"Chirp chirp chirp!"
The small bird made its noise, but alas no response came.
"Chirp chirp chirp?"
Try again as they might, the little bird didn't get a response. Growing more thirsty by the second, the bird thought to push its discarded food wastes out of its cage, and onto the despondent wreck below. This produced some results, as the lump stirred.
"Good morning." blandly stated the lifeless husk as he dropped a fistfull of birdseed between the bars of the bird cage.
Lumbeing to the far corner, Hadrian picked up a clay pot filled with water. He then dumped that water into the birdcage, hardly missing the bird. Then he turned away from the mess of birdseed floating on the bottom of the bronze cage and exited the room.
"Chirp..."
Hadrian then entered the atrium
"Hey." Kiya said, washing her hair by the fountain.
"How's your morning?" He responded. "Anything new?"
"Nothing, yet." Kiya responded in turn. "And quite frankly it worries me."
"Rightly so. Find me if anything changes, allright?"
"Allright."
"You... alright?" Hadrain said.
"As I said, not much new." she responded. "Um, Hadrian?"
"Yes?"
"If you aren't too busy, could you stay for a minute?"
"Certainly."
Hadrian sat on the floor across from Kiyas spot on the fountain, leaning against the palace walls. For a few moments the two didn't speak, Kiya washing her hair and Hadrian tapping the ground. He silently handed her a comb when he figured she'd needed it. They looked horribly melancholic with, aside from occasional glances at one another, the both of them drooping their eyes on the floor.
"It really is an awful shame. He was a good one, you know?" Kiya said. "Kind. Warm."
"I know that better than anyone. I have been a slave all my life and he wasn't my first master. I don't know how to say it, but... when one is legally property most people will, or will try to, treat you like property. That's society, just how things are. But not with Alexios. I mean yes, he did purchase me but it was never treated like that. He never distinguished between me who he found at a market and people like you who applied. Better, even. He rather just picked me up and presented me with a good life. Warm and kind, like you said, but also... respectful. He treated me like a person whom he valued and not a... Well, not like I was used to. And for people who don't share that philosophy, the majority of society and in particular his son, he would protect me. He was an important man, he could make sure of that. It was as if or rather it felt like because of him... I mattered."
"I always knew the two of you were close but I guess I never knew the details." Kiya replied. "But.. I can see it. He really was everyone's dad but to you more than anyone."
"The world is horribly cruel but you could pretend it wasn't if you were in his. But in this world, now he is not! And that... that..." Hadrian yelled.
"Sucks ass." Kiya declared.
"Yea I suppose."
The two of them laugh, a chuckle that fades to silence. A silence that stays for a moment, that hangs in the air until
"At last, dear friend, the fleeting years
In everlasting circles run..." Kiya sang.
"Love Horace. Classic poetry." Hadrian said before "In vain you spend your vows and prayers, They roll, and ever will roll on." He sang.
"Should hecatombs each rising morn" Kiya responded.
"On cruel pluto's altar dye, should costly loads of incense burn..."
****
"their fumes ascending to the sky."
Hadrian recited on a stage, to the crowd of a couple hundred. Under normal circumstance there would have been more, but this was on short notice.
"You could not gain a moment's breath, Or move the haughty king below, Nor would inexorable death, Defer an hour the fatal blow."
Everyone aside from Hadrian was dead silent, but in spite of that the air was distinctly saturated with lamentation. Not in the tears and crys of women and men, but in the tired, sad eyes of the crowd.
"In vain we shun the din of war, And terrors of the stormy main, In vain with anxious breasts we fear, Unwholesome Sirius' sultry reign;"
Kiya was to the side of the stage holding a fruit basket, standing strong but with a weary eye. The governor of Egypt sat next to his partner, lips warbling and teary-eyed.
"We all must view the Stygian flood, That silent cuts the dreary plains, And Cruel Danaus' bloody brood, Condemned to everduring pains."
But not all in the crowd were so sorrowful. Alexander, front and center near the governor Gaius, had a face that read as angry, annoyed, and bored. His slave, given that they have a bandaged face, was a bit harder to read but their eyes signaled a fearful pity.
"Your shady groves, your pleasing wife, And fruitful fields, my dearest friend, You'll leave together with your life: Alone the cypress..."
On that last line Hadrian hung his head in silence, letting a tear drip down his right cheek. A couple people began openly weeping, including Gaius who with quivering lips buried his face in his partners shoulder. This continued for a minute until the crowd once again fell silent.
Hadrian gestured to a servant stage left who then ran behind the stage. To stage right, he gestured to the retainer musicians who began to play a tune well fit for the background ambience of a drinkhouse. The servant ran onto stage and handed Hadrian a bottle of wine.
"After your death, the lavish heir Will quickly drive away his woe; The wine you kept with so much care Along the marble floor shall flow!"
Hadrian opened the wine, sending the cork flying over the heads of the crowd. The crowd remained silent.
"It's what he would have wanted." Hadrian responded.
From then, the crowd slowly dispersed to the tables of food and wine. The servants sang and danced, and dignitaires chatted over wine.
"Impressive show you've put on here, Hadrian!" said a politician.
"And on such short notice!" added a second, shorter politician.
"I do my best, sir." Hadrian replied.
"And of course our condolences." said a third, broader politician.
"Everyone at this estate is deeply in mourning. But that's not the only thing to be done, and I'm sure enough that it isn't the sole reason you fine gentlemen are here."
"Hadrian, you know us too well! Now, not to be gauche but the news of Alexioses sudden passing has caused concern that certain obligations..."
Alexander then injected himself into the group, cutting off the second, shorter politician.
"Of course, of course, obligations! As you know, I am the son of Alexios, and ergo the rightful heir of his estate and I should take care of any business with said estate..."
"Oh alright then. Can your excellency assure that the regular shipments of wine will continue?" said the first politician.
"Hm?" Alexander mumbled in confusion.
"Your estate has one of the largest vineyards in Egypt, and it's been supplying our district with wine for the last six years." responded the third, broader politician.
"Oh um, well uh, of course.." Alexander sputtered on.
"Don't worry, the crates are already on their way. I can assure you that things will continue to run smoothly." Hadrian interjected.
"Ah good man yourself!" shouted the first politician. "Now that business is taken care of, let's enjoy the merriments!"
"In Alexioses name, of course." responded the second, shorter politician.
"Of course." Hadrian assured. "Enjoy the wine!"
The politicians sauntered away. Hadrian intended to do the same, but before he could Alexios leaned and whispered:
"If it weren't for all the people here I would have you gutted for humiliating me like that."
***
"Get over here ye slow bastards, we are on a schedule!"
Hundreds of servants were running in every direction. Some were shoveling charcoal onto a hearth, some were refilling the kettles above their roaring fires, and yet more were carrying crates of wine and raw vegetables. And standing in the middle of it all was Cornelia, screaming directions and giving orders as if she were a general in charge of a legion.
"Did I catch you at a bad time?" Hadrian muttered.
"Ah nooo, I got basically nothing on my plate at the moment. Watch ya say bout chatting over some wine?" Cornelia countered.
"Sorry about the workload. I'm just checking in to see how things are running."
"Things are runnin' bout as well as can be expected." said Cornelia.
A few feet away from them two pairs of servants each carrying a crate crashed into each other, bursting the crates apart and dropping raw vegetables & bottles of wine all over the floor.
"Stretched a bit thin, but managing. Anyways, I am real busy so finish up quickly or get cookin'!"
"Of course, and again terribly sorry for getting in your way."
"Come on, spit it out!" Cornelia egged on.
"Has anyone come by?"
"Actually, someone did say they want to talk with you. Said they'd be behind the stables."
"Do you know who this was?" Hadrian Asked.
"Nah, I didn't catch their name. Have fun with that, I really have to get back to work."
"As you wish."
Hadrian then left in the direction of the stables, but as he walked away he heard another crash. Looking back, he saw the same two servants who crashed before on the ground again with Cornelia yelling at them. He turned around and left, closing a door behind him. He figured they could sort themselves out.
It was eerie, walking through the empty halls of the palace. Every step echoed, but no one except Hadrian heard the reverberations. Everyone was outside partying or in the kitchen. The most beautiful paintings, being admired by no one. Hadrian walked right past them, as that's not what he was here for. He saw and walked right past the head office, as for the time being it belonged to no one. He finally stepped into the atrium, instead of nothing now hearing the chirping of birds and running of water. He ran into his room, shutting the door behind him. He stepped carefully as not to wake his now sleeping bird.
"Now, where'd I put the damn thing?" Hadrian whispered to himself.
Hadrian got on his knees and reached under his bed, pulling out a long box. Very carefully he set the box on the bed, it being very old and of rather ornate construction. It depicted a scene of the Trojan war, with Greek soldiers flowing out of the wooden horse. Gingerly Hadrian opened the box, revealing a gladius in its scabbard. Relatively simple, but solid construction and very sharp. He got up to tie the scabbard to his waste, but as he did so he bumped against the cage, waking up the bird. It looked quite ready to loudly squawk in distress.
"Shhhhhhh..." Hadrian said to the bird, carefully placing a full date between the bars of the cage. "We want to be quiet here, sweetie."
He turned and left his room as the bird pounced on the date. Walking back into the atrium and then again into the main hall, he made his way to a side door to the outside. He slowly approached the stables in an effort to not startle the horses there. Eventually he made it to the side of the stables, unsheathing his sword before turning the corner. He took a deep breath and swung around the corner, charging at whoever was there and yelling at the top of his lungs. He stopped when he realized the people there were not Alexander or someone he didn't recognize, but the bandaged slave that Alexander came with, and behind him Heron and the head guard.
"Slow down there boy, you almost ran him through!" said Heron.
"My apologies." Hadrian said, sheathing his sword. "I somewhat expected to meet someone sent to kill me."
"And you came here by yourself? What if a squad of assassins ambushed you? You could hardly deal with that alone!" yelled the Guard.
"It was Cornelia that told me that someone wished to meet me, meaning that if something happened to me she would at least know the face of someone involved. Besides, I didn't find it to be of the highest likelihood. So I figured it to be fine."
"Your funeral." the guard shrugged.
"Actually that's the main reason, being that there is a funeral happening and I didnt want to bother anyone." Hadrian remarked in turn.
The guard looked at Hadrian with a dumbfounded expression. Soon following Heroin reinjected himself into the dialogue.
"Anyways! I have important information to relay. I know who killed Alexios, and it's been doubly confirmed."
"It's Alexander, correct?" asked Hadrian.
"Correct. How did you come to that conclusion?"
"From when I first heard that Alexios had died, I had some suspicion that Alexander had done it. But at the party he, never having been the subtle type, quite explicitly threatened me. And that removed any shred of doubt in my mind." Hadrian answered. "But you, you're a scientist, what makes this to you 'confirmed'?"
"Surely you can see that before you is Alexander's slave. But more importantly, his accomplice."
"You are telling me we have a murderer's accomplice in front of us?" Hadrian yelled, approaching the slave.
"Hadrian I can explain!"
"Fluvius?" said Hadrian, taken aback. "But why?"
"Alexander he.. he blackmailed me. I had caught him in the act, walked into the room as his dagger was in his fathers chest. His hands a crimson red, and a maniacal look in his eyes. I tried to run but he tackled me and slashed my face. He.. he then said 'If you don't want to suffer a far worse fate then you will help me get out of this.' and he... he led me out of the palace at dagger point. He plans to get me to forge documents proving he was somewhere else at the time of the murder. He has kept me under his vigilant eye every moment of every hour since that night. When he slept, he kept me in a cage. It's only by the grace of his addiction to wine that I have these few precious moments to inform you of his treacherous deeds." confessed Fluvius.
"He has always been a cruel bastard," said Hadrian. "But it still feels strange that he ended up killing his own father. Until now he's been more of a lazy drunk, if but a bit quick to anger."
"Truly a horrid man. I need to go, before he becomes lucid enough to know I've left, and who knows what he would do then..." Fluvius lamented.
"Then hurry Fluvius!" Heron urged. "And thank you for your help. We'll plan our next move, and be assured will come to your aid as expediently as possible."
"Thank you. And best of luck to you." Fluvius said before running back to the funeral party. As he left line of sight, Hadrian turned to the other two.
"What do we do now?" questioned Hadrian.
"That's hard to say," said Heron. "We are quite sure ourselfs, but still we don't have much that's concrete. Our word against his."
"No big moves yet." stated the Guard.
"Correct. We will have to get some people on our side as aside from Alexander's claim to the palace estate, he has his own assets, yes?"
"He has a house in the city. He mostly just holds parties, but that's got him buddy-buddy with the local legion officer." the Guard answered. "For a short time before Alexios hired me I was a soldier under that officer, and many times when Alexander should have been arrested or fined for public belligerence, I was told to just bring him home."
"Figures. Corruption like that is common enough amongst officials. You see it festering everywhere. I say if it isn't solved then one day it'll be the death of Rome itself."
"Death of rome? Seems pretty unrealistic." said Hadrian.
"Perhaps. But that's a discussion for another day, for now just act as if this meeting never happened. I'll be busy tomorrow, but the day after meet me back at my workshop. " instructed Heron. "But most of all... good luck."