-o0o-
The war with the Hunters was over, the Phoenix long gone. The Illumination healed the Hunter tribes, and then they had left, searching for their calling in life. The cat guides had remained, mixing in with the Lion Tribes. All was well within the land of Chima. But the king of the lions himself was lonely, and heartsick.
Lagravis was sitting on his throne inside of the temple, having no choice but to sulk while he waited for Leonidas to bring in the next set of paperwork. He remembered the days when he could be as carefree as his son, Laval. Even Lavertus got to explore and play with everyone else. Not the king, though. He never got to take a break.
He was also reminiscing on the old days, back when he had a beautiful wife, and a baby boy. Of course, Longtooth was there as well. That brown-haired lion was his oldest and dearest friend. His wife, Leona, had disappeared long, long ago, without a trace. She was a loving mother, but Laval would never remember her. Leona had vanished when he was but a little cub. The closest thing he had to a second parent was Longtooth.
Old Longtooth, the most trustworthy lion in the tribe. Lagravis had became friends with him when he was Laval's age. That time felt like an eternity ago. But Longtooth would remain by his side, as his advisor and second.
Lagravis smiled to himself a small bit as he remembered when Longtooth would have to take care of Laval. The lion didn't really know how to deal with a small child at first, but he quickly grew into the role of a capable guardian. He had once found Laval playing with an actual sword down in the training yard, and threw a fit. Longtooth had nearly died of stress that day, juggling between keeping the weapon away from the prince and keeping him from crying. The two had grown close, though. It was almost as if Laval had a second father.
Of course, when the prince was old enough to take care of himself, Longtooth would just become a silent watcher, and protector for Laval. It didn't change how close they'd become.
"Something wrong, sir?" Longtooth asked from beside Lagravis's throne, startling him out of his thoughts.
"No, not at all, Longtooth. I'm just remembering back when Laval was a little cub. When you had to care for him sometimes," Lagravis replied, looking over at the feline. He was grinning the slightest bit.
"Oh, I remember those times. I swear, Laval is like my own kid. Too bad he's grown up now, always hanging out with Cragger, Eris, and the others. I miss helping him out, you know?"
"Yeah. I miss a lot of things from that time," the king stated sadly.
"You're not thinking about her again, are you?" Longtooth asked in concern.
"Yes, I'm afraid I am. I just feel so alone now. Laval's always out, and I'm stuck here. Lavertus makes sure to talk with me, but it's not every day I see him. I just wish I could see her face one more time…." Lagravis trailed off, a tear rolling down his eye.
"Hey. You're not alone. I'm right here if you ever want to talk, old friend," the other feline said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. Lagravis smiled slightly.
"Thank you, Longtooth. I'm glad you've been around for me."
"Anytime, sir."
The rest of the day crawled by slowly. Paperwork, more paperwork, citizens needing problems fixed, and all sorts of tedious stuff that Lagravis wished he never needed to take care of. Finally, though, the sun set and the king was able to go to bed.
He trudged up the stairs, Longtooth and Leonidas at his heels, and reached the top floor of the temple, walking down the orange stone halls in search of his room. Lagravis found his quarters, marked by large wooden doors, and stepped inside. He moved over to his washroom, and went inside, closing the door and locking it. The other two would remain outside to guard him. Lagravis stripped his clothing and lowered himself into the pool, sighing. It was rare that he'd ever get time to himself. He loved being king, and took responsibility in protecting his tribe. Sometimes, though, he wondered what being a lion with less worries was like.
Lagravis stepped out of the pool a few moments later, feeling clean, but uncomfortably wet. The lion grabbed a towel, washing himself off, before putting his clothing back on and stepping out of the washroom. He nodded to Leonidas and Longtooth, and walked over to his bed, sitting on it. It was large, quite literally fit for a king, and located in a spot facing his balcony. It overlooked the lion city and field beyond. His room was nearly empty, however. Lagravis never spent much time there.
"Hey, um, Lagravis," Longtooth said to the king.
"Yes, Longtooth?"
"Maybe you could try and take a day off tomorrow. Try asking Laval to take care of things for a day. You might get a break you deserve, sir," the lion said to him. That got the king thinking. Maybe he could. It would definitely be a learning experience for Laval; he would be king one day, after all.
"Maybe you're right, Longtooth. Leonidas, how about you go to Laval's room and tell him that," Lagravis ordered the younger lion. He nodded, and left the room. Longtooth sat next to the king.
"Thanks for the idea, Longtooth. You've been great today," Lagravis said, patting the lion on the shoulder.
The other feline smiled. "Of course. I'm always here, if you need something. It's my job, and honor, as your friend and subordinate."
Lagravis smiled slightly. "I don't suppose you could find someone for this old, grizzled lion, could you?" The king asked sarcastically.
"Sir, you don't even need to look. Sometimes, the person meant for you is within arms reach. You just need to say something," Longtooth replied, looking away.
"Where did that come from, Longtooth?" Lagravis asked, confused.
"Eh, I'm just rambling. You shouldn't pay any attention to what I say."
"Alright then. Well, thank you." The king embraced Longtooth for a moment, and then pulled away. Longtooth turned into a stuttering mess just after that, muttering something about watching the doorway.
Lagravis was extremely confused about the way his friend was acting; it wasn't like Longtooth to be like that. He'd question the lion tomorrow, when he had time.
-o0o-
Lagravis awoke early the next day by habit, yawning and looking out the balcony. The sun was rising just over the horizon. He looked over at the doorway, to see Longtooth walking in, with a tray full of food.
"Morning, sir. Brought you breakfast. By the way, Leonidas came back while you were asleep. Laval is going to take care of everything in your place today," Longtooth said, setting the tray down on a bedside table. Lagravis looked at him confusedly.
"I'm glad to hear that. But, Longtooth, why are you doing all this? This behavior isn't like you," the king said, kicking out of his covers and standing to look at the other lion.
"Well, it's hard to explain, sir. You might not even like it all that much," Longtooth muttered, looking away and sighing.
"Why don't you just spit it out, old friend?" Lagravis asked.
"Because I'm scared to!" Longtooth burst out.
"Longtooth, you can tell me anything! I'm not going to ever hate you-" Lagravis's sentence was cut off by Longtooth mashing his lips against the king's. And before he had any time to react, Longtooth pulled back. The older lion was surprised, to say the least.
"I'm sorry, sir. I'll just go," Longtooth muttered, walking away. Lagravis reached out and grabbed his arm before he could go, however.
"Woah, hold on! Let's talk about this!" Lagravis exclaimed. Longtooth sighed.
"What is there to talk about? You probably hate me now," the other lion stated sadly, frowning.
"I don't hate you. I never would. I just didn't expect that to come from you, Longtooth," the king said, pulling Longtooth to sit down next to him in the bed.
"I know. I just… I don't know."
"How long?" Lagravis asked.
"Huh?"
"How long have you felt this way towards me?"
Longtooth smiled a little bit, looking at Lagravis.
"Probably since I met you. But you'd have never noticed that from me, because of Leona. Then she disappeared, and you were in grief….. and then Laval. I guess taking care of him was the closest I could get to being with you, sir," Longtooth explained, staring into Lagravis's eyes. The king frowned. Had he really caused the lion so much pain for his whole life?
"Good grief! Longtooth, I'm so sorry. I never meant to cause so much pain," Lagravis replied, resting a hand on the other lion's shoulder.
"I know. I couldn't help it. I just….. I can't help but be in love with you. You're such an amazing and noble leader, and so wise. Your eyes are just so gorgeous. It was just so hard to accept that I couldn't have you, Lagravis. I really just… I want to be with you," Longtooth said, sniffling. The king had never seen him look so weak before. It was so unlike him.
"Longtooth, I never expected this. But I'm not disgusted. If you want, we could give this a try. We keep it to ourselves, and maybe Leonidas if we have to. But I do want to see where this could go," Lagravis said softly, smiling.
"You mean that, sir?" Longtooth asked, smiling. Lagravis said nothing, but he grabbed the other lion's hand, and leaned in and kissed him for a brief moment. It didn't feel bad. It felt great to do that, actually.
"You got my answer, Longtooth?" Lagravis asked, smiling.
"Loud and clear, sir," Longtooth replied, blushing.
"Come on, then. We've both got a day off. Let's go use it well," Lagravis said, getting up and reaching out a paw to the other lion. Longtooth took it, hauling himself up.
"Well, what do you wanna do?" Longtooth asked.
"I don't know. Let's go find something. I've got a whole day, no need to rush."
Lagravis led Longtooth out of his room, shutting the door. Leonidas was gone, probably to help Laval out. The king smiled at the other lion next to him. He grabbed Longtooth's hand gingerly, and walked down the halls. One thing was for certain; Lagravis didn't feel heartsick anymore, with Longtooth at his side.
END
