Toriel's Home

They woke up in a dark room on an unfamiliar bed. For some reason, the room smelled like cinnamon. It was strange. They weren't scared or upset or happy or anything at all. Their emotions were still trapped behind that wall. That cracked wall. They knew that they'd need to try harder to keep everything back. Those feelings would do nothing but hinder them as they tried to escape.

Toriel must have brought them into her house while they were… asleep. Whatever she did to them made them pass out or fall asleep or something. It must have been her plan to weaken them enough to trap them here, where she said she wanted them.

They took a look around the room. They could make out a shelf with shoes, a closet, and a lamp in the corner. On the floor was a large rug and a dish with something on it. As quietly as they could, they walked over to the dish. It looked like a piece of pie on a plate. It smelled like cinnamon. Was this poisoned like the candy?

They slid the pie into their pocket and replaced the plate on the floor. It must be because the food was made of magic or something, but none of the food they put in their pocket would stay squished or make a mess. It was just one more thing about this world that made no sense.

They took a closer look at the things in the room, as best as they could with the light off. The shelf of shoes had several pairs in different sizes and styles. The closet had many sizes and colours of striped sweaters. It was kind of strange to see different styles of shoes, but only striped sweaters and shirts. There also seemed to be a toybox at the foot of the bed. The toys were mismatched for children of a wide variety of interests. A stuffed toy, a doll, a truck, a colouring book, a slinky, a fidget spinner. What was the point?

Was Toriel keeping all these things so that she could easily trap and keep any kid she found? It was too much like the story of Hansel and Gretel. Toriel was the witch promising candy, only to fatten the kids up and eat them. She left them a piece of pie to either fatten them up or poison them. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just poison, but they couldn't be sure that killing them was exactly what she wanted to do.

After all, she had a very good opportunity to kill them before. She must be planning to keep them hostage or raise them like a pig for slaughter. There was nothing else they could think of. They had to escape.

The toy knife was still tucked into their waistband. If they thought they could manage a surprise attack, they might be able to use it. Toriel was too big and too experienced with magic for them to stand a chance in a head on fight. Running away would be the best option, but if they had to defend themself, they had a weapon.

Before that, they needed to do some reconnaissance and learn the layout of this place. They crept up to the door and listened for any sounds outside. They couldn't hear anything. Either Toriel wasn't around, she wasn't making noise, or there was a silencing spell on the door. They didn't want to, but they had to take the risk and sneak out.

Silently, they opened the door and slipped into the hallway and shut the bedroom door. In the distance, they could hear a fire crackling. The coast was clear. The hallway had two doors, a mirror, and some potted plants. They took a quick look in the mirror.

"It's me," they whispered, "it's me, [redacted]." They frowned. For some reason, they couldn't say their name. They tried again, "[Redacted]. [Redacted]. [REDACTED]." It didn't matter how loud they tried to shout their name, their voice got stuck on the word and no sound came out.

What the hell was going on?

They shook their head and moved on. If they were cursed and couldn't speak their name, then that wasn't the worst thing that could happen. Maybe this was how Toriel was going to show off the power she held over them. If they just went along with it and kept their head down, she might not try to do worse.

In any case, it wasn't as if they liked their name much anyways. It was too feminine and didn't quite fit. As much as the name felt like an oversized sock that would fall off if they stopped paying attention, it was theirs and they should keep it close. If they forgot their name, they felt like they'd lose their identity, even if they necessary love the identity that the name represented. It was better to have an ill-fitting identity than none at all. If they had no identity, then it would be proof that they were truly nothing.

They listened through the other door in the hallway. There was no light on underneath and no sound coming from within. They snuck inside, knowing that it would likely be safe.

This room had a giant bed, a set of drawers, and a book open on a desk. It looked like some sort of handwritten joke book. Even monsters must have hobbies. If Toriel's was writing bad joke books, then so be it. Other than that, the room didn't tell them too much about her.

They left Toriel's room and quietly snuck down the hallway. There was no sound besides the crackling of a fire. They went past a staircase and into the room with the fireplace. They was a large bookcase, packed full of reading material. There was also a large reading chair and a goat-lady with glasses sitting in it. They froze in fear.

Toriel was reading, and didn't appear to have seen them yet. If they were quick and quiet, they might be able to sneak away and hide in their room again. If she didn't see them, she would leave them alone for a little while longer.

They started to back out of the room when they tripped over their foot and fell. Their landing startled Toriel and she looked right at them. Toriel put her book down on the chair and moved to help them up.

"My child, I'm glad to see that you are awake! Please let me help you up. And do be careful about running in the hallway. You could hurt yourself if you trip and fall like that." Toriel held her hand out to them. She seemed to want them to make the first move.

They couldn't bring themself to take the hand. They put their hands on their knees and pushed themselves up. They took a look at Toriel's face. She didn't seem offended that they had rejected her offer. She gave them a soft smile instead.

"Oh, did you find the pie I left for you? I wasn't sure if you would prefer butterscotch or cinnamon, so I made a pie with both! I do hope that you like it." She told them.

Did this mean that they were expected to eat the pie? It could be a trap, but if it was a trap, then she'd already know that they hadn't eaten it because they'd be dead or sick or something. The safest option they could think of was nodding. They lied and nodded.

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it! Oh, I hope it didn't spoil your appetite too much. It is about time for supper now. I just wanted to give you a small treat to help you feel safe here." Toriel explained, "I know that the Underground must be a strange and scary place for you, but I hope to help you feel comfortable here."

Toriel turned and walked towards the other room. She turned back and gestured for them to follow her. "Please come to the kitchen. I have prepared some snails for our supper tonight. The texture can be a bit upsetting for some humans, so I made sure to cook them in a different way than I normally would. They should be closer to what you humans call oysters or mussels. I have learned that soft, chewy proteins are hard for humans to eat at first, so these snails have been cooked until they became tougher."

They followed her to the kitchen and sat down at her small table. She served two bowls of snails from the same large pot on the stove. At a glance, it was clear that the snails had been overseasoned and overcooked. It was clear that this was intentional and not a mistake.

It was very likely that these snails were perfectly fine to eat, unless Toriel was immune to poison. Which she might be. They didn't have much of a choice anyways.

"There isn't a lot of natural food here, Underground. Most food that can be raised on a farm must be small, like snails or spiders. Some food can be foraged, like water sausages. However, most food is created magically. Excessive magic food can have unintended effects on humans, who are not used to having magic inside them." Toriel told them as the two of them ate, "Magic will not harm you, not at all! In fact, it can have a powerful healing effect on the soul if it is prepared well. But the extra magic in your system is saved up and spent accomplishing whatever goal you have tucked deep in your soul."

They stopped eating and looked down at their chest. What was it that their soul wanted? "It is okay if you are not sure what exactly that is. I have never met a human whose soul caused them harm. The first human I met down here ended up developing a very strong memory. They could remember the smallest details about everything they read, heard, saw, touched, or felt. They were quite precocious, and even used their memory to tease my- well. They certainly had their fun."

"Another human I met was able to balance herself on anything, even if she should have fallen. Another young boy was able to quickly increase his physical abilities, teaching himself to do what humans call free running. Another child learned to cook magical food, which should have been impossible for a human to do. Others, I never saw their abilities develop. Or rather, whatever their magic accomplished must have been subtle or long-acting. I didn't notice an outright or obvious change in them. Regardless, having magic is a wonderful thing. It helps you to learn about who you are, what you want, how to get it, what you believe in. It is beautiful." Toriel squinted and smiled at them, "Whatever magic you gain from living here, I'm sure will be wonderful and suit you perfectly."

They sat in silence and considered what Toriel was saying. At some point, they'd become magical, if she wasn't lying. This magic would also be harmless to them, probably. Maybe it would just be some weird power that they'd have to get used to, like moving their soul around. That was something they could try to test out on their own later. Maybe. If they were forced to eat more magical food.

The snails weren't their favourite thing to eat. The garlic flavour was too strong, but the overcooked texture wasn't as bad as they thought it would be. They expected snails to be soft and slippery like thick wet pasta and taste like worms. These felt like eating overcooked seafood and tasted like nothing but garlic. It wasn't amazing but it was edible, at least.

They finished their bowl and didn't feel sick. In fact, this magic food felt fairly light on their stomach. Maybe it was because the meal wasn't completely physical. Most of the snails were physical food, but the seasoning and the veggies on the side were magical. If all meals were like this, then they could rest easy knowing that their meals would never leave them feeling bloated and top-heavy.

Sometimes, the rich foods their parents cooked for dinner made them feel gross after. It wasn't their fault though. Consistently missing lunch or having only a small pack of noodles probably shrunk their stomach and decreased their tolerance for complex foods. Their parents wouldn't know about that.

If they stayed with Toriel, it seemed like they'd have a steady supply of food. Maybe even three meals per day. Toriel seemed to know enough about human habits and tastes to know what the healthy amount of food was.

They might not have a choice of staying with her, but if they were forced to stay here for a time, then food would be one less thing to worry about.

Toriel cleaned up their bowls and set the dirty dishes in the sink. She then led them to the reading room and told them to make themselves comfortable. They were free to read anything that they wanted, or take some toys from their room if they wanted to play. After supper, they were given free time to do whatever they wished.

They picked up a book. It was Alice in Wonderland, a book they had meant to read at some point, but never gotten around to while they lived at their parents' place. They wondered how the book got to the Underground to begin with. Maybe one of the previous humans had brought it with them and left it behind? Who knew.

Either way, they chose to spend their evening reading and Toriel did the same. It was easiest to keep an eye on her if they stayed in the same room.

They spent a couple of hours in silence, reading by the fire. It was warm and comforting, but never got hot enough to burn them when they moved close to it. They read about Alice and her strange adventures in the nonsensical world of Wonderland. The situation felt a bit similar to their own. A young girl fell down a hole and ended up in a world with magic and strange rules. Where it differed from them was that Alice ran around, following a white rabbit, and trying to ask it how to get home. Instead, they had a white goat lady who wanted to keep them here.

It didn't seem like she was going to eat them, but maybe she was playing the long game.

After some time, Toriel looked up and spoke to them, "It's getting late, and you should be getting to bed soon. I know that you had a nap earlier, but if you stay up too late, then you risk forming bad habits. You need to be well-rested for tomorrow."

They stared at her. Tomorrow. That meant she wasn't playing the long game. They stayed still. Would she force them if they didn't move? Would she get angry? They didn't know what to do, and couldn't move.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I have prepared a curriculum for your education. I have always wanted to be a teacher! Although, maybe that is not surprising. I want you to be well rested for tomorrow so that I can see what you know and where to begin teaching you. Unless I miss my guess, you look to be around ten or eleven years old? I'd like to assess what grade level you are at, what subject you like, dislike, excel in, and struggle with. I would also like to see how you tend to learn, be it by reading, playing, building, drawing, listening, memorizing and repeating, and stuff like that." Toriel explained, "It sounds like a lot, but there is no reason to be anxious. We will be working at your pace. There is no need to be concerned about learning everything quickly or getting things right on the first go. Education is about growing, and I hope to nurture your innate curiosity."

Toriel stood and moved towards them. She held out her hand again, but they couldn't take it. They stood up on their own and looked towards the floor.

"Alright my child. Let's get you ready for bed, and I'll see you in the morning." Toriel said. Once again, she didn't seem disappointed that they had rejected her hand. She just squinted and smiled again then same way that she did earlier.

They didn't know what she was planning, but they kept their guard up. Toriel left them alone in their room and they did as she had asked. They got ready for bed and settled themselves under the blankets. If nothing else, Toriel was right about one thing. They needed to be well-rested to deal with whatever tomorrow would bring.

The next day passed fairly easily and without incident. They woke up, had a breakfast of magic cereal, and did some simple tests. They had just finished their year at school, and Toriel first gave them tests based on the grade level below them. When she shifted the difficulty up to the grade they'd just completed, they could still answer most of the questions without trouble. They weren't super smart, but they weren't bad at school either. The reason they had mostly Ds on their report card was because the other students always wrecked their homework. When they were able to turn it in, they'd always get at least a B.

Lunch was simple sandwiches. A magic vegetable sandwich and a magic peanut butter sandwich. They were tasty and kept them full without making them feel heavy. They could get used to this magic food.

After lunch, Toriel had them try out different ways of solving problems. For some, they had to read and look up some information to solve the problem. Others involved building models or drawing diagrams. Some involved repeating back what they heard. They didn't do those ones.

All in all, it was fairly enjoyable. Even if they couldn't trust Toriel completely, it felt nice to have her pay attention to them. When they refused to repeat what she said in the afternoon, Toriel just accepted it and moved on after only a couple of tries. She didn't try to force them to do anything they didn't want to, and didn't tell them that they should be doing better at the things they weren't good at.

Making models and drawing diagrams was hard for them, but she just accepted it. She said that if drawing stuff out didn't help them learn, then they didn't have to do it. It was nice.

The wall in their mind started cracking some more. Luckily, there wasn't anything bad coming through. No fear, no anxiety, no sadness. Maybe a little bit of paranoia snuck through, but mostly, they felt comfortable. They knew that they could feel a little bit again, and right now that was okay. The bad feelings weren't threatening to break down the wall and overwhelm them anymore.

They just let what few feelings slipped through the cracks come through. Relieving that pressure might help them stay focused later when they need it. They still didn't smile or speak, but they were able to relax, if only a little.

They were getting comfortable here. Having an adult pay attention to them and listen to what they were communicating was nice. They didn't have to speak. Toriel could understand what they wanted or needed just by their body language.

They almost felt free here.

Days and weeks passed at Toriel's house. They had a schedule of three days of school, then one day off. The school days meant lessons in the morning, homework after lunch, and then the rest of the afternoon was free time until supper. The faster they finished their homework, the more time they had to play in the house or explore the Ruins.

Over time, the wall in their mind came down. They were safe. They believed that Toriel wasn't trying to hurt them. Other monsters that they met slowly got used to their presence. They never had to worry about entering that monochrome battle mode or dodging bullets anymore.

Even though they were trapped under a mountain in a small area that they could traverse in under an hour, they felt freer than they had since they were a little kid.

Toriel had also never called them a girl. It was always "my child" or "you" and never "he" or "she." She saw them as a person, not just some little girl. When they realized this, the corners of their mouth quirked up slightly. For the first time since running away, they almost managed a smile.

When Toriel saw, she baked a pie in celebration. She made a raspberry pie from magic raspberries because it was their favourite. It was everything that they could have wanted.

And one day, they ruined it. They didn't feel like wandering about the ruins that day, so they decided to try poking around downstairs. Toriel had never forbidden them from going down there, but whenever they tried, she would make up some excuse and bring them back upstairs.

They just had to know what was down there.

Causing a little bit of mischief was okay. Toriel never really got mad at them. The worst thing that would happen is Toriel telling them to go back upstairs and not come down here again. They'd be fine.

That's what they thought until they met her under and arch at the end of a corridor. They thought she had gone out and that it would be a perfect time to satisfy their curiosity. It turns out that whenever she disappeared for a while, she was actually down in the basement.

"My child. Beyond here lies the rest of the Underground. Outside the ruins, monsters will hurt you. They will try to kill you." She told them.

They were confused. Weren't monsters supposed to be nice creatures?

"Humans sometimes fall down here, in the ruins. Every time, the Ruins become too small for them. They come and stay for a while, they leave, and they die. King Asgore, the ruler of the Underground, takes their lives and their souls to serve his own ends. I have never approved of this." Toriel stared longingly at them, "Please my child, go back upstairs. You do not have to leave."

They were frozen to the spot. What were they supposed to do? Toriel had been so nice to them and now she was telling them that they weren't safe here?

"If you leave this place, I will no longer be able to protect you. Please go back upstairs. We can continue to stay together. You can learn and grow and play. I will teach you everything that I can, and you will be safe. Please just turn back." Toriel pleaded. She seemed desperate but resolved at the same time.

They still couldn't move. They didn't understand what was going on.

"Even after everything I have done, it is still not enough. You still wish to leave?"

They didn't move. They wanted to tell her that they wanted nothing more than to stay. They wanted to say that they didn't understand any of this. They wanted to ask her why she was saying all these strange things.

But they couldn't. After staying silent for so long, they couldn't find their voice. When it really mattered, they couldn't speak.

"Very well." Toriel widened her stance and the world lost its colour. "If you wish to leave, then prove to me that you are strong enough to survive. Fight me and tear me down. Get past me and you can leave."

Balls of fire appeared behind Toriel and started flying at them quickly. These weren't like the fireplace fire, kept at a safe temperature to warm them but never burn. These weren't the same as the cooking flames that moved around their skin if they got too close.

These flames burned their soul when they grazed it. They had grown better at manipulating their soul over the past few weeks, month? Months? However long they had been here.

Toriel threw fire at them and they did their best to dodge.

"You must strike me down! You must fight back!" Toriel cried.

They couldn't bring themselves to attack her. She was everything that they ever wanted their mom to be. She listened to them and took care of them and never got mad and didn't ignore what they were feeling. Toriel cared about them but now she was trying to hurt them!

They slowed down and stopped moving. If they weren't good enough for someone as kind as Toriel, was it worth it to keep trying? They should just let her hurt them and destroy them.

Surprisingly, as they slowed down, the fireballs started to give them a wide berth.

"Prove it to me, my child. Show me that you are strong enough to survive!" She pleaded.

They couldn't move.

Toriel lowered her arms and walked towards them as colour bled back into the world. Slowly, for the first time, they let her wrap her arms around them.

"It is a dangerous world out there, my child. I am glad to see that you have such a strong spirit, to not even attack those who wish you harm. I am sorry." Toriel spoke softly, "I have known since the first time I saw your soul. Red souls like yours are special. You are one of the strongest, most special, most determined of humanity. You haven't changed at all since we first met." Toriel trailed off.

Slowly, she released them from the hug and held them at arms length, "Red souls are special. I don't know exactly what your magic will do for you, but I have a guess. I hope you find what you are looking for when you leave. The world beyond the Ruins is vast and beautiful, but also dangerous. I am certain you will grow throughout your journey."

Was she kicking them out?

"Once you leave this place, I will close the exit for good. Without the substantial power of a Boss Monster such as myself, it will be impossible to open. When you leave, please do not call me again. I will not be able to handle it." Toriel said.

She was definitely kicking them out.

"No matter what you find out there, remember to be good. I know you are." Toriel gave them one last hug and gently pushed them on their way. Did she think that they wanted to go? They were just having fun exploring the house. She was supposed to scold them and send them back upstairs. Instead, she was kicking them out because they were too afraid to move when they were confused.

This was a mistake. Did she really not care about them? Were the past few weeks or months or whatever a lie? They were starting to trust her and believe her and get used to this new life! For the first time since they were small, they felt like they belonged here! And now they were being made to leave and never return! She was going to permanently shut the way back and they'd be stuck in an unfamiliar place with nowhere to go and no knowledge of what the rules were out there.

They felt betrayed. They felt angry. Mostly, they felt hurt. With their back to Toriel, a single tear fell down their cheek. With only their phone and the contents of their pockets, they walked forward. There was nothing else that they could do.

Ahead was a large empty chamber with a stone door at the far end. As they crossed the chamber, a familiar yellow flower popped up to greet them.

"Howdy! You didn't forget your old pal Flowey, now did you? Golly, I'm so hurt!" Flowey smiled, "What, are you upset? She obviously didn't care about you anyways, if she's just letting you walk through here to your death. Monsters out there wouldn't hesitate to kill a human if they saw one."

Flowey stared at them, expecting a reaction.

They kept their face blank. His words stung, but they knew better than to give a bully any extra ammo.

"What, still not going to speak? That's fine. Just remember, in this world, it's kill or be killed. You don't have to talk, but there will be a time when you have to fight or die." Flowey grinned evilly, "I can't wait to see which you'll choose." He shrunk back into the stone floor and disappeared.

They made their way to the stone door and passed through. Once they were on the other side, they heard the grinding sound of rock sliding against rock. There was a small rumble, and everything was still. They gave the door an experimental push, but it didn't budge. They were locked out.

There was no turning back. They could only move forward and try not to die. If they got lucky, maybe they could find somewhere to hide out with a steady source of food.

They missed Toriel, but there was no way back. The only way they could go was forward.