Archive of Our Own

Trees scattered the once thick forest. Some of them still had every branch, while others were burnt to a crisp. The once tall grass lay trampled flat to the ground with the imprints of tough metal boots. No bird bothered to sing in the destroyed forest. There was no one left to listen. Even the smallest rodents fled the minute magic started to flare. Abandoned weapons and armors littered the forest. A breeze ruffled some cloaks and kicked up dust, making it swirl. Like every battle before, only one person bothered returning to the battlefield. One lone sorcerer walked out among the destruction. Their cloak fluttered around their ankles as they walked forward. The sorcerer named Frisk headed out with their faithful notebook to record the damages. It was bad enough that the other sorcerers made them participate in the war, but since Frisk struggled to summon up enough hatred to damage the monsters, they were always sent back to collect information on human and monster casualties. With humans it was easy. After all, any human bodies would remain. Monster bodies did not. As the wind blew, the dust from the monsters scattered and Frisk sighed. Once again they would have to estimate the monster fatalities. Frisk glanced around, searching for any human corpses.

“Zero,” Frisk said, walking through the piles of dust. “Not a single one. No surprise there.” Frisk sighed and continued. They made note of at least three dozen piles of dust that had not been disturbed by the wind. The war was one sided and for that reason, Frisk found it hard to fight. They had done enough to ensure the humans’ victory. Light began to fade away as the sun set and the temperatures dropped. Frisk pulled their wool cloak tighter around themselves. They continued down the pathway until they spotted a body. “Oh? Maybe there’s a casualty after all?” The body shifted and Frisk spotted feathers. From what Frisk could tell, the monster looked like some sort of bird. Their wings were bloodied, but Frisk could see their chest was still rising and falling.

“Is-Is someone there?” The bird monster coughed out. “Help! Help me!”

Frisk stood frozen in place. Their heart thundered in their chest. Glancing down at the notebook, Frisk estimated how many monster casualties there had been. “One hundred and twelve,” Frisk whispered. Were they really about to let it become one hundred and thirteen? Frisk tucked their notebook into the satchel at their side and hurried forward, throwing their hood over their head. They couldn’t let the monster recognize them.

As Frisk approached, the crunching of their boots against the fallen leaves drew the monster’s attention. “Are-Are you here to help?”

“Lay still,” Frisk said, kneeling beside the monster. They raised their hands, which began to glow with a soft red light. Frisk concentrated their magic over the gash across the monster’s chest.

“I’m glad you’re here,” The monster breathed out, voice trembling. “I was scared that a-” They broke off as they glanced back to look at Frisk better. The bird monster squawked in surprise and tried to scramble away. Frisk grabbed their shoulder to hold them still.

“I’m helping, I promise.” Frisk gave the monster a comforting smile. “Please hold still. I can heal you, alright? You can go back to your family.”

“Why?” The monster asked, still trembling. “Why help me?”

Frisk’s smile disappeared and they sighed. “Because you all deserve better.” The notebook that contained the records of every monster’s death felt heavy. “I wish I could do more.” Once Frisk finished, they stood and helped the bird monster to their feet. “Hurry home. I bet your family will be happy to see you.”

“What’s your name?” The bird monster asked. Hope gleamed in their eyes.

“It’s not important.” Frisk turned away and continued down the battlefield. The bird monster did not inquire anymore and took off, excited to get a second chance at life. As Frisk finished tallying the deaths, they did not find any more monsters on the brink of death. “I’m sorry.” Frisk stared across the field. By the time they finished, the wind had picked up, swirling and mixing all the dust together. “You didn’t deserve this.” Frisk shook their head and trudged away from the field. They remounted their gray horse and rode back to the others.

The encampment where the humans stayed was glorious. No expense had been spared for the massive army of sorcerers and warriors. Even the king and queen had graced the camp with their presence. Frisk glanced to the sparkling purple tent and shook their head. Clutching their notebook tight, Frisk pushed back their hood and stepped inside, dropping to their knee and bowing their head. “Ah there you are!” The king bellowed, grinning. “Glad you’re back Determination. You didn’t run into any trouble did you?”

“No your majesty.” Frisk shook their head.

“Like it would matter,” The queen said. Her voice was melodic. Frisk glanced up a bit, catching a glimpse of the queen’s golden curls. “Determination is very powerful,” She said to her husband before turning to address Frisk. “Your defense spells help prevent any casualties. You do such good work, if only you could put some of that energy into offense.”

“Thank you your majesty,” Frisk said, choosing not to address the second part of the queen’s praise.

“So how many monsters did we slaughter today?” As always, the king felt eager to learn about the success of the war.

“One hundred and twelve is my best guess your majesty. The wind picked up and mixed some of the dust together and not all of the monsters wore armor so-”

“Excellent!” Frisk flinched as the king interrupted them. “And our casualties?”

“Zero,” Frisk said, forcing their voice to rise above a whisper.

“Even better! This war will soon draw to a close!” The king took a large sip from his wine glass. “What? We must have killed most of the able bodied monster soldiers, right? How long until they’re forced to send children out to fight for them?”

Frisk turned their face away so the king would not see their distressed look. “May I be dismissed your majesty?”

The king waved Frisk off. “Of course, sure, sure. Thanks again.”

With a stiff bow, Frisk rose and spun around on their heel to flee from the tent. With the notebook clutched tight to their chest, Frisk rushed back to the tent where the other strongest sorcerers stayed. Some of the others glanced up as Frisk entered, but before anyone could speak to them Frisk rushed to their bed, clambered up and closed the curtains with their magic. “I hate this,” Frisk whimpered, falling back onto their pillow. As they stared up at the velvet ceiling, Frisk sighed. At least the bird monster was safe. Perhaps Frisk could at least do that. Saving one life here and there would not change the tide of the war, but it would make a huge difference to those who lived. There were so few monsters left. Frisk pulled their cloak off and tossed it aside before crawling under the covers.

It did not take long for rumors to spread through the monster encampment. After the next several battles, monsters began to rush through camp to speak the good news. A handful of monsters spoke about who saved them. Though even they were unsure if they had been imagining things. One dingy dining tent became the center of all discussion. A small skeleton monster entered, listening to the others all whispering about the human “savior” that had been rescuing monsters after battles recently. Sans continued his eavesdropping as he took a seat on a barrel in the corner of the tent.

“My uncle came back because of them!” One young rabbit monster said, tapping his foot. Excitement gleamed in his young eyes. “My uncle said he was about to die and this human just came out of nowhere! They saved his life!”

“Same for my sister,” Another monster chimed in.

“Why is a human helping us?”

“Maybe they’ll defect to our side forever!”

“What if they have some ulterior motive?”

Bored with the idle gossip, Sans sighed. What was the point in talking about some human that was supposedly saving them? The other monsters should be more focused on the humans that were slaughtering them. He glanced around the tent until he caught Grillby’s eye. The old cook nodded to him and went to collect some fried potatoes. Sans decided to take them to go. There were more pressing matters to attend to.

As Sans approached Asgore and Toriel’s tent, he heard Undyne’s booming voice. “We are running out of soldiers Asgore! I don’t know what to do!” The general sounded frustrated. Sans brushed the curtain aside and spotted Undyne, Asgore, and Toriel surrounding a small table. Laid across it was a map of human and monster forces each represented by various chess pieces. At this point in the war, the monsters had been driven back up against Mt. Ebott.

“I know, we will have to plan much more strategically,” Asgore said. He stared down at the map. “Perhaps we should evacuate some of the children and elderly to the mountain. They may be safer there.”

“I can do that,” Undyne said, crossing her arms. “But we’ll have to pull in the reserve troops.”

“no way. we can do fine without them,” Sans said. All eyes turned to him. “c’mon don’t do something so boneheaded. they’d just get slaughtered.”

“We’re all getting slaughtered!” Undyne slammed her hand down on the table. “What else are we supposed to do?”

“We have already tried to negotiate peace,” Toriel said with a sad look. “But the humans will not listen. Nothing we can do will convince them that we mean no harm to them.” Sans frowned and stared down at the map.

“We should notify the reserve troops in the morning,” Asgore said. “They should have at least one more night of peace.”

“what’s the point?” Sans muttered. His pupils disappeared. “We’re all going to die anyway.”

“Geez, lighten up!” Undyne stomped her foot and whirled on Sans. “With morale like that we will! C’mon, we can take ‘em! Those humans ain’t nothing compared to us!” With a wide toothy grin, Undyne pointed to the wooden chess pieces that represented the human forces. “We’ll blast through them and then kick back around and surround them.”

“wow that’s a great plan. i’m guessing we’ll all have cake and a party once we surround them?”

“Why do you even bother coming to these meetings! Your tactical advice has been increasingly useless lately!”

“well i was going to try to talk you out of sending in the reserve troops,” Sans said. “we need to run; we’re not going to win.”

“They’ll just chase us down and kill us!”

“oh, you’d rather them kill us head on?”

“You are driving me nuts!”

“you’re trying to send my brother to his death!”

The room fell silent. Both Toriel and Asgore exchanged an uncomfortable glance. Undyne’s expression darkened and she glanced away, squeezing her hands into tight fists. “What other choice do we have?” Undyne’s voice grew quiet. “You act like Papyrus isn’t my friend. He’s strong at least. It’s just that, I dunno, he might not actually hurt anyone. I’ve already put this off for too long! We should’ve called them in a long time ago!”

Sans did not respond. He stared down at the map and looked to Mt. Ebott. “we’ll just have to try our best huh?”

“What about the human that’s supposedly been saving monsters?” Toriel switched the subject and a smile came to her face. “Perhaps they would be willing to help us more directly?”

“Ha! I doubt they’re even real! Soldiers make up stories like that to chase away the fear,” Undyne said.

“yeah, no human would ever help us.”

Toriel’s expression fell and she clutched her hands tight together. It hadn’t always been that way. Sans sighed and stared over a small painted portrait the king and queen kept by their bed. The painting showed their family. Long ago Toriel and Asgore had adopted a human child, but their recent death sparked the Human and Monster War. When Chara died, Asriel accidently absorbed their SOUL. The resulting discovery that monsters could absorb human SOULs scared the humans into action against the monsters. Their first target was Asriel, who refused to hurt the humans. It ended in a swift death for him. Though it was unnecessary. He would have never hurt any of them.

“So it is decided?” Asgore asked, glancing to his advisor and his general. Sans and Undyne exchanged an unsure look.

“Yeah I guess so.”

“damn it.”

The walk back to Sans’ tent was long. Whenever the next battle came, he would have to try his best to stay by Papyrus’ side. He could protect him as best as he could, but it might make him even more vulnerable. At least Papyrus would be able to survive more than one hit from a human. Sans brushed aside the flap to the tent and walked inside. Even though it was late, all of the monsters Papyrus and Sans shared their tent with were awake. They were in the middle of playing a game.

“BROTHER!” Papyrus exclaimed. “I’M GLAD YOU’RE BACK! CARE TO JOIN US?”

Sans shook his head. “bro, can i talk to you?”

“OF COURSE, WHAT IS BOTHERING YOU?”

“i mean…alone.”

Outside the light from the stars and moon lit up the camp enough to see clearly. Sans stared up at them with a sad look. “WHAT’S BOTHERING YOU SANS?” Papyrus asked again as he stood by his brother’s side.

“tibia honest bro, the war’s not going well.” Sans glanced up at Papyrus and forced a grin. “so we’ve decided to call in the reserve troops.”

Delight lit up Papyrus’ face. “OF COURSE! I WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!”

“you aren’t scared?” Sans asked.

“WHY WOULD I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, EVER BE SCARED?” Papyrus straightened up and placed a hand over his chest. “I WILL BRING US VICTORY! JUST YOU WAIT AND SEE BROTHER!”

“just be careful okay?” Sans asked. “you’ve never fought humans. it’s not like sparring with undyne or-”

“YOU WORRY TOO MUCH!” Papyrus brushed Sans’ comment off and shook his head. “IT WILL NOT TAKE MUCH TO GET THE HUMANS TO YIELD.” Sans chose to remain silent as Papyrus continued on. “ONCE WE WIN AND COME TO A TRUCE THEN WE CAN BECOME FRIENDS WITH THEM! WE’LL ALL LEARN SO MUCH FROM ONE ANOTHER! IT WILL BE WONDERFUL; DON’T YOU THINK?”

“yeah, sure bro.”

“OH! I HAVEN’T FINISHED WORKING ON MY ARMOR! YOU’LL HELP ME RIGHT SANS?” Papyrus whirled around to go back into the tent. “COME ALONG IT’LL BE FUN!” Sans followed, still forcing himself to smile. For all he knew, that night may have been the last one he would ever get to spend with his brother. He might as well treasure it.

The humans pushed forward. Moving the camp took time, but with so many soldiers it happened with relative ease. As they got closer to Mt. Ebott, the forest grew thicker. The camp became more cramped, though compared to most encampments it was still spacious. Frisk was still curled up in their bed when the horn sounded throughout the camp. With a sigh, Frisk stood and pulled off their soft, silk sleeping tunic, replacing it with a clean tunic and pants. They pulled on their boots and cloak before throwing back the curtains around their bed.

“Let’s get this over with,” Frisk muttered as they picked up their sword and slipped the belt around their waist. Frisk grabbed the satchel with the notebook and slung it over their shoulder before pulling on their gloves.

“Morning Determination!”

“We’re counting on you!”

“Do a great job like always!”

Frisk politely nodded to each soldier as they passed. Outside the encampment, Frisk found their gray mare and mounted, ready to ride out onto the battlefield. They watched as the other sorcerers gathered.

“Morning Determination!” As always Bravery wore heavy armor with a huge sword. He brushed a hand through his messy brown hair. “Ready for another good day?”

“You should take killing more seriously,” Frisk said. “This isn’t a game.” Their grip on the gloves tightened as they refrained from saying anything else. The other sorcerer shrugged and rode away. None of the others bothered trying to speak with Frisk. They were always the least social of the group. Especially since everyone knew how reluctant Frisk was to harm the monsters.

With a heavy heart, Frisk stared ahead and rode out, following the departing army. From atop their horse, Frisk watched as the human and monster armies approached one another. They took in a deep sigh and raised their hands. A red glow surrounded them as Frisk cast the protection spell across the human army. They closed their eyes and focused, refusing to acknowledge the screams from wounded monsters as the two armies clashed.

“Keep up the good work dear,” The queen said from beside Frisk. She rode a beautiful, white stallion. “We almost have them.”

Trembling, Frisk peeked out of one eye at the battlefield. They saw flashes of magic across the field. The most prominent was a blast of blue. Usually, if Frisk watched long enough they were able to see the blue blasts break through their protection spells and harm some of the humans. Another similar blue flash caught Frisk’s eye. The force behind it was near identical, but when Frisk reached out to feel the magic, it felt more scared. Whoever the user was didn’t really want to hurt the humans.

“I understand how you feel,” Frisk whispered.

Their moment of digression allowed for a break in the protection spell. Frisk yelped as they felt another type of monster break the spell. Eyes searching the field, Frisk spotted a monster in heavy armor bashing through human after human with a glowing blue spear. Quickly, Frisk reestablished the protection spell. Only a handful more humans than normal had been hurt and none were killed. The king and queen likely wouldn’t notice. Frisk breathed a sigh of relief as they heard the horns blow to indicate the monsters’ retreat.

“Victory again!” The king bellow with a hearty laugh. The soldiers and fellow sorcerers all cheered. Frisk sighed and released the protection spell. As the red glow faded from their hands, Frisk took up the reins again. “Let us prepare to move the camp forward again!” Frisk moved their horse out of the pathway of the army. “Go figure out how many we killed today, alright Determination?”

“Yes your majesty,” Frisk said, bowing their head.  

It wasn’t windy, so Frisk was able to count the dust piles with relative ease. They walked through the field, glancing around. “We might have broken two hundred today,” Frisk said, trembling. In the distance, they spotted a fluttering red cape. “Huh?” Most of the monsters wore plain armor without any decorations. Curious, Frisk continued forward until they spotted the monster the cape belonged to. He was a tall skeleton and he hadn’t burst into dust yet. A warm feeling bubbled up in Frisk’s chest. They tucked the notebook away and hurried forward. With a small smile, Frisk pulled up their hood. They would be able to help someone after all.

As usual the human army was protected by some sort of magic. In the chaos of the battle, Sans lost Papyrus quickly. He had to hope that he would find his brother back at camp. Searching for Papyrus, Sans ran into Undyne. “Did you see that?” She asked. “Right before the retreat was ordered I beat up a bunch of humans.” She sighed and crossed her arms. “Didn’t kill any though.”

“where’s papyrus?” Sans asked, not concerned about the battle. He continued to look around, searching for the red of his brother’s cape. “have you seen him?”

Undyne pushed up the helm of her helmet and shook her head. “No, but I’m sure he’s fine! He’s tough right?” Sans gulped and glanced around the faces. Anxiety built up in him when he didn’t see Papyrus anywhere. “Sans?”

“i’m going back.” Sans whirled and turned to rush back to the field.

“Don’t be an idiot! We need you here!” Undyne called after him, but he ignored her.

As Sans rushed back through the other monsters, he kept an eye out for the bright red cape, but couldn’t spot it. Papyrus must have still been back on the battlefield. Sans hoped he had been injured and wasn’t dead. He couldn’t lose his brother to the humans. He had already lost so much to them. Running as fast as he could, Sans teleported and found himself back in the middle of the battlefield. The piles of dust surrounding him made him sick to his stomach. As he scanned the field, he caught sight of two figures. A human knelt by his brother. Sans spotted the sword at their side and rage filled him. “back off!” With one wave of his hand, he summoned a blaster and fired at the human. Their head jerked up and they barely leapt out of the way before the blaster struck them. Sans hurried forward and fell to his brother’s side. A huge break in Papyrus’ armor leaked a small bit of blood. “bro, can you hear me?” The human paced back and forth, drawing Sans’ attention again. “get away from us!” Again, Sans fired on them. The blast barely missed, but it sent the human tumbling backwards, knocking their hood off.

“Wait!” The human exclaimed, leaping back up to their feet. “I’m trying to help!” Their golden eyes shone bright with fear.

“you must think i’m a complete bonehead,” Sans snarled back. His left eye glowed bright blue with his magic.

“Please, I promise. I was going to heal him.” The human inched forward, approaching as if Sans was a wounded animal. “I promise.” They unbelted the sword from around their waist, letting it fall to the ground with a quiet thunk. “I’m not a warrior.” Sans stared at them. Unlike most of the humans, they looked much younger. Their tanned brown skin was free of wrinkles or scars. Their short brown hair still shone and there were no traces of gray hairs. “My name’s De-” Frisk broke off, causing Sans to shoot a curious look at them. The human took in a deep breath and fidgeted. They said, “My name’s Frisk.” As they spoke, they scrunched up their face in contemplation. Sans narrowed his eyes at them. “I’m a sorcerer. I can use healing magic.”

“plenty of monsters can use healing magic,” Sans said.

“Would your brother be strong enough to make it back to your camp?’ Frisk asked.

Sans glanced down. It seemed as if Papyrus would burst into dust at any moment. He was so weak that Sans doubted he would even survive teleporting back. Gritting his teeth and clenching his hands, Sans said, “you better heal him then. if you’re lying to me, well, you’re going to have a bad time.”

Frisk nodded and walked forward. They dropped down to their knees again and held their hands above Papyrus’ chest. Sans watched in fear as their hands glowed red. It was a strange color. The magic was warm, looking more like an apple or a sunset than blood. It emitted a calming aura. Sans glanced up to examine the human’s face. To his surprise, they were smiling. “Your brother is very strong for being able to hold on so long,” Frisk said. “He’s so close to death. I don’t think I’ve ever found anyone else as hurt as him.”

“so the stories are true then?” Sans asked. “you’re some savior that just goes around healing monsters?” A look of embarrassment crossed Frisk’s face and they nodded. “why?”

“Do you know how many humans have died in this war?” Frisk asked.

“zip. nadda. none.”

“That’s why.” The red glow faded and Frisk pulled their hands away.

Sans snorted and rolled his eyes. “if ya like monsters that much then why not stop the humans from killing us in the first place,” He asked.

Frisk shook their head. “Because while I’m really strong, I couldn’t defeat everyone. Besides, killing all humans is just as bad as killing all monsters. A lot of people were forced into fighting by our king.” As they looked up and met Sans’ eyes, he was surprised to see the rush of emotions cross their face. Tears threatened to spill from their eyes but Frisk still smiled. “So I save who I can.”

“how does saving a handful of lives make you feel better? you’re not making a difference.” Sans shook his head. “you might as well not do anything. we’ve lost so much in this war. all of us are going to die.” He could tell his words stung when the human glanced away.

Before Frisk could respond, Papyrus stirred. His eyes opened and he glanced up, spotting Sans. “BROTHER?” A smile crossed his face. “DID WE WIN?”

Sans felt a wave of relief crash over him. A genuine smile came to his face. “no, but we both survived. that’s pretty darn great right?”

Frisk stood and Sans glanced back at them. “It made a difference to you,” They said quietly, before turning and leaving.

“IS THAT THE HUMAN EVERYONE HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT?” Papyrus asked. Excitement flashed through his eyes. “THANK YOU KIND HUMAN!” Frisk pulled their hood back over their head and did not respond. “HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN, WELL, IF I GET HURT AGAIN AT LEAST!”

“let’s head back bro,” Sans said. “come on.” As he helped Papyrus up, Sans watched Frisk pick up their sword and continue to walk off.

After each battle over the following week, Sans spent all of his energy protecting Papyrus. Once he knew his brother was safe, Sans would lurk around the battlefield, watching and waiting for Frisk. Each time, once both armies had retreated for the day, Frisk would appear. They would head out onto the field, scribbling in a notebook until they found an injured monster. Then they would tuck the book away, throw up their hood and rush to the monster’s side. Everything about them made no sense. They were compassionate and caring. Sans never saw them fighting in the battles, but their magical power was immense. Frisk could bring monsters on the brink of death back to life. Pulling at the strings of life, Frisk restored the monsters, forcing their SOULs back together. It infuriated Sans. He thought he knew everything about the humans, but Frisk was an anomaly.

As Frisk headed away from the battlefield one day, Sans chose to speak to them again. Sans walked up behind them, stepping quietly. He paused and sighed, saying, “heya, you’ve been busy huh?”

Frisk jumped and turned, smiling once they saw it was Sans. “Hi, it’s nice to see you again.” They paused and rocked back and forth on their heels. “What was your name? I didn’t get it last time.”

“why are you still doing this?” Sans asked, glancing across the field. Dust piles, armor, and weapons littered the once green forest. The thick trees had been sliced to shreds. “don’t you realize how futile it is?”

“You’re kind of pessimistic huh?” Frisk sighed and turned away to leave. Then they paused. “How’s your brother?”

“fine,” Sans said. He felt a bit guilty as he looked to Frisk.

“I’m glad.” Frisk turned back. “He was really nice! I thought I’d sensed his magic around, but I wasn’t sure. Though yours is unmistakable.” Frisk paused, twirling their thumbs around one another. “You’re really strong.”

“i guess,” Sans said. He sighed and extended a hand. “my name’s sans. sans the skeleton.”

Delighted, Frisk took his hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you.” Their hand felt warm. Everything about the human exuded kindness.

“you’re strange,” Sans said, laughing. “geez, i’ve never met anyone like you.”

Frisk blushed and pulled their hand away. They brushed their hands through their hair, smoothing it down. “This is quite the situation huh.” They clasped their hands behind their back and stared out across the destroyed section of forest. “I wish there was some way to stop this war.”

“yeah, me too kid.”

“Kid?” Frisk asked, glancing to him with an annoyed look. “I’m not a kid!”

“really? huh, well i don’t know much about humans, buddy.” Sans grinned, glancing back at Frisk. “i got a riddle for you. what goes up but never comes back down?”

Confused, Frisk tilted their head to one side. “Um, I don’t know. A bird?” They shook their head. “No, birds have to land eventually.”

“your age,” Sans said, snickering under his breath.

Frisk raised an eyebrow. “Wow, that’s really lame.” Though the human still smiled a bit. “I have a much better riddle!”

“yeah, what’s that?”

“What do you break before using it?” Frisk asked, eyes gleaming with excitement. Sans shrugged. “An egg!” Frisk burst into giggles, holding up their hands to contain their laughter.

“wow, you say my joke was lame.”

There was a strange feeling as the pair of them talked. Everything around them was falling to chaos, but there they were, exchanging jokes and chatting like old friends. Sans knew he should get back to camp. Undyne would be furious if she knew he was chatting with a human. Yet, it seemed like he misunderstood Frisk. They really were a kind person. Nothing about the situation made sense.

“I should go,” Frisk said. “But maybe I’ll see you again?” A shy smile spread across their cheeks as they stepped back. With their hands clasped behind their back, Frisk tilted their head a bit to one side.

“sure,” Sans said without hesitation. The delighted look on Frisk’s face filled his chest with a warm, fuzzy feeling.

The human turned and walked away. In the distance was a small, silver mare. Sans watched as Frisk gracefully climbed atop their horse and rode away, waving at Sans as they departed. Sans had a feeling that it wouldn’t be the last he saw of them. After all, more battles were just on the horizon. With a small smile, Sans turned and began to head back to the camp.

The mood continued to deteriorate in the monster camp. As he paced through the camp, Sans spotted more and more monsters with gloomy looks. Only the soldiers remained, since Asgore and Toriel sent the rest of the monsters to Mt. Ebott. Every monster town had been evacuated in the war. Sans sighed and entered his own tent.

“THERE YOU ARE BROTHER!” Papyrus turned and grinned at his brother. “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?”

“i was just out on a walk,” Sans said, shrugging. “no big deal.” It had been a long walk that day. Frisk seemed reluctant to go back to the other humans, though Sans wasn’t sure why. The humans must have been delighted with all of their success. Sans sighed and fell back onto his bed.

“YOU HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME WALKING,” Papyrus said. “PERHAPS I COULD JOIN YOU SOMETIME?”

Sans shook his head. “nah. no offense bro, but it’s really the only alone time i get anymore.” He felt a twinge of guilt from lying to Papyrus, but he wasn’t sure how to explain the truth. Though Frisk had saved many monsters’ lives, they were still the enemy. Spending an increasing amount of time with them was borderline treacherous. Though Sans loved every moment of it.

“WELL THE WALKS MUST BE HELPING YOUR MOOD! YOU’VE SEEMED HAPPIER LATELY!”

“really?” Sans asked, sitting up and looking to Papyrus. His brother nodded vigorously. “that’s kinda dumb of me, huh? nothing’s happy about this situation.”

With the success of the recent battles, the human king and queen decided to give the army a few days off. That gave Frisk the opportunity to sneak off and be on their own. They rode back to the recent battlefield, looking around at the destroyed forest. Very little dust remained from the previous day as the wind had blown in all away. Though Frisk was sure that some monsters might have returned to try to collect it. As they walked into the forest, they hummed a quiet melody under their breath.

“I’m sorry,” Frisk said, laying a hand on a tree. “Maybe, I could do something for you. Even if it’s not much.”

With a deep breath, Frisk tugged at their magic. As the red glow surrounded their hands, Frisk touched the destroyed bark, willing it to weave itself back together. Green buds popped up along the tree, growing out new branches. Smiling, Frisk turned and cast the spell across the field, forcing grass to sprout up. Continuing to hum, Frisk walked along the fallen armor and dust that remained. Small flowers grew up between the breastplates, swords, and helmets that remained. By the time, Frisk finished they were gasping for breath. Releasing the magic, they turned and examined the new growth. It had taken a lot out of them, but the forest looked much better.

“seems like you just can’t leaf this area alone huh?” Sans’ voice startled Frisk and they whirled around to see him leaning against a nearby tree. He examined a new budding leaf with a smile. “it looks a bit better this way.”

“I thought so,” Frisk said, with a small smile.

“i’m guessing the human army isn’t pressing forward today?”

Frisk’s smile fell away. They turned and looked away, back towards the human camp. “No. They’re not.” The whole point of restoring the battlefield was to try to escape the war. Yet, Frisk knew they weren’t really escaping anything. As they stared off into the distance, Sans walked over and stood beside them.

“sorry,” He said quietly. “we shouldn’t talk about things like that huh?” Frisk looked to him and nodded.

Silence fell between the two. After a while, a hesitant chirping filled the forest. Frisk glanced up and spotted a few birds landing amongst the semi-restored trees. They investigated the leaves, before determining that it was safe. Frisk smiled again, watching them play amongst the trees. Sans followed their gaze upwards. “I’m glad they’re back. The forest is eerie when it’s quiet.” With a deep breath, Frisk turned to look to Sans. “I miss playing here when everything was peaceful.”

“in the forest?” Sans asked and Frisk nodded. They walked along the new plants and over to a tree, reaching up to grasp a branch and pull themselves up.

“Did you never play in the forest?” Frisk asked. “I used to spend all afternoon climbing and exploring.”

As they climbed up, Frisk grinned more and more. It was nice to be able to be carefree and run through the forest again. Before long Frisk found themselves near the top of the tree. Their magic had not reached that far. When Frisk grasped one branch, it was too broken to hold their weight. As it snapped, Frisk lost their footing and fell. Before Frisk could even scream, they felt a familiar touch of magic around them. Surrounded by blue magic, Frisk floated back down to the ground rather than falling. Their cloak fluttered around them as they reached out with one foot to securely land.

“you’re kinda reckless huh?” Sans’ said, left eye glowing blue. As he released the magic, his eye returned to normal. “you always been like that?”

“As long as I can remember,” Frisk said. Even so, someone had always been there to help them. A sharp pain erupted in their chest as they thought back to another time they nearly hurt themselves playing in the forest.

“how in the world did you get dragged into something like this?” As Sans’ spoke, he reached out and brushed his hand against Frisk’s. They turned toward him and a sad smile crossed their face.

“I was unlucky I suppose,” Frisk said. They offered their hand to Sans’, who hesitated a moment before taking it. His hand felt rough in theirs. “How did you?”

“it was too hard to avoid,” Sans said. “so same thing i guess.” His expression was unreadable. “we really should talk about something else.” As he spoke, Sans began to walk away, tugging on Frisk’s hand. They followed without hesitation. “i don’t want to meet with ya just to feel sorry for myself.” Frisk nodded in agreement. “knock knock.”

“Who’s there?”

“the owl says.”

Frisk scrunched their face in confusion. “The owl says who?” The moment they spoke, they giggled in realization. Sans glanced up at them and grinned as well. “That one was super lame.”

“nah, it was punny.”

As Frisk spent more and more time with Sans, their heart grew heavier. He was a wonderful person and because of Frisk, everyone he loved and cared about was being slaughtered. While Frisk was able to spend their time with him laughing and smiling, they often returned back to camp with tears in their eyes. It disgusted them to see all the humans acting like what they were doing was so righteous. The humans noticed Frisk’s mood and avoided them even more than usual.

One afternoon, Frisk couldn’t manage to hide their sadness from Sans. Frisk sighed and hugged their knees tight to their chest. “what is it?”

“Nothing,” Frisk shook their head and forced a smile. “It’s just been tough lately.” Frisk shook their head and reached over to touch Sans’ hand. He took their hand in his, twisting their fingers together. They sat side by side on a grassy hill. The hill dropped off into the sheer face of a cliff.

“knock. knock.” When Frisk didn’t reply, Sans said, “you know you’re supposed to say-” Frisk fell back into the grass. “not up for conversation today huh?”

“I’m sorry.” Frisk glanced up at Sans, who grinned back before falling back into the grass beside them.

“it’s okay, we don’t need to talk.”

With their hands clasped tight together, the human and monster pair lay side by side in the grass. Fluffy white clouds drifted by. The moment felt serene. It was easy to forget the battle that had just taken hundreds of lives. Frisk shook their head and brushed a stray piece of hair from their face. They still had to give their report for the day. “I should go.” Frisk sat up and began to pull their hand away.

Sans tightened his grip. “already?” He sat up as well, glancing up at Frisk. “why not hang around just a bit longer? no need to rush off so suddenly.”

Frisk’s heart fluttered. They grinned slyly. “Why? Would you miss me?”

“maybe.” Sans shrugged. “maybe not.” He smiled and squeezed Frisk’s hand, making them blush a bit. “dunno.”

“Are you busy tomorrow?” Frisk asked, lowering their voice. They gestured out to the rolling mountains that continued before them. “We could go explore a bit. I’ve heard there’s a lake in this area. Maybe we could see some birds or fish or something-something happy.”

“seeing you makes me happy,” Sans spoke so quietly that Frisk wasn’t sure they heard him correctly at first. They smiled and squeezed his hand back. “tomorrow then.”

“See you then.” 

When Frisk returned to the camp, they were ushered into the king and queen’s tent. With a heavy sigh, Frisk pulled out their notebook. “Your majesties,” They said with a deep bow.

“There you are!” The king said. “My wife and I have a bet!” With a huge laugh, the king drank down a whole cup of wine. Frisk shuddered as some of it spilled into his beard. “I think we killed at least two hundred monsters today, but she has much higher expectations. So, what’s the results?”

“There were two hundred and eleven monster casualties,” Frisk said, trying to keep their tone as even as possible. It didn’t help that all Frisk could think of was Sans’ smiling face.

“Ha! I’m closest!” The king chuckled. “More wine!” A servant hurried over and filled his glass. “Though my dear should have some as well.”

The queen held out her cup and the servant hurried over to fill it. “I suppose the troops need a bit more morale, huh? It would help finish this up faster.” She sighed and took a delicate sip. “How many monsters overall have we killed my dear?”

Frisk glanced up at the queen with a surprised look. “Um,” They said. “I haven’t calculated that.”

“Well do it quick now!” The king snapped.

“Of course your majesty.” Frisk opened the book and flipped back to the first page. They made a mental note of each number, adding them together in their head. As the numbers rose, Frisk’s heart fell lower and lower until it felt as though their stomach had swallowed it. With a look of dread, Frisk flipped through the pages again and again. “Two thousand and fifty four,” Frisk said, voice barely above a whisper.

“Speak up dear,” The queen said.

“There have been two thousand and fifty four monster casualties.” Frisk stared down at their notebook in disbelief. They had been at war for less than a year. How had they managed to slaughter so many monsters?

“Ha! Easy war huh my dear?” The king said. “And we haven’t lost a single soldier!”

“I suppose that is a great success,” The queen said with a sly smile. “I will drink to that.”

As the pair of monarchs laughed and clinked glasses, Frisk began to shake. They were not sure if the trembles came from anger, sadness, or a combination of both. The monster population had never been very large to begin with. Frisk heard when they were little that there were less than ten thousand monsters in the world. Within half a year, the humans had murdered almost a third of all monster kind. It was maddening. It was disgusting. Frisk’s hands tightened around their notebook.

“A drink to success?” Out of the corner of Frisk’s eye, they saw a servant offering a glass of blood red wine to them.

“No!” Without thinking, Frisk smacked the glass from the servant’s hand. It smashed against the ground, shattering into a million pieces. When the king and queen glanced to Frisk with stern looks, they said, “I’m feeling sick. Excuse me.” They turned sharp on their heels, holding back tears. “Your majesties.” They spit out the last words like they were a curse before racing from the tent. The notebook fell from Frisk’s hands as they ran to where the horses were.

“Hello Determination, how can I-”

Frisk shoved past the stable boy and threw a saddle up onto their gray mare. With ease, Frisk pulled themselves up into the saddle and kicked the horse into action. The stable boy called after them. Concern was obvious in his voice, but Frisk ignored him. They needed to get away. Everything about the exquisite camp sickened them. The humans were lounging around like they were on vacation while they slaughtered every single monster in existence. As Frisk rode off, they thought back on the time they first met a monster. He offered a kind hand to help them up and even healed them with his magic.

“My name’s Asriel, what’s yours?”

Frisk shook their head, trying to ignore the memory they buried long ago. They would be unable to continue if they let their thoughts wander. In order to do their job, Frisk needed to disconnect from everything. They couldn’t let themselves get caught up in their own emotions.

“seeing you makes me happy.”

Despite Frisk’s best attempts, echoes of words continued to play in their head. Frisk screamed in frustration. They failed to notice the glow around their hands. All they wanted was for the war to end. They needed the war to end. It felt as though they were being torn apart. They were burning from the inside out. It took all of their strength to hold themselves together. It wasn’t fair. The world deserved better.

A tree exploded into flames. The gray mare bucked up and almost tossed Frisk from the saddle. Panicked, Frisk glanced around, looking for the source of the magic. Then, they saw the glow around their hands. “Oh no.” Another tree caught fire and the flames began to spread. With a scream, Frisk tugged on the reins and rode away from the thick forest, heading up towards a bare cliff side. As they escaped the flames, Frisk calmed themselves, sucking in deep breaths. Nothing could calm them fast enough. The fire spread fast through the forest, heading straight for the human’s encampment. As Frisk raised their hands to stop the flames, they hesitated. The glow around their hands grew stronger.

The blast of magic resonated through the entire valley before Mt. Ebott. Startled, Sans whirled around and stared out at the forest. “What was that?” Undyne asked, shuddering. “That magic was powerful!”

With a worried expression, Sans headed out of the tent and towards the forest. In the distance, smoke rose and blackened the sky. “There’s a fire!” Some monsters said, pointing off in the distance. “It’s where the human army is!”

“What’s going on?” Undyne asked, narrowing her eyes. “Who set their camp on fire?”

“dunno.” Sans shrugged. He wondered who had started the fire. The magic seemed too powerful to be a monster’s magic. It almost felt familiar. “i’ll go check it out.”

“Don’t get yourself killed!” Undyne snapped at him before turning and stalking away.

When Sans ventured out into the forest, he noticed that the flames were not crossing that day’s battlefield. As the smoke rose it obscured the setting sun. It seemed as though the whole world had caught flame. The burning sun glowed bright red in the distance. Sans continued down the path until he spotted a patch of forest untouched by flames. The trees opened up onto a flat area near a cliff. In the distance there was a silver horse and a small human. Sans teleported to them.

Frisk raised their head once they saw Sans appear. Tears streamed down their face, leaving their eyes dull and reddened. “what’s wrong?” Sans asked. He took a few hesitant steps closer to Frisk. The sorcerer shook their head and tried to wipe away their tears. As they moved their hands, Sans spotted the glow of magic. The red glow swirled around their hands and crept up their arms. “kiddo?”

“I want it to stop.” Frisk’s whole body shook as they replied. “I don’t want any more killing. I don’t want any more fighting!” As Sans came closer, Frisk rose from their sitting position to kneeling. “I hate this.”

“frisk, i don’t know what to tell ya. what are we supposed to-” Sans broke off as Frisk hugged him tight around the waist and buried their face in his shoulder. They continued to sob as they hugged Sans tight. He sighed and hugged Frisk back, holding them close. “it’s okay. i’m here for ya.” He raised his head and scanned the forest. The flames grew higher and higher. In the distance, he could see flashes of magic from sorcerers attempting to put the flames out. “geez kiddo, you’re powerful.”

“I don’t want to be.” Frisk’s voice failed to rise above a whisper. “I want it all to go away. I don’t want to make the choices for everyone!” Out of the corner of his eye, Sans saw the magic aura growing and enveloping Frisk up to their shoulders. Frisk shuddered again and in the distance, the flames grew higher.

“you gotta stop,” Sans said softly. “your magic’s outta control.”

“I can’t, I can’t.” Frisk trembled as they fell against Sans, losing the strength to hold themselves up. The glow continued down the length of their body, reaching their waist and neck.

“you’ll die if you don’t.”

The glow continued to spread.

“look, it’s great that the human army’s getting wiped out and everything but please, please stop.”

Frisk shook their head. The movement was sluggish and their head lulled to one side as their grip around Sans loosened. Sans pulled back, bracing Frisk’s head against his hand. The red glow enveloped all of Frisk’s body. Their skin burned. Half-closed, their eyes stared off in the distance. While Frisk’s magic was powerful, it took all of their power to maintain it. The magic was destroying them.

“stop. please don’t die.” Beginning to feel panicked, Sans spoke quick. The words tumbled from his mouth. “it’s okay. you need to just stop. let go of the magic. please, just let go.” The sorcerer seemed unresponsive. They continued to shake and spasm in his arms. “frisk.” His voice shook as he stroked their cheek. “buddy. pal.” He gulped, feeling tears sting at his eyes. “sweetheart, please.” He shook his head. “stay with me.”

An unreadable emotion flickered across Frisk’s face. They closed their eyes and let out a shaky breath. All at once, the red glow disappeared and Frisk crumbled to the ground.

"frisk!” Sans pulled Frisk to him and held them tight. “hey, can you hear me? frisk?” He could barely feel the presence of their SOUL as they struggled to stay alive. “you’re hurt pretty bad huh?” When Frisk did not respond, Sans sighed. “what am i supposed to do?”

In the distance, the fires had gone out. Sans hugged Frisk close, dropping to his knees. He laid them down on the grass, watching them with worry etched into his face. Humans were strong, but Sans guessed that using such powerful magic could even kill a human. Monsters could easily die if they overused their magic. Sans knew that firsthand. Taking a deep breath, Sans raised his hands. His left eye lit up blue as he attempted to heal Frisk. The magic danced out of reach as Sans struggled to use it. Right as he caught ahold of the power, it disappeared.

“damn it,” He muttered.

All Sans could do was wait. He sat by Frisk’s side, watching their chest rise and fall with each breath. As he waited, Frisk’s SOUL grew stronger. Overhead, the stars began to appear alongside the moon. They dotted the night sky and casted a silver glow over the forest. The quiet sounds of owls and other nighttime creatures filled the forest. The smell of ash hung in the air and when Sans glanced out across the forest, down towards the human camp, all he saw was charred remains. Many of them must have fled when the fires spread or else they would all have perished in the flames. With a sigh, Sans shook his head. For a while, he figured that his friendship with Frisk had been pointless. One day the human army would succeed in wiping them all out.

“though maybe it’s them that’s been wiped out now,” Sans mused aloud as he scanned the forest. He sighed and turned back to look at Frisk. “you okay yet kiddo?” He reached out and stroked their hair, feeling the soft strands between his fingers. “tibia honest, you’re really worrying me.”

In the distance, voices started calling out. “Determination! Are you out here?” Sans flinched and glanced from Frisk to the voices before he teleported away, hiding behind a tree as the humans approached.

The group consisted of soldiers. They rushed over to Frisk and began shaking them and talking in worried tones. “What if they’re dead?” One soldier said. “What will we do? Without their protection spell we’ll-”

“They’ll be fine.” Another human approached. A cape fluttered behind her as she knelt beside Frisk and raised her hands. A dark blue glow surrounded the sorcerer’s hands as she worked her healing magic.

"Can you heal them Integrity?” One soldier asked.

The woman snorted and glanced up at the surrounding humans. The wind picked up and blew her blonde ponytail around. “Don’t worry. Let’s get them back to camp.” The soldiers surrounded Frisk and raised them up. Sans resisted the urge to chase after them. The other sorcerer, Integrity, glanced around, waiting for the others to leave. “I know you’re there monster.” Sans flinched and considered his options. He could run away. Though the sorcerer seemed to know something he didn’t. If he was able to obtain information about the humans it would be valuable for the monster army. “And I highly doubt you were the one fighting with Determination.”

With a sigh, Sans stepped out from his hiding spot. “what’s up with those weird nicknames?” He narrowed his eyes at Integrity. “frisk never mentioned being called determination.”

“What? They actually told you their real name?” Integrity’s eyes widened in surprise. She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “Huh. I wonder what their plan is.”

“plan? dunno what you’re talking about lady.” Sans kicked at the dirt. “we’re just pals.”

“You must be an idiot.” The sorcerer rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Attempting to befriend a human? Unless you actually think they care for you.”

Sans remained silent for a moment. Of course Frisk cared about him. They spent so much time together. Frisk was so torn up about the war that they nearly destroyed all of the humans. They must have indicated something. As the monster and sorcerer stared each other down, Sans finally gave up and asked, “one of those others mentioned some sort of protection spell?”

The sorcerer cocked an eyebrow at him. “You monsters didn’t realize? Wow, I feel less bad about killing so many of you now.” With a harsh laugh, Integrity turned and began to walk away. “Think about it monster.”

Sans watched the sorcerer leave, wondering what she meant. He thought back on the previous battles. No matter how hard the monsters fought, they had not been able to kill a single human. Judging from the fire Frisk created and how they could bring monsters back from the brink of death, their magic was powerful. Why would the humans not utilize Frisk’s power in the battles? Unless they did. Sans eyes widened. Frisk’s magic could easily be powerful enough to protect an entire army from dying. All they had to do was remain safe at the back of the army and cast the magic over the battlefield. Sans felt sick. He shook his head and teleported away. Arriving back at his tent, Sans flopped face first onto his cot. “damn it.”

Ever since the beginning, Sans knew that he shouldn’t have trusted Frisk. The only reason that the humans had slaughtered so many of them was because they couldn’t be killed. Frisk protected them. The human supposedly cared so much about the monsters, yet all they did was protect the humans. Clutching the blanket tight, Sans shook his head. Even knowing the truth, he worried for Frisk. He didn’t want them to die. He didn’t want to lose them. Upon feeling tears streaking down his face, Sans lifted his head and brushed them away. It was irrational to cry. Frisk hid the truth from him. He couldn’t trust them anymore. It didn’t matter that they saved Papyrus or the other monsters. It didn’t matter how strong Sans’ feelings were for them. It seemed obvious that they must not feel the same way.  

When Frisk opened their eyes it was bright outside. They sighed and sat up. Still tingling from the magic, Frisk flexed their fingers and glanced around the tent. It looked like one of the spare, less exquisite tents. Even the bed was simple. Everything around them smelt burnt. The other humans must have found them. Panic flashed through Frisk as they realized Sans had been with them. As Frisk rose to leave, to search for their friend, a messenger entered the tent.

"Determination! You’re awake! The king and queen wish to speak with you!”

“But-” Frisk began to protest, but the messenger dragged them away.

Outside, Frisk could see the full extent of the damage. They raised a hand to hide their gasp as they looked around. Almost the entire camp had been scorched. Many soldiers sustained burn wounds and medical aids rushed around as they treated every injured person. The messenger moved fast and guided Frisk to the largest tent set up. Inside were the king and queen, who both looked unnerved. Alongside them stood Integrity. The sorcerer nodded to Frisk with a bored expression on her face.

“Frisk!” The king whirled around to face Frisk. “I’m glad you’re here! As you can see we’ve suffered a terrible attack!”

“Who attacked you?” The queen asked. “You were found out in the woods, near death!”

“Who attacked us is the better question!” The king snapped.

“Who else but the monsters? Then, being the brave sorcerer that they are, Frisk went out and defended us!” The queen sighed and gestured to Frisk. “The fire stopped right before we went out to look for them!”

Frisk bit their lip and nodded. Integrity stared at them with a curious look.

“See! We need to launch a counterattack immediately!”

“We need to recover first! Messenger go tell the soldiers to-”

“With Determination’s help we will be fine, let us teach those monsters a lesson!”

“My dear that is far too rash. Use your head!”

Frisk squeezed their eyes shut as the king and queen spoke. “May I go?” They asked and stiffly bowed.

“Yes, that’s all we needed. Go rest up dear.”

For the second time in the past few days, Frisk rushed from the tent. They searched the destroyed camp for their horse. Trembling, Frisk snatched up the reins and leapt on the mare’s back, riding off towards the sparkling lake. Everything had gone wrong. Frisk never lost control of their magic. The push and pull of their emotions had been too inconsistent. Frisk felt as though they were being ripped to shreds and all they wanted was to be with the one who made it all better. They wanted the one who made them feel whole and safe.

“Sweetheart,” Frisk said softly, smiling a bit. Without Sans there, Frisk would have been destroyed by their own magic. Frisk would have let their magic continue to run wild and destroy the humans along with themselves. The war could continue on without them. The two of them could run away. Without Frisk’s protection magic, the humans might be defeated. Then, everything could return to being peaceful again. Frisk could stay with the monsters. They knew they would be happier there. They knew they would be happier alongside him.

As the gray mare thundered down the trails, Frisk saw the lake glittering in the distance. Their heart leapt with joy when they saw Sans was already there. As Frisk approached, they pulled their horse to a stop and leapt down, racing over to Sans. He glanced over at them. “Sans!” Frisk went to throw their arms around Sans and hug him, but he sidestepped. Frisk stumbled and nearly tripped. Confused, they turned back and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“nothing much kiddo,” Sans said. His tone was cold, despite his normal smile. “just heard some interesting things when those humans came to rescue ya.”

“They didn’t hurt you, right?” Frisk stepped forward and to their surprise Sans stepped back away from them. Frisk’s heart began to pound in their chest. “Sans? What’s wrong?”

“you never told me your magic specialty.” Sans laughed. “protection spells huh?”

Frisk froze. “What?”

“the humans were all super worried that their star sorcerer was down and out, meaning their protection spell would be gone. you know, the reason why they’re slaughtering all of us?” Sans scoffed and shook his head, shrugging a bit. “man, i guess i am a bonehead.” His pupils disappeared. “You’re the reason we’re losing this war.”

“Sans I-”

“don’t bother.” Sans turned to walk away. “the only reason i bothered coming here was to say that i’m through with you. if we were really ever friends, then you’d leave. don’t bother me again.”

“No! You don’t understand!” Frisk shook their head, holding back tears. “Please, I had no choice. Once the king and queen found out how strong I was, they-”

“forget it.”

“I never wanted to hurt any of you! I can’t even bring myself to-”

“leave me the hell alone.”

“I would do anything for you!” Frisk screamed in frustration. They stepped forward, tears stinging at their eyes. “You’re precious to me. I don’t want to lose you!”

Sans whirled back around. “see, i don’t believe that. ever since we’ve met you haven’t done anything to help me. sure, you may heal the few monsters that survive their injuries, but that seems more like some sort of guilt relief. it seems like in your eyes helping a few monsters justifies allowing the slaughter of thousands.” He shrugged again. “maybe humans just have a different sense of what’s right, but to us monsters, that indicates you don’t care at all. so, why should i?” He chuckled and turned away. “man, i’m glad that sorcerer said something.” Frisk tilted their head in confusion.

Before Frisk could ask about anything else, Sans disappeared, teleporting away. “No, come back! Sans!” Frisk fell to their knees and hugged themselves tight to stop themselves from shaking. They took in deep shaky breaths. What sorcerer? Who had spoken to Sans? As Frisk shook, a red glow began to form around their hands. With a sob, Frisk clenched their hands tight and stood. “Stop.” They rushed back over to their horse, leaning their head against hers. The horse snorted and gently nudged Frisk’s head. After a few moments the glow disappeared and Frisk let themselves cry. Tears rushed down their face as they clung to the horse. Once they had calmed themselves down, Frisk rode back to the camp.

After the fire, everything had become condensed. Frisk entered the tent that they shared with a few other sorcerers. At the moment, only Integrity was there. She sat on her own cot, brushing out her long blonde hair. “You seemed upset earlier,” She said. “What was that about?”

“Nothing.” Frisk walked to their own cot and sat down, pulling off their cloak and tossing it to the ground.

“You could tell me Frisk.”

Stiffening, Frisk whirled around. Integrity stared back at them with a sly look. “How do you-” Frisk broke off and gasped in shock. “You spoke to Sans.”

“Yeah, I’m curious as to what your plan with that one is.” Integrity tucked her brush away and tied her hair back up. “He seemed very concerned about you, I think.”

Frisk did not reply. Rage began to build up in them, creating a fire in their stomach. Integrity had ruined the only good thing in their life. Frisk took in a shaky breath and looked away. “Tactics,” They said.

“Information I’m sure.”

“Yes.”

“Interesting approach,” Integrity said and stood up, pulling her cloak on. “By the way, we’re attacking again tomorrow, so rest up today. We’ll need your power tomorrow.” Frisk stared after Integrity as she left. Clenching their hands tight together, Frisk fell back onto the cot. It needed to end. Frisk refused to dance between two sides any longer.

As the human army advanced, Sans scanned the humans, searching for the silver mare. He found the horse at the far back of the ranks. The human atop it held out their hands, which glowed red. Sans summoned a blaster, wondering if Frisk bothered to protect themselves. He clenched his hands tight and took in a shaky breath. It would be for the good of everyone if he killed Frisk. Before Sans could act, a wave of magic pushed forward. Sans felt it sweep over him right before the humans attacked. The touch of magic was gentle. At first Sans barely noticed it. Then it grew stronger and stronger, enveloping the entire monster army. Sans watched in surprise as one human brought down a sword on an unsuspecting monster, who had no time to dodge. It bounced away, leaving the monster unharmed.

“no way,” Sans said in complete shook. He glanced back towards Frisk and noticed the glow had spread up their arms. “you’re protecting us sweetheart?”

It did not take long for the two armies to realize they could not harm one another. Out of frustration, the attacks increased, wearing humans and monsters alike out. Sans did not even bother fighting back. He watched the battle around him with a curious look. It was odd to be under the protection spell that had kept the humans safe for so long. No matter who attacked, normal humans or sorcerers, they could not manage to kill any monsters. In a way, it gave the monsters the strength to keep fighting back. Though blasting at each other only served to wear the two armies out. After hours of futile fighting, the order to retreat resonated from both sides. Sans stood still, watching as both armies slunk back.

“guess the status quo has changed,” He said, shrugging. The battlefield was decimated as usual, but no dust piles littered the meadow. The magic faded away.

Still grinning, Sans turned to watch the human army’s retreat, but instead saw a soldier that had not retreated. The older man defiantly held out his sword. “Why not retreat monster?”

“i could ask the same of you,” Sans said. His left eye lit up blue as he summoned a blaster. “guess you’re not done fighting?”

The human stepped forward and raised their sword. “Not yet.”

Before either of them could attack, a horse thundered towards them. All Sans saw was a flash of silver as the horse shoved her way between the monster and human. “Your king ordered you to retreat,” Frisk said, reining in their silver mare. “The battle is over.”

“But-”

“Return to camp now!” Frisk shouted, surprising Sans. The human soldier nodded and sheathed his sword before bowing stiffly. Sans sent his blaster away, letting his eye return to normal. Frisk watched the soldier go and once he was far enough way, they turned to face Sans, eyes shining with concern. “Are you hurt?”

“nah, they didn’t even get the chance to attack me,” Sans said, shrugging. “maybe they didn’t have the guts.” He glanced up at Frisk, who fiddled with the reins of their horse.

“I’m glad.” Their voice became soft. “I’m sorry.” Frisk tugged on the reins and began to leave.

With ease, Sans used his magic to pull Frisk from the saddle. They squeaked in surprise and released the reins, allowing Sans to levitate them over to him. As he set Frisk down before him, he saw the hopeful look on their face. “did you use your magic to protect us kiddo?”

“Yes I did,” Frisk said. They took a hesitant step forward. “I told you I would do anything for you.”

“yeah, i guess you did.”

“I should have done it a long time ago,” Frisk said, stepping even closer.

“yeah, you probably should have.” Sans stared up at Frisk, smiling a bit. “but i guess you’ve made your choice now.”

Frisk nodded, clutching their hands tight to their chest. “What now?” Their voice grew quiet. Sans shrugged and reached up to take their hands, intertwining his fingers with Frisk’s. With wide eyes, Frisk smiled, clutching Sans’ hands tight with theirs. It felt safe and secure. “Eventually the war will end, right? What’s the point of fighting if you can’t hurt one another?”

“do you really think the humans will give up?” Sans asked.

“I don’t know.” Frisk knelt down before Sans, making themselves shorter than him. “But I won’t let them hurt any of you again.”

There was an ache in Sans’ chest as he stared back into Frisk’s eyes. They were so beautiful and full of emotion. Their hands were warm in his and they were so vulnerable, giving themselves up completely. Frisk had the power to destroy every single human and every single monster. They could destroy the world if they wanted, yet they were so kind. They were good. It had never occurred to Sans how close he had gotten to Frisk until they were dying in his arms only two days before. “sweetheart,” He said softly. “thank you.”

Frisk smiled, nuzzling their head against Sans’ shoulder. “I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.” Frisk raised their head and pressed a gentle kiss against Sans’ neck. The act sent shivers down Sans’ spine. He felt Frisk’s lips twist into a smile. They kissed him again on the curved edge of his cheek, before stretching up so their faces were inches apart. There was a sparkle in Frisk’s eyes as they darted around, examining every spot on Sans’ face. The ache in Sans’ chest grew stronger. Frisk leaned forward, letting their eyes fall shut as they pressed their mouth against Sans’. His eyes slid shut as well.

When Sans though Frisk had used him, didn’t really care for him, it felt as though the world was falling apart. The only happiness he found in the war had been ripped from him. In that moment, everything was better. No more monsters were going to die. Frisk would make sure of that. They did care for him. They cared for every monster. Sans was glad that he had been wrong about Frisk. Time began to slip away. Minutes ticked by before Frisk pulled back, leaning their forehead against Sans’ shoulder. They let go of Sans’ hands and wrapped their arms around him. He smiled and returned the hug, rubbing Frisk’s back.          

“When this is over, can I be with you?” Frisk asked. “I-I just want to-”

“that’s a boneheaded question. ‘course you can be with me. though you’ll have to live with papyrus too.”

“Your brother’s sweet. I don’t mind.”

Sans chuckled. “our home’s not too far from here. it’s cozy and there’s a river nearby. we don’t have a barn for that hay brain over there though.”

“She’s well trained, she’ll stay close by.”

“also, you’ll have to eat my brother’s cooking.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“uh, nothing. never mind.”

Frisk giggled, hugging Sans tighter. “It’s okay. As long as I can be with you. That’s all I want.”

Reaching up, Sans stroked Frisk’s hair. A content sigh escaped their lips and they kissed him again before nestling their face up against his shoulder. Sans opened his eyes and glanced up, surprised to see the sun setting. The battle had lasted almost all day before both sides called it quits and he wasn’t sure how long he had been with Frisk. Asgore and Toriel were probably wondering where he was. They needed to plan out what to do next. “i should go before everyone wonders where i am.”

For a moment Frisk did not move. They hugged Sans a bit tighter and sighed. “Okay,” Frisk said, pulling back and standing. “You’re right. The others probably are wondering where I am too.” As they pulled away Sans caught their hand.

“later sweetheart.” He pressed his mouth against Frisk’s hand, watching in delight as their face reddened.

“Goodbye Sans,” They said breathlessly. Frisk turned and walked back to their horse, pulling themselves up onto the silver mare. “See you later.” The sweetness of their smile as they turned to leave, made Sans grin back. He watched as Frisk rode away, returning to the human army. He turned and teleported back to the monster army.

Chatter filled the monster camp. The remaining monsters gathered in small groups, whispering amongst themselves. Sans smiled as he saw the hope and joy in their eyes. “It must have been that human!” They said in hushed whispers.

“Perhaps the war will end!”

“We’re finally safe!”

Elation filled Sans as he walked to Asgore and Toriel’s tent. Whistling, he pushed open the flap and stepped inside. “There you are! Where the hell have you been?” Undyne snapped, whirling on him. “We have to figure out what happened back there!”

“it’s no mystery,” Sans said as he walked over to join the others at the planning table.

“Care to explain?” Undyne growled.

“It was a human using a protection spell?” Toriel asked and Sans nodded. “Perhaps the same human who had been healing monsters.”

“bingo,” Sans said. He leaned on the table, staring down at the map. He idly picked up one of the chess pieces meant to represent the human army. He ran his thumb over the smooth black surface. “this war’s over. the humans will have to make peace now.”

“How do we know we can depend on this human?” Asgore asked. He seemed a bit warier and less hopeful than the queen.

Sans rolled the chess piece between his fingers. It was a bishop. “their name is frisk,” Sans said. “i’ve known them for some time, ever since they saved my bro.” Ignoring Undyne’s gasp, Sans continued, “they’ll keep protecting us. don’t worry about that.” He looked to the three other monsters. Relief covered both Asgore and Toriel’s faces, but Undyne still looked skeptical. She stared down at the map.

“They won’t give up that easily,” She said. “They hate us. This isn’t over yet.”

When Frisk returned to the camp, they noticed the other humans were sulking around. None of them celebrated like normal. They spoke quietly to one another and sent glares in Frisk’s direction. The smile vanished from their face and Frisk lowered their head, hurrying over to the king and queen’s tent. As they entered, they were surprised to see the six other sorcerers had also been summoned. “There you are,” The king said. He seemed more agitated than usual. “Took you long enough.”

“I am sorry your majesty, I-”

“Shut up. I don’t care what you were doing.”

Frisk flinched back and lowered their head. They walked over and stood beside Integrity, who shot them a curious glance. “This isn’t good,” Integrity said. “With the monsters able to protect themselves, we have reached a standstill your majesty.”

“Perhaps we should make peace,” Kindness said. The young man with dark skin and eyes grinned. “We have some leverage and-”

“We cannot allow any of those things to survive!” The king shouted, causing all seven sorcerers to flinch back. “They can absorb our SOULs remember? They have the power to become immensely powerful and wipe us out!”

“Prince Asriel didn’t do anything like that,” Frisk said, raising their head again. “After he absorbed-”

“The power still exists,” The queen interrupted. Like her husband, her eyes were colder and she seemed angrier than usual. “Who cares if that stupid monster prince didn’t use it? If Bravery hadn’t killed him, who knows what could have happened.” Frisk bit their lip and glared over at Bravery, who puffed out his chest and ran a hand through his hair.

“We need to attack at the right moment,” Patience said. She stepped forward and bowed. Her long red hair nearly touched the ground as she stooped over. “If we wait until the monster’s let their guard down, we can attack their camp.”

“That’s cowardly,” Integrity protested and Frisk nodded in agreement.

“Who cares?” Bravery waved his hand around and yawned. “They’re just monsters.”

“Let us attack at night,” Perseverance said. Her eyes glowed with excitement. “They would never expect it!”

Justice shook his head. “We should wait until we have brokered a peace deal.”

The king considered the prospect. “Between the seven of you, you should be able to destroy the remaining monsters in one sneak attack, right?” Six of the sorcerers nodded, albeit Integrity seemed a bit hesitant. Frisk stared at their feet, with their hands clenched in anger. “Determination, what is wrong with you?”

“I will not harm them!” Frisk shouted, unable to contain their anger any longer.

“You have always been such a monster apologist,” Patience said, shaking her head. “Even with your inability to kill them.”

Frisk whirled on the other sorcerer. “How can any of you condone murder in the middle of the night?” Frisk demanded. “Are we not fighting a war?”

“A war that can no longer be won,” The queen said. She took several steps forward until she loomed over Frisk. “I suspect that may be because of you. Who else has enough power to protect two armies?” Frisk stared back with a defiant look. They took a step forward, feeling their magic swirl at their fingertips. If they acted quick enough, Frisk thought they could destroy the other six sorcerers as well as the king and queen. It would be necessary. Frisk knew they could do it to save Sans.

“How about we make a compromise?” Integrity asked, grabbing Frisk’s shoulder and throwing off their concentration. “We’ll attack the monster camp now. It’s not night yet.” She smirked and Frisk glared at her.

“You’ve yet to give input Determination,” The queen said. “How do you propose we deal with these monsters you seem to love so much?”

All eyes turned to stare at Frisk, who took in a shaky breath. They knew it would be impossible to convince the others to leave the monsters alone. At that point, they also knew that the others could kill them if they spoke out again. Integrity’s hand felt like a heavy restraint on their shoulder. Shoving her off Frisk, stepped forward. Their hands glowed red as they summoned their magic. Almost immediately, Bravery stepped forward, his own hands glowing orange as he drew his sword. "I will not let any of you hurt them." 

"Do you really think you can defeat all six of us?" Bravery snapped back. The other sorcerers, with the exception of Integrity, stepped forward. Their own magic glowed, lighting up the tent in a variety of colors. "You might be able to kill a few of us, but it won't matter."

Glancing around at the others, Frisk felt their eyes burning. They held their tears back and let their magic slip away. The other sorcerers relaxed as well. Fighting them at that point would not save the monsters and Frisk knew it. Bravery was right. All Frisk would accomplish would be killing a few of them and then dying in the process. Frisk needed to provide a reasonable answer. They glanced over at the map hung on the tent’s wall. The massive Mt. Ebott covered most of the paper. Dots that represented the monster army showed they were pressed up against the mountain. Frisk’s eyes widened and then they quietly said, “We seal the monsters inside of Mt. Ebott.” As the words fell from Frisk's mouth, they felt as though their heart would rip in two. It was their only choice. The only way to truly keep him safe.

“Seal them inside?” The king asked. He stroked his beard in consideration and paced over to the map. “Could the seven of you do that?”

“It would be possible,” Patience said. “If we combined all of our powers together.”

Bravery snorted and rolled his eyes. “But would the monsters agree to that?”

“Of course they won’t,” Kindness said, shaking his head. “Who would agree to that?”

A sly smile crossed Integrity’s face. She stepped forward and squeezed Frisk’s shoulder, causing them to glance back at her. “They will. Right Determination? You’ll convince them.”

Frisk stared down at the floor. They felt hollow inside. The others left them no choice. It was either seal the monsters away or kill them all. “I will.”

“Then get on it. You’ve already betrayed us once. Don’t let us down again,” The king snapped. “The rest of you, figure out how to create this barrier Determination has proposed.”

“Yes your majesty,” Seven voices echoed back.

Frisk turned and left the tent first. With a heavy heart, they walked back over to their gray horse, leaning their head against hers. Before Frisk could get up onto her, they felt someone’s hand on their back.

“You lied to me,” Integrity said. She sounded more amused than angry. “I was surprised that you even had it in you.” Frisk glanced back at her with an annoyed look. “About the monster? He’s not some attempt to get information, right?”

“Please leave me alone,” Frisk said.

“You’re in love,” Integrity said, cocking one eyebrow up. “That’s the only way you could have possibly summoned up enough strength to protect their army.” The older woman laughed. “Or have you forgotten everything I taught you about magic?” Frisk chose not to reply. “You should take this opportunity Frisk. It’s the best one you’re going to get.” Integrity patted Frisk on the back. Without speaking, Frisk got up onto their horse and rode away.

It did not take long to reach the monster camp. Frisk watched as the chatter died. Every single monster stared up at them, unsure of what to do. Frisk pulled their horse to a stop and glanced around, feeling uncomfortable and unsure of what to do next. Every tent looked the same. How were they supposed to find the monster king and queen? Unsure of what to do, Frisk shifted uncomfortably. Their horse neighed and stomped, trying to turn and go home. She was just as worried.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” Frisk flinched as a monster wearing heavy armor approached. Frisk recognized her from the recent battles. With an unsure sigh, Frisk got off their horse. The monster eyed them with an annoyed look. “Who are you?”

“I need to speak with your king and queen,” Frisk said.

The monster, who seemed fish like, laughed. “About what? Your terms of surrender?”

Frisk shook their head. “My king and queen have already decided what will happen next. If you don’t agree to their terms, they will annihilate you.”

The monster’s eyes lit up in anger. A blue spear appeared and she snatched it up, pointing it at Frisk’s throat. “You little punk. You’re surrounded. Who are you to come in demanding that-” The monster was cut off as a blast from something smashed the spear to pieces.

“leave them alone undyne.” Sans walked over with his brother at his side. His left eye glowed blue, but the glow disappeared as he approached.

“Oh! This little punk is the one you were talking about?” Undyne asked. “Wow, they’re pathetic looking. How are they supposed to help us?” She turned and glared at Frisk. “Not to mention they’re demanding to-”

“come on.” Sans offered his hand to Frisk. They stared at him with a heavy heart. “you need to see tori and asgore right?” His smile was so genuine. Frisk took Sans’ hand, holding on tight. “this way.”

“HELLO HUMAN!” Papyrus exclaimed as they walked. “DO YOU REMEMBER ME? I WASN’T IN THE BEST POSITION WHEN WE FIRST MET, BUT BOY AM I GLAD WE DID MEET!”

“Hi Papyrus,” Frisk said quietly, walking together with the skeleton brothers. Undyne followed behind, muttering obscenities under her breath.

“MY BROTHER TELLS ME YOU’RE GOING TO LIVE WITH US ONCE THIS IS ALL OVER!” Papyrus continued. “I WELCOME YOU TO OUR FAMILY!”

Sans squeezed Frisk’s hand and glanced up at them with a small smile. Frisk couldn’t force themselves to smile back. They turned away and stared at the ground. “what’s wrong?” Frisk shook their head. “why are you here?”

“It’s not good,” Frisk whispered.

Unlike the human royalty, the monster royalty had a tent similar to all the others. Sans told Papyrus to wait outside as he, Undyne, and Frisk walked in. Frisk stared at the two monster rulers with a heavy heart. Both of them looked very similar to their son. “Hello,” The queen, Toriel, said. She was reading a book, but set it aside as the trio entered. “May I assume you’re Frisk?”

Frisk nodded. Of course Sans had mentioned them. “I bring bad news your majesty,” They said. “My king and queen, they-they have come up with a way to end this war.”

“Excellent, that sounds like good news to me,” Asgore chuckled. He stood by the strategy map, looking it over.

“They want to seal all of the monsters inside of Mt. Ebott.” All of the monsters stared back at Frisk with shocked expressions. Shuddering, Frisk continued, “And if you don’t agree, they plan to continue fighting until every monster is dead.”

"Forget that!” Undyne yelled. “Tell them to go screw themselves!” She shook her head. “There’s no way in hell we’ll let you trap us underground!”

“Please, it’s the only way you’ll survive,” Frisk said, stepping forward. They clenched their hands tight and took in a shaky breath. “This is all I can do for you.” Their hands trembled and they shook their head. “I don’t want it to be this way, but I can’t fight all the others myself.” At least without dying, but Frisk chose not to mention that.

Asgore and Toriel exchanged a solemn look. Undyne shook her head and turned away. The warrior seemed to be infuriated. Frisk chewed on their lower lip and glanced down at Sans. He stared off in the distance, still smiling, but his smile seemed hollow. Frisk looked away before they began to cry. Toriel noticed their tears and walked forward, placing gentle hands on their shoulders. “Thank you,” She said. “It seems this is our only choice.”

“We must continue to live on,” Asgore said, nodding in agreement. “Tell the humans that we accept. Some monsters have already been hidden in the mountain.”

“No!” Undyne protested. “We should keep fighting! We can’t just give up like this!”

“We will be annihilated,” Asgore said. “Please Undyne, this is the only way.”

Frisk continued to sob, sweeping tears away. Toriel pulled them into a hug and stroked their hair. “Please do not cry for us. It will be alright.” Shaking their head, Frisk peeked over at Sans. He stared back at her and forced a bit more genuine smile.

“thanks kiddo, at least we won’t all be dead, huh?”

Closing their eyes, Frisk shook their head and continued to sob. Toriel let them go and Frisk felt Sans hug them tight. They whirled around and hugged him tighter, leaning their head against his. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“i’ll miss you,” Sans whispered. He pulled away before Frisk could kiss him. Taking Frisk’s hand, Sans pressed something into their palm. “later pal.”

When Frisk left the monster camp, they felt empty. They rushed from the comfort of the quiet talk and small campfires. It would all be gone in the morning. They had agreed to meet at Mt. Ebott. All of the monsters would enter the mountain and then the human sorcerers would create the barrier to seal them inside. Frisk clutched the small chess piece tight in their hand. The only person they loved would be gone forever and it would be at their hands. It rained during the night. Frisk sat outside the whole time, letting the rain drench them. They couldn’t sleep. With a sigh, Frisk stared up at the dark sky, feeling the cold drops hit their skin. Everything would be over in the morning. They would return to the castle with the other sorcerers once the barrier went up and then they would never see Sans again. Frisk stared at the small wooden chess piece. They turned it over in their hands until they found a small message scratched into the bottom.

“love ya,” The hastily written words said. Frisk bit their lip and hugged the piece close.

Most of the human army stayed at the camp as the king and queen rode out with the seven sorcerers. Like Frisk requested, most of the monsters were already inside Mt. Ebott. Only Asgore and Toriel stood at the mouth of the mountain. Words were exchanged, but Frisk felt too sick to bother listening. When the seven sorcerers gathered before the mountain and raised their hands, Frisk followed their lead. The seven sorcerers’ magic glowed together, mixing to form a radiant white light that surrounded the mountain. Frisk closed their eyes, feeling the magic pulse through them. Tears began to stream down their face as the barrier solidified.

“I’m so sorry,” Frisk whispered as they thought back on the past weeks. “All I wanted…I just wanted to be with you.” As their magic faded away, Frisk was left staring at the newly formed barrier. They vaguely heard the king and queen’s pleasure at a job well done, but Frisk felt sick.

The other sorcerers walked away, while Frisk walked forward, falling to their knees before the barrier. Frisk reached up and laid their hand against it. The barrier felt smooth and solid beneath their palm. No one would be getting in or out. The magic even prevented Frisk from seeing through. Continuing to cry, Frisk leaned their forehead against the barrier. It was all their fault. They should have just left. Reaching into their pocket, Frisk grasped the chess piece. They turned it over and over in their hands.

“I love you too,” Frisk whispered.