Chapter Text
Sun trickles in jarring, saw-like movements, dancing through Clover's fluttering eyelids. The rocking of the wooden interior pulls them... not so elegantly, from his forced slumber.
The human winces at the orange light occasionally pricking at his eyes, half-conscious hand swatting at it like it's a nightlight.
"Ugh--I'm... up. I'm up... ghah..."
Looking around for the first time, he summarizes his feelings about the last couple of hours... before their non-consensual sleep.
Okay... wooden caravan. Piece...
He reaches for his hip. Empty holster.
...Missing. Urgh. Letter...?
He clasps on his leather jacket, then pants, then back, then... boots?
...Also missing.
This is bad.
With an exhausted sigh, he sits up, admiring the interior of this wooden cart. Fully enclosed, and with a lock on the back that seems... like even his gun would have had a hard time busting. A prison transport, if he had to hazard a guess.
But no bindings on him, or cuffs... can monsters do... cuffs?
Of course they can do cuffs. If they can craft that lock over there, and this caravan. Ugh.
So... what now? Asgore, for a summary execution, or whatever? Why did they take the letter then? Did they think that the MESSENGER would DESTROY IT in spite? That... doesn't... not. make... sense?
He shakes his head, tugs on his ha--
His hat.
His...
No...
SERIOUSLY?!
A cowboy's pride.
You're ALSO gonna take that away from him?
Nope, the kind human that entered monster kingdom is gone. Now it's bloodshed.
He storms (read, stumbles) aggressively (read, almost toppling over after the cart lurches) towards the front end, ready to give his captors a piece of his mind (read, passively inquire about his whereabouts)
Knock knock... knock.
The gentle rattle of the cart wheeling through. The sun has shifted its focus, seems the cart took a turn at some point. The flickering of the light would indicate moving through a forested area, maybe.
No response.
Time for the MEAN Clover.
Another knock... and a wince. Maybe he should have waited a little longer, maybe they're busy?
He rubs his hand on the spot he knocked, as if that magically un-knocks the wood.
Muffled, some conversation takes place.
"[mumble, mumble]the lord[mumble mumble]"
"[mumble]in pristine[mumble]!!![mumble mumble]"
"Uhh, hi? Friends? This gon' take... long?"
"...[mumble]"
"[snicker]"
Clover flinches, the wood in front of him is apparently a sliding panel, which is tugged downwards.
Nothing but a black cloth screen. He furrows his brow.
Of course, can't even look at your captors.
A monster's voice, grating as it is high-pitched, graces his ears.
"The gaijin stirs. Enjoy your nap?"
"The g--... No...? You knocked me out. I didn't even..."
"Ge-hehehehe. Do not worry, prince of humans. We will see that your letter finds its rightful eye."
"Y--you will? For real?"
"GHA! Yes, yes. Of course."
That did not feel... like the type of laugh you do when you're truthful.
"So, uh. Am I getting..."
"Do not worry, oh dear prince..."
"--Am not a..."
"We will see that you are delivered to your fateful location."
"That's... mighty obscure. Jus'... tell me where we're going."
"And spoil the surprise?!"
The other monster snickers.
Clover's already done with this guy, and he hasn't even seen their face!
"Just... nevermind. Tell me you didn't throw my hat away."
"All of the human's possessions are safely kept, we tell!"
"...Alright."
Clover sits down against the dividing wall, staring towards the back of the cart.
Well... part of me wants to make some friendly chatter... but part of me thinks that these guys... make for bad scene partners. Howabout we just--
The otherwise peaceful ride turns not-so, a sharp whinny from front, and the cart lurches into an unceremonious stop. Though nothing's loose on this side of the cart, Clover can hear a bunch of stuff toppling on the driver-side. He's lucky to have been sitting.
"Gh--shit!"
Clover grabs on. It's one thing to be in a completely closed-off cart, that idly lurches one way or another, it's another for it to sharply pull on him like it's about to go vertical.
Please tell me that these guys crash and run away.
He cranes his head up, catching chatter between the two monsters.
"The checkpoint, it wasn't in the map...!"
"Shush. She's coming this way. Close th--"
Kssshk! The panel closes. Clover sighs.
Well, at least they're at a standstill.
You know, completely still, with the sun trickling in like this, I could really go for a nap here. If it wasn't so warm.
Wait... the sun...
Clover walks over to the cracks, and traces his eyes to the opposite side.
Similar cracks.
He turns and glues himself to the wall, squinting through the brief opening.
Trees.
How mighty useful.
How the hell is a human emissary supposed to do their darn job when they keep gettin' into these stupid situations for no valid reason? Was it the gun? Hope it wasn't the gun. Ugh, they said it'd be fine! Well... they also said they'd feed me on the last day...
Clover's stomach seems to pipe up in response. The very reminder that four days ago was their last, true home-cooked meal makes them a little more deflated.
Hopefully not the last...
He stands leaning, and, though he can't see much other than the beautiful pine trees waving in the distance, bathed in the setting sunlight, he can hear better from here.
A different voice, more feminine, somewhat dancing between authoritative and lost.
"[mumble]it that NONE of your papers line up. Farming?"
"[mumble]"
"Farming... okay. [mumble]. Why on a closed cart? Why does it bear the mark of the Ketsukanes?"
"[mumble, though it sounds more like stammering]"
Oooo, red-handed~
Wait, this could be his chance.
"HELLO?! I NEED SOME HELP!"
He waits.
"..."
"..."
The feminine voice breaks the silence.
"What was that?"
No response.
"No, seriously, what was that? Does your corn talk now?"
"I'M NOT CORN!!"
Clover smirks. Oh how he wishes he could see the look on those guys he hasn't seen once in his life yet.
The silence drags for an awkwardly long moment.
One of the monsters pipes up.
"We can offer a small tribute for your silence, guard."
"PSH. Okay, bribing now?! You know, your case keeps piling u--oh that is a lot. That. Oh wow. That could..."
W---seriously?!
Clover wants to scream out 'You're not taking that bribe, are you?!' but he feels like silence is the best case here. Like, a silent eagle, casting judgement. Yeah, that's it. He feels good staying quiet, like he's really making her sweat.
A moment passes. He no longer feels this confident on his silence.
...
Okay, he's feeling less confident by the moment.
One of the monsters sounds confused.
"Wh--what's this?"
The 'guard' breaks her silence.
"A proclamation for your... liege."
"...Wait, WAIT, WHAT?!"
The two monsters start to trip on their words.
"Bu--but no--you can't, He wouldn't... our... He won't like if--..."
"Yeah, well? Tell them to bring it up with Royal King Asgore, because I am operating DIRECTLY under his command. If you want your cart reimbursed, you are going to have to set up a meeting."
"..."
"And here.. Nghhh!! For your troubles. Supplies for the day. Since I am confiscating all of your... corn. And you are lucky to not be here when I find out what is in there!"
Two sets of footsteps drag their feet away, shamefully. Oh, Clover can just SMELL the shame seeping from those f--...
A cowboy's integrity is pristine.
A cowboy's integrity is pristine.
Clover reaches for his hat to tip it wistfully, and finds himself suppressing another curse word.
He looks over at the entrance of the cart, expecting it to open any time now, and flinch as they hear someone on the driver side, directly behind him.
"Guh, hello?" He sputters.
"Oh, hi!"
The way-more-chippery voice comes loud and clear from the front.
"So, uhm. Hello. Are you a prisoner, or... something?"
"Ah... ah guess?"
"Huh. Never heard that drawl before. Well, I am currently in the process of looking for a key to get you out. Do you mind telling me... uhh, who you are?"
"Messenger."
"M--messenger? They locked you up because you are a messenger?"
"Reckon the letter didn't spell anythin' good."
"Do you... know who it was addressed to?"
"King Asgore."
"Th--the... The...?!!!"
He can practically hear her eyes shoot wide open.
"Y--yeah? King of the monster region? That one."
He hears nothing, she has stopped searching... for a beat, before resuming.
"Uhmm... well, weird. But, okay. Let me... uhh... Ughhh, I think they took the key. All they left are a bunch of weird wooden coins, and this weird hat."
"He--Hey! That one's... prolly mine. Made outta leather?"
"Yeah? Brown? Tattered and..."
"T'ain't tattered. It's riddled with personality."
"...Oookay. Well, I will leave it be, then. No key, so I am going to have to bust this open guard-style!"
"Wh--what does that mean...?"
She's gone.
Clover sighs, but the newfound hope for a reunion with his hat makes him smirk.
Wait, did she say anything about my gun? They took my gun too, didn't they. God.
He palms at his hip.
Well after six blank shots that thing's just a piece of metal, ah guess, since I still got ta' spare ammo.
Glad ah had ma' blanks loaded, too.
A blade slides through the lock, twisting once. Iron squeaks painfully, before snapping.
Doors open, a blanket of warm light pours in. Clover squints and pulls his hand forwards.
"Jeez, it is DARK in here. Let me just..."
The guard steps in, leaving the door just pried open enough for the two to share some comfortable light.
Clover slowly puts his hands down, seeing their savior for the first time. A blue bird person! White, traditional shoulder guards of what he can only assume is Royal Guard attire, a small dual-horned golden crest on the tip of a cap that... also feels customary, and a green-handled tanto blade, which she is quick to holster back, sighing in victory.
Do monsters like... in general... not wear pants?
"I am Martlet of the Royal Guard Service! Currently assigned to the Deruta commonway. Consider yourself...!"
She opens her eyes, yellow beak smiling as she takes in the figure of the prisoner. The smile falters as she keeps going up.
"...freed...uhh..."
Clover's hands relax in defeat, falling to either side.
"Yeah..."
"H--human."
"Yeah."
"...Okay. So, the letter thing, makes WAY more sense now. You are like... an OFFICIAL, official Envoy, are you not?"
"Yeahp."
"From the human kingdom."
"One would... assume."
"With a letter addressed to our benevolent ruler, King Asgore."
"As stated."
"...Oh no. Please. Please PLEASE. Tell me you have th--"
"They took it."
"--GOD...!!!!!"
She wheels around, grabbing at her head. Then, she falls dead still for what feels like 10 whole seconds.
"...Oh they are going to kill me. Like KILL ME kill me."
"I mean... 'least you didn't take the bribe..."
She scoffs, turning back to face the prisoner.
"Urgh. That was rude of me. I am sorry. Hi. What is your name?"
"Clover."
He tries tipping his hat again, then shakes his head.
"My uh, hat."
"Oh! Yes, step on out, I wish to show you something."
God, what a day. How the hell am I supposed to recover from this?
"Watch it, biiig step here! Okay! Well, I cannot imagine your entrance to the kingdom was the warmest, so allow me to try again, on their behalf."
Martlet saunters a dozen feet from Clover, towards the road. She sighs as she takes in the beautiful landscape.
Sky slowly turning pink, trees waving with the gentle fall breeze, red, and yellow leaves dancing between one another. And in the very distance, the hills that mark the start of the region, contrasted by the profile light that the sun gives them as it gently sets.
Clover is just as enraptured. This view is... something else. Cities tend to drown this nature out.
Martlet turns, triumphantly, hands on her hips.
"Welcome to the Kiiroi Tochi, the land of monsters!"
"Kiiroi... Does that mean land of monsters...?"
"Well, no, but, it is more about the sun-touched parts. Do not worry! Logistics! I hope that your-- well, starting NOW, your stay in this land is accommodating, and wonderful! And that, your departure is just as swift as it is comfortable!"
"Y'all don't... take kindly to humans, huh?"
The proud guard scratches the back of her head, proud demeanor deflating into a bit of a flustered gaze.
"Well, uhh... there are some thorns on both communities' ends, I guess."
"They took my gun, too."
"Your...?" Martlet arches a brow.
"It's a... metal device... shoots small projectiles. Self defense, they took it along with the letter."
"...Huh. Well, that is your property, and I vow to get both back! It is my duty, after all, to escort a surprise messenger to the king..."
She stops, Clover looks with a cocked head. She starts back up after a moment of thinking.
"How do I... know...?"
"That I'm legit?"
"...Yes. Sorry."
"Well, the letter has an official crest. An', it's been proofed on all ends. From what I've been told, at least, should survive magical tamperin' n' whatnot."
"Wow."
"But like, till ya see it, yeah, ain't got a leg to stand on."
"...But you..."
"...'But I do'. It's... figure a' speech. Nevermind."
"Okay! Clover, I shall trust you. Especially considering your... unique circumstances. And, even if you were lying, I have no reason to treat you with any less hospitality than the rest!"
"...Okay."
"Okay!"
"...What did you wanna show me...?"
"Oh! Look over here."
She fast walks towards the side of the cart. Now that Clover gets a better look at it, he can appreciate the fine craftsmanship of this thing. While the inside seems to be in disrepair, the outside has a beautiful crest marking both sides, in a logo that seems to be a fox mask surrounded by a wreath. A staff or stick goes through the bottom sideways.
"Nice drawin'"
"We--scoff--Yeah, drawing. That, is the mark of the Ketsukanes."
"That's... important, I bet?"
"Very much so. That is where we are going to go to inquire about your belongings."
"Oh so... they're not with the king...?"
"Nope."
"Huh."
"Yes, I... do not know what they could possibly want with... you... unless... they were trying to intercept..."
She seems lost in thought. Clover eyes the horses. They're just... horses, huh? Apparently even monsters can't find something better for transportation. His mind flashes to rather grim sights he's seen, war horses taught to rampage and trample monsters once they set their sights on one. Not fun.
He walks over to the front of the cart, and retrieves his hat, idly dusting it.
"Hm, 'least they left the most important bit."
He stands proudly once donning her.
Yeah, it's a she.
Hats are she's, you know.
"W--wait, THAT is the most importa--... I will not press it. I am glad you are taking this in stride."
"Oh, very much the opposite of that."
Clover turns, hands on his hips triumphantly still.
"Just, this carries sentimental value to me."
Martlet's eyes soften.
"Yes... I guess I... can see that."
Her eyes fall for a bit on the sheathe of her small blade.
"Well, Clover. You got what you need?"
"There ain't nothin' else to take."
"Then, let us be off. Tomorrow."
"T--tomorrow?"
"Yes?! I do not want to ride these poor friends in the dark, AND, it is not safe in the night."
"Safe... how?"
"Oh... wow. Okay, well, it just isn't. You will see. Maybe."
"We're... lettin' these scoundrels get a headstart on us, then."
"Well, Clover, think about it. They are on foot. We are not. They have several days of travel, while we have just about eight or so before we reach the dynasty household."
"...ah guess."
"Good! Come with me, I will show you your lodgings! And then we can pull the cart over."
Clover gives the beautiful scenery one last look, seeing the subtle lines of shade on the hills travel with the lowering sun on the south.
"...God damn."