FriskTale
The next day, Asriel and Frisk went to go play with their friends. But before they did that, Frisk wanted to try and show Asriel the glowing stars. If he could remember things, maybe he could see them. He didn't act like they existed, but for all Frisk knew, he just didn't pay them any mind.
"So, what do these 'glowing stars' look like?" Asriel asked.
"They look like glowing stars," Frisk answered. "They're gold and they spin in place." Frisk found the first one just outside the house. "This, right here." They pointed to it. "See it?"
Asriel squinted hard, but Frisk could tell he didn't. "Um… no."
Frisk sighed.
"Is there really one right in front of me?" Asriel asked.
"Yep. They're all over the Underground. Though they only appear in certain places," Frisk answered. "I'm not sure what makes them appear where they do. It's almost random. But they never change places, though. They always stay in the same place."
"Wow," Asriel said. "And when you die, you show up right next to one, like the last one you touched?"
"Yep," Frisk confirmed.
"Wow. They're kind of like Save Points in those games we play," Asriel said.
Frisk blinked. That sounded logical, but the words tickled something in the back of their mind. "Yeah. Never thought of it like that before."
"It's really cool," Asriel said. "So, shall we go play with our friends?"
"Yeah, let's do."
They showed up at New Home's playground. They waited by the swing set for Noelle and the others to show up. But Noelle showed up late. Asriel was worried when she didn't show up on time, but Frisk was able to guess why when Noelle's group arrived. It was her, MK, Susie, Kanako, and a blue bird Monster Frisk hadn't seen before but could guess who it was.
"Who's that?" Asriel asked, motioning to Berdly.
"I can take a wild guess," Frisk said. "And I think you can, too."
"I can?"
"Come on, who else knows Noelle and used to follow her around all the time?" Frisk said.
A look of realization passed across Asriel's face as he put the pieces together. "Oh. Did you ask him to join us?"
"No."
The conversation ended when Noelle's group came in earshot. "Hi, Asriel," she said.
"Hi, Noelle. Who's your friend?" Asriel asked, pointing to the bird.
"My name is Berdly," he said with a snobbish voice. "I decided to join dearest Noelle and company on their regular playdate."
"He showed up and wouldn't take no for an answer," Susie said.
Frisk huffed. They hadn't wanted Berdly to join their group. But he was here now, and they had guessed he would show up eventually. "Well, in that case, let's decide what we're going to do first," Frisk suggested.
"Indeed. As the smartest, I shall make the pick," Berdly said.
"Pretty sure Frisk is the smartest," Asriel said.
"Nonsense. They don't look that intelligent."
Frisk glared at Berdly when he said that. They were used to hearing the insult, but it still stung.
"Hey, be nice," Kanako said.
"Why should I?" Berdly said.
"Susie, clamp his beak shut, would you?" Frisk requested.
"Okay."
Before anyone could react, Susie wrapped her hand around Berdly's beak.
"Now look, you barged in here without asking us," Frisk said. "The least you could do is be polite."
"Mm mut," Berdly retorted.
"Or you could see how strong Susie really is," Frisk flippantly said. "Firsthand."
Berdly looked at Susie, who was showing off her yellow teeth. "Mm-may. Mm mmm mr mnt."
"You can let go now," Frisk said.
Susie let go of Berdly's beak, allowing him to breathe again.
"Okay. Suggestions. What should we play?" Frisk asked.
"Hide-and-seek!" MK said, skipping.
"I want to do that, too," Asriel seconded.
"Any objections?" Frisk asked. When no one did, it was decided. "Okay, now to pick the seeker." Frisk and Asriel hopped off the swings, the seven standing in a circle.
Berdly wasn't exactly fun to play with. He kept thinking he was the best person around, boasting about his gaming prowess. It took a lot of effort to not snap at him. Frisk found it hard to be patient with the bird. Eventually, the time came where everyone had to go home. Frisk and Asriel bid farewell to their friends, with Berdly transparently planning to come back.
Once home, Asriel flopped down on the nearest cushion he could find, which was his mom's chair. "Ugh… Berdly's so annoying," he complained.
"No kidding," Frisk agreed, flopping on Asgore's chair. "I just hope he smartens up."
"We're not seriously going to put up with him, are we?" Asriel asked.
"Unfortunately, we'll have to," Frisk said. "You saw him, he's clearly planning to join again."
Asriel let out an all-suffering sigh. "Just the few hours were bad. How did Noelle put up with him?"
"Good question," Frisk said.
A moment later, they heard heavy footsteps as Toriel walked up. "Greetings, my children. Did your day go well?"
"Define 'well'," Asriel snipped.
Toriel looked between them to see them face down in the chairs. "Did something go wrong?" she asked.
"Just a frustrating bluebird," Frisk answered. "Nothing you need to worry about."
"Did he pick on you?" Toriel asked.
"No. He's just annoying," Asriel answered.
Toriel hummed. Neither one seemed sad, so she decided it wasn't worth getting upset over. "Okay. Oh, Frisk, during supper, Asgore has something he wants to tell you."
Frisk gave her a thumbs up. She left them, going back to the kitchen. When she was gone, Frisk finally lifted their head. "So, your dad has something to tell me?" Frisk questioned. "Wonder what it is."
"I hope he's not upset with you," Asriel said, sitting up as well.
Frisk doubted that. Whatever it was, it must not be bad if he wanted the rest of the family to hear it.
Supper was pie once more. While Toriel had shown she could bake many things, pie was always her favorite. Frisk was used to eating it for supper every night and at this point had come to expect it. Asgore showed up in time to eat.
While Frisk was working through the first slice of their pie, they saw Asgore discuss something with Toriel, showing her something that made her smile. She kissed her husband on the cheek, which made Asriel groan.
When Frisk had finished their first slice and began carving their second, Asgore decided to speak now. "Frisk, I have something to tell you. I think you'll like it."
Frisk looked in Asgore's direction to show they were listening.
"Well, my wife and I have discussed it, and we think you've adjusted quite nicely to living here with us," Asgore began. "You've been a big help on occasion and Asriel has clearly taken after you." He motioned to the identical wardrobe the two of them had now. "You've been a big influence on him as well, and you consider this place your home."
Frisk nodded. It was great, living with the Dreemurrs. Like a dream they've had for years was finally fulfilled.
"Toriel and I have talked, and we decided to make you a part of this family," Asgore continued.
Frisk felt their heart flutter at those words. Did he mean…
"We have decided to formally adopt you," Asgore announced, which made Asriel freeze up in surprise. Asgore lifted his arm, placing a set of papers down on the table. "These papers are adoption forms. If you want to be a part of this family, simply sign them and by tomorrow, you'll be Frisk Dreemurr."
Frisk looked down at the sheets, trying to comprehend what was going on. Adoption. Adoption. It was so surreal Frisk thought for a moment it was a dream. If it was then they never wanted to wake up. The gesture Asgore and Toriel were making touched Frisk on a level they weren't prepared for. Tears began falling from their eyes.
"Frisk, you okay?" Asriel asked, seeing their tears.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," they assured. "I'm just…" They couldn't get the words out. Why did their throat suddenly feel so tight? They tried to get their emotions under control, but it wasn't working. They just sat there and cried for several minutes. Asgore and Toriel were confused for a moment until they saw Frisk's smile. Toriel pat Frisk on the head, gently stroking them to help them calm down.
Eventually, Frisk managed to regain their composure, but a few tears still fell from their eyes. A pen was already lying next to the documents. Frisk picked it up and signed them. Once done, Asgore took the papers.
"Splendid. I'll get these filed and we'll tell the Underground tomorrow," Asgore stated.
"Y-you don't have to," Frisk said, still overcome with emotion.
"As we are the royal family, the people will need to know about our choice," Toriel informed. "We did the same thing when Asriel was born."
Frisk just nodded in response. They tried to get back to their food, but it was hard as they were still crying. "I… uh, I'll be in our room," they said. They got up and walked to the room they shared with Asriel. They sat down on the floor, hugging a pillow to their chest.
They hadn't been prepared for that. They should have seen it coming, Asgore and Toriel never showed any signs of giving Frisk away or looking for someplace else for them to stay. They loved Frisk's company and so did Asriel, whom they got along with. It made sense that they would eventually adopt them. Frisk just didn't think it'd actually happen. They thought they'd simply live with the Dreemurrs as a guest, not for the parents to eventually adopt them. It took Frisk completely by surprise. It also meant that they'd never have to see him again. They were free. That comforted them more than they thought it could. It meant that they'd never be hurt again. This was home now.
And yet, when they thought that bit, a small part of them felt sad. Why did it make them sad?
Frisk heard a knock at the door, and a moment later Asriel stepped in, their second slice on a plate in his hand.
"Hey, you didn't finish your pie," he said. He sat down across from them, handing them the plate. They took it and began eating, the tears having dried up enough that they could eat without the salty taste. "Are you really okay?" Asriel asked.
"Yeah, just… overwhelmed," Frisk answered. "I… I hadn't expected your parents to do that."
"But you're happy, right?" Asriel asked.
"Yes, completely," Frisk answered. "It just… it's a lot, okay. I'm happy your parents love me enough to adopt me. It just… it was so much so abruptly. It's like a dream, a wish that was finally fulfilled."
"You're that happy?" Asriel asked.
"Asriel, my life before sucked, okay?" Frisk said. "Don't ask how bad, it was just… it was pure shit. But this life is pure fantasy. I'm so happy, being adopted by the nicest family I've ever seen just made me so happy."
Asriel smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're happy. For a while there, I thought mom and dad adopting you upset you for some reason."
"No, far from it," Frisk insisted.
Asriel reached over and wiped some of their tears away. "Come on, Frisk, don't cry. Big kids don't cry."
"What? Who told you that?" Frisk jokingly asked.
Asriel looked like he was about to answer, only to look confused again. "I'm not sure."
Frisk chuckled. "Asriel, it's okay to cry. You have to let it out, otherwise it just builds up and you break."
Asriel shrugged. "If you say so. Oh, dad said that tomorrow, he'll finally have your bed. So, this will be the last time you either sleep on the floor or share my bed."
Frisk smiled. "That's good to hear."
The next day, Asgore made the announcement, with Frisk present before the entire Underground. They stood next to Asriel, who stood between his parents. The Monsters below the balcony cheered for them. Frisk saw nothing but smiles from the Underground. Afterward, Frisk got several handshakes and congratulations from the Monsters. They were happy Frisk found such a wonderful family to live with.
When Frisk met up with their friends later that day, they all gave them their congratulations. Berdly though seemed to be in shock.
"How was I supposed to know that they were living with the king and queen?" he defended.
"Dude, they live with Asriel, and he's their son," Susie pointed out.
Berdly kept trying to come up with some excuse to apologize for his rude behavior to them. He kept insisting that if he had known they lived with the royal family he would have shown a little more courtesy.
Frisk ultimately decided to accept the apology and afterward he proved to be a lot nicer. Apparently, that's what it took to humble him.
The rest of the day was uneventful. But as Frisk played with their friends, they kept getting a sense that something was off. They had a new family, Asriel was now their brother, but still a small part of them was screaming "wrong". They weren't sure what it was. What was wrong? They were where they belonged, they knew it deep down to their bones.
Frisk spent the next few days trying to figure out what was wrong. It wasn't the Dreemurrs, they were right. It wasn't their friends, that was right. It wasn't the Monsters, that was right. And yet as they walked around the Underground, they kept getting the feeling that something about all this was wrong. But what was it?
Frisk walked through the lower levels of the Dreemurr's home, which was now their home. They still couldn't shake the feeling that something about all this was wrong, and yet everything else was right. So, what was the problem? It wasn't until they came across the Throne Room that they began to figure it out. When they looked at it, they felt a small tingle in their Soul. They walked through it, and they had a brief flash of something. Like they had been here many times before, trepidation filling them. They walked past it, a voice going on in their head that sounded like Asgore. When they came to the other side and found the gateway, the feeling of "wrong" intensified.
They walked through the archway, arriving in a place they barely recalled and yet knew all too well: The Barrier. They walked up to the magical seal, placing a hand on it, feeling the repelling force of the wall keep them from passing through.
As they looked at it, the feeling reached a peak. What was it about the Barrier that felt wrong? Maybe because it kept the Monsters trapped? But why would that elicit a sense of…
Suddenly, it clicked in Frisk's mind. This place, it was what was wrong. They thought of it as a home, but it wasn't a home. It was a prison. The Monsters were imprisoned here a long time ago because people had feared them. It wasn't right for them to be trapped down here. It wasn't right for the Monsters to be jailed for all eternity just because they were different.
Frisk wanted to help them. They wanted to free the Monsters so they could see the sun. But it wasn't possible. Alphys said that they needed seven human Souls to break the seal. They were only one, and there was no way to get six more because of the Barrier. No one could cross it.
Something about that thought tickled the back of Frisk's mind. They tried to focus on the feeling this time. Why did something about that last statement ring false to them. They tried to bring up whatever was wrong.
It took a bit of effort, but then they recalled the last time they had been here. They had died so suddenly that they had blocked the memory. But wait, how did that happen? There hadn't been anything here to hurt them.
They concentrated, trying to bring up the traumatic memory. It hurt to relive it, but they had to know. How did they die?
They had started falling through the Barrier, but then it had cut them in two. That's how they died, because they had started to… wait. That couldn't be right. They weren't strong enough to cross through the Barrier, so how could it have killed them?
They focused harder, trying to bring up details of the event.
They remembered Asriel. He had come to get them for supper. They had talked, he grabbed their hand…
Then they died.
But how? How did they suddenly cross the Barrier?
Asriel grabbed their hand.
And they fell through.
…Could it be?
End of Chapter 7