A Game of Chi Book I: A Crown of Blood

Chapter 1: Laval I

LAVAL

Laval woke up to the sound of knocking. Knock knock. Groggily, he sat up and stretched before lying back down again. Knock knock. "What is it?" he asked exasperatedly.

"My lord, have you forgotten what today is?" asked the voice behind the door. Laval sat bolt upright. Damn it. How could I forget about today? He got up out of his bed and went for his clothes. "Your father asks that you meet him in the Crocodile Courtyard in ten minutes."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there," he replied while getting dressed. He put on his blue lion kilt studded with gold bumps, his golden lion brooches for his knees, his blue tunic and golden armour, and finally, reached for his crown. He placed it on his head and went to the mirror to see how he looked.

Laval was a handsome lion, or so he had been told. It seemed true enough; whenever he walked through the streets of the Citadel to visit the marketplace, the lionesses he passed giggled, whispered, or blushed. His fiery red mane had to be combed and held back with his gold crown every morning, and today was no exception. Looking at himself in the mirror, Laval could swear he was missing something. Oh, my cloak! Where the hell did I put it? Laval searched his room, and what a room it was. It was very spacious, with a bed large enough for three people and a window which could fit two Speedorz. His mirror was next to his bed, with his clothing rack next to that. Being the son of the Lord of the Lion Tribe, even his second son, meant that he was given every accommodation possible. The Lion Tribe's homeland, the Gilded Plains, didn't get its name solely from its golden flatlands, but for the veritable mountain of gold which the Lion Temple was built on. While his older brother Lennox received the prince treatment at home with their mother, Laval had accompanied his father to live in the Citadel after the fall of the Phoenix Dynasty. By Cavora, it's already been nine years since I left home, he thought. Not nine, ten today, he thought. Today was his birthday. Today, he was eighteen. Today, he was the Age of Becoming.

By the time Laval had found his dark blue cloak and reached the Crocodile Courtyard, his father Lagravis looked impatient. "Son, I asked you to be here earlier," he reminded him in his grave tone. Lagravis had the look of a king about him, even though he wasn't; his mane was grey, as was his beard, but his eyes shone like a lion in his prime. His gold crown had two sapphires embedded in its tip, and his tunic was made to shine like gold. He wore the same kilt and cloak as his son did.

"You said ten minutes!" Laval protested.

"Don't you remember what I taught you?" Lagravis smiled. "In the world of ruling, we don't say what we mean, nor do we mean what we say. You have to learn how to read someone's eyes, not their lips. And...?"

Laval sighed and said the words at the same time as his father. "And we never look away."

Lagravis nodded, content, but Laval frowned.

"But you didn't even come to get me. You sent someone else! How could I have looked into your eyes or even looked at you at all?"

Lagravis chuckled lightly. "I'm your father, Laval. No one knows me better than you, not even your mother. If I wanted something done, would I ask someone else to do it, or would I do it myself?"

Laval had to laugh too. "That was you? I didn't recognize your voice!"

"Pretending to be someone else is a useful talent to have, especially if you're going to be an advisor to the king like me," Lagravis said in the voice that Laval had heard that morning.

Laval nodded unenthusiastically.

"Now come." Lagravis beckoned to his son. "The king awaits."

No matter how many times Laval saw the Citadel's throne room, it never failed to be impressive. Its massive gilded doors led into a resplendent hall, lined with beautiful stained glass artwork in the windows. Each one told a story; the last Lion King Loras bowing to the Phoenix Emperor, Crank the Croc standing over his former master, and the Phoenix Emperor standing above the Seven Animal Kingdoms, among others. Now, he could see the newest addition: his father, Lagravis, and King Crominus, standing over a tattered Phoenix banner. Each window had fiery designs at their tip, and they had been painted so that the fires connected at the highest point of the ceiling to form a window in the shape and colour of a bright orange sun. The floor was also dotted with numerous suns, from the entrance all the way to the throne. The throne itself was a magnificent chair; a seat worthy of the King of the Seven Animal Kingdoms. It was made of gold and had red accents spread throughout. Its back was made in the shape of a flame, and its strands of translucent red made it seem like it was truly on fire. Huge golden phoenix wings stemmed from its back as well; they gave a majestic, regal look to whoever sat on it. Behind it hung the banner of the Crocodile Tribe, an olive crocodile's head on maroon. Their words, Sharper Than Steel, were under it, as in Chi customs. Laval wondered how the room would have looked when the king and his court were the firebirds which matched so many of its designs, but from the first time he had seen the throne room up until today, it had been King Crominus, the First of his Name, to sit on the throne. Today, the throne room was packed with animals. Animals of all tribes lived in the Citadel, not just the crocodiles with whom they shared a king, and today, a huge crowd had gathered for a very special event.