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"Again!"
"Ngyah!"
The flimsy blue pole lunged at the King, who dodged it deftly. His own trident swept down.
"Aah!"
The young girl lay face down on the mat, her sharp teeth biting into it. If her words were audible, Asgore might have blushed.
"Here," he said kindly, offering a hand to help her get to her feet.
"Damn- I mean darn it! I thought I remembered the order! Thrust-Guard-Turn-Parry-Spin-Thrust!"
"Ah, I see the problem. It is Guard-Thrust-Guard-Turn-Parry-Spin-Dodge-Thrust. You start with Guard, not Thrust. Also you left out Dodge."
"Really? When the heck is dodging important?"
"Well, I dodged your thrust, didn't I?"
Undyne frowned. "Yeah, okay. I hate this stupid thing, though! I don't even know what it is yet! Can't we keep sparring with the wooden weapons?"
"Undyne, you will only reach your potential by fashioning a weapon of your own, you know this."
"But it's so flimsy!"
"Patience. It is definitely sturdier than it was last week. I daresay you could slice something with it if you keep practising."
Undyne kept her scowl, but it was accompanied by a brightened eye.
"Just you wait. I'll beat you one day!"
"I'm sure you will," he said sincerely, "but for now, how about a break? Tea?"
"...yeah, okay."
In all honesty, she hadn't liked the tea Asgore brewed on their breaks. She preferred Gerson's Sea Tea. However, even though that was still the case, Golden Flower Tea was growing on her. It made her think of sitting at a table while a fuzzy giant gave her tips to improve her battle stance.
Replacing their padded training clothes with vests and trousers, Undyne followed him to his house as usual, and sat in the dining room as usual, while he proceeded into the kitchen. Glancing round at the untouched reading chair, Undyne tried to summon her whatever-it-was under the table. Her attempt at discretion made it harder to concentrate however, and she only got a faint blue shimmer which vanished quickly. Before long Asgore returned, with a large pot of tea and some biscuits.
"I thought we might discuss your defences. I fear you have been neglecting them."
She rolled her eye. Criticism always spurred this in her, no matter how valid.
"The first thing is-"
"Sir!"
A Royal Guard covered in armour clanked into the room.
"Argie, what is it?"
"There's some kind of disturbance in Snowdin! We think it could be a..."
Undyne studied his face as the implications dawned on them. It didn't change too much, but his jaw looked set, like he was resolved to do what was necessary. But that was nothing to his eyes. They lost the twinkle they usually had when he was talking to someone. Yet they were shimmering, like he was feeling utter agony. She didn't get it. It was like he felt two opposite things at once. He'd yet to explain why.
"I see," he said blankly, "lead the way. Undyne, you may have some tea if you want, but then go home. Make sure Gerson knows you're home."
"But can't I help-"
"No."
It had been a while since he had put his foot down with anyone, but you couldn't miss it. The knack he had for making something absolutely final. Even when she was utterly pissed off, that tone was guaranteed to keep her quiet.
"Okay."
Argie and Asgore marched out without another word. Undyne was now alone. Her first instinct was to try that big chair. Or maybe look at the books to see if there were any interesting ones. But something about Asgore's current mood suggested that may not be the best idea. Better to have some tea and- Oh, he hadn't brought any cups. Well, getting a cup from the kitchen was no big deal.
Big deal turned out to be the words. While the dining room at least attempted to accommodate monsters half a boss monster's height, the kitchen was accustomed to them entirely. Undyne was pretty tall for her age, but she felt four years younger as she compared herself to the sink.
Standing on tip toe she opened several cupboards. Mostly there was biscuits and tea and Temmie Flakes. But finally she found a cupboard with actual cups in it. The bottom shelf seemed her best bet. She could make out three dusty cups and one clean one. Back on tip toe, she reached for one, figuring if she got a dirty one she'd just wash it. Damn, it was hard to grab it. Ah-ha, there we-
The dusty cup slipped from her clumsy grip, and she heard the tinkle of breaking china.
Pulse quickening, she looked down at her mistake. For a boss monster the cup hadn't been very big, though it was a good size for her. One large surviving fragment was white, with a green 'A' on it.
That 'A' gave her pause, and ice dropped in her stomach for reasons she hadn't connected the dots for yet. Desperate to know, she ran to the dining room, grabbed her chair and carried it back. Climbing it, she was able to see the cups properly. One of them looked like the same size as the one she smashed, with a green 'C'. The other two, one dusty and one clean, were larger. One had a purple 'A', the other a purple 'T'.
All this was swimming in her head. 'A' must be for 'Asgore' surely. But why would he have two? Who was 'T' again? She thought back to the stories Gerson told her. Of course, the Queen! But that meant the other 'A' was...
"Oh. Crap. I mean crud. No, I mean crap! CRAP!"
The ice spread throughout her body. What had she done? His cup. He who endured everything humanity had to throw at him with a gentle smile. Maybe one of the only momentos Asgore had of him, and she destroyed it. And when he had just gone off to... that would be seven. He would return here all powerful and in a foul mood and saw she broke that cup and-
Thought stopped for her. Just orders. Hide.
Someone was tilting the house as she tried to find a good spot. In the hallway she found herself before the middle door, but it wouldn't budge. Having just enough residual sense that breaking that door down would not help her case, she tried the door on her left. Mercifully it opened. She didn't really register where she was, or things like the old photos or the unopened presents. The bed on the left, those soft toys could cover her tracks. Perfect. So she clambered under it and positioned a few so that you couldn't see what was under the bed.
Her higher functions were screaming that this was stupid, that she should have fled the scene of the crime so she might be able to deny it. But they were ignored. That fear of what would be returning, and what he would say, were almost all consuming. But something else was there too. A growing sense of guilt. Guilt about how he would feel. She didn't know how long she laid there, just waiting. It wasn't cramped really, but it wasn't like she could freely change her position. Not that it bothered her. The green 'A' was swirling in her head, combined with a morbid curiosity about what Asgore might look like.
Finally, sooner than she expected, the front door opened and closed. A voice called for something. She recognised the voice, and no prizes for guessing who he was calling for. Her heart was hammering nonstop. It took an agonising ten minutes before the door to the bedroom opened. And then five seconds for the soft toys to be gently moved aside. It occurred to her that of course he'd know that's not where they had been before.
"Undyne? Why are you under the bed?"
He didn't look angry. He didn't look different at all, in fact. This overrode her fear for a moment.
"Did you lose the soul? Did they get away?"
"The soul? Oh. It was a false alarm, Undyne. No human today. Gerson reported you hadn't come back, so I felt I should check if you were still here." Had she still not been fretting about her current predicament, she might have caughted the barely concealed relief in his voice. "Come on out, Undyne. There is no danger."
That friendly hand was extended to her again. A jab of spite at being condescended to made her want to reject it, but her guilt won out, and she allowed him to help her out and on her feat.
"Now," he said, looking at some of the effects of the room with undisguised sorrow, "why are you here?"
Undyne was no liar. She had no talent for it. Her debate strategy was to cling to what she thought was right and challenge anyone to a fight to prove her wrong.
"Were you in the kitchen just now?"
"Well, yes. I was looking for you. I found this."
From his pocket he took out a shard of china. The green 'A' taunted her as she stared resolutely at Asgore's fluffy paws, trying to ignore the flush of shame building in her cheeks.
"I'm sorry. I was just trying to get a cup for the tea. And then I realised that it was... you know, it was his. And I thought you'd be angry. Or upset. I don't want to make you sad."
There were no tears in her confession. Shouting was her normal method of showing she was upset. She kept that in check, for adding a few extra years to the prison sentence she would shortly begin wouldn't help anyone. A large hand gripped her shoulder. She forced herself to look at his eyes. They had that shimmer from before, but the twinkle was in them.
"Yes. Those cups you saw were a set I bought for my family. But only I ever used mine. My wife and my... my children, they preferred other cups."
"Really?"
"Let me show you."
Hand still on her shoulder, Asgore steered Undyne out of the bedroom, and into his own. There, on a shelf in a display case, lay a number of ordinary looking objects. A necklace, a hairbrush, a bouncy ball, an old broken camcorder, and several others. Three cups were at the very front. One of the smaller ones had lots of stars of different colours.
"That one was his. I suppose it is silly. Trying to protect mere cups and trinkets like this. But it is how I..."
His grip tightened, so she struggled a little and broke free.
"I don't think you're silly, sir."
The formal tone was new. "Oh?"
"Remembering them. Wherever they are. I think they'd appreciate it. Heck, you'd do that for anyone."
His face had a very complicated look on it. She wasn't sure what his feelings were.
"Well, thank you, Undyne. And I suppose, no, I know I would remember them all even without these. A broken cup cannot undo the fact of their lives. Still, it does one good to remember with someone else."
His muzzle melted into that familiar smile. Undyne couldn't resist the urge to return it.
"Now, how about I teach you one more thing before you leave today?"
"Really?! Is it that ring of fire you can throw around your enemies?"
"No. I thought you may like to know how to brew tea yourself. And perhaps I should get you a cup of your own."
Her razor sharp teeth formed a grin. "Even better!"