A Game of Chi Book I: A Crown of Blood

Chapter 15: Laval III

LAVAL

"Good. Now try with one leg," said Gunter. Laval grunted, but shifted his weight accordingly. He was practicing his fifth lesson, balance, by standing on the large tree in the Crocodile Courtyard, now on one leg. This is impossible, Laval thought, wobbling dangerously. The tree wasn't very tall, and a fall from that height wouldn't leave any lasting injuries, but Laval could tell that taking a tumble would hurt. He stuck his arms out sideways for balance, but Gunter shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, Laval. A true master does not need his arms for balance. True balance comes from your core, not your arms." Laval lowered his arms, but an instant later he lost his balance and crashed onto the ground. The last two days had been quite uneventful; he had learned his third and fourth lessons, speed and silence, quite easily. After several attempts, Laval succeeded at avoiding Gunter's hand slaps, and even managed to hit his master's hands a few times. The next day, he managed to steal three pastries from the kitchens; he and Gunter each ate one before returning the third. But now, Laval seemed to be stuck on his fifth lesson. Still, after giving Gunter a chance, the gorilla had actually taught him quite a lot, both about fighting and about himself. "How do you do it?" asked Laval, groaning from the fall. "How do I do it?" Gunter repeated, confused. "Not just you. I mean the Gorilla Tribe in general. You swing from vines, you live in the trees. I even heard that in the Sanctuary Forest it's forbidden to walk on the grass!" Gunter chuckled as he helped Laval up. "It's true that we like to preserve nature in the Sanctuary Forest," he began, "but we do walk on the ground sometimes. We just like the isolation and serenity up in the trees."

"Okay, but how do you walk on trees and branches all the time?"

"Well, our prehensile feet help," Gunter admitted. "But we teach the young gorillas to live in the treetops as soon as they can walk." Gunter looked wistfully at the castle around them, its golden towers reflecting the sunlight all around it. "The Sanctuary Forest is really a different place from here," he murmured. "Then why did you leave?" asked Laval. Gunter smiled at the ground before turning to face the lion. "I found my true calling. The life of meditation, fruit-eating and horticulture may be good enough for some, but not me." When Laval frowned, Gunter clarified. "That's not to say I don't respect my fellow gorillas. Some people just want an ordinary life; food to eat, water to drink and a house to live in. I've no quarrel with them. I just wanted something more."

"Huh," said Laval. "I've never thought of it like that." Gunter nodded. "Everyone has their own perspective, Laval. Everyone has their likes and dislikes, their wants and needs. If you want to be a warrior, especially a Kingsguard, you need to understand that. You will better protect the one you're defending if you understand why they are the way that they are, and you will better defeat your enemies if you understand how they think." He's right. I never considered that. I always thought that being a Kingsguard meant killing anyone threatening your king. But understanding your enemy is the best way to beat them. Gunter continued on, walking around the tree. "It is my philosophy that no one is ever truly evil, Laval. Everyone is the sum of their experiences; how they were raised, who they befriended, their job. And at their core, everyone we call evil is just someone who's hurting and reaching out for help." Laval found himself smiling at his teacher's words. Maybe I should make up with Father, Laval thought. "Thank you for the wisdom, master," he said respectfully. Gunter nodded. "No go back up there and try again."

Laval fell three more times before Gunter decided to call it a day. "Not every lesson can be learned in one day, Laval. Tomorrow, we will try again. If you can't do it, then we will do it again the next day. And the next and the next, until you can." Laval nodded, but there was still something in the back of his mind. "Respectfully, master," he said tentatively, "I was wondering when we might train with a sword."