the camp. Even from a distance, their awe was clear. She ignored them in favor of addressing her family, figuring they were owed an explanation.

"My parents imbued the door with a spell for security purposes long ago, making it so the door opens easily, but only for those included in the spell." She explained, scratching at her cheek in a bit of a self-conscious gesture.

That lessened the shock on their faces a bit, but certainly not completely. Sans in particular seemed to shift from looking shocked to eyeing her in a rather smitten fashion, as though he'd found that little display attractive somehow. While the sentiment was appreciated, the blush that look summoned up on her did not make the situation any easier.

"Of course, its effectiveness has greatly faded over time…" She went on, composing herself to the best of her ability. "The spell used to make it so I could even open the door as a small child, but it has weakened to the point that it was not much help at all. Though, I imagine I had an easier time of it than those poor humans did at least."

She managed a smile and a light chuckle at that, imagining that it had taken quite a few of those humans a lot of tugging to get those immense doors open before. Everyone around her continued to look at her, as though expecting more. But it was Sans who broke the silence, smiling a silly, giddy kind of smile.

"geez tori…" He said, in an almost dreamy manner. "sometimes i forget just how strong you are."

The look on his face summoned up another laugh from her, stronger than the last. Perhaps if the situation was different she'd feel more flattered by the compliment. But as it was, this place cast too many shadows over her inherit strength, in all meanings of the word.

"Well… boss monsters were bred to have the power we do for a reason." She replied quietly, as she unrolled her sleeves back down.

Her smile had remained on her face as she spoke, but her tone and eyes carried a truly ancient sadness to them. After a moment though, she was able to quickly recover and amend the statement properly.

"But uh… thank you dear." She said, eyes regaining their warmth.

Stars, she really needed to get it together. There was still so much more of this place she'd have to face. The inside of the castle would surely contain remnants of her life here that would be far more affecting then vague musings of the nature of her species. She may still be rather shaken by the previous night's events, but she was a monster who'd endured the depravity of war and loss beyond what most people could even imagine. Facing her past shouldn't, wouldn't hold a candle to that.

And yet still, she hesitated. Even if it were only for a moment, it was an act she knew had not escaped her loved ones' notice. They were waiting for her signal, for her to lead them inside her old home. The claws on her feet curled a bit into the cold, cracked marble beneath her, rebelling and resisting against her will. Not allowing it, she forced herself to turn and once again peer into the ruined remnants of her family's castle. This time, she allowed herself to take it all in, and she could sense the others behind her were doing the same.

The interior was immense, somehow feeling even larger on the inside. Cracks and even some large holes in the outer walls allowed bright shafts of sunlight into the place, cutting through the darkness and highlighting the bits of dust swirling through the air. The creeping vines from outside invaded in through these holes as well, reminding her of a certain flower monster's attacks from her nightmares.

The centerpiece of the main entrance was a grand staircase, larger than it ever needed to be and curling elegantly upwards in two directions like a spiral set of wings. Well, it could be considered elegant, if not for the terrible damage it too displayed. With broken steps and rusted railings, its appearance was more in line with that of an old piano with a great number of missing keys.

Leading to the staircase was nothing more than cracked cold marble where there had once been a beautiful purple carpet accented with gold. She remembered the way it had felt on her paws, even now. Missing too was any of the overly fanciful furniture and art that had once adorned this room, no doubt stolen or destroyed by the humans who'd long ago ravaged this place. It made everything look and feel even more empty and alien to her than it already did.

Even with the light coming in though, the place was large enough that much of it remained in darkness, especially the back walls and the hallways extending from the main room. She could piece together a mental map from memories deep within her mind, but there was no doubt that the lack of light made the concept of revisiting this place all the more daunting. Maybe this hadn't been the greatest idea for a distraction after all. She was only trading one great unknown for another, and both carried their own sources of stress for her.

Still, she'd come too far to bail now, and she couldn't deny that the feeling of needing to see this through still lingered within her. As ruined, empty and desolate as this castle now was, it still was once her home. Nothing could change that, not even the centuries that had passed.

She slowly stepped through the doors, the soft clicking of her claws against the marble floor seeming so very loud in the immense, silent space. It took a moment, but everyone else soon followed, creating an echoey symphony of creaky bones and small boots tapping over the floor. Toriel decided to be the one to break the silence once they were all at her side again. Partially for her own sake, but mostly out of a desire not to make them all begin worrying over her too much. If that started now, it would surely only snowball into a true mess from there.

"Oh dear…" She said with a soft sigh, voice echoing slightly off the walls. "It is still rather dark is it not?"

Sans and Frisk looked up at her, and she could see a similar nervousness in their expression, even if a certain skeleton did a better job of hiding it. He let out a simple soft chuckle in reply while Frisk prepped their hands to sign to her. But they halted in their task as Papyrus piped up from beside them.

"I'LL SAY! I CAN HARDLY SEE A THING!" He exclaimed, and his loud, boisterous voice echoed noticeably off the walls.

The sound was somewhat eerie, as though there were other Papyrus' hidden in the dark sections of the castle calling out from further and further away. The castle had always echoed, but it had never seemed so… unnerving to her. No doubt the emptiness and decaying nature of the place was to blame for that. Frisk stepped closer to her in a small display of nervousness, and she promptly laid a reassuring paw on their shoulder. Papyrus though, did not seem spooked at all by the occurrence, sockets and smile widening with surprise in tandem.

"WOWIE! THAT ECHO IS NEAT!" He said, taking another moment to listen to the echo after that before continuing. "I CAN FINALLY HARMONIZE WITH SOMEONE WHO CAN MATCH MY GREAT SKILL. NYEH HEH HEH!"

His signature laughter carried through the ancient building once more, indeed sounding like a chorus of Papyrus' all cackling away. It was still a bit disconcerting, but the humor behind the sound this time did lighten the tension that had briefly gripped them all. Frisk relaxed with a soft, hoarse chuckle and didn't press quite as close to her. Sans seemed to be in thought, likely trying to think of a good "echo" pun judging from the mischievous twinkle to his eyelights. She prepared herself to have to hold back her laughter, not at all wanting to fill this place with such a loud, and admittedly rather obnoxious sound. Before he could seem to settle on anything though, Papyrus piped up again, perhaps noticing his brother's intentions and wanting to prevent any terrible, wonderful puns that wished to leave his brother's mouth.

"ANYWAY!" He said loudly as he brought his gloved hands together. "IT SEEMS OUR NEW HUMAN FRIENDS FAILED TO PROVIDE US WITH THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT FOR THIS EXCURSION, NAMELY A SOURCE OF PORTABLE ILLUMINATION. I WOULD HAVE GREATLY ENJOYED A SPELUNKER'S HAT MYSELF!"

He mimed the action of turning on a headlamp, as though picturing himself wearing one. It furthered the amusement of the moment, and Toriel let a few giggles escape her. Flowey muttered something about Papyrus looking like an idiot, but he was promptly ignored by all of them.

"looks that way bro." Sans agreed from beside her, before turning to address her specifically. want me to bring out gb? he could offer some enlightenment."

Oh dear, and just when she'd let her guard down a little too. Thankfully, or perhaps sadly, depending on how one chose to look at it, she was too mentally overwhelmed by being in the castle to laugh her usual laugh. She did have to cover her muzzle with her paws though, in order to keep the giggles at bay. He seemed particularly pleased to get her to laugh in this situation, and she was deeply grateful for it, even if it meant making her look ridiculous.

"Very good one funnybones." She said after a moment, as Papyrus slapped a gloved hand to his face beside her. "But... that might not be best the best idea. Everything in here is bound to be very fragile, and some rooms might not even be fully stable. GB is a dear, but, he can also be quite clumsy."

The reply was both parts truth and lie. GB could be clumsy and excitable, there was little doubt about that, but in truth she would have been okay with having him out and helping them. Most of the reason behind her words was an effort to keep up their earlier lie regarding how the brothers' shared bathroom got damaged. It was a ruse they unfortunately had to remember to uphold, and she silently apologized to GB for it.

Sans blinked as understanding entered his expression. For a moment, she saw a flash of all the emotions connected to that fateful day, flaring up like a brief blaze of fire in his eyelights. But then it was gone, and replaced with his usual mask. He may have become accustomed to letting it down around her, but there was little chance that it would be allowed to fall around his brother, Frisk and especially Flowey anytime soon… if ever. Though even with that feigned smile in place, something in his own gaze seemed unsettled now, as though her words had stirred up something less than pleasant within him.

"heh, true. he'd... probably be uh... pretty scared of this place anyway." He commented, suddenly looking at the castle's long main corridor in a new manner.

She didn't know what it was about the sight that had suddenly seemed to occur to him to make him act that way, but she couldn't ask him at the moment. Not with his brother and her children here. So she was forced to say something to push them all forward, feeling they needed to get moving if they were ever going to keep the nerve to do this. But she would be sure to keep an eye on him when she could. When she wasn't inevitably distracted by being in her ancient, crumbling home again.

"I should light our way with fire magic." She announced, in a tone nearly reminiscent of her old, royal one. "It would be the safest method, and I could ensure its controlled."

Her voice seemed to bring Sans back to himself a bit more, though his expression still felt dull and stiff. He widened his grin in response, but they both could clearly tell it was little more than acting. Toriel couldn't help but wonder then if he had been reading her the same way all this time, watching her try, and likely fail, to seem composed about this little outing.

"sounds good to me." He agreed in a quieter voice, giving her a half hearted thumbs up before returning his hands to his pockets.

He seemed to fiddle with them inside there a bit, his eyelights and flat expression once again displaying he was caught up in some deep line of thought. After a moment though, he turned to face Frisk with a more convincing grin. She couldn't help but feel surprised by what he did next.

"hey kiddo, how about you stick with me instead so your mom can lead the way, huh?" He suggested, offering out his hand to the child.

Frisk seemed equally surprised by the offer, looking at the skeleton at first with a growing happiness but then eyeing his hand suspiciously. Anyone who had fallen for one of Sans' many pranks before would have known the reason why. Sans chuckled heartily in response, and Toriel was happy to hear that it too sounded real.

"ah don't worry, no whoopie cushions this time." He assured them with a wink.

Frisk still looked skeptical, and Flowey even more so from his place in their backpack, but the human child appeared to have come up with their own idea. They shyly signed something to Sans that she couldn't quite catch, but it made him blink in surprise. Now it was his turn to look hesitant it seemed, but only slightly so.

"oh uh… sure? i can try i guess." He conceded to whatever it was Frisk asked, rubbing the back of his neck vertebrae with a slightly lopsided grin on his face.

What he did next made it clear what Frisk had requested of him. The child smiled brightly and hurried over to stand behind him. Then they hopped up onto the skeleton's back, barely giving him the proper time to prepare for it.

"geez kid, you're heavier than i thought." He wheezed as he adjusted to accommodate them, slipping his arms under their legs to support them. "or maybe i'm just weak, heh, don't exactly have much muscle on these bones."

It was an admittedly amusing sight, seeing as Sans was not all that much taller than Frisk to begin with. He certainly was the least optimal of the adults here to be offering piggyback rides to her child, but the fact he was willing to do it at all made her smile. She couldn't be totally sure what had brought this on from Frisk's point of view, but they certainly looked happy with their chin and crossed arms settled atop his skull. And Sans, though clearly still a bit unsure about it all and having to put forth a good deal of effort to keep them up, still wore a genuine soft grin on his face.

"WE DON'T HAVE ANY MUSCLES SANS." Papyrus pointed out with a tone of exasperation.

Then he cringed a bit, when he seemed to realize that his statement had offered a perfect segway for another pun. An offer Sans was happy to take without missing a beat.

"true." He agreed with a showier grin, finally seeming to get Frisk into a comfortable enough position to carry them. "least that means nothing gets under our skin."

Papyrus didn't even groan this time, just stared at Sans with an expression that portrayed all the years of constant bad jokes that he'd endured from his older brother. Sans chuckled to himself, seemingly having pulled himself out of his brief slip of emotion. Those fact made it even harder for Toriel to hold in her laughter, unable to keep a few undignified snorts from escaping. She'd been expecting almost that exact pun, but that somehow made it even better.

Papyrus wasn't the only one who didn't seem to approve though, as another voice full of irritation made itself known then.

"Ugh I am not gonna to be stuck here listening to your god awful puns during all of this." Flowey declared from his place in Frisk's backpack.

Clearly the flower monster was none too pleased at the idea of being indirectly carried by the skeleton. He appeared to be thinking for a moment, before heaving an overly dramatic sigh and gritting his teeth. He turned to look up at Papyrus, expression hesitant.

"Papyrus could you-"

Flowey didn't even have time to finish his request before Papyrus, obviously catching on, positively lit up in an instant. All his earlier annoyance evaporated immediately to be replaced with sparkling eye sockets and a smile bright enough to possibly illuminate the whole castle all on its own.

"YES! OF COURSE FLOWEY!" He affirmed in a tone flooding over with joy as he plucked the flower monster's pot out of Frisk's backpack. "ANYTHING FOR ONE OF MY BEST CHUMS! WE SHALL BE THE GREATEST OF CASTLE EXPLORING PARTNERS!"

She watched Flowey's expression go through a few shades of regret, but eventually he relented with a roll of his eyes. He allowed the skeleton to tuck his pot into the back of his scarf and tie it tight in order to ensure he stayed in place. Toriel even thought she may have seen a bit of pleased satisfaction in Flowey's beady eyes at Papyrus' method of carrying him, but that may have just been her imagination.

Her attention was drawn back to Sans and Frisk, meeting her dear skeleton's gaze with a concerned expression.

"My dear, are you certain you will be alright?" She asked, unable to keep from thinking about what had happened earlier on the hill. "I would not want you to exhaust yourself…"

Frisk looked a little guilty at that, making her regret her words a bit. But Sans was quick to give them a reassuring little pat. When he looked up at her again, Toriel could see the hints of the heavier emotions lingering beneath the surface again. Not for what was said, but something else that she could only guess at for the moment. For the task at hand though, he truly did seem okay with it.

"yah it's fine t, i was mostly just messing around. i can handle it." He assured her with a lazy wink. "i'm sure frisk will spar-"

He faltered, eyelights briefly shrinking to mere pinpricks of light before they returned to normal size. Even then though, they wavered a bit as what he'd almost said sunk in for all of them.

"uh... give me a break, i mean. if i end up showing myself to be too much of a wuss, heh." He amended quickly, but not quickly enough to stop the unsettled emotions that the words summoned up in all of them.

Frisk had tightened their grip on him, head hanging a bit so that the shadow from their hair covered their eyes. But they nodded, clearly doing their best to look unphased. Though if they had looked guilty before, it couldn't compare to what they must be feeling then. Sans didn't really respond, beyond the dulling of his eyelights once more. Toriel herself felt faintly chilled, but kept her composure. If her true reaction showed on her face, it would only prove to Frisk and Flowey further that she was aware, and had been aware of the full context of those words.

It would not do any of them any good to get worked up over all that right now. As irresponsible as it may be, they needed to avoid the subject and carry on with their ruse, at least until the children were ready to come to her themselves about whatever it was they were hiding. None of them spoke for a few moments, so Toriel decided to break the silence before it had a chance to persist. They needed to keep moving, in every sense of the phrase.

"Alright then." She said quietly, before promptly summoning two bright purple blazes of flame to her paws. "Try to stay close everyone."

Papyrus, who had remained oblivious to the brief moment of tension quickly turned around and hurried to her side. From his place within the skeleton's scarf, Flowey gave her a long hard look. Toriel didn't return his baze, forcing herself to avoid her child's beady eyes and pretend to be focused on her fire magic. She summoned up a ring of flame attacks that encircled the group, a simple spell, but a very effective one. The flames were warm and shared plenty of light but would not burn unless she willed them too. For now, they were simple lanterns in the darkness of this place, something to chase away centuries of gloom and decay that surrounded them.

As they all began walking towards the staircase, their individual footsteps echoed quietly off the stone and marble around them. Toriel had just started forward without any obvious destination in mind, but they were all following her now, expecting her to lead. But… stars… where to even begin? The castle was enormous and so was the list of things she could tell them about both it and herself. Then again, if all of it had been stripped bared like this… perhaps there would be little in each room that would warrant spending too much time there. That felt like a blessing and a curse, yet another confused batch of emotions to join the others swirling about in her soul.

She settled on the most clear path, the one her paws had been taking her towards since the beginning. The photos that had been sent to her confirmed that part of it was still partially intact, still standing after all this time. The throne room.

It was the room that the first flight of stairs led to, the one whose entry arch was dangerously cracked, and the doors that once filled that arch, now gone without a trace. A memory of spears bursting through the soft white wood of that door flared up in her mind briefly, making steps falter momentarily before she steadied herself again. There were good memories to hold onto there as well after all. Getting in trouble for leaving her brightly painted paw prints all over the door as a child, sneaking past the guards that once stood there while her parents were meeting with important figures, listening for the familiar creak as she slept on the soft cushions of her father's throne, signaling he was home from a long trip.

So many memories that had been buried under the passing centuries began to become clear again. Unlike the lost memories from the resets she'd been regaining lately, these at least were not coupled with a splitting headache. But that didn't mean remembering them was painless either.

"I think the throne room would be a good place to start." She said, once they'd reached the bottom of the stairs. "I imagine much of what has survived all this time would be in there, judging from the photos."

Papyrus' eyesockets sparkled with anticipation, looking all around the staircase expectantly.

"OH GOODY! WHAT SORT OF PUZZLES DID YOU USE TO GUARD THIS MOST IMPORTANT OF ROOMS?" He asked in a giddy tone.

She offered him a small smile, one tinged with apology.

"None for this room I am afraid." She said, casting her eyes up at the entrance to the throneroom. We had armed guards at all times in this area, the puzzles were mostly installed in the sections of the castle where we stored items of importance. I… have my doubts any are still working, but we can certainly go take a look."

Papyrus seemed a touch disappointed at that, but nodded regardless. Beside him, Sans eyed the stairs warily, clearly dreading the prospect of having to climb them whilst carrying a child on his back. Frisk seemed to sense this and shifted a bit in anticipation of having to get down, but Sans lifted them right back up into position.

"ah it's s'alright kiddo." He assured them with a wink. "i know a shortcut."

With that, most certainly just for comedic effect, he walked around the corner of the staircase and out of sight.

"SANS, DON'T YOU D-" Papyrus began, but by the time he'd started speaking, a momentary flash of blue light was visible at the top of the stairs.

When the light vanished, it revealed Sans standing there, grinning down at them from high above. Frisk looked a bit dazed, but not nearly as much as Toriel often felt when being teleported. Heck, it almost looked like they had found the act a bit fun. Still, both she and Papyrus gave Sans stern looks, for mostly different reasons. Papyrus was primarily bemoaning his brother's laziness, and Toriel was more concerned with how reckless that act could have been.

Sans quickly realized he'd made a mistake and shot them both a nervous, sheepish smile.

"sorry bro, tori, old habit." He apologized, soft voice echoing down to them with a subtle vibration. "i won't do it again, heh. no sense popping around a place i don't know."

Toriel let out a quiet sigh, but her expression softened again after that as she took her first step up the stairs.

"It is alright, my dear." She assured him, elevating her voice a bit to be heard, which gave it the same eerie quality as it echoed that made the fur on the back of her neck stand up. "It may have very well been the safest method for you in particular. But yes, you should refrain from using your shortcuts while we are here. It is important we stay together."

She glanced back at Papyrus, who was grumpily following along behind her. Flowey had stayed rather quiet through the conversation, but his expression gave away little more than vague annoyance. She met the skeleton's gaze before continuing.

"Be careful on your way up, these stairs are ancient, and most of the railings are long gone." She said, nodding to a more ruined section of the stairs.

"NOTED… NYEH HEH…." He replied with a somewhat nervous chuckle.

After the steady and careful process of ascending the rest of the staircase, wherein the most that occurred was a lot of avoiding cracked sections, they reached the top and joined Sans. He gave them both another apologetic look, then made a bit of a show of staying by her side as they all entered the throne room.

Without the door that once guarded it, the majority of the room was visible to them all from the outset. She heard a lot of quiet gasps from the others once more, but she stayed silent as she walked inside and took in the sight before her. The shock of seeing a place she'd once spent years upon years residing in reduced to such a sad shadow of itself had worn off a bit by then. Plus, she had somewhat known to expect from the photos sent of this location. However prepared she was though, there was no making this experience easy.

As the photos had shown, the large room now lay nearly totally empty save for the remains of the two marble thrones in its center, a cracking and near bleached stained glass window stretching over the back wall and the intricate designs carved into the walls of the room itself. Unlike the paintings and statues that centuries ago also occupied this space, the art on the walls appeared to be the sole survivors by nature of being part of the building itself. Most of it was just ornate decorative fluff, meaningless and only for base aesthetic appeal, but even then it could be considered a marvel of design.

Personally though, she greatly preferred how she and Asgore had set up their throne room. Far more of a welcoming environment with its flowers and open design than this overly fanciful hall of cold marble.

"woah. that's a lot of… real fancy art." Sans commented, eyelights slowly wandering around the room.

Frisk mirrored the motion from their place on his back, blinking inquisitive eyes as they took it all in. Papyrus had already hurried over to look at the thrones, squinting and rubbing his chin as he did so as if he were trying to find some secret amongst the ancient runes inscribed on it. Flowey just eyed the room as though it were as unimpressive as any other, normal room. Toriel smiled a soft little smile, regarding it all with far less enrapturement than the rest of her family.

"Garish, is it not?" She said with a chuckle, one with something akin to embarrassment to it. "And that is just what was carved in and unable to be stolen. Back in the old days, the royal family could afford to be far more extravagant then we ever could Underground. If you had seen this place during its heyday, it would make the castle we had down there seem wholly unremarkable by comparison."

Her tone gained a cynical edge then as she looked at the ceiling, where a hole ringed with cracks marked where there had once been a massive golden chandelier. She had particularly clear memories of laying on her father's lap while he manned his throne and trying to count all the gemstones interlaid throughout it. The exact number was long lost to time, but it had been somewhere in the hundreds.

"Of course, it all seems terribly silly now." She said through an embarrassed sort of grin. "We had no need for such wealth, especially just for the sake of tradition and keeping up appearances. But it would have still been a sight for you all to see."

Beside her, Sans seemed to be searching her eyes for the right way to reply to that. She couldn't blame him. She was not at all sure what sort of tone she should be using either. Part of her felt she should be somber, stoic, even mournful over the state of her former home and all the memories it contained. But the part of her fighting not to let the stress of everything get the better of her was positively dying for an excuse not to have to feel that way. Unfortunately, making light of things did not come nearly as easy to her as it did to him. But that was just one of the many reasons she was so lucky to have him in her life, was it not?

"heh, i'll bet. probably was real priss-stine, right?" He quipped, settling on replying with a joke.

It was just what she needed, and she giggled noisily into a paw. She was so caught up in the needed bit of humor that her short fluffy tail even gave a few happy flicks behind her. She wasn't quite enough in her usual mindset to think of a pun in return, but she was ever so grateful to have a reason to be a bit more lighthearted.

"Oh certainly!" She said, a lilt of laughter remaining in her voice. "The servants used to polish the marble until it all but sparkled in the sunlight. I know that sounds nice, but really all it meant was that you had to stay on the carpets or risk slipping onto your rump in the middle of an important meeting."

While it hadn't been a pun, it was enough to get Sans to chuckle in return. While she'd been speaking, Frisk must of indicated they'd like to be put down to explore the room. For he carefully set them down before replying. Her child had seemed, understandably, a little nervous of the castle when they'd first arrived, but now she was seeing the spark of curiosity in their soft brown eyes that all of them were all far more used to witnessing from the human. They giggled softly at her comment too before walking over to join Papyrus and Flowey by the thrones.

"i take it you speak from experience then?" Sans asked through a snort of amusement, quirking a brow ridge at her.

Her smile turned a bit sheepish then, and a light blush formed on her cheeks as she cast her thoughts back to that time.

"Unfortunately." She reluctantly confirmed, before giving him a playful little swat with a paw when he began to chuckle again at her expense.

The moment was nice, and while it lasted, she was able to not feel too overwhelmed by the situation. Maybe… the whole rest of the trip could be like this. Just… reflecting on the lighter sides of her childhood that were buried and lost beneath the dark shadow of war. Maybe that would be better than trying to explain the endless horrid things that had occurred here, no matter how much the memories burned within the deepest parts of her soul. Focusing only on the good the past held… the silly, mundane, beautiful, little moments that shaped her early life. It would certainly be a more pleasant change of pace.

But all hope of that was quickly lost, blown away as though by a chilly mountain gale, as her child drew her attention over to them and began to sign.

(Mom, are those… are they… your parents?) Frisk asked, with an innocent curiosity.

She blinked at them, slowly, the question taking her off guard in the moment of levity. Then her eyes were inevitably drawn up to the remains of the great stained glass window that once served as an elegant backdrop to her parent's thrones. It was a miracle it had survived all this time. And it made her wonder then, just why had the humans that had driven them from this place not destroyed it like they had everything else? Why had they spared her home at all…?

The image it displayed was almost indecipherable, rendered nearly as meaningless as the carvings decorating the walls by the passing of ages. But if one looked closely, they could just make out the faint shapes of two boss monsters standing side by side. One tall, with a black mane and adorned in silver armor. The other nearly totally covered by a black cloak, save for one unbroken horn and a regal golden crown atop their head.

The part that once contained her Toriel's image between them was the most damaged, leaving her space in the family portrait just a mess of cracks and holes for the sunlight to seep through. It was darkly ironic in a way, that it be her image that was lost, given how she had eventually come to abandon the crown and her royal title. No doubt the only boss monster to ever do so. Her soul churned the magic inside her in a sickly manner, and she had to force herself to look away before she could finally answer her child.

"Yes dear, they are indeed." She confirmed at last, scarlet eyes hazy. "That window is… perhaps the only surviving image of them left that was made while they were still alive. This was before the age of cameras and photographs of course, so a painting or other art piece like this was one of the only ways to capture what someone looked like."

The room went silent, save for the faint sound of birds twittering from somewhere within the abandoned castle, echoing in that same eerie manner. All other eyes went to stare at the ancient art, briefly transfixed by the image. Toriel kept her eyes away, feeling as though her parent's gazes, especially her mother's were bearing down on her in that moment. A great shame began to burn within her soul.

From his place tucked in Papyrus' scarf, Flowey in particular perked up with interest from her words and stared up at the stained glass with wider eyes. Another odd display from him, but like all of those thoughts she banished them for the moment in order to focus on the here and now. She couldn't get wrapped up in wondering why the flower monster had an interest in such things. Instead, she resigned herself to the fact she was going to have to share the same story she'd shared with Sans.

It was part of the reason they'd all come here, after all. She was tired of keeping secrets, or at least... keeping the past from her loved ones, running from what she used to be. And while some things simply couldn't be shared, those secrets that were not her own, she could at least tell them things like this. Make it clearer to them all how she became the monster she was today. This would only be the start, surely, but every journey must have its first step, did it not?

She took a deep, slow breath before walking over to stand between the two thrones. When she came to a stop and turned to face them, she had, unbeknownst to her, aligned herself with where her image in the stained glass window was missing. From the angle the others were standing, it would look as though it were finally filled for the first time in centuries. The wayward princess and runaway queen... returned to the throne at last, if only in spirit. The sunlight from the hole shone behind her, and formed something of a halo around her body as she looked down at those dearest to her.

All eyes and attention shifted to her then, and she found herself facing a sight she'd once been quite accustomed to as queen. Enraptured gazes staring up at her, as though she were some wonder to behold, even Flowey seemed to be looking at her as if seeing her for the very first time. It stirred a old, deep ache in her soul. One of disdain for being viewed that way again, vexation at how very silly the situation was, and maybe, just maybe, a small hint of longing for times long past. Regardless, she did all she could to hold herself high and address them just as she was taught when she once lived in this castle.

"Long ago, many centuries in fact… I was born in this very castle. To the king and queen of the western monster kingdom of that time. King Manual and Queen Guia..."

She went on then, speaking to her enthralled audience in a tone close to her royal one. All except Sans, who knew all this, but was doing a good job feigning surprise and interest in her words. Well… given what he has said about her in the past, it may be fair to say he wouldn't need to feign interest. She was sure she could talk about anything and he'd be happy to listen. Their time together at the Ruins door had certainly proved that.

And the way he was staring at her… It… was like he was truly transfixed by the sight of her. And, though it was hard to tell from where she was standing, she thought she saw those heart shaped eyelights reappear in those wide, round sockets of his. The sight brought a light blush to her face and almost shy sort of smile, but it also brought a warmth to her soul that helped her continue on.

She told them all she had told Sans before, giving what seemed like a fair overview of the monsters who had brought her into this world. Well, perhaps she did not tell them all that she had told Sans. Some of it was… just too personally painful to go into detail with right then, inside the place where they had once lived.

And she didn't mention her often strained relationship with her mother. Though one may have been able to pick up on that fact from how little she apparently had to say about her in comparison to her father. They didn't need to know about that particular detail just yet, and so she approached the topic as though she were giving a lecture at her school, rather the emotional, personable talk she had had with Sans the last time mention of her parents left her lips. Speaking about it this way, somewhat detached, did make it easier this go around.

When she finished recounting what came easily, she paused and looked down at them all to gauge their reactions. Their awed staring had died down by this point, softening to a look of simple investment in her story. This time it was Flowey who looked to have a question for her. She nodded a weak encouragement to him and he seemed to debate with himself for a moment before deciding to speak.

"Why... is she wearing that hood over her head?" He asked hesitantly, seemingly a little embarrassed about the question.

Toriel had been expecting that to come up at some point. She smiled a sad kind of smile as memories came rushing back, bringing with them an unruly coil of emotions. She turned her head briefly to glance up at the image of her mother behind her.

"Well…" She began, eyes becoming a little hazy again. "My mother, she… her face had a lot of… scars on it."

That piqued everyone's interest again, and Toriel knew she had to elaborate at least… a little more than that. She drew another steadying breath before continuing, pressing her claws into the front of her dress.

"She was attacked when I was young. A group of humans from an... an extremist group of the time, they attempted to assassinate her, and likely intended to do the same to the rest of us as well if they had not been stopped." She explained, grimacing a bit. "They caught her alone outside… and used this strange, terrible spell to attack her. She was able to fight them off until the guards came to assist but… not before taking grievous damage to her face where that first magical attack had struck."

Her instinct then was to look back at her mother's portrait again, but she found she couldn't face even a depiction of her mother in glass in that moment. She could practically feel her mother's single working eye boring into her back, just like it had so often all those centuries ago.

"She… was never the same after that." She concluded after a moment, crossing her arms in an attempt to hide the fact her paws were threatening to shake.

There was silence again for a few moments, and she got the sense they understood she wasn't keen on saying much more on the subject for the moment. She was about to get down off the elevated throne platform, when she felt a small tug on her dress. She flinched a bit despite herself and looked down to see Frisk looking up at her. Their expression was difficult to read, but she could definitely see concern there. She had a feeling if she had the nerve to look, the others would be wearing the similar expressions.

Having gained her attention, Frisk began to sign once more.

(I guess… that means they are my grandma and grandpa, right?) They asked, with a small smile.

That gave Toriel pause. She… hadn't really thought about it that way before. Even when she had Asriel, she rarely told him much about his grandparents other than the occasional vaugaties or historical fact, and by the time Chara fell she would be hard pressed to bring them up at all. But with Frisk now knowing about them… well… being adopted made no difference in them being her family of course. And the same could be said about Flowey now as well. Even if she knew one of those potential grandparents… would be none too pleased about her adopting children… especially a human child.

But again, her children didn't need to know that. That was one secret she could keep… for their sake. If only for now. The last thing she wanted to do was dull the soft sparkle the question had summoned in Frisk's eyes, or discourage what was clearly an attempt to cheer her up.

"I suppose so, my child, yes… you and Flowey both." She replied, willing up a small, but warm smile on to her face.

Frisk's expression brightened, and she got the feeling that this might have meant more to them than she initially imagined. Perhaps it had something to do with whatever their own previous family situation had been, before they had fallen down beneath the mountain... and into her life. They peered up at the ancient window and smiled up at the faint portraits as if the monsters depicted were truly there in front of them.

(Nice to meet you, grandma, grandpa.) They signed up to them. (I hope that wherever you are now, you are happy that humans and monsters are getting along better, and that we are all free.)

The words made Toriel's soul grow warm inside her, even if she knew that the gesture was little more than an honorary one. Her parents would not have been able to understand Frisk's sign language even if they had indeed been standing before them. Unless of course her lost memories regarding Gaster had more to hide from her, that is. Regardless, it was the thought that counted here, and she reached over to rest her paw on her child's back, smiling down at them.

Frisk looked back up at her, and it seemed they were not quite done with their signing yet. After giving her a look she couldn't quite parse, they turned back to the portrait again. This time with a hint of their usual determined look in their eyes.

(Toriel is the best mom ever.) They signed, and she could feel the conviction behind the words from their soul itself as its magic met her paw. (I hope you… are proud of her. Like she is proud of me.)

Her soul seized up inside her at that, not expecting such a compliment. It brought mixed emotions, as it always would given her troubled history with motherhood in general. She knew deep down she could never fully accept such a title, even just from the idealistic mind of a child. If anything, she was a mother who was making all the effort she could to do her best for her children, rather than actually being close to what could be considered the best. Not to mention, she knew for a fact that at least one of the grandparents Frisk was addressing would certainly, positively, not be proud of her at all. The opposite was far more likely, if the monster in question would have even been able to look at her after witnessing all her failures...

Despite those feelings though, the words still touched her deeply and she just had to pull her child into a hug for their kind words. They happily accepted it, gripping onto her with a soft sound that served to reaffirm their signed statement. She squeezed them tight for a few moments, as though that would somehow negate everything else swirling about in her mind.

"I am proud of you Frisk." She said, her words carrying a more weight than she intended. "So proud.

For now, she didn't let what had happened yesterday, or any of the terrible knowledge Sans and her dreams had revealed to her, poison those words. For none of that took away from the truth behind them. She was so proud… and so thankful. More than she could ever hope to articulate, even if her mind wasn't clouded and unstable as it was.

"Thank you, my child…" She said in a softer voice as she released them again to look into their eyes. "I will certainly keep doing my best to raise you and Flowey. And... live up to those words."

Frisk seemed delighted by her response, even if she could see that they too carried a certain weight behind their eyes. The cause of which… she could only hope they would tell her soon. She could feel Flowey looking at her too in that moment, as though reading her thoughts through the act of staring at the back of her head. The urge to turn and look at him was persistent, but she feared what exactly she'd see in those beady black eyes, be it further recognition that she knew more than she let on, or something even more telling. In the end when Frisk stepped away off the throne platform, Flowey's gaze followed them and she was able to relax again for the moment.

She watched after them as they convinced Sans and Papyrus to take a closer look at the other art with them, lightly tugging on their sleeve and scarf. Both skeletons gave Toriel a look filled with a mix of emotions regarding what they had just heard from her, one of them giving her a particularly lingering look tinged with understanding. But then both brothers, practically in tandem, smiled brightly at Frisk and allowed the child to lead them over to look at the art carved into the walls more closely.

Toriel took a moment then to herself, looking down at throne beneath her feet. The claws of her toes curled against it as the warring emotions and unwelcome memories the sight of it summoned were dredged up inside her. That made her step off of it quickly, enough to stumble just a bit. No… not ever again. Not even in this ruined relic of the past. She had left that life behind, and it would stay that way. She righted herself and dusted off her dress before turning with the intention of joining the rest of her family. They likely would have further questions about all the wall carvings in here after all, better to see to that before moving on.

Just then, a sound from behind her made her ear twitch. A single footstep that echoed ever so faintly. She paused and turned then by instinct… and in the archway entrance of the throne room… She saw something. Or rather, someone.

For just a moment, maybe more, maybe less, she was sure she'd seen what looked to be a human. Tall and slender, with short brown hair and donning a long, worn, brown poncho. In their hand, they were clutching a spear, and on their head was a crown of bright golden flowers.

But after a blink of her eyes, just as before, the figure had vanished, perhaps never having been there at all. In its place though, was a single golden petal resting on the ancient marble floor.

She stared at it for a few moments, transfixed. Had that only been an illusion conjured up by her increasingly unstable mind? Or… had she just seen…?

Papyrus called over to her from behind the thrones then, wishing to inquire about a specific decorative carving. She snapped herself out of her stupor and replied back to him, promising to be there in just a moment. Before she did though, she went to the archway and picked up the petal, holding it up briefly so that it caught the sunbeams coming through the shattered stained glass. Perhaps she was only imagining it but… it almost seemed to glow in the multicolored light.

She slipped it into her sleeve for safekeeping, and headed over to the others. For some reason, she felt as though she should hang on to it...