If there was a constant to immortality, it was stasis. Lack of change. Boredom.
For a thousand years, King Andrias Leviathan, First of his Name, saw everything around him change and everything around him remain the same. Wars and revolutions came and went, always different and always the same.
Perhaps it was his punishment, as chosen by the Core. He who caused everything to change, forced to see everything stay the same and to ensure all would remain as it was. Ironic, fitting.
However, that all changed one fateful day, the day that Andrias and the Core had waited for for a thousand years.
The day when Wit, brought back by the Stones, by the Music Box Leif had stolen, arrived in Newtopia.
And promptly fell down a flight of stairs.
Honestly, Andrias could only thank frog that Marcy, as he learned the champion of the Prophecy was named, hadn't died or hit her head, but had merely broken her leg.
He kept watching on her from afar for a few days, without ever truly meeting her, as if fearing the power she brought. Weirdly, the Core didn't reprimand him for that. Perhaps, they too feared their demise? Andrias dared not even think about it.
However, meeting her could not be avoided. It was she that came to him, in the end. A shining morning of summer, she entered his throne room, her broken leg still in a cast, accompanied by Lady Olivia (dozens of newts like her had come and gone in his court, their mortal lives a blink of his eye, but Andrias had forced himself to memorise the name of every and each one of them, as if that would give their lives any meaning).
She was not like he had expected her to be. She was too much like… her. It didn't help that he was still holding the glasses she had given him or that the nickname Leif and Barrel had called him by found its place on her lips, by sheer chance. Though, he would have asked himself if his every thought was not possibly scrutinised by the Core, was anything chance when a prophecy was involved?
Even discounting that, the blatant disrespect, the lack of boundaries, the playfulness of her behaviour, her goofishness, everything about young Marcy Wu… it would have put a sad smile on his face nonetheless. They reminded him of simpler times, better times, where no Core or Prophecy was involved.
That of course only meant that, when the Core ordered him in whispers to kill her, his long gone heart was gripped by an icy cold grip of despair.
So, he begged for her life. He thought on his two feet, as quickly as he could and, for once, his wit did not fail him. The idea was solid, even the Core had to agree, surely!
When it did, when his father came out from the collective mind to compliment him in person, Andrias genuinely felt like smiling. He had done it. He had saved a young child and helped further the long plan that would redeem his mistake and bring back his civilisation's glory!
Most of all, he allowed himself to think as he softly passed his hand over the small trinket Marcy had affixed upon his pyjamas, maybe… maybe he could have a second chance. A second chance to have her back.
A few days passed. Marcy Wu proved to be a menace as his old best friend had been. Even with a broken leg she somehow was able to constantly outrun Lady Olivia and reach every nook and cranny of the castle, much to Andrias' amusement. A notebook always in hand, she jotted down everything she set her eyes on, always so full of amazement and joy.
So, when one late evening she, not followed by Lady Olivia (who had presumably decided to head for the kitchen for some 'juice'), entered once again his throne room, Andrias could not help himself from greeting her with a warm smile and a hearty laugh "Little Master Marcy! What brings you here?"
She enthusiastically waved at him, which caused her to lose her balance and faceplant on the floor. Andrias chuckled. He had been worried the first few times he had seen her tumble to the ground through the many eyes the Core had all over the castle, but by now he had understood that the girl was apparently as impervious to damage from her little falls as she was clumsy, which was surely fortunate.
He rose from his throne and picked her up by her hood bringing her embarrassed face at eye level
"You know" he teased her "by now I think I understand how you got that cast"
Marcy rubbed the back of her head "Sorry! I just, uhm, kinda lost my balance! Happens all the time, even back home! Sasha used to say that if Anne hadn't been looking out for me all the time, I'd have died years ago!"
Andrias could not help but let himself grow a bit sad as she mentioned her friends, perhaps even just because it reminded him of his friends, the ones that had left him years before.
He masked him it with a smile "I'll have to thank this Anne personally, when we meet! If I hadn't met you my life would be far more dull!"
Marcy blushed a little at that "Aw, thank you, King Andrias!"
"Please, just call me Andrias. I leave most of the King stuff to Lady Olivia, anyway" He put Marcy in the pocket of his pyjamas as he walked back towards his throne and settled down "What brings you here anyways? You are young, and it is late, you need to sleep"
Marcy stuttered a bit "W-well, the fact is… I miss a bit home. Well, more than that, I miss my friends"
Don't we all? Asked himself Andrias. "Don't worry Marcy. Amphibia is a big place. Just because we haven't found them yet, doesn't mean they are not there. We'll keep looking, I promise you"
Marcy smiled "Thank you, Andrias. But… no, don't mind that, it's stupid"
The giant newt gave her an encouraging grin "Don't worry, Master Marcy. I had plenty of stupid ideas and look where I am! Sometimes, something that sounds dumb in your head is really not, when you talk about it!"
"Like pineapple on pizza?"
"…I have no idea what that is, but I have a nagging feeling that is, indeed, stupid. But no matter, go on, say this idea of yours! You got this old newt curious!"
"…well, we used to do many things, Sasha, Anne and I. We'd give each other makeovers, we'd talk gossip… so I thought maybe we could do something you and I? I mean, I already asked Lady Olivia and she said no and you are the only other one I know here except the nurses-" realising she'd been rambling, Marcy stopped dead in her tracks, red in the face, before shaking her head and trying to save face "A-as I told you, it's stupid, you are probably very busy and I need to go to sleep and you need to go to sleep, after all you're elderly, just look at that beard, but not old in a bad way, old as wise and-"
A gigantic finger silenced the muttering teen, who looked up to see Andrias' face, that had been conquered by a warm smile. "Calm down, Little Master"
Once Marcy's breathing had slowed down, the titan spoke "That was a lot to take in, I'll say. You sure do talk fast. Just a couple of pointers. First thing, I am quite possibly the least wise person in this castle. Try and say I am wise around Olivia and she'll probably have an aneurism. Second, I may be old, but I'm a youngster at heart, as the kids say"
"That is not 'what the kids say'" Said Marcy with a little laugh.
"Duly noted. Third, as I said, I am not too busy. The good thing about being King? You can just order others to do your work! And finally, I would love to spend some time with you"
Marcy's eyes filled with stars and sparkles "R-really!?"
The King nodded "Of course!"
Marcy began to clap her hands in excitement "This. Is. Awesome! I'm about to have a sleepover with a King!"
Andrias gave a little laugh. Her enthusiasm was refreshing, like a warm bath for his old bones, if he still had bones or could feel a warm bath.
"So" the ruler asked his little Master "What do you want to do?"
Marcy opened her mouth, then closed it, opened it again only to close it once more "I don't know" She muttered, embarrassment evident on her face "I… didn't think I'd get this far" She was silent for a second, before asking "W-what would you like to do, Andrias?"
"Ah, don't worry, Master Marcy" the king answered with a dismissive wave. "I'm down with anything. Seriously, I'm pretty bored. I guess I like singing? But if Lady Olivia hears me singing, she has promised to go on strike, so that is not an option."
"Bummer. I guess you have a wonderful voice!"
"Shush, you flatterer!" Andrias said, playfully "But really. Feel free to suggest" As he said that, the King could see that Marcy had an idea, but was perhaps too shy to say it out loud "Oh? You have an idea? Come on, shoot!"
"Well, I guess we could watch… a movie?"
"Awesome!" Exclaimed King Andrias "Just a question, what's a movie?"
"Oh. Right. You wouldn't know" Marcy playfully facepalmed, chuckling "Well, it's like… a play? Do you have those?"
The King nodded
"Well, it's basically a recorded play. Except not really, because there are a number of differences in acting style, props and- sorry, rambling again"
"Don't worry, little one. I do not mind, not really" Andrias reassured her "Do you have a 'movie' you'd like to watch?"
"Well, there is one" She suggested quietly, just a bit hesitantly
"Let's watch that, then! I am curious to learn about your human entertainment!"
At that, Marcy crawled out of the pocket, leaving Andrias irrationally disappointed. He liked having the tiny creature in there, he liked her in general. Perhaps she could be preserved, when he and the Core would wipe out the human race? It was not preposterous, after all, the Mossmen and the Shadowfish had been preserved. He guessed her friends could be added to the castle's collection as well as everyone necessary to keep Marcy content.
Marcy sat on her knee and whipped out a tiny rectangular contraption with a blue cover sporting a cartoony representation of one of those foul beasts that ate frogs, known as ducks. Human society might value military prowess a lot more than they expected, if they thought of such bloodthirsty beasts as cute things.
Andrias leant in, trying to get a better view on the small screen, that was even smaller when compared with his great stature.
"This movie is my favourite!" Marcy beamed as she put on the recorded movie "It's called 'War of the Warlocks'! It's fantastic, a milestone in fantasy movies! The special effects are something out of this world! And the plot is so good! I won't spoil you anything, just watch!"
He had to admit, the movie was not bad. The story was a little out there, resembling very much the farfetched stories Barrel would tell him and Leif, but it was a solid movie, with good characters and plot. More than the movie, though, what he enjoyed the most was Marcy's enthusiasm.
The movie was three hours long and throughout every minute of its runtime, the human girl would be gushing over any small detail, talking about her favourite scenes with an all too familiar passion, her hands flapping all the while, her eyes shining as she spoke.
His heart, had Andrias still got one, would have been filled with warmth at the kid's enthusiasm. Was it fate or was the universe finally giving him something positive that this human, for whom Andrias had waited a thousand years, was so much like her?
Finally, after the best three hours of his life in a thousand years, the movie ended, on a wholesome scene of the two protagonists finally kissing, which even Andrias thought was cute. Marcy shed a tear and got up, turning towards him, a big goofy grin on her face "Soooo? What do you think?"
"I think you'll need to lend me that magic box of yours, Master Marcy!" He proclaimed with a laugh "I do want to watch it at least once more! Of course, if you would watch it again with me it would be all the better!"
Stars formed in Marcy's eyes, before fading away. She settled down, her grin becoming a melancholic half-smile.
Andrias gave her a puzzled look "Marcy? Did I say something wrong?" He didn't want to upset her, both because of his agreement with the Core and because he felt something, an almost painful sensation at the bottom of his soul, when Marcy was not her usual happy self, for some reason.
Marcy chuckled sombrely and faced away from the giant newt "It's just… this is the first time I get to show anyone this movie to anyone without them falling asleep"
Andrias confusion subsided slightly, but an awful familiar feeling crept in. "But what about your friends? By how you speak of them, you must love them very much. They must love you just as much"
"…I love them. I love them so much." Marcy whispered, her back turned to Andrias, her head hanging a bit to the side. "I… wouldn't know what to do if they were gone"
Andrias' gaze went to the side, as if ashamed. He knew that feeling all too well. When Leif left… when he barred Barrel from ever returning… it hurt more than anything. He kept silent, the shame, both for how he felt and for how he had treated his friends, too strong for Andrias to open his mouth.
Not knowing about the King's inner turmoil, Marcy went on "I've never had many friends. Heck, sometimes I think the only reason Sasha's friends with me is because she's Anne's friend." Her left hand went to her face, while her right kept her balanced on Andrias' knee. "The only real friend I've ever made on my own… is Anne. We were friends since we were four. It was just us two. Well, Anne had a lot of friends, how could she not?, but I had only her. Her and I against the world. Then, Sasha came along. I love her too. She is awesome!" Marcy exclaimed, her voice beginning to tremble "She always stands up for me and Anne and-and she has always the best and funniest ideas for things to do!" Marcy's voice who had gotten a bit more bombastic, yet just a bit deranged, got a bit more melancholic. "Sometimes, though… it's nothing, I'm-I'm just being selfish again"
The Newt King felt like there was definitely something there. Softly he spoke "Go on, little Marcy. Sometimes, letting it all out is the best way to make it better"
Suddenly, Andrias felt something on his leg. His cybernetics had very much dampened some sensations, such as temperature, but heightened others. So he felt it perfectly well when a droplet of liquid hit his leg. He stretched his neck to look Marcy in the face and his suspicions were confirmed. The girl was crying.
Hesitantly, he moved his hand and passed it on her back, delicately, as if she was made of porcelain. He briefly stopped when she leant into his enormous hand, but quickly continued, still silent, waiting for Marcy to speak, to interrupt the silence that was now only broken by poorly conceived sobs.
"It's…" She began after a while, her speech soft, whispered and occasionally broken by sniffles "It's just… well, Sasha always leads and Anne always follows her, but they are never interested in anything I'm interested in. Do you know how many times I've tried to make them watch this movie?" The chuckle returned "I've lost count myself. Sometimes I feel… redundant. Like they would be better off without me. Maybe… maybe Anne likes Sasha more than me… maybe I am selfish for wanting to impose myself on them. Maybe I should just… disappear" the last part was just a wisp of breath, almost inaudible but for Andrias' enhanced senses.
And Andrias saw past something. Until now, he had seen this girl as a new coming of Leif, his new chance to be with his old friend. Now, now he saw something of a young newt that had died in spirit a long time ago, betrayed by someone that he had held dear.
He picked up the girl, who curled up on herself in his cupped hand. She looked so fragile, almost shaking
"Hey, hey." He said, in a soothing tone "None of that. You hear me? Little one, you are one wonderful kid, that I can tell. Anyone would be happy with having you as a friend. If they cannot see that, well, the problem is not with you"
Andrias genuinely couldn't tell if he was speaking to Marcy or to his younger self, but, by some miracle, it worked. The young girl's breathing stabilised and she was no longer sobbing. She laid down, resting her face against the base of his thumb, her feet dangling down his palm.
"T'ank you, 'Drias" she muttered, evidently tired, her previous energy probably sapped away by the late hour and the disappearance of her previous adrenaline.
As he heard the nickname, even if only produced by the tiredness in Marcy's voice, King Andrias' lips twirled in a smile born of melancholy.
In no time, the girl's eyelids, that had grown heavier by the second, completely shut down. The third Hero of the Prophecy, one of the only three that could hope to stop the plan that had been set in motion a millennium before, was softly snoring in the hand of the champion of the Core. It would have been so easy to just crush her like that. Her neck was a twig, in comparison to his powerful hands and she would have never felt anything.
Instead, Andrias' other hand reached in his pocket and pulled out an unused tissue, before using the giant piece of fabric to envelop Marcy's sleeping form in a cocoon, that was then placed in his front pocket.
Perhaps it was only fitting, Andrias could not help but think as he began to doze off on his throne, that, on the way to redeem his greatest mistake, he could help someone that was just like him.