Hello all! After almost half a year we're back with the 3rd and final part of the story. Hope you're ready for it's going to be quite a ride!

For those of you who haven't read the first two storiest fret not! The first few chapters should more or less bring you up to speed.

And with that; Let's get going!

Everything... was good.

For some reason, that was the first thought that entered Frisk's mind as she woke up to a mild breeze coming through a half-opened window a warm summer morning.

For the past 2 weeks, she and her betrothed, Asriel, had retreated to a spacious beach-side residence for a well-deserved rest, considering the enormous cavalcade of events that had happened after their adventure one year ago.

It still felt like it was yesterday; the mysterious kidnappings, the assassination attempt at the heart of Ebott City, the Former General of the Royal Guard, driven mad with grief at having lost the war so long ago, and most sinister of all; The Prophet, a young human who had fused the kidnapped monsters into a hideous Amalgam Alpha in a twisted attempt at saving the world from, he claimed, Chara, soon to return, with all the lost souls of the void at their back.

She shook her head clear of the thoughts, yes, it had been a dark venture, but ultimately it had paid off. She and Asriel had been lauded as heroes upon their return and their actions had even laid the foundation of the removal of the cordon that for so long had seen monsterkind isolated from the rest of the surface.

Now, they were finally free, the worst seemed to have passed and each day seemed to bring more good than bad news.
Their future, HER future, married, as she were to the Prince and soon-to-be King of All Monsters looked brighter than it ever had.

She looked over at the aforementioned monster, still sleeping at her side and sharing her bed. A warmth spread from her heart into a blush on her face.

At 23 years old now, Asriel wasn't the little crybaby he once was, even if he could look it. His white fur was as pristine as ever, if a little messy and tangled. One of his ears was draped over his eyes, and a light snore escaped his mouth out of which his tongue rolled out unto the linen. The only real blemish being the shorn top of his right-most horn, cut off during a battle with an ancient enemy of monsterkind almost 5 years ago.

As adorable and downright cute as his face was, the rest of his body carried a different kind of attraction. Early on after having broken The Barrier, Undyne had taken Asriel under her wing to teach him how to defend himself as well as others. She had been a tough, if not downright brutal teacher, but all the training had paid off, in more ways than one, as the bronze trophy standing on a shelf over their head could attest to, a prize from Asriel, and monsterkinds, first entry into the summer solstice games.

She raised a finger over him. Perhaps it was time to explore her conquered territory?

She placed the finger on his throat and, careful not to wake the sleeping monster, tenderly traced it down to his chest. Like the perfect pillow, it felt comfortable and tingly at first, thanks to the fur, but press just a little and she soon felt the hard muscle beneath, protecting that most precious of beating treasures underneath, heaving and falling with each breath he took.

She briefly noticed the ring on her finger, the symbol that had consummated their union. A somewhat bulky piece of jewelry with one large blue gem flanked on either side by 3 smaller ones, forming a small delta rune. A beautiful and valuable thing, but it didn't come close to the true beauty of it. The gems were made by powdered echo flowers that had then been hardened into crystals. Rub a finger across them and it would be like being back when they had sworn their love for one another, for all to see.

She continued downwards, trailing her finger across the ridges of his toned stomach. As he had grown older, some of Asriel's fur had migrated upwards towards his head, where it would no doubt one day form a proud mane, just like his dad. It had left the fur on his stomach thin and downy, but made his chest and shoulders more fluffy, perfect for nuzzling into. She briefly touched a patch of naked skin, an old wound, a gift from the maddened monster they had defeated a year ago, but who had nonetheless come perilously close to killing him, having impaled Asriel trough his lower abdomen with a magical spear.

A short chuckle suddenly escaped the monster, followed by him mumbling something, speech slurred by drowsiness.
"Urn uh o ol te'b ick'in others?"
"What?" Frisk asked with a small laugh of herself.
"Aren't you a bit too old to tickle others?" Asriel repeated more clearly.
"I wasn't tickling..." Frisk said in a low voice. "If I was, it would feel something like this!" She dug her fingers into his ribs, eliciting a surprised bleat and bout of panicked laughter from the monster.

He grabbed his pillow and tossed it at her. She shrieked and moves her arms to defend her face from the incoming fluffy projectile. She suddenly felt Asriel grab her arms and pinning them to bed, and as she looked up she found him above her.

"Gotcha!" Asriel said with a victorious smile.
"Oh no! What am I, a strapping you human girl, to do against this horribly handsome monster come to capture me?" She said with a flirtatious smirk.
"Hehe, well, give me a small token of your love and I might just let you go" Asriel offered. They shared a brief moment of loving silence, affection in both their eyes, before the leaned into each other.

"I love you" Asriel cooed as he pulled away.
"Sure feels like it" Frisk answered "But you can tell me all about it later. You know what today is. Gotta get moving"
A brief look of disappointment rolled over Asriel's face and he fell to the side with a groan.
"Oh don't be such a baby. It's just a small party to celebrate the opening of the new center. Dad will be there"
"I know" He exhaled.
"...buuuuuut?"
"Sometimes... I just wish it wasn't like this"
"What, that we weren't heirs to an amazing people?"
"You know what I mean, Frisk..."
"I do... but I guess fate has more in store for us, huh?"
"I could easily have settle with just this... with you..."
"Shesh, Azzy, and I thought I was bad at flirting"
"But-"
"The only butt I want to see is yours marching out to get dressed"
"I'm going" Asriel said with a defeated sigh, rising from the bed.
"I just wish this... whole thing would have lasted a bit longer" He muttered.
"We've been here for 2 weeks"
"Sure doesn't feel like it"
"It never does..." Frisk said with a playful smile "But there's no reason we can't do it again"
"I might just have to take you up on that" Asriel said, yawning and stretching the sleepiness off.

"Better get dressed and ready yourself, princes. Wouldn't want that crows nest of your to take attention away from the big event, would we?"
"My hair is worthy of the highest praise, just ask Mettaton, but I'll humor you just this once"
"You're too kind" Asriel said, leaning down for one last kiss before heading to the restroom.

In the years after her resurrection, Frisk had lived with The Dreemurrs, who had expressed, in almost every single way, how grateful they were to her for restoring them to the surface. It had been a wonderful, if a bit lax life, and Toriel's food, no matter how delicious it was, wasn't always on the healthy side. The end result had been Frisk becoming a tad bit pudgy, that was, until she and her prince had become married. In order to spend more time together, they had taken up running, swimming and other activities together, maybe not the most romantic of things to do, but they didn't need to be, as long as they had each other.

The result, however, was clear to see. While not nearly on Asriel's level, it had toned her physique quite a bit and the time spent near the warm, sunlit coasts and beaches had given her brown hair and fair skin a healthy glow. She wasn't tall, even by human standards, having only grown a shy few centimeters the last few years, but she still had a height that several gossipy magazines had called "cute".
Incidentally, these were the same magazines that had labeled Frisk as a blackmailer and vile seductress and in the weeks after her marriage to Asriel had been announced. Asriel had for a long time been the most eligible bachelor in Ebott, in part thanks to his looks but also because he carried one of the most romantic titles possible; that of "Prince".

Of course, this assault on Frisk quickly proved a very bad move. Monsters, outraged at the accusation of their savior, had railed against the gossipers, and while there were still many grumpy monsters, either young females furious at being robbed of their chance or older traditionalists disappointed at having a human as a future ruler, most had peacefully accepted Frisk's and Asriel's union.

Even if they were not of the same race, together, Frisk and Asriel stood as a shining future for monsterkind.

The changes in human-monster relations the past year had been drastic, massive, even, to the point that shortly after Asriel's and Frisk's mission to rescue the kidnapped monsters, monster integration into human society had been approved.

Interested parties had flocked to Ebott, eager to see what monster magic, food, culture, and the like had to offer.
In the wake of this, a grand center; a place where all issues between the 2 races could be discussed and solved, had been planned. Built solely by human and monster volunteers and constructed solely with donated materials and funding.

Today, it finally stood finished and as Asriel, Frisk beside him in the passenger seat, swung into the freshly-paved parking lot, he saw just how much attention it got.
Reporters, politicians, even a few celebrities clogged the entrance. None of them, however, had the same imposing frame as Asgore, King of Monsters, standing, as he were, at the entrance conversing with a group of humans.

Above the building, the majestic sight of The Airship hung, the royal airship that Frisk and Asriel had used as a base on their escapade the last year, and now used by the royal family whenever they went on official tours. Also, incidentally, named by Asgore. It was a massive thing, with space for over 300 passengers and outfitted with meeting rooms, a cinema, a gym and even a ballroom.
A large green orb was set into the tail, a kind of magical generator made by Alphys. It provided The Airship with virtually infinite power and fuel, it could even be said that it was too powerful, and Asriel eyed a large mooring line set into the plain before the new center, holding the ship in place.

Side-by-side, Frisk and Asriel strode up to the entrance. Cameras flashed at them and any reporter who caught sight of them rushed to their side, questions flooding out of them like gibberish from a temmie.
Frisk took it all with good-natured smiles and waves, eagerly turning to face whatever camera was filming them.
Asriel, on the other hand, sighed inwardly, before putting on a well-practiced "public face".
He couldn't for the life of him understand how Mettaton put up with this...

A large camera suddenly went off right beside him, blinding him with its flash. He winced, instinctively moving a paw up to nurse his eyes while the other curled into a fist out of frustration.

A low growl escaped him. How easy it would be to simply lash out at the annoying little flash-fly, how good it must feel... but no, appearances must be upheld. As Prince of Monsters he couldn't be allowed to act on his own accord, whenever he was out, he had to be someone else than Asriel.

A small hand gently grabbed him, and from the mere touch, he knew who it was.
"Easy, the worst is almost over" Frisk quietly said.
"I hate this" He hissed back, just as quiet.
Frisk simply nodded her agreement, even as a concerned knot settled in her stomach. She still remembered, near the end of their adventure last year, how she had peered into his soul and seen how much his LV had risen. She couldn't blame him, of course, in the span of a few short days he had witnessed a loyal member of the royal guard being killed right in front of him and then being covered with his dust, dredging up a lot of bad memories. He had seen how all the work his father had done to secure monsterkinds place on the surface crumble away as their people were kidnapped, then learned how they had been imprisoned by slaves, skinned for coats to decadent nobility and finally horribly merged into the Amalgam Alpha, a huge amalgam comprised of 33 monsters and 33 humans, and possessing incredible power. Enough, it was claimed, to save the world when Chara returned to the world of the living.

His encounters with such depravity and darkness had changed him, Frisk knew. He still had much of his good heart and kindness but he was quicker to anger.
Perhaps it was for the best, Frisk usually surmised when she reached such thought. Monsterkinds future was like a speeding train on wobbly rails and it would need a firm hand to hold them on course.

Asgore stood in the middle of the entrance hall, surrounded by suits and reporters. Asriel noticed Undyne standing nearby, unusually enough wearing a robe much like his own combat attire, yet he noticed a thickness to the arms and legs, hinting at extra armour underneath.
With very little in the way of threat to Ebott as a whole, Undyne often served as a "bodyguard" to Asgore whenever he went on larger excursions. Asgore could usually handle himself, however, and it could be said Undyne was more of an advisor than a bodyguard, whenever tough decisions had to be made.

The Captain noticed the two heirs, she beamed a wide smile and waved them over.
"'bout time you two showed up! What, got lost in that big beach-house of yours?"
"More like lost in this swarm of reporters" Asriel replied back with a smile of his own.
"Tell me about it..." Undyne said with a weak chuckle and shake of her head.

"Frisk! Asriel!" Asgore suddenly boomed, breaking out of the small circle of suits that had him trapped with arms wide, ready to scoop the two into a hug with a hearty laugh.
Frisk and Asriel gladly obliged. It figured that only one such as Asgore would cause a scene at such an important event but neither of them cared.
"Glad to see you too, dad" Frisk said as he finally put them down.
"Likewise, likewise" Asgore replied "This is a monumental day, after all. It has taken us many years of hard work but finally... our place on the surface is assured"
"And it's all thanks to you, dad" Asriel said, but Asgore immediately replied with a shake of his head.
"No, I am far from solely responsible for this great day. It is bigger than merely me or you. All of this could never have happened without our people never losing hope and the many humans who never stopped standing at our side. It is important we never forget all of those who helped us"

"Asgore! You old billy-goat, I finally found you!" an elderly but nonetheless warm female voice suddenly called.
Asriel turned around, finding an aging human woman closing in on them.
"Hah! Speak of the sun and it starts shining!" Asgore boomed and went to greet the woman.
"Well, what can I say? It's been a long road but we've finally made it"
"Even the longest road can seem a breeze if walked with good friends"
"In that case, I apologize for turning this small breeze into a year-long hurricane season" the woman answered with a laugh.

She turned to face Asriel and Frisk and the already big smile on her face turned even wider.
"Aha! You must be the two legendary children of Ebott, though "Children" might not be such a fitting word anymore!" she beamed.
"I don't know if "legendary" is as fitting either" Asriel replied, nervously scratching the back of his head "We just did what anyone else would have done" Frisk added.
"But far from what just anyone could be capable of! You really must tell me all about your adventures one day!"
"We would be delighted to, ms...?" Frisk ventured.

"Golly! Me and my forgetfulness, I haven't even introduced you, have I?" Asgore said and gestured to the woman "This is Dolores. An official that has been of crucial aid to our campaign"
"Good lord, you make it sound so casual. I merely noticed you guys needed help and if I needed to knock a few stubborn heads around to get the ball rolling then I was happy to oblige" The woman replied.

Hearing her name Asriel gave the woman another look-over. Her shoulder-length hair was graying and her skin wrinkled, yet her head was unbowed and there was an undeniable fire in her brown eyes. It was a face that spoke of many harsh life-lessons that nonetheless had not dampened her compassion for others.

A sudden whine from a microphone being tuned echoed throughout the hall. Asriel and Asgore; due to their more sensitive ears, flinched painfully at the sound.
"Looks like they're getting ready for the speeches" Frisk offered.
"More like 'sounds' like..." Asriel groaned.
"Ah, the moment I most dread" Asgore sighed "When I have to go on stage and make a fool of myself"
"Don't be like that you big doof, it'll be over before you know it" Dolores consoled, before going to find her seat.
With a nod, Asriel made to follow to find his own but was stopped by Asgore placing his large paw on his shoulder.
"Hey, Asriel, I was wondering... after the speeches could you come find me backstage? There's something I'd like to talk to you about"
"About what?" Asriel asked with curious eyes.
"Oh nothing important, just... or, well, it is a bit important I guess but, eh, ju-just find me after the speech, alright?

The King moved away towards the stage before Asriel could answer and from the look in his eyes, he could guess why. Whatever it was he wanted to talk about must be highly important... and yet, he hadn't seen any fear in his dad, only excitement...

… and pride.

At the same time, in a place where no living being ever had nor should tread, The First Child tore feverishly at the air.
To the unknowing, it looked something like a maddened child swatting and clawing at invisible insects, yet Chara knew better. With every swing and every stroke, they could feel the fabric between worlds flow between their fingers and tear under their nails. It was thin now, so very thin. Occasionally they could even feel a warm breeze or the brief chirp of a bird. And they weren't alone.

All around them great groups of lost souls had gathered. Souls so heavy with LV that they had been condemned to an eternity in this empty, cold void... just like Chara themselves. Many of them had gone without the simple sensations of being able to feel anything for hundreds if not thousands of years and it had driven them mad. They could feel their release close at hand now. Soon, they would be freed into the world of the living to take from them what was once theirs. Chara had wondered about them a few times. Unlike the spirits they did not feel empty of emotions, in fact, they had quite a lot; Love, hatred, joy, fear. The vengeful spirits knew only one thing: An unending, insane hunger for life. Sensing it being close, they mumbled, screamed and gibbered with excitement.

Chara themselves, though not really showing it, was just as excited. Just a bit more and they would be free. They didn't really know what the spirits would do once they got free. Run rampant? Try and return to their old homes? Probably something stupid. No, Chara had other plans; they needed to find their old brother, the savior, the liar, the lovable monster, the traitor...

With an ethereal screech, the space in front of Chara suddenly exploded in a great gust of warm, summer air. Chara was blasted onto their back and felt, for the first time in many years, the warm rays of the summer sun on them, spilling through a great hole hanging in the air.

The Wraiths stampeded through, pushing, shoving and screaming to get out of the void. Chara simply let them with a cold smirk. They had time enough.

The end of this world was at hand, and the start of the next would soon begin.

"... and in closing; allow this old monster to once again iterate how radiant this day is. It is the beginning of a new partnership, of cooperation between our great peoples. It brings to mind a term a good friend of mine, our royal scientist as it is, told me a while ago, something from her, uhh, eastern studies. Something called "Kintsukuroi"... golly, I hope I got the pronunciation right. It is a form of art in which something destroyed is repaired with traces of gold, like pottery, becoming more beautiful than it once was. I hope this is something like that, like the muscle that only gets stronger by being destroyed and then rebuilt, so do I hope the bond between our peoples have only been tempered by the hardships we have faced. Thank you and stars bless you all!"

A roar of applause filled the hall as Asgore concluded his speech with a bow. Asriel eagerly joined in and at his side, Frisk leaped from her seat to whistle loudly.
Up on the stage, Asgore scanned the ground and as his eyes fell on Asriel he nodded towards the backstage with a smile. Asriel rose from his chair and made to follow.
"What's up, goat-butt?" Frisk asked.
"Nothing, dad wanted to talk to me"
"Oohhh, having secrets are we!?"
"Heh, I doubt I could hold anything a secret from you for long"
"Well, alright, see you at the buffet!" Frisk finished and raced for the tables.

Behind the stage, The Great King Asgore sat on a prop box, nervously humming a melody and twiddling his thumbs. Asriel couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the sight. His dad might strike an imposing figure at first, but everyone who knew him knew he really was nothing but a big goofball.

"You wanted to talk with me?" Asriel asked as he walked closer.
A trace of fear went over Asgore's face, as if he had been dreading the coming moment. He rose from the box.
"Yes, I did, uhh, as I said it's nothing... that important, but nevertheless something that I, uhh... so, uhh, how are you and Frisk doing?"
Asriel made a mental sigh and rolled his eyes. It was clear his dad was avoiding the very thing he called him here to talk about.
"Well, just an hour ago I was enjoying the warm beaches and solitude together with Frisk, now I'm surrounded by people that not long ago wouldn't have thought twice about sending us all back underground... so, yeah, not too bad I guess"

"Good, very good" Asgore said absentmindedly, having probably not even heard a word.
Asriel placed a paw on his dad's shoulders.
"Dad, your speech was very well done, the whole crowd was cheering you. If you can talk to them, you can talk to me"
Their eyes met. After a few seconds, Asgore finally seemed to relent, sighing deeply.
"Of course, you are right. I'm already half-paralyzed with stage fright so I might as well get this off my chest. But... it is not for me I'm fearful. It's for you"
"Me?"
"Asriel... I am old now, I have ruled our people for longer than should be right, longer than anyone in the recorded history of our race I'd think... I think... I think the time has come to, as they say, pass on the torch"

A lump of fear formed in Asriel's throat, slowly sinking down into his chest.
"Please, I know how you feel, but there's no easy way to say it" Asgore continued. He looked out towards the assembled crowd of human politicians and monsters.
"But I wanted to wait until today. I think now is the right time. We are no longer as feared or suppressed as we once were. Things are quiet and calm, I don't think we'll ever see a better time for... well, change"

Asriel looked aside, a whirlwind of thoughts in his head. He knew he and Frisk had to assume the mantle of King and Queen of monsters soon, but he still hadn't seen this coming. But... perhaps his dad was right, now was the perfect time.
"There's still time, of course!" Asgore began with a more cheerful voice "Something like this doesn't happen overnight. I'm planning on going public tomorrow, and even then there will be many days of preparation... if... you think you and Frisk are ready that is?"
Asriel looked up at his dad, there was nothing but pride and anticipation in the ancient monster's features.
"I don't think I am..." Asriel began "... But how could anyone ever be truly ready for something like this? Yes, I... I think me and Frisk can do this, I- Urrf!"
Asgore scooped his son up in a nearly crushing hug, forcing the air out of the prince.
"I'm so happy to hear you say that, and I know your mother would be as well!" Asgore said with quivering voice, almost as if he was about to cry.

"About that..." Asriel wheezed as he was finally put down "How are you and mom doing? I heard you were... meeting up tonight" In recent times, with things quieting down Asgore had had time to make amends to his former queen. He had kept their progress private, but Asriel still remembered how he, two months ago, had helped his dad carry a large king-sized bed in to replace the single-person one in his home. Asgore had explained he needed the extra space due to some recent bad-tea induced nightmares making him thrash around in his sleep. That didn't explain why his liquor cabinet had recently been more stocked or why he had taken cooking lessons from Undyne, with specific focus towards romantic dinners.

Asgore nervously scratched his neck "Hah, well, we're just... going to talk, I can imagine, over a cup of tea... or maybe something stronger, we'll see how it goes, anyway..." He finished, shaking his head.
"Enough about me, this is about you and Frisk. I know it's a heavy burden I'm placing on you, but I'm sure you will do our family's duty honor"

Asriel nervously scratched his arm and looked askew, it was clear his dad believed in him, but so far he had very little experience actually leading anyone or anything. He could barely even comprehend how big a challenge this would be.

Asgore wrapped a gentle arm around his son's shoulder and pulled him close.
"There's something my dad once told me when he explained I had to take the throne one day..:" Asgore began.
"Think with your head but act with your heart?"
"Hah, the old family saying, that too, but no, it's more... a question, I guess you could say"
"A question?"
"Yes, come here..." He walked with his son over to a window. The Monster-Human center was built atop a plateau and offered a good view over Ebott City.
"Imagine our kingdom as a ship with our people the crew, the cooks, the carpenters, the minutemen, all important roles in keeping the ship afloat"
"Okay..." Asriel said, envisioning every building in the city as made of wood, and giant waves lapping the side of the city.

"On such a ship" Asgore continued "What role do you think we, the Kings and Queens, have?"
There was the question. To Asriel, the obvious answer was "Captain" but the way the question was posed...
"The... captain?" Asriel nevertheless answered.
A small smile went across Asgore's face "A good answer, the same one I made, in fact. But no... we would be The Lookout"
"What, really?"
"Asriel, as King, your duty will first and foremost be to safeguard our people and our way of life. You don't have to decide how each and every monster live their lives, they're perfectly capable of doing that themselves. The Lookout is an important role, they are the ones that keep the rest of the crew aware of threats and dangers, and advises them on what do to "Man the cannons! Hard to starboard" and all that... well, not literally that, but you get what I mean"
"I... think I do"

"It is also why you must never lose the trust of our people, Asriel. A crew that does not trust their lookout will not heed the warnings that could save their ship, just as a people that does not trust their leaders will not last long. All you and Frisk have to do is keep our people clear and aware of threats from within and beyond, do that, and things will, usually, work themselves out."
"You make it sound so simple"
"Hah, well, sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. You can't sum our whole stewardship up in one metaphor, but it's not as difficult as it may seem. Just... Remember; you must be a King, never a Dictator"
"I think I understand"

They shared a moment of silence, father and son staring out at the vista their kingdom. Asgore broke the silence with a deep intake of breath.
"Asriel... our family has ruled since time immemorial, but we haven't always ruled with the strength and wisdom required of us. My parents nearly led our people to extinction in the war and I didn't do much better. But with you and Frisk... I see the qualities needed of truly great leaders"
"I... We'll do our best, dad"
"I know you will" Asgore finished with one last affectionate squeeze. "And if you ever need help, you can always count on either me or your mother. Retirement for monarchs is a bit lop-sided, you understand"
"That... is actually very reassuring"

"Now, I know you have a lot to think about so I'll leave you to your thoughts. I'll, uh, go break the news to Frisk. Come and find us in a few minutes, alright?"
"Yeah... sure"

With one last pat on the shoulder, Asgore walked back out into the ballroom, leaving Asriel alone with the vista over Ebott City. In truth, the prospect of becoming king filled him more with a healthy dose of apprehension rather than outright fear. Maybe his dad was right, maybe he was over-thinking it, maybe it wasn't as daunting as he thought it would be. This was his destiny, after all. Since his birth, he had always been destined to be king one day, and with Frisk at his side how could it go wrong?

Slowly, the tension in his heart gave way to careful excitement. Maybe... it would turn out just fine. Yes, probably... it would. He and Frisk could do it, he knew.

Together, they would forge a glorious future for all monsters, he thought and knew with certainty that they would do their best.

This was what he was born to do, and with a swell of pride in his chest, he swore he would never relent in his duties, both to his people and to Frisk.

That was when the screaming started...