Chapter 5

A gentle breeze caressed Asriel's ear, rousing him to his senses, and he found himself bathed in the warmth of a hazy white light. He urged open his heavy eyelids and the bright haze of his surroundings began to resolve into a more distinct picture. He was lying in a bed that was as unfamiliar to him as the white hospital gown he wore. Gone were his royal robes and crown. This was a small room with a nightstand and an open window to his left, and further down, a beige leather loveseat and coffee table. Across from him there was a long narrow counter affixed to the wall.

What stood out most for Asriel was the multitude of flowers filling all the available counter space such that the floor was the only place left for some of them. There were flowers of all colors and sorts: lilies and lilacs, carnations and chrysanthemums, red roses and white daisies… though there was a conspicuous absence of golden buttercups.

On the nightstand beside him, Asriel noticed several cards, all to the effect of 'get well soon'. So then, I'm still alive, thought Asriel. But how? He reflected on what had happened, his last encounter with Chara, and then it immediately struck him: he was all alone. For the first time in many years, his thoughts emerged from and disappeared into an expansive emptiness without filtering through the tight enclosure of another presence, without being intercepted. Asriel was free at last! And yet, his triumph was bittersweet.

Asriel gazed through the window. It was sunny and calm, the deep blue of the sky mingling with thin wisps of cloud. The leaves of lush treetops were twirling in the wind and birds were singing carefree. "Rest in peace, Chara," he said.

Asriel's eyes were drawn to one of the cards, which had a familiar script. He picked it up. In bold magenta crayon, the card read, 'I hope you feel better soon becuz I miss you and want to see you again. Love Charebelle'.Big magenta heart.

Tears welled up in Asriel's eyes and he clutched the card to his chest. Oh, Charebelle… I've been so selfish, haven't I? He had rationalized his actions as being the only way to safeguard a future for everyone, including that of his daughter, and yet he knew there was something hideous – something irredeemably callous about what those same actions said about him as a father. Would she forgive him once she figured it out?

She and Asriel had always been close, but this was especially the case after her mother had passed on. In a very real sense, the only family that they had was each other. Still, Charebelle was always a precocious child, and an independent one, at that. Asriel had originally named her in memory of his mother though as soon as she was able, Charebelle stubbornly insisted upon her middle name. This name came about as an amalgamation of Chara and Isabelle, since Asriel thought it only fair to honor the role that each played in her conception, however indirect in the case of Chara. Had Charebelle not shown such a capacity for self-determination, Asriel may not have had the will to go through with the deed….

The door opened and in trotted a Temmie dressed in a nurse's outfit. "hOI!" she said. "temmie take gud care of u!" There was a goofy grin on her face.

Asriel propped himself up on his elbows and stared down at the creature, perplexed and disturbed.

Then, a less dubious (bipedal) cat-nurse peeked in through the doorway. "Temmie? Would you like to see if Carl needs any help downstairs?" she asked gently.

"OKs, temmie go check." Temmie trotted away, never losing the grin.

The new nurse came in and looked Asriel over. She had a sheepish smile. "Temmie…is a new intern here." When she saw that Asriel didn't look any less disturbed, she explained, "Oh, no, she's with food services. They mostly have her delivering ice cream and jello." She shook her head and laughed. "Can you imagine…?"

Asriel scrubbed his face and groaned.

"You're going to want to take it easy for a little while, Your Majesty," she urged.

"Please… just call me Asriel." He eased himself onto his back again.

"Well, Asriel, I want you to know that you're going to be okay. You were seriously ill and unconscious for a few days, and a lot of people were very worried, as you can tell," she gestured to all the flowers, "but after purging the toxins we found in your system, we expect you to make a full recovery."

"Charebelle… my daughter, is she…?"

The nurse smiled. "Charebelle's fine. She's been in good hands. Would you like to see her? She's just waiting outside."

"I would like that very much." Asriel nodded eagerly.

"Wonderful." The feline grinned brighter. "She's been anxious to visit." She glimpsed back at the door and her smile faded. "I'm afraid it will have to be a short visit, though. The doctor will be here momentarily to check on you and he will have some very important questions that he'll need to ask you in private." She gave him a sidelong glance.

Asriel nodded slowly.

Her smile popped up again. "Alright, I'll go get her." She turned and her heels clicked their way to the door, which she opened. She beckoned and in sprang Charebelle, her face aglow.

"Hey!" She bounded to her father's side with happy tears in her azure eyes. "I'm so glad to see that you're okay!"

Asriel sat up and grinned at her. "I'm happy to see you too, dear."

The cat-nurse dipped her head. "Well, I'll give you two some space." And she slipped outside and closed the door.

Charebelle glimpsed at the door and made a face. "They wouldn't let me see you 'til now 'cuz they said you needed lots of sleep to get better." She gave her head a quick shake, flicking her fuzzy ears around. "But it's been days! I was starting to think you'd never wake up…." She pouted.

Asriel smiled ruefully. "I'm so sorry to have left you like that." He stroked her head. "They were right, though. I did need to sleep awhile. But you don't have to worry any more because I'm as good as new now."

She studied him, as if unsure.

"Oh! I managed to catch most of the play, and you were wonderful in it."

"Y-Yeah?" Her eyes wavered, searching, reading his face like it were a book.

He nodded. "I especially liked the part where you took charge and led the monsters to victory. I really believed, in that moment, that they would follow you anywhere. I wanted to tell you that, Charebelle… that you made me so proud." Asriel felt his heart soar with the blaze of a thousand stars. He let his fingers descend and lightly caressed one of her dangling ears.

At that very moment, Charebelle grabbed Asriel's wrist, her face stricken. "But what happened to daddy?"

Asriel let his fingers slip away. "I… I wasn't well, darling. I wasn't well for a long time. That's why daddy needed some time alone to heal and—"

"No! I meant: where's my other daddy? What did you do with him?" Her little face clouded with a darker frown.

And Asriel thought he could see an eerie light flicker in those searching eyes.