Prophet

We should've warned markimoo

The ticking of the clock was the only sound in the bedroom, though it felt as if all time had stopped. The air thick as the two royals waited patiently in their bedroom for news on their parents. Chara was clutching their knees like their life depended on it, and Asriel became despondent. He was curled up into a ball, sobbing into his paws with his blanket sloppily draped over his body.

 


They didn't mean for it to happen, it was supposed to be a gift. How were they supposed to know the flowers were poisonous? When their adoptive guardians ate the pie they had made for them, they had stars in their eyes, so excited to see what they thought. But the sound of a the abrupt coughing and having to listen to their mother beg, plead, with them to call for a doctor, the giddiness the pair of heirs were filled with turned to fear and panic. Asriel turned an instant wreck, gripping his mother's hands. He would switch between assuring them it would be alright and screaming at Chara to hurry up as his sibling struggled to steady their shaky hands enough to dial the phone. It was supposed to be a gift.

 



Everything after that was a blur, they knew a doctor had arrived, they don't remember how they mustered up enough strength to get them there. The adopted royal swallowed hard, glancing over at their brother.


 

"Hey-" They finally spoke, the words cutting through the quiet. "I-it...It's gonna be okay, Azzy... The doc' is in there fixing them as we speak." Their voice slow, trying not to show the uneasiness in their tone. They felt worried, guilty, but they would never show it.

 



Asriel didn't respond though, it appeared, to Chara at least, that no matter how much he wanted to trust them on this he just couldn't anymore. It was their idea to put the overgrown weed in the batter, whether or not it was an accident he probably couldn't feel that same level of trust with them anymore. They didn't blame him.

 


A knock on the door interrupted the one sided conversation they were having. The door knob turned and the tall, aquatic looking monster crept into the room. Asriel shot up, his eyes red and puffy.

 


"Wh--What? What is it are they okay?! What's happening in there?! Are they gonna be okay, tell me they're gonna be okay!!" He blurted out.

 


Chara shot him an unwarranted glare, "Let the doctor speak, Asriel. You can't get any answer from her until you do."

 


The doctor sat on Asriel's bed, looking down at her hands in her lap. "Now kids, I'm really really sorry but...your parents, the king and queen it appears they have--" She cut herself off as tears welled up in her eyes. She blinked them back and took a breathe. "It appears they've fallen."

 


The room went dead quiet in Chara's ears. They could see the big reaction from their brother, as he clung to the woman, sobbing into her lab coat as he screamed at the top of his lungs, begging for himself to just wake up. Nor could they hear the sounds of the poor doctor, attempting to soothe the miserable prince. The human's mind was toppling over itself, trying to understand the news they had just heard. Their facial expression was neutral, like they hadn't just heard the people who gave them a new life were gone because of them.

 


That harsh reminder of guilt was what sent Chara over the edge. They rushed out of the room as fast as they could, holding their pounding head as they desperately fought the urge to cry. The pitter patter of the grief-stricken child ran as far away from the castle as they could.

 


Their tiny lungs wouldn't let them get any further than the outskirts of the core. Not as far as they would've liked. The surrounding walls were a dark red, rough and boiling to the touch. Their sweater made the place they landed them in ten times worse heat wise, which didn't help the mental spiral they were in but it did help when they slid down the heated rocky surface. Bringing their knees up to their face, they clawed at the back of their hands until it left marks. 'What the fuck is wrong with you? What did you do? What are you gonna do now?' They internally fought with themself, frantic to calm down and figure out a solution.

 



It took a while, several hours for anyone to find Chara, though it's not like they got far. It had to long enough for the panicking doctor they left to calm down Asriel and call a search party for the missing child. That gave them enough time to settle their anxiety and shove all feelings of grief down as far as they could. The kingdom was without a leader, and, considering Asriel's state and the fact that they had caused this tragedy to befall everyone, they saw it as their duty to take on the role of the Underground's new leader.

 


They stood and brushed themself off when they saw the future royal scientist approaching them. She was currently working on a plan to show the king to convince him of letting her on board. He'll never get to see it now. Chara couldn't quite remember why the position was open in the first place, but they decided to forget it for now. They locked eyes with the advancing scientist, she was short and reptilian, nervous, stuttered when talked to by anyone. Quite the peculiar one. Chara gave her a small wave and met her halfway.

 

Eyes moving fast around the scenery between them, Alphys fidgeted with her claws, pulling at her fingers like she was going to rip them off. "Doc-doctor. Ara has been so worried! She-she told us you'd r-ran away, are-are you alright?!" She asked, trying her best to survey for any potential injuries without actually touching the child. They had a thing about physical contact, no one tended to question it. Chara looked as expressionless as before, though it was obvious they had been crying. The doctor thought about asking, but didn't want to pry, so she left it alone for now.

 


"Greetings, doctor. I'm perfectly fine, nothing to report, just needed a bit of a mental break from the chaos, you understand. I assume Dr. Ara didn't tell you anything. If she did I'd have to have a talk with her, that's not exactly the kind of information you'd go around spreading, right?" They tried to sound lively, though their words came out more dry and sarcastic, like they greatly wanted nothing to do with the conversation.

 


"N-no? I-I didn't hea-hear anything from her a-aside fr-from your dis-di-disappearance." The scientist responded, giving the royal an confused glance. She got a smile in return, a blatantly fake smile, but a smile nonetheless!

 


It was Chara's own special way of pretending everything would be alright. That's what dad did, and they'd say he ruled the Underground fairly well. But now was not the time to dwell on the past, doing that too much would make Chara rapidly fall back into an emotional rut, but they wouldn't let that happen! There was a lot riding on this plan and they were not gonna let their now repressed feelings ruin it.

 


"Ah! Good for her, that's something I'd rather her not spread around, lest she want the kingdom to fall into anarchy." Chara joked, walking back towards the castle with their hands held behind their back. Alphys followed a few paces behind, letting the child speak without disturbance.


 

"Now come along, Doctor, there are a lot of things that need to be done."