Authors note: Hey everyone. I've decided to revise this story. I hope that those who liked the story before like it even more so please comment and enjoy.
The Lion King 3: The New Age
Chapter 1: Privileges, and Expectations.
Standing atop of pride rock is the royal family proud and modest. Seen by all; Respected by all. Respect all but one... Some were among the masses a zebra comments on Kiara's new love interest, stating that 'It's romantically fitting.' While others seem to look upon the new addition disdainfully at what maybe the future king to be. They bow their heads to the royalty so high above them.
They descend down the rock; their eyes full of vitality. But Kovu looks less so. Troubled even. "What's wrong?" Kiara asks noticing his sullen demeanor. He quickly dismisses his gloomy features to hide them behind his façade of a smile."Nothing… Just thinking." Kiara bumps into him gently. "Well don't go thinking too hard. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." As Kiara giggles, Kovu scoughs at her remark. A grin creeping across his face as he retorts. "Oh you're so funny…" His words dripping with sarcasm.
"Kovu!" They both look back to see Simba staring down at them from farther up the face of pride rock. "I wish to speak with you." Spoken seriously in a none demanding tone.
"Well I'm going to head down to the water hole. Come find me when you're done speaking with my father, and don't take too long." Kiara smiles and trots off as Kovu watches her figure fade behind the edge of the rock before he begins to walk to Simba. Anxiety creeping into his mind as he reaches the king.
He sits down for what maybe a lengthy conversation. "Kovu, I… I'm still not ready to completely accept you're... You're relationship with Kiara. But I guess no father is when their daughter falls in love… But this is different, and there's more to it. Kiara is a princess. Not only do I have to be sure your right for her, but also sure you're fit to lead this kingdom. As king many turn to you and count on you for protection and your judgment to make things right. So I'm keeping my eyes on you, not just for my daughters' safety, but for the future of this pride… I'm giving you a chance to meet my expectations Kovu; I really hope you can live up to that."
Kovu sits there on his haunches; His eyes fixated on the ground in front of him, as he listens to what the king has to say. "You make her happy, and I want you to keep it that way. She means a lot to us. Me, Nala, our pride, and the kingdom. She's our future. Now go have some fun that was all I wanted to say." Kovu breaks his somber stare from the ground in front of him only too look back at Simba after he finishes. "I will… I'll do my best to make her happy, and to respect your wishes." Simba smiles and nods sensing the sincerity in the young lions words. Kovu bows his head, and trots off.
Simba's face breaks into a fond smile as he watches the young lion make his decent. Nala walks up alongside him. "What were you talking about?" Simba's eye's never leaving Kovu's retreating form. "Oh, nothing much. I just told him to make sure she's happy." Nala grins sensing more to the story but pushes her curiosity aside… For now. She walks ahead of him and brushes her tail across Simba's flank looking back with a smile before continuing into the den. Simba smiles as he looks across the lands into the horizon, before following after her.
Kovu walks slowly to the water hole. His mind trying to go ten different directions. 'I should tell them about mothe… I mean Ziras' plan. But how should I break it to them... Tell them that my noble and heroic rescue was nothing but part of a ploy to make a vile attempt on Simba's life. Worse that we set the fire… Yah that won't go over well… Maybe I shouldn't tell them? Ahh but if they somehow found out and I didn't confess to them would be worse. They would defiantly lose their new found trust in me. God I don't want anything to ruin that…' Before he notices, he arrives at his set destination, with Kiara already lapping the cool refreshing water.
As he draws closer she senses Kovu drawing close, and without opening her eyes or pulling her muzzle away from the lake she asks him. "That didn't take long. What did my father want?" Kovu not really wanting to go into detail on matters that may upset her he keeps it short and sweet. "Just to make sure you're happy is all." Kiara raising a brow. "Oh? Well how about teaching me more about hunting again?" She then strikes the water with her forepaw, splashing him in the face and laughs.
Kovu's eyes closed as he begins to smile. "Well if you're trying to catch fish like that, well then I'm afraid it would be 'hopeless' to teach you." He lets out a short chuckle before "oooghf" Kiara knocks him down and remains standing on his chest. "Oh really? I'll show you." Grinning her determination dominates her features.
"Ok… Then here's what we're going to do. I'll sit here like I did before. You go run off, and try tackling me without me sensing you. If I hear anything I'll be looking for you, and depending on how loud you are or if I can see you I'm going to run then you're going to have to catch me. Deal?" A smirk wide across his face.
"You're on. Let's get started. You're going to be lying under my paws before you know it."
"Are you sure? You know if you're nice to me I just might LET you catch me." She laughs and prances away. He exhales. "Oh boy, here we go again."
As the sun beats down upon his body, Kovu waits for the first signs of Kiara's return. His ears twitch to a faint sound that if he wasn't listening for would have easily been missed. He looks for the source of the disturbance, but unsure of its direction.
Kiara stops and crouches as low as she can. 'Dam it. I'm so far away and he already heard me.' Kovu turns his head the other way obviously unsure where it came from. She starts to slowly move again staying low. Closing the distance quietly before her paw hits a tuft of grass. This time Kovu looks in her direction searching for the would be predator.
'Again? Ahh, come on Kiara you need to do better.' Becoming frustrated she mentally berates herself. All of a sudden the wind breezes through the grass and snapping Kiara back to the task at hand. She takes this prime chance to move in silently and undetected. Getting closer with every step and almost in striking distance. She starts to move faster, her lithe movements and tan coat easily blending with the swaying of the tall grass. The wind stops abruptly and before Kiara can conceal her position, Kovu snaps his head around. In that instant She bolts for him.
He quickly gets up to run with Kiara almost catching him before barely moving just out of reach. Determined not to lose, she stays hot on his trail. He turns left and right trying to leave her behind, but can't lose the small nimble lioness who was gaining on every turn with her already built momentum. Kiara now almost upon him.
After a few more strides she reaches out to trip his back legs. Kovu makes a quick sharp turn and almost loses his footing in the loose soil beneath his pads. Her forepaw slaps his hind leg as her clawed paws franticly look for purchase in the loose ground as they slip out from underneath her and she tumbles across the ground. Kovu returns slightly panting as he approaches her.
"I got Away." He declares, but proud of her admirable attempt. "Ahhh! I almost caught you." She lays back to rest. Kovu walks over her to look her face to face. "You did good. I may have gotten away but at least you didn't tumble over my head this time." Smiling as Kiara looks up to him. "Thanks. But I kind of got lucky with the wind." She lays her head back down. "Hey, luck is part of hunting. Sometimes things just don't work in your favor no matter what. It's life. But really that was much better than last time." She lays there catching her breath as a smirk finds its way to her face from Kovu's praise.
After a short rest Kovu's still panting away, while Kiara's sleek and much smaller body has long since cooled off. Kovu growing exasperation with his overly warm body that somehow seems to get hotter by the second. Kiara asks him if they should make their way to the water. Kovu's only reply is a shake of his head in agreement.
As they get close to the water, Kovu decides to jump in. The water splashing around him as he trots through the shallow edge to deeper waters. "Much better. I hate to think that it's probably going to get longer." Though it did serve its purpose of intimidation, not that he needed any help. "Oh but you'll look so handsome, even more so than you do now." Kovu grins smugly. "I don't need to be any more so than I already am. You can barely control yourself as it is." They both laugh. Kiara then licks his cheek, always finding his smug humor to be one of his most charming characteristics.
"Uhumm." They both look over to see Vitani who apparently had snuck up on them as they were just talking. "Yah could you two stop. I'm trying to get a drink of water and watching my brother flirt with his girl friend is making me sick." Feelings' of embarrassment rising in both as they were just caught kissing; they both get out of the water, and shake off.
"It's getting late so were going to head back." Vitani just looks away from them to the abundant amount of water in front of her that would have been nothing but a god send in the outlands. "I'm going to sit here a little bit." she brings her head down to drink. "Alright then, later."They both head back home. Arriving back at the den they lay down, as all the others were relaxing and catching the last of the day's sun. Kovu take's the chance to take a long overdue nap as he closes his eyes, with Kiara following suit.
Vitani arrives back well after dark. She sits at the top of the rock gazing out at the vast land before her. Kovu wakes to the sound of claws scratching against stone. He opens his eyes and looks out to see Vitani starting to sit down. He stands up and sees everyone already fast asleep as he makes his way to her side and sits down. "It's a nice night." Vitani looks over to her brother for but a second before looking back out into the night. "Yah… It is."
"How are you doing? You know with what happened?" He asks staring into the night as Vitani does the same hardly making sound before she speaks. "I miss her." Kovu glances to her then looks down the dark ridge of the stone rocks.
"I know… She was strict, put us through hell and sometimes I hated her for it. But… She was our mother, always made sure we were fed. She always made sure we were safe even if she was hard on us." Vitani keeps looking out into the cold night air. Kovu unsure of what he's sensing continues. "I don't know if you blame me for what happened to Nuka, or any of this but... I'm sorry non-the less. I know you were closer to him than I ever was." Vitani turns to look at him. "I know you two didn't really get along Kovu but I don't blame you… I just wish things could have been different is all…"
They sit there on the rock in the dark. The night air getting colder with every passing minute. "Well I'm going to go to sleep." Vitani says with a tired expression as she gets up to walk into the den. Kovu nods good night to her. But before she makes her way in Kovu calls to her. "Vitani." She looks back to him expectantly. "Take it easy. I don't want to lose you too." She turns away without saying a word. Kovu looks back out over the lands, then soon follows.
The next morning Kiara wakes up early. She looks over to see Kovu still sound asleep. She continues to lie against his warm body as his sides rise and fall in a slow steady rhythm. Keeping her mind a blank as she tries to enjoy the blissful moment for as long as it will last.
After a short while Kovu's breathing hitches as he wakes up to the warmth of Kiara body lying against him. She raises her head to look him in the eyes. "Good morning Kovu, you want to head down to the water with me?" He stretches out and lets out a yawn in a typical cat like fashion before Kiara gives him an affectionate nuzzle nearly burying her head in his neck. Kovu smiles at her "Sure, let's go."
As they walk to the water he begins to dwell on his thoughts from the day before. Steadily building his resolve to confess his mistakes that could possibly end in exile once again. "Kovu, come on your falling behind." Kiara smiles as she looks back to him disrupting his thoughts, but before she can look away to continue walking ahead Kovu stops her.
"Kiara I have something to tell you." He feels his nerves twitching. Hoping she will forgive him. "What is it?" kiara looks at him curiously; her tail flicking about. Kovu takes a deep breath. "I need to confess. When you went out on your first hunt... That fire wasn't natural. It… Was part of Ziras' plan to get me into your pride. We set that fire. I'm sorry for putting you in danger like that, and that's not the worst of it." He hesitates before taking a deep breath.
"The reason I was to join your pride was to... To kill Simba and take his place. That next morning after I arrived when you jumped in front of me behind that rock. I was getting ready to make my move for your father's life, and if it wouldn't been for you interrupting me I would have taken it… I'm so sorry. I feel like I'm betraying everyone's trust." Kovu looks away afraid to see that this may very well upset her, and not wanting to see the disgust in her eyes.
"Kovu… It's ok, it was all Ziras idea. Besides even if you put me in danger you still saved me. And even if you were going to hurt my father you didn't, and you even said that you wouldn't let Zira hurt him. I forgive you." She nuzzles him but the worry still didn't leave. Unsure how she could just forgive something so detestable.
"Thanks, but even if you do, I still have to tell Simba. He's the king and the one who's life was at stake." Kiara's soft expression turns to worry. "No Kovu don't tell him, He might separate us again." Her voice thick with anxiety. "I Have to! I don't want to betray your father by keeping secrets." "But!" "No buts about it I need too. Your father deserves to know, and when we get back I plan to tell him. Better I tell him now than him finding out about it later."
Kiara looks down and away knowing nothing she says can sway him. Probably angry that he would take such a risk simply to be honest when just recently Simba started to trust him again. As they get back to pride rock, Kovu can see Simba up high on his perch watching out for his kingdom. Kiara looks at him then walk away. Kovu watches her leave before looking back to Simba so proud and motionless. Kovu's nervousness grows with every step closer to samba as he climbs the rock.
Simba notices Kovu making his way up to him. "Simba, I need to apologize." Simba looks at him confused. So He explains to him everything that was to transpire. Simba just sat there not saying a word just listening contently. As Kovu finishes pleading with his eyes that he may forgive him. Simba takes a moment before speaking.
"Kovu I don't distrust you, though I am… Angered about the fire that could have killed my daughter. It was not you who set the fire, and besides that I think there was more to you saving Kiara than to simply follow the plan?" That last part never really crossing his mind before this but… Maybe there was more to it reguardless if he was aware of it or not at the time.
"That proves to me that In the future you are willing to do what's needed to protect her from harm, and the Pride Lands if I see fit. As for the reason you joined my pride to kill me, I already figured as much that Zira had a plot of some sort. I can already see that you do not wish to follow Zira, and Scars path to ruination, and it even makes me happy that you came to me seeking my forgiveness. As I had said before: YOU belong here."
Kovu tries to think this through. But all Kovu can do is look at Simba relieved to hear his forgiveness regardless of his own thoughts. Kovu feeling relief pass over him; a gratefully soft smile gracing his black lips. "Thank you. I'm glad I came to you; I don't want any distrust between us. I need to go talk to Kiara. She's was worried about me telling you all of this."
Simba gave him a nod and Kovu runs off to Kiara in disbelief. Kiara down below pacing back and forth hoping her father will have mercy on Kovu's troubled past. She sees him bounding down the rock, and as he approaches she can plainly see it went well, and her anxiety disappears. Nala steps out of the cave to see her daughter having a rather affectionate moment with her mate to be. Nala smiles widely happy that her daughter is able to find love. She looks ahead to see Simba watching them with what appears to be a grin. As she makes her way towards her mate and king "So Simba." He breaks his gaze from the two below him to acknowledge Nala. "What are you hiding?"