#obligation

“People who live at the lower ends of watersheds cannot be isolationists — or not for long. Pretty soon they will notice that water flows, and that will set them to thinking about the people upstream who either do or do not send down their silt and pollutants and garbage. Thinking about the people upstream out to cause further thinking about the people downstream. Such pondering on the facts of gravity and the fluidity of water shows us that the golden rule speaks to a condition of absolute interdependency and obligation. People who live on rivers — or, in fact, anywhere in a watershed — might rephrase the rule in this way: Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you.”

A Bad sanses x Gn reader fanfic

Masterlist

Chapter 9 - Chapter 11

MDNI

TW - mentions of panic attacks, death and violence. Small mentions of human rot and decay, please be advised.

I do not own Undertale or any sans au variants, I'm just writing a fanfic about a royal au Imao.

Not related to any already written royal au btw, this is my own thing. You also aren't related to anyone mentioned or seen. You're a human.

Summary: The kingdoms of light and dark have been at war for centuries, bloodshed and devastation that never stops. A table of trusted confidants sits close to the king of light, a chair belonging to you. Your skills with a sword are undisputed, but your king has a new task for you.

Marry the king of darkness to unite the kingdoms in the face of a new threat. Will the two kingdoms be able to overcome their strife with a simple marriage? Or will both crumble in the face of their own hubris?

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You could’ve sworn you slept in Dust’s bed last night, curled up under his blankets with an arm around your waist and his face nosing into your back. You’d felt him teleport you, talked with him, absorbed the information you read in the books you’d picked out. It was hard to prove that any of that happened when you woke up in your own bed, same clothes on, boots put neatly to the side, crown on the nightstand. That couldn’t have all been a dream, so vivid and real. Were you finally going crazy??

It was morning now, Everest would arrive with a cup of tea by the time you were finished getting ready, then you’d head down to breakfast. It was routine, something you thrived in, something you needed. You bathed away the remnants of the day before, trying to ward off the images of black sludge and the smell of rot. Even with the aroma of lavender soaps and strong herbs invading your senses, it wouldn’t stop. Even though whoever that monster was had technically been dead for a long time, you still felt this pang of grief for them. They reminded you of someone long ago, a soul lost to a threat new and unrelenting that couldn’t stay away. It was like a plague or an infestation, more and more showing up and with less remedies available.

You had to collect yourself. You were better than this.

You decided on a long gown for the day, pants pulled on underneath. It was more akin to a blanket than an actual piece of clothing, soft in a way that reminded you of Toriel’s fur. The crown made itself home on your head again, bringing together that air of royalty you weren’t quite used to yet. Would you ever be used to it? Hard to say.

“Your majesty! I’ve brought tea!”

“Come in!” Everest smiled when she saw you, giddy and radiating a nice energy wherever she went, “you look amazing! That shawl really matches your eyes, you’ll have Esther out of the job if you keep being so in tune with fashion.”

“Esther?”

“Palace seamstress. She makes almost everything the royal family wears, including everything you’ve worn so far.” She handed you an ornate cup placed on an equally beautiful saucer, steaming with the familiar scent of chamomile, “thank you Everest, it’s much appreciated. I do grow curious though if I may.”

“Ask anything your majesty, no worries.”

“How many people do you work with directly?” Everest seemed surprised by your question, collecting herself to gather that information in her mind, “well..I work with almost everyone in the castle, but in close proximity most of the time? It’s usually Ollie, Esther, Wryter, and Philly.”

“What do they all do? Besides the things you’ve told me.”

“Ollie is our maintenance man in this part of the castle, he’s always fixing a creaky door or replacing floors- he’s a quiet guy, human, but he’s so, so sweet. Esther is the palace seamstress, a beautiful dove, she’s older, responsible, strict, but she’s definitely more of a mother hen than a boss. Wryter is our woodworker and stonemason, a stone golem, he has a whole team of people who work under him that repair the castle and add additions per the king’s request, a little cocky but he means well. Philly works down in the kitchens under the head chef, he’s in charge of recipe editing. He’s also my brother.” You absorbed the information, sipping your tea as you listened, “they all sound lovely. Thank you.”

“Of course. If I may, why do you ask?”

“I just..I think it’s finally sunk in that this place is where I’ll be staying permanently. I want to make sure I know the people who work here just as much as I know the people who live here.”

“Oh..” Everest smiled, a fond look on her young features, “that’s very sweet your majesty. Thank you.”

“No need. Shall we head to breakfast?” Everest nodded and held her arm out for you, letting you hand her the empty teacup as she led you out of the room. You walked through the halls you were beginning to get familiar with, knowing how to get all over now. You didn’t know how to get everywhere of course, but every place you utilized was easy to get to.

You walked into the grand dining hall, insisting that Everest could get back to work and you could walk yourself into the smaller dining area. Nightmare greeted you kindly, ushering you into your seat with an insistent appendage, “a few things to go over before we eat regarding yesterday’s incident.”

“Oh yeah. [Name] almost died.” Killer spoke bluntly, earning himself a side-eye from Cross, “well- yeah. Pretty much.” You shrugged, “I’m alright though. I wasn’t touched.”

“We are all relieved to hear that of course.” Nightmare sighed something heavy, a weight on his shoulders he couldn’t shake off, “but while I’ve had this conversation with [Name] briefly, I haven’t gone over it with everyone.” He leant forward, hands clasped on the table, suddenly serious, “[Name] cannot leave the castle unless accompanied by one of you. This includes anywhere they wish to go; if that be the training grounds, the garden, or into town. There aren’t many humans in the kingdom of darkness apart from those that work in the palace, so the ravagers will swarm outside the walls and slip in where they can. I’m having Wryter and his team work on blocking off any entrances, the fact that one got in is worrisome enough, the fact it almost hurt [Name] is even worse.” All the skeletons at the table listened intently, faces serious or indifferent. You couldn’t help but feel a little bit embarrassed, this all felt like a lot of trouble to go through to keep you safe. Wasn’t there another option? A non-human bodyguard maybe? Or just trusting more wouldn’t show up?

You could take care of yourself.

A creeping shame trailed its way up your spine like a winding coil, the feeling of being a burden resting heavy on your shoulders. Your hands bunched up the fabric over your thighs under the table, listening as the king continued, “I also want you all to take this opportunity to get more acquainted before the wedding.”

Right. Right! The wedding!!

Your stomach sunk. You were supposed to finish the box yesterday! You still had time of course but preparations started tomorrow, where all your time would be taken up by measuring and choosing and mentally preparing yourself.

Gods! You’d gotten so distracted!

Breakfast was served not a moment later, beautiful plates of food placed in front of each of you. It didn’t matter how fast you ate, you’d be expected to sit and mingle for up to an hour, only able to leave once the king did. You wished you had the same conditions you did back in the kingdom of light, where meals were optional and snacks were an often replacement.

Not to say you were ungrateful! The meals were brilliant and tasted like heaven! It was just- it felt like so much of your time was being taken up by sitting around doing nothing. You could be training, working on the box, reading up on the kingdom, or getting to know the maids and servants scattered around different areas of the castle. Why was so much of your time taken up by forks tapping plates and mindless chatter?

Was that a mean thought to have?

Despite your scattered thoughts, you ate your food and chimed in whenever the moment felt right. This was fine, but Dust was distracting you further. His plate was already clean, arms crossed against the table, head positioned in a way that looked like he was staring into your soul despite the shadow that hid his eyes. A shudder didn’t run through you and fear didn’t nestle itself into your soul, you simply raised a brow and let a small grin break out across your face, “what? Got pancake on my face or something?” Dust reached out and gently pinched your chin between his thumb and pointer finger, swiping his thumb across the side of your mouth. Your whole body jumped, watching him pull his boney hand away with a small smudge of..pancake..on his hand.

“Oh..” you responded dumbly, watching him wipe the pancake on a napkin with a movement of his shoulders that imitated quiet laughing. You could feel embarrassment overcome the shame from earlier, a heat in your face and a prickle on your skin. You quickly looked away and shoved a fork full of food in your mouth.

Breakfast ended with Nightmare teleporting away in a hurry and you immediately tugged on Cross’ sleeve before he could disappear as well, “can you teleport me to Wryter’s workshop? I have to finish the box before tomorrow.” Cross hummed before smiling with a nod, “I’ll walk you there instead, I don’t want to overwhelm your system with magic.” Was that a concern? Could that happen? How much magic was too much magic?

“Alright then.” The two of you left the dining area, but you could once again feel eyes on you. It was getting annoying now, wishing you could just shake the feeling off. (Or make them stop staring)

Cross was always lovely company, the two of you flowing like water, playing off each other’s words, giggling and chattering the entire way to Wryter’s workshop. Cross kept you close, moved you in the right direction with a gentle hand on your arm, steadied you away from people walking by, all disguised as just being polite, “have you been holding up okay?”

“Hm?” His question surprised you, looking up at his slightly worried expression, “besides yesterday, I mean.” He clarified, shoving his hands into his short pockets. You clicked your tongue, taking a left down a big hallway, “it’s better than I expected.”

“How so?”

“I wasn’t prepared for any of this, tossed in blind. I didn’t think any of you would want me around, no matter how often the king of light assured me that I would be taken care of.” Cross’ face turned down into a frown, studying your neutral expression, “how much were you told?”

“Bare minimum. I didn’t have a choice in any of this.”

“The king made me aware of..the lack of choice you had. I’m sorry that this happened to you.” Cross was so sweet, like he always was. You blinked when you felt his hand take your’s, cupping it securely as he turned down another hallway. It was disguised as him leading you in the right direction, but that facade didn’t work too well when he didn’t let go. Something warm bloomed in your chest, making your fingertips buzz and your heart pick up speed.

Oh. Okay. This was happening.

You squeezed his hand back, smiling to yourself when he jumped the slightest bit, attempting to hide it with a cough.

“It’s okay, I’m not upset by it much anymore.”

“Whys that?”

“I’ll tell you some other time, it’s a heavy conversation, but I also don’t think I have all my thoughts together on the subject just yet.”

“I understand, whenever you’re ready.”

“Thank you.” The two of you had been walking for a while, was this really the fastest way? You didn’t think being teleported once a day would do too much harm, especially since Ink and Blue would teleport you wherever they saw fit in the past. Sure, you’d get nauseous every once in a while and sometimes your head would spin or your nose would bleed, but they said that was normal.

Wasn’t it?

Your thoughts were interrupted by seeing the arched entrance to Wryter’s workshop, letting go of Cross’ hand, “thank you! I’ll be done in..about an hour.” You moved your hand in a so-so way, watching the way Cross smiled fondly, tilting his head a little, “have fun.”

“I will.” You turned and walked into the workshop, greeting Wryter as he mulled over blueprints with his team. You opened the cabinet you’d stashed the mostly finished box into, looking it over again. The details were intricate, meaningful, and researched. A crescent moon was the main centerpiece on the lid of the box, representing the king. It was surrounded by five stars that represented each of his husbands, with a small glimmer integrated to represent you and keep the design even. You added in swirls, the moon phases on the front and back of the lower piece, and screwed on a small lock.

You only had to smooth down the inside, stain it, then seal it. Incredibly proud of your work so far, you sat down at a small bench Wryter had set up for you and began finishing the box. Reality fell away as you worked, not noticing the time tic away or when a king entered the room, “my, what do we have here?” You gasped and turned around, the box having just been sealed, “oh, hello- wait!” The king stopped in his tracks, surprise all over his face as you stretched your arms out like you could stop him, “don’t look! You can’t see it until the wedding!”

“Oh- yes. Of course.” He turned around with an amused huff, allowing you to scramble the box back into the cabinet you’d been hiding it in. The moment the cabinet shut, the king wrapped an appendage around your waist and pulled you close, making that odd warmth settle inside you again, “you’ve been working in here for much longer than you told Cross you would be. Horror will never let you hear the end of it if you miss another meal, come along.” You let him pull you by the appendage, scrambling to match his pace before he started dragging you, “apologies, I didn’t mean to get so lost in the work.”

“Don’t be sorry, Horror and I are just concerned.”

“Is something wrong?” The king didn’t say anything, changing the subject, “Dust told me something interesting about you yesterday.” Okay- we were just ignoring that?? Okay. Whatever.

“Oh?..” your voice was smaller than you’d ever want it to be, a tinge of fear in your tone that the king didn’t miss, suddenly tightening the appendage in a way that grounded you away from any racing thoughts, “while I appreciate your insistence on learning about our home, I don’t want you doing it in a way that harms you.”

“Well- I wasn’t doing that on purpose. I just couldn’t sleep.”

“I’m aware. If you cannot sleep, you can always come and get me.” You tilted your head, confused. What could he do that you couldn’t? The king seemed to catch on to your confusion, taking a hand and placing it on the back of your skull, “I have unparalleled magical abilities. Getting you to sleep would be like breathing for me.”

“Oh.”

“Yes. If you wish to read or learn, please do it during normal hours of the day.” It was your turn to huff, nodding reluctantly, “understood.”

“As cute as that face is, it’s time to eat.” You blinked.

Did he just call you cute?

—

That’s all for now! Omg chapter ten!! Yippee!! Yay! Wahoo!!

This chapter was a bit of a filler chapter, sorry about that, but we’ll get back on track next chapter! Source: trust me bro.

Hope you guys enjoyed! Have a nice day and stay safe!

We obligate others through social pressure, through appeals to rights, and through the application of laws. While we are also obligated in the same way, we see the trade-off as worthwhile, since we generally have no problem with treating others well. After all, the obligation is not usually binding. We see others as similar to ourselves, so we automatically treat them well out of compassion and not because of any obligation.

But a problem arises when we encounter someone for whom we do not feel compassion. Now we are obligated to act in way that goes again our intuitive sense of right and wrong. We are forced to treat this person well when we do not believe they deserve it. Having to do this repeatedly can lead to resentment.

Trump Weird News -Trump: No "Obligation To Think Purely Of Peace"

Omission to discuss the baby does not deny it’s existence but denying it out-right like she did in the interview - I just can’t believe any mother would erase their baby’s existence in the world. It’s like tempting fate. The only exception might be if you were being held hostage and it was a life or death situation. She certainly doesn’t need to protect BN in that way so this doesn’t sit right.

Be cognizant of this. Sometimes, people may tell you that they care about you and that its okay for you to express your needs to them. The part they don't tell you is that it is fine for you to express those needs so long as those don't require them to adjust something that they are doing that is hurting you.