Undertale: Tales from the Dreemurr Family

Fatherly Advice (Father's Day Special)

I would just like to take a moment to thank all of you who made it this far, and also to apologize for the lack of activity lately on any of my fanfics. I've just not been motivated to just hunker down and pump out the chapters, so I hope you appreciate this attempt of a chapter. I also would like to thank @BuffBoy24 for pressuring—I mean, encouraging ;)—me to just get it done despite my lack of motivation. (@BuffBoy24, if you are reading this, know that I mean what I said in good humor. I suppose I deserve to be nagged when I've not been active for so long. XD) So now, without further ado, here's my Father's Day Special Chapter.

(Frisk's POV)

"I still can't believe I'm having twins!" I said excitedly to Asriel. It had been a little while since I first announced my pregnancy to my family, and they had been floored when they found out I was carrying twins.

"I know, Frisk," Asriel laughed. "You'd been going on about it for quite some time now—whenever you've been feeling well."

"What did I do to deserve that remark?"

"Nothing!" Asriel protested defensively. "I honestly prefer your excitement to your... nauseous periods. I hate seeing my family members being unwell."

"Yeah," I admitted. "Morning sickness is not exactly what I was hoping for when I got pregnant. Hopefully the worst of it has died down." I then placed my hands on my somewhat swollen belly—a clear sign of my growing children. "But honestly, I feel as if this might be the closest I get to my children. I'd better enjoy this moment it while it lasts."

"How's Develyn been doing?" Asriel asked.

I thought for a moment before answering. "He's been pretty nervous about being a father-to-be. I told him I was sure he'd be a good father, but..." I trailed off, thinking about my husband.

Asriel placed a hand on my shoulder. "Give him time to adjust," he replied. "I'm sure he'll be ready in due time."

(Asgore's POV)

Both Fjaltneir and I were waiting in the parlor of my family's mansion for Develyn. He'd called us both asking if we could talk to him about something . I hoped that whatever advice I could offer him would be of some help.

At last, Develyn met us. Apparently, he'd been steeling himself for the question. "I know I said I would like to have a child," he said, "and I know at first I was excited when I found out Frisk was expecting. But now, I'm just... nervous? Anxious? I don't feel all that ready."

I smiled warmly at my son-in-law. "You know, I felt the exact same way when Tori first announced she was pregnant with Asriel. I just felt... unprepared, to be honest. And that's coming from a king who led the surviving monsters following the Great War! I led an entire kingdom, and yet I had no clue on how to be an effective father." I locked eyes with Develyn. "So, yes, I have been where you are now."

"The first thing to know about being a father," Fjaltneir explained, "is to love your children with all your heart. And sometimes, that love means sacrifices must be made. I'm not talking about anything big or grand, necessarily. Even the smallest sacrifices can show a lot of love for your family, like giving up free time to support your family with your job, or spending time with your family instead of hanging out with friends. It's these little sacrifices that often mean the world to your family, especially your children."

"And," I added, "it'll also be your job, as a father, to guide your children along the right path with love and care. Sometimes that may include scolding your children when they do something they know is wrong, and believe me, that part hurts me when I have to do so. But if you do discipline your children, be sure to do so with the intent of building them up. Never do anything to tear them down—and I mean anything. Are you familiar with the fable about the sun and the north wind?"

"I remember how it goes," Develyn replied. "The moral was that gentle persuasion and kindness are often more effective than harshness or force, right?"

I nodded. "Both the sun and the north wind tried to make the traveler in the fable remove his cloak. The north wind tried to use a gale to tear it off of him, but all he did was make the traveler wrap it more tightly around himself. It was the sun's gentle, warm rays that caused the traveler to loosen his cloak, and because of the warm, gentle rays, the traveler not only removed his cloak, but abandoned it in order to find shade under a tree. Harsh words and brutal disciplinary methods (read: abuse) can cause your children to close themselves off from you. However, if you gently and lovingly guide them so that they know what is right and what is wrong, then your children will thank you later on in life for teaching them about how to be the best they can be.

"We're not saying that it's easy to raise children," Fjaltneir added. "There may be times where you feel like you failed. But as long as you take heart and get back up again, things will get better. The important thing is to never give up on your children, or your family."

Develyn pondered what we had said for a moment. "So... a father's life has sacrifices involved in it. And these sacrifices are to redirect my concerns from myself to my family. I should guide my children to do what is right with love, and if I have to discipline my children, it should be with kindness and the intent to build them up and not tear them down. Is that right?"

Fjaltneir nodded. "I couldn't summarize it better if I wanted to, my son."

I invited Develyn and Fjaltneir into a hug, during which I heard Develyn say, "Thank you, Dads... for everything."

Happy Father's Day!

-α&Ω