Prologue- Chapter 4

The heavy double doors of the castle swung open and two guardsmen walked in. Their feet echoed against the marble floor as they made their way to the foot of the throne where the king, who was a huge goat-like monster with magnificent horns and a golden beard and hair, was seated in a purple and gold throne. There were five thrones in the room, Two larger ones and three smaller ones. but the other four remained unoccupied. The rest of the Dreemurr family would come in later.

When the guards arrived at the foot of the thrones, they got down to their knees and dipped their heads in respect, before receiving the gentle order to stand up.

"You sent for us, your majesty." said one of the guardsmen.

"How may we be of service, King Dreemurr?"

"I have a message I would like you to deliver to the Man who Speaks in Hands." Asgore replied, "Tell him that you come in peace, and that the king wishes to speak with him over tea. Then, proceed to escort him to the castle."

"Pardon me, your majesty, but what if The Man who Speaks in Hands declines your order?"

"You may tell him, then, that I have a job offer for him. However, should he still refuse, respect that and report back to me so I can consider other alternatives. Unless he attacks first, do not attempt to attack him or take him by force, as I have no intention to cause any sort of conflict." Asgore answered regaly.

"As you command, your grace." The guardsmen replied. With that, they dipped their heads respectfully once more.

"You may take your leave, now."

With that, the guardsmen turned and left the throne hall, making towards the front doors.

Gaster was enjoying a brief break from transporting townspeople in his boat along the river. He was simply in a repose, seated on the wooden bench, with his oar in the bottom of the boat, and his dark cloak pooling to the floor. He was singing very softly. He sang a simple, ludicrous little tune of "Tra la la" as he enjoyed the feeling of the chilly breeze on his face that was yet another reminder of his old home in Snowdin Town.

Suddenly, though, the sound of heavy approaching, metallic footsteps snapped him out of his dissociation. He snapped his head up instantly, eyes glowing beneath the hood of his cloak. Two large monster dressed from head to toe in heavy, glinting armor, and carrying giant spears were approaching him. He knew that they were members of the royal guard. He took a deep breath.

"Good afternoon, soldiers. How may I help you? Would you like a ride in my boat, tra la la."

"You are the Man who Speaks in Hands, are you not?" asked the first guard.

"Sometimes I am. And sometimes I am just the riverperson, tra la la. As you can see, as of right now, I am the riverperson, tra la la."

"Well, riverperson," began the second guard, "We come with good tidings and a message to you from the king."

"Oh?" Gaster's voice jumped with curiosity, "And what would the king like to tell me?"

"He wishes to speak with you over tea," responded the first guard who had spoke, "We have been sent to escort you to the castle."

Fancy that. I wonder the king wants from me? He was both excited and slightly nervous. Did he wish to order flowers in person? What if the king wished to offer him a home in the town? He would have to bring his sons back into society much sooner than he wanted to. What if he asked to talk about himself? What if he was asked to reveal his identity? Then everyone would know that he was a skeleton. Oh, what would happen if they knew? Part of him wanted to refuse an audience with the king, however, he knew it would be impolite to do so. He took a deep breath.

"Very well." Gaster dipped his head, "I will go with you to see the king. Give me one moment, please." He pulled himself and his boat closer to the wooden dock by seizing the tough braided rope. Then, he climbed carefully up to the dock, and was stuck in between both guardsmen (who were much taller and larger than him in his lean form.) He pulled his hood tighter around his head and kept it down as he walked with the guards towards the castle.

The large double doors of the castle swung open slowly with a large creaking sound. Gaster followed the guards down the long corridor, boots echoing loudly in the halls as they walked on the marble floor. Gaster looked around him. The corridor alone was bigger than any other room he had seen in his life. He could barely fathom how huge the rest of the castle was.

The corridor seemed to go on for ages before they came to a stop in a throne room. It was a large, open, dome-shaped room with large windows on all sides, letting in the sunlight. You could even hear the birds chirping. The marble floor of the room was also covered in golden flowers.

They came to a stop at the foot of five thrones. Each one was occupied. In the middle, on the largest throne, was the king himself. A huge goat-like monster in purple robes. Beside him was a slightly smaller throne. In this one was a smaller goat monster, and a beautiful one at that. She was dressed in similar violet and white robes, and she had a kind face. Gaster came to the conclusion that this was the queen. The last three thrones were much smaller. Each one was occupied by a child. One of the children was a goat monster like his parents, and the other two were human. They looked very similar to each other, with brown hair in a short bob style, although one had a pale complexion and the other had a darker complexion. The sight of the humans made Gaster very weary. However, the rational side of his mind said that they were only mere children, and the royal children at that. So what harm could they really do?

-xXx-

The guards got down on their knees to show their respect to the royal family, and Gaster followed suit.

"We've brought the Man who Speaks in Hands as you requested, your majesty." said guard number one.

The goat monster's warm gaze met with Gaster's beneath the hood of his cloak.

"Welcome." he said. He had a deep, regal sounding voice that was quite gentle and welcoming, "I am Asgore Dreemurr, the King of Ebbott. This is my wife, Queen Toriel Dreemurr, and my three children, Asriel, Chara, and Frisk. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Your Highness."

"I am sure you are wondering, why I called you here." Asgore said.

"Yes, I am."

"I have a proposition for you. However, we will discuss it over tea in the garden." Asgore said, "Come, let us get going." He lifted himself off the throne, and escorted Gaster through the castle, out towards the back courtyard. Walking through the castle Gaster observed the golden statues and wall linings. The wallpaper was of a floral celtic designs, in shades of purple, white, and gold.

-xXx-

They reached the back of the castle. The king pushed open the oaken doors that were engraved with a twisting vine design, with painted golden flowers.

He led Gaster into a large garden that looked like every stereotypical castle garden ever. There were birds singing, large hedges cut into shapes, plants and flowers of countless colors and large trees with a cobbled courtyard and a large stone fountain in the middle. And all around, there were cobbled pathways that allowed one to navigate their way safely through the flora without stepping on any of the beautiful plants. There was also an arched, white-stoned bridge, crossing over the creek that snaked it's way through the entire garden. In one corner was a gazebo, where a table was set neatly waiting for them.

Neither the king nor the skeleton talked very much as they walked, for what was there for two newly acquainted people to say?

They walked down the snaking path, and climbed the stone steps of the gazebo up to the small square table that was already set. There was metal rack, with two platters, already filled with tiny sandwiches, muffins, and scones. And within minutes of sitting down, the butler rolled out a tea cart and served their cups of tea.

"Help yourself to anything you'd like." the king said.

"Thank you, your Majesty." Gaster plucked two cucumber sandwiches and a poppyseed muffin from the platters.

Once they had eaten some, the King took a sip of his tea, and then let the cup clank to the saucer.

"My people seem to be very curious about you. So naturally I am as well. " He began, "A mysterious freelance who practices magery, they say. A man who Speaks with Hands. However, you know people talk. So, I would like to know the truth. Who are you, really?"

A smile spread across Gaster's mouth.

"What the villagers say is true. I am the man who Speaks with Hands, and I am a freelance. On market days, I'm a salesperson. I sell flowers. Sometimes I'm the riverperson. For a few gold pieces, I take people where they need to go, by night, I work at Grillby's. That is how I make my living as of now."

"I see." Asgore replied, "But what is meant exactly by Speaking in Hands? Do you use sign language?"

"Partially. The Common Tongue is not my first language, so I use sign language to help communicate with your people. Occasionally, I find myself slipping into my first language."

"What is your first language?" Asgore asked curiously.

Gaster stiffened. No. Asgore seemed like a kind man, but as a skeleton he had learned not to trust anyone. By answering the King's question, he would give away his true identity. He wasn't sure if he was ready for that. But he couldn't lie to the king. He took a deep breath.

"My first language is an old, dying language that is seldom to no longer spoken." he answered.

"Oh?" Asgore replied, "What language? There are many dying languages nowadays."

"...Wingdings."

"The language of the Skeletons?"

"Yes, your majesty." then Gaster sighed, "I guess there is no other way around it now." he took off the hood of his quote, "My name is W.D. Gaster."

Asgore smiled warmly and held out a hand. Gaster took it, and received a firm, formal handshake. "It is honor to meet your acquaintance. We have not seen Skeletons in a long time."

When he released his hand, Asgore said, "I can tell that you are not very comfortable about your true identity, so we will keep it between us. I will say, though, you are in no danger here. I can assure you of that."

"Thank you." Gaster's gratefulness was apparent in his voice.

"And how about magery? Is that true as well?" Asgore questioned.

"Yes."

"And how well would you say you do that skill?"

"Quite well, I have been practicing magery since I was a boy, and I worked as a successful mage for years in my old town."

The king nodded with a thoughtful "Hmm."

"Do you specialize in any specific area of magery?"

"Healing, although, as you know, that is a natural gift I possess as a skeleton. I'm better in some areas than I am in others, but I am honestly more of a jack-of-trades than anything. However, there is still much to practice, research, and learn as there always is."

Asgore smiled beneath his golden beard.

"I am glad to hear that. In that case, I have a job offer for you." Asgore began, "I have been needing a royal mage myself. I am offering you a job, working as the royal mage in my castle. I would pay you generously, and you'd only be required to work full time during the days. And at night, you may go home."

There was no way Gaster was going to decline this offer. With a full time job during the day, he'd actually have time to spend with his sons.

"I accept." Gaster answered with a smile, "When do I start?"

"How is tomorrow for you?" Asgore replied.

"That works well for me."

"Good, I'm glad."

-xXx-

They finished their tea and their mid-morning meal, and upon this, Gaster thanked the kind-hearted king and left the castle, pulling his hood over his head, with the long, dark cloak swishing behind him like a cape.

He went off to Grillby's, and thanked the sentient flame for the job opportunity, and quit without any hard feelings.

Eventually, he would find someone to replace him as the riverperson, and he'd sell his boat, perhaps. But right now, he was going to get back to his sons.

A/N: Hello, hello! So sorry this took so long. I'll be wrapping up the prologue next chapter. Then the full story will begin. Also, I am putting the full Dreemur family in this fic, because I have a soft spot for them. Hope you enjoy, and stay tuned for the next chapter! Bye!