FicWad

Chapter 1




“Unwelcome”



The surface of the lake rippled calmly along the bank, leaves falling from the almost naked branches of thin, twisting trees, as they silently landed on the water. Everything had a calm tranquility in the early morning scene of the Underground.

The brief moment of calm was disrupted as a blue, scaled arm broke the surface of the water, grabbing the shoreline and hauling itself over the edge and onto dry land.

Pebbles crinkled and showered into the shallows of the lake, and water droplets cascaded down onto the sand, turning it to a burnt amber shade.

Undyne’s gills flared at the sudden vanishing of water, but she ignored it. She swished her tail through the air, knocking a few more damp rocks tumbling down the bank. She walked farther past the lakeshore, passing into the deep foliage beyond the open space. Branches and brambles scraped her arms and tail, and knarled, disheveled bushes scratched as she pushed further into the forest.

I better not get caught out here, she thought, nerves buzzing under her scales. Father would kill me.

She shoved thin, dangling ivy tendrils from her path, trudging deeper into dense, dark woodland. Her mind screamed to run for the water, but Undyne didn’t listen. She had trained her gills to last longer on the surface, and even though the pain was nearly unbearable, her short secret outings to the land were worth it.

I’ll have about an hour to look around, she thought. Then I’ll have to go home before my parents start wondering where I am.

She wandered through the forest, embracing the stillness of the lonely forest, until she emerged into a large, domed clearing encirled by a canopy of dead branches twisting desperately towards sunlight filtering through a small gap in the mountain.

A purple sheen glinted over the hole, turning the light shining into the Underground to a bright lavender shade. The beam traveled down as far as it could before a clump of lush greenery blocked it from traveling any further.

The tree was like nothing Undyne had seen before. Fresh, green leaves rustled up in the thick, strong, maroon branches in the brief gusts of wind that blew through the barrier. A sturdy trunk reached into the ground, surrounded by grass in every shade of green she could think of. Stable roots twisted into the earth, ingraining the strange tree firmly into the ground.

Undyne gaped at the beauty of the tree. In all the countless times she had visited the forest, she had never seen something like this.

A leaf was plucked off a branch by the wind, spinning over in its descent before landing in her hair. Undyne shook her head, sending the leaf back down to the dead grass now seemingly dull beneath her feet.

The leaves still connected to the tree rustled delicately once, taunting the dead trees surrounding it. A purple glow illuminated the foliage, brighter this time, as if the sun had risen higher into the sky outside.

Undyne lifted a hand and brushed her fingers over the bark. It was smooth and young, unlike the trees around with flaking surfaces and rotted wood. Her sore feet felt like she was standing on a cloud. She swished her tail over the lush green grass, finally beginning to relax-

A sharp noise sliced the silence, and a faintly glowing weapon cut through the trees, crashing through the forest, aimed directly at her. Undyne ducked quickly, rolling onto her back and hiding under a nearby bush. The weapon landed with a thunk as the blades drove into fresh bark. She glanced at the tree, its fascinating trunk sliced open by the pitchfork.

Close one.

She silenced her heavy, rasping pants to a slow, quiet breath, careful not to reveal her location to whoever attacked her. Panic tore at her chest, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure her pursuer could hear it from wherever they were. She hoped they wouldn’t see her inside the dead bush.

“Who’s there?” A harsh voice sounded a few feet away. Undyne heard footsteps pounding like thunder against the ground. She tried not to shake as two pairs of metal boots emerged from the trailing foliage, stamping the earth inches from her sweat-drenched face.

“I know I heard something!” A voice called from above.

As the Royal Guards inched closer, Undyne instinctively moved away, crinkling the tendrils draped around her. A long period of silence seemed to stretch on for days before the Guard’s gaze snapped towards where she was hiding. Dead grass and leaves crunched underneath them as they walked even closer, then stopped to crouch down and examine Undyne’s hiding spot. A white paw lunged into the shelter, grasping at nothing but the old, thin branches half an inch from her eyes. She held her breath for what felt like ages until the hand retreated back into the open.

“You’re going insane,” a male voice said a few feet away. “There’s nothing there. I think you’re just being paranoid.”

“I know I saw something. And the air around here reeks of those slimy fish.” Said another voice, coming from the Guard closest to her, a female.

“The smell probably drifted out from that wretched lake,” the voice responded. “You should know that they don’t leave the water. They can’t breathe on the surface. Even they aren’t stupid enough to come out here.” Rage boiled under her scales at the insult, and she fantasized about punching him in the face.

Very tempting.

The sound of receding footsteps started to fade as the male Guard began to leave the clearing, before stopping. His voice sounded again, further away. He sounded annoyed. “Are you just going to stand there? Or are you going to help me finish our shift?”

“Just a minute. Go on without me. I have to check something first.”

The other shrugged, rolling his eyes. “Whatever. As long as you catch up.” The sound of their feet slowly got quieter until there was silence.

Undyne heard the ragged breathing of the first Guard, coming fast.

They’re irritated, she observed.

“I can sense your presence, fish-face. There’s no point in hiding.” She whispered, a threat in her tone. “I’m not about to be humiliated by my colleagues again.”

Undyne didn’t budge, holding her breath.

Just go away, she wished. She wanted to scream out her frustration.

“You think you’re clever?” She sneered. “You think if you wait there long enough, I’ll leave and let you get away with what you’ve done?” Her voice rose. “Well, I’m not going to go. I’ll take you to Asgore if you don’t shove it, and then he’ll kill you himself.”

I don’t care, Undyne thought, still refusing to move.

Silence.

Suddenly, a white hand grabbed Undyne by the neck of her shirt, dragging her out from under the bush, then throwing her onto the ground so forcefully that the breath was knocked out of her for several seconds, causing her vision to blur. The forest twisted into a labyrinth of confusion and pain as Undyne tried to make sense of what happened.

When Undyne’s disorientation faded, she looked up to see the Royal Guard looming over her, wielding a glowing red pitchfork gripped in one paw, lowered down to Undyne’s neck, pressing against her scales.

The Guard glowered down at her with fierce, scarlet eyes, burning with intense hatred. Her lip curled with disgust, growling, her teeth glinting in the faint light that seeped through the canopy of twisted, bald branches. Her grayish-white fur bristled with anger, raised along her neck. Her armor shone a brilliant silver, sleeked with shimmering goo over the surface. She stepped closer, her weapon pushed closer to her throat, lightly piercing it until a thin stream of blood trickled down her neck.

“You brat,” She snarled. “I’m going to teach you a lesson that you’ll take with you when you're left a measly pile of dust!” She raised her pitchfork, fury blazing in her eyes. Undyne rolled out of the way as the glistening red weapon was thrown down, sinking into the dirt where she had been lying just seconds before. She stood up immediately, crashing through the dead forest, running as fast as her sore legs could take her.

The scene was a blur: green and brown and yellow blended into a mixed mess, sharp branches slicing into her arms. Her mind swirled as she tried to remember where the lake had been.

She heard her Royal Guard pursuer dashing after her, screaming mindless, angry insults, which Undyne ignored. They moved slowly with their clunky, shimmering armor weighing them down.

“Get back here, you BRAT!” She screeched. “I’ll cook you into fish-sticks!”

Another pitchfork sailed through the air over her head, landing with a splash in the distance.

Adrenaline surged through her. The lake! She would be safe at home soon.

The thick layering of trees broke, allowing Undyne to catch a glimpse of the sparkling lake surface, which was flowing gently despite the intense chase taking place only a few feet away. Undyne pushed her legs harder, ignoring the aching pain in her exhausted muscles, fear making her faster.

The forest ended abruptly, and Undyne burst out of the choking, dark forest, running for the safety of the lake. But before she could dive into the familiar waters and escape the Royal Guard on her tail, a sharp pain sliced her cheek. A glistening scarlet pitchfork crashed into the water, spraying her face with cold droplets. She lifted one hand to her face, then retracted it as her fingers grazed her wet scales. Red liquid coated her hand, dripping onto the pebbles below.

Undyne glanced behind her, trying to find the Royal Guard who had chased her here. But the forest was eerily silent and still, as if nothing had happened.

That was when the goat charged out of the trees, faster than Undyne could react to their sudden appearance. They shoved her down onto the shore, her head landing onto a sharp rock, slicing her forehead.

The world turned black as Undyne sensed her consciousness slipping away, falling into a black void.
*

First, she heard the voices.

“What happened?”

“We aren’t sure, ma’am. The army patrol found her close to the border. Her face was damaged. The head doctor says she’ll recover in a few days, but the scars will last.”

“When can she come home?”

“She’s still resting. Give her some space. We aren’t accepting visitors right now.”

Undyne’s eyes opened slowly, and she brought herself upright on the bed. An impatient expression was worn across a medic’s face, glaring at her mother, who stood a few feet away. Her gaze was just as aggressive, but when she noticed she was awake, her gaze shifted back to normal.

“You’re awake!” Her mother gasped, then rushed to her side. “I was worried about you.”

“I'm fine, Mother,” Undyne responded, pushing her away.

“No, you’re not. Your face is all scratched, bandaged, and bleeding. Why did you cross into their territory? You could have been killed!”

“But I wasn’t,” Undyne retorted impatiently.

“It doesn’t matter that you didn’t get killed; it's that you broke the law and put yourself in harm’s way. It’s not safe up there. Asgore’s soldiers will stop at nothing to kill our Tribe.”

Undyne rolled her eyes. She had heard this lecture many times. Asgore had started a war between her Tribe and his army and banished them to the lake to keep them contained with almost no freedom. All exits to attached rivers and streams had been blocked off, making it impossible to go anywhere else, while his Royal Guards consistently patrolled the border on the lakeshore for possible trespassers.

Undyne hopped out of the damp, rocky bed, mild irritation sparking inside her. She winced as pain throbbed through her arm, and she lay back onto a nearby wall.

“I’ll carry you home if I have to!” Her mother snarled. “No more taking risks until you’ve recovered.”

Undyne rolled her eyes again as her mother grabbed one of her arms and dragged her up, guiding her out of the room. They made their way to a bored-looking person who groaned as they approached.

“You shouldn’t be leaving yet,” They growled at Undyne, narrowing their eyes, before looking up at her mother. “She’s only been here a few hours, and she hasn’t recovered all the way yet.”

“She’ll be fine.” Her mother snapped. “I’m helping her home.”

They stared at her a moment longer, assessing her closely, then looked at Undyne, who averted their eyes and nervously stared at her feet.

After what felt like forever, they sighed and nodded. “Off you go, then. Stay safe out there.”

As they left the rocky walls of the medical cave behind, Undyne pulled her arm out of her mother’s death grip, ignoring the slight jolt of pain as she moved away.

“Father’s going to kill me.” She mumbled.

Her mother looked at her, expression stern. “Just because your father’s hard on you doesn’t mean he’s going to harm you over this. I’m sure he’ll understand.” Her eyes sparkled as she added, “When we were younger, he snuck out all the time to go on secret adventures. I’m guessing you got it from him.”

Undyne shrugged. “Sure.”

Her mother didn’t look satisfied with her response. “When he found out you were injured, he was the first to be there to get you to the doctor. He couldn’t stop worrying about you.” She laughed. “Don’t tell him I said that. He might not act like it around you, but he cares a lot.”

Undyne nodded, not feeling comforted at all.

*

The room fell utterly silent as Undyne’s father entered the house, his face screwed up with an unreadable expression. Undyne instinctively looked away, finding the floor suddenly the most interesting thing she’d seen.

It was quiet like this for several minutes, unsaid tension hanging thick in the air. Undyne felt like she could choke on it.

A rough voice broke the never-ending silence.

“Why did you leave the lake?” Her father’s voice was quiet, but Undyne sensed an ominous aura of anger crackling around him.

When she didn’t respond, he straightened, his tail thrashing through the water impatiently. He approached Undyne with a stiff posture, his eyes gleaming with fury. Her heart pounded as he grabbed her by the neck, lifting her to eye level.

“You idiot!” He growled, smashing her against a nearby boulder. His grip was crushing on her throat, and she could barely breathe. “You know how dangerous it is up there! And yet you disobeyed my orders and snuck out anyway, and now look at you. You almost died.”

Undyne struggled against his pinning; fear made her want to fight back, but she knew that would only make things worse.

When she thought she couldn’t last another throat-crushing moment, his grip loosened, and Undyne backed away against the wall, cowering under her father’s menacing glare. Her heart was hammering, and her mind was on alert, just in case he tried to attack again.

Her mother just looked into the distance, like she hadn’t just seen her husband pin her daughter to the wall by the neck. Her eyes were clouded, her gaze distant. It was almost like she wasn’t there at all.

Defeated, Undyne left the room without another word.

It didn’t matter what happened.

It would always be the same.