Chapter 4 - The Nameless Monster
Five years passed.
At fourteen, Antonius had been sent as a trainee to the Nikēphoroi Knights, a renowned order stationed on the outskirts of Imresnople.
The apprenticeship itself was little more than a formality. Even so, he and Theodoros lived alongside the knights, sharing their barracks, meals, and training.
That evening, the knights were beginning to gather in the mess hall after drills.
The air smelled of sweat.
Rough laughter echoed through the room. Plates clattered against tables.
Amid the noise, a small figure caught Antonius's eye.
A servant child.
And yet the child's appearance was exactly the same as it had been five years ago.
Ash-brown scales.
Pointed ears.
With his small frame, he carried heavy water buckets that would have taxed many grown men, trudging back and forth without complaint.
"Hey, monster. You're slow."
"Move it. You planning to make us sit at filthy tables?"
Several knights snickered.
The child bowed deeply.
Without protest, he wiped tables, collected dishes, hauled away scraps, and returned for another bucket.
Antonius narrowed his eyes.
"So it's the infant."
Five years ago.
The monster in the cradle.
The creature that had taken Mother from him.
He had assumed the thing had been put down long ago. In recent years, he had scarcely thought of it at all.
Yet here it was.
Alive.
Back then, all he had felt was fear, anger, and hatred.
Now a different thought came first.
Useful.
Properly trained and disciplined, it could be put to work.
A stable hand.
A porter.
A bodyguard.
With strength like that, it might even become worth keeping around.
Antonius leaned toward Theodoros.
"I'm going to tame it."
Theodoros frowned.
"Your Highness, we have no idea what dangers that creature may pose."
"Then all the more reason."
A faint smile tugged at Antonius's lips.
"If you found a stray dog wandering the streets, would you leave it alone? If it might bite, you'd put it on a leash."
Theodoros looked thoroughly displeased.
Antonius ignored him and strode over to the child.
"You."
The child startled and turned around.
The moment he recognized Antonius, he immediately dropped to one knee.
"Is there something I may do for you, Your Highness?"
The words were spoken with flawless courtesy. Only the slightest softness in his pronunciation betrayed his age.
Antonius raised an eyebrow.
Most children of five could barely string together a proper sentence.
This one spoke better than some adults.
"You know who I am?"
"There is no subject of Imresia who does not know Crown Prince Antonius."
"And you dare count yourself among the people of Imresia?"
The child lowered his head.
He said nothing.
After a moment, Antonius asked,
"Your name."
In truth, he already knew it.
Mother had told him once.
But none of the knights knew this child had been born of Queen Irina.
Pretending this was their first meeting was simply less troublesome.
The answer he received, however, was unexpected.
"If it please Your Highness... most people simply call me Monster."
Antonius frowned.
"I did not ask what others call you. State your name."
The child hesitated.
His eyes shifted uncertainly.
Then he answered in a small voice.
"I... do not have one."
"What?"
"I have no name."
For a moment, Antonius could only stare.
Impossible.
Surely someone should have told him.
The name Mother had given him.
No one could live without a name.
Yet there was no lie in the child's face.
He genuinely did not know.
He did not know his own name.
At that moment—
"Hey, monster!"
A shout rang out from the kitchens.
The child flinched.
"What are you standing around for?!"
"My apologies!"
He bowed hastily.
Then, after offering Antonius one final respectful bow, he hurried away.
Antonius watched him go.
A strange feeling settled in his chest.
Then an idea occurred to him.
Slowly, a sly grin spread across his face.
