Chapter 36

Unable to quit wringing her fingers, the now dressed up Frisk sat across from Mettaton as a makeup monster powdered his cheeks before scurrying off stage. Chara stood behind Mettaton, reading the show notes over his shoulder. Frisk's eyes flittered around the room, and she assumed she was in a ballroom of sorts.

The walk from her room to this set gave Frisk an idea where she was, even if she wasn't sure where exactly. The layout of the building reminded her of a castle, which Chara confirmed without her having to speak. When she made eye contact with him to ask, Chara explained, "I think we are in the castle in Waterfall. One of my fam—King Asgore's vacation homes. When the Ruins were called Home and Toriel and Asgore were together, the Ruins were another vacation spot. I guess Asgore gave up this castle, because it looks heavily renovated."

Now as Frisk sat across Mettaton with nothing but a wooden desk between them, she anticipated what was to come next. There was no way this would be a simple interview. Even if the purpose of Mettaton doing this was to make a spectacle of her, Frisk didn't relax for a second.

"Mettaton, we're ready!" shouted one of the producers.

"Big smiles, darling!" Mettaton told Frisk. "You're going to be on live TV! Everyone will get to see our smiling faces! Just remember, the more you smile the better you make me look!"

"I wish I could love myself just a fraction as much as Mettaton loves himself," Chara muttered.

Frisk didn't think Chara was trying to make her laugh, but she was nervous enough to find humor in the comment regardless. After her small laugh came and went, she kept her smile on her face. She hoped it looked all right.

It didn't take Chara a second to disprove her. "You look as if you are internally screaming."

That's because I am. Exhaling slowly, Frisk composed herself. She sat straight, crossed her legs, and placed her hands on her lap. You got this, Frisk. Play along, and maybe this won't end horribly.

"We're on in five, four, three," and the monster stopped speaking to mouth, "two, one."

"Good evening, beauties!" Mettaton exclaimed, his ever-present charisma just as visible on camera as it was off. "Welcome to our very special program. In case some of you missed my interview earlier this afternoon, don't worry! You can watch it on my UnderTube channel. But wait! Save it for commercial break, because my special guest is sitting here with me. You heard the rumors about a human Underground, and let me tell you: the rumors are all true!

"It has been thirty years since the last human fell Underground. Now we are just one soul away from the barrier being broken, and that last soul is right here! Tonight we will be hearing from the human publicly for the first time. Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Frisk Fox!"

While the applause sound effect – complete with cheering, screaming, and whistling – played, the camera zoomed in on Frisk. Making eye contact with the camera, Frisk smiled and waved. Her eyes traveled a bit to a screen she assumed showed what audiences at home saw, and she was more than grateful she didn't look half as awkward as she felt.

"Frisk Fox?" Chara sounded disbelieving. "I thought 'Ms. Fox' was just some sort of nickname."

"It's a pleasure to be here," Frisk said, ignoring Chara and trying to play the role of a joyful guest. She forced eye contact with Mettaton. "Thank you so much for having me."

"Thank you so much for joining us," Mettaton returned. "So, tell me, Ms. Fox – or do you prefer Frisk?"

"Frisk is fine."

"So, Ms. Fox, care to tell the audience where you're from."

Frisk opened her mouth, but Chara waving his arms frantically stopped her from speaking. She looked at Chara, her eyes gazing just above Mettaton's head.

"Don't talk about the Ruins, and don't mention Toriel," Chara warned.

Without waiting for an explanation, Frisk said, "I'm from the surface, of course."

"The surface?!" An ooooo-ing sound effect played. Mettaton leaned closer. "Tell me, darling, how does one from the surface find herself in Underground?"

"Texting and walking." A laughing sound effect now, and Frisk had to keep from laughing along with it. "Don't text and walk, kids! That's my public service announcement!"

"She's really killing it," Sans observed. He thought he would have to beg to see Frisk's interview with Mettaton, and he was prepared to if it actually came down to it. Except the bunny and dragon guards brought a TV down and set it up without being asked.

"We just thought you would want something to pass the time," the bunny had explained before they left. Undyne shouted her thanks, and even though they didn't reply, it was clear to Sans they wished they could do more for their former captain.

"Smart of her to play along," Undyne noted. "Mettaton would have strapped her to that chair and kept a flaming chainsaw over her head to get her to cooperate if he had to."

Frisk's act was convincing. Smiling, she answered Mettaton's questions and laughed at his jokes, even the bad ones. Being around Sans so often must have given her a lot of practice.

It was a massive relief Frisk kept her mouth shut about the Ruins and Toriel's passing. When the view changed to a zoomed back camera, Sans saw the locket around Frisk's neck. Chara must have warned her to keep that part of her past quiet.

Now instead of hearing Frisk talk about the Ruins, she talked about the surface. She answered all of Mettaton's questions, even if she had to take a moment to think about it. After spending half her life Underground, she probably struggled to remember life above the mountain the same way Sans sometimes did about his own universe.

"What about your bodyguards?" Mettaton inquired after he asked nearly every question there was to ask about the surface. "Former Captain of the Royal Guard Undyne and Sans the skeleton? They were joining you on your quest. They were protecting you. What did you do to gain such loyalty from such powerful, well-loved Reds?"

Sans watched Frisk chew her lower lip as she considered her answer.

"I brainwashed them," she finally announced. "I used my magic to make them want to protect me. After all, I'm just one human trapped Underground with a bunch of monsters. Might as well have the strongest ones guarding me."

"Interesting." Mettaton leaned forward. "Humans can't express themselves through magic, or so I have always been led to believe. Are we monsters wrong to assume humans can't use magic?"

"I'm a wizard," Frisk insisted. "Just like one of the wizards who trapped all of monsterkind under Mt. Ebott over one hundred and fifty years ago. Most humans can't use magic, but I'm an exception."

"What?" Undyne growled. "That punk can use magic? She brainwashed us?!"

"Calm down, Undyne," Sans replied. "You've watched one too many of Alphys's 'history documentaries.' Humans can't brainwash anyone. Not monsters, and not each other. Unless manipulation through genuine kindness counts as brainwashing, she's clearly lying."

"But why would she do that?"

"It's likely her way of saving us. Frisk is trying to make us look like victims instead of traitors. If she's going down, she's not going to take us with her."

Undyne considered San's words. "Will anyone believe her?"

"More likely. Humans are dangerous, after all."

Before Undyne could reply, someone entered the room. Mew Mew huffed as she dropped a box full of portfolios on the table. Turning to her prisoners, she said, "Hey, I could hear you from down the hall. Might want to do yourselves a favor and not speak such condemning information out loud."

"What do you want?" Undyne growled, fingers wrapped around the bars. "To gloat?"

"Ha! I wish." Mew Mew collapsed in the chair beside the table. "Despite how strongly it may seem, I really don't hate you, Undyne. Truth be told, a part of me still respects you. It's just getting compared to you all the time that drives me crazy."

"Then why are you here?" Undyne asked, speaking above the interview. Sans tried to focus on the show, but Mew Mew turned the volume down to mute.

"I need Sans's help," Mew Mew answered. She turned her attention to the shorter monster. "Listen, pal, I've been up the past two nights going through Alphys's files, and I can't find anything that will help access the Core."

Sans's spine went rigid. "And you're telling me this because?"

"Because I know you can get past whatever barrier that's keeping me out."

"Sans, is this true?" Sans heard Undyne's voice crack. She sounded as if she wanted him to deny it. Well, he wanted a hot bath, a large meal, and a weeklong nap, but he wasn't getting that either.

"I was going to check the system myself while everyone else 'searched for what was wrong,'" Sans admitted, feeling sick with himself.

Even though she couldn't use her magic, Undyne still had enough strength to shove him from behind and slam him into the prison bars. Cursing, Sans held his head and glared at Undyne. Her teeth were bared.

"Why not just tell us you could fix the issue by yourself!" she snapped. "It would have saved us so much trouble. Now look where we are! Frisk is being interviewed by a narcissist maniac, and Papyrus and the others—"

"Are safe," Mew Mew interrupted. When Sans and Undyne looked at her, Mew Mew shrugged and said, "After we noticed they escaped, I decided to let them go. Let Papyrus take the kids home. They don't need to be involved in this, anyway."

"So nobody is going after them?"

"I didn't just give my men strict orders to leave Papyrus and anyone with him alone. I commanded they offer help if Papyrus needed it. Hell, those four broke into a tech store and made off with a TV. My men kept wandering civilians out of the way to avoid witnesses. At least Papyrus is the kind of guy to leave money behind to pay for the damage and stolen good."

Undyne fell back into the prison bars at Mew Mew's words, closed her eye, and exhaled.

"Now, I did have you taken prisoner to return to King Asgore," Mew Mew stated, and Undyne visibly tensed. "Maybe he won't still want to have you executed, or maybe he will. How things continue on from here will depend whether I speak in your favor.

"As for you," Mew Mew returned her attention to Sans, "you're going to have to look through the Core's system to fix the internal cooling mechanism."

"Why not just let me do it in the first place if you knew I could and also knew that I was going to the Core anyway?" Sans challenged.

"Pride," Mew Mew responded, shrugging. "I wanted to be the one to fix the problem. I wanted to be the hero. When I couldn't do it with the passwords I have, I tried going through Alphys's things in hopes to find something. I mean, I did find a lot of stories about her and Undyne being in love and living together, but that information was useless to me."

Undyne made a choking sound in her throat. Sans didn't spare her a glance.

"I'm your last resort." Sans didn't have to question it.

"Yep," Mew Mew admitted.

"You can't save the day, so now you want me to do it for you."

"I know it sounds awful and selfish, but that's exactly the case."

"You killed Queen Toriel."

Mew Mew narrowed her eyes at the skeleton, but then she sighed as she looked away. "I won't say I do or don't regret it, but it was a terrible mistake. Blinded by fury for her supporting Chara despite all he did and blinded by my desire to kill the Blue's symbol, I didn't act rationally. I can't say things would be different if I could go back and think things through, but it was an act of emotion and not logic."

Possibly too shocked at the revelation to speak, Undyne remained silent. Sans had nothing else to say. However, Mew Mew wasn't done talking.

"I know the human hates me for killing her mother. Truth is, that makes us alike, her and I. Gives me a sense of melancholy knowing what King Asgore plans to do with her."

"Wait a second," Undyne said, putting the pieces together aloud. "You killed Queen Toriel. You killed Frisk's mother. Those two are one in the same, aren't they?"

Mew Mew blinked. "I thought you already knew."

"Turns out there's a hell of a lot I don't know." Undyne glared at Sans as she spoke but didn't slam his head against the bars again.

"The fewer who know, the better," Mew Mew stated. " Although I may have told a few about my encounter with the human, I kept such secrets to myself. If the Blues knew for a fact the queen is dead, they will proclaim her a martyr. Not exactly wrong, if I'm being honest. More so, if they knew Toriel adopted yet another human, they will call that human Toriel's heir. With Toriel's heir out and about, who knows what they would do."

When she said those words, Mew Mew revealed that she knew what Sans did. "You don't want to risk a civil war."

"What good would it do but fill the Underground with dust? Enough talk of this." Mew Mew stood. "Now, are you going to come willingly to look at the Core's system, or do I have to drag you by the hood of your jacket?"

"Oh, you are such a delight!" Mettaton exclaimed after Frisk told him about her impressions of the Underground and how "handsome their biggest star is." Mettaton laughed. "Ms. Fox, you have such fine taste."

Frisk waved her hand in an "it's not really a big deal" gesture. "Honestly though, the Underground is such a delight. I love what monsters did with the place."

"Exactly!" Mettaton said. "Imagine what we could do on the surface!"

Freezing, Frisk forced her smile to remain on her face. There was nothing Frisk could say to reply to that. Agreeing would be as good as giving up her soul, but disagreeing would easily make her an enemy in the eyes of everyone watching. There was no win situation in sight. Her eyes slid to Chara, and she silently pleaded for help.

Fortunately, Chara was a lot better at this than she was. "Tell them you would love to see it."

"Whatever monsters do will be absolutely amazing," Frisk said. "Oh, how I would so love to see what you all do with the surface!"

It was Mettaton's turn to keep his forced smile. Leaning forward, Frisk grinned as she rested her chin on her palm. She knew Mettaton wasn't stupid, and he knew neither was she. At that point, her strategy was to be as likable as possible. Perhaps if the public adored her, it would be harder for anyone to get away with killing her.

If Frisk was adored, Mettaton would not look good threatening her. He already wasn't in the position since this interview had been his idea. As rude as it is to kill a guest, killing a guest one's fans loved would not go down well at all.

In his plan to seek fame from her presence, Mettaton backed himself into a corner. His forced smile revealed that he knew it. Frisk's growing one told him she was just aware about it as he was.

"Well, Ms. Fox, that will be the day," Mettaton finally said. "Before we say goodnight to our lovely audience, I want to discuss why I brought you here."

Frisk blinked, her only cue that she pretended to not know what Mettaton talked about.

"As my fellow monsters can confirm, we want to know what humans are made of," Mettaton began. "That is why for the next three nights, I have three trials for you to compete in!"

Placing a hand on her heart, Frisk exclaimed, "Really? How exciting! What kind of trials?"

"Nuh-uh," Mettaton wagged a finger, "I can't spoil anything for my dear lovelies at home. However, I will say you shall be competing against me in my best performances."

"Oh, I can't wait!" Now, time to make it official. "What do I get if I win?"

It was only for half a second, but Mettaton's smile faltered. Chara chuckled. Trying to maintain herself, Frisk bit her lip to keep from reacting further.

"If you win one trial," Mettaton said, this time making it sound as if her winning was even possible, "I will give you a wish. Win two trials, and I will give you two wishes."

Almost there. "What if I somehow managed to win all three?"

Mettaton hesitated, "Win all three . . . No! No, I must keep it a surprise. I am a star with standards, and those standards include not spoiling my beautiful, adoring fans – as well as my special guests – of the best surprises. Where's the fun in that?!"

Well, close enough. "You're right. Let's not ruin the surprise." Frisk smiled again, revealing all her teeth. "When do we begin?"

"Tomorrow" was supposed to be the answer, so she nearly fell out of her seat when Mettaton said, "Let's have one now! Not a trial trial, but a pre-trial. Give the audience a taste of what's to come!"

"Uh, oh." Chara said it.

Straightening in her chair, Frisk asked, "All right, what shall the pre-trial be?"

"Something simple," Mettaton answered. "Oh, I know. A game show!"

"A game show?" It sounded easy enough, so Frisk knew to be worried. "What kind of game?"

"A quiz show!" Mettaton's excitement sprouted dread in Frisk. "Answer correctly, and all will be fine. Answer wrong . . ."

Frisk yelped. She didn't know where it came from, but something zapped her. The electricity ran through her body, jolting down muscles and bones and nerves like an angry animal. Although it passed quickly, Frisk had to press her hands onto her lap to hide their quivering. It took her a moment to regain enough motor control in her mouth to speak.

"What was that?" she asked, her tongue and lips feeling a little numb.

"Just a small taste of what you will get if you answer any questions wrong," Mettaton answered, a smug look on his face. "Don't worry, gorgeous, this is a multiple choice quiz. You will have a one in four chance of getting the answers right. However, for each one you get wrong, you will feel that shock again, only for the real thing it will be increased tenfold!"

Still tasting sparks in her mouth, Frisk struggled to say, "Isn't that a little . . . deadly?"

"Of course!" Mettaton exclaimed. "I have to raise the stakes somehow. Try not to get any wrong, okay?"

Mettaton had the nerve to wink as he said that last part. Taking a deep breath, Frisk prepped herself for what was to come. As Mettaton pulled up a tablet of sorts, a screen appeared between them and opened up to a logo of the show. Frisk gulped. When Chara called her attention, she shifted her gaze above Mettaton's head.

"He's got the answers right here," Chara told her. "Just repeat what I tell you, Stripes. I promise this will not end with your being barbecued. Just trust me."

Trust Chara? He would seem like the first person to want to see me fried!

"We'll start with an easy one," Mettaton began. "What's the prize for answering correctly."

Four options appeared on the screen along with a countdown. A. Money, B. Mercy, C. New Car, D. More Questions. Frisk didn't need Chara to give the answer to that one.

"D, More Questions," Frisk stated.

"Right!" Mettaton exclaimed. "Sounds like you get it! Here's your prize: What's the king's full name?"

Grinning widely, Frisk declared, "Asgore Dreemurr!" I knew all that reading would pay off one day.

There was another easy question – "What are robots made out of?" "B, Metal and Magic." – and then Mettaton quit playing around.

Reading out this insane math problem, Mettaton could barely contain his excitement as he read each word. When he came to the end, Mettaton nearly laughed. Frisk must have looked as lost as she felt.

"Can you repeat the question?" Frisk requested.

"Nope!" Mettaton sang as her options were displayed on screen.

"D!" Chara shouted.

It's not as if I have any better guesses. "D," Frisk echoed.

Mettaton's eye twitched, and Frisk knew she was right.

"Wonderful! I'm astounded, folks!" he cried out. Then he muttered, "Lucky guess," as he prepared the next question.

Frisk looked over his head to see Chara giving her a thumbs up. In return, she offered a subtle nod. This was far from over.

"How many flies are in this jar?"

"A, fifty-four."

"In the dating simulation game 'Mew Mew Kissy Cutie,' what is Mew Mew's favorite food?"

"C, snail ice cream."

"How many letters are in 'Mettaton'?"

Frisk's heart sank as the last n began multiplying, turning "Mettaton" into "Mettatonnnnnnnnnnnnn" and so on.

"C!" Chara exclaimed, sounding almost . . . excited.

He's going to get me killed soon, isn't he? "Uh, C?"

Mettaton's jaw barely moved as he said, "Correct."

A few questions later, Mettaton asked, "How about a memory game? What monster is this?"

The picture displayed was half the face of a Froggit. Frisk was about to answer such when Chara shouted, "It's D!"

Reading the options again, Frisk looked at Chara through her peripheral and furrowed her brows. As she pretended to contemplate her answer, she hoped Chara got her unspoken message.

I grew up in the Ruins, remember? You can't tell me that's not a Froggit.

Whether or not he got the message, Chara repeated, "Just trust me."

Frisk opened her mouth, prepared to shout "Froggit!" Then she remembered the last time Chara tried to help her and she, distrusting him, did the exact opposite of what he said and got herself killed. Now was the moment of truth. Either Frisk could learn to trust him again despite everything, or she should stick to her insistence that people don't change. Only they do, and Chara wanted to prove to her that he, too, was capable of becoming a better person.

Taking a deep breath, Frisk answered, "D, Mettaton."

When the picture zoomed out, Frisk nearly choked when she saw the whole picture was of Mettaton wearing a Froggit T-shirt.

"I'm so flattered you remembered!" Mettaton obviously wasn't flattered. Clearing his throat, he said, "Okay, but can you get this one? Would you smooch a ghost?"

As the countdown began, Frisk read over all four answers thrice. They were all the same. "Heck Yeah!" She looked at Chara, who shrugged with his palms in the air. For this question, his guess was as good as hers.

With more enthusiasm than she intended, Frisk shouted, "Heck yeah!"

"Great answer! I love it!" Mettaton turned to the camera, thanked his audience for watching, promised "More drama! More romance! More bloodshed!" to come with the first trial at eight o'clock sharp tomorrow evening, blew a kiss, and wished them a good night. After the director and producers began putting everything away, Mettaton turned to Frisk, and his smile fell. "I don't know how you knew all the answers, but I know it wasn't dumb luck."

"I'm a wizard," Frisk reminded Mettaton of the statement he didn't know was false. "There are plenty of things I know that I shouldn't."

Grinning wickedly, Mettaton said, "Well, gorgeous, we'll see how much your wizarding powers help you in our cooking show tomorrow. Guards! Return Ms. Fox to her room. She's going to need a night's long sleep to prepare her for what we have in store."

Frisk stumbled over herself as she was "ushered" into her room. Muttering profanities as the door slammed closed behind her, Frisk yanked off her shoes and tossed them at the closet.

"My, my, such foul language from a pretty mouth," Chara said, sitting on the bed. "That was really fun! We should do it again sometime."

Eyeing Chara on the bed, Frisk asked. "How can you sit on a bed or a chair or the ground when you can't touch anything to begin with?"

Chara shrugged as he answered, "I really don't know. I choose to not question it."

"Do you ever have need to sit down?"

"I can't feel my legs, so it's not as if they're ever tired. However, sometimes it gets pretty awkward standing around all the time. I have to mix it up now and again."

Silently, Frisk walked into the closet and changed into a nightgown. It wasn't her type of sleepwear, but she didn't see any shorts or T-shirts within the closet. Emerging, Frisk dropped the ring on the counter, pulled the book of fairytales from her pack, and crashed onto the bed.

"Why did you have this on you?" Chara asked, eyes locked onto his ring.

"No reason, really," Frisk answered. "I guess I just don't want to leave it lying around."

"If you're going to carry it with you, Stripes, you need to be extremely careful."

"Why, is it dangerous?"

Chara didn't respond. He remained sitting at the foot of Frisk's bed. Although she opened her book to read, she found she didn't want to start a story.

Shoving away her pride, Frisk put the book down and said, "Thank you, for helping me back there. I would have been electrocuted a hundred times over before even coming halfway close to passing that game show. I'm . . . I'm also sorry, Chara, for what I said earlier. You're right. I really am a hypocrite."

Since Chara didn't turn around, Frisk couldn't look at his face to try to figure out what he was thinking. She attempted to swallow, but her mouth was dry. It must have been a few minutes before Chara replied.

"I understand. Let's be fair, I did give you every reason Underground to not trust me. It was rather foolish of me to think you would believe my desire to start helping you so suddenly was genuine."

"But you're right to say I judged you differently than I judged the others. Forgiveness was freely given to everyone but you, and regardless of what you or anyone else has done, it isn't right. Not when so many people are guilty of the same sin."

"This doesn't mean you suddenly trust me now, I assume?"

"Well . . . , no. However, I'm willing to try. After all, how many times tonight could you have let me get myself electrocuted? If you're done trying to kill me, I can't see why I should continue to hold it against you."

Silence, and then, "What if I accidentally get you killed? Accidents happen."

"There just better not be any accidents, then."

"You strike a hard bargain, Stripes."

"Think of it as baby steps."

Chara didn't reply, and there was nothing left to say. Sitting on the bed, she tried again to read the book. However, her mind was filled with too much for Frisk to focus. Where are the others? Are they all right? What's happening to them? What kind of cooking competition does Mettaton have in mind that he put "bloodshed" in the promo? Have Chara and I screwed up too much to ever become anything close to friends?

Sighing, Frisk closed the book and set it on the nightstand. She turned off the lamp and tried to go to sleep, but she had no better luck at sleeping than she did reading. With a groan, Frisk buried her face in her pillow to smother her tears.

"Can't sleep?"

"Sorry," Frisk mumbled, picking her head up and wiping her face. "I should take the locket off so you're not stuck with nothing to do all night."

"No, keep it on," Chara suggested. "I have a feeling you won't be able to sleep if there's no one keeping watch to make sure Mettaton doesn't try anything tonight."

Not wanting to admit Chara was right, Frisk said, "I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight even if you're here keeping watch."

Chara finally stood from the foot of her bed. He walked around, sat on the side opposite of her, and swung his legs onto the mattress. Lying down, he folded his hands over his stomach and stared at the ceiling.

"What are you doing?!" Frisk demanded, trying not to shout. "You can't lie on my bed. It's inappropriate, number one. Number two—"

"Does it even count as inappropriate when we are literally incapable of touching each other?" Chara smirked. "Of course, you did say you would smooch a ghost, and I am practically a ghost. If you're worried my being so close to you is this tempting—"

"Shut up!" Frisk threw a pillow at him, but of course it flew through his face and onto the floor. Grumbling, Frisk got up to retrieve the pillow. By the time she was back in bed, Chara had ceased laughing.

"You're so cute when you're flustered," he had the nerve to say.

Frisk's cheeks did not stop burning. If anything, they got even hotter. "As if I'd ever want to 'smooch' you."

"Feeling's mutual, Stripes. You can calm down now."

Begrudgingly, Frisk threw the covers back over herself and turned away from Chara. His lack of body heat and weight on the bed made it easy to forget he was there. Yet somehow Frisk's heart would not stop pounding.

"I can tell you a story, to help you fall asleep," Chara quietly offered a few minutes later. "If you want, that is."

Recalling Chara's last story, Frisk asked, "Is it a happy story?"

"I heard your favorite childhood memory. It's only fair I tell you mine," Chara answered. As if an afterthought, "It's a happy story. I promise, no murder."

Frisk pretended to think about it before she said, "Okay."

"It was shortly after I fell Underground," Chara began. "I was ten, but that's just a minor detail. This was back when nobody knew what to do with me, this random human. I mean, for nearly half a century nobody so much as said the word human because it was nothing but a word of evil, and next thing anyone knows, a human child just falls through a massive hole in the mountain right outside of Home."

Out of curiosity, Frisk interrupted to ask, "Would that happen to be the same hole I fell down?"

Chara hesitated before he answered, "Yes."

"The golden flowers broke my fall. It's such a good thing they're there to soften the landing."

"They weren't there when I fell."

There was something about those words that made Frisk pinch her brows together. She turned on her side so she could watch Chara, whose eyes were closed as he recounted the memories. Before she could ask about the flowers, he continued his story.

"Asriel was the one to find me, and he brought me to his parents. They took me in while I recovered. Your bedroom in the Ruins . . . that was my 'hospital room' for a few days. Every day, while Toriel insisted I stay in bed, Asriel would visit and spend hours with me. I told him about the surface, and he told me about Underground. We played board games and card games and games with some of his toys. Asriel and I became fast friends. The day Toriel said I could go outside, he took me bug hunting."

Recalling her own times bug hunting in the Ruins, Frisk smiled.

"I didn't know until much later that the whole time I was recovering," Chara continued, "Asgore had contacted some of his most trusted friends and advisors to tell them about me. Do you know if a monster absorbs a human soul, that monster can cross the barrier? That's what some of the monsters wanted to do with me."

Freezing, Frisk breathed in slowly. She heard about breaking the barrier, but not about a monster absorbing a human soul to cross it. Afraid to break the spell Chara was under, she didn't speak or move.

"Asgore forbade anyone from ever hurting me," Chara said, his words carrying a weight with them. "He never told me this story himself, but he was quoted to have unpleasant things planned for anyone who dare defy him and lay hands on me."

"Someone did though, didn't they?" Frisk asked before biting her lip, cursing herself for letting her thoughts pass her lips.

Chara hesitated a heartbeat before answering, "A couple did, but this is a happy story. Those aren't happy stories.

"Anyway . . . After I was well and Asgore returned to Home, they sat me down and asked me what I wanted to do. I think they were afraid to break the news to me that I wouldn't be able to leave. They looked so sad, I spent nights wondering why they looked so devastated when they first asked me the question. Toriel mentioned how worried my family must be, and Asriel, who was supposed to be in the bedroom, ran out crying.

"Asriel sobbed and pleaded with Toriel and Asgore to not send me away. I was his best friend, and they couldn't send away his best friend. It was a heart wrenching sight to behold. Here I was, afraid they were going to get rid of me, and this small goat child is in tears begging his parents to not make me go away. For the first time in my life, someone really cared about me. It didn't take long for me to start crying too.

"I don't remember how long it took Toriel and Asgore to calm us down. When we reduced our crying to sniffling, Toriel again asked me if I had a family to go back to. I answered I had no family. Before she could ask what I wanted to do, I answered by hugging her waist and insisting I wanted nothing more than to stay with them.

"It was settled that easily. The Dreemurrs adopted me. There was no paperwork to be done or anything, so all it took to make it official was Toriel telling me my new name is Chara Dreemurr and insisting I call her 'Mother.' Oh, and Asgore announcing it to the whole kingdom, but whatever. That night, before we went to bed, Asriel snuck into my room and sat on my bed. With the biggest smile on his face, he said we were more than best friends now. We were brothers. It was the most beautiful thing I ever heard."

Frisk didn't realize how close she was to Chara until he was done talking. As he spoke, she leaned closer and closer, mesmerized by his tale. The whole time, he sounded to be washed away by the memories, half there with her and half back living a life much simpler than now.

"You miss him, don't you?" Frisk asked, her words barely above a whisper. "Asriel?"

Opening his eyes, Chara looked at her answered even softer, "Every minute of every day."

"I'm sorry. I mean, I get those are useless words, but . . . I wish there was something I could do, to let you know I feel your pain and would share it with you if I could. Nobody should have to lose someone so close to them."

It was a moment before Chara said, "You're the first person to tell me that they're sorry. Yes, those are useless words, but . . . definitely a pleasant change from all the condemnation I received for his death."

"You didn't kill him." Frisk didn't phrase it like a question.

"I may have not held the weapon, but he died as a result of my actions. My mistakes got Asriel killed. No matter how you look at it, his death was my fault."

Frisk didn't know what overcame her, but she reached out. What she did without thinking was try to take Chara's hand in her own, but her fingers phased through his. Pulling away, Frisk took a deep breath and hung her hand in the air to create the illusion that she rested her hand on top of both of his.

In response, Chara moved his top hand, and Frisk brought her arm back to her side. After Chara lied his arm between them, palm upwards, he remained motionless. Understanding, Frisk again reached out. Although they couldn't touch, they appeared to be holding hands. It was the closest thing to comfort Frisk could offer.

"I would give anything just to tell him how sorry I am," Chara whispered. "Although there's always been a piece of him with me . . . it's not enough."

Not having a response, Frisk stared at Chara. Her eyelids began to grow heavy, but she refused to close her eyes. At least not for another moment.

"Stripes?" Chara gently called.

Frisk must have been more asleep than she thought, because it took more effort than it should have for her to respond, "Hmm?"

"I lied earlier."

Before she could ask about what, Frisk fell asleep, Chara by her side, her hand falling through his.