Chapter Text
It started with how Frisk mused over all she had learned. The musing started when she took Toriel’s hand, allowing herself to be led down the ridge and to the city visible. As tired as she was, Frisk knew that it was important to tell the people about how good the monsters were. She struggled to keep her eyelids open, watching the sun peer over the horizon, seeming reluctant to come or go.
She understood how the sun felt. Every decision she made, she was unsure if it would be right or wrong. How would she get out of this fight peacefully? Did this monster like being flirted with, or did they take it as a challenge? These were her struggles. Did the sun struggle like that?
Frisk released a yawn without meaning to, her voice squeaking at the back of her throat. Torial clicked her tongue and cooed, murmuring, “Dear child, your journey has been difficult. You must be exhausted. Do you want me to carry you?”
Did she? Frisk imagined falling asleep in Toriel’s arms, the moment she was picked up. Then, she imagined a situation like with what happened to Asriel--carrying the body of his human sibling, the humans believing he was a murderer that killed a child that had probably belonged to someone in that village. Frisk couldn’t risk that repeating, so she pursed her lips and shook her head. “I’m okay.”
“You sure, dear?”
“Yeh.” Despite the agony on her feet, Frisk continued to trudge through the grass under the trees, toward the sun and toward the humans.
The monsters had all slowed down before they reached the town. They all stood at the edge of the trees. Somehow, Sans and Papyrus had united alongside Undyne, Alphys, and Asgore. Toriel led Frisk to the group, pulling the child and herself to the front to get the best view of the new place.
“WOWIE!” Papyrus exclaimed. “IT’S EVEN BIGGER UP CLOSE!”
Undyne grinned wildly, bursting, “Yeah, but not as big as my abs!”
Alphys started sweating and wringing her hands together, glancing side to side. “Shouldn’t w-we uh, uh, be quiet? T-The humans a-aren’t expecting us….”
Frisk pictured adults bursting into view, waving bats, pitch forks, and torches, and immediately piped up, “Shhh!”
Asgore, whispering, murmured, “Frisk is right. Frisk, do you want us to all approach at once, with you in front, or do you want to just go with yourself?”
Frisk thought about this for a moment, imagining the adults’ reactions. She decided that the least intimidating looking monster around her would go with her. She looked behind her at the tall figures, from looming Asgore to the hunched Alphys and short Sans. Toriel looked the least threatening, naturally, regardless of her height. Frisk squeezed Toriel’s hand and murmured, “Mom can come with me.”
“M-Mom?” The monsters all made individual, distinct comments, but the way Asgore’s eyes glistened and his breath was audibly caught in his throat, Frisk realized she might have struck a nerve. Frisk didn’t have the strength to apologize, just allowed Toriel to speak.
“Well, then, child,” Toriel purred, “we will go! You should lead the way. Do you want to hold my hand?”
Wordlessly, Frisk nodded, still holding Toriel’s hand, and led the big monster forward. Toriel radiated anxiety and excitement, murmuring, “Do you think I should wave? Should I say anything? Can I make myself friendlier by suggesting recipes? Snails can be used in many recipes, do you think they would like to know that?”
Truthfully, Frisk just shrugged, not sure, herself. After a few steps into the town, a fat, adult human was spotted. He was balding, had dark skin, and wore the dark colors and hat of being an officer. When he caught sight of Frisk and Toriel, he moved to grab something on his hip, but Frisk, fearful, shouted, “It’s okay!”
The man held his hand over the weapon, a shiny black stick-like thing that Frisk couldn’t remember the word for, and called out, “Dear God, what is that?”
“My mom.”
“Is she….is she in a costume?”
“No, this is her. She looks like this. She’s not human.”
Shaking his head slowly and in disbelief, the officer twitched his fingers over the weapon. Frisk knew that the region had folktales and legends of monsters and the war between their ancestors, and could only imagine what he was thinking at the moment. He then voiced, “Kid, you look beaten up. Are you safe? You just step away from the….the monster….and I’ll take you back to your parents.”
What parents? Frisk had lived on the other side of Mount Ebbott before the fall, and lived with a parent that didn’t care about where Frisk was, what Frisk did, and if Frisk was safe. Because of this, Frisk ran into the woods in sadness one night, and found herself with more love than she ever expected to feel in a lifetime.
“My parents are monsters,” Frisk said. She became aware of her clothes--tattered, stained, loose striped sweater, dirt-caked overalls, frayed hair with twigs, dirt clumps, and leaves protruding out, and mud covered rain boots. The officer was right when he said she looked beaten up, but was wrong to assume she was unsafe with Toriel. “This is my mom. She loves me--she is kind, and soft, and loves me. I’m here to make sure the rest of my family is okay, too. They’re monsters.”
The officer spoke into his radio, murmuring softly so that Frisk couldn’t hear. Once done, he looked up and asked, “Kid, where are your parents? Your human parents?”
“Please, sir,” Frisk asked, squeezing Toriel’s fingers tightly. “Please promise that no one will hurt my family. The stories about the monster war and the monsters in the mountain are all true--but they’re nice, they’re nicer and kinder than anyone I’ve ever met. I brought them up to make them safe and have a new home, a better home, with humans. Please, don’t let anyone hurt my family.”
It took confusion and cooperation. Several more police officers showed up, Frisk had Toriel offer some mature insight into the situation, local officials showed up, a crowd gathered, and Frisk and Toriel spoke well past the morning about needing homes. They were eventually led to a big, roomy, empty cabin in the woods, owned by the mayor who offered it out of kindness--or the need to get on a big, intimidating monster’s good side--where they were when they called the others and informed them of the news.
The housing would be temporary, but it was enough for all the monsters to sleep. Undyne kept guard while everyone slept soundly, and Papyrus would take the next shift.
Frisk found herself on a roomy bed, tucked under soft covers by Toriel’s big, soft hands. Toriel hadn’t even backed away before Frisk was taken by the warmth of sleep and dreams.