Welcome back, I have gotten a request from a new friend, that recently joined Fanfiction. About a cub outside of the Pridelands becoming king, even though the princess is bethroled to a prince of another kingdom. So decided to take on the story with some ideas of my own.

This will be a background for one of my OCs. Of course you know I don't own nothing. I co-own the plot and my OCs, some I might have used before.

Also some of this chapter is from one of my friends and favourite authors, snowflakexx.

Now onto the story, enjoy.

A Choice

A teenage tawny gold lioness smiled warmly at her gathered pride members before stopping in front of a older tawny beige lioness. By the older lioness' side was a teenage pale beige lion with a small dark red mane.

"My daughter," the tawny beige lioness began to speak. "The future queen of our beloved kingdom, Fallholt. Today you not only become a lioness but prove you're ready to become the next ruler."

Princess Aria, the future queen of her parents and before them kingdom smiled but on the inside she was mortified. But she was taught to mask her feelings because as a royal lioness, her emotions and feelings mean nothing. After Queen Kalahira roared, Aria ran off into her mother's domain. It was her solo hunt and a alot was riding with her succeeding. Everyone expected her to take down something big, and that's what she tends to do.

Aria had her blue eyes locked on a wounded male water buffalo. She knew that she shouldn't take on such prey alone but she had to kill something worthy. Or face her mother and the pride's disappointment. Aria had nearly flattened herself to the ground, completely hidden from the herd's view. Aria raised a bit and was about to launch herself on her target when she suddenly felt the ground under her began to shake. Aria looked up from her hiding place to gasp as her eyes widened with fear at the sight of the herd rushing towards her in a cloud of dust.

Stampede!

Aria cried in her head before she and turned before bolting from the charging beasts.

Aria ran as fast as she could, but her lungs burned for air as her paws hurt from running. Just as she thought to give up a light blur tackled her out of the way. Aria coughed as the dust from the stampede got in her throat. Soon it cleared and the princess slowly and weakly stood up. She looked around and her eyes widen when she saw a well built light cream, black mane lion standing a bit from her.

He's handsome!

"Are you alright?"

Aria shook her head before looking at the male standing in front of her. "Yes..." then her eyes narrowed. "Rogue! What are you doing in my mother's kingdom!"

The light cream lion glared with common but charming dark brown eyes. "First of all Princess, my name is Kavan. And I was wondering if I could stay."

Aria wasn't sure but thought that since this male rescued her. The least she could do is take him to her mother. "Follow me. I'm pretty sure, my mother wants to thank you for saving her heir."

But Princess Aria didn't know that with the presence of this new male, her life will change drastically.

...

A few months later

Rain.

Rain kissed her back as the young adult lioness heaved in and out rapidly. She was quite young, but strong. One of the strongest lionesses in the pride, to be accurate. She cried a little as she pushed; the weather didn't help either. Aria tried to encourage herself, but she didn't have the guts to find her voice. Again, an agonizing roar broke through the skies. She was exhausted: it had almost been an hour since she last arrived. The young lioness licked her lips and grimaced as another sharp pain hit her stomach.

Her legs were curled up with her tail tuft laying in between. Her blue eyes shot open as she continued to push. Aria had been here for hours—but it was all worth it. The slightest crack of life had just been birthed. Blood was puddled around the lioness and her two cubs, and the mewing continued. She felt the tiniest ponder of their delicate bodies fall onto the blooded leaves that surrounded them.

"Finally," she was relieved in her mind, to birth the newest members of the Fallholt pride, and perhaps the newest heirs—since after all her mother was the queen on this turf. Just the thought of these cubs made her think of the family she had left behind. Ever since she had found out she was pregnant, she distanced herself from her pride-mates, too afraid to expose her largest mistake she had committed in her life. Mating with a rouge instead of her betrothed. But she didn't care; she didn't love the lion she was meant to love. She was in love with another lion.

Kavan.

Her savoir in more than one way. They were never meant to be, but their last meeting was taken advantage of, resulting in these two little felines Aria had just birthed. She licked the new products of her and Kavan with a smile, tasting the blood of birth she had just exposed to the world. The rain trickled on them, making the cubs mewl louder.

Mew...Mew...

She sighed out of exhaustion, looking towards her colorless paws in shame. "What've I done?" she questioned herself, as if she knew the answer.

But she did, but she didn't want to believe it. Aria gaped towards the other younger cub that tried to find its way towards her breasts. The lioness extended a claw, wincing as she did so. Did she really want to kill the cubs? She had no other choice—surely she wouldn't be accepted into the pride with these two. Hence, the cubs would be killed by her own mother, most likely her brother who will paws down be the new heir to the Fallholt throne. At the same time, she was proud for bringing new lives to the world, and extending her generation, her family's generation. The lion generation.

Aria grabbed the first cub, closing her eyes.

Mew...mew...MEW!

Aria shook her head and began to cry. She couldn't do it and she won't. Aria can't believe that she was going to stoop that low to please her mother who only wants the best interest of her pride. After all, it's the reason why Kavan isn't here. Her mother sent her brother to kill Kavan when she seen that Kavan and her daughter was getting to close.

But she couldn't return to the pride either, her only way to save her cubs was to run. Since being betrothed, she didn't have any choice. Since mating with a rouge, she didn't have any choice.