Okay, so, background. This is about Mufasa and Sarabi from The Lion King, but they're human's obviously. It's like a love story because I just…I dunno. I wanted to write their love story.
When there's a line of ~~~ those, it means change in point of view.
He had little on the possession's side as he entered Walt, for it was hard to fake your death and get away with a lot to your name. Mufasa simply had the shirt on his back, and a small bag of things that he had managed to pack. Welcome to Walt, read the sign outside the town, a clean almost classy looking sign that made the town seem that much more appealing to him. Mufasa took a deep breath and stepped into town, there wasn't an option of turning around, so he just had to go for it. He wandered aimlessly for a while, checking out the town, looking at the stores there was, seeing where he could possibly get a job, scouting possibly living arrangements. As far as he was concerned, it was no Pride Rock, but Walt was a nice town. He offered a smile, or a wave, sometimes even a nod of his head to the passing civilians, what little of them there were. "First thing's first." He told himself, moving further towards the housing area of Walt instead of the store front. There were many appealing houses and apartments, even a few flats that caught his eye. Eventually he'd scouted out the perfect place for him, it wasn't large but it also wasn't small. All in all it could house a family probably— if he had a family to house. His heart gave a pang at the thought, because it was true now. He didn't have his son to look after, to shelter anymore.
It was a bit on the pricey range, but that didn't bother him much. He'd come well prepared for the huge expenses of moving in and getting settled in a new town. The sale was quick, and soon the place was his, empty of anything necessary for living, but his. "Now furniture." He breathed, setting his small bag of things down in his currently empty living area and leaving the house once more. It was a short walk to the store front from his home, which would be nice once he got a job, it meant he could bike or walk to and from work. He was an outdoorsy type person. It took him a good amount of time to find all the things he needed for his home. But eventually he was happy with his purchases for the day, which included probably the most comfortable king size bed he'd ever laid on. Mufasa knew that he needed a job, and that he should just deal with it today, at least look for one, but he began to make his way home instead. On his way, a sign in the window of a building caught his eye, and he had no choice but to go in. "Welcome to Lions and Lionesses, the Vet's office here in Walt. What can I do ya for?" A sweet faced, young looking girl gave him a warm smile to greet him, and he returned the favor. "I saw the sign in your window, and I'd be very interested in being considered for one of the open positions." He told her, leaning against the counter behind which she sat. "That would be lovely! Do you have any previous medical experience?" She questioned, pulling out a pad of paper— probably to write notes about this surprise "interview." "I do, I went to medical and veterinarian school back home." He nodded, rather proud that he'd already found a job option that went with his education.
"Wonderful! If you could just write a way for us to contact you within 24 hours, we'll let you know! I'm not actually allowed to hire, but if I was you'd definitely have the job." She mused, handing him a pen and the pad of paper she'd pulled out. Mufasa neatly scrawled his cell number across the page and handed it back before thanking her for her time and heading out. Within the next day he was called and given the position at the Vet's office. Apparently he was a blessing from God because they had recently lost their previous primary vet. He was amazed by the speed in which he had found himself a place here. A few months past, and he'd settled into a regular pattern and found himself smiling almost all the time. He loved his job, and the people he worked with. He loved his new house and his neighbors, and he loved the town and all the civilians. But there was no 'special girl' in his life, not that it bothered him, in fact it had really crossed his mind. Until one day when a lovely woman with long dirty blonde hair, a kind face, and the most intoxicating smile came through the front door of the vet's office, looking for a job.
"Hi. I'm Sarabi, rather new here, and I'm interested in the open job?" She told the receptionist, the same girl who had been in here when Mufasa had strolled in.
"SARABI!" At the sound of her father's voice yelling her name through rage, Sarabi practically shuddered. "Hello father." She mustered up a smile, and turned to face him, glad that there was a counter separating them. "What are you doing here!" He fumed, and Sarabi sighed in reply. "This is where I work, I don't want to be part of the family business. I'm sorry." He bore holes in her with his stare, so she adverted her eyes to a patient chart and looked over it. But that only made him even more furious, which lead him to moved behind the counter and whisk her out of the office. The drive was long, and silent. He didn't even glance at her, or say a single thing the whole time. Even when she attempted to make conversation, or apologize he ignored her. After a while she gave up, if he was going to reject her as a daughter because she wanted to be a vet instead of a lawyer she didn't want anything to do with him.
They pulled up outside of a town, and he finally spoke, handing her a small handful of money. "This is to get you started, get a place to live. Don't come back." He told her, not even glancing at her, and with that she stepped out of the car and into the town of Walt. Sarabi didn't even glance back as she walked, he didn't deserve it if he as abandoning her. It took her almost all day to find a place to live, and then a good couple of hours to get the furniture she needed to fill her small flat. By then she was just too tired to look for a job. She climbed into her new bed and allowed herself to relax enough to go to sleep. Sarabi fell into a deep, dreamless almost-sleep, so when she woke to the sun in her eyes, she didn't feel rested at all. Job hunting could wait until she looked decent and rested, so she pulled the covers over her head and forced herself to sleep, this time she woke up rested and ready to go.
She slid out of her flat and onto the street that lead to the stores. She wandered for a while, looking for anything that had 'Now Hiring' in their windows and that she would enjoy doing. Soon her eyes caught the wanted sign in the window of the perfect place for her— a vet's office. She felt a bit more confident about her new home, and she slid into the vet's office with a soft smile on her face. "Hi. I'm Sarabi, rather new here, and I'm interested in the open job?" She told the receptionist, as she looked around a bit. If she was being honest, this vet's office was much, much nicer than the one back home. "What training do you have?" The woman smiled up at her from her chair behind the counter. "I worked at the vet's office back home; I was one of the main veterinarian's." She offered a soft smile still present on her face. "Wonderful! Let me just get the boss and he'll decide." She told Sarabi before disappearing into the back.
When the woman reappeared she brought a man with her, one of the most handsome men Sarabi had ever seen, and his smile was so charming, and so perfect. She shook herself out of her thoughts as he offered her his hand and gave her his name. "Mufasa." He told her, and she took his much larger hand in her petite hand and gave it a small shake. "Sarabi." She replied, giving him a smile. After their introductions and a few questions on his part, Mufasa showed Sarabi around, gave her the run down, and all of that good stuff. Once they returned to the front of the office, he gave her another charming smile. "Well, we want you! How soon can you start?" Sarabi was overwhelmed with how easily she'd been offered the job, but it was like a blessing from God that it had happened. Surely she was meant to be here. "As soon as you need me!" She told him, which was true, because she didn't have friends in town yet to hang out with, or other things to tend to.
"Well, my shift's about to end, would you like to go out for some dinner?" He offered, and her heart beat faster in her chest. Already he'd drawn her in, already she wanted to know everything about him. "I would love to." She replied with a smile, and he returned the smile before grabbing her hand and whisking her off out the door.
Mufasa was the type of guy, that when he wanted something, he was not going to back down. Along side that, he knew when he wanted something, the second he saw it. In the case, the thing he wanted was Sarabi. Not just to bang her, or whatever, but he was already drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Already he wanted to know every single thing about her, every detail of her life. He wanted to hold her when they went to bed at night, and wipe away the tears that fell down her supple cheeks when she was sad. He wanted to make the olive color of her skin turn rosy when he complimented her, and lovingly embarrassed her. It was crazy, he knew it. But he was the guy who took risks, and went for everything. You never knew what could happen unless you tried. There was something about Sarabi that made him feel like this was why he was meant to be here, not because his little brother wanted to be the 'popular one', he was here, because he was meant to meet her. Not that he would ever admit it out loud.
Her smile was sweet, loving and contagious. He could not, not smile when she did. Mufasa showed her around the vet's office, telling her how things went, where things were, and the general schedule. He was pretty much training her here and now, because she was not only perfect for the job, but he wanted to work with her. They needed a little bit of sunshine around the office. "Well, we want you! When can you start?" He mused as the made it back to the front area of the office. "As soon as you need me!" She smiled back, and his own smile spread wider. "Well, my shift's about to end, would you like to go out for some dinner?" He didn't want to beat around the bush; he didn't want to lose his chance, because with a woman like Sarabi, it was likely that she would be courted by another Walt citizen if he didn't just go for it. So here was, taking a risk, and asking her out.
"I would love to." The words were harmonic, in her sweet voice. Like she was granting him another day of life, which was idiotic, but he was hopeless when it came to romance. Mufasa was the guy who was a sucker for anything romantic, a total story book man. He held doors open, and courted women. Sent flowers at unexpected times, and listened to her when she needed to vent or cry. "Great. I know the best place!" He mused, taking her hand once again and leading her out of the vet's office. Subconsciously he didn't let go of her hand as the walked, but she didn't seem to mind. The streets were for the most part, quiet, eerie in a sense, but not scary. The sun was just going down behind the buildings, which colored the sky different shades of oranges and pinks and yellows and reds. A beautiful sight that reminded him of the sunsets back home that he would watch with his son.
They were quiet, both enjoying the sunset he figured. His mind wandered, thinking of the life he'd left behind in order to help his brother out. He'd always been known at the man with the big heart, and he guessed it was true, given the things he'd done. In an absent minded manor, his thumbs graze across the soft skin on the back of Sarabi's hand as they walked. It didn't take them long to reach the restaurant in their silent, peaceful walk, and they didn't have to wait long to be seated either. Mufasa had pulled some strings and made it so the two of them could sit in the back, a more private area. Not because he had intentions, but so that they could talk without the constant disturbance of other patrons. He held out her chair for her, and helped her get closer to the table as well before taking his own seat. "This is one of the best places in town." He nodded, smiling at her over the table, for which he was rewarded with a soft smile from her.
"If you don't mind me asking, what were you thinking about on the way here? You seemed a little sad over it." She offered in a kind tone that sounded like she was maybe almost afraid he would be mad at her for asking.
It had never really occurred to Sarabi to find someone to spend her life with. She wasn't a very people dependent person in anyway. Sure, she'd gone on dates, but never did she have some long relationship that lasted to the point where marriage would be in the question. No guy was really for her, but things were automatically different with Mufasa. Before she'd been curious about the other guys a few dates in, but with him she was curious the second she saw him. It was cliche, and maybe a little crazy, but it was something along the lines of infatuation, if not love, at first sight. A whole new feeling to her, the fluttering in her stomach— that a lot of people seemed to classify as butterflies, but felt like something different to her— and the racing of her heart. The need to know about him, everything about him; his past, his plans for the future, his favorite color, things he hated. All of it. She longed to know it, to be the person who knew the secrets he'd had his whole life, and trusted only her with. The aching need in her chest to hear those three words leave his lips, three words everyone wanted to hear in their life.
She had to shake herself out of her little trance in order to keep herself from rambling on subconsciously. It was something she should probably keep to herself, the sudden interest in this almost-stranger. She allowed him to keep his hold on her hand as they walked, the feel of his thumb on the back of her hand soothing the racing of her frantic love-struck heart. She would always hear people speak of how lovely it was to be in love, how wonderful the feeling made you feel, though she'd never really believed that it could be that good until this moment here. It was simple, the interaction they'd had. But already she could tell that this moment, this simple, almost unimportant moment would turn into the biggest moment of her life. The moment in which everything changed, where she finally realized what it was— the hype of love.
They were silent in their walk, her eyes focused on the colors that painted the sky. The way the colors blended was almost surreal, she'd never seen such a captivating sunset. If there was a set of colors that could breathe life into even the most saddened of souls, this would be it. This image in front of her could fill her lungs, her heart, her soul with such a lightness that there would be no reason she could frown in a moment if she had wanted to. Lost in her own world, Sarabi had almost forgotten the other body travelling next to her, linked to hers in a simple hand to hand contact that warmed her skin, lifting goosebumps to the surface. Breaking from the thoughts of the sun and sky, the breath of light, she caught a glimpse of a pained look on his face, causing her own pang of worry to filled her body. What could he be thinking about that seemingly caused so much pain?
Sarabi stayed quiet, forcing the wave of need that washed through her, the need to ask why he seemed to be in so much emotional pain. The restaurant he lead her into was nice, a few degrees warming than the cool evening air they'd come in from. Somehow Mufasa had managed to get them a more private dining area, which was nice, and in a way some big gesture in her mind. "Thank you." She breathed out as he displayed gentlemanly courting. Once they were seated, she simply could not hold back the aching in her chest anymore. She had to know. Much like the need to know everything about him, this is needed to know.
"If you don't mind me asking, what were you thinking about on the way here? You seemed a little sad over it." Her tone was soft, supple in a way. She almost feared that he would be unhappy with her for asking. Or maybe he would be angered that she'd noticed. "You really don't have to answer if you don't want to." She told him as he took a long leave of silence. "I don't mind." He finally told her, offering her a kind smile that assured her that he was in no way upset or angered with her. "I was thinking about my son." For a split second her heart sank, of course a guy like him was, how you say, off the market. "I had custody of him, well, for the most part, when his mother left me. He was my pride and joy, but when I came here. I had to leave him behind, which was the hardest thing I will ever have to do in my life…." He explained, a solemn look crossing his features, causing Sarabi's heart to shatter in her chest. "Oh Mufasa. I'm very sorry." She cooed, giving him an apologetic look.
It was hard, to hear the tone of her voice. To know that she believed he would be angered with her. In his mind, there would be no angered feelings towards this woman, because there was simply too much perfection about her. No. There was no such thing as too perfect when it came to Sarabi. Not in his mind. "You really don't have to answer if you don't want to." She told him, breaking him out of the unnecessarily long silence that he'd brought upon them. He offered her a smile, one that was kind, that told her that he wasn't mad, or upset with her. "I don't mind." He gave with his smile, offering her a sense of relief to her worry. "I was thinking about my son." The words brought pain in his heart, a pain he was sure would never go away. "I had custody of him, well, for the most part, when his mother left me. He was my pride and joy, but when I came here. I had to leave him behind, which was the hardest thing I will ever have to do in my life…" He could feel her eyes on his features, reading them in every way possible. Picking up on the pain that they held.
"Oh Mufasa. I'm very sorry." Her apology wasn't necessary, but it was a relief to hear. "There is nothing to be sorry about. I chose to leave, out of the goodness of my heart. But the goodness of your heart does not always mean the decision that makes you the happiest." He sighed, his eyes scanning over the menu in front of him for a pause. For a small, momentary break from the pain. "I have a younger brother, Scar, who was always sort of jealous of the 'fame' I had back home." Mufasa chuckled a bit, allowing the memory to be a happy one, refusing it the pleasure of adding to his pain. Though it hurt to talk about, he wanted Sarabi to know. No, he needed her to know about him, all about him. "I was the golden boy back home, straight A's, football star, the whole package. Which left Scar big shoes to fill, but he'd the complete opposite of me, so there was no way he would live up to what everyone wanted him to be." Sparing a glance in her direction, he found her features to not be pained, but to be amused. A success he would say, that even in a sad story he could bring amusement. An emotion much more preferred than despair.
"He wanted it. The lime-line. He wanted all the attention and the love. I'd grown out of it, learned to not care if you will. My son was all that I cared about really. I wanted to be a good father, one that could teach him football, and help him with girls." He mused, there was no pain now. Even as he thought back to his son, it was more a nostalgic feeling that he was given. Which brought a smile to his face. "I was done with the lime-line I suppose, and I wanted to be kind to my brother, cut him some slack for having given him such big shoes to fill. I made a deal with him. I promised to fake my own death, and leave Pride Rock if he promised to take care of my son. And he agreed, so here I am." He finished with a sigh, the nostalgia dissipating now, leaking from his core and seeping into the floorboards of the restaurant. Waiting to be picked up, soaked up by another. "I don't know whether to be happy for you for bringing joy to your brothers' life, or feel saddened by the fact that you had to leave your son behind."
Mufasa smiled at the olive-skinned beauty before him, with the mixed emotional expression across her fair features. "It's hard being away from him, but his mother updates me, since she's in on the whole thing." He and the mother of his child had a falling out before they could even get married. It was an awkward affiliation between the two, but they powered through it. For their son, not for the enjoyment of each other. She had developed a hatred for him, and although he was Switzerland about it all, he allowed her to believe that he was in the same field as her. It was just easier that way. "Do you miss it? Pride Rock?" Sarabi offered, tilting her head in an adorable fashion. "Uh." Mufasa breathed, taking a moment to think about it. He'd done his best to forget Pride Rock. Trying to spare himself the longing to be back, spare himself the pain that was associated with it.
"I guess I do." He finally decided, nodding his head ever-so-slightly. "It was a nice town, and it's hard not to miss your home town once you move away. But the only thing I can say that I really do miss back there is my son, and my family. Because in retrospect it really doesn't matter what town you're in, or what kind of house you live in. Family is what's going to keep you going. Family is this thing in our lives that we grow up loving, and want to continue for our own kids. It's like this huge part of our lives that I think we try to blow off as just a small part." Family had always been the most important thing to him, not his football skills or his academics. Though those things were important too, there was nothing more important to Mufasa than family, which was why it had been so hard to just pick up and leave Pride Rock.
"Enough about my boring life." He chuckled, waving away the questions about his life hanging in the air to be returned to later. "Tell me something about you. Why are you here in Walt? What's your hometown like? Do you have siblings?"
Put a Little Love in My Heart
Short story
~Katie Johns