The assembly had been over for a while, and even though the television was off, Asriel hadn't taken his eyes off the black screen. While Toriel had walked away when she received a call from their friends, he had stood there for many minutes staring at his own clouded reflection.

"An awesome brother, huh ?"he mumbled flatly to himself.

In the corridors, Asriel heard his mother exclaim, very enthusiastic:

"I also think it's a great idea, Papyrus! I take care of everything; when you return, we can all enjoy a georgeous feast!"

"WOWIE! I CAN'T WAIT TO BRING THE NEWS TO UNDYNE AND THE OTHERS!"

"Hee hee hee... Tell me, when do you expect to arrive?"

"WELL WE ARE ALL STILL AT THE EMBASSY. I THINK WE WILL BE BACK IN ONE HOUR!"

I have to start preparing the buffet now, and I have so few time, realized the mother goat, who was already heading to the kitchen. "Thank you, Papyrus. Text me when you leave!"

"OF COURSE, LADY TORIEL!" Then the skeleton hung up, probably contacting their other friends.

Toriel focused on the refrigerator, opening it, and the cold air blew on her white fur. She inspected its contents with a critical eye, to see what might be useful. The Boss Monster had the ingredients to make several delicious pies and mixed salads. Pulling open the cupboard doors, she found biscuits to serve as an appetizer, several bottles of fruit juice and the dishes for guests that she grabbed.

"Asriel, could you come and help me, please? We are going to organize a little surprise party!"

When her son didn't answer or come to join her in kitchen, Toriel looked towards the living room. The monster child hadn't moved a toe from his sitting position, and when his mother returned inside, she found him silent and morose.

"Asriel, what bothers you?" she asked gently, sitting down on the carpet as Asriel hunkered down miserably, his muzzle hidden in his knees.

"I... I should have gone there. To support Frisk," he grumbled under his breath, and adding with a bitter sigh, "I feel so useless."

"Now, that is not true. Why would you even think such a thing?"

"Because it's the truth !" Asriel moaned, messing his puff which became more tousled had ever.

Toriel looked at her son, more miserable than ever, saddened that he was saying this on his own and not knowing why. But to cheer up a child, mothers always knew what to do. For this, she drew him to her, pampering him as when he was little. Tracing circles behind his back, Toriel felt him slowly relax, then gently tilted his chin up into her searching red eyes.

"Tell me, Asriel, why in the world, do you consider yourself useless? Help me to understand."

Her soft and loving voice helped him get rid of the last traces of sadness that remained in him. The kid did not respond immediately, a little embarrassed scratching the ground with a filed claw.

"I feel like... the only one who haven't done anything at all since we've been here," he admitted after a long silence. "Dad and Frisk work together to make humans accept us. Papyrus and Undyne are part of the Second House guard. Alphys continues her research, and even Sans help her to cure the Amalgamates. You are about to open the school to teach children. I, of all of us, have accomplished nothing. It's…so frustrating."

"Oh, Asriel..."

Toriel saw the problem better now. His son did not appreciate being on the sidelines, without being able to do anything and could only watch others do. She watched sadly as her son hid his downcast face behind his floppy ears.

It... reminded her how Asriel had been in the Underground, over fifty years ago.

In the past, Asriel had no friends to play with. As the Boss Monster of royalty, the children were uncomfortable with him, their prince and future King of the Underground, and treated him as is when he tried to play with them. He was young, but their son had quickly understood that their proximity to him made his playmates nervous. In order not to bother them, the heir had contented himself with watching from his window those of his age having fun with each other , alone and unhappy in his room despite his parents' encouragement to try to talk to them. Toriel understood that the burden of their title weighed heavily on Asriel, and she was very saddened by the loneliness of their child who tried to fill that void with his toy friends, or among the flowers of the Ruins where he went when it was not a good day.

Until everything changed, when Chara literally fell into their life and that of their child.

Half a century later, as with the first fallen child, Frisk had appeared in their realm where so much tragedy had unfolded, but Asriel had risen from the dust and the two had ended the war; Following these circumstances that no one could describe other than miraculous, they too had become inseparable.

Rubbing one of his soft cheeks with her thumb, Toriel was deep in thought, when a flash of intuition shot through her and her expression changed, not taking her eyes off her son. Could it be...?

Having made a decision, she pulled them both up, with Asriel gently settled in her arms and stubbornly refusing to look at her. They headed into the kitchen; there, Toriel put him on a chair and took his. Hands tied on her dress, she asked him: "Tell me, Asriel. What are you really worried about? I know there's more below that you're hesitant to tell me. Do not be afraid to confide in me, it will remain between the two of us.

"... You promise ?"

"Promise."

At his mother's nod, Asriel bit his upper lip. He held one arm, squeezing it as he tried to muster up the courage to speak again. Compared to earlier with Sans, it was strangely more difficult but, at his mother's insistence, he finally broke down:

"...I...I'm afraid that by dint..." he began, his throat tight, "Frisk gets tired of me. He tries to involve me as much as possible, so that I don't feel like that; each time, I just push back to the next day. Frisk says he understands and never forces me, but... I'm tired of being so weak that I can't be there when he needs me. I... I just want to make sure I help him back! Just for once!"

If he hadn't cried enough earlier today, Asriel would have done it again. But his eyelids were still wet ; not wanting his mother to see him like this, he wiped them away with a sharp gesture, then turned away from her to sulk.

Toriel saw her doubts confirmed. I knew it... Before, Asriel followed Chara everywhere in his undertakings and pranks. Even if he did not participate, he tried to channel him and shared his wrongs. I should have considered that our son would also want to be there in support of Frisk, and that not being able to would upset him. She scolded herself for not noticing the insecurity in him that was so evident now. Frisk was their ambassador, so he often had to go to town to fulfill his duties. But Asriel still couldn't overcome his fears of the crowd, and he could only wait for his brother to return home.

"Asriel..." Toriel began kindly, "Frisk could never get enough of you. You're his brother - he sees you as is: when I see you two together, you seem so happy and close both of you. And that makes my heart overflowing with happiness that you care so much for each other. You are so loving and caring, Asriel, and I know how much you love Frisk: I have no doubt that Frisk loves you just as much in return."

His mother hoped that her speech would reconfort him; Toriel watched as her son became a little embarrassed, yet his melancholy remained on his face. She was preoccupied with what might be in his head at that moment; what could he be thinking?

The reality was that Asriel remembered that Frisk, with his willingness to sacrifice himself many time to help others, had suffered more with him than anyone else in order to save him. He felt guilty that his friend had to endure so many bad things because of him. And what had the prince done to thank him today? This was what bothered him the most: I did absolutely nothing for him, that's all.

Frisk was wrong: how could he be an awesome brother? He hadn't been for Chara, in the first place. In the two years since he had returned, Asriel had done nothing good that would warrant this. On the contrary, he had only been a source of trouble for the young human... who had perhaps only wasted his time on him in the end. That was what Asriel thought, and had been for a while. However, he didn't have the heart to admit this to Frisk.

Without suspecting her son's depressed thoughts, but seeing him also sad, Toriel tried to find a way to make him smile again. She knew now that Asriel wanted to be useful, and she tried to know how the little prince could feel this recognition. The former queen thought about it, a lot, until a light bulb flashed in her head. It could work... No, she was sure she had found the ideal job for her Asriel. It was obvious that he would be perfect.

Now, Toriel knew what she could do to cheer up Asriel, who continued to brood over his somber mood, and she coughed for capture his attention.

"Asriel, may I give you, and Frisk too, a very important mission?" she suggested with a sweet smile, and her son looked up at her with wide, interrogative eyes. "As you know, I will be the teacher in charge of the class that will integrate the human children. I would be very happy if you, my children, could ensure that this experience goes well."

"Wha...what do you mean?" Asriel asked, no more dejected and his curiosity piqued.

"You and Frisk will have to make sure that your future comrades feel good among us. You will have to help us, their teachers, to familiarize them with our world. With other children their age, your interactions will be simpler and easier. If all goes well this year, it would be a big step for us. Do you agree ?" Toriel waited for his response, and she saw her son's frowning face light up at the completion of the important task before them.

He beamed, and the sad little boy was gone with a snap of his fingers. "Oh yes, yes, I will!" he cried as he jumped to his feet, jerking with excitement and his bushy little tail wagging happily. "And Frisk, does he know? He said yes, too?

"I'll talk to him about it when they get back, later." laughed the Boss Monster, pleased that he was reacting so enthusiastically, before straightening up. "Enough talking! We have to prepare for tonight. Be a good kid, I'd like you to set the table for-"

She could not finish her sentence, her son grabbed the pile of dishes, glasses, cutlery, and installed them without delay on the tablecloth at an impressive speed. He was bursting with energy, Toriel saw, who was relieved at the change of spirit.

Grabbing and tying her favorite snail apron around waist, she began to pull out the ingredients to prepare dinner.

"When you're done, can you wash your hands and help me with the food? I will make salads and a good pie."Toriel called him, while she was cutting carefully and quickly the lettuce on a cutting board.

"kay, mom! I'm finishing!"

And mother and son cooked together, in serenity and good humor.

-oOo-

"I don't know how else to put it: what the hell are you doing here?" fumed Undyne as she, Papyrus, and Asgore, were all waiting in the same room of the morning for Frisk getting changed. Instead him, they had received a surprising and unpleasant visit. The Underground monarch, in particular, stared blankly at Senator Jordan who had just shown up on their doorstep.

Arms behind his back, the thin man did not flinch at the agitated fish woman; he didn't even deign to look at her, paying her no more attention than a pesky fly, and eyed Asgore still motionless in the middle of the room before he pulled himself together:

"How... Howdy, Senator Jordan. We... we weren't expecting you tonight. What can I-"

"Enough chatter. I have to talk to you, in private, and I prefer to get it over with quickly." he stop him in an authoritative tone, pointing at the large Boss Monster, as if demanding that some beast animal obey.

Asgore remained silent, bewildered by this request, but his former apprentice approached menacingly towards the politician.

"Who do you think you are, talking to our king like you do?" the merfolk slowly losing her patience and feeling the tingle of magic running down her arm.

"I have no time to waste," the senator said impatiently, his attitude becoming pinched and contemptuous. "Do I have to repeat myself for you, monster, to finally understand?"

FLASH

A glowing cyan spear appeared out of nowhere, the sharp point pointing at the horrible figure's throat. Gazing grimly, Undyne approached it to his trachea. "One more affront to Asgore, and I swear it's going to end badly for you" the growl in her voice was terrifying but, despite the threat of the weapon, the human barely reacted, unlike Asgore who rushed forward towards them.

"Enough, Undyne!" he thundered, alarmed at the escalation things were taking and grabbed her shoulder. "Shed your spear immediately, before you do anything regrettable."

When Undyne reluctantly complied and walked away towards Papyrus after one last murderous glare, the monarch returned to the impassive politician in front of him. "I apologize for the actions of my friend, Senator Jordan. I hope you are not offended by this."

"As I said, I don't have time to discuss trivialities. So let's go to the office, I'll make sure to be short."

"Of course. After you."

The senator did not need to be accompanied; he entered the small room, Asgore right behind him, when Undyne grabbed his arm in an iron fist and whispered. "Watch out. There is something really not clear about him", she warned him in a low voice, adding more pressure to his wrist without noticing. "He is too confident in his attitude, it hides a trick. I don't like it at all."

Asgore had the same thought ; sight of this man agitated him, as if he were stirring up a distant and disagreeable memory. But, as king of the Underground, he couldn't decently dismiss the Surface politician who sat in a chair, waiting for him. His arrival could only be a bad omen, and Frisk, still absent, had to be taken to safety. It was his hight priority.

"Please, with Papyrus, go join Frisk and leave in the car. I will join you as soon as possible," the Boss Monster ordered in a serious tone before going through the door, which he closed behind him.

He took his place opposite Senator Jordan, who bent forward and rested his pointed chin on his interlocking fingers. This human might be of advanced age, but his being exuded such ferocity that, to Asgore, it was like the burning inferno fueling the Core. He hated those of his people, passionately, and any pretext would be enough to justify this relentlessness. Undyne had reacted to his subtle provocations, which were only intended to push them to fault. He was a dangerous opponent, who would do anything to get rid of them all.

Asgore had to be very vigilant, being in the presence of this kind of deceitful individual.

"I don't think I have to hide from you my strong disapproval of the arrival of monsters on the Surface," the politician scoffed.

His squeaky voice sounded unpleasant to Asgore's eardrums, though he suppressed any sign of discomfort and retorted, "From what I understand from your meeting with our ambassador."

"I don't have to remind you : centuries ago, monsters were sealed underground in Mount Ebott. Our ancestors saw in you the threat your race posed to our people and, by the will of the Angel, fought you." His eyelids narrowed wickedly, then he added: "Nevertheless, this... child, released you, without thinking of the consequences of his acts. Such stupidity is unspeakable and unforgivable, no matter what unconsciousness drove him to it. I can only see in it an nefarious treachery, which will be punish in due time."

There was a real threat directed at Frisk, so vibrant that Asgore couldn't stop his own fist from closing around the scarlet glow emanating from his palm. Luckily, his cape covered the gesture, and the monarch forced himself to loosen his clenched jaw to articulate, "I highly doubt you came just to say that, Senator Jordan. Speak out... now."

Asgore remained courteous, but the man had exceeded his rights. He was in a hurry: to get it over with and leave this place with his friends, far from this human. This one, with a smile that could only be described as malevolent, replied:

"Certainly. I ask you to listen to me carefully, O king, for what I will reveal is the indisputable proof of your lies and half-truths. I dare you to contradict me."