The Prince's Gift (EDITED)(A Yurio x Otabek Fanfic)

Chapter 3, Lessons

"In what year did the Southern Isles swear allegiance to Letania?" Prince Yuri rolled his eyes at Yakov, the royal tutor, exhaling harshly. His rear end ached from how long he'd been sitting in the wooden library chair, answering painfully simple history questions.

He didn't mind most of his lessons, but history was the worst. Despite what some might've believed, the young Prince loved delving into the past. However, he had already done so quite thoroughly on his own time. Working with his teacher was merely a turtle-paced review of things he'd known since he was ten.

"In the twelfth year," he droned flatly.

Sir Altin sat a table away, drifting lazily through a random selection of books. The Prince had essentially ordered him to read, claiming that he hated it when the older boy stood in the corner and watched him. In all truth, Sir Altin hadn't retained a single word of what he had read. The Science of Subduing the Unconscious Mind was rather interesting, if a bit long winded, but Yuri was just a little more captivating.

Each answer flowed out of him like wine from a pitcher, dripping with both confidence and disdain. The knight avidly absorbed his endless stream of facts, fascinated by each one. He had done a good bit of research on Letania, but nothing quite so extensive.

"Very good, My Prince, and how many years later did Ruo try to take them?" The tutor continued, rifling through a stack of notes.

"Ninety three years later, under the command of General Doh."

"Yes, and why-"

"They were unsuccessful," the Prince cut the old teacher off,"because the beaches of the Southern Isles are moderately inclined, which gave the locals the higher ground."

"Very good, My Prince."

Sir Altin looked on fondly, noting how different Yuri looked that day. He had a large, ornate braid cresting the side of his head, the rest of his hair splayed messily over his shoulders. He peeked out from behind the curtain of blond strands, his eyes a little more blue than they'd been the day before. He hid within an oversized sweater, his hands engulfed by the mile-long sleeves.

The Prince took every opportunity to dismantle his teacher's meticulously planned lesson, answering questions before they could be asked and giving some rather crude responses. Like the sea before a storm, he was preparing to crash a ship. The former Gatylian smiled faintly at the strategic action, something he hadn't done in ages.

For the better part of the afternoon, the two spat venomously back and fourth. Each word was a challenge, a dare for the other to take another step. The Prince had already been scolded for stepping out of line, and Yakov knew what awaited him if he pushed the boundaries with the son of a king. Both teacher and student did all they could to push the other over the edge first.

"Because he was a pompous ass who refused to follow King Saro's orders! It would've been detrimentally stupid not to behead him!" The Prince barked.

"Prince Yuri!" The tutor scowled,"Sir Oris was revered as a hero before his untimely execution."

"Untimely?" The royal mocked,"He was seen as a hero because he successfully ordered around the brave men and women who recaptured six towns. He wasn't even supposed to be doing it, he just picked up a week after the knight he squired for was slain in battle and left to start taking back the towns we'd lost to Ruo. He experienced countless failures after that that no one ever talks about, all of which could've easily been avoided if he'd done as he'd been told."