A Queen's Tears
Series: The Lion King
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. They belong to Disney. I am just borrowing them for entertainment purposes only.
Rating: T
Author's note: I am old school fan. I remember watching it in the theatres when it came out in 1994. Enjoy! Originally written on spiral notebook and then edited. I was inspired by a piece of artwork I saw.
Characters: Scar/Sarabi
Synopsis: What happened after that horrible tragedy?
Her tears were sweeter than the water from the richest banks and yet they stirred a feeling of disquiet within him. It was an odd feeling within him, this odd combat of emotions. The way he saw it, he was not supposed to feel this for he had justified the means. Everything had gone according to plan. He was supposed to be content and yet he was not.
There was something else.
Something foreign and yet something vaguely familiar that roused in his mind upon seeing his brother's mate in such a fragile state.
He anticipated a broken heart, a shattered dream. This was a natural thing. This was supposed to happen. This was going according to his plans. He was expecting this. After all, his scheme worked so perfectly and yet, he did not exactly anticipate this variable. This small pesky detail pecked at him like a small thorn on his paw.
Sarabi, proud queen, mother of the lands, grace in the flesh was now reduced to a wreck. The lioness he once knew as demure and full of poise was now sobbing. Her roars mingled with her cries. It was a sound never to be replicated. Even the other animals on the savanna knew that something had gone terribly wrong. It was an absolute tragedy. This very nature, this feeling contradicted what he had associated with her. Her sadness eroded away the beauty that once graced her. Her dignity which fueled her modest image was washed away. In other words, the object he saw was an imperfection. It was a dreary sight and he did not want that, certainly not under him.
It was mud in what was once water in rich fertile lands. It was decay and rot in otherwise perfect flesh. It was something that had to be fixed.
It was also the sweetest opportunity.
She was as delicate as a newborn gazelle and her spirit was as sturdy as a thin stick. She was in dire need of sure footing, a sense of control. In other words, she needed comfort and he would happily provide it.
"There, there, dear Sarabi," Scar shushed her. His claws were carefully brushing the back of her neck and head. For a split second he anticipated taking her by the throat and breaking her back for choosing HIM over him. He could not even think of saying the name for it was like a curse now. His voice was low, barely hiding the sardonic tone on his tongue. The Queen on his forearm barely caught the words for the images in her head were scrambling. This morning she woke up next to her husband and after that she gave her son a bath. After that she went to gossip with her sisters. A simple day turned into a finite mess. Nothing was definite now. Everything was like water, slippery and unpredictable. She needed an anchor, she needed console. She looked at the lion that was closest to her husband and son. Although different in physical make-up, he was the closest thing in kin. The closest thing that was tangible to Mufasa and Simba. She buried her face in his dark mane, letting herself be cradled by sharp claws. Mufasa was warm, soft and strong. Scar was angular, stiff and unfeeling. It was quite a contradiction between these two. She wanted to feel comfortable with Scar and yet something would not allow her to feel it.
He let her sob for that meant she was entrusting herself to him. She was surrendering herself to him. And he was absorbing her, like the Earth absorbed the rain. It was a transfer of power. It was a pitiful and pathetic sight but these things do happen. This was supposed to happen and he wanted it to occur.
"This tragedy was senseless but it could not be averted. It was my brother's time. Though it weighs heavy on my heart, we must not trap ourselves in difficult moments such as these." Scar whispered into her ear. Mahogany colored eyes were watered when they glanced up at the acidic green ones above her. She could not deny the truth to his words. To be trapped in something in one's mind was the same as being trapped in quicksand. "Giving too much significance to this dolor will go against my brother's 'Circle of Life' campaign, does it not?" Scar said with a low purr, priding himself on twisting one of his brother's sacred codes to suit his own needs. It was almost too easy.
Though she felt robbed of processing, absorbing, understanding and ACCEPTING what had transpired, she knew that he was right. It was one of those things that attracted her to Mufasa. He would deal with the issue head on and not waste his time licking his wounds. In fact, to let out pain would be seen as un-lion like. As Queen, though she had some say, she was ultimately responsible for bearing heirs and leading the hunting parties. She did not 'dictate' any laws. She was not responsible for talking to large animals such as the rhinos about sharing the waterhole. That was her husband's job. A true traditionalist, she saw it as natural that her brother-in-law take over. It had been that way since the kings of the past could not remember. Though Mufasa's death was an acute matter that shook her to the very core, it was not a unique case.
She remembered as a cub once hearing about a king who had gone to do his daily duty of surveying his vast land only to never return. His lionesses ended up finding him without his skin and teeth. She also remembered another cautionary tale told her just after she was betrothed to Mufasa. This one involved a Queen who had suffered a deep gash from a Cape buffalo. There is a reason why buffalo is considered the beast meat for it was VERY hard to get but once brought down, the feasts would not end. This Queen died two nights later. Her legs were broken from the animal's hooves and horns.
Sarabi composed herself. She reminded herself that it did her no good to look like this in front of the new king. Her mind and spirit were torn between not wanting this to happen and having to accept current circumstances. To reject it was like denying the rushing river. It was pointless. Her husband and son were gone, never to return to her.
"Long live the king," Sarabi replied, closing her eyes as she buried the pain within her soul.
Scar smiled at the declaration but it wasn't quite up to pitch. It was more of a mew than a statement and he wanted the whole world to know.
"Ahhh, lovely. Music to my ears. Say it again?" Scar said sweetly. Sarabi sighed.
"Long live the king," the tan colored lioness replied and added more composure.
"I am not quite sure they heard you." Scar pressed on. As he did so, he rubbed himself against her, claiming her. Sarabi noted the king's new 'administrative staff' making their way to her sacred home. They looked like termites and they were just as welcome , she thought.
"Long live the king!" Sarabi said finally.
"Perfect." Scar stated. He had her in soul and within time he would have her in body.
Hope you enjoyed it. This is my first attempt at Lion King fanfic and there will be more to come.