Her Majesty

Chapter XXII - The Heiress

Alices stood up as the door opened, folding her hands in front of her in order to hide their shaking. She raised her head, vowing not to show how afraid she was, for Undyne's sake. She didn't want to embarrass her.

Before they'd opened the door, they'd managed to make the room as neat as they possibly could, both to make it welcome as well as to keep their own affairs their own, still. She figured that once the door opened, Undyne would become all business.

She did, but she also stood beside Alices, which surprised her - especially when she felt Undyne take her hand. She felt her face warm up a little, but she didn't say anything - nor did she react.

Undyne held that hand tight, it being the only thing that kept her from visibly shaking. She stood up tall and made her that her hair covered her left eyesocket, then met Laurel's gaze.

Laurel, however, looked calm, her smile kind. She glanced at Michael, then looked back to Undyne. "Relax," she said as her greeting, waving Michael in before shutting the door behind them. "There's nothing to be afraid of, alright?"

"Well, cut us some slack," Undyne answered sharply. "A lot of us are dead."

Laurel immediately sombred. She nodded and gestured to the couch and chair that were in the room.

Undyne waited until Laurel and Michael had sat down together on the couch. Undyne then sat down on the chair, but Alices remained standing, moving to do so beside Undyne, her hands remaining folded in front of her. They shook, but she was able to hide it from the humans (Undyne knew, however).

"So, what's the damage?" Undyne asked bluntly, wanting to get it over with. "How f****d are we?"

Laurel smiled. "First, you may want to ease up on your language when talking to other humans. I know you're new at being Queen, but trust me."

Undyne blushed, but nodded.

"And... it's..." Laurel's smile faded. "Not great. There's a reason why you're so high up, and why you take up most of the floor."

"How bad is it?" Undyne repeated, her fingers digging into the arms of the chair. "Are my people in danger?"

Alices turned to her, her heart racing. Undyne had said that without hesitating, and had said it with conviction, too.

She sounded just like a queen, and hadn't even noticed.

"Not yet," Laurel said softly.

Undyne got up and started towards the door without a word.

Alices scrambled after her and grabbed her arm quickly, pulling on her to stop her. Undyne stopped, but only so that she wouldn't drag Alices.

"Let go, Alice," Undyne advised. Her eye was already on the door, her blood feeling almost cool in her veins, as though something needed to keep it that way.

"No, Undyne," Alices said tersely. She could feel Undyne drawing on power, could see her eye start to glint, and she dug her claws into the floor. "No. Wait until we hear everything."

"They're in danger," Undyne answered, an edge to her voice.

"We don't know that, yet."

During this, Laurel and Michael watched in silence, though Laurel was on her feet, one hand out. Michael had hold of the other, clearly stopping her.

Undyne turned back to Alices, who looked at her seriously, hearing the fear in her voice and seeing it in her face and understanding.

Undyne held her hand tight, closing her eye for a moment, before taking a breath and nodding. Alices pulled on her arm gently, and they resumed their place - something Laurel also did, as well.

"I'm sorry," Laurel said at once, holding her hands up. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I don't mean to imply that your people are in danger, Queen Undyne. I just mean that, as of now, people haven't made the connection between you and the mountain."

Undyne's breath was shallow, but she listened. All she could think about was losing the rest of the people she loved, the people who counted on her, who trusted her.

Shakily, she reached to her side and grabbed for Alices. Alices immediately held her hand out, and Undyne grabbed it tight.

"So what do they know?" Alices asked, sitting up taller.

"Well, you were definitely seen," Laurel admitted. "By at least three people face-to-face, right?"

"Yes," Undyne sighed.

"Well, those three came forward; apparently you said you were on your way here, and they followed you. And on the way, they found people standing there looking shellshocked." Laurel sighed. "And once my boss saw that, they suddenly remembered I existed - and I got my call."

"What did you tell them?" Undyne asked.

"The truth," Laurel replied. "Four times. It was only when a store clerk revealed video footage of you two that my boss got it." She peered at Alices. "Your card actually worked?"

"Wait," Undyne raised her hand. "Who is your boss?"

"Who else? The mayor."

"And the mayor is okay with this happening? You told them that you have two monsters with you, and they were just fine with it?"

Undyne's voice was cold, but Alices didn't say anything, nor did she add anything to soften Undyne's words. Clearly, she wanted to know, as well.

"Well, no," Laurel admitted. "She's actually on the side of not being okay with it. Or the fact that I've been here all along and didn't say anything." She smiled anyway. "But it's been said now, so we need to focus on that. She wants to meet you."

"I technically outrank her," Undyne said. "Does she know that?"

"Well, I mentioned it, and she was..." Laurel raised a hand and waved it slowly, rolling her eyes, and that was a good enough answer.

Undyne shrugged, not in the least bit intimidated. "I didn't ask for this, but now that I'm Queen, I'm putting everything I have into it." She smiled, her eye narrowing, the kind of look she wore when about to pummel someone with the intent to "teach". "She'll learn."

Alices, she saw, was smirking, though she tried to hide it.

Laurel covered her mouth for a moment, just as Michael turned to her with a carefully blank face.

"Queen Undyne," she said softly, her voice muffled, "we're going to get along just fine."

"That can only happen if you can guarantee the safety of my people," Undyne answered. "And that includes allowing us back on the surface." Her eye glittered, though she still smiled, and her hands were folding under her chin, her legs crossed.

Alices stared at her. In that moment, that exact moment, all she wanted to do was hug Undyne, and hard.

Laurel again looked unruffled by Undyne's brashness, instead looking oddly happy and intrigued. She lowered her hand, and though her face was calm, her cheeks were pink.

"I know," she agreed. "And I fully intend to make that a reality, and not a goal shelved indefinitely for years and years."

"Same here," Undyne agreed. "But again, how long do we have until your people go to the mountain? My people there, they're not properly defended."

"They are," Laurel answered. She grabbed a tablet from her bag, pulled up an image, and handed it to Undyne.

It was a still image of what looked like a ring of humans in formal gear at the very entrance of the former barrier. If she looked close enough, she saw Mettaton hanging back, but the humans paid him no heed.

Alices checked her phone at that, and sure enough, there was a message from him: "THERE ARE HUMANS HERE! THEY TOLD ME TO STAY OUT OF SIGHT AND WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO SCREAM, THEY SAID YOUR AND UNDYNE'S NAMES. YOU BETTER EXPLAIN, AliceS."

With a red face, she did hurriedly, turning away a little to do so in order to not be rude. She explained everything and told him to trust the humans - for now. He agreed.

Undyne was looking at her, and she said, "He's aware, now."

"Who is?" Laurel wondered.

"Our friend," Undyne replied. "He was guarding the entrance."

Laurel and Michael exchanged a look and a nod; it was clear they knew who they meant.

Undyne handed the tablet back with a smile. "Thank you for doing that," she said sincerely. "But maybe, next time, start with that, okay? So that I don't freak out, again."

"Deal," Laurel agreed.

"So what do we do now?" Undyne wondered, raising an eyebrow. "No matter where I go, people will be looking for me by now - as well as Alice...s." She blushed a little at her stumble, but Alices didn't even blink.

"Well, what do you want to do, Queen?" Laurel wondered.

"I want to hurry up and get us together in peace," Undyne answered immediately.

"Undyne," Alices broke in softly, leaning down and touching her arm. Undyne looked up at her and nodded, her attention fully on her.

(Unseen, Laurel and Michael exchanged another, different look, one that also had a nod but for another reason - one made clear when the smile they shared was soft, and understanding.)

"We can't just show up and magically ask the humans for everything, then expect it in seconds," Alices was saying softly. "It's going to take a lot of time, a lot of talking, and a lot of patience."

Undyne's face fell a little. "I was afraid of that," she admitted. "But, Alice?" She lowered her voice. "You... you'll stay with me? I know I can do all of that with you..."

Alices smiled, her heart racing and her face burning. "Yes," she whispered immediately.

"Just so we're clear," Undyne whispered, leaning closer. "I'm talking about marriage."

Alices giggled, touching her cheek. "I got that when you already said before that we should get married before we even made peace with the humans!"

Undyne's eye lit up, and she grinned. "f**k yeah, Alice," she whispered.

Laurel cleared her throat pointedly, and the two jumped apart and looked away, both blushing and pretending to look at anything but each other.

"S-s-sorry," Alices stammered. "We-we've been th-through a l-lot."

"And I understand that," Laurel said gently. "But the mayor won't. She won't have the patience, nor the tact. So if you need more time to yourselves, I can arrange it, but I can't promise you more than a day."

A day. An entire day to themselves, to spend in their bubble again, to forget everything happening around them and instead focus on remembering everything that happened in that bubble.

Both Undyne and Alices desperately wanted to say yes.

But they also both knew better. They glanced at each other, both wearing a similar expression of longing regret, before they nodded.

"The sooner we get this done, the better," Undyne said. "No, we can do it as soon as we need to."

Laurel nodded. "Then there's one more thing I need to ask you. When introducing you, Alices, how would you like me to?"

"Doctor--," Alices said.

"Queen--," Undyne said at the same time.

Both Laurel and Michael blinked at them, as they blinked at each other in surprise.

"Undyne, I can't be a queen," Alices said sharply. "You're the Queen, now. And we're not even engaged!"

"Yes, we are," Undyne said calmly and seriously, in a tone that made sure there was no argument.

"Okay, yes, we are," Alices agreed with both a sigh and a blush, throwing her hands up in the air. "But that doesn't make me a queen, and even when we married, it still wouldn't! At most, I'd be your consort."

Undyne frowned. "That sounds very... mistress-like."

"It's not; it's a proper position that I'd have as your wife," Alices said calmly.

"And when will that happen?" Undyne demanded, crossing her arms over her chest - and nor looking like a queen at all, but a petulant prissy princess.

Laurel broke in again. "We can arrange that for you, once things calm down a bit more," she said. "We've had these mandates written up since we started, updating them as time goes on. And, for the record, Undyne, though I call you queen, you're technically an empress, which would make Alices your queen following marriage."

Alices and Undyne were speechless as well as red, staring at Laurel in a way that made her laugh, and Michael grin.

"Empress?" Undyne echoed. "Why the hell would I be that?"

"Because of the power you now wield, Undyne," Laurel answered. "A monster with just one human soul is frightening, with power unmatched; you have seven, and not only do you have them, but you're able to control them and their power."

Undyne was confused. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Well, in the stories, it was said that the monster who absorbed the seven souls to break the barrier would be controlled by that power," Laurel explained. "And once the barrier shattered, that power, with the souls, would vanish, and the monster would be normal, once more."

Undyne shakily placed a hand over her chest, her eye wide. "So you're saying that because I still have them, I'm in control of that power?"

But was that true?

She remembered being almost a sleepwalker when she went to break the barrier, and though she'd had no idea what to do, that power did, and did it on its own.

And then she'd felt the drain on her core... and fought back.

Oh my god, she thought, biting down hard on her lip. It's true. I'm in control.

I'm in charge. It's all up to me.

I'm the Empress.