Love Has Its Barriers | Soriel

Chapter 2: Blinded By Faith

Toriel was once a lovely monster, who always went the extra mile to make sure anyone she encountered was well cared for.Monsters would often come to the castle and ask for food or shelter from the queen. 

Even if Asgore, her former husband, would turn them away at first, she always had a way to turn him around and offer them the finest food she could give, along with a comfortable mattress lined with the finest silk from the surface.

Of course, even she was expecting a child, she always missed the surface. Especially once memories of the great war between the humans began flooding her memory. 

Even if monsters were the ones who lost. The ones who ended up trapped underground with little hope escape. She still felt sorrow over the many lives who were lost. Some days, she could spend them alone, reflecting over everyone. Every monster, every human, who had the determination to risk their lives. To put the lives of their loved ones above their own. 

What might have been if this war never happened?

What would she do, if she could visit the surface again, just one more time?

The trees, the clouds, and the starry night sky. These were her favorite natural wonders of the surface. After all, the only plants the underground had were a patch of flowers. When she lived on the surface, she could sometimes spend hours stargazing until her exhaustion got the better of her, as she slowly fell asleep under the glimmering stars.

They needed 7 human souls to escape the Underground. For the lives of 7 humans who were unfortunate enough to fall inside, the barrier would be broken and all monsters would be freed. Even though the King was willing to make the sacrifice, Toriel would never allow it. She would rather spend the rest of her life inside the Underground, if it meant that she wouldn't have to see another life being taken. 

She didn't want more justification for her days of grievance. She wanted to give them compassion, education, love, and most importantly, her delicious butterscotch pie.

When Chara, the first human, fell down into the Underground. She was not expecting to survive. Even if her reasons from coming down were far from pleasant, Toriel accepted the human child into their home. She adopted her and treated her as her own.Chara, once being treated with nothing but hatred by the humans in her life, had finally found a place she could truly call home. 

A loving father who was known as an understanding and benevolent ruler among the monsters underground. The son of Asgore and Toriel, Asriel, being the one who first encountered Chara, was always ecstatic to wake her up and play games and tell stories from dawn to dusk. Lastly, she had a kind mother who always baked the most delicious butterscotch pies, and taught her children something new about the Underground every day, in the form of a fantastical story by the fireplace. 

Chara had always had a distaste for humanity. With as poorly as they treated her, it was only expected that she would never think anything near being humane. 

Of course, she made a plan for Asriel to break the barrier. Once she read a book at Snowdin's "Librarby"  Chara found an exception to the seven souls that had to have been collected. If a monster absorbed a human soul, they could cross the barrier. If Asriel could cross, and take six more human souls, all monsters would be freed. Of course, she couldn't tell Asriel of this. She would tell Toriel, or Asgore. By then, she would be forbidden from ever visiting the flowers again. She had to find some time alone to put her proposition into motion, and hope Asriel would do the right thing. Even if she would give up her life, she would do it all for the monsters she loved most. The family she loved most.

Buttercups were a beautiful flower that grew, lining the cold, dark soil with bright, vibrant contrast. They were the only flowers in the Underground since it was the only glimmer of the true light Chara could see.Of course, every rose has its thorns. As attractive as they were aesthetically, they were extremely poisonous if consumed.

Knowing this, Chara would be perfectly alright with giving up her soul, for the greater good. If it meant her best friend, Asriel, would become the savior all monsters deserved.

Once she ate the Buttercups, everything within her perspective was hard to see, and every step she took only worsened the aching feeling. She felt nothing but nausea at first. The round shape of the entrance to the underground only did more harm than good, as she tried to walk and regain consciousness. Taking her last steps, she knew that this would be her last childish game of "hide and seek" with Asriel. And perhaps, this would be the only time where her brother wouldn't be happy once he found her.

"I found you!"

As the young prince looked down in horror, hot tears were running down his cheeks as he saw his former "sister" peacefully laid across the the bright, yellow field. Taking some initiative and absorbing her soul, he crossed the barrier, making his last resort.

However, his last effort wouldn't be focused on obtaining six more human souls, but instead to try to make peace with the humans, and instead convince them to reverse their spell. 

His efforts were to no avail.

Chara always said humans were bad people, and it was at this moment when her words held the most weight. Even if he could fight back, he tried to reason with them, but the humans would only further continue their attack.

Using the last of his magic, Asriel used one and only star blazing attack. The humans were distracted with the large, star shaped projectiles that quickly dispersed across the small town. Asriel on the other hand, returned to the Underground, in one piece, that was about to fall apart. The magic that combined his and Chara's soul together was breaking every minute and he knew it.

Rather than say goodbye, he laid down on the flower patch where the two young siblings once stood. Once they played their favorite games, ate their favorite foods, and sang their favorite songs, all at the same garden. "Now, we will finally rest peacefully," Asriel thought as he felt himself go unconscious. With a soft smile, he took his last breath.

"Now, we will be free."

Toriel had seen many painful events over her long lifespan.

From minor conflict to war, the queen once thought she had seen it all. She had always been known to keep a smile on her face and encourage her subjects that anything could be overcome.
If there was a conflict between friends, it could be resolved through compromise. If there was a fight, she would try to fix matters by stepping between the fight before anyone else was wounded and offering both sides some compensation for what they seek. Even wars could be solved by treaties or surrendering.

However, once she found her two children, lying on the same flower bed as they met, the grieving mother not only lost the two children she loved and cared for more than she has any other.The queen lost everything.

Her purpose.

Her love.

Her..smile.