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Chapter Text

It would have much easier if they had already been married. If they had been, Grillby could have called on their SOUL-bond to keep her from getting violent. But they weren’t married yet. The bond between them was still forming. Still, his beloved Tina Prasine had gone into a mating heat. Grillby had known for three weeks that she was going into one. He knew then that he would have to FIGHT her before she would submit to him with her need and desire to mate with him. His beloved was mostly human, but there was fire elemental in her to force her into heat. He would have to win her in order for him to satisfy her. After this initial heat, mating would be much easier. Female fire elementals who were unmarried submitted to no one unless a male forced them to. They would fight fire with fire. He had prepared a cavern in Hotland for mating. It was empty except for a bed tucked away for when the combat was concluded.

An uneducated person would say to leave her alone until they married. That was no longer possible because of the bonds they had been forging. Tina knew she had a potential mate and her body, SOUL, and hormones would torment her unless he claimed her as his mate. The bonds would feedback into Grillby and he would suffer as Tina would if he didn’t force her into submission as his mate. If they had never met, Tina would just be a horny as hell human for three days. But they had met, they were falling deeply in love, and that meant the fire in her SOUL needed to be quenched by the one male who could quench them.

Grillby looked at the human standing across from him. She was tiny, only 5 feet tall with raven black hair and a creamy olive complexion. She was tiny and beautiful. She was only one of three humans who could use magic as any monster could. Tina claimed Grillby’s SOUL while playing the piano for him at his bar. No female had ever caught his eye quite the way she did. She was devastatingly intelligent and as tough as nails. She was also quite shy until you got to know her. He had found out that this was mostly because humans couldn’t appreciate the magic that was now wreaking havoc on her SOUL. It had sealed his fate. He had fallen for the tiny human. Her needs became his needs which is why they were here.

“Come to me, my beloved. Let me feed thy hunger, and slake thy thirst.” he called to her softly.

Her face twisted with conflicting emotions, needs, and desires battling her. The parts that were human wanted nothing more than to run into his arms. Her non-human parts were dominating her right now. She would not freely submit to the beck and call of a male. Only he who could force her into submission won the right to call her his mate and father her children. Her mate needed to be as mighty as she was in order to protect her and their unborn child as pregnancy would weaken her. She hissed her defiance at Grillby. He knew she needed to be won.

“Tina,” Grillby’s voice becoming hard, “It is unseemly for you to fight me in this way, Submit to me.”

“NEVER!!” she screamed.

“I will fight you until you Submit to me, my beloved.”

“Then fight me! Prove to me you are strong enough to be my mate!!” Tina screamed.

There was a flash of fire as Grillby grabbed Tina and teleported her away from Snowdin.

In a house nearby, two skeleton brothers were fighting.

“Let me go, Sans, he is going to hurt her!”

“You can’t interfere, Papyrus! That is a mating heat. No one can interfere. Tina must submit to Grillby! If you interfere, he will kill you.” Sans’ voice was deadly serious.

“How can a human be under a mating heat,” Papyrus stopped struggling.

“Tina’s not entirely human. Remember how she was explaining her relations with our family? Some of her family took monster spouses, and there are certain monster traits that have bred true through the centuries. One of them is The Burning, when fire elementals go into a mating heat. Her power is bound to fire and her Fire is calling for her to mate. This is probably not the first time The Burning has called her. But this is the first time she has found a potential mate. Grillby must win her in order for her to mate with him. If you have been paying attention, they have been falling in love. I think Grillby wanted to be married before they were hit by a mating heat but that’s not how this played out.”

“How long will it be before we know if they mated or are dead.” asked Papyrus, defeated.

“Four days. Tina will either return with Grillby as his mate, or she will kill him and then herself, in grief.”

With a flash of fire Tina and Grillby reappeared in a cave. There were no entrances or exits. It was lit by a pool of magma that surrounded the island upon which they stood. Tina then realized that both she and Grillby were naked in the light. Grillby was looking at her with open desire and longing.

“Come to me, my beautiful Tina. Submit and be my mate. Let your Fire join with mine. Let me fill your every need, want, and desire. Our love will blaze into eternity. Our child shall want for nothing. Submit, my beloved.”

Once again part of her wanted to run into his arms, part of her still fought. “NO!!” she screamed. She tried to teleport to get away. She found herself blocked. Something was blocking her teleportation ability.

“You can only fight with Fire. I have prohibited calling on the Void here. If you cannot fight with Fire alone, Submit. There is no shame in being my mate. There is only shame in refusing the Need.”

Tina screamed defiantly, her Fire blazing forth. Grillby rushed her, tackling Tina to the ground. She continued to fight him even as he wrestled with her. His face had become impassive as she then used a judo move to force him off of her. She rolled away.

Grillby growled in frustration and then called on his true Power. He grew larger as his full power filled him. She would Submit, if this is what it took, then so be it.

Tina stared at Grillby in awe as his power filled him. He was as powerful as any Boss monster she had met. Her loins ached with his power. Her need to mate was starting to take over.

Grillby smelled the change in her. Her Need was taking over. Not taking any chances he once again rushed her and tackled her to the ground. “Submit,” was all he said. He felt her attempt to struggle against him but could tell she was losing her will to fight him. She stopped fighting him. Grillby looked Tina in the eyes, they were filled with the deep lust of mating.

“I submit,” came a small, lust filled voice.

Growling with love, lust, and desire he kissed her roughly. She kissed him back just as roughly. Grillby picked Tina up and placed her tenderly on the bed he had placed for their mating. “My beloved, my mate, all of your needs and desires are now mine. All that I am, I give freely to you. As my Fire becomes one with yours we are never truly separated ever again. Bring forth your Fire and let us become one,” Grillby chanted.

He kissed Tina again as his Fire had formed his erect penis. She shuddered at his heat. Her body seeking relief from the need. Grillby then spread open her legs and swiftly penetrated her all the way to her cervix. Tina screamed in both need and lust and pain. He held her tightly finding their rhythm as he began to slowly began to rut out her need. She began to gasp and mewl as his body and Fire thrust deeper and deeper into her. For the rest of her life she would never forget this initial mating. He was at the same time both very gentle and rough as the Need coursed through both of them. All time stopped and all that was important was the virile male on top of her. Neither knew how much time had passed when the initial orgasm hit Tina. Again and again with each orgasm that came, the need lessened a little at a time. All the bad Burnings, all the unsatisfied hunger boiled up out of both Tina and Grillby. Each was replaced by deep fulfillment. Finally, Tina called out her Satisfaction of the Need. Grillby roared as his orgasm filled her womb. This was the start. It was only the First Day. He would not release his seed unto her until the Third Day. Exhausted he collapsed on the bed on top of Tina. “My beloved, my mate, you have given and taken all our Needs. Rest now, next we shall share all our Desires.” They kissed tiredly, and fell asleep.

Sans had noticed that the fire in his fireplace had changed. It was hotter than it should be. He smiled. The mating of a Fire Prince made normal fires react to his heat. It seemed as if Grillby had won Tina. He began to call their friends. A wedding reception would occur after the Day of Grace.

As Tina and Grillby slept they had strange dreams. They could feel their SOUL-bond deepening even further than it had. It was not quite ready for Unification. It was, however, strengthening fast. With it’s strengthening, they could feel the Desire for one another. She could feel his desire of her in boxer shorts and bunny slippers. He could feel her desire of him in close fitting dueling armor. The want of each others touch. The feel of each other as they held one another. Even now they could feel their Desire as they rested. They could not rest anymore as Desire took control of their SOULS. They Burned with mutual Desire. They would never Desire another living creature the way they Desired each other. This time the sex was not as frenzied as it had been when they shared Need. Desire was more controllable than Need. As they mated they shared with each other all pleasures they could give to the other. They gloried in each others bodies as they Burned. With each orgasm, they found a new way to share the Desire. Once again, they had no idea how much time had passed as they were only conscious of their Desire. When Tina called her Satisfaction of Desire, Grillby’s orgasm once again filled her womb. “My beloved, my mate, we have shared all our Desires, on our Final Mating we shall share our Love and Wed.” Spent, he collapsed on the bed with Tina and once again they slept.

That day Sans found himself working with a team hauling ice. The CORE was also reacting to the mating of Grillby and Tina and was in danger of overheating if they didn’t keep extra ice in it. Many of the residents of Hotland had gone to the Surface to get away from the excess heat. Waterfall was seeing record levels of condensation due to ice melt and was in danger of flooding. The bright side was that areas where water had been running low were once again filling up. The Fire King was unable to control the heat of the fires due to the nature which this heat was produced. It would stop only when Grillby’s mating was completed. He could not try to control it without damaging the mating pair. It was best to let it run its course. Toriel was explaining to Frisk the marriage customs of fire elementals. Frisk was confused but accepted it with a shrug. She was still too young to understand the bio-magical aspects of sex among certain monster types.

All humans in the city knew was that every hotel that accepted monsters was crammed packed as monsters went and visited the city. Many were buying wedding presents. Grillby and Tina were, after all, well respected. Tina’s family had been celebrating since Grillby’s father had contacted them to let them know of the wedding ceremony. They were packing up wedding gifts, as well as things such as champagne for the reception. They had been waiting for this news. Being part fire elemental, elopements were just how they married. Michael Prasine had eloped with Tina’s mother. Tina’s brother, Paul, had eloped with his wife, Emily. They had been preparing for this ever since they had met Grillby and his family. They had not been sure when it would happen, only that it would.

Tina and Grillby were once again dreaming. This time, they could Feel their SOUL-bond chime in perfect beat. It was ready. It was time to seal their marriage. It was something they had known would happen from almost as soon as they had met each other. Grillby remembered her playing the piano for him for the first time. As soon as she sang he felt her SOUL start to call for him. Tina remembered seeing him as she sang, there was a sense of recognition, as if she had known him all her life. His SOUL began to call for her. They remembered their first kiss as they were stunned by its intensity. He remembered his anger at being disturbed. She remembered sitting on the floor in shock at his touch. As they came to know each other, her vulnerability, and his quiet strength. Her odd toughness and his gentleness. They loved each other so much. Their contradictions matched the others. Neither would ever find such a match anywhere else in the universe.

Grillby and Tina woke up. Their SOULS rang with Love as they looked at each other. This was their wedding vow. No one could ever take the others place in their hearts. This mating was about Need, Desire, and Love. They would always share their needs and desires, but could never forget that ultimately it was bound in the Love they had for each other. They could never share this with any other creature. If one were to die than the remaining half would grieve forever for the loss of their spouse. Divorce would damage their SOULS. The SOUL could not tolerate another bond like this.

They kissed and called forth their SOULS. Grillby’s was an opalescent white heart that was upside down as all monsters were. Tina’s heart was the emerald green of Kindness that had a small white upside down heart of monster lineage in its very center. Their SOULS were pulsating in time to each other. They brought them forth to touch each other for the very first time. They felt themselves unify and become one at the every cores of their being. Their SOULS began to dance together in matrimony. As their SOULS danced Tina and Grillby once again began to mate. This time they shared all of their Love for each other, all of their hopes and dreams for their married life. They knew they would fight. Two people cannot live together without occasionally fighting. There would be disagreements. But so long as they remembered this, their wedding vow, they would work it out. All things were possible when they were united.

As before, they had no clue as to how much time had passed. They were too full of Love for each other and too full of each others magic to care. Grillby began to smell a change in Tina. She was ready. Her egg was ready for him to conceive with her. He looked at his bride in awe of her. They had reached the purpose of the past three days. Conception. She was ready for him to plant his seed. As their SOULS touched a third SOUL would join them. Their unborn child. Tina Called and released all her magic unto him. In shock, her magic activated his seed. He could not hold all that magic he released it all into her womb. He collapsed on top of her. Their magic coursed through Tina and found her egg, fertilizing it. They felt a new SOUL join where theirs had just touched.

It was done.

They were married.

They were pregnant.

They cried and kissed as they held each other. Their SOULS sank back into their bodies, but would forever be joined in matrimony. They were husband and wife. Forever. They collapsed in each other’s arms exhausted. They fell asleep.

Alphys had asked Sans to help her go over the CORE and make sure all the safety systems were working properly. The heat was even more intense than the day before so Alphys did not have as many workers to handle the day to day system checks the CORE required. The heat was making Alphys languid. All she really wanted to do was go home and be with Undyne. This heat was meant for lovers and being in love. She smiled. This was the Fire Prince’s Gift to the people of Hotland. Love. His people would love as he was in love and was joining in matrimony. There would be many children born in the next year as new pairs fell in love and were married. The heat was a little too much for Undyne. She was on the surface with her father and Papyrus as they were buying wedding presents. She would share the Prince’s Gift when Undyne returned. There was a sudden spike in heat. As quickly as the spike came, it was over. Sans and Alphys looked at each other and smiled. Hotland would cool as the wedding was completed. They finished their checks. Everything was fine.

They went out to MTT Resort and had lunch together. Sans and Alphys chatted about Grillby’s and Tina’s wedding reception and who would all be there. They knew that only their closest friends and family were invited to the reception, but half of the Underground was going to send gifts to the pair. There would even be monsters who now lived on the Surface who wanted to send gifts. Grillby’s was going to be hopping. They were invited to the reception, but really they were happiest to be alive and well. They would go anyways. They had too much respect for both Grillby and Tina to say no. Besides, right now it was the wedding of the century for Monsters. Even Mettaton had been invited.

Caminus and Stellata Ignus looked at the newly wedded pair in front of them. They smiled and held each other as they remembered their wedding. Grillby had been conceived that day. Their parents had come to bring them home just as they were there to bring Grillby and Tina home. It was the Day of Grace. They would go home, rest, and be fussed over by the immediate family. Three days mating was exhausting and took every dram of magic they possessed. They would be comfortable and cared for as they rested. All of Hotland was sharing in the Prince’s Gift as they celebrated the wedding. Stella laid out a blanket to bundle them in. Caminus laid his son and his bride on top of one another as they woke up. They smiled gently at Cam and Stella, knowing they were too weak right now to walk on their own and their magic was drained from them as well. Stellata did a check on her pregnant daughter-in-law. She was pregnant with a son. Stella smiled. She would tell them when they were more alert.

With a flash of fire, they left the bridal suite and went to Grillby and Tina’s home in Snowdin. They would be more or less left alone as they rested. Most of the parties were in Hotland and the reception would be in Grillby’s bar here. Stella and Caminus cleaned up the Bride and Groom and put them to bed. They would check on them in an hour to make sure they ate. Tina’s family would be coming in a few hours. The immediate family would celebrate tonight as the pair rested.

The next day Tina and Grillby woke up with a groan. They had heard their families celebrating their nuptials half the night. Now, they could hear commotion coming from the direction of the bar. It sounded like people arguing on how to get a champagne fountain set up. Grillby and Tina looked at each other and smiled. Today would be their wedding reception. They kissed as they debated whether they should get up or just hide in their bed. The debate was settled when there was a knock on the door and Stellata walked in to check on the newlyweds.

“Get up, you two. Half of the Underground plus several people from the surface are coming today. Tina, you need to make sure you eat properly so you don’t get sick or faint. Don’t worry about all the drinking today, I put a capsule with your breakfast that will allow you to drink so it does not affect your son.”

“Son?” asked Grillby.

“Yes, dears. You are having a son. Did you think I wouldn’t check?”

Both Tina and Grillby began to smile. Grillby kissed Tina as he took hold of her hand. Tina’s eyes began to fill with tears. They hugged each other tightly.

Stella smiled at her son and daughter-in-law. She remembered being so emotional when she found out that Bee was a boy. Ah, to be newlyweds.

“Come on, we want a little private family time before the party starts.”

Stella left them to dress and clean up as she put the final touches on breakfast.

Grillby and Tina pulled clothes out of their closet as they began to clean up. Tina noticed several scrapes and bruises on her body when Bee tackled her to the ground. She frowned maybe she should not protested so vehemently. She looked at Bee and noticed he had several scratches when she fought him back.

“Looks like we really did a number to each other, Bee.”

Bee rubbed his own scrapes and bruises, “It’s all part of getting married. I knew we would fight. I just hoped we wouldn’t kill each other.”

“Will this happen every time we mate this way?”

“No, just for the actual wedding. I have proven to you I am strong enough to protect both you and our child. Now we can enjoy just being married for the most part. The next time we are in heat, since we are a mated and married pair, it will only last a day. It’s more like a renewal of our wedding vows.”

There was a knock on their door.

“Hurry up, you two!” It was Tina’s father.

They laughed and finished getting dressed.

Breakfast was a rowdy affair. Emily had given Tina a bouquet of flowers for the bride. Michael Prasine and Jim Knowlton making not so subtle threats to Grillby about taking care of Tina. Tina ate the carefully chosen breakfast foods and took all the prenatal vitamins and the special capsule that Stellata gave her. The newlyweds could now enjoy the reception with all the associated toasts and alcohol likely to be involved.

Mike’s phone chimed when he received a text.

“They’re all ready for us.”

Grillby and Tina were nervous. Today was all about celebrating their wedding, but really, they weren’t sure what to expect. As newlyweds, they were just happy the actual ceremony was private. They walked outside and formally marched to the bar. It was customary for the Bride and Groom to march in the town in which they lived and have the townsfolk throw flower petals at them to acknowledge the marriage. Their friends would be waiting for them to arrive at the bar. They were lead by their parents as the villagers shouted congratulations as well as throwing flower petals at the pair. They saw Sans formally waiting at the door for the bridal party. He opened the door with a bow to the party. The wall of shouted congratulations almost pushed them back out the door.

There were gifts everywhere. Poppy led them up to the receiving table. They saw they were to be seated as their friends and family began shower them with more gifts and well wishes for their married life. Frisk had come with Toriel. Asgore was meeting with some dignitaries and could not come, but had sent a sumptuous gift for them. Bottles of champagne were opened and before long everyone was toasting the bride and groom. Napstablook had been hired to DJ but was glad to take an hour break when Tina’s father began to sing for his daughter and son-in-law. There was dancing and even more food as the day progressed. Undyne and Alphys sheepishly told Tina and Grillby that they had decided to get married. Glad to have someone else to embarrass, Tina and Grillby toasted the Brides on their upcoming wedding.

Later that evening, Grillby and Tina finally found that people were starting to leave. They were tired and more than a little drunk. People kept coming and toasting to their wedding. Tina wondered how much champagne her father had ordered. He would never tell her that or how much this was costing him. He would only smile and say no amount was too much for his only daughter. Bee and Tina just wanted to go home.

“Now, I’m wondering who gets to clean up this mess?’ asked Bee.

“I want to know where we are going to put all the wedding gifts.”

“That, we will have to figure out.”

“Let’s go home. I’m tired.”

Bee kissed Tea, “Me too.”

When Grillby and Tina said they wanted to go home, there was even more cheering. The party would continue without them and Tina’s nephews sat at the reception table collecting gifts for the newlyweds.

Chapter Text

It was one week before Frisk’s wedding. She had gathered the women who would be with her at the altar when she got married. Alphys, Tina, and Undyne. There had been a bit of controversy about Undyne standing with Frisk. Frisk and Sans had argued if she should stand with Frisk or Sans. Tina Prasine-Ignus, being a mother of three and more pragmatic, had settled it with a coin toss. Tina had her husband, Grillby, toss the coin and call the winner. Tina and Grillby shook their collective heads at the squabbling pair as if they were their own children. When Frisk had won, she stuck her tongue out childishly at Sans. Tina then gave her rule number one of marriage: If you are going to act childishly, be prepared to be treated like a child. Tina then dumped a pint of beer on Frisk’s head to get her to cool down. Frisk had looked at Tina in shock, then realized that Tina was right and apologized to Sans. Grillby didn’t say anything and simply handed his wife a mop to clean up the beer.

Still though, that had been four months ago. Three of them were drinking steadily as they held a bachelorette party for Frisk. Grillby was their personal bartender and Tina was helping out in the back as cook as they drank and ate. Grillby chased his wife out of the kitchen and handed her a bottle of champagne to share for toasting. Tina grabbed some orange juice to make Mimosas with. Bee didn’t say anything, but gave his wife a quiet look of concern. Tina knew she could not eat or drink more. Anymore and she would be throwing up sick. Not that she had eaten or drank much. Being in early stages of pregnancy though, it didn’t take much for her to be ill.

Frisk was always amazed at Tina. She was beautiful, smart and had an adoring husband and three kids. Tina was approaching fifty four years of age, but did not look more than twenty five. Tina had told her being a mage and clan leader she stood somewhere outside of times reach like monsters. Being part monster, her magic was very powerful. Frisk herself could use magic, but it was not the same as Tina’s.

Frisk herself was now twenty three. Tina had permanently retired from teaching when her second child had been born. Undyne was still Captain of the Guard, but also held a similar position in Ebott City when she coordinated with local police. To help out local police when monsters squabbled, monsters in the Royal Guard had rotations with human police as peacekeepers. Some of the humans liked working with monsters so much that they had offered monsters permanent places with them.

Sans himself had gone to a human university and studied human law as Frisk went and studied politics. When Sans had passed his bar exam, he had been given a special position as Judge for monsters in human courts. When monsters in the city found out that the Royal Judge was also their Judge in human courts that alone helped curtail illegal activities. They did not want to have Sans extradite them back to the Underground, only to face him again as Royal Judge. Sans had fewer restrictions as Royal Judge than he did as a human court Judge. There was no appeal of Royal Judgments.

Tina and Grillby gauged that the other two bridesmaids and Frisk were ready to go upstairs and continue the party more quietly. Tina’s brother, Paul, had taken their three kids to his house for the weekend, where they were going to a theme park. It would be fun for the kids and would allow Tina to fulfill some of her duties as a bridesmaid.

There was more food and liquor for the other three as Grillby managed to get them upstairs into his and Tina’s home. Bee reminded Tina to take her vitamins and to eat the simple soup he had made for her and was in the slow-cooker. Tina smiled at her husband and kissed him. He was always solicitous when she was pregnant and oversaw her diet. It accomplished two things. One, Tina never gained a whole lot of weight while pregnant. Two, all of their babies had been born disgustingly healthy. Many people looked at Tina’s three children and assumed she adopted them because Tina didn’t look like she had ever given birth to more than one child.

The three of them put on Say Yes to the Dress and started to play poker. Grillby went back downstairs. Undyne noticed that Tina had stopped drinking and was eating differently than the three of them were.

“Tina, did Grillbz go and get you pregnant again? I noticed you only had one drink and have been eating a particularly well balanced meal. Grillbz only cooks that way when your pregnant.”

Tina laughed. “Yes. I am about six weeks pregnant, Undyne.”

“How do you and Grillbz do it Tina? Me and Alphys have our hands full with two.”

“This time, it will help that Jet, Estrella, and Mishal are not babies anymore. Hell, Mishal is now six,” replied Tina. She took a sip of her iced tea. The tea was mild so it would not upset her stomach.

“I can’t believe its been eleven years already, Tina,” said Frisk.

“Damn, has it been that long,” asked Alphys.

“It has been that long, and I have lived here in the Underground now for just about twelve years.”

The four women smiled at each other. Frisk herself had freed monsters from their imprisonment twelve years earlier. Tina had been the second human to permanently reside among them. Tina had been hired as a teacher of human politics and history. Before she moved here, she had met Grillby at a business lunch. The attraction had been instant, and four months later they had wed in the manner of fire elementals. There had also been some drama surrounding her marriage. Tina didn’t like to talk about it, though. She always said that fire elementals have two traditions. She was married properly in one, but Grillby’s brother tried to take her another way.

“Tina, I have a question,” asked Frisk. “I know there have been other monster/human marriages since you and Grillbz got married, but you are the only pair that wear human wedding rings.”

“You are going to, too, you know,” replied Tina.

“Yes, but it’s more symbolic than anything. We all know the real wedding is when we seal our SOUL-bond.”

“Even a human symbol can be powerful. For us, our wedding rings are more a Crown of Honor than anything. It has even more meaning than humans associate with it.”

“This has to do with the hoopla that surrounded your wedding, doesn’t it,” asked Alphys.

“Yes,” she said simply.

“Crown of Honor?” asked Frisk.

“Rule number one about the wedding, Frisk. The groom wants to Crown you with an Honorable marriage. The Glory of being married is shared. Never let someone try to Steal your Crown and take the Glory for themselves.”

“I don’t understand,” Undyne, Alphys and Frisk said at once.

Tina smiled, “Let me tell you a story. It started about one month before Bee and I were married...”

After Grillby made sure the ladies were set up for the night, he had gone to MTT Resort for the bachelor party. He was one of the groomsmen for Sans as Papyrus was his best man and Undyne’s father, Kraken, was also one of the groomsmen. Sans had wanted Undyne to stand for him since her wife, Alphys, was standing for Frisk. Frisk had argued that Undyne, being her best friend, was going to be the Matron of Honor for her. After Tina came up with her solution to the argument, he himself had to hide his laughter after Tina dumped the beer on Frisk reminding her not to be childish. Tina had taken to motherhood as, well, fish take to water. Kraken had been suggested by Toriel to stand for Sans, since he was Frisk’s stepfather. Asgore was going to give away Frisk.

Still, after years of arguing and planning for the wedding ceremony, both he and Tina were glad that the wedding was only a week away. The Bride and Groom had worn them out. Frisk and Tori with their nerves and hysterics. Sans with his nerves and theatrics. Grillby was glad that his and Tina’s wedding, for all the trouble they had, was much simpler.

Papyrus was already drunk. If Grillby had been bartending, he would have made sure Papyrus’ drinks were all diluted. Papyrus couldn’t handle liquor well. Sans was still. Grillby saw that he was a nervous wreck. Kraken was being boisterous sharing in wedding cheer. They were in a private party room that had been given to them by Mettaton. The bartender had taken one look at Grillby and left with a squeal. Grillby took over the bar. At least he could quietly sober up Papyrus, who had no business drinking. The four of them sat at the bar. Grillby found the champagne and poured out a toast for the bridegroom. The emerald heart on Grillby’s wedding ring glinted in the dim light.

Grillby raised his champagne flute in salute to Sans. “To you, my old friend, may you prosper as Tina and I have in marriage.”

“Hear, hear!” came the jubilant voices of Kraken and Papyrus.

Sans flushed, “Thank you, Grillby.”

“Tina told me to tell you that after the wedding you two are going to have to learn to work out your own fights. It’s not fair to us to be the mediators between you two.”

“I’m still shocked Tiny dumped the beer on Frisk,” said Kraken.

“Tea would tell you she should not have acted so childishly, that was why we had flipped a coin. And you will learn this Sans, there is no winning score when you are married. Everything is shared. So Undyne stands with Frisk, it’s not so big a deal. Just being here to enjoy the wedding is enough.”

“we have both always valued yours and Tiny’s advice. You two don’t look at her and see Ambassador and Princess Frisk who must always be treated with pomp. You see Frisk, the person.”

“So do you, Sans. That is always why you attracted her like a magnet. You see Frisk, as I see Tina. Two women who have certain emotional needs that only we can help. Tina’s needs are different than Frisk’s, though. When I met Tina, she always had certain emotional barriers up. It took time and patience to get her to lower hers.”

“I could never really imagine what it was like for Tina. Her being one of the last human mages,” said Kraken.

“It made her very lonely. She was pretty much an outcast when she came here. Tina’s family helped as best they could. Then again she never really let them know how lonely she was. Tina was her nephews saving grace. She protected them as best she could from being as outcast and alone as she had been.”

“How is Nick,” asked Papyrus. The two of them had been close friends.

Grillby smiled, “He is good. He told me to tell you he has a huge surprise for you when he sees you on Monday.”

“He’s coming home?” said an excited Papyrus.

“Yes, and from what Tea understands, probably permanently. Tea thinks he has learned what he can from the surface and just wants to come home.”

“Ed will be so excited!”

“He is, I think he and Nick will probably look for an apartment together.”

Sans smiled at Paps excitement. When Tina’s two nephews (who were also mages) came to live with her in the Underground, they had become close friends to Papyrus. The three had shared a certain exuberance that few understood. Tina’s nephews were almost as close to Papyrus as he himself was. He was pretty certain that after the wedding Nick and Ed would probably wind up sharing the house that Pap still lived in. It would help keep Pap from getting lonely.

“So how is your family, Grillbz?”

“My mother and father are well. Fuku is enjoying the surface. She really likes Japan. She really blends in and no one treats her badly.” Grillby’s niece had been hugely inspired by Tina and had gone to major in archaeology. She was working on her Doctorates in Japan. Grillby hoped that when she completed her doctorates she would come home and help the teams here in Ebott City dig up the former war zone. Both humans and monsters worked together on this project.

Tina had been offered a job to head up the archaeological dig, but turned it down citing family concerns. Tina had loved her former job as an archaeologist, but as she grew older was seen less and less by humans, who would wonder why she does not age. There were enough rumors about humans with nefarious plans to simply decline everything and stay home. It was easy enough, her three kids kept her busy enough. Being pregnant again was just another excuse to stay in the Underground. Besides Tina didn’t really care for the surface. Like Frisk, Tina had found herself at home and able to be herself among monsters rather than humans. She and Gerson would get together on Saturdays and talk history as they had tea.

“Come on Grillbz, get out from behind the bar. You took tonight off to hang out with us guys, not serve us,” drawled Sans.

“I can just add the cost of my services to your tab, Sans. Besides whoever was supposed to be serving us ran away.”

Kraken laughed, “She was probably more intimidated about serving the legendary Grillby, than anything Mettaton could do to her.”

“Intimidating an employee is a horrible way to manage personnel,” Grillby shook his head.

“Come on and get drunk with us, you know the ladies are probably three sheets to the wind by now.”

“Alright, I’ll have a few drinks with you.”

The four men started drinking. Bee had stopped after the third drink. He needed to be more or less sober when he went home. If Tina was on the wagon then so was he. The guys started playing poker. They began to relax.

Eleven years earlier...

Tina was walking out of her classroom. After four hours of lecturing she just wanted to go home and snuggle up with Bee. They had been told that their wedding was going to be about a month away. She decided to take the long way home instead of teleporting. She was tense. She wanted to relax and the boat ride was perfect for that. She accidentally pushed the wrong elevator button and was in the wrong part of Hotland when she saw a fire elemental who looked just like Grillby. She called out to him.

“Bee, what are you doing here in Hotland?”

The fire elemental looked at her confused. He took a closer look at her. He grinned slowly at her. No, it couldn’t be Bee. Grillby would have answered her by now. She turned around and started to head back into the elevator.

There was a flash of fire in front of her. The Grillby look-a-like smiled at her.

“You must be Tina Prasine. I am Grillby’s younger brother, Saltus,” he held out his hand in greeting. He looked over Tina. It felt to her as if he was looking at a piece of livestock. She went cold. Still, as Bee’s brother she took his hand in introduction.

“I’m pleased to meet you. I’m sorry for the confusion. You look a great deal like Grillby.”

Saltus laughed, “The pleasure is all mine. You are not the first to confuse me with my older brother.”

Tina was wondering of there was a graceful way out of this. There was something about Saltus that made her cold. Miraculously her phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Aunt Tiny? Can you come home right now. There has been a bit of an accident here.” It was her nephew, Eddie.

“I’ll be right there, Eddie.” Tina hung up.

Tina turned back to Saltus, “I’m sorry, I’m going to have to cut this short. There is an emergency waiting for me at home.”

Saltus picked up her hand and kissed it. “I am certain we shall see each other again, Miss Tina. Please give my regards to my brother.”

Tina entered the elevator. As soon as the door closed she teleported home.

Grillby was waiting for her.

She ran to Bee and gave him a hug.

“Tea, whats wrong?”

“Bee, do you have a younger brother named Saltus?

Grillby’s eyes went hard. “Where did you meet Saltus?”

Tina recounted the afternoon after class. Grillby’s lips had thinned to an angry line. He was careful not to be angry with Tina. Her running into Saltus had been pure bad luck. He knew well what made Tina cold against Saltus.

“I just never felt that way before here in the Underground. Like I was prey to a predator. Or just a side of beef to be eaten.”

“Those are good analogies.”

“Why?”

Grillby began to massage Tina’s shoulders. “My younger brother likes to take many mates, but he has no wife.”

Tina looked at Grillby confused, “Isn’t it the same thing?”

“Between us it is. I have never found the appeal in a harem. I only want one mate, and that mate shall be my wife. Saltus, on the other hand, likes to steal the Crowns of others and take their Glory for himself.”

“I’m still confused.”

Grillby thought for a moment.

“What you and I have is different from what Saltus has. I want you to be my mate and my wife. You are the only woman I shall ever take as such. I only want you because I love you. My brother is not content to have only one mate. He has won many females in mating combat, but he does not love any of them. They are all his mates, but there is no wife among them. He has fathered many children among his mates. Saltus has stolen and despoiled many females. They are all bound to him by the magic of mating. I know of at least two females he stole on their wedding nights after he killed their bridegrooms. He took them in heat while their minds were in shock from the loss. After they served their purpose and delivered his children, they killed themselves in grief and shame.”

Tina looked at Grillby in shock, “You mean he raped those poor women and forced them to carry his child?”

Grillby wrapped his arms around Tina. “Yes.”

“Why hasn’t anyone done anything? Isn’t there some sort of law against it?”

“The only applicable laws are the Laws of Mating. If a male can force the Submission of a female, she is his mate. She is bound to that male. However, Males can take as many females as they choose so long as he can win her. My father, myself, and my youngest brother have all chosen to take one female and have them them as our wives. Saltus loves no one and takes as many as he can.”

“He made me feel so cold. I have never felt that way before”

“That’s a warning. Stay away from Saltus. He would make you the glittering jewel of his harem. You would give him enough power to end the stalemate and kill both my father and myself and Crown himself the Fire King.”

“So that is what this is about. He wants to be the Fire King. Your father won’t even make him his heir because you are alive. He gathers women and fathers children to have an army with which to defeat you.”

“Yes, I am my father’s heir. The ability to defeat me in mortal combat is part of the stalemate. As my father’s heir, when Saltus challenges my father, I fight in his place. He has never beaten me. I am more powerful than he is. He thinks if he has an army of his own children, that power would be enough to defeat me. He would be right if I had never met you. You, however, are the tiebreaker. When we wed, your strength also becomes my strength. You are singularly the most powerful mage on this planet. When I make you my wife that grants me a degree of power unlike anything else. I will have married, I will have touched and shared your magic. I could use your magic as well as my own. I would never do that without your permission, but you must be aware of that.”

“What do I do to avoid Saltus?”

“Stay with me, he will avoid you if he sees you with me.”

“I don’t think it’s that simple.”

“I can hope, my bride. Just remember he would steal your Crown and take your Glory from you. I am offering a Crown of Honor and share in the Glory that is you.”

Tina’s words had proven correct as she sat in front of the piano at Bee’s bar. Two days after her accidental meeting with Saltus, he had come to the bar. Grillby looked coldly at his brother, when he walked into the bar. Saltus smiled arrogantly at his older brother. Tina went into a trance to shut out the world of the bar and began to play soothing and calm music.

“She’s quite a catch, Grill.”

“Yes she is. Don’t forget that she is mine.”

“And what could you offer her? A piano in the middle of nowhere? Nothing but work and few comforts?” Saltus spat at Grillby.

“I can offer her love, a real home, a real family.”

“Love, what a joke. We both know your interest in her is the same as mine.”

Grillby looked at his brother sadly. Saltus didn’t understand the deepest mysteries of life. He only saw power. It was true he had chosen not to offer Tina a gilded palace. Then again, Tina was a princess in her own right. He had seen some of the creature comforts Tina could have if she cared at all about material things. She didn’t. Tina, like himself, preferred simplicity.

“Saltus, after all these years, you still don’t understand what I want. Tina’s wants are much the same as mine. Neither of us care much about luxury. Work in itself has it’s own rewards. If Tina wanted to be pampered, she could have lived such a life easily on the surface.”

“Don’t give me that crap about love. We both know what you seek from her most of all is her power.”

Tina’s playing began to get quite sharp. Grillby knew that as a bard Tina could do wondrous magic with music. He had never seen her turn it into a weapon before. She was getting angry. Saltus looked at her in shock. Grillby could tell that the magic in the song was being directed at Saltus. There was a touch of fear as Saltus looked at her. Tina was not some toy and was making it plain. Tina played three chords. Saltus looked as if she had slapped him in the face. He darkened in anger. He bowed stiffly to Tina.

“Seeing as I am not welcome here, I shall take my leave of you. Never forget, Grillby, our duel isn’t over yet.” Saltus left in a flash of fire.

Tina took several deep breaths and began to play calming music. Grillby went to Tina and sat next to her. He began to fear for her. Saltus was crafty. He would use guile to try and steal her from him. He needed to call his father. They had both hoped that the wedding would be completed without Saltus ever noticing his bride. Just plain dumb bad luck had ended that hope. Tina stopped playing. He picked up Tina’s hand and kissed it tenderly. There was a touch of fear for him in her eyes. They felt their SOULS chime as he hugged her. They were afraid for each other.

Chapter Text

Present Day

Kraken had kept the Nectar pouring as the bachelor party went on. Nectar was a strong monster alcohol that was the equivalent of human 151 rum. Grillby had been unable to stop drinking. Tina was going to kill him. Papyrus had long since passed out on the love seat as he, Kraken, and Sans continued to drink.

“You should just be glad that Papyrus isn’t really interested in women,” Grillby slurred to Sans.

“nah. For Pap it would be unthinkable to take an interest in any girl I liked. It’s been that way since we were baby bones,” said Sans.

“And he would never try to steal Frisk from you.”

“You thinking of your own brother aren’t you,” said Kraken.

“One would think that having ten mates would be enough, but he still had to try after Tina.”

Sans didn’t say anything. He had known there was a great deal of bad blood between Grillby and his younger brother Saltus. Most of it started before Frisk even came to the Underground. Things came to a head when Grillby was about to marry Tina. Fire elementals had peculiar mating customs. If a male could force a female into submission, he could claim her as his mate. That didn’t mean though, that they were married to each other. It only meant he won the right to mate with her. Male fire elementals could have as many mates as he could guard. The claimed females would only ever mate with the male that claimed them. The bosses among them, though, such as Grillby, tended to prefer traditional marriages. Grillby said it made for stronger family bonds when there was one husband and one wife. Saltus Ignus had tried to steal Tina away from Grillby. Saltus was lucky that their father hadn’t killed him outright after the outrageous way he had tried to steal Tina. Caminus Ignus said that ten widowed women and twenty four children of various ages would be difficult to properly provide for if he killed Saltus.

Undyne, Alphys, and Frisk stared at Tina in disbelief. Not one of them had known that Grillby’s younger brother had tried to take Tina for himself. The three of them had witnessed the two of them falling in love. They all knew it was a proper SOUL-bond and that any sort of interference Grillby would probably kill the interloper.

Male fire elementals were touchy about who got near their females when mating was about to occur. Heck, even mating itself initially was risky. The groom had to fight the bride and prove his strength to her in order for her to mate with him. Once in a while a female killed a weak male. More often than not the newlyweds came home with some scratches and contusions after battling in mating heat. Oddly, now that Undyne though about it, Grillby and Tina didn’t.

Eleven Years Earlier…

Grillby sat next to his father. They were at Caminus’ forge deep inside of Hotland. Grillby explained what was happening. How Tina had bumped into Saltus, and Saltus’ threat.

Caminus Ignus was just glad that Tina had first met Bee. If she had met Saltus, he would have already bred her and both himself and Grillby would be dead. He never understood his second sons thirst for power. There is wisdom in the adage that states that with great power comes great responsibility. Tina was extremely powerful, but she was humble. She liked simple and honest things. She knew that as many titles as she could claim, they meant nothing. The best titles were common ones like Wife and Mother. You didn’t have to prove anything for those titles, just get married and have children. As a Fire Prince and Caminus’ heir, Grillby could give Tina all the luxuries in the Underground. Tina didn’t want them. She had seen enough privilege growing up on the surface. Her father was a famous musician and could buy Tina whatever she wanted. She only asked that he pay for her education. She liked to work as much as Bee did. She taught for the King and Queen of the Underground. She played music for Bee whenever she wanted to. Their marriage was going to be a wonderful thing for them both.

Caminus sighed. He should have known that Saltus would find Tina eventually. Tina herself was far too powerful not to catch his attention. Still, it was not as if he had not planned for this. He knew that someday, some lady would catch Bee. He had his own plan to protect his eldest son’s bride.

“What am I to do, Father?”

“What you have done for the past few months, Bee. Keep up your vigilance. What is to be done next, falls to me.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“I do, I made this plan a long time ago for whoever you would wed. Now all I need to do is implement it. Remember, Bee, I have told you that one day you would find your mate. Saltus has feared the day that this would ever come to pass. You taking a wife ends the stalemate. So, to help guard your bride, I prepared.”

“What has to be done?”

“Bring Tina here at ten in the morning.”

Stellata Ignus was enjoying tea with Tina. She knew Tina was the right bride for Bee as soon as she saw Tina. Stella was sad for her second son. He would never know what is was like to truly love a wife. The deep bonds of marriage.

She feared for her eldest son and her husband. Saltus only saw power. He had been jealous of Bee’s power since he was a boy. His youngest brother, Mishal, had also been quite powerful. Mishal had married first. When he and his wife had been killed in a freak accident in the CORE, their daughter Fuku, would only respond to Bee. Saltus had volunteered to raise Fuku. Fuku had cried and was inconsolable at the idea of leaving Uncle Bee. Bee could not leave his niece in such a state. He loved his niece as much as if she was his own daughter. Saltus saw it as an insult. Stella was glad Fuku had no contact with Saltus. He would have hatched some plot that would involve Fuku.

Still, Stellata thought, not all of Saltus’ mates were bad. She had hoped that he would wed his second mate, Pakti. She had really loved him when he took her as one of his mates. It had been a while since Pakti had come for a visit. Stella hoped that Pakti’s love was intact. Jealousy could make her unpredictable. Stella’s heart broke that her second son did not know love.

Caminus and Grillby joined their ladies in time for lunch. Cam had been brooding about Saltus. He hoped Grillby would not be forced to kill his brother. Still he knew it might come to that. Tina was to be Bee’s mate, not Sal’s. A man being driven by his lady’s mating heat could be lethal when another man interloped. He made his decision.

Grillby and Tina went home after lunch. Caminus sent a message to a friend who he thought could best champion Tina. Bee would not be able to guard Tina well if he was battling his brother. This friend was someone who had deferred punishment on Saltus on Caminus’ request. He would take guarding Tina seriously. Cam went back to his forge.

A hooded figure was there. “You sent for me?”

“I have a request for you.”

“What is your request?”

“Tina needs a champion.”

“I would think for as powerful a mage and fighter as Tina is, she would not need a champion. What about Grillby? She is to marry him.”

“I am afraid he might well be fighting for his life.”

“This is about Saltus, isn’t it.”

“Yes.”

“What makes Grillby and Tina any different than those other poor women that Saltus despoiled? You have been reluctant to have him Judged in the past. Why now?”

“Tina ends the stalemate.”

“So you are not really interested in Justice. You just want to be certain the stalemate ends in your favor.”

“I am offering you the chance to get justice for the other women while protecting Tina. You know that technically Sal was in his rights to take those poor girls as mates as he killed their bridegrooms. That doesn’t mean I didn’t think he should have faced you on murder charges. I did think he should have stood murder charges. However since he had gone directly to Asgore claiming the Right of Winning. I could not have him face your court.”

“Be honest, Caminus. You also want the stalemate to end in your favor.”

“Wrong. I want it to end in Grillby’s favor. And Tina’s. I want nothing more than Grillby and Tina to have an honorable marriage. I do not want Tina to become another despoiled woman. Her issue belongs to Grillby, not Saltus. I want them both to know the peace of the marriage bed. The joy of building a life together. I do not want to see Tina kill herself longing for the mate she should have had, instead of the one she got. That I could never forgive.”

The hooded figure observed Caminus closely. That was the truth. He wasn’t asking this for himself, but for Tina and Grillby. He loved Tina as the daughter he never had, but could have as his daughter-in-law.

“How would you make me her champion?”

“I have enchanted a special set of rings. If either yourself or Tina find yourself in grave danger the magic in them will activate and transport you to the other.”

“This works both ways?”

“Yes. Right now the danger is to Tina. However, if in the future you find yourself in similar danger, Tina will come to you as your champion.”

“Turnabout is fair play.”

Caminus handed him a ring. It was of an alloy he had never seen before. There was a black stone in the center. It shone with magic. He placed it on his right pinkie. The magic activated and sized the ring to his hand.

The hooded figure nodded. “I shall guard her to the best of my ability.” With that he left.

Tina and Grillby had spent the afternoon with their family. Tina was helping Fuku get ready for the history portions of her college entrance exams. Fuku had seen some of the recordings of her at archaeological dig sites and wanted to go to a human university to study archaeology. In their spare time Tina taught Fuku Egyptian hieroglyphics and Classical Greek. Fuku was already better than Tina at Latin being one of the few languages that had been taught here in the Underground. They had both laughed together when they realized what some of their family names actually meant. Tina explained it was probably because her grandparents were alive in Roman times. Grillby was working with Tina’s nephew, Nick, on his fire magic. Sans had come over with Frisk. Frisk was also taking history exams for college credit. Sans was working with Tina’s other nephew, Eddie on Blue magic. When they were done with their magic lessons. Sans worked with all four kids on mathematics and science.

Chapter Text

Present Day

Grillby was very drunk. He and Sans were still drinking. Sometimes just thinking about weddings got him going. Papyrus had woken up and he and Kraken were singing at the top of their drunken lungs to a karaoke machine. Grillby knew he should go home. Tina was already going to be mad about how much he drank tonight. He couldn’t blame Tina. He had promised her he wouldn’t get drunk. Sometimes though, just thinking about Saltus made him angry all over again. It had been eleven years. Tina was his wife. They had three children with another on the way, and he still can’t forget how he almost lost it all.

“The lasht thing Imma gonna say about Saltus is this, You also can never trusht any of his matesss either. Thasss sad cause I really liked Pakti,” Grillby slurred.

“what happened to her anyways,”

“Not ssure. I think sshhe livess with her mother with her two girlss.”

“sad, really.”

“Only for the girls, not Pakti. She knew what she did wass wrong.”

“She loved Saltus.”

“Not enough to fight for him.”

“Like Tina did for you?”

“Never fuck with a wildfire. They are a force of nature.”

“You do,” Sans punned.

“She’s MY wildfire. We can fuck all we want. Here is a pearl of marital wisdom. Always have your spouses back and they will always have your back. Tea is a wildfire, but when it comes down to it, we both know we would kill for the other.”

Kraken was looking at the drunk Grillby in mild shock. He almost never used that kind of language. Then again he remembered that weddings tended to bring up bad memories from Grillby’s own wedding. It was no wonder Grillby was drinking so much. He was pretty sure Tina was as drunk as Grillby.

“Gahh, I should go home. Tea is going to kill me since she is on the wagon, and I promised I wouldn’t get drunk.”

“Why would she be on the wagon,” asked Papyrus.

“She’s pregnant.” Grillby smiled. His little Teacup was once again pregnant with his child.

“Congratulations!” said Sans.

“Come on, you can have at least a final toast to the coming baby,” said Kraken.

Sans poured some more of the champagne, this time they toasted Grillby on the coming of his fourth child. A girl, he admitted sheepishly. His daughter Estrella was excited to be a big sister.

Sans had teleported himself Grillby and Papyrus home. Grillby was lurching his way into his home. He was pretty sure the ladies were all passed out on their floor.

Tina heard Bee lurching up the stairs. She smiled. As much as he had promised not to get drunk, the guys had gotten him drunk anyways. He had probably been thinking about his brother and that pushed him off the wagon. She wasn’t going to get mad. Sometimes this happened around weddings.

Bee finally made it up the stairs into his home. He saw the three other women all passed out with Say Yes to the Dress still on. That was fine. He saw his bedroom door cracked with the lights on. Tina was still awake. He smiled. He would take his punishment without question. After all he did break his promise to Tea. He walked into his bedroom and closed the door.

“I know, I’m in trouble.”

“Come to bed.”

He undressed and lay in his half of the bed. He took off his glasses and placed them on the nightstand and turned off the light. Tea curled up next to him. He wrapped his arms around her.

“I love you,” was all she said.

Grillby kissed his wife. Their SOULS rang together. He then realized she was naked underneath the covers. He deepened his kiss. She pulled him on top of her. It was no wonder she was pregnant again. They enjoyed lovemaking too much. She giggled.

“You’ve been drinking Nectar.”

“Sorry, Love.”

“Fine, you get to cook and clean in the morning.”

“Sounds fair.” Grillby began to kiss his way down her body. Eleven years of marriage and three babies had left their mark on it. It was no longer quite the lean and taut machine it had been when they where married. He paused at her abdomen. The skin had loosed as it had stretched with her pregnancies and there were stretch marks on her belly. Her breasts were no longer as perky as they had been either. Her nipples had darkened and breastfeeding had altered their shape some. He found her body as it changed with their children every bit as fascinating now as he did when it when she had six pack abs and breasts that would have held up in zero gravity. He had made these changes to her body. He placed his hand just below her navel. He could feel the heartbeat of his daughter, beating in time to her mothers.

Tina giggled again.

“Don’t tease me, Bee.”

He kissed her belly and slid up to kiss his wife again.

“I was just thinking of your body, and all the changes that I have made to it, as we have had our children.”

“True, my body is not the same as it was. I seem to remember you telling me you would always remember it as it was.”

“My beautiful Tina, I do remember. I like your body more now. It shows that we have truly become one. As our children grow up and move on, that we conceived them. That the precious gift that we have shared still exists.”

“You are the only one that I love, and I will never willing give myself to anyone other than you.” Tina kissed Grillby.

“I will kill anyone who ever tries to take you from me again.”

Eleven Years Earlier…

Grillby had taken Tina to see his father early in the morning as he had requested. Caminus smiled at Tina and explained what he wanted.

“I have a special ring for you, Tina. This ring will call forth a champion for you in the event of an emergency.” The ring itself was plain and made of some unknown alloy that only the Forge Lord could craft.

“Why should I need a champion? I’m pretty good at swinging swords around, you know.”

Caminus smiled at Tina. She was being modest, she was the best at swords he had ever met. He had reigned as the best in all of the Kingdom of Monsters since before the barrier had been erected. He had known that she was truly gifted and would one day outstrip him at swords when they had first dueled. It had only taken three training session for her to best him. Gifted indeed. After she had freed Frisk’s SOUL, they still dueled at least three times a week. More for the fun of it. Tina was a knight she needed to keep her blade sharp at all times. He had started training her nephew, Nick. He was also showing a great deal of promise.

“What would happen if you find yourself in a position where you can’t fight back?”

Tina looked in Caminus in surprise. That had never happened before. “What do you mean?”

“Just suppose for a moment, that someone surprised you, or you were injured in a way where you couldn’t fight back.”

“Being unconscious?”

“Yes. If you were unconscious not even your magic would be of much use.”

Tina blanched. “That has never happened before,” she murmured softly.

“Do you concede that it could happen?”

“Yes, I guess.”

“No guesses about it. It can happen. I don’t want you to die because of carelessness. So I have named a champion for you. Wear this ring at all times. If something were to happen, your champion will come to you. A word of warning though, as I have named a champion for you, you are the champion of the wearer of the other ring. If they are ever in such a danger you will fight for them.”

“I agree.”

“Come children, we must start talking about what will happen in the next few weeks. The wedding draws close and certain things need to be arranged.”

Grillby had stayed silent when his father had given Tina the ring. He knew why he was not chosen as her champion. He would be fighting for his own life if she needed such a champion. Tina put the ring in her right index finger. He hoped her champion was strong enough to guard her.

They sat down to brunch. Caminus and Stellata explained that it was getting too close to the wedding for Tina and Grillby to be in such close proximity to each other. The hormones were getting to the intolerable point. The wedding would occur when the hormones and magic had reached their peak. They wanted Tina and her nephews to stay with them until after the wedding. That way, everything would turn out correctly for the wedding and the boys would have someone to watch them as Tina and Bee were mating. Neither Grillby or Tina liked it. They didn’t like being separated at night from each other.

Cam and Stella looked at them. They knew that they had properly become inseparable. The separation had been very hard for them too when they had gotten married. It was necessary though. It would ensure that the wedding would be on time. The sooner the wedding the better. Then they would no longer have to worry about Saltus trying to steal Tina from Bee. They wanted Tina with them so they could guard her as well. Saltus would not directly challenge Caminus if Tina were here. Tina was a fierce knight. She would defend Caminus to the fullest of her abilities. She would kill Saltus easily. If Saltus could not defeat Bee, he had no chance against Tina. Tina and Grillby’s wedding would make them both unbelievably powerful.

So Tina had packed up a few of her things and stayed with her in laws. They had not heard a thing about Saltus. She had not been able to sleep well in a cold empty bed. She wanted to go home. The little sleep she could get were filled with dreams of fire. Her nephews took the change with a shrug. Two weeks later her classes had stopped for a two week period for her wedding. She was the only human history teacher in the Underground. The monsters didn’t trust anyone else to take her place or to be as good as she was. Tina woke up and after getting dressed went downstairs. There was a stranger there.

“Tina! Come here, I have someone to introduce you to.” said Stellata.

“Tina, this is Saltus’ second mate, Pakti. Pakti, This is Tina, she is getting married to Grillby in a few days.”

Pakti was a lady fire elemental with lavender flames. She was dressed extravagantly for simple tea in a satin dress and was decked out in gems. Tina knew that sometimes Stella wished Tina would dress a little more formally, but it felt odd to be so well dressed for an informal tea.

Tina felt leery of being introduced to anyone associated to Saltus. Still, she trusted Stella’s judgment. Stella would know if Pakti had malevolent intentions. As they sat and had tea, Tina found herself liking Pakti. She was sweet if a little shy. Stellata explained while they got the tea ready, that of all of Saltus’ mates, it was Pakti she had hoped he would wed. Tina wasn’t sure about that. As much as she liked Pakti, there was still something unsettling about her. Her extravagant dress made her look like she was in a gilded cage. As if by showering her in riches, it made up for the empty life she had with Saltus.

Tina had grown up with privilege. Her father was a famous musician and Tina had seen a certain amount of the excesses that came with the Rock and Roll life. Having seen enough of it, she wasn’t terribly impressed with it. What she liked about living with Grillby was the simplicity they enjoyed. It never felt empty. It felt full of what they wanted. It was warm.

Pakti had brought a plate of cinnamon bunnies to be shared with tea. She and Stella chatted about her two daughters as they munched on the bunnies. Tina thought they tasted a bit off. Not wanting to be rude, she finished the bunny and drank the rest of her tea. She suddenly felt her face going numb. She rubbed her cheek and found Pakti smirking at her as she blacked out…

Chapter Text

A Half-Hour Later.

Caminus walked into his wife’s study where she had been having tea. It was in a disarray. There were teacups and spilled tea everywhere. There were place settings out for three people. He found Stella blacked out on the floor. He ran to Stella.

“STELLA!!!” Cam began to attempt to wake her up. She opened her eyes briefly, she looked drugged. He began to yell for the housekeeper. It was the only servant he and Stella had. The housekeeper walked in and saw the chaos that had happened in Stella’s study. She ran to Caminus and began to help him with getting Stella off the floor. When she was in her chair, Cam began to call for an emergency healer. Suddenly, he realized that Tina was no where to be found. Her two nephews Nick and Ed had run to the shouting. Nick’s face turned grim and he left in a flash of fire as Caminus, Ed, and the housekeeper worked on Stellata.

Nick appeared just outside Grillby’s front door. Having forgotten his key he banged on the door. Grillby, hearing the door, threw on a robe and went to see who trying to break the door down. He was startled when he saw Nick.

“Nick, you know...”

“There’s been an emergency at your Dad’s. Stella is unconscious and no one can find my Aunt.”

Grillby’s eyes went flat and with a flash of fire they were back in Grillby’s parents house. He ran to his mother’s study. He saw his mother blacked out and Cam struggling to keep her in the chair. He noticed the place settings and the bunnies. He picked one up. He could smell the drug they had been laced with. He went to his mother’s medicine cabinet. He found the counter for the drug, but it would make her sick. He shook his head. She needed this. He grabbed a hypodermic syringe and filled it with the counter drug. He grabbed his mother’s arm and injected it. Her breathing became more normal. She was able to stay seated in her chair as she began to wake up.

“Pakti… how could you?” she said weakly.

“Tina… Bee...” her voice started to a little stronger.

Her eyes opened.

“Cam, Bee. Saltus… sent Pakti. Bunnies… drugged. Stole… Tina.” Stellata began to cry, “Pakti, how could you? Tina is Bee’s.”

Grillby’s eyes became as hard as diamonds. Caminus began to cry as he pulled his wife into his arms.

“I’ll kill him,” Grillby growled.

Caminus looked at his son. It hurt to hear him say that. Saltus was his only living sibling. He could tell by the look in Grillby’s eyes that he was also being controlled to a certain extent by the call of his mate. Men who were about to wed were touchy about who was near their lady. If Bee found Saltus he would kill his brother for interloping on his mate. It was like that for the most powerful marriages for their kind. Males of any sort would be killed if they got too close to a mating males lady. Then Caminus realized that right now Bee would also kill Pakti. Sweet as Pakti was, she still should have known that what Saltus wanted was wrong. The problem was she did not have a jealous flame on her body. She liked the excesses that Saltus showered her with, so she blindly went along with whatever he wanted to keep her luxuries.

Grillby went to his father’s forge, and pulled out his armor and his sword.

“Son, what are you doing?”

“Going after Tina.”

“Where?”

“Wherever Saltus took her!”

“Do you know where that is? If you do, then I have a thing or two to tell your brother myself.”

Bee paused, his eyes filled with tears of flame. Caminus went to his eldest and embraced him.

“She’s mine. He had no right to take her from me,” he sobbed.

“I know, but we need to plan this out. Rushing in will only get you killed. Please, Bee. Let’s just think this out some.” Caminus’ eyes filled with tears for Stella and Tina. In many ways Bee’s marriage mirrored his own. Tina being the fighter and Bee being the healer. They loved and understood each other in ways no one ever could. Caminus loved Tina as if she was his daughter. When he first met her he realized how her relationship with Bee mirrored his and Stella’s. He welcomed her immediately as family. He even liked Tina’s human family. The Prasine’s were still the most noble of all human clans. That nobility was so ancient humans did not recognize it anymore, but monsters did. Monsters both here in the Underground and those who had moved to the surface did not really think of the Prasines as human. Just monsters in a human form. Frisk, in spite of being adopted by the Dreemurs, just didn’t have that bit of monster in her that the Prasines did. That was why the Prasines helped re-introduce monsters to humans. It was in their blood. Tina’s own nephews stayed here in the Underground to learn how to control their magic. They found themselves at home as much as Tina had. Monsters understood them better than humans did. They had made new friends who could accept their magic. They would continue to help monsters return to the surface.

Tina was dreaming. In her dream she was in the Crystal Caverns of clan Fotia. It was her clan caves. The Firebird sat in the cavern.

“Tina,” it trilled in greeting. This Firebird was known as The Bird of Cleansing. Tina bowed to the bird in her dream.

“Someone is trying to interlope on your wedding.”

“Yes,” she said simply.

“A champion has been chosen for you. You are not in grave danger yet. However, it fills me with revulsion to see one of our warriors drugged. You shall wake up soon and when you do the drug will have been purged from you. Rest peacefully for now. Your proper mate will come for you.”

Reassured by the Firebird, who could not misspeak, she slept. She felt the Cleansing Fires envelope her. It was comforting.

Tina was not sure how long she had slept. When she did wake up she heard the giggling of female voices. She pretended to be asleep.

“They say Pakti got the best of that old fool Stellata,” said one voice.

“Yes, that is what our Lord told me,” said a second.

“I never understood why Saltus had never been able to defeat Grillby.” said a third.

“Grillby is a bigger fool than Saltus. He thinks this human is somehow more powerful than all of us combined,” said the first.

Tina used her passive magic sight. It would allow her to see the actual abilities of the women here. It was all minor fire magic. Not one could use orange attacks nor did they even have the ability to heal. As best she could tell without triggering them, they couldn’t sense her magic at all.

“I wonder why Saltus wants this human then,” said a fourth voice

“I don’t know and it’s not our business, only that she is to become one of us,” said the second voice. “We do what we are told, as Lord Saltus orders us.”

“He is gifting her with extreme riches for a mere human,” said the fourth voice.

Tina couldn’t see what she was wearing only that it felt like silk, and her hair had been coiffed.

“Has anyone seen Pakti,” that voice sounded like Saltus.

“No, my Lord, not since you came back with this human.” said the third voice.

Tina could feel his leering eyes. She so wanted to wipe that smirk she could feel off his face.

“Careful Ladies, this is Tina Prasine. The one who Grillby wanted to break the stalemate with. She is more than she seems. We shall see now how strong his so-called love for her really is. Beautiful though, I suppose that why he lusts for her so. I can’t imagine being able to truly SOUL-bond with a human.”

Tina realized that Saltus knew nothing about what it was like to be SOUL-bonded to someone. To know their emotions, their proximity. That was how Grillby knew to have Nick make a fake emergency call to her when she met Saltus. He could feel her dislike through their bond. Saltus would and could never know that. These were all just pretty toys to him. Not one woman taken even for affection. Humans didn’t bond the ways that monsters did, but even normal humans wanted to love their spouses. It was something beyond his comprehension.

“I’ll be back in an hour, ladies. I must prepare for mating,” said Saltus.

Over my dead body, thought Tina. The gaggle of giggling women followed their mate to the door. Tina opened her eyes and sat up. She realized that she had been dressed as richly as Pakti had been earlier, in a golden silk satin dress that was dripping precious gems and glittered in the light of the room. The room itself was small but sumptuous with a round bed in the center with silk sheets. Tina’s eyes hardened. Saltus had no idea who he was fucking with. Tina tried to teleport out of this room. No go. Dammit there must be teleportation blockers here. She saw a gem on the dress activate. DAMN, IT WAS DRAINING HER MAGIC…

Tina blacked out again.

“Foolish woman,” a voice spat.

His father had given Grillby a sleeping potion to allow him some rest. As upset as he was, he needed rest to try to think things through objectively. In his dream a Firebird came to him.

“Grillby Ignus, you must try to calm yourself. Your grief and your anger will not help you when you go after your bride.”

“What must I do?”

“The key is Pakti. She left Saltus’ palace after he once again scorned her love. She runs blindly not knowing that she has left his protections. Wake now. She is near the Crystal Caverns. Bring her to us. We will open our door to you once you are at the entrance.

Grillby sat up bolt upright. He was filled with the voice of the Firebird. He left his father’s home in a flash of fire and was just outside The Crystal Caverns. Being Tina’s SOULmate the Firebird of clan Fotia allowed him entrance into the Crystal Cavern. It had told him once that his marriage was arranged for before the barrier had even been built. Clan Fotia had been unparalleled at foresight and prophecy. He listened. He heard a quiet voice sniffling and crying. He went to the sound he heard. In front of him was Pakti. She was crying.

“Pakti,” was all he said.

Pakti looked at Grillby stunned and frightened. She then realized she was far from her mates protection.

Grillby’s eyes were hard.

Pakti knew she would be lucky to survive crossing Grillby. He was Caminus’ heir. She had witnessed the battles between him and Saltus. She was no match for him. She had also known that she was no match for Tina either. That was why she had chosen to drug Tina, when Saltus asked her to help him steal her. She did not know Saltus was planning on mating with her. She thought Saltus was going to kill her and then kill Grillby. It had hurt knowing that Saltus did not love her. He never did and never would. He would go after woman after woman until all the females belonged to him. Now she had to face Grillby alone with anger in his heart. Not just for Tina either, but also for betraying Stellata’s trust. Stellata had such high hopes for her and Saltus. They never panned out. There was always another mate.

Grillby grabbed Pakti’s arm. He brushed crystals on the rock behind him and a door opened. He threw Pakti in the room.

Pakti looked around her stunned. There was a Firebird in the room. She had only seen one before when Tina took the aspect of a Firebird while freeing Frisks SOUL. This one pinned her to the floor.

“Where is she?” asked the Firebird.

“She was at the Women’s Palace,” said Pakti.

“She was. She has been taken away.”

“Then Saltus has taken her away for mating.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know.”

The Firebird flared. “You lie, mortal. Remember this, I am neither monster or human. I can smell a lie even as you think it.”

Pakti looked down at her feet. She did not want to betray her Lord and Mate that way.

“Answer.”

She felt a strange magic take hold of her. It was Divine Magic. Neither human, monster or anything recognizable. Her SOUL began to hurt as the magic squeezed it.

She screamed.

“West Hotland, there is a fire spring underneath the small island leading to Waterfall. Saltus takes all his mates there.”

There was a rope of white fire. It tied her hands to her back and feet. She could not escape from it.

“As Tina is Saltus’ hostage. I make you Grillby’s hostage. You may not leave the Crystal Cavern until Tina has been safely recovered.”

Saltus Ignus looked down at the human who lay on the ground in front of him. Knowing that she was a powerful mage and knight, he had placed a trap in the form of a gem on the dress he had given her for his mating of her. The gem would only activate if she used more powerful magics to try to escape or to attack him. He would have to release her magic back to her soon, or she would not go into heat at all. It was risky, if Grillby found her, they would battle. If she had her magic, she could also engage him in battle as well. He did not think she would do that though. As soon as she had her magic back she would become a victim to the Fires of mating and then he would take her as another of his mates. Just taking her so would weaken his brother to the point where he could kill him.

He had his other mates gown and dress her properly for this mating. They had been unable to remove a ring on her index finger. It looked like a champions ring. His father would think of something along those lines. His father was a fool. By making Grillby her champion, he would be unable to guard Tina. He smiled predatorily at the unconscious woman. Soon he would be Fire King and both his father and brother would be dead. He would have his mother locked up with his other mates in the Women’s Palace. He would have Pakti killed so she would never tell her secret to another.

It was time.

He walked to Tina and removed the trapped gem from the dress. He broke it into shards. He saw the magic from the gem escape and enter the still unconscious human. He smiled, it would be a matter of moments now.

Sans Serif had been watching Tina Prasine and Saltus Ignus patiently. The Champions Ring that Caminus had given him had activated as soon Saltus stole Tina. He had been watching over Tina the entire time she had been Saltus’ hostage. He had seen Saltus and his second mate Pakti argue on whether to kill her or not. Pakti wanted to kill Tina. When Saltus explained his plan to Pakti, he had seen her eyes fill with the pain that Saltus would never love her as was preparing to take another mate. He had seen her flee the Women’s Palace in tears. He had been aware of exactly when Tina regained consciousness, and watched her pretend to sleep while those empty headed women chattered. When those women’s backs were turned he saw her fury filled face and Felt her attempt to teleport out of that Palace. Not a bad idea, but Tina should have known that Saltus had a good idea on her powers and abilities and prepared for her use of magic. When Saltus had taken Tina here the magic of the rings brought him as well.

Saltus released Tina’s power back to her. It was time to come out of hiding.

After questioning Pakti, Grillby had left with a flash of fire, directly to the small islands just outside of Waterfall. Using his abilities as a Fire Prince he was able to find the fire spring where Saltus had taken Tina. He entered the cavern with a flash of fire. As he entered he saw Sans make a bone attack that knocked Saltus to the far side of the room. Sans, seeing Grillby, stood directly in front of Tina and surrounded her in a protective cage of blue attack bones. Saltus could not approach her without attacking Sans. Saltus, however had bigger problems to worry about with Grillby’s arrival.

After being blindsided by the bone attack, Saltus stared in shock at Sans Serif as he took a guardian stance in front of Tina. He then realized that he had taken a secondary position as he saw Grillby’s face. He was in a killing rage. He felt Grillby fill with his True Power. He was not like any of the other males he had killed as he taken their brides. This was his Lordship, Caminus Grillby Ignus. The Heir to his Father. One who had been born destined to rule the fires of Hotland as Fire King when his father, Caminus Ferrum Ignus died. He was no longer the gentleman behind the bar, quietly earning a living. He was an enraged Prince whose wedding had been interloped.

Saltus had no time to react as Grillby suddenly rushed him with a sword. He could only react in shock as instead of being killed, he found himself being emasculated. Saltus stared in shock as his genitals fell to the ground and turned to dust. He began to bleed flame from where they had been. He fell to his knees.

“In Honor of our father, I am sparing you. However, My bride’s Honor demands justice. In that, I take your Manhood. From now on you shall mate with No One. I have freed your mates from being mated with you. You will never force yourself onto another woman ever again. When you next feel The Burning, your body shall burn with unquenchable need. But, nobody shall ever come to you again. You are outcast and Out Caste.”

There was the enraged scream of a woman’s voice. Pakti began to rage and attack Grillby. All of a sudden, her SOUL was turned blue as she was thrown to a wall.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you for betraying Stellata’s trust,” came the deadly quiet voice of Tina. She was still in the protective cage that Sans surrounded her in. She was filled to the brim with earth fires and a bone made of fire came to her hand. She activated it’s magic and had it fly to Pakti, just short of penetrating her SOUL.

Pakti and Saltus looked in terror as they saw for the first time what their marriage meant. When they were together, Grillby and Tina were invincible.

“Grillby, Tina. May I ask that their punishments be given to me, The Royal Judge?” asked Sans. “They have other crimes to answer for and should be Judged by my court.”

Grillby and Tina looked at one another and nodded. They knew he wanted to question and give his brand of Justice for other women. Their families had been denied Justice for too long. Sans removed the protective bones around Tina, She stood up and stood with Grillby. Saltus could only think of the irony that as Tina was dressed in the jewels he had put her in, it now shone more than ever that she was truly a Royal Princess and Grillby was a Royal Prince.

“Go,” said Sans. “The wedding draws close.”

Grillby took Tina’s hand and they left in a flash of fire.

Present Day

Tina, Grillby, Frisk, Sans, Undyne and Alphys were all talking at the breakfast table. Grillby took his punishment and cooked breakfast for them all. They were discussing the wedding rehearsal. Frisk had taken notice of a ring on Sans’ right pinkie finger.

“Sans, what ring is that?”

“oh, it’s a champions ring. If I am ever in mortal danger, a champion will come to guard and defend me.”

“Take it off so I can look at it.”

“i cant. its been enchanted so that it cant be removed as long as we are both alive.”

“So, who is you so-called Champion?”

“I cant say. I’m not supposed to talk about it much.”

“Why would ever need a champion when you have me?”

Sans laughed, “It’s nothing to be jealous over, Frisky. The wearer of the other ring is married with children. Years ago, I was first given this ring to help protect someone who was in danger. I did what I was supposed to. However turnabout is fair play, If I find myself in a situation where I can’t fight back. My champion will come to defend me.”

Grillby set out a pot of tea for the hungover celebrants, including himself. Tina sat on the opposite side of the table and was trying her best to eat. Grillby gave her a much smaller teapot for her morning sickness, along with her vitamins. In some ways pregnancy had gotten easier with practice. In some ways it had gotten worse. The morning sickness was one of those ways. She got sicker earlier in her pregnancy and it never quite went away anymore. She picked at the bland breakfast she was given. Bananas and yogurt, blech, Tina thought. What she really wanted was french toast, eggs, and bacon, but knew she would just vomit it up. Maybe she could convince Bee to make her a burger later.

Bee was watching Tina look with distaste at the simple breakfast.

“Eat.” was all he said.

“Yes, Father Goose,” she said dryly.

“You know the more you look at it, the more likely you are to keep getting bland foods.”

“How about french toast, instead?”

“No, it will just make you sick again.”

“But my taste buds will sing you praises.”

“My nose won’t, though.”

Tina started to eat the simple breakfast. It was easier than arguing with Bee. Tina just never really liked yogurt much. The kinds that Bee tended to serve her didn’t help. He looked for high protein and low sugar foods. The sugar would at least help hide the awful taste.

“Can I get some toast at least?”

“Plain buttered is fine.”

Frisk watched them fascinated. It looked as of they were arguing while leaving half the argument out of their words.

Tina cast a steady gaze on Frisk. “We are having a small argument. Bee knows I don’t like yogurt, but its one of the few things I can stomach in the morning. I hate it as much now as I did as a kid, but I need the protein. I can’t let go of my dislike of yogurt, though.”

Grillby laughed, “You should have heard the fight during her first pregnancy. We went on for hours about yogurt. This is a more subtle way of her reminding me she hates the stuff. If she is good I’ll put her favorite jam on her toast.”

Tina made a face at her husband and wrinkling her nose she downed the damn yogurt. The faster she ate it the sooner she could get the taste out of her mouth. She made faces when she finished it and washed the taste out with the tea. Grillby made her toast with a light amount of strawberry jam. As he placed the toast in front of Tina she reached out and touched his hand. They smiled at one another. If she didn’t raise some sort of fuss over the yogurt, Bee would have worried about her. It was one of those subtle games they played with each other. He bent down and kissed her.

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” teased Undyne.

Grillby and Tina laughed.

“You two still act like you’re on your honeymoon,” said Alphys.

“So do you,” shot back Tina.

“I seem to remember noises out of the bedroom last night,” said Frisk.

Tina shrugged, “So? It’s my bedroom. What else was a drunk Bee supposed to do with the naked lady in his bed?”

Sans and Frisk began to blush.

Alphys, Bee, Tina, and Undyne began to laugh. The truth was that after getting drunk, Undyne and Alphys sneaked off on their own as well. Tina didn’t mention that to Frisk though. Frisk, being a Princess of the Kingdom of Monsters, was still a virgin. Frisk would learn after the wedding. The married pairs all knew that Sans was tired of waiting. They also knew that Toriel would kill Sans if she caught him in Frisk’s bedroom. Frisk would learn.

Frisk’s face flaming she said “I didn’t want to know that.”

“Look, Frisk. When you start having children, it’s a blessing to have a night with no children to walk in on you. You take advantage whenever you can,” said Undyne.

“Is that why you two disappeared last night?”

Alphys just smirked at Frisk. She started to turn purple.

“Alright folks, leave Frisk alone. She’ll find out about this stuff on her own,” said Grillby.

“Well, at least she won’t have to go through years of unsatisfactory sex, they way I did at her age,” said Tina.

“Yes, Tea, that is true.” said Bee.

“What do you mean,” asked Frisk.

“Do you know what the Burning is?”

“Not really, Mom starts to blush whenever I ask her about it. She said she would explain when I’m older. Funny, I’m about to get married and she still blushed when I asked her a few weeks ago. I only asked because someone was complaining that the CORE was hotter than it should be, but half the workers that work there didn’t come in. I asked one of the workers and all he said was that the Fire Prince was Burning.”

Tina gave Frisk a small smile, “It’s the mating heat of fire elementals. The ones in question were me and Bee. That’s when I got pregnant.”

Frisk gaped at Tina and said, “Oh. I keep forgetting you’re a Fire Prince, Grillby.”

“It is also the wedding ceremony for two fire elementals when they pair off permanently,” said Grillby. “As the couple being wedded mate, their SOULS join in matrimony. Not every mated pair are married the way myself and Tea are though. My younger brother, never married and had many mates in his life.”

“Wait, is this the one you were telling us about yesterday, Tina? The one who tried to steal you from Grillbz?”

“Yes,” answered Bee.

“Why would he do that though? Everyone, who knew either of you, knew you were SOULmates.”

Grillby pulled up a chair and sat next to Tina, as he thought. “All I’m going to say is this, he knew it would hurt me a great deal to take Tina away from me. He knew our wedding would lock him out of ever being Fire King. Power is all he really loved. Not women, nobody. Just power. I never really wanted power. My brother was very different though, he liked luxury and never having to work an honest job a day in his life.”

“Wait a second, is he dead?”

“Yes.”

“How did he die?”

“He killed himself.”

Bee shook his head, “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. He died and that’s that. The point Tina was trying to make was that you are getting married to your SOULmate at the age of twenty-three. We had gone through years of bad Burnings. That is to say, we went through our mating heats, with no mate. It’s painful to be filled with needs and desires, but no one to fill them. Mating heats are not the same as normal sex because there is a great deal of magic involved in a Burning. The kinds of sex that you fall into filled with such need are not the kind you mention in polite company.”

Undyne shrugged, “I can imagine.”

“I still don’t understand,” said Frisk.

Tina cut in, if Grillby wasn’t going to be blunt, she was.

“If I ask you a few questions, will you answer honestly?”

“Yes,” answered Frisk.

“You’ve been horny, correct?”

Blushing, Frisk answered, “Yes.”

“Now, speaking as an adult to other adults, have you ever masturbated?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, lets take this even further, Let’s say you were filled with those needs and desires, amplified a hundred times by magic, would masturbating be enough, or would you try anything to relieve those needs?”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s an honest answer. I was only a couple of years younger than you when I felt The Burning. Nothing, no toy, no human could ever fill that need. Simple sex wasn’t enough. I probably tried almost every type of sex there was trying to fill that need. Nothing worked. Not until I met Bee. Humans could never satisfy me. I learned later that I was much too powerful. The Fire in me is too strong for any human to satisfy.”

Undyne laughed, “I bet you even tried with other women, huh, Tina?”

“I even had a girlfriend myself for a couple of years.” Tina smiled at Undyne.

“What ended it?”

“It just wasn’t right between us, we were not in love and it wasn’t fair to either of us to try to stay together. We broke up, and I continued to drift from partner to partner.”

“Good terms, then.”

“Yep.”

“Did you know this, Grillby?” asked Sans.

“Of course. She wasn’t the only one who had many lovers in her single years. I also experienced Burnings and had plenty of lovers trying to fill a need that no one could. Until we met each other, that is.”

“How did you know you were right for each other.” asked Frisk.

“It wasn’t like you and Sans, you two grew into each other. For us, there something about each other that just called to each other. A warmth. For us, it was much more instinctive. Is that fair, Tea?” asked Grillby.

“It’s really hard to describe how we knew we would get married. Instinct is a big part of it. The way we smiled at each other. I guess the first time I knew it was different between us was when he first kissed me. I had never felt such an intense kiss like that before. It floored me. Literally.”

“Not the kiss, being interrupted, is what floored you.”

“Maybe, I think we would have would up on the floor before very long, even if we hadn’t been interrupted.”

“I would have gone for the bed, not the floor.”

“Would you have carried me to my bed, my sweet prince?”

“Well, at least the couch,” Bee joked.

Tina shook her head, “I don’t think we would have made it that far.”

“I knew for certain we would marry, when we first made love. I could feel our SOULS calling to each other. I have never felt that with anyone else,” said Grillby.

Undyne and Alphys nodded, “It was like that for us, too. There were a few road signs like when we touched and when we kissed, but when we first had made love, that’s when we knew we would marry. We could feel our SOULS calling to each other,” said Alphys.

“Since you are SOUL-bound to each other, I guess I don’t really understand why you still wear wedding rings,” said Frisk.

“I told you it’s a Crown of Honor,” said Tina.

“What does that mean though?”

“Well now that you know that Saltus tried to steal me from Bee, would you say he was trying to steal my honor?”

“Yes.”

“Bee was offering me an honorable marriage. The Glory is our life together, our children. It’s something we share. Those are gifts beyond value. Saltus wanted to take my life, my children for his own purposes. Grillby Crowned me with Honor, and the Glory we share everyday. Saltus would have stolen my crown and taken my glory for himself.

Understanding flooded everyone’s faces.

Chapter Text

Eleven Years Earlier…

Grillby and Tina appeared in a different cavern in a flash of fire. Grillby observed Tina closely. She was close, but had yet to be consumed by the Fires of mating.

“Help me get this Gods awful dress off,” she asked.

Grillby smiled and helped her remove the satin dress.

“I suppose the gems make it worth a fortune.”

“They do.”

Tina made a face. “I suppose that’s how he managed to keep all those brainless women. He showered them with riches for them to stay with him. Toss it in the magma. I don’t want to see it again.”

“I would remove the gems then burn the dress. Diamonds of this quality are extremely rare, even for a Fire Prince,” replied Grillby.

“You know I never cared about you being a Fire Prince.”

“I know, just as I never cared about you being a Princess of house Prasine. We have always seen each other as we really are. You are Tina. A beautiful woman who reads history as if it were poetry, and plays music with all her heart and SOUL.”

“You are Grillby. A handsome man who cooks to welcome all in his presence, and heals to give comfort to those who need it.”

Grillby pulled Tina into his arms, “What gift shall I give my bride? A small token of my affections. You know I can give as much and more than Saltus ever could, but those kind of riches are meaningless. What could I give you that means what we have become to each other?”

“A wedding ring. Humans like to give their spouses a ring of gold to symbolize their marriage.”

“A gold ring? How appropriate.”

Using his magic, he found a small vein of gold. He called it to him and heated it in the white hot magma. He then formed a pair of rings with it. He picked one up and asked, “Where would I Crown my Bride with Honor?”

Tina held up her left hand and shook the appropriate finger.

Grillby took her hand and placed the wedding ring on it. “For you my Bride. To thee I give a Crown of Honorable Marriage. May we share in the Glory of our marriage for all the remaining days of our lives.” The ring sized itself as he placed it on her finger.

Tina picked up the second ring. “For you my Bridegroom. To thee I give a Crown of Honorable Marriage. May we share in the Glory of our marriage for all the remaining days of our lives.” As with Tina, the ring sized itself to Grillby’s finger as she placed it there.

There was a flash of magical fire that began to consume Tina’s SOUL. The Burning had begun.

“Come to me, my beloved. Let me feed thy hunger and slake thy thirst,” Grillby chanted ritually.

“To thee who has defended my Honor, I Submit. You are the only one that I love, and I will never willing give myself to anyone other than you.” Tina kissed Grillby.

“I will kill anyone who ever tries to take you from me again,” Grillby pulled her into his arms.

Present Day- Frisk’s Wedding.

Caminus and Stellata Ignus sat with their family in the section of the High Court reserved for Nobility of the Kingdom of Monsters. They had two of Tina and Bee’s children with them as their youngest son, Mishal, was Ring Bearer for the ceremony.

The wedding being a High Court function, the nobles had put on all their families Coats of Arms and weapons associated with each family. Their family wore a cloak of fire that had a sword rising from the flames. The Prasine family was the only human noble family recognized by the Kingdom of Monsters and Tina’s uncle Jason and father Michael had come for the wedding. Her nephews Ed and Nick were also seated with their uncle and grandfather. Their coat of arms was the simple emerald green heart of Kindness.

As far as the men in the bridal party went, Papyrus was dressed in an orange velvet doublet with black velvet pants tucked into black boots that went up to his knees. The Serif Coat of Arms was a tower of blue bones emblazoned on a cloak on his back. He also wore a gold circlet with blue and white sapphires encrusting the forehead. Grillby was wearing his formal armor as the Fire Knight of Snowdin with his families cloak. Instead of a helmet, he wore a coronet as Heir to the Fire King of Hotland. It held a large fire opal in the center that blazed with fire when Grillby moved his head. Kraken was dressed in matching water blue velvet doublet and pants. He also wore knee high boots that had been dyed blue to match his outfit. His cloak swirled with the waters of Waterfall with a large spear rising from the waters. He wore a coronet of pearls and aquamarine as the Duke of Waterfall.

It had been shocking to humans who where not familiar with the Royal Court that only one Frisk’s matrons was wearing a dress. Undyne was wearing her formal armor as Captain of the Royal Guard. She also wore a coronet, as her father’s heir, of pearls and aquamarine. Tina was dressed formally as The Knight of the Seven Virtues. It was a black militaristic uniform with six rainbow hearts surrounding a green heart emblazoned on the breast pocket. She wore white ruffled blouse that had a large emerald locket center on her chest. She also wore tall black boots. Her coronet was as Clan Chief of the Prasines. It had a huge emerald heart that was accented with white beryl. Her cloak was the same as her husbands. Alphys, got to wear a formal dress in the beautiful red of Determination for Frisk. It had been custom made with ruching and enough of a skirt to allow for Alphys’ tail. Alphys looked damn good in red. Undyne couldn’t keep her eyes off of her wife seeing her in the dress. Alphys, not being born a noble, wore a circlet of alternating aquamarines and pearls and a cape of Undyne’s family coat of arms.

It had been an even bigger shock to the some of the humans that the bridal party also wore their formal weapons. Papyrus was holding a bone the size of a staff. Grillby had his formal sword strapped to his waist. Kraken and Undyne both carried spears. Tina had her SOUL sword strapped across her back. She had to be careful how she moved her head or it would hit her on the head. Alphys surprised the humans the most by having an attack laser strapped to her arm.

The kids who were following the wedding party had dressed in more contemporary clothing. Tina and Grillby’s son Mishal, as ring bearer, wore a black tuxedo with a red bow tie. They had laughed on how he looked like a miniature version of Grillby. Undyne and Alphys’ daughter Pearl, as flower girl, wore a red dress with white lace on the skirt.

Toriel, being the Mother of the Bride, was wearing a lavender formal dress with a white formal cape of the Delta Rune. Even though she had remarried to Kraken, Asgore insisted she keep her formal role as Queen of the Kingdom of Monsters. No one had done more to spread the goodwill and peaceful intentions of monsters more than Toriel. She had decided to reverse her colors for today in honor of the Bride. Asgore as Father of the Bride, was wearing his formal armor of King of the Kingdom of Monsters with his formal crown and cloak of the Delta Rune. He had decided not to use his trident, but also wore a sword strapped to his waist.

Frisk herself wore a white satin dress that was fitted to her body. It had white lace across the bodice and a belt that was encrusted in smaller diamonds and larger gemstones representing the each of the Seven Human Virtues except Kindness. Tina stood for Kindness herself. Her train was short and was covered in more lace and smaller crystals. Her veil was being kept in place by a formal coronet not unlike Tina’s with a large ruby heart in its center. She did not carry a bouquet. Like the rest of the bridal party she had chosen to carry her weapon. Being an adult instead of a child she walked forth with a flowering staff covered in golden flowers. Her jewelry was the ruby locket she had found when she had first come to the Kingdom of Monsters. She also wore the cape of the Delta Rune.

Sans was dressed simply in black satin from head to toe. He wore his formal coronet as a Duke that was covered in blue and white sapphires. His cloak was the same as Papyrus’. His weapon was one of his Gaster Blasters, in remembrance of his father. His uncle Trebuchet, was performing the wedding ceremony.

In reality, all this pomp and circumstance wasn’t really for monsters of the Kingdom of Monsters. It was to display for humans that monsters did indeed love deeply and honored their newlyweds just as humans did. Every monster knew that this was Tori and Asgore’s way of showing off to humans that they could be just as formal. The real wedding would happen that night when the bride and groom allowed their SOULS to dance in matrimony for the first time. Still, it was nice to show off a bit.

An organist began to play for the bridal party to enter the High Court. Papyrus who was Best Man took Undyne’s hand as Matron of Honor. They smiled and began their formal march down the aisle to await the bride. Grillby then took Tina’s hand with a formal kiss to his wife and they began to follow Undyne and Papyrus. Kraken picked up his Daughter-in-Laws hand and they also began to formally march down the aisle. When they completed their walk they started to smile as their children followed them. Mishal was helping Pearl throw the flower petals down the aisle as he held the small pillow with wedding rings. People chuckled in good humor at the small children acting like small children. The bridal party all smiled at their kids. When they were finished, Mishal and Pearl sat on the formal chairs placed there for them. They behaved when they saw the stern looks their parents gave them.

Sans quietly stepped out to the altar to await his bride. There was a thunderous fanfare as the back doors opened and Frisk began her formal march with Asgore. The bridal party smiled at Frisk.

Frisk sometimes thought that the life she now lived was a dream compared to the life she had left behind when she fell to the Underground. Days like this made her want to pinch herself to be certain her happiness was real. When she looked at her bridal party and then at Sans she knew she could not have ever imagined such a thing. These were all people who have at various points guided and taught her. They all loved her as much as she loved them. Sans… Sans was always different though. As he taught and guided her steps as a child and now was waiting for her as they were about to wed. She had always loved him best. When he held her to keep the nightmares away. They were there even after Tina banished the demon that had been attached to her SOUL. He had been there the whole time. She could never love anyone more than Sans. He was brutally honest with her when she was being silly. He laughed with her as they played puzzles and games together. When Tina and Grillby had told the story of their own wedding, she knew that Sans would do the same for her as Grillby did for Tina. She would do the same for Sans too. When the chips were down she would kill for him as he would for her.

Sans looked at his bride in wonder. He too sometimes had to pinch himself to make sure he was not dreaming the pure happiness he now felt. He remembered the hope Frisk had given him. That hope had attracted him to Frisk like a moth to a candle. He knew he would kill for Frisk.

Trebuchet smiled down at the couple in front of him. He had watched and guided Frisk since he had met her. He saw her grow from an uncertain child to a confident woman. The people who stood with the bride and groom had all shaped the person Frisk had become. Frisk had become Tough like Undyne, Kind like Tina, Caring like Alphys, Sweet like Papyrus, Strong like Grillby, Wise like Kraken. Her mother taught her about Love and Asgore about Regret. Sans had taught Frisk the most important thing though. Sans taught Frisk how to be Frisk. Frisk could emulate her mentors but no one else could teach Frisk how to be herself. Sans had taught Frisk how to listen to the voices of her teachers, but ultimately, be herself. Sans gave her the confidence to be herself.

“Dearly Beloved...” Trebuchet intoned.

After the formal wedding, in the Kingdom of Monsters, it was customary for a Bride and Groom to formally walk in the village in which they lived to be greeted and thrown flower petals in acknowledgment of the wedding. Since this was a royal wedding the Bride and Groom would ride in a carriage in formal progress throughout the Kingdom to receive the blessings of the People.

As Frisk and Sans rode in progress, the remaining wedding party helped finish getting the reception ready. There were photographers from around the world waiting to take pictures of the group. The formal picture would be released after the newlyweds took off for their honeymoon.

When the Bride and Groom came to their reception there was an hour long pause while both formal and informal photos were taken. After the photos, those in their armor gratefully changed into clothing. It was still formal clothing, but it was better than wearing pounds of armor. They had all put away their weapons except for Frisk herself. Her staff was as much a bouquet as it was a weapon. Tina didn’t say anything, but she had seen the well hidden face of Asriel Dreemur among the flowers. She supposed Asriel being there was why Frisk really didn’t want to put away the staff.

Tina had never told anyone that two days after freeing Frisk’s SOUL, Frisk managed to get Tina alone with a flower pot. The flower in the pot had a face. Frisk explained about Asriel, and how he wanted to thank her personally for freeing and Purifying his sister, Chara. His eyes were full of tears, but Tina had seen the truth of his existence. How he should have been left to rest in peace and now how he never would. Tina would frequently give him small gifts to help him find a new peace. He could not feel love anymore, but he did remember Kindness. He was grateful to Tina for all her acts of Kindness. Tina made a mental note to ask the Bird of Cleansing if anything could be done to help Asriel. She felt he had atoned enough for his past crimes.

When the bridal party had reformed. They all waited and were announced formally for the wedding reception. There was food and drink. (Tina stuck to non alcoholic) Then the Grand Ball started. The bridal party all danced with the Bride and Groom. They danced with each other. Then after formalities were dispensed of, the real party started. Tina and Grillby were reunited with the rest of their family and danced with each other and their children.

Sans watched Tina and Grillby and hoped he would be as happy as they were. They had both reassured him he would be. He had been ambivalent about letting Asriel be a part of their wedding. Tina had told him that it would be a shame to leave the one person most responsible for the lives they all lived out of the wedding. He sighed, Tina had been right.

No, he would never tell Frisk that Tina was his champion. Tina would fight for them both equally if things were that bad off. He wondered sometimes if that was the real reason Caminus had made him Tina’s champion. Undyne could have done it just as easily. But Tina was every bit as fierce as Undyne. If Sans was in that much trouble then he would need the best. That was Tina. When Grillby had taken Tina away for their wedding, he had decided the best justice he could give Saltus and Pakti was Pain. Not pain in a physical sense but the emotional pain he had inflicted on the poor women he had despoiled. That, along with his unmanning, had driven Saltus insane. Saltus had killed himself less than two weeks after Grillby’s wedding. Caminus never said a thing about it, but he knew Cam could not forgive what Saltus had done to Stellata and what he tried to do to Tina. His former mates had taken all the luxuries that Saltus had showered them with and sold them off to support their families. Caminus and Stellata still saw their grandchildren and gave their mothers extra help if they ever needed it.

There was a pause in the music. It was time. He and Frisk would now go and be formally wed in the manner of monsters. Their married friends all looked at the couple and smiled. They were each remembering their own wedding. They held each other and kissed. They beamed at the Bride and Groom. This was their blessing. Tina had taken Frisk’s staff and gave Asriel a stern look. Frisk would come the next day and put him back in his flower pot.

All was well, as Frisk and Sans got on with the next part of their lives.

Chapter Text

Tina Prasine-Ignus was in her home in Snowdin when she heard her door knock at the crack of dawn. Tina, as well as her husband Grillby, had been asleep. They got up and put their robes on. Tina ran to the door. When she saw that it was Frisk, she immediately opened the door. The girl walked in, her face tear stained. Tina looked at the tear-stained face of the girl in front of her and asked “Frisk, whats wrong?” Tina looked closely at Frisk, she looked like she was panicking. She closed the door. There was the cry of a baby. Grillby went to go check on their son.

“I-I I’m bleeding Down There, but I don’t know what to do.” came Frisk’s choked voice.

Tina asked softly, “Down there, in your privates?”

Frisk nodded.

“Has anyone ever explained puberty to you?”

Frisk shook her head.

“Is this the first time you have seen blood or have you seen spots down there before?”

“I-I saw some spots a couple of months ago, but it went away the next day. This time it looks like something cut me open from the inside.”

Tina studied the girl in front of her. Tina had been the only human who had regular contact with Frisk, since she was her history teacher. Sans Serif had hired Tina a year ago to teach Frisk and several adult monsters human history and get monsters caught up on human current events. Tina had been on maternity leave for the past several months having married, and had given birth to a son only three months ago. Still, she considered Frisk a friend and helped her with her history even as she just had a baby. Frisk had told Tina that while the teacher who taken her place was nice and a good teacher, she just wasn’t comfortable talking to her the way she was Tina.

Lately, Tina had noticed that Frisk had taken to wearing loose fitting and baggy clothing. She had also noticed that Frisk had a few blemishes on her skin, probably from her hormones. She had wondered if anyone ever explained puberty, but now she realized that the monsters having limited understanding about human maturity, had not. Tina smiled comfortingly at Frisk.

“Its okay, Frisk, you’ve come to the right place. You’re fine, its just that you have begun to menstruate. It’s normal. Every girl as she grows to womanhood begins to bleed this way when they reach just about your age. When you lived in the orphanage did they ever teach you about menstruation?”

“N-no.”

“Okay, lets go to my laptop, I’m going to put on a short video on for you to watch and as you watch it I’m going to make a couple of quick calls. I just need some fresh clothing brought over and I have some basic supplies to get you started with.”

“Does this happen to you?” asked Frisk.

“For me, Aunt Flo comes to visit about every six weeks. Most women get their periods about every month, but everyone is a little different. Right now, since I am breastfeeding a baby, I haven’t started at all.”

“Aunt Flo?”

Tina smiled, “Sometimes we jokingly call our Menstrual Period, the visit of Aunt Flo, or Being On the Rag. Being on the Rag dates from when women had to use rags for the blood instead of sanitary pads.”

Tina pulled out her laptop and after a quick search found the short film she was looking for. “This is a pretty old film, but the information is accurate. When I get a chance to speak to your mother, I want to take you to Ebott City so we can buy more supplies for you as well as a few books on puberty. Tell me, is your body changing shape? Is your chest growing, and your hips getting a little wider?”

Frisk blushed and nodded.

“We may have to take you to go buy a few bras and things for a growing girl.” Tina smiled comfortingly. “Does your abdomen ache?”

Frisk nodded again.

“Okay I have some pills that will make the cramping more tolerable.”

Tina went to her kitchen and in a cabinet pulled out a bottle of pills. She gave Frisk two and a glass of water to drink. After that she started the video for Frisk. She told Frisk and Grillby she was going to step outside to make her calls, and if she finished with the video before she came back she could watch TV until she was back.

Tina stepped outside and called her colleague, Sans. Tina didn’t expect Sans to understand what was going on being, first a monster, and second a male, but Sans could teleport the clean clothing and Frisks mother to her house.

“what!?” came the sleepy growl of Sans. “whatever this is about, cant it wait until later???”

“Listen, Sans, I was also dragged out of my bed this morning, but I need a favor for Frisk.”

“Frisk? Whats wrong with Frisk?”

“Nothing is wrong with Frisk, but she woke me up scared to death over some Growing Girl issues. I need you to go to her house and get a complete change of clothing, especially underwear, and I need her mother brought over here too.”

“Growing Girl issues?”

Tina shook her head, men, human or monster, were not all that different from each other. “I’ll explain in more detail later, but right now I need you to get me Tori and clean clothes for Frisk.”

“There is no way I can convince you that it can wait, can I?”

“No, it can’t.” Tina stated firmly.

“Fine.” he growled.

Tina would have made a remark but simply said, “Thank you.”

Tina went back inside, where Frisk was still watching the short film.

There was a none too quite knock on her door. It was probably Sans, he only lived three houses down from her. Tina smiled at Frisk, “Keep watching, I think there might have been another video on the same subject, start that one afterwards.” Tina could hear Grillby trying to settle the baby back down.

Tina opened her front door. Sans was scowling at her from the doorway. He walked inside, he froze when he started to hear words like egg, sperm, and vagina. His eyes latched onto Tina who pointed the skeleton outside where she could talk to him more privately. Sans started to blush blue. He obediently went outside.

“Tina, whats going on?” Sans asked, this time more calmly.

“Frisk is starting to grow up, Sans.”

“what do you mean, shes still only a thirteen year old kid.”

“Sans, her body is starting to mature. Hadn’t you noticed the baggy clothing, or the blemishes on her skin? Frisks body is the right age for these changes to happen, even though she still has years to completely grow up. This morning she started her first menstrual cycle, that’s when she starts to bleed monthly. Its a big day for a young girl, but she doesn’t have the right things she needs. Please, Sans, get me a change of clothes and her mother so I go over these things with her. We need to go to the city for a few other things too. Please be more quiet when you come back, Bee is trying to settle the baby back down.”

“Alright, Tina, I’ll stop arguing with you.” he rubbed his fingers over his head. He had not wanted to think about the sort of changes that would happen to Frisk as she grew up. He thanked his lucky stars that here was at least one female human that Frisk trusted enough with these things. Monsters being mostly magic did not mature the same way that humans did. It was going to be interesting for the next few years. He backed up from Tina’s door and with a pocket of displaced air teleported to New Home.

After Sans left, Tina went back inside. Frisk had finished watching the video and was waiting for her return. Grillby came to the front room with their son. Tina held him as Bee rubbed his face tiredly. He began to make strong coffee for the two of them.

“Was that Sans?” asked Frisk.

“Yes, I sent him to get some clean clothing for you as well as your mother. For most girls this is a special day. When I got my first period my mother took me out to dinner, just us girls, no boys allowed. Most boys human or monster think of this as weird even if its perfectly normal. I’m pretty sure that there are things we girls would think of as weird as boys grow up too.” Tina smiled at Frisk. “I don’t think it will take too long for Sans to return with your mother, so come here and take a shower and get cleaned up once we have clean clothes I’ll show you how to use sanitary napkins and how to clean up the blood. No matter how much we try to keep clean, pads tend to bunch up and shift on us, especially while we sleep. This way when you next get some blood on your clothes, you will know how to clean it up.”

Tina lead Frisk to her bathroom. She instructed Frisk to undress, and flushing Frisk undressed in front of her. Tina took note of Frisks body and the changes she had been hiding under baggy clothing. She nodded at Frisk, “Yep it’s time to go take you bra shopping. Here get cleaned up and don’t be afraid to try any of the soaps I use. There is nothing wrong with nice feminine scents.” With that Tina opened a cabinet and picked up a large bottle of hydrogen peroxide and Frisks blood stained clothing. Frisk was then left in the privacy of the bathroom.

After leaving Frisk to shower, Tina took Frisks dirty clothes to her kitchen sink. Bee wrinkled his nose at the blood stains. Tina gave him a kiss and told him that she was going to show Frisk how to clean it up. Bee took the baby back from Tina and told her to get dressed. Tina went to her bedroom. She decided to wear clothing that was close fitting so Frisk could see that there was nothing wrong with women’s curves and there is no reason to hide her body. With Grillby’s careful watch of her diet she had already lost the baby weight. She was beginning to brush her hair when she heard a knock at the door. She went to her door still brushing her hair. Sans had returned with Toriel and a change of clean clothing.

Sans was still confused about what was going on. When he arrived at New Home he had the night guard wake Tori up. When he explained that Frisk had gone to Tina with Growing Girl issues, Tori had not been surprised at all. It seemed like she had expected the news. She had quickly grabbed what Tina had requested and had him take her to Tina’s house as soon as possible. Sans shook his head it didn’t look like he was going to get any answers just yet.

Toriel was not that surprised when Sans had woken her up saying that Frisk had some Growing Girl issues and that she was at Tina’s house. She had noticed that Frisk had taken to wearing baggy clothing and had blemishes on her skin. Toriel had watched the same video that Tina had shown Frisk about growing up, but did not know how tell Frisk about menstruation. When she tried to broach the subject with Frisk, all that happened was them both turning beet red and dropping the subject. She was glad that Frisk went to Tina with this. Maybe with Tina’s help everything could finally be explained to Frisk.

Sans sighed and asked pretty bluntly, “Can I finally get some answers? What is going on with Frisk? Is this normal?”

Toriel and Tina exchange a glance. Tori cleared her throat, “Well I had noticed some changes going on with Frisk a few months ago and did some research on human development, but I’m afraid I just couldn’t explain what I learned with Frisk. I still am not sure how to explain it properly.”

Tina nodded. Tori was too good a mother not to notice the changes in Frisk, but could be a bit shy when trying to explain things she wasn’t sure about. “It’s okay Tori, at least Frisk had enough sense to come to me with these things. For you Sans, you get to watch the same video I showed Frisk. We get to go and show Frisk a few things that will keep going on until she is 45 or 50.”

“I can explain a few other things, if he gets lost,” said Grillby.

Tina and Toriel went to the back bedroom and the bathroom in the corner. Tina firmly closed the door. Frisk had just turned the water off. Tina smiled, Frisk had used a scented soap she had once asked her about. It was a clean and fresh scent Tina herself liked, being allergic to many floral scents. Tina knocked on the door. “Frisk, your mother is here, we are coming in to show you a few things.”

Tina and Toriel walked into the bathroom.

“Towel off and go and sit on the toilet,” instructed Tina. Frisk did as she was instructed and Tina went to her bedroom and grabbed a chair that was in front of her vanity. Tina placed the chair next to the toilet and then grabbed a plastic package from underneath the sink. Tina then asked for Frisks fresh underwear, “Okay this is the basic rundown of you need to do whenever you start your period. A few days before you start, your back might start to get achy as you sleep. That’s normal. It’s a good time to check your supply of pads to see if you have enough. Most periods last between 3 to 7 days. The first day you might not see much more than a pink staining on toilet paper when you clean yourself after using the bathroom. After that your period will start to get heavier as more blood flows out of you. You might even notice that on heavy days you might bleed more during regular daytime hours than at night getting heavy again the next day. That’s also normal. After a few days the flow will start to taper off and slow down and sometime between the fifth and seventh day it will stop completely. Everyone is different though, My periods tend to last about five days with my heaviest days being the second and third days. So for now, let me show how to use pads. There are other things out there like tampons, which I also use, but I don’t recommend them for now. Tampons and other things require more intimate knowledge of our girly bits. Let’s just keep it basic as you grow accustomed to having your period.”

Toriel was watching Tina closely as she explained the cycle and what to notice before starting periods. This was why she was uncomfortable talking to Frisk about this. Being a monster she did not start a period so it was difficult to explain.

Tina handed Frisk a clean pair of panties. “Before we put these on I’m going to show you how to attach the pad. This should be changed every two to four hours. At night there are heavier pads that can be used so we don’t have to get up and change in the middle of the night.”

Tina showed Frisk how to attach the pad and how to dispose of it. She handed another pad to Frisk and asked her to attach it. After she did she asked her to dispose of it. With a nod Tina told her to put on her panties and attach a pad. When she did, Tina had Frisk stand up and pull them up all the way. She had Frisk stand in front of the mirror and showed her how to make adjustments for a proper fit. With a smile Tina told Frisk to finish getting dressed. With that she took the chair back to her vanity and walked out the bedroom door.

Sans had finished the video, and was now looking up other information about human anatomy. He and Grillby looked up when Tina walked back into the room. “I’m sorry for biting your head off earlier. I had no idea it would be that complicated for Frisk. I’m just glad she had enough sense to go to you with this. I would have screwed up completely if she came to me with this.”

Tina took the baby from Bee. Sitting in her rocking chair she covered up to a point, unbuttoned the top button of her blouse and began to feed her son.

Tina smiled, “Its OK, Tori had tried to explain it to Frisk, but not really understanding made it difficult to explain.”

“So what happens now?”

“Now we will go to the city and go shopping. There are quite a few things that Frisk needs and I think a guidebook or two would be helpful to Frisk. Starting her period is just the beginning. There is more to come for her.”

Grillby smiled at his wife. “I’ll take Jet, you have not had a baby free day since he was born. I can handle him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, you know my parents will descend on me and spoil the baby. I think you have pumped enough milk for at least a week. We will be fine. You need a little time to yourself, you know.”

Tina started to rock the baby as she continued to feed him. “That sounds wonderful, but what about you. You haven’t really taken a day for yourself either, you know.”

“I’m not worried about it. I still go to work and talk to other adults. You have been stuck here for months. You don’t get to go talk to anyone, even in a professional way. You need to get out of the house for a while. I don’t want you turning into a complete hermit.”

“Are you sure, Bee?”

“Yes. When you get back, I want to talk about your going back to work too.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, take the car too. I don’t want you home until after dinnertime. Go and eat in town. Enjoy the day.”

Frisk and Toriel emerged from the bathroom. The two of them smiled as they saw Tina feeding her baby.

“Okay, ladies. I am under strict orders from my husband to take us all to the city and have a good day. So to that end we will load up in my car, drive to the city, do our shopping, have a wonderful dinner and drive home.”

“Don’t forget to go shopping for yourself too, Tea. You’ve been cooped up here too long. Buy something provocative,” said Grillby.

Tina smiled at her husband. She knew what he was thinking of.

“Well ladies, should we invite Undyne and Alphys?”

Eyes lit up. “Yes!” exclaimed Frisk.

“Okay. Let’s call them up at about eight and meet up at my car at nine. That way we all get breakfast. Now Frisk, as soon as I am done feeding the baby. I’ll show you how to clean up the blood off your clothes.”

“Can I ask you something, Tina?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“What does it feel like to nurse a baby?”

“Weird at first. It does take some getting used to. Just remember that feeding babies is really why we girls grow breasts. Starting our periods is about sexual maturity. Ultimately, having babies is what puberty is all about. You are not ready for any of those things. Hell, no one is until the baby is born. But being older gives you an emotional maturity that makes having babies easier. You body is just about ready to start having babies, but mentally you’ve got a long way to go.”

Grillby looked closely at Frisk. “Tina is right, Frisk. Your body is maturing and as it matures you will start to feel certain hormonal urges. Talk to us before you do anything rash. A lot of boys your age will promise you heaven and earth for the chance to have sex with you. Don’t listen to them and talk to a grown up first.”

Frisk turned bright red.

“She’s a little young, don’t you think, Grillby?” asked Toriel.

“Only a little, it won’t be long before boys will start crowding around her. Remember, I had Fuku. I had to learn these things on my own raising her.”

“That’s right, you raised your niece.”

“I would say a year, two at the most and you will start to see boys trying to pressure Frisk into something she should wait for.”

“I hadn’t wanted to think it would be so soon.”

“None of us did, Tori,” said Sans.

“Children grow up fast,” Grillby smiled.

Chapter Text

With that Toriel, Frisk, and Sans left the new parents as they began to get ready for the rest of the day. Caminus and Stellata had come over to Grillby and Tina’s home to help Grillby fuss over the baby as Tina enjoyed some time to herself. It had actually been Stella who told Grillby a few days ago that Tina needed a day to herself. She had seen that Tina was beginning to feel isolated in her home. Tina had been so used to getting up and going whenever she wanted, that it had been tough to be stuck in her home after being confined to bed rest and later after giving birth. A day to herself without the baby would go a long way in stopping that isolationism. Grillby’s business did well enough to support his family easily without Tina needing to work. Stella thought that going back to work in a couple of months would also help Tina get back on track emotionally. Listening to talk shows and game shows all day do not do much for a new mother. Tina still needed other people around her.

Tina did not know what she would have done without Stella and Caminus. They treated her the way parents should as soon as they had met. Tina grabbed a backpack and packed her purse and a portable breast pump in it. She included a small medical bag for cool items and put a couple of ice packs in it. She would need to pump her breasts at least a couple of times. The pack and ice packs would keep the milk cold until she got home when she could freeze it properly.

At eight Tina called and explained to Undyne and Alphys what was going on with Frisk. When she explained they where having a girls day in town, they enthusiastically agreed to go shopping. They had noticed Frisk dressing in baggy clothing and had also worried about Frisk. Now that they knew what was going on, they would dive in to help Frisk. They agreed to meet up at Tina’s car in an hour.

At eight-thirty, Tina was kissing the baby goodbye. Grillby had a firm hold on the baby and told Tina to go. “We will be alright, Tea.” he murmured as he kissed her.

“It’s just hard to be gone.”

“You need to go for a while, and I don’t want you to call until noontime at the earliest either. Buy some lovely things for yourself and for me. Have a good day. We will be here when you come home tonight. Yes, I do mean tonight. I will not be happy if you rush home.” Bee kissed her again. “Go.”

At that Tina left her home. It felt strange not to have the baby with her for the first time since Jet had been born. She walked briskly to the riverfront where the boat launch was.

The Riverperson smiled at Tina, “Tra-la-la! Care for a ride?”

“Hotland, please.”

“Come on!” They took off.

The Riverperson asked gently, “Baby staying home today?”

“My husband says I need a day to myself.”

“Grillbz is probably right, you know.”

“It feels weird.”

“Well then, lets sing for a while. You always feel better after singing.”

Tina smiled and the two of them sang until they hit Waterfall. There Undyne and Alphys joined them and all four of them sang. Tina smiled as they pulled into Hotland. The Riverperson was right, Tina did feel better after singing.

“Thank you.”

“You know you are always welcome on my boat! Tra-la-la!”

Alphys, Tina, and Undyne quickly went to the elevator to head to the CORE.

“So, Tina what’s going on with Frisk?” asked Alphys.

“Well, she has hit the human maturity milestone of starting to menstruate. She woke me up scared to death not really knowing what’s going on.”

“I told Sans that he should have asked you about things like that months ago. You could tell by how Frisk was starting to clam up and hide herself in way too big clothes,” said Undyne.

“I had thought about it, but you know how he gets around Frisk. If I had asked him he would have probably told me to mind my own business, or let Toriel handle it. He looked downright terrified when Bee mentioned that it’s all related to babies and sex.”

“No better person to ask than someone who just had a baby. How is the little guy,” asked Alphys.

“He’s starting to sleep all night. Except for Frisk waking me and Bee up, we have been able to sleep all night every night for the past week,” Tina smiled.

“That’s good!”

“I’ve felt lazy.”

Undyne and Alphys laughed.

“He is starting to hit a growth spurt, Tina. He will probably start to take longer and longer naps too,” said Alphys.

“He eats voraciously. My boobs are sore. I need to pick up some more balms while I’m in town.”

“In a month or two, you should try some simple cereals for him. Try mixing some human cereals with some water-sausage based cereals. That should meet all his nutritional needs,” said Alphys.

“Stella thinks he will do best on monster foods.”

“Well, we shall see.”

They got off the elevator and took a different one that lead to the surface. They walked to Tina’s car. Toriel and Frisk arrived just as they did. It felt good to be out in the sun. Bee was right. She had been cooped up in the house too long.

“Well,” said Undyne. “Looks like you are starting to grow up a bit, punk! Now it’s time to get rid of all those baggy clothes and have you dress like a young lady!” Undyne noogied Frisk. It was her standard greeting for all her friends. Tina unlocked her car and got into the drivers seat. They others all piled in and began to joke around as Tina turned on the car and started to drive. Tina started to feel even better.

An hour and a half later, they had reached Ebott City. Tina took them to the largest mall. Her breasts were aching with their fullness. They went to lunch in the food court and Tina covered up so she could pump her breasts. Tina ate as she pumped out her milk. The other ladies watched in fascination as they saw her fill baby bottles full of milk. Tina’s, being a mage and part monster, milk glowed with magic that her son would require. As she filled one bottle she quickly put it in the small medical bag she had brought to not bring attention to the magic.

“So, that’s why Stella thinks the baby will be better off on monster foods. He requires magic every time you feed him,” said Alphys.

“Yes,” was all Tina said.

After they ate lunch, and Tina finished pumping. They started to hit the stores. Tina went to a maternity shop to buy more breast balms. Afterwards, they took Frisk to a store that specialized in bras and other undergarments and had Frisk measured properly for bras. Tina bought some sexy garments to show off to Bee. Frisk blushed when she saw them. Undyne said that if she didn’t know better, she would not have guessed Tina had a baby three months ago. Tori’s cheeks were pink at the sight of the sexier garments, but knowing Tina had a loving husband, knew they were more for him than Tina. She had spotted some of the looks Grillby gave Tina.

After the bra specialist measured Frisk, she tried on several different bras. Tina advised Frisk to also get a few sports bras too for when she was exercising. It would keep her breasts from aching too much from gravity. Frisk got a good mix of bras ranging from simple to patterned. Tina teased saying the sexier stuff was for when she was older anyways.

“Never be ashamed for being a woman, Frisk. You’re a bit young now, but don’t hide your body from others. Starting that line of thinking so young, only perpetuates as you get older.”

Frisk blushed. Tina then took them to a store that specialized in teens and petite women. Being only five feet even, Tina had a rough time finding clothing that didn’t make her look like a child. Tina coached Frisk on clothing that was both age and body appropriate.

They all stood behind Frisk in the new clothing.

“See Frisk, we are all women and there is nothing wrong with looking like one,” said Alphys.

“She could use a good haircut,” said Toriel. “It looks like its been cut with a knife instead of styled.”

“With her waves, the bob cut is decent, but her hair is too thick for a blunt cut like that. It needs to be layered. Come on, I need a haircut myself. Let’s go see my stylist. After that we will go to a place I know to see about getting her some skin treatments for the blemishes.”

Tina took them to a salon that did hair and facials. She introduced Frisk to her hair stylist who nodded at Tina’s recommendations and cut and styled Frisk’s hair. As Frisk’s hair was cut, Tina had a facial. She put Frisk down for one as she got her own hair cut. Undyne had her hair cut as Frisk got a facial. Tina took the opportunity to pump her breasts again as they waited for them to be finished.

Afterwards, Tina took Frisk to a bookshop where she bought some books on puberty. She also bought some basic sex education books for Frisk. Finally, she took Frisk to a bath shop that had plenty of kits to try for blemishes on the skin. Undyne and Alphys tried on dozens of skin creams and moisturizers. Tina bought Frisk the same bath kit she liked so much that Tina had.

Tina’s phone rang. It was Grillby.

“You forgot to call, I was starting to worry some,” he teased.

“I’m sorry...”

“Don’t apologize! I just want to make sure you’re having a good time.”

“I am.”

“Did you find something sexy?”

Tina laughed, “I did, you get to see it later.”

His chuckle was as sexy as hell, “Good.”

“How’s Jet?”

“He’s fine. He’s napping right now, so I thought I’d check in on you. You don’t have to call back later. I’ll call if it’s an emergency.”

With that Grillby hung up.

“That Grillbz?” asked Undyne.

“Yeah, he was checking up on me, making sure I’m having a good time.”

“He knows you’ve been cooped up in your house too long.”

“Yeah, he was right.”

Undyne nodded. They hit a few more stores. Tina bought some new clothing for herself and Bee. Alphys saw a new dress that looked good on her. Toriel also bought some new clothes.

It was after six in the evening.

Satisfied, the ladies left the mall and went out to eat at a nice restaurant that Tina knew. Tina gave Frisk strict instructions to go to her house everyday after her lessons from Sans, where she would give her further lessons on what to expect from now on.

“What about Grillby and the baby?” asked Frisk.

“Bee won’t mind, and the baby won’t understand what we are talking about anyways. This is about sex education, Frisk. From now on, these are things you are going to need to know about as you grow into adulthood. Starting your period, needing bras, are just the beginning. The rest of these lessons will carry you on for the rest of your life.

“Do you mind if I join you two,” asked Toriel.

“Not at all, you need to know these things too, Tori,” replied Tina.

“What about Sans,” asked Frisk.

“He can come as long as he shuts up and listens. You know he has a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that you won’t be a little girl forever. I don’t want to spend half of my time arguing with him on what you need to know and at what age.”

Toriel nodded, “My father argued with my mother for weeks when she started to teach me about growing up. It’s just something a lot of men have a hard time wrapping their head around when it comes to their daughters. Grillby had to learn how to talk to Fuku about sex because he was raising her, although I’m sure Stellata gave him a lot of coaching.”

“Probably.”

“That brings up an interesting question about you though, Tina. Did you mature sexually the way humans do or monsters?” asked Alphys.

“Both, actually. I was about twelve when I started to develop breasts, and thirteen when I started my period. When I was twenty I felt The Burning for the first time. After that I didn’t start my period anymore. My uncle Jason always said I had fully matured sexually like a monster not human. That’s why my breast milk is full of magic. My children will all mature the way monsters do, not humans.”

“What’s The Burning,” asked Frisk.

“It’s when fire elementals go into a mating heat. In some ways its not all that different from cats, except there is a great deal of magic involved.”

“Oh,” said Frisk, who blushed.

“How did you have the right pads on hand then,” asked Tori.

“Those were actually leftovers from when I was pregnant. Sometimes I would see spots on my panties. I used the pads to protect my panties.”

After dinner they stopped at a drug store for more and different types of pads for Frisk to try and some pain relievers for cramps. After that they drove home. They all chatted about different things and how they each matured and how it was different than humans. Frisk blushed the whole time, but found it educational too.

At the entrance to the Underground, both Sans and Grillby were waiting for them.

“Where’s Jet,” asked Tina. She parked her car.

“My mother took him for the night. She said we need alone time too,” answered Grillby.

Tina kissed her husband. He helped her with the bags she brought back.

Grillby was pleased to note the smile she brought home with her. She looked happy to be home. They could enjoy the rest of the night by themselves. He was looking forward to whatever sexy things she bought to show off to him. He had some champagne chilling at home.

The ladies hugged each other and promised to do this again soon. Frisk observed the adults. From Tina’s smile, she might not like growing up, but it looked like there were some perks to it as well.

Chapter Text

Star Ignus looked at her great grandparents in front of her. Grillby and Tina were very old indeed as Grillby looked upon his great-granddaughter. He and Tina had been married for over a thousand years. They had outlived all of their own children and had been starting to outlive their grandchildren. It was almost time for them to go. He called his great-granddaughter to give his final instructions as they lay on their bed.

Star was ready. She had been taking care of his bar and grill for the past one hundred years. Her brother, Flame, had taken over as the Fire King of Hotland at the same time. Star’s eyes were full of tears of flame.

“Don’t cry, Star. Nothing lives forever. Not even us,” came the crackling elderly voice of Grillby.

“It’s just… after Grandpa Jet died last year. I just didn’t think you would pass on so soon.”

Grillby smiled at his granddaughter, “I had hoped we would die sooner, but the Firebird wasn’t quite ready to pass Tina’s burden on to you yet. If the Firebird thinks you are ready, then we are free to leave.”

“Are you in pain?”

“No, just very tired. Tea is very tired.”

Star cried. She blamed herself. She knew they were frail and had been getting more so the past hundred years. She let business concerns take priority. She hadn’t come daily like she had promised herself she would, especially after Jet died. You could tell that had taken quite a toll on their well being. But then, her great-grandfather told her to focus on the business side of things.

“Stop that, Star!” came the sharp voice of Tina. “No one is to blame for our deaths. It’s our time that’s all.” Tina looked up with her sharp beetle black eyes. Her hair had turned white over the past three hundred years. Always a shrimp, like she called herself, she had shrunken into herself over the same amount of time. Looking at the two of them now it was hard to believe that Tina had been the most powerful mage on Earth at one point, and Grillby as the Fire King, was a fire elemental so powerful he could control volcanoes and wildfires on the surface as well as the earth fires of Hotland.

It was a thousand years since The Breaking, as monsters now called the story of how they had been freed by the human, Frisk. Most monsters didn’t live in the Underground anymore. Most of the ones that did were like her great-grandparents, all quite old and returning to die in their homeland. Others who still lived here, like Star, were just a bit too powerful to remain on the surface for long. She guessed that’s why Tina and Grillby had lived their whole lives here. Honestly, she preferred the Underground too. When Star had returned to the Underground two hundred years ago, her great-grandfather gave her a job in his bar, as she learned to handle the more powerful magics she and her twin brother had been born with. They had been born almost entirely fire elemental. Most monsters on the surface thought that the legendary Tina Prasine and Grillby Ignus were just that, legends.

And now they were dying…

“Star, if you would pay attention, please,” came the tired voice of Grillby. “I have two envelopes here. They are not to be opened until after we have died. We do not want a large funeral, no matter what Queen Lexie thinks. Just take our remains and scatter them in Hotland. That’s all we want. If Lexie argues with you, tell her this exactly: Her father still owes me a rather large tab. This is my way of settling the books.”

“Grandpa, you know Sans paid off his tab long before he died.”

“I know, Heartfire, but his tab at one point was legendary itself.”

“Now, our final instruction until we are dead is this: Come for teatime daily. If we are dead, you can call the rest of the family. If we are alive, we will have tea as best as we can manage it. The only other person you can tell that we are dying is Flame.”

“Grandpa, why don’t you want the rest of the family to know?”

“It will be too much of a burden on ourselves. Grandma and myself can only handle a couple people at a time. Plus, we don’t want some great argument coming about. You know how some your cousins felt about my naming Flame the Fire King. Some of them argued with me about having you take over my business, even though you were the only one who cared about it as much as your grandmother and I have.”

That was true. Out of all the first, second, and third cousins, only Flame had the capability to be the Fire King. She had been the only one who loved the bar and grill as much as Grillby and Tina had. They were the only ones of her generation who still gave proper respect to her great-grandparents. Most of the other cousins thought of them as fossils from another era, not knowing the truth behind the legend. Some of her cousins thought they were already dead. It had hurt them all when Grandpa Jet had died, but the deaths of Grillby and Tina was going to be worse.

“Did you want me to at least bring dinner with me?”

“That would be a great kindness, child. Make sure you get some human multivitamins and send those too, Grandma still needs some human nutrition.”

“You old Father Goose,” grumbled Tina jokingly.

They laughed and embraced in the bed. Even after more than a thousand years of marriage, their SOULS still rang with love.

Star could feel that ring, she smiled.

“Go, Star, and call your brother. Have him come to dinner. We can manage dinner at the table tonight,” said Tina.

“I’ll get dinner together.”

“Make a small feast, it’s been a while since we have had even a small one.”

“Yes, a small family feast sounds good,” said Grillby.

Star left her great-grandparents and with a flash of fire went to her house. She, like Grillby and Tina, lived in Snowdin. When she was in her house she broke down and cried like a small child for them. Flame had tried to warn her the past several months that he thought they could be dying. She had not wanted to believe that could happen. Even if she didn’t visit daily, like she thought she should, she still came weekly and had seen them getting more and more frail. It just seemed impossible. After she cried herself out she picked up her phone and called her brother putting an urgent notation on the call.

“Star, what’s wrong,” came the voice and video, of her twin brother, Flame. Flame was a handsome Fire elemental, who Grandma Tina once said could have been Grandpa Bee’s twin.

“It’s Grandma and Grandpa, Flame.”

“They’re dying, aren’t they?”

Star began to cry again.

“Are you home, sweetie?”

Star nodded.

There was a flash of fire as Flame entered his twin sister’s home.

He hung up his phone and picked up his sister. He embraced her tightly. “I tried to warn you, Star,” he murmured to her. He carried her to the couch, where he sat with her in his arms. They quietly cried together.

“Grandma has been getting so frail,” he whispered. “Grandpa can’t survive her death. They have been together for so long, it’s impossible to tell anymore where the SOUL of one begins and the other ends.”

“It still hurts.”

“I know, it always will. It’s up to us, their heirs, to keep their legacy alive.”

“I just hope the rest of the Ignus clan doesn’t implode.”

“It won’t. That’s why Grandpa gave you his bar. You are the glue of this family, now. Keep gluing and we will make it out of this.”

“They want us to have a small feast with them tonight.”

“Then, that is what we shall do. We shall dine and feast and visit daily until it is over.”

“They don’t want the others to know yet.”

“I can’t blame Grandpa on that. They don’t like a lot of visitors, and as frail as they have gotten, they can’t handle them either.” Flame got up from the couch. “Come on, Star, lets cook and dine and do the best we can for Grandpa and Grandma.”

When they arrived that evening with dinner, Star and Flame had been surprised by the amount of effort their great-grandparent’s had put in to make them welcome. There were gifts for them. Flame’s was a square box. Star’s was an oblong box.

“Come in, Come in, you two!” came the voice of Tina. Grillby was helping her to a chair. “Thank you, Bee,” she smiled at her husband. She examined Star closely. In two hundred years she had examined and had Star trained for what she was about to make her. Star may be mostly monster, but the power of the Prasine’s rang true in her. If you looked at her SOUL, the emerald green of Kindness had bred true in her. It was time to give Star her bequest.

“Come here Star, open my gift to you.”

Star looked at the box and opened it. In the box was a Japanese katana that shone with SOUL magic. It was Tina’s SOUL sword.

Star’s eyes filled with wonder.

“Unsheathe it.”

There was no mistaking the command in Tina’s voice.

Star unsheathed the sword in her hand.

Tina ran her hand along the flat of blade. It shone white with magic. Tina picked up Star’s hand and ran it along the edge, cutting it. As the blood flowed Tina intoned “I, Tina Prasine, Knight of the Seven Virtues; name my Great-Granddaughter, Star Ignus, as the Knight of the Seven Virtues and sole user of the Sword of SOULS. I relinquish all claim to its power from this day forth.”

Seven rainbow colored hearts began to rise from the sword. They glittered like gems edged in diamond. They rose from Tina and settled around Star. The sword’s light was blinding as the sword bound itself to Star. The cut on Star’s hand was healed by the power of the sword.

“When you sleep tonight the SOULS will start to talk to you. Remember this Star, a piece of my SOUL is also bound into the sword. Even after I am dead, I will always be with you. Listen well to us, your mentors.”

“Open yours, Flame,” said Grillby.

Flame opened the square box, there was a crown in it. In the center of the crown was a Fire Opal. It was the Crown of the Fire King.

“I have named you the Fire King in the past, now I am Crowning you as the Fire King. This Crown has been passed down through the generations to each Fire King as the old King passes. You, I am Crowning not just as the Fire King, but the Clan Leader of the Ignus Clan. Guard well our family, guide them through the years. Try not to let them break apart after we die. That is always a possibility after the old clan leader dies, try your best not to let it happen.” Grillby picked up the Crown and placed it on Flame’s head.

Flame and Star looked at Tina and Grillby in awe and respect. They began to cry. Being given the greatest treasures in the family could only mean they were dying sooner than they liked to think.

“You two will do well,” said Tina. She gently kissed her great-grandchildren on the head. They were all she and Bee could have wanted for heirs.

“Come, children. Let’s eat. You will know what to do when the time comes. We have been teaching you that since you came home two hundred years ago,” said Grillby.

The four of them enjoyed the delicious meal Star and Flame had cooked for them. They talked and laughed and enjoyed each other’s company.

The next two days passed much like the first. Star and Flame came over for tea and dinner with Grillby and Tina. On the third night there was a change.

“Bee?” Tina asked weakly.

Grillby was stroking her white hair. “Yes, my beautiful Tina?”

“I’m very tired.”

“I know, me too.”

“Can we rest, finally?”

“I think we can, my little teacup. I think we can.”

Tina and Grillby smiled at one another, as they felt themselves go to their Rest.

Star and Flame could sense that death was coming for Tina and Grillby that night. Flame had decided to stay at Star’s house in anticipation. They had known as soon as Death had shown his face to the bravest people that either Star or Flame had ever met. They ran to their great grandparents bedroom. They saw their SOULS rise from their bodies. They saw the years vanish and saw what Tina and Grillby looked like in their prime. Tina was always short, her raven black hair hung halfway to her waist. She was the most beautiful woman Star had ever seen. Grillby was now once again tall and proud. Flame noticed he looked just like his great-grandfather. The two SOULS beamed at their great-grandchildren and vanished in blinding light. The bodies on the bed turned into dust at their passing.