He was gliding over the hundreds of familiar and yet not faces below, many looking up to behold the skeleton atop a skeletal dragon. Few would notice the young passenger behind the Rider.

"Do you see anyone?" The faintly wobbly voice asked.
"No, Chara. I'm afraid not. I may have to take a moment to search less.. superficially than this if we cannot find them." He explained gently through the wind.

"How do you do that? Can you teach me?" They bounced in place a little in the seat, full of curiosity and nervous energy.
We're not sure if you can do it. GB admitted, tilting his skull enough to regard them.
No one's had the chance to find out if our humans- you- can actually expand their magic in the same way.

"Which isn't to say you can't do things. Plenty of those who wield magic here struggle with the same skill. There is still plenty more you can do, Chara!"
Chara didn't respond to that, only gasping and pointing. "Is that Glitch Pa??"

Both skeleton and skeleblaster blinked, seeing a certain towering skeleton hiding entering a hastily erected tent.
"Well I'll be. That is Error! I do wonder what he's doing here, I thought he wanted to be alone."
"Can we see him can we see him?! I missed ErrPapa!!" They bounced.
Blue shared a thought with GB before huffing.
"Well.. I suppose we could visit for a few minutes. Though perhaps you'll have to call him ErrMama now." He chuckled as they dipped closer to the ground.

"What do you mean?" Chara asked, throwing their arms around him in surprise as GB landed heavily outside the tent. Blue bent to unbuckle himself as the flap moved aside to reveal Chaos blinking at them.
"Oh hi, Blue!" She waved frantically. Chara stared, not recognizing her.
"Oohh! Hi Choccy!" She waved harder.
"Um." Chara looked up at Blue in desperate confusion and he chuckled. "Chaos is a little different now."

Chara now gasped in disbelief, scrambling to escape the buckles themselves. "You're big! Human sized! What happened to kitty Temmie??"
"I don't know but I give better hugs! Hug??" She offered, stepping out of the tent with grabby hands.

Blue helped the human down and they ran forward, crashing into Chaos's embrace with a huge grin.
"And you're fluffy!!"
"I am fluffy! My arms look like Daddy too, look, look!" She gestured excitedly, falling into a seat with the child in her lap as she showed off her multicolored arms.

"Oh! Is Glitch Pa okay? Everyone missed him! Frisk was sooo mad! A lot of other me's were super angry!"
"I bet they were! Don't worry, Daddy's okay! Mostly. Um. There's a human in there that's gone a little funny." She whispered loudly as Blue strode over, GB close behind.

"Are they bad?" Choccy asked in an equally loud stage whisper.
"Not really, she's just mean sometimes. But she's been weird." She glanced up at Blue in confusion, the question in her red eyes clear.
"Who?" He asked despite the shocked recognition in the back of his mind. Unity knew.
"Um. Elva." Her voice fell further.

"I see." He murmured, remembering when he last saw her. Thrashing, surrounded in teal and purple, eyes fluttering behind their lids as she seized and flickering with white light. Unity had both recognized the unstable flashes of energy arcing from her then and yet didn't. Even now, he could see them inside the tent, no longer frantic, but occasionally spazzing about as they curled around the figures inside. Admittedly, there was something familiar about the way they shrouded everything in the tent and spread outward, but Blue couldn't quite place it.

"Stay here a moment, will you?" He asked Chaos and his Chara, reaching for the flap.
"Oki!" The Temmie chirped, arms folded around the human in her lap.
The sight that greeted him inside was jarring.

Error was standing silently, glaring at a glowing shape above a cot in the middle of the dark, chilled room. Fresh was curled atop one of his shoulders, hanging back in uncertainty. Blue finally gasped when he recognized the luminous shape.
A Soul, like that of one from the Multiverse- except it wasn't right. It was round, violet and swathed in silvers that flickered teal here and there. Too round, too.. misshapen. The power it exuded didn't match any human Soul he'd seen before.

Error was watching him now as he drew closer, and the reason why it was so strange became clear.
It was an apple.
"...Did Nightmare do this?" He whispered.
"I asked." Error stated gruffly. "They said yes." He confirmed with a scowl.
"Now we don't know what the £u¢k is going on here." And he was pissed at that.

Blue joined him at his side, looking down at the oddly peaceful child on the cot, black hair tangled behind her head, a few locks resting upon her shoulders. A few strands had draped across her neck.
With a frown, Blue reached across and tugged them away, twitching at the tingling feeling the contact left behind. He felt the energy draw closer in that brief moment, felt a hint of confusion, anger and pain before it was gone again.

"..Have you touched her?" Blue asked calmly.
"No. You shouldn't have." Error grumbled, fiddling with red needles as he started knitting to occupy his hands. His ability to knit without looking was always impressive, even if it only applied to simple projects.

Blue frowned at that, then regarded the starchild in the bed once more.
"They're coming, by the way." Error stated, not looking away from the Soul.
"They're just looking for Abyss and some deity."
"Did they say who?"
"Eve, I think. I don't know what it's short for."
"Evolution." Unity spoke up then, surprisingly gentle.

"So what's the ant have to say about this?" Error prompted, daring to glance at Blue.
"I. Well." Unity began hesitantly. "She has the feel of one of us. I only wonder how that could be."
The mismatched eyelights in red sockets vanished, the clicking of knitting needles stopping short.
"Do you mean like a deity?" Error nearly hissed, static rising in his voice.

"She's too small to tell." Unity admitted. "There are so few of us, and the youngest started out like gods too. Those that didn't form from split deities, anyway. But I wonder.. well, she's unintentionally cursed and gifted with fragments of Emotion, does..." Unity went quiet, strangely bewildered.
"...Does that count..?"

"Count as what?" Blue questioned.
"I'm not sure, really. Maybe Evolution knows more. Or maybe Memory has the key?" Unity sounded particularly uncertain, only lighting up when the far wall of the tent lit up in golden hues and purplish shadows.

Soon enough, the currently merged Cicállaé stepped through, followed closely by a tall, pale woman and a small lizard with feathered wings- Abyss.
The gem-like reptile landed on the foot of the bed, turning crystalline eyes toward the child even as the treeskeleton bent over her with a faint croon.
Blue didn't miss the kinship in that gaze.

"So what the hell did you do?" Error demanded, ignoring the strange moment as he stepped closer.
Cicállaé glared up at him for a moment, then their face relaxed. "..A gift." Nightmare's voice rose up softly.

"This." Eve stated in wonder. "Yes, this is to be remembered."
"Explain." Error demanded.
She blinked at him, then past him as light filtered in from outside.
Of all the people to stand there, it was Beats, one hand on his favored headset.

"Why are you here?" Error questioned, exasperated.
"It's okay, I'm alone." Beats assured him as he waved behind himself and fully stepped inside.
"I just overheard and um. Noticed. Her." He shivered, rubbing his arms as he stepped closer with wide sockets. "Now I can't stop feeling her." He whispered.

The branches that had been creeping in between the others and the girl paused, then unwound enough to let him through.
"Come." Cicállaé spoke, sounding more like their mother than themselves. Or.. well, like brothers.
"Have you claimed this child?" Eve asked in an oddly amused tone.
"Yes. She feels as we do. All of it. Eragon made her like me and you are surprised at this." A branch waved at the floating Soul.

"You were the one to give her that." Error squinted at them.
"I gave it to her to help." Nightmare replied sharply.
"I made a promise because of Wyrda. I felt she would cease to be human. Did you not feel it?"
"I don't know what I felt!" Error snapped in frustration. "I just know that if these theories are correct, then she's somehow a god or deity or something in between and she is too dangerous for that."

"She's just young!" Unity defended, Blue wincing when Error shot a withering gaze his way.
"Can you guys please-" Beats was interrupted by Error.
"I won't pretend she's not a threat because she's like us in some way."
"And have I not been the same before? Dangerous? Manipulative? Cruel?" Nightmare pointed out harshly. "She is angry, Error. Just like you, and just like me. Can you expect a child to not blame the world for their pain?"
Error scowled, about to argue further when Beats raised his voice. "Can you STOP?"

Finally, they regarded him, surprised at the strange chirping way in which he asserted his voice, the flash of magenta in his lights unmistakable.
"She's mad." He huffed in distress.
"She's aware?" Error was alarmed.
"Only somewhat." Cicállaé explained, falling back to twin voices. "And she can feel your anger."

The glitch dropped his arms to his sides, sighing.
"She's never liked me anyway." He muttered.
"Did you want her to?" Blue asked.
"No. She wasn't my business. Now she might be and now is the worst time for that bullcrap." He gestured outside. "We have more important things than some new, angry kid who's a god."

"Let me stay with her." Beats suggested, oddly enough. Error paused, Cicállaé blinking at him.
"The rest of you are important. And you're right, yeah? And I. Can't.. I don't like going out there much." He admitted weakly. "It's loud."

He then lit up again. "So I can just talk to her. And, um. Still tell you if stuff happens." He gestured vaguely, hands falling as he picked at the sheets.
"She's like me too." He mumbled.

Something in the treeskeleton softened, and they gave him more space. Beats paused, regarding them strangely. The moment passed, and he awkwardly looked away, facing Error and Blue.
"You're important. And helping. I'm just.. here. And Elva's here too. Can I. Uh.. can I try to.. relate? To her?"

Eve slowly stepped around the edge of the cot with a soft smile. "I see no reason to remain here, then."
The winged lizard turned it's head to watch her, straightening as though it wanted to follow, but did not move. The deity left them then, vanishing with the sound of sloshing water and cyan light beyond the tent.

"It's ironic, you know." Abyss spoke in that not quite present voice, more feminine than not.
Beats was staring at him in concern as Blue asked.
"How is this ironic?"
The gem-like eyes settled on him, something different about them. Soul, not Abyss. The changed voice proved the assumption correct.
"Emotion always wanted children."

There was a sharp hiss from Cicállaé, leaves all shivering as branches curled inward.
"Just because I am my sons does not mean they are not my children." Her voice snapped out, eyelights searing into the reptile's back.
Soul glanced back, wings shuffling. "I did not mean to insult you. Only make note." Those piercing eyes peered at Beats for a moment, then the blank gaze gentled.
"You will watch over her as the closest to an equal as can be." It was not a question.

Beats hesitantly reached for his headphones, tapping the side with a questioning look.
Soul nodded. "We hear."
The youth's gaze drifted across the others in the room, Error standing in the corner irritably, Blue watching curiously from the foot of the cot, Cicállaé behind- though currently as Emotion, not the twins.

He then set his hands on the edge of the mattress, staring at them.
"I.. don't really have a brother. I'm.. a Sans, but... it's been so long since I've been called that, I...." He shrank into himself a little, one hand moving to rub his humerus. "I mean. Technically I do. Well uh. He doesn't remember me anyway. I don't know what I'm trying to say." He tucked his skull to his ribs, sighing. There was a low trill on the end of the breath.

"You want a sibling." Soul stated bluntly, Error slowly burying his face in his hands.
"I mean- a little? But that's not- she can't be- I mean she's human and Cicállaé already-" He froze, a leafy vine winding around his shoulder.
Blue didn't need reach out with his thoughts to know the treeskeleton was communicating mentally. One didn't need to reach out to speak to Beats. He could already hear thoughts.

The stool Beats was seated in creaked as he brought his legs up to hug them.
"I don't know." He mumbled. "She's like me. But I'm a godling. She's a.. smaller? Godling? And a human." He chirped the last word. It truly seemed like ever since reverting to his mortal form, he'd permanently become a little more bird-like and musical.

"What difference does that make? You are gods. Kin may be your guardian, but he is still a mortal. Being a deity's Voice cannot change that there will things he cannot grasp, cannot relate to. More, you are closer to Emotion, to whatever the starchild shall be. You hear thoughts, hurts, and connect to mortals much like they do.... You do not have to be alone in what you are." Soul explained, far more grounded than Blue had ever heard before. Typically Abyss was the grounded one.

"I don't want to leave Kin.." Beats mumbled, swaying slightly.
"Oh no, you certainly don't have to do that." Blue butted in, putting together what was going on.
"Just because there are some things he can't understand doesn't mean he can't be involved. It'd be cruel to take you two apart simply because you're a god and he's not. He's still a Voice, after all. That closes any gap to be found far more than any other trait, short of him somehow obtaining 7 human Souls."

"No, that's worse." Error huffed. "Seven Soul Gods have to deal with their humans constantly harassing them. At that point you're dealing with multiple conscious- consciousessess- fucking personalities." He stumbled over the word. "Just look at Seraphim. Not worth it."

"It's never bothered you before, though." Blue pointed out. Error stared at him. "What?"
"Your voices?" Blue reminded. At that, the glitch scoffed, looking away. "It was nice not having to deal with them for a while."
"Did you know they had a body of their own?" He asked, referring to the strange creature that had appeared in the battle. Even now it was still unconscious, laying across several fields limply.

"No." Error retorted like it was obvious.
"It's weird as hell, though."
Beats glanced up again, regarding Blue. "But Unity has an idea..?"
Several lights turned towards him at that.
"An idea, yes, but I'm no expert in these things. Destiny probably knows." Unity's disembodied voice rose from him.

"Share this idea anyway." Soul spoke, an echo of Abyss following the words.
"Wellllll.. given that Error was originally a patchwork of fragments from mortals lost to the Anti-Void, regardless of whether one piece turned out to be the dominant one or not, you're still one made of many forced to become Destruction. Just.. technically, it makes no sense. The circumstances sound like it would produce a very different god. A god formed of the pieces of fragmented mortals? Why would a god like that become one that breaks others? I think Fate might have forced you to become Destruction when naturally you would have been a god that mended things. Or something similar. Why otherwise would you create so much despite being, well, you?"

"What are you insinuating?" Error questioned as the ant materialized on Blue's shoulder.
Antennae waggling, Unity tilted his head at him.
"Did I not make sense?"
"No." Blue answered, Error gesturing wildly in irritation.

"Well my bad, I simply thought that maybe Fate intentionally forced you into halves to have what they wanted. Maybe you were going to become more like me when they wanted a Destruction, so.. wow, that would explain why so much of Fate was in you in the first place."
"How would it explain that?"

"It's simple, really, which makes it all the more disturbing...." The ant shook it's head and nervously faced him. "You weren't going to become Destruction on your own. Fate altered the intended path, likely split your natural self in two so that the half that wouldn't change how they wanted could be.. out of the way. Fate broke you to better force you to become one who breaks others. You likely only survived because you are already many pieces forced into one- oh geez, Fate forcibly created a god that healed then forced them to become a god that destroyed-" The ant vanished in a puff of cerulean, Blue silently processing what he'd heard.

The amount of horror Unity felt towards the idea was terrifying. Of course the idea would scare them so much. A god made in such a confusing way, forced to be without say, then forced to become virtually the opposite of their own nature was.. haunting.

Error was just staring in confusion.
"That's it, then? I'm just fucked up that way? There's no fixing it?" Fresh whined softly, curling around his neck vertebrae like a scarf.
"I mean.." Unity continued hesitantly. "I could try to fix it?"
"NO." Everyone in the tent immediately snapped.
"Okay." He sounded small at that.

"On another matter, what do you plan on doing with that one?" Blue asked Error, still talking about the giant.. other half?
Error just shrugged in resignation. "Dunno. They're quiet."
"They are?"

He stared at the wall of the tent, likely in the direction of said behemoth. The lines on his face flashed briefly and he sighed, rubbing the back of his skull.
"It's like.. they've mostly fallen asleep? Whispering a little, but mostly they just feel... wrong. Not sure how."

"Did you know they consumed Entropy?" Blue then questioned. Error straightened. "No? You mean they ate- what about Madness?"
"Madness had abruptly split off from them, and as Entropy tried to escape, they simply lunged." Blue explained. "Reaper was startled at that, then upset that he couldn't kill them, I think."
"Why would that deity help anyone?"
"I don't know." He answered honestly.
"Madness is Madness. You can't really predict that one." Unity commented.

Frowning thoughtfully, Error turned to the side, slowly gathering Fresh in his arms- much to the child's confusion.
"I'm.. I'll take a look at it." He mumbled somewhat distractedly, quickly leaving the tent.
Briefly, they could hear Choccy shout in excitement, then Chaos's voice before there was a reedy cry from Fresh and silence once more. Error had left.

Blue frowned at that, then regarded the child in the bed. "If he has left..." He hesitated, huffing.
"What can we do with her? Even if she's somehow become a god, she won't by any means be a normal one. I've never heard of a human that became a god. Not to mention she has a pseudo-Soul like us because of you despite being of Alagaësia." He stared at her slightly scrunched face on the cot, thinking.
"What.. is she?"

"We'll have to find out." Cicállaé hummed, looking down at her calmly.
"I worry there'll be a complication in the future. One we don't know how to handle. If she's of Alagaësia.. well, we don't know how the gods here function. She might as well be considered a hybrid." He pointed out.
"We will learn what we will learn when the time comes." Nightmare huffed. It was clear they didn't care, which was notably uncharacteristic of Nightmare. Blue stared at them for that, concerned.

"You're normally more worried about this stuff." Beats noted mildly, glancing somewhat at Blue.
Something seemed to sag then, branches and shoulders drooping as Cicállaé sighed.
"I.. I don't know." They muttered, gripping the sheet tightly. "She is young. Tormented like us, but over a simple mistake."

Their voice shifted closer to Nightmare then, weary. "I recognize my own anger in her. I feel her heart beat. I feel her ignoring the man with a stomach ulcer nearby, even as it echoes within her. I feel her ignoring the woman with a rash down her back even as it makes her own back itch. Eragon gave her the ability to ignore them without pain, but neither can she find total relief. It.. reminds me of things I do not like to be reminded of. We only wish to guide her, help her, ease the pain for her. We want to be what we could not have for her."

Beats made an odd, choking sound, hugging his legs to his ribs.
"She feels everything I hear." He mumbled, blinking rapidly. "I hear.. them. Lady hurts because her husband died and it's loud, but I can't do anything. Another kid hurts because he can't find his family. Loud, so loud, and, and, and I just hear it. I'm not made to help but I want to. It gets so bad sometimes." He whined sadly, trilling.

"Why don't you sing, then?" Unity asked quietly. Beats blinked up at Blue, who was staring to the side as he examined the deity's thought process.
"It's what you are, isn't it?" Unity continued.
"I know what music does for mortals. For anyone, really. I think you know too." He seemed to address Cicállaé with that, even though he wasn't visible.

".. You're right, in that. For once." They chuckled softly, regarding Beats with a new glint in their lights. "Do you know how much you helped in the battle alone?"
"I was just doing what felt right." Beats excused, mumbling into his kneecaps.
"Because it's your nature. You may be young for a god, but you took your shape. That awakens every god, no matter how young. I glimpsed what happened; you are connected to song. There's never been any god like that. You should be you." Unity explained sweetly. "I think it will help everyone if you were just you."

Beats stared thoughtfully at the floor, phalanges tapping his tibias anxiously. "You're sure?"
"Of course." Blue was surprised to find that he and Cicállaé had spoken at the same time, meeting the treeskeleton's lights for a moment. They were mostly yellow.

The youth hesitantly stepped down from the stool, feet tapping on the floor before he abruptly stood.
"Okay. I'll do it." He nodded quickly, taking a deep breath as faint hues of magenta surrounded him, colored light coalescing from the air to curl around him. Oddly enough, his still bare feet were now oddly.. changed. Clawed, spread out and tapping with nervous energy.

He smiled awkwardly before darting out of the tent, Blue holding back a surprised gasp at the changes. Beats' feet had become talons in a matter of seconds. All he could assume was that it was something gods could do, something Beats was easily adjusting to. GB, who had been completely silent, pulled away from the tent to watch.

Blue faced Cicállaé again, pausing at the hum that sounded outside the tent. Not something from any voice or even a Soul, but a strumming sound.
In a moment, a guitar thrummed at a louder volume than should be possible. He resisted the urge to look outside. The child could just do that.
...Maybe later he could ask if Beats had any idea how it worked.

The low rumble of thousands of voices quieted before the echoing tune.
"And I'd give up forever to touch you, 'cause I know that you feel me somehow..
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be and I don't want to go home right now.."

"How does he change his voice like that?" Blue asked instead. Each time Beats had sung, his voice was slightly different, changed, though somewhat similar.
It was Abyss who spoke, Soul having retreated from the forefront. "You're asking that instead of how he can replicate the sounds of an orchestra?"

"And all I can taste is this moment...
And all I can breathe is your.. life.
And sooner or later, it's over..
I just don't wanna miss you tonight."

"Well I believe only he can answer how he can summon the sounds of instruments. I was hoping his voice was something simpler." Blue explained.

"And I don't want the world to see me.. 'cause I don't think that they'd understand..
When everything's made to be broken,
I just want you to know who I am."

"I think it's connected to his sense of self." Unity spoke aloud, partly to share his response with the others. "He wants to become the song he sings, I think. And gods are deeply rooted in identity, even if the alteration is self-made."

The voice was echoing across the plains, lilting and shifting as a high giggle sounded from nearby. Fresh, that was Fresh. Blue finally gave in to his curiosity and went to the entrance. He could only stand in awe.

"And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming..
Or the moment of truth in your lies.
When everything feels like the movies..
Yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive."

Beats was already in full form again, wheeling in the sky on four gleaming wings, yellow and magenta lights swirling in time with the sound of instruments that didn't exist. He was beautiful in his strangeness.

"And I don't want the world to see me.. 'cause I don't think that they'd understand..
When everything's made to be broken,
I just want you to know who I am.
Know who.."

Lights were flashing as Blue found himself smiling.
"He's happy." He noted simply.
"He's so weird and pretty!" Choccy added excitedly.
"What is he?"
"Just a godling." Blue murmured, glancing down to see Fresh staring at Beats in the sky, enraptured from Chaos's hair, the human still seated in her lap.

"And I don't want the world to see me.. 'cause I don't think that they'd understand..
When everything's made to be broken,
I just want you to know who I am.
I just want you to know who I am.
I just want you to know who.. I am."

The notes echoed into silence as the godling dipped closer to the ground below, falling out of sight of the crowds as he swooped into a landing. He chirruped as he thudded before them, the sound delicate and stuttering like a laugh. Only then did the vast gathering seem to awaken from its reverie, voices returning in muted tones.

"Are you feeling better now?" Blue asked, the dark and doe-like eyes finally regarding him again as Beats nodded jerkily, crest of feathers twitching as antennae wiggled. "It's all nice-er!" He trilled lightly, breaking up the word in two.

"It definitely looked like fun." GB agreed, the first time in a while speaking up before he stared out at the horizon thoughtfully. Blue sensed a familiar longing in the other, holding back a sigh.
Beats was clearly aware of the same yearning, tilting his head at the skeleblaster before awkwardly looking away.

"Oh, don't worry, we'll be fine." Blue lowered his voice to say. He could have just thought the words, but it was still more comfortable saying something to the younger as he stepped closer. He gave the feathery chin a pat as the beak came closer. "Alright? Now do you want to stay here and watch over Elva or do you want to find Kin?"

"I'll stay with Elva." He churred, leaning into the touch as he settled down. He then pulled away, looking out in a random direction and clacking his beak softly. "I heard your king and queen over there, by the way. Um. I think your Temmie.. is there?"

Blue lit up in delight, hugging the beak abruptly, ignoring the startled honk from the godling and stepping away. "Thank you, Beats! That was immensely helpful of you! Chara, come with me, we have a lead!" He hopped towards GB in glee, pausing to help the human to help them to their feet, helping them into the saddle as the skeleblaster intentionally laid low.

That's my rib- ow. Okay. Still heavy, buddy. He complained lightly as the child clambered somewhat inelegantly up his side.
"Sorry, sorry, my feet slipped." They apologized fretfully, keeping their hands in their lap as Blue joined them, smiling as he helped them into the buckles.

"I don't need those, let's go, go!" Choccy complained.
"I don't doubt you can hold on just fine, Chara, but I would prefer you to be safe. Besides, we wouldn't want to show up to Asgore with you not buckled in, do we? He'd be so upset!"
The child pouted, arms crossed until he was done, then gasped while GB stood. The movement had them brace against the saddle, then start waving goodbye to everyone standing around. Chaos waved back just as excitedly, Fresh lifting a hand with a grin as Beats churred lightly, antennae waving.

Then the skeleblaster leapt up, teleporting mid-jump into the air to easily dive down into a glide, heading in the direction Beats had originally indicated.
As they searched the ground below for familiar faces, GB cast a private thought to Blue.
What are you going to say to them when we find them?

His smile faded at that, unnerved.
I don't know. He answered honestly, gripping the edge of the saddle in trepidation.
I can't be any sort of guardsman or ambassador for them, not anymore. The dragons are more important. He felt an odd sort of loss at that.
I mean, Draco and I are plenty enough, you know. GB pointed out.

And leave Eragon as the sole teacher of the new Riders? Blue almost scoffed aloud. Don't be ridiculous. He's still a boy, not to mention there's only one of him. Just because I'm not a traditional Rider and you not a dragon of Alagaësia doesn't mean we should leave them stranded for the sake of our AU's. There's only five of us. Toriel will be fine. Your Asgore, too. He would certainly understand. Just as Draco's will.

He paused, recognizing a few faces in the distance, particularly their minds. He might have never touched their minds before, but he still knew them. They were his people. He didn't comment on them, only let GB begin his slow descent.
You know, I've never seen Draco's Asgore. He mused.

I have. He's huge. GB chortled under his breath. He's weirdly omnivorous too, even though he's got herbivore eyes.
Does he? That is strange to think about.
I know. He's straight up a goat dragon. He even has back hooves!
Oh wow.

They were finally swooping in for a landing, monsters scattering before the bone dragon as he backflapped and set down. Grass and dust blew away from the force of his wings as he settled, regarding the swap Dreemurs that paused in their argument with another Sans to stare.

The parka wearing skeleton quickly vanished without notice thanks to their distraction, Blue swiftly getting out of the straps as Choccy fumbled with them in anticipation. Soon enough, the goat monsters had recognized their human and were rushing closer just as the child was set on their feet.

Choccy eagerly darted across the space and dove into the king's arms in glee, hugging around his neck and kicking their legs. "Goat Dad!!" They greeted joyously as he hugged back. Toriel almost set her paw on his shoulder, but instead resigned to smiling softly at the sight.

"Thank you." She nodded to Blue as he approached.
"Of course. It's the least I can do. I could probably find Papyrus once again and drag him here too. He's probably keeping close to Muffet." He smiled.
She hesitated, Asgore looking up.
"Our Papyrus?" She quested, gesturing slightly to herself. It made Blue pause.

"..Your Majesty, do you not recognize me?" He asked softly. "I know I've changed, but has it been so much?"
She stammered slightly in shock before Asgore softly asked. "Sans..?"
"It's me. The one and only." He nodded.

Shockingly, the queen lunged, wrapping him in her warm embrace. He went stiff in surprise before recovering, patting his back.
"You had been gone for so long, we were afraid you had somehow.." She didn't finish that sentence.

"Oh no!" He chuckled good-naturedly, letting her hold him at arm's length with a grip like she was afraid he would disappear.
"There were plenty of humans that tried to defeat me, but I am simply too great for them to handle." He explained lightly. Was he admitting to being a murderer through war? A little. They wouldn't think he'd have done such things regardless.They didn't think of him that way.
..They didn't know him.

"What happened to you? To your lights?" Asgore questioned in concern. Blue caught himself reaching for his face a little.
"Ah, that. I was accidentally blinded for a little while, but I recovered. Nothing can keep me down, of course."
"You are alright, though?" He pressed.
Blue met his eyes evenly, not the least surprised that he wasn't leaping to say "Your Majesty" every few sentences anymore.
"You could say I've never been better."

"You are not still hurt, are you?" Toriel questioned, already checking him over. "You're wearing new armor."
"Of course I am, Your Majesty! Error worked very hard with several dwarves to help create it. You'll not find any match anywhere, as it's survived a thousand swords with hardly any dents! Not that those dents lasted long." He chuckled.
"Swords?" Asgore made a strangled sound at that.

"Why yes, in a world like this, wars are still fought with swords. There just happens to be a hefty amount of spells thrown in too. It's not so fun when facing other dragon Riders." He admitted lightly so as not to concern the human too much.
But being a Chara, swap or not, the Determined one still understood more than they didn't, staring at him with enormous red eyes.

"Ah... I.. see." Toriel managed, unsettled and clearly concerned. "Does your brother know of all this?"
"No." Blue answered, glancing around at the many monsters all around with a sigh, then faced GB.
"GB, do you want to find your brother real quick?"
The skeleblaster regarded him curiously. Why?
"I was thinking this was a conversation best had in private, but the location I had in mind would be most appealing to both of you."
Du Weldenvarden. He added mentally.

GB's sockets widened, his eyelights flaring at the prospect before he launched himself to his feet with a joyous trumpet before leaping away, vanishing in a flash of blue.
Blue faced the Dreemurs again, noticing his Temmie watching suspiciously from behind Asgore's foot.
"Would you like to take this discussion somewhere more private?" He finally offered directly.

Flabbergasted, Toriel slowly asked. "Where.. did you have in mind, dear?"
He simply waved behind him, the shimmering ants appearing and crawling into the air to form a not-quite portal, a rift to elsewhere.
"It's much quieter than here, with the addition of privacy. We have a lot to catch up on. By we, I think that mostly entails you."

"No, we have much to share on our parts as well, Sans." Toriel shook her head sadly.
"Then we'll have time to discuss everything!" He bounced, beaming. Her sad smile grew concerned as she stared at his grin. Blue abruptly realized what she was looking at, covering his teeth. "Oh dear, my bad. That was another thing that's changed. I can't seem to put those away at all anymore." He apologized for his fangs.
"Oh, it is no trouble. I was merely unaware you had any."

He chuckled at that, glancing back to see GB in the air in the distance, his brother just behind him and wiggling in excitement. He waved at them before gesturing to the Dreemurs behind him and stepping through the cerulean rift.

The babble of voices immediately silenced, replaced with the soft whispering of pines brushed by the wind. The hut grown from trees still stood as he last saw it, though now it tugged at his Soul painfully. It now stood empty, abandoned. The owner was no more. All that remained was an orb of consciousness.

He didn't dare approach the door, only summon bone attacks to serve as seats. He hadn't been given permission to go inside, even if it would likely be given anyway. It wasn't his to touch. He respected his teacher too much.

"So." He began, sitting down and offering the other makeshift seats to the rest. He paused as a pair of skeletal dragons abruptly appeared in the sky overhead, dropping a dozen feet before recovering and excitedly flying off. GB had eggs to show his brother, after all.

As the goat monsters and human still ogled at the sight, he resumed.
"Did you want me to start, or you? I do not mind either way of course!"
Asgore coughed awkwardly as he regained his bearings, Toriel blinking rapidly before collecting herself.
"You.. well. I believe I would like to start with how we are concerned? Through unusual circumstances before we ended up in this place, Papyrus told us of all these other.. alternates. And dangers.. of this. Multiverse. It was rather strange. A version of you dressed much like him had appeared on our doorstep."

Blue hummed. "That sounds like Classic. How odd. But regardless of that, what was it that had you concerned for me?" He asked, pretending not to notice how put off the queen was at his lack of bubbly cheer and eagerness to please. She was worried, but he wasn't about to fall back on those habits just to reassure her. He'd made a promise to himself, and he was keeping it.
It was Asgore who spoke up. "We have heard of the company you kept outside of our knowledge."

He winced at that. "Ah, that. I wasn't allowed to share knowledge of the Multiverse. It was considered dangerous for AU's to interact so much. It was restricted to mostly alternates of myself and my brother. Particularly me. I'm sure you've noticed how we stand apart from the others. Our world, it is the reversal of the norm. Strange to grasp, isn't it?"

"Of course." Toriel agreed, still hesitant. "But.. he spoke of gods. You are aware that gods are not the best company to keep? They can be.. unsafe."
Blue tilted his skull slightly to the side at that, giving her an unreadable look.
"Your Majesty, what I am about to say is spoken with utmost honesty without any intention of insult, but.. you are only aware of one way a god is formed, through a monster obtaining 7 human Souls. There are other ways, many of them. I do know several gods, but none of those I am close to became such through such dark methods. No, they were either born gods or even forced into godhood. I only know of one god who became such in the traditional fashion, and it was out of desperation due to the circumstances of his universe. He and his Souls are quite kind."

"Yeah, Glitch Pa is cool! He never took any Souls to become a god!" Choccy agreed happily.
"Who?" Asgore questioned confusedly, Toriel turning to fix the child with a questioning look.
"Oh, they only mean Error. He was.. forced to become what he is. Recent evidence suggests he could have been a very, very different god had circumstances not forced him to destroy." He steeled his expression so as not to grimace at the thought.

"We were told of him.." Toriel noted in a low voice.
"My brother has an unfortunate opinion of Error, regrettably." He noticed her disbelieving expression.
"Things that have happened in a.. past that no longer exists still haunt him. It affects his judgment greatly. I cannot blame him, I am still negatively affected by it myself, but I am still disappointed in him. He hasn't tried to grow past it as I have. It was merely a dreadfully unfortunate situation forcing many victims into.. miserable circumstances." He paused, considering what exactly he was going to say next.

"I.. I don't feel like lying anymore." He sighed, half regretting saying that out loud.
"Lying?" Toriel echoed in surprise.
"Yes, lying." He paused as Unity silently pressed a thought to him.
I ԋαʋҽ ƈσɳƚαƈƚҽԃ Oɾσɱιʂ, ყσυ ƙɳσɯ. Hҽ ԃσҽʂɳ'ƚ ɱιɳԃ ƚԋҽ υʂҽ σϝ ԋιʂ ԋσɱҽ. Yσυ ƙɳσɯ ƚσ ƚαƙҽ ƈαɾҽ σϝ ƚԋιɳɠʂ. Hҽ ʅҽϝƚ ιɳɠɾҽԃιҽɳƚʂ ϝσɾ ʂҽʋҽɾαʅ ƚҽαʂ ιɳ ƚԋҽ ƈαႦιɳҽƚ αɳԃ ʂυɠɠҽʂƚҽԃ ƈԋαɱσɱιʅҽ!
...Thank you. Blue expressed genuinely before standing.

"We should go inside. I think this occasion calls for tea." He offered.
"Are you sure? What of who lives here?" Asgore asked uncertainly. Blue paused. "The.. owner of this hut has given me permission."
"Is this human home?" Toriel quested, eyeing the structure dubiously.
"Master Oromis was an elf, thank you, but he is no longer here." He explained softly while opening the door. He sensed a strange spell, a flash of energy dashing across his senses that gave him pause.

Alarmed, he searched for the source and purpose, having not expected such of his teacher before something screeched from behind.
Spinning, he saw Beast already sliding to a stop outside. Internally, he found a detection spell of sorts, putting pieces together.

The small goat plant stared at him with wide eyes, flicking between him and the others behind him.
"Did. Did the Multiverse collapse?"
"Yes."
"Oh my gosh. Wait, what about Galbatorix? Is he really gone? I swear I felt weird stuff and bad things and I don't actually know what's happening because you're all warded against scrying and I'm so-"
"Beast, Beast, it's alright. Calm down. We're alright. Yes, Galbatorix is dead. He tried to take the city with him. The Multiverse is collapsed, Fate is gone, and we are okay. Alright?" He gently took the small one in his hands like a cat, thorny tails and legs dangling limply.

"There's dinosaurs in the forest now." Beast mumbled fretfully. "And weird giant sloths. They walk like gorillas." He added.
"Well there were many creatures in the Multiverse that are now displaced." Blue admitted, shooting an apologetic look to the bewildered Dreemurs.
"Would you like to come in while we chat? You could help me make tea."
"But what about Oromis? Wouldn't he-" Beast cut off at the look on his face.
"It.." Tears were already welling in his many eyes.
"It happened." Blue whispered, taking the small one inside.
"Both..?" "Yes."

Beast whimpered as he was set on the counter beside the sink, Blue taking a deep breath and facing the politely silent king and queen with their worried expressions.
"I.. I'm sorry for that. He.. Oromis fell in battle recently. I have grown to care deeply for him, but losing your guide, your elder, is always a tremendous loss. He was a good teacher."
"A teacher?" Toriel echoed softly, eyes flicking between him and the sniffling Beast.

"Yes. He taught me and Eragon, a friend of mine, in the history and magics of Alagaësia. He was the best we could have asked for."
"My condolences." She murmured.
Blue refrained from mentioning the orb that still kept the Rider's consciousness alive. Doing so risked mentioning Eldunarí, and he was sure the dragons didn't consider his old king and queen individuals that needed to know. He would have to wait to tell Beast, and be careful to keep Glaedr out of the conversation. Not even he knew of the crystalline Souls.

"How did you manage to become a student of this elf, might I ask?" Toriel quested carefully, slowly taking a seat by the table. Asgore regarded her cautiously before doing the same at the opposite side, Choccy in his lap.

Blue silently found the teapot and offered it to Beast, giving the smaller something to do. Beast blinked his many eyes, then took it with a tail, sniffling again as he went to fill it.

He faced the Dreemurs again, prepared.
"In simple terms, necessity." With that said, he leaned on the counter behind him.
"We, that being me and the others that originally were sent to this world, arrived to a world ruled by suffering and tyranny. It was once kept in order by what was known as the Dragon Riders, a fellowship of dragons and their human and elf Riders. They were bonded through complicated ways. I could go in depth, but now is not the time. To break down the history is these Riders were revered and capable of great magics. Their power stemmed from the dragons."

He paused, letting that sink in as he finally sat at the table.
"But eventually, things went wrong. You see, Riders are deeply connected to their dragons and vice versa. Their identities are partly merged on some level. So, when one of the two dies, it often drives the other to madness. This happened to one such human Rider, his name being Galbatorix."

He glanced at Beast as the other hopped in his lap, shivering not with cold, but sadness. He set his hand on the back and continued.
"He demanded his dragon be replaced, as if that would fill the hole left behind, but his elders denied him. They sensed the darkness within him, but also vastly underestimated it. He later stole a hatchling and killed their Rider and vanished into the wilderness. There he learned dark and evil magics and later returned, leading a team of corrupted Riders against the order and slowly taking it apart as well as killing each and every last dragon and Rider."

The Dreemurs were rightfully horrified, Toriel gasping softly. Blue just checked to see Choccy looking on solemnly.
"He.. nearly succeeded. Only one Rider escaped- Master Oromis. He flew to this land, the northern forests of Du Weldenvarden, the land of the elves. He and his partner, Glaedr, settled outside of the capital nearby, Ellesméra, to wait for a chance to strike against the one that committed genocide upon the dragons, who, unbeknownst to most, were critical to upholding multiple balances in this world."

"And you?" Asgore quested in a falsely casual tone. Blue could sense the tremors that betrayed the ex king's true dismay.
"In a moment." Blue muttered, composing himself.
"I just.." He shook his skull. Best to just get on with it.

"All that Galbatorix could save from his rampage before moving to take over the human kingdoms and create his Empire were three eggs. He intended to rebuild the Riders in his image with those eggs, by getting them to hatch to a human in his kingdom and train them to be his servants. Fortunately, they refused to hatch for any human for more than a century. It was long enough that the rebels, the Varden, were able to arrange for a thief to sneak in and steal them. He only managed to snatch one, but it was enough. They had their future dragon and Rider."

He nervously drummed his phalanges on the wood.
"The egg still wouldn't hatch, even while it was ferried between the Varden and the elves. It was only when the ferry was ambushed and the elven ambassador captured that there was a chance. The ambassador, Arya, used a spell to transport the egg across Alagaësia to the presumed location of a trusted rebel, but be as it may, she accidentally sent it to a boy in the mountains outside of the village their rebel.. Brom.. was hiding. That boy was Eragon, and it was for Eragon that the egg hatched. And her name was Saphira."

Blue considered how to continue. He was giving a grossly simplified version of events, but he couldn't afford to keep explaining for hours. There wasn't any time for that.

"Circumstances drove Eragon out of Carvahall, his village, with Brom guiding him. They essentially traveled across the Empire in secret, Saphira growing with time as Brom taught them the basics of magic, which every Rider develops the use of. That is where we come in. We dropped into Alagaësia in the middle of the night- or at least, we woke in the middle of the night. By pure chance, we were near Eragon, who had been captured by.. creatures that served Galbatorix."

He couldn't help the cringe then. "Brom had a loving feel to him. True love, that fiery kind? He was passionate, we could feel it- but he was old, even for a human. Especially for a human. He was stabbed when we drove off the Ra'zac, and the blade happened to be poisoned with something called. Seithr oil. And. Well. He died. We did not know him for more than a day, but it was impactful.... Looking back, I understand that was our first experience with the fate of Alagaësia. We felt its weight and could not yet comprehend it. Brom's death was an important moment. It.. it is still.... I don't know." He sighed, idly petting Beast.

"Regardless, because we were lost in a strange world with strange magics and experiencing strange things, we joined Eragon and a new companion, a runaway from Galbatorix's court, Murtagh. We traveled together, learning what we could, discovering many unusual traits between ourselves and Alagaësia's magic. In any case, such an experience can make friends of anyone, and I saw what future had been set before Eragon. He's only 16, and he was expected to kill a king that gathered the strength to stand on equal ground to gods and kill him. You understand none of us would let him deal with that alone. Especially when we learned that without us, the Multiverse would collapse and send everyone here. Alagaësia was not yet a safe place for monsterkind, not by a long shot."

"That is certainly a great responsibility to shoulder." Toriel cautiously pointed out. The teapot was beginning to whistle, and Beast silently hopped off to attend to it. Blue watched him for a moment, then went on.
"I was more than capable. Especially when we discovered GB. He's the one you met earlier. Technically he is another version of me, but is descended from dragons in his universe, both him and his brother. We were able to rescue him from his forced servitude to a Shade, a creature only killed by stabbing through the heart. Eragon managed it as I broke GB's chains." He debated whether to mention the price paid.

"... Because GB couldn't speak as we do, I offered to be his translator. Our team split then, some staying with the Varden, who were at the time housed in the dwarven capital, Tronjheim, as the rest of us followed Eragon to Du Weldenvarden so he could be truly trained as a Rider. At the time we didn't know how exactly he would be trained, as Oromis's identity was still secret to us, but we knew the elves were wise and also knew dragons the longest."

His gaze darted between the faces listening intently to his tale, anxious.
"The elves turned out to be just as aware of how dire the situation was. And because I was with GB, more or less a dragon, Queen Islanzadí offered we be trained as Eragon and Saphira's peers. Of course, we accepted. We learned of Oromis. We learned of Alagaësia. We learned just how us monsters can fit into this world. There are many similarities, yes, but there are also critical differences. The way magic functions here results in us being far stronger than others. They draw their energy from themselves when they cast spells, all of them, elves, humans, dragons, dwarves. We naturally draw some of our energy from our surroundings. That difference, when paired with the fact that magic here is directed by language and intent, gives us an absurd advantage.... Humans are right to fear us here." He added the last in a whisper.

"Did.. something happen, Sans?" Asgore asked softly. "You seem to be reflecting upon something dreadful."
"Plenty happened, Your Majesty." Blue sighed, glancing to the side. "I knew what I was getting into when I chose to join Eragon as an equal. I knew the expectations and responsibilities. That does not change the fact that I am haunted by faces." He glanced at Choccy, who was silent and covering their face. He added in a faint voice. "Only us monsters dust in this world. All other races here remain even after their life is gone."

Asgore inhaled sharply as Toriel clasped her paws to her face. "Sans, you have.. killed?"
He shut his sockets, counting to five before replying in a quiet tone.
"There was no path to attack Galbatorix directly. We were forced through armies. First Urgals, then humans, then... humans enchanted to feel no pain. Living dead. They laughed and they laughed as they were riddled with holes by arrows, laughed when their limbs were cut off, laughed until their heads were removed from their bodies or they bled to death. Even still, they were human. Their bodies remained. I have the fortune of not being one of them, but Eragon did not. He was forced to kill hundreds of his own people. I only wish to take solace in the fact that Galbatorix is dead. The war is over. Nasuada is crowned queen. Alagaësia can rebuild. Monsterkind shall be safe."

He jumped slightly when a warm paw clasped around his hands, looking up to see his queen giving him a weary look, full of both worry and understanding.
"It is difficult to cope with bloodshed." She murmured. "And while I had thought no more blood would be shed once the Barrier was broken, I appear to have been wrong. I apologize, for not being there as I should have been."

He gently pulled away, just in time for Beast to float over the steeping chamomile with magic.
"Thank you, but there was no way you could have known. All you knew was I had mysteriously disappeared. It was I who wished to join the Guard, I who wished to protect the innocent and uphold justice. Unfortunately, I spent too much of my time lost in illusions of naivety. It was an unhealthy coping method, I've known that for a long time. Alagaësia simply allowed me to shed that ridiculous persona. I am sorry I didn't allow you to know me. I.. I was afraid of hurting you when.. when I was hurting myself. I uphold my own morals too much. I believe in second chances too much, but perhaps that is simply the trait of every honorable warrior. Eragon will never kill any enemy should he have an option otherwise, and I will believe in the best of others, even when to all else they appear evil. That is what makes me the Uniter."

He finally leaned back to sip the tea, quietly casting a spell to cool it a little. After a few seconds, he was settled enough to speak clearly.
"I believe that is the perfect segway to something more. I am not sure how else to say this, so I will put it bluntly: I cannot join any form of Guard or ambassador work."

Toriel barely caught herself from snorting her tea, Asgore turning out less fortunate as he briefly choked in surprise.
"Why is that?" The queen asked, struggling to conceal her astonishment.

"I am one who serves the people, Your Majesty." He stated honestly. "And I have found a cause in the dragons. There was a cache of eggs hidden from all and revealed only upon Galbatorix's death. I have pledged myself to assist Eragon in reinstating the Riders and in returning dragonkind to Alagaësia. I may not be a true Rider, but I am as close as one can be without actually being one. As such, I am declared the first honorary Rider and my achievements are considered that of legends, which is.. an honor." He paused to drink, letting them process.

"While the worst of my work is already in the past, given that Galbatorix is gone, I still have a duty to the public at large to help work out long-term solutions to the overcrowding of monsters and otherwise. The gods, of course, are helping. Ink clearly regrets his mistakes and is helping Life with food and shelter. Error is grateful to be of use in a way that doesn't involve destruction by organizing and more shelters. Reaper and Soul are managing possibilities of bringing back more dragons to further stabilize balances while Cicállaé.. well, I'm not sure what they've been doing in all honesty. But as I understand it, all deities are helping organize monsters in groups consisting of their own. I believe.. Unity claims to have found more of our own. I could take you to them. Seeing both their king and queen should greatly improve their spirits."

He returned to the tea, ignoring the look of astonishment on the queen's face. This professional and logical side of Blue was new to them, and a small part of him took pride in the fact that he had shocked his queen and former king so much. He mostly hoped it was a good sort of shock.

While there was still more to share, he simply didn't feel ready for all that. Not yet. He'd kept Unity secret for so long, and the deity didn't mind being kept secret for longer. Not if there was any urgency.
...Unity seemed eager to share something with him when he was ready, though.
Ready, not alone. Of course, Unity hated isolation.

His tail twitched as Toriel seemed to switch. "Since you appear to know more of the situation than I, then might I ask your advice? How might we best handle this unusual situation? I fear we are in over our heads. Alternate existences, a mysterious world of unknown magic, gods, creatures unlike any I've ever seen before.. I fear I cannot even be called queen of monsterkind if there are so many others exactly like me." She spoke professionally, but there was a hint of nervousness underneath.

Blue shook his skull. "You are still you. AU's are always similar, but they are not you. Simply like you. Think of it as lost twins that lived similar lives. Some are less like us than others. You may share a name with many others, but you will never be them and they never be you. I cannot imagine you are like Red's queen, and he cannot imagine his king like you. You are queen of your Underground. Our Underground." He smiled softly.

"If it is any consolation, we have devised names and nicknames for one another. I've been called Blueberry for years, but I would prefer you call me Blue. If you are ever unsure if it is me you are addressing, call me Eldgath. It is what I do."
"Eldgath? Why is that?" She didn't understand, an odd glint in her eyes.

"When we encountered the elves, they chose their own names to give us. It seemed this world has its own names for us, and they named me the Uniter. It's not wrong. I united opposing forces, helped unite the races of Alagaësia, and helped keep the different sects of the Wyrdaí Islingrya together-" He stopped himself from stating his Voicing of Unity. "and I intend on uniting the old ways with the new, the remains of the Multiverse with Alagaësia. Eka eddyr du Eldgath."

"Do they have a reason behind this naming?" Asgore queried. "No, they do not even know the reason themselves. Ask an elf why, and they will only smile and say nothing."
He finally set his cup down, empty, sighing. "I don't believe I can handle much more of this today. I have riots to quell, tensions to ease, monsters to organize, work to do. I think I can wait on your side of the story for when there is a better time."

"Are you sure you want to leave already?" GB's voice startled him from the open window, having been too deep in memories and thought to notice his arrival. GB blinked at his slight flinch, but made no comment.

"I'm always sure of myself." Blue replied, hands still woven around the mug.
"We literally just got to see the kids. I've barely told Paps the names we're thinking of and he already wants to guard them until they hatch!"
"Oh Stars, they haven't even hatched yet and they already have a protective mother and doting uncle."

GB promptly exploded in cerulean, ducking out of the window with a sharp whine.
"I'm not- screw you!" He spluttered, Blue already laughing, the Dreemurs staring with mouths agape.
"You did not mention your friend was a mother!" Asgore cried. GB just groaned upon hearing that from outside, the telltale scrapes of him pawing his skull in embarrassment sounding just beyond the window.

"Yes, he is a mother." Blue confirmed with an easier smile. "He has lain four eggs, his partner seven. They will be raising the clutch alongside others, just as soon as things are settled enough."
GB hesitantly snaked his skull back in through the window, still faintly blushing. This time, he cast his thoughts out.
So we're leaving now?

Ignoring the startled flinches, Blue rested a hand on Beast's backside. "Do you want to help bring any monsters you find in the woods to safety?"
The goat plant lit up a little. "I can do that."
"Thank you. It would be much appreciated."
"Yeah. Yeah. We won't let you down. We'll get everyone! There'll be more monsters than elves in Ellesméra by the time you come back!" He grinned mischievously.

"I'm afraid we've already reached at least thrice that number back near Urû'baen." Blue chuckled.
Beast stood straight, back arched like a cat. "No way! There's that many?!"
"You've vastly underestimated the sheer number of monsters."
The little one spluttered, then scoffed. "Well- you'll just see!" He stuck a tongue out from between his toothy mandibles and on his televised face before cackling and scampering out the door.

Blue grinned at the behavior before standing.
"Shall we go?" He asked his old king and queen.
Toriel smiled at him with weary but soft eyes.
"Of course."
She took his hand.