Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale

A/n: Happy Sunday everyone.

Bravery (Orange)

The next child doesn't come for several years. By then, you've mostly gotten used to the silence again. You've found it helps to keep busy enough that you don't have time to dwell. It also helps to keep the items that remind you of the past out of sight and not to dwell on the nightmares for long. In the meantime, you've told the other monsters in the Ruins that they are not to harm any humans who fall down – certainly none that are under your care – but you suspect they may not listen. What is one human's life against their freedom after all?

In any event, you run into the next one when you're about midway towards Chara's grave. You see him first but the moment he sees you, he backs up a step. He's tall – much taller than … other human children you have seen – and pale. His hands are bunched into fists and encased in pink, leather gloves; his mouth is set in a determined twist. His hair is hidden beneath a strange, orange bandana covered in black ink drawings. In complete contrast to the bright colours on his head and hands, the remainder of his clothes are dark blue.

"Don't come any closer," he says, pink fists raised. His voice is low – the sort of low that you remember adult human men speaking in, but he doesn't look quite like the men of your memory. "I mean it."

"I will not hurt you, my child," you say softly, although you keep an eye on those fists. "Are you injured?"

"You swear?"

"I promise."

He hesitates and then lowers his fists. "Thank God for that. I wasn't sure I could beat you." He breathes out and now you see a strange chalky substance on those gloves.

"You have been … fighting?"

He hesitates and then nods. "They kept attacking me. First some frog who jumped me and then these bugs and something with one eye and…" He looks at you. "Are they … did I…"

"Yes," you say because you don't know what else to say. You still keep an eye on those fists, just in case he interprets even this as being some kind of attack. There's a reason the monsters lost the war.

But his eyes widen. "Jesus. I … Jesus, I was just trying to … they were trying to kill me. You have to believe me." He blanches and you get the distinct feeling he might vomit. But then he stops himself. "What is this place?" He looks around, gloved fingers clenching and unclenching. "Man, I never expected the rumours to be true."

"Rumours?"

"Everyone says if you climb Mount Ebott, you don't come back. My friends dared me to try it. I was near the top when I tripped and…" He shrugs. "I wasn't expecting this though. You … what are you?" He pauses. "Sorry, that was rude."

You look at this human and feel something inside you soften. He has dust on his hands but he's not violent. The only violent ones down here for years have been the monsters.

"That is quite alright, young one," you say. "But perhaps we should retire somewhere more pleasant. I can give you food and tend to your wounds."

He brightens at that. "Really? That'd be great!" Then his face falls slightly. "Er, no offence but now that I think about everyone's reaction to me so far, how do I know you're not gonna kill me?"

"On the Surface, does everyone try to kill everyone?"

"No…"

"It is the same here as it is up there. We all just try to live our lives as best we can and humans … we have reason to be scared of humans. But if you speak to the monsters, they will realise you mean no harm. Anyway, we should be going." You hold out your paw. "Come, young one."

He regards the paw with wariness. "Uh … d'you mind if we just walk? I just, uh, I don't really do holding hands unless it's with a … anyway."

You try to mask the hurt you feel. He is older than Chara after all. Maybe Asriel, Chara and Dhriti would have been like this had they-

"Of course, young one," you say. "This way."

"Thanks." He rubs a gloved hand over his bandana and sneezes at the dust that falls. "You can call me Rhisiart, if you want. Young one makes me sound like a padawan"

You decide not to query that. "Thank you," you say. "I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins."

"The Ruins? That's what this place is?"

You start to walk with him and to tell him about the Underground and how the monsters ended up here.

"Geez," he says, as you pass the tree that marks where Dhriti is buried, with leaves that always fall to the ground, "we were real jerks to you guys, weren't we?"

"They do not teach you this on the Surface?"

He looks uncomfortable. "There's a story like it but everyone always said we were the good guys and you were, well, monsters." He smiles then. "Well, when I get back up there, I'll tell 'em. In fact, maybe you could come up with me, Toriel. Once they meet you, they'll see they were jerks and you guys can come back up."

Since his refusal to hold your hand, you've been finding it difficult to think of him as a child. Certainly he's older than Asriel, Chara and Dhriti … were. But that sentence reminds you just how young this human is.

"Thank you, Rhisiart, but I suspect it would not be as simple as that. But let us not speak of that now. Come, you- Rhisiart. I shall heal you and then we can have something to eat."

You stride ahead before he can ask what you mean, and open the door to your home. Once inside, you heal his wounds and let him tell you of everything he saw in the Ruins. He doesn't talk much about the monsters he killed and, for that, you're grateful. You tell him he should feel free to explore everywhere except downstairs while you make dinner, and he thanks you.

You find some old noodles in a cupboard. It's one of your weaknesses: keeping food that Asriel, Chara and Dhriti liked even though…

Anyway. You have a feeling Rhisiart won't eat snails today so you hunt around a bit more and find some vegetables. Once you've made everything, you call him in; he almost charges in and proceeds to eat everything with great enthusiasm. When he's done, he offers to help you wash up, removes his gloves for the first time and picks up the plates before you have a chance to answer him. Then he cheerfully tells you about life on the Surface and asks you questions about the Underground.

Once the dishes are clean, you return to the living room to sit in front of the fire. He joins you. He looks through your many books but when you settle down to read, he asks for some paper and a pencil, explaining that he prefers drawing to reading. Soon, he's sitting opposite you, sketching quickly and intently. Somehow, you're finding it difficult to remember why you ever thought he was dangerous.

When he starts to yawn and his head begins to droop, you send him to bed, to sleep in Dhr- the guest room. The bed is a little small for him but he doesn't complain, only thanks you and wishes you a goodnight. You can't help sneaking in a little later to leave him a slice of pie and check his sheets are straight. He's tossing and turning, and muttering, didn't mean to, don't die, I'm sorry, so you pad over and stroke his hair (blond, and tufty from being under the bandana all day) until he calms down.

The next morning, he asks how he can leave.

"I don't wanna put you out too much, Toriel," he says, smiling, no trace of his nightmares on his face. You notice that he's got his bandana back on but his gloves are stuffed into his pockets. "I'll make my own way. My family and friends will be freaking out by now. But hey, if you wanna come with me, show 'em all how nice you are, I won't say no."

You hesitate but you have to tell him. He isn't like … there are people waiting for him on the surface. Yet you can't just let him go. You promised you'd help the humans who fell and protect them so far as you could. If Asgore finds him, he'll be dead. So you have to forewarn him. That's the long and short of it.

(It still hurts to think that, no matter how much you tell yourself that the monster you married is gone.)

So you tell him, in what you think passes for an even voice, about the royal decree, and the barrier, and how you need one human and one monster soul to cross it, but seven human souls to break it. You tell him that some monsters out there won't recognise him as a human, or won't want to hurt him – but others will. You tell him that the last human to fall down here was murdered. You tell him that maybe it's better that he stay here, where you can protect him.

He nods as you explain this. For a second, worry flashes across his face, but then he stands.

"Thanks, Toriel," he says. "But I gotta try anyway. My parents and my brothers will be worried about me. If that's the only way out then that's the only way out." Some of your concern must be on your face because he says, "I'll make it. I'm strong. I'm fast. I can avoid monsters, no sweat. I'll make it. And when I'm up there, I'll tell 'em all about you. They'll take the barrier down and me and my friends and my brothers, we'll come get you." He smiles. "You can watch the sunset with us. It's as spectacular as you remember, especially from high up. Man, you've gotta see it from the mountain on the other side of the town, Toriel. I'd draw it for you but I'd rather you watch it with me."

"I do not know," you say slowly. "I think you should stay here, my child."

"I can't. Please don't try to stop me, Toriel." His expression is pleading. "I have to go back to my family, no matter the cost. I'll be fine. I got through part of the Ruins, didn't I?" He sees the reluctance on your face and misinterprets it. "I'm not gonna start a war. I promise. If they'll leave me alone, I'll leave them alone. I just wanna go home." His face darkens and his fingers twitch. "But if they try to kill me and I can't get them not to, I … I'll have to. You understand, right?"

Your heart clenches again because if there is one thing you know, it's that this human is too young to be a killer, that he will be affected by what he's done for the rest of his days, and yet he already is what this world is making him.

Maybe you should fight harder for him to stay here.

You can only protect him if he is here. He is strong. You can already see that you can't keep him cooped up here, and he got through most of the Ruins alone. He's brave, he can survive and who would want to hurt him? He's such a nice human. Maybe the combination of that and his strength will be enough.

If he dies, will his death stain your soul, the way Dhriti's has? Surely it's enough that you've helped him here – you promised not to leave the Ruins and you only promised to protect the humans so far as you could.

Should you or shouldn't you?

"Toriel, I have to go." His face is still pleading but he is already starting to turn away. "I'm sorry but I have to."

"Rhisiart…" You close your eyes and then open them and gesture for him to follow. "This way."

"Thanks!" He trots after you, smile bright on his face. You don't speak as you lead him down the stairs and through the corridor. You can't even look back at him until you've opened the door to the Ruins.

For a few seconds, you look at him and he looks at you.

"Good luck, Rhisiart," you say.

He surprises you by hugging you, hard. "I'll see you soon, Toriel. When we've gotten the barrier down. And me and you, we'll see that sunset, alright?"

Then he pulls his gloves on and walks out of the Ruins with only one backwards glance. You stare at the door for a long time, wondering if you should have followed, or kept him back. But you promised you would not leave the Ruins and he will not be stopped. Instead, you return to the house and go into the guestroom. You see a note on the bed from Rhisiart, thanking you again for your kindness. Under the note is a drawing of you and him standing on a mountain, looking at the moon and stars. It makes you smile as you tuck it into your front pocket.

A month later – three weeks and five days after the event to be exact – a monster excitedly tells you about the human male who was killed near Snowdin by the King. He ran in too quickly, got captured just as quickly and died even more quickly – which is all he deserved because he killed some monsters (but not many, you later learn. Some monsters, he befriended, and most he convinced to let him go). All that was left of him on the ground when the King had collected his orange soul and bent to take his body away were his gloves, his shoes and his silly bandana. The monster you are speaking to got his shoes. You buy them off him for far more than they are worth.