The

LION KING:

Where Greatness Lies

ACT ONE : Worlds Collide

Chapter 1

Prelude to Disaster

T he rain was finally beginning to stop, but the hyenas didn't let up at whatever it was they were doing. They appeared to be attacking something. However, they did stop to look up in terror at the sound of a band of lionesses roaring ferociously. Nala stood at the lead, and they chased off the hyenas at an efficient pace, sending them scampering off with their tails between their legs like shamed dogs. Then, she saw just what they'd been up to: Scar's lifeless body lay bloodied by claw and tooth marks. "Simba!" she cried. "I've found him!"

Moments later, Simba arrived, approaching his mate. He stared down at the body of his treacherous uncle. "Is he dead?"

"He can't be!" cried a voice from behind Simba.

A lioness by the name of Zira fought her way through the crowd of lionesses, a young male cub following at her heels. Zira approached the body. "Scar!" she cried, nudging him. "Speak to me! You can't die...!"

Simba growled at Zira. "Get out of here, traitor!" Nala hissed. "You supported him this whole time!"

"Mama," squeaked the cub, who was drenched in Scar's blood and perched on Scar's side just below his upper leg. "Mama, I can hear his heart. It's real slow, though."

Zira sighed with relief. "He's alive! Good work, Nuka. I knew he wasn't dead."

"He will be," Simba grunted. "Nala, have your lionesses take him to the southern border to die."

"Understood," Nala agreed.

"What?! You can't just leave him for dead! He might survive," Zira pleaded.

"I want this to be the last we ever see of this murderous scum," Simba said. "As for you and your lionesses, Zira, I want you out of the Pridelands."

"For what?!" Zira demanded, outraged at the idea.

"For being in cahoots with Scar! What do you think? Now, go. As the new king, I sentence you to exile, effective immediately!" Simba replied.

"You aren't king. You'll never be king! Scar is king! He isn't dead yet!" Zira shouted.

"Someone take her away," Simba ordered, turning away from her with Nala at his side, who was instructing some of her lionesses to move Scar to the outskirts of the Pridelands.

A pair of lionesses growled at Zira as they lead her away. Her little cub Nuka followed. "Simba, you are despicable! I'll never forgive you for this!" Zira screamed as she was forced away, watching the lionesses drag Scar off. "You be careful with him, you disrespectful wretches!"

But no one listened to her.

Three lionesses stood side-by-side. One held Scar on her back, and the other two made sure he stayed there. "Almost there," said one of the ones on the side.

"Good," grunted the middle lioness. "I don't know how much further I can carry this jerk. He's really heavy, despite how thin he is."

"It's all that dead weight," said the lioness on her other side. "Here we are. Set him down over there."

The two lionesses with nothing to carry now stood on the same side as the third, and nudged Scar's near-dead body off of her with their heads. "There," said the first. "Now let's get out of here. I can't stand to look at that schmuck anymore."

"I second that," said the the middle lioness.

And with that, they turned a blind eye to their fallen, neglegent king and returned home to their new, kind ruler. Scar lay beaten, unconcious, and dying, unable to do anything to save himself.

Chapter 2

Found

Roya, a gold-eyed lioness with a very fair-colored coat, bounded through the grass. Above her flew an orange-feathered female hornbill by the name of Gio, just above her reach. "You'll never be able to catch me without wings!" Gio laughed.

"Want to bet?" snickered Roya, who lept up and clawed at Gio, but was unable to reach the hornbill.

"Ha ha ha!" sang Gio, flying in a loop. "You've never been good at this game, Roya."

"Hey, Gio!" cried Roya, suddenly halting.

Gio stopped as well. "Hmm?"

Roya pointed her paw ahead. "Do you see that? Up ahead, there's something in the grass," she asked.

Gio was obviously at a better vantage point to see whatever Roya had spotted, so the looked off into the distance and saw a strange black-and-brown lump. "Yes, I see it, but... I can't make out what it is," Gio replied, then flew down beside the lioness.

Roya stared off into the distance at it for a moment. She wrinkled her nose in contemplation, then said, "Let's go check it out."

Gio flew ahead as Roya dashed over to the mysterious object. "Roya!" Gio called back, Roya being a few yards behind. "It's a body. A lion's body."

Roya came up. "Ew, is it dead?"

Gio shrugged. Roya began sniffing the strange lion carefully. "It doesn't smell like decay. Maybe he's alive. His wounds are bad."

"He seems to have been attacked by other carnivores, and very ruthlessly at that," Gio noted perceptively. "What should we do?"

Roya thought for a moment, then gently nudged a place on the wounded lion that was unscathed so as not to hurt him. "Hey," she whispered.

An eye opened ever so slightly, followed by a low, groggy-sounding noise that was barely audible. Roya smiled. "Hey, you're alive after all. Listen, we're gonna help you, okay?" she purred.

The lion's eye closed once more. "Gio, can you go get help? Gonjwa would be preferable, but anyone strong enough to carry him is fine."

"At once!" Gio shouted, flying off.

Moments later, Gio returned with a strong-bodied male lion of a deep tan color with a dark chestnut mane. This was Roya's younger brother, and one of the strongest members of her pride. "Gonjwa, there's an injured lion---" Roya started.

"I know," Gonjwa interrupted. "Gio told me everything on the way here. I think we should get him to the waterhole first to get him cleaned up, then take him back to Great Peak to heal."

"That's probably best," Roya agreed, helping Gonjwa get the injured lion on his back.

"You know, Roya, he's about your age, possibly a little older," Gonjwa observed, looking at the visitor. "Maybe we've finally found you a mate."

"Yeah, right," Roya growled sarcastically.

Gonjwa laughed tiredly, getting to his feet and heading off towards the waterhole. "Roya, why don't you come with me in case I need help? Gio, you should probably go back and tell Mom and Pop about our guest," he suggested.

Both agreed, and all three went to their tasks.

Chapter 3

All But Dead

Scar felt a rush of new pain wash over his body as he came around. Everything ached or stung. His emerald eyes slowly opened. The world around him was a blur, but the shapes he made out were lions. He figured it didn't matter much. Scar had already resigned himself to death, so if he was alive, it'd all disappear soon anyway. He just hoped that they were friendly, because he was not in the mood for any more pain. Scar closed his eyes again and sighed forlornly. "Hey, I think he's coming to," mused a voice.

"Seems like it. About time, too," agreed another, then speaking to him, continued; "Hey, you. Are you awake?"

"Don't make him try to talk, dimwit! He's probably still too weak," snapped the first voice. "Mom, Pop, I think he's awake!"

Scar wasn't sure what to make of these voices, but they didn't seem hostile, so he simply sighed again. He was too tired to investigate. "Hey, at least open your eyes again!" said a feminine voice that seemed to come from right beside his face.

Scar reopened his eyes to find that he'd been correct. The voice's source held her face right next to him. He cocked an eyebrow and scooted his head away from her. "Get out of his face, moron!" scolded the other voice, belonging to a lion who promptly pushed her away. "Sorry. My sister's nuts."

"Am not," she grumbled defensively.

"Honestly," scolded a third voice, "this poor fellow just had a near-death experience, and he has to return to concious and hear you two bickering like cubs first thing. How inconsiderate."

Scar's gaze surfed his surroundings until he located the lion who owned the third voice, who entered followed by another lioness. The lion was the darkest in color of the group and not much lighter a brown than Scar himself with an unusual light-colored mane. He was of a very bulky, muscular build. The lioness was almost albino and was somewhat lanky, unlike the petite younger one with a peachy sort of color to her. The whitish lioness came over to him. "There isn't much substance to him. He looks half-starved," she whispered to the dark-colored, husky lion, obviously her mate.

"He probably is," he muttered back. "There's no telling what he went through, coming to us in such a state."

"Mom! Pop!" hissed the peach-furred lioness. "You shouldn't talk under your breath like that. It's like you're saying bad things about him!" Then, she turned to Scar. "Good morning! Glad to see you up. I'm Roya. If you can speak, how do you feel?"

Scar found speaking difficult, but he managed to croak out the word, "Blegh..."

Roya laughed. "Well, that's better than dead, I suppose," she sighed. "Well, anyway, this is my brother, Gonjwa." She gestured to the younger lion. "He and I saved you. The other two are our parents, Ahku and Aioshei. You've been here for two days."

"Stupid. He probably doesn't know where 'here' is," Gonjwa snorted. "We're on Great Peak."

Great Peak? Scar had never heard of it. Was it in the Pridelands? Who in the Pridelands would harbor him? Well, no one in their right mind, that was for sure. These lions had to be either crazy or intensely uninformed. He figured he could be in some backwater area that didn't really have anything to do with the rest of the Pridelands. But how did he even get there? It was all a blank to him, but it didn't matter. Scar was alive. He'd appreciate it now and ask questions later. He couldn't even form words yet, anyway.

"Anyway," Aioshei continued, "at our childrens' request, you're welcome to stay here until you're back at full speed."

"Then, Gonjwa will be happy to escort you to wherever you call home," Ahku added.

"No," Scar growled.

"Huh? 'No' what?" Aioshei asked.

Scar tried to explain, but could only shake his head as if to say, "I'll tell you later."

They seemed to understand. "You know," Roya mused, "you'd probably gain back some of your strength if you ate something. Are ya hungry?"

For the next few days, these bizarrely neighborly lions did everything in their power to help him. Scar didn't understand why, but he took advantage of it. His wounds healed pretty well, and eventually, most of the pain had stopped, and he was able to speak again. As soon as he could talk in full sentences again, he was instantly racked with questions by Gonjwa and Roya.

"What's your name?"

"Where did you come from?"

"How'd you get all beaten up like that?"

"Where'd you get that scar on your eye from?"

"You two! He's the one who was brought here with no explaination. Let him ask a few questions first!" Ahku reprimanded them, then turned to Scar. "Go ahead."

"Where am I?" Scar asked.

"Great Peak," Gonjwa answered. "It's the best place in all of the Greatlands."

"Greatlands? Don't you mean the Pridelands?" Scar corrected him.

His hosts looked baffled. "Pridelands? What are the Pridelands?" Roya asked.

"Beats me," Ahku said. "Gio ought to know, though. Gio!"

An orange she-bird fluttered in. She was a hornbill, like Zazu, Scar noticed. "Yes?" she asked.

"Have you ever heard of the Pridelands?" Roya asked.

Gio nodded promptly. "I have a good friend from there. The Pridelands are home to another lion pride and are located northeast of here. We found our visitor over there on that particular border. The Pridelands, according to a friend of mine, have been experiencing drought, famine, and governmental dispute as of late. I haven't checked in with him for a while, but that's what I heard last," she explained.

With Gio's lack of detail, Scar quickly formulated a nice spin on his backstory, which he was assured that his hosts would ask of soon. He creatively made up a tale that worked with Gio's information without conflicting his best interests or making him look bad.

"Well," Aioshei continued, "that sounds horrible. We can assure you that the Greatlands are in much better conditions."

"So... I know your names, but who are you all?" Scar asked. "Just... hunters, or...?"

"Ahku and I are king and queen of the Greatlands," Aioshei replied. "Roya is the Crown Princess, and Gonjwa is her brother and the future Captain of the Hunt."

"What about you?" Roya asked eagerly.

"I am called Scar, and I come from the Pridelands. I was their king," Scar said, going over his fake story in his head rapidly. "My nephew and his supporters rebelled against me for no reason. They over threw me and ran me out. My nephew himself was the one who gave me these wounds, and then they dragged me out and left me for dead. Who knows what they've done with my lionesses..."

"That's horrible!" Roya cried.

"Yeah, what was their problem?" Gonjwa growled in agreement.

"You know, I'd caught word of a 'mad king' having been in the Pridelands recently," Gio added.

"Yes, that would be Simba, I'm sure," Scar lied, knowing full well that "mad king" referred to himself.

"Ridiculous," Ahku grunted. "Some lions these days have no respect for their kings. Royal families having silly disputes over power... Feh! Can't they just accept the succession process?"

Scar cringed slightly at Ahku's rant, as it applied to him, but no one appeared to notice. "So where did you get that scar over your left eye?" Gonjwa asked, seeming to be interested in scar-stories.

"Oh, that was so long ago, I barely rememeber..." Scar lied, trying to think up a good story to replace the embarassing tale behind that scar of having been in a scrap with some buffalo in an elaborate attempt to make his brother, Mufasa, look bad in front of the kingdom. "Oh, yes, I remember. I got it in a stampede of wildebeest. I was trying to save my brother, but a wildebeest horn cut my eye and made me slip, so he was killed. I still hate myself for that..."

"Oh, how tragic," Aioshei murmered.

"Yes... " Scar sighed, faking depression. "My brother, Mufasa, was a great lion. But that son of his, Simba, went mad and blamed me for his death."

"That's such a sad story!" Roya exclaimed.

"Oh, you are such a sap. You've always been a sucker for a sob story, Roya," Gonjwa taunted her.

"Hmph!" Roya snorted, pouting.

"Now, Scar... he's really heroic! He faced a herd of stampeding wildebeest in order to save his brother! And even though he failed and got hurt in the process, I still think it was pretty courageous,"
Gonjwa praised, impressed.

Scar overlooked the twinge of guilt he felt for lying to the lions who'd done so much for him, and shamelessly embraced the pride of making himself look like the hero and making Simba look like a crazed, envious villain. He was rather impressed with himself, as well. However, his train of thought was broken when he caught Roya staring at him with those big golden eyes. "Is something wrong?" he asked her.

"Huh?" Roya replied dumbly. "Oh! Nothing. Just thinking. Hey, can you walk?"

Scar didn't know the answer to that, so he tried standing. He teetered at first, but caught his balance. Scar's hind left leg throbbed, but he ignored it and made a few laps. "As a matter of fact, I can. Why do you ask?"

Roya smiled. "I was hoping I could give you a tour of the Greatlands. You up for it?" she offered.

Scar thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I suppose so," he replied, and followed her as she left the den of Great Peak.

Scar blinked as the sunlight hit his face, letting his eyes adjust to the brightness. Then, his surroundings came into view. It was a vast, grassy savannah with a huge, blue waterhole in the distance. Scar was stunned. It was amazing. He looked around at Great Peak. It appeared to be the equivalent of Pride Rock, but with a slightly different shape. It was curved in an upward helix with the den on the inward side of the curve. "Well?" Roya laughed. "What do you think?"

"It's... lovely," Scar remarked, noticing how long it had been since he'd used that word.

"Lovely?" Roya snickered. "Are you always this creative with words?"

"You have no idea," Scar muttered.

"Oh?" Roya purred. "Well, let's go on that tour, shall we?"

Roya and Scar's tour led them to all ends of the Greatlands. The river that flowed through the Pridelands went through here, also. It flowed a little slower, and at one point, it branched out into two, then formed back together, forming an island. Roya took a moment to point it out. "See that?" she asked. "I like to swim out there to think. There are all sorts of unusual plants on that island, and it's a good place to be by yourself. Or with others."

"It sounds pleasant..." Scar mused.

"Maybe you and I can go over there in a few days. I don't think you should swim just yet, though," Roya suggested.

"I'd be honored," Scar replied with a frosty smile.

"Wonderful!" Roya remarked. "Moving on."

The land was lush and beautiful, and all the other types of animals seemed to have great respect for Roya. There was a very wide variety of other animals, including other carnivorous animals such as cheetahs. "Roya," Scar started.

"Yes?"

"There aren't any... hyenas... in the Greatlands, are there?"

"Heavens, no! Why?"

"I just don't like them."

"Those things give me the creeps," Roya admitted, shuddering. "They're usually just punks and miscreants, but I don't like the way they behave or look. And that smell! Atrocious."

"I could not agree more," Scar sighed, relieved that the Greatlands weren't harboring the hyenas who he'd betrayed.

Then, the pair hit the northwest border. Roya sat down and stared off in that direction. "So, your homeland is that way?" she asked pensively.

"Indeed," Scar replied distastefully.

"Oh, by the way," Roya remembered, "a few days ago, we told you that when you were healed, Gonjwa would escort you back home, and you said 'no'. Do you remember?"
Scar nodded. "I don't ever want to go back there," he sighed.

"Not even to reclaim your kingdom?" Roya offered.

"Never," Scar growled. "They don't deserve me as king. They don't appreciate me there."

There was a moment of silence between them, but Roya broke it.

"I appreciate you."

Scar shot her a baffled glance. "What?"

Roya looked away sheepishly, embarassed. "I think you're a good guy," she reitterated softly. "You... you could stay here, you know."

Another moment of silence passed. A sly grin cracked across Scar's face. "If you insist," he replied.

"Really?!" Roya asked excitedly, then caught herself and calmed down with a bashful smile. "I mean, you'll really stay?"

Scar nodded. "I like it here," he purred, putting his nose just inches from Roya's face and savoring the shocked, mesmerized look on her face.

"Sc-Scar, I..." she stuttered.

"Hey, Rooooooooooooyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" shouted a familiar voice, and Gonjwa bounded up, nearly running into the pair. "Hi, guys!"

"GONJWA!" Roya screamed, embarassed.

"Yes?" Gonjwa asked calmly.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Roya through a clenched jaw.

"Mom and Pop think you guys should come back to Great Peak. You've been out long enough," Gonjwa answered matter-of-factly. "So, let's go!"

Scar snickered and stood. He glanced back at Roya. "Coming?"

Roya bit her lip gently and followed along in a huff. Scar snickered again. "What is so funny?!" she demanded of him.

"You, of course. You're amusing when you're embarassed," Scar replied.

"I am not embarassed!" Roya shot back defensively.

"Don't try to fool me. It's written all over your face," Scar disagreed snidely.

"Shut up! Is not! Am not!" Roya retorted, making it worse.

Scar just laughed under his breath and let Roya grumble under hers about how wrong he was and how stupid males were. When they reached Great Peak, Ahku recommended that everyone get some rest almost immediately. "Papa!" Roya argued. "I'm a grown lioness now! I should be able to make my own decisions!"

"I agree, Ahku. It's been a trying day," Scar concurred with a tired sigh.

"Good idea," Roya added. "Let's get some rest."

Gonjwa eyed his sister suspiciously. "What?" she snapped.

"I see what's going on here," Gonjwa said, then sang; "Roya loves Scaar, Roya loves Scaar!"

"Shut up, you little dung beetle!" Roya hissed, pouncing on top of her brother.

Aioshei laughed. "Don't mind them," she assured Scar. "Roya has a cub-face and acts childish, but she's really not that much younger than you are. Well, judging by appearances."

"She's very energetic," Scar remarked.

"Well, she has to be, with Gonjwa for a brother," Aioshei joked.

Scar laughed. "I'd have to agree," he said.

So, after calming the siblings down, the royal family and their guest went to sleep.

Chapter 4

The Mating Game

Scar yawned, nudged up Great Peak by Roya. She'd woken him while it was still dark and now insisted that he go to the top of the peak. "What are we going up here for, anyway...?" he asked tiredly.

"You'll see," Roya teased. "Now, hurry! Get your rear into gear!"

"Oh, shut up. I'm going," Scar growled.

When they reached the top, Roya sat at the ledge and gestured for Scar to sit beside her. "We came all the way up here before dawn for this?!" Scar grumbled to himself, but reluctantly joined her.

Silence hovered over the pair as they gazed out on the horizon. "So," Roya started softly, "how long has it been?"

"Since what?"

"Since we met, numbskull. What else?"

"Oh, that. About three weeks."

"Time flies. It feels like yesterday I was giving you a tour of this place."

"Mmm."

"Scar, how do you feel...?"

"Never better."

"I wasn't... I wasn't finished."

"Then finish."

"How do you feel... about me?"

"About you?"

"No, moron. About Gonjwa. Yes, me."

"Well... I'm not sure how to word it."

"I know how to word how I feel about you."

"Really? Do tell."

"Wait."

"For what?"

"For the right moment."

"Oh, for crying out loud..."

"There! That's it."

As Roya said that, the tip of the sun crested the horizon, sending rays of orange light scattering across the land. As sunlight shone like the lights of heaven on their faces, Roya said, "Perfect..."

With that, she leaned in close to Scar and let her rough, cat-like tongue graze the side of his face. Then, she brought her maw to his ear and quietly whispered, "Scar, I want you to be my king."

Scar drew away, shocked. "What?!"

"Soon, my parents will step down from the throne and I will succeed them as queen of the Greatlands," Roya explained. "I want to know that I have someone beside me I can trust. You were already a king once, and that was taken from you. Here's your chance to have that back. I need to have a king that I know can take care of me. Take care of my kingdom."

Scar stared at her in astonishment. "You're... serious about this?"

Roya glared at him wryly. "Does this look like the face of someone who's kidding?" she asked.

Scar smiled gently. The pangs of guilt for his lies returned for a moment, but it melted away as he realized that being Roya's ideal mate and king would both benefit him and make things right without her ever finding out that he lied about his past. "If you insist."