All OC's from Heart Of A King belong to their rightful owners!

The morning came along to the Pridelands when three cubs came running out. One with light fur, one with auburn fur, and one with light peach-ish fur. While two of them look one look before running back inside, the first one remained and sat down.

Covering his paws with his tail as he heard movements behind him and his emerald green eyes trailed over to see his parents coming out of the den before he moved to nuzzle his parents. While his mother nuzzled back, his father didn't so much as he did with the boy's sisters.

"Daddy, are we going to see the kingdom?" The first daughter asked with her sapphire eyes shining with delight.

The king chuckled before giving his daughter a lick on the head. "Yes, Akina, we are. Me, you, Kiara, and Sariel are going to see the kingdom."

Sariel bite back a frown, he hardly ever got time with his father as he was always busy with Akina and Kiara. Something about having to help them with their futures when their mother could easily do those things.

"Kovu, I believe Sariel wants to do that with you alone," His mother, Queen Nala, replied to her mate as she nuzzled him. "You hardly spend time with him."

"Oh..." Both girls looked down at their paws before Kiara looked up at her father. "Please, daddy? We'll be quiet!"

"It's fine," Sariel mumbled. "They can see the kingdom with him..." The crowned prince moved to head down Pride Rock's slope before a paw on his tail stopped him from going anywhere.

"I don't think I said you could go out this early," Kovu smiled and Sariel's eyes moved around to find something to distract his father. "Now, come on, we're going up with your sisters."

The prince knew he didn't have a say in this, so he walked up with his father and sisters. Trailing behind them as Akina and Kiara practically shoved him out of the way so they could be closer to their father than Sariel could be.

Sariel wanted to say he was going to be king and needed the lessons more than his sisters ever did, but he knew that wouldn't chance things up. On his mind was always ways of getting closer to his father.

Out of all the lions; he was closed to his grandmothers and grandfather, his cousin(Kion), mother, uncle Simba and aunt Aliyah(not so much but still close), uncle Mheetu and aunt Timira, and his mother. But not his father.

No, that was Kiara and Akina.

When they sat down, Kovu began to speak answers when Akina and Kiara asked them before he nudged his son. Making Sariel look at him and raise an eyebrow before Kovu smiled.

"Look, Sariel, everything the light touches is our kingdom." Kovu explained and Sariel moved past his sisters to sit in between his father's paws. "One day the sun will set on my time, and will raise with you as it's new king."

"All of this will be Sariel's?" Akina asked. Sariel pretended to ignore the glares from his sisters.

"Everything the light touches will be his and his mate, whoever she may be." Kovu nodded and Sariel held his breath.

He wasn't so interested in having a mate at all.

As they headed off into the Pride Lands to go on with the lessons, Sariel stayed by his father's side as Akina and Kiara ran off to play with their friends, Tiifu and Zuri.

Tiifu was the adoptive daughter of Mheetu and Timiaru, which probably made her cousins with Sariel and his sisters but they didn't count that as family, and Zuri was the daughter of Tojo and Banou.

Kovu had finished up his lesson about the pride, predator, and prey and freed Sariel to do whatever he pleased and the first place Sariel had went to was to see Kion, Nyimbo, Fazil, and Malik.

"Kion! Nyimbo! Fazil! Malik!" Sariel called seeing his friends.

The golden son of Simba and Aliyah smiled. "Sariel! Finish your lesson?"

"Yup." Sariel slided to a stop and Nyimbo blinked. "All done."

"Did your sisters tag along?" Nyimbo question and Sariel looked down at his paws before she nuzzled him. "That's a yes."

Fazil, a brown cub with a pale cream underbelly, muzzle, and paws, gave Sariel a full stare before he shook his head. "Gotta be nice to them."

"You're just sayin' that since you like Akina," Malik teased his friend and Fazil blushed.

"Well, she's gonna be queen, like she said," Fazil explained. "She's planning on pickin' me when she's of age."

Sariel frowned. "But I'm crowned prince. We were two months old when she said that cause we didn't know who was to become ruler 'till dad and mom said I was gonna be king."

Malik hid his laugh under his orange pelt. "That puts your plan off task, don't it Fazil?"

"Shut up," He huffed before turning to Sariel. "Only reason why you're gonna be king is because you were born first and you get first pick at the future queen like your dad did."

"...What if I want a king to rule beside me?" Sariel questioned and his friends looked at him. "I'm not saying I'm into lions!"

Nyimbo shrugged. "Then I guess you tell your parents that, and see what happens."

Kion smiled at his cousin. "Hey, later we can ask my dad if he can play with us!"

"Ain't his friend coming back soon?" Fazil blurted out. "Y'know, what's his name? Malka and his mate, Tama, I think."

"More cubs to play with." Malik smiled. "I can't wait to meet 'em."

While the others agreed, deep in Sariel's mind was the question he had asked his friends. What would happen if he wanted a king beside him instead of a queen? How would he able to carry on the Circle of Life then?

Sariel shook his head. No.

He shouldn't be thinking about this right now. So why was he?