Chapter 11

Nine nights had passed since Dolly was gifted with its existence. Five nights since the golem was entrusted with the honour and privilege of protecting Creator's important people, his family. Dolly felt this kinship through the context of memories Creator had similarly gifted it alongside the golem’s existence.

Creator's family was missing, broken, gone, so he was making a new one to fill the void their absence had torn in his soul. By extension, protection of this new family was the highest calling he could bestow upon Dolly. The weight of this duty seemed impossibly overwhelming given the golem’s diminutive size and limited capabilities, but all the same, Dolly would do its best.

Creator's gifted memories were bittersweet experiences for Dolly. The majority of them were broken, incomplete or otherwise damaged. At the centre of what the golem could piece together was a young girl, the Badger. She was important to him, so vital that his subconscious had gathered all it could find of her into one place to protect what remained.

From the oldest memories, was a girl not much bigger than Arlee. She had dark shoulder-length hair and similar facial features to Creator, but wore strange, loose-fitting clothes making it difficult to identify other notable features. Her clothes, bedsheets and all manner of toys were adorned or styled with different visual representations of badgers. Some were cute, adorable and to varying degrees, somewhat realistic and natural. While others were far more bizarre and hardly recognizable, resembling hybrid creatures like the chimaera. Badger’s fascination with the animal was almost certainly the source of her moniker.

Badger always seemed to be keeping her distance, her nose buried in a book or locking herself away in her room. Even when Creator was trying to have a conversation with Badger, Dolly could see in her eyes that she was somewhere else, never truly acknowledging Creator's presence. The golem could feel the pain this caused Creator, the intensifying loneliness and sense of isolation. Even still, he loved her, Dolly could feel it, instinctively understanding that much of their relationship at least. The golem also knew that Creator did not expect to find her, but the impression left on these memories were unclear why.

As curious and driven as Dolly was to find out more, there was a problem. Just as his subconscious had gifted the golem those memories, it had likewise blocked Dolly from expressing them directly, even when directly ordered to do so by Creator. As best the golem could rationalize, it was most likely his mind protecting itself, perhaps requiring Dolly to refamiliarize Creator with his broken memories little by little to avoid further damage.

The stillness and quiet of the night gave Dolly a great deal of free time to explore these memories, but the golem found doing so to be counterproductive to its purpose. The damaged nature of the memories often required a great deal of the golem’s attention and focus to make sense of the scattered images and warped sounds. This was a luxury Dolly would not permit tonight.

Something felt off, somehow wrong, like the world itself was waiting for something to happen. But the door and window shutters were both locked shut. The rat warrens were long since emptied. The more adventurous rats had been killed and cast into the street, those that survived fled elsewhere. Even the spider left, its lingering webs now tattered and falling apart. All the same, Dolly was certain something was going to happen.

Dolly Anxious: “Creator?" It was unlikely that he was still awake, but making contact with Creator felt reassuring all the same.

Hours passed by in relative silence and all at once Dolly’s sense of imminent danger dissipated. Whatever had been going to happen, didn’t. Perhaps it had been postponed until another night, or maybe indefinitely, Dolly wasn’t sure.

“What was the problem?” Creator asked, his voice alert but still somewhat tired.

Dolly Concerned: “Something was going to happen but didn’t."

“What? Explain.” Creator sounded confused and a little worried, Dolly could also make out the sounds of him getting dressed for early morning exercises with Aela.

Dolly Obedient: “Imminent danger was detected and sustained for several hours before suddenly dissipating four minutes ago."

Dolly Anxious: “Rough conjunction with Creator’s schedule is cause for alarm regarding protected persons Arlee, Abigail, Aela and Creator’s safety."

Creator was silent a moment before answering, “You are certain of this?"

Dolly Conviction: “Affirmative!"

Dolly listened as Creator finished getting dressed and moved through the house.

“Aela?” Creator knocked on a door, waiting a few moments and likely hearing a response from within, he opened the door and entered.

“What? Not leave for longer yet.” Aela asked, her voice equally shy and tired.

Dolly had noticed how her affection for Creator often seemed at odds with his well-intentioned but otherwise oblivious nature. While Creator considered her a friend, but it was clear that Aela wanted more.

“The golem thinks something was going on outside of the house, but just stopped a short while ago. I thought we should go check it out," Creator proposed.

“We should,” Aela agreed, her conviction and protective instincts reinforcing Dolly’s admiration of her character.

After a few more minutes, both Creator and Aela were outside and had locked the front door. They began investigating the house surroundings. Their investigative patrol was performed in relative silence, with only the sounds of their muted footsteps on the cobbled street to inform Dolly of their actions.

The enchantments placed on Creator's communication crystals served as beacons to Dolly and the golem was precisely aware of its position relative to these beacons at all times. So without opening the window’s shutters, Dolly knew that they had reached the backstreet just below Arlee’s bedroom window.

“What is it?” Creator asked.

“Someone lingered here,” Aela replied from a short distance away, “Long enough that piss on wall,” she was likely pointing or gesturing at one of the nearby houses or businesses, but Dolly had no way of seeing which.

An uncomfortable silence passed between them. “Can you track them?” Creator asked.

“Probably, but not far. Too many humans, too much waste in the streets. Won’t find him unless he is close,” Aela sounded confident in her assessment.

“He?” Creator asked, somewhat amused.

“Can tell the smell, he male,” Aela gave no further explanation.

The pair of them set off again, but just as Aela had predicted, they did not manage to make it very far before their progress began to slow and then stall completely.

“Sorry,” Aela apologized, “Lost the scent."

“That’s alright,” Creator said “You did far better than I could have. Besides, I think I know where they were headed,” he paused for a moment, no doubt pointing or gesturing in a particular direction, “Seems to be heading towards the south gate, let’s go see if the guards have seen anyone pass through."

“Okay,” Aela agreed.

Dolly’s sensory perception immediately shifted as the golem heard the fourth stair from the bottom of the first-floor staircase creak. knowing the other residents of the house had not yet stirred.

Dolly Alert: “INTRUDER DETECTED! Currently inside the house, ascending first-floor staircase. Waking protected persons Arlee and Abigail. Awaiting further instructions."

Dolly immediately leapt into action, vaulting onto the bed and dragging the blankets off of Arlee and Abigail. Abigail began stirring to wakefulness nearly immediately, but Arlee remained nearly motionless. Dolly knew that waking the mother was of more immediate importance and focused its attention on her, giving Abigail’s face a light slap.

“Wha?!” Abigail sat up suddenly, almost sending Dolly flying.

Dolly gestured frantically to Abigail then the door and held a finger against where its lips would be if it had a mouth.

Seemingly unaware of the danger Dolly was trying to alert her to, Abigail got up off the bed and partially lifted the shade off of the enchanted light-stone Creator had provided on the nightstand by the bed. The room was now dimly lit and casting shadows in each direction.

Dolly began frantically gesturing again but stopped as it detected another creaking board, this time from just outside the door.

Judging by Abigail’s reaction, she had heard it as well and now seemed to understand Dolly’s warning.

Dolly Alert: “INTRUDER DETECTED, Currently outside first-floor bedroom occupied by protected persons Arlee and Abigail. Preparing to engage the threat. Awaiting orders."

Dolly retrieved the broken and rusty flooring nail the golem had discovered four nights ago from under the bed.

“Aela! Someones at the house! We have to get back there!” Creator's voice was angry and Dolly shared the sentiment.

The board on the stairs creaked and then again shortly after.

Dolly Alert: “MULTIPLE INTRUDERS DETECTED, Currently outside first-floor bedroom occupied by protected persons Arlee and Abigail, additional targets approaching from the first-floor staircase. Prepared to engage all threats. Awaiting orders."

Abigail had picked Arlee up with one arm and quietly walked over to the door that connected their two rooms. She turned the handle and carefully peeked inside. Finding no threats, Abigail slipped through the door with Arlee and closed the door behind her.

Dolly Alert: Protected persons Arlee and Abigail have withdrawn to the connected tertiary bedroom. Intruders entry to the primary bedroom anticipated as imminent. Prepared to engage all threats. Awaiting orders."

“Hold them off as long as you can!” Creator barked, “We will be back soon!"

The tumblers inside the door to Arlee’s room clicked and the door handle began to slowly turn.

Dolly Enraged: INTRUDERS BREACH IMMINENT! ENGAGING WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE!"

Dolly was already in motion, sprinting across the floor, snapping and snatching up a splinter from a loose floorboard before leaping up onto the bed. Springing off the bedpost with the broken nail clutched tight in its right fist and the splintered wood in its left, Dolly was now airborn.

The door opened and a man dressed in black and holding a knife was horrified to see Dolly’s nail as it was plunged deep into his right eye before he had even taken a single step across the threshold.

Dolly rode him to the ground, the golems left hand and arm plunging deep into the intruder’s left eye before being withdrawn, deliberately leaving the wooden splinter behind.

As the intruder hit the ground, he began to scream fumbling frantically at his eyes as they began to bleed profusely.

Using the momentum of the intruders falling body to skid across the floor to the doorway on the opposite side of the hall. Dolly was hidden from view and could see two more men at the top of the stairs, one holding a short sword and the other a length of rope.

Dolly Enraged: One intruder incapacitated! Two additional Intruders confirmed! Engaging from ambush.” Dolly attached portraits of both the incapacitated intruder and the two additional intruders, alongside its latest communication.

“FUCK!!! MY EYES!!!” The first intruder screamed, blood welling over his fingers as he scrambled back away from Arlee’s room and unwittingly closer to Dolly.

The two other intruders were moving quickly now, likely seeing no need for further stealth given how loudly their companion was screaming.

“Shut him up!” The third intruder hissed, crudely crossing his thumb across his own throat.

“Right, don’t want the whole neighbourhood to hear us,” the second intruder agreed. Kneeling by the first intruder and taking a firm grip of the man by his shirt and moving his short sword in against the first intruder’s throat.

“NO!” The first Intruder begged, now frantically trying to push the second intruder off of him.

The second intruder didn’t notice Dolly climbing the jamb of the doorway and taking a perch on the door handle.

“No hard feelings,” the second intruder muttered quietly as he slashed the first intruder’s throat open.

The second intruder still hadn’t noticed Dolly when he turned back to the third intruder and gestured back towards Arlee’s room.

Dolly Enraged: “One intruder dead! Engaging ambush!"

Dolly leapt onto the second intruder’s shoulders, the point of the broken nail slamming into the intruder’s neck over and over again in rapid succession. Blood immediately began welling from each puncture point and spilling down the intruder’s front and down his chest

"The fuck?!” The second intruder roared wetly as he grabbed Dolly and threw the golem against the wall.

Dolly was undamaged, Creator's enchantments sapping a small portion of mana to eliminate the force of the impact.

“Wha-” The second intruder held his free hand to his neck and held it there a moment before pulling it away and staring at it blankly for a moment in shock, “The fuck?...” He muttered, staggering and leaning heavily against the wall.

The third intruder had rushed forward but stopped as the second intruder slowly turned to face him and collapsed.

Dolly Enraged: “Two intruders dead! Engaging the third intruder!"

The third intruder looked first at Dolly and then to the bodies of his companions bleeding out on the floor, then back to the golem again. His eyes grew wide with fear. The third intruder ran the moment Dolly began moving towards him, dropping the lengths of rope and sprinting back towards the stairs.

Dolly reached the final intruder just as he was halfway down the stairs. Knowing Creator's enchantments would protect it, the golem launched itself at the intruder’s back, bloody nail glistening in its right hand.

“NOOOO!” The intruder screamed lurching to one side and flailing as he batted Dolly aside and into the wider room, then toppled down the stairs as he lost his balance. The intruder fell hard and poorly, groaning feebly as he lay upside down across the staircase.

Dolly Angry: “Final intruder incapacitated. Awaiting orders."

Dolly rushed over to the intruder’s side and held the bloody nail at the ready, sending another portrait of the final intruder to Creator and awaiting his decision.

The final intruder groaned and then began to gargle, wheeze and gasp.

The golem watched and waited for orders, deadly still as it waited. Three minutes passed while Dolly waited. However, the golem only heard cautious activity of the residents from upstairs. There was also Creator's heavy breathing and accompanying running footsteps, but that was bleeding through his communication enchantment.

The intruder weakly gasped one final time, then stopped breathing and became very still.

Dolly Alert: Final intruder dead. Confirming wellbeing of protected persons Arlee and Abigail."

Returning upstairs, Dolly confirmed that the male resident, Robert, was indeed awake and now was occupying the hall armed with the second intruder's short sword. Designating Robert a non-threat, the golem quickly continued into Arlee’s room and found it just as Dolly had left it.

Climbing the door jamb to the adjoining door between the two rooms, Dolly found the door to be locked. Quickly moving to check Abigail’s door from the hallway, the golem found that it was locked as well.

“No way...” Robert gasped, his expression equal parts horror and disbelief as he watched Dolly hanging off the door handle.

Dolly shifted the tumblers with the bloodied nail, easily unlocking the door. Kicking off against the doorframe, the golem easily inched the door open wide enough to peek inside. Abigail’s room was just like Arlee’s room but without the toys strewn across its floor and the bed and blankets were still made.

Dropping to the floor, the golem began searching for Arlee and Abigail, first looking under the bed, then in the closet. There was no sign of them and this worried Dolly.

Dolly Anxious: “No sign of protected persons Arlee and Abigail, continuing search. Resident Robert is armed and assumed to be acting in support of Dolly in the general vicinity of the first-floor hallway. Awaiting orders."

There was one final place large enough to hide Abigail and Arlee both, but Dolly would be unable to open it. The prospective hiding place was a chest at the foot of the bed. It was intended to store bedding and sheets, so it was more than big enough for both of them to fit inside. Some stray bedsheets covered the top of the chest, but the golem noticed that the displaced creases strongly suggested that the sheets had only been displaced recently.

Dolly knocked on the side of the chest and was overjoyed as it heard a very muffled squeak from within.

Dolly Relieved: “Protected persons Arlee and Abigail located, assumed healthy. Hiding place is currently secure. Taking guard position by the hallway door. Awaiting orders."

Shortly after the golem’s latest communication, the front door slammed open and Creator rushed inside only to suddenly stop at the foot of the staircase.

“What the hell?!” Creator shouted in surprise.

“Dead!” Aela called out as she bounded up the stairs, “Two more," Aela pushed open Abigail’s door then stared down at Dolly in surprise, “Found the golem!"

Creator was not far behind her, “Good job Dolly!” He wheezed anxiously, still trying to catch his breath, “Abigail? Arlee? It’s safe to come out now."

The lid of the linen chest at the foot of the bed slowly opened, revealing Abigail with Arlee held firmly to one side and a knife clutched tightly in her other hand. “What’s happening? Who were they?” She asked, voice strained and her knife hand trembling.

“I don’t know,” Creator admitted, “But, whoever they were, they can’t do much of anything anymore they’re de-heeey Arlee!” Admirably, he seemed to have concerns discussing recent events in front of his adopted daughter. Creator briefly ducked back outside the door, “Erm Aela, would you mind moving our..err...uninvited guests downstairs and keeping an eye on them?"

No doubt understanding Creator's intentions, Aela required no explanation, “Okay,” she agreed amiably, the sounds of her now heavier footsteps retreating down the hallway outside.

“Robert? I want you to take Arlee, Abigail and your family upstairs to my room. Bar the door and don’t remove it until you are certain I am on the other side."

“Alright,” Robert sounded shaken, no doubt thankful for his assignment to rearguard duty.

“I am going to contact the guild and fetch the town guard. Maybe we can try to make some sense of this." Creator lowered his voice, so quietly only Dolly and Robert could hear him, “Try to keep them distracted if you can, maybe with some lessons or something. No telling how long you might need to stay up there before I can get this sorted out."

“What do we-” Robert stopped and corrected himself, “What do I do if something happens while you are gone?"

“The golem can contact me directly, use it if you need to relay a message. The monitor in my room functions much the same, but I don’t have the time to show you how it works." A short pause likely accompanied by a reassuring gesture or knowing look must have been shared between them before Creator continued, “Aela is going to watch the stairs, and so long as you keep the door barred and windows shuttered everything is going to be fine."

“As you say, Mr Markus,” Robert quickly moved down the hall, likely to explain the situation to his wife.

Creator reentered the room, “Abigail if you would accompany Robert upstairs and hold yourselves up in my room while I fetch the town guard, it would be a considerable load off my mind."

Abigail frowned but nodded determinedly, “Alright. But after you return, will you explain what happened?” She was nervous and very likely scared, for good reason if what Dolly had seen of the trio of intruders was an indicator of intent.

“Of course,” Creator agreed, “When I know something, I’ll let you, Robert and Lindsay know. But for now, I really need to know that all of you will be safe once I leave the house.” he began herding Abigail and Arlee out of the room, taking care to block as much of the blood pooled on the hallway floor from Arlee’s sight as possible as he did so.

Having been given no explicit instructions, Dolly defaulted to her pre-existing objectives, namely keeping Arlee and Abigail safe. The golem followed the small group as Creator herded them up the stairs and into his private quarters.

The room was larger than Arlee and Abigail’s rooms individually, but not collectively. It was furnished very similarly to each of the other bedrooms, with the addition of the desk and its enchanted crystal panes, a small bookshelf scattered with a few books, as well as the mounting brackets on either side of the door and its accompanying thick bar of oak.

Intuitively, Dolly recognised Creator's enchantments on all manner of objects in the room. Everything from the blankets on the bed to the board now barring and holding the door closed was enchanted. The overwhelmingly dominant source of enchantments was durability focused, likely intended to stop or at least delay the day to day wear and tear such mundane objects accrued over time. Or perhaps given the unexpected infiltration of his home by intruders, knife proof bedsheets and blankets was to be considered more on the side of prudent planning.

Thankfully, Arlee settled in and went back to sleep shortly after Robert had locked them all in and barred the door. Unfortunately, this gave the adults plenty of time to speak freely amongst themselves, provided they did not get too loud and wake Arlee or the infant Suzy.

Dolly decided it might be for the best if it made an effort not to look like it was listening. Removing a book from one of the lower shelves, the golem laid it out on the floor and began to read. The book appeared to be a language primer for the predominant dialect used by the northern princedoms.

Unfortunately, Dolly’s misdirection proved all too effective, as the golem found itself fascinated by the process of learning the new language. So without realizing it, not only did Dolly not spare enough attention to listen to the scattered conversations of Abigail, Robert and Lindsay, the golem also failed to notice Creator's conversations as well, and only realized he had returned when Robert opened the door.

“Is everything okay? What happened? What do we do now?” Robert sounded understandably nervous.

“I’m not sure yet, but I think that they were after Arlee or Abigail, maybe both of them," Creator sighed and rubbed at his temples, “If my hunch is correct, then I need to start increasing security around the house."

“R-right,” Robert agreed anxiously, clearly waiting on Creator to elaborate.

“The simplest solution I can come up with is to magically reinforce the doors and locks throughout the house. But it’s going to take time and I don’t have the mana reserves to get everything done on such short notice."

Robert blanched, “So what do we do?"

Creator shrugged, “The best we can, I guess. What else can we do?"

For the rest of that day, Abigail, Arlee, Robert, Lindsay and the infant Suzy, largely restricted themselves to the third floor as Aela stood guard at the landing of the second-floor staircase.

Creator had left the house repeatedly, each time returning with additional labourers or supplies to make adjustments to the lower levels.

To an outside observer, most of these changes would seem to be little more than minor refurbishments. The majority of the modifications taking the form of long-overdue replacements for the first floor’s window shutters and doors, along with new cast iron bolt braces to go with them. Likewise, the front and back door were replaced with sturdier iron banded thick oak doors with sliding observation shutters and robust cast iron sliding bolt locks.

What the layperson would not notice, but what Dolly could feel taking place, were the enchantments Creator was infusing into each accompanying component of the locking mechanisms and doors. Reinforced in such a way, it was no doubt Creator's intention that anyone attempting to break into the house would need to very obviously announce their intent or give up altogether.

It wasn't until the last of the craftsmen and labourers had left the house and the first floor doors were locked tight, that everyone was allowed free reign over the house again. As another precautionary measure, Creator gave each of the adults a crystal tablet similar to his own with only a few minor differences.

The tablet's enchantments were far more minimalist, only able to post and view messages via the primary hub in Creator's room. Another key difference to Creator's personal tablet was the addition of an etched sigil in one corner of the tablet’s surface. If Dolly understood the web of enchantments correctly, the tablet would only record sound while the sigil was covered. While efficient for the portable tablets, it came at a greater cost for the new gemstone Creator had bought and installed in the desk by the monitor in his room. The enchantments he laid inside the gemstone served as the hub and central mana reserve to refill the tablet’s as required.

Dolly, of course, could trace and track each of these tablets in the same way that it could track Creator's personal tablet and the monitor. It was interesting referencing the locations of each adult relative to one another and the abstract blueprint the golem had formed of the house in its mind. Even more interesting was the vague almost sentience Dolly now detected from the monitor.

It was peculiar, like it was almost thinking but not quite the same. Perhaps like it was dreaming?

Unlike Dolly that possessed proactive commands, the monitor only seemed to possess reactionary commands. Perhaps that was what made the difference? The golem wondered. The monitor’s mind was limited only to interpreting, recording and displaying visual representations of information, a bridge between things that already exist without room or need to grow to fulfill their purpose.

All the same, Dolly thought it would be rude to just ignore its potential sibling.

Dolly Curious: “Hello"

Dolly did not expect a reply, but one of the things it had learned from Creator was the importance of observing niceties. Besides, maybe Creator would give the monitor memories and expanded purpose as he had done for Dolly. In a way, the monitor was like Dolly. From what it had overheard from Creator, Dolly had not existed as it was now until Creator had decided the golem was ready, so perhaps he was doing the same with the monitor.

While patrolling the darkening halls, Dolly observed a curious sight. Aela was peeking through the door to the washroom, where the golem detected Creator's tablet currently transmitted the intermittent sounds of splashing water. This was the second time Dolly had observed this behaviour from Aela, but now the golem had the means to communicate with her to find out why she was doing it. Dolly took advantage of the communication enchantment in Aela’s tablet to establish a private conversation only Aela would see.

Dolly Curious: “Why are you sneaking outside the washroom door? Are you watching Creator bathe?”

The muted chime of the tablet clearly caught Aela by surprise and she nearly jumped out of her skin, quickly scrambling away from the door and frantically looking about.

Dolly Curious: “Are you waiting for your turn to bathe?”

Realizing the source of the sound was coming from her pocket, Aela retrieved the tablet but nearly dropped it in surprise, her eyes going wide and looking furtively around the dining room until her gaze fell on Dolly.

“Just the doll?” Aela muttered but seemed no less relieved for the discovery.

Dolly waved and walked closer.

Dolly Curious: “Is my presence upsetting to you?"

Aela didn't seem to know what to say, her attention alternating between the tablet and Dolly. Eventually, she seemed to regain her nerve, “You can't tell Markus about this.” Aela demanded, her voice dangerous and intense.

Dolly Curious: “Why? What is [this]?”

Dolly was now worried by Aela’s tone and the implications that held for her primary objectives. If she was planning violence against Creator, what would Dolly be able to do? After all, Aela was a higher priority protected person than Creator. Should Dolly stand aside or try and mitigate the harm? Technically both were a direct violation of the primary command.

Aela gulped hard “This is, It’s erm, nothing.”

Dolly Confused: “Protected Persons Aela wishes to define the action of skulking outside the bathing room door while Creator bathes as [nothing]?” Dolly attached a picture of Aela peeking into the bathing room for good measure.

Aela looked like a trapped animal, her hand now covering the black and white picture of herself on the tablet while furtively checking to make sure no one else had seen it. “Stop! I was watching him bathe! Just stop!” Aela hissed.

Dolly Relieved: “So you do not intend violence towards Creator?”

“Of course not!” Aela slumped against the wall defeated, “Please, don’t tell Markus about this,” she slid to the floor and tucked her legs against her chest protectively.

Dolly Curious: “Would his knowledge of your actions cause you distress or harm?"

“Yes...” Aela moaned, already somewhat upset.

Dolly Satisfied: “Then Creator will not be informed of [this]."

“Really?” Aela looked like she didn’t believe Dolly. “You are his creation, why would you do that for me?"

Dolly Obedient: “Creator assigned Aela as a higher protected person than himself. Dolly is unsure of a definitive precedent to follow, but Creator’s intent is to see the people he cares for protected from unnecessary harm. As you do not intend violence, Dolly cannot determine a reason why [this] should be brought to Creator's attention.”

Aela took her time reading Dolly’s justification for conditional disobedience before speaking again “You are telling me the truth?”

Dolly Obedient: “Dolly did not lie"

Dolly Deceptive: “It is difficult for Dolly to lie.”

“Deceptive?” Aela mumbled, perhaps trying to puzzle out the translation.

Dolly Conflicted: “Deceptive, it is the mandatory use of [Qualifier: Suffix] that the Creator ordered Dolly must apply to its communications to make Dolly’s intentions transparent in communication. Dolly understands that the absence of a voice and facial features makes it difficult to be accurately understood. Dolly believes the Creators intention was to fix this shortcoming.”

“You must announce your intentions before you speak?” Aela asked, confused.

Dolly Obedient: “That is accurate.”

Aela slowly shook her head, “But you said you will not tell Markus about...well...erm...you know."

Dolly Obedient: “Correct. Dolly will not tell Creator of [this] as Aela requested."

“Isn't that lying?” Aela asked, “What if Markus asks you about it specifically, what will you do?"

Dolly pushed a moment to consider, hundreds of arguments for and against all manner of choices raced through the golem's mind before it arrived at a satisfactory answer two seconds later.

Dolly Confident: “Dolly would omit knowledge of [this], Dolly would lie directly if required, but would encounter difficulties in achieving the desired outcome without additional intervention."

“So you would lie for me?” Aela insisted.

Dolly Conflicted: “Provided the omission or falsehood would not result in substantial harm against another protected person, Dolly is confident in its ability to make the attempt."

Aela sat quietly for a while, perhaps thinking things over, so Dolly waited patiently for her next question or for an order. With Arlee already asleep and in bed, Dolly would be locked out until Abigail opened the door again in the morning.

“I can tell you things, and you will tell them to no one else? And as long as it doesn't hurt anyone, no one can make you repeat any of it?” Aela asked with sudden intensity.

Dolly Confident: “Correct."

Aela looked around to make sure no one was looking, but the kitchen and dining room were as empty as before. She snatched up Dolly in one hand then quietly slunk out of the dining room and up the stairs to her room.

Dolly made sure to take note of how quietly Aela moved through the house despite her size and was relieved that none of the intruders from that morning had Aela’s apparent aptitude for stealth.

Aela firmly closed and locked the door to her room behind her, then pulled a sheet out of the linen's chest and wadded it up at the base of the door.

Dolly wasn't sure what that was about, but it would almost certainly make it more difficult to hear anything from outside in the hall with the gap at the base of the door obstructed like that.

Now that Aela had Dolly in the privacy of her room, she seemed uncertain of what she actually wanted to do next.

Dolly Curious: “Does Aela have an order for Dolly? A task that needs doing?"

“NO!” Aela blurted “Erm, yes, argh. Just sit on the bed, listen to Aela and don't tell anyone about what we talk about, okay?” Aela sat down by the edge of the bed, her back against the foot of the bed. She motioned for Dolly to sit on the mattress beside her, which would place them at roughly eye level to one another.

Dolly Obedient: “I understand and will obey."

Dolly took its designated seat and patiently waited for Aela’s next order.

Aela smiled awkwardly, “I have never had someone to talk to like this.” She admitted sheepishly. “Erm, I lied earlier. I was watching Markus bathe himself."

Dolly Curious: “Why?"

Aela squirmed uncomfortably “I just wanted to look."

Dolly Confused: “Why is looking at Creator in the bath important?"

“It just is!” Aela seemed upset again.

Dolly didn’t understand why it was so important, but clearly, Aela thought it was and was becoming distressed without it.

Dolly Apologetic: “Dolly does not have recorded memories of Creator in the bath. Dolly apologizes for not foreseeing this requirement."

“Recorded memories?” Aela seemed to be less upset than Dolly thought.

Dolly Obedient: “Dolly makes copies of everything it sees and these copies from Dolly’s own memories. Dolly can share these memories through the monitor or similarly enchanted devices."

“The pictures?” Aela asked.

Dolly obedient: “Correct. The pictures Dolly has shared are fragments of larger memories, and require significantly less mana to share than complete memories."

“Show me,” Aela demanded.

Dolly obediently began sharing frozen memories of Aela, replacing each image in five-second intervals.

“That is me!” Aela exclaimed, she turned her face towards Dolly, but she kept looking at the tablet. Aela turned this way and that, examining her black and white counterpart in almost invasive detail. “He said he likes my eyes” Aela mumbled, looking pointedly at Dolly long enough for the next image to prominently display her eyes. “I don't understand."

Dolly Curious: “Understand what?” Dolly made sure to keep the current image displayed until Aela’s problem was resolved.

“Why is everything dark except my eyes?"

Dolly Obedient: “The limitation of sight enchanted into Dolly’s network of senses is limited to the Creator’s own sight while actively channelling mana. The world is black and white to Dolly’s sense of sight because that is the medium his mana allows."

Dolly Confused: “Subject Aela’s eyes are the second known deviation to this universal observation thus far, the first is the Creator."

“He said my eyes are beautiful...” Aela murmured while lightly tracing around the eyes of her reflection.

Dolly Confident: “Aela’s eyes possess three or more times greater volume of surface area dedicated to chromatic expression. Objectively, there is more of Aela’s eyes to observe and by extension to appreciate than others. This is in direct contrast to the Creator’s own ocular achromatic expression."

“Chromatic? Achromatic?” Aela sounded confused, struggling to pronounce the unfamiliar words.

Dolly Apologetic: “Aela sees the world in colour, this is an example of chromatic expression. Dolly, predominantly, sees the world in gradient expressions of black and white, this is achromatic. Was Dolly’s explanation satisfactory?"

“I think so.” Aela still seemed a little confused but did not press the issue further. “Do you think he would like me more if I used fancy words?"

Dolly Uncertain: “Unlikely. Creator and Aela have been communicating efficiently thus far despite complications presented by native language."

Dolly Curious: “Aela desires the Creator’s affection?"

Aela blushed and began fervently looking around to see if anyone else had read the message, before remembering she had locked herself into her room. She gnawed at her lower lip and seemed to be deeply immersed in her thoughts. ”Would he like me more if I looked like them?” Aela had whispered so quietly that Dolly very nearly had not heard her.

Dolly Confident: “Doubtful. Exempting Arlee, his adopted daughter, Aela has been the near-exclusive recipient of the Creator’s affection. Aela’s presence and absence have noticeable effects on his outwardly expressed emotional disposition.” Dolly transitioned three dozen different images across Aela’s tablet.

These images could be roughly aggregated into three stages. The first stage was Creator at rest, the second was Creator reacting to Aela’s presence, and the third was Creator reacting to Aela’s absence. So far as Dolly could determine, Aela’s presence had a nearly universal positive influence on the Creator, often eliciting a smile or a noticeable relaxation of facial muscles. Similarly, his eyes would seek her out in both a manner and quickness that seemed reserved only for her. Conversely, the third stage expressed a melancholy or noted increase in stress upon confirming her absence.

Excited by the revelation, Aela began grinning in spite of herself “Markus smiles when he sees me” she giggled. But after the first dozen images, Aela’s grin began wavering. She began scrutinizing the images further, clearly looking for something and growing more concerned “He doesn't smile when he is alone?” Aela asked with obvious concern.

Dolly Concerned: “That has been Dolly’s observation."

“Is he unhappy? Depressed?” Aela asked quietly.

Dolly Uncertain: “Unknown."

Dolly Observant: “The Creator keeps himself busy, actively engaging in projects which delay inevitable introspection."

“Why?” Aela asked.

Dolly Observant: “Damaged and fragmented condition of the oldest gifted memories suggests substantial memory loss.”

“Oh...” Aela slipped back into her temporarily reprieved melancholic state. “He told me something like that before. Markus said that he must have been a terrible person for no one to have gone looking for him."

Dolly Confused: “Past actions in available memories do not support that assessment. Creator’s primary behaviour has only changed as demanded by circumstances."

Aela furrowed her brow ”Wait, you have memories he has lost? How is that even possible?"

Dolly Observant: “Dolly believes the Creator did not intend to give these memories, that they were gifted accidentally alongside more recent similar memories. Dolly does not experience memory through the same means as Aela or the Creator. Like a portrait retrieved from a fire, many of these memories are so fragmented that nothing can be recovered, little more than isolated patches of scorched parchment."

Aela took a long time reading and rereading Dolly’s explanation before speaking again. “If Markus was wrong, why hasn't anyone come looking for him? Where is his family?"

Dolly Conflicted: “Unknown. Dolly has only seen one person outside of inanimate portraits represented throughout these memory fragments. Tangential emotional attachments suggest a suspected familial connection. However, despite being treated favourably by the Creator and his holding them in high esteem, they did not appear to reciprocate this affection."

“So he was half right. His family was so terrible that they abandoned him.” Aela gave Dolly the impression she was perhaps talking about someone else besides the Creator.

Dolly Conflicted: “Unknown. Cannot refute without additional information."

Another long silence passed before Aela spoke again. “You have given me a lot to think about.” She stood up and removed the sheet from below the door, then unlocked it and gestured for Dolly to leave, “Go now, I need to sleep."

Aela looked quite upset as Dolly left, but the golem saw no immediate means of alleviating her distress, particularly with the door to Aela’s room now securely locked again.

Dolly felt a considerable level of dissatisfaction regarding this outcome.