The Lion King Of Mali

Chapter 1

This is the story of the greatest King who ever lived. Sundiata Keita the youngest prince of the fractured Kingdom of Ghana was brilliant in many ways yet he had no sense of combat ability due to being born weak and frail. Still, he is inducted into a practice where he trains his senses and tunes his 3-dimensional relationship with body, mind, and soul with nature energy. This is the study of Nguvu. Nguvu is an energy system that flows through all life forces. Studied and practiced diligently enough, one can become proficient in the use and applications of Nguvu which can enhance and alter one's own sensory capabilities or even compromising the sensory abilities of others. There are different trades in society that utilize Nguvu (Military, Medical, Educational etc.... ). Different orders guard and protect their knowledge and practices by the cost of death if necessary. They are granted these propensities through the Orishas. A pantheon of ancient, powerful pitch black, cosmos skinned forces of nature. Deities who personify an aspect of the divine(Mr. Manhattan like).....

"She will bear you a son whose destiny is to become King of all Kings." ---The present King of the empire, Naré Maghann recalls a message given to him through what he thought to be a dream by an Orisha named Olorun. --- He dismisses the thought and focuses back on what's in front of him. Naré was a man of immense stature, full beard, and long flowing dreads; he was famous for his handsomeness. Which brings him to where he is now. His latest wife Niani is in labor and miraculously is having a painless pregnancy. Despite this, the king's body language betrays his anxiety. "How are you feeling?" asked King Nare. "I am doing well my love. Our child causes me no discomfort." Niani answered. Niani almost a couple years prior was a young woman traveling on her own far from anything having to do with royalty. The surrounding fiefdoms were fighting over territory and the region was far from stable. Her family was killed and her modest village destroyed by bandits taking advantage of the current weakness of the region. King Nare was traveling among the region as well on diplomatic meetings attempting to reestablish some order among the chaos. Usually so purposeful and focused, the king on this day seemed absent. No matter how hard he tried to be present his mind wandered back to what he rationalized as a dream. An exquisite glorious dream. He was visited by Olorun (The most powerful of all Orisha and ruler of the heavens). The sun was out and it shared the sky with the moon which shone just as bright. The sky was multicolored, full of purples, greens, and blues seamlessly blending into each other. It wasn't clear whether it was day or night. The King's surroundings melted away and nothing remained except for the evergreen vast plain. Olorun seemed to just materialize from the wind, soil, water, and surrounding wildlife. Olorun towered above the king who was no small man himself. Eyes completely white and glowing leaving trails when he would turn his head. Olorun seemed otherworldly yet simultaneously of this world. "Honorable King Nare, I've watched from the heavens as you've strived for peace and unity amongst this fallen kingdom. Given your virtues, I've deemed you worthy of receiving a gift." The King stared mouth a gape in absolute awe and wonder. "Your soul longs for a successor to your throne and you shall have your wish. You will meet a woman of incomparable beauty. You will recognize her though you've never met. She will bear you a son whose destiny is to become King of all Kings. The greatest king in the empire's history. This is my gift to you, my son Nare. You've earned it, be well." The instant Olorun finished speaking everything reverted back to normal and he was gone. The King was left questioning his sanity. However, upon eventually laying his eyes upon Niani it was clear Olorun spoke the truth. Her dreads as long as the Kings covered her face under a wavy seductive curtain. When she flipped them back and made eye contact a bond was formed that death itself would not break. All rejoice at the arrival of the new prince, Sundiata Keita. All welcome him and praise his birth. But not everyone is thrilled with the new addition. The mother of the first prince, Susuma and her son Kante feel especially displaced by the sudden elevated status. Feeling as though they had a right to the throne, resentment crept into their hearts as that possibility begins to be taken away from them. The more everyone shows their fanatical excitement the contempt Susuma feels grows and festers. Susuma and as a consequence Kante became envious of the new Prince and resentful of the King. (inspired by queen and baby king lanister in game of thrones). This unforeseen addition to the family who seemed to have dropped from the sky grows from a toddler to a young child yet remains slight and feeble as the years pass. He requires a walking stick for mobility and is still a far cry from the mighty king that he was expected to become. Prince Keita despite his ailment always maintained a contagious positivity. Still, it seemed ridiculous that this young prince that was too slender to fight was yet expected to lead an army of trained warriors better than any king had done before him. This served as further fuel for disdain from the jealous factions of the family. "Why does my husband put so much stock into this child? It's laughable." Susuma scoffed. "Indeed." Agreed her chancellor. Susuma was a tall statuesque dignified figure. Her short cut made the features of her face all the more pronounced. She carried with her an air of dignity and nobility to an arrogant extent. She could be considered gorgeous if she hadn't allowed her heart to become so ugly. "Mother there's no way father will allow this boy to become King." Added Prince Kante. "It would be irresponsible. Look at him with his walking stick. Just born yet he takes the appearance of an old man." They mocked condescendingly as they watched Prince Keita from the balcony. It wasn't personal for Kante. He was not threatened by Keita for succession to the throne, it was physically an impossibility. Yet he did suffer from envy due to the attention King Nare gave the boy. He couldn't take his father seriously. The only rationale the King would give is that Olorun himself prophesied the destiny of Keita and he would heed the message sent by the Orisha without question. "Eventually, the king would have to come to terms with reality." Thought Kante. "The region needed to be united or they would continue to be vulnerable to attacks from neighboring forces and the frailty of this child was far from the symbol of strength the people required." Unaware of this budding competition for the throne and always a sponge for knowledge, Keita would watch and study his elder brother in admiration. Relentless in his training, every punch Kante threw, every book he read, or any meeting he took was never aimless. Anything that he believed brought him closer to the crown, Kante acted in as diligent and purposeful a manner as possible. Prince Kante was being groomed for the sole purpose of inheriting the kingdom, waited on hand and foot. However, this stalled out due to the value differences between the first Queen Susuma and King Nare. The King could not discredit the first Prince in his work ethic, dedication, intensity, and tenacity but for him, that was secondary. Susuma's influence over the first Prince did not please the King because her ideals did not align with his vision of the future of the kingdom. Kante was handsome like his father, but that was the extent of their similarities because his mean-hearted mother was his greatest influence. Nare wed Susuma primarily to remain a dominant force in the region and to maintain some semblance of authority. After Kante's birth, the king was away often on the battlefield. This was during Kante's fundamental developing years and his mother Susuma successfully rooted hate and negativity within him, much to King Nare's dismay.