The Lion King: 4th Generation
It had been five years since the fateful day that Zira lost her life due to arrogance and a lust for pure evil intentions. Kiara knew the date well, and made sure to pay extra mind to Kovu. After all, Zira was his mother. But Kovu didn't mind. That's what he told her.
"Really, Kiara. I'm fine," he said with a smile. "She wanted me to kill your father. How could I ever regret her being dead?" He gently rubbed against her face. "But thank you for caring, love."
Kiara smiled sadly. "I wish I could have saved her," she said sadly.
Kovu grew quiet. "You did your best, Kiara. She could have grabbed your paw."
"But she didn't..." Kiara trailed off, a tear slipping out of the corner of her eye.
Kovu rubbed against her lovingly again. "I know."
The mourning between the two lions on Pride Rock got interrupted by a fit of giggles as a young lion cub resembling Kovu tumbled out of the lair. "Mom! Dad!" she called, giggling again.
Kiara wiped away her tears before turning to the cub. "Imani, where's Zazu?" she called to her cub.
"Back in the den with Grandpa," Imani answered.
"Didn't we tell you not to leave poor Zazu? He's responsible for you when we're not around, Imani. You know that," Kovu told his daughter, trying his best to be stern. Inside, he was trying not to laugh. Imani was a mirror image of him as a cub. He and Kiara didn't listen to babysitters when they were that age. Kovu was just thankful that no alligators had found Imani. Yet.
Imani scoffed at her father. "Daddy, I'm not a baby anymore. I'm almost 3, I don't need Zazu, Timon or Pumbaa to watch me anymore."
Before Kiara or Kovu could answer, a loud rumble of laughter echoed inside the cave as Simba appeared before them on Pride Rock. "She's right, you know." he told his daughter and son in law. "Imani is reaching the age where she doesn't need constant supervision anymore. Unless she turns out like you, Kiara," Simba added, a twinkle in his eye as his daughter playfully pushed him.
Imani didn't seem to notice. "Really, Grandpa? I can go out on my own?" she asked.
Simba looked at Kiara and Kovu. "She is your daughter," he told them.
The two younger lions exchanged a quick glance before nodding.
"I guess Grandpa is right, Imani," Kiara said. "You know these pridelands like the back of your paw."
Kovu nodded in agreement.
"Of course I do," Imani said with a toss of her head. "I have to, if I'm gonna be queen someday. Right?"
Kovu and Kiara smiled. "Yes you do, honey," Kovu told her.
Simba smiled. "Can I borrow her for a bit?" he asked his daughter and son in law. Both nodded.
"Imani, come with me," the older lion said to the adolescent, starting down pride rock to the fields below. Curiously, the cub followed.
Kovu and Kiara watched from the top of pride rock, as her father and their daughter slowly disappeared out of sight.
"Is he gonna tell her?" Kovu asked. Kiara nodded. "She's old enough to know, love."
Kovu sighed. "Time moves too fast."
The two lions turned and headed back into the cave.
/
"Where are we going, Grandpa?" Imani asked, skipping along to keep up with Simba's long strides.
"For a walk, Imani. A walk in the pridelands that my father took me on when I was your age, and that I took your mother on when she was your age," Simba told her.
Imani was puzzled. "Then why are you taking me, Grandpa? Shouldn't my daddy be taking me on my special walk?"
Simba chuckled. "That, my dear granddaughter, is what I plan to talk to you about."
/
"Imani, do you know what your name means?" Simba asked as he strode through the tall grass.
"No," Imani answered carefully. "I guess I don't."
Simba smiled down at his granddaughter. "It means faith."
Imani cocked her head to the side. "Faith." she repeated. "I like it."
Simba nodded. "Faith is what i needed when you were born. We all needed it. A little while before you were around, Imani, your father lost his mom."
Imani grew quiet. "My other grandma died?" she asked.
Simba nodded. "Her name was Zira."
Imani was still. "Daddy never told me," she said after a moment.
Simba nodded again. "You love your mother a lot, right Imani?" The cub nodded vigorously. "I do. And daddy. Lots and lots."
"Right," Simba said. "Imani, your father didn't love his mommy as much as you do."
Imani couldn't put what her grandpa had said together. How could anyone not love their mommy? It didn't seem real.
Simba continued. "Your grandma Zira was the late mate of my brother, your great uncle Scar. You know who Scar is, right?"
Imani nodded again, before resuming her new quiet persona. "Uncle Scar did bad things to great grandpa Mufasa," the adolescent said. "Mommy and Daddy told me that's why I only have great grandma Sarabi."
Simba remained quiet. "Mommy and Daddy were right," he said.
The lions three generations apart came to a flat rock overlooking the savanna. Simba lay down on the warm stone with a thump, Imani joining him. "Grandma Zira was raising your father to be king," Simba said, continuing with his story.
Again, Imani was confused. "But you're king, grandpa. And grandma Nala is queen. That is, until it's my turn," she said, her usual personality coming out again.
Simba chuckled. "Yes, Imani. The bad news is, Grandma Zira wanted to do bad things to me, too. So your daddy could be king."
"Just like uncle Scar did?" she asked.
"Yes," Simba answered, staring out to the horizon.
"But that's not fair!" Imani blurted out. "Daddy needs to wait his turn!"
"Youre right, Imani. And Daddy wanted to wait his turn, too. But Grandma Zira didnt want him to."
The pieces clicked in the young lion's head. "That's why daddy didn't like his mommy," she said. "Grandma wanted him to do bad things to you. That's not nice."
"No it isn't, little one," Simba said, rubbing against her head affectionately. "And grandma isn't around today because of it. She was so focused on getting rid of me, and your mother, that she didn't look out for herself."
"so what happened to uncle Scar, and great grandpa Mufasa, happened to grandma Zira?" Imani asked.
Simba nodded.
She paused. "I only miss grandpa Mufasa," she said finally.
Simba put a giant paw around her and hugged her close. "I only miss grandpa Mufasa, too."
/
"So my dear, the reason your daddy isnt taking this walk with you is because family relations are still a bit strained. We weren't sure for a while where he was going to fit in," Simba said on their way back to pride rock. "But Imani, you need to know your father loves you and your mother very much. And he loves these pridelands, too, no matter where he came from. You need to know that." Imani nodded, as pride rock came into view. "I know, grandpa."
/
"How was it,?" Kiara asked, as her daughter came bounding into the cave, Simba not far behind.
"Fun!" Imani answered. "He...told me about grandma Zira, daddy." she said quietly to Kovu, who was standing beside Kiara.
Kovu nodded. "We thought grandpa would be the best person to tell you."
Simba strode closer. "We also talked about why you two named her Imani," he said. "What does it mean, little one?"
"Faith!" Imani answered. "Yes it does," Simba said, pleased. "We needed faith after grandma Zira left us, after you were born. We needed faith and trust. I needed to have faith in your father to know he loves your mother very much, and would treat her well."
Kovu smiled and rubbed against Kiara lovingly.
"I had faith in him then, and I still do now," Simba continued. "Which is why, after my next birthday, Kovu will become king."
The younger lion's eyes grew wide. He couldn't believe what Simba had just said. Him, king? "Me?" Kovu stuttered out.
Simba smiled. "Just like your daughter, I have faith too. Nala and I are getting too old to run this kingdom ourselves. And besides, someone needs to show Imani here how to be a queen. Right, Kiara?" he added. Kiara could only nod. "Thank you, daddy," she said, coming forward to hug him. "Thank you so much."
/
Imani had given all of the lions faith in each other, and in Kovu as well. He and Kiara ruled the pridelands as the good lions of the past did, Mufasa looking down on them from the stars proudly. Simba and Nala watched from close by, of course. But they knew Kovu could be trusted. The lion was the king of the jungle, and this time, Kovu was king the right way, under Simba's approval and Kiara's love, not Zira's lust for evil and determination. The way a true ruler of the pride lands should be.
Don't hate me! I wrote this on my iPod on the train today because we had a 45 min holdup and I was soooo bored. Plus, I saw the Lion King in 3D the other day and cried my eyes out, then came home and watched Simba's Pride again because it's like my favorite movie of all time, next to Titanic. And this just happened because I think Kovu is sexy. Sorry if it's jumbled and doesn't make sense and is just repetitive of the movie, and if the grammar and spelling is off. I just wondered what would happen when it was time for Kovu and Kiara's fictional daughter to learn about her family's past. I don't know. Don't hate me. Bye.