Frisk waited outside his house for a good fifteen minutes before walking in. He wasn't going to go in until he had calmed down. He didn't want his parents to suspect something was wrong, so he spent the time before he went in trying to get his emotions under control.
But it was hard. Having never dealt with fury this intense. He had no way to contain it. He had set the damaged tapes off to the side, unwilling to carry them while his emotions were still turbulent. He had accidentally set them on fire before. He didn't want to do it again.
He paced furiously on the walkway leading up to the front yard. He tried to get himself to calm down, but every time he tried, he just remembered Chara and their insane plan. He tried to force the rage down. Toriel would be calling him in shortly, and he needed to be presentable before seeing her, lest she figure out something was wrong. And the last thing he wanted to do right now was tell his parents of the true fate of their previous human child.
After a long struggle, he managed to get the anger down to a point where he felt confident he could walk in without drawing attention. He picked up the tapes, tried very hard not to think what was on them, and entered the foyer. The first thing he did was go to his room, where he deposited the tapes somewhere safe.
Once done, he went to the living room and found Asgore in his chair, reading a book. Asriel was on the table, head down.
Looking at Asriel caused Frisk to remember his part in Chara's plan. He struggled to repress the anger that caused. Hopefully no one noticed the brief flash of anger on his features.
Asgore looked up from his book. "Howdy, Frisk," he greeted. "Did you have a nice day?"
"Yep, sure did," Frisk lied through his teeth. While it wasn't all bad, this last event mostly ruined the day for him.
"Glad to hear it," Asgore said. "Your mother is making supper. Would you like to set the table?"
"Yeah, I would," Frisk agreed. He needed to get his mind off Chara, and a task like setting the table would do that. He got out the plates and silverware, doing as he was taught. A couple minutes later, Toriel came from the kitchen with a steaming pie in her hands.
"Dinner is served," she announced.
Asgore quickly went to his seat followed by Frisk. Toriel placed the pie in the middle of the table, before scooching Asriel to a spot next to Frisk. She carved up the pie before giving everyone their preferred sized slice. As they ate, they all talked about their day. Frisk found that it was easy to forget about Chara and their apparent betrayal while listening to his parents talk. Asriel even tried a slice of the pie, though he only managed to get in a couple bites.
But once the meal was finished, Frisk recalled what he had been suppressing for the whole affair. He needed to talk to Asriel about what had happened. Frisk needed to get his point of view on the whole thing. Perhaps he was misjudging Chara. After all, he didn't know them. Asriel, on the other hand, did. But still, he struggled to imagine what kind of explanation he could give that would justify what happened.
"Hey, Asriel, can I talk to you, privately?" he asked.
"Uh, yeah, sure," Asriel agreed.
Frisk picked him up, nodding to his parents as a way of acknowledgement, before going to the basement. He walked through the long hall, going straight to the throne room. He decided to sit down in the middle of it, next to the thrones.
"Why are we here?" Asriel asked.
"I wanted to talk to you without our parents hearing," Frisk explained. He set Asriel down in front of him.
"Okay, what did you want to talk about?" Asriel asked.
"It's about… Chara's death," Frisk said. He decided he might as well jump right into it, rather than dance around the subject. "You said that you were the one that killed them."
Asriel looked down. "Yeah, I did."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because I was the one who gave them the flowers," Asriel said. "They were from right here, in this garden. I… I picked as many as they would need and gave them to Chara. Then… well, they got very sick."
"So, it wasn't just some random sickness?" Frisk asked.
"No, I told you, it was me," Asriel said.
"But why?"
"Because they asked me to," Asriel said. "We… we had a plan. A plan to get everyone out of the Underground."
"Explain." Frisk was sure he knew all about it, but he wanted to hear it from him.
"I was going to absorb their Soul after they died, then we'd go down to the village at the base of the mountain, find some humans, and take their Souls."
"You mean you'd kill innocent people?" Frisk asked, anger threatening to burst forth.
"No! No, not that," Asriel quickly said. "Chara… they suggested we find people who were very sick or almost dead and ask them."
The anger simmered a little. "They wanted to kill people who were almost dead?" he asked.
"Yeah! We'd never kill people who weren't already going to die. Chara even suggested that we could use the Souls of criminals if it came down to it. People who were condemned to die."
That… made more sense. It also fit more of what Frisk had been told about Chara. "So, what happened?"
"I… I was laying their body down in a patch of flowers when someone screamed," Asriel explained. "Then… then we were attacked. They wanted to fight back, to kill them, but I resisted. And… and it got us killed."
"We?" Frisk asked, puzzled. "You keep saying 'we'."
"Oh! Um, well, you see, when I absorbed their Soul, it somehow… put their mind in my body. We… we shared my body after I absorbed their Soul."
"Share it?" Frisk asked, astonished. No one had ever said that.
"Yeah, we were sharing my body, moving it together," Asriel explained. "It… it was nice, to know they were there with me. It made the hard part bearable."
"But… you still died," Frisk pointed out.
"Yeah. That was my fault," Asriel said. "I was fighting them when the humans attacked, and… and I guess that made us hesitate too long, which got us killed in the end."
Now Frisk felt bad. Yet, a part of his brain was telling him that he was still missing something.
"I don't know what I was thinking," Asriel continued. "I shouldn't have carried them the whole way. I could have just fixed them, and we could have went to the village together, but…"
"Wait, what?" Frisk interrupted. "Fixed them?"
"Uh, yeah, that was part of the plan," Asriel explained. "I was going to heal them after we got through the barrier, since I wouldn't need their Soul at that point."
Now Frisk was confused. Why would Asriel think he could heal a dead human? "Can… can you explain that further?"
"I guess," Asriel said, shame coloring his features. "After I passed through the barrier, I was to heal all the flower poison in their body, then put their Soul back. Then we'd go on together. But… I told them I didn't mind carrying them all the way down the mountain. I was very strong at that point."
A bad feeling settled in Frisk's gut. But he managed to hide it well. Not that Asriel would notice; he was too wrapped up in his emotions to notice. "Wow, that's… that's pretty cool," he said. "But, um, what made you think you could just put a Soul back in a dead body?"
"Chara told me," Asriel explained. "They said that since I was a Boss Monster, I could heal their body after it died, and once I did that, I could put their Soul back."
Frisk tried really hard to suppress the shakes in his hands. "Wow, amazing," he said flatly.
"Yeah, after all, we would never do it if they really died," Asriel said. "But… it happened anyway. They still died, because I was too stupid to just heal them then and there."
Frisk was once more struggling with the rage, which had returned with a vengeance. Of course, it made sense now. No wonder Asriel would go along with such an insane plan. Chara had managed to convince him how to do it without compromising his morals. Killing bad or dying humans, while still bad, would probably be okay with him. Heck, they might have even agreed to it, to make their final act be one to free an entire civilization. But the only way to do that would be to get a Monster outside the Barrier, and there had been a human nearby to be absorbed. The only flaw in the plan was no Monster would absorb their Soul. At least, as long as the Monster thought the human would stay dead.
A lie. That was how it all went wrong. A horrible, awful lie to convince an innocent Monster to help his people. It had to have been a lie. There was no way Chara could not have known that once they died, there would be no way to restore them. Even the most powerful healer in the Underground couldn't heal death.
They lied to him. They lied to Asriel, and it got him killed. Chara had lied to him, and their lie ended up destroying the entire Underground.
Once more, fire licked Frisk's hands, which he struggled to keep steady. Red flames danced on his skin, eager to be set free and to attack. To hurt. To harm the one that had caused the Underground so much pain. And Frisk wanted to. Chara had destroyed their family with that awful lie.
But just as quickly, Frisk forced the hate down, dispelling the flames before Asriel could notice. Reason kicked in and told him that he couldn't punish someone who's dead. As awful as Chara's lie was, it had cost them their life. And there was no way to reprimand them now.
Frisk snapped back to focus, realizing that Asriel was still talking, ruminating on his experience in the village. He forced himself to listen, doing his best to catch up.
"But you want to know what the worst part is?" Asriel asked despondently. Before Frisk could answer, he continued. "I was so close. They were right there; I was about to do it. I would have saved them, if I hadn't been such an idiot."
"Asriel…" Frisk said, not sure what to say.
"Why did I wait until we were at the village? Why didn't I do it after we got out of the mountain?" Asriel questioned. "I was so stupid. I could have healed them then or found a place out of the way to do it. That way, even if I had died, they'd still be alive today." He started to cry. "I can't forgive myself for that. They're dead, and I couldn't save them, because I was such an idiot."
Frisk reached forward, hugging him. "It's okay, Asriel. It's… it's okay," he tried to console. "There's… there's nothing – you can't…" He couldn't get the words out. How could he? It was just too awful. Instead, he just sat there, comforting Asriel as he wept.
Frisk had been restless the entire night, barely getting any sleep. He was still mad at Chara for lying to Asriel. They had lied to him. Convinced him to help them kill themself, then got him killed in the process. He wanted to vent, and he wanted so badly to punch Chara in the face. But they had been dead for almost a hundred years.
But what made it worse was that Frisk couldn't tell his family. Asriel was still too deep in grief to hear the truth, and Asgore and Toriel were still trying to move on. Telling any of them would break them. Especially Asriel. If he knew the truth, it would destroy him. Frisk didn't know if he could tell anyone. The reality was as horrible as it was heartbreaking. It was a betrayal that had cost so many people so much. Who could he tell? How could he tell anyone? It would destroy Chara's reputation, and probably ruin the Underground. And it might put Frisk himself in danger. He had spent so long befriending everyone. Chara's secret coming out could break the trust everyone had in him. They would be hunted, rejected, despised, and…
"Frisk? You still with me?"
Frisk snapped back to attention, focusing on Noelle. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts, he had forgotten he was spending time with her. They were in a park in New Home, someplace out of the way where no one would see them.
"Sorry," he apologized. "Just… have a lot on my mind."
"Is it about Asriel?" she asked.
"Mostly."
"Is he okay? Is he getting better?"
"A little," Frisk admitted. "At least, he's a little more open."
"Nothing bad is happening to him, right?" Noelle asked.
"Other than the usual, no."
"So, what's wrong?"
"It's… nothing," he said automatically.
"Frisk, I can tell you're lying," she said. "Something's bothering you. You don't look like you got enough sleep last night."
Frisk looked away. "You don't have to worry about it. It's something I need to deal with."
Noelle shook her head before grabbing his hand. "Wrong. I do need to worry about it. You helped me through a rough part in my life, let me help you."
Frisk still couldn't look at her. He didn't want to tell her the truth.
"Frisk," she said gently. "This only works if you trust me. Can you trust me?"
"Of course," Frisk said, looking at her as he said that.
"Then tell me what's wrong. Let me help you."
Frisk glanced away again. Then he turned back. "Okay," he said. "It… has to do with Chara. And… the day they died."
Frisk told Noelle the complete truth. It felt freeing to tell someone this. He just hoped she took it okay. Noelle went through a whole array of emotions during the story. From surprise, to anger, to shock, to sadness, then confusion, then back to anger.
When Frisk finished, she was clenching her fists. "I… can't… believe it," she gritted. "Chara, they… they… they lied to him. They lied to… everyone!" She stood up, pacing furiously, ranting and raving. She never went too far, but she kept on going and going for several minutes. She kept speaking, but nothing resembling coherent sentences came out of her mouth.
After letting her pace for a good ten minutes, Frisk stood up and helped her sit back down. "I had a similar reaction," he said.
"So, everything we knew about that day… the greatest tragedy of our people… it was all a lie?" she asked, angrier than Frisk had ever seen her.
"More or less," Frisk said. "They both died, but the reasons for their deaths were not what we thought."
Noelle shook her head in fury. "They lied to him. They lied to him, and it got him killed," she said.
"Yes," Frisk agreed. "That's what it seems like."
"Seems like?" Noelle asked incredulously. "That's exactly what happened! They had to know you can't just stick a human Soul back into a dead body. They killed themself, lied to him about reversing it, then they got him murdered! They murdered their own brother, our prince!"
"They couldn't have known that would happen," Frisk protested. "They couldn't have known the humans would act like that."
"Are you serious?" Noelle remarked. "They're humans, and they would have seen him carrying their dead body. Of course they would react like that! I know I would!"
Frisk looked down. He knew Noelle was right. It would have been a logical reaction given what they would have known.
Noelle buried her face in her hands, trying to suppress the anger. "Asriel. Does he…"
"No," Frisk answered. "He doesn't know. At least, it doesn't seem like it." Then again, maybe he was beating himself up so much because he did know the truth. But, no, he said he blamed himself for not saving them, so it couldn't have been that.
"He needs to know," Noelle said.
"No," Frisk protested. "No, he can't know, not yet."
"Why? He needs to know the truth," Noelle said.
"And he will, but not yet," Frisk insisted. "If we tell him now, while he's still mourning their death, it will destroy him. All the healing he would have gone through, it will all be undone. And he's too fragile to take that knowledge well."
Noelle didn't protest.
"We'll tell him," Frisk agreed. "But not yet. Not when he's still grieving. It would be too cruel."
"What about your mom and dad?" she asked.
"I don't think they've fully gotten over what happened to Chara yet, either," Frisk said. "They'll be broken hearted if they learn the truth of that day."
"Is there anyone we can tell?" Noelle asked.
"Not yet. Not even our friends," Frisk answered. "If word got out, the Underground would be ruined. Everything would be turned upside down as a result. And who knows how the next human would be treated as a result."
Noelle sighed. "Alright. Just between us," she agreed.
"Thank you," Frisk said. They lapsed back into silence after that, the previous conversation lost in the wake of this one. Frisk moved over to sit next to Noelle, leaning his head on her shoulder. She wrapped an arm around him, with Frisk hugging her for support.
"I really hate Chara now," Noelle said, breaking the silence.
"Same," Frisk agreed. "I wish I hadn't watched those tapes."
"What was Chara thinking when they told Asriel that, or making such a crazy plan?" Noelle questioned.
"We'll never know," Frisk said. "They're gone."
Noelle leaned her head on Frisk's, minding her antlers. "Mind if I change the subject?"
"Please."
"Uh, this is kind of embarrassing, but… um, when should we have our first kiss?"
Frisk looked at her in surprise. "What?" he asked.
"Well, we've been dating for… almost a year now, and we still haven't kissed," she explained. "And, gosh, this is so embarrassing, but I'm kinda curious. When's it going to happen?"
Frisk turned red as he considered that. "Well, I just want to make sure we're… you know, right for each other first."
"Isn't that what the kiss is for?" Noelle questioned.
"Well, partly, but I'm human, so… it might not… you know, work the same way," he said, trying to suppress the blush. "And, what if our feelings… make us misinterpret it? I… I just want to be sure you actually like me and that I truly like you before we do that."
"I guess that makes sense," Noelle agreed.
"Yeah, so, first kiss won't be for a while," Frisk said. "At least until I'm sure that our feelings are genuine, and not… you know, some kind of crush thing because I was nice to you."
"If it was like that, I wouldn't still be dating you," Noelle insisted. "Or cuddle with you right now."
"Fair, but still, I want to make sure," Frisk said.
"Okay. I was just curious," Noelle said.
Frisk managed to return to his normal color. But then a devious smile played across his face. "Don't sound so disappointed. It almost sounds like your eager to kiss me."
Now it was Noelle's turn to blush. "Frisk!"
"What? I'm just saying, with the way you said it, it was like you wanted to make out with me."
"Ugh, no, that's not why I… you know that's not what I was getting at."
"I know," Frisk said innocently.
"Did you have to do that?"
"You made me turn red. It's only fair I get you to do the same," Frisk teased.
"Where does that come from, because I know your mom wouldn't teach you to do that?" Noelle questioned aloud.
"You should hear dad. He says similar things to mom all the time," Frisk answered.
"Ew."
"Now you know what I have to deal with every day."
Days went by. Frisk kept the secret of what happened on the day Chara and Asriel died from everyone except Noelle. He just couldn't bear to see their reactions.
Asriel slowly got better, but it was clear there was an upper limit to how much better he could get. Without a Soul, emotions were a struggle for him. Frisk did his best to help him, but no matter what, Asriel couldn't feel like he used to. He was sad most of the time, and mostly moped on the table in the living room.
The Underground was still unaware of the return of their former prince, but word was starting to get around about him.
Frisk brought Asriel with him just about everywhere, hoping his presence and the support of his friends would help him. Though it wasn't obvious, it seemed that Asriel did like the others, slowly growing attached to them. But he still struggled with love. What made it hard was that he still missed Chara. Noelle did her best, but it didn't seem like Asriel was able to move on from them. Perhaps with time, he'd be able to get better, but it was going to be a slow journey.
Frisk checked up on Alphys every so often, seeing if she was getting any closer to a solution. Though she kept saying she was getting closer, the lack of tangible progress was disheartening. Alphys promised that she would come up with a solution, but she was just struggling to find one. Frisk prayed she found something, as Asriel wasn't getting better as fast as he should be. Frisk could only guess that a lack of a Soul was stunting his emotions, making it impossible for him to mourn properly.
But then, one day, a month after Asriel had come back, Frisk got a text from Alphys.
I've found something.
End of Chapter 20
A/N The eponymous lie is based on what CoramDeo did in his Undertale series. FYI, said series is great and has a lovely dynamic between Asriel and Chara and later Frisk. You should go check it out on AO3.
