Grillby x Reader: Burn the Witch

Part 5

Sans and Papyrus stayed true to their word and led the mage deeper and deeper into the forest. But as they trudged deeper, she began to finally see signs of life and civilization; a sign, a worn path, a fishing rod dipped into a rushing river. But it seemed as though other than the ones she had already seen, there were no monster's to be found. A relief to be sure, but the stillness of the forest never failed to put a proverbial chill down her spine.

She was lucky to have found the young skeletons when she did. And even though Sans often threw a suspicious glance back at her every so often they helped her to a well worn path that Papyrus promised was the way to town.

Unlike his brother, Papyrus was excited to make a new friend. He chatted with the mage, tugged on her clothes curiously, even tried to climb up her arm (much to his brother's dismay). His eyes seemed to sparkle when the mage was finally given leeway to respond to the questions he was asking in an neverending onslaught. Nothing seemed off limits to the young child. He had a thirst for knowledge, she could see it in his eyes. Sans' eyes shimmered similarly when hearing about her life above ground, but his was dulled by a layer of fear and suspicion.

About halfway to town, Papyrus looked at her, grinning from ear to ear, and asked, "Why did you leave your home? It sounds so cool!"

She couldn't stop the stall in her steps as she came to almost a grinding halt. The two brothers took a moment to notice she had fallen behind. They looked back at her, waiting for a response. As they met her eyes, Papyrus seemed confused at the sudden silence. Sans, however, saw the same emotions in his eyes reflected back at him: pain, sorrow, but above all, fear. As quickly as he saw it, her eyes darted away and the emotions were hidden under the layer of kindness and care they saw when they first met her.

"I just wasn't very popular there," she said finally. While she definitely did not want to divulge the details of her escape to such a small child, her heart hurt to lie to him. "I just decided I needed new friends."

"Well, we can be your new friends! Right, Sans?" Papyrus asked, looking up to his brother.

Sans had not taken his eyes off the mage yet, almost as if he were trying to reach into her mind to find the truth. His gaze was finally pulled away as Papyrus prompted him for approval, tugging on his sleeve.

"Yeah," he said noncommittally, "C'mon Paps, we're almost home."

They finished their trek to town in relative silence (or as much silence as Papyrus could muster). She began to see the warm light of street lamps and from buildings. Her legs started to ache sympathetically, craving the end of their trek. And while she was unsure if she would be welcome there, she decided that she would be willing to risk getting chased out of town for even the slightest chance to rest in a bed. As they saw the town the boys had introduced as "Snowdin," the mage watched fondly as Papyrus started darting ahead excitedly, eager to show his new friend around. Sans still tossed skeptical glances her way every so often, but they seemed softer than before. The mage found comfort in the thought that the young boy was starting to warm up to her, regardless of whether or not that was true.

As they entered the town, the mage noticed a group of monsters huddled around the middle of town. Another skeleton in the center, talking to a few other armed guards. The mage staggered for a moment, that pit anxiety coming to settle back in her stomach. She pushed forward despite it, pulled along by the two younger skeletons. As she approached, she noticed that the skeleton in the middle was wearing a well worn and embellished suit of armor and as he turned his head slightly, she noticed a prominent crack running down the side of his face like the tear track. After barking a few more orders the other soldiers scattered further into town, only leaving him in the middle of it.