The Lion King: Judgement
Book II – Taka's Guard
"The Almighty has not built here for his envy!
He will not drive us hence! Here we may reign secure.
For to reign is worthy of ambition! And though we reign in Hell…
Better to reign in Hell, then to serve in Heaven!"
- Lucifer,
John Milton, Paradise Lost
Taka's Guard: Chapter 1
"Please. Show me no more. I forgot this for a reason…" Scar protested.
"Please. You remember every inch of it, and love it as dearly as you would a mate. The memory of this day is precious to you. So why don't you wish to see it? It defined you, sculpted you and moulded you into who you are. Into what you became..." His eyes narrowed as he looked at the mutilated body of Taka before them, as the figures faded into meaningless shapes as they dragged him into the one of dens, leaving behind a slick of blood as they moved him, trailing behind him. "Oh." He grinned. "There is something else isn't there? Deeper... beneath the surface..." His eyes flashed and the shadows surrounding hid body leapt up like flames. The world seemed to dim and blur, so that all that was visible were the emerald eyes of Ammit, and the body of Taka before them. Scar felt overwhelmed. Kivuli sent Amit a warning glance as Ammit jabbed a claw at Scar.
"Stop it." Scar muttered. A deep sensation had begun in his head, a kind of gnawing in his skull. Ammit gave no sign he had heard. He had shut his eyes now, and was sniffing the air. Smelling the thoughts Scar had. Tasting it. The gnawing sensation continued. Amplified. He could feel it. Something pressing against his thoughts.
"Ah..." Ammit's voice echoed around him. Inside him. "Ah. There it is. You aren't scared of what these memories show... You're too rational to fear the past. And you're not scared of me either. Not yet. And not enough. That is unwise. You are an intelligent lion. You should fear me. Perhaps you labour under the delusion that there is nothing worse to come?" He asked him. "I assure you… You are wrong on that account". He said, grimacing.
"Get out of my head!" Scar shouted, as Ammit laughed at Scar's pain and discomfort. Kivuli snarled at Ammit.
"Leave him!" Kivuli snapped. He seemed disgusted by Ammit's behaviour. Ammit sighed dramatically.
"No no no. I don't think so. Not this time. I don't think he's getting the message. Seeing the memories isn't enough is, it?" Ammit said. He grinned in malice, and suddenly, Scar was no longer an observer. He was seeing things through the eyes of his former self. Through the bleeding, blood-soaked eyes of Taka. Once more he felt the blinding pain of the injuries, the sting of knowing his father had inflicted them. Wounds so severe, they demanded shamanic aid if he were to have any chance at survival. His forearm was shattered and broken, his skull fractured, his eye mauled. Taka screamed and Scar screamed. Prince and tyrant screaming together, one and the same.
"ARRRRAH!" Taka bellowed his injuries horrific. He could no longer see, his eyes either injured or covered in drying blood. He felt the sensation of being carried. Tender paws tried to move his crippled form as gently as possible. But each millimetre they moved him set his body alight with fresh waves of agony. Voices echoed around his head.
"Will he survive? Mufasa, will he survive?!" He heard Imani's panicked voice.
"He's in the hands of the kings now… I hope they are merciful." A female voice. A lioness?
"How could his own father do this!" Another voice he didn't know. It must have been one of Ahadi's subjects, stricken and horrified by what she had seen.
"If you ask me, he got what he deserved." Ouch. Clearly one of Ahadi's supporters.
"Uru would be ashamed of them both..." More unknown voices.
"Taka! Please, Taka, you have to hold on…" That was somone from the Lion Guard, he knew. But his thoughts couldn't focus… Was it Jicho or Nguvu? His thoughts were jumbled now, and a mess.
He continued to scream for what seemed like an eternity. Ages on end. He screamed at this endless torment. He felt something cool pressed against his head. Some king of poultice, fill with herbs and smelling unpleasant.
Then time passed and he lost all focus. All thought was drained from him, lost in the abyss of pain. There was only the pain. That was the one constant in his life now.
"Please don't die on me! Taka!" He couldn't see the speakers.
"This is beyond us. He needs Shamanic aid... Without it he will die. Even with it… It is unlikely he will wake. I am so sorry." That was the voice of one of the elder lionesses. His injuries were that severe.
"No! No he can't! I won't let him!"
The voices faded... and he lost consciousness again. For how long he remained in this sate he did not know, but he became aware of another voice...
"Hold on Taka. Pull through this. You are strong. Stronger than your brother. Stronger than your father. Don't you dare leave me alone!" But his consciousness faded from thought and time again.
Light poured into his vision the darkness dissipating. He roared.
"YOU!" Before him stood Ahadi. But unlike anything Ahadi had seemed in real life. He was taller, more well-muscled than he'd ever been, and his eyes were hard and cold and blazing with light. There was no concern in his face. Just the calm observer was he. No compassion for his second son. The pain had not stopped. In anything it intensified but this anger that seared through him was too strong to let something as simple as pain stop it.
"YOU! YOU KILLED ME!" The pain was increasing now. His shattered arm was no longer protruding bone, and someone had tied a stick to it with vines to keep the bones straight whilst they healed. How long had he been here? Hours? Days? He couldn't tell any more. He tried to climb to his feet, to attack Ahadi and strike him with all his power. But he could barely stay upright for a few seconds before crashing painfully to the floor and when he did, Ahadi evaporated before him like mist.
He collapsed again, and his head was plagued by even more dreams.
There was a fire. A great roaring inferno pouring into his eyes. Ahadi stood above him, his features distorted into demonic grotesques. Pride rock was all around him. His kingdom. And it was ablaze. Mufasa and Sarabi were trapped in the flames screaming in terror as the flames licked around their limbs, their coats singed and burnt. Sarafina was standing against him, her posture one of defiance, a battle ready stance, but her expression one of deep sorrow. She turned away from him in disgust. The Lion Guard was there, surrounding him, their backs to him, defending him from some unseen threat. And then one by one, they fell, vanishing into smoke, the air becoming denser.
"No!" Taka cried out, but the nightmares continued. Pain and death assaulted his visions, and he saw everyone he cared about die in every way imaginable. And finally, he saw Zira. There she was and she stood facing his father.
She seemed to be arguing with him. He couldn't make out her words. But there was anger there. Tears in her eyes. Ahadi only laughed at her foolishness and bit forwards, his jaw crushing around Zira's neck. Taka tried to struggle towards her, to help her, but his body was kept paralysed by some unforeseen force. Zira's body went limp and was sent spiralling into the air. She crashed down over the edge of pride rock. Down, down. The grasslands of the savannah becoming barren, then melting into black waters. Zira's body fell into the waters and floated there. For a moment it twisted and it was Uru's body he looked at. Then she sank below the surface out of sight.
Then there was another voice. Soothing, comforting.
"Taka…" She whispered.
"Mom?" Taka gasped, knowing the voice. "Mom…"
"Taka… You let me down." She said. She sounded so disappointed. Taka shook his head, tears forming.
"No! No I didn't…"
"You did… You let me die… and then you let my killer go. You couldn't even do that… Why Taka?" She asked him.
"Mother…" Taka sobbed, feeling like a cub again. Uru began to fade. "Mom please… I am sorry! I am so sorry! Mom! Please don't leave me." But she was gone again. After that, nothing the nightmares conjured could have phased him. The pain and the heat of fever forced all other thoughts out of him, but Taka was resolute. His expression unchanging no matter what he saw. His gaze was hard and cold, and he didn't betray any feeling.
Then the ground gave out beneath him, and he was falling, falling down, down into the dark waters below. The cold waters enveloped him and everything went silent. There was nothing. No light or sound. He could not speak. He could not move. He fought against it, struggling and at last managed to open his mouth to scream one last cry of pain and hatred. And the waters flowed into his mouth, their cold presence flowing through him, preventing him from saying a word.
He awoke with a jarring sensation. He awoke screaming. At once several pairs of eyes turned to him and with them, several voices cried out at once.
"He's awake again!"
"Don't try to move!"
"Taka!"
And his friends were there. All of them. Zira, Sarafina, Sarabi and Mufasa. And with them, the Lion Guard. Taka groaned, as he recalled the duel. He was breathless, both in pain, and in shock, as they flooded back into him, visions of him fighting his father, trying his very best to end the live of that tyrant. He had failed. He had nearly died in the attempt. His own father had tried to murder him.
"What… What happened to Ahadi?" He croaked.
The others looked down at mention of the name. Hope sprung up in him.
"Our father lives, brother." Mufasa explained. "You… you inflicted severe wounds. None of them became infected though. He's going to survive." Mufasa said, in an emotionless voice. He was clearly relieved for that, but anxious of telling that to his brother. Amazingly, there was no judgement in Mufasa's face. No anger for having tried to kill his father.
Taka sagged. He had failed completely.
His voice lowered to a whisper.
"And my own injuries?" He asked quietly.
Sarabi spoke first.
"We tried to treat your injuries. Us and the lionesses. But you were so badly hurt… it was well beyond us. You should have died. You owe your life to that ape… Rafiki. King's know how he knew to come here, but he was here hours after the mashindano. He spoke some chant, mixed some herbs, and set the bone in your arm. It seems to have worked. You'll live." Sarabi said, sounding relieved. "There… There will be scars though, Taka…" She said, quietly. Taka nodded in thanks. Then he turned to the other lioness who occupied his thoughts. He stared at Zira, who was lurking behind the others, afraid to look him in the eye.
"You. Here." He said sharply to Zira. The others looked alarmed at his cold tone, and Zira flinched. "Show me." He snapped.
Zira didn't ask, but simply turned her head and leaned closer. Visible in the gloom of the cave, he could see that his father had torn out a piece of her ear. The death blow that had been meant for him at been deflected by her – but at her cost. He growled in anger at the idiocy of both his father and his friend.
"You promised me you would not interfere! Whatever happened! THIS WAS NOT YOUR FIGHT! Now look at what has happened!" Taka said, sounding angry. There was a twinge of something alien in his tone. The slightest hint of guilt. He buried it in anger and frustration.
Mufasa growled in annoyance at Taka's words. "Don't be a fool Taka! If not for her you would be dead – she saved your life!" He said. Taka ignored her. For his part, Kasi didn't look at this sister. It was clear from his attitude that he too had wished Zira hadn't intervened. Even if it saved his friend. There was no telling what else Ahadi might have done.
"Why did you do it Zira? How could you lie to me?" Taka asked her. Zira shook her head.
"I couldn't stand by. Forgive me, please." She said, sounding ashamed. Taka stared at her.
"Do you think I could forgive myself if Ahadi had killed you?" Taka asked.
"Dad wouldn't have –"
"Mufasa! Open your eyes! He tried to kill me. Do you really think Zira would have been safe? You heard what he said to Kasi. Or are you deaf as well as blind?" Taka snapped. Mufasa stiffened, and looked about. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Zira interrupted.
"He didn't kill you. That is all that matters. You have saved my life three times, Taka. I paid a debt." She said. She looked about. "I must go. I will return at dusk if I may?"
"Ask me at dusk!" Taka responded, irritable dismissing her. Zira left the cave. When she had gone Mufasa turned to him in anger.
"You should be more grateful! Zira idolises you! Always has. She saved your life today, as much as Rafiki did, how could you repay her like this? I know you have been through a lot –"
"Who said I wanted to be saved?" Taka snarled. Mufasa stared at his brother.
"Taka…"
"You should have just let me die. You would have if not for her." He said. Mufasa stood back as if stunned.
"No! Brother… I…"
"You didn't say or do anything until she became involved! How far would you have let Dad go before you stepped in? Scaring me? Cutting out my eye? Breaking my limbs? Cutting my throat? Where was the line, brother dearest?" Taka spat.
Mufasa stared at him, eye wide with hurt, and shock. He opened his mouth but no words came out.
"Where were you, brother? You would have been fully prepared to watch Ahadi slaughter me! Where were you when Mother was killed? Where were you when Ahadi brought about her death? Where were you when I challenged his right to rule? Where were you when I needed you!?" Mufasa looked stung by the words Taka gave.
"How could I have chosen which lion to Murder? My brother or my father? Before my mother was even buried? What would you have done in my position?"
"I would have fought against the father who tried to kill his own son! I would have died for him!"
Mufasa went silent again. Then he stood up.
"Whatever you think of me… I am here for you, brother. I always will be. We always will be if you need us." He promised. Without saying another word he got up and left. Sarabi seemed torn, and then followed her mate outside of the cave. Finally, he was left alone with Sarafina, and the rest of the Lion Guard." He looked at the Guard.
"Kasi, Jicho… Go after your sister." He ordered them.
"Taka?" Kasi asked him. "She's injured. And I just hurt her on top of that." He said. "Make sure she's okay. Please?" He asked them. The two nodded, and left the lair. When they'd gone, he looked Imani and Nguvu.
"Guys." He said urgently. "When I found mother, I only found her because I was told by those hyenas. Shenzi."
"Your father exiled the hyenas as soon as he returned to Pride Rock." Imani reminded him. Scar was quiet.
"They were injured too. Make sure they're alive. We'll need them if we are going to take down Caliban." He hissed quietly. Imani's eyes widened, but he nodded. Taka needed this. And he was his friend. He'd make sure he got it. That was what friends did. They left quickly on their mission, and left Taka alone with Sarafina, who looked fraught.
"Taka... You can't mean that... About wanting to die?"
"So what if I do? I can't see how it's any of your affair anyway, not after you made it so clear how little you cared about me." He said.
Sarafina's ears reddened.
"Of course I care about you! I just didn't want you to get hurt!"
"Oh that's rich, coming from the one who just stabbed me in the back! If a few more of you pale excuses for lionesses showed a bit more of Zira's attitude, then I could have overthrown Ahadi without having to risk Mashindano! Are you happy now? Your disloyalty almost got me killed!"
"My disloyalty!" She hissed. "You are not king yet Taka – Whatever Zira may think!"
"Listen to me Sarafina!"
"No! You listen to me Prince Taka! A week ago I would have died for you! I have not left your side for more than half an hour since you lost that duel – Not one of us have! For three weeks we have cared for you whilst you laid in a coma – not knowing if you were going to die any second! I never stopped praying for the kings to give you another chance at life – not for a second! Now you awaken – and are so engrossed in your own self-pity that you can't look around and see what you have! You are alive when you should be dead! You father has spared you even though you openly challenged his right to rule! The lionesses still wait to know if their prince is going to be okay!"
"What is the point Sarafina!?" Taka bellowed, raising his voice as well. "I am alive – but I have lost everything! My mother was murdered and I am powerless to avenge her. And... And I am blind 'Fina... My eye... is dark as night."
Sarafina gaped, and looked at his scarred eye, still bloody and broken.
"Taka..." She reached out to touch his face, but he flinched away and snarled.
"Save me your pity! I have no use for that! Pity won't restore what has been stolen. Revenge will do that – and you have made it quite clear where you stand on that particular matter..."
"Taka..."
"I am crippled. I am broken. I have failed. And you have already abandoned me once."
Taka looked up at Sarafina with his one good eye.
"I am scarred. The lionesses want to know if their Prince lives. Tell them Taka is dead.
"You are still alive Taka..."
"No. Taka is dead."
"Taka... please."
"Taka is dead Sarafina. Mourn him if you must, but do it elsewhere."
"Who have you become?" She shook her head.
"My name is Scar. Leave me as you did before the duel. I don't want to see you ever again. I don't want to see anyone. Just leave me to die."
Sarafina looked at him.
"I was overjoyed to find you survived the duel. It's such a cruel twist of fate to find you are dead to me nonetheless. Goodbye old friend."
Taka stopped and turned to her.
"Wait, 'Fina!" He shouted, instantly repentant.
But she was gone.
"Come back... Please." He begged the empty air.
There was no response. She had gone.
"Sarafina! What have I done?"
He tied to get up, to follow the friends he had driven away one by one, but the pain lancing throughout his body stopped him. He called after them, but nobody heard him. All of them were gone. And he wept. Tears from one eye, blood from the other.
Ammit looked at the weeping Taka. The weeping Scar, as he now called himself, with interest.
"So this is it. Your deep dark secret history..." The demon said.
"Shut up." Scar snapped. He was shaken at seeing himself in such a vulnerable state. He remembered his abandonment of his old name as a moment of strength, of rebirth. Not this… pitiful display of wretchedness.
"I think not Scar. You did everything that you could. You put your trust in the kings that all would be well. And they failed you. Just as you failed them. You failed. You were weak. Broken. Crippled. How pathetic." He said.
"Enough..."
"I'm almost disappointed in you. But not surprised. It's not even uncommon. You found yourself unable to defeat Ahadi, so you turned to the ones you could hurt. Made them pay for what you couldn't achieve. That must have hurt them. Zira adored you, everyone knew that. Always trying to please you, and always looking for your approval. I think she who did more than any other, in the entirety of your Spirit's forsaken life. She risked death at the hands of your father to save your worthless hide. A life you didn't even want to be saved. She shed much blood for you over the years. She gave everything to you – even her sanity in the end. Do you know that?"
"Stop it."
"Your own Brother. He who should have been at your side found his heart wrecked by indecision, even though you know you would not have hesitated to go to his aid in his position. Yes he hurt you dearly. But you paid him back in kind for that betrayal didn't you? With a betrayal of your own. You always did like outdoing each other. He never stopped trusting you though. Never stopped hoping you would help guide his son to be a better king then he ever was."
"I said stop it!"
"Sarabi, who tended your wounds and assisted Rafiki. She saved your life helped undo the damage Ahadi wrought unto you for no reason other than to preserve your life. And what do you do? Wound her mate deeply, treat her like scum for her efforts and not offer a word of thanks. And the future shows no signs of looking rosier. You killed her mate, stole her crown, destroyed her home, tried to kill her son and left her for dead. I wish I had a friend like you."
"I TOLD YOU TO STOP!" Scar raged, furious with him. Hadn't Ammit just see what he had seen? He was the victim here, he was the one who had been wronged! Not them! How dare he make this about them!
"Then there is Sarafina. Oh no. Let's not forget her. She never lost faith in you, you know. Even during your tyranny, she quelled the rising mutiny in the desperate hope Taka would return and restore your sanity. She blamed herself for your disastrous rule. She thought that if she had sided with you before that fateful fight that things would have been different. If she had stuck with you to the very end. Do you know how long that tortured her?"
"Ammit! Enough!" Kivuli warned him. Ammit giggled.
"And let's not forget what happened to the Lion Guard." He taunted him. Scar let out a gasp or horror as he recalled. Kivuli paused.
"What… What does he mean, Scar?" He asked him. Scar was silent. Ammit laughed, enjoying the misery he caused.
"That's the truth though, isn't it, Taka? You do know. All your life you've known how you hurt these closest few to you. Your best friends. Your own mate. That's why this memory hurts you. Because you can see yourself right there, acknowledging this for the first and only time in your life!" he said. "In a few weeks, that Lion over there will rise, banishing all thoughts of guilt and remorse from his heart and become a remorseless killer! But that doesn't change the fact that here and now, you let yourself feel guilt for driving away your friends. It's a funny thing. I expected you take the name Scar after some great battle. Some great victory. But instead, what do I find? You took it out of shame. Out of guilt. Out of misery and despair. Your name, your very identity, is founded upon your own worthlessness." He laughed. "That has to be the funniest thing anyone has shown me in a thousand years." He said.
This was too much. Scar whirled around, and struck his clawed hand at Ammit's face. Surprisingly the blow connected, taking him by surprise, and with a loud snap, Ammit's neck broke.
"You should have stopped when you had the chance, demon!" Scar said. Ammit's eyes looked up at him from an odd angle. Then the jaw moved.
"Oh now you've done it."
Scar looked in amazement as Ammit's neck snapped back into place as he lifted his head of the ground.
"That's better." He clicked his neck. "Try to keep a better hold on your temper. Aren't you going to say anything? Have a go at him for trying to defy what must be done?"
Kivuli shrugged.
"Actually, I am with him on this one. Your passion for cruelty never ceases to amaze me. Remember the point of this judgement is to see if he can avoid eternal damnation – not put him though it..."
"You could have fooled me." Scar muttered, still shaken at the experience.
"So this was your rising... Your rebirth and your death? Did have your distorted lust for power at this point?"
Scar shrugged.
"At this point all I wanted to do was to make Ahadi pay. I had no plan, no personal desire for power. I didn't really want the crown – I just wanted it because Ahadi said I couldn't have it. I wanted to tear down everything he raised up. To take everything he owned. The crown was a means to an end."
"That changed though didn't it? It became about the kingdom."
"Oh yes. That changed."
"Let's see another memory then. After you healed."
Once more the white mist that preceded the visions and memories engulfed the trio. Scar, eager to move on from recent events moved forward to get a closer look at the place where the memory would take place. No change there. It was the ante chamber from before where he had been dragged following the disastrous dual with Ahadi. As he expected, he located his former self with ease. By now it was almost as if he was drawn to him. Younger Scar lay in the cave, and surprisingly, he was not alone. Zira was with him. She had a bundle of herbs in front of her, and a couple of fruits and gourds lay split open before her. She was mixing the various herbs, and rubbing them into the open wounds Scar still displayed. He was standing now, and his broken forearm seemed to be partially healed.
"These wounds are infected Taka. You've not been with these at all have you?"
"My name is Scar now Zira. And no. I see no reason for me to. If they become infected then they become infected. I will live with the consequences of my actions…"
"Now that's a new one." She muttered. "When have you ever been content to sit and allow events to take their course? You were always at the heart of things."
"Well, since the "the heart of things" equates to royal politics, that's rather murky waters for me now don't you think?" He sighed.
"I guess so… Still, I would be more comfortable if you took a little more caution. Caution is not the same as cowardice, and a lack of caution is more stupidity than bravery." She reminded him.
"I tried bravery." He winced as she touched another of his wounds, applying the paste into them.
"Look where it got me. Kings, woman what on earth are you doing? Trying to rip them open?"
"As I said, the wounds are infected, this will help slow the poison and help control the infection before it gets out of control. Your fever has already broken so the worst will seem to be over. Against all the odds, I think you're going to be alright. The only permanent damage seems to be your eye. How is it?"
Scar fingered the angry red wound carefully. Spasms of pain shot through him and he grunted.
"It's better. I can see light through it. Tell day from, night, cave from glen. But I can't make out anything with it. I couldn't tell you the difference between Sarabi and a hippopotamus."
"Is there one?" Zira asked. They both laughed.
"Your vision seems to be mending. Give it time. Time heals all scars." Zira assured him.
"No they don't. That's the whole point of scars." Scar said.
They both went silent for a minute or two. Finally the nagging curiosity in him could be held back and he turned to Zira a question on his lips.
"Why do you care? What business is it to you? You come here every day to tend to these war wounds. You spend hours mixing those herbs and rubbing them into ones I could easily reach myself with little difficulty. You're wasting your time Zira."
"How am I?"
"You keep talking about the future. But I can't see it. I am broken Zira. Even if I recover things will never be the same. I am dead as soon as I leave the Lair of the Lion Guard anyway. Ahadi will not suffer me to live much longer." He said it matter-of-factly and Zira looked uncomfortable.
"Ah. I have been meaning to talk to you about that."
"Do you not want to associate yourself with a marked target?" He asked, his heart sinking. It was logical of course, but it still hurt. She couldn't continue to be so obvious a friend, without putting themselves in danger.
"No! I mean Yes! I mean-" She stuttered. "Look that's not what this is about. A lot of the lionesses are set in their ways and they mean to maintain the status quo whatever the cost." She said. Scar thought about that. That was accurate. "But some lionesses are on our side." Zira continued. "Then there are the hyenas, they have pledged themselves to you already and I think that they could back us up considerably with more numbers if it comes to it. I am working on some of the older lionesses and the vultures and jackals could be counted on to support our cause. There is even a monitor lizard or two in the river that I am sure could be persuaded-"
"Enough." Scar interrupted and she immediately fell silent. "What are you talking about? Our side? Our cause? What have you been up to?" Scar asked her, cautiously.
"I have been making… preparations… in case of certain eventualities. Namely in case of any accidents." She said. "You know. You having a… suspicious… accident." She said.
His eyes narrowed even more.
"Oh kings. Tell me you haven't done anything stupid?" He asked, his heart sinking further.
"More stupid then challenging the king to single combat? Okay, okay! Look. You are right, Ahadi will want to crush you. Ahadi could not move to strike at you infront of everyone, whilst I lay over your and our friends defended each other before the whole pride. Not out in the open in front of everyone. He could not let you become a martyr. If he kills you, he will paint you as a traitor. Low life scum. The mud in the bottom of the pool. Lower on the food chain then the bugs the meerkats eat."
"Yes, I get the point."
"A disgusting excuse for a life form. Something so wrong that even the hyenas would not touch it. Carrion. He will make you the villain."
"Curving our optimism for a moment…"
"In short he cannot move against you whilst you lie wounded in the shadow of your mother's death. If he chooses to move against you it won't be openly. He'll wait till everyones forgotten about it, and the excitement has died down." She said.
"Yes, yes. I understand. But that only gives me a little time. A few more weeks at the most. I am a dead lion after then whatever happens." Then he became despondent and sighed depression once again taking hold of him.
"Yes, but it gives us time we can use."
"Use for what?"
"Well… I have kinda been raising you an army?" Zira said.
He turned to her in shock, his eyes wide.
"Run that by me one more time. You're doing WHAT!"
"Calm down Scar, it's not what you think." Zira dismissed his concerns. Scar could only balk.
"What part of low profile do you not understand? Get out of here and leave me in peace you stupid lioness! Then undo everything you have done before the King gets wind of it and rips your throat out!" He shouted, suddenly terrified.
"Scar just let me explain."
"Honestly I don't know why I bother with you lionesses at all! Cowards, traitors and now imbeciles! What next? Great kings I hope it's not already too late…" He fumed. When he had calmed down Zira looked up to him again.
"Have you finished?" She asked him.
"I distinctly remember telling you to leave."
"Yes I thought I heard that too…" She agreed conversationally.
Scar raged for another minute or so, but when she showed no signs of leaving or even distress at his anger he turned to her angrily.
"What was that about explaining?" He reluctantly managed to say.
"Well." She said. "Your gracious father has just brutally assaulted and nearly killed you before the whole pride for something that was clearly not your fault. Even if they didn't think Ahadi was responsible, that didn't mean they thought you were responsible. The Lionesses realize this. There is worry that Ahadi is no longer… stable. I exploited that fear and distrust and persuaded several that you or Mufasa would be better suited as king…" She said.
"Who have you asked?"
"Oh just a few. Vera. Talia. A few more."
"Vera?" he asked in shock. She nodded. "Talia?" He asked glumly. She gave the affirmative. He put his head in his paws and groaned.
"Spirits help me. Zira those are the two most gossipy, chattering, unbearable lionesses I know. You've doomed us all Zira. Their raving will go to the king's ears within hours."
"Exactly."
He gaped at her.
"What?"
"And what will Ahadi know? That there is dissatisfaction within the lionesses. That many would rather see you or Mufasa on the throne. That you are growing stronger by the day and that you have many allies. Including those in the Outlands, with little reason to love him. Do you think he would risk civil war by killing you? Or even just shutting you away? The lionesses would never stand for it. He would have a rebellion on his hands as soon as you started feeling poorly. We wouldn't need to do anything, he would start it himself!"
He gasped, understanding at last.
"You've trapped him…" He realized.
"This morning, he announced that he was reinstating you as the Leader of the Lion Guard." She smiled. "You're safe Scar! He won't dare move against you! If he does then all of these quiet supporters will form up under you. They don't care about the politics, or the reasons or the blood that's been split. They only care about the tragedy of the prince who lost his mother and was nearly murdered before the whole pride for it!" She smiled warmly.
He focused now only on Zira, who had proven to be his most useful and powerful tool. There were a million things he could have said. A million things he wanted to say. How Zira was absolutely amazing. How Ahadi could never had hoped to put down such a brilliant lioness. How he knew he could always count on her when the chips were down. Instead, all he said was:
"Why?"
Without hesitating she looked him in the eye, her ruby eyes as bright as the dawn.
"Because you believe you have failed. You believe that you could have avenged Uru's death and did not. A part of you even believes as Ahadi says and that you were to blame for Uru's death. You think you deserve death. Given up on life. I have heard you at night: You lie here in this cave. Broken. Alone. With only you scars for company. You cry out for death to take you."
"And you pity me?" Scar asked, completely confused.
"No. I saved your life for a reason Scar. Not so you can throw it away at your leisure."
"Then why?"
"Does it matter?"
"I am asking."
"I have my reasons. That should be enough."
"It isn't. You don't just support me Zira, you follow me. You come to me every day with meat. Herbs. Idle talk. You stay for hours in this dismal cave that is my sickbed and my prison. If I yell at you to leave or say that you are not wanted then you lie and wait outside. You brave the outlands to get messages to the hyenas. You have stayed whilst all the others have abandoned me. But not you. Why is that?"
"Because I will do anything for the Leader of the Lion Guard. I would cut my own throat right now if you demanded it." She unsheathed her claws to prove it.
"Why do I deserve such devotion? Explain that to me."
"Because I love you!"
The air became deathly quiet. Zira stared at her lord now, her secret she had kept for years now in the open. She stared at him unashamed and unembarrassed.
Scar could only stand there, the shock quiet evident on his face. He swayed slightly. When he said nothing, Zira stepped forward.
"Scar?"
No response. Finally he took his face away from Zira's. This great revelation could have explained so much, but the plain matter was that Scar had become to self-absorbed in recent days to notice any of the clues she unwillingly gave off. She waited expectantly for him to say something. What he did say was very surprising.
"Is this some kind of horrible joke?" he asked her.
Her first instinct was to laugh at such a foolish question. When she realized he was serious however, she placed he paw on his face, and traced the Scar over his eye with the tip of her claw, careful not to actually touch the raw red flesh.
"No. This is no jest. No trick or prank. I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I love you. Whether you call yourself Taka or Scar, I love you for the lion you are not the king you will be. The Leader who has the will to dominate those around him and make yourself powerful. The lion who is not content to be pushed around by his father and brother but the one who rises out of that to strike at those who have wronged him with the fury of a maelstrom. I love you Scar. From now to the end of time itself." Zira told him.
Tears well up in Scar's eyes, and he blinked them away quickly, hiding such a weak emotion.
"Do you mean it? Everyone else I loved abandoned me to my father. They let themselves be intimidated, and backed away. They didn't' stand with me. How do I know you won't do the same?" He asked her, sounding shocked.
"I would never betray you."
"Honesty is not a quality you're famous for Zira. You magnificent demonstration earlier…" he gestured at her ear. "…has proved that."
"Is there any oath I can make that will make you trust me?" She asked trembling, terrified that in saving his life she had made him lose faith in her. He shook his head, and she sighed. But then he smiled, making a decision. Not a grimace or sarcastic grin, but a genuine smile that had not seen use for too long.
"I already trust you Zira. And I always will. What you have done is beyond belief. I trust you completely. With my life." He took a breath. "With my heart…" he smiled. "And if you wish it… I will entrust you with my bloodline as well." She smiled.
"I do wish that my king. I have always wanted that."
"How long?"
"Since we were cubs I hoped I would become your mate someday…"
"That long?" he asked in surprise. "You never said anything."
"I always thought that you… that is… Sarafina was always…" She stuttered. "There was never a convenient moment." She finished lamely.
"Oh forget it. Just come here." At his invitation she nuzzled up closer to him.
"Night is drawing on…" he looked to the edge of the cave where the dim light of dusk was visible, turning the cave a deep warm orange hue.
"Don't you dare." She warned. "I am not going anywhere. I am staying right here. Next to my mate." She shifted and sniffed. And laid in close to him. Finally she opened her mouth and said:
"You're squidgy." He raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Excuse me?"
"You're squidgy. You've not moved from this cave in days. You've put on weight."
"I've been crippled!" he protested. "You try exercising when doing so sets your body on fire."
"Please. You're on the mend… Thanks to me…" She added smugly.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Scar wondered aloud.
"Mmm? You said something dear?"
"Nothing Zira. Go to sleep. Tomorrow Ahadi will make his move and I am going to give Ahadi a fight he will never forget. But not now. Not tonight. Or even this week. Let him make his move first. For now why don't we just enjoy ourselves?"
"Scar…" She said the name. "I think that name really does suit you now."
Ammit and Kivuli looked at Scar with interest.
"That was… almost romantic…" Kivuli said clearly startled.
"Yeah – nothing like having a fanatically loyal lionesses rub crushed fruit into your wounds for the past few weeks to 'start your cylinders firing with fervor'…" Ammit added.
"Yes… Well…" Scar managed. "Okay. Can we move on please…" He had just remembered what happened next in memory and was anxious to skip it. Kivuli seemed to realize this to and his eyes widened.
"Ah! Yes! Right of course. Come along Ammit!" Ammit was watching intently.
"Oh come on! This is just getting good!"
"Ammit!"
"What? This is one of my few pleasures." He said, grinning, and looking satisfied with himself. Scar shuddered.