#iro!papyrus

“We should look like we’re doing something before Undye gives us a good talking to,” Papyrus said, forcing a smile as he raised his sword.

A “talking to” was a generous understatement, but it made Iro grin anyway. She lifted her katanas and the two fell into familiar motions: basic drills, nothing fancy, just enough to look busy.

“So,” Iro said between strikes, “what did the king ask of you this time?”

Papyrus parried half-heartedly. “He wanted me to teach some of the other kids the techniques we learned with the swords.”

“Sounds boring.”

“Heh. What’s not boring to you?”

Iro scoffed. “Anything that doesn’t involve babysitting.”

Papyrus chuckled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. His swings were slow, distracted. His stance was off. His shoulders slumped between movements.

Iro lowered her swords. “Paps… you’re barely trying.”

“I know.” He exhaled, long and heavy. “I just… can’t shake it. This feeling. It’s like the air is different. Like the ground is waiting for something.”

Iro frowned. “You’ve had bad feelings before.”

“Not like this.” Papyrus’ voice dropped. “This one feels… big.”

Iro hated how that made her chest tighten. Papyrus’ instincts had saved them more than once. She didn’t want to admit it, but her mind had started drifting the same direction — toward that uneasy, invisible shift in the underground.

She twirled her swords, trying to shake it off. “Well, whatever it is, we’ll deal with it when it comes.”

Papyrus nodded, but his eyes stayed on the horizon. “Do you think… we’re fighting on the wrong side?” 

Iro opened her mouth to answer, but the wind shifted—sharp, sudden, carrying a familiar scent of lavender and ash. Papyrus froze. Iro felt her soul tighten. Oh, gosh, please let the wind drown out the question you just asked—

Footsteps approached through the snow, heavy and deliberate. The crunch of ice under armor echoed across the clearing. A tall shadow emerged between the trees, framed by drifting flakes.

King Asgore.

His cape fluttered behind him, catching the wind like a banner. His expression was soft, almost fatherly—yet his eyes held that same unreadable depth that made Iro’s bones ache. They had been that way since the day they took she and her brother in, as if they had no other emotion to portray in front of them. 

As if he was hiding something. 

“Children,” he greeted, voice warm enough to melt the surrounding frost. “Training so early in the morning? How diligent.”

Papyrus straightened immediately, sword at his side. “Your Majesty! We were just practicing our forms.”

Iro lowered her katanas but didn’t bow. She felt the spots on her skull pulse again, growing with each resenting thought. They made her head ache. 

Asgore’s gaze lingered on her for a moment too long before continuing. “You both have grown,” he said, stepping closer. “Stronger, sharper, more capable than most monsters your age.”

Papyrus beamed at the praise. Iro didn’t. She thought it would be obvious why they were ahead, they knew how to learn on their own, thanks to their father. The others had peas for brains. Her head ached more at the thought of her dad. No, not now. She pressed the middle of her skull. 

Asgore’s smile widened, focusing on Papyrus. “It is good to see such dedication. The underground needs protectors like you.”

Papyrus’s shoulders relaxed. “Thank you, sir. We try our best.”

Asgore nodded, then clasped his hands behind his back. “Speaking of protection… I have a task for you.”

Iro felt Papyrus tense beside her. “A task?” Papyrus echoed.

“Yes.” Asgore’s tone shifted—still gentle, but with an undercurrent of command. “The rebellion has gained ground near the eastern border. Their walls have expanded. Their presence grows bolder.”

Papyrus swallowed. “We… noticed that.”

“I’m sure you did,” Asgore said, smiling as if Papyrus had pleased him. “Which is why I want the two of you to patrol the perimeter today. Observe their movements. Report anything unusual.”

Iro’s grip tightened on her katanas. “Sir… isn’t that usually assigned to senior guards?”

Asgore turned to her, his expression unreadable. “You are senior guards now, Iro.”

Her soul throbbed. Right. I guess that much time has passed. 

“Is your head hurting, soldier?” The king probed. “What seems to be an issue?” 

“Just a headache, sire—” Iro tried to brush it off. 

“Those spots on your head don’t lie. Maybe ease up a bit.” 

Iro could’ve sworn she snapped the katana hilt in two with how hard she gripped it, and the crack she heard from it. Are you TRYING to piss me off—

Papyrus stepped forward. “Your Majesty, we haven’t been briefed on the rebellion’s new territory yet. Shouldn’t Undye—”

“Undye is handling other matters,” Astore interrupted, his voice firm. “And I trust you both more than anyone else.”

Papyrus blinked, stunned. His eyes shined with promise, and his hands turned into fists as he waved them up and down eagerly as if he was still a boy. 

Iro didn’t buy it. Way to give us the boring job.

Asgore approached them, placing a large hand on Papyrus’s shoulder. “You have your father’s heart,” he said softly. “And your sister has his strength. Together, you are unstoppable. Gaster would be so proud of you too.”

Papyrus’s eyes softened at the mention of Gaster, he lowered his head and didn’t meet the king’s eyes. He took a moment to silence himself in order to honor his father in passing. 

Iro’s spots burned, they grew slowly, becoming more and more clustered. She had no reason to be upset at Asgore talking about her dad, but it was the way he said his name, the undertone, of what felt like disrespect rather than a good memory, that pissed her off. Can you still not put your disagreement with him aside and respect him in memory? 

Asgore stepped back, his cape sweeping across the snow. “Patrol the border until sunset. Do not engage. Do not provoke. Simply watch.” He paused, then added with a quiet intensity: “And do not let Toriel’s rebels deceive you. They are misguided and dangerous. They would tear this kingdom apart if given the chance, as you know. Do not engage in any conversation.”

Papyrus nodded slowly. “We understand.”

Iro didn’t respond. 

Asgore’s gaze flicked to her again. “Iro… do you understand?”

She forced her voice steady. “Yes, sire.”

“Good.” His smile returned, warm and heavy. “I expect a full report when you return.”

He turned, walking back toward the castle path. Snow swirled around him as he disappeared into the trees, leaving a silence that felt heavier than the cold.

Papyrus exhaled shakily. “Well… that’s new.”

Iro stared at the path Asgore had taken, her bones tight with unease. “He’s pushing us closer.”

“To what?” Papyrus asked.

Iro didn’t answer. She didn’t know.

But she felt it—deep in her soul, in the spots crawling across her skull, in the way the wind seemed to whisper warnings through the trees.

Something was coming.

And Asgore wanted them standing right in front of it.

***

Still wearing Papyrus’ scarf, Iro didn’t let him take it back as they wandered toward the edge of their territory. The fabric trailed behind her like a banner, brushing the snow with every step. Papyrus didn’t complain. He never did when she needed it.

The border was quiet today—too quiet. Snowdin’s usual hum of distant monster chatter was gone, replaced by a heavy stillness that pressed against their bones. The rebellion’s wall loomed ahead, tall and imposing, its surface lined with runes that flickered faintly in the cold.

The rebellion had finally gained some land. It was well protected, reinforced with magic and guarded by monsters who didn’t hesitate to attack anyone who came too close. Only the best guards were ever assigned to patrol it, which is how Papyrus saw it. Asgore didn’t like the idea of losing more soldiers than necessary. 

To death, or to propaganda?

To Iro, it was a dull, mind-numbing task. There was nothing more boring than watching the snow slowly rise over hours as if it was paint drying. Nothing moved, nothing happened; Iro was convinced Asgore had never actually BEEN this far out. He fretted over their advances but day in and day out, nothing ever happened. 

Papyrus always said it was because the best guards were put on duty, and no one would ever dare try them. Iro thought it was because there was actually nothing interesting going on. 

“Well,” Papyrus said, glancing to his right, breaking her thoughts. “Do you think we’ll see anything today?”

Iro shrugged, her melancholy almost visible in the way her shoulders slumped. “Doubt it.”

Papyrus huffed and shoved her shoulder lightly. She didn’t resist and toppled into the snow with a soft thud. “Have a little faith, sis,” he teased, grinning down at her. “Surely something will come out of their walls.”

Iro pushed herself up, brushing snow off her robe. “Papyrus, nothing ever comes out of their walls. They’re too smart for that. They know we’re here.”

“As they shouldn’t! We would tear them to pieces!” Papyrus grinned and tapped his foot, staring at the towering structure. “Still… something feels different today.”

Iro rolled her eyes. “You say that every day.”

“And every day I’m right,” Papyrus countered, though his voice lacked its usual confidence. He paused, for once, the smile on his face fading. “I don’t know. It’s like the air is… heavier.”

Iro paused. She hated how much she agreed.

Their patrols had become routine: walk the perimeter, watch the wall, report nothing. But lately, the silence felt wrong. It was too intentional. Too expectant. As if the rebellion were waiting for something… or something too prevalent was going on ‌inside, they couldn’t spare any monster to watch the outside. 

Are they… having disagreements among themselves? Iro crossed her arms, rubbing her gloves together for warmth. “Even if something did happen, it wouldn’t be anything we could actually do. Asgore said not to engage.”

Papyrus frowned. “I know. But I don’t trust him.”

Iro blinked. Her brother, the second biggest boot-licker in the kingdom—right after Undye—doesn’t trust the boots he licks? “You don’t?”

Papyrus shook his head slowly. “Not anymore. Not after Dad.”

Oh, well he had mentioned that before. The spots on Iro’s skull pulsed sharply. She looked away, swallowing hard, her throat suddenly craving a fistful of snow. “Let’s… not talk about that.”

Papyrus nodded, though his eyes stayed fixed on the wall. “Sorry.”

They stood in silence for a moment; the wind brushing past them, carrying faint whispers of magic from the rebellion’s territory. Iro’s eyes glazed over as she stared at the wall, the same wall she’d stared at for months. The same wall that never changed. The same wall that felt like a prison.

Her bones ached with boredom.

Papyrus’ bones ached with dread.

“Hey,” Papyrus said softly, nudging her. “Do you remember when Dad used to take us to the forest? Before all this?”

Iro’s chest tightened. I thought we weren’t talking about dad. “Yeah.”

“He always said the forest talked to him,” Papyrus chuckled. “Said it told him when something was wrong.”

Iro’s voice dropped. “Do you think… that’s what you’re feeling?”

Papyrus didn’t answer right away. He stared at the wall, his expression unreadable. “Maybe.”

She didn’t remember any specific moment Gaster talking about the trees, if they swayed differently, if they gave him information or not. He did talk about how the code would shift when something in the world was changing, and the world would react to it. But that could only mean he could read the code of the world, and would know how to get out of it. 

She wouldn’t put it past her father to know that, but he never shared that kind of knowledge, so it was always left up to myth in her mind. I feel like he would have told us how to do something as important as that before he… 

“Why are you so hard on yourself?” 

Iro glared at her brother as his fingers touched a few of the black spots on her head. “Hey—” 

“You shouldn’t have these many spots. You need to be kind to yourself,” he looked concerned down at her. 

Iro shoved part of the scarf over the back of her head where the spots grew. “I don’t get how you don’t have any.” 

Papyrus paused, before turning his back to her. “I have a few,” he gestured to the three singular dots near his spine. 

“Three dots, wowww.” 

“Hey, they’re still there. We all had them: could never hide our regrets well.” Papyrus sighed, turning back to face her and looking her in the eyes. “But you have so many, at least fifty. You shouldn’t—” 

“I’ll be fine, Paps,” Iro curled up and looked to the dull wall of a tower again. “...They’ll be gone before you know it.” 

He didn’t believe her at first until she forced a smile. He reciprocated it and glanced back to the tower. 

An hour passed, maybe two. The wind howled and the snow grew in the millimeters. The wall croaked, its ever-stagnant state never changing. No sunlight meant no appealing color shifts for the eyes to enjoy. 

Iro became convinced the monsters with insomnia could find good, hard sleep watching this wall. She sighed and stood up fully, brushing off the last of the snow. “Let’s just go, Papyrus. There’s nothing here.”

Papyrus tapped his foot again, harder this time. His soul pulsed with unease, a faint tremor Iro could almost feel through the ground. “But…” He grunted, knowing what Iro would say, as she had any day: a feeling’s just a feeling. His bad feelings meant, likely, nothing here, as nothing had ever changed when he had them. Eventually, and followed Iro as she turned away.

They took three steps.

Four.

Five.

The wind shifted,, slicing through the air like a warning. A deep, resonant click echoed through the storm.

Both skeletons froze. That was not a familiar noise. 

The sound didn’t belong to the wind, or the trees, or the distant hum of magic. It was mechanical. A sound neither of them had ever heard from the rebellion’s wall.

Papyrus whipped his head around so fast his cape nearly flew off. Iro’s jaw dropped, her soul thudding violently against her ribs.

The massive door embedded in the rebellion’s wall was opening. There was a door? By the looks of it, there was nothing to be seen. It was just a blank slate. Yet, part of the lower wall hitched open slowly, making a faint creaking noise. 

Snow swirled around the widening crack of light, casting long shadows across the frozen ground. The runes lining the wall flickered, reacting to the shift in the code. The air itself seemed to hold its breath.

Papyrus’ hands trembled. “Iro—” he whispered. 

Iro’s bones locked in place. No way I just jinxed myself. 

The door groaned as it continued to open, its heavy frame pushing against years of ice buildup. A gust of warm air spilled out from within — warm, impossibly warm for Snowdin — carrying the faint scent of earth and something unfamiliar.

Something from the touch of the sun. 

Iro’s breath hitched.

Papyrus’ eyes widened, glowing faintly with instinctive magic.

A figure stepped out. Small, shivering, wrapped in torn clothing and clutching their arm as if it hurt to move.

It was a human.

A real human.

Papyrus inhaled sharply, his voice barely a whisper. “Iro… that’s—”

“I know.”

Gaster’s words came flying back into her mind just as fast as Asgore’s instructions did. 

Never let Asgore near the humans, ever! Do not let him know when they come!

Tell me immediately when the humans arrive, as it is foretold they will. We shall throw a feast for them, and always keep our eyes on them. Don’t fail me.

The instructions froze her in place more than the ice did. 

“You’re not here to question me; you’re here to learn!” Undye snapped, grabbing Papyrus’ spear and shoving it into his hands once more. “Get up.” 

Iro narrowed her eyes. She was only three, but Gaster had developed her consciousness enough to know she shouldn’t just stand by and let her brother be pushed around. “Undye!” She snapped. 

Undye glared in her direction. “As for you, you think you’re all in a bag of chips with your abilities! Your pride will lead to your downfall!” 

Iro rotated her katanas around, pointing them at Undye. “So then work that pride out of me, fish.” 

Undye sneered, lunging for Iro. Her spears collided with Iro’s katanas as Iro barely blocked the attack. Iro skidded to a halt from the momentum before commanding bones to fly up at Undye, blocking her path. Iro had just enough time to recalibrate before she fired up her gaster blasters, like Papyrus taught her to. 

Undye sliced the bones in half before running at Iro, hurling a spear toward her. But the spear was melted by the two blaster shots. Undye barely ducked in time, saving her life. 

Iro stopped her attacks as she felt the black spots on her head grow. She rubbed her head, groaning. It was painful whenever the spots grew; Gaster told her that they grew whenever she did something she would regret later on, if not at that moment. She did remember what he said about them being permanent unless she forgave herself. 

But she never did. 

“You’re going to get someone killed! You proud of yourself?!” Undye shouted, throwing two spears at Iro, and pinning her to a wall. “You make me sick, you arrogant child!” 

Iro made a sour face. “Why train to fight if you can’t kill?! What’s the point?! Why be unnecessarily mean to Papyrus if there’s no intention of harming him?!” 

Undye spat in Iro’s face. “It’s learning to control your power! Do you want to kill everyone you fight?! Huh?!” 

Deep down, Iro knew Undye was right, but she didn’t want to submit to someone cruel for no reason. I’ll never become like that. Like you. 

“That’s what I thought, moron.” Undye slammed Iro harder into the wall before turning to Papyrus. “Both of you, out of my sight! You’ll never amount to anything with attitudes like that, you annoying brats!” 

Papyrus tried to stop her, but Undye stormed off with her helmet, cursing with every step. 

Iro took a step forward before falling face-first on the ground. It felt like Undye had snapped her back in two. When she tried to get up, she collapsed on her face once more, crying out in pain. 

Papyrus bent down and pulled her onto her feet, causing her to cry out in pain once more. “Why did you test her?” Papyrus sighed. “Did you not know she would snap?” 

“She was hurting you-” Iro coughed, trying not to wince as Papyrus carried her on his back. “I couldn’t just… let that happen.” 

“I didn’t want you to intervene; I can fight too, you know,” Papyrus flattened his face. “We screwed up our first impressions.” 

“Who cares what she thinks? She was a jerk.” 

Papyrus nodded silently as they walked along the paths of Snowdin. Iro tilted her head to watch the frozen river float with large ice cubes. Snowdin was supposed to get incredibly cold this time of year. But for some reason, all seemed normal. 

The inhabitants made sure to stay far away from Undye as she stormed through all the way to Hotland. It was expected, of course. Everything seemed to tick her off. She never had the decency to be kind to anyone. The only person she sort of sucked up to was King Asgore himself. 

When Iro thought about it, everyone loved the king. He was gentle, kind, and a great leader to his people. He was flawless in the eyes of many. 

Iro didn’t see him as that. Why was there a rebellion against him if he was this great king? His own ex-wife, Iro!Toriel was leading it. More monsters were joining it by the day. Even Iro’s own father wasn’t entirely on the king’s side. He always made sure she and Papyrus were wary of what the King asked and what he did. He never fully trusted the king; Iro wondered if that was due to their disagreements on how she and her brother were being raised. 

“I don’t think we are going to get any more training from Undye,” Paps sighed as he sat Iro down near the front door of their house. 

“What? Because I beat her a-” 

“Manners.” 

“Sorry…” Iro winced at every step she took. She opened the oval door and collapsed on the nearest couch, her swords falling to her side. A loud groan escaped her bones as tears of pain fell out of her eyes. 

Papyrus also limped into the house, rubbing his head and sitting in a chair. He looked at his shoulders and hands and didn’t hesitate to wrap them in his scarf until he could get bandages on them. “How are we going to learn how to fight without her?” The spots on his head crawled up his skull. “She was supposed to help us…” 

“She tried to kill us,” Iro rolled her eyes. “We can learn on our own. Let’s learn from the books and practice it ourselves. We don’t need Undye.” 

Papyrus sighed and sunk into the chair. “I suppose that could work…” He tried to sit up and look around. “Where is Gaster?” 

“Maybe he’s at the lab with Iro!Alphys,” Iro sighed. “I thought I heard something about Alphys wanting to know what the gems on Dad’s neck were.” 

“Oh, those,” Pap’s eyebrows furrowed. “They looked very similar to the gems that activated the power buttons that the humans have. Supposedly, they don’t come off until the host is dead.” 

“Like a frickin parasite,” Iro’s face read disgust all over it. 

“I’ll go grab the bandages,” Papyrus offered. “Let’s patch up those broken bones. Maybe we can go to the lab and help Dad. I’m sure there’s something there we can do.” 

Iro nodded as she watched her brother go off. She sighed; the pain in her bones slowly grew numb with her frustration toward Undye. That fish had no right to mess with her and Papyrus like that! They were supposed to come help make her job easier! Iro couldn’t find an excuse in her right mind to forgive Undye for her cruel actions. Who cares if that was just ‘her?’ It irritated Iro, and she refused to stand down and succumb to that kind of vile behavior. Why, if she could, she would-

“Here,” Papyrus broke her train of thought, holding a roll of bandages before her. “Let me know if you need help wrapping anything. I’m sure we can take the boat to the lab. 

She concluded there really wasn’t any use to sit in anger about what happened. Iro recalled how Gaster told her to move forward, even when it was hard. She thanked her brother and started to wrap the cracks around her bones. Occasionally, Papyrus helped her wrap bandages around her back or neck. They both wondered how they would explain what had happened to their dad. Although, both of them knew nothing bad would happen. Gaster was a loving father, and if there were any issues that they were having, he would encourage them to learn from them and take care of it himself. 

Iro!Papyrus was able to lead Iro!Sans to the boat. The ride on the river was very quiet, with the infrequent “Toodaloo” from the anonymous captain. Paps told Iro to be quiet and to not speak about many things. When they got off, he explained that it was best not to discuss too many things publicly. No one really knew which side the other was on. Although Iro wanted to object, the seriousness of the rebellion kept her mouth shut. Maybe there’s a reason why it’s grown so big… 

Iro didn’t remember much of the walk after that. She was lost in her own thoughts, imagining a world without rebellion and everyone was living in peace. How special, she sighed. But… how long does peace really last?

Alphys’ greeting snapped her back into reality. Papyrus made sure to walk behind Iro as they trailed down the stairs. Iro always took the damp, dusty lab to be an interesting place. The walls were made of large, smooth stones and eerie sound echoed across the caverns as they continued in a downward spiral to the workplace. It was specially designed to test the patience of whoever came. Only the patient would receive the reward for the discoveries in the lab. 

“Iro! Papyrus!” Iro!Gaster exclaimed, setting down the vials in his hands as he ran up to hug his children. “It’s so good to see you!” He took a moment to look at them. Papyrus couldn’t contain his smile. “Hi, dad!” He smirked. “Whatcha working on-” 

“What happened to you?” Gaster cupped Iro’s face and observed the bandage on her neck. The smile fled as if it was smacked off. “Who did this?”

“Undye,” Iro blatantly stated. “She was unfair to us.” 

“It… truly wasn’t best case scenario,” Papyrus added. “I don’t understand why she had to go so far.” 

Gaster stood up and sighed, asking Alphys to grab something for their bones. “It was only your first day…” He adjusted his glasses and set down his notebook. “Though, on the bright side, real battles won’t give you a break.” 

“They won’t try to spare you either,” Paps recalled. “It wasn’t all bad.” 

Iro lifted her eyebrows. She couldn’t quite grasp how Papyrus stayed so positive. No matter how horrible a situation got, he always turned it around. Must be a gift. She sighed. I can’t seem to do that. 

“Ah, well enough on that manner,” Gaster shrugged. “Would you guys want to help me work on a cure for bone flu?” 

The kids jumped in excitement. They scrambled to the station and put on the safety equipment. Gaster chuckled and followed behind, leaving poor Alphys to run after them the moment she got back. 

Iro and Paps were always excited to learn. Gaster made learning fun, and they advanced way faster than other students her age. This led them to help Gaster in his actual studies and be enrolled in training at such a young age. It was one of the ways they made their father proud. 

The session was full of laughter and puns, to Papyrus’ dismay. Hours felt like minutes as they tested various materials. Alphys led most of the research after she applied a secret cream to the kid’s bones. Iro didn’t feel much pain after it dried, which was nice. 

The lizard was certain the answer to the bone flu was in the gems around Gaster’s neck. He only shook his head and told her no, because they were used for something else. Although Iro had more questions, Papyrus’ ramble about how gems were made put her questions to sleep. 

They would never be answered. 

“What have you found, Iro?” Gaster walked over to her and tilted his head.

“Not much,” Iro sighed. “I’ve only seen bone flu react to three chemicals, all in a negative way.” 

“Hey, that’s still research and progress!” Gaster smiled. “This will help us know what not to take if we catch bone flu.” He rubbed Iro’s head gently and glanced toward his son. “Papy?” 

“I’ve one found positive reaction, Dad!” His face beamed with joy. “Bone flu pauses when it comes in contact with lemons!”

Even Gaster seemed surprised by the result. “Where did you get lemons?” 

“At the store, I was hungry and wanted to make some lemonade for me and Iro, but never got the chance to after the session.”

“G-Got any other f-food in there?” Alphys anxiously asked, twirling her fingers. “I do! Would you like some?” 

Iro didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. Her brother found something positive and she didn’t. How could this be? She worked really hard, and she didn’t find anything good…

“Hey,” Gaster had come around the table and knelt beside her. “Why the long face?”

“I…” Iro paused, holding her arms together. “I just wish I found something like Paps did, instead of negative things.” 

“Hey don’t think that way,” Gaster smiled sweetly. “You still discovered something! That’s progress, and if you continue to search for answers, they come your way. Don’t compare to others, just look at the progress you made.” 

Iro nodded, glancing at the ground. She didn’t know how to process what her dad was saying. But I still didn’t find anything. 

“Y’know what?” Gaster nudged her shoulder with one of his hands. “Sometimes the negative findings helps us a little bit more than the positive,” he winked. “You will always succeed, my daughter. Don’t ever give up, and you will accomplish what you set out to do. For the opposite of success isn’t failure, it’s giving up. Take that from papa, okay?” 

A tear left Iro’s eye as she walked up to her dad and swung her arms around it. “Thank you daddy.”

Gaster didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her in a tight embrace. “I love you, Iro.” 

The peace that Iro felt in her father’s arms was indescribable. She wished she would hug him more often, as it felt really nice. Her dad always knew what to say, and he always made her feel better. One day, she vowed to repay him for all the help he gave her.