Automata Romana

Chapter 8: Best I can

Alexas had not been feeling the best. Before her worst confrontation with mortality was when she witnessed her father run a monkey over with a horse-drawn cart. But now she woke up alone. Usually her father would bring her a glass of water and a snack. He would tell her his plans for the day, and she would listen best she could. When she finished her snack, she would get on Alexioses shoulders and be brought to school. He would often gallop through the halls of the palace, making it a fun horsey ride before being dropped off at the classroom door. Then when the day was over, she would crawl in bed and her father would tell her stories. When Alexios finished the story and Alexas was drifting off to sleep, he would lean in to kiss her on the forehead and wish her goodnight. And then the next day, it would happen again. In her seven years on this earth her father had missed but one day when he was on a business trip, whatever that meant. But five days ago she was tucked in, and when she woke up her father wasn't there. Then she walked to school by herself, then at night she fell asleep with no one telling any stories. And now she's woken up again, and her father hasn't come back.

As it wasn't a school day, she had no obligations. No mandatory tasks and no one to direct her, she stayed in bed for a good long while. Laying down, staring at the roof. She felt a lot of things. Confused, hurt, alone. She had heard the guard describe her father being at the center of a scene of blood and gore, and that brought her mind back to the monkey. Back to the gross colours and smells. The red that stained the sand. 'Is my father the monkey?' was a thought that kept creeping back in her mind regardless of how hard she tried to keep it out. As if it were two titanic armies clashing, she tried her hardest to push back the thoughts of her father. A titanic and intensely distressing struggle, it made an already lonely morning far more difficult to handle.

"Meow."

A cat was standing on her bed. She was surprised by this development, as her father was allergic and they consequently never owned one.

"Meow." repeated the cat, staring intently at Alexas.

"Good morning." she answered the cat.

"Meow." the cat said, now standing on Alexases stomach.

"What are you up to?" she asked the cat.

"Meow." answered the cat, before turning and jumping off the bed.

"Meow."

"I guess," said Alexas, rising out of bed. "What's your name?"

"Meow."

"I'll call you kitty, ok?" Alexas asked the cat.

"Meow."

"Aww thank you! I know it's a big ask since we just met." Alexas said as she stood out of bed, looking down on the cat.

"Meow." the cat said, turning around and walking out of an open door. Alexas wondered how the cat got in, as there aren't any windows and the door was locked from the inside, but she figured that it wasn't of much concern. The cat walked out of her room, and Alexas followed.

"So kitty, what have you been up to?"

"Meow." the cat meowed, walking down the halls.

"Oh that sounds fun. I bet I could help if you'd be ok with that." Alexas sputtered. "Would you be?"

"Meow."

Alexas nodded. The cat continued on and she continued to follow, past statues and halls, offices and finally outside into the garden. The cat climbed a box set next to vines. The cat then faced the vines, walked back to the edge of the box, and crouched down, winding up to pounce. The cat then leaped a full twelve feet onto a roof ledge.

"Meow." said the cat, looking down on Alexas.

"You sure? It's kinda high..." Alexas asked with moderate worry.

"Meow." the cat answered before turning away out of sight.

Alexas tentatively approached the wall of vines. It would be easy enough to climb, but the prospect of climbing that high was worrying. 'What if I fall?' she thought, and it was a powerful thought but the beck and call of the cat was strong enough to overcome that fear. She pulled the box as close to the wall as she could, climbed onto the box and grabbed the highest vine she could. One step at a time, slowly and tentatively hoisting herself up, she made it up the wall and before she knew it her head peaked over the roof. What she saw at the top of the roof was absolutely delightful. This corner was a forgotten platform attached to the large palace, being the roof to the garden's storage room. Two edges of this outcropping were the walls of rooms on the second story, with no windows looking out to it. In the corner there was a large roof tile leaning against the wall, propped up slightly by a stone, providing shade for the cat and five kittens.

"Kittens!" Alexas excitedly shrieked, tumbling on the roof and rolling towards the back corner. "Are they your kittens?"

"Meow."

"Single father of five kids? Must be hard work."

"Meow." the cat confirmed.

"Mew!" one of the kittens interjected, bumbling around and barely able to see.

"Awww!" Alexas squee'd. The cat walked past Alexas to the edge of the roof.

"Meow." the cat instructed.

"I'll take good care of them!" Alexas answered, accepting the cat's orders.

The cat turned away and leaped off the roof. Alexas rushed to the edge to see that the cat had landed in soft dirt. She had crushed some flowers but was clearly fine. Turning back to the corner, Alexis was able to truly appreciate the improvised structure that housed the five infant kittens. For bedding there was a bunch of assorted fabrics, from cloth to the occasional fine silk, and a full pillow. A few feet away from the sleeping area is a moderately sized pile of fish skeletons and dried out fruit peels of various types. The structure provided a good amount of shade, and there was more than enough room for Alexas to lay down next to the kittens.

For the next couple hours Alexas played with kittens. One of them was significantly more developed than the others, having the ability to walk and open their eyes. Alexas quite enjoyed holding a fish skeleton above that particular cat and watching as they pounced and clawed at the swinging bones. Alexas was quite enjoying herself, but she was beginning to wonder when the cat would be back.

"Meow." the cat announced, next to a large fish.

"Woah I didn't notice you climb up! How did you get that fish up, it's bigger than you!" remarked Alexas.

"Meow."

"Sorry I didn't mean to be rude. I'm just impressed, y'know?"

"Meow."

"Sorry I don't feel hungry."

The cat then nodded, walking up to the kittens and picking them up by the skin of their necks, dropping them off by the fish. Smelling the excellent meal, the cats excitedly climbed onto the large fish, biting and gnawing.

"They seem to like it." Alexas commented.

The sight before her was quite pleasing, and she felt as if today would be better than the last few. A refreshing change from the stresses that she had been forced to deal with, oh so ill prepared.

"Let go of me!" an angry voice echoed through the air.

Concerned, Alexas hurriedly rolled out from under the shelter to look over the roof. She saw Hadrian being arrested by centurions, with two grabbing his arms as he struggled to get away from them and fourteen more behind them.

Alexas raised her hands and began to scream, but was cut off when the cat approached and gently placed a paw on her leg.

She then silently watched Hadrian struggle and the centurions ordered his compliance. He freed one of his arms, taking the opportunity to grab a rock from the ground. With a violent swing he cracked the rock against the skull of the second centurion, who proceeded to collapse to the ground. Hadrian then hopped onto the horse the two centurions came in on, grabbed the reins and rode off at blazing speeds away from his attempted captors.

"After him! He can't ride forever!" one centurion ordered.

Four centurions on horses chased after Hadrian, eventually disappearing over the horizon.

Alexas then noticed that more centurions were coming onto the premises, numbering in the hundreds. She curled back into the corner to hide. She knew something was horribly wrong.

And then her stomach grumbled.