"Once Frisk is adopted by the king and queen, it might be time for other people's dreams to come true…" -Francine I. Kane, 201X-

Chapter 3: Dreams DO Come True! (The Good, Bad and Ugly)

Frisk spent the rest of the afternoon doing interviews for the various newspapers in the Underground. She recorded another with Mettaton while Asgore and Toriel were busy with their own. Once he was finished and the two of them got away from all the crystocams, he rounded on her with his hands on his hips. His "face" was all red…

"Why didn't you tell me?" Although it was phrased as a question, it sounded almost like an accusation.

Frisk was mildly confused. "What do you mean, Mettaton?"

He waved a finger at her. "Don't play coy with me, honey! You know what you did."

She shook her head. "I'm very sorry, but I don't understand. What have I done to upset you, so?"

Mettaton threw his hands in the air. "Have you forgotten, already?! Alphys told me about that blackout thing. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that, with fewer humans, there's no idols or A-list actors, or anything of the sort! You let me go on and on about being 'humanity's star,' and it turns out there's hardly any humans left! AND they're probably mostly country bumpkin, rural hick farmers! Hardly the sort of audience that would appreciate a brilliant star like me." He crossed his arms and turned his side to her, his body posture indicating that he was one miffed cuboid.

"I'm sorry, Mettaton," Frisk said contritely. She thought to herself, *So he DIDN'T hear me telling Alphys about that while he was hidden in the wall. Perhaps a little flattery will soothe him? Aloud, she said, "I… wasn't really thinking of such things, at the time. To be honest, I was more concerned with winning our fight. Your attacks were so fierce! I almost didn't make it to the end. Sometimes I think it was a fluke that got me through before the ratings got so high. I'm not certain I would have lasted much longer."

She didn't mention that he had succeeded in killing her, once. It wasn't like he remembered, and she didn't want to explain how she had come back. It would be hard, since she didn't really know how, herself.

Mettaton's posture changed slightly. He was plaintive as he said, "Speaking of that, did you HAVE to call me a 'clockwork fiend'? I was playing the good guy!"

"I'm sorry, Mettaton. It just sort of… slipped out, when I was boasting. I was caught up in the moment."

The robot was silent. It was a long enough pause that Frisk began to worry that he was still angry before he sighed heavily. "Well, I suppose you could have called me something worse," he said, finally uncrossing his arms. "And we were in a beautifully pitched battle, weren't we? I suppose you can't be blamed for saying something like that. It helped the ratings, too, so I guess I can't stay mad at you. Especially since I'm going to be one of your tutors!"

Frisk blinked and said, "Excuse me?"

Mettaton wheeled close and draped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side as he said, "Princesses are the ultimate actresses, darling! They always put their best face forward, and always stay beautiful for their adoring public. And who better to teach you how to do that than a star like me?"

The princess blinked some more before saying, "I… can think of no other star, Mettaton. Please forgive me if I seem disappointed, but I just assumed that my mother would be teaching me…"

"And I'm sure she will be, when you're with her. But Fluffybuns needs all the help he can get, darling, believe me." They shared a bit of a laugh before Frisk was released. "Well, I'm off! I have to go and edit this interview before putting it on CV. Toodles!" With a wave of his hand that somehow glittered, Mettaton wheeled away.

Next on Frisk's agenda was to meet the bodyguards that would protect her and Toriel, from now on. She met up with her parents and they went to Asgore's personal office to see them. Undyne and a dozen royal guards were waiting for them. Their armor clanked as their right fists touched the Delta Runes on their left shoulders in salute. Frisk recognized Greater Dog, as well as the dragon and rabbit couple that had tried to stop her journey through Hotland. The majority of them she didn't recognize, but one of them had a very familiar forest green scarf wrapped around his neck. She tried to look through the vision slits in his helm and into his eyes, but they were little black pits surrounded by white…

Frisk forgot all decorum and let her jaw drop. "PAPYRUS?!"

His familiar voice echoed in his helmet as he said, "YES!" He lifted his visor, letting everyone see his beaming face. "MY DREAM HAS FINALLY COME TRUE! I FINALLY MADE IT INTO ROYAL GUARD!"

Frisk beamed, as well, saying, "Oh, Papyrus, I'm so happy for you!"

"I'M HAPPY FOR ME, TOO!"

Undyne cleared her throat, making it echo in her helm. "That's great and all, but maybe save the chatter 'til the introduction's over?"

Papyrus blushed before he lowered his visor and said, "MY APOLOGIES, CAPTAIN! PLEASE FORGIVE MY INTERRUPTION."

Undyne only nodded before facing her monarch, addressing him much more formally than she usually did. "Your Majesty, I have hand-selected the best out of all the Guard's volunteers who submitted their names for the duty of guarding the, uh, former queen and the princess. They have all proven themselves to be fit for this task. I swear on my honor as head of the Royal Guard that these people will lay down their lives before they fail." All the guards bowed their heads to the royals.

"Thank you all," said Asgore. "Upon further discussion with Toriel, we have agreed that the majority of your focus should be upon Frisk's safety. Only four of you will be assigned to Toriel, and the rest will guard the princess. Undyne, I will leave the assignments in your hands. I have faith in you all."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" said the captain, and all the guards saluted one more time. "I anticipated that might be the case, so I've already come up with the schedule."

Asgore nodded. "Very good! That will be all, for now." Undyne nodded, then gestured to the other guards. They started filing out of the office, except for Papyrus and one of the unknown guards. The two of them stood on either side of the office door, clearly taking the first shift of their new duties.

The king turned to Frisk and regretfully said, "I had hoped for a little bit of quality time with you, but I am afraid that will have to wait until tomorrow. There are things I must take care of, before then. For now, you can go home and settle into your new room."

"I understand, Father," said Frisk. As agreed upon, this would be her first week living with her new father. He still lived and worked in the castle, and he said he would continue to live here until some new accommodations could be built on the surface. There was simply too much to be done before he could abandon his office.

"Thank you, Frisk," Asgore said with a smile. "I will be home in time to cook dinner. Go ahead and relax as much as you want, until then!"

As father and daughter smiled at one another, Toriel couldn't help but remember the last human they had almost adopted. The royal couple hadn't made any announcements, back then, and that child had never referred to her or Asgore as their parents, but the love had been there. If she and Asgore had shown that love more, perhaps they would have had the strength to live…

"Mother, are you alright?" Toriel mentally shook herself. She smiled at her daughter, and assured Frisk that she was fine. The princess was unconvinced, however, and held Toriel's hand.

"There's no need to feel lonely, Mother," she said. "It's just for a week. Then you'll have me to yourself until the last week of next month!" Toriel's smile became warmer. Although her child had misinterpreted her expression, Frisk's attempt to cheer her up still worked.

"I will bear that in mind, my child," said the former queen. "I will miss you, all the same. At the very least I can drop in, if I feel the need." To Asgore, she said, "I… will try to have faith in you. I cannot guarantee I will succeed… but I will try."

"Thank you," said the king. "That is all I ask."

Toriel bid them goodbye, and left the office. The unnamed guard followed her out, and Frisk made a mental note to learn the names of all the guards. It was the least she owed them.

Frisk finally left Asgore's office and went to their house in New Home, with Papyrus close behind. They made it all the way to the stairs in Asgore's basement before Frisk put her hands on her hips and said to him, "Do you have any idea how much you've worried your brother?" She was standing on the stairs and he wasn't, letting her look him straight in the eye sockets without bending her neck.

Papyrus lifted his visor, looking abashed. "YES… YES, I KNOW I'VE WORRIED SANS. BUT IT WAS FOR A VERY GOOD REASON!" Frisk relaxed her posture, and nodded for him to continue.

"YOU SEE… AFTER THE MEETING WHERE YOU TOLD EVERYONE WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU ON THE SURFACE, I ASKED UNDYNE TO STEP UP MY TRAINING. I WANTED TO BE ABLE PROTECT YOU, MY COOL, SMART FRIEND. SHE… DID NOT GO EASY ON ME. I THINK IT'S BECAUSE SHE KNOWS I HOLD MYSELF BACK. I DON'T LIKE HURTING OTHERS, BUT... IF THAT'S WHAT I MUST DO TO HELP KEEP YOU SAFE, I'LL DO IT." He rubbed the back of his helmet in an embarrassed manner as he added, "MIND YOU, I MAY JUST PICK YOU UP AND RUN, IF IT MEANS WE CAN AVOID A FIGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE… BUT I PROMISE I WILL KEEP YOU SAFE, NO MATTER WHAT!"

Frisk smiled affectionately at her kind-hearted friend as she thanked him. Then she asked, "If this is the big surprise Sans mentioned, have you told him, yet?"

Papyrus' jaw hung open, for a moment, his eyes shrunken to pinpricks, before he exclaimed, "OH NO! I HAVEN'T TOLD SANS, YET! I HAVE TO GO FIND HIM AND-!"

"Papyrus, wait!" The overexcited skeleton had been about to dash away before Frisk stopped him. "Isn't that called 'abandoning your post?'"

"OH DEAR… YOU'RE RIGHT, PRINCESS! THANK YOU! BUT HOW WILL I TELL MY BROTHER THE GOOD NEWS?"

Frisk remembered how Alphys had upgraded hers and Toriel c-phones even more, and taught them both about all the new functions such as the camera. Frisk suggested using his c-phone to send his brother a picture of his new armor. Papyrus thought the news was better shared in person, but he DID want to tell Sans as soon as possible. They moved upstairs, where there was more light, and he let Frisk take the picture on his c-phone while he struck his dramatic pose. The twin tails of his scarf flapped behind him in the absolutely windless foyer of Asgore's home as Frisk took the picture (wondering how in the world he kept doing that as she did.)

Papyrus was happy with his picture and sent it to his brother. He then knelt down to Frisk's level and took what he called a "selfie," holding his c-phone out at arm's length while he and Frisk filled its frame and smiled up at it. He said that picture was for his Undernet page. It reminded the princess that she could finally "follow" him there. Once the picture was posted, Papyrus asked what she was going to do now.

The princess had to think about it. Tomorrow, she was going to spend her whole day with Asgore, just the two of them, getting to know one another properly. After that, the rest of her week would be dedicated to learning more about how monsters had been living in the Underground. She would be touring the farms and factories, learning about the Core, and would just generally be busy until she went back to her mother. After almost two weeks, this might be the only chance she had to go see a certain someone…

"First, I'm going to change my clothes," said Frisk. "Then I think I'll visit a friend still living in the Ruins." At least, she hoped he was still there… But she smiled up at Papyrus as she said, "I think you might know him. Sans mentioned you had a flower friend that told you predictions?"

Papyrus was beaming again. "YOU KNOW FLOWEY, TOO?! I CAN'T BELIVE WE HAVE A MUTUAL FRIEND!" He sobered as he said, "I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM IN AGES… I'VE BEEN RATHER WORRIED ABOUT HIM, BUT THINGS HAVE BEEN SO HECTIC LATELY…"

Frisk nodded. "I know. I was thinking we could take him back to the surface with us, if he wanted to come. And even if he didn't want to, we could at least visit with him."

"YES! GREAT FRIENDS LIKE US SHOULD ALWAYS VISIT THEIR FRIENDS WHEN THEY CAN!"

And so they were agreed. Papyrus took his station in the hallway, blocking the way to the princess' room as she changed. She found a cream-colored turtleneck sweater with a brown stripe across the chest and new britches waiting for her, both better suited to her size. Moreover, there were undergarments, socks, shoes, shirts, dresses, pajamas and a couple nightgowns… The wardrobe and dresser were absolutely full. Asgore had truly gone all-out in his preparations. Just about the only thing he hadn't done was find a new belt and hip pack, but that was alright with Frisk. What her mother had given her had been kind enough, but this was almost overwhelming…

She changed into one of the shirts, the new britches and sweater. Her old belt and hip pack, along with her trusty journal case, was wrapped around her, over the sweater. Although she had mainly worn dresses when she lived on the surface, she had become accustomed to the freedom of movement boys' clothing offered. She also liked how none of the monsters scolded her or made fun of her for wearing them.

Humans would have thought her strange. "Fashion" had strict lines drawn between the sexes, and they looked down on anyone that strayed from the norm. Frisk had learned that hadn't been the case a very long time ago but these days, where she had lived, it was. It would be something to keep in mind, if -when- she became ambassador.

Socks to match the stripe on her sweater went on, then the new boots. She took a second to appreciate how her feet didn't flop around inside them, they way they had in the boots taken from her uncle's attic. Those had been from when her cousins had been growing up, and they were the smallest she could find without pinching her toes horribly.

She had never met her uncle's sons. They were both grown and living elsewhere by the time she was forced to live with him. But if her uncle had raised them, she didn't think she ever wanted to know them. They were probably just like him, and the thought made her skin crawl all over, and a little choked...

In her mind, she punched a tomato with her uncle's face on it. She reduced it to a juicy pulp to be scraped into a pot and burned on Undyne's stove. She hated how he kept creeping into her thoughts, and wished she could just stop thinking about him.

She thought to herself,*He's never touching me again. Never, ever, EVER, over and over. She almost believed it.

Once Frisk had herself back under control, she left her room and told Papyrus she was ready to go. He suggested telling Asgore where they were going, so he didn't worry just in case they were late getting back. Frisk did so, and Papyrus sent a similar message on the Guard-issued communication piece tucked into his helmet.

They made their way back to the Ruins. It took a bit longer than Frisk had anticipated, since many monsters wanted to stop her and say "hello!" to their new princess, but they made it, eventually. Papyrus was excited, since he had never seen anything beyond the door that had been locked long before he was born.

On their way back to the flowerbed, Papyrus marveled at all the old puzzles. He wondered who had crafted them all, but Frisk couldn't answer his question because she didn't know, either. She did, however, take the time to reactivate the very first door's puzzle so he could solve it. Toriel had taught her how to reveal the hidden levers to do that, before the disagreement that had begun Frisk's journey through the Underground. That very first puzzle could be reactivated from either side of the door, just in case, so they were hidden very well.

Papyrus, for his part, solved the puzzle easily.

They finally made it to the place where Frisk had fallen. And right there in the middle was a familiar little face. Papyrus was the first to greet their friend, visor up and out of the way.

"FLOWEY! YOU'RE REALLY HERE! NOT THAT I DOUBTED YOU, PRINCESS, BUT I'M STILL SURPRISED!"

Flowey's smile was a little strained, but his voice was bright and cheerful. "Howdy, Papyrus! Long time, no see. Looks like you made it into the Guard. Congratulations, my friend!"

"NYEH HEH HEH! THANK YOU FOR NOTICING!"

Flowey then looked to Frisk, asking her, "So, what brings the two of you all the way here? Don't you have more important things to do than talking to little old me?"

Frisk shook her head, sitting on the ground just outside the bed of flowers. "You are important, Flowey, because you're our friend. And I'm here to ask you if you've made up your mind about what we talked about, before."

Flowey sighed. "I was hoping you'd forgotten about that. It certainly took you long enough to come back."

"I'm sorry," said the princess. "Things have been somewhat hectic. You wouldn't believe how many people just started stuffing their faces with berries and mushrooms on the surface, before learning what's safe to eat, or not… Mother and I have had our hands full, teaching them and taking care of the sick. And there's one other thing too.

"The king and queen have both adopted me. As of today, I'm officially a princess." So I'm your sister, now, went unsaid between them. Papyrus spoke in the pause Frisk left for that news to sink in.

"PARDON MY INTERRUPTION, BUT WHAT DID THE PRINCESS ASK YOU, FLOWEY?"

The former prince didn't look like he wanted to answer him, but he did so, anyway. He probably knew Papyrus wouldn't leave him alone, otherwise. "She, uh.. She asked me to come to the surface, with everyone else. I told her I'd think about it."

Papyrus began to speak animatedly. "OH, BUT YOU SHOULD! IT'S AMAZING UP THERE, FLOWEY! THE SKY IS SO BIG! AND WHEN THE SUN IS UP IT'S SO BLUE! THEN THE CLOUDS COME ALONG AND IT'S ALL WHITE AND FLUFFY! THE PRINCESS SAYS 'RAIN' FALLS FROM THEM WHEN THEY COVER THE SKY AND TURN GREY! WE HAVEN'T SEEN THAT YET BUT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT! THEN THE SKY TURNS DIFFERENT COLORS AT DUSK AND DAWN AND IT'S ALL SO PRETTY! AND OH MY GOD, THE STARS! I CAN'T DECIDE WHAT THE BEST PART OF IT ALL IS!"

"Don't forget the fresh air, Papyrus," said Frisk with a smile.

"YES! THE AIR UP THERE IS ALMOST AS GREAT AS MYSELF!" Suddenly, Papyrus sobered. "WHY WOULD YOU NOT WANT TO BE UP THERE, FLOWEY?"

"Well…" Flowey started to answer, but was interrupted by a strange sound coming from above. He had an incredulous expression on his face as he said, "Is that a dog barking?"

The three of them listened. In fact, it sounded like a pack of dogs, but the howling wasn't familiar either of the monsters. Frisk, however, recognized them as hunting hounds. That baying howl was unmistakable, letting their master know where their prey was. They sounded exactly like the dogs that had chased her up Mount Ebott in the first place…

Frisk was glad she had convinced Alphys and Undyne to put a scrying eye near this hole's entrance on the surface. She whipped out her c-phone, sending a message to Alphys, asking her if she could see any humans up above. As she did, she said to Papyrus, "Call Undyne. There may be a problem up on the surface."

"Y-YES, PRINCESS! UH… WHAT KIND OF PROBLEM ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?"

Frisk shook her head. "I'm not sure, but I think… I think my uncle might be here."

The guard's mandible dropped. "WHAT!? WHY WOULD HE BE HERE?"

Flowey's equivalent of a brow furrowed. "Frisk, what's going on? What's the big deal?"

The princess put her c-phone away and stood as she said, "I'm not entirely sure it's even him, but I think those dogs are the ones he was using to hunt me, before I fell down here. As for what the 'deal' is, Flowey…"

She didn't have a chance to tell him. They could hear a man swearing a up a blue streak, cursing his dogs for tripping him. It was getting louder. A shadow fell across the flowerbed and Frisk's stomach became an empty void as a chill wind blew through the marrow of her bones.

Her uncle was falling. He was coming here, to this very spot, right this very second.

Flowey was already burrowing his way somewhere else. Without a word Frisk grabbed Papyrus by the wrist and hauled him away. He squawked at the sudden motion, since he had just finished talking to Undyne as Frisk pulled him. As they made it through the archway Frisk's uncle hit the flowerbed with a whump!

"AREN'T WE GOING TO MAKE SURE HE'S ALRIGHT, PRINCESS?" asked Papyrus.

Frisk only shook her head. If she could fall from that height and survive without worsening a fractured arm, he'd be fine. And if he wasn't, that would be better for everyone… She was ashamed that she could think that about anyone but, because it was her uncle, it was only just a little.

Flowey was in the corridor leading to the Ruins' entrance, in the lone shaft of light just like when he met Frisk. He was trying to ask her what was happening but Frisk didn't answer him, either. She only dug her fingers into the soil around him, forcing him into her hands.

"HEY! Watch the roots! Frisk, what the hell do you think you're doing!?"

"I WOULDN'T NORMALLY ABIDE ANY SORT OF SWEARING AROUND A LADY, BUT I'M EQUALLY CONFUSED!"

Still, Frisk said nothing. She grabbed Papyrus by the wrist again and carried Flowey in her other hand. Her thoughts were a lightning-fast jumble of possibilities and concerns. They all warred with the blinding, instinctual need to run.

They made it to the entrance of the Ruins. One corner of her mind noted the missing save star as hauled her friends behind the door. She shoved Flowey into Papyrus' hands before pressing the hidden buttons in the wall to reveal the locking lever. Hopefully, it would take her uncle a while to figure out the puzzle.

Flowey's voice finally penetrated the haze in Frisk's mind. "Okay, now that that's done, will you tell me why you're freaking out, Frisk?"

She looked at him. He had never seen her with her eyes fully open before, and he was surprised at their color. Even more unsettling, however, was the completely unnatural calm in her voice as she said, "When I fell into the Underground, my uncle was hunting for me. Now that he's finally tracked me down I have no doubt he's going to finish what he started and kill me. If I let him anywhere near me I'm dead, along with anyone else that gets in his way. He is determined to end me."

To anyone else's ears, that was a self-evident statement. To Flowey, however, it was a hint at what Frisk truly feared. Her uncle might have the same sort of abilities Frisk herself possessed…

But Flowey hadn't been able to access his file, much less save, since Frisk came to the Underground. He could only overpower her determination whenever he had the six human souls. He couldn't tell her that because Papyrus was present, but… If Frisk's uncle was more determined than she was, it might be a moot point, anyway.

They couldn't risk killing him to find out, and Frisk couldn't risk dying. In their short flight from the flowerbed, she had figured that much out, on her own…

Papyrus missed the silent exchange between the princess and the flower. He struck his dramatic pose with Flowey in one hand as he said, "FEAR NOT, PRINCESS! I, THE GREAT ROYAL GUARD PAPYRUS, SHALL PROTECT YOU AND OUR FRIEND FROM THE FIEND WHO CALLS HIMSELF YOUR UNCLE!" He lowered his visor and wrapped one arm around Frisk's middle, holding her under his arm. "HOLD ON, YOU TWO! WE'RE MAKING A RUN FOR IT!"

Papyrus cackled as he jogged away with incredible speed. He didn't even slow down when they reached the long spiked platform surrounded by water. He jumped into the air and ran over them, somehow defying gravity…

In one corner of her mind, Frisk marveled at his antics. Mostly, however, she was hanging on to his shoulder and watching his back, hoping beyond hope that the puzzles would buy them time to evacuate the Ruins, or at least warn people to hide.

She made him stop and let her down to speak with the Froggits and Moldsmals, and any other monsters they came across. She had come to understand them, in her time with Toriel, and could communicate with them to a certain degree. She urged them to flee, or at least hide in the deepest, darkest parts of the Ruins well away from her uncle, and to spread the word as they ran. Thankfully they understood, and soon there was no one for her uncle to kill if he made it past that first door.

As they went along Frisk would reactivate the puzzles after making sure no monsters would be trapped. Papyrus would carry her and Flowey over any spikes that appeared. They finally made it to Toriel's old home and went inside.

To Flowey, the royal guard said, "THERE! WE SHOULD BE SAFE, FOR THE MOMENT! LET'S FIND YOU A NICE VASE TO SIT IN, FLOWEY! I'M SURE THE QUEEN WILL UNDERSTAND IF WE BORROW ONE FOR A WHILE!"

As he did that, Frisk stepped outside, for a minute. She couldn't see the star near the door, where it was supposed to be. The others along the way had been missing, too. She closed her eyes and focused, deep inside.

*Something important is happening. I need you… Please, please, please! I can't let him hurt the monsters. He WON'T hurt them, not as long as I'm their princess!

She was filled with determination… and the star reappeared. She quickly saved before going back inside.