Polymath Redux

Chapter 44: The man known as Prince

To many it was a sudden unannounced visit from a forgotten prodigy but to Katy Granate she had feared that this day would eventually come. Standing before her was a slender man with a devilishly handsome face. He leaned back against the open windowsill and peered down at the numerous knights training amongst one another. His long silver hair fluttered in the wind like glittering silk as charming but devious smile etched forward.

"Y- your highness... it's a bit troublesome for you to suddenly visit like this."

"My, Lady Katy, you wound me. It almost sounds as though you don't want me here."

The first prince, Leon Crom had come down to the knight training barracks to visit an old acquaintance. Katy Granate and Leo Crom, the two had been acquainted since birth, no, more than just acquainted at one time they had both been engaged, though it had since been revoked by the prince's wishes just soon before he disappeared many years ago.

"No, nothing of the sort. It's just that I'm kind of in the middle of training my subordinates. So perhaps if you could visit at a later time that would be for the best."

Before giving Katy an answer the first prince noticed an odd black bird sitting across on an adjacent roof. A bird that appeared to have been charred black yet as the dark is to the night this was simply its natural color scheme. The prince was no bird watching expert but the colors didn't appear artificially induced. So then why was the prince so fixated on the color of this seemingly harmless bird? That's because such birds of this coloration did not naturally exist in this part of the country, at least none that he was aware of.

"I see, then please forgive my sudden unannounced intrusion. I must have stirred quite a bit of trouble for you; coming back after all of these years. I apologize."

The prince walked across the small meeting room and stood before a shelf with some decorative weapons. Some orient blades, knives and other such ornate weaponry that were ill advised for actual battle. Acting as though he were check up on the conditions of these decorative weapons the prince picked up a small knife suitable to be thrown.

"I would be lying to say that I wasn't particularly troubled but I also don't mean to say that I'm unhappy that you've come to visit me."

Katy answered with a sigh. She was still unsure of how things would proceed in regards to her arranged marriage with prince now that he had publicly returned. After five long years even she would have trouble accepting the prince's proposal to have them become engaged again when she's finally resigned herself with a life of military service.

The prince walked back up to the windowsill with the decorative knife in hand and proceeded to throw it towards the bird. The knife flew in an elegantly projected arc and struck the black bird directly. This seemingly random and barbaric action from the prince had made Katy panicked, wondering if his mood had somehow become sour from what she was saying.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. It's just that it seems this conversation was being eavesdropped upon. As proof of that the black bird that I struck with the knife has dissipated, see?"

Katy leered out the window to confirm that the bird she had seen had disappeared and left nothing but the afterimages of black smoke. 'Someone was spying on me? No, it would be the First Prince that was being spied on.' Katy came to such a conclusion.

"How did you know that wasn't a real bird?"

"Like the sun, birds around Xagontetia exude a more exotic color, mostly in the orange spectrum due to the natural mana of this city. Birds in the shade of black are do not naturally exist around these parts. You should do well to remember that Commander Katy, you never know in which way enemy forces would be trying to gather intelligence on your army."