A King's Confessions

"What were those things?" Athena asked once they were well out of sight of the city. Andrias sighed heavily. He gently picked up Athena and set her down.

"Frobots." He said staring blindly ahead. "From my former army."

"But you had a newt army and the toads and the night guard?" Athena frowned. "Ma said everyone worked together to fight some evil robots."

"They weren't evil." Andrias grimaced. "They were simply following someone who was." He reached down to touch the ground beneath him. They seemed to be on a grassy hill. He carefully lowered himself and sat down. Athena looked back in the direction of the city. She thought she could see a few small specks in the distance flying off.

"I take it that Master Marcy, your mother," He amended, "Didn't tell you who exactly she and your other mothers were fighting." Athena looked at him.

"She said they were fighting robots and the moon." She said, feeling a little confused.

"Yes, but did she say who built the robots? Who led the robots? Why the moon fell in the first place?" Andrias said grimly. He wasn't going to lie to this small child. He was going to be honest about the crimes he committed. She was owed that.

"No…" Athena said slowly. She sat down too and tried to recall the villains in her mother's comic.

"I made the frobots." Andrias said finally. "I led them against your mothers and my own citizens." He scowled at himself. How had he let himself be so blinded seeking his father's approval that he tore apart his own kingdom to gain it? And did he ever really gain his approval after he did all those terrible things? He shook his head.

"No, no. Ma said there was this big evil monster hive mind that-" Athena defended quickly. Andrias would never have done such horrible things. Her Ma talked about how kind he was to her. He was understanding. He was scared.

"The Core." Andrias spat. "I awakened it. I did it's bidding. I waged war in its name. I hurt so many people I loved because it demanded it. I was cruel and careless. I was a fool." He said full of self loathing. "I don't deserve to still be here when so many others lost their lives fighting for their homes and loved ones." Andrias hung his head. Athena stared in shock as she tried to process this.

"So you did what the hive mind told you?" She asked.

"Yes." Andrias said, gritting his teeth.

"Then you weren't the one being evil." Athena said simply.

"What?" Andrias asked, furrowing his brow as he lifted his head. Athena looked back towards the city.

"You said the robots weren't evil."

"No, they weren't."

"Cause you said they were just following someone who was."

"Master Athena-" Andrias tried to interrupt. He was touched by her simple reasoning but felt the need to correct her.

"And you were just doing what the hive mind said. That's what you said." Athena said self confidently. "So that means you aren't evil."

"It's not that simple." He said tiredly. "I had free choice. The frobots…" He closed his eyes.

"And in the end you said sorry to everyone, right?" Athena pushed.

"I tried." Andrias said as his eyes began to water. "But some of them were long gone before I had the chance." He let the tears flow freely as he thought about Barrel and Leif. What he wouldn't give to be able to apologize to them.

"Ma said you helped at the very end. She said you fought your dad and it was really scary." Athena said quietly as she patted his hand. Andrias let out a choked laugh.

"It was one of the scariest things I ever did. But it was the right thing to do." He said, wiping his eyes. "I only wish I had done it sooner."

"Yeah, well, it sounds kinda hard to fight your dad when he's the moon." Athena shrugged.

"Wha-?" Andrias frowned then shook his head. "Anyway, I hope you understand that is why most folks don't care to see me."

"It's okay." Athena said as she stretched. "Lots of people don't like me either."

"What?" Andrias said as his eyes widened. He tried to look down in her general direction. "Why would anyone dislike you?"

"Cause I don't understand people very well." She hugged one of her plushies. "I make people mad and I don't know why."

"How?" Andrias felt a familiar twinge in his heart. He vividly recalled Marcy expressing similar concerns but she had two friends at least.

"Okay so before we left for camp I borrowed one of my sister's toys." Athena said as she immediately jumped in. "It was an action figure and you could move its arms and legs. I wanted to see how that worked so I took it apart-" As she recounted the tale Andrias's mind drifted back to Marcy. He remembered Marcy telling him about a time Anne was upset with her but didn't understand why. The answer seemed obvious to him and yet completely eluded her until he explained.

"-And I didn't even break the toy! I put it back together like I said I would and she still yelled at me!" Athena said as she started to get worked up.

"Little Master." He said patiently. "You sound so much like your mother."

"I do?" Athena asked, rubbing her eyes. "Cause I don't think my voice-"

"Ah, sorry, I forget that both you and your mother take things quite literally." A smile tugged at his lips. It felt like he had gone back in time and was talking with Marcy once more. "I mean to say that your experiences sound very similar."

"They do?" Athena asked. "But people like Ma."

"And I'm sure people like you too once they get to know you." Andrias assured her. "When your mother was younger, not quite your age but within a few years, she also struggled with understanding people. However she excelled in so many other things. She had such a brilliant mind that she seems to have passed on to you." He said fondly. He noticed the pause and continued. "Genetically speaking. She didn't physically give you a mind. I mean that you inherited her brilliance and deficits."

"Oh okay." Athena said as she started pulling grass out absentmindedly. She looked back in the direction of the city and squinted as she thought she saw the specks growing larger. "Why are there still frobots?"

"Hm?" Andrias scratched his beard. "There shouldn't be, well not the ones that seemed to be causing chaos in the city." He furrowed his brow. "Were you able to see what they were doing?"

"Uh-" Athena closed her eyes and scrunched up her face as she tried to recall. "I think they exploded out of the walls and then flew up."

"Out of the walls?" Andrias asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Athena said, opening her eyes again. The specks in the sky were growing bigger. Athena patted Andrias quickly. "There's some flying this way!"

"What!" Andrias reached for the hammer and struggled to get back up. He hefted the hammer over his shoulder as he used his tail to help him balance on his one leg. "Stay close." He said as he listened hard for the approaching frobots.

"But they shouldn't be evil, right?" Athena asked as she held onto his tail. "Because your dad and the hive mind are gone." Andrias remained silent. He tensed as he could hear the sound of the frobots' rockets. He hadn't regretted his decision to let his android body fall into disrepair until now. He didn't need to be whole for his sake but he needed to be able to protect Marcy's daughter. He grit his teeth as he readied his hammer. A large group of frobots flew overhead. Three stopped as they spotted Andrias and started to land.

"Target located." They heard one say as it scanned him over. Athena ducked behind his tail. "Requesting further instruction." There was a pause. Andrias shifted slightly as he tried to ascertain their approximate position before him. "Understood. Proceeding." The frobots' rockets started up again and they prepared to take off.

"Wait!" Andrias called out. "Who are you?" The frobots hesitated as they hovered a few inches off the ground.

"Request denied." The lead frobot announced.

"As former king and your creator I demand to-!" Andrias bellowed.

"King of what exactly?" An eerily familiar voice issued from the frobot. Andrias was gripped by a sudden fear he hadn't felt in a long time. "You're not worth our time…" The frobots took off and rejoined the larger group.

"Andrias?" Athena asked quietly once the frobots were out of sight. He was shaking and his eyes were wide.