Warning: This fanfic contains violence and rape, if only briefly. If that's not your cup of tea, then please refrain from reading!

"Royal" Disclaimer: No, of course I do not own these beautiful lions and the universe they live in. Unfortunately. :(

Author's Notes: Hey, guys! :) This is my first Lion King fanfic, so please go easy on me. xD I've always been fascinated with the "Nala being Vitani's mother" theory, and I've always wanted to write about it. The concept is very interesting, especially since Vitani shares a lot of Nala's coloring. So before I start, here are just a few things you need to know:

- In this fanfic, Vitani is the daughter of Scar and Nala. During the "The Madness of King Scar" sequence, Scar managed to rape Nala, and Vitani is the product of that.

- Zira was Scar's mate and queen during his reign.

- Vitani is born shortly before Kopa; in fact, she was born right before Nala went to find help.

- Kiara is the youngest of the three siblings; she will know nothing of her "sister" until much later.

- Kovu is the son of Zira and a random passing rogue. Nuka is the son of Scar and Zira.

- Many of the events in Simba's Pride will be altered due to the AU nature of this fic. Some of the events will still occur, while others will not.

And that's it. Let's do this thing, shall we? Enjoy! ^^

/

Prologue

In the darkness of the cave, a lioness struggled and wailed while her attacker smirked and pinned her, writhing, onto the hard, cold, and unforgiving ground. The lion, a dark, black-maned, and scrawny creature, dug his long claws into her shoulders, reveling in the blood that welled up under his paws.

"Oh, please, somebody, please help!" The lioness, a beautiful, young creature with soft creamy fur and rich blue eyes, sobbed and pleaded for somebody, anybody to rescue her. But nobody would. Scar had sent all of the lionesses in the pride-save for her, of course- out to hunt. At first, Nala, the lioness who was currently struggling on the ground, had felt confused as to why Scar had done this. It made no sense for a king to leave his kingdom undefended. But then again, Scar was not quite…right, and he didn't do what a normal, competent king would do. And he certainly was no Mufasa, that was for sure. But now Nala knew why Scar had sent all the lionesses away. He wanted her all to himself, so that he could force her to become his queen, the mother of his future heir. He wanted to… She closed her eyes in disgust, then, as Scar slid his tongue over her cheek. She shivered with repulsion as she heard the hyenas outside, watching and laughing in a deranged manner. Of course they would not help her. She was alone. Utterly, utterly alone.

But she felt determination course through her; she would back fight back. She would not let this monster have his way with her. And even if he did end up taking her in the end, she would not go down without a fight, and she would absolutely not let him take her pride and dignity.

"Dearest Nala," Scar purred in a sickly voice, "why do you fight me? Do you not realize the power you will possess as my queen?" He leaned in closer, his rancid breath stinging her eyes. "I will give you everything; you would hold power such as you never knew in your life."

Nala snarled. "I would rather die than become your queen, Scar!" And with a surge of anger and adrenaline, she lashed out with her hind paws and sent Scar tumbling across the cave. He landed on his side hard, and Nala took advantage of this. She landed on top of the evil lion, clawing and biting everywhere she could reach. He struggled weakly under her, but he could not throw her off. Finally, Nala viciously raked her claws across his cheek and stepped back. Blood sprayed everywhere, and Scar gasped and coughed as he struggled to his paws. Nala could see with a mixture of pride and fear the long, fresh scratch that stretched from his jaw to almost his ear.

"Nala, Nala, dear Nala," Scar practically moaned as he composed himself. "Was that really necessary? You know how I loathe the violence." His fanatic green eyes practically glowed with rage and lust as his claws slid out. "But you just possibly made the biggest mistake of your life!" And with that, he pounced as quickly as a serpent, and before Nala could react, he once again had her pinned down, writhing and clawing in vain.

"Ah, Nala, that's it. I love 'em feisty, but your spirit will not help you, for nobody can stand against King Scar!" He then roared with complete madness and insanity. Nala felt silent tears stream down her face as she felt Scar enter her violently. She felt the ripping pain, but through it all, she remained detached and silent. The least she could do now was not give this disgusting creature the satisfaction of watching her scream, wail, crumble, or most humiliatingly, moan when an unexpected pleasure came.

"Ah, you like this, don't you, my pretty?" he purred, as he noticed. Nala bit her lip and remained silent as tears continued to slide down her creamy cheek. She just wanted Scar to kill her when he was done, kill her and spare her the unbearable pain and humiliation that would consume her afterwards. She lay limp and quiet on the cave floor as Scar continued to subject her to this humiliating torture, and she remained limp and quiet long after Scar left her- broken, bloody, and sobbing.

/

Weeks and months had passed since that terrible, dark day, and Nala often found herself waking up from horrific nightmares that plagued her during the day. She suffered in silence- well, mostly, for she had confided her terrible experience to Sarabi and Sarafina, her mother. Sarafina, enraged, had rashly tried to kill Scar in revenge for what he had done to her beloved daughter, despite Nala's and Sarabi's desperate pleading. The old lioness, even in the peak of her rage, was no match for the seasoned king, and while she put up an admirable fight, the broken pride of lionesses watched in horror as her body sank to the ground, Scar's jaws around her throat, spilling her lifeblood.

Nala merely survived nowadays, though she did not know what kept her going. To top it off, she found herself sick nearly all the time. She woke up with debilitating pains in the morning, pains that had her retching and coughing for minutes on end. She found herself constantly snappy and emotional, even around her dearest friends. She found herself having to relieve herself more and more every day, and she found herself feeling bloated and cramped. Soon, Sarabi began to notice and expressed her concern.

"You should go see Rafiki, dear," she pleaded, sorrow flashing across her dark brown eyes. Deep down, she knew exactly what was wrong with Nala, but she did not have the heart to tell her so. Besides, better to hear the news from wise old Rafiki, the pride's shaman.

Nala nodded wearily and padded off slowly to go see the wise baboon. She, too, knew deep down what was wrong, but she desperately hoped that it wasn't the case.

/

Rafiki glanced up, startled out of his deep meditation, as he heard someone enter his unique residence. He tensed, but then relaxed when he saw the familiar face. "Ah, Nala," he chuckled in a soft voice. "What can Rafiki do for you, my dear?"

And that's when Nala broke down. She told him everything, choking on her sobs and gasping for air. Rafiki nodded and had her lay down. The normally composed and good-natured baboon was pale and somber as he examined Nala and had her perform several tests. After a while, he finally sighed and wrung his hands. "Nala, dear," he murmured, a look of sorrow and sympathy in his eyes. "I am afraid that your fears are correct. You are carrying the cub of Scar." Nala, once again, broke down, and the troubled baboon left her to briefly meditate. When he came back, he laid a comforting hand on Nala's shoulder.

"Oh, Rafiki," sobbed Nala, "what am I going to do? How can I love this cub, knowing, knowing…" She broke off.

"Nobody can force you to love this cub," Rafiki said quietly. "You are not perfect, and a part of you will always look at this cub and remember what happened to you. Whatever you want to do is your choice, and your choice alone. Every cloud has a silver lining, and positive can arise from negative. I have herbs…if you decide you don't want it…of course, I would hope that you think long and hard before making such a decision, but…"

"No," Nala replied, quietly but firmly. "That will not be necessary. I will have the cub, and I will try my best to love it."

Rafiki nodded, respect gleaming in his eyes. "Then the pride will gain a fine addition, for though this cub is a part of Scar, it is also a part of you, and you are a very strong, noble lioness"

"But, Rafiki," Nala sighed, heart still heavy, "what if it looks and acts like…?" She could not go on.

"What it looks like we cannot control," replied Rafiki candidly. "What it acts like, on the other hand…" He gestured to his store of plants and herbs, where one plant was green, gleaming, and healthy, while the one next to it was dry, drooping, cracked, and dying. "All cubs are born innocent, and this one is no exception. How we raise them determines what they act like. A cub raised right and morally will be like the green, upright, and healthy plant. A cub raised in hate will end up like the dying and brown plant. You see, Nala, only you as a parent can determine what your cub will act like. If you raise it to be moral and good, it will be moral and good. If you raise it to be immoral, it will be immoral."

"Thank you, Rafiki," Nala purred-for the first time in weeks, it seemed. "Thank you for your wisdom. I will certainly take it to heart," she promised.

/

Nala gave birth to her cub many weeks later. At first, Nala didn't know how to feel, but when the tiny little she-cub raised her eyes to look into her mother's, Nala felt overwhelmed by the rush of love that suddenly overcame her. Her daughter, much to her chagrin, possessed many of Scar's features, especially in the face. But the softness of her fur, the light, creamy color of it, and the rich blue color of her eyes (of course, all cubs were born with blue eyes, but Nala had a feeling that her cub's eyes would remain blue) were all hers! The rush of protectiveness and love which coursed through her veins did not leave. She cuddled and caressed her cub with everything she had, covered her with licks that made the tiny cub sigh with contentment. Nala knew then and there that no matter what, this cub-Vitani, she decided to name her- was hers, and hers only. It would never be Scar's for as long as she lived. She would raise her in the noble ways of the Pridelanders, raise her on stories of the former glory of the kingdom under Mufasa. She would raise Vitani to be moral and good and just. She would raise her to be a hope for the future, and from the way the other lionesses-Sarabi included-fussed over her, she could see that they, too, saw her as their one and only hope for the future.

But of course, Vitani was just a cub, and she only knew the warmth of her mother and her rich, warm milk. When she finished nursing, Vitani gave a tiny yawn, purred, and curled up in Nala's arms. The lionesses around her cooed and congratulated Nala. She barely replied, for her eyes were all for Vitani.

"Sleep well, my precious little angel, my beautiful princess," Nala cooed and as she noticed her daughter's eyelids start to droop. "You are the angel that arose from my demons, and you are my light and hope for the future-the Pride's future. I love you so much! You will be loved forever."

/

End Notes: That's it for now. The next chapter will be the second part of the prologue, and it will explore Simba's relationship with his "daughter" after defeating Scar (yayz! :D). For the time being, I hope you enjoyed! :)