The following day, the Royal Guards had been instructed not to allow anyone into the castle so that Asriel could have a much needed break. Asgore arrived in the garden early that morning holding a large pile of letters; it appeared that many of the monsters who didn't come to meet the prince in person had instead sent in fan mail. Asriel didn't bother to read them, he also decided not to mention the strange encounter he'd had the previous night. What good would it do? Besides, that skeleton unsettled him in ways he still couldn't quite figure out.

The two spent the entire day together. Asriel showed off his new magic and Asgore beamed, showering him in praise and telling him how 'proud' he was. Asriel tried to feel his father's pride, faking a smile, hoping it would help bring out a spark of emotion...

They played catch until midday, then Asgore brought over an old board-game and they played that until the evening. They ended the day with a bedtime story.

The next day Dr. Alphys came to inspect Asriel thoroughly. She brought actual equipment with her this time: gloves, graspers, little magnifying glasses and some strange device that resembled an animal skull with a display on the front. She was trembling the entire time, but gave him a clean bill of health. After she'd left, Asgore asked if he wanted to be moved into the house. He declined the offer. If he had to be stuck anywhere, he would rather be where he already was; in one of the few parts of the Underground which got real sunlight.

Asriel's fondest memories had been from playing in this garden with his best friend, wresting and tumbling in the flowerbed. As the days slipped by he thought back to those times more and more. It was a bittersweet and painful escape, but with his growing frustration in Asgore his mind couldn't help but go there. He'd loved his father and Asgore was doing his best to try to make him happy. It wasn't fair to feel this way... he knew it wasn't... it was Asriel who couldn't reflect that love anymore. But... Asgore had never understood him like Chara had...

The days stretched into weeks. The fan letters died down to a slow trickle; no one was talking about him anymore. It should have been a relief, but the letters had become a valuable distraction. Asgore came to him every day, smiling and carrying something new for them to try out. He was sick of seeing it. He laughed at every joke, he smiled at every compliment, he tried so so SO HARD! But now, each time he saw that smile it cut him like daggers, like a cruel trick played specifically to taunt him.

Enough...

Asriel stewed under the ethereal moonlight. Ever since his father had bid him goodnight his mind had been racing through plans to escape. Most were fantasies borne out of desperation, but one thought he clung to with all his hope. He had become very good at using magic to manipulate plant matter, so what if he tried turning it on his own body?

The risk was worth it...

Asriel closed his eyes and pulled his attention inward, moving down his stem and feeling for the roots which bound him down. Then he focused his determination and willed them to move as the vines had. The roots shifted and twitched restlessly, eager to be put to new use. His face lit up with relief and he made a conscious effort to rein the roots in. Once firmly under his control, he dig out a small hollow in the dirt, then pulled himself down.

With everyone knowing his name, it would be too risky attempting to flee normally. The best way to escape undetected would be to burrow underground. He was a plant, plants did that already... kinda... so this should work, right?

He kept his eyes closed, there was nothing to see down here. Instead he extended his magic outward, calling to every patch of flora within his range - which was surprisingly expansive. They showed up like blips on a radar screen, piece by piece helping him to form a mental map of the terrain to navigate by.

The castle was well defined by the vines of climbing plants, beyond that was a veritable ocean of nothing. The Capitol must have very little room for gardens. Concentrating hard, he spotted an island in the otherwise barren terrain which was far outside the castle's boundaries. It would be as good a place as any to start, he started digging.

Roots were built for burrowing. Asriel found that he could move through the soil far easier than he had swum through water in life... not that he'd gone swimming all that often, wet fur was incredibly uncomfortable! The soft dirt quickly gave way to solid rock, even then his roots and vines made light work of breaking through it. Plant matter was surprisingly strong and resilient, especially when fueled by raw determination.

It took very little time to reach the oasis of plant-life. He pushed his head above ground just high enough to take a look around. He was in the middle of a patch of buttercups surrounding the monument commemorating the founding of New Home. This was the city square, harsh streetlights gave the place a claustrophobic feel and the scent of food still hung in the air even though the market stalls had been dismantled. Despite it being the middle of night there were still monsters walking around, many busily talking into their phones as they went about whatever business warranted being about at such an hour.

Asriel stared up at the towering architecture, the city was much more built up than he'd remembered. Many of the white stone buildings rose almost to the cavern roof, several others were in the process of being extended even further.

"Hello."

Asriel would have jumped if he were physically capable. He turned around, a girl in a rough grey cloak was looking down at him. She looked a little like a character from one of those human fairy stories Chara told him about.

"Hello." He echoed meekly.

"You're Prince Asriel aren't cha?" The girl asked in a playful tone.

Panic started to rise but he swallowed it back down. She was a kid, he could get her to stay quiet. "Yes... but don't tell anyone I'm here, okay?"

"Why not?"

"Because..." He wracked his brain for an answer. He'd never been good at coming up with lies on the spot, something which Chara had always found funny... the only reason he'd ever got into situations like these before was because of them.

"Because you're sneaking out and don't want anyone to know?" She answered for him. He got a feeling like he'd just ingested a block of ice, but then she giggled. "Hee hee, don't worry. I do that all the time! Your secret is safe with me." He heaved a sigh of relief. The girl seemed to be giving a mischievous grin, but it was hard to tell with her face so obscured. "My name is Suzy. I'm sneaking out right now! My mom doesn't like me being up this late, but the city is so crowded... It's so much nicer at night." She sat down in the flowerbed and stared up at the monument. "This is my favorite spot."

Asriel relaxed, following her gaze. "I don't like buttercups" He said, he wasn't sure why he'd said it, but it was true. There was nothing to like about buttercups. "Say, do you know the date? My dad stopped keeping count..."

"Hmm? Oh! If I was as old as the king I would probably lose track too, hehe. It's... the 23rd of May, 2115. Goodness, that is a long time to be dead!... sorry."

She turned her head away, Asriel just stared. Finally, real numbers to put this into perspective... that sick feeling was coming back. That was a bad idea. "It's fine." He decided to change the subject. "So, it's gotten busy around here?"

"It's always been busy, for as long as I can remember... the aquarium is full, there isn't much room for the flying folk to stretch their wings... some monsters have even been talking about moving to Snowdin. Apparently there's lots of space, but it's really really REALLY COLD!..." She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered at her own thought. "I don't want to live in the cold..."

Asriel remembered Snowdin, pine forests for as far as the eye could see. His family had trekked through there on numerous occasions while helping the populace to move to their new Capitol city.

"It's not that bad, lots of monsters chose to live there instead of coming here. Snow is fun!" Snowball fights were great fun... If he didn't stop himself he would be reminiscing all night.

"Nah, if I had to go and live somewhere else, I would rather live in Waterfall. My neighbor says its beautiful, and so peaceful, even more so than New Home at night!"

"You have never been to Waterfall?" Asriel was genuinely surprised. Everyone at some point visited Waterfall to make a wish.

"Some day I will do... when I find out how to get there! Anyway..." She picked herself off the ground and shifted her hood just enough to reveal another mischievous smile. "It was nice to meet you, but I have to go now before my mom starts to worry about me. Hehe. Catch ya later!"

Cloak bellowing behind her, she ran into an ally and vanished into the cutting dark past the streetlights.

Asriel supposed that he should leave, too. The Capitol was a terrible place to try and hide, being as crowded as Suzy said it was, and he had no reason to suspect her of lying about that. Waterfall seemed suitable. It was peaceful, not many monsters would be living there and he could blend in with the echo flowers if anyone happened to pass through... yes, he would leave for Waterfall... in the morning. The decision made, he ducked below the surface and dug himself a cosy hollow to curl up in. He really should get some sleep...