Author's Note: Hello and welcome to my little pet project here. I've been working on it for several years and lately been really into it thanks multiple reasons. After a ton of awful things in my real life I feel some creative writing is in order to correct it. The Hurts Like Hell rewrite will be on its way soon once season 2 of Lion Guard ends simply because I want any events relating to the hyenas and such in canon to mesh with my fan verse, not the other way around. Never Alone will be due for an update as well too soon but I digress. Due to troll spam guest reviews will need to be under watch as I want to prevent pointless fighting among my reviews over silly fictional characters.

"All The Light Touches" is a prequel to Lion King based on the semi-canon comic of "A False Ancestor" that mentioned the First King of the PrideLands and a hyena war. As such the lions on this story are far into the past of the Lion King universe as super distant ancestors and eventual founders of the Ndona PrideLands we see in the movies and show. I have ref sheets of these characters on my dA and will awnser any questions you have about these OCs and the universe of this story. I don't know how popular OC based fics are here on FF but I know my watchers on dA have been wanting to know the story of Griselda and Takatiifu for quite a bit now so I thought, why not?

Please leave me a review as your crumbs inspire me to write. ALSO one last thing. Please do not attack me over updates, you are not entitled to my personal time though I greatly appreciate that people like my work. I have a life outside of writing for a fictional universe that I don't even paid for so please have the decency to respect and have sympathy if my updates are not frequent. I will try to post as much as I can but remember I am only human and this is a hobby! Anyway apologies and I hope you enjoy chapter 1 ~

Chapter 1 - [Omen]

"This Kingdom will fall..."

Edit: Changed the scenery setting to an ancient temple, plus explained it better because it was hard to tell where everyone was, kind of imagine Jungle Emporer Leo's but way more broken and spaced up. I decided considering the PrideLands aren't this place it could make for some fun world building and scenery to explore for animals who'd never seen humans ~

Everything came to her in blotted images, flashing by in seconds yet for her it felt like eons. Her eyes were void of pupils, staring as in unseeing at the direction of the sky. She could see the heavens themselves as among them were lions made of stars and swirling blue clouds, speaking in voices she could not hear no matter how strained her ears were.

Suddenly all at once they boomed louder than the thunder of a rainy day. Griselda was so startled she nearly was knocked from her trance but still some how she remained tethered to this ethereal realm.

"This kingdom will fall," the voices told her without a sign of hesitation. "No one will be prepared for it and no matter what you say or do you will not be able to stop it's destruction."

"Many will die."

A flash of blood and the moans of the dying met her senses, she could taste the acrid metallic texture on her tongue.

"A mighty dynasty brought to its knees by one weak link."

She could see many faces, she thought could distinguish them yet at the same time they were so vague she waa sure they were strangers.

"But you will not be alone, young princess. He will come for you soon."

"Who are you? How did you sneak in here without Mustafa catching you?"

"Sneak? Oh... I just slipped in through the thickets there."

She could hear her own voice in her head and the one who was new and unfamiliar.

"United you will bring in a new era."

A face... a brown lion cub stared at her from the depths of her mind with a blonde mass of hair on his head. His eyes were a striking blue and she was fixated, enraptured as she stare into them. He was gone as quickly as the image came, lingering even if it had been less than a moment. Her heart clenched and she wished she could will her voice to call out for the boy, beg he not go away, that every ounce of her being told her she needed him here. The voices seemed to sense her pain and they spoke to reassure her but it gave little comfort.

"His life will be yours." The voices sounded so sure, so confident of the fact. It left a empty feeling in her stomach that gnawed away at it like acid rain.

"Why must he not be given the choice? Why is he instantly mine?" The words were spoken softly and were gripped with intense emotion.

"He will choose to leave the forest and everything he holds dear. His heart will lead him onward."

As a crown princess she knew that meant little, choice was all but an illusion when you were royalty and for one chosen by the spirit realm she knew it was all the same. Griselda stared blindly up at the lions in the sky with blatant upset in her unseeing eyes. "You curse me but I refuse to let you curse him with my burden too! Leave him alone! I beg of you!"

"If we are to survive into this new age sacrifices must be made..." Like wind it was buffeted away and she had to strain her ears to pick up upon the words the voices were speaking. "United you stand... divided you shall fall, princess."

She felt as if her very soul was being pushed back into her body, like strings were threaded across her limbs and she were a puppet being forced to cower to the floor. Griselda yelled out at the heavens as they ascended higher and higher away from her, she was falling at a rapid pace and feebly she reached a paw out to grab at the stars. Their faces gave no emotions away at the struggle, the masses made of stars and clouds receded into nothingness, echoing her name over and over again into the void. Screaming did nothing and before she knew it everything went dark...

"Griselda!"

"Oh thank goodness I think she's coming to..."

"Princess? Can you hear us?"

It was like waking from a brief sleep, yet the dream lingered with an intensity she doubted she would ever forget anytime soon. She saw the old ancient walls of the temple, the stone pillars looming over them and the expansion of night sky breaking through the mostly shattered ceiling. She was no longer in the realm of the spirits. There was something stuffed into her mouth and she lay splayed out on her side in the cave. She could taste blood in her mouth and she wondered if it were the remains of the dream or not. The worried faces of her mother, father and attendant hovered nearby as they crowded closely to check on the lion cub. She lifted her head slowly and Mustafa gingerly tugged the moss ball gag out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry my lady but we were afraid you would bite your tongue off," the Shadow Marozi said, eyebrows drawn out in concern. "How are you feeling, child?" She focused shakily on the lioness she knew since she could even remember, the red-furred face and scruffy features, the sharp angles of her cheeks and jaw and eyes.

"What happened?" She asked in a low voice, it sounded raspy. She was surprised at how dry her mouth felt in that moment. Mustafa tenderly touched Griselda's body, checking her over with expertise to see if there were any further damages she missed since Griselda fell unconscious. She couldn't help but wince in mild pain, her temples ached something fierce.

"You had another seizure," A lean and slender lion with bright white fur and flowing black mane came into focus. Obi, her father, said the words gently. He peered close into her eyes before turning to address Mustafa. "Will she be alright, Mustafa?" His green gaze bore into hers intently, worried for the health of his daughter.

"Other than needing some fluids and rest she should be alright, there shouldn't be another episode anytime soon," she counseled the king wisely, nodding. Mustafa with the softness of a mother idly brushed a paw against Griselda's face in a soothing motion. As her attendant, Griselda had been in her care for all her life, she pretty much was a second mother to the lion cub. The gesture brought comfort to her shaken self.

"She will be alright?'" Maisha asked in outrage, turning on her heel to glare at the other lioness. "She was unconscious for half an hour! You call that alright? These seizures of hers are lasting even longer now! You call yourself a Shadow Marozi yet can't use any of that supposed magic to treat Griselda?"

The way she said 'magic' was not missed by Griselda who now pushed herself up half heartedly, trying to shake off the jitters the vision left her with. Obi was at her side instantly, nosing the cub to sit upright fully.

"You know for a fact I am doing all I can for the princess," Mustafa told Maisha in a firm yet respectful tone. "There is only so much I can do when these attacks happen. It's not something I can just poof away if that's what you believe all Shadow Marozi are capable of. We are not witches." Her red eyes squinted. "Didn't you say many times my queen you took no stock in my people's legends, anyway?"

Maisha bore her teeth at the dark pelted lioness, hackles lifting along her spine in distress. "If Griselda dies I won't ever forgive you, Marozi." Mustafa did not flinch as some spittle hit her face. "Mark my words you will find a way to cure this! You say you are studying methods but you've yielded nothing! What will it take for you to finally get a reliable treatment?!"

"Don't push yourself, my little snowflake," he told Griselda before turning to stare sternly at the conflict Maisha spurred on. "That is enough, stand down Maisha. Mustafa is right, there is only so much she can do."

Maisha's were ablaze with anger and intense frustration as her eyes jumped from Mustafa to her cub that watched them with eyes that were both blank and confused. The golden lioness eventually exhaled a heavy breath through her nostrils before turning away to tend to Griselda. Griselda thought she could see the hazy shimmer of tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, Maisha blinked them away with a sigh that sounded incredibly pained.

"Forgive me, my husband. My anger was aimed unfairly, I'm merely concerned when others clearly are not so." The subtle jab made Obi frown but Mustafa did not react, only quietly stood aside like a good royal servant. "She's been having these episodes so long... surely a solution must present itself soon or else..."

"What matters right now is that Griselda is comfortable," the white lion king said in a cool collected fashion. Mustafa knew her king well enough to know it was a mask to hide his fears. He too was concerned for Griselda, that was clear itself but the weight of it he carried so both wife and daughter would not find need to tremble. "We will deal with it as it comes, she is alert and conscious, I will take the fact she wakes as a source of comfort for my thoughts."

Maisha looked tiredly down at Griselda, helplessness settling with a intense weight on her shoulders. "You are right, Obi," she said but the words sounded robotic, not truly believing the faith her husband tried dishing out.

Mustafa met Griselda's gaze and the princess gave a violent shiver. The Shadow Marozi approached carefully and looked on with concern on her weary face. "What is it, child? Do you still feel strangely?"

Griselda felt her breath catch in her chest and for a moment she forgot how to take in air with her lungs. She frantically looked at the adults in the den, pleading her gaze dragged across each one. "The kingdom is going to be destroyed!" She suddenly said in a sharp voice, the word 'destroyed' breaking apart in a squeak. "The Lions in the Sky! They... they...! They told me! We are all going to die!"

Obi and Maisha exchanged worried looks as Griselda continued to shout at the top of her lungs that the end of the world was on its way. Tears welled up in her eyes as she begged for them to believe her. The cub had gotten to her paws in the midsts of her hysteria, grabbing for the nearest person who happened to be Obi. Her claws pricked the fur on his arm.

"Father! Mother! You have to believe me this time! Please!" A sob broke forth from her mouth as she clung to her father, as if letting go would shatter her into a million pieces.

"Hush, my little snowflake. It was all a bad dream," he told her in a soothing voice, pressing his muzzle against the curve of her shivering neck. His face lifted to look at Maisha and Mustafa who watched on. Mustafa's face was eerie and unreadable as she focused on the cub, as if she'd just seen a ghost.

"Your seizure must have caused another hallucination," Maisha murmured with a weary expression. She touched Griselda's face gently with her paw, drawing the cub away from her father so she could hold Griselda. "Now, now... Calm yourself Griselda. Our kingdom is safe, nothing will come to harm it."

"No! No! No! You don't understand, mother! It will come and we can't do anything but prepare for it!" Griselda shrieked, looking up at her mother in distraught.

Maisha's gaze hardened and she grit her teeth. "Enough of this nonsense, child! These silly visions of yours are nothing but tomfoolery. You are tired, you are weak, stop thinking every dream you have is a omen of awful things to come!"

Griselda flinched and went silent, staring wide-eyed up at her mother. "Mother..."

"No, don't mother me Griselda. You will stop it right now, I don't want to hear another word of this! The kingdom ending, as if it could ever happen! First it was other smaller things but I've had enough of it!" Maisha's words were spoken low and harsh, making the point clear she would not listen any longer. Griselda couldn't blame her entirely, after all, how many times had such an event happened before one's mind would break beneath the weight of it all? Maisha was stressed and tired, she was afraid for her daughter.

Obi shook his head in a sympathetic manner and turned to address Mustafa. Griselda already knew her softer, kinder father would not listen either. He would not harshly dish out reprimands like Maisha but Obi was also one who thought entirely logical too. Her mother and father were on the same page and it made everything much more difficult for the struggling crown princess.

"Mustafa... please stay with Griselda for now. I will take Maisha away, I feel she needs time to digest the situation. I know our daughter will be safe in your loyal paws." He gave her a smile, tired but still a true gesture of the fondness and faith he had for the Shadow Marozi. Mustafa bowed her head respectfully to her king, the lioness settling herself besides Griselda.

"I shall protect her with my life," the all too familiar response came tumbling from her lips, one she spoke from trained habit and refined through time. "I will prepare the princess a herbal poultice to soothe her emotional distress, she will need some sleep after such a hard night... Would you like for me to make one for queen Maisha, my liege?" Though her relationship with the queen was often strained she did care for the golden lioness' health and welfare. She could see Maisha was emotionally and physically exhausted though the nightmare of the evening would most likely keep her far from sleep.

"I need no such—"

"That would be very kind of you, Mustafa. Thank you. Leave it in our chambers if you could."

"Of course, your majesty," Mustafa replied, not missing a beat. "Fear not, Griselda is protected here with me." The spotted lioness idly drew Griselda closer, wrapping her as if encased by walls with her muscular front paws.

"I would not have it any other way." He began to turn away, missing the envious stare in the glow of his wife's red eyes as she stare Mustafa down. "Maisha, come. Leave them, we must attend to your needs now. Griselda is safe and stabilized."

"Yes, of course my husband," Maisha said softly, face void of any emotion as she finally spun on her heel to pursue Obi out of the den.

Mustafa watched her and the king leave with alert eyes before turning to the the little princess in her arms. Griselda made a soft noise. "What was that, my lady?" Mustafa looked patiently into her eyes, not rushing Griselda as the cub composed herself.

"I know what I saw, Mustafa," Griselda uttered in a small voice, she still sounded so sure even despite its melancholic tone.

"What did they tell you this time?" Mustafa asked her in a quiet voice, eying the area carefully to make sure there were no eavesdroppers nearby. If anyone knew Mustafa was putting faith in the princess' visions it would be seen as instant insubordination. Very many few took stock in Griselda's future sight, Mustafa was one of those rare few. As a servant to the king and queen however there was little Mustafa could do publicly even if she wished she could.

"This kingdom will fall, no matter what we say or do it will be brought to its knees, wiped clean as if it never existed," Griselda said in a hushed voice, eyes lifting to gaze up at the temple ceiling. She'd been staring in that direction before the vision struck her so horribly, her eyes glowing golden for a moment before she fell into the painful convulsions and fevered mumbling that followed. The voices had called to her so strongly and without much willpower she had bent her spirit to reach for them in response, a fifth sense was the only way she could describe it, an instinct that surpassed merely sight, taste, scent and touch. "Its already coming true... mother and father don't believe me. They never believe me. Even... even when I told them Jua would cripple her leg if she went on that hunt or that Tau was going to kill himself after his wife bled out from childbirth..."

Mustafa's eyes were soft with sympathy for the little princess, she leaned down to touch her face with her muzzle. "My Griselda everything will be well... I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know you won't let anything happen to me, Mustafa but... what about everyone else? What about all the others we are going to lose when this... thing comes for us?" She met the eyes of the wise Shadow Marozi, causing Mustafa to frown in deep thought, contemplating what could even be done if those being warned would not believe them.

She remembered the many murals within the Shrine of the Shadow Arts, depicting ancient Shadow Marozi history and lore within paintings even older than the wisest elephants. A legend passed on from the dawn of her people of a Seer, one who would be born every twenty generations to whoever held the throne of this land. It should have been a Shadow Marozi blessed with this future sight but they no longer ruled the land, it was Griselda's people who now lay claim to this kingdom. After a complicated duel for dominance the Mbinguni Pride lay powerful over the ancient Shadow Marozis who'd inhabited these lands. Their kingdom stretched even farther than the sun could set, with many small settlements of lions forming who all bowed before king Obi and his bride. Born from a mighty line of white and pale coated lions, they were as ethereal and wise as the spirits some would say.

And as such it was why the little off-white colored cub would be the one born with the legendary Miracle Eyes. Entrusted with great power by the great spirits to see into the future, speak with those long passed and to peer into the hearts of others to learn their true character. This was only legend of course but Mustafa as a Shadow Marozi took these stories very seriously, even if many others would not. It did not help this legend was not of Griselda's family line, they scoffed at the very notion of higher power and magic. They had claimed this land many generations ago.

Their dynasty was mighty and it was strong, how could one truly believe a kingdom of this size could some day just... end?

"There will be a boy... he's going to come to us... soon, at least that's what they said," Griselda continued to recite what the vision had told her. "He..."

Mustafa gently nudged her when she lost her courage suddenly, encouraging Griselda she need not stop her words. "He...?" Mustafa ushered in a motherly tender voice. "What shall he do for us, child?"

"He will help us survive into this new era they spoke of," she told Mustafa, the cub anxiously gripped her claws into the fur of Mustafa's arm. "I did not get a name from them but... I think I will know when he finds me."

"Then that means all we can do for now is wait," Mustafa said as she looked at Griselda, digesting what the princess told her. It was not the first time she counseled Mustafa over a vision and usually Griselda found comfort when Mustafa could offer words of wisdom, even if there was not much her attendant could do to stop the vision from coming into fruition. This time though Mustafa seemed adamant to prevent this vision from coming to pass, Griselda could see it in her determined red eyes. "And take each day as it comes... did they tell you what will bring the Mbinguni pride to its end?"

It killed Mustafa to keep prodding for information but it was important she got as much details as she could. Griselda gave a hesitant nod of her head. "They said a weak link... I saw many faces but all of them were so vague I couldn't even recognize them. They were so familiar though, Mustafa."

"A weak link..." Mustafa echoed softly, Griselda nodded her head again. "What could it mean..."

"Perhaps... someone in our own walls?" Griselda replied, nearly a whisper as she chanced a side glance. "A kingdom is only as strong as its people."

"We will need to keep a close eye then for any sabotores," she decided, dipping her head as she made the vow. "I have eyes and ears all over this kingdom, we should be able to clue in on any traitors or fear mongers."

"Thank you, Mustafa." She felt Griselda relax in her arms, feeling reassured that someone was taking her seriously. "I'm glad you believe me," Griselda added, the tone carrying a weight to it that Mustafa did not miss. She hugged the cub close to herself, heart sick that the child was so tortured at such a tender age. A time when children got to enjoy life by playing games and learning about the world, instead Griselda had been plagued by visions ever since she could first open her eyes, forcing the cub to toughen and grow up faster than she should have. "I feel so alone." The words were choked, hinting tears wanted to come.

"You aren't alone, you silly girl," Mustafa told her sternly in her ear, throat tight with emotion. "You'll never be alone in this. I swear my life on it."

She felt Griselda nod against her chest and Mustafa pulled the cub away so she could look at her face. "I just... I hope its not too late."

"It will never be too late so long as you still breathe air," the Shadow Marozi said to Griselda, looking as dedicated as her words sounded. "You are a princess and as such your birthright gives hope that this kingdom will live on... no matter what comes."

Griselda couldn't find the words to convey how much she appreciated Mustafa in this moment but it seemed no words were necessary, as Mustafa only smiled at the girl. "Now... I'm going to get you ready to sleep. You have faced quite the hardship today and need to rest it off those little shoulders of yours."

"I don't think I could sleep even if I wanted to, Mustafa," Griselda sighed, shaking her head. She looked far from the young child that she was with her weary expression and taut jaw.

"Its a good thing I know plenty about herb remedies then." Mustafa got to her paws, letting Griselda go so she could prepare a poultice to help Griselda relax. "Those mandrills may seem kooky but they are very smart, I am glad our people aligned with one another. The Grass Walls troop have always been good friends to us."

"Our people?" Griselda cocked her head curiously.

"I forget, your pride are not as open to other species as we Shadow Marozi," Mustafa mused as she used her paws to combine many colorful looking plants together. She used her strong jaw to break open a melon, pouring half of its shell onto the pile of mushy herbs. "There was a time even we bore our teeth at those different than us but unity always serves us better. A common goal to stitch everyone together to stand strong."

"Father has been trying to make peace with the hyena tribes lately," Griselda said, hoping she did not sound defensive. "He's even wanted to issue the royal guard to shadow the herds to make sure nobody hunts for sport."

"Your father is unique for a lion of his time," Mustafa agreed, a fondness to the words that didn't sound appropriate for a servant serving their vassal."The royal court often are at a loss once he sets his mind to something."

Griselda made a thoughtful face but it was disturbed when Mustafa finally finished the herb mixture. She left half of it in the hollow shell of the fruit gourd, Griselda wondered if that was going to her mother so the queen could rest for the night. Mustafa approached Griselda with the medicine and offered it to her, smiling in amusement at the disgusted grimace that passed through her shape. Griselda's red eyes shot up to Mustafa, as if asking without words if she really had to ingest that smelly goopy concoction.

There was a nod from her guardian and with a sigh to steel herself, Griselda quickly downed the herbal mixture. It tasted as funny as it smelled and looked, causing Griselda to shudder. Mustafa looked pleased that Griselda had braved the mixture even if the cub gave her a pitiful glare and pout. The older lioness offered Griselda some water to drink next from a hollowed out stone that she had nearby, Grielda drank it eagerly to quench her dry throat and to relieve the nasty flavor on her tongue.

"Now that should kick in momentarily, its a rather strong sleeping agent and relaxant. You'll be sleeping peacefully soon," Mustafa told Griselda, gently ruffling a paw through the princess' long scruffy cheek fur. "We better get you settled to sleep in the mean time, then I must get the rest of the herbs to your parents' chambers."

"Will I see you when I wake up?" Griselda asked, her eyes spoke that she did not wish to be alone, even if she was to just sleep.

"I will return long before you wake, princess." Mustafa nudged the cub with her muzzle to get her walking. "Let's get you out of the nursing ward and to your sleeping space." When Griselda had fallen unconscious into convulsions the cub was brought to the area of the abandoned temple where the critically sick were kept to wait out and observe the seizure. Now it was time to get her to where she could sleep peacefully and away from prying eyes.

The place in which the royal Mbinguni pride lived was an ancient building that crumbled from age, neglect and the rough passage of time itself. Pillars made of stone stood everywhere, walls once solid were broken in places. Strange pictures depicted creatures that Griselda had never seen before that walked on two feet like apes and seemed to tell stories that no animal could understand, a dead language she surmised. Nobody knew what had made these structures but her ancient ancestors had claimed this strange temple as their own. Nature took over the temple, colorful green foliage climbing along the walls and pillars and ceiling, creating a eerily beautiful sight. A stairway lead to where the royal family usually dwelled at the very top of the ancient temple. The temple itself was a series of many old rooms and deep spaces. Mustafa found the doorway that made Griselda's space that was covered by long tendrils of vine like a door cover once they finished scaling the many steps. The king and queen's private chambers shared this trait, allowing the royals privacy when they were away from the kingdom's open gaze. There was a nice view of the stars from the ceiling, as there was a open space above the roof that let in moonlight. It was also there encase of emergency exits if the need ever arose.

Mustafa lead the now drowsy Griselda to the stone mass that made her bed, lined in sweet smelling flowers, soft moss and downy feathers so she could rest cozily. Grabbing the cub by the scruff, Mustafa hoisted her up and pushed her tentatively to lay down. Bleary red eyes shone up at Mustafa who only smiled back softly.

"You will be right as rain, love," Mustafa reassured the cub, bowing her head in a respectful manner. "I will begin preparations to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity."

Griselda nodded her head against the stone as she lay, curling up into a ball to keep warm. "Okay Mustafa..."

"You tell me right away if any more visions come to you," the spotted lioness said to Griselda, firm yet soft with her words. "You won't be alone in this, my lady."

Her response was all but soft breathing, the girl had finally succumbed to sleep, the herbs kicking in. She would sleep peacefully through the night, that Mustafa knew. Looking closely Mustafa could see the dark bags beneath her eyes and the strain furrowing of her brows, Griselda had many demons she was facing for one so small and young. Mustafa gave the cub a gentle kiss on the brow before departing to go leave the herb poultice for her parents to have. Mustafa tried to keep her mind off the vision Griselda passed forth to her and found it hard, instead she stared blankly ahead in the darkness, fearing silently what was going to befall her homeland...

"A weak link... but who?"

She heaved a heavy breath, eyes beseeching the sky despite the massive stone ceiling hiding the many stars she was praying towards. "Great Ancestors above I ask of you, give me strength... Give us all strength in order to make it to the end..."

Name meaning log: [To avoid character spoilers new names will be added at the bottom so you aren't spoiled over who appears in the chapter]

Griselda - "dark battle" or "gray maiden warrior"

Maisha - "prosperous"

Obi - "heart"

Mustafa - "the chosen one"

Takatifu - "sacred" or "chosen"