Restoring the Mountain's Heart
Chapter 2
Hot Dog
Darkness. That was all she could see, all she could feel. It wrapped around her like a smothering wool blanket, yet she felt cold instead of warm. But she didn't shiver, or rather, she couldn't shiver. She couldn't move, not a twitching of her fingers or a wiggling of her toes. Nothing.
"Am I...dead?" she mumbled, yet she couldn't feel her lips moving, or the vibration of her own voice in her throat.
A deep chuckle sounded somewhere behind her. She wanted to turn, to see what made the noise. Was Flowey back? She tried to struggle against whatever was holding her down, but she couldn't even blink. "Be calm, my dear," came a soft yet masculine voice next to her ear. "You're not in any danger, nor are you dead." A pair of hands softly landed on her shoulders, like large butterflies sitting on delicate flower petals. "Don't be afraid, I am a friend. I wish to help you."
"Who...are you?" she asked, her voice quivering. "Where are we?"
"Well, the first answer is simple, but the second is...complicated. I will try to explain it as simply as I can." She felt a body press against her back, her head now resting against a chest, while a pair of arms slipped around her. "I'm in a place that is between space and time, a realm of shadows and light, but no matter. Its a place that is everywhere, yet nowhere. But you, my dear, you are not where I am. You are looking in on me, gazing through a window into this empty place." She felt them lean down, a pair of lips softly brushing against her ear as they whispered. "We are sitting on opposite sides of the coin of reality, separated yet connected."
She could feel the first bit of movement from her body; her heart hammering against her ribs. "But...if we're separated...h-how are we...how are you here?"
They chuckled again. "Because, my dear, you reached out into the darkness." Cool, hard fingers slipped softly around her hand, lightly holding her palm as they gently lifted her arm. Her eyes would have widened if she could move. The hand was only bones, a skeleton hand with a gaping hole where the palm should have been. "And I took hold of your hand."
Their bony thumb gently stroked over her skin, her eyes unable to look away. "You're afraid. That is okay. Fear of the unknown is natural. But do not let it stop you from acting," they murmured. "Do not give up, my dear. The journey ahead of you is a hard one, but you must continue. You may discover that they need you, just as much as you need them."
Their arms slowly pulled away, her hand still frozen in place as the presence of their body disappeared from behind her. Their hand sliding along her arm, as if wanting to prolong their contact. "Wait! You didn't tell me your name!" she called out. Gravity suddenly came into existence, its ruthless grasp clutching her body. She dropped like a stone, falling through nothingness. "Who are you?!"
"Someone forgotten."
"...ISN'T A GOOD IDEA. SHE'LL NEED TO HEAL MORE BEFORE WE CAN RISK MOVING HER."
"well what do you suggest i tell unyde? she keeps texting me. she ain't gonna be happy about this."
"SHE'S NEVER HAPPY ABOUT SOMEBODY GETTING HURT, SANS."
"that's not what i meant. somebody had the brass bones enough to attack the princess. if we have to call in alphys to come patch her up, who knows what undyne's gonna do."
"SHE'LL PROBABLY WANT TO SEARCH THE RUINS FOR CLUES. POOR HUMAN, THESE GASHES MIGHT SCAR..."
Two voices faded in and out above her, dragging her mind back to the waking world. Had she been dreaming? Was all of it a dream? It had felt so real, she could almost still feel the lingering sensation of being held tenderly like a frightened child in a father's embrace. But now she was definitely feeling something real. All thoughts of the dream vanished when she felt a hand slide across the bare skin of her back.
Her eyes shot open with a gasp as the woman threw herself up, only to be pinned down on her front by hands on her shoulders. "easy, you're okay," came a familiar voice. The skeleton from the woods? She twisted her head around, trying to see past the mountain of her curls that had fallen over her face. "don't move around-let paps finish first, okay?"
"Let me up!" she cried, pushing against his hold as she attempted to force herself off what appeared to be a piece of moss green furniture. "Let go of me!"
"SANS, LET HER UP-SHE'S PANICKING!" the second voice urged, the hand on her back stilling on her spine. "YOUR MAJESTY, PLEASE, BE CALM. WE DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU, BUT YOU'RE INJURED, YOU NEED TO LAY STILL."
Pain shot up her back as she pushed herself onto her hands, gritting her teeth with a soft noise of discomfort. Her skin felt chilly, yet there were feverishly hot streaks across her back from which the intense agony radiated. Hesitantly, she brushed her hair over her shoulder and glanced back. She immediately wished she hadn't. Even if she was unable to see much, what little of her back she could see looked horrendous. Long gashes split her skin open, deep enough that they had tucked strips of cloth into them to keep her flesh from being exposed to the open air, the edges of wound clean as if she were sliced up by a knife. A strangled sound like a distressed squeak escaped her throat as she quickly looked away, tears forming in her eyes as she bit her lip.
A hand softly petted her head. "THERE, THERE. IT'S NOT AS BAD AS IT LOOKS," said the second voice. She turned to look at them, and was unable to muster enough feeling to be surprised to see another skeleton. This one was taller than the first, wearing what appeared to be a thick woolen shirt with long sleeves and a high collar with a red scarf. A pair of red gloves sat over the knee of his dark brown pants, while he wore a warm and gentle expression on his face. "I KNOW IT HURTS QUITE A BIT, MY LADY, BUT I'LL DO MY BEST TO GET THESE WOUNDS SEALED. THAT'LL AT LEAST GET RID OF MOST OF THE DISCOMFORT. JUST TRY TO RELAX FOR NOW. DO YOU THINK YOU COULD EAT SOMETHING?"
A shiver ran through her as his hand on her back moved again, skating around the edges of one of the slashes, a strange tingling sensation crawling across her skin. "Who are you?" she asked in a strained voice, looking to the shorter monster. "You said you were waiting for me?"
He nodded. "yeah, that's part of our job. being sentries around snowdin, its kinda the biggest part of it. ya' know-sit at your post, watch snow fall, and escort human royalty. basic stuff. anyways, i'm sans, and this is papyrus, my brother." He shrugged his shoulders as he slid his hands into the pockets of his coat. "honestly i didn't think you'd actually ever show up. we haven't seen a princess come out of the ruins for over a hundred years now."
"A h-hundred?" she gaped, gasping softly as Papyrus moved onto another wound with a soft apology. "You mean you haven't seen any humans down here in such a long time? But they've been sent down every decade. How could this..." The answer slowly dawned on her, the image of the rotting arm at her feet flooding her mind. 'Flowey must have been...oh no...'
New tears fell down her cheeks. She could have been one of them. It was no wonder the barrier had never fallen, Asgore probably hadn't had a new bride for a long time. But if that was the case, did that mean Flowey had lied about the king? She could only wonder, seeing as he had apparently lied about the other monsters all wanting her dead. If that was true, then Sans would have already killed her instead of getting his brother to help her.
The taller brother, Papyrus, softly patted her hair. "PRINCESS, I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE UPSET, BUT EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY. MY BROTHER AND I ARE HERE TO ASSIST YOU IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE." He pulled his scarf from around his neck, and used it to gently dab away her tears. He turned to his brother. "SANS, CAN YOU GET THE PRINCESS SOMETHING TO EAT? THAT SHOULD HELP THINGS ALONG."
Sans nodded, and disappeared from her sight. The woman sniffed softly, cringing as she wiped the wetness from her eyes. "Thank you, Papyrus, was it?" she murmured, and carefully glanced around as she tried to hold still, flinching slightly when his hand moved again. "Where are we? I've never seen a place like this." A black glass mirror stood on top of a short table across from where she lay, a flight of stairs to the left of it eluded to an upstairs that she couldn't see, and the strangest rug she had ever seen covered the entire floor in blue and purple squiggly lines.
"THIS IS OUR HOUSE, YOUR MAJESTY. WE BROUGHT YOU HERE AFTER SANS FOUND YOU OUTSIDE THE RUINS. I HOPE THE COUCH IS COMFORTABLE." She couldn't hold back a gasp as a sharp stab of pain flared up under her shoulder blade. "SORRY! I...I'M NOT USE TO WORKING ON HUMANS. GOLLY, THIS IS A LOT DIFFERENT FROM HEALING A MONSTER. I'LL TRY TO BE MORE CAREFUL."
"It's okay, take you time," she grunted, slowly releasing a breath. She bit her lip softly, pressing her face into the green fabric of the couch. The smells it gave off were strange, acidic with a faint hint of cooked meat and other smells she didn't recognize. But somehow, it was comforting, cozy in a way. It almost made her long for home, but she quickly put the thought out of her mind. There was no way back, only forward. "How close are we to King Asgore?"
"UNFORTUNATELY, HIS CASTLE IS ON THE OTHER END OF THE CAVERN, BUT MY BROTHER AND I WILL BE ESCORTING YOU, ONCE WE GET YOU HEALED UP." His hand moved again, and this time there was only a slight pinch. "SANS, HURRY UP, YOU LAZYBONES! I'M ALMOST DONE!"
"no worries, bro. was just heating it up for her." The shorter brother reappeared as she lifted her head, holding a plate in one hand. He knelt down beside the couch, offering it to her. "your meal, your majesty."
The tall skeleton immediately stood, gently wrapping a hand around her shoulder as he took her offered hand, slowly easing her into a sitting position. She couldn't help a fiery blush as she felt the cool air against the bare skin of her back. It was wildly inappropriate, scandalous even, to show so much skin. She told herself that at least Papyrus was a doctor of some sorts, so it was completely unseemly.
Once she was comfortable, Sans handed her the plate of...well, she didn't know what it was. It looked like a tiny loaf of bread that was cut open down the center with a strip of meat tucked inside and covered in a bright red paste. She blinked at it curiously, cocking her head. "Um, what it is?"
Papyrus slapped a hand over his face with a sigh, then turned to his grinning brother with his fists on his hips. "REALLY SANS, A HOT DOG?"
The woman gasped, holding the plate at arms length. "Is this dog meat?!"
Sans snorted, chuckling as he shook his head. "no, its not actually a dog-that's just a name." he explained with a snicker, then looked to his brother. "c'mon pap, she'll love it. besides, its a little easier to eat than spaghetti."
"BUT IT IS HARDLY FOOD FIT FOR A PRINCESS," he argued, folding his arms.
"asgore eats them, and he's a king. and even if its not 'fit', it's not like we have anything fancy in the house to give her anyways."
She swallowed, looking at the meat and bread on her plate. "If you're telling the truth about it not being made of dog...then I shall gratefully accept it." she stated. "But I have one question...where are my utensils?"
Sans shook with barely withheld laughter, a few stray snickers and chuckles slipping out. Papyrus gave him a glare before turning back to the lady. "IT'S FINGER FOOD, YOUR MAJESTY. YOU EAT WITH YOUR HANDS."
She blinked, then carefully picked up the hot dog, and took a bite. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. It was...actually really good. She took another bite, the red sauce smearing on her lips, her tongue darting out to lick the mess clean. "This is wonderful," she stated after swallowing. "The sauce adds just the right kind of spice to bring out the flavor."
Sans grinned up at his brother. "told ya' bro. hot dogs are a 'wiener'."
"SANS!"
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
Once she had finished eating, she had felt much better. Somehow it had actually helped Papyrus's magic to somewhat heal her injuries, though all he had managed was to stop the bleeding. He had insisted on wrapping her torso in bandages to keep the wounds covered and clean, and he said what they all had been thinking-her dress was too damaged to wear anymore.
"i'll take care of it, bro," said Sans. He offered her his hand, helping her to her feet, and led her up the flight of stairs to the second floor of the building. Taking her to the door at the end of the hall, he pulled a key out of his pocket to unlock it, and pulled her inside. The room was...messy. Socks lay piled up in a corner, a strange metal 'thing' stood in the middle with clothes thrown across it, and was appeared to be the bed had a ball of tangled sheets sitting on top of it. There was even a small whirlwind filled with books near the door that she assumed was likely made from magic. "pardon the mess. i don't exactly keep my personal space tidy."
"It's not so much dirty as...uh, unorganized," she replied, unable to look away from the whirlwind now that it had caught her attention. "What is that?"
"trash tornado. don't ask." He moved over to the dresser and pulled a few articles of clothing out. "these should fit you. though they ain't very 'princess-y'."
She gave a slight smile. If only he knew that she wasn't even remotely 'princess-y' herself. "I'm sure they'll serve their purpose just fine."
"then let's get that dress off so i can get you patched up." A blush crept up into her face, turning it bright red. The skeleton glanced away with a hand rubbing the back of his skull, his own face taking on a blue hue somehow. "sorry. i know this is awkward, but let's just try to get through with it quick so its over and done with. sound good?"
"Agreed." The next few minutes were filled with awkward silence and avoiding eye contact. Once she had removed her dress, Sans had carefully wrapped her torso, the sensation of the smooth bones of his fingers against her skins drawing shivers through her. He worked fast, but effectively, and as soon as he was done, he handed her the clothes and excused himself from the room.
The chill in the air was already beginning to drain the heat from her skin, so she quickly unfolded the garments, looking over them curiously. The top was similar to the sort Papyrus had, only a darker brown like aged leather. The breeches were black and soft as wool, the long legs falling down to pool slightly around her feet, and they made the white of socks seem even brighter, though they were slightly too big as well and bunch up on her ankles. The brothers had even gone so far as to give her a pair of gloves to replace her blood stained ones. They were pink and made from a tough material that would clearly protect her hands. Though they had extra padding on the knuckles, she wasn't about to go about punching brick walls to test out how durable they were.
Thankfully, since the clothes were rather large on her frame-though she had to wonder how skeletons were bigger than her-she was able to hide her purse under the pants with little difficulty. She padded across the floor to the door, holding her pants up with a hand. She was going to need a belt, or she risked losing them. Her hand froze on the doorknob as a new voice reached her ears. It was muffled by the door, but it was clearly someone she hadn't met before. Leaning forward slightly, she gently rested her ear against the door, listening intently.
"...take her to Alphys. The last thing we need is for her to get an infection or something. She might be strong enough if she survived an attack like you guys said."
"BUT WHAT ABOUT THE KING? SHE'S HIS BRIDE, AFTER ALL. SHOULDN'T WE TAKE HER TO HIM FIRST?" asked Papyrus. "SURELY HE COULD JUST SUMMON ALPHYS TO THE CASTLE TO TREAT HER IF NECESSARY."
"bro, i don't think that's all undyne is worried about," Sans stated. "she wants to check the human's soul, just to see how powerful it is."
"O-OH...BUT IT WON'T REALLY MATTER TO KING ASGORE, RIGHT? I MEAN, HE'LL STILL MARRY HER, WON'T HE?"
"Papyrus, you know this arrangement isn't about a marriage or an heir or any of that junk. Sure-maybe he'll marry her, but it'll likely only be to keep her around until we can get her soul, if it's powerful enough."
"I KNOW. I JUST...SHE SEEMS NICE, UNDYNE. I DON'T WANT HER TO JUST BE A MEANS TO AN END."
"we don't really got a say in it though, paps. it's all up to asgore. but don't worry about it. human souls haven't had any real kind of power since the war. she's just another princess-one more virgin sacrifice they threw at us in hopes of saving their own skins."
"THAT'S NOT A VERY NICE THING TO SAY ABOUT HER, SANS. THE PRINCESS DESERVES TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT AND KINDNESS. SHE'S FAR FROM HOME, AND ALL ALONE. SHE'LL NEVER SEE ANOTHER HUMAN AGAIN."
The newcomer sighed. "If it's our luck, none of us will see another human in our lives. Speaking of which, how long does it take for this pansy to put on clothes? It's not like you gave her a ballgown or something."
The princess drew back from the door, a hand instinctively pressed to her heart, feeling it beat rapidly beneath her palm through the tough glove. Her head was swirling as she attempted to absorb everything she had just heard. Something more was going on, something to do with human souls-hers to be specific-and she was completely in the dark. What if Flowey really had been right? Maybe they truly did want to kill her-to take her soul. But she couldn't even begin to guess what they would want with it. Monsters were the ones with the magic, after all.
A knock on the door made her jump, her heart leaping into her throat. She tried to swallow it back down, but the lump refused to leave. "Yes?" she called, feeling a bit surprised that her voice came out only slightly like a squeal of a frightened mouse.
"you okay in there, your majesty?" called Sans. "you need any help?"
Her mind spun rapidly, her thoughts flying like arrows, all aiming for targets that she couldn't see.
No, she DID have a target to aim for.
She was aiming for Asgore. The circumstances didn't change. No matter what they wanted, she was already in too deep to go back-quite literally. So she wouldn't flail blindly in the dark, hoping to hit upon something, for she already had a goal in mind. "I'm having a bit of trouble with the breeches," she replied. "It would appear that I'm in need of a belt or I fear they shall meet the floor."
"hmm, well, i don't think either of us has a be-"
"OH WAIT-I HAVE AN IDEA!" She heard the sound of running footsteps, then a muffled crash, then the return of said footsteps. The door opened slightly, a hand slipping inside, holding an orange bandanna with what seemed to be a torso drawn on it. "TRY TYING THAT AROUND YOUR WAIST, YOUR MAJESTY. I JUST BOUGHT IT FROM THE HOTEL A FEW DAYS AGO, IT SHOULD DO THE TRICK UNTIL WE CAN GET YOU SOMETHING MORE FITTING. BUT FOR NOW MY MANLY BANDANNA WILL BE AN IMPROVISED MANLY BELT."
Somehow, in spite of the situation, the tall skeleton made a smile appear on her face as she fastened the bandanna around her waist, tying it tightly before pulling the door open. "My thanks, Papyrus. Quite the inspired idea." Seeing the skeleton beam-though she wasn't sure how he could possible smile more considering his face appeared to have a permanent one already-it seemed to put her at ease, if only for a moment.
Because all peaceful moments tended to end with a bang. Or in this case, the clank of metal. What appeared to be a knight came stomping up the stairs in full armor, placing their hands on their hips as they stared down at her. "So, this is the princess, huh?" The knight bowed stiffly. "My name is Undyne, your Majesty. Captain of the Royal Guard, and Champion of Lord Asgore. I'll be taking you with me to Doctor Alphys."
She nodded. "You have my thanks, Captain. I'm confident that the remainder of the journey shall go smoothly with you here." While not a princess by any means, she still knew a bit of common knowledge about proper ceremony and manners, and when a knight swore to guard a royal, the oath was sealed with a kiss to the royal's hand. Removing the tough glove, she daintily held out her hand, and all but held her breath, praying that she was doing it right.
The knight paused briefly, making her bite the inside of her cheek, but they removed their helmet and tucked it under their arm while gently cupping her hand. The creature beneath the metal was coated in blue scales with a pair of fangs poking out of the mouthful of sharp teeth. Long hair as red as apple skins flowed loose from a tight ponytail, and in place of where the ears would have been on a human was a pair of small fins. But only one yellow eye stared at her, the other-if there was one still there-was hidden by an eye patch. Altogether, they made for an intimidating figure. Yet they softly pressed a kiss to her knuckles, bowing low over her hand in a show of respect, and she quickly dipped into a curtsy in response. "The honor is all mine, my lady," she stated as she straightened, and flashed her a cocky grin full of teeth. "I'd gladly beat up any punks who would try to bother you, so don't worry."
