Golden lion

The 'Lion was the king of beasts and the ultimate guard over Valanice as she was kept prisoner by Hagatha in the Crystal Tower.

Background
The beast itself was a prisoner of the witch, held bondage by a powerful spell. Before returning to Daventry, King Graham and Valanice traveled through the magic door to the enchanted isle and freed the great golden lion from its chains. He took it to its jungle home and released it. Just before the lion disappeared into the foliage, it was joined by a tall man, wearing nothing but a loincloth. Both the lion and the man roared to the heavens, the man beating his chest, and then they were gone.

Behind the scenes
The lion appears in King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones but was given a much different backstory, in which it was actually an enchanted human, see Hagatha's Suitor.